Ynn wastes no time in taking action either, taking a sloppy defensive stance and grabbing each bright burning star as it gets near to her. As she does, each changes its color as if struck by a negative filter, as she tosses them to the side.
The fiery stars, now lingering behind her, blend together into an only somewhat literal black hole that she vaults over as she launches it at her burning counterpart!
Yatta!Hub Centralis
Gabriel looks down to the false prophet, before looking back to the beast, drawing two swords. If this is a stunt or no, Lives are on the line. And Gabriel's blades are raised in no name but his own now.
"I still hold enough of god's divine light to strike down this monstrosity. BEHOLD, THE POWER OF AN ANGEL!"
Gabriel seemingly teleports forwards, slashing at the monster showing aggression, teleporting slightly between each strike... or is he just moving incredibly fast? He slashes four times
Flashes of light come from his blades, some blue, some yellow, with the yellow flashes seemingly only on the final strike of this combo.
He warps back after this, placing one blade's pommel atop the other's, another yellow flash occurring.
Edited by ReynTheLord on Sep 27th 2022 at 7:27:49 AM
Laxin is pushed back by the first wall, surprised by his counterpart's use of the Force to create a well behind him. Fighting against sliding backward, he stares forward as his doppelganger surrenders to the gravity well.
To evade the kick, Laxin uses the well to his advantage by somersaulting into it. Pulled backward just fast enough to dodge the kick, Laxin shoots a burst of Force lightning down at Ascended Laxin from the air. The crushing strength of the Force gravity well brings Laxin slamming back down to the ground a moment later, Laxin grunting. Rising back to his feet, Laxin holds his lightsaber defensively.
The dark lord chuckles,
"To have tasted the truth of the galaxy and turned away from it is what disgusts me. To have seen what I have seen, believed what I do, and still become Jedi?! You are the weak-hearted one!"
He shouts,
"I know I would never be so stupid as to fully give in to the Jedi. Somewhere you still know I'm right. Though the fact remains, you're a sad excuse for a Jedi and an even worse Sith. You are a disgrace."
Flourishing his blade he prepares another assault.
As Eve points towards him, Philip is, for a moment, certain that he has made a grievous miscalculation.
...But his premonition does not come to pass.
With both him and Eve holding the beast down, it is completely immobile- though Philip is struggling to keep up his hold in the same way Eve is. The beast is strong, strong enough to nearly shake off the both of them, which certainly makes it seem much less likely that Philip is somehow orchestrating this.
Of course, if one were to have that impression, they'd be totally wrong, this monster is... at least partly his creation.
He can make beasts of this size by himself, without even a whisper as to where from- but physically, if he did, it would be as weak as paper.
Something else is keeping this monster alive.
As Eve and Philip continue to hold the beast down, the crowds seem almost frozen in place by a sudden change in perspective as Evelyn's trick wears off. They need someone to attack it, or else this stalemate is bound to break in the bad direction!
"Did you not hear me!?" Philip shouts out at the crowd, slowly buckling as if pressed down by a significant weight, "Run!"
His sway over them is substantiated perfectly. The confusion wears off just in time, as Philip is forced to release the beast, and it swats him away with one of its clawed limbs.
Ironically, this really is him getting hit. The monster isn't under his control, it's under the control of...
...Well, who else here could it be?
The Silver Knight, after all, has yet to make a move.
The Beast roars and prepares to make a mess of things, though struggling against Eve's remaining grasp- only to be struck from multiple directions by multiple sources!
From one side, Gabriel, blades flashing blue and yellow, leaving deep cuts in the monster's fatty, magical flesh.
On the other, The Silver Knight steps in, drawing a regular broadsword she has at her side, leaping into the air, and stabbing the weapon blade-length into what might be the monster's neck.
It roars, thrashing mindlessly, tearing into the surrounding buildings, while Philip slowly stands from where he was bat off to. He feigns determination and strength, standing strong against the monster.
He raises his staff, its red magic swirling around him, kicking up the wind- before thrusting it forward, summoning a huge spike of ice from beneath the beast's feet.
It shoots up with devastating force, impaling the monster and then yet still rising further, carrying it into the sky. It does not seem to be killed by this, but the ice spike pins it in place and stretches the flesh around it thin. A weak spot, ready to exploit!
Philip gives a silent tug against his affinity link with Live Legna. She knows what it means- it is instructions on how to direct the monster. It would not be good for them to be without a way of communicating without speaking, after all... so Philip took the time to develop a sort of simple language.
A language of feelings and sensations, entirely one-sided, with which he can instruct his Silver Knight without issue.
And, notably, without the slightest indication the two of them are communicating at all.
The crowd is no longer what it used to be- replaced by a thin spread of individuals arranged along the perimeter of the fight, looking on despite that being an unwise thing to do. Philip, of course, does not protest- simply pretending to not notice he is being watched from every angle.
After all, this is exactly what he wants.
A crowd, a stage, an evil to destroy...
Exactly what he needs to get the word around. Exactly what he needs to start putting public opinion in his favor.
And, for the killing blow...
