Grima's back
Time turns one last... time. And as Alear grabs Grima's arm, Samsara can only grit her teeth, with so very much little time left to consider her friends before the annihilation sets in. She still prepares to fire it, but she hesitates, and because of that, Morgan's attack is able to reach her, with so little time left for her to react at the last moment...
Lucina's eyes widen in fear.
Morgan's in betrayal.
But Beruka's?
Beruka's remains entirely calm. She simply raise her hands, and then...
DOMAIN EXPANSION
THREEFOLD AFFLICTION
A black sphere appears around Beruka, pushing out all aside from Morgan, Grima, Alear (if she holds on good enough). It violently push out anyone else, creating a dull white space where the Hierophant, Morgan, Alear and Beruka are surrounded by several dismembodied, oversized organic things that are actually the brains and ventral nerve cords of insects, although that's a fact anyone is unlikely to pick.
Die.
Metal goop wraps around Morgan's Truth, guiding it towards its true target with a guaranteed autohit of an attack that Grima will have to endure or block since she's trapped within Beruka's domain. The goop parts as the Grima's Truth slams into the Hierophant, and the domain shatters then, revealing to all what just ensued... right as the Hierophant is engulfed.
Edited by Bolded1 on May 19th 2025 at 1:22:47 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterFort Dawnguard
Corrin is fortunately not discombobulated this time as the Frenzy is taking the wheel. Instead all she sees is an enemy and all she thinks is to crush the enemy with extreme prejudice. She lets out a draconic roar as she hangs on against Beruka's Thing by digging her claws into Grima's back. That done she then raises her right wing arm and slams it down on Grima's back again, sending a trail of purple explosions towards the Hierophant.
Edited by shroobot3000 on May 19th 2025 at 2:22:27 PM
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."Nymbulda
The Force User could see Nymbulda roll her eyes at Luthor's words. Only he could make a party sound like a chore.
"Its about a large mecha collapsed in the northwest Skyrim ice and a esteemed pilot asking for some help. I don't know how much she wants to get involved but considering how I singlehandedly fought off her attackers... and I'm in a certain state, I'm not really one to drag her around to any old mechsbic and debate there."
There was a sternly tone yesterday, but Luthor could read she was a tad out of her element. And clearly reached for someone within this line of work, or at least glancing in it.
The Derelicts
The Night Weaver utilized each shot Imp that Baz put down and began to weave the first 6 into a bola-esque mace, utilizing their carapaced bodies to slam into their comrades. And while Baz was shooting for her life, the Imps were getting closer to scratching up her arms and legs. They weren't large, or especially organized creatures. But they were practically weapons.
And as such the closer they came to contacting her, the more she felt them actually begin to slice through her exposed flesh.
The Night Weaver seeing this quickly vomited up a huge web out at the crowd infront of her. She saw in real time fine silver string entombed scores of imps descending on top of her, the creatures flying back.
Straight into the claws of The Maxx.
"The Webking offers me a worthy weapon! The Iszs themselves!"
Parts of his attire were scraped off, revealing sun-tanned, unshaven human flesh. But even as he bled, Maxx took the trailing strands of silk and began to wrap up the Imps further, before suddenelt awinging it around. The walls, brake and wood began to be shredded, releasing more Imps!
That only got added to the seinging wrecking ball. To avoid Baz from being hurt any further, he grabbed a hold of her and jumped onto the roof. Looking to her open wounds, he began to wuickly patch them up wirh a form of silk she had never seen before. Red silk, crimson threads that she felt deep up the blood linking out... and begin to pump oxygenated clean material to begin to repair her open wounds.
"ᵢ'ₘ gₒₙₙₐ ₐₛₖ yₒᵤ ₜₒ ᵣᵢdₑ ₘy bₐcₖ ₜₕᵢₛ ₜᵢₘₑ... wᵣₐₚ yₒᵤᵣ ₗₑgₛ ₜᵢgₕₜ ₐᵣₒᵤₙd ₘₑ. Yₒᵤ cₐₙ ₚᵤₗₗ ₒₙ ₘy ₘₐₙₑ. Bᵤₜ ₖₑₑₚ fᵢᵣᵢₙg."
The Maxx finally let go of the makeshift wrecling ball and let it crash into the living fabric, which receded from the force, tearing the door it was slinking around. With the imps now hissing after them, Night Weaver ran for the open door, The Maxx following behind them.
AwawaDistrict 13
"Hm. Alright."
