Homura would find before entering into the mill that the shotgun was loaded with 5 buckshot shells ready for use. She best use these wisely. Then the flashbang detonated inside.
As the blinding light vanished and she quickly entered the Mill, Homura would see one Bloodsucker returning to human sight and it looking dazed, it seemed like the flashbang affected it quite badly and that Bloodsuckers were somewhat vulnerable to lights.
While that Bloodsucker was stunned, Homura would hear loud breathing and see glowing eyes coming from one corner of the mill. Seems like that Bloodsucker managed to protect itself from the flashbang. The unaffected Bloodsucker started to quickly sprint to Homura, the only thing giving away it's position was it's loud breathing and its eyes, the creature intending to pounce on Homura and cut her apart with its claws when it would get close to her.
Kowalski looked over at the armor shown by the Mona Lisa, it looked strange...though at the same time quite intimidating. Just need to be painted to the colours of Duty, and to add the faction's logo and it will be good enough. Bet many bandits would be terrified if they saw this.
Kowalski nodded to the Mona Lisa, he pulled out his PDA and was seen sending a message to someone. He took some photos of the area and the captured bandits, as if showing proof of the message he was sending. Eventually after a few seconds, a notification noise
rang from the PDA, and the lieutenant seemed satisfied, putting the PDA back in his pocket. "Alright. A Hind-D Helicopter that's stored on our base shall come to pick up the gear. You'll recognize it when you see it has the same black and red colours of our armour and our banner." He would point to the patch in his shoulder.
He would pull out a pencil from his backpack and a piece of paper, writing two numbers on the paper, before handing it to the Mona Lisa. "Here is my number, along with General Voronin's number, in case you need our aid or need to be in contact with us. Now if there's nothing else you need, we shall take this scum away to give them the punishment they deserve."
Archades, Portal Area: Subcontracting A Manhunt?
Huang nodded to the knightly guard as his team was free to pass. He quietly celebrated the fact he knew just how helpful the Archadian welcome party would be for this mission: namely, no help at all.
Walking a few paces beyond the restricted entrance/exit area, the team came across a massive mouse posting a notice for some kind of Hunters Guild.
"Well that's convenient." Mao muttered. He kept a close eye out for eavesdroppers before opening his mouth.
"It ain't relevant." Huang grunted back, fishing into his coat for another cigarette. "We ain't brinin' more folks into this."
He gestured for the group to follow him away from the high-traffic routes of the street, just far enough into the mouth of a windowless alleyway where they could talk safely.
"Even if they're from the city?" Mao asked, once the coast was clear.
Huang lit his cigarette. "Especially if they're from the city. I don't wanna think about all the grievin' widows if we put up a notice and shit hits the fan."
"They're professionals, Huang."
The old man bit into his cigarette, all too aware that the cat didn't know what he was saying, and that he shouldn't cause a ruckus. So he settled on an extra layer of disdain in his response:
"And you think the cops in Tokyo weren't?"
The house pet sat on its hind legs and turned to Huang. Where did that come from?
"Apples and oranges." Mao ultimately replied with a stretch. "These hunters have a completely different skill set."
"Maybe, but they still die when a sword cuts through 'em, right?"
"What if we restrict the notice to just collecting information on Vergil? We can scrounge up a reward for it, and minimal risk of injury."
"Offer a reward on any white-haired man with a blue coat? Yeah, that'll work faster than coverin' the city on foot ourselves."
"This guild's been here a lot longer than we have. If something happened, they could probably get the Archadian military involved."
"Or be a wild goose chase, or tell Vergil we're onto him, or add a bigger body count, or get Archades pissed at us cuz we're the ones who're lookin' for the freak in the first place!"
Mao's fur rustled as he turned to Yin to ask her opinion. The Doll didn't reply, asserting she couldn't take sides on this.
Frustrated by the tie, Huang exhaled a plume of cigarette smoke and turned to Jack.
"Guess you're the tie-breaker. What do you think?"
Archades, Caverns: They're Kicks, I Know, but How Often Do You Get to Counter A Groin Strike?
One down, four to go.
Taking her eyes off the dead creature and its two friends frantic to revive it, Havoc turned just in time to side step the flying Pumpkinhead, only to find Onionhead trying to go for a (literally) low blow.
...there are some scenarios where a groin strike would work miracles against an opponent. Against drunks, or a larger adversary within arm's length (a knee works great if the target's within a foot away), or someone aiming to strike high with a vertical strike (only during the windup, of course—otherwise your death is the price for their sterility). The fact that Havoc was a woman was only a moderate weakness in the creature's strategy; what really doomed the attack was the fact that Havoc was a tiny woman who worked with 6', 225 lbs, highly-trained mercenaries on a regular basis. Groin strikes were a classic in Havoc's playbook, almost out of necessity.
So she saw this one coming, and parried to Onionhead's left. Taking advantage of her longer reach, the Contractor tried to snatch the creature's head midair in order to drive its skull into the ground. Then, assuming that Pumpkinhead was dusting itself off by now, she would pin a knee into Onionhead's body and quickly snap its neck.
If Pumpkinhead was more agile than expected, and had rolled its way back onto it feet ready for another strike, Havoc would have no choice but to go for the guns...or, gun. She'd leave Onionhead in the dirt, dash for her super gun, and unleash Hell on Pumpkinhead.
Red Sprite, Med Bay: Least Amber Can Apply Band-Aids
Tatsu's nonchalance at the notion of persecution was...well, more than a little troubling. She could understand how someone like King Magnus could shrug off the Syndicate threat; someone with a super-powered army at his beck and call is rarely afraid of any foreign forces. But the Red Sprite was a single ship, and a ship manned by children and young adults, no less. Either the Captain didn't want morale to drop at the notion, or he really was a child.
As for the "safe and together" presumption, what could she say that wouldn't sound insulting? Stressing that the two states were mutually exclusive would only draw more attention to the Red Sprite's likelihood of popping up on the Syndicate's radar. Explaining that she'd tried to seek refuge for everyone before—only to be stabbed in the back by her protector—would imply she expected Tatsu to betray her at some point.
All in all, it wasn't a move she wanted to make here. Not with Alfred and Mono by the Captain's side. Trusted friends and confidantes or not, they had their own opinions, and could possibly sway Tatsu against her if they felt inclined. No, if she wanted to explain herself, it had to be with the Captain, and the Captain alone.
Turning back to Seagull and Yuki, Amber stifled a laugh at the latter's embarrassing outburst. Young love was a darling thing to see.
"I suppose I'll have two teachers, then!" she smiled. "Though I really shouldn't rely on my powers for everything. While the Captain is correct that I can mend wounds with it, it comes with at the price of physical stamina. I've already seen what happens if I use it too much at one time, so it'd be best for me to learn how to save lives the old-fashioned way. Otherwise we might find ourselves down a medic and up a patient!"
Amber laughed at the joke, but mostly as an invitation for others to do so. God forbid something like that would actually happen!