One of the volunteers, scared, intimidated, but just barely confident enough in the power Philip has granted them, takes heed of the fact the monster is pinned down, vulnerable, and ready to strike.
With speed they never knew they could have, they run up to the monster, up the ice spike, to the center of its body.
A mere mortal man, below average, not even a threat to the cement in his sidewalk.
And that single mortal man moves in, and delivers a single, decisive, punch.
...
In truth, Philip has this moment rehearsed with his Silver Knight beforehand. Any monster of his make is, of course, comically vulnerable to those with his so called "blessing".
But to the onlookers, to the crowd?
They see a man, just moments ago totally normal, totally average...
Split the beast that Philip, Eve, Gabriel, and The Silver Knight seemed to struggle to keep up with, right in half, with a single well-placed punch.
The monster, for its part, falls to the floor and dissolves away, dissipating into green and blue particles of ether energy.
...
And the crowd, well.
The crowd goes wild.
Yatta!Eve holds up against the creature, seemingly taken aback by its strength. But destroying it wouldn't be easy, with the people around on top of the town. She could kill that thing twenty times over without harming a single fly on top of its head optimally BUT she is weaker here, less precise, all the more reasons to be prudent.
Once the crowd clears, perhaps she can...
! Eve sees Phillip being swatted away like a doll and moves to pick up his slack, worried about him, yet seeing him emerge fine - and Gabriel's flashy assistance - gives her the mental power to hold unto her magic and strengthen it, allowing the Silver Knight to intervene and further assist them. Then, she lowers her arms, watching as a regular man moves up to kill the beast.
She can see that something is wrong, somehow, but decides to doubt it. Still, her eyes lazily set on the energy it leaves behind, glowing green each, then set upon Phillip or his group, Knight included, to see any familiarity between the energy it was made from and the victorious Phillip, or the energy granted to the people, or the mysterious savior. It's nothing elaborate, merely a comparison between what she can see, with the left eye registering the information from the monster's energy and the right eye registering the energy of Phillip and Pals.
Still, regardless of what happens, she briefly raises her hand, it glowing green. Should Phillip will it -she nods his way-, she'll heal him from any damage at a remote distance, casually mending flesh, before shrugging. Perhaps I was wrong.
She admits yet, waiting for the result of her little experiment. If she doesn't see any similarity, all good. If she does. Ha. Ha. Ha. Haaaaaaa.
Evelyn simply snorts, staying in her lane. These people... they're really glad to have their destiny in their hands, she ponders, sweetly. How could I ruin this for them?
Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 27th 2022 at 4:28:22 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterAs the Helmed man thought and thought, Veyolkos took to working on the Animunculi, fitting the damaged face plate of the Dwarven sphere near the head-mount as if to measure it. Then the man came to a conclusion, and there was silence for a moment but for the tinny wail of distant battles, beasts, and storms. And then Veyolkos's face contorted almost into a grin, as his laugh returned, dissonant and deliberate.
"YES! The self! Just the self. We are as deep as we allow ourselves to be! And thus most people will never know the other fully."
His laughter faded, and he gripped the face mask of the dwemer construct with such force the beard like jutting metal cracked and fell into a dozen pieces, as the metal did make his talons bleed. But that was fine it seemed, as he stared on at the helmeted man.
"Sometimes we give too much credence to people who aren't as deep as we think. A self-fulfilling prophecy that waters their ego. Man Who's Face is Veiled... Do not fall prey to their wicked tongues. You may view your allies differently... But I have seen what shallow men with cunning minds are capable of. And it is more frightening then any monster."
Lourent Mountains
"You have never quite explained yourself to me what you are Apothea... I feel our ascension may be the best time."
It probably would be, all things considered. As while yes they were now only 2,000 feet above the ground, this jagged patchwork of earth seemed improbably large for the sake of being improbably large. It was more like ascending a continental shelf, then trying to scale the rockies. The wind had begun to pick up some time ago, and luckily for Kroq-Gar, his weight allowed him to take on the roughness of the jet stream that encompassed him. The more they ascended the cliff face as well, the more they found new hazards, though nothing that finding a new perch couldn't solve. Mostly small springs and the slick vegetation that clung to dear life around them. Sometimes this included making the earth around it more akin to clay, or other times so fine it crumbled away. And as they ascended higher and higher, it god even colder, to the point it started to form as icicles jutting out of the rockface.
"The Dream Stalk"
The Dreamstalk was once a beacon of hope to a group of people who believed from it would bear a hero to answer their darkest hour. It was a massive, twisted vine that extended high into the sky, with hundreds of smaller vines extend off of the main vine, which serve as bridges, connecting the various floating islands to form "Floralia". The Dreamstalk used to grow taller with every triumph of its chosen guardian, granting them further access to the world of the sky. Though now atop it is not just the vines, but great twisting vibrant and dull hued toadstools and net fungi, that coat its exterior in great threads and roots that react negatively with the bean sprout's goal, and so in response it grows wider, and more like thistle with its many thorns. Pieces of it have repeatedly been chopped off, where it regrew into wild spiraling shapes, supporting clumped masses of fungi and thistle. Which soon became great jagged peaks of dark, jagged knotted flesh thick as stone, and the divets in the branches became harsh mosses filled with sterile, glucose rich water. Perhaps this was the plant defending itself, or perhaps it was being subconsciously molded into this hell mass.
