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• Case of Mondays

"Pyra" doesn't really know how to respond due to the quick change in mood throwing them off slightly, so they just make a quick nod and greeting.

| You |

"H-hello there. D-do you use this room for practise too?"

"Pyra", carrying their cup of coffee, moves back to the table and continues with their bass practise. (OOC imagine the link on half speed as "Pyra" practises going from chord to chord.)

Haru’s blade cut successfully into Pallia’s flesh, but it seemed to have little effect on his psyche—for how could you break a thing already broken? When it drew blood, the blood was yellowish and pus-filled, clumped and coming out in globs rather than as a fluid. He responded with a back-slap of the wrist, meaning to knock the man away from him.

The battle-strewn streets crackled with the sound of flesh against flesh as Sukuna’s divided arm clapped together upon Pallia’s chest, sending the burned man backwards—but perhaps not as far as Sukuna might’ve wished.

His feet left skids of blood and flecks of fried skin behind as he planted his feet firmly in the ground, lessening an impact that might’ve sent him flying back thirty feet to a mere three. He wasted no time in approaching Sukuna again, barreling through the hail of disturbed chunks of pavement even as they smashed apart against his skin or sunk into his flesh. The pain of it had no effect, for perhaps he had been trained and tempered against allowing such a pitiable to slow him…or perhaps he could no longer even feel it, for he was nothing more than a forsaken spirit puppeteering an already rotting corpse.

Either way, he was intent on doing as much as he could before he faded into a long eternity of void.

His free arm lashed out at Joker’s collar and, if able to grab it, he’d pivot Sukuna around to swing him into Haru as though the King of Curses was his preferred weapon of choice, before using what remained of his momentum (regardless of if Haru was hit or dodged) to throw Sukuna into—and probably through—one of the ruined buildings nearby, intending to keep him out of the long enough to deal with other issues…

…

Luna’s Dazzling Gleam knocked the lanky cultist into the heavy cultist at wild speed, both of them shot backwards and crashing against the dumpster in an alleyway. There, they lay still, leaving the only remaining direct threat to her as the gorepriest facing off against the Mutant Child.

The wretched little creature had grown to massive heights, but this only made the gorepriest even more delighted, for he was nothing to him now but a much larger target. He waved and waved his staff, before drawing it back in a motion that attempted to control the kaiju kid’s very blood and rip it from his body.

Hub Centralis

I-I did it! I managed to beat them!

Noticing the gorepriest, Luna freezes in place.

W-What is that? It looks scary... I must leave somehow...

Luna quickly turns and flees, looking for shelter until that thing is defeated or gone.

   He's immortal for a minute. How does that translate? Obivously it let him fight longer than he should, and it doesn't heal him, but does it shield him from decapitation? Is he going to just live with being a head for thirty seconds if that happen or will his body keep fighting? Hehe...    Sukuna decide to keep going, a mistake on his part, perhaps caused by him inhabiting a somewhat weaker body than what he's used to.

He's unable to react to Pallia in time, his face twisted in agreeable surprise as he feels his iron grip's firm press upon his neck. The regular Joker's neck would be comparable to the content of a mixer at this point, but Sukuna keep going. And through it's somewhat humiliating to be swung around, he doesn't panic, instead using the limbs he has left to his advantage.

Raising his arm, he try to wrap it around Pallia's arm, while moving to also hook his legs around his arm, trying to actively keep himself wrapped there. He hit Haru, or maybe he doesn't, but he doesn't care. And as for his mutilated arm, the healing process is interrupted as Sukuna is forced to interrupt the healing process to properly apply his technique.

As he's swung around, Sukuna laughs in delight, finding the experience amusing.

   Hahaha, you're a gutsy one! I can't wait to see what they look like!    Sukuna's hand move to try to touch Pallia's arm. And from his hand, upon Pallia's very flesh, thin red lines will start spreading, like a grid of gore that will spread across Pallia's arm, slicing off tiny cube-like portions of his flesh at an increasingly fast rate, while also already starting out as pretty fast!

Cleave is an ability Sukuna can only use when touching a target. It allows him to start cutting said target apart like fillet by mere contact, letting the tiny slashes work their way around the target's toughness and energy much more quickly than Dismantle, which require making contact a bunch more, at the cost of lacking range.

   We'll be down an arm each!    Sukuna gloats, attempting to basically slice Pilla's arm apart.

School

"...of a sort, yeah. I'm no good with music though- I usually come here because it's empty. Not today though, huh?"

Noah sheepishly rubs the back of his head, noticing that "Pyra" seems uneasy at his presence.

"I-it was my gaze, wasn't it. I've been told that I stare."

He lets out a small chuckle before sighing.

"Sorry. I'm more observant than most, and it kinda... well, creeps people out, I guess? Nobody likes being stared at..."

He sighs, crossing his arms against his chest. He's not... amazing with social interaction. Then again, when half of the shit he sees is out to kill him, why would he socialize? He's not even that good at fighting... Well, not exactly.

"...anyway. Guess I should at least introduce myself, huh? Name's Noah. Noah Romed."

He doesn't hold his hand out for a shake, seeing as how the two are on near-opposite sides of the room and "Pyra" is practicing anyway.

For a moment, his eyes look elsewhere, and he seems to tense up for a split second before relaxing.

Centralis

"Hmph~."

Haru quickly snapped into a blocking stance, being pushed back a few feet or so but suffering no physical damage. He smiles that usual, dismissive smile, and steps in front of the trident to block it before firing a HP Bullet at Lily.

