Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Void

   "Is that right?"   , Ovarr asks Sarah, now sounding as exhausted as he looks.    "I'm all for fighting too, but after seeing that... I think I'll pass."   

Cue the return of Saitama and THOR.

And then they get engulf-transported to some weird version of the Hub Centralis.

   "... wait, are we back or is this a trap?"   , Ovarr asks, eyes narrowed. He doesn't trust this, even though it looks like THOR won (and thus the group by extension since Saitama should be the last one le-).

Oh shit it's Mahito.

But oh shit, Ovarr feels like he's at 100% again.

   "Someone doesn't know when to quit."   , Ovarr snarls, raising his battleaxe. He doesn't move in yet though, letting his allies try first.

Game

Corrupted Freddy's forced defense mode ends.

Gregory wakes up with a gasp when he gets revived.

"W... what happened? Why's everything dark? Am I dead?"

"Not anymore.", Noah comments as he draws a card. Hm... a trap card. He plays it.

With Emma now being able to point at the target, Jax's Leap Strike hits Corrupted Freddy head-on.

Suddenly, one of Corrupted Freddy's hands fall off.

"Why are you hiding...?"

A wave of Fear spreads over the battlefield.

Gregory is inflicted with Fear.

Corrupted Freddy now charges for Jax, as he's the closest, striking at the Shield Wall with his fangs.

He then immediately goes in for a second attack... but Noah's Trap Card, Earthshaker◊, activated. In this game, it simply quakes the earth in front of the enemy, forcing Corrupted Freddy to back off and take some damage.

Grape has Gregory use Hacker Supreme. While still afraid, he does use it, and Corrupted Freddy glows purple for a second before recoiling from the damage.

Corrupted Freddy's other hand falls off.

Cassidy has Evan use Bite. He sends the Nightmare Fredbear head flying at Corrupted Freddy... but it misses.

But since he gets a second turn, he uses it again. This time, it hits.

Sam has Victoria use Drill Rush. Since Emma/Victoria can see in the dark, her attack cannot miss unless she misses intentionally for some reason.

One of Corrupted Freddy's eyes falls out.

New Los Angeles

"Ah, thanks!", Jon says before hopping through the window.

"So, what'd he say? I asked around a bit first, but everyone I met just said they appeared here one day and don't know much about the place."

Finishing his remaining fries, Jason flings his trash into a nearby trash can without so much as looking in its direction.

"Long story short, you and me ended up somewhere weird."

He proceeds to give Jon the same Arena history lesson Eddie had received from Pietro.

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Mar 29th 2024 at 2:43:25 AM

Jax

The Grandmaster at Arms smiles at his hit's success, about to taunt Corrupted Freddy with a quip until it rockets forward at him and strikes the shield wall. Recoiling a bit out of habit, Corrupted Freddy's second hit causes Jax's eyes to widen, the Grandmaster at Arms' warrior training kicking in. He tried his hardest out of instinct to raise his lamp to block, but the game wouldn't allow him to take that action, jerking him back to idle position.

Noah's trap card activating to save Jax prompts a 'that was close' whistle from the Grandmaster at Arms as he takes a few steps back.

"Thanks kid!"

He shouts at Noah

Taking a few moments to observe his party members' attacks, Jax closes the gap between himself and Corrupted Freddy and activates Counter-Strike. If it can attack multiple times in the same turn, maybe that could be turned against it.

"If I'm not allowed to cheat neither are you!"

Edited by KrampusTheTherapist on Mar 29th 2024 at 3:52:50 AM

"Huh... so we're stuck here for the time being.", Jon says, having gone so sit down on a chair while Jason was telling him everything. He then smiles brightly.

"Well then, until we've got a way home, I'll try to help people in here instead. This place sounds dangerous if it can bring in anyone."

"Heh, you really are just like your dad, kid," Jason says, opening the fridge and grabbing a couple bottles of root beers. "Think fast."

He tosses one of the bottles to Jon before cracking his open.

"Speaking of your dad, is he here? I heard he and the League helped stop an invasion from Apokolips and defeat some ancient evil, and this girl told me she saw him fight Zod," he continues, taking a sip of root beer.

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Mar 29th 2024 at 3:13:28 AM

His reflexes are as fast as ever. Jon easily catches the bottle, then pushes off the bottle cap with his thumb. Super strength has its uses, even if his isn't nearly as refined as his dad's yet.