Orc and Goblin tribes are, in the main, nomadic, but will set up a large camp when the Boss wants to stop for a bit. When Grimgor... "evicted", the prior residents, he grew into sucha frenzy that many of the Big Un's went into hiding. Minus Rotgut and Skarsnik, who's own stubbornness was only comparable to the Prophet of Mork himself. The biggest and bestest Warbosses rule from formidable strongholds - the shattered Karaks of the Dwarfs. And it was here that atop the great bloom of the Stalk did the mountains rest on the pad of. They had removed the wheels's main systems, because to quote Skarsnik "Da last fing' we needz iz Grimgor and Rotgut foightin and knocking the brakes off." Skarsnik had been cunning, and had a secret lair overlooking Grimgor's, who's perch he believed the tallest. The Goblin looked across the islands, now connected by shoddily made bridges and great pads of shelf molds. Rotgut seemed content to lurk in the defiled Ancestor Tombs they had found. Humiliation and dishonor were the Dwarfs' rewards, as the tombs of their Ancestors lie ruined and defiled, where Rotgut could snack and watch Chariot and Wagon races go on in the long hallowed halls of the First Mountain Kin. But Grimgor had grown annoyed. They had krumped a lot of umies, many were strong. He had a few treasures hanging off his axe: the teeth of those he personally slayed. It was a grizzly sight, and some even had bits of their mandible attached to them.
The meanest and strongest of their kind, the Black Orcs rarely mix with others, preferring their own barracks. He and His Immortulz roamed the halls of the late high king, making nest in storage, bed chambers, and brewery. Grimgor resided to resting atop the throne, but upon realizing it was too small, demanded it be replaced. And so it was, with a massive sofa like thing, that seemed carved of smoothened volcanic rock. When Grimgor asked who made it, since it was admittedly too nice for any of his boyz to have made, none could answer. He took it anyways, and rested his head upon its arm rest when he couldn't stop thinking. And used to that was rare, he would fight, get mad, kill someone, and that was that.
No rest, no remorse, only violence. Only the popping of skulls and the wetting of his blade and hands.
But lately he had problems saying Orc. It seemed to come out at times, but he now found his tongue absentmindedly adding new syllables there where none were before. "Orruk"... He liked the sound of that. Something you could still bellow to the boyz with, and make the umie's bowels tighten. But he had grander visions now, and so often found himself resting. Da Immortulz believed him sick, and so forbid anyone from getting near unless they came to challenge him. A few did, and it was pitifully quick. More then usual. That red-haired umie haunted his dreams: To fight, to maim! With her? YES! Kill her? YES! He saw it in his boys too, those that survived seemed, different. More focused, more killy. More innovation. But with nothing to put it onto, they just fought one another. And it seemed only to build their contempt for the silence that followed them.
But soon, something was heard outside, Skarsnik was to first to notice it. There were odd beings. Creatures with insect and arthropods with reptilian jaws, dressed in garment of carrion and carapace. They held onto themselves 4 limbs, some lithe and beastial, other robust and demonic. Skarsnik took a looking glass and saw, what looked to be their leader. They were decorated in armor seemingly made of withered chitin, though it was framed like the veil of fungi and moths' wing. They carried with them a gnarly looking set of scorpion like claws, and in their 3 other hands were rapiers that had the appearance of thing weathered bone, and a crossbow of similar design. In their scorpion-like claw was the head of a Swampcalla Kruleboy Shaman, who seemed to have had his eyes literally stabbed in with this being's talons, and none of its tools. They seemed to be shouting to the gathering greenskins, as she was joined by several other legions of her own, holding back the greentide with spears of crude chelicerae and jagged stingers. Skarsnik immediately rushed over to his elevator(which of course he installed, most of the idjits make going down carpeted steps become a herculean hazard), and took to his new office below the Throne room. From their he moved past the thousands of gobbos on typewriters and ran over to the balcony, looking on at the horde. Whoever this creature was, it brought with it news. He grabbed a megaphone resting on the balcony and hollered into it, stunning the masses below.
"HOLD IT YOU SNOT STAINZ! DEY BROUGHT A HEAD! THIS MEANZ, IF YOU FUCKING SQUIG BRAINS DONT RUIN IT, DERE IS STILL VIOLENCE INVOLVED!"
The figuer raised their head. They were in a frilled mask, shaped like a jagvged plumed spade, with five glowing blue sockets lodged in where the eyes and brow would be on a face. They waited patiently, as Skarsnik groaned, realizing they weren't here for him.
"Gork forbid anyone recognize the cunnin of Skarsnik 'ere... AIGHT I'LL GET DA ALPHA ORRUK! JEEZ! NO RESPEKT FOR DA BRAINZ!"
