Estraole

It was a very nice day in the city of Minira. Putting aside the At Least two separate times the entire region had been exploded, really, the city was rather quiet all things considered. The tight cobble streets bustled with movement as people simply lived their lives away from the sinister sorts of things that the arena usually brought.

It was a bright and sunny sort of facade. It was a bright and sunny sort of day.

The castle of Minira was bright, grey-white with robust red roofs atop its tall towers. It shimmered brightly in the sunlight of the dawn, the first to receive its warmth as the day climbed ahead.

Like a picture-perfect kingdom of paradise. It was like Hyrule, only, it wasn't Hyrule.

This kingdom. This world. They weren't that eternal, blessed kingdom of the always-righteous never-wrong princesses and their sword-wielding heroes of legend, destined to make war against all things dark and ugly. What kingdom could last forever?

Hyrule could. Because a kingdom was not a person. A kingdom could die, again and again, but as long as the idea was sound and the gods that had made it were dead and buried and forgotten, their war could continue forever, and the forever-ruined kingdom of Hyrule could bury yet another layer of mistakes beneath the soil and the waves for archeologists to unbury, again and again and again and again and

Eternity. A cycle without end. It pleased Hyrule, which was not a person. How could it be, so born as it was from the bygone wishes of the uncountable dead? How many dreams were buried with the bones trapped in its soil, ready to burst from it at the sight of the moon?

Hyrule was not a person.

Yet, there she was.

On the highest spire of Minira castle, Hyrule stood, and she smiled down at the arena waiting for her, wide wings of solid crystal fused to her skeletal body by red-purple malice mixed with gloom mixed with the power of something else, which they called Moebius. But Hyrule would not accept the name H. Black animal eyes ran from the sockets of their empty skull all the way down their arm, bursting from the black hatred that grew from her bones like a cancer. She had more bones than a human or hylian could have, and so there was much space to spare. Hyrule was held together by hatred and love, those wishes that the departed left behind.

So many regrets.

Hyrule delivered herself onto the castle, and a wave of light and shadow swept down the walls and across it. The soldiers within were set upon by delusions and they fell to their knees in shock and anger, bodies twisting as malice poured from their bodies and consumed them whole into the shape of great-sword wielding armored Darknuts, agile Lizalfos, and powerful Iron Knuckles. The castle's banners burnt away, and were replaced by the symbol of the Triforce burned into the history of Hyrule until all it meant was burnt away.

And so it went, that light and shadow burnt across the city of Minira, and monsters grew from the earth or simply sprang up fully-formed, Moblins and Bokoblins and Wizzrobes and Lynel, Chuchu and Peahats and Octorock and stranger still, an army of beasts from across time, which Hyrule held mastery over.

The people of Minira were not attacked by this army, and they did not change like the soldiers in the castle did. The grass in their fields turned greener and the sunlight turned bright and cheery as the wave swept over them, and they each were consumed by a collective delusion that began to overtake them. The role of the hylian nobody, the no-meaning NPC who existed only to serve the princess and her hero. Those weak-willed were overwritten this way.

And those who were not were killed on the spot, or hid away.

In an instant, the city was taken. But Hyrule's wave of light and shadow did not stop at its borders. It grew across Estraole, and did not stop, sweeping new waves of grass and growing new trees in equal part with the monsters that grew from the soil, and their camps, fresh-grow spots of interest filled with indistinguishable "loot" for the hero to possess.

The land of Estraole, and soon, the arena, would be Hyrule before long. And what constituted as that thought ran through Hyrule's head, and she laughed a deep-voiced laugh that was at once every evil that had ran amok across the land before.

An endless army of monsters ran amok in the city, and a greater-still assembly arranged itself outside, ready to make war.

Any within her light and shadow would feel themselves become a part of Hyrule's endless tapestry before long.

This was the beginning of what she thought her victory, quick and decisive, in her name rather than some greater dark master above.

And who could resist the allure of eternity?

"Place—" Frilda huffed, attempting to wrest herself from Kaisui’s grasp. "Place me."

Mia looked to her and lowered her eyes. She was scared for the queen, or perhaps sad… "Mother—"

"My people will not see their queen carried when we emerge. They must know I can still…I can still fight!" Frilda insisted. Should Kaisui give in and set her down—which was the only way she’d manage to get her feet back on the earth, because she could not hope to match the woman’s strength—the Queen would limp ahead, putting a single glance behind her at Kana’s move, pushing the unseen threats further back into the tunnel with a torrent of dust, debris, and harsh water…but it was a temporary delay, as many of them must’ve known. The servants of Mordor would soon return, pushing from the blackness with blades gleaming in the torchlight. Still, she felt grateful for Kana. Not just her, but all of them.

The writing was on the walls.

Just as a good queen placed her realm before herself, so too did a good mother with her children, and the time fast approached that she would need to do both. She would have to trust the strangers with not just her daughters, but the key to the future of her entire land and perhaps the Arena as a whole.

Frilda would hurry forwards—in spite of her wounds, she kept pace surprisingly well. Her blood was of vague Númenórean descent, and though she was not of the towering stature her ancestors had stood at, nor nearly half as strong, she was still well beyond an average human. Ladwin for his part kept an even pace with Medicine, always keeping the healer close to Emilia, and Mia kept an even pace with him, always keeping herself near to her sister and sworn guardian. They dashed for the exit…

…and at last emerged from the assailed keep, to a sky orange and burning with the dawn’s light but black and smoking over a war-strewn city. An invasion was well underway. The attack had been swift, but destructive. Foul, half-sized creatures darted through the snow-peppered streets below them and beyond the open plaza where they stood, with their savage instruments of war swinging and mauling. Acrid hisses filled the air, hisses and roars of battle that had engulfed Al-Agadd.