HGT, Outside Kabukicho: "I Once Knew the Perfect Woman Cab Driver"
Seeming satisfied with Ahri's response, Mr. Chou's voice returned to its standard octave.
"Well, I guess that makes sense. Kabukicho's more than just a place for young women to serve drinks in maid outfits—there's also a thriving music industry there. Lots of live houses and stuff. Might have a little bit of a 'dive-bar' vibe, but it's a good place to get a gig. Just make sure your agent isn't covered in tattoos, okay? For my sake?"
The conversation died off soon afterwards. Mr. Chou kept his eyes focused on the road, with only a few dozen glances back at his customers—Kai'sa, specifically. When the cab finally arrived outside the office building matching the address, Mr. Chou put the cab in park and started scribbling something on a piece of paper: a phone number, which he promptly handed to Ahri.
"Hey, if you need a lift anywhere else, gimme a call, okay? I'll even give you a discount! Well, no, my boss would eat me alive if I did that but I'll make sure that some of the fare's paid by, uhh...a 'very nice young man.'"
He chuckled at his own cleverness, then smiled at K/DA as they left the cab, and drove away.
...
A few miles down the road, "Mr. Chou" dialed a number as he waited at a stop sign. He waited four tones before the another man answered it.
"It's me. They're apparently performers...Singers?...No, couldn't say I give a damn about that K-POP crap. Found something interesting about one of them, though—the purple-haired one, the one with long hair that goes down her back, she's not looking too well. Any sign of illness on the surveillance Specter?...No? Then it might be the Gate. Make sure Mr. Nishijima knows about her; could be an interesting find. Is there a Specter trailing them? Perfect...of course. Take care."
The light turned green, and he hung up.
CXZ - Mill
Good news was, light was indeed a weakness of theirs. Homura had plenty more flashbangs to spare. It also meant that she only needed to get outside — out of a bloodsucker’s reach — if she needed to retreat.
Bad news was, at least one of them didn’t get caught. Tch. She’d have to deal with the threat first before she could knock the downed one off before it can recover. Even with her magic-aided speed boost on Homura wasn't sure yet if she would be able to outrun one of these things, so she'd have to keep the one charging her at a standoff with the shotgun even as she made a run at its blinded brethren. Fire in the charging one’s direction if she had to to force it back and out of swipe range, then hopefully she’ll have the space and time to close in on the blinded one and finish it off with another shotgun blast or two before she’d have to back away from the one that was giving chase (or the one she was targeting if the blinding didn’t last as long as she’d hoped).
Any way it went down, her goal would be to then get to an exit, whether that was a door or a window. The latter preferably, since sunlight would at least help keep them off a little bit. But even in this best case scenario she’d at least be one-on-two, and more likely one-on-three — any advantage she could spot within the mill would be the key to finishing the job before they could do the reverse.
Eternal Princess
Diana raised her eyebrow ever so slightly at Tsuichi's reaction. It seemed she had gone and offended the young girl, though not her intention. She couldn't help but think about Chloe or Akko, their pride always getting the best of them whenever she interacted with them. She suppose she should apologize when given the moment, though she was already humoring the girl as is.
Despite being the same age, in the context of this meeting, they were not equals. As stated at the beginning, Diana had been invited to provide input. She was a part of this meeting by request of the teachers, as both heiress of the Cavendish name and prodigy among the student body. Unless her understanding of the situation was off, Tsuichi was nothing more then a niece invited to tag along because the thought of a magical school peeked her interests. That they had granted her the floor to speak was already an unorthodox breach of social etiquette. That she had felt a right to it...it was hard not to draw parallels to Akko at that point.
It seemed Nishijima had picked up on his niece starting to get out of line and had quickly interjected to save face. He gave a politician's response, all manners and good intentions. She responded in kind with that stoic aristocratic airs.
"Please, there is no need for an apology. This is a place of learning after all. Peer review is appreciated and expected, as is the passion that fuels debate."
Upon the compliments directed at her, she gave a simple nod of acknowledgement, verging on a light bow. All the while keeping that stiff upper lip expected of someone of her social standing.
"I will be happy to provide a list of reference material on the subject that has led me to my conclusion, when there is time. Perhaps you would feel comfortable doing the same."
She still wanted to know what Intel they had on their apparent enemy after all. Especially after all that fear mongering Tsuichi had been doing, they still had no concrete information on Outworld. It was an aggressive war prone land led by a large man who had successfully conquered one other chunk on the first day. Everything else was quite vague. Even the mention of an air force, agent orange, and flame throwers were spoken of as a possibility rather then an observation. While mention of weapons of war being re-purposed from an apparent galactic empire was teased, what was there fore acquired was not divulged. Wars were won or lost based on information, to be left in the dark was to deny only themselves.
Croix would periodically look up at her phone at the two bickering teenagers and smirk. It was kind of cute. Kind of reminded her of herself at that age. They were both wrong ofcourse, but hearing them hash it out was pretty entertaining.
For Diana, she gave a good front, but it was hard not to hear it for what it was. A child repeating things she has only read about. Her biggest flaw was putting trust in the creatures of the forest. One should rely solely on their own power, nothing else.
For Tsuichi, it was cute listening to her go off as if Outworld was something that should feared. Well, maybe for the others, but not for her. As with Zin ji Cheng, their weapons were now her weapons. Those bombers and flame throwers? Just sources for her Noir Fuel Spirit devices to posses and alter to her specifications. The brutes who wield them, powerless against the actual might of magic when it was unbridled by tradition and allowed to achieve its full potential.
She had to admit, Outworld presented itself with a wealth possibility. A hate well to fuel her Noir Fuel Spirit. An attack dog to sic on other nations using false flag tactics. An easy task considering considering how brutish and slow this Shao Kahn was being made out to be. Plus a wealth of resources rife for the taking, unable to keep her equipment from simply stealing it from right under them. Ultimately though, they were just a distraction. Unlocking Grand Triskellion remained her primary focus.
In this way, Diana, or Nishijima, was helping her by allowing her to focus her efforts rather then divert them with this unnecessary detour. So what did she have to gain by adding to the conversation when she was already getting her way. When she unlocked the world altering magic, it would take only a wave of her hand to remove this problem off the face of the planet. Should Outworld prove an annoyance before then, she would just have to wipe them out using more traditional methods. It was as simple as that.
With both the teenagers placid, conversation turned to the drafting agreement.
Access to the school, return access to Tokyo, political support for one another, all seemed good. The collection of witches gave a unanimous nod of agreement with each point. Holbooke gave Finnelan and nudge and a smile at the mention of Tokyo being open for a visit.
"Lets visit the shrines."
Finnelan for her part remained stone faced, doing her best not to encourage the Headmistriss frivolous attitude to their predicament.
The mention of the Stimpacks may have had a less enthusiastic reception then Nishijima was hoping for. No one rejected the offer outright, but the witches traded looks among each other as they were unsure how to react. It was the same look someone had when you surprised them with a gift they already possessed. Medical magic was still quite strong, with healing magic, curing magic, rejuvenation magic, magic that replenishes the spirit and mind, magic circles that can provide continuous healing, being able to summon spirits to provide healing, using synthesis magic and enchantment to create healing objects, being able to lift curses and other magical only ailments, and that was all before getting into alchemy and all the medical benefits it could provide.