There was a paused moment before Grimgor could audibly be heard stomping down the stronghold's steps, many of the other greenskin's, who had been stilled by Skarsnik, were now starting to move again, moved by the insidiously pissed undertones of Grimgor's foot steps. The Masked figure held her hand up not to the greenskins, but to her men to lower their weapons. Growls and hisses that sounded like grinding stone and flesh could be heard, the others adorned in helmets and hoods of insectoid origin or abstract yet simple shapes;. They seemed reluctant at first, but when the tallest one, who looked like a chitinous greater Molog, with its arching horns and steely expressional helmet nodded, and lowered the tension in its broad shoulders, relaxing its obsidian black form, the rest followed.
Grimgor charged through the open gateway to the stronghold, roaring out to the others, immediately driving all present into a whooping, hollering cacophony as they started to practically bounce up and down in place, swinging their arms and cheering as they truck the ground or fired into the air. The Masked figure tilted their head, especially as Rotgut came crashing through, a massive roasted boar's leg stuffed in his gullet. The Greenskins paused, and looked almost in a trance, observing him, as he walked forward towards them, taking bites out of the boar's thigh like a far more feral swine, they seemed mesmerized by his laissez-faire nature. The Masked Figure waited, seemingly impressed at what these three seemed capable of. Complete Control of their followers.
"Wat iz it umie? You brought uz one of our own ded? Ya trying to send a message? Like udah's havent done da same?"
The horde seemed to nod in agreement, a few going back to fight against the carnivorous plant growth that seemed to occasionally shoot up from below them. As they went off to fight, Rotgut spoke up too, obviously annoyed.
"You came and didn't even offer a reel fight! Why are you wastin our time!?"
Skarsnik appeared, standing to the side and yet seeming, not cautious, but watchful and when the masked figure looked to them they noted that this was in fact the same goblin that stilled the horde prior. There was respect, and perhaps the figure had been too quick to judge them. Skarsnik moved his hand, as if to tell her they had the floor. And so, she spoke, and it was a rash, bitter, but inspiring tone that came from behind that mask.
"I bring you the head of your own! Not to declare war against you... But with you!"
The Two massive Orruks paused, and Skarsnik actually seemed jovial at the concept. Though he made sure to lower his hood so none the others could see. Even those that went off to fight the carnivorous flora seemed to pause, even as a few gobbos got pulled under the floral ground with a cartoonish wail of pain and dread. She saw all their attention on her, and spoke up, taking a step forward as she did so, motioning now to the crowds of greenskins that surrounded her.
"I hail from a world where your kind's god came to us as a two-headed beast. Gorkamorka! He was the catalyst for my people's freedom! Until our forefather's tried to wade out your storm! Which could never be conquered! Many of my kin hid in stasis, but my mother and father believed we were fit to join in on the destruction."
She threw the head down, letting it roll down to the floor. She raised her claw into the air, syrupy fluid running down its obsidian edge, splattering on the ground audibly. Grimgor hadn't crushed her head yet, so she was getting somewhere to him. She stabbed her rapiers into the ground, letting the stalk's ichor bubble up around it. She walked away from the three, raising her non-shifted hand to pet the head of one of the strange, mammoth sized creatures that followed her. It was covered in a reddish-brown hard, shell-like carapace of bony nodules, and seemed to be a mix of crustacean and reptile, with amphibious traits such as obvious gills along its neck and hiding between its legs. The gigantic creature walked on six hardened, skin-covered claws, and had grappling hands. Its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth, seemingly made to hold prey in place and rake its flesh apart. She continued to speak, loud enough for them all to hear-
"We skulked about in shadow, not realizing you did not extinguish all life. Your god simply made it stronger, more virile... Fit to be consumed, to be used, to be tamed. Not all agreed, and many like my brother fled, showing weakness. We have taken to worshipping the beast your Gods have slain, and we know just like us, you grow tired of this realm's fights being so short."
She snapped her fingers and a bizarre goblin like being, with a far larger nose and rounder teeth stepped up. A gnobblar! He hadn't seen those in ages. This did actually catch Grimgor's attention Even Rotgut looked impressed, tempted to cave its skull in till Skarsnik raised his hand, the brute pausing. The gnobblar finally dropped before him a great box. It stepped aside, the masked woman bowing and introducing herself.
"I am Cazdathos... She Who Leads the Hive... And you, three kings of beasts-"
Grimgor just shoved his hand through the top of the chest, pulling back as he felt an intense, coolness within his palm. It bordered on freezing and simultaneously magma hot, as he opened his clenched fist and saw... a shard of something. Pearl hued but adorned in gold, topaz, and lapiz. He furrowed his brow, looking to her with a mad grin. This was something he recognized. Something from back home... Something he knew meant there was a proper scrap inbound. She raised her hand for him to shake, Grimgor eying with a feverish look.
"You are war, and I conjure you with war and blood. With hopes that this gift, will bring home, to us rightful inheritors of destruction."
Edited by ArbiterOfTheBog on Sep 27th 2022 at 7:45:48 AM
AwawaHub Centralis
Gabriel looks down to his blades, as his attempts to cut down this beast were...
By his standards, Pathetic. If he was in his prime, he would have rend the beast into nothing but ribbons. And that swordsmanship... What was that pathetic flailing?