But no mistake could be made: this was indeed a battle, not a massacre. Those who could not fight were escorted to safety by guards and city watchmen, honed and disciplined in the ways of war. With green and silver cloaks streaming from their backs they cleaved swiftly through the wretched creatures of Mordor, cutting down the untrained monsters as easily as a chef cut through cheese. Those who could fight, did—a hard life was a stranger to nobody in the city. Living in the shadow of Mordor was no easy feat, and to adapt, they had needed to become fierce. The hardiness of everyday civilians here shone through in the way they fought: they never gave up, never shied away from war until the very end. But though their soldiers were greater, each one worth ten of the enemy, the attackers had numbers: they were almost ceaseless, rapidly produced in Mordorian spawning vats in preparation for this day. They did not yet know it, but the army invading them had been raised and formed in a matter of only three weeks.

Blood coated the snow, both red and black.

Mia watched on with horror as the city she’d grew up in, the land that was all she knew, was besieged in a day she never thought would come, under a sky she hoped never to see. Mordor was alive again, with hatred renewed. She knew it, and so too did her lord mother, who stared at the scene with an ambiguous expression. She kept her jaw locked and her face fixed like stone, but the sadness and anger in her eyes was undeniable.

Almost instinctively her hand shot to her chest. It would mean nothing to the others, but Mia and Ladwin both knew. If the ring had been there…

A look of great shame covered Frilda’s face. If the ring had been there, as it had her entire life, this would’ve been the moment she succumbed. The Enemy would’ve won the day the war had begun. She hissed and sighed. "Come quick. We must get my daughters to safety, then I shall return and—"

The scraping of steel on steel. With eyes wide, Frilda turned, facing the entrance to the keep once more. There stood an barbarian, nearly seven feet tall and brutally muscled. In either hand were hatchets of war, and already he was drenched in red. A savage snarl erupted from his maw, and behind him, chanting horrible and throaty grunts of war, emerged others of his like. These were not like their lesser brethren down there in the city—these were the feared Uruk-Hai, deadlier than any orc or goblin. They wielded heavy plate armor under which their course, leathery hide was hardly visible, and in their hands were weapons fashioned from a black metal.

"Ago Kehar." She locked her eyes onto his. The orc’s reputation preceded him. She knew what he had done, who he was…and what he was capable of.

   "Your Grace."    The monster hissed in a mocking tone. He spoke the western tongue harshly, in a way it was not made to be spoken in.    "My Lord demands the Ring. If you hand it over now…then perhaps he shall spare you and your…wretched people. If not, then I will eagerly pluck it from your corpse."   

They want me, Frilda realized. They think I have the ring. For the first time since they had met the queen nearly an hour ago, the party heard fear in her voice. "Go. Ladwin, guide them. Get my daughters to safety. I’ll…I’ll be right behind you.”

"No!" Mia sobbed, rushing forwards at her mom. "Don’t—mother, please!"

"Go." Frilda broke away from Kehar’s gaze to wrap her arms around her youngest daughter. Standing there, embracing her child, the stoic facade finally collapsed: "Go. Please, Mia…Go. Protect your sister, until I return. Tell her I love her. I love you, Mia—please promise me you’ll take care of her." This is the only way. She wanted so badly to tell Mia, tell her the truth, but she could not. Not within earshot of the enemies, she needed to maintain their delusion. It would cost her life, but she needed to keep them thinking she had the ring, because if they did…hope yet remained in the darkness.

"I promise. I promise, mother." The princess’ eyes were red and wet as Frilda gently pushed her away, ushering her to Ladwin. The knight stared at his Queen uncertainly.

"Your Grace…are you certain?"

"Will you protect my daughters?"

"With my life, Your Grace. You know that…"

"Then do it. Protect them. And…thank you, Ladwin. For everything."

It has been an honor serving you, Your Grace. My Queen. The words flashed through Ladwin’s mind, but he did not say them; not now, not in front of her daughters. It would make their goodbye too final. Instead, he nodded solemnly and took a gentle grasp on Mia’s shoulder, pulling her away from the orcs circling Frilda. He looked behind them at the winding road down from the plaza and into the rest of the city, and tightened the hold on Emilia in his arms. "Come." This was all he said, leading the others away.

The queen smiled at all that she had built one last time, before turning back to look upon her fate. Her smile fell, replaced by fierce determination. She drew her blade and cast aside the sheath.

From her lips came a final whisper: "But always is it followed by the day."

Mia sobbed again at the first clang of swords behind them. She tried to look back, but Ladwin kept her head to stare only ahead. I must not look back, I must not look back, I must not look back, I must not look back…

Edited by ISZATSO on Apr 16th 2024 at 11:23:53 AM

Jack is not that much of an idiot to allow himself to be grabbed, darting back when Emma makes the move to do so, though he stops moving and waits again once he clicks to what she's trying to do. He can, at least, agree with making other competitors take part of the force of whatever Emma's about to do to him... Though he isn't going to just stand there and take a raw shot to the chest, concentrating some energy into a makeshift barrier of terrible quality but high raw power.

Which proceeds to be grossly inadequate as Emma's gunshot proceeds to set off a cascade of particle collisions that rapidly escalate, completely engulfing the flaming man and obscuring all view of what's going on in there. Unable to see, and with his own powers going haywire as a result of the nature of that attack, Jack just does his best to hold on amidst this awakening of a new type of hell.

When the world finally returns to a state in which perception near his body is remotely feasible, it's clear that Jack's body is in an awful condition, mostly around the chest where he took the brunt of the impact. A rather nasty-looking injury mars his chest, though which one can see some very strange things about his organs. He has two hearts, copious amounts of cybernetics, an arrangement of different implants slotted in wherever there was room, and other such weird happenings besides. Given the state he's in, there's also streaks of green where the blood should go.

