Kuveli was about to respond to Stark, but Sephiroth already beat both of them to it, her leg going from only mostly reattached to properly reunited as one whole form. She glances down at it, or at least turns her head to face in the direction of her former injury, lifting her leg up and giving it a brief shake for certainty, then turning her head to face Sephiroth and nodding in acknowledgement/appreciation. Then she simply stands and listens for a while, doing her best to relax.
...And then immediately making a ! pose as the betrayal is mentioned, briefly gesturing frantically in the belief that it would've really helped to hear that sooner. What happens next does helpfully answer her inquiry, the red-and-black metal lady quickly moving to hop into the water herself, Merulina manifesting once again mid-fall to let her briefly surf on the surface for a while, making her way to the collection of vaults as quickly as she can. Not that she's consciously choosing to go there, it just feels like where she should be headed, and she gets the vague feeling that everyone else is going that way too.
Which, after some time, means she gets to relink up with the rest of the party, but also means she casts her eyes on the Godbuster. She isn't sure what it is, but it clearly has incredible importance, and by mentally measuring the proportions from a distance, she also suspects it might be a whole mobile base in its own right... Not that she spends too long dwelling on what it is, because she soon turns to watch the bit of conversation about to happen between Stark and Jason.
...At the same time, her curiosity has been stoked. She glances at the Godbuster again, then at Stark, tilting her head as those blood red bubble streams manifest again. She knows it means serious business, but such an undertaking would be monumentally expensive, dangerous if uncovered, super dangerous if hijacked, so with a onehanded gesture towards that thing...
WHY?
Beelzebub's explanation helps a little, but Zero can't help but ponder the continued risks. If the worms are responsible for the infections, somehow, then there's at least two subjects out there who pulled it off, one living specimen still in the jar... "...and the potential that they're not showing off everything they can do just yet... If they could jump from a nearly useless host to a more viable one..."
Zero doesn't seem entirely aware that he spoke aloud just then, his attention snapping over to the doorway once again. With the exception of his trigger fingers, his hands have gone pure white from how tightly they grip his futuristic flamethrower, some faint crackles of blue electricity manifesting around the points of contact. His eyes flick from the doorway to the screens, then to Beelzebub, then to the doorway again. He can hear the battles from the hallway, he can sort of see them on the screens out the corner of his field of view...
His eyes snap onto the creature that's still in the jar, traumatic-memory-induced hatred beginning to creep into his eyes and voice. "If that thing leaves the jar, I am killing it. No compromise. No hesitation. I hope it understands that." Then he returns his gaze to the doorway, then to the cameras once more. He thinks that the group out there have mostly handled the threat of False Idoll and Cruel Striker, so he's quite fine (relatively) with remaining defensively positioned in the camera room and looking for any noteworthy details.
...At the same time, fear is making it hard for him to act, and he knows it. Zero internally considers whether or not to arrange something to... put that fear aside, so to speak. While they don't appear on him directly, a pair of goggles
◊ with a strangely uncomfortable air to them manifest on the table beside Zero, with some odd properties - looking at them is a bit like peering through fog, the exact shape a little hard to make out, and they also seem just a bit transparent as though they haven't fully manifested...
Jorrvaskr
Isengrim gives the Asgardians an amused look.
"Thanks. I know I'm likely nothing compared to whatever sort of Hel-Hounds you likely have roaming about your homeworld, but I'm a different sort of creature entirely."
Shadow raises a finger, smirking.
"Faerie, right? Fey-blooded animal, to be specific? Detecting a touch of..."
He rubs his chin, looking thoughtful as he scrutinizes Isengrim.
"...Unseelie Court, if I'm not mistaken?"
Isengrim gives Shadow a dumbfounded look, and even the Cubs look speechless.
"That's...exactly right. Are you sure you haven't met one of us before?"
Shadow shakes his head, but smiles.
"Not face-to-face, no. But I did end up glimpsing you and your cubs back when the Cyber-Angels were occupying the Arena, and the Culmination attacked."
Anya and Sirius gasp.
"Culmination?"
"That's what that thing was called?"
Isengrim growls.
"I remember that day all too well, and I'd appreciate someone telling me what in the Nine Hells that thing was, but I can't say I remember seeing you. Who did you say you were again?"
