The combination of Max falling onto the ground and her sheer panic, allow her complete spray of the blaster rifle to completely blindside the assassin. The sith wasn't expecting someone to panic this intensely and is completely caught off guard by the sheer level of panic. Max's spray manages to clip the sith's legs, and as they fell, one right in the dome.
Max's excessive display did not go unnoticed, but neither Joshua nor Zeloai chose to comment. She wouldn't have any time to get up before another assassin appeared a few meters away and attempted to quickly close the gap and dispose of her with a quick strike.
Zeloai is continued to be forced on the defensive, and as each blow between him and the Sith Assassin is exchanged, the further the Jedi master is pushed back. He's beginning to lose his pace, and he feels a bit drained with each continued second of the battle against this Sith. A few moments later, he manages to fool the assassin with a feined blow, deactivating one-half of his emerald saber staff and dodging out of the way.
Sliding against the ground, Zeloai brings his now single-bladed lightsaber straight into the assassin's chest, killing them. With a strained breath, the Jedi Master's vigor slowly returns to him.
"These assassins drawn on our strength in the force Ben, be careful."
With each strike Ben was driven back, he should be feeling a draining pull on his vigor and strength, but it was subtle, very hard to pick up on. This didn't stop him from playing his cards right though, the assassin leaving a clear opening with an overhead strike that Ben capitalizes on.
The Jedi drives his sapphire-blue blade straight through the assassin, and any vigor he could've lost would all return to him in a matter of moments. His force pushed aimed at the assassin attempting to assault Warrick combined with the Droideka's sudden intervention sent them flying backward and colliding into Warrick's ship.
Calling the purple saber that they had just thrown back, the assassin raises a single hand and manages to fire a single burst of force lightning from their fingertips. It was aimed for the droideka, and it was only strong enough to briefly stun the droid if it landed, rather than fry it completely. As for Warrick, the dual-bladed assassin somersaults over the droideka and attempts to land right in his face and slash him to pieces.
Joshua is wildly spraying into the forest with the quartet, matching their fire and assisting them in their attempts to shoot into the forest. The quartet and Joshua actually manage to kill three still-invisible assailants, their deaths prompting their stealth field generators to fizzle out. Corpses rained down onto the campsite, and with the help of the quartet and Joshua, Arad was easily able to draw the two assassins in to use his void blast.
Joshua raises his assault cannon at the one behind Arad until the other spartan completely annihilates them. With a bewildered look stretched across his face beneath his helmet, he struggles to find the words to speak. He didn't think he'd see another Spartan out here, not one that was alive at least. For a few moments he doesn't quite believe what he's seeing, but finally snaps out of it.
"Well I'll be damned."
Another assassin decloaks in the unidentified spartan's face, raising their lightsaber for a swift downward strike to end him.
Zeloai too notices the other spartan, and with a look of surprise, his gaze briefly switches between the two spartans.
"Considering your surprise I doubt-"
Zeloai swings around, bringing his lightsaber crashing into another assassin's blade. Gritting his teeth and taking a few steps back, he is once again engaged in a saber lock. After a few moments, the Jedi master trips, and falls onto his back. The assassin attempts to finish the job, bringing their blade swiftly toward his chest.
A green blur blitzes by the assassin, the red lightsaber stopped from killing Zeloai just in time. The assassin falls over... in several pieces. Jedi Knight Izawano
◊ is stood next to the corpse.
"Fantastic timing as always Padawan."
Struggling for a moment, Zeloai stands back up on his feet and wipes the dirt from his robes. Calling his lightsaber back to him, he ignites the double-bladed saber, and leaps up into the trees above, disappearing from view.
A pair of assassins appear opposite sides of Ben, and Izawano takes immediate notice, rushing to his aid by leaping behind him to oppose one of the two. Neither assassin attacks yet and judging by their defensive stances, they have no plans to. Though that draining feeling returns once more for the two Jedi.
No assassins target the quartet, but as another two appear to target others, the giant bunny and Caulimón successfully manage to deal with each of them with a quick series of attacks. Their hands will be too full to help anyone else though, as Caulimón and the Giant Bunny both are attacked each by a pair of sith assassins.
