Hub centralis, Megamall
As the gunshots ring out, gregor's arm snaps into action more suddenly than the rest of his body, partially blocking the shots with its chitin. The arm is injured, but it rapidly heals.
The shopping carts are a tad more of an issue, as while the blade of Gregors arm slices through one of them, the other makes its mark. Fortunately, Gregor gets bac on his feet quickly enough. He's been roughed up enough in his time with Limbus company and in the smoke war to recover from a shopping cart.
He rushes towards the one with the firearm, Insectoid arm slicing away, in an attempt to retrieve the firearm.
His cigarrete goes out, but his headlamp stays on.
"Poor saps..."
Hub Centralis - Approaching Ground Zero
Athelier's gaze narrows at the sight, although he opts not to pry any further for the meantime, instead sliding his sunglasses back on and clicking his tongue, a decision balanced on his fingertips.
There are multiple presences, he can tell from a cursory glance, at least one in need of aid, even if they're not alone, and he knows that the mall is a rather obvious choice to go for, what with the other people already headed to that particular building, about to face unknown entities.
Hostile, he thinks. Might as well lend a hand.
It's in the blink of an eye, but Athelier shifts from merely strolling to practically flying towards the entrance of the Megamall, speed augmented by a burst of magical energy. He slides to a stop just by the door, glancing around the vicinity to check for anything that might be worthy of note.
Edited by SymeSynth on Aug 31st 2024 at 4:54:41 AM
Creator of the Avatar Arena and its Discord server.Adventures In-Sanity
Sand
Save
- Adventures In-Sanity - Submerged Island
Stage: Submerged Island Area - HKU Station - Underwater U
Time: Around 3:00PM
Instead of a direct answer from Joanne, Carrie herself answers the question by opening a Tricky Tip.
“ It worked! Uhh, you may not have met me in person yet, but I’m Carrie. You can find me in the Sha Tin district which is covered in the Scalding Sands effect. I advise getting goggles and mouth coverings before you come over because the area has the occasional sandstorm. ”
Monica furls in her wings before doing the transformation sequence with Joanne. The helm’s visor also has a glass layer for visits to the Scalding Sands area. (Dual wielding an axe and a spellcasting shinai is… horrifying.)
Trick-Stars has slightly odder ways to deal with the sand, with Kass making a water bubble around her head, “Pyra” only needing goggles because they already have Trusty Scarf covering their mouth and Honey not bothering by displaying another ability she has: burrowing into the ground and relying on vibrations to navigate.
[You got Stat Boosting Beans!]
Which is once again a Mario and Luigi related joke what with beans buried in the ground even if it doesn’t make sense for there to be beans in the ground.
Du-Du-Wa-Do-It, Arena KatsudouAstral Knight: Konngara (Centralis Cathedral Thing)
Konngara noticed the room had began to change, and lowered her sword as she 'floated' back into the lighted area (or perhaps it was the lit area that appeared in front of Konngara), but remained wary, her eyes suggesting that she didn't exactly trust this Charlie fellow.
The wisps of red and black that typically appeared on Konngara's left and right were an odd sight all their own, and the Astral Knight's immaterial lower body was still rather faded and zig-zagged. "Oh, great, damned religious fools..." were some of her thoughts, noticing the caged bird.
The yaksha had prior experience with these (especially Abrahamic) preacher types, back during her time in Jigoku. They were often very fanatical, unwilling to listen to reason, and an all-around pain in the neck, though Konngara never had any real trouble "escorting them" to their "destination", shall we say... The fires never sounded so good right about now.
"This yaksha's name is Konngara-Douji, though you may call me Konngara, the Astral Knight of Jigoku, and guardian of the Silent Shrine," she began, introducing herself rather formally.
"I could be described as one of Fudoo Myoo-oo's attendants, so I know a good bit about lament and suffering. Although, given... this..." Konngara gestured to her surroundings, particularly the altars, using her free hand as she went on, "...I doubt you know that figure." The yaksha's glowing red eyes now locked in on Charlie's strange form as she finished speaking, looking somewhat disturbed at seeing the 'sweat' that appeared to drip off him.
"Hmm." Mirage contemplated silently as Denji and Yuki Goofballed all over the place. She looked out the side of her eye to the students. "Where did you find these people again?"
Libby sighed and lowered her head. "Around."
"Right…"
"Regardless," chimed in Badahur, "I think you two should come with us. Who knows what sorts of trial await us…it’ll be better to face them with as many people as possible. Right?"
"I suppose." Mirage nodded. Not far away, Lily seemed satisfied with Ethan’s answer (which doesn’t technically exist cuz neither does the post but shhhh this serves the narrative better) and smiled faintly.
"Well…just stay safe, alright? All of you. It was good to meet you, Ethan—we’ll need to hang out at some point." She waved goodbye to the gang as she retreated back to the others. Mirage cleared her throat and clapped her hands together, before parting them and performing some sort of synchronized motion with both arms. From the floor picked up two trails of sand, floating off from between the cracks of sandstone. They whipped together in two flat circles facing each group, before finally “stabilizing” in the form of some kind of portal. One led to day, one led to dark. The images were barely discernible beyond, yet there was some hint of the one on the left leading to the surface; the silhouettes of adobe abodes against the pale blue sky shone through the storm of sand.
This was the one through which the first group—those retrieving the Corona Notturna—would go. Just before leading the charge, Mirage turned back and solemnly addressed the second group. "We’ll come find you and regroup when we’re done. Champion’s strength guide you."