"I have no idea. Nobody I met recognized my outfit so I'm not sure. But if he beat Apokolips and Zod then he should be here somewhere. And if he is, I'll find him eventually. Until then I gotta do what I can."

He drinks his root beer.

"And if he is, odds are Bruce probably won't be too far behind," Jason replies. "So, good luck looking for him."

Hopefully, if he was right about Bruce being somewhere in this strange world, he wouldn't have to worry too much about a "no guns, no killing" lecture from the Dark Knight.

"You don't wanna look for him?", Jon asks, referring to Bruce.

"I'll keep an eye out for him or anyone else in the family. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he just suddenly appears behind me one day," Jason says, taking another swig of his root beer.

Estraole forest

In his state of focused madness, Tarvek refused to back down, but instead still kept trying to land an attack on the Spectator. He seemed to have little fear of getting hit by the beast's beams as he tried to slash at the remaining stalks from which the threat to his life came.

This disregard for one's own safety was characteristic of the "gifted" (as they were euphemistically called), as Othar, jumping from the tree that the monster slammed into, jumped down in the hopes of getting on the Spectator's back, and perhaps even punching it in its main eye.

He already finishes his root beer.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised either."

He then looks oddly reserved.

"... so, uh... I don't wanna be a nuisance, but I don't really have a place to stay, so I was wondering..."

Jason finishes his own root beer, having quickly figured out what Jon was about to ask.

"Sure, you can crash here. Just don't go eating everything in the fridge."

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Mar 29th 2024 at 5:10:10 AM

"Really!?", Jon asks, clearly not having expected him to say yes. "Thank you! Don't worry, I'll earn my keep. I'll do chores in between helping people, just like at home."

He starts kicking with his legs a little now.

"Y'know, Damian always told me you'd probably be cold to me, but you're really nice."

DNC

"These remind me of mining tunnels... I once knew a kingdom of gold, with such tunnels beneath their soil. I still remember the adventures I had there..."

Good news, the trip through the tunnels was uneventful. Taye climbed the ladder through the trapdoor, arriving at a colorful room full of fabric, a relief from the drab greys & browns earlier on. Even while the group walked through, she couldn't help but notice the combat applications of the veils, and thus kept a hand on her weapon.

Then, bad news.

Taye whipped her sword out. The fabrics were more of a hindrance to her allies than the shadowy attackers. Thus, Taye made quick swipes to slice them apart, her blade cutting through them like butter.

Seeing the magic orbs flying near the shadow, she decided against getting too close to them. Kana had jumped into action, and Hange was ready to act at a moment's notice, so Taye chose to do something different.

She ran for Mia, putting herself between the redheaded princess and the shadow or whatever other dangers may be spotted. Taye watched for any weapons swinging in her vicinity, and prepared to intercept them with her sword. Even if the shadows themselves were intangible, perhaps their weapons were not.

DNC

"-wah!"

Kaisui had barely gotten up into the room when what looked like a living shadow had stabbed one of the people they were supposed to be protecting. She drew back her hand, making an arrow of water, and letting it fly at the shadow- its path will adjust to stay on its mark relatively well.

"What can I say? You're a good kid, and I wouldn't wanna risk your dad coming by for a little chat because I threw you out," Jason says, disposing of his empty root beer bottle.

"I don't think you'd get in trouble with my dad, but still thanks.", Jon says before hopping off of his chair to put his empty bottle in the same place as Jason.

"I'll go pick out a room. If you need me for anything, just holler!"

And he's off. He seems excited to hunker down with Jason. He probably looks up to him despite the latter's... well, highly lethal methods of crime fighting.

"Sure thing."

Once Jon has headed off to claim a room, Jason makes his way to the living room.

DNC, Church, Avar-Laren, Pucci, Dojo

"No!" The scream cut through the air, coming not from a Queen, but from a mother. Frilda surged forwards as her daughter fell forwards, the Princess collapsing onto her side and trying to howl her pain away yet failing to find her voice. Medicine’s arrival at Emilia’s side snapped her to her senses and when Frilda looked back up at the scene, a queen she was once more.