The trident pierces into him, and he stares down at it for a moment, before pulling it out and simply ramming it into the concrete, aiming to get it stuck. The three wounds on his chest are slowly leaking blood, but much less than the should be- as if the suit he's wearing is keeping him alive beyond simple defensive value.

I've only got 5 left in this mag... right.

Erin, meanwhile, closes her fist before flinging it to the side- while Pallia was still alive, she couldn't exactly exert her control over blood- but now?

She aims to toss him (and Sukuna, if he decides to stay grappled) into a nearby pile of rubble, by way of forcing his blood that direction.

"Can't you just die when you're supposed to? This is getting boring, really..."

Edited by RainbyPlays on Apr 27th 2024 at 7:04:14 AM

Burning Hoshido

Corrin visited his dream with a sort of horrified reluctance. He'd been through this song and dance before, the young man skipping around the burned wreckage of the hall all around him. Silhouettes danced at the outer edges of his vision as he attempted to avoid burning debris, either falling on his head or blocking his path. He didn't even try to extinguish them: even though he wanted to, that ability was beyond him.

But could it even help him? And did he even need to? He couldn't feel the sting of the flames nor their heat.

And in fact, it was instinct that told him to dodge them. And every other time, he felt like a cold chill was blowing at him.

The young man felt content dodging and running like a regular person, attempting to find the exit of Castle Shirasagi as it collapsed around him. He could scarcely tell that the ravaged and seemingly endless hall around him was once one part of Hoshido's proudest, oldest structure, rising high in the sky. Now burning up, forever tainted by what Nohr was doing to it - the end of a generations-long war that he had helped resolve.

And by "resolve", he meant that countless innocents outside were being torn to pieces. Massacred, beaten, slaughtered, their lands pillaged, their future destroyed and their homes ransacked. And even if he killed Garon, even if he set things right, none of it would be fixed. All because the people on both sides had foolishly trusted him to be their savior. An unbiased party who would raise above the bias and pettiness and rise to unite both countries together.

Instead, Hoshido was now doomed to remain under Nohr's thumb. The savior, he was only to those thugs who, if he hadn't been born, would have been unable to cross the border and pillage the country.

Corrin isn't left alone to ponder on his issues for too long though. For the end of the dream is nigh, and heralded by a muted pain through his chest. One he almost greet as an escape to his pain. Falling to the ground, Corrin doesn't feel the warm puddle of blood spreading from below him, nor does he feel the searing heat, nor does he hear the thundering footsteps of Takumi behind him, the tall figure approaching him in dead silence, for once.

Of Takumi, he only recognize the distinct stupid hairdo and clothes. The rest of his body has been engulfed in monstrous shadows clouding his face and body, with only the light of his red eyes or blue bow to partly illuminate his features. He's beaten Takumi. He came back from death just to do that. And at the end of the day, with the help of Beruka and the rest of the soldiers of Nohr, it had been Takumi who knew defeat for the fourth time, and death for the second.

So why?

Why was Takumi always hunting in his dreams? Why was he always this overpowering presence against whom none of Corrin's tricks could work?

I hate you. Corrin snarls at the phantom Takumi, seeing him stop a few feet from him, aiming the next bow right at his neck. The light of his bow, combined with that of his eyes, illuminate Takumi's face, revealing nothing but a twisted frown. Even in triumph, the wraith couldn't find any joy at all. I hope you're suffering wherever you are, Takumi you dirty piece of- Before Takumi can fire, an axe suddenly goes and split Takumi's head in half, the young prince's body vanishing instantly before the might of the ol' surprise attack.

Standing behind where Takumi was, his old weapon falling at her feet, is Beruka. Seeing her in his dreams was usually a bad thing because she wasn't all that alive in those, but the sight of her being alive and well, even smiling slightly, filled Corrin with hope and dread alike.

Hope at being saved. Dread at her being suddenly killed by another of his foes - Garon, or Iago, or even Julius, although the last of the trio definitely appeared far less owing to there being... less contact.

Your dreams aren't all that agreeable. Beruka says, holding her hand out and lifting Corrin to his feet. The young man doesn't answer her, a bit starstruck at how real her hand feel as she grasp him. You deserve so much more than to look back at the past in fear.

Is the future that much better to look up to? Corrin says, thinking back of Kenjaku. And finding himself surprised that doing so didn't make Kenjaku appear as well.

Perhaps because he'd never met the man, only having an image of him at best?

I'll make it so. For you. Beruka says, putting her hand against Corrin's chest. Just listen to me always. And know that I want what's best, alright? Listen to me. And let go. Close your eyes. Corrin does so, closing his eyes in complete trust. He half expect them to open to reveal something profoundly horrible and inhuman but he just sees the dark ceiling of his hotel room, with half of Gunter's face peeking out at the very downward edge of his vision.

Corrin almost gasps in surprise until he feels a breath on his neck, prompting the young man to look to his right side to see Beruka deeply asleep next to him, with her arms still wrapped around him. He's surprised not to see her immediately open her eyes back - Beruka was a very light sleeper. And it was rare for Corrin to wake up before her without her immediately awakening as well.

He had to guess she was profoundly tired. Even though he had another concern.

G-Gunter? he whispers. Besides him wanting to let Beruka sleep, he knows she'd have a much stronger reaction to finding her father-in-law standing in their beedrom late at night. The young man himself feel a brief surge of shock and anger initially dulled by his groggy surprise, and move to try to put his cover up over them. And during that brief distraction, a half-second gesture at best, the building anger stops and recedes back into the deeper corner of Corrin's mind.