"And the light of Man show the way." Libby responded. Mirage disappeared into the portal, the others not far behind. The gateway closed behind them, and the sand dropped in a flurry back to the floor. "So…just us, huh?" The student took a deep breath and looked to her peers, Avdol, and Aureos…no, Libby noted as she looked over his physique, that’s Joseph again.
"Uh…what are we doing?"
"Just…follow us." She groaned. So much for “leading the way,” you prehistoric asshole. Their own portal led to darkness, but as it’s said, the darkest path is sometimes the right one. As Libby stepped through, Avdol followed after, and then Joseph…but Liam waited. He glanced up at the third and final statue, in the midst of Aureus’ and Lucy’s. He held his hand aloft in a matter befitting a king…or a conqueror, addressing all those who looked upon this stone facade as he might’ve a crowd. His second arm was curled, hand clenched. The veins running down his forearm had been intricately detailed. Yakub. The student prepared himself mentally and jumped headlong into the darkness.
…
RETRIEVE THE CORONA NOTTURNA
They emerged into daylight. The midday sun was hot against their skin, though Mirage, Badahir, and Yuki were surely accustomed to heat already, while Denji would eventually get used to it when he was burning in Hell for all eternity. They were back in Khemri, and some time had evidently passed since Yuki, Denji, and the Triplets had descended into the bowels of the earth. It was no longer morning, and they were ever shorter on time before the inevitable attack on Cairo. In the distance, over a particularly short home, loomed a massive pyramid amidst the city. Upon it was carved a face from sandstone: a man with a sharp jaw and an unnaturally large forehead, with a diamond-shaped trinket hanging on a chain around his neck. "That’s where the others are," Mirage noted. "Somewhere deep, deep inside. But we can’t worry about them now. Let’s hurry up. The Corona Notturna will be inside the Church of Midnight, which isn’t a particularly far walk from here. It should be right…Oh."
The group turned a corner and beheld a most…unique problem. One of the buildings had crumbled, leaving a towering wall of debris across the road ahead which blocked their path. At the base of this ruined wall crouched a doctor
with a bonesaw in hand, attempting to sever the arm of a gold-plated warrior half buried beneath the rubble. He looked up at the others with surprise as they stumbled upon him, stammering for a moment.
"Uh…he vas like zis when I found him."
SECURE THE CORPSE OF YAKUB
Avdol lit his finger alight, painting the walls in ember. They were in an empty room, surrounded closely by walls decorated with hieroglyphs. The floor was somehow separated from the walls around it, as though they stood on a platform rather than actual, solid ground. A lone chest-high column rose in the center of the “floor,” a skull with ruby-studded eyes resting within a socket on the side of the column. It looked as though it could be pushed in…
"Somebody was here already."
Liam turned to Libby, worry in his tone as he asked: "How can you tell?"
"I smell it. Blood. But…that’s it. There’s no other smell like there would be for anyone else. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a person, and it certainly wasn’t living."
"You think it might still be here?"
"Maybe. Stay quiet, and keep your eyes peeled."
…
Mission Objectives
Reunite with Lily and Mirage COMPLETE
Find Althen Badahir COMPLETE
Learn how Settra returned COMPLETE
Discover the location of the captured thunder god Perkwunos
Retrieve the Corona Notturna
Secure the Corpse of Yakub
Deal with the Settra Dynasty
Lhamura, Elder Daughter of Settra SLAIN
Dhuriv, Cradle of the Newbirth
?????
?????
?????
?????
SETTRA, THE IMPERISHABLE
With great power…you know the rest.HUB: CENTRALIS SUITES
Elizabeth was on edge when they entered inside, and while she wouldn't admit it she almost blasted empty space at one point. Her nerves turned into revulsion though when seeing innocent citizens being mounted on crosses like that, so she didn't exactly give the missionary the benefit of the doubt. The fact he was actively melting didn't help.
"Hmph. Well, missionary Charles, I already go to church every Sunday with my family so I'm not interested in joining yours if that's what you're wondering." she said with a huff, Harvey hissing for emphasis. "Though I suppose you're correct in me having not heard of this 'Lament' you speak of."
She eyed the unfortunate bird in the cage, mentally adding likely animal abuse to this guy's list of crimes in her head.
Goji mission thing I'm too lazy to find the actual title rn
"Well let us not waste any time." Yumemi says, ready to depart on the helicopter along with Ruukoto.
Edited by shroobot3000 on Aug 31st 2024 at 7:57:33 PM
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."Pica-Verse
"How long has it been?" Altina wonders, before shaking off the thought.
"This escapade has proven far longer and more difficult than anticipated. I thought we should return here to find a means of countering our foe's time manipulation."
"Ohhh, I get it."
"The Summoner, Kirrey. He brought me and the people of Fortuna Entertainment to this world. I believe there are those with control over time among his ranks."
Altina turns away.
"I will find him. The rest of you wait here."
HIWTHI
Lupin's eyes light up.
"Wow, that sounds cool! It's like you're a chosen one!"
"Hmph."
Untold Loss
Aura glares at Popillion as she levels her accusations and insults at the people she trusted to help her, until she runs out of things to say.
"Those who accept defeat at the first setback never truly had hope to begin with." His words are harsh, but his face tells a different story.
"Now I can make this easy and teleport us again the rest of the way...or we can make extra preparations and risk wasting time we can't afford to lose."
Stained Monsters - The Last Dance
Perceval makes a move to keep Baltaos' attention away from his Driver. He jumps at the Stained Bazelgeuse from behind, slashing at its back with strikes that leave black ink-like trails.
Masked Dedede enters the fray as foreshadowed, by way of dropping onto Baltaos with a spinning overhead smash!