Besides perhaps being unnecessary, the issue of accepting the Stimpacks was slightly complicated. There was the matter of pride. They have been trying to prove the relevance of Magic to the world since before Battleworld, using a substitute instead of their own magic to heal kind of under cut their goals. On the other hand, this was being presented as a gift. Refusing would be poor social conduct, as would trying to fish for an alternative. Even Holbrooke seemed uneasy by the offer, though her concerns were much more simple.
"Oh...h-how big are these needles?"
If no one else, it seemed Lukic was more then willing to take the supplies. She explained to her colleagues as to why.
"I can use the raw ingredients for enchanting."
She raised the ceremonial dagger to show where all that healing potential was going. If they weren't going to make a blood pact, at least she could make a Healing Shiv and still have an excuse to stab people.
In comparison, the asking of access to the wealth of information in their libraries seemed to be met with open arms. Holbrooke smiled at the interest and waved her hand as if saying he didn't even need to ask.
"Ofcourse, ofcourse."
However there was some clear and vocal opposition to the idea. Immediately Lukic slammed her bony hand to the table.
"Do not be so hasty!"
The outburst surprised Holbrooke and the other teachers who looked to the old crone for an explanation. With a wave of her wand papers appeared and the old woman spoke a magical word even Nishijima was familiar with.
"Copyright! Before we can allow you access to copies of these texts, we must be assured that you understand the terms and conditions to which you will be allowed access to them."
The old crone went about going over the details, nothing that should come as a surprise. They were allowed access to these copies of the text for the sole purposes of education and research. These copies are to be used exclusively at PANDORA's research institution. PANDORA was forbid to redistribute this information or profit from their possession. As the legal language dragged on, Nishijima may get the idea that the witch was more concern about protection from any legal ramification of copying their library whole sale then she was about giving them access to this information.
A side glance toward Croix would reveal her to be in the same position, staring down at her device. Though, with Nishijima's ability to read people, he may notice that she wasn't actually doing anything on the device. She was just trying to look busy and uninterested as she was deep in thought.
Those idiots! Did they realize what they were doing!? Providing them with reference to all the shortcomings of magic! It was like if Achilles gave away a copy of the Iliad! The information they were providing them easily put them leagues above Outworld as a danger to Luna Nova, even if they were a supposed ally. Yet if she objected, it would just clue them into the fact that they hand things to hide. Besides, her objection would amount to little. It seemed the Holbrooke's trusting nature that allowed her to easily infiltrate the school was now coming back to cause her trouble.
She just had to think of this calmly. She resided in the New Moon Tower now. She will just up the security. She'll keep a close eye on Pandora. If they prove too dangerous, she'll just have to assassinate them and contain the situation. Perhaps with the very books that they were loaning to them. Noticing the glance of Nishijima, she looked up and smiled.
"I can provide the means of creating magical copies of the books for Pandora's use. I'm afraid seeing some of these ancient text on an electronic archive might cause poor Anne to have a heart attack."
She let out a good hearted chuckled that was quickly followed with Finnelan clearing her throat deliberately. She didn't quite like being insinuated like that, nor the informality, but she didn't quite disagree.
Diana had a conflicted look as she contemplated the issue. She too also realized that this was a dangerous move. Magic was hypothetically possible of anything. That uncertainty was one of the best defenses they had for deterring attacks, or blind siding those who did by revealing what these little witches were actually capable of. To let the limitations they faced become public knowledge only armed potential enemies against them.
Already it seemed their reputation was pretty low thank to Akko's presentation yesterday, if Tsuichi's complete lack of faith in their ability was anything to go on. Even Nishijima seemed closer to Hanbridge, humoring the witches for any advantage they may provide PANDORA then any actually reverence for magic. Regardless, for all its shortcoming, she had to believe that the power of magic would see them through the coming trails. They could not simply stand on a lie, but on the merits of what they were actually capable of. She had to believe that...
Ironically, Hellgate Tokyo was in perhaps a very similar position in terms of its contractors. Information leaks could prove life or death for these individuals.
With news of the new student, Holbrooke all but jumped out of her seat. Clearly excited by the prospect.
"That is a most splendid idea!"
Finnelan seemed a bit surprise by the new arrival, but seemed to relish the opportunity to mold a student into an exemplary witch.
Lukic smiled almost sadistically, as if a new victim had just fallen into her clutches.
The news seemed to bring Badcock back to the real world. As promising as the prospects of romance were in Castlevania, this was more promising. The potential to help bring the finances out of the red! She produced a number papers and slid them to Nishijima with a smile.
"There is the matter of tuition. But don't worry, we offer a number of affordable packages as you can see."
Her eyes darted to the side as a thought came to mind. Was there still time to hike up the price alittle? Maybe she should say there was a interdenominational tax for admittance? She rubbed her chin as she tried to scheme how to squeeze every dime out of this arrangement as possible.
Diana seemed to show no change in emotion, though Tsuichi might feel her eyes on her, sizing her up as a possible witch.
For Croix her self, she smiled at the idea. This niece opened some possibilities. Perhaps she would have her machine's comb through her memories for anything she could use, excuse the whole exercise as a simple physical to determine magical aptitude. In extreme cases, perhaps a hostage should PANDORA move their research on Luna Nova in less desirable directions. She at looked Nishijima, all smiles.
"Ofcourse, what can I do for you?"
How do you kill that which has no life?
Chara clung on tight, eyes trained fixedly ahead, as the hippogriff flew on, buffeting their hair in the breeze. As they rushed past, they might have heard something like a startled Toriel calling for them to wait, but by then, that spot was already far behind. Before them lay tunnels leading to landscapes of snow, marshland and lava lakes, and upwards towards the great CORE that lay between them and the capital
"Oh, yes, of course," said Asgore. "Well, Alphys lives down on the lower levels of Hotland, in the laboratory at the edge of town. It's the big grey building with the neon sign, not easy to miss. For Mettaton, he may be out recording another of his shows, but Alphys could be able to contact him very quickly, being his creator and such. As for Captain Undyne, she'd be...well, come to think of it, she'd be over in Snowdin now, until the renovations are done on her usual home. The ferry should be the quickest route to Snowdin, and I believe she's staying at the stately house at the edge of town. Good luck and safe travels, everyone!"
Akande remained in respectful silence as he joined the rest of the party to hear what the great Gestahl had planned for the world he had just arrived in. His arms folded behind his back, he quietly took in the surroundings of the city, and what sights there were to see. A great city choked with industrial ugliness and environmental degradation. A palace, built so high that no noble would ever have to live in the squalor with the consequences of their actions. An outward decor built around grim menace, a reflection of the same industrial intimidation that choked the rest of the metropolis. An interior more fit for a noble, with only the finest food on display. Food that was very unlikely to grace the other inhabitants of the city. It all painted a picture of the heart of the city. Decadent did not begin to describe it. Corruption permeated every aspect of this land, just as it did upon its doddering ruler's face. Doomfist was going to enjoy tearing it all down.