He doesn't immediately get why. And his anger make way for confusion at watching Gunter holding a sort of purple ring between his index and finger, the older Nohrian making his fingers sway back and forth to study the item further, face deeply contraried. I didn't take you to be vain. Gunter says, flipping the ring upwards, then letting it land in the palm of his hand before pocketing it away. Neither you nor Beruka, in fact. I guess even I can be surprised, hm?

He didn't wear his armor, but instead a black long-sleeved buttoned shirt with a high collar, black pants and black boots. Corrin wasn't surprised to see that Gunter's choice of P Js could pass for high-end clothings elsewhere: the man was just like that.

Corrin frowns, remembering the preceding chain of events better. They'd taken to wearing those rings on their index finger, both he and Beruka (a quick check is easy, with her still wearing the ring on her index) had bought them with Vladek at a store to shield themselves from mental inter... I'd like that back Gunter, please. Corrin says. He thought wearing the ring was gaudy since they had their wedding rings already, but he could tell that Beruka wouldn't have wanted to buy something for the vanity.

For Gunter to break into their bedroom and to pocket his ring, there were definitive merits to Beruka's counter-measure. And in fact, the young man slightly raised his tone, not in anger, but to let Gunter knows that he was ready to have her as backup if needed. Father or not, Gunter's behavior was crossing a few lines.

And yet, when Corrin had expected Gunter to ignore him or mock him, he was surprised to see the older man lean over to give him back the ring, letting the object drop in the palm of Corrin's hand. I wasn't even prodding at your mind. I could simply feel a wave of anguish coming from your room and hurried over using a double of your key. I suspected that item to be responsible somehow, and took it off your finger in answer, Gunter says. And that's when you awakened.

Corrin blinks, taken aback and looking at the small object. Huh? Something about that didn't feel right, but yet he felt like focusing more on the dream. Like a slight prod that direction. There's something I'd like to talk with you about. Father to son. He nods to the still-asleep Beruka. Corrin hadn't budged, fearful of disturbing her sleep. We can do it next room or in the hallway if you're worried about her safety.

N-no, of course. I'd like to talk to you too, a few things, nothing much, but during the day we... Corrin carefully slips out of Beruka's arms, then slips out of the cover, and then he notices that, to contrast Gunter's clothing, he's rocking what amounts to a fancy boxer. Thankfully for him, Gunter looks away, a coy smile on his face, and he points to Corrin's drawer.

Good to see you've moved past pyjamas.

....

Edited by Bolded1 on Apr 27th 2024 at 3:24:53 PM

Having split up slightly, the troops are separated from each other by the arrival of the Host, though that doesn't seem to bother them too much. They've trained for this sort of situation.

The HZ-12 wielder begins pacing around the Host, firing on it occasionally with two-at-a-time tight pellet clusters, each shot packing a surprising amount of penetrative power considering the lackluster size of the individual projectiles. They have to space their shots out, not wanting to accidentally catch out a teammate (or ally of convenience) within the spread.

Mercer initially aims his Mac-10 at Ikosa, but the AK-12 wielder shoots him a glance and shakes his head.    "That target is resistant to many damage types. I didn't catch if fire would work."    By the time Mercer is ready to shoot again, Ikosa has already vanished.

"Hrm. That probably won't be the last time we see him..." he mutters to himself... Then turns and begins unloading quick bursts of bullets from the Mac-10 at the other parasites in the area, moving about the battlefield both to avoid the Host's gunk and to position his shots better. He starts with the Host first since that one shot at him, then fires on each of the Viscera - each shot he successfully lands would set the target on fire due to the incendiary ammunition he's using.

While the AK-12 wielder also opens fire, he's focused specifically on sending arounds at the Host, his training guiding him to aim each three-round burst of rifle bullets at the Host's various heads. There's nothing particularly special about his ammunition or the way he aims, just procedural targeting of assumed weakpoints one at a time. Having not started moving right away, a blob of Host gunk manages to graze one side, and he glances downwards at the point of impact as his ballistic vest struggles with the poisonous properties of the substance. That's surely something worth warning everyone about...

   "Alert - enemy substances may compromise armor integrity."   

DNC, Nohr, Parasite

Medicine’s arcane projectiles crashed against the shadow-strewn wyvern’s hide, landing with a meaty thud and bursting into raw magicka upon impact. Kana’s jaws snapping came close, so very close to catching the beast’s snout, but in the end it proved just the slightest bit too fast and reared away.

It seemed to notice where the two of them were hurtling downwards towards and, recognizing that it would rather not find itself pinned beneath the weight of a dragon and its small legion of armed allies mounted upon it, pushed off from Kana and broke away from the battle. Another shrill shrieking pierced their ears and in the pale, dim moonlight, for just a fraction of a second, they caught the hint of a dark figure upon the beast’s back donning a spiked crown and holding high a blade that glimmered black.

But as soon as they saw it, it was gone, and the monster had melted away once more into the night sky, dead and empty for no star was strong enough to pierce the roof of smoke over them.

Ladwin gave a shout of alarm as Kana hurtled towards the building. He grabbed Mia from beside him and pulled both charges close as the dragon burst through the stone wall. The force shot him off their ride and, using himself as a shield for the princesses, tumbling along the floor. He smashed through a wooden table and came to a stop near the bookshelf-lined wall.

When he stirred, the first thing he does was check that Emilia was still breathing. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but indeed it was—though her fever was concerning, to say the very least. Ladwin looked from her to her younger sister, who was crawling back onto her knees: "Are you hurt?"