On the outside, the only thing he still has in terms of armor is dense charred skin, the energy he's still putting out in considerable quantities, and enough pants to protect his modesty. While his build would indicate that he's quite the display model, the battle damage that's accumulated from this latest attack is a bit too severe to ignore right now. His hands are effectively gone, his arms are covered in scars as are his legs, loose bits of rogue power are worsening his own condition bit by bit as the seconds tick through, and every so often a rogue burst of green flame emerges from one of the numerous open wounds on his body.

Jack's attention is firmly locked onto Emma, staring her down while breathing heavily. By his own internal calculations, if she hit him with that same attack again or something even bigger, he'd be dead. As for how he's feeling, uh... Let's not get too into that.

   {...You really are beautiful to behold... My turn.}   

He concentrates for a moment, then fires a ridiculously large blast of flame directly downwards, the heat sinking into the sand and disappearing from view, leaving behind a trail of glass and an ominous feeling. Then, moments later, it returns in force, erupting upwards as multiple pillars of energy surge forth from the ground, raining ash and chunks of molten rock upon the battlefield. It appears Jack has had the totally rational idea of forcibly creating a volcanic eruption. The resultant cloud of ash conceals him from view again, the heat also making it difficult to track him thermally, though green flashes among the darkness might give a rough idea of where he's going.

He suddenly bursts out of the cloud, racing over to where the still-intact white stone pillars stand, rapidly burrowing under the earth. In a sequence of explosive bursts, one, then another, then the third pillar are all launched into the air in full, the lower halves of each pillar visibly turning into molten stone goo mid-flight. They come crashing down again nearby in a heap, then Jack zips over to the heap and blasts them with an explosion, directing the shotgun blast of white rock shards in the rough direction of the other fighters. Given the spread, Arlina, Emma, and Tilra are all in the line of fire.

But it seems like Jack was just using that as a distraction, as he poses with his arms out to each side, energy concentrated into each arm that shoots out in a titanic dual-way geyser of flame. This time around, the geysers reach out far enough to put the spectator stands at risk - Gor almost certainly has some intervention lined up to make sure the crowd aren't hit, but that's still one hell of a showy move. One with visible consequences, as Jack goes from missing hands to slowly losing his forearms, burning off bit by bit in the heat he's putting out.

Then, Jack brings his arms forward, directing the streams of fire together and merging them into one infernal superblast. Between the volcanic eruptions and this absurd level of heat he's throwing around, the ground around the fighting zone begins quaking violently, giant cracks opening in the ground as glass shards, molten rock, and atomic flame scatter all over the place. Due to his focus, Jack's raw energy blast is aimed squarely at Emma, which leads itself to two possibilities.

Possibility one - his rhetoric about no longer caring for the fight is mere bluster, and his final resort is to try to beat Emma by forcefeeding her so much power her body can't take it anymore, consequences be damned. A valid interpretation given how much he invested in this one attack.

Possibility two - he was genuine about giving up on victory, has picked a favorite to win in his stead, and is now trying to charge her up as much as possible to give her the edge against the other powerhouses. Also very possible, he wasn't exactly trying to hide his interest in her.

Either way, it seems like this attack is burning him out, both in terms of the power he can access and how much more of a beating his body can take, eventually forced to stop the beam once he hits a soft limit. His arms have totally disintegrated and the power in his form has dropped significantly - he won't be able to pull off something like this attack again, that's for sure.

DNC

It is with bitter acceptance that Hange delivers a bow to the queen. Hange knows that she isn't a part of a squad of soldiers equipped with ODM gear, capable of outmaneuvering a force like this through the dense city: she's just one of many. She can't start a fight here.

No, wait.

There is a moment of hesitation in Hange's eyes, and she recognizes the inequity. Oh, how brilliant the plan Hange forms is, she has to disguise the grin on her face with that bitter acceptance that ran through her moments ago.

She has a plan. It might get them all killed.

First, Hange runs. Just for a bit.

It is her tactical choice. Use her ODM gear to swing back around, give her allies just enough time to run.

...before returning, swinging down to Frilda in a controlled descent while, at the same time, using the resource she's been hesitant to use for all this time.

Out in the open now, the delicate sound of thunder is mistakable for many things. This is a warzone, after all.

And there is a deafening bang.

Hange's repeating pistol fires, the first bullet she's fired in the arena. Its aim is for Ago Kehar's head, slightly off-center but true, the bullet rips through the air and then, another from her second repeating pistol, and another. She fires, in total, five bullets from her right pistol, and five from her left, a short-lived hail of repeating-pistol fire to slaughter the Uruk-Hai encircling Frilda, or at least give her the chance to fight them off herself.

These are anti-personnel weapons, designed to kill human beings but certainly not inefficient against anything else. They rip flesh, pierce armor, and rupture bone, firing with a sound so strange on this rainless day.

"Grab!" is all she has the time to say.

Hange dips down and tackle-grabs Frilda along the way, scooping her up to try and deliver her away.

Back to their allies? No, Hange is going an entirely different direction. This plan would be stupid if the only reason she was doing it was to save the queen. The Uruk-Hai obviously want Frilda, so it only stands to reason that she'd be better off as bait than a living sacrifice.

If her plan is a success, Hange has only this to say:

"You're probably still going to die, so don't celebrate just yet, but we might be able to buy a few extra seconds if we're lucky!"

It is to be noted: Being tackle-grabbed by someone using ODM gear is not pleasant for the person doing the tackling or the person getting tackled. In fact, Hange probably has a broken rib or two, not that she's likely to notice.

Empire Arms Hotel

The four of them agents doesn't like to be scolded, specially Zamba, who's only a child, and very specially Rosita, who has an explosive attitude at times.

I mean, is not as we have a map of that realm or something.

Rosa, calm down please.

Bombuccia, who didn't talk during all of the briefing, scolds Rosita, and she shuts her mouth right now.

After all, their inquiries about the Nightsong and the Netherstones were solved. But they have more questions.

That "Dominion" you mentioned... Do you know what kind of "unstoppable attack" enable? If we know about it, we could prepare better for Kenjaku.