Still, he wasn't one to pass up a good meal. Akande savoured his chicken and lobster, even as he digested the tripe about lands benefiting from being occupied by an empire. Colonisers. Still, it was interesting enough to hear what the others had to say on the lands of Battleworld. The Russian in the hazmat suit spoke of a nuclear hellscape that made Post-Omnium Australia look like a theme park. Then there was the scantily clad brawny woman with a wolfish appetite and a callous attitude towards anyone but her own. She cared little for the lives of others, it seems, but insult the honour of monsters, and watch the sparks fly. This could prove for some interesting fodder in the future, but for now, best to change the subject before things got too noisy.
In one hand, Akande snapped a wishbone in two, somehow making it sound as loud as any finger snap. "There is one other fact worth noting, your grace," he said, without looking up from his food. "When my associates and I arrived no more than an hour ago, we were told of a few nations on this Battleworld that spark fear into all others. First, a barbaric land named Outworld, that sits to the east of your home, and has already annexed the land to your north. Second, a land to the south, Castlevania, is said to be home to a man who, in my world, is a creature of folklore and tales of darkest horror. Lastly, to the northwest, City 17, said to be the visiting spot for a historical figure synonymous with genocide."
Slowly, deliberately, Akande picked up a chicken piece with his fork, and held it up in front of his face.
"Three nations, all dreaded by the other lands of this world. Powerful? I cannot say. Nor can I know if they hold a candle to the capabilities of Vector. What you decide to make of these lands must be your decision alone. All I can say with certainty...is that they will have to be dealt with, at some point in the near future...and as we can all agree..."
His gaze drifted up to Gestahl.
"...the future belongs to the strong."
Only now did he eat the piece, savouring every last bite.
Moira followed the crew to the exotic in, with so many more scintillating specimens on display. As to the topic of books, she felt it fit to add her two cents. "I'm always one for the hands-on approach myself," she said, partly to Morrigan, "But when performing experiments in my field, it's always worthwhile to do some reading on those researchers that came before you...if only so you can know how to best surpass them."
As Sombra surreptitiously blended in with the tourist group, two other new entrants were biding their time over on Sugar Hill. Sans and Papyrus had been lingering inside the ship, just by the door, while the rest of the party stepped out to put the crowd at ease. It's possible they'd lingered a tad too long, but you never could be too careful in broaching first contact with humans and monsters. Suddenly, a rogue journalist burst to the fore, and demanded to know what the interplanetary interlopers were hiding.
Papyrus gasped in horror. "EGADS, OUR NEW COMPATRIOTS ARE IN TROUBLE! BUT WAIT, WE'RE THE ONES HIDING RIGHT NOW! IF THE HUMAN DEMANDS TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE HIDING AND WE REMAIN UNDISCLOSED, THERE COULD BE A TERRIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING." He quickly cleared his throat, and before anyone could stop him, he stuck out an arm and waved to the crowd. "WORRY NOT, HUMAN! WE VISITORS HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE! ALL IS VIEWED TO THE PUBLIC, AND AS YOU CAN SEE..." With grandiose flair, Papyrus stepped out in the plain view, dragging Sans by the hoodie out of the vehicle. "THERE ARE NO LONGER ANY SKELETONS IN THIS CLOSET! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Velvet Room
"The first step to rehabilitation is to admit you've done wrong, Wally," Minako enunciated, crossing her arms even as she continued to smile, "I can see we're going to have to work on that. But yes-" she nodded at Misaki. "-he did agree to tell us everything he knows about Nyarly, including possible weaknesses and avenues of attack. And remember, Wally, don't use his full name."
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
As Homura would fire at the Bloodsucker chasing her, she would find that it was dodging some of the shotgun blasts, but was taking distance as to not get hit. She would find herself successful in her attempt to kill the stunned bloodsucker, as a shotgun blast to the head took down the bloodsucker, leaving a large hole in what used to be it's head.
As she killed off the bloodsucker, another loud roar came from the inside of the mill, as she would see four eyes appearing from a hallway in the mill. One of the bloodsuckers seemed to stay behind near a open window, as if it knew Homura would attempt to get away from the place, though it made sure to not be so close to the light. The other bloodsucker, meanwhile, teamed up with the Bloodsucker chasing Homura, sprinting together with the other one to work together to take her down.
"Thank you and goodbye, Asgore!"
The Ecologists waved goodbye to the Monster King and his son due to their kindness, the expedition crew moving on to their travels, the Mercenaries taking point in the front while the scientists were in the back. They followed the road further down the Underground, leaving the Dremurr house.
As they continued down the way, Semenov broke the silence.
"Professor, If I may be honest, giving out these artifacts is a bad idea, and we should in no way do that."
Kruglov sighed, he already saw that coming. "Semenov, these people could greatly benefit from these artifacts, and besides, we should repay their generosity for allowing us to document this place freely with something."
Seventh still looked angered and not convinced. "This artifacts belong to the Ukrainian Government! We were supposed to use these artifacts in our journey if something bad happened, not give it away to a underground civilization of non humans! Besides, who knows if they even know how they could us-"
"That's enough, Semenov. Right now, we are not in contact with Ukraine until we somehow leave this world, and besides, we already have too many artifacts in our bunker, and we have many stalkers give artifacts to us everyday, what damage would giving away 5 do?"
"But-"
"No if or buts. Right now, our focus is documenting this land, not argue about artifacts. Now let's focus on it."
Afterwards, the group stayed quiet, continuing on their way further down to the Underground.
Eternal Princess
Upon hearing Sypha's question, Reisen leaned against the counter and put a hand on her chin in thought. That was their biggest obstacle, or at least the first one they had to overcome before rebelling against their captor was even a possibility. She bet if master was here, she would know how to over come this trial. She was the smartest person from the Lunarian capital, which likewise meant she was the smartest person period. What was that Master was trying to say the last night she was here...
An interesting world the Cure has created, though the craftsmanship shows. This patch work world is temporary, held only so long as our host wills it. The Princess, however, is eternal. She will live to see the last star burn out and exist long after the death of all gods, this one included. This prison can not contain us, we will still exist when even the memory of Battleworld has faded to nothing.
Don't fret Udongen. Feel the eternity of the moment, for it is already gone. If my calculations are correct then...let's let the princess enjoy what little time she has to play in these new grounds. I suggest you do the same. I predict we will find our selves in familiar lands once more without so much as a need to lift a finger. All things return to the natural order, that is the rule of the universe, even this one.
...wait, what!? Did master figure something out about how to leave Battleworld!? Does that mean that maybe they weren't destroyed but were able to escape? But then, does that mean they left her here!? No, if they were able to escape, they would have came back for her right?...right? Reisen held the sides of her head as if she was having a migraine as she racked her mind trying to figure it out. Ugh, she couldn't think about this right now! She had to keep focus at the mountain of a task before her.
