GREAT DARKNESS - MY CASTLE

Corrin manages to break back into his castle, swimming out of the Astral Sea all around them as he sorts of flop into the entranceway like a fish being beached by the waves. Likewise, the group will have a similarly ungraceful entrance into the castle. Corrin stares back at Beruka but is relieved to see her come through. Her memories from that time are entrenched enough that she can easily tell what Corrin's castle look like.

Lord Corrin?! Where is Selena? questions Lilith. As soon as she sees the group, she naturally blasts them with a heal staff, but the spell proves expectedly deficient at fixing wounds that aren't real. Could she...?

No, she's fine! She's in Hoshido! We have the weapons! And Corrin drops a bunch of extra capsules he had. He figures that Selena has packed up enough to satisfy the group's demands, being that not everyone might be in a position to face Garon. Lilith, there's something wrong with Beruka's memory!

Selena in Hoshido? What? Beruka winces, holding her head. Corrin glances at her panickedly, glancing at Leo, Xander and Camilla along the way. Oh hey Xand-WHAT?! You... recruited them! That's... Corrin stops and smack himself in the chest, attempting to stay calm, being that he's the leader. Or so he thinks. When he speak up again, he's a lot more articulate. That's... very good! But why the... Has Garon...? he scatters again, his newfound confidence going away on a whim.

Hello, Corrin. Xander says, sounding exhausted and confused but burying it under his usual attitude.

Erm I am... Lady Camilla 1? I think you're looking to free Lady Camilla 2...

... Hm... Leo glances at Odin and Laslow then Beruka. Corrin. I am afraid that Garon has ambushed us. And though we've escaped -thanks to the valuable aid of another another you and this... young man-, our Odin and Laslow were unfortunately killed by him, among other unfortunate retainer such as Niles and Peri;

My... condolences. Corrin didn't really like the Nohrian Royals bar Elise, because he saw them as too indecisive in the face of what was obviously a terrible crime, but he knew that they were valued friends nonetheless. He moves over to Beruka, who rebukes him but sit down on the grass anyway, pondering about what's going on with herself. She suddenly feel very vulnerable. And now that Odin and Laslow appear to be suffering from something as well, she's almost... scared. So when someone dies, it impacts their counterparts?

No, I wouldn't say that. If there are infinite versions of us out there, Corrin, then... as morbid as it sound, there's likewise an infinite amount of us dying. From illnesses, injuries, curses, old age, long falls... We would constantly be plagued by these issues, Leo shambles to his feet, taking it upon himself to be the heroic Mr. Exposition once again. I have a theory. Which is to say that it is simply an human mind's attempt at grasping the ebbs and flows of cosmic forces far beyond its comprehension.

I don't get what's happening either... Lilith says, her ears dropping. Salazar stands guard, as do the Hoshidan, the other siblings and nearby NP Cs. Corrin looks at her and pat her, a little confused himself.

We're all unique existences in the end, each and every last one of us. Across all universes, there's bound to be at least one of us. At least, I think so, given what I've seen thus far... and what I'm seeing thus far. But what happens when two "unique existences", one from another world, co-habit on the same plane of existence? Let's say that there's two Iagos, one of whom traveled to another world to meet himself. Iago 1 is the original one and Iago 2 is the traveler. Iago 1 dies while Iago 2 is still in Iago 1's universe.

Leo glances at the group, wondering if they're getting it. From the universe's point of view, Iago is dead. But he's also alive and well at the same time! That's a difficult conundrum. So the universe decides to act as if Iago didn't "die". To do so, it assimilates the other Iago. The proces begins by sharing "wounds" but then work on... "dismantling" the other Iago's memories, so as to remove anything that wasn't experienced by the original Iago.

It removes and changes bits, erases memories. Soon, Iago will forget everything he's experienced in his home universe. And if he stays around for too long, Iago 2 will "die". His memories will be overwritten. He'll forget everything about the world he came from. And he'll act as if he had been Iago 1 all along. He'll be assimilated.

Multiversal complications

What?! Beruka stands up straight ahead, having carefully listened to Leo's speech. Her memories are going to... vanish? Everything she did and experienced will undo itself, until she regresses back to her starting block, as Lady Camilla's cold servant? How can you be so sure on that?! You couldn't even see that your father was an evil man until he attacked you, apparently, so you're not the voice of reason here! She points out, losing her cool in a way that hardly fazes Leo.

She's right! This is uncharted territory, Leo! You said it yourself! It's just a theory! Corrin says, sounding far less sure of himself. His skin pales, he wipes his lips, feeling like the water has drained from his mouth. The weight in his stomach is back, and heavier than before, as he suddenly realizes how lacking his options are.

I... I was in a different world at the time. How could I be affected? It's Corrin's palace, isn't it? So it leads to... Corrin's underwater world.

You mean... Valla? Lilith says, turning to them. She looks shocked they made it out, not having anticipated Corrin would truly get there. There's a Valla for every world out there, I'm afraid. Since we all last went to... that Nohr. Then, by proxy, you went to that Valla. This castle is linked to that version of Nohr, now. And thus, to that version of the world, with Valla below it. And... and though Valla has the thinnest of threads tying it to the surface world, they still share the same "area", I think.

You think?! You think?! Beruka sits down again but looks truly perturbed now. It did make sense though... She didn't have the orb with her in the Arena, since it was never brought up. She just happened to find it. And though she was suspicious, she was also happy to ignore it, being that it provided her with an ally and a place to be, should she want to.

Perhaps Lilith was wrong and this castle was always tied to that particule Nohr, ever since it spawned here? After all, a force had moved Nicole's people here. And that same force was also sending allies their way. It'd make sense if someone was fudging things.

Your reactions are more than justified, and this is but a theory. I've studied the matter of outrealms very intensely though... And though cases of strangers from other worlds remained pure fantasy until a few days ago, perhaps they were...

Leo. This is the Astral Realm, right? It's a world between worlds. How could they be struck by the phenomenon when they're not even in that universe to start with? Xander says, hoping to reassure his retainer, his retainer's friends, Corrin and Beruka.