If our mission is disable Kenjaku but not kill him, we could get help from the Quimirock Corporation. Their weapons are dangerous, but barely lethal. They helped us a lot in our latest mission.

Loinball rises his hand like a child in a classroom.

What if we kill Kenjaku, but somehow we stay near him to trap those spirits, Ghostbusters style, before they do any damage, huh?

...Yes, only an idiot would give such an idea. Somebody needs therapy ASAP. Zamba chimes in too.

I am a time traveler, and I think my forced partners are too. I've met good friends and brave warriors too. Wise men from another eras, another place. If you allow it, I could bring them too to fight. And also I could offer my time travel device... Altough as a last resort, since I don't know how it could work in this dimension, let alone if it even works...

DNC

The group finally got out of the tunnel... And they were greet by the desolate landscape of a city in war. The explorers couldn't help but feeling sad about them...

But that feeling not lasted long, because the barbarians were about to attack Frilda.

And reading the movements of Hange, knowing well they are about to motion a crazy plan, they went with the princesses.

We have no time to lose! Run! We'll be with you.

Minira

A group of four explorers steps into the city gates, about to get some vacation days...

When they were greet by the army of monsters that want to turn this place in a new Legend of Zelda game.

What we will do? Asked Flor, the most unexperienced of the four.

Some of those critters look cute, don't you think? Said Dany, a girl who cares a lot about nature.

We have to wait if those monsters are hostile on us to act. Suggests Wally, the leader of the group.

Mando, the Gadgeteer Genius of them, just nods.

Edited by BombonBombin on Apr 17th 2024 at 7:08:55 AM

"Master Kain, I exist only to serve you."

…

Alanah watched the strangeness consume the land of Estraole, and in her eyes and mind, she saw a blessing. For days she had availed of an opportunity to please her lord and master, and now before her was the greatest sign she’d ever been made privy to. Fields glowed with a false serenity, idealistic but artificial beauty forced upon a world made beautiful by its multitudes. Alanah could hardly contain her excitement, and a wide and toothy smile broke onto her lips. Her heart pounded in anticipation, and when she saw the changed landscape all around her, a high and drawn-out giggle filled the air.

Oh, what a bloodbath it’ll be!

…

Bubbling.

There was a bubbling in their chest, the chest of a lone monster, one of many assembled outside the city. His blood boiled and hissed in his veins, piercing his flesh from within, as though trying to break free. And then it did.

From this single monster’s back burst Alanah the Gore Queen. Her arms were raised in glee and a wide grin had taken her lips, and she bathed in blood. The pale cultist of Kain would hit the ground with a roll and hop to her feet, spreading her hands like a gymnast who’d just finished a routine, as though she expected the army of monsters gathered here to cheer her performance.

Apartment

Save

• Birthright, Conquest and Revelations

With how risky Gunter describes the quest, “Pyra” definitely needs to prioritise on that sync clone.

A purple robe floats downwards from the window. This has to be their upstairs neighbours’ washing blown over by wind. Quickly grabbing it before it can hover further, “Pyra” goes upstairs (after locking their door) and knocks on their neighbours’ door.

Behind the door is 5 Bio Sparks.

“Pyra” handing them back their robe, they start introducing themselves. The 5 Bio Sparks call themselves the Kagura Squad, each wielding one of the Power Effects from Star Allies (and thus specific ones will be named after their Power Effect), and they also work at Dededelivery, just taking turns on weekdays. Talking to them allows “Pyra” to get the Kirby UI: The ability to see their list of techniques in the Pause Menu (in case they forgot how to perform one).

[Social Link even though none of the current UIs really have that]

Establishing themselves as coworkers and neighbours, “Pyra” and the Kagura Squad agrees to help each other in times of need - for example, the quest.

Apparently, this being Hub Centralis and the Kagura Squad’s relative small size means that every delivery has a chance to become a quest. The boss is pretty lenient on non-delivery quests due to the nature of the Arena so the Kagura Squad are willing to join “Pyra”.

[Not even an X press to throw a Friend Heart needed wwwww]

Minira

William was just inside the city, enjoying his time winning his fair share of drinking bets. He walks out with a good amount of pocket change but the city he's in decides to be ransacked by monsters. On the bright side, it for sure does not look like anything of Empyrreich origin. It lets him fight the urge to run away and instead fulfil another one to help a man out.

He would get straight to business the second he sees more monsters. With a flick of his finger, a small horde of monsters would suddenly bisect and lop their heads off at a fine point. On the contrary it topples over a low-rise building caught in this thin slicing point.

His control over Cleave and Dismantle has gotten better, though it still needs a lot of work.

"I-I'm so sorry-"

He has no idea how he'll repay the city for collateral damages, so he might as well just save it!

Annihilation Nergigante

Artemis stands her ground but is quickly picked up by the Annihilation Nergigante. She braces her arms forward to try and contend with the beast in a contest of pure strength, but that wasn't necessary, she was dropped onto the World Guardian.

"Now I catch'y'er drift, tryna pack all'a us into a single point like we're grub."

She nocks multiple arrows into the bowstring and takes aim for a short moment — she needed to watch Yuta fuck up for a bit — then shoots out a wide sweeping array of wind-breaking arrows, the same as earlier. They're only aimed at the Annihilation Nergigante's direction to get his attention.

After pulling out a pair of much thicker arrows — bordering on spears — her real plan comes to fruition. That is, to lunge for her arrows mid-flight and use them platforms to preemptively dodge the Elder Dragon's attempts to swat her down so she can crash, hit it square in the torso and latch on.

Edited by BoniniBanana on Apr 18th 2024 at 12:09:33 AM

Estarole

"Hmm?"

Haru had been enjoying a rather relaxing evening away from Centralis. Enjoying the sun, looking through local markets... It was nice to get away from-

Goddammit.

He sees the mass of light and shadow approaching before he can do so much as blink. A sensation of calm starts to overcome him... but he shakes it off.

