Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Mech, Avar-Laren, Pucci, Church, SOLOPOST — Rise

Navigating his way up through various moving pieces and shifting steel plates that threatened to tear his hand off if clumsy enough to get caught, Kado attempted to ascended the leg of the Excelsus.

He finally reached the uppermost knee of the leg he was mounted upon (i forget which one i said it was teehee) and paused. His hand hovered over the lightsaber clung to his belt, but…he doubted its ability to slice through the metal, even at where it seemed thinnest. No, there was a smarter method. He reached his hand to the cold surface, pressing his fingers against the steel and closing his eyes. The bolts…he tried to find the bolts keeping the leg attached, and attempted to undo them with the aid of the Force.

——

"You’re right." Luin admitted. They were far from Koro-Na, without reinforcements, and steeply outnumbered here. Trying to engage would be paramount to suicide given the situation as much as she hated to see Poachers unslain in her presence. The woman shook her head and stepped away from the cracked-open door, turning to leave…and coming face-to-helmet with the General.

   "Well, this is a pleasant surprise."   

Before Luin could even draw her blade, the General’s foot had slammed into her gut and thrown her through the stone door, out into the arena and drawing the eyes of the others. The last of the Guardians was cut down, and they approached.

"Bitch." She spat, writhing on the ground. Rime howled and leapt at the General, but the Poacher disposed of the raptor quickly by grappling his neck and arm and throwing him into the corridor wall. He slumped against it, stunned.

   "You wanna give it a go too, or are you gonna behave?"    She turned her attention to Sebastien with a tilt of her head and an edge of sarcasm in her tone.

——

   "Feels a bit strange admitting it, but…Yeah."    Pucci smiled, recalling those few times he had ventured out of the church and been set on a bizarre adventure of some kind—when he had met an alien in a library with Azura, when he had aided in the liberation of an entire nation, when he had…

When he’d been caught in Hyrule when the rats came.

The smile faded as soon as it had come.    "No use stewing over fantasy, though. What of you, sir? You’ve an interesting air about you."   

——

A flash, as Azura sped towards him. Cittufeni lifted his arms in an effort at a block, but he was far too slow—her fist had already sunk into his stomach and shot him backwards, but before he could right himself and return to the fight, the fight came to him. His sensors picked up pressure on his ankle and he looked to see the woman grappling his foot. With his other leg he lifted the knee and kicked at the woman’s head, feeling the crunch of cartilage under his heel, but it was too little and too late. He left a visible trail in the sand as he was thrown back to the beach, feeling the metal skin of his back scraped off with a rain of sparks by each individual grain. At last he reached the sea, and plunged into the waves.

…

Something had gone horrifically wrong.

When Cittufeni’s neuroptics had adjusted and he once more could see, he saw naught but an endless plain of death, devoid of Creation Power.

Fuck. He’d just invested too large an amount to prevent himself from being destroyed entirely by the blast—and even then, that had failed to fully protect him. His form was nigh-devastated—metal and servos jutted out at various angles, sparks flew from rifts in his “skin”, there was a whirring and clicking that accompanied the every move of his joints…but, at its most base level, the shell still functioned at the very least. There was no need to expend energy fixing it, not yet. He was an ugly sight to behold to be sure, but he needed to be more careful than ever now.

Cittufeni staggered not towards Azura, but towards another target. Evelyn. She’d been forced out of her Fiend form, and given her lack of an attack as well as obvious exhaustion, the woman was vulnerable. And so the Android came to stand before her, lifting a tattered bionic arm. A blue blast formed in his palm.

"Die fast." He gave the command, letting loose.

750 Units of Creation Power remain.

——

The Heart of the Sunrise

"What can you tell me of the attacks?"

"Very little, ma’am, beyond that they seem to be targeted…all the bodies we found bear injuries sustained by blunt force trauma, massive gouges, very little evidence of any sort of “magic” being used in their killing.”

”Fists?”

“It’s possible, ma’am.”

”You mentioned they’re targeted. A fanatic of the Rogue God, perhaps?”

“Unlikely. If they served the Rogue God, they’d be attempting to track down Soulshards…but their targets seem randomly selected. Very little of them knew anything about the location of a Soulshard. Our working theory is it’s someone who holds a grudge against the Children of Man, but are either unaware or uncaring of the Rogue God’s efforts to manifest.”

”That’s a very strange set of circumstances.”

“We’ve made a lot of enemies over the years.”

”That’s true as well..” Aria rubbed her temples, gold-speckled eyelids falling shut as she shook her head. ”This is concerning news…but thank you, nonetheless. You may go.”

“Ma’am.” The messenger held the back of his wrist to his forehead in a salute. He spun and departed from her study, gently closing the door behind him as he went. Aria was left alone with her thoughts. Her fears seemed to emanate from herself and echo off the walls of the chamber, but there was only silence outside her mind. It was only a few months ago that they had made their resurgence in the Arena, and already they were littered with problems. The forces of Chaos had caught on to the location of a Soulshard buried beneath Hyrule, a new foe approached from the very stars, and according to the Sacred Lotus, the “pathways between time and space rumble at the presence of an imminent threat”. Whatever the hell that meant. And now this, targeted killings against their own..?

She sighed and slid from her throne, hitting the ground with a clack of her shoes. Her gold-lined white robes shortened and changed form into a more average, yet still extravagant, set of pants and a long-sleeved shirt. She waved and her hair was behind her, a gilded pin forming to keep it that way as she crossed the book-laden room towards a particularly busy corner.

Is it time? Are we doing this? Oh, PLEASE tell me we’re doing this.

"You’re awfully excited for what is intended only to be a desperate resort."

I-I just really wanna see them in action again. It’s been too long!

"Not long enough," She murmured, pushing aside the scattered books and revealing a chest padded with crimson hide. The lock melted away upon detecting her presence, and the lid lifted without contact. Inside, mounted upon a plush, velvet pillow, was a bedazzled orb of various jewels and precious adornments, but most eye-catching of all were the four gems on each “side” of the orb, all of them equally spaced apart and of differing colors: pearly white, fiery yellow, cool blue, and blood-red. She took the orb cautiously in hand, lifting it gently from the chest and carrying it close to herself to the other side of the room.

She pressed against the wall and opened a door that was not there, stepping into a space that did not exist.

Stars amidst an infinite voice shimmered around Aria, guiding her way towards the fountain. She placed the orb into the uppermost and smallest of two bowls, and began to speak the words.

