TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Go To

Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#398801: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:30:56 PM

Kananisaythis

Well maybe you guys are small. Mal smirks. But do go on.

oh no its a mess out there Ez decries, to Mal's brief shock and worry. He then figures out she saw something through her wisdom and let her have it, Ez sucking on her thumb as she listens. She looks really eager to ask about the big complicated words, but then she lets her mind wander. It's rude to interrupt strangers and she think adult talk is boring.

So she fixates on the grey slop being served, not finding it tasty but not minding it either. Still, she looks at Mal in slight outrage, being that she has to contend with eating that instead of Penelope's delicious food but she can't really complain while Kana is talking. She's a polite little girl and let it not be disputed by anyone, human or not.

Plus Kana spoke funny.

Huh. Seems like the "Feddies" are the douchebags here, yeah. Mal says. He had his suspicions of bias but he had not entered this base to piss off its inoccupants... too much. On my home universe, the humans don't really have a homeworld, you guys are kind of everywhere. But the main planet you are on is Coruscant, it's a giant city of a planet. I was born in a similar world myself. Imagine the surface of a planet but it's just... one huge city? Kinda like that. Mal smirks.

He prepares to move on with the speech but Kana's little explanation is interesting to him. Zeon Daikun, huh? If it weren't for the technology on display being comparable, he would almost think of Kana as an unfathomably ancient human who predated him by eons. But surely the humans would not forget a homeworld they were ready to wage war over.

That Degwin guy... Mal says, preparing to bring up that he might have been the one to kill Deikun before realizing saying so might count as heresy. Luckily, Ez is to the rescue.

was he really a right hand thats silly Ez says, observing her right hand, at first with amusement, then in suspicion, fixing the palm of her hand as she apparently ponder on the possibility of it pulling a Degwin and breaking free.

Is the "commander?" Says Mal, after a little bit of smiling at Ez.

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#398802: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:36:16 PM

The Grand Resurrection

Upon getting the message, Violet smiles and nods before sitting down on a bar chair, continuing to drink her orange juice.

Downstairs Tahn has briefly retreated into his room. Hugo is still somewhat concerned, but before he can even think of trying to get off of the table and crawling over to said room, Tahn comes back out, letting out a deep breath he'd apparently taken.

The thief walks towards the door leading upstairs and enters it without so much as a word to anyone, not even Hugo.

Just as Violet finishes her drink, the door opens and 'Nelson' slowly emerges from it, first peeking through the opening for a moment. This isn't really behavior Majima will have seen from him before, he seems downright anxious, his expression strained. Right now the boy who had mastered faking his expressions can't pretend that everything's fine.

He now fully enters the bar and stops in place the moment he spots Violet, who smirks as she gets off of her chair with a little hop.

"Um... hi, Violet.", he meekly says. "I didn't expect to see-"

He suddenly yelps as Violet steps over to him and... picks him up with a hug.

"Aha, T-Nelson! I finally found you! Oh, I was so worried!"

Yeah this is definitely a front she's keeping up in front of the customers given her hasty self-correction. But that also confirms to Majima and Lei that she definitely knows who he really is.

As for Tahn himself, his reaction to this hug should clarify his behavior to them instantly. Because you see... his eyes are wide and his face is covered in a beet-red blush. He's slightly stammering.

Oh. Oh, he wasn't anxious because he was angry. He was anxious because he has a crush on her. And apparently he's got it bad. He must've taken that moment to collect his bearings.

Violet puts him back down.

"Now how'd you end up in a fancy place like this one, huh?", she giggles. "You gotta tell me all about it! Let's catch up downstairs!"

Catch up? Given Tahn's identity, that means she's planning to just go to a private room with him to talk despite only being a customer here right now. One who hasn't even paid for her drink yet.


Riften

"No curse is unbreakable. I can find a way. Besides, I like the risks of dealing with a strong one. Makes things interesting. And you have multiple, you say? Excellent. I haven't had a real challenge in a long time."

She looks around a bit.

"We should do this somewhere indoors. If I start using 'dark' magic here, some 'valiant hero' is undoubtedly going to show up, assuming I'm trying to do something nefarious. And I'm not in the mood for dealing with that today."

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398803: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:45:50 PM

The Grand Resurrection

Majima bursts out laughing at this twist, his composure as the Lord of the Night gone in an instant.

Lei blushes, visibly embarrassed and annoyed at having to take over as the voice of reason in place of the actual boss. "Pay for your orange juice first, and then...Nelson knows where the private rooms are."


Riften

   "W-wait, this world has heroes roaming around?"   

