Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Church

Icarus has seen Gor before. And by the CenterBrain, does he wish he had a voiding ray right now. But as demonstrated by Sarah's punch, he's as powerless as he expected.

As he hears out her comments, his weapons fold back into his arms.

...

There's two ways this can go down, Icarus ponders. I want to leave. Either she wipes my mind, or she doesn't, for all intents and purposes she can flip all the bits in my memory to 0 and destroy all data, encryption be damned. Or she lets me keep my memories...
Considering how she said she wouldn't have anyone bad-mouth the church, no shot.
Although, everyone here pretty much knows of Gor's skewed morals...
...
If she doesn't let me keep my records, I might as well self-destruct.
But there's probably an instance of myself in the real Arena that's waiting for me, dunno how long they'll wait for... Even if my mind is wiped, they'll at least know to no longer wait and can just shoot me down.

...

Reluctantly, Icarus raises an arm. "I want to get off Ms Gor's wild ride."

Estraole

The peaceful land of Estraole quaked, a reverberating crack of living stone echoing amidst the region for dozens of miles. Anyone who frequented this area would notice the largest peak of the nearby mountain range was missing, though it'd quickly become obvious where it went. Only a few miles away in the heart of a forest, the massive creature that was the mountain was unfurled into its titanic glory, striking at something in the air that could not be so easily made out. The stone behemoth's opponent had already sheared many sizable chunks of stone from its body, massive boulders in the craters below. Yet the forest was undisturbed, grass erupting amidst the chaos on the ground below to replenish what was destroyed.

With no need to interfere in the Arena's affairs, the World Guardian had slumbered for years, quiet tranquility surrounding it, even as the environment was everchanging. Little beings drew the Guardian's ire, and fewer than that made it take action. Yet the enormous golem has bitten off more than it could chew, despite its mountainous size. Losing track of the beast it is attempting to slay again, a shadow black as night is cast on the Guardian's eye as the shadow's source rockets forward to rock the World Guardian with a strike that sends it stumbling backward.

With each earth-rumbling step, more stones began to fall from the World Guardian. Fighting such a blitzing fast opponent at this ridiculous size was getting the golem nowhere, but shrinking down would only seal its fate faster. It could only hope this beast would make a mistake or tire. Yet it had been hours since this battle began, and the spiked terror showed no signs of fatigue.

The sound of air being cut behind the World Guardian forces the golem to plant its feet and brace for impact, a huge chunk of the golem's throat blown apart by its opponent as the Elder Dragon sailed by, high into the air before unfurling its terrible wings, taunting his opponent below. The World Guardian stared up, this being the only good look the golem had gotten at this beast since their fight began.

The destruction this beast has and will unleash is written plainly in his presence and carved into his hide like a tapestry, his insidious yellow eyes burning with an inferno like no other. A single word can summarize the monster's sole intention, a burning desire that exudes from his very soul. Annihilation.

Annihilation, Church

The earth trembled with each roar of the mighty guardian, each motion, each flinch…

Thrill ran through Annihilation Nergigante’s blood. Of all the foes he had ever faced, all the armies of humans and all the fortified castles lines with ballistae on every inch of its walls, of all the Elder Dragons…this was, by far, his most utterly impressive enemy. It seemed an almost poetic match-up: as thought nature herself were battling her discarded child, returned from the crevices of death. He fought with vigor renewed: the energy yielded from that Chaotic feast in Hyrule still surged in his veins even now, months later.

This was a battle of titans, and the world was but their playground. Ancient trees towering hundreds of feet high were nothing beneath the World Guardians, and ancient stone ruins crumbled like children’s playground toys.

Annihilation Nergigante cackled a terrible sound, his left claw soaked in the blood of but a minor portion of the World Guardian’s throat. The air around him grew cold and still, before there was a burst of heat to accompany the ember-colored pillar of flame he spewed from his maw, aimed at the World Guardian’s freshly made wound. To simply kill a foe was not enough—Annihilation Nergigante wanted his prey to suffer.

The earth quaked for miles around…a phenomenon certain to attract attention.

——

"Gor." Cittufeni mused the name aloud.

Only one will keep the memory..

He briefly contemplated leaving—if he wasn’t going to retain any of the data collected from this battle, then it was a pointless experience and his time would be better spent elsewhere. Yet, at the same time…

Only one.

He suspected their final test would decide which “one” that was going to be, which meant there wasn’t any reason to leave just yet…not when he’d be able to take everything he’d learned with him. Or, at least, a chance. A chance he’d take, and fight for, no matter what; destruction of his true form was but a setback, the Ripple and the Veil was all that truly mattered to the core of his being, and they could not be destroyed. He had nothing to lose…for Cittufeni never had anything in the first place. Man and women of flesh and mind quaked as they beheld Gor, a being that wielded infinitesimally more power in its metaphorical little finger than they ever could’ve hoped for in their lives. Cittufeni did not, could not quake in fear, as much as he may have wished to. Cittufeni only observed.

Edited by ISZATSO on Mar 30th 2024 at 5:36:14 AM

Church

Ovarr eventually chooses not to go in for an attack, just in case it's still somehow a trap. When Mahito instead starts disintegrating and begging desperately, Ovarr has no pity in his cold glare. Under normal circumstances maybe he would have, but after the memory he was made to re-experience... no. In fact, were Sarah's attempt to put him out of his misery not already blocked by what he presumes is probably Gor's doing, he might've actually stopped Sarah himself.

But as things are, he simply watches. Only once Mahito is gone does he close his eyes, letting out a low hum as he prepares to stash away his weapon and-

What's happening to the sky?

Ovarr immediately holds his axe in both hands as he looks up, ready to move if more fighting turns out to be necessary. He observes as the dimension they're trapped in shifts in response to Gor's arrival. Once it starts descending, Ovarr's eyes do not leave its form, a primal feeling within him telling him that he might be in danger if he does. Is that feeling founded? Perhaps, who knows? Gor's appearance would, normally, make Ovarr relax a bit. He's seen things that are far more frightening in appearance. Things like what that accursed crown turned Zzelo in, for example.

But not this time. After all of this, how could he, or anyone, make the foolish mistake to judge Gor by its appearance? This divine thing that, to Ovarr, feels like a Navitus-level threat. Perhaps even more of a threat than those artifacts have ever been, at least when apart. Ovarr can't imagine what they'd be like when they're all together.

But he imagines it's something like what he's currently experiencing.

Then THOR's demise happens, and it instantly proves Ovarr right. Not wanting to look hostile despite his conflicted feelings, he puts his weapon away. Sarah attacks, but Ovarr would not. He's already realized that this is a fight they cannot win, and he is not about to risk his life to try in vain. There isn't anyone left in his life who he would do that for. Though he does feel bad for Sarah, who's clearly affected by THOR's death and is acting irrationally. He glances down at his book. It seems to be back to full power, likely having been restored along with everyone else's stamina and power. Perhaps he could use it to warp Sarah out of danger if it comes to that. But that's as far as he would go.