"Fa’vaugh’ni’zas lev’nehn’tan, au’na Aria rau’whegn aven’tus." Her voice boomed the chant, speaking a tongue forgotten to outside ears for eons. The sound of her speech swirled like a mist around her as the four slotted gemstones melted away from the orb, four colored streams flowing into the larger bowl below. It was there that they rested, mixed at the borders but consistently divided into quarters. She ceased only her chant when the gems had dissolved entirely, leaving only empty spaces in the orb. Aria began to circle the fountain, reaching her hands into each colored quadrant one at a time and addressing each individually.

"He who vanquishes spirits borne of Man’s emotion. Rise, Yuka Okkotsu." Said she to the argent water.

"He who slays the enemies of Man from the dimension beyond. Rise, Sebastien Yarrick." Said she to the gold pond.

"She who safeguards the realm painted by the fingers of Man. Rise, Sister Friede." Said she to the blue sea.

She at last came to the final pool, the red so deep and dark it looked as though somebody had bled into the well. Her fingers hovered just inches away from the water’s surface…before drawing away. "Not you," she whispered, "not yet."

There was a shimmering, a folding of the very space before her and a sound like wind through chimes. Three figures were given form past the fountain, shaped from the fabric of reality and the stars. Warriors of an ancient time, in an ancient war, fallen against the Rogue God but revived once more.

The youngest among them wore a baggy white shirt with pins of gold—a direct contrast to his black sweatpants. On his back was the padded sheath for his weapon of choice, hanging by a strap around his shoulders. Present next to him was a man of over six feet in stature and made even taller by his cap. He donned a black coat studded with medals of honor and gray armor plates, both fashionable and frightening. His face was hard and stern, but most notable of its features was the fact that there was a crimson bionic in the place of his left eye. On his left hip was a bulky Laspistol and on his back a Storm Bolter; his right hand had been replaced with a savage-looking Power Klaw cybernetic looted from the corpse of an Ork Warlord. The last of the three was a robe-clad woman, a feeble five and a half feet tall and frail with hands folded, but Aria had seen footage of her in combat. She knew Friede was not to be underestimated.

Aria couldn’t hide the grin—though the situation that called for the ritual had been desperate, there was a sort of admiration that struck her looking upon the three, all adept and very capable in their own right, even as they uncertainly glared at their surroundings with a good degree of confusion.

"Welcome back."

Edited by ISZATSO on Mar 27th 2024 at 2:10:18 PM

Intrigue

"Oh, is it?" Okuu asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "I didn't put THAT much power into it..."

   "I feel your standards might be skewed."    Yatagarasu suggested to Okuu who sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

DNC

Medicine shrugged and her mechanical arms retracted into her medical backpack, Su-san following them in (giving Taye a wave). She then silently raised up a hand and a floating ball of light appeared.

"It's pretty basic magic where I come from." she offered. Course unlike the Fairies of Light she couldn't quite turn night into day but magic lanterns were easy money for her. "And I wasn't kidding about being able to paralyze that guy earlier, if you want. Temporarily of course."

Edited by shroobot3000 on Mar 27th 2024 at 4:56:49 PM

DNC

"I also have freshwater, if you prefer. But I think this guy needs more ocean." Taye tipped her waterskin again, pouring out the same seawater from before, complete with kelp, coral, and fishies. Also prettified the water ring, with the minnow mindlessly swimming around the prisoner.

What happened to the previous fish, anyway...?

Taye couldn't help but wave back at Su-san with a goofy grin, only to quickly straighten her face in embarrassment. "How temporarily? Perhaps it's best saved for if he actually tries to escape."

Edited by Hotpizza on Apr 17th 2024 at 9:11:11 PM

Raex

Previous

Raex keeps centered on Narktus, trying to power through and slash at the conqueror even as his blows are pushed away, a scowl deepening on the templar's face. The instant Raex's blade explodes, the templar's focus remains singular, even as the starlight strikes him in full force. Releasing the shredded shards of his blade, Raex clenches his fists, peering through the cosmic flashbang. Even as his eyes burned, he could still spy the tiniest sliver of Narktus's head

Raex rocketed forward at unfathomable speed, striking in the moments between moments. What may seem a long-stretching fight for Raex has gone on for only seconds, the templar's perception of time not quite caught up to his new-found speed. Raex tightens his left elbow, adopting a southpaw stance. Placing his right foot forward, Raex jabs at a speed that would make lightning jealous, prodding at Narktus's guard with a few more strikes before suddenly swinging his whole body faster than he had been jabbing.

Pushing his full weight and strength into careening his left arm at Narktus's jaw like a cannon, Raex aims to rock the conqueror with a deadly hook that would shake the continent, following it up with a just as quick kick to send Narktus flying into the distance.

Edited by KrampusTheTherapist on Mar 27th 2024 at 9:33:44 AM

School

Save

• Nevermore

Behind the corner is a raven as tall as "Pyra" themselves curiously staring at them.

| You |

(Oh dear, is the eldritch school spirit an actual thing? Am I screwed?)

The raven takes flight, heading towards "Pyra" but goes unnoticed by the other students as it phases through them.

As it approaches "Pyra", it starts shrinking to a normal size and slows down before carefully perching on "Pyra"'s shoulder.

While a bit stunned, "Pyra" finds a quiet corner to sit down and understand this unexpected avian apparition.

So only they can physically touch it. But why?

The raven signals to "Pyra"'s pocket.

| You |

(Pocket... all I have is my phone with UI in it... wait...)

(Don't tell me you're part-code as well, and this sensation is us syncing up?)

The raven squawks cheerfully.

| You |

(If that's the case... do you mind if I try opening your files?)

"Pyra" expands their palms, utilising several clicking motions midair - this is using Hack Hands to see into the raven's files.

Oh.

The raven is a semi-physical embodiment of the usage records of the school's computers, and mostly hangs within the school. It seems it's uncomfortable when away from the campus for too long, either due to being tied to the campus or not having another codelike being to stabilise it.

Ah well, the socialising over the past week have been troublesome, so maybe an animal friend can help deal with loneliness.

Oh hey, UI is enthusiastically trying to activate... Family Sharing?

| You |

(From what little I can see from the school computers, I don't think the OS is compatible. How about Bluetooth?)

Huh, it worked.

[OS-RVN joined your party!]

Church

Making a barrier of ice felt awfully satisfying, she should try it again. She's in a state of high from absorbing that much power and blasting it immediately at someone.

Again she does, Emma watches as Azura bounds her energy back. She excitedly watches the makeshift glaive descend down upon the battlefield but rather than dodge, she forms a barrier. One with a rim cool enough to reach absolute zero, a rim thick enough cocoon her like an igloo, not even her own attacks could generate enough output to even damage the barrier. She feels invincible, she feels almighty.

"This was what The Captain meant. Did I finally get it?... AM I—"

Or she thinks she is.