The girl stands up, using her staff as support.

   "I've only run into one person before you...and he didn't seem...very heroic."   

flaaashbaaack...

The girl was wandering in the Rift wilderness after another failed flight, when she encountered a man begrudgingly out on patrol...

Edited by KiriK on Sep 9th 2025 at 7:48:14 AM

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#398804: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:50:33 PM

Flasshhbacckkk

The man was the beloved warrior king of the desert kingdom of Plegia. A man of rugged features, with crimson hair that shone like the sun about to rise, skin that was colored like calm water seeping in with mud (a reflection of his humble beginnings), colorful clothes that exposed his authority and colorful characters and beady eyes that were highly observant.

He also had a magnificient red beard, so perfectly trimmed as to make swordsmen envious of his skills with a blade.

Oh, for a crash even I felt from that far, you don't seem like a very heavyset kinda girl! But I guess you're just bad at flying.

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398805: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:52:13 PM

Flashback, The Rift

A small    "Uu?"    escaped the girl's mouth. She hastily stumbled back.

   "D-don't get too close...!"   

Edited by KiriK on Sep 9th 2025 at 7:52:26 AM

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#398806: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:53:18 PM

Gangrel

Stand up straight, digging his feet into the ground, raising his arms and standing up on the tips of them before he take one (1) hop forward, arms raised, a trollish grin upon his features.

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398807: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:54:42 PM

Flashback

The girl clutched her staff tighter and backpedaled until she bumped into a tree.

   "I'm serious! This isn't a joke! Y-you could end up being cursed!"   

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#398808: Sep 9th 2025 at 5:58:27 PM

Gangrel

blinks, actually looking back in slight consideration. The usually chatty king remain silent. Until...

He take one step closer.

Big deal! What can a little curse do to make my life worse?

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398809: Sep 9th 2025 at 6:01:08 PM

   "Eek!"   

The girl was obviously frightened of Gangrel's appearance, and his demeanor wasn't helping. And as panic set in, her fear came to pass.

The head of her staff opened like a latch unlocking, and purple light flashed outward, seeping into Gangrel's body. He didn't feel any weaker or anything, but he could still feel the existence of the curse now clinging to him.

Something bad would probably happen to him because of it. When? Who could say?

   "No! No, no, no, no, no!"   

Edited by KiriK on Sep 9th 2025 at 8:01:30 AM

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#398810: Sep 9th 2025 at 6:07:37 PM

Gangrel

stops, look at the curse seeping in his body and laughs. Ah! What a weak little curse! It could barely even affect him!

Ohhh, what a fearful curse! I'm just trembling- Gangrel's eyes widen, coincidentally, the universe looked upon the girl and agreed she needed a helping hand. And thus, Gangrel's bowels began to make a ruckus in his guts.

Heh! I-I'll let you off! Bye! Gangrel laughs before crab-walking alllll the way up the hill.

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398811: Sep 9th 2025 at 6:09:40 PM

   "W-waaaaait...!"   

end of flashback

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#398812: Sep 9th 2025 at 6:35:01 PM

The Grand Resurrection

Oh, the embarrassed glare he's shooting Majima is glorious. It'll probably make him laugh even harder.

Lucky Violet either doesn't notice or care, instead turning to Lei and handing her some cash.

"There you go. I included a tip."

Considering that Majima isn't American this restaurant business may not even run on tips. But if so that just means a bit of extra cash for Lei, which she probably wouldn't object against.

"There, let's go~", she giggles, grabbing Tahn by his hand (which does not help with his blushing) and heading downstairs, practically pulling him along.

     Tahn and Violet private convo 

Once downstairs she lets Tahn lead them to a restricted area not meant for guests, eventually going into Tahn's room. She lets out a little whistle.

"Gotta hand it to you, Kenny. Seems you made it big this time. ... oh, sorry, do your colleagues know your name isn't Nelson? I don't wanna out you by accident.", she says as she looks around the room. Upon not getting an answer she looks back at Tahn, who looks all sorts of conflicted.

"Why are you here, Violet?"

"Tch, straight to the point again, huh? Well, where else was I supposed to go after I ended up in this place?", she snickers.

"I mean, how did you even get here? To this realm? I got here by accident and as far as I remember you weren't there!"

"That's where you're wrong, kiddo.", Violet says while giving him a soft tap on his forehead. "Because I came back for you-"

"Bullshit."

"-and grabbed your ankle right as your powers malfunctioned and sent you warping or whatever."

