DNC
Hm... Kana has been quietly waiting around ever since she helped with the princess's makeshift funeral. She feels... sad, but getting used to it. What she has to acknowledge is that she failed mostly. It was likely that everyone in the castle had accepted that their city was fallen, but for the queen and one of her daughters to die? Frielda might have accepted that outcome, but it still hurt. And Kana was no longer in denial about her death.
She could have been angry at Hange, maybe, but it'd be stupid. Misdirected. There was nothing Hange could have done against something decreed by Fate. Nothing her intelligence and fancy tools could do would have altered the march of a much greater cosmic force. And when Kana thought of this this way, that they were not up against mere orcs, but against an universal principle, she could feel slightly eaiser about herself.
Not fully though. Or else it was verging into cosmic horror. But it made things easier to cope. It was a matter of juggling things - what happened that was bad was fate. What happened that was good was a triumph against fate. And maybe the Rainmaker would be happy to learn of her embracing this mindset, but Kana felt she had more to learn out of these people before she could truly go back to her father.
That, and she liked the group. They were good people - Rainmaker was affectionate but distant. A bit dour and emotionally unavailable. Kana could acknowledge he had the same problems as her, but way worse, and thus she had realized it wouldn't help her to really hang out with him when she was feeling down. Who knew, maybe she could be cheered up? Either way, when Ladwin asks the group if they want to keep going, Kana nods.
It's been a while since I've had purpose. And the orcs need to be defeated. Kana shrugs. The words are decisive, but her tone and voice are a bit... uncertain.I'll help finish was the queen started. It'll let them rest easier.
SWORD
Corrin respawns hmmmmm close to where Dante finished his fight with Donte. He's a bit drained out of the fun of the competition now, but still raise his sword. Best he keeps going yada yada.
Could I not be ambushed this time?
Adam sees that Blade is working off some magic of her own and has a good laugh. Hahahha, you're such a fraud! I know I just trained to be-woops He leans out of the way of her kick, but that requires him to step out of the way, meaning his assault is null.
He readjusts his stance and stand at the edge, preparing to find another opportunity to pour in into. And he doesn't because he has to block A's strikes and the thrown dagger, which prevent him from attacking himself. Woops!
Edited by Bolded1 on May 30th 2024 at 8:27:32 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterPica-Verse
"I got this."
Sora closes his eyes. The remote begins to shine with light and hover out of his hand. He grips his Keyblade in both hands, pointing it at the ground as a crown sigil of light forms around his feet.
Light swirls around him, taking him and the device to a dimension of stormy clouds hiding golden sunshine. A ray of light shoots up from the remote, breaking a barrier to reveal a giant cosmic keyhole — the way forward. Sora jumps back, spins his Keyblade, and points it one-handed at the keyhole, shooting a beam to open the way.
Then, the strange dimension fades, and Sora and the remote return to the others, back to normal. None of them saw any of that, nor is the keyhole there.
"If the world this came from was blocked off or hidden, we should be able to get there now. But we'll still need a way to go there."
"Such as the book we used to get here."
"Probably."
Makai
After relieving himself and washing his hands, Peppino gets back into action, ready to face Springman.
Game
This time, Data Monty dodges Quantum Freddy's grab and subsequent punch. He gets caught off-guard by Charlie and Evan's combos, giving Victoria time to switch in and use the Debilitation debuff while the Gradius peppers him with shots.
But the players can see Data Monty's health bar, or rather health bars, plural, and the chip damage from Debilitation is minimal. Penultimate boss moment.
"Whoa!" Charlie rolls away from Evan as soon as she can, that being after the fire eruption.
Eventually, after getting conked on the head by Jax, Data Monty once again hits his revenge value. He recovers instantly, but having not been knocked into the air this time, he breaks free with a shockwave shout instead of a stomp, a closer-ranged yell that can stagger through breaking eardrums instead of ankles.
—
Grape can feel Delilah's stare burning a hole through him, until Data Monty gets her attention with that shout.
"I see now," she comments. "When he takes enough damage from being caught in attacks and unable to move, he breaks out with a counterattack like that. We should pace our strikes out to make sure that isn't triggered again."
Taking this into account, Cassie lets Jax put his combat experience to use, essentially taking her hands off the controller so he can do everything.
Confluence of Fates
"Well, this is familiar," Reyna mutters, still bitter about her big move getting cucked.
She turns to Rayne. "It's gone up to higher ground. Follow the funny glowing wire!"
With that, she gives a Wirebug a great big throw up into the air and pulls its Ironsilk taut. She looks at Terapagos, decides 'what the hey', grabs it, then lets the Wirebug slingshot her and the magic turtle aaaaaaall the way up to the cliff where Soulstealer Xeno'jiiva is going.
Mission: Pursue the Giant Monster
Malzeno flaps out of the way, but...
"What the-" FWOOMSH, he's covered in homing lava.
The Belkan forces weren't really moving in, but they too make some distance.
Godzilla is sick of this shit. He digs his claws into Machinedramon, swings it around, and throws it up into the air as his own light reaches its peak...
But instead of a beam, what comes out is an Atomic Pulse. A shockwave of energy emanates from his entire body, sending Machinedramon flying even higher into the air as shockwaves tend to do. Strangely, with the sheer scale of the attack, the smaller combatants don't really have to worry about it, as if they're so insignificant by comparison that it just doesn't bother harming them.
Edited by KiriK on May 17th 2024 at 7:51:46 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Vanilla Cream Sherbet - Drought
With confidence, Vanilla exclaims, " Sounds like a piece cake to me! I'll do it!"
Ecclesia - Ashes of Nohr
Concerned for Fleurdelis, Ecclesia asks, "This means I can give big sis Fleur a mercy kill, right...?"
Springman - Makai
Springman's arena is a desert arena full of loose sand. And speaking of Springman, an anthropomorphic spring bounces into the ring, ready to kill Peppino.
Springman asks, "You're Peppino, right?"
Mission: Pursue the Giant Monster
Machinedramon is in brief shock as it gets 'So long, Gay Bowser'd' upwards, after which it gets hit by Atomic Pulse as well, flying up even higher even faster.
After that its charging is complete, and it uses Catastrophe Day... which is basically a giant self-detonation nuke. The deadly explosion expands rapidly, but thankfully it's just shy of actually reaching either Godzilla or the Hub Centralis.
The helicopters may experience a lot of turbulence from the sheer shockwave, but not enough to make them crash land.
Confluence of Fates
Thankfully the combination of the barrier and rock holds, though said barrier seems to be on the edge of breaking afterwards.
Terapagos is a little dazed, meaning its guard is down and before it knows it, Reyna's suddenly carrying it along with it. Normally it'd get pretty pissy about that, but it quickly realizes what's going on and allows Reyna (who it figures is probably a friend of Rayne's) to carry it as they chase down that thieving creature.
Game
"Oh... oooooh no. He's got a lot of health.", Cassidy says.
"He looks like he has as much HP as all the prior bosses." , Glamrock Bonnie says.
"Keep in mind that it's not a turn based battle. They'll be able to deplete its HP faster this way. And Jax is going to town on it.", Mike says.
"It's still a lot though.", Grape says before glancing to the side and briefly freezing up when he sees Delilah staring.
"... is... uh... something wrong?", he asks.
-
To dodge the coveted (and officially licensed by Fazbear Entertainment) Faz-Punch™ is truly blasphemous. Data Monty really is their most dangerous adversary yet.
Quantum Freddy runs in for another attack, but Data Monty's powerful shout seems to destabilize him, forcing him to stand still and start warping around the battlefield uncontrollably this turn. This depletes his gauge much faster, but it also has a different effect.
Turn added to Gregory's
Huh... that's something at least.
Evan gets full-on launched back by the shout, covering his ears as he hits the ground. He stays there for a few seconds before getting back up furiously. Suddenly taking control away from Cassidy due to his Berserked state, he goes for Trust Me, beckoning Data Monty to target specifically him next round.
"W-wait a second, did he just make a move on his own?", Cassidy asks, shocked.
Gregory, thanks to his Warp from last turn, is out of reach of the attack. He realizes that Data Monty is insanely powerful now so he looks up at where he thinks the screen would be.