"Well, there goes my chance at relaxing... Such is the life of a Fixer, heh~."

He quickly grabs his gloves from his pockets and slips them on. They're nothing fancy, except for the fact that they...

"Hmmh... did I forget to refill it..?"

fwoof

His gloves emit a small puff of flame.

"-ah, not at all, haha! Quite the contrary, I think I topped them off before coming here~!"

With a small chuckle, he leaps into the air, his boots exploding into jets of flame as he launches himself across buildings towards the horde of monsters. Upon landing near some, his gloves explode into flame, sweeping the area in a rain of fire as he rapidly twirls around with his gloves out at full blast. His boots are aflame too, helping him keep up his spin.

"Ah, you'll all burn... But it is quite fascinating to watch, isn't it~?"

Centralis - EXCELSUS

Croque pushes herself off from the Metal Gear as it leaps up, before sighing.

Someone just got on top of it... While I'm in the air to strike above it. Have ye no fucking regard for tactics?

Instead of her original plan (attack the MG from above) she instead rushes in and opts to instead try and cut one of Excelsus's arms all the way off.

Who even was that guy?

Church

"Huh."

Apparently, Emma's attack is just the fucking sun. Arlina simply warps out of the path of the ensuing chain of fusion reactions before-

dear fucking God there's more of them

-Jack's thing happens. Luckily, stone shards aren't that fast, thankfully. Fast enough to where some embed into her, but she doesn't so much an wince.

"...this is getting annoying. I didn't want to do bullet hell today."

In one swift move, Arlina forms a spear of light and hurls it down at Jack, aiming to simply spear the nuclear powerhouse from head to toe.

She then glances over at Emma.

"You don't like questioning yourself, do you. Questioning if who you're fighting for is truly right. Oh well, I guess I'm not convincing you today."

Arlina flies up further, before sitting in the air and waiting. She doesn't seem to notice the sizable burns across her body- she didn't warp away from Emma's attack fast enough. Then again, she isn't charred, so... she probably doesn't care.

Onyxis

"Not exactly, but I should be able to get us there quicker with enough time... Sleep for now. I'll work on something to get us there faster."

He starts to work on something on the ground, roots snaking from the floor, leaves and flowers flourishing. A gate to nature itself, suitable for travel. It's nowhere near complete yet, however.

Edited by RainbyPlays on Apr 17th 2024 at 2:21:11 PM

Onyxis

Luna watches, wondering what Mason was doing, but she couldn't comprehend what exactly he's doing. She notices Eski as she stares at the dog with sparkling eyes

It looks fluffy... It's like my mother, besides the wings, and the bells, and the fur.

She went over to Eski and lays down beside the dog, snuggling herself near the dog's fluffy fur. Luna curls her tail around herself and closes her eyes. Soon, she succumbs to sleep.

Empire Arms Hotel

Sam is confused by the whole ordeal. Stepping into this room, he feels like he has somehow arrived on the moon, what with a cast of participants this colourful. All those descriptions of perilous trials that Gunter talks about sound alien, arcane... The fact notwithstanding that Gunter's... "descriptions" tell him absolutely nothing. As he goes on, Sam's usual trained-friendly smile fades.

Sam wasn't in the mood for working for yet another bad boss, considering he'd just been fired. He makes his way to the exit, then turns around to wave goodbye to everyone else. "I'm sorry, this is all far above my pay grade. I'm sure you guys will do fine, though!"

And with that, he leaves.

The idea of a Domain scared him, quite frankly. An unavoidable, irresistible attack..? It seemed, then, that the best possible choice was to end that fight as quick as it began when it came time, before the Domain could be made manifest.

It was a shame the others who were present at Nohr couldn’t be brought back for this, though. The priest had to admit, it would’ve been good to see some familiar faces again. And after, Gunter’s explanation on why they couldn’t simply jump Kenjaku unfortunately made a lot of sense. Pucci was no enjoyer of the idea of playing right into his trap…but it seemed their best option.

And, to him, no longer was this a matter of adventure or rewards. The Prince of Nohr was in danger, and his own personal morals dictated that he do whatever it took to help.

Pucci turned to Pyre as she spoke, and arched an eyebrow at what she had to say on the matter.    "You’re familiar?"    He asked. If she knew this Moonsong…

   "I don’t believe in first impressions. Or second, or third impressions, for that matter. I believe only in what a person does; how they better themselves. The traits of a person, annoying though yours may be, are nothing compared to their true actions. I trust that your actions will prove the true nature of your heart, and that, in spite of your first impressions, you do mean well…but, of course, whether you come or not is not for me to decide.."    Pucci turned his head away from Pyre and towards where he had heard Gunter’s voice coming from, looking at the tall and dark figure in the lit room.

Pica-Verse

Previous

Sora and Altina both start forward, only to stop and look back at the Hunter.

"Huh?" "What?"

Beat

"Never mind. We can't let it wreck this big city!" Sora leaps into the air and glides toward the monster with impressive speed.

"Don't go too far ahead!" Altina calls after him. She makes sure not to rush in, staying with the rest of the party in case they fall behind and get attacked by other enemies.

Makai

Previous

Peppino has become a cursed image, down on all fours. "I'm TRYING!" he repeats, before pushing himself off the ground, flinging himself headfirst at Mr. Khamen.

Astil

Refia looks over at PC!Areui when he puts a hand on her shoulder and starts speaking for her. She nods, grateful that he voiced her thoughts.

She also nods to his whispered explanation. "Same idea."

Then, finally, she turns and addresses Areui and Kirue. "I might be able to make it easier for you. I can sense the presences of angels—the harder I focus, the farther my sensing can reach."

PC!Areui can do that too and probably with greater range, but Refia wants to contribute and he might hesitate to do it on principle.

Fort Dawnguard

Perceval steps in front of Radahn, leveling his Chroma Katana at the disgraced general.

"I know little about you, but it is clear to me that we need you."