Arad is left alone for the time being, but the quartet finds themselves completely surrounded by six assassins. They, like the ones around Ben and Izawano, take a defensive stance, ready to deflect blaster fire. They could probably use some help.
Edited by KrampusTheTherapist on Dec 30th 2021 at 7:36:14 AM
Vs. (thankfully not those) assassins
Yay! We hit some!
Lulú tries to grab some lightsabers for her partners... But they were surrounded by some assassins in defensive stance.
My friends! I'll help you!
But he couldn't help, since he's stuck in a melee battle against an assassin, just like the Giant Bunny. Caulimón tries to bite on the neck and topple them on the floor, while the Bunny tries to punch them behind of their neck ("rabbit punch", anyone?), and then connect another quick punches combo.
Back with the quartet, they are together, back with back, surrounded.
I have a plan, guys.
Maxi whispers something to their partners. They nods.
At my count. One, two... Three!
On Maxi's signal, they rams towards the assassins, using their blasters as battering rams, and when they clash with them, they fires them, trying to release themselves. They could hit one each, but that leave 2 unattacked and ready to react...
Edited by BombonBombin on Dec 30th 2021 at 8:40:59 AM
Three freaking ghosts!"So, that particular assassin wasn't Tenzen..."
Not particularly enjoying this strange draining feeling, Ben grips a nearby rock with the Force and launches it towards one of the Sith menacing him and Izawano. Knowing full well the Assassin would likely either telekinetically fling it aside or slice it in half, he rushes him afterwards before launching into a flurry of strikes, his lightsaber a deadly blue blur.
Hub Centralis
2 Hours before the final battle at the Pizzaplex
Andrew
◊ rubs one of his eyes and yawns as he walks through the streets, looking around.
"C'mon, there's got to be some kind of clue around as to where Charlie disappeared off to. Last time I saw her she'd been asleep for a while, and then she was suddenly gone. She can't have vanished into thin air."
An uncertain pause.
"Unless... she somehow moved on to the afterlife without me?"
He lets out an uneasy laugh as he passes by an alleyway.
"No, she promised she'd help me. And besides, she's not dead, how would she move on?"
A large, metallic thump is suddenly heard from within the alleyway, making Andrew jump and turn around. Something inside of it is moving towards him. Andrew contemplates running, but finds that the clanking doesn't sound all too different from Scrap Baby/Elizabeth when she walks. Figuring that it may be her, he decides to wait it out. If it is something dangerous, he can just transform.
A bear shape becomes visible now. Lefty? Is it Charlie?
It comes into view, and-
"Hey hey! Look at that, Bon Bon! It's a glum looking boy!", the rather excitable-sounding animatronic bear says as it looks down at Andrew.
"Oh no, that's not good! Freddy, we should cheer him up!"
Andrew stares for a moment. Did that little Bonnie-like handpuppet just talk?
The large bear crouches a little as it tilts its head.
"Bon Bon's right. Why so glum, chum?"
"... I'm... um... looking for a friend.", Andrew hesitantly says. Despite the animatronics' nice words, something about them felt off to him. The bear in particular gives him Scrap Baby vibes, but not in a good way. He can't really explain why.
It doesn't help that something about this bear feels really familiar too.
"A missing friend? That's not good. Bon Bon, we should help this poor boy out."
"O-oh no, that's fine, I'll be alright.", Andrew awkwardly laughs.
"Nonsense, this place is dangerous. Too dangerous to be alone. It can come from anywhere. You'll never know when some monster will charge in and bite your head off."
... that felt almost personal. Too specific to be a coincidence. As if this strange white and purple Freddy knows...
"O-oh, but actually, I'm not alone. I just... ran ahead a little."
The bear, strangely, backs off a little and stands fully up again.
"Oh? Who's with you?"
"... My... mother."
The bear now tilts its head, as if genuinely confused.
"Where is she?", Bon Bon then asks.