"Wait with the warping, let me use Mimic Ball and Hacker Supreme!"
While he doesn't get a verbal answer from Grape, he does go for those options. The Mimic Ball appears on the battlefield, and then Gregory's Hacker Supreme activates. He tries to use it to debuff Data Monty. He's a robot, right? This should work... hopefully.
Regardless, Mimic Ball will mimic the attempt. Gregory has no idea if Hacker Supreme can stack, but now's as good a time as any to find out.
"Not a bad plan.", Noah mutters as he draws his card. He grins; it's the final piece to his Gradius combo.
"I select my Gradius, allowing me to Special Summon Gradius' Option
◊!"
The small, red flying drone appears next to Gradius before morphing to become another Gradius, mimicking both its looks and its boosted stats.
Mimic Ball activates, spawning a second Gradius' Option.
"I did not expect that, but I'm not complaining. Attack in tandem!"
Gradius and both Gradius' Options swerve in like an airstrike force before opening fire on Data Monty.
-
Sam, meanwhile, looks at Cassidy and Cassie, both of whom have put down their controllers (albeit for differing reasons).
"... should I just... also let them do what they want? ... y'know what? I'm not good with this kinda game. I'll let them do it."
He surrenders control to Emma/Victoria... even though he doesn't like the idea. But it does unfortunately seem to be the best course of action.
Edited by DevilPsyco on May 30th 2024 at 11:21:37 AM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Mission: Pursue the Giant Monster
Desghidorah snarls angrily at the lightning attack, flying higher and conveniently avoiding the atomic pulse thanks to the distance. The Super Darkness Monster glares Albaz with all three heads before swooping down at shocking speed, aiming to fucking pulverize Albaz with the difference in mass between them by using itself as a living projectile.
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."Confluence of Fates
Rayne yelps as the world bursts into fire, and shelters closer to the rock. Once it's over, he takes this time to use Max Revives on his fainted 'mons.
"Gronny, return! Go, Koraidon!"
He hops onto Koraidon and takes flight up towards the caverns above.
Edited by RainbyPlays on May 17th 2024 at 10:36:26 AM
aeiou: the secondMall
"Thank you! Hope to see you again!"
The trio left (2) and the Bros. to get into the bookstore.
Ashes of Nohr
An expression of joy and hope was drawn over the two agents' faces when Corrin started their attack...
Just to being stopped to a halt by Garon.
The Agents were simply victims of his attacks, only using the Dry Ice Cannon as a shield, but it was useless.
But thanks to Gunther, they recovered their vitality temporally.
Raphael's offer is tempting...
But Rosita chimes in.
We don't deal with terrorists! Arbiter, we have you covered. Darling, let's do it!
The couple of Rosita and Bombuccia stand in front of Garon, about to fire the DIC one more time!
ICE!
...But the cannon got broken. In fact, it's overheated. They have only one option... They kicked the cannon towards Garon, exploding in a burst of heat and cold at the same time!
Edited by BombonBombin on May 17th 2024 at 11:46:42 AM
Three freaking ghosts!The Drought - Restaurant
"Ooooooh... I've got Neuv, a great hydro character, you guys already saw the fancy blue suit with dangly bits
. I've got healers too, this is Barbara form-" she points to her nurse hat- "it also boosts water damage. Some of my other forms can shield & buff. Gimme a bit to look, though, I usually fight alone..."
Lumina holds up a hand, conjuring a small dark-blue fog just above her palm. Within the fog is a computer-like UI, scrolling through as if it were a magical smartphone.
"Hmm... my Noelle form can cast shields that block damage for a brief period of time, including elemental shields to absorb specific elements such as fire. Then my Chongyun form can infuse allies' weapons with ice."
She stares at her cup, which she just emptied for a second time. Flipping open the drinks menu, she orders a big bottle of whiskey, as per Takane's suggestion.
"That said, I don't know enough Pokemon to understand how Groudon hurts ice users, as opposed to those who're afflicted with or being hurt by ice..."
Edited by Hotpizza on May 18th 2024 at 1:11:33 AM
DM Post: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=14315151240A21923900&page=15479#comment-386962
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Ashes of Nohr
Moonrise Crypt, False Krakenburg, Large Room - RECON
"Hey, hold on-" Charlian was about to protest further, but decided against it mid-sentence. It seems like whatever history Corrin has with his father in his world is mired way too deeply in his heart for any reasonable words to sway it. Corrin doesn't even seem to care whether this is actually just something conjured by the Moonrise Crypt, an illusion that only becomes stronger the more you engage with it, feeding it what it needs to torment you further.
"Beruka, get ready to help him!" The young man put his tie bian away and chased after Corrin with anxiety and concern weighing on his mind, not even questioning why the supposedly cold and aloof Beruka is actually yelling out loud. Corrin's bravado has only made his anxiety harder to bear, because he can't help but feel like something is gonna go wrong- aaaaand there it is, Garon grabbed Corrin right before Omega Yato can do anything.
While his heart is pounding rapidly at the sight of Corrin being slammed repeatedly, another part of him can't help but want to admonish the prince out loud. What the hell was he thinking, charging in like he already owned the fight?! Fucking hell! The young man ducked slightly to avoid a piece of debris flying right at his head, before flinging any lecture he had for Corrin to the back of his mind upon hearing the prince's scream.
Ignoring the vague words Raphael tossed out (to make himself seem like some know-it-all wise guy, no doubt), Charlian replicated the aspects of G-Self
(essentially becoming a miniature, 2 meter version of the mobile suit) and used his booster to avoid a bolt of black lightning coming his way, before pulling out one of his beam sabers, ready to cut off the arm that holds Corrin to rescue his comrade.
However, the sight of Garon ripping off his own head managed to surprise him, stopping Charlian in his tracks just for a brief moment. It is one thing to hear about powerful regeneration, but it's another thing to actually see it for yourself. That moment of hesitation allowed the foul spider to issue his order as he held the prince hostage, almost making the Replicator panic for the first time since he started this mission. Feeling as if his voice is trapped inside his throat, Charlian can only grimace under G-Self's head armor as he watched Corrin bleed.
The weight of anxiety and dread doubled as they bore down on his heart, impairing his ability to think of a solution. At the moment, the hostage situation has made Charlian unable to do anything but stand before Garon and wait, and he started off feeling worthless. The mad king's leg swipe smashed against him, but he was protected by G-Self's rather durable armor as he was knocked away, allowing him to quickly get back on his feet.
As he recovered, the Replicator can't help but notice something in his vision (now replaced by the mobile suit's superior cameras and censors): the spider leg was coated in hardened mud. It was sharp enough to kill Salazar and Beruka with a good hit, yet Garon transformed the attack into a blunt strike, which most likely meant one thing.
"He's bullying us." The young man muttered under his breath as he stared at the vile creature before him. This... thing is bullying us. Unbelievable, fucking unbelievable. For the first time ever since he began fighting, he felt genuine and righteous anger, unadulterated by anxiety and guilt. Watching Garon leisurely strolling towards them had Charlian fuming. This feeling is shared by Galeon, who growled at the mad king but didn't dare to move, not wanting Corrin to be killed.
That is why the sight of Raphael talking down to Garon and exposing him for the thug he is brought the young man a brief moment of great satisfaction. The demon has put what he wants to say to Garon (which is a lot, but ultimately boils down to something along the lines of "GO FUCK YOURSELF") in a far more eloquent manner.
Still, Charlian refused to take the deal, despite the demon verbally spitting on the foul spider's old, wrinkled face. After all, Raphael already made a pact with Thorm, so there's no way to trust that he won't do something that can go against the interests of he and his comrades. "No thank you." Rejected the offer directly and looking over to Beruka, he noticed (with a slight panic) that Beruka is genuinely considering taking it. The young man immediately walked over to the Nohrian assassin and grabbed her by the both shoulders.