Sir Ladwin’s claymore plunged into the chest of the shadow but it did not react, recoiling away from the strike with a smoothness as though it were water despite it having already landed. Yato sliced through its shoulder, wisps of black mist clinging like tendrils to the weapon for but a brief instant before fading. But once again, it seemed not to have noticed. Strips and patches of cloth thumped against the wood floor in piles as Taye cut them down, clearing a path for Kaisui’s arrow. It sank into the shadow’s head…then passed through out the other end, and exploded against the wall. Water dripped from the crater, but the shadow pressed its assault. A dagger, so gray it seemed to suck in the color of the room all around it, was brandished as the lightless assailant lifted its arm. It reached for Kana’s neck, but never got the chance to pierce: Medicine’s orbs of light smashed into the creature. It emitted a wailing shriek and fell back, writhing in pain as the shadow melted quickly away and did not return. The dagger clattered to the ground, but the instant one of their hands would lay upon it it’d dissolve into ash, collapsing inward around their fingers.

Mia had but a moment to appreciate Taye’s protection, for her attention instantly turned to her sister. With a wail of horror and shock, she stumbled to her knees beside Emilia. The older sister’s white dress grew red with blood at the side, spreading like a stain across the corset. Medicine’s observation of the wound found that the skin around it was thick and colorless, it seemed not too dissimilar from any other knife-wound…but upon any attempt to heal or fix it, the medic would quickly find that there was an element of magic to the injury. The bleeding could be stopped and its severity could be lessened from a certain death sentence to a deeply serious wound, but it could not be truly healed.

"Can you help her?" Frilda asked quickly, eyes trained on Medicine. "What do you need me to do?"

——

Cittufeni did not move, not even as the voice of the world itself commanded Mahito’s death.

Others had unleashed their strength in full already; nothing he could do would make any difference. He only watched, noting the abilities his allies had displayed and the abilities they displayed now. He did nothing but watch, for the battle had drained him of his power, and there seemed not a hint of a source in the deadened city through which he could grow strong once more.

"What is this." He spoke the question plainly, without a hint of emotion in his tone. His body was bent and broken, but there wasn’t anything upon his face or in his words to suggest he was weary…if such a foul perversion of science and nature could ever experience such a thing at all.

——

"I don’t know." Luin answered quite truthfully, her voice a whisper. Their “voices” sounded once again, but no words nor tone could be observed through the crackling. Luin pulled her hand from the stone and in an instant, the world disappeared from her. She crept forwards, as though fearful that the blue ghosts may manifest in front of her, and reached towards another of the several discs scattered about the arena. "What the hell does she want with you..?" She wondered aloud, reaching for it.

——

   "Precious resources.."    Pucci gave a fake smile.    "There seems to be a lot of those here, huh? Makes a man wonder what’s so special about this place.."    He trailed off. His dark hands reached for the tea before him, still steaming…but paused and pulled away.

   "I’m sorry, I’ve found that I’m…not wonderful company, these days. I hope I haven’t spoiled your break."   

——

And indeed it was that Beruka’s prediction proved true, her hand wrapping about Cardell’s leg and in an instant, the illusion broke. The mirrors shattered and fell away. Her fist plunged into his gut and he shot backwards onto the mat, landing with a grunt. There was some mix of surprise and pain on his face, but it quickly fell away and was replaced with a grin. He was impressed.

ADVANCED SKILL: QUICKDRAW

The next moment, though, he simply was no longer there. Beruka’s hand clutched empty air and all that remained where he had been was a faint groove in the mat…but there was a blur to her left, Cardell’s fist speeding towards her eye. The timeline had advanced for him and him alone, while the Arena around him stood still—eventually, he’d have been freed of Beruka’s grasp and eventually he’d have thrown another punch. These were two events that affected him and him alone, and thus he’d been allowed to choose them for the Arena to “skip” (while he lived them out). The landing of the punch was a different matter entirely, for it affected Beruka as well…which was why it happened outside of his “personal” progression of the timeline.

It was clear he was throwing a new ability at her every chance he got rather than fighting with a more coherent mix of Skills and strength, as he normally would…Beruka had asked for such, after all, and Cardell himself wanted to see if she could keep up. The stranger was prospective, that was for certain, but he wanted to get a real idea of her prowess in a fight.

Edited by ISZATSO on Mar 29th 2024 at 2:43:39 PM

DNC

Hange remains alert as she possibly can be, swords at the ready. These cleaving-edge blades weren't meant to be used against human targets, but, a shadow could hardly be called human.