Iris spoke with a heavy Japanese accent, before heading into the club. Whatever chrome she has under those clothes is clicking and whirring to keep her from being pushed around too much between the mass of people. Her eyes flicked up to regard the guards and someone who- judging by his look -was probably the owner of the bar. Her eyes clicked softly as she zoomed in on some of the guards- discreetly scanning some of them before sitting down at one of the tables after the scout told her to wait.
Wake up, Koru. Got something I'd like you to take a look at...
Flickering to life as nothing more than a golden indicator at the edge of Iris' AR interface, a calm, decidedly Japanese male voice spoke up within her mind- Koru. A bit more than just an Agent but serving as one all the same, the basic 'core' of them tucked away somewhere close to Iris' brain.
Awake and able, Yamisura-sama. Is there something specific you needed?
Iris sighed slightly, sitting up and scanning for a place to ping the local subnet as she silently talked.
Yeah... think you can try and dig up any info on this place? Call me paranoid, but this feels one wrong step away from a slaughterhouse.
Of course. I will inform you if I discover anything major.
Thanks, Koru.
...in the meantime, Iris sat back and relaxed a bit. She wasn't the kind of person to drink alcohol- well, she looked kind of out of place here entirely, between the guards and some of the usual and unusual clientele that one may expect from a place like this. Not that she minded all too much.
aeiou: the secondSeverus moves to obstruct Morgan's path, only for Tharja to stop him before he can act.
"This seems like an awfully large risk we're taking here, Tharja," he replies. "I do hope you're correct."
Maki, on the other hand, snatches up Walhart's Einherjar card before stashing it with the others in her pocket.
"Whatever's happening, it had better work."
Nicole and Robyn immediately trade confused looks.
"Lassie, tell me the kid ain't seriously throwin' his lot in with feckin' Grima now."
"Yeah, there's... there's no innocent explanation for this. Goddamnit, Morgan..."
Before either of them can make a move against Morgan or the Heirophant, though, Beruka suddenly busts out a Domain Expansion.
"...What?"
"'Ruka, when the hell could you suddenly do all of this?"
Grima
The Hierophant growls for a moment as Alear grabs onto her wrist and Corrin digs into her back. But it won't matter in a moment. Once Samsara is dead, the Hierophant can die as many times as she has to.
"Dragons... or not... Grima does not kneel TO WORMS LIKE Y-"
The Domain Expansion activates, the visage of the dragon's back replaced by a white void filled with organic things.
Then Beruka directs Morgan's attack towards the Hierophant, who gasps before she gets struck, letting out a loud, painful scream as the dark magic burns away at parts of her before violently exploding. It's at this very moment that the Domain Expansion shatters.
Breathing heavily and feeling her body getting heavier, she glances around in confusion. That had to have been a mistake of some sorts. Morgan has revoked Naga completely. All Grima has to do is move his soul into him to survive, make him his new Hierophant, and then-
Everything goes quiet. To Grima, right now, it's as if nothing exists in this world aside from him and Morgan. The Hierophant's eyes are wide, pupils dilating in fearful realization...
Because Morgan's hood has flown off from the explosion, and his face... he...
He looks relieved. He's... he's smiling.
It wasn't a mistake. He was aiming for the Hierophant. For his mother.
The Hierophant lets out a soft gasp as she drops to her knees. No rage-filled roar follows. No declaration of vengeance. No last scream of defiance that could reach the heavens.
Instead, she looks... betrayed. As if even when Morgan turned on her, the one thing she never expected was for him to... to...
"... Mor... gan?" , she weakly asks, sounding as if she still can't believe it. Perhaps some part of Grima, deep down, did consider Morgan as his one and only family.
If only he'd realized it, acted on it. Perhaps there would've been a future without the betrayal. Without all the chaos sowed by Grima. Perhaps he could've been more than Forneus made him to be. If he'd chosen to realize it instead of using these same feelings of others to hurt them.
But that will never happen now. And if Grima weren't such a monster, it would be pitiable.
Dark magic seeps off of the Hierophant now, dissipating into nothing. The Einherjar cards' siphoned energy now detaches itself from Grima and flows back into their respective cards.
Once the dark magic has faded, tears flow down the former Hierophant's face as she shows a weak smile.
"... thank... you..."
Her body then starts to turn into dust. This Robin had died long ago. Grima had been wearing a corpse for a long time now. That explains why the ritual allowed her to just... revive from that. Why he wasn't as powerful as the other Grimas they'd faced so far. The Hierophant was basically just a Risen herself.
Anna is speechless, as are Jake, the Death Knight and Tharja. The remaining Einherjar turn back into their cards...
And that leaves Morgan, whose legs start to shiver a bit. The Grima's Truth in his hand is used up, having burned away after the attack. The energy provided to it during Ashes of Nohr seeps away and vanishes.