After seeming to calm down, Reisen became stiff and stared directly into Sypha's eyes. The bunny girl's eyes took on an eerie red glow
◊. The room about them began to spin and twist before any semblance of what was up and what was down became an incomprehensible concept. The world melted away until only Sypha and Reisen existed. Then the very form of the bunny girl faded into nothing, leaving Sypha alone in this abyss with only those two red eyes staring into the very core of her being as if...
Then, just like that, everything was back to normal. Reisen was leaning on the counter with a hand on her chin. She popped another mochi in her mouth.
"Muh powah ish wabe manipulaon."
She swallowed before continuing.
"If I can find a way to block whatever is keeping us from attacking, or perhaps even attempt to manipulate the brain waves of the Cure himself. Maybe we can find our opening."
Akko looked at the other two confused. She wasn't sure what that staring contest was all about, but what Reisen said did seem to give her an idea. A strike of brilliance hit the girl as she excitedly shared her idea with the other two.
"That's it! We have been going about this all wrong from the beginning! We don't need to defeat the cure, we need to change his mind! He's doing this because he wants to be entertained, so lets entertain him! Lets make him laugh, lets make him cry. Lets pull at his heart strings in such ways that he won't be able to help but feel our plight. We'll give such an inspiring and moving performance, that even the Cure can't help but root for our return home!"
Lotte clapped at the idea.
"I agree, we should go with this."
It sounded like a nice idea. It certainly sounded alot less violent then the alternatives. She didn't want to hurt any one any more then she wanted to be hurt her self. So if could if this could work, she would like that very much.
Constanze stared at the Japanese girl in utter disbelief before starting an insistent tap on her blue prints to show where her preferences were. There was no way this wasn't going to end in a giant epic battle, preferably with giant robots.
How do you kill that which has no life?
Did you know this section has a character limit?
Ruby and Yang - Good Witch or Wicked Witch?; Near Mitakihara Portal, Common Room
“I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose.” The aforementioned said, returning her focus to the matter at hand.
“And I'm Yang.” She pointed her thumb oer her shoulder. “The quiet guy is Nero.”
“Vergil's now teamed up with a guy named Nyarlathotep. He tried to help those Empire guys blow up the planet a few days ago. We think he wants to prove that humanity is rotten to the core, that anything good is just us lying to ourselves. And he's willing to make us tear ourselves apart to prove it.”
“So, what's Walpurgisnacht? And what does that have to do with witches?”
Witches were one of those thing that also existed in Remnant's legends, but up until last night Yang would've dismissed the possibility of them actually existing in their world. (Sypha was proof enough of them existing in other worlds.) Now, however, Yang was questioning whether their combat teacher, Glynda Goodwitch, had magic in her ancestry.
Blake - Strength In Numbers; Dining Room, Red Sprite
Oh, great. They really weren't taking this seriously.
“If you find him, don't approach him. He's incredibly dangerous.” Blake insisted. “Contact a group called Devil May Cry in the Common Room. It's more than just us looking for him, and we don't plan on facing him alone.”
JNPR - I Hope You Appreciate The Irony Of What Pyrrha Is About To Say; Near Castlevania Portal, Common Room
“We're not trying to defend him.” Nora explained patiently. “But Link tried to kill him when he'd already won the fight.”
“While we don't know by what metric Castlevania would score the fight, Death was disarmed and pinned to the ground. The result was clear.”
“No matter his crimes, vengeance is not justice. An execution is not justice.” Pyrrha added pointedly, glancing at Trevor as she spoke. . “No matter the irony of his name, Death is clearly a living being. Life is beautiful, it's precious, and it must be protected. Only ever taken in defence of others.”
Jaune stayed quiet as his teammates made their arguments, increasingly aware of how hypocritical he'd be if he spoke up and joined them. He knew for a fact that he'd thought about killing Cinder the next time he saw her, no matter the circumstance. Even now, with Pyrrha back… Jaune didn't know what he'd do if he saw Cinder. Would he still seek vengeance if there was nothing to avenge? What would he feel right now if he'd killed Cinder before arriving on Battleworld?
Why did he even think of vengeance when attacking Cinder would be tantamount to suicide?
Bond - The Teenage Years; Elevator, Universal Exports
Bond raised an eyebrow. Minako, that was the name of the leader of Sees, wasn't it? He had those kids pegged as idealistic from Day One, but he didn't have them pegged as naive. But first thing first.
“I'm having some difficulty with contacts of late. The Cure keeps making them disappear.” Bond admitted. “I'll see what I can do on that front. However, if he does come through the Common Room, I'll know.”
“As for SEES… you were a teenager at some point. You should know telling them not to do something just means they'll do it, if only out of spite.” Bond smiled softly at his own memories of those years. “If I were you, I'd let them help hunt Vergil down, then shoot him in the head the moment they try to reason with him. Burn the bridge after they've been useful.”
They do have medals for almost, and they're called silver!
Makoto crossed her arms as they explained the idea to her, clearly not fully satisfied by this, but not about to make an argument out of something that didn't really involve them. The Thieves settled into the room as Breen adjusted his collar.
"Yes, yes, let's, ahem, get this done then, shall we?"
He rose out of his chair and walked over to another end of the room, dragging a chalkboard into view.
"Now, as you all know, I have had the misfortune of dealing with this.....thing much more often then most anyone else on this planet. And of course, I knew that I was at best, running on borrowed time dealing with him. He introduced himself to me by dangling me outside the top window of my tower, I'm not a fool. And so, naturally, I looked for something to give me an advantage. Among my many skills, I am a renowned expert in the field of what laymen would call Teleportation. The transfer of matter, from one location to another. And as we all know, this is a skill that this being possesses."
He turned and started drawing on the chalkboard, a large A, a pointed line forward, across the chalkboard, and then a large B on the other end.
"To the common, untrained eye, a very simple process, he decides where he wants to go, steps through the portal, and emerges on the other side. But, there is more to it then it would appear."
He then erased the center of the line, and placed a large circle in it.
"What no one has yet realized, something which I figured out early on after sending a tiny unmmaned probe into the portal after him, is that there is another location which he goes to first, one which does not appear to exist on our plane of reality. He appears to have to go to this place first, before he reaches wherever he was. As to the nature of this place, what is inside, that I could not tell you, the probe was not equipped for that, it had to be very minimal in order to evade notice. The probe itself was destroyed shortly after your assault on my city. I now suspect he knew about it from the start, and just allowed it to sit there so I would think I had pulled one over on him."
"Now, you may ask, why does this matter? And alone, you are correct, it does not. He can step through this secondary link in a matter of milliseconds. But, before my probe was destroyed, it monitored when this unknown plane saw activity from the use of portals, and how long whichever entity that entered remained."
He flipped the chalkboard over, and on the other side was a long, elaborate list of times, dates, and numbers on one half, and on the other, a list of notable events, when they happened, and lines pointing to some of the times on the other half.