When Gor approaches, Ovarr remains silent, slightly turning away and crossing his arms - but never taking his eyes off of the deity. His expression doesn't change.

When Gor speaks, Ovarr remains silent. His expression doesn't change.

When Gor mentions a reward, Ovarr remains silent. Once again his expression doesn't change.

It's not until Gor mentions they're allowed to straight-up leave that Ovarr, while still remaining silent, raises his eyebrows a bit. He doesn't care about whether he can keep his memories of this event or not, that's a price he's willing to pay. ... Actually, if he forgets about this ordeal, he would forget having re-experienced the worst memory in his life. If Gor were to wipe his memory of what transpired here, it'd be a mercy.

   "Sarah."   , he finally speaks, a serious expression on his face, though he still keeps his eyes on Gor, just in case.    "I don't know why you all challenged this church in the first place. I chose to join in because I happened to spot you and figured it might be fun. Turns out I was way in over my head. But whatever cause you were doing this for, this is not worth it. I suggest you leave along with us, but it's your choice."   

He now addresses Gor for the first time. As a demon, it pains him to have to speak to such a deity with any form of respect, something that'll be clear based on his voice being a bit heavier and restrained when he speaks to Gor. But Ovarr's will to live is stronger than his pride, so he manages to get the words out.

   "I humbly request to leave."   

Church - False Centralis

"-eh?"

Artemis is snapped out of her torture of Mahito when her attack on his soul simply... stops working.

Oh hey, horrors beyond human comprehension. Thank god Artemis isn't human, eh?

Wait, nevermind, it looks normal now. Well, as normal as a god can get, Artemis guesses...

...and then Thor dies. Just like that. Oh.

Artemis doesn't dare attack. Maybe if she were anywhere else, but she's in the realm of Gor, and... well, that wouldn't end well, would it?

"..."

Artemis lets out a sigh and adjusts her coat, looking Gor dead in the eyes. For some reason, this... thing. It drags up memories long buried, ones Artemis shudders at for a moment. But then she focuses herself.

"I'm not leaving. Whatever your final test is, I'll push on. I did not come this far just to fail now."

...

Artemis pushes her emotions aside. Whatever's coming, she'll need to be focused. Her mana shifts once more... Cutting off her own emotions, and making way for more 'divine' mana. Usually, it would start burning her- but her heightened focus on instinct and control prevent that from happening. Artemis speaks in a more hollow, measured voice.

"A burden, huh. I suppose that's not entirely wrong. But it is more a burden on oneself than on others. Unless you decide to snuff out any and all divinity. Then..."

She shrugs, before clenching and unclenching her hands.

"Dunno. Seems like too much work. But if it makes you feel any better, I won't face this challenge as a false deity- as Artemis. I'll face it as Arlina. The greatest force of magic in my world."

Weathertop

Megumi liked animals but he wasn't exactly an expert at dinosaurs, especially ones that could shoot lightning. But he understood what was at stakes here : the beast had been driven away from its habitat and had been desperate enough by whatever it was fleeing to attack an human settlement. This meant that bad things were happening around the island, even if Megumi was hardly going to be praising himself for this deduction.

But then again, the Sorcerer had walked in knowing that something was off, hadn't he?

He walk back into the village, thoughtful and silent. Whatever would happen next, he trusted the leading Saurians could handle it.

...

DNC

Kana is frustrated to find something that swords can't kill. Grunting in frustration but being unable to just hand it off to somebody else, she is pleased to see that other members of the team are well-equipped to handle the shadow threats. But it only make her feel worse about herself that she could not save the princess nor defeat its aggressor, instead needing someone else to solve the situation on her behalf.

Her head down, not really talking much, Kana sheath her sword and approach the assassin. It'd take more than being surprised to get the ring to drop but she'd fucking hate it if he had slipped away while she wasn't looking, somehow. Trying to approach him to get him in view of the group through the torn curtains, she look down at the wounded princess.

It'd be so easy to transport her to her Castle but... again, she couldn't really plop her there. She wasn't as skilled as Rainmaker with being able to enter the Astral Sea from a flat puddle.

The best she could do was to kneel in front of the princess. We'd need something to carry her. I can manage. I'm very good at handling my strength. And I don't think I'm that useful against any future shadow monster with or without my hands being free. She could also just wrap her tail around the princess but that could be bumpier. And either way, Kana wait for Hange and Medicine's opinions on it.

No offense to Taye or Kaisui, but Kana had singled the two women as the "smart ones" of the group. And tried not to think about how they were both "the smart ones" despite her lifespan being very long. Erm, maybe they also were older than they looked?

If it's not advised, Kana pouts slightly, almost unconsciously, and stand up.

If she can go ahead, Kana very gently slide her hands under the back of the princess's knees and, well, back (avoiding where she was stabbed naturally) and lift her into her arms, keeping her close to her stomach, almost kind of cradling her. The princess wasn't all that much smaller than her but she might as well be a single feather size-wise as far as Kana was concerned.

How easily she could snap all the bones in her body just by moving her fingers a bit too harshly.

Kana doesn't think about that as she simply walk forward.

...

Dojo

An attack -and evade- like that, Beruka is far less familiar with. Her eyes widen in surprise and she can only barely turn her head to acknowledge Cardell's presence, trying to bring up her left leg and arm to counter his punch. Yet his fist barely slip in-between her elbow and knee, impacting her left rib and sending Beruka tumbling into the ground.

Getting back up, Beruka wipes some saliva off her lips as she casually wonder what trick Cardell could have pulled. He'd just escaped her grasp and instantly at that - how? Proud as she was of figuring out his trick, his next one had confounded her. But she knew that the best way to deduce the move was to simply see it in action again.

For his part, Sukuna's eyes narrow. He also had to acknowledge that was an advanced technique. And he can't immediately figure it out. He hadn't seen moves relating to time, after all, so he briefly wonder if it isn't some sort of teleportation or another illusion... although, if given time, he'll work it out.

Putting her hands into the ground, Beruka decide to get going at Cardell again. She goes in with a jab that seems like an overreach, but crouch low right before doing it, keeping her other fist by her right side. If she feels like Cardell is about to block or dodge her, she slides her left foot back to give herself a tad of space left and goes for an uppercut again!

...

'Rats

Reeling from the many spritual and physical wounds of Hyrule, and not reeling from the many many spirituals and physicals wounds of the Beach, is Azura. The young woman has decided to spend her recovery away from the others - not because she is particularly ill-fitting or troubled but because she's wounded and doesn't want the others to see that.

With her magic disrupted by the Skaven's own fell rituals, she has been meditating in her tent all day.