She took some small satisfaction seeing her earlier suspicions pay off, though. Weak to light indeed, the shadow seemed unaffected by their physical attacks, but light magic destroyed it quite quickly.

"But what if there are others?" she thought. If a single shadow was watching, if one had slipped through, then it was only a matter of time before more came for them. And what then, could they do?

"I don't mean to be rude, but we do need to move unless we want to fight more shadows than just the one. And keep an eye on our prisoner, I don't want him getting any funny ideas."

DNC

After the scramble has happened, the explorers finally got a grasp of what happened: Emilia was hurt by the Shadow just vanished.

Joy checks his backpack, and found a kind of flute, with keys like a keyboard.

If the injury has a magic component, maybe if I play the flute...

But Grace replied Joy:

But if you play your music, more people and not-people will notice us! ... I'm with Hange this time: we should move on to a safer place ASAP.

Joy keeps the flute out.

Those Shadows... Are from Mordor, right? What do you know about them?

With all the locationswapping going on, Jack is not even sure where he really is anymore, distrustful of the idea that he's truly been returned to Hub Centralis yet. Especially since he can't see the armory container anywhere. There's bigger things going on, though - chiefly the fact that the restoration somehow kicked him out of his powered up state (and conveniently fixed his clothing), but also just reflections regarding how the fights went.

<...Lot of room for improvement there. Problem one - I initially only took the hammer with me. Should really remember to pull up with multiple weapons next time. Problem two - environmental effects are less useful than desired against enemies with magical defenses such as transfiguration. Though to be fair, I never had a chance to shoot that guy, should remember to do that later. Problem three, where is my stuff?>

It is at this convenient timing that Jack is promptly bonked on the head twice in a row, once by the Boreal Bomber K0 landing on him and then a second time by the depleted uranium sledgehammer's handle. It clearly smarts a bit, but could have been much worse. Rubbing his head with one hand momentarily, he continues his train of thought.

<Never mind. New problem three - got overpowered by an opponent that was physically larger, stronger, and more intelligent than I thought. Going to have to figure out a technique for that one. Problem four - spinal cord damage without on demand healing could've put me out of action. Might call for a new implant, just in case it happens again while I'm not properly armored up...> "Wait, I thought that guy died a while ago?"

It seems he clued into part of what's going on. Jack has no idea what Mahito's name is and can't point at him due to THOR being in the way, but he hopes everyone got who he was talking about. Since other people are already getting onto the task of putting Mahito down properly, Jack simply gets up and dusts off his outfit, looking around at everyone else. He's still tense and ready to fight if it proves necessary, but he'll wait that out.

"...So." he starts, not being quite sure how to open conversation at this point. "If the subtitle drone weren't enough of an indication, I'm going by Jack right now." He hooks the sledgehammer in place on his back, holding the Boreal Bomber K0 in a casual carry pose. "I've been in this world before, but that was so long ago I don't really remember anything... Who's everyone else?"

He also glances in THOR's direction again. "Also, you gonna get that hole in your body patched up anytime soon? Looks a bit uncomfortable, is all... not that I'm one to talk given the shit I'll put myself through for no reason..."

DNC

Medicine doesn't stop to celebrate the shadow eating shit, keeping a few orbs of light around her to get some good visibility but also to keep it at bay. Her mechanical backpack limbs went to work and she frowned at her healing salves doing jack fucking shit, normally they'd speed up the natural healing but evidently there's some magic at play that's stopping that entirely.

"Well I can't give it a permanent fix." she sighs, going for the next best thing. Namely stopping the bleeding and hemorrhaging with some fancy Lunarian medicine. About the only good thing those rotten parasites gave her.

One arm sprayed some coagulant and another arm a numbing agent. Mostly because the former while very effective in stopping bleeding also had the side effect of feeling like "burning ants crawling around the wound" according to the last patient who got on her nerves and had it applied without any anesthetic. Only reason she didn't use it before trying the salve.

"Unless you happen to have healing magic or some way of purifying this, no. If sensei were here she'd probably be able to fix it with those fancy kirin powers of hers." Medicine sighed, annoyed as she bandaged it up for good measure. She'd have to reapply everything in a few hours but this was good enough for now. "She's not gonna die from it but some magic or curse that thing used is keeping it from actually healing. Best I can do is keep her from bleeding out or making it worse."