Morgan drops down to his knees as well... then collapses onto Grima's back. He's still conscious... but who knows for how long he'll be.
And as for Grima himself... he's stopped moving. His eyes are no longer glowing. And his body is beginning to break apart piece by tiny piece. The Nabateans can only watch as they see the monstrous, deceased dragon slowly fall apart.
With how big Grima is though, even this will take a little bit. It gives everyone time to head over to Morgan if they so choose. Though if they try to touch or grab him to get him down... they'll find that they can't. Their hands will phase right through Morgan.
Morgan himself looks so very exhausted... and yet he's still smiling.
"Beruka...", he says, voice rough. "... thank you..."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Fort Dawnguard
"Morgan!"
As Reyna runs over, her mutator potion runs out. The scales melt into her skin, and her pupils go back to normal.
The others hang back, besides Alear, who is still right there on account of tanking the Domain barrier. But Alear isn't particularly concerned with Morgan, given her current state.
"Finally."
—
The Fell Tactician frowns.
Robin's heart pounds. Yearning for the same fate, yes, but also demanding Morgan's safety.
"He's fading away. Grima's power may be able to kill Grima...but in the hands of a potential vessel, it is equally fatal to the user."
SAVE HIM
She looks down at herself, gritting her teeth.
"Damn it, woman! Even if I wanted to, my power only brings death, not life!"
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."District 13
After a brief few seconds of search, Koru’s search yielded…strange results. There was no information on the company behind the club beyond a name: Morrow Enterprising. It had no logo, no history beyond its founding some five months ago, as though it had simply spawned into being. The man, this “Mr. Lucien,” was even more enigmatic. He had no record, no data, nothing to prove he even existed. If Iris was observant she might’ve concluded that Mr. Lucien was clearly a fake name, but what lurked behind it remained a mystery even to the omniscient Agent. Not even a scan of his face for the brief moment she’d seen it produced any answers.
There was, however, a record of the building itself. Before its conversion into a club, it had been a standard warehouse, out of the way of anything else in the city, until…
Iris’ optical interface would flood with gruesome crime scene photos. The walls of the warehouse layered in red, at the center of the floor upon which mobbers now danced, where hovered a holographic ball, was stacked a mound of eviscerated corpses. Some had been cleft in half, some derived of all their skin to reveal only flesh and muscle, but all were violently slain. It was a visceral sight, especially compared with the lively scene before her in the real world, yet painted this club with a dark filter. Around the pile of death were lit candles and below it, a sinister sigil drawn in blood. The culprits had never been caught.
With great power…you know the rest.Shadow cocks his head, listening to Mara speaking to someone, and then sighs when he senses himself being discovered.
"M'yep, just a little bit more perceptive than most..."
Seeing no reason to draw things out and act like he hadn't been noticed, he clicks his fingers, changing into his Medieval garb
◊, then teleports to Mara's location, appearing a short distance in midair in a puff of smoke, gliding to the ground on his wings.
"Now, I'm not here on 'business', if that's what you're worried about. Regrettably, I have other things on my agenda right now besides constantly following you around every corner. This just happened to be on my way."
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-StalkerMara turns her head to Shadow. She grins.
"Sounds like you're quite busy. I'm surprised you went out of your way to come say hi."
She now fully turns.
"To what do I owe the honor of a fellow deity visiting me?"
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.District 13
I've compiled the results of my searches. They are... I do realize you will look at them anyway, but some of them are gruesome.
Show me. I'm pretty sure I've done worse.
The info Koru had gathered flashed across Iris' vision. which made her brow furrow and her hand drift closer to her revolver for a moment. Using the provided 3D scan of the crime scene, she had it overlaid for a moment with the old schematics from the building- it all matched up. Almost... suspiciously well, considering the placement of the holoprojector was directly aligned with the mound of corpses in the photo- to an unnatural degree, even if the projector just happened to be in the center of the room there would still be the small inaccuracies from human and even machine error...
...alright, so I haven't done worse. Sheesh, you'd think a gang of cyberpsychos went through this place but they covered that up well if it managed to sell...
Or, perhaps, someone connected to the crime bought the place for cheap to draw in more people.
About that- next to nothing on the company, and nothing on that man we saw... Sheesh, he's hidden even better than me and I don't want to be found...
Considering the nature of this place, we cannot rule out anomalous influences even if we do reside in a heavily tech-based district of the city.
I'd like to see some magic caster react faster than someone with a Sandevistan.
...we are presently in a situation where someone could possess both, Yamisura-sama.