Not many people would know that, but Azura was a magism. Magic was a part of her. As it was part of her original world's very core. This meant she could easily absorb malign magic but it also meant that her own magic could crush, consume, devour and absorb said magic when given time. And Azura thought it easier than expelling it. So long as she expelled every profane particule first.

Her eyes bandaged up but her body covered in her big suit of armor to hide further wounds, Azura sits on her knees, meditating. She didn't know what would happen outside and her heart ached for Pucci but she knew that Gor wouldn't want her to coddle Pucci. It was better that they both deal with their separate pains. Lest one fix the other's lingering pain and rob them of progress.

...

Forest

The Spectator violently shake off the group and fly high into the air. It almost seem like it's going to at least try and manage an escape but Othar is able to get unto its body. And his fist pierce the big bulbous orb sitting on the middle of its face, the creature shrieking in pain and agony.

Blood spews forth from the beast, and as Tarvek destroy its last eyestalk, the most it can do is try to crush Tarvek by falling unto him. A petty last act of violence.

Forest

Tarvek felt a headache as he very suddenly went from mad to grounded, regaining his sense of self-preservation just fast enough to react to what the Spectator was doing. He swiftly moved back to avoid the behemoth falling on him. "Get back," he shouted out, hoping his allies would heed his warning.

Othar continued to stand on the beast as it tumbled. "ONCE AGAIN, OTHAR TRYGGVASSEN, GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER, IS TRIUMPHANT!!" He raises his arms confidently as he shouts.

Hyrule Field

A gorilla◊ wanders through the seemingly endless fields, somewhat exhausted. One night he had gone to sleep at his beautiful (and lucrative) barrel factory. Then when he woke up, he was in a desert somewhere. He'd spent days wandering around, trying to find something, someone. He'd found some food and water at least, but that didn't get him far. He's not very used to traveling around great distances a lot.

"Oh, my poor, poor feet. There's no end to this blasted lands. I'd have been all the way around Kongo Bongo Island twice at this point!", he complains overdramatically. He stops walking and falls over.

"Oh, oh, I can't go on like this. Could this be the end of 'ole Bluster Kong?"

A tall, lanky shadow appears over the pitiful, pathetic ape. Bluster looks up, but he can't make out much of the person looking down at him as the glare of the sun casts a shadow strong enough to obscure their features. The only thing he can make out is that this person's head looks... strangely rectangular?

"Oh, a helping hand? The gods must have answered my prayers! Ah, but of course, I wouldn't simply die here!"

The person standing before him says nothing, only taking a vial out of its pocket and offering it to Bluster Kong. It's filled with a pink, fluorescent substance. Bluster Kong's eyes widen comically upon seeing it.

"Wait, hold on, is... is that... no, that couldn't be...!"

A bright, large, glowing smile appears on the person's face as he nods. Bluster immediately gets up, takes the vial and sprays some of it on his hair, then runs off laughing victoriously, taking the rest of the vial.

"I am back, so back! Ahahahahahahaha!"

The lanky man simply watches Bluster run off.

"How quaint. This may result in some real ͩ ͩfͬuͤnͣᵈ~"

Edited by DevilPsyco on Mar 30th 2024 at 1:34:25 PM

Church(?)

Suffice to say, Flandre was unnerved. She grit her teeth and a droplet of sweat trickled down her face as she glared at this thing. Not just by how casually (and brutally) it destroyed Thor or how it No Selled Sarah's attack. No, what unnerved her was how it had an 'eye' like everything else.

But it wouldn't move. This isn't something she's seen before. Maybe if she got into point blank range she could do her thing. But judging by what it did to Thor and Sarah, that wouldn't end well.

Still, she wasn't going to start bowing down to it.

"And pray tell, what is this test exactly?" she asks, Laevateinn in her grasp again but oddly dim. As if it's unsure if it should be happy by what just happened to Thor or not. "Before I make my final decision."

VT Epilogue, Avar-Laren, Dojo

   COME.   

   COME TO ME.   

The voice hissed through the tent, leaving the silence in its wake even deeper than before. A creature scurried across the floor—a rat, small and wearing a white coat of fur. It stopped at her tent flaps, rose onto its haunches and looked back to Azura, and continued out from the tent.

   COME TO ME, AZURA, AND ALL SHALL BE KNOWN.   

…

"—expect them to be here, and…" Alwyen gesticulated at the table, but soon trailed off when he took notice of Murasa’s approach. "Murasa..excellent to see you." He offered her a warm smile, not dissimilar from one worn by a grandfather. He ushered her closer with a sweeping of his hand, before looking down at the war-map laid out upon the table once more. "You’ve lived through the "what" already, and you’ve proven yourself exceptional of skill…but, I expect you’ll want to know the "why" of the things that happened today." Alwyen spoke kindly to Murasa. "I’ve explained already to Melia and her people, but it’s no issue going over it again…I can clear some things up I didn’t the first time around."

The wizard lifted his staff of stone and breathed out a quick chant: Graphus Conjura.

There was a flash of light that engulfed the room. When it subsided a three-dimensional image hung in the space over the table, into which Alwyen stared deeply. "Chaos." The shape was nothing in particular, a writhing mass of sense and emotion without form. "Order." The mass slowed and shrunk, growing compact into a firm, perfect sphere. "Two fundamental enemies in a war that transcends nature or humanity, a war that has existed as long as reality has and perhaps even before. The belligerents…" The sphere shifted into four different faces, exact copies of the four seen engraved in the shrine at the Stone Fist.

"Khorne, the Blood God. His domain is War and Wrath—he cares not from whence the blood flows, just that it does. He feeds off your anger, your hate. Nurgle, the Unclean. His domain covers Pestilence and Decat. All things must always come to an end, and at the final page in their story…he awaits. Slaanesh, the Dark Prince. He is the God of Excess, Pain and Pleasure alike…for is there any true difference? Lastly…Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. Strangest and most unfamiliar of all, he is apt in the ways of Knowledge and Sorcery. Nothing is ever certain with Tzeentch…he is the trickster. Every move he makes is part of a greater plan, every action thought out centuries in advance…these are the four Ruinous Powers of Chaos, though I suspect you are well acquainted with them by your time atop the Stone Fist." Alwyen explained, and the faces fell away.

"Though…there is another."

The light reformed into a different head, one that did not show emotion…the head of a Skaven, with several horns protruding from its skull and curling in a mess of bone and keratin. "The Great Horned Rat, patron god of the Skaven and the mastermind of last night’s attacks. Undoubtedly, it was an effort to become ascend from a lesser godhood and become fully incorporated into the “major” Ruinous Powers…whether or not the others will accept it in spite of its failings today remains to be seen, but the Great Horned Rat is not like to allow a single setback to stop it."