"Oh, uh... she's...", Andrew begins to say as he looks around. He sees Seiros
◊ sitting in a restaurant through the window. Recognizing her and sure she'll play along if this animatronic starts getting pushy, he points at her.
"Over there."
The two look and see her sitting there. They don't appear to be very convinced.
"She dyes her hair.", Andrew adds. "And she works in a costume shop."
He fakes looking embarrassed.
"She, uh, gets a little too much into it sometimes. If you don't believe me, I can prove it."
The bear animatronic suddenly reaches out with its hand, startling Andrew... until it turns out it's just patting his head.
"No need. If you're not alone, I'm sure you'll be safe. Hurry back to her now."
"But before you do...", Bon Bon says before a ticket suddenly ejects from its mouth, beckoning for Andrew to take it. He does so and looks it over.
"A show entry ticket?"
"Me and my friends will be performing for the children in this place very soon! You should tell your friends about it! Maybe they can come watch and have fun! Tickets are free, and you're the lucky boy who gets to have the first one!"
"Uh... how will they even know where to go? There's no address on this ticket."
"Our fox friend will be making announcements soon. She will tell everyone where the show is sometime soon. Just follow his voice and all will be fine!"
"Okay, that sounds easy en-"
Andrew pauses. Her? His? That doesn't make much sense. But it does remind him of another fox animatronic that was like that...
"Something wrong?", Bon Bon asks, a little too close to Andrew's face to his liking. He quickly laughs.
"No, no, I should just go back to my mother now. Um... thank you for the ticket!"
"Not at all.", the bear laughs. Andrew starts walking away when he hears Bon Bon one more time.
"Bye bye, birthday boy!"
Andrew halts in shock, then turns back around... only to find the animatronic gone. Thoroughly creeped out, Andrew starts going to the restaurant as he reflects on their parting words.
One coincidental comment would've just bothered him a little. But two? Being bitten through his head and being referred to as birthday boy? Plus the strange sense that the bear felt strangely familiar, even though he knows he's never seen it before. Something has to be going on, right?
He enters the restaurant, going to say hi to Seiros. Not just to be nice to her, but also to trick the animatronic just in case it's watching him. He'd be going back to the hotel in a bit.
Little does Andrew know that his intuition was correct. Once he starts to talk to Seiros and she responds in a way that shows that she clearly knows him, Funtime Freddy stops peeking at the restaurant window from behind the wall and retreats back into the shadows.
"Phooey, we let one slip by.", Bon Bon says. Funtime Freddy laughs.
"One more or less won't change anything."
The two then vanish within the darkness.
About half an hour later, Andrew enters the hotel. Tired and sleepy, he goes up to his room and lies down on the bed. Once he'd rested up, he plans to resume his search for Charlie once again, unaware that she'll already be back by the time he wakes.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Dec 30th 2021 at 8:23:04 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Riften, Riften Fishery
The Maximoffs
◊ are sitting on the edge of the docks near the Riften Fishery, conversing amongst themselves.
"Let me see if I'm getting all this: a weird robot calling herself Queen just came out of freaking nowhere, threw an exploding wine glass, said a bunch of random things, and left on a rocket chair," Pietro asks. "Yeah, she's definitely gotta be from Chara's world. For all I know, she might be Mettaton's long-lost sister."
"At least she's not here to cause trouble. Well, I really hope she's not," Wanda replies. "God knows we don't need another homicidal robot trying to destroy this world."
Pietro'll get a call not long afterwards. If he picks up, it'll be Pseudo he hears on the other end of the line.
"Ah, Pietro. I was wondering if you have some time. I've discovered something interesting."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.At the sound of his phone going off, Pietro fishes it out from his pocket and answers the call. When Pseudo speaks up afterwards, he looks suitably intrigued.
"Is that right? Heh, don't worry, me and Wanda were just talking about someone... interesting she and Thor ran into," he replies.
"Who is it, Pietro?" Wanda inquires, her expression one of curiosity.
"Pseudo. Apparently, he's found something interesting. I'm gonna go out on a limb here: it's got something to do with the Assassins."