"Beruka, LISTEN." Charlian looked her in the eyes as he spoke, his voice somewhat modified by his helmet and taking on a metallic tone. "This right here is what demons like him do. They approach you in an extremely stressful situation and they offer you what you want-"
Manifesting G-Self's beam rifle in his right hand, he quickly turned around to fire two intense energy beams at Garon's humanoid body, attempting weaken the mad king's grasp and use the intense heat to distract him, in coordination with his teammates: Thel slicing at the arm holding Corrin, Wiz shocking the spider with a spell, Milin's surprise entrance, and Red Hood distracting Garon with Bucky. "YOU TWO!" Charlian yelled at Karzon and Dracus. "ONE OF YOU GRAB CORRIN IF OUR SURPRISE ALLY CAN'T! I DON'T CARE WHICH!"
After he finished actually yelling at his teammate thanks to being bolstered by his anger earlier, Charlian turned back to Beruka with his left hand still on her shoulder. "As you can see, we're not totally helpless, and you and Corrin aren't in this alone, so we'll only take the demon's- Uh." He took a second to recall the name Garon said. "Raphael's deal as a last- and I mean LAST resort. You're one of Nohr's best fucking assassins who could keep her cool in any situation, don't let a single disadvantageous situation cloud your mind!"
Galeon:
- Height: 9.8 meters
- Weight: 112.5 tons
- Weapons: Galeon Claw, Galeon Fang
G-Self (Aspect Replication)
- Height: 2 meters
- Weight: 3.46 metric tons
- Weapons: Head Vulcan, Beam Saber, Beam Rifle, Shield (Towasanga)
Edited by cyzja922 on May 18th 2024 at 10:54:34 AM
"You said Garon? He’s back?" The priest spoke, almost incredulous. If this was true…
I should be down there, with them. Not here. A momentary lapse of reason clouded his judgement, before he remembered why he was here. They don’t know what I know. But if Garon had truly returned, Pucci feared for Corrin’s wellbeing. The boy had bested the tyrant once, yes, but that was with an entourage seemingly much more capable than the one who assisted him now, and it was very likely that Garon had learned from the mistakes he made during the last fight.
And somehow, that was not the most concerning report.
The existence of two pears was worrying, but the fact that one of them had made a deal with a devil was outright distressing, if not a greatly frustrating act of self-sabotage that would undoubtedly return to haunt them later down the line.
And the mention of a strange woman, as well as a stronghold "coincidentally" under attack…Pucci shook his head. "There is no such thing as a coincidence. That mysterious woman…those in the stronghold would do well not to trust her, or anybody they find here that’s not part of our team." Even those in the prison…they could be planted there, waiting for us, to betray us from within if we retrieved them… "I…see what you mean now. About this group." The priest admitted. Stuck in a crypt, surrounded by potent enemies under the guise of friends, with only a sorry lot of fools as allies. Now there’s a good joke. "I’d wager Ketheric has a plan more elaborate than any of us know, and everyone’s playing directly into his hands."
Edited by ISZATSO on May 18th 2024 at 10:57:37 AM
With great power…you know the rest.AoN
Mark narrowly avoids the debris and begins to slowly move in a wide circle around Garon.
"Holy FUCK do you people never stop talking?!" He's already pretty exhausted by Garon's gloating and endless taunting of Corrin, both for the manekete and his own sake. Seeing the muddy leg stabs make their way, he narrowly blocks them with the Blades of Chaos but their sheer size means parts of the attack still connect with his body.
He would go for another move but Raphael's sudden entrance makes him hesitate, especially since Gunter quickly butts in. Fortunately he's a bit too hard-headed to readily accept an offer from someone who just appeared with the prospect of saving them.
Edited by BoniniBanana on May 18th 2024 at 11:34:46 PM
realASHES OF NOHR
Gunter nods at Pucci's assessment. The Nohr team was hardly any more composed going by what he saw in Corrin and Beruka's memories but he wouldn't have minded having a few more of those to help out. At least some of the members of this group were surprisingly uninterested in questioning his orders - he could take that. That was something to be molded.
Very accurate. Ketheric has yet to make an appearance through everything, despite Corrin's team being close to the tower where he resides. At that... Azura has barely appeared. And Morgan is unaccounted for. What's more - I cannot track their positions. Gunter admits. What's more, we've lost a team member... though it appears he's been replaced. Oh well, then it wasn't really that important.
Azura being able to intercept trips from Corrin's castle to this world was something that should have been predicted. It's still fortunate that most of the group was able to return to that place unharmed - but we will need to carefully consider the use of it to escape from danger or travel across the castle. Gunter groans, massaging his forehead. I might need to draw it for some of the more impulsive members of our team.
Vs Garon
Garon notices when Thel 'Vadam's "Voice" goes missing. He doesn't know how or when he can track it, but he isn't worried at all. Because from what he could see, he lacks the weaponry to hurt him. They more or less all do now that he went out of his way to wreck them. He could afford to try to go after the Devil given that. And as he predictably pulled his legs back to see that he had failed to splatter Raphael, he at least took solace in turning to the group, focusing specifically on them as their attacks mostly failed to impact him.
Ah yes. Garon's leg somehow become even darker than usual as Dragonslayer bounce off it in a shower of sparks. I saw you move when I unleashed my onslaught. Not very smart, are you? I guess that's why you were the sidekicks. Garon raise his hand to completly smother Corrin. It's you hurting Corrin, not me. I hope you'll-hm? Garon notices another Voice. A distant one.
...
Huh. There's someone trying to break in from the inside. What should my Azura do with this? Mahito turns to ask.
Let them in. The more, the merrier, right?
...
Now a psychic attack is something that can bypass Garon good. And while he has a very strong will to oppose them usually, this one still cause his body to seize up, his entire mass losing in stability. Gunter, almost unwittingly, accompany this by having Corrin's very mind produce a blast of psychic energy that wash over Garon, further overwhelming his mental defenses. And at this point, immortality or no immortality, Garon's leg is severed by Dragonslayer, his body get burned by lightning and a mass of cold and heat freeze and scatter his body, with Corrin being let go of.
A demon? You wound me. I- Raphael being called a "terrorist" of all things next is what actually baffle him, and he glances at Rosita with slightly widened eye and a raised eyebrow. But then, most people have refused his deal. So why bother? Beruka does give Charlian a dark glare. And while she actually think of rebuffing him for speaking to her like that, she has to acknowledge his point... though admittedly, they'd been saved by some ridiculous circumstances.
I wouldn't have considered his deal if you hadn't screwed up Beruka would say, but she has to acknowledge she screwed up too. Hence... Right. She says, word coming off like she's vomiting them. She get to her feet shakily, and coat her arm in a flowing black liquid, like a suit of liquid armor. Which she manipulate remotely to keep her arm moving even when it's practically crippled, the pain is naturally immense whenever she so much as make her finger twitch - but she'll need both to win.
Good. Thank you very much for not pactizing with a devil. Gunter says as Garon's arms are chopped off by Thel 'Vadam, the tyrant screaming in surprise and dismay at Arbiter pulling off the feat. Beruka bends down to pick the Vallite Magic within the shattered remnants of her axe and, grabbing it, infuse it into her Cursed Technique before tossing it at Garon's face as a big cannonball, impacting him in the forehead. This, along with the extra push from Jason's handguns and Bucky chopping off a leg, topple Garon, making his upper half slide off his spider half and falling to the ground as a vaguely human-shaped mass of mud.
But even as Salazar and Corrin are lifted off, a burst of black lighting fly out of the muddy mass, dampening her powers significantly by mere presence and making both drop to the ground. Beruka run up to the latter to lift him on her stronger shoulder, Omega Yato falling behind them. She doesn't care to pick it up - not when the burst of Conqueror's Haki also cause her own Cursed Technique to lose shape, the black liquid melting off her arm as a useless puddle.
And with it, her ability to carry the Orb and Corrin. Shit!
GGRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! More black lighting fly out from Garon's muddy shape as he very quickly pull himself together, taking on a much more grotesque shape. The horns on his head lenghten and his two human arms become another pair of long spider legs, with his torso vanishing so as to be completly replaced by an enormous spider's body, with Garon gaining blazing flames all over his back as well.