Well, if that does end up being the case I'll be glad I have mine. It's just a matter of who can act faster... and keep it up for longer.
If this even ends in combat, you mean.
-look I have a small hunch that this club wasn't made with the idea of simply giving the general public a nice place to party like they're in Hell.
Iris pushes herself up, looking about with a bit more scrutiny this time. When her gut tells her something's wrong, she's one to listen... and right now it's definitely putting her on edge. She doesn't act yet, though... there's still a ton of innocents in this club, and she doesn't want to end up causing a huge scene if she doesn't have to.
aeiou: the secondShadow gives Mara a flat look.
"Yeah, that'd amuse you, wouldn't it?"
He gives a fake-sounding chuckle, cocking his head.
"Oh, I think you'd have some idea. After all...it's not like you, Idunno', ended up punching up above your weight-class and pissing off the wrong cosmic Dark Lord, right?"
He clicks his fingers, creating a projection of what he'd sensed when Odio snapped out of his illusion and began to cast Armageddon, only to be abruptly trounced by the Guardian of Fate. He makes a broad, sweeping gesture at the projection, giving Mara a glare of disbelief.
"I mean, seriously, what the Hell is this‽ You do know that if the whole Arena goes, whatever you and your little 'friends' came here for goes with it, along with you, right?"
He shakes his head.
"That wasn't just some two-bit wannabe-God-type. I've done my research, so to speak. You got fricking lucky. You really don't have any idea just how much of a pain this has been to me, and I won't humor you by going into detail."
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-StalkerDistrict 13
As Iris glanced on alert around the club, she noticed some of the clientele was quite strange too. There were the standard fare for these establishments, cyberpunks in bright colors and ridiculous haircuts waving themselves around like obnoxiously gaudy flags, and a good sprinkling of suited up trust fund corpokids who’d clearly paid for the fare over with their businessman daddy or mommy’s money, but between the two ends of the spectrum, standing almost motionless amidst the crowd, were a few figures with gaunt faces and blank expressions studded with empty eyes that bore no life behind them. All of them, beyond the buzzed hair they all shared, bore one thing in common. Branded in plain sight somewhere on them, whether their shoulder or stomachs for those with them exposed or their necks or wrists or even their foreheads, were burnt pentagrams that seemed to crackle with a faint red glow. Were she to scan their faces, results would come quick and easy because they came not from any corpo or secret fed database, but instead public records.
Missing persons records. All of them had been declared missing by families and loved ones some time ago, with the oldest being twenty-two years and the newest as recent as one and a half. Yet before she could investigate the issue any further, or stand to take action against it, there on her dermis would be registered a tickling sensation by the cyberware just beneath the surface.
Something was crawling on her arm. A spider, and a harmless one at that. Utterly inconsequential normally, but in this context…
"Missus Iris," a voice with a faint English inflection cut like an arrow through the club’s noise and traveled straight to her ears. In its direction, a well-dressed older man without a hint of cyberware anywhere on him stood in front of a door marked ”Private.” "Mr. Lucien is ready to see you now."
With great power…you know the rest.Mara looks more unamused than angry at the moment.
"For your information, I didn't start the fight that resulted in that." , she points out. ... which is true, Ovarr started that fight.
"And if you looked at it correctly, you might've noticed that I did try to defend the Arena. I'm still a Divine Guardian, and I take my job more seriously than you know. Do you think I'm here just for fun."
She grins.
"No, if I was here just for fun, you would've had to intervene long ago."
Instead of trying to provoke Shadow further, she then looks curious instead, and asks him a honest question.
"Now why exactly do you care about what happens to this place? I know, empathy and all that, but as far as I'm aware this isn't your domain either. Neither of our titles has any grand meaning in this world. Nothing will change for either of us if this realm were to go under. Why are you seemingly running yourself ragged for it?"
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Shadow gives Mara a sarcastic smile.
"...yeah, real Saint, you. Real stand-up gal. Totally the picture of altruism. Definitely not a renegade Goddess of Necessary Evils who's seemingly either gone absolutely batcrap crazy or is being rather painfully obviously manipulated by someone or something above you."
He quirks an eyebrow at Mara's question, giving a thoughtful grunt.
"...guessing this is an alien concept to you, huh? Well, unlike you and your family, my siblings, who are all Aspects like I am, and I don't just limit our operation to certain worlds. We travel all of Reality, seeking out places in the Omniverse where we can do some good in the world...strike back against the ever-bolstering forces of darkness, stave off the unflinching encroachment of oblivion, stuff like that. The Arena? This is a special case."
He narrows his eyes.