That, I don't know. But that curse is happening right before our eyes, Xander, Leo winces. If I have to theorize something... Everyone who's stepped foot into our Nohr is now a denizen of our home realm. Thus, it can still affect them, even when they're not in it at the moment. Doubtlesslty though, being in the Astral Realm could slow things down, but... Leo wonders if he's giving everyone false hopes or not, then decides that he might as well throw everything he knows. I think a way to undo this would be for Beruka, Laslow and Odin to return to their home universe immediately. They'll sever the connection between our world and them and their memories will be restored upon coming back.

Alright, thanks Leo! Beruka, Laslow, Odin, stay put! I'm going to find a way back home for all of you! There's probably ways out somewhere in the Astral Sea! Corrin immediately ditch the conversation to run away, pure panic in his steps as he haul ass back to the doorway, desperately hoping that he'll indeed find a way home.

Because he knows that there could be infinite worlds out there. And thus, he'd never find the right one. Not in a century. Not in a millenia. Not in eons. Not ever.

Corrin! No, wait!

Lilith, could we move this castle back to our home realm? We can figure things out from there.

Lilith hesitantly agrees.

In the blue sky above, everything briefly becomes red as streaks of crimson lightning pierce the sky. A small hole in reality open as a star-shaped Death Star hurls out from it, spinning out in mid-air and leaving upon entering yet another hole.

...

Hoshido

Azura stares at Mikoto, who looks somewhat worried as she sees wha's happening to Selena. There's no time to really think about it: The illness that is threatening her isn't known to either.

Alright, Selena? Come with me. We need to find your allies. Don't worry, trust me, I'm your ally. I'm Azura.

Azura hold her hands out gently, glancing at Mikoto as she sets towards the lake. Just follow me.i'll take you someplace safe.

She was still Nohrian... Shit, what'd happen if the memory loss is that bad? She had to hurry.

...

Human. I will rend the flesh from your bones if you use such a disrespectful name in my presence again. The great Wamuu lived thousands years never allowing anyone to tarnish his name. And you will soon see for yourself how seriously I take my oath. Wamuu glares at Nicole, very unamused.

Sgt. Granite mutters a slur that isn't really politically correct to say when eyeing young Garon, greatly doubting his interest in women. Alright, so, we're gunning him down now? he says, getting up with his troopers. One of them notices Max being unconscious but they blame it on Peppino's charge, so Pucci's safe... At least until her trauma becomes troubling.

So he's got time. That guy doesn't look like he could budge that axe he has on him. And those guards who came at us had weapons a wasteland scavenger wouldn't dare even sell. We'll kill his ass and head home by ten minutes, I reckon.

What do you mean kill his ass-a? You gonna leave the rest of him alive? Peppino says, his mockery probably a solid hint that he's calmed down heavily by now. He looks pretty! So I think he's gonna be kind of a pain to fight, because he'll actually look super ugly! But I'll wreck that castle as much as I'll wreck the Pizza Tower! So say Peppino Pizza Tower!

Jesus... Sorry, priest guy; Huh, fuck, where the hell are you from?!

New Jersey.

...

In the Supreme Armory, the thieves work well in stealing the blessed weapons. But Athos hold the field for just a little while longer, which could allow the wily thieves to spot a few more weapons.

- An inert Darksaber.

- A green ring of a sort, with a fancy symbol on it

- A prodigiously large sword, like a heap of iron.

- A nordic axe that feels very cold to the touch, and is heavier than it looks.

- A Fat Man Mini-Nuke Launcher, with one Mini-Nuke loaded in.

- Two handguns, named Ebony and Ivory.

- A shotgun that must be loaded with malicious intent to work.

- A weapon capable of propelling up to 8 sticky bombs at once and trigger their detonation.

- A gauntlet that, when put on, allows the user to teleport forward a short distance and shoot powerful projectiles.

- An oddly large sword with fur on its handle, capable of slicing souls and ignoring tough skin, armor or shell (not that they'd know)

- A retro-futuristic laser pistol that still pack quite the strong punch...

- The Patriot, an assault rifle with infinite ammo...

- A severed human hand, with the index and middle finger pointed forward as to imitate a gun, capable of shooting invisible "bullets" that can punch through meters worth of thick steel...

- A red staff that can expand at the user's will, up to a truly prodigious degree, to the point where they might not even see the end of the staff when fully expanded.

- A knife that doesn't do anything at all but has some neat paint on it.

- A rifle that is also a chainsaw.

Kaze and co observes the weapons curiously but only two per character might be taken, although Great Tiger sticks to his gloves (literally) while Athos simply sighs sadly at the sight of the weapons, with a groan of disgust. Kaze, for his part, doesn't really know what guns are. Maybe someone could tell him or Great Tiger, and even Athos, to get some?

Nonetheless, the doors are suddenly impacted with enough force to visibly bend them forward. They might take another blow or two, but whatever struck the doors take time to hit them again, so they have some time.

Wait, shit! Do we have enough scales to bring those three with us?! Foxy suddenly realizes. It's a large bucket but I don't think two persons at a time can stand on it! Maybe the two kids for sure but...

Edited by Bolded1 on Jun 16th 2023 at 9:54:02 PM

Annihilation (2017)

Thanks to those allies who surrounded her, supported her, Luin managed to find the strength to move, though a brief glance at her armor and what little remained of her weaponry reminded her that she had nothing left to fight with. With Susana's healing light and Sebastien's dust of life, Desert Luin’s check-up would result in positive confirmation that Lutemis yet lived, but nearing the verge of death and only kept from slipping over the line by the healing support of the prior two.

As for Annihilation Nergigante…

The beast was stunned by Sebastien's projectile, the relatively small dart sinking into his flesh and temporarily short-circuited his breath. The Elder Dragon stood in a stationary position as his muscles twitched uncontrollably while projectiles from Sebastien, Paty, and the Poacher alike exploded and shattered against him.

At last, the Elder Dragon broke free from his paralysis. Without so much as a roar or even a snarl, he exploded into action.

Two explosive fireballs were launched from his maw at both Seliph and Sebastien, while a cloud of poisonous smog fell over Luin and her Desert counterpart, both of their mounts, and Susana. This smoke on its own was not deadly, but Annihilation Nergigante aimed to weaken them with it as he slammed down dead-center in the middle of the group, sending a hail of bloody spikes into the air and down onto the scene as his skin at last seemed to be half-way returned to him. The Eaters of Elder turned to Sandstone now, his biggest enemy now that the Xeno'Jiiva had disappeared. Claws swung through the air, swatting and aiming to rip gashes in the Diablos’ shoulder and wings.