His human face stays but his mouth has vanished - and his eyes have become the size of trucks each, glowering in undying hatred as he begins to rush after the group. His size has increased somehow - such that, as he rush like mad, his full body doesn't even fit the hallway. And though Moonrise Crypt is a truly massive fortress, his long spider legs end up punching massive holes into the snowy courtyard in the middle of it as he scrambles to chase after the group.
That particular part of the hallway start falling apart around the group as Garon bulldoze through it - rocks fall from the crumbling ceiling and huge cracks spread across the ground, opening up holes that threaten to engulf the group.
It's pretty obvious that he'll dispense with the sadistic pleasantries this time around - if he catch anyone in the group, they're dead.
And yet...
Azura! Am I doing my work well? Should I keep chasing them or will you take over?!
yes he is now ripe Garon would smile if he still had the features for that. But before his eyes can twist themselves into the appropriate shape, he remembers Azura's particular quirk.
oh...
This communication is kept secret from even Gunter. Who can't really do much to help the group any further at this point. At the very end of the hallway is a door - which mysteriously open right up to reveal a glowing pool of water at the very end, leaving to salvation. And right next to that door is an enigmatic young man with hair as purple as the cloak he wears, with big puffy white pants, a set of wooden horns on his forehead, and black lips.
He leans against the wall, resting his right cheek on the palm of his head as he watch the group go. Morgan had no idea why Azura would order him to help the people here to kill them but what was his other choice? Not apply an order? Goodness gracious - anything but that!
Morgan! Beruka screams in surprise, though she doesn't and can't stop, instead diving into the pool of water immediately and holding unto Corrin for dear life, wrapping her arm around his waist and closing her eyes as the water sweeps around her and the rest of the group.
They'll be placed back in the exact same "water" tube - except that they'll see Lilith hovering over it in her human form, apparently trying to keep an eye out for Azura. She looks slightly horrified at seeing the damage on Beruka, Corrin and the rest of the group - but she can't do much but ensure that they at least arrive to a place where they'll have the opportunity to get better.
Though they're likely to arrive somewhat ungracefully from the main gate - sliding into the castle as crumbled heaps and all. Beruka herself roll sideways along the floor, groaning as her body goes completly limp. Those who went into the ORB earlier should be there as well, meaning there'll be time for a reunion very soon.
She's given up at this point - if Garon were to roll up into the place, she doesn't know if she'd be able to so much as lift a finger. And as for Corrin, he appears... surprisingly better off than he was. In fact, being exposed to water at all is apparently a very good treatment for him because his injuries are entirely gone. In fact, as he get up to his feet, there's surprisingly very little stumbling along.
But then he immediately fall back to his knee - not because he's weaker than he looks, but because of Beruka laying at his feet with a hole in her. Beruka! What could've... Lilith! Lilith, please, come over quickly! Lillith! Corrin yells, looking down at the rest of the group to see similar (if probably lesser) injuries for each. Lilith flies in in a hurry, and at this point, Corrin is counting himself lucky that she wasn't taken away by an intruder or something. I'm so sorry! I... I remember leaping at Garon and getting grabbed by him. He... He overpowered me again. How could that happen? I... I'm stronger than I was in Nohr and...
Beruka says nothing, instead waiting for the ever-dutiful Lilith to heal the wound in her body. When that happens, she get back up to her feet, rolling her shoulders a little. Yes. You've made a mistake in being careless. One I cannot fully blame you for. Beruka is hesitant as to the way to go. Corrin had indeed messed up. But even if they had turned tails, could Garon have been so easily shaked off? And what was that "Devil" who had offered them a deal?
Beruka lift her left hand to contemplate it. At this moment, if it hadn't been for everyone else (Milin, Gunter, the Arbiter, Red Hood, Bucky, Rosita, Wiz, Charlian...) could she have sold something precious to a devil? What made them carry on when she had almost gave up?
Takumi, Garon... How much worse will it get? That place looked like Krakenburg though... Did it shift for anyone else? Did you see... ghosts of your own? Corrin says, looking up to the rest of the group. Salazar, who has woken up due to Lilith's healing, shakes his head, a bit embarrassed at getting rescued. Nope! We were attacked by a Knight. And I've had to slay a few! But they were armors reanimated by parasites. And parasites don't leave ghosts behind, right? It's why lawyers don't tend to leave ghosts behind.
... Wouldn't that be animated armor instead of re-animated armor? Lilith interjects, the remark pointless, but bugging to her.
Well, it was probably worn once? So it was once animated and...
... You had to deal with two of my own ghosts. And the second could only do that because I was careless with it. I'm sorry. I... I went on this journey to try to move past those thoughts of mine, you know? But in the end, they keep coming back. Over and over. In my dreams or in reality. And they're stronger than ever each time. If Omega Yato couldn't do it... how are we going to win? Beruka frowns slightly and pull up towards Corrin, glancing back at the group as if in distate, but then moving her hands up to Corrin's face before pushing him into a kiss of her own.
It isn't much - and it's a bit impulsive, but it reminds Corrin that for every enemy he has, there's someone by his side at all time. And as she pulls back, still holding his face, he find the strength to smile slightly at her... at least until Gunter's voice become audible within everyone's mind, attempting to establish contact with Milin's mind as well.
Yes. We still need to deal with at least Azura and Morgan on top of Ketheric. They'll kill you if you hesitate, Corrin. And what's more, going by what Morgan and Azura have done recently, they might be pursuing an hidden agenda. You can't let yourself be emotional - You knew what would happen. You were warned. You can't doom the entire group by being careless. Having problems of your own doesn't mean you have to be a problem for everyone else. Understood?
... Beruka frowns, but stick to that, though she's probably not being very nice in her mind. And Gunter responds swiftly.
''What? What would you have me do? The same as you? Hug and a kiss? You've grown soft, Beruka. Perhaps he wouldn't have been so quick to ignore your instructions if you had been sterner.' I do not want the boy to be killed - being blunt is a better fate than what Azura has in store, believe me.'
And as for the rest of you - our teamwork has prevailed over Garon. Some of you might think me an ally of Kenjaku or an opportunist. But if I held nefarious intentions for you, would I be so prompt in rescuing you from some of your... less thoughtful decisons? We've gotten this far thanks to your prowesses - but do not forget it was my voice that guided you and corrected your mistakes. Deciding between me or that devil should not have been a choice for some of you.
We will also need to address how Azura managed to intercept you... but while the others finish their little journeys, do not hesitate to rest and shop. You have earned it.
Beruka and Corrin sighs and pick themselves up. And just as they do, they notice a new shop on their right - one heralded by the familiar figure of the Merchant. Being the Merchant, of course, no one in the castle find his presence any strange. And the couple wordlessly approach him.
... Seriously. How is he always just there?
I accept all currencies! Except human fingers of a certain size. (characters can buy stuff up to three times per visit)
WELCOME STRANGERS
LOST AND FOUND - Can repair a weapon that was destroyed or give back a weapon that was discarded earlier. For free.
SALAZAR GET : VALLITE GUN BACK
CORRIN GET : OMEGA YATO
Weapon Upgrade - Improve the power, speed, resistance and status effects (if they exist) of a specific weaponry. Can be done up to three times (count as one buy)
Can you improve my Cursed Technique with it?
I'll gladly do that matey!
BERUKA HAS BROUGHT THAT UPGRADE x3!
x5 Healing Elixir - Restore health and heal illnesses, but doesn't fix lost limbs.
I've got Elixirs tailored to yer taste! Whaddya like better? Strawberry? Vanilla?
x2 Vallite Capsule - Can (temporarily, up to you) be applied to a weapon to make them more effective against the undead.
I think ye'll die if you say the name of the country aloud. But writing it seems fine!
x3 BLOODTHRIST ELIXIR - Heal wounds upon injuring an enemy and increase overall attack power. Upon killing an enemy, increase speed and strength. Last until KO or sleeping.
Even actual vampires may like that one!
SCRAP METAL - Someone's scrap metal that was discarded. Can be put to good use with magnetic powers. If given back, they'd appreciate it.
I know someone who could be very useful once they get their greedy mints on this!
x3 Greater Health Potion - Restore considerably more health than a regular Elixir and can fix limbs.
If ya ever need someone ta give ya an hand... back.