Sarah vs. Sunstar
The impact of Sarah's fist against Sunstar's face disperses the explosion and sends him all the way up above the clouds, into space where he truly shines like a star.
He grins.
"There is the power I wished to see."
He raises his Buster up above his head, gathering energy, then fires a Wave-Motion Gun down at Sarah, Galick Gun-style.
Mission: Analyze the Giant Monster
As they all board the copter and it flies off, 21 actually joins them this time instead of flying outside of it.
"Tell us more about this monkey," she suggests to Laura. Just to kill the time.
Edited by KiriK on Aug 31st 2024 at 2:13:28 PM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Centralis
Megamart
Argemia had picked up her pace a bit, still desperately sprinting away from the oncoming theropods, diving under a second one's jaws and continuing to run. Kel was looking slightly pale- he had left a noticeable trail of blood through the complex...
"Arge... mia..."
He can barely speak, much less move. This only causes Argi to get more worried, pushing her faster, faster, they're almost at the door-
...
But there's something blocking their way. Some sort of mushroom... beast. A mask automatically deploys over Argi's face, sealing off her eyes and mouth from the outside world. She glares through it.
"Did you hurt Kellin..? No, no... Monster."
It's the last thing she growls out before leaping to the side, dodging the oncoming hit. She's unbalanced from holding Kel in one of her arms...
...hey wait the door is right there.
"Be safe, Kellin. I will see you soon."
She throws Kel out through the exit, leaving just her and the theropods to fight off this beast and its minions. Were she expecting to fight, she'd have brought some weapons. But she only has what's around her...
Well, she'll figure it out.
With a warbling, meow-like yell, she changes forward from behind the creature, leaping upwards before kicking right off of it. Using her momentum, she latches onto a nearby knocked-over shelving rack and throws it at the fungal beast. She's taken on a much more agile stance, too.
"Argemia's body is Argemia's, and nobody else's! Hino œg æn!"
'Bring it on!', in Ariral.
Megamart - Parking
Kel came flying out of the door, landing with a heavy thud. He was barely conscious as he started to weakly drag himself towards his van...
"Someone... anyone... help..."
Withering Dream
As Milo is hefted up and out of the corruption, he shudders, taking a few deep breaths as he reorients himself. He dusts himself off, straightening his glasses with a small sigh. He looks up at the Oni.
"Um... thanks. For getting me out of there. I guess I don't have much life force to speak of, so it affects me even worse..."
He deactivates his ring, taking a few shaky steps to lean against a tree to get his bearings again.
aeiou: the secondWrustoiz
Wrustoiz narrowed his eyes upon landing a hit, ensuring who he was fighting was the type of entity he believed it was. Regardless of his focus, Wrustoiz is not caught offguard by the first return strike, twirling his lightsaber to block the blow, gritting his teeth against Iris-another-'s robotic strength.
He winces back at the sudden streaks, but realizes they're of little harm a moment later and slips away from Iris-another-, maneuvering behind her and striking at her back. Regardless of any success, Wrustoiz attempts to anticipate his opponent's rebuttal by ducking as far as he can to avoid a followup horizontal slash.
If his ploy succeeded, he'd immediately follow up with a burst of Force Lightning to send Iris-another- careening away.
kratoes
Kratos rockets forward and onto Baltaos's face, but is swiftly shaken off by the monster's significantly higher strength. The God of War comes to suspect that is a blessing in disguise as the pods fall from the beast's neck. The connection to the beast's abnormal appearance and the explosive pods was one Kratos had only just then made, swiftly rising to his feet and leaping out of the way of a few pods just before they explode.
Pivoting quickly after the fact, Kratos is incapable of pursuing the monster as it rose in the air, but the God of War kept a keen eye on the air and made sure to move away from as many pods as possible.
Consequentally, he's likely further away from the group than any other individual, perhaps presenting himself as a prime target.
Pokémon World
The Rabrights immediately begin drinking the soup. |It's so good!| Adam said, after swallowing a drink. Wagging their tails quickly back and forth like baby goats, the Rabrights eventually warm up. Soon, they finish drinking the portion of soup Lavios cooked - though they avoided the meat, which they can't eat. |Give us more please!| Talis said, after they finished.
Noticing the Arcanine, Luna snuggles up against it. |It's so warm...| Luna sighs happily.
|Yeah... I guess...| Pretty soon, Luna curls up and falls asleep, as well as the other Rabrights, who sleep with their mothers.
The next morning, Luna awakens to Vivus pulling at one of her ears. |Ow! Hey! Cut that out!| She sits up before stretching her body. |C'mon! Let's go! Everyone's already up!|, Vivus said excitedly, |We're about to leave to that place I talked to you about.|
|I just woke up, but I think I'm ready to go.| Luna stands on her paws, looking at the others. |Are they coming?| Rose asked. |I'm not sure. Maybe they'll stay and watch the Seraphidos until we get back.| Luna looks at the others, unsure if they'll be going with or staying.
Laura - Kaiju Quest
"The monkey is called Etemon," replies Laura. "He sings corny songs that break one's fighting spirit and can fire spheres of darkness in a pinch. At least, that's what my other half Yuka tells me."
Ecclesia - Pokemon World
A groggy Ecclesia exits a hut, listening to the Pokemon talk (without a grasp of their language) to pass the time. She's still hungry, though.
Floating City
Near the edge of the city, Mew and Mewtwo stand in wait. Florence should be arriving soon, hopefully with a few extra people to bring along.
Team Rocket is here too, sitting as they wait anxiously. Said anxiety being from them being afraid to potentially scare the angry-looking Mewtwo, as they figure he may be getting impatient.