Luin, meanwhile, just barely managed to avoid the spike rain. She saw a final series of spine-fragments racing down through the air at her and lifted her hands to block her face, knowing that the act would be useless and that they’d tear right through her.

Instead came the dull thudding of the shattered spike fragments as they bounced off (though some sunk into) Landslide’s hardened skin, the young Larvitar taking the hits for Luin. The woman gasped and sat up, checking the Pokemon’s wounds and finding with great relief that he was fine, though more injured than he had been in any battle yet. Landslide let out a anguished cry that seemed some kind of mix between pain and fury, and the woman looked up to see Lutemis with a number of spines sunken deep into her skin. As the battle raged around her, Luin leapt to her feet and dashed at her mount, sliding to her knees at the Rathian’s side, the wyvern a matter of mere inches away from death.

Nohr

My Castle

Ms. Thingies heard attently the whole Leo's explaination. Imagine a universe where Ms. Thingies has another name, works making videos about arts and crafts for children, and being invited to be a contestant of Master Chef! The horror!

Holy weapons, Batman!

Cardboard and Sawdust glanced at all those weapons... Some sellables, some just too cool for them!

Sawdust grabs the chainsaw-rifle. Just look at it! Not even Fores can do something similar!

Sawdust, this weapon is too huge for you! Have this, it's more fitting for your size.

Said Cardboard, holding the retro gun. They exchanged weapons. Also, she discretely took the green ring, maybe to sell it in the black market.

Sawdust took a second weapon to sell too: the pretty painted knife.

A (Nihil! Nihil! Nihil!) ation

Susana coughs after breathing the poison cloud. She's temporally blinded, and she's now focused on dispelling the effects of the poison on herself and her allies.

Meanwhile, Paty's rushes with Luin, becoming a human shield for her and Landslide against some of the spikes.

North Eldin Sky Archipelago, Hyrule Sky Islands

Painty and the Vanilla Gang◊ are on an expedition trip to explore the newly found land of Hyrule... But they are looking awed at the floating islands of the place.

Look at all those floating islands!

Yeah! It's just like the Dreamstalk, but better!

We could settle our new HQ in one of those islands!

...But those islands are too small for us.

   I have a better idea! We could paint a new island, and together, with Enzo's help, we could build a bigger island!   

Yes! With a Stadium!

And a schools!

And a city!

And our HQ! Let's go, girls!... And Milky. I'll call Enzo to help us. Soon, this place in the sky will see the born of a new big city: Paintyville.

Beat

...Paintyville?

   I was thinking in Vanilla Island.   

Or Cupcake City.

Or Cherryland!

... We'll settle the name later. Let's work, everybody.

Edited by BombonBombin on Jun 16th 2023 at 4:45:14 AM

"Just a heads-up, Garon ain't the kinda guy who'll die if you just pump enough bullets or lasers into him. Underestimating him is a real good way to get you and your whole squad totally wiped out," Nicole replies. "That axe of his is probably the least of your worries. Dude actually has superpowers and is straight-up immune to everything except a few enchanted weapons."

She pointedly ignore Wamuu's threat.

"Thousands of years, and he still doesn't have a sense of humor."

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Jun 16th 2023 at 12:57:58 PM

But that's just a theory-

Jake is about to help Odin and Laslow to one of the buildings for them to rest in, but then the group reappears close by. Their landing is ungraceful indeed, as Morgan lands flat on his face.

Anna approaches with her Fortify staff again, aiming to help Lilith out. She's about to ask if they're okay, but then Lilith points out that Selena's missing.

As Morgan gets up, he, Anna and Jake all look shocked to hear about the retainers' deaths from Leo. Anna especially looks speechless about this. Odin and Laslow, now aware that something is wrong with them, look about as terrified as Beruka does. Jake tries to comfort them with a steady hand on their shoulders.

For now they all just listen to the theory that Leo provides. As he's explaining, Leo will notice that Anna, Jake and Morgan all seem to get what he's getting at fairly quickly. Anna and Jake because they travel through dimensions already (though Leo won't know that), and Morgan because he's just analytical and smart (which Leo won't know either).

"What!? Our... our memories will...", Laslow asks in shock after Leo finishes explaining.

"No, that... that can't happen... our friends, our mission, our...", Odin says, looking very terrified.

"Is this happening to Selena too? She needs to come back here immediately!"

Neither is sure if they fully believe this theory, but just the mere possibility is getting to them, and that's not something they can help.

Then Corrin goes running to the doorway. Morgan instinctively goes after him without really thinking. As Lilith prepares to move the My Castle to Beruka's home dimension (which should protect her from the curse if Leo's theory is correct), Jake looks at Odin and Laslow.

"Perhaps Anna and I can see if I can't bring you all back once Selena is back as well.", he says. "Neither of you are in a position to fight anyway, and we know where to go. Hopefully we'll have access to the Outrealms from here."

Odin and Laslow look very unsure about all this. But it's undeniable that, regardless if Leo is right or not, their memories are being affected.

—

Amnesia (not the game)

Selena looks at Azura, frightened at what's happening. Well, at the fact that something is happening and she doesn't know what. Is this Grima's doing somehow? She wouldn't put it past the beast.

Thankfully Selena wasn't making things up when she told Azura that they were fighting on the same side. As such, even if she were to lose all of her memories from up before the mission, she'd still be confused, but she would have no reason to consider Azura an enemy.

"I... I think I know where I have to go. I have a scale... I just need water."

She looks at the pond near them.

"There..."

—

A super item bargain sale

Ban's thief senses immediately let him notice the gauntlet and the shiny green ring, and he snatches the former immediately. Since he already carries Raijinto, that puts him at his max amount.

"I brought an extra scale or two.", Ban then smirks after what Foxy says. Sticky fingers indeed.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Jun 16th 2023 at 10:14:44 AM

Nohr Rescue Mission (My Castle)

Jeridan has recovered enough to stand and possibly fight again as the latter doesn't place a particular strain on his heart, but he made a mental note to not stop time for the rest of this mission if possible. Having a heart attack would not be ideal at all for someone on a mission to fight against an abomination of a king.