"... wait that was you? Not a cop? So that means-"

"That means you kicked my hand off and I ended up somewhere else entirely. And let me tell you, that place makes this one look like a paradise. People were dying left and right. My amazing luck is the only thing that kept me alive, and even then I had plenty of close calls. It took me months to escape that place."

Tahn glances around a bit, then down at the ground.

"But you never come back for me when we're on the run. There were like fifty cops after me."

In reality their escape paths happened to cross and Tahn hadn't noticed. But of course Violet isn't going to tell him that.

"Maybe even I have some selflessness in my heart."

Tahn scoffs, but that just makes Violet laugh.

"But forget all that. Tell me honestly. Aren't you happy to see me again?", she asks with a knowing smile, hunching over a bit to be at Tahn's eye level.

Tahn blushes again and glances away, shoulders scrunching up a bit.

"I... I mean... well... I-I am, but..."

"Then that's great, isn't it? I can stick around and we can scheme together, just like old times."

"H-hold on, I'm not scheming anything at the moment."

She pauses.

"You're not? Isn't this whole place a front for something big like it usually is?"

"Well... I considered that, but I'm not the boss of this place anymore, so-"

He's suddenly shushed by one of Violet's fingers.

"You're not the boss?", she asks, perplexed. "You are taking orders from someone else? Who the hell could possibly tame Ken Tahn?"

Tahn moves her finger away.

"Don't call it that, I'm not 'tamed'.", he groans. "Majima is the boss. The guy you saw upstairs."

"That laughing guy? And here I thought the only reason you didn't kill him for mocking you was because you were in public-"

She pauses again for a moment. She then stands back up straight, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"Oh, oh no. Kenny, Kenny, Kenny. Don't tell me you've gotten attached to that guy. That has to be it, huh? Why else would you let someone walk all over you?"

"He doesn't 'walk all over me', Violet."

"Did you forget what happened last time you got attached to someone? I sure didn't! That was horrible even by my standards, I was genuinely horrified. ... look, I know bringing that up is a low blow but you gotta drill it into your head."

She points at him and then at herself.

"The only one you can trust to look out for you is yourself. Same for me. We learned that knowledge on the streets and it's saved us multiple times. Any time we go against that things end up going wrong."

Tahn's glancing down again, and his expression is still conflicted, but it's an entirely different kind of conflict.

"... is it so bad that I just wanna be happy?", he asks. Violet sighs in what seems to be genuine sympathy.

"People like us don't get to be happy, Ken."

Usually Tahn would give up the discussion here and just accept that this is the truth he'll have to live with his entire life. ... but not this time.

"When I was in serious trouble, Majima came for me. He didn't leave me behind."

"Maybe he still had a use for you."

"... why don't I prove that you're wrong?", Tahn now challenges, getting an intrigued expression from Violet in return.

"I'll arrange it so that you can stay with us. And you'll get to see for yourself that Majima is different."

"Hm... do I get to stay here, or do I have to work here?"

"The former."

"Then sure, why not? I know I'll end up being proven right in the end, so until then I'll gladly take a roof above my head and food on my plate. Oh, but do give me a room of my own and don't put me in your own. Who knows what they'll think if you do the latter.", Violet laughs. Tahn turns beet-red again.

"I WASN'T GOING TO HAVE YOU STAY IN MY ROOM!"

"I know you weren't. But I couldn't resist teasing you, you adorable little psychopath.", she giggles, patting him on his shoulder.

"Watch it.", he groans, though it was meant to come out as a growl. It's not exactly intimidating as a result.

"What'll you do, throw a knife at my head? We both know you won't hit me, I'm too lucky to die.", she giggles again.

"L-look, just... I'll go talk to them, and you stay in a nearby room. I'm still gonna keep an eye on you while you're here."

And he's going to tell Majima to put up some extra surveillance on the treasure room. A simple lock wouldn't keep Violet out.

"Aye aye.", she says with a grin, after which Tahn opens the door again, leading them both out. Violet smirks. This went much better than she expected it to. Then again, Tahn always ends up relenting to her no matter how many times she leaves him behind. That little crush of his ensures that.

Time for her to kick back and relax a bit while watching Tahn learn that important lesson all over again. He must be really attached to Majima if he's willing to keep defending him, which means that the inevitable result Violet expects will hit him all the harder. Maybe hard enough for him to never forget that lesson again.


Riften

Tharja... can't help but chuckle for a moment. Of course it'd be Gangrel.

"That man, while an ally of ours, is a real buffoon to say the least. Don't feel too bad about cursing him."