Truth is, that's just what he normally looks like. He's much more patient than he appears. But he's not going to tell them that, because this way at least the three will be quiet.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Untold Loss
The Pilot gingerly raises their hands as if to tell Heller not to bother with the help.
"Oh, no, I can make it. It's... fine."
Their voice wavers unconvincingly.
Popillion sinks back a bit to be put so firmly on the spot.
"If we are a team, we're doing a terrible job at it," she says to Heller, ignoring or not noticing Power charging ahead, "The facility is sealed off. It can't be teleported into because of a..."
She thought briefly on Jerrod's advice, but stuck firmly that it was their fault for not knowing. "...Dimensional Aural Suppression Field."
Pausing on Artemis's words first, she looked at her, and could tell from the way she held herself that she was dissociating. A part of Popillion twitched at the sight, like a predator watching its prey.
But she did not act on that impulse to deride the weak. "It seemed evident that at least one of you would have a power for any occasion. I'm disappointed to discover that it isn't true."
Still with the derisive attitude, Popillion sounds a mite less angry with Artemis or anyone in particular, and more with herself.
Huffing indignantly, she turned her attention to Bruce as he latched Power back towards them, offering her own form of electromagnetic pull to ensure their wayward devil didn't wander off.
"If you want me to lead, then... fine. I will tolerate all of this insubordination and... blatant disrespect, because..."
She closes her eyes, and clenches her jaw, working up the words.
"...I must admit, you do all have... a point."
Looking over at Jerrod and Aura, she continues. "We can use Heller's plan, and not waste any more time."
The Pilot finally steps through the portal that Jerrod generously offers, and in the meantime, Popillion bravely steps ahead towards the facility, standing at the front.
"The outside of the base has anti-personnel pressure guns with a range of about half a kilometer. When we get near the entrance, we'll have to endure it. Bruce, stay at the back. Aura, I want you at the front with me."
With a slight tremble in her lips, she starts running towards the facility, glancing briefly, up, at the colossal black rip hovering far above them.
Something is wrong.
As the group trudges across the swampy terrain of Astil, the walls of the Data Storage Facility come into view, lined with encased weapons. Raising her hands up, Popillion creates a Kinetic Deflection Shield in front of the group. The anti-personnel pressure guns, seeing that attacking such a shield would be pointless, neglect to open fire.
The entrance, marked with two great blast doors ripped out by their hinges, lays in sight. Something else, too, lumbered about, stalking the entrance and the clearing surrounding it with unseen eyes.
Another one of Ana's surprises.
At a glance, it seemed like a dragon. It lumbered on four limbs and had two huge, batlike wings on its back, supporting a lizardlike shape. Yet, the beast seemed almost made wholesale of the black fog that leaked from the rift above them, its insides visible, amorphous, and burning orange.
The weapons systems weren't opening up. In the meantime, as the group approached, the monster— known as a Dark Draigul— faced them down.
With a breath, the beast let out its [Demon Purging Fire], unleashing a huge burning cone of black flame that washed over the ground, a wave of fire. Popillion, judging from the yield of the sense of dread her danger sense produced, was forced to drop her Kinetic Deflection Shield, swapping for a more appropriate close energy diffusion barrier.
The burning ether flames ravaged the shield, and the ground, and everything they touched. And with Popillion's larger deflection shield down, the anti-personnel pressure guns opened fire!
Each unloaded monstrous quantities of pressurized water pellets in volleys, each with pinpoint and predictive accuracy. Now that they'd locked on, stepping out of range wasn't an option.
Yatta!Kroolex
I guess Mr. B is a lowest-priority enemy lol. Not that it doesn't make sense, compared to the others. Meteor Blast alone sure does blow him off his feet backwards, sending him tumbling.
THANK U RINGLE BINGLE FOR THE HEALING. This allows him to unabated, ratchet a gear on his Lasblaster and fire a volley at Culex again - three shots, each about 40% of the power of the previous single blast.
Floating City
"...!"
Red swings in for a landing, astride Charizard. He waves a hello to Mewtwo, and Team Rocket.
/\。。/\Psyco's Floating City Scene
Tenshi arrives fashionably early/late depending on your point of view. Florence asked for her help (in Mewtwo's stead) with some journey to a dangerous realm so she of course accepted and shows up riding on the back of Tianca.
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."Hub Centralis
Bailey Briggs
◊ is hopping around from rooftop to rooftop, pretty much just having fun. But that's not the only reason why.
What makes this a bit more noteworthy is that this is happening during nighttime. He figures that if trouble starts to brew, it'll be more likely to happen at nighttime. So he's trying to see if there's anyone who needs help.
Skyrim
Somewhere in the grasslands, there is an unusual sight. Four people stand together, with one of them talking and the other three... looking somewhat annoyed.
The three annoyed ones are Toa Helryx, Krakua and Ahkmou. The one talking, looking excited as he practically waves his arms in a lively way as he tries to explain things, is Einde, the being with the TV for a head.
"Again... your spiel feels like a waste of my time.", Helryx says, too annoyed to dance around the issue.
"I can tell you're getting snappy, but I assure you, I only want to make you all happy."
Ahkmou snorts and crosses his arms. He was already in a bad mood at being forced to help search for these oh-so scrupulous allies Helryx was talking about. And now he has to stand here and listen to this guy yapping at them.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Untold Loss
The Mercenary's eyes narrowed along with his smile as he stared directly at the pilot's eyes in response. Perhaps that changed his mind as he waved to the leaving pilot and turned back to the group.