The young man has managed to catch most of the conversation that went on between his Corrin and this world's Leo. After staring at the sudden appearance of the Death Star of all things, he dismissed its presence as it did not stay for long. "We will have to make the retainers on our side go home, then. It would be rather troubling to look after melting teammates while trying to fight." Jeridan remarked to the royals as he took a deep breath.

"Prince Xander, Leo. Princess Camilla. Apologies for not having introduced myself." The honorary agent gave them a quick bow. "My name is Jeridan, the one who threw you into the warp panel that sent you here and just another ally of this whole operation. It is a lot to ask of you, but we will need your help to keep the Nohrian army under control while we rescue the prisoners. While the ideal situation is to not confront King Garon, slip out of the castle, and go on our merry way, we can all see that it is no longer possible. As such, we will need your assistance to ensure the casualty be kept as low as possible. How much sway would you all say you have on the Nohrian soldiers?"

Edited by cyzja922 on Jun 16th 2023 at 1:38:21 AM

Angel Reimu looks contemplative. "Little things, huh..."

"There was a time Flandre wanted to sleep at the shrine. She said she was having nightmares, and it seemed like she trusted me to help more than her own sister. Obviously I wasn't letting her stay, but it turned out Mugetsu was messing with her for kicks."

Cirno smirks back at Marisa. "Don't be surprised if it gets taken out as collateral."

She lands on all fours, digs her hands into the ground, and a web of frost creeps through the dirt, freezing swamps and blanketing the ground. Then she pulls her hands up, and the entire ground layer around them lifts into the air, carried by a sheet of ice underneath. Trees are uprooted, rocks flung skyward, and Cirno stands at the center of it with a malicious grin.

After that, she stomps the ground and shatters the floating platform, letting debris rain down as she scans the now-cleared wetlands for the big-ass frog.

RF!Anna runs up to Corrin, trying to grab him by the shoulder and hold him back. "You'll never find it with brute force. I might be able to force open a direct path, but..."

She looks up at the sky. "I don't know if we'll have time for it."

Se'arah reaches for her sword while Mordecai just stands there like a big doofus.

Sandstone breathes in the toxic fumes and suffers the resulting poison, but it does not suffer Annie's attempt at a follow-up attack. The Diablos meets his claws with a horn thrust, catching Annie's forelimb between its horns. Though he is too big for it to lift, it still keeps him in place long enough for Seliph to snap out of his shock and charge at the Annihilation Nergigante with a slash empowered by the mighty defense-piercing Luna!

Edited by KiriK on Jun 16th 2023 at 3:57:20 AM

That Annihilating guy who fights the fantastic four

Sebastien jumps out of the way and uses his protective cape to try and minimize the damage. While this means he doesn't get burnt to a crisp, the blast still sends him flying and he lands hard against the wall of a ruined building.

Consequently all he can really do is throw his last Dust of Life at Luin and those near her before slowly getting back on his feet.

My Castle

"Oh dear... I'm a bit glad I haven't run into another me yet then." Yamame mumbles after hearing the whole explanation thing. Ah if only she knew someone who worked in this kind of thing they could have helped. Unfortunately all she can do is sit on the sidelines for now.

Astil

Marisa whistles appreciatively, whisking Luna and herself out of the way of Cirno's dynamite fishing for frogs.

"Oh hey there it is!" Marisa says, pointing at a big orange frog◊ that is rather agitated. It's visibly already beat up from what Cirno did but still roars at them. Only for them to hear a much louder roar a few moments later as a bigger, meaner frog◊ hops in and bashes the smaller one aside. While the smaller frog limps away in fright, the bigger one glares down at them and roars.

"Huh, that's new." Marisa comments. "Well I'm sure you can handle it."

"Y-yeah! Good luck, Cirno!" Luna boldly comments, hiding behind Marisa,

Drilltusk Tetsucabra then digs its tusks into the ground and hurls a big chunk of earth at Cirno.

Subaru tightens her headband to make sure it's secure - I guess her scale is wrapped up in it.

"... I did say my plan was to just. Fight my way back out."

She stacks the two handguns on top of her book. And then uuuuuuuuh she passes over the weird literal human hand in favor of the laser pistol. A gun platter. A smorgasbord.

"Heh. I wouldn't totally trust Flandre staying at the shrine either."

"Did you take care of Mugetsu like it was an Incident?"

gedor dies.

And yeah you guys are bullies. I don't care how much higher than at least Rumia she probably was on the raw powerscale outside the Arena everyone's balanced here and they were balanced at 3v1. 4v1.

Edited by Rbade on Jun 16th 2023 at 2:45:25 AM

About half. I think that our d... Garon's monstrous nature will also convince a lot of his soldiers to fight against him, Camilla admits, understandably stressed by the condition but keeping a stiff upper limit. The castle guards are more loyal to him but we've lead the army in more occasions than our father has in years. They know and trust us more than they do him.

Corrin is pissed when Def Anna intercepts him, struggling against her in a manner that isn't like actively antagonistic but is still pretty forceful, meaning to shake her off him by pushing her off him. However, she does gives Xander and Salazar enough time to go and assist her. But while Salazar lacks the strength to try to directly intervene, Xander goes up and put his hand on Corrin's shoulder.

Wait, Corrin! There's people still in Nohr! Who knows where they'll wind up if we just move away without warning them! Salazar says, sounding about as desperate as everyone else here.

They'll be fine! Lilith's scales will help them go to it from anywhere in the realm! We have to move! Corrin answers him.

And what about you? Can you find your way back?! Xander questions him, his grip still firm even if Corrin shakes off Anna. However, it's mostly because Corrin's attention laid elsewhere: the dragon prince easily breaks Xander's grip with a swat of his hand, to his surprise, even with the Crown Prince not using his full strength.

Don't you dare act like you care about me! It's all your fault! You just stood there and watched while she was trying to help me! Corrin turns around, being incensed enough as to briefly turn away from the gateway. You're completely useless! Laslow, Selena, Odin and Beruka are in danger because you couldn't even help your retainers and this Beruka! How are you going to matter in saving this blasted hellscape of a country when you couldn't save them?! When you didn't even lift a finger saving me?! Tears starts streaming down Corrin's cheeks, in completely indignant rage and sorrow at everything happening to him.