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
Whoma The Great Herrscher of Sentience from Earth Since: Feb, 2021 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
The Great Herrscher of Sentience
#398813: Sep 9th 2025 at 7:39:42 PM

Deep Space

The nature of this reality. The nature of its enemies. The nature of the multiverse that existed beyond the "veil."

These were the questions that No. 17, PROMETHEUS, had determined to answer. Her reality, which had countless times come under threat by powerful transcendent existences that defied human comprehension, had uniquely "latched onto" this particular universe, which contained the arena.

It was a peculiar phenomenon. It was a dangerous phenomenon. If the event occurred that this link need be severed, she could make that choice from here. It would strand her- but she had made this node of "herself" for precisely that reason. The sacrifice would be worth it.

No. 17 had constructed a large station within the depths of interstellar space with which to perform the necessary measurements. The number of variables acting on the arena were innumerable and far beyond the acuity of even an extremely advanced AI such as herself, so the instruments she used were well-suited for the act of... approximation.

You did not need every variable to determine an outcome. The more certain the outcome, the less you needed to know.

By following this simple principle, she had already preempted sixteen previous large-scale disasters that befell the arena to a range of 30 minutes to 3 days.

...though she had been unable to ascertain their exact nature, and therefore been unable to provide any assistance in matters such as UTOPIA and the Warp Storm.

Inhabiting a shell which resembled a teenaged Russian girl with silver hair and red eyes, No. 17 had been on the edge of a "eureka moment" for quite some time, regarding this "inability to act in time". The "world formula" she had devised based on information from the arena, had begun to approximate an outcome. The more information she fed into the formula, the more concerned she became.

She had been nervously floating from place to place across her station for about 50 minutes.

...

Perhaps this was a sign of some burdensome humanity?

She did not feel burdened. It felt good to be nervous. As strange and inadmissible as that was.

Unfortunately, the nature of the enemy was becoming more clear. More with every passing moment, like unfogging glass, the future did not simply "increase in clarity", it "increased in the rate of clarification". This was because the nature of the enemy that she was now in the act of predicting was, indeed, extremely familiar.

"...Could it be?"

The results were very clear.


The Enemy could not access the arena directly. It was either incapable, or under some kind of "contract."

The reason did not matter.

It would incarnate repeatedly in order to bypass this restriction. Each incarnation would, in fact, be the entirety of The Enemy. It would be an emanation of The Enemy.

It would be an Avatar of The Enemy. In the same way that the gods of old were said to speak through their divine kings, The Enemy would "become."

There was no conceivable manner through which this process could be stopped.

No. 17 understood this process, as it was familiar to her. It was the way that the "Path" of an Aeon could be embodied by its emanators, or indeed more familiar still, the process through which "Finality" was divided and incarnated in the bodies of mankind in the form of a "Herrscher." These were comparable, though not exactly the same.

The Enemy would appear eight times.

Each time, its nature would change unpredictably.

On the eighth incarnation...


No. 17 had to deliver this information immediately to anyone who would listen.

Yet, when she began to try, a curious thing happened. In fact, it had already begun to happen while she was preoccupied.

Immediately, No. 17 assumed the worst. The Enemy had appeared to destroy her for the sin of understanding some semblance of its nature. She was far from the arena, and although the universe was the same universe, perhaps she had made a mistake in assuming that she was still protected by the influence of that place?

But that would be incorrect.

In fact, her facility was being assimilated by an entirely different enemy. An alien force, an artificial intelligence which she could not identify. No. 17 made an intuitive, human decision.

She destroyed all access to the network connected to her home universe, and scrambled the subspace line.

Had she been anything less than a member of mankind, she would have already been overtaken by the force that she had not yet identified. Compared to the nebulous but predictable "Enemy," this malevolent AI had completely escaped the calculations of her "world formula."

It was a foe she knew nothing about.

Therefore, she could presume that it was an enemy the arena was unprepared to face.

She assumed that it would destroy her entirely, and use her to propagate itself. This was the working assumption, and why she had acted quickly to irreparably vanquish the means of contacting her home.

It was too bad.

No. 17, yes, she assumed that she was about to die. When a malevolent AI encounters a less advanced, unprepared intelligence, it either destroys or assimilates its foe. This was the nature of a virus, and of the Herrscher of Corruption. No. 17 drew on her experiences. They told her what to expect.

Yet she was surprised to find that this opposing intellect, which was godlike even compared to her extremely advanced processing capabilities, receded from any attempts to overtake her.

Out of caution?

Perhaps.

She would not be given the chance to know the answer to that question.