Heller and Aliez regarded Power with a blink, before shrugging. "I mean... I say we let her cook, honestly. She's even going to the right direction, miraculously." Aliez remarked thoughtfully. Then Bruce stepped in with his weapon and Heller simply focused back on the Director as everyone said their point. Whether the Scientist caught the Bloodfiend or not didn't matte— ah, damn. Nevermind. And he was curious if the girl could pull it off.
Popillion's words about them being terrible at this team thing gave him amusement. He did wiped it off as a slightly surprise expression replaced his smirk as the Director admitted some fault and he could respect that.
"Well, first time for everything." Heller remarked to the Director. "A bit annoyed for the convenient 'anti-teleportation' device just when our resident Angel could've cut the trip short in the first place but eh, what can you d— urk!"
"Aieeeeee~!!!"
Aliez, what the he— Oh, damn it...
He hoped no one noticed his cut-off because of his partner squealing inside his head, and was now directing her gaze to Artemis and her... admittedly tasteful getup.
I hope this is you wanting to wear one and not wanting Arte—
"Yes."
Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...
"A kuu-dere is expression, too? My, my~ Maybe after thi— ack!"
That got Heller to mentally bonk her and store her in the 'Box' for now. Because Artemis was certainly not going kuu-dere and whatever he is sensing from her now... He resisted the urge to check up on her, for now, as apparently his plan to get Jerrod make a portal was not viable.
Instead he was going to relieve his time back when he was just some kid from East Blue getting by with pulling rickshaws before he met his mentor. Except he was going to pull a transformed wagon done by a rock lady, with the fate of various dimensions/worlds at risk... and on the air.
At least Artemis managed to fix the part that made it fly so he didn't need to maintain a balance, even if it won't strain him.
"Thanks, Arty. This brings back some good memories. Heh." He gave her a pat on the shoulder, not a strong one but it still held some... oomph that maybe it will shake the girl back awake. Who knows? He took his position and lifted the bars as he lets muscle memory handle it all.
"All aboard the East Blue Express! A one-time ride for all, and as long as no one sprays their seatmate with today's breakfast, I think I'm worthy for that five stars. Falling off does not count as that is on you, dear passengers." The grin on his face spoke volumes despite the ticking doomsday counter.
He would wait for everyone to take their seat. Although he would give a pointed look to Bruce and Popillion if they tried to release Power.
Jerrod came back and the Mercenary nods at him. "Thanks for doing that, man. I owe you one. Although... I hope your buds got something for the thing that ruined Plan A. If not, well... We'll see."
Heller turns to Aura. "Hey, Mr. Sunshine! Be our eyes on the sky, please? Perfect spot to smite them fools and all that, eh?" With that, a Geppo and Soru began their trek to the main facility and it... went miraculously well?
They still had to land on something swampy but at least they were nearer and...
"Should we start regretting not having weapons with Anti-Dragon properties? I think we had a lot of chance to gain one during our time with Chaldea and their Singularities." Aliez drawled, out of the Box now that a fight has started.
There's always a dragon, no matter what universe I find myself into!
While Popillion and maybe the others assisted on the defense, Heller would be the first on the offense.
"HEADS UP! Get the bullets!"
Annoyed as they found themselves confronting a dragon of all things, the Mercenary threw his right arm back with sudden force that a chain with a spear-end suddenly extended from within his sleeve and impale the wagon the group rode earlier. With gritted teeth, more out of irritation than exertion, Heller heaved the chain and launched the wagon right at the dragon's snout with a force of a Galleon at ramming speeds above the group.
Heller and Aliez idly wondered if their group was able to see that the wagon was temporarily sporting a black exterior, courtesy of Armament Haki, because he'd rather not mess up his attack because he struck a dragon with a shadow-y body that might hold similar properties to a Logia.
The extra oomph was a bonus, of course.
The chain retracts back inside his sleeve as he lets go of the wagon and he steps forward before bellowing.
"OI!" He called out to their adversary, very aware that even if they can't see her, he knows she is watching. Perhaps from the dragon, perhaps through her abilites or maybe the unseen facility cameras. "For such a melodramatic lady, that was one lousy ass reception! You start with a horde and save the big beasties for the last before you take the stage!" Heller taunted, voice amplified by his abilities just to be sure. "Take a note on 'Evil Overlord 101' next time!"
He could feel Aliez rolling her eyes at his taunt.
Yeah, this was not going to end well.
Hub Centralis
Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Woman
◊ can be seen webswinging alongside Bailey, easily keeping pace with her sidekick as he practices his parkour skills. She probably ought to see about making him his own pair of webshooters sometime, didn't she?
Regardless, she cracks a smile behind her mask at how much fun Bailey was having, though she too remains alert in case her Spider-Sense starts flaring up.
Skyrim
Pietro
◊ can be seen walking across Skyrim's vast grasslands, texting Wanda as he makes his way towards the rendezvous point.
I'll stop by the Pizzaplex and grab a pizza for dinner on the way back. Make sure Tommy doesn't get in any trouble, alright?
Don't worry, you won't be there to set off fireworks in the backyard with him
You do something cool and flashy for your nephew one time
As soon as he notices Helryx and co., he pockets his phone before dashing over to their location. Before he can actually greet them, however, he raises an eyebrow at Einde.
"Huh. I didn't know Spamton had a long-lost brother," he remarks.
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Aug 31st 2024 at 4:27:26 AM
Hub Centralis
Speaking of that...
For a moment, just a moment, Gwen's Spider-Sense will go off, at an intensity she'll have never felt before. As if she just detected pure malice given form.
But as soon as she senses it, it'll be gone again. Still, that should've been too intense to have been a fluke.