THE BLOOD OF LATHANDER - A mace infused with the power of the god of the sun. In case the glowing golden spikes aren't a telltale cue. Passively emit light and boast high attack power. Can be used to shoot a beam of radiant energy once every three turns.
Think I blew up a Githyanki crèche getting to that one!
THE RPG - A seemingly common Rocket-Propelled Grenade but it actually boast sky-high attack power and can be used to inflict great damage upon a foe. Come with three rockets.
The perfect weapon to blast biological weapons with!
CURSED KATANA - Someone's Katana that was discarded. Only achieve its full power in the hands of a swordsman who wield occult powers. If given back, they'd appreciate it.
Awfully common type of weapon, huh?
RESURRECTION SCROLL : Can be used to resurrect a dead ally. You just need to open the scroll and say the literal magic words! One-Time Use
Yer gonna need that.
SCROLL: GLOVE OF INVULNERABILITY : Can be used to cast a small globe of invulnerability around a small group. People inside the globe are completly safe from any harm but can still be pushed out. Enemies can enter the globe as well. Last up to three turns. One-Time Use
I'm sure ye'll squeeze through that one just fine!
Beruka and Corrin sit down after this - looking at the group as if asking them what they'd lived through on their side.
Shadows!
Barnaby's unaffected by Rumia's attacks, but his song come to an abrupt end as he stops to wave away the smoke in front of him. This end up giving the group the time they need to ascend a huge romp leading out of the Deeper Darkness - and back to the area that they had just left. While dark, the Deeper Darkness is just so dark that the flickers of light within the hall looked like big flashbangs.
Shadowheart, Refia, Pyre and Rumia will all end up leaping out of the darkness, stumbling along down the hall before taking the Family Guytm death pose... unless you'd want them to be a bit more dignified! Shadowheart isn't, and she decides that as such, the accident should remain unmentioned. Especially because she's immediately distracted by the pain on her hand.
Barnaby's laughter echoes across the hall but he doesn't come out to keep chasing. Perhaps because the hall is too small even for him?
A punishment for not slaying the Selunite : especially when she had the opportunity. But yet, Shadowheart knows that she has managed to at least learn something important. And the fact that Shar gave her her spear (and it's continued presence) means that surely she is still in the Lady of Loss's favor, right?
Well... That was a lot of running for something minor. Shadowheart groans, getting up to her feet.
Yes. But you've learned important intel. The others are already reunited at Corrin's castle but... there is a chance that Azura could intercept you if you try to go back to that place. And you will not return the way you came - not with Refia near you. That abomination should have been discarded in the shadow and left to that rampaging owl!'
Speaking of Refia - she's gone without so much as a wince. But then again, that doesn't mean she's gone. And Rumia will hear a very, very small sowwyyy being echoed all the way to her ears, Refia having apparently decided to go back to Azura.
Gunter sighs.
At least she didn't attack us. Shadowheart says. She frowns and approach the Deeper Darkness again, to check the rooms they hadn't visited. Even if Pyre and Rumia proceed to literally do nothing, she'll find a barrel of water. Just wide enough for each woman to be sumberged within it and go to the Astral Sea.
Light emerges somewhere far - heat rise again, and unearthly groans fill the silence. If the group has a decision to take, they should take it now between going back to the Castle or trekking back to Gunter's place with Refia still (maybe) around.
Moonrise Grave
Kaa happily swoops in to grab Vi after her victory over King Shark's remains, attempting to grab her by the arms. She easily lift her to the top of the fortification, but suddenly gets an idea.
How about I take you even higher? You could do a powerful landing straight through! And we'll need that to breach through the remaining forcefield! If Vi doesn't agree, Kaa looks slightly dissapointed (or at least she pouts) but carry on, flying her to the top of the fortifications while deftly avoiding bullets and magic spells. Upon reaching the near-top, she flings Vi upwards, leaving the Zaunite with the task of punching her way through the force field, then a steel trap on the roof of the fortification, dropping her right in front of the channeling Necromancer. However, even if he's beaten, she will have to then fight her way out through the necromites on the lower levels of the small tower.
If she follows Kaa's idea, Kaa fly Vi higher in the sky, a few dozens meters over the top of the fortification, and loop back to fly her towards it before letting go, letting Vi basically do a meteor landing through the fortification, punching a hole straight through that particular spot of the barrier and then decimating the building, punching the necromancers through three floors of concrete while punching a crater into the ground, sending debris flying everywhere, with Kaa intercepting them.
Well done Vi! That was great! Kaa says, flying down while keeping her hood down with both hands.
As for Vladek, his particular teleportation is a surprise to the defenders. He moves past the green veil and easily take out the Necromancer, the shockwaves of his move also maybe cleaving the Death Shepherds on the way. Thank you for your assistance! Prime says, grateful for Vladek's intervention.
As for the third Necromancer - there's a brief moment of Leonidas entering the concrete tower, and Necromites being sent flying out of it before the green "ray" turns off. He also apparently made very short work of them.
This cause the green forcefield to dissipate - and for the necromites in the area to stop reviving, giving the Githyankis and Dark Soldiers a very decisive upper hand and allowing them to slaughter the remaining necromites in no time. However, before the former can actually enter Wayne Tower itself, another towering force field surround it. But one that appears to trade power for defense.
No further attack come from the tower : it's as if the undead cannot attack from that spot as well. Things are stalled - and all that's left is a battlefield strewed with flames, shattered bones, dust and blood. The sudden lull is almost eerie in how sudden it is.
... Oh dang! It's a pretty big building too. There must be a lot of necromancers!
Leonidas punch his way out of the top of the concrete tower and land next to the group. Heh. Lots, probably. But they must be dedicated to keeping that big barrier going - or else, they would have attacked us from there too, right?
Optimus doesn't emote, instead looking down at the Githyankis. Who are all surprisingly quick to adjust to what is shaping up to be a siege : removing bodies, moving back, establishing a force field of their own. Voss, their leader, turns towards the group and start walking towards them, twirling his sword and gesturing at other Githyankis to follow him - with just the briefest of nods. And even as he sheath his sword on his back, Gunter groans.
The Githyankis are bad news. They'll kill you if you try to talk with them! Go back to Corrin's castle - take that woman and Prime with you if you must. But be careful - our enemies have the means of intercepting travels to this place... Still, it's better to be in their'' hands than in Githyankis's hands, run at once!
Leonidas starts walking towards Voss, his stride confident. Kaa glances at Vi.
Is everything okay?
Edited by Bolded1 on May 18th 2024 at 10:23:53 AM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterFateslandian Byleth
Save
- > Ashes of Nohr - My Castle
- A Trip to Tripartite Mall
Back at the castle, "Pyra" and the Squad first does a tight Group Cooldown Hug as they made it through the Garon Fight, then "Pyra" proceeds to unload what they obtained from the Armoury for the others to pick and keep.
Except for the Hammer. They're keeping that - might be useful both on the offensive side by lighting the head on fire allowing for a good midrange attack and bolster their weaker defensive side by using the hammer for a counterattack. (Well, their default Combat UI IS the Mario and Luigi combat UI after all.)
So the others can pick from the Leviathan Axe, Silver Naginata, Heavy Bowgun and ROCKET LAUNCHER which "Pyra" put in the Castle's armoury.
Hubcen Tripartite Mall
Save
- Ashes of Nohr - My Castle
- > A Trip to Tripartite Mall
Awkwardly waving goodbye to the trio, (2) and Fire Bro reunites with the rest and moves on to one of the other buildings to go to the music store.
It's a bit smaller than what it used to be apparently, but all the necessary stuff like musical instruments, musical scores, and even classrooms are still there.
Du-Du-Wa-Do-It, Arena KatsudouAshes of Nohr
GARON BATTLE
Dracus and Karzon can only watch as Garon transforms into something even more hellish. If they still had Vladek's dark warp magic on them, they would have genuinely considered disobeying orders and saving themselves. But right now they're as stuck with this as everyone else is.
And when Garon starts rushing, they use all of their might to start running. They would have gone for the orb (and maybe that cool blade too), but there's no way past Garon.