Shadow gives Isengrim a sheepish grin.
"Sorry, kinda' forgot to introduce myself when the others did...I'm Shadow, Aspect of Darkness, eldest of the Aspects of Unity. You likely haven't heard of us, since we're Omniverse-trotting Astral Deities."
Neodyme gives Isengrim a respectful nod.
"And I am Neodyme, Aspect of Metal and Energy."
Neodyme's marbleized alloy pops out of Shadow's pocket, and Sirius squirms about in Shadow's arms, excited by the sudden motion, so Shadow sets him down, whereupon he trots up next to Isengrim. Neodyme's Luminoform enters the alloy as it rolls next to Shadow, reshaping it into their usual proxy. Isengrim and his cubs all gawk at the show, sitting together in a huddle. Even Daimion seems surprised. Eventually, Isengrim tilts his head.
"...well, I've gotta' say, I didn't expect to meet five Gods and a...Magician...when I woke up today. Tell me, though, how did you catch on so easily to my true nature? Fey glamour is pretty powerful stuff, you know."
Shadow smirks, pointing to his eyes.
"Truesight. Although I must say, your glamour actually managed to fool it a bit, and all I could really tell at the moment, because I was focused on the Culmination, was that you were probably not Humanoid, and that you radiated Primordial Magic. You must be a very powerful Fey to block out my sight like that."
Isengrim gives a dismissive grunt, shaking his head.
"No, afraid not. Old, definitely, but not powerful. If I were, I'd have been able to..."
He trails off, sighing deeply as he lies down and gazes at the floor, looking forlorn. His cubs huddle around him, sharing his expression, and Daimion drops to one knee, placing his hand on Isengrim's shoulder with an empathetic look. Eventually, Isengrim looks back up at the group, a deep conviction visible in his eyes.
"...look, I knew I said you probably didn't come here to listen to me ramble on about my life, but how much would you mind if I told you about myself? About my little family here?"
The Lost Woods
Deep in the Lost woods, a trio of unlikely companions
is hiking along one of the trails. Ugo, the Edgeworldian White Raven
, scouts ahead, while Lucien Legraive, the young Black Mage, and Mr. Grymm, his Curst
companion, follow behind him. Lucien looks up at Ugo, and then at Grymm, smiling slightly.
"My, it does seem like Ugo enjoys having some time to spread his wings, does it not?"
Grymm nods, smirking.
"I'll say. I've got to admit I'm quite enjoying the sights, myself. I can see why they said this forest holds old magic, I mean, just look at it!"
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-StalkerJorrvaskr
Faerie. Unseelie. Also both members of the demon army.
"I have experience with Fae. You could say I work with some." , Weber says, finally speaking up, and revealing he'd caught onto Isengrim's true nature too. He doesn't sound like he's lying about that.
"Please, do speak. I enjoy listening to what you have to say."
... that sounded surprisingly genuine coming from him. It may catch his allies off guard.
The Lost Woods
Since not too long ago, someone had moved into this part of the Lost Forest. And this someone noticed the trio from afar since a little while ago.
He'd made sure to follow from a distance only as to not be noticed, but now that they're all deep into the forest, he begins to grow more bold...
Whichever one of the trio has the keenest senses may suddenly hear rustling in the distance. It's only there for a moment, but it's undeniable.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."Wait, wait, you're a fairy? You certainly seem rather tall and imposing for one," Thor says.
"The Culmination was... the result of a catastrophe that should never have come to pass, to put it mildly," Loki says
"Go ahead, tell away. I wouldn't mind a story," Sylvie says.
All three of them the briefly cast a surprised glance in Weber's direction.
Walter's Bar
"You're serious about this? This better not be some kind of trick, Walter.", Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing asks while tapping her glass.
"Seras can affirm for me that he really exists, Sir Integra.", Walter says while cleaning another glass.
"It's true.", Seras says, not having any glass. "He's much more... uh... extreme than the Alucard we know, but he does exist."
Integra taps her glass a few more times in thought.
"And you can't have these new friends of yours track him down because...?"
"They would agitate each other and it would undoubtedly end up with Alucard murdering them all."
"..."