"I don’t…I don’t think so.." Mia said, visibly dazed. She was unsteady, grappling on to the half a table remaining after their violent collision and using it to rise onto her feet. Ladwin glanced about at the rest of the room they found themselves in: wide, but barely lit: Kana’s shield of water had protected the squishier among them from a very quick and very sudden death, at the relatively insignificant price of vanquishing more than a few torches that had been glowing in here. Various tables and stools were spread out across the chambers, and from the gaping hole in the cobblestone wall, Ladwin could see from three stories high out into the rest of the city, colored with orange and yellow, with the crescent moon hanging above the utter destruction.

"I think I know where we are," He murmured aloud to the others, lifting the unconscious Emilia to her feet and wrapping her arm around his shoulder after adjusting his claymore back into place on his back. "An inn, near the city wall—the Dancing Dragon." He snorted. Even now in such a grim situation, the irony of crashing into the Dancing Dragon upon the back of a dragon was not lost on him. He glanced at a door that led out into what he knew was the hall, for this was the feasting room.

"The gates will be the worst place to be; it’s most likely that’s where they entered through, and that’s gonna be where we find the highest amount of fighting, which leaves us with only one other option. The tunnels beneath the keep are not the only ones. All across Al-Aggad are layers upon layers of ancient tunnel systems, designed to guarantee escape in a situation such as this. Some are more well-known than others…but some are absolute secrets, known only to the King and Queen and the people they trust most. The one I’m going to show you…" Ladwim glanced uncertainly at Mia. "…I don’t think even the princesses know of."

——

Pucci nodded at Xander’s guess. He went on to explain in brief his own recollection of the meeting in the Empire Arms Hotel, of Gunther’s explanation of the events that had occurred and the events to come. He wish he could have provided a brief description of the others as well, but he hardly knew anything of them save their voice.

When he was finished, he seemed to take the news with perhaps more grace than Xander seemed to think he would, a brief smile and a shake of the head.    "I understand—Nohr yet has a wide berth of problems to deal with, even now. I would never ask to take men away from their home that needs them; even elite soldiers, I’d only ask for them if they have nothing else here to deal with. But support in other ways could go a very long way—any connections you may have, perhaps, anybody from the battle of Garon you remain in contact with, any aid in this would be greatly appreciated, and in return, if we could ensure the safety of Corrin…obviously, it’s not the very same Corrin your people or Hoshido’s are familiar with, but it is one nonetheless, and I’m certain there are people within this world’s Hoshido that would appreciate it."   

Pucci paused for a moment. He spoke again of questions that had plagued him for nearly a year now, questions of multiple dimensions and other worlds and diverging timelines…he’d seen it, felt it, at the hands of Garon for but a moment before he’d stolen the mountain of a tyrant’s access to his other selves. He’d seen other versions of him, but something had stuck out to him: across every other Pucci he nearly collided with that day, they all had one of two Stands. There was Whitesnake, obviously, but another as well. Green and spiked with crimson eyes, it had looked almost like an evolution of Whitesnake. Why that one in particular?

Again he was reminded of the strange man he’d met and his strange questions, but above all else, the question of gravity. He’d found himself pondering the idea of “destiny” at times—Gor had given them agency, free wills of their own, had Gor not? That was why the Church preached betterment of oneself; Gor won’t control you, you must control yourself, you must take your life into your own hands and do with it what you will, for only the strongest could forge their own paths while the others, the sheep of society, simply hung their heads low and let life push them wherever it took them—

But was it really so simple? Pucci didn’t believe in "true" destiny; he didn’t believe in a single thread along which everything that had ever happened was guaranteed to happen and anything that would happen was already set in stone and could not be changed…but perhaps there was a more subtle version of destiny. Some mix between a predetermined path and freedom to choose your own road…

   Gravity.   

"Do you believe in gravity?" That was the question that haunted Pucci these past few days. A universal gravity, pulling people and places and things together, destined to be together…but with their free agency, they decided what happens during the collision. They decided who lived and who died.

Gravity. Destiny. What a torturous, uncertain game. It drove him made sometimes, the lack of clarity of it all. The idea that you road was not entirely influenced by yourself or a higher being, but by others. Gravity could pull a man into your life and that man could decide you deserve to die; and in the morning you’d find yourself dead in the streets. In a perfect world, Pucci pondered, you’d know. You’d know where your road ends.

But then he remembered where he was and who he was with, and Pucci wiped those thoughts from mind and smiled and made a jest.

   "Besides, the others who were there…well, we’ll just say I’m not entirely confident in their abilities. Me included, of course…I’m sure you’ve noticed and decided not to mention it, to be polite."   

——

Yuta glanced up in alarm at the attacking host. Thankfully, somebody else had made the decision to take Kiose away from the danger…but admittedly, he didn’t trust the stranger to ensure the child remained out of harm’s way.

"Rika," he whispered, never breaking eye contact with the tower of gore, "make sure the kid stays safe." There was an assenting growl and a whoosh of air as some unseen force pushed away from him and followed the previously injured boy. They’d need to question him on what he knew after this, but more importantly, they’d need to take care of him and find him a new home. Something told him what little remained of the village wasn’t like to be habitable for some time.

But those could be worried about later. For now, he had the attacking Host to worry about. A blob of gunk dripped through the air in an arc at him, but Yuta made sure to jump quickly away from it. He bounded from the ground and at the Host, pulling both legs in so his knees touched his chest before shooting them out at the Host in a Cursed-Energy infused dropkick!