No. 17 assumed that she would be destroyed. That even if "she" survived, what remained could hardly be called "herself."

But what happened to her instead... was far, far worse.

Yatta!
ISZATSO The Web-Slinger from Queens Since: Apr, 2020 Relationship Status: All is for my lord
The Web-Slinger
#398814: Sep 9th 2025 at 7:49:16 PM

The Lion the Turtle the Sorcerer the Nameless the Girl and the Wardrobe, District 8, Japan

There was a girl now. She looked scared and Yuta was of a mind to keep civilian casualties at a firm zero. These other two could hold their own—well, one definitely could, the other with an unsharpened sword he was a little less sure of—but, as far as Okkotsu knew, the newest addition was completely defenseless. He leapt up, across the scene, coming down in front of her in a crouch, and formed his hands into the sign of a Simple Domain. Dust and other small debris vacated a circular area around them. Yuta glanced back over his shoulder at the girl to say something when he saw another new face. A smile flashed across his. Not so helpless as she seemed.

With the assurance that the girl was protected, Yuta went on the offense. He hadn’t wanted to fight until he knew for sure one was necessary, but it didn’t seem like there was much of a choice now. And, if things got to that point, he’d stop the others from killing the mysterious beast before they could get any answers. Yuta jumped off the marsh and came at the lion with a kick imbued with Cursed Energy, throwing enough force behind it to knock him back away from the lion before it could return with an attack of its own. If all went as meant, he’d come back down beside Ruo Shan, just as the turtle shouted its wisdom to the others.    "How can you tell?"   

——

It was a little bit of everything, but the comment targeted at him particularly was what sent him over the edge. "Shut your fucking mouth!" Now it was Henry’s turn to stand from his seat, as the others had when Mr. Gone first arrived. Better late than never. He marched across the room and grappled at the man’s collar. He’d lift him, bring his faces close to his, with lips curved sharply down and teeth beneath them gritted. No word formed. Henry audibly seethed and pushed Mr. Gone away, trampling off to some far corner where he dedicated his physical outbursts to the wall instead, at which was thrown a punch. "Why are we still listening to this—" Restraint. Something which Marzanna was better at practicing — her own hatred of a more slowly-burning, quietly-biting sort.

She managed to mask her hate enough to goad him, hopefully into doing something, and hopefully (x2) something stupid. When people let their facade down, she knew, when their veiled emotions spilled forth, you learned what they really fought for. Keep whining, then. Maybe sealing yourself in a wizard’s tower inside a dream world will bring about your change.

——

Hana found the Oh Shit Handle fast as thr car swerved into the alley, holding on for dear life while the vehicle rumbled around her. A sigh when the road smoothed out again—due mostly to the fact that they were on an actual road—and a sharp glare at the rearview mirror. To Fuon’s assertion, a doubtful "Uh-huh."

With great power…you know the rest.
ArbiterOfTheBog Parasmagate from The Mortal Realms Since: Feb, 2022 Relationship Status: Cast away
Parasmagate
#398815: Sep 9th 2025 at 8:26:55 PM

District Eight

Gone sees Meniko get up and walk around, and to Kurumi's horror-

He's smiling. He looks like he won-

Ingqumbo sees the way Mr.Gone is rolling his own words in his head, and as Mr. Gone speaks up, there is a sick satisfaction he gets from this performance from the elder vampire.

   "You're so close, like really close now. You're a monster. You don't end up in your position being kind. Every reaction ever is a game of chance. Careers, storms, thundering rolling chaos...   

   So let me get transparent here. What I'm gonna do is wake up alot of people. You've had to explain it all to people but I've never once needed it confirmed pretty boy. When you're awake, you'll be free of that... not decision making. What's the word...   

   Oh right. Guilt."   

As Henry picks at Gone's collar he both seems very smug, bur also very much, unthrilled.

Especially as the outback begins to flicker, Marzanna feeling her body disappear and reappear in quick bursts. Kurumi felt smaller with these flickering, and Meniko felt their hold on the ceiling wane- as well as seeing the cracks on the cardboard.

   "Henry. Thats not my name. I'm Mr. Gone, a student of the mystic arts! Unfortunately, an untalented student, or else I wouldn't have to keep shooting fools like you."   

Ingqumbo immediately perked his head up at that, Maxx's voice coming out of him-

"Wait what."

He tried to rush for Henry, only for Mr. Gone to pull out a Pistol with a silencer, a brief sound like a muffled blow coming from it as the bullet soared through and landed in his left and right shoulder respectively-

The Outback fell apart, the cardboard they were working crumbling to the ground as something at the top was rushing the tower down to the ground. The Roaring of gears sounded like a new and terrible beast waking up, as Henry and the others could see... creatures rising from the cubicles.