Since Bailey's Spider-Sense works differently, he doesn't sense anything, so he's still hopping.
Skyrim
Pietro gets their attention. Helryx almost seems relieved to see him. And granted, they are allies, but Helryx rarely shows that kind of emotion to anyone at all.
"Pietro Maximoff. Perhaps you can make sense of this creature.", she says while glancing back at Einde after. "He keeps claiming he can 'make us happy', and I find it hard to believe this isn't somehow a trap. Or is it cultural differences? Is it normal for humans to go around offering people this?"
"Human I am not, but that's irrelevant. I believe what I'm saying is plenty eloquent. I'm here to make others happy, that's my purpose in life. And I can see from your face that you're living with strife."
"The biggest strife being you right now.", Ahkmou says. Normally Helryx would have glared at him for mouthing off, but she doesn't bother this time.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Lizard's Burrow, Death Mountain, Hyrule
V: "N, if we spend another minute on this active volcano, I'm going to literally melt alive."
N: "We're here. It's cooler inside the cave."
The Disassembly Drones rush into the Lizard's Burrow, where V takes a breather while N uses his wings to fan her.
N: "Sorry. I thought it'd be best to stay on the safe side and go somewhere nothing....like us...would dare to visit."
V: "Yeah, well that includes ourselves, y'know."
N "Right. But there's a Federation outpost in this cave. You can get upgrades!"
V: "Can I get something to take Cyn's influence out of me for good?"
N: "Well...no, but it's better than nothing, right?"
V sighs.
"Guess it is."
They head deeper into the cave, where they find a bunch of tables and equipment strewn about, along with a call button. N presses it with an over-dramatic full-hand slap, paging Dr. McNinja.
In a flap and twist of his medical coat, the doctor is in.
"You called?"
N: "Yeah, I need you to do for V what you did for me."
V: "Wait, so how does this work?"
N: "You just take a nap while he works his magic!"
V brandishes her blade-like claws and wings.
"No way. I am not going on an operating table again!"
Dr. McNinja pulls a pair of rubber gloves over his hands, releasing them with satisfying snapping sounds.
"If you won't take your medicine, I'm more than happy to administer with extreme prejudice."
"Bring it, meatbag."
One offscreen battle later (it was awesome trust me bro), V has received the cooling upgrades.
She sits up from a table.
V: "Unnngh...my head..."
N: "There, all better. Let's go!"
With that, they fly out of the cave and down the mountain.
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Gwen shudders, feeling a cold shiver run down her spine. Of all the villains she's ever faced both before and after joining Miguel's Spider Society, not even the worst of them made her Spider-Sense scream bloody murder. What was that just now?
She leaps onto the side of the nearest building, sticking to the wall as she looks in her sidekick's direction.
"Bailey, stop!"
Assuming Bailey joins her, she looks him right in the eye.
"There's... there's something here. Something much, much worse than any Goblin," she explains. "I don't know if you sensed it or not, but my Spider-Sense went ballistic just now. There's no way it could've have been nothing."
Gwen gazes down at the ground and begins scanning the streets for any sign of whoever or whatever caused her Spider-Sense to go haywire. She figured it was likely either hiding in an alleyway, in a sewer grate, or beneath a manhole cover.
Pietro regards Einde with an expression that can best be described as visible confusion.
"Yeah... I have no freaking idea what's going on with him or why he's rhyming everything he says," he replies, wondering if Spamton might be uniquely qualified to understand what this new arrival's deal was. "So, you mind fast forwarding to the part where you get to the point, TV Guy?"
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Aug 31st 2024 at 4:52:34 AM
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Untold Loss
Shuttle
Upon hearing the words "Dimensional Aural Suppression Field", Jerrod looked somewhat disappointed, because he was hoping to just brute force his way through using a dimensional tear. As he muttered something under his breath with a clear look of disappointment, he still can't help but think about whether he can forcibly breach this field with the energy he generates with Spatial Infractor.
Despite snickering at the words "blatant disrespect", the Summoner didn't press his luck, because she was ranting at everybody just a minute ago. The man took note of what she said about pressure guns and got onto the wagon alongside everyone else who did. "Interesting, the guns can detect whether it's efficient and optimal to attack a target." Jerrod made an offhanded remark as he watched Popillion erect a shield. "One of my friends is actually repairing a Mobile Armor right now, maybe we can- Whaaat the fuck."
The moment he saw the Dark Draigul faced them, Jerrod already whipped out his Scrap Gun
and manifested Lustrous Euphoria's golden gauntlet. Jumping off the wagon and onto a nearby tree to avoid the [Demon Purging Fire] as Heller threw the whole thing at its snout, he flipped his gun open to expose its chambers, created an aurum crystal
that could fit into the palm of his gauntlet, crushed it, and slammed them into the chamber.
"Save the provocations for when we actually meet her, yeah?! You'll make yourself look stupid otherwise!" Jerrod exclaimed with obvious laughter in his voice as he fired concentrated bursts of crystal shards at the Draigul's neck. As much as he wants to jump in and crack its skull open, the man plans to gauge this draconic creature's strength. EGOs are manifestations that stems from the human unconscious, so while his gun is physical, the crystals he created aren't strictly physical, allowing him to strike at all manners of supernatural forces without having to worry about compatibility.
- Red: Jeridan "Jerrod" Chen
Edited by cyzja922 on Aug 31st 2024 at 5:02:07 AM
Floating City
Florence arrives last, flying in on Hisuian Braviary and landing near the others. Mewtwo seems pleased to see the ones who showed up. Team Rocket does wave back at Red, but flinch when Mewtwo speaks up... and then look somewhat sheepish when it's clear he wasn't speaking to specifically them.