"I have taken note of the amount of time he spends in this realm, organized by date and time. And I have spent much of last night comparing this list to reports of incidents involving this thing. And throughout the past 5 days, there is one constant. Whenever it was reported that this thing took any major amount of damage, he spends a considerably longer period of time in this realm soon after."
He paused, looking toward the class and seeing if they would have the brains to pick up on what he was saying.
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Manhattan, Sugar Hill
The crowd looked on in shock as Papyrus sauntered into view, his brother in tow. One particularly nervous-looking woman, who already had her hand up to her mouth in worry at the talk between the Captain and the other two gentlemen, suddenly let out a long, high shriek at the sight of them, shaking with fright and looking like she was about to pitch over. Her boyfriend caught her before she could tip too far. "Baby," he soothed, "Baby, relax. Remember what today is?"
"To-today?" she responded faintly, and then it seemed to click, "Oh, r-right... right, of course." A hearty, self-admonishing chuckle rippled through the crowd.
"Hey, guys, welcome to Manhattan!" Another man in the crowd waved enthusiastically to the pair of skeletons. "Love the costumes! They look so real, y'know? You really spooked us for a sec!" A chorus of "yeah"s and "nice"s rose up from the rest of the crowd.
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Underground, Magic Birb Ride: I'm Flying, Jack! Chara!
The Hippogriff bucked higher and higher over the ruins, but not before Majora spotted a goat-like creature begging them to come back. What a funny little thing it looked like. Like a pleading white and purple ant!
Unlike Chara, the masked child took much less care to hold tight to the steed. There was so much to see from up here; why bury your face in the creature's feathers? Majora cheered, daring itself to keep its hands off the hippogriff for a second, five seconds, ten seconds, and always ending his accomplishment with a gleeful cackle.
To no one's surprise, this game ended badly. One unexpected buckle was all it took for the masked child to lose his seat.
Sitting closest to the steed's hindquarters, a quick "Uh oh!" was all Chara and Astolfo would hear before their new friend fell from the hippogriff and plummeted into the lakes of lava below.
...or it would've, if the mask couldn't fly on its own. Majora dipped ten feet below the mythical creature, then soared above its head.
"Hee hee hee hee hee!" it laughed as it matched the steed's pace; no easy task, given the creature's speed. It was all the mask could do just to keep up and not get smacked by the hippogriff's wings or beak or claws, though that never stopped it from waving to Astolfo or trying to catch Chara's attention.
Common Room: If Only Link Could Plead the Fifth
Nora's rebuttal revived Tatl's wish to prove herself right debate. Fluttering away from Trevor, she spoke up quickly after Ren:
"You sure you don't know by what metric? The blood smears and the skeletons in the arena didn't give you any hints?"
The fairy turned to Pyrrha with the full intent of telling her off as well, but paused. Justice? She thought that sparing Death or not was a matter of justice? The embodiment of mortality chose to a side, and they were supposed to treat it fairly?
"Y'know something, Pyrrha? I actually agree with you. Life is beautiful and needs to be protected, but the thought's unfinished. What you're missing is that it needs to be protected from death, which according to Trevor, is exactly what Death is! It's not just a name; he's death! The number one enemy to life! Trevor thinks the thing's mortal on this planet, and we obviously can't tell if that's true or not, but I agree with him that the possibility of being mortal now probably scares Death to pieces.
"Though far as the matter being about justice is concerned, I can't help but think that any sense of justice was tossed out of Castle Vania way before we ever stepped foot in it, and that punishing Death in the one way it fears is how you deal justice to it. Far as I can see, that's the only suitable sentence when mortality itself not only chooses a master, but sides against the innocent people of Your Rope! That's...that's just...Goddess, I can't even begin to say how terrible that is!
"If that were Death's only crime, had he seen some kind of error in his ways, I might be more hesitant to condemn him; too bad we've all seen how he acted. He tried to drive a wedge between us with the whip's origin—which failed miserably, but not for lack of trying—and he used trick after dirty trick trying to win the match. According to Trevor, this is the third time Death has lost a fight on this planet, which means this'll be the third time he's gotten back on his feet after a defeat. Not exactly learning his lesson now, is he?
"Maybe you think I've got it out for him because of what happened, but the kid and I aren't the only ones here who think Death is evil! Trevor didn't trust the potion Death gave him. Trevor handed all of you weapons to fight Death and the Count because he expected things to take a bad turn. Then there's how Trevor got his whip back; correct me if I'm wrong—I didn't see what happened, for obvious reasons—but I have the suspicious feeling that Dracula didn't interrupt the match just to give Trevor his family heirloom back. I've only known Death for a few hours and I already hate its bony guts; imagine what someone who's suffered through Death's prime must be feeling!"
Her passionate argument concluded, Tatl fluttered over to the vampire hunter to await his undoubtedly praising affirmation. I mean, just look at how many times she used him as a reference!
Throughout the fairy's rambling, Link had gone through his notepad for a fresh page—and quickly tucked away Death's stated reason for fighting in the process. He scribbled down a reason in his own words, and presented it to the Hunters once Tatl finished speaking:
Vampire Hunter
Sypha, Kitchen, Luna Nova
Both of them seemed to be in thought, and Sypha was getting ready to suggest her own idea when Reisen stiffed up and stared right into her eyes with eerie glowing red eyes. The room spun and twisted into non-existence, leaving only Reisen and Sypha there. Then all but Reisen's eerie glowing red eyes vanished, leaving Sypha in an abyss of nothingness with the eyes peering right into the very core of Sypha's being as if...
Once Sypha was snapped out of it, she immediately prepared herself for a fight until Reisen explained what must've happened.
"Brain wave manipulation..." Sypha muttered, having calmed down from her fear of what Reisen did. Akko chimed in on her own idea as well based on what had happened.
"Maybe changing the Cure's mind could work," Sypha smiled slightly, becoming more confident about the particular plan she had latched on to. "I think Akko is on the right track here about entertaining the Cure to change his mind."
She then ate a mochi as if to punctuate the poor fate of Reisen.
Alucard & Lisa, Sugar Hill, Manhattan
"Um, yes, costumes," Alucard stepped out in front of Lisa, taking this opportunity to run with this lie the humans have formulated themselves. "Sans and Papyrus here worked hard with their costumes, right."
Alucard glanced over at Sans, who seemed the more sensible of the two skeletons, to indicate to him that they should just roll with this lie for now.
Lilith & Morrigan, Sakura Inn, Sakura Dungeon
"Oh, you were a good dancer!" Lilith said to Ceri when she denied being one.
"I bet," Morrigan teased Moira in a knowing tone full of subtext. She was a succubus after all.
"But I suppose I can make do with the library if everyone else wants it," Morrigan smirked as her outfit shifted from how she normally looks to that of a Hot Librarian complete with purple button-up sweater, black skirt and glasses. Her green hair was even in a bun. "It's not often I get to play against type, after all."