…

Pucci heard the heavy footsteps of Raex as he approached, smiling at the coming of a man who he’d learned already to respect, despite just a short amount of time passing since he’d even known of the knight’s existence. That smile fell near immediately with the levying of accusations against him. The priest looked almost offended as he thought up some response.    "I would suggest that you think on your words before you hurl them wildly, sir. I knew nothing of the attack—if I had, do you truly believe I would be sitting her, marred with infection and injury, with eyes no longer capable of sight?"    He hissed, anger clear in his words…before his head fell, chin to his chest. The man sighed and slumped. Gor has tested me with this accusation, he realized, and I failed.

   "I’m…sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have react that way…but to answer, no. Today was the first day I’ve spent outside of Nohr since the church there was built. I’d hoped to enjoy a day off, but Gor does his work in strange ways, I suppose."   

——

''Vermintide Epilogue, Avar-Laren, Dojo,

When Luin and Sebastien alike laid hands on a new disc, they were met with the revelation that it presented them with the same world—not only that, but the strange alter-world presented them as well, the two appearing behind the crowd which seemed to notice them again, turn to face them with bewildered body language. Whatever these objects were, they seemed windows into some other reality.

"I can’t understand a word they’re saying." Luin admitted as more of the crackling dialogue buzzed around them. She took her hand off the disc and put it safely away in her item pouch to review later.

——

Watching the jab approach, Cardell leans swiftly backwards, using Beruka’s distance to his advantage by dodging with minimal effort. But he soon found himself the fool, fallen directly into her trap. Her other fist crashed into his chin, sending him flying. His teeth clacked together at a violent speed, and a speck of white flew from his lips as he rose through the air.

But Cardell managed to regain control of himself before he hit the ground, racking up some style points with a backflip during his descent and landing in a squat on the topmost rope surrounding the mat. He held his hand out and the tooth fell between his fingers.

"Good…damn good!" He applauded with muffled voice, lifting the tooth to the empty slot in his smile.

SIMPLE SKILL: MINOR REVERSAL

When Cardell’s fingers drew away from his mouth the tooth remained in place, and he dropped down from the rope. The man stared Beruka down from across the mat…then drew his foot back, lowered himself into a fighting stance, and once more, the world fell away. The Truth (retconned from runes teehee) revealed itself once more, stars shooting past her.

"You ready?"

FOURTH GREAT TRUTH — BLAZING PYRE

An all-encompassing flame spread from the man, following a spiral. A great, burning eye opened behind him, and in it was the heat of the sun and a doom executed by a thousand swords of heat—

Cardell smirked, then grinned, then chuckled and laughed. The Truth faded, and around Beruka the real world revealed itself once more. The Teacher finally sighed and shook his head. "A good warrior doesn’t reveal the ace up his sleeve until he needs to…Sorry for the tease, though, I couldn’t help it. I submit."

His students, previously enraptured in the fight, erupted into a chorus of confusion and disappointment. Cardell laughed again, waving for them to calm down. "It’s getting late, I gotta get you kids back to base anyways. The High Matriarch is gonna be welcoming the new guys soon." Cardell turned from his students to Beruka and parted with a customary bow, the golden roses and thorns stitched into the back of his clothe gleaming in the light overhead. "Come find me where the world ends and the sun fills the sky with gold if you wish to learn a thing or two. The doors of the Children of Man are always open to the good fellows of the Arena."

Edited by ISZATSO on Mar 30th 2024 at 1:40:45 PM

Not Centralis

Bely notices Mahito disappearing into sparks... And then, the beautiful sky of before rearranges into something more terrible...

It's Gor. She watches how it destroyed THOR and MJOLNIR, and shrugged Sarah's attack as if nothing happened.

What could it be the "final test"? It is worthy to have fought at this point? To leave her sons behind to fight an unwinnable battle...Do she have the might to attack Gor?

Sorry Sarah... I'm just not ready for the test.

Rats - Aftermath

"Chaos and Order... if I did not know better, I'd call it too strange to be true. But I trust Alwyen. If this Great Horned Rat wishes to place itself on a throne alike, a tremendous effort is necessary to oppose it."

"You saw the other Ruinous Powers yourself, right?" Fiora asks her gently. Her voice is melodic, soft, and gentle; she's experienced in compassion, the sort of person who always knows what you're thinking, somehow.

"Right," Melia responds, "Even with the strange power this place affords me, I could only harm them a little."

She looks at the map. "Our knowledge is tremendously modest. Anything at all would be welcome at this point, if it pointed us in the right direction."

Gor's intrusion upon the scene and what can only be described as the subsequent disposal of THOR completely wipes out any hope on Jack's part that things would go smoothly from here. There's a lot of mixed feelings going on internally - some concern for THOR, disappointment at the destruction of Mjolnir, uncertainty at what's happening, curiosity at the idea of a reward, and quite a bit of fascination regarding Gor itself.

All of those feelings are completely crushed as the violent grip of Paranoia seizes hold of his mind, directly after Gor said that he wouldn't be keeping his memories if he tried leaving. Physically, there's nothing going on besides the white-haired man visibly locking up, as Paranoia is not an independent entity by any sense. Mentally, however, he's absolutely buzzing with activity...

<There's too many unknowns here. I still don't know the purpose of this church organization. I could work it out given time and the knowledge of what questions to ask to who, but I can't do that if I don't remember... Plus depending on the memories that would be deleted, I might not even know about my own shortcomings, and I simply can't let someone else know my weakness without also knowing them myself. What if that person becomes hostile to me later? They'd have an inexcusable advantage over me. I can't just clear things up by asking, it's too easy to be lied to or deceived in some way, and with no way to tell...>

Jack doesn't blink for over one straight minute until he zones back in on events around him, leaving his eyes a bit sore. Under the influence of his own Paranoia, he's been thoroughly convinced to lock in. It probably helps that he was restored to good health, and thus could take on a second round... theoretically.

"I'll stay."

His eyes flick over to the other people who decided to stay, already contemplating how best to work together with them.

DNC

Taye watched the surroundings for a while longer, lowering her sword only after confirming there were no other immediate dangers. She's still holding onto it, though.

"Hange? You're smart." She meant the idea to use light magic, but since Hange mentioned the prisoner, Taye took a glance over at that man. Still there, yeah?

If yes, Taye walks over to the prisoner, grabs the loose end of a rope, and ties it to her belt. She prepares to follow the group and drag him along while others are busy taking care of the wounded Emilia.

Raex stood his ground as Pucci responded with much-expected anger, the templar narrowing his eyes with a raised quizzical brow as the priest collected himself. Raex nodded as Pucci calmly explained his situation, casting another glance at the wounded. Allowing Pucci's words to stew in the empty air for a few moments, Raex's armor clinked as he shifted to look back at Enrico.

The templar sharply inhaled, collecting his words before speaking, a gentler, understanding tone taking precedence over his prior accusatory words.

"Forgive me for overstepping, I have seen events like this before, and the ones in power were often responsible. Your anger is not misdirected when asked if you allowed your people to suffer, it is a heavy accusation, and for that, I apologize."