Xander stares on, looking stoic and well-aware that there are merits to Corrin's ranting. He thus decides to stand there and take it for his siblings, although he has the merits of looking at Corrin directly instead of averting his eyes, even as Corrin unwittingly jabs his armor hard enough to crack it.

While he had known some relief since then, all the accumulated trauma had unfortunately gone on for too long without him adressing it. And thus...

You should- Before Corrin can say something out loud, the whole palace briefly shakes, as Lilith apparently attempts to transfer it elsewhere in the Astral Realm. Unfortunately, there's just a whole lot of shaking instead of anything more concrete. A very deep Drone of Dread resonates in the air as a white star-shaped symbol, with six massive prongs, simply loom over the castle, bathing it in blinding light and defeaning sound.

By the time it fades, Lilith is nowhere to be found. Although if they hurry along, they'll find her unconscious in her own temple, turned back into a human, foam coming off her mouth as her blank eyes stare off into pale infinites. Eventually though, she get up and stare at whoever's coming over to see her, grinning as she taps her head.

   We want blood... or salvation. Rescue your allies or kill Garon but we won't let you leave until then.    The conditions made clear, Lilith collapse again.

And so does Corrin, made forlorn by the news, his anger elapsing once again as the situation dawn on him. Beruka's morbidly calm in the meantime, watching the Astral Skies with eerie silence.

We... What... What kind of being have you... We need to kill Garon or free the hostages but we can't wait for Nicole, Ban and the others. We... His skin pale, Corrin stares off elsewhere, sweat dripping off him in massive amount. The solution is obvious yet so out of reach that he simply shut down for a brief moment, being put through so much stress that he goes through a biological reboot of a sort.

When Beruka approach him, she knows that talking to him won't matter much, and simply sit by him, leaning her head against his inert shoulder.

As for Salazar, he calmly looks at the whole group, himself blank, and frowns slightly. Joder. He swears, with an emphasis on every letter.

...

   Hmph.   

...

Azura nods. She considers a note but... there's an obvious obstacle. Alright, tell Corrin and the others that Hoshido will have their back. We'll assist you come the final battle... If you can wait a few hours for us to organize.

...

Back in the Supreme Armory, Kaze grabs the furred katana and leave the weapons behind. Athos and Great Tiger, who haven't been convinced to get the weapons, likewise leave them behind.

The scales of an Astral Dragon? For that many of you? If my conclusion is the right one, I was right to trust you. Athos take his scale and stand near the bucket, as Great Tiger and Kaze likewise receive one.

Just go into the bucket and fully immerse yourself. Don't worry, the place it leads to is super chill!

Athos, as the eldest and wisest of us, with business elsewhere, I encourage you to go first. Kaze says. Athos peers at the room but thankfully decide to take this opportunity, since they had very little time on a trifle matter like discussing.

The water is deep enough that one of them can go in at a time being careful but not more.

Thank you Kaze; Athos says, as he climbs up. But I beseech each of you to hurry. It should be my role to go last.

And off Athos goes into the Astral Realm.

Meanwhile, the doors get fucked up again as Iago unleashes King Crimson at it, pummeling the doors while Garon, somewhat in the back, ready his axe up like he's preparing to cut down a tree, smiling in frustration as he prepares to hit the doors with extreme power once again.

Women and children first. Says Kaze.

Edited by Bolded1 on Jun 16th 2023 at 12:11:35 PM

Supreme Weaponry

As women and children, Cardboard and Sawdust dive into the bucket, leading to...

My Castle

...Where Ms. Thingies collapses too by the conmotion and the tireness she still feels.

>:(

Subaru, being both a woman AND nearly a children, grumbles about not needing to be coddled. Nevertheless she takes the plunge, time being OF THE ESSENCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Nohr Rescue Mission (My Castle)

Camilla's response fills Jeridan with confidence. "Ok good, if that's the case we can just talk to them before we confront Garon and we will have most of the Nohrian army out of the way." Once they don't have to worry about swarms of soldiers trying to murder them, it will be much easier to distract Garon with advantage in numbers and rescue the prisoners.

Before he can speak any further, however, he noticed Corrin's apparent breakdown as well as the incredibly ominous message. Seeing the prince having a rather hard breakdown, the young man stared ahead and slapped himself across the face. What was I thinking? Corrin was just tortured not even a few hours ago and here I am, expecting him to lead? Then again, he did seem fine after he drank that elixir... Fuck, I should have known better.

Jeridan shook his head. No use dwelling on that. He took quick steps towards the assassin and raised his hand to get her attention. "Beruka, take him to his treehouse and let- make him rest. That... voice said we have to rescue the prisoners or kill Garon, it didn't say we have a time limit aside from the execution date. Go." Giving her a pat on the shoulder, the young man turned back to Xander. "Please do understand that Corr- our Corrin has suffered a lot of torment, both physically and mentally. It was a miracle that he managed to even lead us just now."

Taking a deep breath and letting out a lengthy exhale, the honorary agent rubbed his hands over his bandaged face before speaking in a morose manner. "Don't blame yourself about the retainers, blame me instead, because we were prioritizing on getting the royal family out. That, and it's partially my fault for letting someone who was just bloody tortured to go out and do this much." Xander would notice his slightly bloodshot eyes and noticeable shades underneath. "I will ask you to not start chastising or smacking me right now though, because while we have time, we only have until the execution to rescue our comrades. Speaking of that, what's the time and date they planned for it?"

Edited by cyzja922 on Jun 16th 2023 at 3:34:28 AM

Thracia Gaming

While he did go after Corrin too, Morgan is wise enough to not try to physically stop him. He's not all too taken aback when Corrin gets angry with Xander.

The shaking knocks him off of his feet though. He gets back up and looks around in confusion. While Jake has to stay with Odin and Laslow, Morgan and Anna, from their respective ends, go to search for Lilith when it seems moving the My Castle didn't work. It's Morgan who gets there in time to witness Lilith being briefly possessed.

"What's happening?", Anna asks as she comes running right after the presence has already left. Morgan glances down at the ground for a moment before looking up at Anna.

"I don't think we can afford to rest up. Don't you have Stamina Drinks?"