"Don't need to tell ya' that this place is an omniversal nexus. Whether this place is natural or artificial, designed with a purpose or just haphazardly slapped together - and who knows for certain - there's a little bit of everything in here. Flora, fauna, sapient creatures and beings...countless worlds all come together here, intentionally or not, making it more than just the sum of its parts. As Aspects of Unity, our entire goal is to preserve as much of the Omniverse as we can, ensuring that the little things that make specific worlds unique don't end up getting lost forever and become little more than a distant memory. I don't just care about the Arena because of that, and I don't just care about it because of my job. Heck, I don't just care about it because I have really close friends here. I have a...much more personal connection to this place, one that I'm not about to blather about since I'm absolutely not going to let you use it for future ammunition against me, thank you very much. I know how you think."
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-Stalker"Manipulated? The hell gave you that idea?" , Mara says. It seems that genuinely took her aback for a moment, hence why that's the part she comments on.
She then looks amused again.
"Right. An admittedly noble goal. So, what, you and your siblings could drop into our realms uninvited too?" , she asks. She doesn't exactly sound like she has an issue with the prospect though, which may be surprising.
She didn't mock the Aspects' ultimate goal either, which is probably even more surprising.
"And no, I understand the 'alien concept'. I was merely curious. Need I remind you, all-knowing one, that I had a choice between which moral alignment to be the guardian of? I learned of both sides of the proverbial coin."
She crosses her arms.
"So, did you drop by just to criticize my methods? Which, I should inform you, most of my family considers acceptable. Or is there another reason why?"
... should he bring up the fact that she was clearly talking to someone despite nobody being here? If someone was, Shadow would've noticed it already.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Shadow shrugs.
"Would you prefer the alternative I gave? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, you know. Don't act like it's not a possibility."
He tilts his head.
"...mm, with reason, perhaps. Quite a few of my friends are from places you and your family watch over, and I have the feeling that some of your more unique worlds have natural life and cultural history worth preserving. Also choosing to note here that you surprisingly took the conscious action to avoid putting down my purpose for living. Again, benefit of the doubt."
He then gives Mara a flat look.
—Beat—
"...y'know I heard you talking to someone, right?"
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-Stalker"I assure you that I am sound of mind and sound of will." , Mara says. She then smirks.
"Well, just make sure you and your siblings pick your spots well. There's some areas you should stay clear from. The edge of existence is one of them. The Divine Guardian who guards that area..."
Her grin widens.
"They're not nearly as friendly as I am when they meet new people."
... somehow Shadow may get the feeling that she's being truthful.
But then he points out that he heard her talking and her grin slowly fades. Her arms uncross. And the vibe starts to change in a dangerous way.
...
Mara suddenly brings her arm to her other arm, about to pull out a blade. Is she going to-
"Stop."
It's a voice unknown to Shadow, but clearly one known to Mara because she stops immediately and then looks like she's about to break something. Or someone.
"The hell are you doing talking to him. He's friends with our enemies." , Mara says through gritted teeth.
"I know that. But I've wanted a chance to speak with him for a long time. Simple curiosity."
"Curi-we are OUTSIDE!"
Mara then begins to angrily mutter something in a language Shadow won't have heard before. Though with his abilities it shouldn't take him long to understand what she's saying.
"-risking EVERYTHING right now! If this backfires on us, I am out, do you understand!?"
Mara's shadow begins to quiver, to which Mara sighs and steps aside. A part of her shadow stays behind after she's moved and moves upwards, rotating in place and forming some kind of portal.
On the other end of the portal, the winged being from the Nightmare Realm looks back at Shadow... who may actually experience a sudden headache if he chooses to actually look at the Nightmare Realm. The realm will look blurry to him, he'll be unable to make out any details from it, even with his divine True Sight.
It may actually be because of his True Sight that he's having said headache, because it will instantly cease if he can somehow stop perceiving the realm itself and focuses on just the winged being.
Edited by DevilPsyco on May 19th 2025 at 4:42:48 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.District 13
-wait, what the fuck?
Iris had finally finished passively scanning many of the people in the crowd, and the information had readily come to her. Some of these partygoers were missing people. Some for several years.
The sudden feeling of something crawling on her arm- inside her sweatshirt -snapped her out of it. She rolled it up and picked the spider off of her, staring at it for a moment before tossing it aside.
Your heart rate is elevated and you are showing signs of intense paranoia. Please calm down, Yamisura-sama.
Iris let out a heavy sigh.
Yeah, yeah- I'm sorry, I'm just realizing that is we're not careful I might meet the same fate as those poor fuckers.