DNC

"Whoa, what a trajectory!"

Hange says, laughing as they all together fall in unison towards the nearby building.

"Hey! Can someone shield me, I seem to have lost track of where we're going to crash!"

School

Save

• Case of Mondays

“Pyra” also relaxes a bit for their self-introduction.

| You |

“M-my name is Clover Si but I usually go by “Pyra”.”

Hmm, this chord’s a bit off. “Pyra” proceeds to tune their bass a little bit.

DNC

Taye grabbed a nearby speaking person, putting herself between them and the stone wall just before everyone crashed right into the building. After the dramatic impact, she rolled across the room, knocking over three wooden stools before smacking against a wall beneath an extinguished torch.

When all had settled, Taye struggled to sit up, her gaze instantly focused on the person she'd guarded a moment before.

"Kaisui!" she shouted out. "Are you alri..."

She trailed off awkwardly as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, helping her realize she was staring at Hange. When she spoke again, her voice was much softer.

"Uh... Hange, are you alright?"

Slowly, Taye stood up, grunting as she briefly held her chest - impacting a literal wall sure hit her hard. Despite that, she straightened up and held a hand out to Hange, offering to help her up.

"I bet the patrons here would've been stoked to meet a real dragon." Taye grinned at Kana's direction, before turning to look at Ladwin with a serious expression. "With any luck, those tunnels won't have any Mordorians in them, they're a real bother. We should move quickly - I doubt we'll be left alone for long."

While thinking about Mordor's forces, Taye's mind flashed back to the strange wyvern and its crowned rider, but she soon returned to the present. She made a headcount, glancing over everyone to make sure they're doing well enough before moving on.

Edited by Hotpizza on Apr 28th 2024 at 11:38:49 PM

"It's more than me. My only real hobby back then was studying bugs. I like bugs! ... but not cockroaches, those are the stuff of nightmares. Anyhow, I ended up stopping because eventually even the bugs stopped showing up."

That certainly paints a grim picture of what's left of Morgan's world considering that the Risen, literal walking corpses, should be attracting all sorts of flies and other nasty little critters just by existing. Either everything alive is gone up until the extreme of insects, or even the insects saw no chance of survival with Grima going around and retreated to nooks and crannies, maybe even hiding underground.

Morgan then lowers his head a little.

"... y'know, I... always had some sense that what we Grimleal were doing... wasn't fully right. Even before meeting all of you. I always felt like my guts were twisting whenever I saw people running from us all afraid. But I don't think it ever fully clicked with me what that was really like for them, and you, until what we saw in Nohr. I don't know if that's because Mother and the others kept reassuring me we were in the right, or if I'm just naive when it comes to things that aren't strategic, but..."

He rubs his hands together, clearly anxious.

"I really don't think I could fight Mother. But I also don't wanna hurt innocent people anymore, not even if she tells me to. I want to help in whatever way I can. But the only way I can think to do so would..."

He glances away from Lucina for a moment.

"... I know where Julius' castle is. But I'm scared that if I tell you, you'll immediately want to go there to stop him. And you'd get overwhelmed. There are still too many Einherjar to take on at once. Not to mention the troops that... aren't Einherjar."

Lucina had known that Morgan could remember where Julius's castle was. It's an information Niagara couldn't keep from his brief time amongst them due to Grima's interferences, and getting it from him was key to Samsara recruiting him at the time. At the time. Now, it had seemed like a bit of a pipe dream. Especially with Morgan's status and the fact that his loyalty to Grima seemed to trump his sense of kindness sadly often.

But he knew. And he also knew that the odds were that the warriors who'd go there would be overwhelmed by the Einherjars, plentiful despite the numerous battles against them. Hence, his reluctance to tell them.

Lucina did consider it - she could pass the information to stronger people easily, mind you, and ensure that they would attack Julius and win... but would they? What if there was some kind of trap that Julius could have laid? He had been in the Arena for a decent while. The odds were that he had counter-measures in place that could be outright crippling even to stronger warriord.

They would need to be careful about this. And out of anyone in the Arena, they were the ones who knew best, and could best take Julius's personality into account when it came to making traps.

Still, Lucina didn't think that much about it at the moment.

Then we will have to prove worthy of it, I take it? They'd defeated their fair share of enemies, overcame great odds, even survived Nohr, but Lucina knew that Morgan likely saw Julius's court as far deadlier than the rest of the Einherjars.

It's fine by me. It's best that we prepare ourselves appropriately.

"It's not that you're not worthy or anything, I just don't want to risk you guys getting overwhelmed by them. ... I think it'd be better to deal with the Einherjar from Tellius at least first if we get the chance to. They're split into three powerful armies, and taking out Lekain should get rid of the Blood Contracts. Not to mention..."

He looks somewhat frightened.

"Well, I don't know if they can actually do it, but I've heard rumors that Lekain plans to betray Julius by summoning the Goddess of Order, Ashera, and then turn her on all of you. And... I don't know if we'd be able to beat her. As for the Ylisse Einherjar, there's not a lot of them and I believe the only real threat there would be Mother. It's probably due to their lower numbers and Mother not having regained her true form yet that she's stuck with Julius all this time, unlike those other Grimas."

He sighs and leans back against the wall.

"Strategy-wise, I think the best move would be to draw out the Tellius Einherjar and split their forces to deal with each army separately. If Lekain falls Julius would be forced to make a move and Mother would probably use the opportunity to betray him, weakening him further. The only issue is that I can't really think of a surefire way to draw them out, and I don't know which army Julius plans to send out first. If it's the Ylisse Einherjar that come first and they get dealt with, Lekain would definitely be more careful in his approach and splitting up his forces would be much more difficult."