"Stamina Drinks? How do you even know about... wait, let me guess... Travant?", Anna asks, concerned about the thought of Julius having access to those.

"Does it matter? Do you have them or not? If you do, heal everyone up, give drinks to everyone who can still fight, and let's go already!"

Anna is briefly surprised to see Morgan being so proactive about this. His shouts do attract his wyvern as well, though it's more curious as to why Morgan is being loud.

"... I'll check."

They (wyvern included) run back to the rest of the group, with Anna shouting.

"Jake! Do we have Stamina Drinks!?"

Jake quickly runs back to the caravan and searches their stock, throwing some other stuff from in it to the side. Eventually he hops back out, holding some yellow bottles.

"A few, yes!"

Anna turns to the others.

"Everyone who is planning to directly fight, take a drink from one of those! They'll replenish your stamina completely!"

—

Let's do the time space warp again!

Selena nods.

"Thank you very much, Azura."

She then runs back to the water and holds out the dragon scale Lilith gave her. Having realized that something may be affecting her memory, she hopes that she'll be back at the My Castle fast enough to convey the message.

Once the scale activates, Selena vanishes before Azura's and Mikoto's eyes, and she'll be transported back to the My Castle, at the entrance. Since Corrin's group is close to it they should be able to see her, and by how she looks, also realize that the curse is indeed affecting her too.

But before they can even ask her if she's alright, she stumbles towards them, dropping the bag of weapons next to her for them to take later, and speaks fast.

"I spoke with Queen Mikoto! Hoshido will assist us! They'll be in Nohr in a few hours!"

The frantic way she says that should tell the others that she has an idea of what's happening to her, and doesn't want to risk forgetting about it before she had a chance to tell them.

Hearing this, Anna pauses. She'll still let everyone have a Stamina Drink, but if they have the time then it would definitely be worth it to wait for the Hoshidan army before setting out. Or at least they should set out a little bit before the Hoshidan army joins, so that they could set up a pincer attack that way. Morgan realizes the same.

"We should try to keep an eye on Nohr. As long as the Shepherds aren't about to be executed, we can wait out those reinforcements. By that time our friends should surely be back too."

—

Hurry, hurry!

Hearing the door getting attacked, Ban looks back at it and glares. He holds out his arm to the others and suddenly pushes Raijinto and the gauntlet he took Great Tiger's hands.

"Take these out with you! I'm going last, I'm immortal.", he says, looking serious. "If they break through I can take their attacks without being in danger."

His tone of voice makes it clear he will not argue about this.

If Great Tiger accepts the weapons before he goes, Ban will take the Patriot and that sticky bomb weapon. He doesn't know much about these futuristic weapons, but they look like the kind of stuff Foxy and Salazar would use. He'll then stay behind for now, intending on making good on his word and being the last one to leave. In fact, he even runs to the door and pushes against it, trying to give it that little extra bit of resistance against the Nohrians' attacks. Every second of time he buys could count.

After finding Lilith and hearing the message, Se'arah sinks to her knees.

"This... is..."

She grits her teeth and punches the ground. "Bullshit."

The wanderer promptly turns around to RF!Anna. "Open a path. I'm gonna fight Garon myself."

Anna, clutching her wrists after the struggle to hold onto Corrin, does a Double Take. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe, but I've contributed nothing to this mission! Everything I've done, someone else could've! I've been running around playing errand girl and now we're being told we have two options! I am not going to sit on my hands and wait for the others while people are being conceptually unmade! Even if I die, I'll buy us time in the process! I'm fighting Garon NOW, and THAT'S! FINAL! DO IT!"

RF!Anna stares at Se'arah, slowly clenching a fist. "... Fffffuck it," she ultimately says. "I suppose today is as good a day as any to die. Leah, if we don't make it back, tell the others we just vanished one day."

She raises her fist to the sky, gathering light and spiritual energy into it. Echoes of other people and strange creatures - her own counterparts in the multiverse, not Annas but Defenses - flicker and take shape within her own being.

And then she brings it down. "UNITY... CRUSH!"

The sound of a sonic boom, glass shattering, and creation itself howling heralds the violent opening of a rift in spacetime...

right in Iago's face.

Se'arah immediately lunges out of the rift, shortly followed by RF!Anna. "No further," she growls, brandishing her Silver Sword.

Anna watches in horror as Ser'arah and her sister go off on their own.

"Wait, hold on... crap!", she says as it's too late to stop them.

"What do we do now?", Morgan asks.

"... hope that my sister knows what she's doing and has a way out...", Anna says, conflicted about wanting to go assist when knowing that she can't.

Gedor

EX Rumia cackles and... starts tearing into Gedor's corpse and eating her. Oh dear. Probably a good time for the others to leave while she gets her fill. If any of them try to get close she'll snarl at them but is too focused on the big meal first.

The fact it's more like black ooze doesn't seem to bother her at all.

My Castle

Yamame is quite visibly unnerved by the events currently unfolding, needing a bit of a moment to calm herself. She politely passes on taking a drink since she had enough of a break already.

Consequently she doesn't react in time to Se'arah running off.

Nohr Rescue Mission (Uh Oh)

The young man is about to go prepare until he saw Se'arah wanting to go fight Garon directly. "Don't do that, you don't have a way to hurt-" As soon as he saw the rift being opened, Jeridan immediately dashed towards the pair that's going to leave, but it's too late to grab them. He gawked at the rift, before letting out a long-suffering sigh. "Wow, ok. Fine." With an exasperated huff, Jeridan looked around him. "Does anyone else want to do something stupid? Because I'm not going to follow." As harsh as he sounds, nobody can afford to run off right now.

Rito Village

"Yup. Beat her in danmaku and the case was closed."

"On the subject of little siblings, Koishi took up a fishing hobby. The arms race situation hasn't affected her much, but she finally started opening her third eye - just a tiny bit at a time to copy her opponents' abilities."

Astil

Cirno scoffs. "Pfff. Of course I can handle-"

The boulder comes hurtling at her while she's looking at Marisa and Luna, crashing into the back of her head and sending her tumbling through the air.

"... It's on now." She suddenly corrects herself and rockets back toward the Drilltusk Tetsucabra. The Strongest Fairy lands in front of it only to come right back into the air, namely via a spinning Shoryuken!