Raex paused as a staff member moved past him, a gentle nod of acknowledgment and a hushed apology from the templar interrupting their conversation. Raex's brow settled and his face returned to a neutral expression, continuing his train of thought.

"You are a man of great commitment to your faith and your people, something I rarely see in my travels. It is sadly the people in power who often lead those they are tasked with shepherding to ravenous wolves, driven mad by the power their words held over others."

Raex's words seem a genuine apology, his provided explanation for the accusation a veiled cautionary warning to Pucci. Glossing over it swiftly, Raex follows up with an offer.

"If you wish to be healed by this Gor you speak of, I will not overstep again, but I offer to heal your sight."

Edited by KrampusTheTherapist on Mar 30th 2024 at 12:49:53 PM

Avar-Laren

Sebastien awkwardly waved at the strange phantom beings, wondering if perhaps they'd return the gesture. Charades wasn't an ideal method of communication but hey. He'd wait long enough to see if they'd do so before similarly stowing the disk away.

"Me neither." he'd say either way but if they did wave back he'd mention as much to her. Otherwise if they didn't, he'd mention that as well.

Rats Aftermath

"I guess that's one good thing to count on, how these 'Ruinous Powers' don't seem to like the idea of the big rat joining them. What with them hijacking the whole thing through Malagor." Murasa pointed out, wincing a little at recalling the fight against the champion of Chaos. Definitely one of the toughest fights she's been in her unlife. "Guessing by your tone you have some hunch about its next scheme?"

Annihilation

Deep underground in Estraole, another Elder Dragon stirred. Its baleful, purple eyes opened as it sensed the presence of a rival. The dragon newly named Oltura -ZERO- snorted derisively. Through his spy in the Guild he knew of this 'Annihilation Nergigante', a powerful Eater of Elders and a potential future thorn in his side.

One best removed ahead of time, particularly when distracted by that titan. But what to use... Spreading his telepathic gaze outwards, he looked through the eyes of his sentries.

There. An unaware Azure Rathalos was roosting after a patrolling flight. Normally he preferred feasting on its kind but it would serve just as well as a pawn. It could do little to resist as a Dark Matter slithered near it before pouncing on it to take control.

—

The Stained Rathalos soon approached by the air, its Azure hide stained black and its eyes glowing red before it breathed in and spat out a series of three fireballs at the Nergigante below.

Estarole

Aoi had been trekking her way through the forest, ever since her escape pod had crashed nearby. But what was more worrying now was the fact that a nearby mountain was apparently actually some sort of constructed golem, or so she thought.

"Great."

Holding her hands forward and concentrating on the artificial mana system installed within her body, Aoi forms a sleek black motorcycle from thin air. Kicking it into high gear, she speeds off towards the titanic beast...

...only for the roar of another beast to cause her hearing dampeners to kick in. Her head swivels to track it, information flooding her vision as she gets a bearing on any detected magic, biological structures, energy makeup... What she does detect nearly makes her clutch her head in pain- and her brain is more mechanical than organic, for crying out loud.

A mix of so many different things it would be better to simply call said energy a force of annihilation. Aoi powers up her gun arm as the motorcycle picks up in speed, eventually blasting itself into the air to scale the mountain-sized titan... Though that isn't her target.

"Hmph."

She aims her arm, and sends a bolt of plasma flying at the Nergigante. Her motorcycle seems to stick to the World Guardian's stone body, allowing her to scale it at a vertical angle- or even upside-down entirely. Meanwhile, her integrated combat systems display a simple message:

Not enough information to calculate success factor. Good luck.

Vandalon

Merga grunts in pain as the bullets tear through his body, black blood weeping from the wounds... though they begin to close.

   "Hmph. More agile than I expected..."   

Merga spreads his wings outwards, the feathers shooting off and arcing towards the captain before exploding upon the shield, and (if they can reach it) the captain themselves.

Phillip winces in pain as the ice-cold vapor froze over the cut. He then quickly places a patch over both of the tears in his suit, making it sealed again. He nods at the Skitarii that healed him in thanks. He braces his rifle over one of the boxes, taking aim at the same captain Merga is attacking, waiting until the barrage finishes to fire a (hopefully lethal) shot at it.

"G-gah..! I-It'll take more than that..."

Lute, under electrocution from the grenade, manages to hit the trigger on one of her fingers to fire her suit's grappling spike- a spiked steel rod with a steel wire connecting it -into the ground, grounding herself and shorting out the electrical dome.

"...to stop ME!!"

Her left leg hisses with hydraulic power before she launches herself at C2, her chainsword pulled back and revved up fully, which she swings forward as soon as she gets close, her face twisted in a state of pure fury.

DNC

Kaisui watches her arrow go right through the shadow and her face falters. In the aftermath...

Oh, well that's not very good. If I had flares, or like... a flashbang... but that's a bit too high-tech.

As everyone gathers themselves, Kaisui sighs, looking at a bit of a loss for what to do. She'd limited herself for her own enjoyment, and someone had gotten hurt because of it. Eventually, she silently picks herself up and moves along with the group.

Edited by RainbyPlays on Mar 31st 2024 at 12:24:08 PM

Fab Centralis

Emma feels satisfied at Mahito's demise, but it's quickly replaced by a sudden weight on her upon witnessing Thor's too. She wasn't familiar with the God — maybe a quick read of Mjolnir in her spare time and nothing more — but with how much importance was put on him, especially since Sarah seemed to be here due to him, she can feel that something's bound to change from now on.

Ovarr leaves.

Icarus leaves.

She turns to face Icarus, she prepares to give him her scorn for cowardice but thinks about it for a moment. She can't be mad at him for wanting to leave, so she just lets it go.

"...You'll get it too"

She tries to contact Captain Lucas through her telepath network, it can work through dimensional spaces like the one she's in but—

"It is a question best saved for later."

Lucas casually brushes that aside, he's here for Pucci after all, not his mission, for now.

"You are not perturbing my break, as a matter of fact, you are the company I am looking for. Someone in need of... something."

He's on break, she can't contact him. After an entire century or more of working nonstop, he has always had his right to break yet never does. Matter of fact, Emma thinks he deserves one

but it shouldn't have been NOW.

Contact with Erika's even harder, it struggles a connection in a space like this. There is no way for her to spread this information across the Empyrreich (and arena at large) unless she triumphs. The odds are stacked against and the best choice is to leave — Besides, they have an intelligence agency that can look into the church but-

"The High Heavens didn't train no quitter."

She wants to be the first, the one who blew open a massive rabbit hole for her country. If she can get this information up to the big wigs, there's a chance they'll take this "Gor" seriously enough to prepare a full on assault later down the line.