That is statistically unlikely. You have proven yourself capable against many things, including a rogue AI intrusion. This may be a unique situation, but you have faced worse before.
Iris, hearing the man's voice cut through the crowd, quickly adjusted herself once more.
"Yeah, yeah- sure, hang on."
Iris briskly walked herself over to the door and pushed it open, keeping her expression as neutral as she could as she entered the room.
aeiou: the secondHERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW
Situation VIII
Ding. The first of Venti’s anemo bolts sighed against the staff rigidly entrenched between Grimgor’s teeth, not unnoticed yet disregarded for now by the towering brute. Right now his attention was pointed elsewhere. A great armored hand flew up to protect himself from the sword Yuji had chucked, piercing through his palm and emerging bloodily from the other side yet never reaching his vital area. Grimgor sniggered lowly at the attempt, forming his fingers into a fist and crushing the blade in it as he did. As the fragments fell to the ground, he seemed to recognize it at last, glancing up at Yuji knowingly. Borgut was dead. But there was no remorse, no grief on the warlord’s face, only a placid indifference. If he had died, then it meant he hadn’t truly been a worthy second in command; and if he wasn’t a worthy second in command, then Borgut had been of no use, no value to him at all. "JUS’ ANOTHA COG IN DA WAR MASHEEN." He rumbled, unaware of that particular word’s significance to Yuji as he turned his gaze away—ding—and to the rapidly approaching Green. Her rebuttal against Gitsnik had actually parried the titanic blade, sending his arm jerking back as the iron hummed in reverberation. Greeting Green’s smile with one of his own, Grimgor reared his fist back but, at the final moment, chose another path. His fist fell as he reared himself back instead, leaning backwards before firing his torso and his head atop it forwards at Green with the intent of smashing it into her fist and, if the speed had been sufficient, even potentially breaking her arm as a spiderweb crack spread across his own skull, just beneath rapidly bruising skin.
Whether or not that extra spice had been added to either side of the impact, Grimgor would nonetheless stagger backwards, momentarily stunned by the impact. He quickly snapped himself back into alertness, brain damage be damned, upon hearing the footsteps swiftly drawing close from his side. Steel crunched suddenly into steel, Guts’ greatsword breaking through Grimgor’s greaves and inciting a crimson flood from his leg. Ding. His audacity didn’t go unanswered for long; just as the human warrior tore his sword from the green flesh and began to fall back, Grimgor swung his axe and caught the man’s torso, passing effortlessly through the metal prosthetic.
Guts dropped to his knees, his left side utterly cloven. Moonlight caught the silver streak in his hair when he glanced up, keeping the grip tight on his sword as Grimgor’s sole eye connected with his. But in this meeting of warriordom there was no respect, only fury. Everyone you’ve killed, he thought, everyone I’ve lost… The greenskin would pay for it, now! The man levied his Dragonslayer and swept it at Grimgor, just as Grimgor jerked Gitsnik back downwards. The blades met, and of them, only one won: sword yielded to axe, shattering to pieces as Gitsnik smashed through Dragonslayer and bore down into Guts, bifurcating him entirely.
Yet the Black Swordsman was not without his revenge. The shards of his sword continued with the same raw power it’d been swung with, a cyclone of fragmented steel peppering Grimgor: most of the smaller pieces either broke his skin or broke upon his armor, but one particularly large piece sunk into the breastplate just over his heart, jutting out, while another sank into the unprotected area where his head met his shoulder in absence of a neck.
Grimgor again staggered away, grunting, but the conga line of assaults raining upon him was far from over. Radahn trampled back onto the scene with a heavy punch, breaking his left tusk apart as his fist crashed into the beast’s jaw. Grimgor had no intention of letting this affront slide. He dropped his axe, freeing his hand up to swipe at Radahn’s neck and tighten like a vice around it. Ding. Then, Grimgor lifted the demigod and chokeslammed him into the ground before crouching over him, keeping his right hand fixed around the general’s throat while the other pounded relentlessly against his face and shattered the golden helm into pieces. Boom. Boom. Boom!
A gravitational blast lifted the warmonger off the battered demigod, the mass of iron and green clattering onto his back. Not intent on recreating a situation where everybody lunged at him at once like last time though, Grimgor was quick on his feet again, and just in time for Somu’s transformation. The demonic claw cut a deep gouge in his back, past his armor, and even scraped through his flesh across the back of his skull. Yet as Grimgor turned and glared down, he didn’t recognize the man as the same that had mimicked his axe, but instead—
"A SPIKY GIT EH? WUZ HOPIN’ I’D GET T’ KRUMP ONE A YOO AGAI—" The final word croaked in his throat as, from behind, Radahn caught the thirteen behemoth in a chokehold.
