Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

"N-no, I'll... be fine. I could... use some fresh air, though."

Morgan stands up, still wrapped in her blanket, and shuffles her way to the door.

Hub Centralis

"Oh, okay... Stay safe, alright?"

—

   —like I said, just get back to me if you find something. Don't worry if you don't — I'll let you know if one of the others finds any of them. Oh, and... keep an eye to the sky. Scryers' think they might've found a voidchrome hybrid floating around out there."   

Roth and his... associate? were conversing some distance away, though Morgan might be able to hear that last bit as she exited. Roth had not yet noticed her though...

As Morgan creeps about town, she overhears a talking voice and, as is her inclination, hurries away from it. However, her rush makes her footsteps louder, more audible.

Roth's associate stepped away, going off to do their own thing elsewhere... but Roth remained. His field of vision within his helmet was somewhat limited, but he could quite clearly hear those footsteps... and so he turned to face their source. There was a sort of... pressure, that came from Roth's gaze, like his growing suspicion had a tangible force to it.

Noticing Roth's wariness and the sense of dread surrounding him, Morgan turns away and pulls the blanket tighter around her, doing her best to pass beneath notice.

Tae is stunned by the reverb caused by chomping onto a metal staff, and then gets pushed a bit away by Meilin's tail, growling.

"Gwuh!"

After a moment, she holds out her arm towards Ash.

"Bwgah, bwahherha?" Translation : "What, you want some too?" This is the law of equivalent exchange.

Dawn's eyes widen as she's almost turned into pudding by the Runebear, managing to dodge-roll to the side in the nick of time. She then turns to try and you know. Caveman smack it with her improvised club stick.

Red gives a salute.

"Aye! Ain't no treasure getting away from me!"

Morgan's avoidance piqued Roth's curiosity. Perhaps he was somewhat oblivious to the effects he had on others, or perhaps he simply had no respect for privacy, but either way, it seemed like he wanted to see what was going on over there.

He got up from his table, and walked over calmly — almost painfully so — and asked,    "What cause have you to hide yourself so?"   

"I-I'm, um... scared of people. I can get hurt really easily..."

Morgan's words trail off as she continues to look away.

Roth did not consider himself particularly clever, nor particularly nosy — but yet, something itched in the back of his brain. It was a feeling he was familiar with, actually — a certain someone wanted him to see something.

   "Life is a fragile thing — lightning, fire, blunt trauma, blades, and countless other ways we've invented to tear ourselves to pieces. Why do you think I wear armor?"   

Roth said this as he moved to pull the cover off — not with great force, just swiftly. He figured it would be best to help the girl acclimate to the dangers of this realm...

But that was about to swiftly change.

Edited by OmegaShadowcry on Apr 17th 2022 at 6:48:22 AM

Morgan flinches as Roth reaches, but is unable to avoid him.

Her antennae pop out from under the shifting blanket. A pair of wings and an extra pair of insectoid legs/arms drape down her back.

She is, by all accounts, a half-breed.

Roth stepped back — perhaps in... some kind of fear, but certainly alarm. Vic stepped outside at that same moment, looking around for Morgan.

"Hey, Morgan, I almost forgo—"

His words stopped in his throat as he caught sight of Roth. His entire soul shuddered — something about this man was just... wrong.

"H... hey! Get off of her!"

Roth turned to face the young man, eyes burning like hellborn coals beneath his eagle-like helm.

Morgan freezes, paralyzed by fear. She doesn't even think to run, nor does she turn to look at Vic.

Hm! That's nice! You guys are ambitious! It's what makes a pirate a pirate! I've seen a lot of folks who gave up and... well I almost did too, but I've got friends who pulled me out of here!

He bites into the delicious ham...

The two stood there, the disparity in size and power evident from how they each held themselves. Vic gripped a thermoknife in reverse with one hand, and left the other open for grappling. Roth held nothing in his hands but the raw, crackling fury of crimson lightning that shrouded his knuckles and arms.

"Get... Get away from her!"

Roth was absolutely shaking with rage beneath his armor.    "Move. I will only tell you this once. Get out of my way."   

Vic was about to do precisely nothing of this, and readied himself for a fight.

   ".. Fine. Then   [PROSTRATE YOURSELF]   ."   

Gravity increase several dozen times over, driving Vic into the ground and keeping him pinned there — and just as it seemed like it was letting up, Roth stomped on his back. Hard. Vic's knife clattered to the ground, hissing where the blade touched the paving stones. The eagle-armored battlemage kept his foot there for several seconds, before slowly lifting it back up... And doing it again.

And again. And again.

Eventually, Vic stopped trying to get up, and simply whimpered ineffectually in pain. Slowly, Roth reached down and picked up a stone that had been cracked loose from his wild stomping, and, with his eyes full of a blind rage, he turned to Morgan.

   "YOU."   