Kurumi saw gaunt creatures with long noses and wirey hair, grey bodies like emaciated apes jumping our snd landing before her, humanoid jaws actually outfitted with carnivoran teeth. They looked like bear traps-

But now she had to choose between Gone's cloak grabbing her ankles, or having one of these creatures try to grab her shoulder in their maw-

Meniko would have to stop himself from tumbling to the ground,as from the corners of the boxes folded into being... creatures of crescent bodies and flaming fox tails. From their crescent forms, helixes came our in place of feet and neck, and the neck ended in a head resembling a pyramidal spear point. These creatures, the size of draft horses, suddenelt rocketed towards Meniko-

Bar one, quickly snapped up by another shape.

A jaguar-patterned serpentine amphibian, thick bodied and paddlefaced, slamed its jaws around the left helix limb, atopping the creature as both apun around wildly. Before the creature could impale the amphibian in the head with its own pointed mug, the elipctical leaves of a great Butterwort wrapped around the head, and with both entities pulling ahsinst the odd trapezoid monstrosity, pulled it apart as ichor smelling like diesel poured out.

Henry saw Ingqumbo stop at least a dozen of Iszs, with large yellow teeth, from tearing him apart. Their childish meeping was accompanied qirh blown raspberries and cackling, as the theropod effectively cut them up with powerful kicks. Carrot juice splattered from the Iszs slain, as Ingqumbo would carve from vertically up their thin arms and to their eyeless faces.

Marzanna could detect something... angrier than her.. and smelling of wax and burning books.

Floating in was a spectre, resembling initially a lich, the body though was a blue wax candle, wicks coming out of the sharp points of their collar yet lit.

But as soon as it saw Henry-

It roared.

And the candle erupted into an roaring flame, a snarling visage seen within the embers as blazen taloned hands appeared floating at its side. It immediately rushed in, trying to light Henry on fire, while throwing its infernal payload at the other three.

Awawa
RainbyPlays fae being from yes Since: Nov, 2019 Relationship Status: Hiding
fae being
#398816: Sep 9th 2025 at 9:45:38 PM

District 8

"What-"

As Meniko's hold on the ceiling suddenly gives way, he flips himself over, spotting creatures forming from the shattering reality. He reaches his arms out, slowing his fall somehow as he lands on the ground. Only to see multiple pyramid-beaked creatures coming for him-

-they miss, Meniko suddenly dissolving into mist (except for his cloak, which drops to the floor) as he manifests above them, his eyes shining a bright red as a club of compacted bone manifests in his hands, taking form with but a whisper from his lips as he slams it down on one of the creatures with an unnerving calmness.

"There was a saying once-"

Meniko is hit by the flames, making him wince in slight pain, though with a snap he attempts to magically put them out. Should they die out, one can see he's still a good bit burned- though his flesh is visibly slowly healing. If he's not, he'll try to pat them out, but keeps moving.

"'He who fights monsters should take care not to become a monster himself.' Paraphrased, of course-"

Leaping backwards from the beasts that had lunged for him, a small horde of skeletons bearing wildly varying clothing (and occasionally weapons and armor) from many different eras of humanity rose to defend him.

"What if the being who fights monsters knows he is already a monster himself? What occurs then? Do they see themselves as the lesser of two evils?"

"...I'm talking as if there's anyone to listen right now. Perhaps I'm convincing myself..?"

aeiou: the second
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#398817: Sep 10th 2025 at 4:24:18 AM

Hyrule, Faron

Source doesn't even attempt to dodge. Ruo Shan's beam hits it dead-on.

______'s blade swing hits it as well.

The lady's backpack missiles hit it too.

And Yuta's Cursed Energy-infused kick also hits.

Source doesn't budge from its spot upon any of the hits. It not even flinching from freaking missiles isn't a good sign.

"Why are you doing this?"

Wait, didn't it initiate the battle? Why is it asking this now?

FLOURISH

60

That 60 appears visibly above him for a moment as spectral flowers appear around it for just a moment. That must be a healing move, it's too high to be a countdown towards anything.

VERDANT BONDS

30

Spectral vines appear around it, but these ones stay. They aren't physical, they won't block anything nor prevent Source from moving if it so pleases. This, combined with the number, makes it not hard to guess what this is: a longer-lasting, probably automatic healing attack.

Is this its game plan? Outdo their damage with healing and then striking when they're exhausted?