Edited by BoniniBanana on Apr 1st 2024 at 1:17:18 AM

MALGOR

Sarah glances at Ovarr but just sadly close her eyes and slowly nod. No. Maybe she'd have left if it had been a different matter but she had to avenge THOR. And keeping her memories so that she could at least warn the others and see if she couldn't seek the help of higher deities was essential to that. As such, this might be the last that Ovarr will see of Sarah. Though thankfully, he'll forget it as he, Icarus and Bely are respawned where they were before they saw Sarah's call to arms.

Icarus will keep the combat data he has earned for himself, allowing him to further develop his weaponry. He'll also have accurate "memories" of that particular encounter but his recordings and anything to do with the church of Gor will be wiped.

Bely will walk away with the Cosmic Dress. While not as fancy as Gor's, it'll help her be able to harness the power of the stars to move at high speed as a ball of light, hurl miniature galaxies like exploding disks, emit bright lights and grant her enhanced defenses.

Ovar will find new pages in his book, with five more spells in it. While he will need to learn them, they'll just be new spells for him to master. While there is some freedom in this, each spell take the powerset of a member of the Black Pillars. Granting Ovarr power over fire, illusions, versatile magic, immense strength or soul-shaping powers.

Back in Gor's world, Sarah smiles at Tilra and the rest of the gang, appreciating that they stuck around, even if some might do it to fulfill their own mission. Gor likewise seem pleased, especially when Flandre prove herself shrewd and curious by asking what the test is before taking it.

It doesn't so much as glance at Artemis. But when Emma try to do some telepathy, Gor glances at her, a calm, if threatening, smile upon its thin black lips. It doesn't stop her, but that's because stopping her would imply that it feels threatened in any way by that. So it doesn't. And besides, it can approve of that.

Wary curiousness was a great thing in a smaller being, Gor found. And as it floated back, the world around the group vanished, leaving them in a black void with a spinning galaxy in it.

   Long ago. Right now. In the future. There was/is/will be a universe much like any of yours. Smaller beings dwelled within it, fighting, conquering, helping. They toiled away, experiencing great catastrophes and miracles alike until one day - the very world around them became sentient and conscious of its existence,    all around the group, various people appear, looking more like golden statues than beings of flesh. Some are humanoid, some are monstrous, others are outright eldritch, others wear big armor, towering over the others.

Then, simultaneously, the beings look around them and go down to their feet. Mortals, monsters, gods, abominations alike (who simply lower themselves prone) bow down and lower their head, their beings coming undone as they fade into red sparks.

   We offered them to become part of us - to join forces and assist us in my future travels. As a sentient universe, we hungered for knowledge and sought to find others of our kind. Knowing that their roles were fulfilled now that we had gained sentience, our inhabitants gracefully faded within the cosmos. More than that - we absorbed pasts and futures, our afterlives, black holes, stars, spiders, dust and space itself, until all was within us. We called ourselves MALGOR to complete my sentience.   

   I do not know how we have achieved sentence yet,    Gor admits, hovering over the group.    But we quickly deduced that this was a particularly unique circumstance. For we found that universes across the cosmos were dreadfully... unresponsive. Worse - some were destroyed or under threat of destruction. Some never had life to start with. Some were locked in a vicious loop, being constantly resetted each and everytime their inhabitants evolved significantly.   

Around them, more spinning galaxies appear. What appears to be a "young" Malgor is hovering over one such word. It looks like a fairly begign being, with three stars for eyes already, over a mostly featureless face, a hair full of literal stars, a sprawling cape made out of cosmic dust and three pair of arms, with its lower half being absent. It glances in concern at the smaller world below and try to apparently reach out for a small piece of it, like trying to swat some dust, only for its hand to make contact and absorb that piece of it.

Panicked, apparently aware of the sudden shock, confusion and fear below, MALGOR back off and watch in awe as the piece it'd accidentally ripped off meld with its "skin", merging into it. Blinking thrice, and looking over at the mutilated world, MALGOR slowly approach it, all of its arms spread widely. Then, it cuts to black.

   We started with empty or dead universes at first, feeding on their knowledge, their void, their stars and their empty planets. Yet this was not fulfilling enough. We needed to gather dreams, free will, hopes, nightmares and despair alike. Thus, we moved to universes we thought doomed to stagnation or death. For, if they could not reach enlightnement as we seemed to have done, we could perhaps offer them salvation this way.   

   This must seem brutal or excessive    The next visual depict MALGOR slowly scraping the surface of a world with a gigantic sword made of pure cosmic fire, being pleased to see the smoother surface of it afterwards - and cleaving through it with a giant sword. A second show it brutally slamming its hands into another world to simply annihilate it. The third depict it holding a world above its "mouth" and scraping parts of it with its clawed hands to let the cosmic dust fall into where its mouth would be. It's the first of the three pictures to fade, and quicker than others.

MALGOR in those pictures is much bulkier, much more armored. Its original cosmic features are hard to see beneath its brutal spiky armor and helmet, and it has a wicked flaming weapon in each of its limbs. Its cape is hung on six spikes protuding from its "collars" now, and it has fully formed legs.

   But we were granting them peace. There was no pain, no fear. They simply became part of us - Our goal was to eventually become a world housing life again. But we simply wanted to ensure that everyone could be the best version of themselves. Everything was too complicated, too many timelines, too many parallel selves, too many dimensions, we sought to simplify it.   

   It was required of us to swat away "gods" and "protectors", champions of stagnation. And there were beings that hunted worlds like us - Our aggression and power was born from a desire to protect ourselves and our accumulated knowledge. But mighty as we were, we eventually ran into our superiors - The divine warriors of the Godworld. It was an hard-fought battle... But our efforts would go unrewarded   

What Gor had shown THOR appear next. The Gods of the Godworld, including THOR, facing down a multi-armored avatar of destruction. Set is especially prominent as the one to pin down MALGOR by drawing on its evil, a team effort with other gods that let them pin MALGOR down, rip its arms off and destroy it by having Ra, ZEUS, Odin and the other head gods blast MALGOR to bits with their best shot. Overpowered and helpless, MALGOR's entire body explode into light, and a shower of cosmic dust flood the battlefield as the worlds it'd absorbed are set free.

The Gods then help guide these universes back to where they come from, restoring things to as they were before. But unknownbest even to them, amongst all of them, three small sparks, lost in the golden radiance of worlds set free. They scatter amongst universes once assimilated, slipping through the pantheon's godly sight. A stroke of luck? Fate interfering?

Regardless, GOR decide to end the story there. And the team is back in Hub Centralis.

So you're a part of that evil fucking thing and you want revenge? Is what why you tricked Thor into going after Odin? And why you killed THOR yourself? Asks Sarah, defiance in her voice - she wouldn't die on her knees. And for its parts, Gor simply give her a polite smile.