Avar Laren

Sebastien let go of the disk as well, heading over to another one. He was curious and wanted to test something. Namely what if every disk showed something different. Even if they didn't well that's still some kind of information.

Edited by shroobot3000 on Mar 30th 2024 at 8:04:29 PM

FAKE CENTRALIS

Mahito is barraged by bullets and attacks, although Artemis's attack on his soul hurt more. He can't do much more than scream in pain and confusion, his flesh and soul being torn apart as Sarah figures out that "hey, free hit" and add to the pain by hitting Mahito square in the jaw. She wasn't one for outright torture but she thought that she wasn't going to be any worse morally for dishing some out to Mahito.

Mahito's body start convulsing. If Ovarr and others want to take a shot at him, they'll have precious little time. Because we are getting impatient. And before soon, the Cursed Spirit's body start to vanish into red sparks, the failed Pope watching in atrocious, helpless fear as his legs start to go first. In what is an obvious punishment for his failure at dealing with the do-gooders.

Screaming in abject fear and pain, Mahito can only grovel and writhe upon the ground as he is slowly erased bits by bits, attempting to crawl away from the site as if Gor's punishment is inflicted upon the very place he's left laying on. But in trying to avoid punishment, Mahito only invite further punishment, and his hands start to disappear, his spectral flesh blackening before dissapearing into red motes of energy.

Mahito attempts to then discard the flesh, shapeshifting his body repeatedly to try and remove his own doomed legs and arms. Yet in doing so, in compressing his body again and again, he only spread his suffering all the more.    I DON'T WANT TO DIE! HELP ME! HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! HELP ME! HELP ME! LORD GOR! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!    Sarah, perhaps taking pity on him despite this, try to punch his head off for a quick end to his troubles...

... But the red motes actively block her punch, and will prevent any other attempt on ending Mahito's life. And as he's reduced to an head, his life ends a second time by disintegration, his screams lasting even as the red motes engulf all but his perpetually wide open eyes. And finally, they too fade, along with his screams.

THOR laughs, but then he stops. Because in doing so, he peers at the sky above and see what Bely will have been seeing for the past five seconds.

The stars in the cosmos are shifting. Galaxies and nebulas converging along with them around the big bright red stars. Which briefly vanish and then reappear, revealing them to be nothing but the eyes of an incredibly large entity. Then, to appease some of the cosmic horror, the eyes begin to shrink. With the celestial bodies slowly forming a sort of humanoid body

Divinity Transcended

The stars coalesce together and so does space itself, as parts of it become much darker around certains areas of what appear to be a cosmic dress. A spiraling galaxy unreavel into a much wider net of floating stars and literally space dust, until it arranges into what appears to be white hair and, in place, "skin". Interstellar dust and gas shape itself into black horns over the figure's head, and a third red star blossom on the middle of their forehead.

Before soon, all of the sky above the "Arena" is but an endless void. And Gor comes down from the sky, coming off the very cosmos still wreathed in cosmic light. Then, they solidify into something somewhat more human. A nose, slightly serrated teeth, thin baclk lips and black stripes running across its face. Its face's roundness and facial structures evoke that of a young girl, or just a petite woman at all, but there's a void in their eyes that make that appearance a sort of mockery at worst, a poor imitation at worst.

Its hands are obsidian black and clawed. And as for its feet, it initially doesn't reveal them, instead floating down to the ground and hovering in place before sprouting sharp black spikes for feet... which it doesn't really even touch the ground with.

They wear a long flamboyant dress of sparkling suns and galaxies, the same as the one they wore before, but with black spikes protuding from around their neck as a sort of tall collar. As for their hair, likewise made out of a galaxy at first, it become white human hair that spread to its back. On a whim, they've crafted the galaxy into an hovering halo floating behind their head. There's a second, bigger halo but it's a lot more bare. Cosmic dust floating around the edges of the first, with some spikes pointing outwards in the middle and extremity.

Its eyes sockets are sunken into its youthful face, with red eyes floating along in the void described below. A third, smaller, even creepier golden eye focus especially on THOR. And Gor's composed smile briefly falter into a furious snarl. THOR himself seem completly aghast, not paying Jack any mind. Instantly realizing that there's a danger ahead, he raise his hammer to scream something-

But scream is all he does. His eyes and the inside of his mouth vanish, becoming a black void themselves. An horrible screech escape from that void of a mouth, filling the entire air. NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO' Thor's body then stretch almost comically yet grotesquely, as if pulled apart and compressed by a great force, and then it disappears entirely.