From one side of her collarbone down to the side of her chest. Gone. An ethereal white light only permeates from the wound. Most attacks with kinetic energy or radioactive properties she can shrug off and are nearly numb thanks to her physiology and training, but this, this is different. This hurts, this is pain. And to think a mage did it.

With how it was destroyed, she can't simply regenerate the wound by repairing it with energy — or else she would waste too much time. She'll have to find a way, but for now-

She's out for Azura's blood.

Rage fills Emma to the very core, she flies at breakneck speed to Azura, right about when she is attacking Sarah. She spots the same white energy that nearly ended her earlier and pulls out her handgun.

She pulls the trigger and unloads raw ammunition for Azura's head. It doesn't matter if it's significantly weaker than her charged shots, she's here to spit on Azura in the face in the only way she can.

Edited by BoniniBanana on Mar 28th 2024 at 1:04:53 AM

THE VOID

Saitama and THOR continues their fight, having long-moved past the Beach (now The Desert) to reach into many more miniature worlds, although the definiton of "miniature" here was perhaps harsh. For there were many biomes within those dimensions, of various size each. Some only as small as an actual island on any planet, some planets unto themselves, others hosting regions of space.

THOR and Saitama sometimes flew through these, demolishing empty locations, flying over endless blizzards, demolishing celestial bodues, but stuck to the void, clashing and battling together. And the God had to admit he was mildly perturbed by the strength and power that Saitama displayed. For THOR was a skilled warrior with eons of experience in fighting. And he had the experience and power necessary to know that each of Saitama's countless punches were stronger than they were a attosecond ago, clashing against his godly metal or flesh without breaking or sustaining fatigue or injury.

And while Saitama bled as THOR whacked him with his fists or Mjolnir, THOR was outright slightly unnerved to see him keep going, with a voracity that outmatched Sarah's when it came to fighting. Not that the bald man was loud about it : he kept to himself and committed to winning the battle, ducking under MJOLNIR and landing a devastating punch on THOR's abdomen. Ichor spurts out of the God's nose, eyes, ears and mouth as his hulking frame is tossed far into the void, smashing into one particular dimension and smashing it to pieces as he continues on his way.

Running after him, Saitama raise his arm to the side almost as if preparing a clothesline, smoking pouring from between the fingers of his gloved hand. Yet, THOR is able to right himself into the non-existent air before Saitama can reach him, stopping very short of smashing into a random cube-shaped dimension as well. But the dimension's probable sigh of relief (if it were sentient) is very short-lived, with THOR quickly burying his meaty fingers into it. The massive structure, immovible to the strongest of forces, flip as Thor hurls it at Saitama, in a display of raw strength that seems yet so weightless in a void like the one they're in.

   I think you're the first guy that I want to beat quickly and yet I can't. It's funny!    Saitama pulls his arm back and huge chunks of the projectile are ripped off it as it's sent back at THOR. THOR wordlessly chuck it back with an hammer throw, and Saitama pull both arms back in answer, being aware of that THOR intends to do with the cover. Saitama punch forward, shattering through the block with enough force that anyone hiding beneath will be struck as well, as a way to ensure that THOR won't be hiding behind it to attack him. And he keep his other arm pulled back just in case THOR is able to fight through it.

As the world is split in half, Saitama's far-reaching shockwave plowing through more obstacles, the bald man's eyes widen in shock as a shadow falls over him.

Mjolnir slams upon his neck with such tremendous power as to cause a reaction out of the man. Saitama's eyes go white in shock, blood and saliva being spat out of his mouth as the attack send him flying down uncontrollably, with such force that even he isn't able to right himself in time. Fighting past the stunning shock and pain, Saitama rubs his neck in annoyance, deflecting Thor's subsequent Mjolnir bash with a SERIOUS SLAP that sends him hurling down even further, but only briefly fend off Thor.

Keeping his footing, Saitama breach into another dimension amongst many, reaching the skyline of an empty city. His feet break into the concrete roof of a skyscraper, Saitama hurling himself through dozens upon dozens of empty floor, shattering them entirely. The countless windows of the needle-shapped building explode outwards, along with the windows of the other skyscraper, smoke and furniture blasting out of the ruined openings like cannon fire.

Saitama make it to the lobby, thankfully barely not wrecking the floor. Instead, it craters around him and shatter in a larger area, huge cracks spreading through the floor as the furniture, potted plants, desks and others are blown away entirely.    Loki's dead. Veilman's dead. Meteorika's dead. Evelyn's out cold. Only Azura's left standing going by the telepathic link. This mean that your guys and gals are winning.   

OBVIOUSLY! SARAH AND ANYONE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FOLLOW HER INTO BATTLE WOULD NEVER FALTER AGAINST YOU WIMPERING PUPS OF A DEPRAVED GOD! THOR enters the world clad in a big ball of lightning, illuminating the entire world in blue. As he does so, Saitama spit in his gloved hands and rub them together, sticking his tongue out of his hand. Whent the first bolt of lightning come his way, so large as to cover the whole city he's in and melting the surroundings building to bits, Saitama instinctively avert all collateral damage by punching at the bolt, the shockwave from his punch causing the lightning bolt to be pushed back and harmlessly explose out into the void.

THOR sighs in annoyance as he fly down next, clad in a cone of lightning which also trail behind him. He dodge impossibly fast shockwaves of compressed air that Saitam is punching at him from afar, though when Saitama start giving the air the gatling punch treatment, THOR is forced to fight his way through, his lightning being dispersed and his skin riddled with small craters as he nonetheless fight his way through the attack.

Mjolnir and Saitama's fist clash happen, and now-familiar black cracks spread through the air before the world shatter. Left without a ground to stand on, a smiling THOR and Saitama allow themselves to fall through, accompanied by a rain of chunks, into yet another world below.

YET IT MAKE MY VICTORY IN THIS ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT! FOR IF I AM TO FALL, MY COMPANIONS MAY BE IN DIRE STRAITS TO TAKE YOU ON!

   Heh, you're pretty smart!    Saitama says, the sleeve on his right arm being torn off. It casually reveal said arm to be robotic, if rather crude. A prosthetic of black plates made to imitate a human arm.    We're both holding each other down for our team. But I guess yours has been stronger so far!   

HOLD EACH OTHER DOWN?! NO! Thor dismisses, both he and Saitama breaking into a snowy plain's jet-black sky, snow whipping forth against them. '''I AM THE ONE WHO WILL DEFEAT YOU WITHOUT NEEDING ANYONE ELSE'S HELP! SARAH AND THE OTHERS WILL REST WELL AFTER DEFEATING YOUR SMELLY ALLIES - FOR THEY KNOW I CAN HANDLE YOU!