   I was stranded and found an host, details for who will win my test, should they be curious,    Gor glance to the side.    I didn't "trick" Thor. Upon contacting him, I told him the entire truth. The bumbling oaf's crusade is one of his own making,    Gor answers.    He hates the gods for their inaction, but in his action, he is as guilty as them for the state of existence. And in his rage, he is just as self-righteous, arrogant and careless as your own THOR is.   

   ... was?    Gor says, approaching Sarah very closely and giving her a much more devious smirk.

   I gave Thor a way to killing Odin. But since Odin and his kind have bested me at my full power before, I thought it prudent to give myself a backup plan against him,    Gor clarifies.    I knew that he is close to you and that you would see his unusual behavior. I knew that he would speak of his encounter with Gor. And I knew you would suspect my church. THOR being present at the moment was mere luck - but you would have sought him out. For you knew Saitama was a part of the Church, and after seeing him in action against the time patrol, you would seek the assistance of a powerful ally. THOR is readily available whereas the likes of Angel are too busy to lend a hand,    Gor looks down upon Tilra and Sarah alike.

   You would have been overpowered, bested, and I would have hollowed THOR out to make a bomb out of his fat carcass. The former part has been compromised, but I've insured the latter part will happen regardless. And though I am split and weakened, I will be able to elude the Norns and destroy the Godworld. This will help me seize the power of unity that empowers them and devour it for myself, meaning that any further attacks on their part will only empower me as well. Such power, I also meant to apply to the Church. For I am very aware of how powerful mortals or gods are when they are together.   

   Yet unity will not be save you today.   

   You will fight each other. Some will be isolated for a proper fight if they feel it best, some will fight right here, right now. To the death or mere unconsciousness but I will have you battle one another until one is left standing - the losers, I'll grant a gift and safe return to the arena. The winner, I grant all of that, and their memories of this encounter.   

   One of you will have to prepare for us. I think it'll be best if it is the strongest amongst you that will take such a role.   

   Go. Warn the Empyrreich. Warn Angel. Run to the Supreme Kai of Time. Seek Thor to convince him to abandon his folly and spare Odin. Maybe run to the others to warn them and restore their memories. Unite the entire world.   

   What matters to me is to you will have earned it.   

Edited by Bolded1 on Mar 31st 2024 at 8:13:44 PM

Centralis

Icarus pops back into existence, and the first device that he picks up is a ship with a railgun on it, carrying an instance of him and... Croque?

He flies over to the Church's entrance and positions himself at where the cannon is aiming. "Hey, don't miss your target!"

So, you've made a promise, the new instance communicates. Criticize the Church or die.

The Church mind-controls people, takes hostages, is utterly and completely intransparent about its morals, finances, and qualifications of its personnel, and its deity, Gor... Well, I don't know much about her, but judging by how she leads the Church, she's not doing so in good faith., the old instance responds.

The new instance is satisfied. Fair enough. So, how was the fight?

I'm currently uploading a recording from the fight to the servers, I'll SD after that, is that fine?

Sure, just come up here so I can pick up your scraps

The old Icarus flies up to the building with the monitors on it. A swarm of drones gets released from the cargo ship and dismantles said screens - and after a few seconds, the old instance finishes its communication with one last message: FYI, the recording is corrupted. The timestamps do not line up with when I returned, and a whole strip of the audio track is missing.

Then, the robot scraps itself with a bang, leaving the drones to pick up its remains.

Welp, back to the Gas Station.

Having gathered everything, the cargo ship takes off into space.

Dear CenterBrain, these people... I hope I'll never have to deal with the Church again.

Edited by StepexNo2 on Mar 31st 2024 at 8:43:38 PM

Church

Ovarr does look somewhat sad for a moment. But he accepts that this is Sarah's choice.

And then he's gone. Back outside, unaware that he spent any time inside the church at all. As far as he knows, he only just left to go do that errand for Psyco.

He pauses for a moment. Something feels somewhat off, feeling as if he'd blacked out for a moment. He glances around and sees the Church of Gor. He raises an eyebrow, then frowns in disgust.

   "I'll never understand their desperation. It's not like they'll ever get an answer."   , he grumbles, referring to the people who'd frequent such a place. He starts walking, though feels that something off... he feels a little heavier on his side. The difference is so small that most people wouldn't notice it. But he does... because he's had to learn how to properly balance himself in the past with his height as part of his army training to move efficiently. Yes, even the addition of a few pages in his book won't go unnoticed by him.

He grabs the book and flips through the pages, shocked to find a few he doesn't recognize.

   "What the actual hell...? What kind of spells even are these?"   

He narrows his eyes as he looks at the fourth of the pages and the spell on it.

   "... hold on a second, this one could be useful. I have to see what Psyco thinks of this."   

He spreads his wings and flies off. If this spell works the way he thinks it does, he wouldn't have to run that errand after all.

Church

Tilra looks at Gor. She tilts her head down, eyes unfocused. She keeps a hand on Sarah, wondering, thinking.

Gor can probably hear her thoughts. Thoughts of how foolish that sounds, how terribly and utterly stupid. Tactically, an unsound decision, to give them all a chance to oppose it when it would be far better off hiding everything it did as best it could. Dreams of swords and light, Tilra imagines that Angel might come right now and tear Gor apart. Yet, as she is, would she even be able to?

If Gor succeeded in its master plan, then while Angel focused on evading Moebius, another beast entirely would rip all these well-laid plans asunder.

Something about that was familiar to her. Like a memory she'd lost, an experience she'd never had... would have?

Was Gor's victory... inevitable? Had the result, in a way, already happened?

Was it fate?

...

Tilra looks up. There is anger on her face, faintly burning in her eyes.

   .I'll fight.   

She says, summoning her glaive. It sparkles dimly.

   .I accept your trial.   

It can't be fate. I know it can't.

...I hope it can't.

Edited by Whoma on Mar 31st 2024 at 11:44:21 AM

Church - False Centralis

"..."

Artemis/Arlina's hands ball into fists. In that moment, she expands her aura outwards- every memory, every thought -saved in an instant. Her eyes shift through the hues of the entire color spectrum before she focuses herself.

"If we must fight each other, know this- I have taken everyone's memories of the encounter and stored them within myself. Nothing more than that, I'm... not rude."

She teleports skywards.

"But I know some of you will want to win this for yourself- to fight because you won't trust me with your memory. For fear that I'd do the same thing they would. But if you must..."

Arlina grins as she stretches her arms to the sky, her eyes returning to that golden color.

"Know that I won't go down without one hell of a fight."

Church

"Fine, I suppose I'll play your game." Flandre said, scowling at the wicked god before them. "I have been eager to test myself against Sarah again anyway."

By her tone, Sarah would probably be able to tell she's not quite taking this nearly as seriously. Likely since this isn't quite as personal for her as it might be for her or some of the others.

Which could backfire on Flandre during the ensuing fight.