She gets up from her seat and places some money on the counter, then walks towards the exit. Walter glances at her as she moves, with Seras looking a little worried. Integra stops at the door while lighting up a cigar, glancing back with her eye.
"Well, come on then. We have reconnaissance to do."
Seras smiles and follows immediately. Walter puts down his glass, walks over to Integra... and then takes the cigar before she can put it in her mouth.
"It's illegal to smoke indoors in a bar these days.", he says with amusement, walking outside first before turning and offering the cigar back.
"Ma'am."
Integra feels a combination of annoyance and amusement as she exists the building and takes her cigar back.
"You best be right about this, Walter."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Hatchling's Ship
"Don't thank me yet, we haven't landed safely. Hub Centralis would also be your best place to find a map. Should I take you straight there?"
Woodland Stable, Hyrule
Few would suspect this quaint little stable of being home to shady underground dealings.
Regardless, even though no one is actually manning the stable and keeping track of horses, the commonfolk come by from time to time to post news...and bounties.
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Hatchling's Ship
"That'd be appreciated, thanks."
Woodland Stable, Hyrule
The bar they exited seems to be located close to the aforementioned stable, and as they walk past it Walter stops and approaches it.
"What are you doing?", Integra asks.
"Reconnaissance, of course.", Walter chuckles. "There's not a lot of people in this area yet, but the ones that do live here tend to spread news by placing it here."
"So it's like a bulletin board?"
"Exactly. I look it over at least once a day."
Mainly to send potentially useful information to the Dark Hunters, but he doesn't mention that part.
Integra and Seras go with him now.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."You sought to subjugate others, but in the end, you were a slave to your own ambitions. Now, they buried you. Such is the fate of all who seek power for its own sake."
Konngara lands on solid ground and mimes wiping blood from her blades, even though there's no actual blood on them. As she basks in glorious victory, her form stabilizes again. Her legs are still distorted and smoky; that much could only be fixed if she went back to believing she was still alive.
"Return to me, Galeem. And just in case you are the one who somehow arranged this, as opposed to the bug stumbling upon you by coincidence... don't think you will ever have the chance to do anything like this again." Sombra says in an unusually stern tone as he recalls Galeem's Spirit back to himself.
The Astral Knight holds up Morpho Knight's sword, looking at her own reflection in its edge. She can sense it; the seal has been undone. The mission to defeat the vengeful spirits is complete, and they can finally go to Heaven and finish the mission to rescue their fallen comrades.
"The end of our mission draws near, but we are not done just yet," she declares. "We must go back to Higan first. Then there is one soul left to retrieve: that of 42, in Heaven."
She briefly thinks back to that time she almost killed 42 as a traitor. How ironic that, of all the souls Sariel took, she alone was deemed worthy of Heaven. She wonders if that's saying more about her own failure as a judge, or Sariel's. She concludes it doesn't really matter, as neither of them is fit for the task anyway.
She slashes open a portal to Higan with Morpho Knight's sword and leads the party through, with Sombra in tow.
Edited by Arachnos on Jul 2nd 2025 at 4:52:19 AM
Hatchling's Ship
The Hatchling flies over the bridge. Hub Centralis fades into existence before their and Bvio's eyes, and once they reach the mainland, they descend and land in the city. The underside hatch opens.
"Here's your stop. Good luck out there. See you again!"
Woodland Stable
A bounty is on the news board. It should catch Walter's eyes because it says, in big bold letters, VAMPIRE.
A vampire has been prowling Central Hyrule Field at night, abducting young and elderly civilians and stalking women. Artistic depiction of his face included.
◊ Anna and Co. are offering a reward of five gold bars, each weighing in at five kilograms, for the confirmed killing of the vampire.
In 1999, that's roughly one million six hundred twenty-five thousand US dollars. If the collective embodiment of human avarice is willing to pay that much to kill the vampire, they must REALLY want him DEAD dead.
Edited by KiriK on Jul 2nd 2025 at 4:11:48 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."William stares at Sectonia's defeat. He looks back to make sure the Flamelord Rahkshi isn't flying out of the abyss.
When he knows for sure the fight is over, he slumps over and falls on his side, heaving in exhaustion.
"Honestly...I thought...we had no chance."
He groans, unable to stand up from his Post-Victory Collapse to follow the others through the portal.