Assuming Radahn moves to strike him, he jumps over the Starscourge's attack, landing on his massive arm.

"So what will it take for you to act? Name your price!"

Estraole

Four Explorers

Minira has become equal parts beautiful and monstrous, glimmering rays of sunlight casting down onto monstrous growths of malice that spiral from the castle like cancerous roots.

Two Lizalfos, bipedal lizard-like creatures armed with straightswords, set upon a fleeing civilian nearby. The quartet has only moments to find a way to stop the monsters from ending the man's life!

Alanah

A terrible bolt of golden light descends from above near to Alanah, from which an enormous monster swiftly manifests in a burst of gloom that rushes over the battlefield. The beast before her is the Helmasaur King, suddenly flanked by many Helmasaur, and supported from the air by an arrangement of bird-like Kargaroks. The boss at their head strikes first at Alanah, whipping with its tail!

William

The host of Moblin and Bokoblin in front of William is torn apart by William's technique. Screams erupt from the falling high-rise, as those still trapped within come to their senses in the face of their oncoming deaths.

In the meantime, two robotic pirate captains, Scervo and Dreadfuse, set upon William from out of nowhere, both wielding an electric sword and hook. Scervo strikes with his hook, while Dreadfuse stabs with his sword coated in electricity!

Haru

Manhandla jumpscare.

The monster practically grows from the ground, plant-like and four-headed. It spits a jet of poison liquid at the sort-of Pyromancer from two of its cardinal-facing heads!

Fast asleep, Luna begins to dream. Snuggled beside Eski, the dog's warm body begins to remind Luna of her mother.

Luna's Dream of Her Mother

Luna begins to dream that her mother is right beside her, still alive, with her cuddling and playing with her, in a open meadow full of flowers. The two happily enjoy their time and bonding together. Eventually, her dream fades away, leaving Luna's mind empty.

Astil

"Really?", Areui asks, looking amazed.

"She's the best at it.", PC!Areui smirks confidently. To Refia that'll convey he's fine with leaving it up to her.

Iris, meanwhile, wonders if Refia would also be able to locate gods. ... specifically canine gods. Because that would make searching for Amaterasu after this a lot easier.

Regardless, since Refia needs to focus, Areui, Kirue, PC!Areui and Iris all remain silent. As does the Deliderp, but it's already always silent by default.

When Refia starts sensing angel presences, she'll naturally also sense Kirue and Areui. Areui's 'angel aura' (or however Refia would perceive him like this) is noticeably dimmed compared to his older brother's, a side-effect of all the Devil Areui stuff that's from long before her time in this place. With Iris she won't be able to sense anything at all, which tracks with her claim of not being an angel. The Deliderp, likewise, also doesn't feel like anything. With enough focus, Refia'll be able to sense multiple distant angel presences, with them being clearer if she focuses on specifically angels and not devils (or angels of death) and the like, granted that she can consciously separate those two with her sensing. If 'angels' also includes arch angels, she'll of course be able to sense PC!Areui too.

The one furthest away from them feels disturbingly dark and corrupted (while somehow not being a devil or angel of death), with it being located in a far away forest. That one's probably (hopefully) not Yazur.

There's also one in a far-away town, but that one feels incredibly weak and restricted as if contained in some way, and she'll only be able to feel it if she can also sense arch angels.

If Cyber Angels counted as actual angels, she'd be able to locate Pandora somewhere too. It's unlikely, but if it does count somehow, Refia would be able to sense her somewhere in Skyrim.

Lastly, there'll be one more clear angel presence. This one is actually on the edge of the forest, and seems to be slowly moving towards the group's direction. This one feels dimmed, but in a different way than Areui. More like... incomplete in some way.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 17th 2024 at 11:48:18 AM

It is best that I handle extracting the brain. Kenjaku is an ancient being, after all. Who's to say that he won't have a few ways to defend himself? Don't worry, you'll be given a brain to crush after all of this. But I think that these are matters kept for after we win.

He notes what Pucci and Vi have to say, and then briefly ponder, rubbing his sharp chin. Now that you mention it... he glances down at the group. There is nothing really stopping any of you from contacting these warriors. I could give your their names easily if you feel so inclined. And if you'd mind sparing the extra time - I plan on seeking out "Captain Foxy", a man involved in both these events we went over.

I do not know if he is alive. Gortash's diary and the man himself couldn't reveal me anything given his condition. But I intend to seek Foxy out. Not that I think we'll find much of value - If he's returned, Kenjaku might have disposed of him since then. But it'll give us an opportunity if nothing else.

And why could you not try that before?

Helping you and Corrin took greater priority, since the boy might as well be my son, Gunter responds, sighing... but sparing Corrin a mirthful glance, the young man smiling back. Important as Foxy could be, I wanted you and Corrin to be safe and secure. And I focused my efforts on getting to you. Though I must admit, you've handled yourself superbly against Kenjaku's brutes. I only needed to lend you the tiniest of assistance.

Beruka scans the room as Gunter says this. Mark, Nuue and Lily weren't intimidating but they looked mightier than half the gathered team. And as she listened to Pyre, the Nohrian woman frowned a little. If you prove yourself competent, perhaps. If not, your flailing efforts will only endanger our cause. Corrin bumps her in the side, but she doesn't stop. Pyre's goodwill would be useless and she'd be a loaf if her competences failed behind her tough talk.

Perhaps she was harsh - but it was better be harsh then regretful at seeing her massacred corpse.

As for Corrin, he initially move to try to say something, but Pucci's speech goes through first and Corrin simply close his mouth, nodding in approval and glancing at the priest in approval, tapping him in the shoulder in approval that become awkward when he realizes the priest's blind.