Huh, he really has been trying to think of ways to help them, otherwise he wouldn't have come to these conclusions.

"But yeah... until we know how to go about it we should probably prepare as much as possible. Maybe look for more allies too? Not saying it to be mean, but if the cultists ambush us again like they did when you fought me and you don't have more forces than back then, I'm certain Julius will make sure we stay dead that time."

DNC

Medicine is at first glad that the weird bird fucked off but now they have a pressing issue of "about to fucking crash" to deal with. She feels a bit bad for not being able to help the others with the landing as she lets go of Kana and uses her flight ability to slow her descent enough that she merely tumbles in after them rather than wholesale crashing down.

She dusts herself off before conjuring another light orb to be safe.

"Ok sound off, anyone injured to the point of needing immediate attention?" she asks. Emilia of course is still fucked up but that's still not something she has the luxury to deal with at present. Any injuries that would slow them down though she needs to get working on stat.

DNC

Fucking crashlanding on a building is a thing that's happened before to Kana. And she doesn't mind it too much when it happens to her. It's uncomfortable but she feel sorrier for the building, really. Except that she's reeling with sudden wounds this time around, and she has squishy passengers that she can't really not protect this time around. Luckily, Kana has came up with a solution for random crashes.

Gathering water at her "hands", Kana creates a bubble of water and move it in front of her, dulling the impact on her significantly and perhaps saving her fellows by having them smack into the water... and harmlessly float there. Perhaps surprised and a bit worried at swimming in mid-air, but the magical water won't let them be harshly affected by a shock that would have been pretty fatal otherwise.

Kana herself take the shock, groaning as her body impacts the building. She rolls along, quickly detransforming herself along the way once everyone was jumped off. She keeps rolling, wincing in pain as she immediately move her hand over to her wounds : she wants to check if she's gotten in any corruption, and make Medicine's work easier if so (by pointing it out), but she only care about that.

She fully expect the wounds to be big, red, and painful, but so long as it's fine, she just shake her head if Medicine approach her. Kana's a bit incensed about being taken out of the sky and outright failing when the others had counted on her. And in her panic, she scarcely notice Frielda not being there. Panic becoming anger, Kana huffing angrily as her wounds sting her.

No! No! I was so close to bringing you to safety! She says, drawing her sword in annoyance. She then freezes, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Moving one hand to her forehead, she goes and sweep her blue hair back. Let's just go. She says, sounding bitter and humiliated. She had to do better for next time, and do something to help the group instead of embarrassing herself.

...

Nohr

Xander nods. He didn't really have ties to the people who went there but with Leo's expertise, they could try. I... was a witness to you disabling that odd power Father had been bestowed with. You shouldn't sell yourself so short. Xander says, leaning in his seat as he think back of what he could give.

He also tried not to say he saw Pucci in action because, you know.

Finding some of the fighters within my world should be easy. We haven't touched the cosmic tapestry ever since the fall of our Father, wisely, but we could always try and recontact some warriors from other worlds as well if you want. My authority is limited to Nohr, and cannot cross the borders of worlds, Xander scoffs. But we could always warn them of these troubles. And see if they would fight again. If not for Corrin, then for a good fight. I cannot promise most will come to us, but that will be a start.

For the matter of any aid, we could provide you with healing elixirs, a few items to enhance your physical condition or magic, staves, some of our toughest shields and swords, rare staves and some of those bizarre water capsules you used to slay Father back then. The armor especially - we've been working on one for Corrin, combining Hoshido and Nohr's talents at blacksmithing together to form something light yet protective. We will need to explain the situation first though. But it's only fair that it shields the other Corrin, right?

It felt like too little - but Xander still wished to assist.

These supplies will be a good start. Although... do you know who you will be journeying with? It might help us figure out what kind of weaponry would be most pertinent. Although on that note... He'd noticed it before, but it had only struck now due to the particular individual character's identity. Xander leans forward, squinting his eyes as if only now realizing something obvious.

Perhaps it was because Gunter had always been isolated and in almost-exile, not interfering with the matters of the Nohrian Court for decades now.

Perhaps it was because the accident was still fresh and this particular casualty was only the beginning of a massive massacre, the likes of which meant even a decorated knight's name would be lost in the crowd.

Maybe it'd taken him a while to absorb and fully realize what the man had said.

But he was categoric. His eyes own had beheld this.

A cold chill run down Xander's spine, the urgency and wrongness of the situation making even the King of Nohr briefly lose his composure.

"Gunter is dead."

Edited by Bolded1 on Apr 29th 2024 at 3:54:57 PM

Hub Centralis

The Mutant Child feels how his radioactive blood its ripped out of his body, and he slowly shrinks down...

But he fight against this feeling, and attempts to grap the Gorepriest between his still big hands.

RUN/DNC

Thanks to Kana's water shield, Grace is safe after the crashing... But Joy is unconscious. He could be worse, but thankfully this isn't the case.

We have to find the way out of here soon, and we have to wake up Joy soon!

Edited by BombonBombin on Apr 28th 2024 at 11:03:02 AM

School

"Pyra, huh?"

He hums for a moment before setting his bags down. Notably, alongside the satchel he uses for school supplies, he also has a kendo bag on his back.

"Guess I've heard stranger. Well, my last name is weird enough..."