Hatchling's Ship
"Thank you, and... good luck.", he says. He's still not sure how the Hatchling's whole 'cessation' thing works, but he still figures there must be more to it if they're so casual about it. He fully expects that they'll have a way to come back.
After all, they did just say 'see you again'.
He hops out of the ship.
Woodland Stable
Walter does take notice, and is initially planning on taking it off of the board to hand over to the Dark Hunters... but then he sees what's actually on it.
He grins.
"It looks like we have the devil's luck, Sir Integra.", he says, removing the post from the board and showing it to her.
"How so? That's not Alucard, is it?"
"No, but this definitely sounds like the kind of thing he'd show up for.", Integra says before taking a puff from her cigar. "Getting to gun down a vampire like this, that is. Where there's violence among vampires, there's likely to be Alucard."
"Hm... five gold bars as the reward? That's... uh..."
"A significant boost to your rebuilding funds. A little over a million and a half in US dollars.", Walter says.
"What? That much!?"
"You've handled our finances in the past, I trust you in that at least.", Integra says to Walter.
"Now then... let's go find that vampire."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Liberation From Hell
The Timekeeper Vahki puts its double Skrall blades back together, retrieves its triple-blade BFS from William, and picks him up, carrying him under its arm through the portal.
A table has been set up in the garden of Higan, with the rest of Kutaka's snacks laid out on it. Kutaka herself is nowhere to be seen, presumably having put the table there so she could go back to her gatekeeper job.
"Well done on all accounts," Eiki says.
"Let me give you this advice for the last leg of your own journey. Only Sombra can go."
Hub Centralis
The Hatchling's ship lifts off and flies away...
Great Hyrule Forest
Fortunately, it doesn't take long to narrow down the vampire's hiding spot. The Thyphlo Ruins
◊ are straight north of the Lost Woods, and known for periodically being shrouded in an impermeable magical darkness—during such times, any creature of the night would be completely safe there...except from others of its kind. While that is pretty far from Hyrule Field, it's no great distance for a supernaturally enhanced being.
As they come near the ruins, they can hear the sound of metal plunging into flesh and blood splattering. Sounds like another hunter beat them to the mark.
???
Star Knight stands in the middle of a smoldering crater. Narktus warps in behind him.
"I saw a tremendous surge of energy and rushed over. The hell happened here?"
"Something was pretending to be me, so I figured out a way to determine which was the real one."
"How so? Did you...find someone to ask you questions about yourselves? Play chicken until one confessed?"
"Nah. I just did something that only the real me could survive."
Narktus twitches. "...Didn't take you for the ominous cryptic type, Kirby."
Star Knight chuckles. "Well, I was raised by Meta Knight."
Narktus laughs with him.
After a moment, the laughter stops, and Star Knight turns around to face Narktus.
"But for the record, if you hadn't rushed to the scene yourself, I'd have gone looking for you. There's a reason I sprang for lethal force against the shapeshifter, and it's not because I didn't like the idea of being framed and humiliated by some random pretender."
"Judging by your standards for what is and isn't a problem worth immediate destruction... These things are extensions of an eldritch force beyond mortal comprehension, got it. Who should be warned?"
"Ideally everyone, but let's start with the biggest factions. The Assassins, Pseudo, the Church of Gor, the Tri-District Defense Force..."
"...I'll leave that to you, then. They're more likely to trust someone who isn't also a threat looming over their heads."
"Way ahead of you." Star Knight vanishes, leaving Narktus standing at the edge of the crater.
Despite the visible battle damaged-environment, Narktus can't shake the feeling that what happened was more like an existing void being filled.
Edited by KiriK on Jul 15th 2025 at 11:58:22 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Hub Centralis
Bvio goes off on his own, now determined to start his search. The Primordial Shapeshifters have to be stopped before it's too late!
—
???
A greater distance away sees something skulking around, having seen what Star Knight did.
This one... it's not ready to deal with this one. It has to stay away from it. Stay under its radar.
The Primordial Shapeshifter retreats, now back to one specimen.
Great Hyrule Forest
"Great. I'm already down an eye and now I can barely see anything at all.", Integra says.
"Don't worry, Sir Integra. We'll be your eyes.", Seras says.