... You are one of Selune's worshippers, I see. Gunter says, scratching his chin. He briefly freeze, as if realizing something, then carries on as usual. Regardless - Kenjaku's "advertisement" has gone missing from the streets. He might be waiting for something before his experiment can return to form. I do not know when those posters will be back, but I beseech you to train, prepare, recruit, prepare and prepare for what's coming. And remember the descriptions of "Morgan" and "Azura" that Gortash offered. Ketheric might be immortal, but he's one obstacle amongst many.

I will be leaving to seek out Foxy - With any luck, perhaps we can always spread words of our cause to the right people amongst the Arena.

Beruka knew she wasn't going.

Err, I'd like to go.

Beruka knew she was going.

Kenjaku's bold, Corrin. Are you sure going out so soon after yesterday's event is wise?

Foxy helped us kill Garon, right? He was one of the people who freed......... me, he pause, shaking his head to chase away the actual memory. I owe him an attempt at helping him out.

Gunter peers across the room, looking out to see who'd be a part of this and who wouldn't. He also considered the matter of Pyre. A Selunite, huh? She seemed to be somewhat useless, but he could help her.

And perhaps tame her along the way, so that her anger and worry for Dame Aylin could be crafted into a fine arrow to impale Ketheric with.

Edited by Bolded1 on Apr 17th 2024 at 11:50:00 AM

DNC

Somewhat regretfully, Medicine moves with the others to protect the princesses. Truth be told her prognosis for the queen isn't very good anyway so she may as well make her death count. She resolves to do her best to save Emilia at least.

Confluence of Fates

Soulstealer snarls angrily as his tail gets jabbed for big damage. His crystals turn grey as he reflexively switches to Steel type. The Moonblast thus does less damage, as Soulstealer drops down to avoid the mid-air hammer, only to get bodychecked by Terapagos. He glares balefully at Terapagos and goes to bite it to drain it. Only for it to shrink.

Well that's an easier target. His jaws clamp tight around the little fella and he should feel lucky Soulstealer doesn't eat meat. Instead he faces Rayne, and fucking blasts out a fire beam to use Terapagos as a flame assisted bullet.

Minira

Estraole being messed with is rather unfortunate when some people live here. Flandre opted to step out herself to find out what the devil is going on in her home turf, touching down like a red comet in Minira and noticing lots of monsters around. Probably summoned by whoever started this. She opts to start cleaning up by sighting the nearest horde and summoning Gungnir, before hurling the divine spear like a speeding bullet through them. Upon it stopping or getting too far it quickly reappears in her hand.

Excelsus

Monica does her best to hang on by digging her MVS into the armor, while reaching out to grab Kado to similarly help him avoid getting dismounted by the fucking huge thing somehow jumping. This behemoth gets more ridiculous the longer she fights it.

Red Hood nods, finding Gunter's proposal acceptable.

"You got yourself a deal," he says.

Bucky, after taking a sip of his beer, shifts his attention to Pyre.

"Just remember to respect your elders, kid," he says, motioning to Gunter. "There's probably a damn good reason he lived to be this old."

That remark prompts Jason to glance at the super soldier.

"Wait, so how old are you supposed to be?

"Old enough to know you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I died and was brought back to life. Try me," the vigilante replies.

"Really? Would you believe me if I told you I might know what that's like?" Bucky inquires.

Vi looks up from her gauntlets when Gunter suggests seeking out people who helped defeat Garon.

"If I ever run into her before we head out, I'll let her know."

Hub Centralis, a bar in the center of town

A dark and sinister-looking knight◊ enters the bar. He sits down at the counter and looks at whoever the barkeep is with glowing red eyes.

   "Tell me where I am."   , he gruffly demands.

DNC

Kana goes back to normal after seeing that she might not need to keep it. Or she's so unsettled at the sight of the burning city that she can't keep the focus on her draconic form. How could things become so bleak in so little time? There couldn't be more than hours between their arrival and the city's seeming sacking... How quick violence could be, sometimes.

But still, this isn't what bothers Kana so much.

As the... Orcs, Orks, whatever their name is, approach them, Kana's eyes widen at the sight of Freilda offering herself up as bait to be used by them. And for some reason, the idea of a child losing a parent really drive her into a frenzy!

No! Don't do that! You can't do that! But as Hange goes in flying, Kana freezes, thinking that the woman was diving in to save Frielda. Good! Kana was about to give her an earful for being so careless of her life. She had good intentions, but a parent deserved to die surrounded by her children, not alone and with the knowledge that one of them was badly wounded and struck by a disease.

And yet, even when it was the former death, a good death, it...

Kana just blink and try to make a run for it with the group, entering her dragon form fairly quickly and with little build-up.

   Grab on to the scales!   

Mr. Khamen - Makai

KO! Down went Mr. Khamen!

A portal to the next level opens up after Mr. Khamen's defeat. It's a mountain, where the gimmick is ropes. In addition to rescuing the Toppins, Peppino must climb to the top as well. At least, there's catchy music.

Pucci, Mech, Estrule

Enrico couldn’t help but note the neuron activation that took place in his brain after feeling the recoil of a gun, but then Pucci remembered that weapons of war were well beyond a priest.

He needed to remember: these were to be used by him in self defense and self defense only. Violence could never be his first resort.

Then the other dummies appeared. Surely those hatchets wouldn’t really do anything, right?

…right?

It was better to not find out, Pucci decided, and wheeled around. He could make out the faint locations of the dummies, but could not pinpoint their exact positions, and if he shot and missed…

Well, that would not do. But his first priority was to break from the circle. And so he held the cane ahead of him and lunged forwards, intending to use its superior range against the axes to his advantage. The moment the staff found purchase against one of the dummies he’d shoot, to open up a space through which he could escape encirclement.

——

"…Huh. Maybe…remote operated..?" He pondered, but before he could entertain the idea further the EXELCUS hopped wildly in an effort to buck him off.

Thankfully, once he had begun to gain air as the mech descended from the peak of its hop, Vincent was there to keep him from smashing back into the steel platform and being flung off immediately afterwards. He gave a grateful nod to whoever was inside the smaller mech before motioning to be set down.