   And I would rather not have Azura's efforts reduced to nothing myself,    Saitama says, amused at Thor's reply. I'll beat you and then I'll finish the job my pals have started. It's fair their efforts go rewarded.

Aware that they have no more to say to each other, THOR and Saitama square up in mid-air, tossing themselves at one another.

...

Desert

Azura is surprised by Jack's approach to her, albeit not in a really good way. His questions, she thought, had obvious answers. And now was not a time to slow down when so many members of the enemy team seemed exhausted, moreso than her. Some were even unconscious. And while she was reeling from the shock of her last encounter, she was confident she could turn things around.

I believe in a world where all are equals instead of being dragged down by a cruel reality, she bothers to answer. You should have educated yourself before coming here if you wanted more of an answer. But know I will not let my home be sacked by the likes of you! The energy wave from earlier is still headed towards him, with Sarah blasting it with a bolt of black lightning that hold it back for a moment yet falter.

Alright She tells Icarus. Because she's a living weapon, Sarah doesn't feel exhaustion or strain as she flies towards Azura, with Emma as prompt backup. Azura's eyes simply glow green, perceiving Sarah's path of attack. She wasn't using Limit Breaker, and her wounds were healing quickly - was she holding back in anticipation of THOR losing to Saitama? Or to fight Gor itself?

Regardless, Azura surround herself in a field of blue energy, spreading her arms in anticipation. She had to retrieve Evelyn as well, the young woman preparing to clad her in a barrier that could shield her until Azura could get going. Unfortunately for Azura, she only start making a barrier before she suddenly feel something gripping her body. Something cold, that she struggles against, only being able to get her barrier going against Sarah's quick succession of punches.

Through Space Magic, Azura is able to take the punches and send them anywhere else she please. And while she would love to do that to the team, her immediate focus is on Sarah, who eats a succession of her own punches to the chest and get blasted out of the sky as a result, being hurled far away into the sky.

Fucking magic! She says, catching herself in mid-air and spinning before kicking the ground to blast off again. In the meantime, Ovarr's possession cause even the field of space to falter, Emma's bullets crashing against Azura's face. Her bulletproof skin, even with a broken nose, take the impact, but it still hurt and further stun her, almost causing her to slip out and down the dune she's standing on as small red craters line up over her face.

However, at the last moment, Azura try to blast the demon by thinking of her faith into the Church. With Magic not really having a particular "sub-genre" effective against demons, all she can do is basically pray and hope that her devotion will chase Ovarr. A desperate gambit but one that tells a story about how pressed she is. And should she succeed in pushing him out at least a little, Azura clads her hand in Life Magic, guessing that Ovarr would be grabbable this way.

She attempt to grab and yank him out of there as a spectral whip, her hand glowing green as a telltale hint of what she's using. Then, whipping the air using Ovarr if he proves to be capable of being held like that, Azura try to wrap Emma up before pulling her closer to her, the elf holding her arm out to clothesline the Empyrreich soldier. This cause her to let go of Ovarr, perhaps allowing him to return to the fold.

Azura then raise her foot and try to stomp on Emma's chest down with her pure strength, being careful not to give her energy to absorb. With her left hand, the young woman curl her thumb against the palm of her hand and spreads her fingers outwards together until her hand is like a blade. A blade with no energy for Emma to absorb as she prepares to drive it through her throat. ''Die' But Azura's yellow eyes widen before she can do that, for in fending off Sarah, Emma and Ovarr, she's forgotten about Evelyn!

Evelyn, whose body is first impaled by Artemis and Flandre, their attacks breaking through an unfocused Azura's dome, then blasted to bits by Cittufeni, atomizing her body and reducing her to less than ashes. No, no, no! Evelyn! Azura turns to Emma, should she have stomped her, and she try pressing her foot on her gaping white wound, attempting to squeeze it. You-

Sarah comes flying in, but Azura glances at her and lash out into Sarah's mind, the Sister stopping in mid-air as a result of this. She start holding her head in apparent pain, Azura's orders seeping into her unprotected mind. For while Sarah's flesh was very mighty, her mind was more vulnerable. But not completly vulnerable. The woman trying to seize control of her brain via her own bio-electricity, to try and "command" it despite being compromised.

This plus good old willpower means that Sarah is able to control herself. Instead of plowing through the weakened team to try and murder a very weakened Tilra, she glances at either Ovarr or Jack. If Ovarr is able to pull himself together, Sarah's greater familiarity with him mean that she try attacking him with a series of punches to the chest before trying to uppercut him, grabbing at his tail afterwards to try and smash him around the desert ground with ruthless power.

If not, she attacks Jack with a similar combo, but with his legs instead of a tail as a target to grab and whack him with.

MIND MAGIC

As what appear to be the strongest still left standing on her group, Sarah can only attack them hoping they can stop her or hold the line until Azura is distracted. Her face is blank, but her eyes are so slightly pleading.

Regardless of what appears, the Elf decides not to ignore the rest of the team. With one arm, she begin manipulating the sand to try to trap the fighters in place. Having to keep Sarah under her control require significant focus, so her solution is to exploit everyone being weakened and try to drown them under the quicksand. However, thanks to her skills at magic, she'll be able to relocate enough mental resources to more finely sandbend, trying to impale the group with sand spikes protuding from the ground and what not.

While doing so, she lean down on Emma and try to press her fingers through her neck. If she succeed, she then does a quick slashing motion to the right, hoping to kill Emma with that.

Edited by Bolded1 on Mar 27th 2024 at 7:34:27 PM

Church

Tilra is sleeping. Like an idling machine, any process she did not terminate continue to function as she accumulates energy.

Perhaps that is an inaccurate way of putting it.

She can't acknowledge Icarus's help because of it, but, she would if she could.

No measurable accumulation of energy occurs within Tilra's body. The white void around her begins to grey, darkening. Something is beginning to happen.

Return Of The Son Of Nothing - 7/8

Edited by Whoma on Mar 27th 2024 at 11:44:10 AM

Church

Icarus wishes he could provide some sort of energy boost to the other present fighters, anything they can absorb. Hydrocarbons, maybe? Or the same deuterium-tritium mixture that he uses for his fusion reactors?

His train of thought gets interrupted when Azura starts turning the sand below him into a hazard. Not sparing any moment, he grabs Tilra using a newly attached replacement grappling hook and hovers in the air, just outside the spikes' range. With his free left arm, he fires a concentrated, continuous stream of rapidly hardening liquid plastic at Azura, meant as a distraction more than anything - surely that couldn't be subverted so easily, right?

Church

"You should thank us." Flandre scoffed callously after Evelyn's untimely demise, giving Cittufeni an approving look. "That demonhost smelled worse than rotting garbage."

She then notices Tilra... sleeping. Really? Now of all times?