"And ears. And mine are telling me we're headed in the right direction."
"And what makes you say t-"
Cue the sounds from the distance. Walter chuckles for a moment.
"Let's go take a look, shall we?"
He starts walking first, Integra second, and Seras last, serving as defense from behind in case they walk into an ambush.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Jul 2nd 2025 at 11:47:12 AM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Thyphlo Ruins
The sounds of battle cease as they get closer to the Thyphlo Ruins. There's a lull—no sound or movement...
Then right as they cross the lake that encircles the ruins, a gunshot rings out through the maze of stone pillars and walls. A shot whose sound they'd recognize anywhere. Alucard is definitely here.
But why was there that pause?
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Thyphlo Ruins
Integra is indeed immediately suspicious about the pause. She nods at Seras, who nods back. They're ready to act at a moment's notice.
They then arrive, and...!
Edited by DevilPsyco on Jul 2nd 2025 at 11:55:36 AM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Thyphlo Ruins
There are three things of note.
First is the corpse lying on the ground. The head is gone, reduced to gibs strewn about the area. Judging by the clothes still on it, that's the bounty target...or what's left of him.
Second is, of course, Alucard, the bespectacled figure in red laughing as he coasts over the ground like a ghost in flight.
Third is the blonde woman with a lance, dashing with great striding footsteps to keep up close with Alucard. She jabs at him with her lance, his coat disperses around the implement as if made of fog, and he levels the barrel of his .454 Casull right between her eyes. She dodges a split-second before he fires, the bullet whizzing past her and blasting off a chunk of pillar uncomfortably close to Integra's group.
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Typhlo Ruins
They arrive on the scene, all three of them taking in the situation immediately.
When the pillar begins to collapse near them, there's the familiar shimmering of wires before it's cut up into so many small pebbles that when they rain down on the group of three they barely even hurt.
Alucard may have actually heard that shimmering, and given he should know that sound all too well, it should be something worthy of his attention.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Both Alucard and his enemy freeze at the sound of the wires.
"More scoundrels?"
"Tch."
Alucard turns to face Integra.
"Hey, Integra. Police girl. Oh, Walter, how'd you get old again?"
The blonde woman makes an impaling charge at Alucard's exposed back. He brings his Jackal over his shoulder and deflects her lance with its barrel without looking before firing it behind himself, forcing her back from the destructive power. "Kind of in the middle of something here, if you don't mind!"
Definitely not the same Alucard Integra knew.
Edited by KiriK on Jul 2nd 2025 at 5:15:12 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Typhlo Ruins
Had Walter not told her about this, Integra would've been a bit caught off guard by the difference. But with that knowledge she was prepared, and as such does not look fazed at all.
She simply smirks while taking a puff from her cigar.
"I see you've already taken care of the main threat. You're as diligent as the Alucard I know."
Immediately letting him know that just like this Seras and Walter, she's not from the same world he is. ... the fact that she didn't get angry at him for some reason would've probably tipped him off too.
"With the help of some new friends.", Walter responds to Alucard. "My body is stable now."
Seras, meanwhile, is the only one who really looks at the other factor in this.
"So, uh... who are you?", she asks the blonde woman. "And why are you fighting Alucard?"
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.CHURCH OF GOR
Meteorika is gladly sitting by her office. It had been a while since the fight against the group led by Sarah. And though she had been exposed to the wrath of Gor, there had been no more acts of aggression against them. In fact, the church had been just quietly undergoing a revision, with Azura soon set to be announced at the new High Pope. This would mean a downgrade in favor for Gor's oldest agent, but Meteorika was happy to be alive.
She could just focus on spying on those UTOPIA folks - an UTOPIA was very much against Gor's plans for a better world. But yet, there was an odd detail where any attempt to simply teleport into it was thwarted - the place had a thick barrier around it. Preventing any form of travel into it unless allowed from the inside, probably.
Heh, all on due time.
Ouazo
Simply grabs his clothes and then lightly crack his neck as the merchant goes. He actually doesn't put them on yet - he'll need them clean to avoid suspicion.
And he was going to be having a lot on blood on himself soon.
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterJorrvaskr
Isengrim gives Weber a contemplative look.