"So, he didn't notice Ultron's arrival..."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Dec 30th 2021 at 1:32:59 AM
"Oh? Now you're making me curious. But business comes first. I was hoping you and Wanda could help me out for a moment.", Pseudo says.
"I have located an Assassin Base through the cameras. I saw those three witch girls exit it, so it should definitely be one. Would the two of you be up to investigate and see if you can find anything important? Giegue has expressed interest in joining you, so the three of you could go in as a small investigation team."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Someone else is sneaking around in those alleyways, and he eventually notices Child!Oca. After some consideration he approaches him. Once he steps out of the shadows, Child!Oca will be able to see that it's another kid, this one wearing a hoodie that covers most of his face due to being too big for him.
The kid looks down at him for a moment before suddenly offering him something. It appears to be a soda in a plastic cup.
"Haven't drunk from this yet.", the kid reiterates to let him know he can have it. His voice should sound a little familiar...
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Pietro puts his phone on speaker to allow Wanda to hear Pseudo's end of the conversation.
"An Assassin base? Yeah, count us in, man. I was wondering when we'd get another shot at them."
"What about the witch sisters? It sounds to me like they might be planning something," Wanda points out. "I should go after them. We can't have those three bringing Mara back or summoning one of her monsters."
"No need to worry, I took care of that. Rico Jr is tailing them. If he gets discovered, he'll warp away to safety. Anyhow, thank you for your assistance. I'll send Ninten over to come get you."
Not long after that, Ninten
◊ will arrive through the 4th-D Slip. As Pseudo had noted, Giegue
◊ is there as well.
"Hey Wanda, hey Pietro!", he happily says. Giegue greets them both with a nod.
The boy smirks, amused.
"I guess I should do another bad 'desperate' act to rob someone like I did last time.", he says as he sits down next to Child!Oca. He then slightly lifts the hood, and while his hair is still obscured, Child!Oca may just recognize his face
◊.
"Good to see that you survived too."
Town of Ivarstead
A portal opens at the edge of town. Kareko
◊ walks through as he glances around.
"... Pretty different from the last time I came here. But I guess it has been a while."
He stretches his arms a little before putting his hands in his pockets, after which he starts walking.
"Alright, time to get started."
Skull Island
A fleet of battleships arrives at the island. A group of soldiers emerges from the ships, as do some more distinct-looking people, likely their commanders.
"Set up a com. device." , one of them says to the soldiers, who immediately get to work.
"D'you really think they'll answer?" , another one asks.
"Hah, if they don't we'll just try again with the other side." , a third one says.
"Silence." , the tallest one says, and the three immediately shut up. The man walks forward to the soldiers, looking down at them without saying a word. This mere silent gaze intimidates the soldiers into working faster, and as such it doesn't take them long to get everything ready.
"C-communication device ready, sir!"
The man walks to the device, the soldiers around it backing off to let him. He grabs the microphone and has one of his men change the frequency and settings to the ones the man deems best. He then begins to speak.
"Principality of Belka. We are a military force known as Black Hole. We have seen your weapons and the weapons of Erusea, and we have chosen you as potential allies. Come to the island where you first engaged enemy forces. We will await you."
Edited by DevilPsyco on Dec 30th 2021 at 11:24:47 AM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."Years? I don't feel all that older so it can't have been that long.", Ken Tahn chuckles before returning the fist-bump. "But maybe time's just weird in this place like everything else."
He leans back against the wall.
"Things have been so hectic, you probably wouldn't believe half of what I'd tell you. But right now I'm trying to find some people who screwed me over and left me for dead several months ago."
He turns his head to look at Oca.
"How about you? You're still alive, so you've gotta be doing something right.", he smirks.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Dec 30th 2021 at 11:48:18 AM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."Alright. As soon as he learns what they're planning, tell me everything. Whatever Mara taught those witches, it won't be enough to keep me from stopping them."
Once the call ends, Pietro pockets his phone just as Ninten and Giegue arrive. Rising to his feet, he greets the two with a grin.
Wanda stands up, walks over to Ninten, and shows him a warm smile.