Edited by GameGuruGG on Feb 17th 2019 at 12:54:16 PM
Wizard Needs Food Badly
"I'm not like that. At all." Ozen wouldn't even give that insinuation the time of day. Mirajane was barking up the wrong tree if she wanted someone who was kind and considerate on the inside. No one should think of her as anything but irredeemable. If the one person who knew her the most didn't, then so should everyone else. "If you're looking to fix someone like me, don't even bother."
Then, after casting her armor off and throwing it into her room unusually quickly, she duly walked alongside Mirajane and Link until they joined with the rest. Then, because nothing could be let lay to rest, let alone Death itself, the Secondary Colors Quartet wanted to have another argument. Ozen, rather than immediately rush in to anyone's defense, decided to listen for a moment. Better than repeating the "mistake" she made at the gate.
It didn't really change much, but at least it gave her time to think. Juniper Squad earnestly wanted to make sure that they came off like buffoons, Tatl expanded this argument's scope to the preservation of all life everywhere, and Link had it down to the simplest argument he could.
Of all the people talking, the one without a voice made the most sense, it seems. Straight and to the point, Link was. Good, he...
...Ah. Wait a minute. Ozen kneeled down again, pulling a small piece of charcoal out of a pouch on her belt. "peepul" was crossed out, and she wrote the more correct "People" above it. "Don't worry, you have made far worse mistakes. Just remember this for the next time, Link. People will ignore your argument just to correct your errors, if they're truly desperate." Anyway, where was she? Oh, right.
"It doesn't matter what Death is. It could be a child younger than Link, and you should still do exactly as he says if that thing committed even a tenth of its transgressions." Ozen tilted her head as she looked at the one that pissed her off the most, Pyrrha. Really, all of three of them but the blonde one seemed to be of one mind here, so it was unfair to single her out...so, who cares.
"You know what justice is? Imprisonment, reprimanding, disarmament...doing anything to make sure that someone can't repeat their crimes. We could have bound him, taken away his scythe, broken it, step on his arms and bend them until they snap, crush his..."
Ozen stopped herself, recollecting her earlier calm demeanor. The last thing she wanted to do was convince these people through fear. She gave a small, forced cough to excuse herself. "But, you understand, I'm sure. All we have done was give him more reasons to lash out and hurt others. Leaving him alone has made the situation much worse, and trying to defend yourself with the faint ideals of honor makes you look like you're full of shit."
"Actually...no, you all seem to believe in what you're saying. How stupid. It doesn't matter if this Death means saving one life or all lives, like Tatl believes. Your way of thinking will end up only saving one life...Death's. Besides, for something like him, why are you so eager to defend his existence? You seemed just fine, killing those wolf-men earlier. Why is that, I wonder?"
Edited by wikkit on Feb 17th 2019 at 12:20:16 PM
Vampire Hunter
Trevor, Grant, & Shanoa, Common Room
Trevor sighed and looked like he had the beginnings of a headache, "I said that I do not blame Link for wanting to avenge his friend, but Dracula was toying with us back there."
"If he were truly serious, he would have holed himself up in his throne room and sent his army to fight us rather than just a few wargs and Death," Trevor noted to the others, before looking at Ozen. "By the way, the wargs we fought back there are large wolves, and not werewolves who are men that turn into humanoid wolves."
"Both are dangerous, but wargs are merely animals while werewolves were once human," Trevor clarified to Ozen, before turning to Team JNPR. "Had this been my world with Death at the peak of his power, granting mercy towards Death would be utterly foolish, but also utterly pointless since I can only banish him with my whip, not kill him permanently."
"With him in his weakened state, he very well could be captured and imprisoned if one can figure out how to neutralize his scythes completely," Trevor admitted to the team of teenagers. "Given what I know about you Huntsmen and Huntresses, that is what you would rather do, right?"
While Trevor explained things about his world to the others and offering his theories, Grant crouched down to look Link right in the eye and read his reasoning for wanting to kill Death.
"Ya ain't just talkin' about the big, scythe-wielding skeleton ya just fought, are ya?" Grant asked the young elfen boy. "You're talkin' 'bout the concept of death where people die of sickness, wounds, old age, or whatever."
"Just killing Drac's big, creepy skeleton here ain't just going to kill death as a concept," Grant explained to the hero. "That's 'cause he ain't Death here on Battleworld... Here, he's just a big creepy floatin' skeleton with scythes for days."
Grant then stood back up again to address the others there, "I'll warn you all that if ya wanna challenge Drac again, ya gotta make sure you can win the fight!"
"I myself gathered up a group of rebels to challenge Drac, but he killed everyone except me and I ended up being turned into a demon by him," Grant explained to the others there. "If it weren't for Trevor here freein' me and turnin' me back into a human, I'd still be a demon under his control."
"Ya lose to Drac and you'll be under his control, too!" Grant concluded to the heroes gathered there.
Shanoa merely just stood there emotionlessly, not having anything to add.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
CXZ - Mill
One down. But now the other three were onto her, and she was down to two rounds.
Homura needed more weapons to bring to bear. To do that, she needed a moment's space to be able to reach into her Shield. With two targets too many for one shot if they closed in, that meant backing up as much as she can to keep the pursuers in front of her, and possibly throwing or kicking any loose piece of junk that she could send the bloodsuckers’ way to delay them before reaching in to grab the first throwable weapon her fingers could grasp. Grenade would be great; flashbang would be workable as previously demonstrated...anything else would be troublesome, at minimum.
Common Room
“Nice to meet you, Ruby-san and Yang-san.” Mami’s friendly demeanor slipped a bit into something more serious when Ruby explained what this guy's deal was — the mention of the Empire would elicit a silent but unmistakable reaction on both of the Magical Girls’ faces that, yes, they knew what Ruby was talking about. “This Nyarlathotep sounds...well, if I may be blunt, quite evil. Vergil certainly ought to be stopped if he has aligned with such a force.”
Mami made a start as if to respond to Yang's question when Kyoko suddenly stepped towards Mami, a hand pointed towards the recording equipment behind her while her eyes focused on Mami's. <Not here,> she said via telepathy, directed towards her fellow Magical Girl but heard by the others immediately around the portal as well.
<Hm? I told the Americans about Witches already.>
<Why'd you do that?!>
<Because they ‘’asked’’, Sakura-san. They know magic is real in our world now — what use is there in hiding it from them now? Even if they still can't actively fight them, they can at least be aware of them.>
<...fine, but does that mean telling all of ‘’them’’ about us?>
<They are offering help.>
<For something we haven't heard about until two minutes ago. And anyway, I was talking more about ‘’’them''’.> Kyoko pointed in the direction of their guests, though she was really pointing beyond them towards the rest of the Common Room. <You know, the ones who ‘’wouldn't’’ be as altruistic?>
Mami just sighed before turning back to Yang. “I'm sorry about that, but perhaps it would be better to explain what they are once we have more privacy.”
<It is a rather complicated situation,> Kyubey added.
“In the meantime, we can at least alert the authorities in our city about whom you are looking for, if not have them actively pursue them if they are as dangerous as you say they are.” Mami motioned them towards the portal. “I will need a minute to finish setting this equipment up, so please go on ahead. Don't be alarmed if you find yourself face to face with armed soldiers — they are in charge of the portal on our side. Remain calm and explain that you are with me.”