If he were in his prime, the beast would have been sliced apart, atom by atom.
Gabriel sheathes his blades, deciding to cut his losses and talks to philip.
"It seems you've won the trust of the people. Misplaced as it may be. You put on a show. I will give you a chance. If you can prove you are truly righteous, that you truly care for the people, If you can prove me wrong, do so. I'll be watching you."
Gabriel briefly teleports over to right next to him, saying, calmly, "And if I see your tyrrany take form, or if you exploit the goodwill of these people and harm them, if you prove my suspicions right. I will strike you down, not on gods will, but on my own. You may not be able to tell the difference."
He quickly moves back to hovering over the crowd, looking straight towards Evelyn through his armored helm, saying "As for you. You are fortunate that I did not strike you and your host down. If you do not take care to watch your behaviourQue vos malheurs soient nombreux et vos jours peu nombreux."
And with that, Gabriel departs.
Edited by ReynTheLord on Sep 27th 2022 at 9:43:38 AM
Pantheon of Fallen Star
Ms. Grey notices something: Amalthus didn't attack back! Why?
I think this is gonna be easy.
She leaps towards Amalthus, trying to smack his head with the flat end of her huge lollipop!
Alt Arena
Maxwell
He runs as quickly as he can, following the group. In fact, that could be the first time he ever ran in his life.
After arriving to the room, and hearing about the magnetic field, he said:
Don't you think there are somebody else trying to help us? Like... Belemicho?
But his thoughts were interrupted by the strange creature entering into the room! Maxwell tries to stab him with his lightsaber, but the creature's strenght sends him flying, and crashes against a wall.
Belemicho
Maxwell's friend follows the group into the control room, in silence... Until he saw his friend being tackled on the screen.
...!!
In his surprise and shock, he ends being threwn by Chroma!
Regardless of if he hits his ally, he stands again, takes his steel fans, and leaps towards Chroma, trying to chop his neck with them!
Three freaking ghosts!Philip turns and faces the crowd, and decides to begin to give a short parting speech. He really does not want to remain for much longer.
As a sign the fighting is well and truly over, he vanishes his staff.
Philip acknowledges Gabriel, in truth somewhat fearful of the archangel's wrath, knowing that even now some of the crowd more than likely would take Gabriel's side if he tried to oppose Philip again.
"I assure you again, my intentions are pure. I only want to help."
Not a lie, from Philip's perspective, but really, his intentions are nothing short of despicable, hidden behind non-lies such as.
When Gabriel leaves, he addresses the crowd, intent to depart posthaste. He does give Eve a nod of acknowledgement, too- and a grateful little smile, just innocent enough.
"People of The Arena!" he says, "This is not the end. For as long as we remain in chaos, evil will continue to reign. I do not ask you this day to pledge yourself to fight, I only ask you to consider: Unity, a single, powerful Arena with a single, powerful goal."
He gestures to them all.
"In one week's time, seven days from now, I will return to Hub Centralis to spread my word further across the land. When that time comes, I hope to see returning faces, though I do not feel entitled to them. Go, now, and be safe. You never know when evil will be lurking behind the next corner."
...
As Eve goes to compare the energy of the monster to the energy of Philip and his pals.
Well.
The only distinct similarity that pops up is Philip's Silver Knight. Ether energy, very different from that of the monster, also hangs around the knight in small but notable quantities.
(All other similarities have, of course, already been carefully concealed)
It would be a serious leap of logic to use that as proof of Philip's guilt. Ether can take many shapes, after all. There are entire worlds built from it.
The question is: Will Eve see it that way?
Apothea is not used to heights like these, of course. Even the tallest mountains on her world could not hope to be as grand as this, not by a long shot.
But, really, that didn't much matter to her. Sure, by the standards of the arena, her "superhuman strength and stamina" is, frankly, a bit... paltry. But compared to a normal person? Or, even, to the world's greatest free climber?
There's no contest. Even the high winds do not bother her, she simply keeps it off of her using a wedge-shaped barrier of, well, barrier magic. The cold? It does not bother her in the least bit.
Not yet at least.
The thinning of the air, too, is not a problem for her. Her superhuman fortitude makes quick elevation differences and greater-than-deadly air thinness into non-issues. The only thing that could potentially cause a problem would be if this mountain was so tall the top had no air whatsoever.
"I am afraid there is not much to say, as far as I am willing," Apothea admits, "...Though I suppose there is not any particularly better way to pass the time."
She pauses, taking a moment to exert herself for a particularly necessary, large leap up.
"I am a Draconii, kin to the Dragons of my world, by way of our shared god. Once, I was the queen of the kingdom of Miasma. I will admit, however, that I was not a very good ruler. Not in the least."
She continues, "Now, I am a wanderer, the chosen hero of our god, wielder of her shattered sword. Someone that is, supposedly, very important."
She would shake her head, if she could at the moment without looking terribly awkward. "Really, though, I am quite pathetic. I am supposed to be a hero, but all I use the power I have for is getting from place to place and defending myself. If there is some greater role for me to play... I have yet to find it."