Then she starts attacking with sand, though while also being preoccupied with other things. So Flandre decides to take advantage of that to counter Azura's attack.

Earth Water Sign "Dorotabo's Grudge"

Mixing the lingering Water element magic with the Earth element of the sand, Flandre concentrates them together to create a viscous mud that Azura will find more difficult to control due to Flandre's magic control over both of the mixed elements. She focuses at first on neutralizing Azura's attack before causing a high pressure geyser of mud to erupt and smash into Azura like a water cutter.

Avar-Laren

Sebastien instantly raised his crossbows up, though he didn't fire quiet yet. Not when it would just result in them getting zerg rushed while Luin and Rime were down. Instead he decided to play to the usual villainous compulsion to monologue, while he tried to think of a way out of this that wouldn't result in one of them dying.

"Consider me curious." he said, mostly to stall but also a bit genuinely curious why she didn't immediately go to mcmurder them. He really wished he brought Mona or Brutus now.

Edited by shroobot3000 on Mar 27th 2024 at 9:42:43 PM

DNC

Kaisui follows along with the rest, holding a sphere of water with an angler fish inside, the lure much brighter than usual to act as a source of light alongside Medicine's orb.

"So we've got two people skilled with water, huh..?"

She'd have to ask Kana about that later, when they weren't currently... y'know, fleeing a battle. Kaisui adds on to the shield of water, making the water part of it the same crushing pressure as the Abyss, though the man inside won't feel it unless he's stupid enough to try and stick his hand in the water. Notably, the fish swimming around in it is unaffected.

"I'd warn the guy that trying to force his way out of that bubble would crush his bones instantly, but I don't think he speaks English."

As she walks, it's more like skating- Kaisui is swaying along on small waves of water like she's using a pair of skates. So far, she hasn't focused on the queen much- more occupied with keeping track of the prisoner.

Game

Gregory and Evan are a bit too shaken right now to even notice their new winter clothes. Despite that, Gregory looks rather snazzy.◊ Evan's outfit seems more basic by comparison (Fredbear Plush not included)◊.

Corrupted Data Summon Freddy, or just Corrupted Freddy for short, looks the party over as if to wait for them to make a move. But this turns out to not be the case, as instead it's picking who to go for first.

With a violent roar, he suddenly charges at Evan, the boy freezing up in fear, only for Gregory to quickly push him out of the way, and-

Gregory gets struck by Corrupted Freddy's claw and, to the shock and horror of the Glamrocks, Cassidy, Grape, Sam and Michael (and probably everyone else too), the screen shows Gregory collapsed at 0 HP.

"Gregory!" , Glamrock Freddy calls out, horrified.

In-game he collapses as well. Evan's fear and shock grows, the kid's legs trembling. He looks as pale as a ghost. A screen appears in front of Noah, depicting a whole lot of numbers that wouldn't make much sense to the others even if they had the time and mindset to look at them. But Noah seems to know what they mean.

"Great, this glitched enemy probably doesn't follow the rules of the game.", Noah says as he draws a card from his deck. "Basically, it doesn't care about your stats. If it can realistically kill you with an attack, then that attack will kill you. And I don't think we can just run from it either, not without the kid's guaranteed Warp-"

"HE'S DEAD!?", Evan shrieks.

"... In video game terms, not real life.", Noah quickly says to try to calm him down. "If anyone has a revive skill or item that should work."

"Should or will!?"

Noah looks genuinely unsure for a moment and that doesn't help Evan's anxiety one bit.

"Look, just one of you try to get him back on his feet, I'll make sure it doesn't kill someone again next turn, and I'll do it with this! Otohime!◊"

The monster on Noah's card manifests above the party. It's unable to attack due to its non-existence battle power, but its effect activates, forcing Corrupted Freddy to stay on the defensive for one turn, rendering it unable to attack next turn.

"I was hoping to save this card for one of the minions or the Dead King, but we have to take this thing out fast."

—

"We gotta move fast and throw our strong stuff at it. Cassie, don't pick Counterstrike for Jax if that thing can one-shot him.", Grape quickly says. He himself can't do anything as long as Gregory's out though.

Sam nods and has Victoria use Drill Rush.

Cassidy, meanwhile, plans to choose Swan Flight. Maybe she can get rid of Corrupted Freddy that way, unless it counts as a boss (as those are immune to its effect). She'd use Goodbye instead, but the description mentions that it doesn't work on fainted allies. And no way in heck is she gonna try out Void in this situation.

... then again, hold on...

She clicks Void.

—

Evan begins to glow and the entire battlefield is cast in darkness. Corrupted Freddy is clouded in darkness from everyone.

"Why did you pick that!? We can't see the enemy!", Noah says. Even he isn't immune despite being a guest party member.

"Yeah, but it says it works on EVERYONE! So that means that creepy Freddy can't see you guys either!"

"But we can still see each other.", Noah now realizes. Blind only affects their vision of the enemy, not their allies. Meaning that now they have extra time to revive Gregory and think of a plan. Unless Corrupted Freddy is a Dark elemental enemy, then it's immune to Blind.

So let's hope it's not a Dark elemental enemy.

Evan's next attack unlocks, this being number 11 out of 15. It's getting there.

The Void... Void Void Void

You know what they say: genuine faith, even in desperation, is the most powerful tool against a demon. And this is true for Ovarr as well. Having grown too weary from his prior wounds, as well as Ovarr not being the best at spiritual stuff, he chooses to abandon this plan...

Only for his spectral form to then get grabbed as it tries to escape. As such, Azura will be able to use him to try to reel Emma in. Though regardless of how that goes for Emma, Ovarr will be freed right after since Azura let go of him. The energy reforms into Ovarr's physical body, and he looks rather winded now.

   "Fucking Hel, I may have gone a bit overboard. Damnit, I shouldn't have spent so much time sleeping and drinking in Psyco's dumb cave."   , he grumbles to himself.

He tries to shake off the exhaustion as best as possible. This battle isn't over yet, and he has to be caref-

He suddenly finds himself on the receiving end of Sarah's punches, too caught off guard to react properly to this. This ensures that her following uppercut hits, after which his tail gets grabbed and he starts getting smashed around.

In the midst of the trashing, Ovarr catches up to what's happening. Sarah's got to be under a spell too. So much for Azura's speech about equality for all, taking over minds is one of the biggest ways to put yourself above another.

Still, there's not really enough time to worry about this now. While Ovarr still basically gets 'Hulk smashing Loki around'-handled, he has his battleaxe fly out of his hands, turning into a shield in mid-air. His book dislodges itself from his belt too, floating above the shield and flipping through its pages to go for another spell.

