"I swear I've seen that thing before..." Sporacles mutters as he observes Semargl. Probably on Wikipedia or something.
As Wormwood pulsates, he takes a gulp. Yeah, this thing is out of his league. Big animals? Yeah, what he's used to. Actual monsters? A hell of a lot harder, but a welcome challenge. Demonic abominations? He flicks his Thermoblade into a blocking position and shudders, preparing to endure what he knows he probably can't actually endure.
Enforcer has a very much different reaction; glowering at Semargl, seemingly recognizing its divine nature. His scowl only deepens at the confirmation from its own mouth, but he maturely doesn't make note of it.
Relative to the worm itself, however, he smiles. Feels like home... he hunkers down under his parapet in preparation for a blast, and readies himself to feast and/or power up on the aftermath - provided it isn't still alive, of course.
/\。。/\Zoro finally leaps in, not really understanding what the hell's going on but still choosing to strike the abomination that's been attacking everyone. He does that by spinning in mid-air, sending a small tornado of a sort at the dreadful giant before landing near everyone else, swords in hands... and mouth.
Tatsumaki!
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterShadow shrugs.
"Fair point. But it still doesn't feel like a very safe plan, and it won't cast us in a positive light regarding further interactions if they apprehend our people."
"You and I, both..." , he replies, whistling through his teeth. "He's a dangerous bandit lord, and certainly someone you don't want to cross. And, in a way, there's an extra impact regarding Nidhiki's death, because, while he had since betrayed his calling and became what he hated, once upon a time, Nidhiki used to be a Toa of Air before he went rogue. You can tell, then, why he would have been an ideal agent for the Shadowed One...at least until he tried to double-cross him and got turned into a bug. He still managed to get important mission after that, though."
He smiles brightly back to Pseudo, and gives a respectful nod.
"I'm quite honored to hear that, sir."
Noticing Botar and Ken Tahn's reappearance, he turns to watch them, smirking.
"Ah, that's good...one less risk to be worried about regarding this mission."
Before turning back to talk with the rest of the group, he, too, picks up on the butterfly, and Tahn's reaction to it, and cracks a smile, silently chuckling to himself.
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-Stalker"It is a risk, but one I feel we have to take.", Pseudo says. "We played defensive and safe for a long time, and it allowed Galeem to get the drop on us. This time, we must make the first move, and any move that benefits us further."
He tilts his head.
"A former Toa? I was never told of this."
"We didn't consider that information relevant to our shared goals.", Botar says.
"I suppose that's logical."
Then he looks surprised at being called sir.
"Oh, wow. I haven't been called that since I was on Porky's side.", he says with a slight smirk.
Ken Tahn then looks back at Shadow and pretends to be unamused.
"Jeez, if I didn't know any better, I'd say none of you trust me to cooperate.", he jokes. He then holds up the arm with the bracelet.
"Even if I somehow get this thing off, I'm not gonna escape. I still want what Pseudo promised me in return for my help. And I'd rather not have to figure out how to get into a fortified base I don't know the location of. So none of you have to worry."
"We'll see how much we have to worry when the time for the mission is here.", Pseudo says. Tahn just shrugs and lays back down on the ground, seemingly without a care in the world.
Island of Intrigue
Claus
◊ is walking around outside, testing his newly programmed eye to scan the machinery, wanting to make sure it'll work at full capacity.
Lucas, mentally preparing himself, approaches with a smile.
"Heya, Claus!"
Claus, turning around, sees him and smiles.
"Oh, hey! Are you done training for today?"
"Yeah, I think I'm good for the tournament. Hey, what about you? Are you participating?"
"Nah, not my thing. But Kumatora is."
"Hm... so what're you doing?"
Claus turns to the machinery.
"Testing out my new cybernetic eye. It took the Pigmasks quite some time, the previous one was a total loss."
His eye flashes as he scans one of the machines.
"This one's arguably better than the last one though, so I don't mind."
"That's good to hear.", Lucas says, sounding as happy as usual, but looking conflicted now that Claus can't see his face.