Yatta!Hub Centralis, Across the street from the Travellers Tower
A Small shop opens up, with a neon sign lighting up over a "Grand Opening" banner.
The sign says Anna Ford's. Right next to the name is a neon artwork of... a familliar redhead. THAT Anna.
Anna, in a suit and tie, sits at the lobby's front desk, as to start her business's grand opening off personally. She checks an old computer for stock market data briefly, before looking towards the door, awaiting her first customer. One might notice, on a quick glance, stock graph lines darting around in her eyes.
Edited by ReynTheLord on Sep 27th 2022 at 9:55:41 AM
Alt Cunningham
Luin huffed as the unexpected defense took her by surprise, but in spite of the shock she managed to hold her ground, using her heavier armor to her advantage. The woman's form began to falter somewhat, but just as it did…
"Huh!" She shouted a grunt of exertion and pushed forwards with all her strength, trying to knock her opponent to the ground.
Lutemis, meanwhile, hissed as she leaned back, fire gathering in her mouth, before shooting a moderately powerful fireball at Sandstone's feet. The attack wasn't powerful enough to do any real damage, rather, she was testing the water to see how durable the monster was.
Amelia paused for only a second upon hearing the voice from within. This woman wasn't who she thought it was. In fact, it sounded an awful lot her…And as Amelia glanced about the field, she saw that everybody was fighting what looked to be another version of themselves.
She didn't get to dwell on these thoughts for too long, as her cockpit glass began taking damage when an arm-mounted minigun began firing at it, spreading a spiderweb of cracks against it. The woman forced herself from these thoughts and went into action, the jet boosters on the mech's back roaring to life as she attempted to rip the hammer out of the GUARDIAN's grasp and launch up and over it: She, too, was aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing machine, and she knew that if she wanted any hope at winning this fight, she'd need to use the CHAMPION's higher speed and agility to her advantage.
The machine reared it's arm back and YOTE the hammer at the GUARDIAN. That wasn't the attack, however, merely the distraction. The real attack came in the form of the jetpack-assisted dropkick that would immediately follow it.
With great power…you know the rest.Sarah and Thor simply go with the crowd, the latter impatient as he picks his nose. They don't see an interest in the changing rooms - Thor is a huge shirtless man and Sarah can teleport away for wardrobe changes if needed, so they just sort of stick around waiting.
…
Eve sees the energy and old habits die hard. Already, she visualize herself pulverizing him and that knight, then putting their scattered atoms together into an agony shell, destined to howl in pain until she is satisfied. Her hand twitch even, preparing.
But then she clench it into a fist. No! She couldn’t attack with Gabriel still around and in front of a crowd, it’d certainly be ill publicity for her hospital! What if Phillip survived and preached his masses to attack it? Or what if he was unaware of the Knight’s scheme? Decision, decision, but she could make up her mind.
She had a whole week for it after all.
Don’t forget that my hospital is always around if any of you need help! she smiles, then teleports away. With a complicated decision to make.
Evelyn simply snorts at Gabriel. If you fight me now, you might have an excuse for getting your ass handed to you, dove.
When he leaves, so does she.
Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 28th 2022 at 5:39:13 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterPhilip simply summons and raises his staff, and in a flash, he and his Silver Knight have vanished off to who-knows where.
He does not take any of his candidates with him, even the one so brave as to fight the beast head-on.
His experience here has... tempered his expectations, just a tad. He figures, he needs to be a little more cautious, a little more subdued.
He can spot a flash of murderous intent in someone's eyes, after all.
...And he put someone with such an intent right behind him on more than one occasion.
(Though, in actuality, he finds Eve a little intriguing, and notes that she has a hospital somewhere. Even if right now he needs logisticians and regular supporters more than people like her.)
Lourent
...Oh, hey, here's where.
Philip and his Silver Knight appear in the middle of the Lourent desert, fading red light around the two individuals. Philip looks towards the Silver Knight, dusts himself off, and speaks.
"Silver Knight, check to see if anyone's followed or tracked us. It would be a dreadful shame if someone were to breach my trust, after all."
The Silver Knight nods.
A huge, expanding bubble of green ether explodes from The Silver Knight, enveloping the surroundings in her influence.
Nothing really comes of this, because there really isn't anything for The Silver Knight to do. Turns out, they made it here uninterrupted. How about that?
Satisfied with this result, Philip raises his staff again, and teleports him and his Silver Knight to where he is actually staging his little revolution from.
Yatta!Hub Centralis, across the street from the Traveller's Tower
Madeline arrives in her usual fashion - rushing through the streets at breakneck speeds, using the street instead of the sidewalk because she'd be putting pedestrians in danger otherwise. She nearly crashes right through the window, but she manages to redirect her bunnyhop into the concrete wall next to it, making a loud knocking sound... and still leaving a mark. Oops.
She steps inside to apologize. Hey, sorry for rushing into your wall, I didn't mean to break... anything...
Something about this woman is unsettling her, she can't quite put her finger on what it is though.
Edited by StepexNo2 on Sep 28th 2022 at 7:35:51 PM
If it disagrees with experiment, it's wrong.Hub Centralis, Across the Street from Traveler's tower
The woman behind the desk looks towards the damages, before running several calculations in her head. The state of the economy, political situations, potential investments, current deals.