It goes for an 'invert energy' spell, but instead of targeting Sarah, it targets Ovarr. At the same time the shield suddenly rushes at Sarah, trying to bash her in the face with enough force to make her flinch or pause for at least a moment.

If successful, Ovarr will use this chance to send his stolen life energy to Sarah as it gets inverted, basically sacrificing a good chunk of his remaining power and stamina to weaken and trap Sarah for at least a bit, hopefully until she has control of her mind again. Thankfully Sarah won't be so weak that she can just be picked off if this works, though Ovarr himself isn't going to be in the best of conditions even if this does work.

He hopes this works though. He's starting to run out of useful tricks.

School

Save

• Bird's Eye View

Well, let's see what this syncing up can do.

UI prompts "Pyra" to toggle Combat Mode.

• Interaction Mode
• > Combat Mode
• Trope Mode

This time, the blocks don't just pop from thin air, but rather as holograms from UI possessing "Pyra"'s phone.

Hmm? A new block?

• Double Attack

Oh my operation engine, that is so cool.

A Hanako Ikezawa lookalike doing Bros Attacks with a bird Invisible to Normals.

Awesome.

That also means they can swap to the raven to see their status...

• "Pyra"
• > Ravenos

Ah, so depending on Mode the raven's either OS-RVN or Ravenos. Ravenos sounds way cooler, so let's stick with that.

Alright, breaktime's almost over. Ravenos flies off to finally see the world for themselves.

"Pyra" returns to 3-3.

When they look out of the window, they don't see the courtyard, but rather the city streets - and that the scenery is moving, almost like they're flying.

Oh-

By syncing up via Bluetooth, "Pyra" and Ravenos have synchronised their senses.

Good for scouting out a new location!

The rest of the day went by smoothly, with "Pyra" finding space to practise in undisturbed, Ravenos experiencing the world for itself and UI excited at the prospect of new friends.

Ravenos even gets to follow "Pyra" home. They are one now.

Tomorrow is a weekend. "Pyra" already found a part time job doing deliveries on weekends starting tomorrow (pays reasonably high, again due to the constant combat in the Arena), and they're looking forward to buying a personal bass so they don't have to borrow the school's all the time.

(Ravenos uses "Pyra"'s wall clock as its birdhouse.)

   "Curious, hm?"    The General smirked beneath her armor.    "Well, as long as I’d like to sit here and blabber on about the extent of my evil plot to you guys…we’re on a tight schedule. Dane, got what we came for?"   

"Yes, ma’am!" Declared one of the Poachers as he sifted through rubble left behind by a fallen Guardian. He drew away with a glowing blue stone in his hands, and the General chuckled.

   "Perfect. Let’s get goin’, boys!"    Gesticulating with her left hand she waved for the Poachers to move out. They stepped over Luin as they went and spared Sebastien a last glance, slipping through the door. Baltaos tossed the injured Brachydios aside where it lay limply, before spreading his wings and producing a ground-quaking roar. The Bazelgeuse departed, flying off through the largest of the holes in the dilapidated coliseum ceiling. The General was the last to go, giving a mock salute.    "It’s a dangerous world out there. Try to stay safe in the meantime, I’d hate for you to die before I can kill you. See you soon, Luin—and you as well Sebastien!"   

Avar-Laren

Sebastien didn't stop pointing his weapons at them until they left. At which point he went over and helped Luin up.

"You alright?" he asked before sighing. "Really tired of running into assholes like that unprepared."

At least unlike last time he didn't die for it. He then looks over at the Brachydios sympathetically but doesn't approach yet since I'm pretty sure Luin is supposed to tame it I think.

Gregory's savior play upset Jax, the Grandmaster at Arms should've made such a sacrifice! Yet the swift revelation he wasn't truly dead alleviated the burning anxiety in his heart. As much as Gregory may have looked dead, Jax wouldn't presume to understand video game logic. Immediately turning his attention to Noah's effect, the wheels turn in Jax's brain. As much as he'd like to clobber the corrupted enemy before them, activating Empower seems smarter.

Jack takes a moment to glance around at all those who have fallen, whether incapacitated or just drained from their fighting. Then, he reignites his aura of radioactive energy to full strength, swirling it around him as a barrier as he returns his focus onto Azura. With incoming threats to worry about, he'll have to make his response brief.

   {I agree with the motive, but the method needs work. Talk with me later, I'm sure we can work something out.}   

Then he proceeds to launch himself absurdly high in the air, a trail of green fire indicating his trajectory. It's an effective way for him to simultaneously dodge past the energy wave and set himself up for the attack that will hopefully finish the fight. He's really thankful that Ovarr was there to take the heat from mind-controlled Sarah, otherwise that could've been a nasty two piece combo - sure, he can heal from it, but that's not a risk worth consistently taking.

...He didn't account for gravity taking ages to bring him back down, though. Jack remains in freefall for a moment, then decides to get things over with, firing off a continuous stream of flame in the general direction of "above himself" to rocket downwards at faster and faster speeds. Using a few smaller pulses of fire to help steer, he tries to remember where Azura was standing prior to his launch, though is a bit distracted with thinking about less important things.

It'd be embarrassing if he somehow missed.

   <I should come up with cool attack names for these. Maybe something like... Meteor That Killed The Dinosaurs? ...Nah, too long. Starfallen Descent? ...God no, that's some anime villain cringe. Serious Divekick? ...That's probably already taken. Man, naming schemes are hard.>   

He manages to reach a conclusion before he reaches the ground, at least -    <Maybe it's for the best that I let my attacks speak for themselves.>   

Then, with cataclysmic force and a moderate disregard for collateral damage given he's trying to close out the fight with this one, Jack proceeds to slam feet-first into either Azura or the ground relatively near her, kicking up a storm of nuclear fallout, fire, and void sand. His legs give out underneath him from the recoil of his meteoric strike, leaving him with no lower legs for a few seconds as the flesh and bones are violently reorganized, but whatever had the misfortune of being underneath him is almost certainly faring several times worse than that. The moment he has something to stand on again, he pushes himself to his freshly-regenerated feet and looks around the point of impact, ready to witness the aftermath.

Game

"I'll use Charlie's Resurrection ability, but it's a slowly charging move. Switch Victoria to Emma and have her set up Shield Walls," Delilah instructs.

—

Charlie starts gathering energy.

1/3

Victoria uses Drill Rush in the moment before Void activates, and she quickly backs away from the darkness where her enemy was just prior.    "Oh, what now?"    She looks around in the darkness.

HIDDEN EFFECT: Emma/Victoria is adapting to the status!

Edited by KiriK on Mar 27th 2024 at 8:53:18 AM

Game

Sam nods and goes for the move suggested by Delilah, switching back to Emma and choosing Shield Walls.