Thankfully that door in the distance opens, and it houses a pool of water. They notice the horned young man near it, but they just assume he's another ally of theirs. Especially since Beruka seems to recognize him.
They jump in the moment they reach it, wanting to get away from Garon as quickly as possible. Will there be another intervention like what happened to the others last time? They don't know and they don't care, anywhere else would be better than here.
They end back up in Corrin's castle, groaning before getting back up. ... well, sitting up, they're still completely winded. They turn to look as Beruka's getting healed by Lilith, and when Corrin asks them a question, they respond.
"No."
"The only thing there aside from us was that hellish monstrosity, that blasphemous demon."
"The library held some ghosts, but none that we recognized."
They listen to Corrin's brief fit of despair over the situation, and it looks like Karzon is actually considering speaking up. But Gunter beats him to it.
"'Prevailed' over Garon? Is that a joke?" , Karzon grumbles. "We escaped that creature, we did not beat it."
"'Rest', he says. As if I'm going back in there." , Dracus then says, to Karzon's seeming surprise.
"We have our orders. Lord Vladek-"
"Lord Vladek is not HERE right now!" , Dracus suddenly says, harshly poking Karzon's armor. "Lord Vladek didn't see what we were up against! And whatever he may be dealing with right now, I doubt it was worse than THAT, that... that demon from Hell! Now leave me be!"
The two knights both grunt in anger and exasperation at each other before choosing to ignore each other. Though they both still end up finding the Merchant and looking over his wares. Despite Dracus insisting he's done helping, they both end up buying the Weapon Upgrades.
—
MOONRISE GRAVE
Vladek doesn't verbally respond to the thanks he gets, simply looking back at Optimus Prime a bit in silent acknowledgement.
With the forcefield now off, he jumps back down to the ground level as his Shadow Knights and the Githyankis finish off the remaining Necromites. Vladek approaches his knights as the new forcefield pops up. Vladek looks at it and groans in irritation for a moment, but then looks back at his knights.
"Casualties?"
"Less than a dozen, lord.", one of the Shadow Knights responds.
"... acceptable numbers. Keep your guards up. This fight is not over yet. ... and behead the fallen, I do not want them to be resurrected by the enemy." , Vladek says, then moves on from that without a second thought, turning to look at the Githyankis and the approaching Voss as the Shadow Knights carry out his orders and behead the other, fallen Shadow Knights.
Unlike with Kaa earlier, Vladek sheathes his blade as Voss approaches. He likely doesn't want any chance of the Githyankis deciding that they are now the next threat to take out.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.DM Post: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=14315151240A21923900&page=15480#comment-386988
Previous Post: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=14315151240A21923900&page=15480#comment-386985
Ashes of Nohr
Moonrise Crypt, False Krakenburg, Large Room - RECON
The result of their teamwork managing to overwhelm Garon and make him drop Corrin brought a brief look of relief to Charlian's face. Letting go of Beruka as she creates what seems to be some sort of liquid armor, regret ailed in his mind for yelling at the assassin. "Listen, I shouldn't have-" However, after taking note of the current situation, he decided to save the apology for later and gave Gunter a mental nod. I'm not so lacking in awareness as to immediately consider a devil's deal the moment we loses our advantage. The young man replied a little too harshly, before he narrowly avoided the black lightning and watched as Garon transformed into a more complete spider form.
Taking advantage of this tiny opening, the Replicator activated his boosters, rushed to the Orb, picked it up, and did a flawless 180 degree turn, weaving through whatever obstacles that may get in his way, regrettably leaving the Omega Yato due to having exhausted the time available. Meanwhile, Galeon finally bolted into action after being forced to remain idle. The mecha lion roared as it directly rushed at the massive spider in order to halt its pursuit. It doesn't need to hurt Garon, it just needs to buy time for everyone to escape via the conveniently prepared pool of water.
Speaking of the water, Charlian became rather suspicious of the figure standing beside it, who he didn't recognize until Beruka called out his name. That must be another Demented Spirit. He feel like the water is a trap, but he's also in too dangerous of a predicament to not dive in. After all, the alternative is to stay behind and get killed by the mad king chasing after them.
Activating his boosters once more, the young man held onto his scale and dove into the pool as he dismissed the mechanical lion, who served his purpose for now. Thank you, Galeon. Mentally expressing his gratitude for his own replication, he entered the water tube and is completely surprised by the fact that the water was, in fact, not a trap.
Astral Sea, Corrin's Castle
"Wait, what? We actually made it back?" Charlian asked out loud, before shaking his head and went to check up on Corrin. I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. He briefly considered the strange event before listening to Corrin and Beruka have a much needed talk about recklessness, deciding to not get healed because he managed to avoid any real injuries, having been very prudent up to this point. As much as he wants to give the prince an inspiring speech, the young man feels that he's not quite qualified to do so just yet. After all, he has yet to accumulate enough experience to lecture others right now.
Gunter calling the decisions he made "less thoughtful" irked him a little. Charlian would normally just accept the statement without question, but after experiencing his first burst of righteous anger, he feels more emboldened and less prone to self-degradation. He knows that the old warrior probably didn't mean him specifically, but it still feels a bit humiliating considering that he has worked closely with his teammates and did his best to perform damage control when most of them, including Corrin, decided to rush Garon despite the fact that they knew the risks involved.
For just a moment, he considered replicating more powerful things to overwhelm his opposition, but ultimately decided against it. Abusing his ability is a slippery slope into becoming something far worse than even the likes of Garon and Ketheric, as well as pretty much the type of people he actively despises. Besides, this whole operation is a team effort, so he can't just do whatever he wants and leave others in the dust.
The brief declaration Gunter followed up with actually made Charlian more suspicious of the old man. Not enough to distrust him, but enough to shake his belief that the old veteran is strictly on their side. After all, someone who is trustworthy shouldn't feel the need to proclaim his own loyalty, especially not when nobody has really questioned it so far. The conclusion he came to for the moment is to trust and work with Gunter, but prepare some mental defenses just in case. Parasite Tree's blessing should do the trick.
After that, Charlian just watched his comrades regroup and purchase things from the Merchant after temporarily dismissing G-Self's helmet, feeling no particular need to upgrade his tie bian or buy any items, since he has no money and is just going to replicate powers and weapons to fight anyways.
However, he memorized all the items offered in case he needs to replicate them later, and decided to pick up the Leviathan Axe from the Castle's Armory after watching "Pyra" and the Squad depositing looted equipment. Charlian only picked one weapon to not be too greedy, and he picked the axe in particular because he feels like he'll be on the frontlines too much to use the Heavy Bowgun, and because he likes it more than the Silver Naginata. It's the Leviathan Axe, for goodness' sake! He can't even believe that he actually just gets to own one!
After suppressing the urge to spend the next 10 minutes speculating what he can do with the axe, the young man approached Beruka and scratched the back of his head with a metallic hand, looking somewhat embarrassed with himself. "Hey, um... Sorry for yelling at you earlier. Things were really stressful and I was feeling a bit angry at the whole situation- both with Garon bullying us and having to do damage control, so I uh... I decided to voice my opinion very loudly. Still, it was no excuse, I don't have nearly enough experience and wisdom to lecture you, so I hope you'd accept my apology."
G-Self (Aspect Replication)
- Height: 2 meters
- Weight: 3.46 metric tons
- Weapons: Head Vulcan, Beam Saber, Beam Rifle, Shield (Towasanga)
Acquired Weapon(s):
- Leviathan Axe
Edited by cyzja922 on May 21st 2024 at 1:55:54 AM
AoN
My Castle
Milin lands squarely on her feet, taking a deep breath before sitting down on the ground.
"Hooh... fuck- Someone's gotta remind me to not try and make a force that big again, I feel beat."
She flops back on the stone for a moment before flipping herself up on her hands and leaping to her feet. She looks over the weaponry for a moment before grabbing the MK 50 Gauntlets and putting them on. They form to her hands and arms well enough, but she has another idea as well that she'll try in a bit.
Wonder if I could make more nanites for it... Man, Lilith knows that stuff, not me.
No, not the Lilith at the castle. She has a crewmate on the Wanderbound named Lilith.