"Coming to see me again already, Ninten? Those Oreos I got you for Christmas must've been more delicious than I thought," she remarks, tousling his hair. "Not that I'm complaining, of course. It's always wonderful to see you."
"Honestly? This place has been a cakewalk. Call me crazy, but scavenging for scraps in a big city feels like it is way easier than in the nuclear wasteland I grew up in. Well. Grew up to like the age of eight in."
He then lets out a nervous laugh and twiddles his thumbs.
"At least, it was a cakewalk until I stole from the wrong murdery turtle guy. Heh. Guy's cooled off now, but he still checks around for me every once in a while."
/\。。/\"Unfortunately I can't teleport quickly enough to make that happen, or I would've done it eons ago.", Ninten jokes to Pietro. He then turns to Wanda, but before he can speak up-
"He finished that whole pack in one go.", Giegue says. "He's quite the glutton when it comes to those snacks."
"You're overexaggerating, uncle."
"It was less than half an hour. It's a miracle you were completely fine afterwards."
"I've got a stomach of steel!", Ninten grins, after which he turns back to Wanda.
"It's always wonderful to see you too!"
He then sighs.
"I'm sad I can't come with you guys though. I have to head home for a while again."
"That is why I volunteered. The two of us proved to be a successful team last time.", Giegue says to Wanda. "So the three of us should have no issue investigating some underground base."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Skull Island
The radio whirrs and crackles... then a voice responds.
"We're already here."
An armored convoy emerges from the other end of the island. A man is visible peeking out of the lead tank.
Before you ask, this character is NEVER visually shown. I have no fucking idea what he looks like.
Ivarstead
Inspector Zenigata
◊ is on patrol!
"Hm? What's a kid doing here?"
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Kareko notices the inspector when he speaks up, apparently having heard him despite the distance. He turns around to look him over, raises an eyebrow, and then approaches him. Either he's not wary of the man, or he's just not scared.
"Are you a cop?", is the first thing the boy asks once close enough.
"Well now." , Sturm mutters, sounding pleased with how fast that response was. As the Belkan forces approach, Sturm glances at his troops, after which they immediately scramble to get into formation and salute respectfully. Even the other C Os, though with one moving calmer than the rest.
The man peeking out of the tank, as well as the troops that can see Black Hole, might be rather shocked by just how tall Sturm seems to be. He must be at least 8 feet tall, judging by the heights of some of the soldiers and C Os behind him.
They wait patiently for the Belkan troops to arrive and approach.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Chuckling when Giegue reveals how quickly her gifted Oreos were consumed, Wanda flashes a grin at Ninten.
"We'll be just fine, Ninten. All three of us can handle whatever's waiting in that base. Although, if it makes you feel any better, there might be an Oreo cake waiting for you when you get back."
She pulls him into a hug.
"Say hi to your family for me, okay?"
Pietro taps Giegue on the shoulder.
"So, you think the Assassins are gonna have this base heavily guarded? Or should we just expect a few Hub clones?"
Zenigata ruffles around in his jacket and pulls out his ID. "Interpol inspector Koichi Zenigata, at your service."
Well, with Sturm being that big, no way is the leader getting out of his tank.
The convoy stops once within vocal earshot.
"I'm Waldemarr Rald, and I speak for the Belkans. You must be representatives of Black Hole. Did you hear our initial broadcast?"
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Philip did not expect a bone, the most structurally stable part of a body, to literally extend outwards. The marble man tried to dodge, but the spike stabbed directly into his midsection. The man grunted in pain as he attempted to remove himself from the spike, only to be swung away as the monster brought its arms up to slam Luin onto the snowy ground.
The man of marble decides that it's time to stop underestimate the monster when he found himself flung across the air and land painfully on the ground. With a quick breath, Philip brought up his sword and entered a stance, winding up an attack by pulling his sword back. Flame crept out of every crevice on his body, which heated up quickly as well.
With a mighty leap, Philip aimed to slam into the monster with an explosive strike (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q0QhmH8HvuLUCJn8JZ8qg_BwiRqhW501/view?usp=sharing)
to its back, which would likely char a good patch of skin and muscle if it didn't send the monster flying as well.