"Gotta get this over with..."
Edited by DevilPsyco on Mar 27th 2020 at 11:50:11 AM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Solstheim, Horker Island
The Sons of Odin sit upon a rock on Horker Island, discussing amongst themselves.
"Telling Neuff about our plan came back to bite you in the arse? Heh, if only somebody could have foreseen such unanticipated consequences..."
"Oh, shut up, Loki. You're the one who came up with this bloody plan in the first place."
"True, but you willingly agreed to it, Thor."
"And now we both might be in serious trouble with Ain and Deut..."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Mar 27th 2020 at 4:19:40 AM
Shadow nods.
"If you insist."
He raises an eyebrow.
"...huh. Bit of an odd thing to leave out in my opinion, but that's likely just because I take pride in my reputation as a loremaster, so I personally don't like to cut down information."
He cracks a wry grin to Pseudo.
"Well, rest assured I'm not just sayin' it because I have to! 100% respect toward you, that's why!"
Snickering at Tahn's comment, he shrugs.
"Eh, perhaps...hey, I still haven't forgotten your friend teasing me about the riddle."
He tilts his head.
"Well, now you've gone and got me curious...but, ah, good to know. Just stay outta' too much trouble, these Cyber Angels sound extremely dangerous."
Glancing back to Pseudo, he then nods.
"Right, we've got that covered. Is there anything else you or Botar need to tell me about?"
Edited by SacredSpirit123 on Mar 27th 2020 at 7:03:03 AM
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-StalkerNightcaller Temple
A small pink portal emerge at the top of the temple, and a man clad in white, with a red mask, emerges out of it, clutching a bag with a dollar sign on it!
W-wha?! Where?!
Hey, hold!
Behind him, a figure leap right out of the vortex, to his surprise!
You're un...?
The figure begins to look around. A closer look, as the vortex close, reveal that it's an entirely pink woman, clad in a superhero suit of a sort. She glances at her surrounding in surprise.
Huh? What the-
The white-clothed man toss the bag at her face, causing her to yelp and fall backward, before running away. She angrily get up and begins to give chase.
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter"Thank you. The feeling is certainly mutual.", Pseudo says, looking pleased.
Tahn then glances at Shadow.
"I don't have friends, godman. I have either enemies, or temporary allies."
He then nods. ... Well, as much as one can nod while having their head on the ground.
"I'll be careful. I'm not eager to get shot to death."
Pseudo then ponders.
"... well, we have a ceasefire with some other factions who would normally be our enemies, which significantly lowers the risk of acting out in the open. As for our coalition with the Assassins, despite the tragic failure of our attack, there don't seem to be any problems."
He then remembers.
"Oh, though there's apparently some issues in their group itself. The Shinigami didn't help fight, and Cyber, after giving their boss a piece of his mind, put them on full-time reconnaissance. Apparently that's a punishment, though I have no idea why."
"Probably because that sounds boring as all hell.", Tahn notes.
"Anyhow, with the test over with, we'll be returning to the base momentarily.", Botar says.
Lucas summons the courage to do what he set out to do.
"Claus?"
"Yeah?", Claus asks, not turning around yet, his scanning still finishing.
"... I know you're my brother."
Everything goes silent for a good few seconds, though it feels like an eternity to the both of them.
When it looks like Claus is finally going to say something, Lucas speaks up first.
"It's not a question. I'm not asking if you're my brother. I'm telling you I know.", he clarifies, which stops Claus in his tracks.
"... you were going to deny it, weren't you?"
"..."
Claus turns around, looking guilty and nervous. Seeing him look like that, confirming what Lucas was thinking, makes him look furious.
Kumatora
◊ and Duster
◊, who happen to be walking past a window that shows them the front of the base, notice the two of them, and halt when they see Lucas' expression.
"... oh no. I know that expression...", Kumatora says, nervous. "He's on the verge of exploding emotionally."
