Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

"I hope if we do meet again, you are side by side with your brother, with a smile on your face. Best of luck to you Dante, my name is Kratos."

The god turned to walk away, continuing his trek onward through the desert.

Shadow Konngara looks at Pseudo Porky. Something resembling a smile appears on her face.    "You mean... the judgment of the Arena..? Yes... perhaps that could be arranged. However, you'll have to take it up with her. I don't know why, but a feeling tells me that if we are separate like this, and we are slain... we will be beyond the Arena's power."   

She turns to the others.    "I'm not sure I will ever truly understand you, or the way you all think. But for all it's worth... as strange as it all is to me... I am glad that there are people like you. I came to the belief that the way of the sword was the only way, for as long as no one is free of sin, everyone deserves to burn. But you... you say the exact opposite. Because nobody is devoid of inner light... no soul is fully beyond redemption? Why... why does that sound so familiar? Even though... I went to Hell..."   

Shadow Konngara looks back, and before the eyes of the group, the destroyed pedestal upon which she used to sit reforms itself. There, at the top, instead of a throne is now a judge's desk, behind which sits the silhouette of a girl with a stern gaze, wearing a Yama's cap and carrying a golden rod.◊

   "Yes... because that's what she said when she greeted me... but at the time, I didn't understand her words, because I was too prideful to admit that I had done wrong at all.    This is why the cycle of reincarnation exists at all... and why Hell is not eternal... because no sin is infinite. Nobody is beyond forgiveness."

Her voice begins, once again, to lose its eerie echo. To sound like that of the Konngara they know. She clutches the vajra blade, rips it out of her stomach, and hands it to Pseudo Porky.

"I see it now. As long as there are people like you who walk the way of the heart, and not the way of the sword... perhaps there is still something worth saving in this world. Take this. I have... someone I need to make peace with."

As soon as Pseudo takes the sword, Shadow Konngara dissolves into golden embers that race away, as if carried by a strong wind. The Palace fades before their eyes, leaving them back in the decrepit ruin of Ragnvald. Some distance away, Konngara's limp body begins to stir.

Edited by Arachnos on Oct 24th 2020 at 5:02:56 PM

Skippy silently smiles. He walks over and picks up Konngara's original vajra before the party is ejected. She'll appreciate it, he figures.

Edited by KiriK on Oct 22nd 2020 at 9:26:10 AM

Pseudo and Pilly both look relieved to hear that they all managed to change Shadow Konngara's mind. They do still look surprised when Pseudo is handed her blade though.

Pseudo does take the sword, seeing as that's what Shadow Konngara wants.

"Good luck.", he says as she dissolves along with the fading palace. Both he and Pilly stare for a moment longer before Pilly notices Konngara moving.

"Brother, she's waking up.", she says, after which Pseudo turns and the two quickly hurry over to her, with Pseudo not caring about his wounds at the moment.

Smiling, Wanda and Pietro follow Pseudo and Pilly over to the awakening Konngara, with the former Maximoff twin healing the party's wounds along the way.

Null watched this demonstration with awe. His jaw slack as the tree split in half. If he had his other hand, he would've clapped. But he just sat there, looking at the tree.

"Bravo. That was very impressive. Those.... Shards? Are you controlling them each individually?"

As he was talking, that same crimson energy filled the air, his Voidborn arm forming as he looked at the tree. At his shoulder and slowly going down, the arm formed.

For a moment, it seemed Miles would get no response... But then Kazami popped up in his view, looking more that a little relieved.

"Oh, you're okay! I-I'm sorry, I would have warned you, but for some reason, I couldn't connect. You were just completely off the grid!"

"Off the grid?" Nebula quizzed, tilting her head in confusion.

"My guess is someone or something was using a jammer to block your ability to communicate." Zero offered his two cents on the matter while folding his arms.

"The important thing right now is that you're alright," Miles said, breathing a sigh of relief, "I'm alright. Everyone's alright. That being said, Kazami, we need to know what exactly happened after we left? Did you get a good look at who did all this?"

"Uh... Not really." Kazami admitted. "I got out of there as soon as she started shooting at me - and besides, I could barely see her in the first place. My eyes, uh, aren't great. She was definitely wearing something bright green, though. I heard her, though! Her steps sounded... Very light, I guess, definitely someone who didn't want to be noticed. Oh, and she had this unbearable buzzing around her - gah, it's like I can still hear it just thinking about it."

"Definitely a woman...wears bright green and has a really loud buzzing noise around them constantly..." Shyna stroked her chin, "Not a lot to go off of but it's still better than nothing."

"Agreed. At least we got a rough idea of what to keep an eye out for. That being said..." Miles frowned as he knew what he said next wasn't going to be easy, "Kazami...we need you to stay away from here as it's clearly no longer safe for any of us. Just lay low and stay off the radar for a while,"

"I..." He glanced around the destroyed apartment somberly. This place was like a home away from home for him and the gang and now they had to leave it, "I promise we'll see each other again soon. It's just...it's clear now I got a few things that need to be taken care of."

She is, indeed, waking up, but something is a little off about her. It seems her form has become slightly translucent, and seems to "flicker" in and out of reality. Her entire lower body◊ has also turned into a distorted blur.

She seems to realize this, sighs and looks at the ground.

Skippy reaches out to Konngara. "Are... you okay?"

"Probably not," mutters 42.

"Konngara? Are you alright...?", Pseudo asks, worried.

"This is... normal, right?", Pilly asks, concerned as well.