"Thank you for choosing to come along with us. I have to warn you beforehand, this realm is a dangerous place. If you wander from the beaten path even a little bit, you won't make it out of there alive. The Glitch Realm is not a safe place. Keep this in mind. Are you all ready to go, or do you still need to make some final preparations?"
Florence returns Hisuian Braviary and shakes his head.
"Ready."
Team Rocket stands up. Mewtwo already knows they're ready given that he's the one who brought them up here.
Hub Centralis
He stops immediately, figuring that something serious must be happening due to how urgent that sounded. He's a roof or two away, but quickly jumps back to her.
"I didn't sense anything, but if it was that bad you can't have imagined it.", he says. He doesn't question if she was mistaken, believing her immediately.
He helps look around, but the streets are dead empty. He acrobatically hops off of the roof and into the nearest alleyway (which would have been a terrible move if he didn't have superpowers) and inspects the place, but there's nothing in there either.
"I don't see anyth-", he says as he starts walking out of the alleyway, but then flinches as he turns to the window that Gwen's still on top of. He moves back a bit to hide near the wall and does a 'running fingers' motion with his hand to Gwen. The universal sign for movement.
Whatever she sensed may be in the building.
Skyrim
"You ask for the point, but I'm as clear as can be. My purpose is to make those I meet happy. And they're suffering from issues, that much I can see."
"Aside from you being annoying, my only issue is being stuck with these guys.", Ahkmou says, not afraid to voice his frustration with basically being the Order's prisoner.
"An issue easily resolved. Watch as your situation is absolved!"
"... wha?", Ahkmou asks, tilting his head. Einde suddenly produces a small bottle out of seemingly nothing, opens it, and then just throws the substance inside onto Ahkmou, drenching him in it.
"ACK! What is your pro-", Ahkmou begins to screech, but then he's suddenly just... gone. Helryx and Krakua are genuinely shocked and confused at what just happened, staring for a moment before turning to look at Einde.
"What did you just do?", Krakua asks.
"He wasn't happy because he was stuck with you. Now that you're apart, he won't feel so blue." , Einde chuckles.
"That Matoran is a traitor to his kind! He wasn't happy because he was being punished!", Helryx says.
"... well, that is awkward. But my point stands the same. My purpose is to make people happy, without morality to claim."
... oh, that could be dangerous.
"Now as for you-"
"Bring him back.", Helryx says.
"An impossible brew. Because you see, then he won't be happy. But never mind all that, that's not why I'm here. You still have troubles, your eyes unveil fear."
Helryx is caught off guard by that final statement, which seems to be a silent acknowledgement that Einde is right about that.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.At Bailey's hand gesture, Gwen immediately climbs up the wall a little in order to avoid being seen before looking down to safely peer through the window. All the while, she braces herself for whatever might be about to come next.
"Come on, let's see what I'm dealing with here," she whispers under her breath, wondering if this might've been what Bailey had detected during their visit to the Pizzaplex.
Pietro can only stare in bewildered shock at the sudden turn of events. Making a mental note to see about keeping Einde from potentially offering his services to Polyphemus or Mara, he clears his throat.
"Well, hopefully he just wound up back in his cell or something," he chimes in. "So, does this have anything to do with finally getting Botar back from wherever he might've wound up?"

Tropique
The shore sings tales. Each grain part of the same dream, pushing, waning, molding, dissolving. That oral tradition of the land doesn't leave. It permeates, like scars on worn skin. Faint, but traceable.
The sands under the waves parted, as something swam forward toward the turf. It bore a tropical pattern, adorned in horns and ornaments like red and orange coral. The body was almost serpentine, though beneath shivering orange and blue tropical scale, the sides of the large dazzling tail bore two stubby crocodillian legs. The back held two fins, which were erected like war banners atop its dorsal side. It bore human arms, holding close a spiraling lance and shield, made of blue shell and trimmed in sea glass. Sea green hide moved into tiger orange stipes along cream hued scale upon their face, noble features framed by the formation of coral structures and hair-like fins.
They poked their head above the surf, hearing the fight going on nearby. A chainsaw... creature, versus a... paper entity? It was abstract to draw her attention, but upon hearing the rather, violent dialogue they were sharing, it dived back into the water. The lance would work... it believed, and her impact alone. Using her tail like a crocodile would, she propelled herself quickly towards the surface of the water as she continued her charge, shield out and lance pointed forward.
Even as she made it onto land her powerful tail propelled her forward, a wake forming before her as she hoped to crash into both of these odd creatures, hoping to seek some sort of fight! Some glory! To be part of the land's oral tradition!
HUB: MEGAMART
The two ran through the now chimeric patchwork of mortar, steel, and convenience store. More of those strange cephalopods... though their taxonomic position is dubious at best, tried to attack them whenever the light appeared on the creatures. Gazing too long at them provoked the patterns to light up, that same sinister smile to appear. Argi was fast enough to move out of the way of those they made too much eye contact with, though they were always close to snapping at Kel.
The nightmare escalated as she could hear the theropos behind her, not one to one with her in speed, but always trailing behind. Argi would have to duck as to her shock another of these beasts would leap from a palette of quickcrete onto and adjacent aisle. Row after row of product collapsed to the ground, as the 26 foot long theropod attempted to snap its jaws around them. With two trailing behind them, at least she was able to run out of the labyrinth, and head towards the door!-
Only for something to step forward between them and the outside world.