"Whatever the reason for his anger, we have to go out and calm him down before things can escalate.", Duster says. The two quickly start running for the base entrance as Lucas stares Claus down, the latter still silent.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Shadow smiles brightly in response to Pseudo returning his respect, then shrugs to Ken Tahn, giving him a mirthful smirk.
"Okay, well, I haven't forgotten your 'temporary ally' teasing me about the riddle. Also, you certainly seemed to light up when the others pointed him out to you...though that might just be because he solved the unsolvable, eh?"
He nods.
"Good to hear. I know for a fact that great grace can veil great danger, so I myself am not going to underestimate these Cyber Angels."
Upon hearing about the Shinigami refusing to fight, he seems to remember something of his own, though he simply quirks an eyebrow. When Ken Tahn gives his two cents of the situation, Shadow develops a brief, clever glint in his eye, and he smirks.
"Well, that's one possibility..."
He nods to Botar.
"Alright. Thanks for getting me caught up with current affairs."
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-StalkerAstil
Zoro's slicing hurricane rent and tore at the Defiler's corporeal form, leaving gashes that leaked the worm's signature, black-hearted, green flames. On a lesser creature, the damage might have been fatal over time...
But this was not a mere serpent or sandworm. Wormwood was more, a thing beyond meager physicality. As the flames poured out, the abomination lifted its head skyward, and roared with a noise that shook the soul itself.
"The Serpent of Time has run its course. Your pathetic lives have been... forfeit."
The entire length of the creature, from head to tail, twisted, warped, and eventually erupted into cosmic-black flames which spewed lurid green sparks. Every fighter closer than Vahasia — which included Darkku, The Titan, Zoro, and [???] — would feel a wave of raw psychic energy and reality-twisting force wash over them, which threatened to blast them all or knock them down! Every one of Wormwood's eyes became baleful white orbs which shone with a sickening, horrible radiance — a radiance which only grew sharper and brighter as the defiler prepared some sort of attack.
"Begone."
Needle-thing beams of piercing light shot forth from the eyes — one from each — and tore through the battlefield, leaving dark rifts where they passed. After a moment, these rifts then sequentially exploded with hellfire, erupting with the same timing which they had initially been primed with. In the process, the Titan's restraints loosened, and Wormwood ripped itself free from the earth, floating above the swamp like a primordial god of the void.
—
Geralt's strike found home, even as Vahasia attempted to throw herself to the side. It pierced through the gaps in the side of her armor, drawing forth the sanguine of humanity. She made no attempt to strike back, instead just scrambling away, and trying to put space between herself and the Witcher. She suddenly reached up and tried to wrench her helmet off of her head, struggling as the armor attempted to remain bound to her very soul. Hideous cracking and squelching noises emanated from the suit as she continued to attempt to be rid of it...
Edited by OmegaShadowcry on Mar 27th 2020 at 8:33:10 AM
"The Stick has sentimental value. It's like an enormous, hideous teddy bear we can kill things with." -rikalousDarkku stumbles back and gets blown away by the attack, but quickly regains his stance. "Phase two, is it? Come on, then!"
Semargl creates a wall of flames around Vahasia, which attempt to close upon her like, well, the hands of God, before dispersing.
Edited by KiriK on Mar 27th 2020 at 8:25:44 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Zoro is relatively unintimidated by what he sees, simply keeping an eye on the projectiles and standing his ground against the pressure. He's taking this pretty seriously!
Man, what is it with that weird island?
...
Hey, stop! St-oh, wait!
The pink woman raises her arm and shoot it forward, with it stretching in a manner similar to rubber. Her fist nails the man in the back, and he's K.O'd as a result!
Phew, why didn't I think of that sooner now?
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterKen Tahn glances to the side, not willing to admit that Shadow is right. Even though this kind of gesture just proves that Shadow is right.
"No problem.", Botar says. "And remain on watch. You could run into Cyber Angels when you least expect it."
"I'll notify you if it turns out we can try to solve this problem peacefully.", Pseudo says.
The three of them are then warped away by Botar. Ken Tahn would be returning to his cell.