Her mind subconsciously snaps shut as she hears a mental voice- but she lets it through, though the rest of her mind is still very guarded. She reaches out and speaks back.
Prevailed? It looks like you were losing until I got there. False hopes just kill more people, and you sound like you'd know that. What really happened was you all nearly got ran into the ground and barely escaped. But hey, call it whatever you want. I'll just say that sure as hell didn't look like a victory to me. One of your own died, didn't he?
With that, she lets out a half-annoyed sigh and begins the process of disconnecting her psionic booster system (the crown-looking thing on the sides of her head in her FC) as she walks over to the merchant.
"Right, upgrades for two things. The gauntlets, and my psionic booster. Be careful with the second one. Oh- and some greater healing potions."
Milin bought Upgradex3 for the MK50 Gauntlets and Psionic Crown.
Milin bought Greater Healing Potions.
Milin slots her Crown back into place on her head, and it quickly links back up. She lets out a slow breath as she feels it kick back in- it mostly made using psionics less tiring and draining on her. In exchange, it used bionic energy- something she might have trouble gaining if there isn't some form of charger around. Though it can burn calories in a pinch instead. After she's done, she wanders over to where Karzon and Darcus are.
"You know, you're both quite loud- not that I blame you. That thing looked pretty bad. But hey, it can't be the worst thing you've fought, right?"
Milin's mind seems to drift- it always does. No matter who she speaks to, there's always a subconscious action within her that reaches out- soothing people's minds by a small amount. It's came in handy before, but she was nowhere near the best at her telepathic powers as she was at the others she used.
Shadows
"Huff... that's over..."
Pyre pushes herself up with an exhausted sigh before looking over at the barrel of water.
"I'm not gonna try and make it all the way back... not when I'm this beat."
She leaps into the water, submerging herself and getting warped off.
aeiou: the secondAshes of Nohr
Having bought their weapon upgrades (they figure they'll need it), Karzon and Dracus turn to look at Milin. And if it weren't for her subconscious powers to ease the minds of those around her, Dracus would've rudely brushed her off without a second thought. But that ability allows him to become a bit more calm, so he responds.
"No, it most certainly was. Nothing like that thing exists in our world." , he says.
"We were told to fear the likes of dragons. I feel like what we encountered today is worse than any dragon we could have come across." , Karzon adds.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.AoN
Milin nods, folding her arms across her chest as she talks.
"Fair point. I've fought... a lot of things. A lot of things more terrifying than whatever that thing is, but not many that are more powerful, that's for sure."
She recounts them in her head. She's fought some reanimated dragons before, taken out whole ships by herself, fought one of the Black Psions... Along with the usual pirates and related rabble that comes with starfaring.
"But fear is never a bad thing. Fearless fools get killed after all, huh? Knowing when to fold 'em- that's what separates the soldiers from the soldiers that return."
She smiles slightly, and continues on.
"But sometimes you've gotta face things even when it seems hopeless. Because even though we might not be capable of fighting that beast now, I'm gonna take a bet and say we'll find a way. I'm betting for all the fear of dragons in your world, there are still those that have managed to slay them, right?"
aeiou: the secondShadows of Nohrdor
Rumia sighs in relief at the chase being done. She then waves goodbye in the direction of Refia's statement before thinking over their options. She opts to help Shadowfart look in the remaining rooms as she does so.
Then Pyre just hops in the water anyway.
"...Well I guess it's better if we're not splitting up to be snuck up on." she sighed and hopped in as well to warp.
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."Ashes of Nohr
"More terrifying than that Garon creature? I find that hard to imagine."
They listen as she continues talking, looking at each other for a moment.
"There are legends of a select few who have bested a dragon, but no such accomplishment has ever been officially recorded."
"Though perhaps Lord Vladek has the power to defeat a dragon thanks to his magic."
Dracus looks back at Milin. He breathes a sigh through his nose.
"You tell me that such a beast can potentially be felled by the likes of us? Do you truly believe that?"
??? (Two-shot post, 2/2)
Walter simply hangs there in his assailant's arms as the group of four continues to move. They'd left the Floating City and were now in some sort of cavern system in... erm... Walter doesn't really know the locations of the non-city parts of the Arena very well. He knows it's the volcanic area, but not much more than that.
They'd gone underground a while ago and had been walking in the darkness for what feels like an eternity. It's only thanks to his enhanced vampiric sight that he knows for sure they haven't been walking in a circle all this time.
Despite there being nobody who would hear him now if he were to scream, he remains silent, as do the beings who captured him. Until-
"We're here." , the ninja's voice rings out, after which the guy with the (currently inactive) sound-dampening field lets go of Walter, letting him drop to the ground. That's one way to further foul his mood, but he simply gets back up and dusts himself off a bit, then walks forward a bit. He can sense that there's others around him, a lot of others.
All of a sudden the cavern room is illuminated, allowing Walter to see just how many. And there's even more of them than he initially realized.
A
◊ LOT
◊ more
◊ than
◊ he
◊ thought
◊ he'd
◊ be
◊ seeing
◊. He
◊ was
◊ expecting
◊ maybe
◊ a
◊ small
◊ group
◊, but
◊ this
◊ is
◊ shockingly
◊ big
◊.
And yet, despite being surrounded by so many strange and unique-looking creatures, it's the one right in front of him that somehow still gets his attention the most.
◊ Our of all the pressuring auras, his is the most menacing. He must be the leader, this 'Shadowed One' mentioned earlier.
Of course, while most would be intimidated and frozen to the spot, Walter C. Dornez is no ordinary person. In the face of being surrounded by 22 unknown, powerful-looking creatures who could probably tear him to shreds if he makes as much as one wrong movement, he chooses not to start asking questions about who they are or why they brought him here.
No, he takes a cigarette and lighter out of his pockets, lights his cigarette, puts it in his mouth and takes a drag of it, inhaling, then exhaling smoke without seemingly a care in the world. The creatures around him wait, some looking more impatient than others.
"I'd ask if you'd like one, but I'm not quite sure you can breathe.", Walter says.
"We can. We don't want it.", the Shadowed One speaks as he stands up. Turns out he'd been sitting on a stone throne, one these creatures probably chiseled out themselves. Walter grins smugly.
"Good, because I don't have enough to go around. Now, you wanted to have a word with me?"
The Shadowed One approaches. Despite the fact that he seems to be leaning forward almost constantly, he more than towers over Walter. All of them do, in fact.
"My minions have been doing some research into the Arena over the last few months. And I see great potential in the power we can acquire here."
"'We' as in 'you and me', or 'we' as in 'your group'?", Walter asks with little respect in his voice, after which he suddenly finds a poisoned knife held to his throat from behind. That's got to be the ninja.
"Let him go, Lariska.", the Shadowed One says, voice still calm and neutral. Lariska obeys but stays near Walter, just in case. The Shadowed One looks back at Walter.
"Depending on how this conversation goes, both could be true."
"You want me to join you.", Walter guesses before taking another drag of his cigarette. "Why? There's a lot more options out there, a good few better and stronger than me."
"Yes.", the Shadowed One says, not even bothering to try to spare Walter's feelings with that answer. He then leans forward, face right in front of Walter's and a clawed hand pointing at his chest.
"I chose you, because unlike so many others here, you struggle from a lack of purpose."
"How do you figure?", Walter asks, unflinching.
"I told you, my minions have done their research. And people like you are exactly what I need to fill up my numbers again."
"You mean to tell me you're down members?", Walter asks while glancing around at the beings that still surround him.
"My world is lost. A good number of my minions are lost along with it.", the Shadowed One says, not going into further detail.
"And three more were lost in this world during the Cyber Angel invasion."
"I heard about that situation."
"Oh? Then where were you when others were fighting?"
Walter makes an amused sound.
"Enemies that can regenerate no matter how many times I slice them up? I would have been a liability on the battlefield and nothing more."
"I see.", the Shadowed One says. Walter can't tell whether or not he approves of that notion or not. Though Walter could care less about his opinion.