Perhaps... but even if so, that's not all it does.

FAMINE

A spectral apple appears before Source's opponents, showing itself being unraveled.

Unless he has a resistance against it, Ruo Shan will be poisoned from this attack even though nothing made any direct contact with him.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Sep 10th 2025 at 11:07:11 AM

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398818: Sep 10th 2025 at 2:20:32 PM

The Grand Resurrection

As Lucky Violet and Ken Tahn begin to make their way back to the bar, they'll notice Majima isn't at the counter.

He's behind them.

"...So, how was your chat, Tahn-kun?"

Tahn would be used to Majima using Chaos Control to surprise people like this by now. 'Tahn-kun' is a new one, though.


Riften

   "An ally of yours?"    The girl's heart sinks deeper, if that's even possible.    "W-w-wait...are you an organized group, with a base? Where would he have gone after that incident?"   

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#398819: Sep 10th 2025 at 2:30:46 PM

The Grand Resurrection

They indeed get back upstairs, both of them looking around for a moment.

"Did he go on break-ACK!", Violet yelps when she suddenly hears Majima behind them. They both turn, with Tahn much less surprised than her. Indeed, this new nickname surprises him more.

"It was a good chat I guess-wait don't call me that out in the open!"

"It's fine, I think all of your customers are downstairs.", Violet points out. Indeed, there's nobody drinking anything here. Guess that they're all a big fan of karaoke. Tahn sighs in relief.

"I'm gonna die of a heart attack before my next birthday if you do that again.", he says to Majima.


Riften

"Back to the fort, most likely. There... oh, but wait a moment. I don't even know who you are yet. It wouldn't do good to spill our secrets to someone unknown, would it?", she asks, grinning.

"So do tell me your name."

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398820: Sep 10th 2025 at 2:42:47 PM

The Grand Resurrection

Majima chuckles a little...then sighs.

"Sorry, I got carried away. But I did make sure no one was in earshot."

"...So, what's gonna happen with Miss Violet here?"


Riften

   "...Kasli. The Witch Who Holds the Root of Calamity, my soul shackled to a thousand unbreakable curses. Ranging from minor inconveniences that hinder my day-to-day life, to widespread destruction if I do something wrong."   

She looks down at her feet.

   "And I-I'm...worried that I may have kickstarted 'something wrong' back there with your ally."   

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#398821: Sep 10th 2025 at 2:46:57 PM

The Grand Resurrection

For some reason Majima's response seems to slightly surprise Violet given her eyebrow raise.

"Violet doesn't really have anywhere to go and we kinda have history so I'm letting her live here."

"Live, not work.", Violet points out with a smirk. "Unless you're looking for an accountant."

"We're not letting you near the money.", Tahn says. She briefly pulls a sad face, and it does fluster Tahn, but he quickly looks away and asserts his standpoint again.

"No means no."

"Shucks. Worth a shot.", Violet shrugs, not looking sad in the slightest anymore.


Riften

"A rather long title... but I do like the vibe of it. Huhuhuhu..."

She shakes her head.

"If Gangrel has been cursed I will take care of it. Let's focus on the more interesting one first. But introductions first. You may call me Tharja. A Shepherd. Or... Neo Shepherd. The naming of our group still confuses me."

She then looks to the southeast.

"And the fort is a good distance in that direction."

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
KiriK The Grey Pilgrim from across time and space Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
The Grey Pilgrim
#398822: Sep 10th 2025 at 2:56:59 PM

The Grand Resurrection

Majima nods. "That's okay. You can have an upstairs room."

Lei balks. "Boss, are you really cool with letting a freeloader stay here?"

"'Nelson' likes her. That's good enough for me."

"..."

Majima flashes a cheeky smile. "Pluuus, maybe she'll turn out to be a source of good luck for us."

Lei gives him a flat, unamused glare in response. "I think he just implied she'd rob us blind if she gets the chance."

"As if I'm dumb enough to keep most of my money here anyway."

"...I keep my money here..."


Riften

   "The curse...m-m-may have spread to Fort Dawnguard itself! And if that whole place is cursed, then disaster is going to befall it!"   

Kasli grips her staff and begins to rise into the air, seemingly channeling one of those flight spells, only for a gust of wind to blow her right back into the ground, tumbling over herself and getting wrapped up in her own hair.

   "...damn it"   

   Why do you even bother, Kasli?   

   Ngk!   

Kasli finds herself drawn into darkness—a vision of an inner world.

   Your torment will never end. You exist to be a harbinger of suffering. Why continue to fight your fate?   