They’re trying to dismantle it, piece by piece…

He ignited his lightsaber again and thrust it at the metal, just over the hollow portion of the machine’s innards.

When what we SHOULD be doing…

He attempted to move the blade in a rotating motion. If uninterrupted, it’d cut a circular shape into the machine’s top, which would collapse inwards…

…is destroying it from WITHIN.

Kado would drop in if successful, and begin going absolutely HAM with his lightsaber on the controls. The fact that they were moving led him to hope that, perhaps, the machine somehow required them to operate…it was a long shot, but he was hopeful.

——

Alanah shifted her gaze to the newly formed Helmasaur King. Her wide grin suddenly fell, and a hateful glare took its place.

"You.." She hissed with a scowl. "You’re…you’re only…FODDER!!" Her scream echoed across the locale as she broke out in a straight dash at the gargantuan. But when she jumped at the beast and the metal talons hovering over her wrist flipped in the same direction as her fingers, jointed and long and barbed and unimaginably sharp, she did not attack. Rather, she’d attempt to rebound off of its helm, lunging instead at one of the Kargaroks in the air above. "FODDER!" Her scream persisted even as she reached the metal claws outwards at the flier, aiming to tear it to red ribbons and bounce off its remains at another.

"FODDER! FODDERFODDERFODDERFODDERRRR!!!!"

Edited by ISZATSO on Apr 17th 2024 at 9:35:51 AM

Empire Arms Hotel

Pyre seems to falter at Beruka's words. Maybe she was right. Maybe all Pyre was was a casualty waiting to happen. Just another death to be forgotten about, among so many.

"I-I..."

She clenches her hands tightly. No. She won't fall to her doubts. She'll prove herself. She'll show them she can be useful. That she's not just some kid. She's an adult, for crying out loud...

"I've survived more than you know. I'll prove I can help."

Pyre turns to look at Gunter.

"I'll come with. Admittedly, I'm not the greatest of fighters, but I haven't survived as long as I did back then by being unobservant. But if we're just trying to find someone, should be easy enough..."

She makes a mental note to drop by her hideaway and grab some different gear- she didn't need a sword when they were headed... she hoped.

Minira

"Hmm~?"

Haru leaps back, coming to a stop a bit of a ways away from the monstrous plant.

"And what manner of Abnormality are you, hmm~? Surely, something simple... Well, it has poison, and vines, and it seems quite murderous. At least TETH, maybe?"

He runs forward, sliding under the cloud of poison before kicking forward with jets of flames from his feet, aiming to scorch one of the heads. He uses the resulting momentum to flip himself back to a standing position and finishing up with a fire-wreathed punch.

"Ah, no matter, I've handled worse. Much worse~."

He's slightly annoyed that he's fighting with just his backup weapons. Were he in possession of his proper armaments, he'd have burnt this overgrown weed to cinders already.

"Ah well. I can still burn just as much with these hands of mine, hmm~?"

He leaps back after his attack, on a trail of blazing fire. The area around both him and the Manhandla is still burning- his earlier attack used some napalm, it seems.

DNC

Kaisui had been running like hell. Her body ached a bit from that railgun shot- but when she saw the Queen in danger (she had set her down after all) and then Hange sweeping in to draw the creature's focus with the Queen.

She knew what she had to do.

"OI! BIG'N'UGLY!"

That's the only warning he'll get before a loud CRACK rings out through the air, louder than even Hange's guns. Kaisui is standing there, determination in her eyes. Wrench in one hand...

...and oversized handcannon◊ in the other. It fires .61 caliber rounds, made to punch right through the hardest shells of Europan creatures, ones that have been hardened to survive the deepest depths. She fires off the other five shots.

"So you're some harbinger of darkness, huh? Well, guess what? You're not the only one who has dominion over such things. Hear the song of the Abyss, and be crushed by its pressure!"

Kaisui's going to regret this later.

She focuses with all of her might. Drawing from the wells of water- any source she can reach. All flowing into her, giving her enough energy to function so far away from the Abyss.

The extreme energy needed to manifest in her true form is much more than what it would take her to do so in the Abyss- her domain. But with enough energy, she manages.

Kaisui manages to turn into her Abyssal form, though it's only temporary. In this state, she's made of water, and can't exactly be injured short of polluting her...

...but the extreme strain means it'll only last for 1 turn.

Onyxis

Mason works on forming the gate as the hours pass. By the time he's finished, he's exhausted himself- but the inside of the cave is full of plants, roots... and most importantly, near the back, is a circle of roots, stones, and plants, glowing with a gentle light, ready to be used.

"It's... done. Phew..."

He leans against the wall, deciding to take... just a short break.

He falls asleep.

Island

Lucien picked up on the trail and motioned for the others to follow. When they got there...

"A graveyard of bones... What caused this, I wonder...?"

At Khars'li's words, he nods.

"I have an idea. A moment."

He pulls out a rather fancy carpet and unfurls it. At a moment's notice, it begins to float, and Lucien pulls himself up before holding out a hand to pull Petra up.

"Sorry, Khars'li. I'm not sure if this carpet would manage to hold your weight... Last time I tried with a goliath, we nearly plummeted off a cliff."

Once both him and Petra are on, he slowly begins to move the carpet forward over the tar, keeping an eye on everything around him- his sight even seeing within or below the tar, which is rather useful.

Onyxis

Luna awakens, noticing the various stuff towards the back of the cave.

What's that?

Curiously, she appears the objects.

>APPRAISE

A variety of plants, roots and stones lay here. They have a strange glow to them. I wonder how they got here?

Luna turns her head towards the door, noticing Mason, who's fast asleep taking a nap

Was that thing there before? It couldn't have... Did he just find one? The human seems to asleep... Guess I'll wait until they wakes up.

Luna lays back down near Eski and curls up, waiting for Mason to wake up from his nap.