GEDOR IS NO MORE

With the elephant dead and Rumia satiating her appetite, Mega-Paco waves a bye-bye a-go-go at the others and flies away.

My Castle

Ms. Thingies wakes, altough she's still numb. She overhears Se'arah and Anna's intentions to fight Garon, but she can't do much.

Beware... He's too strong...

Edited by BombonBombin on Jun 16th 2023 at 8:21:31 AM

"Koishi...? Ah, right."

Heh.

"Good for her, sounds like a tough opponent. I wonder if fighting with Autonomous Ultra Instinct would counter even that, though."

More plz? 🥺

Demon Frog vs Fairy

Drilltusk Tetsucabra snarls at Cirno when she lands in front of it only to stumble back from the uppercut, confused that such a tiny creature could hurt it.

It shakes its head and jumps up to get above Cirno before crashing down tusks first to crush her.

William looks around before moving in closer to Piovre, clearly looking for a certain marking by the shoulder, he then looks directly at him when the coast is clear, "If you're not one of then-" He nods. "Can't be seen fighting back- Alerts big ship." He says in a straining whisper.

My Castle

Nicole... with whom exactly did you bargain before this?

Beruka simply nods to Jeridan, seeing wisdom in what he say to say. Corrin was too emotionally compromised at this point, for reasons that she could fully understand, and she was likewise finding herself suddenly wrestling with her morality and sense of self, so she wasn't about to protest. Picking up Corrin, she gently carries him to his house, climbing the ladder leading to it while firmly holding unto him with her healed arm.

She didn't know if sleeping was going to fix this but she knew that it'd help Corrin.

Why do bad things always happen to you or me? Why can't they happen to Hans or Iago or Garon? Why?

His "house" has three floors, with the first serving as places for the rest of the army to hang out or rest with the third being, essentially, Corrin's own suite of a sort. Naturally, she brings him there, being thankful yet worried about his apathy, the young man not even bother to rally against Garon with the armored Anna and Se'arah when, seconds earlier, he'd have probably swung in first if anything.

Instead, he simply hang his head down, his legs shaking as he slowly follows Beruka's mark, looking to be one step away from having to be dragged to his room after falling over.

As she slowly walk the stairs leading to the third room though, Corrin does get some life of his own again, sniffing as he sees the doors.

How could it all go so wrong? I... Maybe I should have...? Corrin stops talking for a moment. I should have attacked Garon right away... Why did we even stop for these weapons? I bet we could... we could've taken him. Why did everyone even listen to me for strategies? Why did I even offer one? I should've just shut up and left it to anyone else. Now you're in danger and I can't help you.

It's alright Corrin; pulling out her key, Beruka swings the door open, half-heartedly saying what she want him to hear. For she, too, was utterly terrified.For a minute, she even froze, thinking about what was going to happen to her. There was nothing that could be done to fix this now, with what appeared to be someone blocking the way out: They weren't up against an enemy that could be tricked or defeated with their skills, cunning, strength or weapons. It was no idle curse that could be solved by storming the castle's bowels again. It was the universe itself tampering against them, its stellar tendrils warping and shifting their tiny mortal existences without a care in the world for their own thoughts, memories and feelings.

As bad as Garon was, he was ultimately a being that could be interacted with. That could be surprised, tricked, overwhelmed, pained and escaped from. Even Julius, distant and unknownable as he was, ultimately was of flesh and blood, despite the alien will empowering his magic and presence.

Both husks weren't the very laws of the universe itself, as immovable, alien and powerful as suggested.

... No, I know you're scared too. Corrin eventually replies. There's no need to be ashamed about it.

... You know, I do think that it's going to take the universe a lot of time to overwrite our wills though, Beruka says, after looking up at the ceiling. We've spent years together at this point. And I've yet to forget why we're here. Everything that we've done, everything that we've went through together... It's too precious to be done away with in hours, I'm certain of it.

Of course it is, Corrin says, nodding a bit too intently. I'd be mad if it were that easy! We only have to wait for some hours and then we'll flatten Garon in ten minutes and we're home free, right? We could always write something to remind you why we're here. he says, his chuckle dying before he can fully laugh it out.

I'm not some old maid who needs to be reminded of what time it is, Corrin, she says, elbowing him in slightly as they sit together. She smiles at the idea, which encourages Corrin to complete his laughter. With everything I've been doing these past few days to topple him, there's no way the universe itself will make me forget my hatred for that man.

A-and don't forget Iago! I'm going to make him eat that stupid half-mask of his!

What a stupid choice at that. An half-mask is completely useless in either of its purposes.

Y-yeah, I hope that we won't find Leo wearing one of those... or that ugly feather collar, too! It's so tacky!

Maybe he's hoping we won't notice that he's wearing that collar the wrong way too. Corrin's laugh is a lot more sincere at that part and Beruka smiles, happy to reassure him. ... I hope I won't have to wear those royal extravagances once we properly marry.

Corrin shakes his head. There's no force in the world that could make you wear those. And we arranged things so that we'd live away from the court for a while. That way we won't have to see those clothes... or that stupid castle. Bah! If you ask me, the biggest tragedy in all of this is the extra time I've been spending in that ugly thing.

Beruka doesn't laugh but she lets out a sharp exhale that sounds like a chuckle, leaning back as she sits on the bed, having spent the dialogue removing her armor. So long as we do what we came here for and kill Garon... She blinks slightly and stares at Corrin. ... Is is what we came here to do, right? To kill Garon?

Corrin simply stands there in dumbfounded silence and falls back unto the bed as well, his hands on his stomach as he gives the ceiling a dumbfounded stare. ... Yeah.

...

Meanwhile, a few minutes back, Xander stares at the departing Beruka and Corrin then stares at Jeridan. No, it was my mistake first and foremost. And even if you were responsible, there are things far more important at stakes here. We must not do anything to endanger the group's stability. Or engage in anything-

Se'arah and Anna go fight Garon and Iago by punching a hole through space and time.

Rash.

Leah stands there, watching them go at it without intervening or even following them. She looks utterly mortified at it but she doesn't join her boss or her boss's boss.

Hm? Hoshido? We can't... Leo hesitates for a brief moment. Well, with how dire things were, it probably wasn't time to protest anything that could help Nohr. Even as he already found himself dreading the aftermath of Garon's defeat. A few hours is... time enough. The execution was a day away before this but the schedule is very likely to change.