Edited by OmegaShadowcry on Apr 17th 2022 at 6:54:42 AM

Morgan whimpers, slowly backing away from Roth. "M-me...?"

Roth stepped towards Morgan. The area immediately surrounding him felt... hot, like his rage produced a measurable thermal change all on its own — and not to mention, was it getting darker as he got close?

   "Yes. You. I should've realized it earlier — you're another damnable melding of disparate species, aren't you? A... hybrid."   

Roth seemed to actually struggle to get the word out of his mouth.

   "Shame on your parents for producing such a pitiable creature as yourself! No hybrid was ever meant for this earth — not a single one."   

He stepped closer again, sending a lightning-tinged backhand-strike towards Morgan. Not enough lightning to kill her by any means — nor enough force. It would, however, be more than enough to send her to the ground a short distance back if it connected.

   "I do not take pleasure in exterminating your kind, but you do not belong. No no no. Not a single one."   

Despite his clear manner of speech and plain words, it didn't take a genius to conclude that this man was thoroughly deluded, as he raised the rock over his head...

Morgan screams as she gets zapped like the bug she is. Even a nonlethal strike leaves her convulsing and spasming on the ground, gasping for breath, unable to speak.

She is helpless as death looms over her head...

And then

-BANG-

A bullet is shot right the way of Roth, right through his head, at a perfect angle. It's a very good shot, one that would, if it were a movie, angle around his head until one can see behind him through the bloody hole...

To see Max, standing there, with a service rifle in hand. Her clothes are a lot dirtier than last time, and her eyes are bloodshot and wide open, and she opens fire without hesitation, looking to shoot Roth in the chest until the clip runs out, slowly and silently advancing over the whole way to make it a point blank affaire.

Roth — or perhaps just his corpse — stood there a brief moment, seemingly held up by nothing more than the rigidity of the armor and his own adrenaline. Then, like a string being cut, Roth fell to the floor with all the ceremony of a bag of broken bricks being dropped into the trash. The darkness that had seemed to be encroaching upon Morgan, as well as the rising heat, dissipated, and the rock fell back to the earth from whence it had come.

Vic managed to raise his head just enough to see that Roth was out of commission and that Morgan was... well, at least not in immediate mortal threat. He was in incredible pain, but he wasn't going to be passing out any time soon...

But it was pretty tempting, he had to admit.

Morgan's hurt, horrified, panicked breath eventually calms down as she stares up at her savior.

"M-M-Max... thanks."

And then she actually passes out.

Max stares at Morgan and then at Roth. She visibly hesitates over what to do, between shooting a dead guy or rescuing someone she cares about, and decide to simply put her rifle away before picking up Morgan in absolute silence and standing there, as if unsure on where to go next.

"H... hey... haven't seen you in a while... you okay?" Vic said, rolling onto his back and witnessing Max again for the first time in... quite a while, actually.

Yes. She lies, before nodding at Morgan. Let's get her somewhere safe.

She blinks and walks over Vic, heading inside the building

Edited by Bolded1 on Apr 17th 2022 at 2:35:30 PM

"Pirates? We've fought some before at a dock but we're not water outlaws we're just outlaw outlaws! Adventurers as Mark likes to put it or just outlaws by a lot of kingdoms! I don't care what the world calls us as long as it's strong! Like you!"

Green finishes the rest of the meat and consumes the bone till it's no more. Feeling eavesdropped she tries to chime in on Zeeroe but is confused by the fancy language Oca uses so she remains silent.

Edited by BoniniBanana on Apr 17th 2022 at 8:58:01 PM

"I see... By comparison, I would be more akin to the panda your ancestors summoned, as I am a servant sent by the heavens to aid mortals."

Ash stares at Tae, looking at her arm, then her face, then back at her arm, then back at her face.

"Er, I, um... I suppose it is a gesture of remorse and forgiveness. It would be rude of me not to do so, is that correct? S-so... well..."

She closes her eyes, thinks happy thoughts, and softly noms Tae's wrist.

Zeeroe takes a sip before replying, "Scanning someone's brain seems like a pretty... personal thing, right? I don't want some guy I just met having a peek at my insides!"

This may sum it up in terms Green can understand.

—

Katre is covering her face. Blood and a white ooze start to trickle down her left cheek.

But when she lowers her hands, revealing she got a shell straight in the left eye, she doesn't look mad. In fact, she's smiling.

She snorts, then snickers, then bursts into laughter. It's not an Evil Laugh, either. She genuinely thinks that mishap was funny.

"Would you guys just - *snrk* - shut up and stop being paranoid?" she says mockingly to Demo and Argo.

The blue creature sighs with relief. No more big scary mech, no more beasts chasing after him... He flies off in pursuit of new, less hazardous adventure.

Edited by KiriK on Apr 17th 2022 at 8:02:10 AM