"Oh, what now? I swear, if this has anything to do with the Shadow, I'm gonna track down one of those kids and ask them exactly how these freaking things work," Pietro says.

"Um... Konngara? What the hell is happening to you?" Wanda asks.

She turns to the others. "Evil spirits who defy the natural cycle of reincarnation need an anchor to hold on to existence. A grudge, usually. Something to keep them from being caught in the cycle again. In my case, it was my unyielding refusal to admit my failure. I guess you could call it a grudge in a way, even though I'm not sure whether it was directed against the world... or against myself."

"I am still not entirely sure what happened here or how, but... it was not dissimilar to an exorcism. By all accounts, with my grudge broken, I should have shuffled off the mortal coil entirely. Maybe it's the remoteness of this place, its closed-off nature, that keeps the underworld from catching up with me. Can't imagine it will take too long, though."

Her tone not fearful, per se, but certainly solemn and somewhat resigned. She doesn't seem eager to be claimed by Hell again like Shadow Konngara was, but she seems to have accepted it as an inevitability.

A voice speaks in the heads of Konngara and those around her. Pseudo will recognize it as Margaret's voice.

"So, it seems everything worked out on your end. All that's left is for Konngara to find new purpose or receive new life. Then, you can rest easy knowing your work won't have been for nothing."

Skippy is momentarily caught off-guard. "But... how will she do that?" he asks aloud, to no answer.

After a solid Beat, he stomps the ground and cries out in the closest to an anguished outburst he can muster. "Darn it, I don't want to lose one of my closest friends!"

42 waits in silence.

Edited by KiriK on Oct 24th 2020 at 1:19:32 PM

Both Pseudo and Pilly hear Margaret's voice, the latter being pretty confused because of it.

"S... so you're still going to fade away!?", Pilly then asks Konngara, growing even more concerned. Pseudo, meanwhile, looks similarly solemn.

"There is nothing we can do to stop this process, is there?"

A few sparks run over the damaged parts of his body, but it doesn't seem to faze him.

"... whichever option happens first, I hope that you finally find peace and happiness."

His saddened expression is in clear conflict with his words, which sound like he has fully accepted the situation, but he knows there is nothing he can do about this but wish Konngara the best, and hope that she can one day return.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Oct 24th 2020 at 8:26:19 PM

The Maximoffs exchange brief looks of surprise upon hearing the voice in their heads.

"I'm not going crazy, am I?"

"If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, then no. I heard her too."

After a moment, Wanda shifts her gaze back to Konngara.

"Finding new purpose... that's something you have to do yourself, isn't it?" she says. "I guess all I can do is hope you either find one or, like the voice said, receive new life. You don't deserve to just fade away after all the good you've done for this world, Konngara."

"If there's really nothing we can do about this, then... I'm sorry for what I said about all your sin and corruption speeches," Pietro says. "I'm sure if Thor were here, he'd say something about you being a shoe-in for Valhalla."

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Oct 24th 2020 at 11:49:13 AM

Intrigue

A very blocky boi was walking through the lands of Intrigue. Casually looking around as he did so. On his back he had a sword made out of a solid black material. He was just walking forward, his rectangle arms moving back and forth as he explored Intrigue.

Intrigue

Steve? will run almost directly into his blank-eyed doppelganger in the middle of constructing a giant glowstone E.

Herobrine stops and looks down at Steve.

Beat

He brandishes a Netherite sword.

Dimensional Boundary

Ex is vibing somewhere in the gap that separates realities. The environment is very... purple and cosmic-y.

Edited by KiriK on Oct 24th 2020 at 2:41:56 PM

"I do not know. I have no precedent of an exorcised evil spirit regaining its hold on reality, but then, my experience with such things does not take the Arena into account. It... could be possible," she replies, but it sounds more like she's trying to reassure the others than like she truly believes in it. "Regardless of what happens next, I must thank you all for your kind words. If I were to leave now, I would do so in peace, knowing - without delusion, this time - that I have done some good for the world, and that I am surrounded by true friends. Perhaps for this, the wise Acala will see fit to give a sliver of forgiveness to this erring worshiper."

Steve looked up at Herobrine, and then at the E, and then back up again. He then proceeded to put on a diamond chestplate, and pull his own Netherite sword.

He then used his sword to destroy one block of the glowstone E. Looking up at Herobrine and crouching.

Skippy holds a hand over his heart. "I promise we'll meet again. If I don't find a way to bring you back... I'll forsake my role as a Guardian of Light."

Clearly committed to his word, he runs off, bearing a look of grim determination.

42 watches him leave. She then turns to Konngara. "... So, are we cool?"

Herobrine is angery. He dumps a bucket of lava off the top of the E, sending it pouring down towards Steve, then jumps off while madly swinging his sword.

The Arch-Illager (Remix) - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Edited by KiriK on Oct 24th 2020 at 2:48:32 PM

Steve jumped back from the E, quickly placing dirt to keep it from spreading. He raised his sword to deflect Herobrine's sword away. He then backed up quickly, making space and pulling out a bow, glowing purple with enchantments.

He pulled the string back, and a glowing black arrow was sent flying towards Herobrine

"I hope so... it has been an honor to have met you. ... and thank you for everything.", Pseudo says, respectfully kneeling in front of Konngara, some metal tilting sounds coming from his legs as he does so.

Pilly doesn't really know what to say anymore at this point, only able to look sad, then watch as Skippy runs off.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Oct 24th 2020 at 10:00:47 AM