He goes quiet for a moment before his eyes flicker to the odd logo attached to "Pyra"'s guitar bag.

"Hmm... I've never seen any symbol like that before. A flower over a crescent moon... does it have any meaning?"

He leans off of the wall, starting to make himself a cup of coffee. He'd finally decided for one, it seems.

School

Save

• Case of Mondays

“Pyra” isn’t too certain on how to explain the logo being used for The Lily, the character customisation engine they run on, and it’s not like they often go out of their way to open the logo’s file. Guess it’s just a thing for those running on The Lily then.

| You |

“I… saw it somewhere before. I don’t exactly remember where I saw it, but it looked nice. Flowers and moonlight… they form a beautiful image of nature.”

(The Lily logo, combined with Ravenos and the Typhoon, forms the Kachou Fuugetsu of Japanese art and philosophy.)

Edited by TheTropingAlliancer on Apr 29th 2024 at 11:07:12 AM

Drawing them out will be difficult if we don't give them a reason to specifically pick them. Julius wouldn't be above sending Einherjars of her father and friends to attack her... but then again, there were always the odds of her jumping into a new fight while it was on-going and keeping low until then, since Julius might not necessarily take her into account if she lies low.

Still, it seemed like they had to go for the old ways now : wait for Julius to send in his troops, deal with them, carry on until they could find a good way. To their credit, it had taken Julius stepping in to do the original Shepherds in. And hanging around in Hub Centralis made it more likely for them to have powerful, if unexpected and random, backup at a whim.

Still, it was wise to hide. After all, it's not like said backup was necessarily guaranteed and including a random hypothetical as a key part of a strategy was probably below Morgan's creditentials.

Looking for more allies is the wisest course of option. And one that's easily within reach in the city too. Lucina agrees. I might begin doing that now that I've settled in this place.

Training Field - Centralis - Pyre & Noah Solopost

Clack!

The sounds of wood impacting wood rings out through the nearby air. In the center of a packed field of earth, Noah is coaching Pyre on proper swordsmanship.

"Just flailing it around like that won't get you anywhere. C'mon, let's try this again..."

Pyre huffs, lifting her sword and swinging it around again. She does so without form- disorganized enough for Noah to easily stop the blade with his hand.

"-How do you keep doing that?!"

"Simple. You're flailing around, but it's predictable. If someone wanted to, they could easily disarm you."

"Ugh... I don't need to swing well if I get close enough! I bet I could land a hit on you if you only used your sword!"

Noah just sighs and shakes his head.

"You're welcome to try..."

Pyre charges forward at Noah, yelling as she swings her blade about. Noah blocks each of them with his training sword- until he simply knocks the blade right out of her hands. Her eyes go wide as Noah points his (wooden) blade at her throat.

"H-how?"

"Easy. You just need to listen. Are you finally willing to learn?"

Pyre grumbles as she takes Noah's outstretched hand to help her up.

"...fine."

Now, Noah wasn't some veteran swordsman, capable of taking on whole groups of men and winning. But he did know enough to stand his own against an opponent or two. So he spent the next few days training Pyre- he had to change what he'd usually use a bit as she didn't have the same sort of magic as him. By the end of the week, both their muscles ached, and Noah's body felt a bit numb- the sparring had awakened some magic inside of him... but not nearly enough.

It's never enough, he lamented, as he sat to drink some water after the latest training session.

No matter how much mana gets forced into me, my Magic Circuits just won't open... The amount needed to activate them is proportional to the quality and quantity, I think. Mine could either be really good... or terrible.

Pyre sits down next to him, letting out a sigh. She looks over at him, noting his thoughtful expression.

"What are you thinking about?"

"-hmm?"

He blinks as he snaps back to reality.

"-oh, nothing important. Just... old problems, I guess. You look like you've been thinking about things, too- what's been on your mind?"

"Well... There's something I'm going to be doing soon. A whole adventure with a group of people..."

She smiles slightly, a change from her bold attitude.

"That's why I wanted to learn from you, Noah. So I wouldn't be as much of a burden on the people I'm traveling with, y'know..?"

Noah just chuckles and grins.

"You probably could've learned from someone better, y'know? I'm no great swordsman or high-class magus, I'm just a boy thrown into a world he doesn't know."

Pyre just shrugs.

"Do you think any of the really good people would've put up with me?"

Beat

Noah sighs.

"...you have a point."

He looks up at the sky for a moment.

"I'd like to come with you, if I could. I've been meaning to do something outside of school."

Pyre looks over at him and blinks.

"-sure, I guess? Do you even have an actual sword?"

Noah nods.

"Yes, but in a pinch, anything will do."

"Huh?"

"...just watch."

Noah grins slightly, setting up a training dummy before grabbing a wooden training sword. He lets out a slow breath as he focuses his mana into the sword, reinforcing it- feeling his arm flare up in protest for a moment.

He brings the sword down onto the training dummy, sending it skidding back a few feet. The bottom of the thing is weighted, so it... shouldn't be able to do that.

"Hooh... my arm burns a bit."

"Then don't do whatever you did to hurt it, dummy."

Pyre crosses her arms with a hmph and frowns.

"Hurting yourself to do something isn't worth it, is it?"

Noah stares for a moment before shaking his head.

"...you and I are really quite different, aren't we."

He looks over at the training dummy he'd sent sliding back.

"...then again, I'm not unlike someone from my world... Though his idealism ended badly. Most of the time."

"Eh? I thought something could only end badly once..."

Noah just smiles.

"That's a topic for another time, I guess."

He gathers his things and starts to walk off.