"One of the minions I lost happened to be quite the important one. Important enough that, under normal circumstances, would have warranted me going to war against the Cyber Angels.", he continues while giving Walter some personal space back. "I wish to see him revived, and I wish to obtain some of the powerful relics that have been making the rounds around here. But the Arena is quite the dangerous place. I will need more than the remnants of my organization. My forces must be renewed, and you shall be the first."
"What if I refuse?", Walter challenges.
"Then you are free to leave. With a scrambled mind, of course, to make sure you can't tell anyone about us or where we are. I am certain you would prefer the mercenary life over one where you can barely remember your own name. Regardless, once you join, you join for life. No member is allowed to leave. Not alive, anyhow."
Walter scoffs, then tosses his cigarette to the side.
"So you're mercenaries? What kind of jobs do you take?"
"Any kind. Especially the kind that others are unwilling to do. But we never refuse a job unless I deem it to be detrimental for us. A high mortality rate, mind you, is not considered detrimental in my eyes."
"What's your policy on killing targets?"
"It is only forbidden if the job requires the target to live. Or unless I say they must. Otherwise you are free to handle the job as you please, as long as you're effective when doing so."
"... I must admit, I'm liking what I hear.", Walter grins. "It makes me feel nostalgic. But if I were to accept... what would be in it for me? Aside from keeping my mind stable?"
"Money. Security. The pleasure of shredding your enemies while knowing you have allies to fall back on. And, of course..."
He taps Walter's chest with his staff.
"A cure for your current state, once I deem you to have earned it. You shall be returned to your prime and become ever more powerful."
Walter is finally caught off guard by this, judging by his wide eyes.
"How do-"
"I told you, my minions have done their research.", the Shadowed One says, sounding smugly amused by Walter's reaction. Walter realizes he lost the unspoken war to stay on equal footing with the Shadowed One by reacting in such a way, the latter now knowing for certain he's in control here.
"Whether you return to be a 'human' or remain a 'vampire', the detrimental effects of your current body can be undone. There is no illness I cannot find a cure for. But such a courtesy is extended only to those I consider worthy of favored treatment. And for that, you have to succeed... and impress. And those who don't succeed are..."
Lariska jumps in front of Walter, almost startling him in the process, and reveals that one of her arms is different. Purely mechanical.
"Punished.", the Shadowed One finishes as Lariska moves to the side again. "Those who fail me suffer. Those who fail me multiple times perish. Those who betray me wish they could perish."
Walter raises an eyebrow and smirks.
"One final question then. What exactly would you have me do right now if I choose to accept?"
"You would be given three assignments.", the Shadowed One says. "The first would be to procure more allies. Powerful ones. Skilled ones. We shall grow until we reach our former glory and become a presence known and feared, but also sought after by all. The second would be to procure a method of bringing back the hunters I lost. To obtain the power and presence I strive for, I must have Voporak back."
"And the third?"
"As I said earlier, I want to obtain the powerful relics strewn about this world. Your third assignment would be to bring me such relics whenever you come across them. Relics such as these, for example."
The Shadowed One's clawed hand opens (Walter only now notices he hadn't actually opened up his hand until now) and reveals a talisman with a monkey symbol engraved on it
◊.
"These hold some kind of power yet unknown to me, and I know there are others. Should you find one, whether out there somewhere or in someone's possession, you shall deliver it to me. How you obtain it matters not to me."
Walter closes his eyes for a moment, grinning.
"... I have to say... I haven't felt this excited in a long, long time. Yet, no members are allowed to leave? How constricting. There's not even a trial period?"
"There is not. You must decide now."
"There are a select few people I would refuse to go against. Is that a problem?", Walter asks, trying to see how much he can get out of this.
"Bah. Friendship. A shackle of potential. Regardless, if you prove effective enough, I would allow you to refuse missions."
Walter returns to his silence, taking his time to light up a new cigarette and begin smoking it. The Shadowed One once again waits, though some of the others look about done with his attitude.
"... I really can't escape the life of a servant, even in undeath.", he chuckles, finding pathetic humor in that thought. "But I suppose such a life is preferable to wallowing in self-hatred and unearned pity behind a bar for God knows how long."
The Shadowed One seems to grin, judging by his more narrow eyes.
"Then your abilities shall be tested, and you shall be sent on your way."
"Not even as much as a meeting with your other servants, I see.", Walter snarks. The Shadowed One chuckles darkly.
"You will have plenty of time to get to know them during your test."
Oh, it's one of those tests. Despite it all, Walter finds himself somewhat liking the way the Shadowed One does things. Ruthless. Direct. Efficient. It reminds him of the home he used to have.
"Then lead the way, master."
Edited by DevilPsyco on May 18th 2024 at 1:05:29 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.AoN
"Of course! If not felled, than at least sent away somewhere it can't harm anything else."
She gives one last smirk before turning around.
"Remember- not all battles have to be won by killing something. Sending it away works too, if you're sure it can never come back. And not all things that can be killed can be done so by normal means- try being creative, look for other, easier options! Now, I should probably rest..."
Milin finds a nice spot on the ground and sits down cross-legged, slipping into a trance-like state as she meditates to wash away her fatigue.
aeiou: the secondAshes of Nohr
... considering the way Vladek was defeated back in the kingdom, Karzon and Dracus realize that Milin isn't wrong. Dracus ponders. Perhaps being overwhelmed like that had made him a bit narrowminded, though who could blame him for that?
... he'll consider changing his mind on his decision to quit.
For now though, they're off to try to find something to eat. ... and a way to heal from taking that powerful blow.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."Time to run like hell, Sarge!"
"Don't have to tell me twice!"
Red Hood and Bucky waste no time barreling towards the closest water puddle, the former snapping off a few parting shots at Garon to cover the others' escape before leaping headlong into the aforementioned puddle, the cyborg super soldier right on his heels.
Once they've reached the My Castle, Jason holsters his guns while Bucky plants the Dragonslayer in the ground.
"If Killer Moth's that giant bug-looking thing next time I see him, I'm personally feeding him Kenjaku."
"We run into something like that again, I'm dragging your sorry hide out of there before we get ourselves killed."
Red Hood is about to point out that Bucky didn't exactly object to sticking around and fighting Garon, only for Gunter to address everyone else in the group following his chat with Corrin and Beruka. With the metaphorical band-aid ripped off in regards to something more than a few members of this impromptu gathering - himself included - were concerned about, Jason would normally pounce on the opportunity to confront the older man about these suspicions. After the ordeal with Garon, however, he decided that particular talk could wait for now. Just because he needed a break, though, that didn't mean he wasn't going to let Gunter claiming they had triumphantly defeated Garon slide.
"'Prevailed', my ass."
With that, he approaches the Merchant and decides to purchase the Cursed Katana. He wasn't a master of the occult like a certain trenchcoat-clad sorcerer, but given his proficiency with swords, this blade would be no less deadly in his hands.
Bucky, on the other hand, decides to take a seat for now.
"Did the definition of 'prevailed' change when I wasn't looking?"
-
Nodding in agreement with Kaa's plan, Vi finds herself descending upon the necromancers below her like a meteor from the heavens. Raising a gauntleted fist, she brings it down as hard as she possibly can the second she reaches the ground. With the necromancers dispatched, she answers Kaa with a nod.
"Dusty bastards never stood a chance."
She watches as Voss approaches Leonidas, ready to intervene if necessary.
Edited by IchigoMontoya on May 18th 2024 at 7:03:18 AM

Mission: Pursue the Giant Monster
Machinedramon continues to get pelted while it tries to hold Godzilla back, but it's becoming harder and harder to do so, and it then gets bashed back into a building by Godzilla's tail sweep attack. The raven-haired girl's beam hits it and severely weakens the power of its armor...
And it seems to realize this.
Machinedramon starts to glow more brightly much faster. In the far distance Etemon goes pale and starts running away comically as fast as he can.
"Nonononono! I said I wanted to blow up but I didn't mean it like that!"
Blow up?
...
OH!
-
"This... may be far enough. It depends. I have no means of calculating the incoming blast zone." , the boy says to the Zeon forces on the helicopter.
Needless to say, if he gets the impression that they're not far away enough, he would not hesitate for a second to abandon the helicopter and the people in it. He's supposed to come back alive, after all.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.