Hub Centralis

A snazzy tune starts to play near the entrance to the Hub Centralis as someone is crossing the bridge between the town and Estraole. It should immediately get the attention of anyone close to that spot. And as they all look, they'll be able to see who exactly is approaching◊.

" Stop everything, people, because Leo Luster is back! It's time to witness an irresistible force!"

With the snap of a finger, an electrical aura of pure charm surrounds him.

" And irresistible is what I am, baby~"

Leo Luster

He now strides into town with glorious confidence, singing as he passes people by, his nigh divine charm affecting pretty much all he passes. And those affected by him will follow after him, basically acting as his entourage.

And to make it even more of an event, as he walks, he sings.

" Hey! Kids! The world just got cooler. Stand back while I make the scene."

He walks past Darkness◊, who immediately gasps suspiciously and follows.

The next people who notice him, get charmed and follow him are Varik◊, who is sitting on a bench, the High Priest of Darkness◊, who was originally on his way to the Grand Ressurection, Ban◊, who was just hanging around a bar, Niko◊, who was just going to buy a snack for during his investigation, Bismark◊, Pride◊, Perfect Cell◊, Specter Knight◊, Liza◊, Ken◊, Briganti◊ and Louis◊, who all happened to be around in that location. Pleased with the effects of his charm, Leo Luster continues to sing.

" I'm the most, UH, and that ain't no boast. I'm the swingingest thing from coast to coast!"

He turns to the people and poses, all of his followers stopping to witness him.

" I'm a lizard's nightmare, I'm every girl's dream. The picture of perfect. You know what I mean?"

He deftly turns and continues walking.

" I'm Leo Luster, POW! I'm where it's at, I'm a far-out happenin' cat, UH, I'm Leo Luster, baby I'm a trip. Man it hurts to be this hip~"

He passes by Eve's hospital, getting the attention of Sunny◊ through the window. He can't exactly follow the ape outside, but he does stay at the window, looking in genuine awe.

He passes by Cyber◊, Hub◊, Metal Sonic◊ and Mara◊, likely originally in the Hub Centralis for recon purposes. Yet upon seeing and hearing him, they too are affected.

Yes, it affected even Cyber. And even Mara. Yes, even Metal Sonic.

Eggman Nega◊ sees this phenomenon happening from behind a computer while still hidden in his and Wily's secret base. However, even he's affected by the charm and rhythm and begins to dance.

Mewtwo◊ flies overhead, glancing down when he notices something's happening. Upon sight of Leo Luster, he feels something he's never felt before: genuine awe and admiration to a level even he cannot be stoic about. He descends and joins the following group.

" Cats dig. It's time to get hip now. Hop aboard it's a groovy ride."

Obese◊ and Shadowman◊ (still wet from their genius ocean adventure) now turn to look... and are just confused. Leo Luster, however, doesn't care one bit that they're not affected for some reason.

" Dig my threads, my shades, and my hair. Step aside, squares."

As Leo Luster and his entourage pass them, Obese looks comically offended.

"Did he just call me square!? What a blind baboon, I'm clearly rotund!"

"As rotund as a watermelon, sir."

"See, you see it. Who does that guy think he is?", Obese huffs, crossing his arms.

Leo Luster and his entourage now pass Sothis◊ (who is so charmed that she fully wakes up upon hearing the song), Copy Robot◊ (who was chilling in an alleyway), Indigo◊ (who was in another alleyway), Piccolo◊ (who was flying overhead), the Stitchwraith◊ (alleyway), Scraptrap◊ (there's way too many alleyways in this town), Ribrianne◊ (who was checking herself out in a window before this), Dr. Strange Supreme◊ (who literally just warped in), Queen◊ (who was trying to find a place to buy acid for her drinks) and Scourge the Hedgehog◊ (who was bullying some poor store clerk before the song got his attention). All of them follow him and join in the mass group dancing.

" I'm a lizard's nightmare, I'm every girl's dream. The picture of perfect. You know what I mean?"

Iris◊ flies overhead while carrying the Deliderp◊, but they're flying too high to notice. The invisible being who'd been following Iris, however, is flying low enough. And yes, even they get affected, landing near the group and removing their magic 'cloak' to show themselves as they join in◊.

Pseudo's monitor also catches a whiff of what's going on, and upon investigating, Pseudo◊ and Pilly◊, who were watching, are also affected by the dance craze inflicted by Leo Luster. It even works on freaking Weber◊.

The group nears the center of town. Flowey◊ pops out of the ground, confused about all the noise... and then he sees Leo Luster and is affected by his charm.

" I'm Leo Luster, POW! I'm where it's at. I'm a far-out happenin' cat."

Somewhat further, Ren◊ and his demon wolves◊ also take notice and get affected. Yes, Ren is so awed by Leo Luster that even if the ape were to refuse his three requests, Ren wouldn't do anything to him.

Green Jr.◊ and Comacho◊, too, notice and join in. To see Comacho of all people dancing is surely the sight of a lifetime.

Claus◊ and and some hidden G.E.M. Soldiers◊, who were preparing for the mission Linda sent them on, are affected too and just walk out of the house they were in and join in.

They pass by Gen I Kakuna◊, who simply glares, completely unaffected.

Leo Luster now turns around and grins as he prepares to finish off his song.

" UH, I'm Leo Luster, baby I'm a trip. Man it hurts to be this hip~"

Columbo◊, sitting at a nearby cafe, notices this too. He takes a sip from his drink, waiting and watching to see where this is going.

Confluence of Fates

Within the inner areas of the island, which are all filled with crystals, new crystals start sprouting at an alarming rate. Something within the center of the island is causing them to emerge, clad in a majestic glow as it's drawing power from the crystals it's creating.

Grand Resurrection

Thankfully Leo Luster has not reached this area of the Hub Centralis. As such the people around this part are not affected. Which is good, because the◊ three◊ bandits◊ who work for Ken Tahn are currently trying to push a large cage into the restaurant. The cage has a large cloth over it, completely obscuring what's inside. Thief King Bakura◊ gives them quite the look, as he's the one standing behind the bar at the moment.

"Hey, Majima-san. You might wanna come take a look at this.", he says, eventually calling out to him, wherever in the building he currently is.

Meanwhile outside, this gets the attention of a certain masked merchant◊ and his tiny travel companion◊, who are in the area because the former had heard rumors that someone they were looking for was around here somewhere.

Astil

In the forests of Astil, Areui◊ and Kirue◊ are looking around. Kirue uses his sword to hack away at a branch that's in the way.

"I still don't understand how or why Yazur went off on his own in this place. It's not like he has any messages to deliver to people here.", Kirue grumbles.

"You're saying that as if he's totally defenseless.", Areui shrugs. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"You were the one who insisted we go look for him."

"Yeah, in case I'm wrong.", Areui points out with a smirk.

Neither of them realize someone who is explicitly not Yazur has taken notice of them and is currently following them.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 1st 2024 at 7:34:58 PM