"... I...", Claus eventually starts talking. "I can-"
"Explain?", Lucas says, his voice shockingly venomous in tone. "That's a bit cliche, but alright. Explain."
"... um... it, uh... would sound pretty hard to believe though.", Claus nervously says. That really doesn't help the situation, and as Lucas takes a step forward, Claus steps one back.
"So you can't explain?"
"I... w-we have a good reason to-"
"We?", Lucas asks. "Who else is in on this!?"
Kumatora and Duster have some bad timing, arriving outside in a hurry now. The two look at them and Lucas crosses his arms.
"Did you two know?"
Kumatora pauses, confused, while Duster already seems to realize what this has to be about.
"... we did...", he admits, after which Kumatora realizes it too.
"But look, we had a-"
"Good reason? One you can't tell me?"
"..."
"I figured."
"L-Lucas, I-", Claus starts to say, but then Lucas finally seems to lose his composure, startling Claus, Kumatora and Duster.
"I specifically ASKED you when I first saw you here if you were my brother, and you looked me dead in the eyes and said no! Yeah, I asked a bit jokingly, but you still lied to me! Right in front of Thor too! And-"
He pauses.
"... Claus. Does Thor know?"
Now Claus looks even more conflicted. Lying will just make things worse, but ratting out Thor...
"Wait! What about Pietro!? Hub!? Your... no, our dad!? Do THEY know!?"
Claus goes silent again. In the meantime, Lucas' shouting has attracted the attention of other people in the base, who are now standing at the window.
Those people being Fuel
◊, Nana
◊, Flint
◊, Hinawa
◊ and some Pigmasks
◊, one of them likely Richard.
Flint opens the window, wanting to talk to Lucas, and the people outside now look at the window, Lucas' expression not changing.
"... well? You're my dad, aren't you? And you knew about this all along, didn't you?"
"... I... did.", Flint says.
"And everyone else I've listed!?"
"..."
"They did, didn't they!? They all knew and they ALL kept it from me! What else are you keeping from me, huh? I bet my nightmares, my deja vu's, everything weird I've felt and encountered here has something to do with this! That Ridley monster was right, wasn't he!?"
He puts his hands on the sides of his head, shaking it as he's having trouble with the realization that this runs even deeper than he thought.
"Luke, calm down. We didn't mean any harm...", Kumatora says.
"Oh, you didn't, huh? Then how about this!? How about you tell me who else knows? 'Cause I bet it doesn't stop here! Hell, maybe everyone I've ever talked to knows! I mean, Ken Tahn knew! That Porky guy probably knows! That Ninten friend of Claus' probably knows! Those two friends of yours over there probably know! That-"
He pauses, eyes widening a bit as he slowly turns to Hinawa.
"... mom?", he asks, his voice suddenly soft and fragile, expression having gone from anger to shock at the sudden realization. "... Mom, you... you didn't know, did you? Please tell me you didn't know."
Everyone else looks at Hinawa, worried for her, as she herself looks heartbroken.
"... I... knew, honey.", Hinawa says.
"... how... how long have you known?"
"... I've always known..."
"..."
Lucas stares at the group, showing an expression that says he doesn't know what to do, say or even think right now.
The air is tense, and it's so quiet that the soft breeze sounds unbearably loud.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Sporacles squawks with surprise - nope nope no he can't block this with a knife nope. He's a prophet! An exploding, dead prophet. Let's press F in the chat for this one, lads.
Enforcer has the exact opposite reaction, in that his chaos dirt parapet is apparently sturdy enough to just fucking tank the blasts with minimal force getting through. I mean, it's dirt held together with death juice so it crumbles on top of him afterwards, but that's still damn impressive.
Once the worst is over he sticks his head out the top of his new chaos sand dune and starts to spit fire.
/\。。/\The Horned God stands its ground, from the shockwave, but then the roaring unholy blaze erupts from Wormwood's portals. The titan wails like a wounded animal. The ominous cracking noise of shattering wood is heard as one of its horns is torn clear off its head by the unholy flame, alongside some of bark over its body. Sap, in place of blood, seeps from the wounds.