Cassidy goes for Nowhere to Run. If it succeeds, at least Corrupted Freddy won't be able to cast Fear on everyone again once the status effect dissipates.

Grape... has to wait. He seems a little disturbed by the current situation, and more than in a 'this is weird to look at' kind of way.

The Glamrock Animatronics look worried, and Freddy, of course, most of all.

—

Evan casts the attack, but in this void it's impossible to tell if Corrupted Freddy got affected or not.

Noah draws another card.

"Aren't I skilled?", he smirks. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my d-"

Cue an error noise and his deck glowing red. It's not letting him draw.

"W... what? Hold on, if that's not what Pot of Greed does here, then what does it do!?", he asks as he plays it.

A green light suddenly shines over all (conscious) party members. All their currently active gauges will be filled by double the amount they normally would next turn. Those who aren't currently using any gauge moves will get two moves instead.

In other words, Charlie's Resurrection will fill up completely, Emma/Victoria will instantly be able to see in the darkness. Jax will get Empower and be able to make another move. Evan will be able to make two moves.

"... wow, okay. I'm gonna save the next Pot of Greed I draw, I only have two and this way too good not to use on a big boss."

Church of Gor

Something within Artemis just... snaps.

"-pfft... Ahahahahahahaha...! Gods, that's hilarious..!"

Artemis is laughing her ass off as she takes to the sky again, resummoning Excalibur Morgan after a while of not using it. She slowly stops laughing, still grinning.

"Sorry. I just find it hilarious that you think this church is in the right, despite all you've seen already..! Really, do you think a being made from negative emotion can be any fucking shred of good?!"

Artemis teleports towards Azura, the black blade of her sword bursting into black flames as she does a series of swings, each one getting faster and faster.

"But hey! If it's of any mercy to you, I guess I can make your death quick, eh?!"

There's nothing in Artemis' eyes anymore. No feeling, no emotion... So why the fuck is she laughing? Is it the sheer catharsis of finally felling the last foe in her way? Or is it her way of dealing with something completely different?

Intrigue

"What."

Phoenix has a dumbfounded look on her face. Was this... bird... implying that was low power?

"Man, that makes mine look like a firecracker in comparison..."

Solopost - Artemis/Arlina

"..."

A shaky breath in, a shaky breath out. Her hands were trembling like crazy.

I-I can do this. Just a few more miles.

Arlina was driving her car up the road back to her brother's house- she'd headed for there when those hunters had found her apartment. She had talked to him earlier today- and gotten into an argument, too.

"You what?! Arlina, you can't just-"

"I-If I didn't, I would have died, Aviris..! This wasn't some group knocking and asking nicely!"

"Yeah?! And now you're calling me- Look, I know you better than anyone, Arli! Just... I don't know, at this point! You're my sister, but I don't want to harbor a Hunted under my roof, sister or not, alright?!"

"Avi, I-"

"Don't you 'Avi' me! I don't want to hear it..!"

His voice across the line is choked with tears.

"I-I'm sorry, sis... J-just stop by- I'm sure we can figure something out at least..."

"T-thank you, brother..."

When she finally arrived, the house was oddly silent... Aviris' truck was parked outside, but he wasn't sitting outside. Arlina got out of her car and headed for the house.

"Aviris..? You in there?"

No response. She tries the door, and finds it unlocked...

...it swings open with a loud creak. The stench of rotting flesh is immediately obvious...

...and there, lying on the floor, is the dead body of her brother, his body undergoing necrosis in some parts worse than others. Her hands go to her mouth in shock.

"A-Aviris..? O-oh gods, please no..!"

She rushes to his side and touches his hand... It's cold. Tears well up in her eyes.

"Aviris..! P-please, no..! I-I can't-"

She bursts into a anguished sob, tears streaming from her eyes as she holds the body of her brother close. Her entire body is shaking like a leaf...

...then she hears it. The steady sound of boots on wooden floorboards.

"Hmph. This is the girl everyone said was dangerous..? Big deal..."

Arlina's eyes go wide, and the tears slowly dry as her hands clench tight. She looks up at the hooded, masked figure.

"Y-you..."

"Yes?"

"Y-you killed him, d-didn't you..?"

"Perhaps. I must say, he was defiant until the end to protect his sister..."

Something in Arlina's expression breaks. Her hands twitch before she's suddenly at the man's throat, holding him against a wall.

"Y-YOU KILLED HIM!!"

WHAM

"HE WASN'T EVEN DOING ANYTHING, AND YOU KILLED HIM JUST BECAUSE HE WAS RELATED TO ME..!"

WHAM

"I HATE YOU..! I HATE YOU AND ALL OF THOSE OTHER ARCHMAGE FUCKHEADS!!"

Greater Magic: Disintegration

A burst of power comes from Arlina's hand and into the hooded figure, reducing them to dust near instantly... She collapses to the floor afterwards, sobbing over Aviris' dead, lifeless body.

Edited by RainbyPlays on Mar 27th 2024 at 11:29:13 AM

DNC, Church

Frilda seemed intrigued by Hange’s suggestion to counter the foes forged from shadows, should they be unfortunate enough to cross paths—quick thinking on the woman’s part, to be certain. Her wits were respectable, that much was evident. Medicine proceeded to cast forth an orb of light, and her action elicited interest from her. The group surrounding her was well equipped for various situations by virtue of their own diversity in abilities and background, that much was made plainly obvious to her. If only they were soldiers, she reckoned, and if only they served at my command. Then, we might’ve had a hope at winning this war.

"…" The Queen was hesitant to answer Taye’s questions, deep in thought herself. What was it she was thinking about? Her stone-hard face was a mystery, was she wondering if the adventurer was trustworthy? Was she trying inwardly to define safety, and when that’d be? Or was there something else, secret only to her, that changed the equation in regards to everything? Mysteries left unanswered, as for now she said only: "Aye, that I will do."

Then she shook her head in response to Joy’s suggestion. "Mordor is the last possible place you want to be, for answers or otherwise…and that goes for all of you. Mordor is a land of darkness and evil, bereft of the sun’s grace and plagued by a permanent shadow. Mordor is death, and nothing awaits you there but a slow and painful end. My title holds no sway over any of you, I know, but I warn you now, never go to Mordor." She spoke with the utmost urgency and hesitated each time to say the name of the accursed land, as though even speaking it was inviting some great evil into the somber crypt.

The prisoner was unresponsive as he was bound both by rope and water, trapped in a mobile and considerably uncomfortable gaol. Ever sulking ahead. Given the odds, though…he deserved worse. The man wore an utterly miserable look on his face, a far cry from the mocking grin he wore not too long ago. His eyes angrily followed the fish swimming around him—now it was he who was taunted. Sir Ladwin stayed close, keeping a ceaseless eye on him and a swift hand on his blade. "The lady speaks true. As long as he behaves under our watch, he should have the courtesy of being allowed to walk on his own. Saves us the effort. If he tries to run, he loses that courtesy." The knight reckoned in response to Medicine’s offer and Taye’s suggestion.