"-anyway, I should get going. I'll see you around, I guess?"

"...yeah, see you. -and don't do anything stupid, you hear me?!"

Noah just smiles as he walks off, back towards his home.

School

"Just saw it somewhere, huh..?"

Noah shrugs, and then thinks for a moment.

"...Flower and moon... -wait."

He thinks for a moment.

Flower and moon... sounds familiar. Like it's missing something... Here's hoping i'm right.

He taps his chin for a moment before a hint of realization comes across his face.

"Hmm. 'Experience nature's beauty, and learn about yourself.' A shorter translation, of course, but I think I get the symbol. Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon. Otherwise called Kachou Fuugetsu."

He shakes his head and grins to himself slightly. It's a sheepish grin.

"...my adoptive family used to tell me to live by such a thing. Still trying to do the whole 'learn about myself' part, though. Wonder why it's just the flower and moon, though... It looks nice, but the resemblance is odd."

He shrugs again, shaking his head.

"I'm probably just imagining it, though. Some symbols are just used to look nice."

He takes his coffee from the machine and adds some sugar and milk to it before taking a small sip.

School

Save

• Case of Mondays

Kachou Fuugetsu... About learning about youself.

Maybe in this case making your own identity as well?

Wait a minute...

Ravenos and the Typhoon can very well be the Bird and the Wind even if they're ot part of the logo itself. The lily in the logo is straightforward enough and directly refers to the name of the program, so why the moon?

| You |

"M-maybe the logo only having half of the symbols also represents this thinking - by seeking for the other two, one can possibly learn more about themselves on the journey."

Kinda like how "Pyra" learns more about the Arena and meeting Ravenos on the way.

"Yeah... and I don't think there really is a way to do that.", Morgan says. He then smiles.

"I hope you'll find a lot of strong ones. I'd volunteer to help look, but I have to stay at the store at all times unless told otherwise."

There's then the sound of something big walking towards them. Turning to look will reveal it's just Morgan's wyvern however, who comes to nuzzle Lucina with its head for a moment. Hey, it was one of the Shepherds' wyverns before it was Morgan's, so it's bound to be happy to see Lucina again in a situation where they aren't enemies.

"Looks like Nia's happy to see you too.", Morgan chuckles.

Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex

Young Xehanort is playing at the arcade. They didn't have technology so sophisticated in the world he called home, so he's enjoying the chance to rock out with some Guitar Hero.

That is, until he senses a presence. Bringing the song "No More Sorrow" by Linkin Park to a close, he hangs up the guitar controller. Clock sigils spread out on the floor from his position, but before anyone could realize the source of the supernatural occurrence, Young Xehanort brings time to a halt, and the world's colors invert. Summoning a black cloak over his standard attire, he pulls the hood over his head and walks out of the arcade.

Ah, yes. One here is powerful enough to resist.

Children and adults alike, whether ignorantly enjoying themselves or just beginning to react to the time freeze with concern and fear, stand frozen in the moment of the spell, yet one person walks through the crowd of human statues unbothered.

Magneto.

"What business have you with my children and theirs?"

   "Nothing. I don't know who you're talking about."   

"Do not play dumb with me, boy."

   "The man with the power of speed and the woman with the power of magic, I take it. I have no interest in them or the children they are caring for."   

The Mysterious Figure's eyes, hidden beneath his hood, glance to the side. A lingering distortion in spacetime, only visible because time is frozen, remains where Ninten used his 4th-D slip.

   "Rather, it was the boy who relied on their help. And now that he's gone, I'm enjoying myself."   

Magneto folds his arms. "Or simply giving yourself an alibi in case you were to be caught."

   "I think you worry too much, old man. Picking a fight with a teenage boy in the middle of the Pizzaplex? For shame."   

Magneto scowls. "You may be right about my image, but I know your intent is malicious. I will not take my eyes off you."

   "Fine. You won't see anything amiss, I swear."    With a smirk, Young Xehanort lowers his hood and walks back to the arcade, letting time resume as Magneto looks on.

Fort Dawnguard - Not the Scene with Irish

In a quiet study room, RF!Anna watches Heroes!Julius, arms folded as he sits at a desk full of paper reports. "You have the latest details. Work your magic."

H!Julius smirks.    "I believe I already know. Reluctant to dispose of a durable body, my counterpart will give the Einherjar Hilda one last chance. With her attempts to go big having failed spectacularly, she'll try something more subtle. She'll look for children left unattended who have extraordinary potential, of whom there are more in the Arena than you might think. One with magical power who the enemy Julius can break to turn that power against his foes, or one with advanced technology they can dissect to create weapons of their own."   

He raises an eyebrow.    "Or perhaps even both."   

"You mean Tremont."

   "Indeed. Though he may be old in years, he is still mentally and physically a paranoid child. Prime prey. I wouldn't let him out of your sight."   

RF!Anna looks away and grimaces. "Shit."

   "Too late, I take it? Oh, well. Another prime target from our worlds is a recently-arrived variant of Ophelia who wields the power of the Blight Dragon for herself. The dragon in question would be Garon, by the way."   

"Goddess, I hope it's not her." RF!Anna turns and heads out the door, ready to go find Tremont.

   "One more thing. Be wary; just as the Neo Shepherds are receiving unexpected help from outside sources, the same can always happen in favor of the Einherjar. This world is not on your side."   

"...Duly noted. Keep such ominous warnings to yourself, though."

   "If you insist."    Julius chuckles as the door slams shut in front of him, and he returns to his studies.