"You know, somehow, I don't doubt that. The Fey can be a fickle lot, and some, even members of the Seelie court, undoubtedly end up falling in line with darker powers. ...no offense meant, of course."
Isengrim flashes Thor a feral, wide-toothed grin, one which his cubs mimic...though, given their smaller size and softer features, it may look a fair deal more adorable than they were hoping for.
"You see, that is exactly what Fey want you to think. You're likely only familiar with who would be the lower members of the Seelie court. Pixies, Sprites, so on. The Fey are a vast and varied lot, just as numerous and diverse as the Humanoids who populate the Material Plane, and they can range from benevolent to...decidedly less so. I'm what you'd call an Antherion, or in layman's terms, a 'Man-Beast', though I personally loathe how crass and uncouth that second term sounds. Specifically, I'm what Mortals call a 'Wolfwere'. You would think that means I'm related to Werewolves, or that I'm a wolf who was bitten by a man, but, Gods, thankfully, neither of those are the case. I'm not cursed, and the only way I can create more of my own kind is...the typical way, if you catch my meaning. An Antherion can't have offspring with Humanoids, nor can they pass on their condition by biting them, or other animals of their kind. Instead, the union of two Antherions of the same species produce another Antherion, but, alternatively, the union of an Antherion with a non-Antherion animal of their species produces an animal as intelligent as any Humanoid."
He glances about at his cubs, who look up at him, wagging their tails.
"...which you've seen for yourself, since you've spoken to Sirius and Anya."
Sirius and Anya nod.
"You remember we told you that we have to act normal in public, right?"
"We don't want to tip people off that we're part-Fey. There's...bad people...who would want to hurt us if they found out."
He nuzzles the pair affectionately, then looks back to Loki.
"...mm. Well, hopefully something like that doesn't happen again. I'd like to know more at some point, but for now, I feel there are other topics that you find far more pressing at the moment, am I right?"
Shadow nods to Isengrim.
"I'd like to hear your story. Something tells me that it means a lot to you, and I'd be honored to hear it."
Neodyme nods as well.
"I feel the same way."
Shadow quirks an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Neodyme, and both look at Weber, with Shadow smirking slightly.
"Surprisingly sociable, coming from you."
"An interesting change of pace, and a welcome one for once."
Isengrim smiles slightly to the group, and gets up, shifting back into his Humanoid form. He grabs a chair for Daimion, who sits down with a smile, then adjusts his own chair to face the main table, and he motions for the group to have a seat there.
"Happy to hear it. Now, make yourselves comfortable. I'll sit here, with my family. Just letting you know, I'm all too aware that we Fey have a...slightly different...perception of time than most beings, so I'll throw some pauses into my tale to let you process what you've heard so far."
"Even I'm lost sometimes.", Daimion muses, flashing a playful, catlike smile, revealing a small glimpse of his fangs.
Lost Woods
Oh look, it's the return of the official ambience!
Ugo, being a high-flying bird, is naturally the first to notice something is afoot. He croaks curiously, and glides toward the sound slightly, perching on the branch of a nearby tree. Lucien and Grymm pause, with Lucien quirking an eyebrow and Grymm blinking in confusion.
"...huh? Did th' bird notice something?"
"It certainly seems that way. One moment."
He closes his eyes, and forms a telepathic link with Ugo, his Familiar.
'Ugo, be my eyes. What do you see?'
There's a brief flash of red light in Ugo's eyes, and he shivers a moment, ruffling his feathers.
'...COR, you do know I hate when you do that without warning me first! But alright. I must admit I'm quite curious myself.'
Ugo scoots further on the branch, craning his neck, using his keen vision and hearing in an attempt to suss out what's making the rustling, telepathically sharing his sensory feedback with Lucien through their mental link.
Edited by SacredSpirit123 on Jul 3rd 2025 at 3:45:19 AM
"Life isn't a fairytale. There isn't always a 'Happily Ever After' waiting for you at the end of the road." ~ Isengrim Heath-StalkerBar
"One of the vendors made off with a number of weapons," Steve directed the soldiers to the woman’s direction, "I’m sure you don’t want weapons like that on the street." Or maybe they do. What the Hell had just happened?