In less than a second of extreme economic math, logic, prediction, and likely illegal ammounts of insider knowledge, the woman simply says "Don't worry about it. Even if the whole store here came falling down, I'd be able to cover it."
Inside the lobby there are various chairs, pamphlets, books... Some familliar, others not so much. Some in dead languages.
"In fact, you might have just bumped into the right building. A speed demon like you could use some new tools."
The knowledge of the markets of realities flood in. Contractual clauses related to this, some non disclosure agreements, legal loopholes, if information is misused it could be a problem... This would be safe enough.
"Madeline, right? You may be interested in some climbing equipment. Or maybe something to bolster your speed. Perhaps some warmer clothes, or... maybe something more. There's a lot of things you might want in the rockies."
Anna Ford gives an odd grin, the stock graphs in her eyes moving in real time, flickering between different markets.
Thats the legal limit. Should give them a good enough spook though.
Madeline is worried. This woman knows her? And something's wrong with her eyes... yeah, she's getting outta here.
"Um, I'll think about it, thanks!"
She won't be thinking about it. She simply grabs a flyer and wavedashes out into the streets again, going out of sight within less than two seconds.
If it disagrees with experiment, it's wrong.Pantheon
Collector Samus grumbles. "Can I get a clear fuckin' shot at the guy?"
She attempts to shoot a Grapple Beam at his shield hammer and pull it out of his grasp, not knowing how little that will actually matter.
Temple
Warrick sighs. "I dunno. The design screams 'Ancient Mandalorian', but the make and model of the ship are a mystery. Just guessing based on our track record, whoever it is is probably not gonna be friendly."
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.""One of the Mandalorian crusaders, then. Or at least a Mandalorian who wants to return to the way their people were before Revan defeated Mandalore the Ultimate," Ben muses. "Whoever it is, Warrick, keep an eye on them and see if we should be concerned about this new arrival or not."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Sep 28th 2022 at 2:41:00 AM
... Why is there a hole in there?
Yuji Itadori's head peek from the hole in the wall he just pointed out, glancing about casually before entering, surprised. Anybody here okay? Huh, say "ow" if you aren't! I could get a healer fast, becauseican'thealcozidon'tknow.
He glances about, hands in his pockets, none too worried because he'd figure he'd have heard dying screams and stuff.
...
The Man Who's Face is Veiled laughs gingerly, clapping his hands and then pumping his fists at his success. Fuck yes! I did it! He then claps again, and stop, hearing him out and nodding.
You're talking like my boss, he says, quickly, though he moves on to another topic. Yo though! That name? Way better than my own! I'll stick with it from now on, you don't mind? I'll tell people you came up with it but, without descriptions, coz else they might attack ya if I'm fighting em. You know, revenge.
He stops, and then clench his fists. Yo though, what is revenge? You seem smart, what is it? Ever wanted to punch somebody for punching ya or something? Tell me, please.
He leans forward, attentive.
...
Kratos endures the light by holding his arm up to cover his eyes, but is left vulnerable to the ice cube... which he recovers from with a flex, roaring as he dispels the ice off him with sheer raw strength.
Feeling like he's made a point, he then brush off the remaining ice and walk to the bar, looking to finish his meal.
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterTemple of Miraak
"Don't stop this ain't the first or the last you'll piss fucks like them off!"
Cecil huffs and creates an oven with a counter using hard bread. But lacking a fire — and Mark being too busy with fighting — he reaches for the oven as a magical sigil appears beneath him whilst he starts chanting. "Not a mage by trade, neither was told I can cast this spell, but fucks wont be given if it necessary for the craft! INCINERATE!!" A massive stream of fire comes forth from his arm and to the oven, providing enough fire to keep it ablaze for baking. His arm looking burnt in the process.
"Er... fuck, not a mage for sure No more excuses, WE GET TO IT NOW!!"
He flings the dough over to Young Cecil. Pulling out another from his breadbasket for him to begin kneading too.
Meanwhile Mark rewinds his chains back upon missing, redirecting them before they can fully return to try and entangle Ninja Mark's chains and pull him in towards himself. If it works then he grabs his shield from the back using his mouth and throws it against Ninja Mark. Otherwise he attempts to half-sword
the lower katana and pulling him in through that instead.
Edited by BoniniBanana on Sep 28th 2022 at 6:30:09 PM
realVeyolkos obviously didn't like the comparison, his scales rattling as he stood upon his legs. He marched over to the man, his face contorted even with such reptilian muscles into a grimace. He finally spoke, making it clear the man's jovial nature had probably awakened some primal aspect in him.
"See us as two sides of the coin, and You'll find your fingers pricked no matter how it is held..."
He leaned in with a flair that seemed, daring. He was amused in a way that could only be described as loosely friendly, some bit curiousity, yet entirely scripted. As if he had been asked this numerous times before.
"I only acted upon revenge 4 times my whole life. Partially because I am not an elder... So I haven't made even more enemies that require another visit,"
He turned to one of the burning beasts, scoffing at it's stillness. He had learned not to touch the fire, and that even addressing it with ones own frame was probably an unwise decision.