"NOW, DEVIL! STRIKE HIM!" And thus Somu could, granted just a moment to make a free strike against Grimgor before—
Ding.
Venti’s final anemo arrow sank into the spear’s butt as Reddie’s crackling rivers of lightning hissed into the golden weapon, and at last Grimgor realized that it was trembling with built-up energy, just waiting to be released. He lifted his bleeding hand to it, brushed ungainly fingers against the tip, and that was all the spear needed. It exploded with elemental energy, fire and wind and lightning bursting from it all it once alongside the sheer kinetic shockwave that was visible to them all. So powerful was the burst that it broke Radahn’s grapple on its own. Grimgor wheeled away and swiveled around, his back to the group, teetering forward and bending over. Blood struck the earth in dark droplets.
At last, Grimgor turned back to them, his top lip fixed in half a manic grin as his bottom lip hung, with the rest of his lower jaw, in mangled shreds dangling from his face. As he spoke his voice was garbled and choked with blood, hindered by the complete lack of a functional lower mouth, and comprehensible only by the thinnest margin. "NOW…WHERE WUZ WE?"
HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW // HERE TODAY // GONE TOMORROW
Edited by ISZATSO on May 19th 2025 at 12:03:54 PM
With great power…you know the rest.The Path
As Eve paved the way, the roots did not try to ensnare or clip her. And Lan's flame revealed that largely, the growths could burn. Though they quickly parted around him, moving in sync with the root opposite of them. This parting however seemed however with the thicker roots, near ceremonial. Those who didn't speak, and just tried to evade the hanging thorny appendages found them behaving more or less the same.
The room Eve chose, bore a contained, rolling set of hills.
Patches of snow layed fluffy and pristine atop green blades of soft grass. Prarie Chickens quickly perked their heads up, as did Groundhogs and a distant fox towards the newcomers, before continuing to slink away. Terns flew over head, and those with finer senses could hear distant waves crashing in the distance.
A line of trees arranged like a fairy circles around a old white stone well, each stone of the well engraved with a ornate set of star maps, and in the center, where water would be-
Was wonder.
A set of of worlds, each gathered around their respective stars, slow moving meteors and comets moving through the void within the well-
Reflecting the distant dotted tapestry of the ever bright night sky looming over them.
But William wpuld probably note the scent of bread, and what seemed to be the...
Quaint, rural cottage of the Everate Household.
Survival can mean so little if you don't ever take the time to live, to love. For but a moment, the stars above us look at peace too.
All beings are made of the same stardust.
Edited by ArbiterOfTheBog on May 20th 2025 at 6:31:16 AM
AwawaTunnels
William's eyes widen at the change in scenery, an expression of longing goes across him. The wonder, the environment. Anyone with magical sensing could probably tell that there's magic spontaneously appearing and disappearing in select areas. It was constant and erratic yet orderly in nature. Strangely, attempting to actively perceive it can increase its frequency.
The fact that even breathing stings a little for William is a kind of discomfort unique to a world that he once lived in. But "Not in thousands of years... Not even in that... thing." Did he expect to feel it to its full effect again, especially the lull of the bread. Despite his few encounters with Him in the Arena, this specific one invokes a certain conflicting memory that he can't forget.
After the initial shock, he looks around and
There's Eve, Elizabeth, Lan, Jolyne, and That voice which drags him back to the reality of the situation.
"None of this is real— None of this is—" His experience is speaking, although little. He feels he has to feel endangered here otherwise his leisure might be at everyone's expense, yet he just fully cant.
He's walking for the cottage figuring
"...This has to be a way out." Lan had to encounter someone of note in his memory, he isn't sure who but it was someone. But this one had so many people in such a short span of time, he's mulling on who or what's on the other side while they get within peering distance.
Eve could probably also tell whose bread this is just on the scent alone.
Edited by BoniniBanana on May 20th 2025 at 10:36:22 PM
realShadow gives Mara a silent look that suggests he wants to believe her, but still retains a healthy amount of doubt.
He then cocks his head, quirking an eyebrow.
"Eh? Who could that be, then? But I, ah…I respect that. Believe it or not, way back in the beginning, I used to be similar…but worse. Born on the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak, awoke in the void surrounding my siblings’ and I’s world, outside looking in. I wasn’t the friendly figure I am now. I was more of a…presence. A dark force. An alien intelligence, and I just wanted to learn, no matter the price. Everything was just a toy to take apart and put back together to see what made it tick. Not one of my best moments. I actually ended up shrinking the borders of the world a bit before a major shock to the system brought me to my senses, but here I am now."