Oh, Selena my sweeting! You're safe! Says Camilla, hosting Ms. Thingies's body over her head.

Oh hi Selena! I thought the Hoshidan ninjas had eaten you! Greets Salazar as well, observing new entries.

Hmm... I'll keep that drink for later, if they come in hours. A good ol' sleep should be able to refill my batteries just fine! And we can discuss strategies later. I say we wait 7 hours! Maybe less, since the passage of time is different here!

Wait, aren't two of our teams still stuck in the castle?! We'll need to strategize with them too! We're not even sure if they're safe or success- And in goes Athos, spotting the pseudo-chaos unfolding.

Greetings! I am Athos, a mage from a distant world. Though I can only speak for one group, the search is going smoothly.

Subaru then Sawdust and Cardboard emerge as well, accompanied by Great Tiger, holding the weapons trusted to him by Ban. IT IS THE GREAT TIGER!

Oh! New friends to play with! And familiar faces! Are things going well over there?!

The enemy is at the group's tail, enthusiastic one, Athos explains. Caution would suggest that we only celebrate when the last of our group emerges here, safe and sound!

Allow me to explain the full context of what is happening there! Polnareff suddenly introduces himself, catching people up on the events with an explanation that works well enough at explaining everything going on thus far. But of course, should someone else be willing to explain, Polnareff won't step in.

In Corrin's absence... Who is the group's leader? We should at least discuss this before we rest. So that we may abscond from this when deciding our strategy. And we should really try to at least retrieve those two!

S-stay alive! Shouts Leah, prompting everyone to stare at her.

...

Well, we're in then! So, what now? You guys emerged out of nowhere after all. You've got an HQ or somethin'? Sgt Granite asks Nicole.

Either of you should fetch scales back in that odd world of yours. I'll arrange a sufficient amount of water for these useless armors to immerge into. Wamuu says, with a tone that doesn't really invite any discussion on the matter.

That way, either Nicole or Pucci can catch up on the latest insanities!

KING CRIMSON!

Wamuu groans.

...

As Great Tiger goes in, Kaze and Foxy hears the commotion going on in front of the doors. Kaze turns around but Foxy doesn't, wishing to go in the bucket instead: he crams his scale into his mouth, below his tongue, because he knows he'll go limp in water and fear that he'll lose his grip as a result.

It looks like some of your allies are trying to take the fight to our attackers! As much as it pains me to say this, Ban and Foxy, we should perhaps use this to complete our escape. It would be an insult to their sacrifice for us to join this fight! Kaze says, although he waits for his allies to give their piece of it before going in: after all, though he was a pragmatic warrior, he was still unsatisfied at the idea of abandoning such valorious warriors.

Sucks to be 'em! Foxy dives in the bucket head first and escape into the Astral Realm!

In the meantime, Iago sees the oddity in space-time occurring in front of him and

KING CRIMSON

near Garon, dodging the blow. Garon himself only has an amused smirk to give the two ladies, although there's also irritation at the continuous interference.

The Nohrian mooks around do not dare engage the attackers. And though Iago would want to just let them do this, he knows that it'd look bad on him if he doesn't fight when his own King is basically at the "frontline".

   The line between bravery and stupidity has always been a thin one!    Garon swings his axe at RF!Anna, meaning to overwhelm her with a strong swing of Bolverk to swing her right through the doors. He swings the axe like a golf club, perhaps a bit clumsily, but with great power, such that upon "impact" (should it occur), the armored men and women are sent flying!    But fighting me automatically put you in the latter category!   

And as a compliment to Iago's fighting ability, despite his numerous failures to this point, he stands strong despite his thin build.

How many more of you must pop out of nowhere?! I'll rip your guts out, you wench! I'll tear your eyes out! And when you'll think to have discovered the greatest pain known to man, I'll take you to the dungeons to introduce you to even greater heights!

   Subdue her, Iago!   

Iago comply, albeit not at the same time, because he pulls out a Thoron and let it orbit around him before shooting it at Se'arah, his index fingers outstretched. Should Garon knock Anna into the doors and wreck them, the bolt of lightning will cross the Supreme Armory and burrow through its wall, with it dispersing into the sky of Nohr.

If Anna dodges, the bolt punch the doors again but they withstand it, albeit for what might be the last time, dispersing the attack after a few seconds of it.

Edited by Bolded1 on Jun 17th 2023 at 10:14:54 AM

RF!Anna summons her heavy "Defense" Powered Armor around herself just before Garon's strike. The weight and, well, defense allow her to not go completely flying through the door, though she does get launched off her feet, landing on her back. She rolls over and rises up.

"I knew what I was getting into," her voice echoes. "Now let's see if your claims hold weight."

She transforms her personal weapon into Bow Configuration and looses a volley of arrows the size of javelins at Garon.

The Thoron rips through Se'arah, electrocuting her and causing her to cry out. Iago may relish the expression of pain, but it only lasts a moment before she chugs a Hyper Elixir and flares up with a fiery purple aura. She proceeds to lunge at Iago and throw a Superman punch, followed by a 360º horizontal sword spin, followed by a backfist swing, followed by a jump into a plunging thrust, followed by a 360º vertical sword spin, and finishing with a Sol uppercut. With all these moves in rapid succession, even if Iago uses Epitaph to read them in advance, he may not be able to find an opening to intercept them!

Angel Reimu continues to regale her counterpart with stories of her world. Depending on how good CCP!Reimu's memory is, she may recognize some of those as events she's experienced as well (as in they're canon).

Strongest Cirno is impaled by the Drilltusk's tusks in addition to being crushed under its bulk, but she disperses into snowflakes (retaining a hole in her clothing where she got skewered) and reforms up above it, whereupon she snaps her fingers and shoots a triple-shot spread of Freezing Lasers.

Altina nods, but the Fortuna Entertainment gang talk amongst themselves for a bit.

Itsuki turns back to Hatch. "Much as we'd love to help, we don't know how long this will take. We have other obligations to fulfill, both as entertainers and as Mirage Masters. Sorry, but we can't go with you."

"That should not be a concern." Altina smiles. "Whatever danger awaits, I am certain I can face it."