In retaliation, some kind of glowing golden aura appears around the Horned God, clashing with the otherworldly glow of the great Wyrm and dissipating it. Any allies within this aura will receive a massive boost to their morale, in spite of Wormwood's crushing spiritual presence, making them less likely to panic and more likely to land critical hits on the weak parts of the worm. Curiously, it does not seem to originate from the God itself. Rather, it's like someone cast a spell on it, someone yet unseen.
The Horned God itself unleashes a new bolt of lightning upon the aberration, trying to incapacitate it or at least forcing it back down to the ground.
Edited by Arachnos on Mar 27th 2020 at 9:32:01 AM
Astil — Vs. The Unmaker
Wormwood's first order of business was swiftly interrupted by the fact that somebody just had the gall to attempt to force it back to the ground. As the lightning arced across its body, a great number of the now-starlike eyes along its sides burst in miniature supernovas of light. Which each one damaged, it was like the end of the torment for millions of tortured, broken souls. The eyes reformed shortly after, but were reduced in both brightness, and in power. As the explosions died down, Wormwood lunged at the horned god with its entire, coiling body behind it, and attempted to rend it with the savagery of a creature which could not and refused to know death. This golden aura, whatever the source, only served to further offend That Which Should Never Be, and Wormwood attempted to utterly crush it and drink the light from this place, like a demented form of a black hole. He hardly noticed the fact that he was now also slowly beginning to burn and scorch as Enforcer's flames made their way to him, causing a few more of the eye-stars to burst.
It seemed that the others were safe... for now.
—
Vahasia paused as she heard both Geralt and Semargl speak. Semargl's words brought her some fragment of hope, a light she had long ago lost... and Geralt's words had a very different effect. 'Master'... the word had never set right with her. She already hated herself for having done what she had to come to this point, but she had never forced himself to face the truth that Wormwood, the defiler, the thing that had forged an abandon, betrayed little girl in a murderous, rampaging monster... this thing was her master, and she despised this fact.
With a newfound burst of hope and rage, she split her helmet into jagged halves, as hellfire licked at her neck and head. Her face underneath... it was human. Her hair was black, and her eyes, though filled with rage beyond rage itself, were golden, and tinged with green around the edges. In another life, she may have perhaps cuts a regal figure, but that had not been her fate. Her face was contorted into a half-scream, half-warrior's battlecry, in defiance and pain, as she had to tear away this second skin of armor from her very body.
Semargl's flames quieted the pain and brought the hellfire to nothing more than a memory as the ring closed in around Vahasia. Her strength and will to fight left her, and she fell sideways on the ground.
"Let... let him... rot," she replied to Geralt, her lightly-accented voice little more than a strained whisper.
Edited by OmegaShadowcry on Mar 27th 2020 at 10:39:36 AM
"The Stick has sentimental value. It's like an enormous, hideous teddy bear we can kill things with." -rikalous"Lucas, we really did mean well. We just can't...", Duster starts to say, but eventually stops when Lucas slowly starts to glare again.
"You meant well, huh? Tell me, how am I supposed to trust any of you when you've been lying to me all along!? Who knows how many lies you've told me since I got here! Maybe Hub isn't dangerous! Maybe Porky isn't an apparent jerk-"
"Porky Minch is a monster, and no matter what I might have done or said to keep things from you, that fact is irrefutably true!", Claus suddenly says, causing Lucas to look at him. Claus shuts up again immediately after when Lucas just shakes his head.
"... I need... time to think. Alone. I don't want to be around any of you right now.", he says as he turns around, then starts to walk away.
"Wait, Lu-", Claus says, about to go after him, but Kumatora stops him by grabbing his shoulder.
"He's... had a few moments like this during our journey way back then too.", she says. "Trust me, trying to meddle now will only make him angrier. He needs some time."
Claus looks at her, then lowers his head before nodding, letting Lucas leave. He looks heartbroken when he notices that Hinawa is crying, with Flint trying to comfort her, and Fuel and Nana giving the both of them some space.