As Machín, Wendy, and Honey explained The Troubles that had befallen their merry band—the former two in considerably greater depth than the latter—he looked down at the man he called a friend, and ruminated on this happening. "I thought Stark was at the facility. Are they done already? Or…" Had something worse befallen them? He worried for Casper, and everyone else in their group. The soldier’s gaze flicked up as Waller called him by name. "We’ve…fought with one another, before. Over our own differences, or through enemies that pitted us against one another. But never anything like that. And our Emperor friend — he could tell if Stark was under someone’s control, couldn’t he?" Rogers paused a moment to allow the squidman in question to confirm or deny this, before continuing. "So if all his actions were his own, then there’s no way this man’s the Tony Stark I know. He’s a different Iron Man. We’ve done that whole song and dance before, but if your UTOPIA’s been infiltrated by a darker Stark, then who’s to say it hasn’t been infiltrated by others like him? Who’s to say anyone is who they say they are?"
Facility
Looks like things are heating up again. Deciding she’d rested up long enough, Lorelai brought herself back to her feet and glanced sideways at her healer, searching for appropriately vitriolic words yet finding herself unable to say anything at all against Leda. So she grunted at her, before turning away and hopping from debris to debris and occasionally creating platforms for herself with the Force that fell to pieces soon after she was done with them, all to reach the others. In this new room…
"What the..?" Being from the stars, she was no stranger to megastructures. As a child, she’d visited one of Korriban’s largest temples, itself carved from a wide mountain range and even visible from orbit. Yet this was…different. There was no apparent reason for its grand emptiness, other than to house that device beyond its glass prison. "A superweapon, held in the womb of your peaceful…”UTOPIA.” The faintest of smiles brewed on her lips not only at the delicious irony of it, but at the device itself, its menace enough to spark admiration in the heart of any Sith. Though the smile faded as she remembered it was not hers. "I am nearly impressed. Nearly." A baldfaced lie, she was totally impressed. "Man of Iron, explain this."
Prison
"Uh huh, good luck with that, you guys!" Nero skedaddles. Definitely NOT a fight he can win…at least, not yet. Still, he sticks by William as the later heals Miquella, in case either are set in danger—the latter because he’d already resolved to keep safe for Kyrie’s sake, and former because he’s a funny little guy and Nero likes him.
With great power…you know the rest.Culex 30 days late
Dark Ringabel manages to avoid the Solidify and Boulder but then gets put to sleep, flopping over. After a moment he convulses as someone on the inside forcibly awakens him via an internal shock of some kind. He gets back up looking a bit worse for wear.
He then decides to get into the stance for Absorb Magic, intent on recharging...
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."Thyphlo Ruins
"My name is Don Quixote. I struck out on this place in search of the foe with a bounty on his head, as a true Fixer would. But just as the deed is done, I find myself confronted by this...this thing! He claims to be after the same target as I, but I smell the blood of thousands—nay, hundreds of thousands on the villain's hands! And you, who would speak with him so casually, are equally guilty of his sins!"
"She has a point. I did kill, like, upwards of three million people, and you guys chose to associate with me. What I want to know is..."
Alucard turns back around to Don Quixote.
"I purged all those lives. Gave each soul a little therapy session, one by one, and let all but one go. So how can you still tell how many I've killed?"
"'Tis as I said. I smell the blood on your hands. You may have released your grip on their lives, but the fact that you claimed them at all remains indelible!"
"Interesting. But how can you smell it?"
"Well, I..." Don Quixote steps back, and Alucard suddenly gets right up in her face.
"What are you hiding, 'Fixer' girl?"
UTOPIA
Facility
Sephiroth glares at the sight of the Godbuster.
"What does this exist for? What does a 'utopia' need it for?"
—
Prison
"WHAT? NO! NO, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Once Seven has made a decent amount of distance thanks to Siffrin's distraction, he skids to a stop, turning around and holding his scissors between his hands. He begins to infuse qi into them, making them spin increasingly fast and emanate blazing light.
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Jorrvaskr
This guy, at least outwardly, reminds Weber of some of the demons in Rico Jr.'s ranks. Specifically the Wear Tigers.
Yes, 'Wear' Tiger, not 'Were' Tiger.
Though this man clearly isn't the same as they are. For one, this guy is actually the animal he looks like.
He remains silent, keeping any and all thoughts to himself.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.