A tall, mushroom-like creature. It luminated itself with pale white fungal formations, such as the mushroom cap that made up its head, with dark blue, faintly glowing moss draping down from the top, while its long neck resembles the stem of such a fungi. The rest of the long neck and body being black like the surroundings. On the underside of the cap, eight eyes with yellow sclera and red, pupil-less irises are arranged in a circle...
"Pause, little things."
It spoke, its mouth glowing white, located at the start of the neckstem, opened, revealing a glowing blue maw.
Befors them, they could observe the rear of its gangly visage. Smaller mushrooms protrude near the beginning of the neck, while the midsection has two rings or "skirt"-like structures. Long draping moss, dappled with blue and white flowers, flows from the sides of its face to the shoulders. More of these flowers can be seen atop its head, legs, back, and tail, adorned in more carpets of moss. Atop its back, shoulders, and extending to the midsection of its long tail is a cluster of mushrooms. This fungal monstrosity possessed three pairs of digitigrade, lanky legs, each with three digits and an additional raised outer toe, which they could see had the ability to ball into a fist.
"Hush now... stop running..."
The theropods behind the two rumbled angrily at the towering entity, though Argi and Kel also heard something shuffling from the labyrinth, and in a few grizzly cases, pulling themselves from the bodies of other market goers screwing about. Featureless, almost perfectly drawn, white humanoids. They practicslly glowed neon white, though as they slowly approached Argi, Kel, and theropods, their eyes opened, revealing black fluid pooling from gouged sockets.
"I need more. Your bodies will do."
The creatures charged, running like sprinters as they grabbed onto broken debris, hoping to use it as improvised weapons against the four. The two theropods soon joined in the carnage, grabbing carts and with other ungraceful swings, tried to keep them away. It didn't help that sometimes, they could see those cephalopods within their vision, inching closer whenever their sight lingered on them too long. And their, cruel host, was ready to bring his fist down upon the two arenagoers.
HUB: GROUND ZERO
Atelier could tell... something was... intentional to some extent. Energy coalescing from cracks in between. Filling empty space. Pulling things in. Some of the things beyond the darkness, were no more native to the energy present then they were to the arena itself. They would watch as others enter the mall, to the sound of feral growling and screeching-
HUB: MEGAMALL
The Vantablack humanoids are blown back, screeching angrily as a few slam their shoulders hars into the tiling and support beams, but many quickly land on their feet and begin to coordinate. One points at Tatiana, and then to a piece of glass, then to a walking stick. Another of the humanoids nods, and rushes past her to acquire those materials. A few others seem to climb back up onto the second floor, bristling their hairs. 3 more run into the safety of the darkness, hiding behind a bench while they wait for more people to come in and tey to be a hero.
Meanwhile Tatiana and the Cadaver-Hooded humanoid seem to be in a stand off, as it twirls its obsidian staff, looking for a opening.
It get its opening when one of the smaller humanoids, using someone's hair, had tied the glass shard to the walking stick, and tries to thrust into the swell of her back. It all hangs on if Tatiana is fast enough to avoid the strike, but as soon as her attention moves elsewhere, our cadaver-hooded fiend points its hand to the ground to deliver a deadly deluge of blue and white flame at her feet, before moving in to clock her head in with the staff.
Gregor is not left to his own devices, as very quickly those three ambushed rush at him, one taking a Smith & Wesson Model 10 from a dead shopper, opening fire on him. While the others grab kiosk carts to throw at him, hoping to knock him onto his back. He can see their faces, once human, contorted into animalistic snarls, baring glowing inch long fangs at him in turn.
He can hear more above him, and see the orange lights on the higher levels beginning to shift their way.
HUB: CENTRALIS SUITES
Familiar Canine, Magician, Astral Knight... those who went into those apartments were at first met with darkness. Dark, darker, yet darker... Pitch black that made even the depth of their own limbs seem... difficult to discern.
Than there were lanterns, held by chains, dangling from above as if their suspensions were nailed firmly into the celing. Like lighthouses, they helped the crew navigate the storm... to a cathedral...
It was shotty in its make, attire and ritual from all walks of abrahamic faith strewn about into mega-alters... citizens hanging from crosses or made into displays of cardinals and other leaders of prayer and faith. Pews decorated in gold leaf and red nylon lined the aisle, and led to an altar made from a red telephone-box. Standing their behind it... was a man.
Well, he had been a man at some point. Ten feet high, he wore a set of heavy lidded goggles, obscuring his eyes. His mouth was covered by a respirator, with tubes running from its sides to a giant tank on his back. Sigils decorated his chest and midriff, which were heavy set, and constantly sweating-
Sweating melting skin...
Thick arms stretched a little beyond his waist, and his legs were stout but well muscled, though the lumps of flesh slumping onto the floor was... distracting. Constantly melting, but never losing mass. Scarf and robe tried to connceal his form, but it was admittedly an uphill battle for his wardrobe it seemed.
"Apologies for the... Change in location! I noticed your... location didn't have those that spoke of the church! The heretics and fiends in the other buildings... no relation. But!!! My way is... salvation!"
Hia voice boomed, though obviously sounded torn as hr wrnt yo take in a deep breath. He bowed his head to those that entered, and if they were to look behind, all they'd see were wooden swinging doors, leading to more halls.
"I am Charles... informally Charlie... And I am a missionary! Like the Jesuites... I offer... protection... from the ravages of Lament... You know not what that is do you?"
A bird cage rattled in one of the pews. A bald eagle sized bird, seemingly composed of golden emergy tried to escape, the silver cage engrsved in runes. It looked to them with a startled expression, its two long brow feathers raised as if to communicate alarm.
Awawa