Claus shakes his head before suddenly hugging Kumatora, to her shock. She understands the moment she realizes he's crying.
She hugs the boy back, and so does Duster, hugging them both after noticing that Kumatora's eyes are starting to water too.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Forze del Male (Dark Riku ver.) - Kingdom Hearts III
Granting a morale boost to a guy with about as much mental stability as Anakin towards the end of Episode III may not have been the best move. Dark Riku bellows, "I'm UNSTOPPABLE!" and launches into another barrage of teleporting Dark Aura stabs, following up with a diving slash that sends forth more darkness-pillars on impact with the ground!
Semargl walks up and stands over Vahasia to guard her prone position. "We must refocus our efforts. Attack the orchestrator." He launches a divine fireball at Wormwood.
Edited by KiriK on Jul 21st 2021 at 10:31:57 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."A witcher's Duty
Geralt looks to vahasia, nodding, before putting away his steel sword, in favor for a blade of shining silver, which he quickly coats in relict oil. Geralt quickly says "I was planning on doing that anyways." Geralt gazes down the abombination with his yellow eyes, as he considers his options with his equipment.
Leaving the base behind, Lucas keeps walking. To his surprise though, Hub
◊ warps in near him.
"Hub? What are you doing here?"
"Well, we heard you screaming angrily through one of Andropov's crystals. He has one nearby. I wanted to come see what's going on."
Lucas blinks, then narrows his eyes.
"Hey, Hub.", he asks, voice a bit lower, which confuses Hub.
"... yes?"
"You know a lot about this place and the people in it, right?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Well, then I wonder if you knew that Claus is my brother."
Hub looks surprised, and before he can talk, Lucas continues.
"And certainly you'd know that a lot of other people already know about this and are hiding it from me, and that maybe there's even more stuff being hidden from me that I'm not aware of yet. Things that'd probably explain a lot of the things I've been feeling."
"... per... haps..." , Hub says, not being prepared for this situation. For once, he doesn't have the concentration to perfectly fake his expression, voice and body language, which could have potentially saved him here.
But the truth has come out now. Lucas turns away from him.
"I'm leaving for a while. Gonna stay at a hotel or inn or something, I'll see.", he says, starting to walk again. Hub, speechless, tries to follow him at first.
"Alone, Hub!", Lucas says, stopping in place but not even turning his head to look at Hub. His unusual demeanor is enough to make Hub freeze, able to do little more than watch as Lucas walks away.
As Lucas is once again walking alone, he's suddenly glad he'd brought the Rope Snake to Claus' base the day before. The last thing he'd want now is to have him talk to him and keep him away from his thoughts.
... wait, does the Rope Snake know too? It was Duster's, so probably!
Lucas tries to stop thinking these thoughts that keep making him feel betrayed. Which is what happened, yeah, but continuing to think about it nonstop isn't healthy. He'd be thinking things over once he feels calmer.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.The Horned God roars in defiance, like a thousand forest animals - from the tiniest squirrel to the biggest bear - vocalizing their wrath, as it jabs its staff like a harpoon into the lunging monstrosity's greedy maw, attempting to run it through with all of its remaining strength. The strike is even mightier than the one from before, as the aura seems to empower the titan itself and infuse its staff with holy power, and sure enough it once again attempts to call forth these thorny vines and roots to entangle Wormwood if it successfully lands its hit.
Enforcer huffs a few more flames before climbing out of the dune. Not much of a defense now; time to go on the offensive and help everyone else.
He equips his jet-pack and gets into position!
>sputter.avi
>sputter-and-smoke.avi
The jet-pack fires up with an flashy explosion and launches the daemon into a headbutt at supersonic speeds. If it hits, it will hit with the force of a goddamn train, but this isn't the most controllable attack.
/\。。/\

Geralt moves in, attempting to uncerimoniously stab his downed foe, wordlessly. He's leaving himself open, however, deeming the foe to be dead meat, seemingly.