THOR!! Sarah screams in terror and concern, reaching out to the space where Thor was, falling to her knee

Mjolnir drops unto the floor. And Gor, who'd moved to it before the others could blink, lazily goes and pick it up, glancing at the weapon in smug disdain as it shakes, apparently trying to free itself from its grasp. In answer, Gor grab the head of the weapon with one clawed hand and put their palm on the other end of the hammer, holding it between their hands. They don't so much as glance at the group, turning their back in apparent invitation.

   witless oafs the both of them    Gor grumbles, their voice an indistinct, yet coherent, amalgam of voices - some deeper, some higher.

Sarah's foot slam against the back of Gor's neck, wreathed in all her Limit Breaking fury. Maddened and saddened by the death of THOR, she kicks at Gor harder than she's ever before. Whatever punch or kick she might have landed on anyone else before, they pale next to the sheer fury of that particular blow. It's the kind of blow that would have probably torn Loki's head right off his shoulders. Or smashed through Mjolnir itself had Gor raised it as a shield.

   divinity - a burden upon all universes   

But destroying Mjolnir is a privilege Gor only will be privy to. And it doesn't need to raise a shield to block Sarah's furious kick. For its frail-looking neck doesn't so much as budge even when impacted by Sarah. And though the Sister is mad, she isn't mad enough to be blind to the lack of result on her part, freezing in horror at Gor's unmoved silhouette. Meanwhile, Gor simply up and crush the hammer between the palms of its hand, crushing the divine metal into a small inert floating clump before setting it ablaze with its black flames, annihilating Nidavellir's (very slightly flawed) masterpiece.

Gor then lowers its hands, but doesn't turn to the group just yet.    the victory was not meant to be yours   

   the idiot has promised us that its group would triumph   

   the idiot was wrong   

Gor slowly turn to face the team, and advance on them, slowly floating closer with a peculiar smile on its face.    but perhaps we were foolish too   

   trusting in an idiot   

   our deepest praises for your triumph    Gor says, leaning its head ever so slightly to imitate respectful bowing. Sarah doesn't care for that.

I don't give a shit about idiot and his team. Whatever you did to Thor, you best undo it - Or I'll... Gor raises its head slightly at Sarah, very slightly, and mockingly raise an eyebrow as she try to intimidate a reality-bending deity.

   normally the church would be defeated   

   Idiot's confessions recorded, distributed, his influenced stopped, the church revealed   

   That. I won't allow.    Gor says, straightening itself a little.    I need the church. But it disgusts me to have to intervene in matters of free will. Because you've won fair and square against those odds, none of you will die. All of you will get a reward for your battles. And one of you will keep their full memories of what has happened here.    Gor peers down at the group, their voice seemingly stabilizing itself. Initially sounding like several voices at once, it "settles" into a young girl's voice, hushed and fitting, combined with a much deeper, much more monstrous growl.

   some of you are weary - we will let them leave   

   you will have your rewards   

   your recordings and memories will be erased   

   but for some of you who has learned valuable lessons - they'll be remembered   

   to have an idea of why we have killed that disgusting scion of thunder   

   and to preserve spiritual and physical evidence of what has happened here   

   there will be one final test to pass   

   otherwise   

Gor roll its head on its shoulder, closing all three of its eyes at once and marking a pause

   simply ask us to let you leave   

   and we will do so   

Gor open its eyes again, glancing at the group. Sarah powers down and glance around, her gaze clear - if anyone were to leave, she would not blame them.

Edited by Bolded1 on Mar 30th 2024 at 8:51:17 PM

Church

Tilra looks at Gor.

   ...   

   ...   

   ...   

   ...   

   .You're mean.   

Ignoring Gor, for the moment, Tilra hugs Sarah, because she can think of nothing else that she can do. She was right, entirely right- this was an inverse of what Anne had done for them. And Gor existed on that very same level.

"Beyond."

Precisely as she had suspected from the very beginning, this was a fool's errand. And she could think of no viable outside solution.

Indeed, that Gor would even follow its own promise, was in doubt to her. And although she knew it might bring others great grief if she were to fall, Tilra remains with Sarah for the final test.

That's what friends are for, right?