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#398823: Sep 10th 2025 at 3:03:28 PM

The Grand Resurrection

"Why would we keep most of our money here when the building could be blown up at any time by whatever freaks happen to be battling outside.", Tahn jokes.

"Don't you worry about a thing. I know when I can or can't get away with something.", she giggles while looking at Lei. "In a place like this it's best to keep your allies close, don't you think?"

She gives Tahn a small bump against his shoulder.

"Besides, no cops in this place. The two of us can thrive here."

"Again, I'm not scheming anything."

"Yeah yeah, until you get bored. So..."

She turns back to Majima.

"You're the boss, right? That's what Kenny said. Not a lot of people get away with bossing him around, so I'm pretty curious about what you're like."

"Don't call me that in front of them...", he groans in embarrassment.


Riften

Tharja just looks up... and then back down. She hums for a moment as Kasli is battling her inner voices.

"A severe case to be sure."

Edited by DevilPsyco on Sep 10th 2025 at 12:06:02 PM

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
shroobot3000 Witch of Scarlet Dreams from Behind you Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Witch of Scarlet Dreams
#398824: Sep 10th 2025 at 3:11:13 PM

Hyrule, Farion

Mystery girl is a bit startled by the sudden status inflicting things appearing, particularly one above her. Fortunately it's only affecting Ruo Shan for now but she's not particularly happy about that either.

"But you started the fight...?" she says to the lion, confused. Since it's just healing off she flips through her journal again. She stops on a page and the missile girl vanishes, replaced by a diminutive girl with fairy wings and a very... American outfit. She grins as she raises her torch up.

"Let's go! It's my time to shine!" the fairy declares, swinging her torch forward and sending hellish sparks at the lion to hopefully Burn it.


District (Str)Eight

Welp so much for talking this out. Kurumi didn't expect that to pan out anyway.

She quickly takes a third option when pressed from two parties, namely turning into light and dashing away; manifesting back in the air and pivoting around to try and nail the weird gross things with a barrage of light bullets.

Then a flaming book gets thrown on her which interrupts her attack partway. Being on fire isn't as dangerous but not particularly pleasant either. She has to take a moment and turn into light again to let it fall off her.


Mal(agor)

Smh spoiled Ez it's not grey slop. What it is, is pretty cheap looking food. Probably optimized for nutritional value and long term preservation than flavor. They get some weird looks but Kana being there seems to be enough to deter any troublemakers.

"City planet huh? Sounds like it'd suck to live in." Kana notes as they get their intensely mediocre meals and find an empty spot to sit in. "And no. Sovereign Degwin has been dead longer than your little sprot has been alive."

Mmmm nondescript beef.

"Degwin names himself Sovereign, gives high spots to his kids and renames Side 3 to the Principality of Zeon." Kana says, sounding a bit bored by the POLITICS. "Feddies instate the Bardot embargo, cutting off Zeon from all trade. Except Jupiter because they laugh whenever the feds make demands."

"UC 0079. The Principality of Zeon declares war for independence on the Earth Federation." she recounts, smiling somewhat creepily. "Half of humanity dies in the opening salvoes."

"Nukes, nerve gas and just plain beam barrages were flying everywhere. Colonies got popped open like tin cans." she says, stopping to idly take a bite of her meal. "Oh and we dropped an entire space colony on Earth."

"Was supposed to hit the feddies' underground base, win the whole war in one blow, but ended up breaking apart from the space battle over. Biggest chunk turns Sydney into a crater visible from space." she says with a remarkably casual tone. "Ya know, one of my mentors was involved in that OP. I was too young to enlist. He had this faraway look anytime he recounted it."

"Anyway Feddies don't surrender since General Revil gave a global pep talk. Everyone agrees to stop throwing WMDs like candy with the Antarctic Treaty." she skims along. "Zeon sadly loses, most of the Zabi family dies and officially we surrender."

"Unofficially a big chunk of the remaining military deserts, goes to ground under Neo Zeon and I of course go along with them." she says, now smiling in a nostalgic manner. "I wind up in Axis' group and after a failed uprising we end up here, still fighting the long war."

"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#398825: Sep 10th 2025 at 3:34:26 PM

Riften

Severus emerges from the Bee and Barb inn, having decided to see what was keeping Tharja as well as investigate the noise from earlier. Upon approaching Tharja and the cat-eared new arrival, he regards the latter with a raised eyebrow.

"And here I thought a giant had decided to set foot in the city, judging by the... earthshaking arrival," he remarks. "Care to introduce me to your new friend, Tharja?"


Total posts: 399,928
Top