As soon as Mara’s demeanor changes, and she reaches for her blade, Shadow’s ready. His eyes flash red and he teleports a short distance away, having already drawn the Black Blade and conjured a black diamond,
◊ as he had known better than to let his guard down for a moment.
"Bad choice. I told you, I'm not here on business. But if you threaten me, you might force me to put in some overtime, and I really don't want that."
He narrows his eyes when he hears the voice, keeping himself braced as he listens.
"So, I'm guessing my reputation precedes me?"
He takes note of Mara's words, a brief flicker of recognition registering in his gaze as he picks up on her language, though he ensures Mara doesn't sense anything amiss. When the Nightmare Being opens their portal, Shadow recoils a bit, screwing his eyes shut as he remains on guard.
"…oh, Hell...not literally of course, but I know anti-Divine countermeasures when I see - or feel - it. Wonderful..."
He takes a deep breath, and opens his eyes, having tuned out the chaos of the Nightmare Realm and honed in on the Realm’s resident, his gaze taking on a steely resolve.
"…well, hello to you too, 'Tall, Dark, and Terrifying'. Seriously…"
He quirks a brow, gesturing emphatically between himself and the Nightmare Being.
"…you don't think all this is a little on the nose? At the very least, I use this gimmick for good. I'm, ah…guessing you don't."
He sighs, scowling.
"I'm gonna' say, your reputation precedes you too. Haven't met you face-to-face yet, but a few good friends of mine have had both personal run-ins and indirect encounters, and I'm not too happy with what I've seen."
Edited by SacredSpirit123 on May 20th 2025 at 12:03:42 PM
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-StalkerThe Alpha Orc
Venti realized someone should have been there to direct the power of the blast, quickly facing the others to apologize before the eneegy blew him back as well. Spinning wildly from the epicenter, angelic wings briefly appeared around the thrown archon as he righted himself in the air. Looking around for his spear, he found the weapon soaring high above them, a piece of Grimgor'a lower mandible slipping off it.
Grizzly. But something to be expected in war. Soaring forward he quixkly grabbed the weapon and looked to how Grimgor... was still standing! Oh he'd have been a problem back home... a big one. But Venti had a plan.
He soared behind a building, moving our of sight. Feeling the spear in his grasp, it still pulsed with raw power. This was a formidable surge of power still in the air. He actually waited for Green's move, and if she decides to lock fist with the brute, or naturally share blows, Venti would swiftly fly in and begin to harass Grimgor. Sharp jabs of the spear, slicing the air around his head. It wasn't very warrior-esquw granted... but mobbing him would allow the others to exploit his wounds more efficiently he reckoned.
Awawa

District 13
A red glare traced the car pulling in, hawkishly watched the figure emerge from it. It waited until all sides of her face had been exposed before searching the extensive fed database the club’s ownership had a backdoor plug into. The information was transmitted to the watcher monitor surveying the brainwaves of every Sodom’s Sin employee before an AI algorithm concluded her potential value to the club and beamed back an order: bring her in.
Iris wouldn’t have to wait in line long before one of the scouts approached, his dark and archaic cybernetics clanking with every motion. As he spoke he did so in a deeply modulated voice that no longer could be heard as anything resembling human. "You're on our VIP list. Come." Some groans rose in the line as she was plucked from it and led to the entrance, where the bouncer stepped aside and allowed them in—much to the chagrin of a punk standing by it.
Within was a maelstrom of pulsing crimson lights and writhing bodies, bordered by tables and bars. At the center of the floor was a holographic crimson orb beating like a heart to the song’s drums,
casting the scene in a dark scarlet glow. On the edges overlooking the squirming mass of people were the nightclub’s guards, more machine than man and adorned in archaic, painfully implemented chrome stabbing into their flesh. Then, above them all, the owner watched from his balcony. He bore modifications—or so they seemed to be—that transformed him completely into a different entity entirely. An array of fangs poked from his lipless mouth and bony protrusions dotted his forked chin. Over his eyes was a gray visor, and most notable of all were the brownish horns, with black studs emulating teeth in jaw, horns that gave him an intimidating, monstrous aura. A dark fur coat draped his frame, ending only at his darkly-clothed knees. His clawed fingers left the steel railing and he turned away, disappearing from sight.
"Mr. Lucien would like to see you in a moment," the scout hissed in mechanized orchestration. "Please, enjoy our amenities until then."
Edited by ISZATSO on May 19th 2025 at 7:18:04 AM
With great power…you know the rest.