"Also because vengeance is such a strong feeling. Revenge? I have heard many a human call it rewarding, cathartic, downright arousing. But if stems from envy. A poisonous creature. Make a pattern out of revenge, you'll be seeking people to wrong you. To get that high... That feeling of domination over another? If is near otherworldly. But I wouldn't recommend making a habit out of it."
AwawaLuna sighs in relief when they stop, having lost their pursuer.
"Next time let's prank someone less scary..." she says, leaning against a wall to rest for the moment. "How about we go somewhere more quiet?" Luna will probably go with whatever Cirno suggests so long as it's not picking a fight with someone like Kratos.
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."Cirno nods and leads Luna off...
"Gotcha. I'll make sure to check in at my own pace."
Eves and Sarahs
Scion Eve makes no effort to avoid or block the beams, simply letting them strike her. "My strength is that of heroes past. My very being is mocked by having to use them for this purpose, but alas..."
She invokes another spirit, this time the superheroine Siel, who delivers a flurry of punches before once again disappearing.
Summer Sarah blinks in surprise as sticky stuff gets stuck to her, moments before she is yanked along into Sarah's foot, knocking the wind out of her, then smashed into the ground.
Before the dust settles, the surfboard comes flying up at Sarah to try and smack her in the chin, carrying Summer Sarah behind it on a chain of electromagnetic force! Once back up to height, she yanks the surfboard back to herself and follows it up with a spinning bash!
—
Laxins
Ascended Laxin falls to the ground as he is shot down by the Force lightning, landing on his side. He rolls onto his feet and huffs.
"Fine, then. I'll do this right."
He reaches out a hand and points his fingers down, and if Laxin doesn't move out of the way, a Force pull strong enough to reduce a normal person's bones to paste will smash him into the ground. And if he does avoid the field, Ascended Laxin sweeps his arm to the side, redirecting the path of the Force to try and send Laxin flying into the temple wall.
"The purpose of having strength is to protect, not to destroy."
—
Ynns
Flame Tribe Ynn swings her whip again and catches the black hole with it, then takes it in both hands and leaps up, before coming down to try and pile drive it onto Ynn's head!
—
Luins and Amelias
Desert Luin is knocked off her feet and onto her ass. She quickly rolls to the side and gets up, then performs an upwards shield bash to try and smack Luin in the face.
Sandstone stumbles back, having been knocked off-balance, but quickly rights himself, stabs his horns straight down, and rakes upward to fling boulders at Lutemis.
The GUARDIAN turns to face the CHAMPION, swatting the hammer aside, only to eat MIGHTY FOOT and go crashing onto its back. It quickly rights itself and starts to get up. To cover her recovery, Brave Amelia disperses mines in a ring around the GUARDIAN.
—
Cecils and Marks
Young Cecil catches the dough and gets to kneading that fucking bread. He goes at it with force the adult Cecil may not recognize, like his child self is physically stronger than he should be.
Ninja Mark gets reeled in successfully and struck, but he proceeds to disappear in an explosion of flame like some kind of highly destructive ninja vanish trick. He reappears a few feet away from where he exploded, holding up his handheld katanas as he waits to see the effect on his counterpart.
—
Ocas and Amis
Brave Oca is too busy recalling Thundercrusher to his hand in the first place to do anything else with it, so he eats fist and goes flying back.
"You sure are"
He yeets a Thunder Beam!
Fallen Ami tosses Ami aside and shoots another arrow directly at her, this one with the property to inflict a life-draining curse that slowly whittles away at its victim.
—
Refias and Schezos
Refia is blown back by the twin projectiles, but she stays on her feet.
She is distracted by how pretty her counterpart's dress is. Must have cost so much, it'd be a shame to ruin it. "... Man..."
With a sigh, she resigns herself and throws a fast bolt of blue plasma, almost more like a laser than an electric blast.
Schezo coughs as he inhales the smoke. His flesh feels like it's burning, but that won't deter this master warlock! He pulls his cape over his face to cover himself. "So - *cough* - so you say. But you don't have to defeat foes in battle for that power. And so to prove my way is superior, I will - *cough hack splutter* - defeat you!"
He swings his sword back and forth for two quick arcs, each one launching a Sword Beam of dark energy.
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Ynns
Ynn, seeing the black hole spiraling towards her, reaches her arms out and pulls it towards her face when it makes contact, opening her mouth. Somehow, she manages to swallow it, though not without some effort.
She can't hold it within her, though, and so spits it right back up- as a huge roar of energy, bolstered by her own strength some non-insignificant amount into a mighty shout like right out of skyrim, except this shout isn't total horseshit compared to like 30 other options!
...And, you know, it's made from the energy of a black hole, so it's got maybe a little more force than a Dragon can speak.
Ignore that none of that sentence makes sense.
Yatta!

"Another Mandalorian ship, and it's not one you recognize... who do you think this other Mandalorian could be?" Ben inquires, stroking his chin with his free hand. "And could they be a potential ally or enemy?"