They came not long later to a stop, the Queen slowing briskly to a halt and holding her hand out for the others to do the same. Both times she glared down both halls, gazing into the void as though to ensure that nobody was following them. She hesitated over something…

"Lower the bubble—around his head only." Frilda said to Kana. If the latter did just that, she’d reach a hand to the gash on her arm, grabbing onto a particularly ruined flap of cloth and tore it, leaving a path of pale skin that ran halfway down her forearm, ended only by the edge of the metal bracer. She tied the strip together at both ends so it formed a circle, before lowering it over the prisoner’s eyes and resting the handmade blindfold on his ears. He complied without disobedience, for he seemed adverse to what the consequences might be. When it was done the Queen stepped away and nodded for the liquid barrier to be raised once again, the man now blind in the dark.

Then she motioned for Ladwin and Taye to give her a hand, taking hold of just one of the hundreds of statues that lined these halls. Behind all of them in the crypt was a dark opening with a stone tomb laid flat in the cavity, but this tomb in particular was apparently different. Indeed, once they had moved the statue memorializing some unknown sovereign (the only one not built into the floor) and pushed it to the side, Queen Frilda lifted the gray lid. She guided her two aids as the trio slid it gently aside, going slow so as not to make a sound, and revealing what lay within: not an ancient skeleton, but rather, a stairway that led further down into the infinite black.

It was thin and cramped, but needless to say, it was also their only path ahead. "Say nothing of what you’ve seen down here to anybody." Frilda told them. "This is the first time in generations that our secret tunnels have been known to anybody outside of the family." And judging by the look on Sir Ladwin’s face, she spoke true.

——

Cittufeni lowered his hand, the last few wisps of smoke curling from his palm and fading into irrelevancy. He turned his attention back to Azura, his audio sensors having picked up something odd earlier…

Discussion.

Could she be reasoned with? This, quite frankly, changed this a very good amount. The android turned and descended down the dune, refusing to fly over for fear of wasting too much of his Creation Power, an effort that would soon prove an error.

Once more the very ground beneath him threatened to drag him in, the sand quickening around his ankles. And once more Cittufeni escaped in much the same way, blasting out from the earth yet wasting more Creation Power than he might’ve spent if he had just flown away in the first place. But he wasn’t out of the woods just yet—the moment he left the desert floor, a spike of sand erupted from the terrain itself and pierced his left arm, stabbing through it and poking out the other end. Cittufeni was quick to reason that the best possible option was to writhe himself free of it, ripping off the arm as it became increasingly obvious that Azura’s magic was stronger than his steel.

She had a dangerously high chance of finishing the weakened team off—her, and Sarah, now under the elf’s control. Disastrous twist after disastrous twist had plagued them these last few moments, and Cittufeni was struck with the sudden realization that they might’ve come so near to “victory”, and yet at the last moment, their final foe threatened to snatch the win from a defeat. He greatly doubted his own capability for combat right now, deeply damaged and without Creation Power to simply through away. There was only one choice for him…

Cittufeni spoke up.

"It didn’t have to be this way," He declared down to Azura. "Discussion was always an option. It was your people, your Meteorika, that not only allowed it to come to this, but made a bet off it. You mourn your allies—an understandably human reaction, my data suggests—but you do not have to die with them. They invited their own destruction. You still have a chance to bring a peaceful end to this unpleasantness…take it, I urge you. Release our companion of your control and turn yourself in."

Edited by ISZATSO on Mar 27th 2024 at 12:08:47 PM

DNC

Hange can't keep her eye off of their prisoner. As the sole person here without any special powers to speak of at all, she's got to be on her guard. While she's walking, Hange evaluates some of her allies.

"The doctor seems competent, and the one who wields water "magic" must be powerful. Is that a real fish?"

She looks ahead, thinking more along these lines.

"I wasn't trying to intrude," Hange says when Frilda inquires, "I was saving your daughter's lives, remember? Well, anyways, it's all safe with me. Not like I'd have anyone to give it to even if I felt like snitching family secrets."

Hange would wink, but, that would require having two eyes.

DNC

"Sounds like a lovely place." Medicine sarcastically thought to herself at the description of Mordor. Sounded like a Makai or Hell type place, not exactly a popular tourist destination. She then gave a nod to Sir Ladwin to his statement, saving the gyas for later. She made sure to stay relatively to the front of the group since she was one of their only light sources, glad she's not claustrophobic.

"Don't worry. I'm used to Doctor-Patient Confidentiality." she says to the queen. Admittedly she's technically a nurse but same thing.

Intrigue

"Well, not to brag but Yatagarasu does let me use the unmatched power of the sun after all." she says, emphasizing that by having a miniature sun appear in her open palm and twirling it like a basketball.

She probably would have accidentally dropped it if she wasn't controlling it directly.

   "A power I possess as one of the ten sunbirds, amplified by virtue of being one of Amaterasu Oomikami's attendants."    Yatagarasu elaborated for Phoenix's convenience. Then again she might not know who Amaterasu even is.    "The goddess of the sun."   

Edited by shroobot3000 on Mar 28th 2024 at 3:27:53 PM

DNC

The two explorers didn't said another thing about Mordor, altough they have the feeling they would end visiting this place anytime. And they still have a desire to visit it.

Anyway, both explorers lit two old oil lamps they bought with them, and step into the stairway.

Church of Sand

Since Bely hasn't woke, she's at a rist to be sucked by the sand, or impaled by the spikes.

But, if Flandre's magic works, and sand is turned into mud, Bely will wake up, and change quickly into her Superhero dress (no image available yet, but there is such dress), allowing her to fly out of the sand.

After this, she finds Azura, the only one she doesn't recognizes as an ally, and proceeds to attempt a dive-bomb her on the sand.

DNC

That means we will have to head for Mordor at some point. Taye suppressed a grin. Thank goodness that was kept to the mind.

She watched the prisoner, remembering the time she herself was blindfolded under more favorable conditions, only for Frilda to call upon her. Taye got to work, moving the statue (then the lid) with a surprising amount of strength and deftness alike. She seemed practiced at this, as if she'd done similar a few times before.

In the water ring around the prisoner, the minnow turned to face Hange, blew some bubbles, and darted away.

"My lips are sealed." Taye made a zipping gesture across her face, then followed the others down the stairway. Single file, to fit in the tight space. Slowly, to avoid tripping and knocking everyone down. That would be rather embarrassing.