Did you know this section has a character limit?
JNPR - No Glory, Only Necessity; Outside Castlevania Portal, Common Room
The quartet were silent for a moment as Tatl, Link, Ozen, Grant and Trevor all had their says on the situation. Says which took the conversation in a direction they were very much not expecting.
"So, wait, you think Death is... Death?" Jaune asked, visibly confused.
"A personification of the concept of mortality?" Pyrrha clarified.
This was a concept that was downright alien to them. Death was Death. It was an ending, not a person. The idea you could destroy a fundamental part of reality by destroying something physical just... didn't make sense to them.
"Even if it was possible, it wouldn't be advisable." Ren finally said. "As regrettable as death is, there are many cases where it is necessary. The death of an old tree brings new life to the forest, just as the death of plants and animals are required to create the food you eat."
"And sometimes death is the only way to end a threat to yourself and others." Pyrrha added pointedly in Ozen's direction. "But execution isn't justice, and neither is torture. Killing someone is the option of last resort, but once you begin to use it as anything but, it becomes tempting to use it as your first resort."
Pyrrha had not forgotten how quickly Ozen had tried to kill the residents of Castlevania.
"Besides, we didn't have a choice. If we'd tried to arrest Dracula and Death back there, they would have buried us in a mountain of monsters." Jaune pointed out. "We'd like to, eventually, but we also want to preserve our own lives."
Nora, meanwhile, looked at Link and what he wrote. That wasn't something Link had been taught, that was something he believed. He was so young, he was putting it into so simple words, but those words spoke more than they said.
The orange-haired girl kneeled down in front of the Hero of Time, and looking him in the eye, she asked a question she knew the answer to.
"You've lost people, haven't you?"
They do have medals for almost, and they're called silver!
Common Room (Tatl): Deity Responsibilities 101 with Profess—Y'know What? Class is Cancelled!
Ozen's assumptions quickly put Tatl on the defensive.
"Woah woah woah, let's make something clear: I don't think killing that Stalfos is going to stop anything from dying. Well, not here, anyway. If anyone's got the power over life and death around here, it's Big Red and Ugly over in that chair."
Listening to the rest of Ozen's opinions gave Tatl a healthy reminder of why this lady gave her the creeps. Killing kids who've done wrong? "Extreme" didn't seem to cover it. "Completely crazy" was a better description, and it only added more dread to the idea her partner might see some good in the Unmovable Lord.
Though with the thought of inevitably spending more time around Ozen than Tatl would like (namely, no time), the fairy added this as a muttered amendment:
"We uhhh, tried breaking that big scythe. If a Goron's full strength can't break it, it's not going to break. Could make a nice souvenir, though!"
If memory serves, Ozen joined this little adventure with the promise of looting the Count in the process. Death's Scythe might not have a market value, but it seemed to fit Ozen's dark and foreboding aesthetic. Least she hoped Ozen would see things that way, and not that the little light bulb with wings was trying to correct her on a meaningless detail. The fairy flew a safe distance away, just in case.
Trevor explained Tatl's position well enough after that. The fairy bobbed up and down in agreement to his explanation: a mortal Death meant it could embody death anymore, but the fact it had embodied it before—and used its immortality as a boon for a monster like Dracula—was what drove Tatl up a wall. Unfortunately, it was the very point that Team JNPR just couldn't seem to grasp.
"Look, you said you had gods on your world, right? Then imagine if a god decided they didn't want to do their job anymore—or at the very least, they wanted to change their job description to favor another being. Death is supposed to be a neutral force: it isn't picky, and at the end of the day it doesn't take one side over another. Problem is, the god of death in Trevor's world did take a side—Dracula's side. So you've got an immortal being who's in charge of everyone else's mortality, and it's using that power against the people of Your Rope. Then all of a sudden, poof! No more immortality, and no more influence over life and death. Wouldn't you want to..."
She stopped. What's the use? Tatl could see it in their eyes—most fiercely through Pyrrha's, but even Jaune couldn't see things the way she, Trevor, Ozen, and even the kid could see it. They'd get nowhere with these four, but she could at least be satisfied that there were at least four in her camp as well.
"It doesn't matter now, anyway. What's done is done, and I doubt anyone here's ready to storm the castle again today."
Common Room (Link): Death Took My Father!
Link smiled at Ozen and quizzically studied her correction. Who would've guessed that "people" had an "o" in it!
That said, the boy's smile died off at Ozen's idea that kids could be executed too, if they were bad enough. From Link's experience, a long time-out or no dinner was punishment enough, but then again he wasn't from Ozen's world. Just another detail that helped confirm his suspicion that Ozen's world was very sad.
Then Mr. Belmont's friend crouched down to talk. Link didn't really understand what a "consepped" was, but he could gather from what was said that Mr. Grant meant death as an end to life. He was asking if Link had tried to keep people from dying by killing Death.
The little hero's smile faded completely, his eyes fell to the floor. He hadn't really thought about it. At the time, all he could think of was that Tatl was dead and this monster had to pay for what it did, nothing more than—well, no. He'd hated Death the moment he laid eyes on it, and somehow it could tell that.
A thought came to mind, and Link flipped through his notepad to show Mr. Grant the only conversation Link shared with Death:
Link then flipped the page over to his latest statement, with a finger pointing under the last two sentences:
He hoped Mr. Grant could understand what he meant: Death must've had a clear idea what Link wanted to do, and it was either too arrogant or too eager to cheat to deny him. Maybe killing Death here wouldn't stop good people from dying, but maybe...he didn't know. All he knew was that Death was evil, and evil preyed on good, which is why evil needed to be vanquished.
Surprisingly enough, it was Ren of all people who brought out the most explosive reaction in Link. The very idea of old trees dying called back one of the most haunting memories in the little hero's life. Suddenly he wasn't in a big white room anymore; he was home, in the Kokiri Forest, listening to the dying words of a massive tree—a gentle creature who'd been the closest thing to a father to Link...
"Navi the fairy...help Link to carry out my will...I entreat thee...Navi...Good...bye...-"
The leaves fell in bushels, the bark dulled to grey, and the Great Deku Tree died.
Link screamed at Ren!
"The Great Deku Tree...did he...die?"
He stamped his feet and threw his fists at the air!
"How could you do a thing like that?! It's all your fault!!"
His face flushed in anger, furious at the Hunter for referencing an event he couldn't possibly have known.
Nothing good came from the Great Deku Tree's death. Because he'd been the last person to see him alive, Link was blamed with the forest guardian's death, and was banished from the only place he'd ever called home. Leaving the Kokiri with their one and only sword, there was no one left to defend the forest from Ganon's growing presence across Hyrule. Monsters flooded into the village. For seven agonizing years, the Kokiri risked their lives just venturing out of their homes for food! So many of them were forced into the Lost Woods, where there were even more dangers for the child-sized forest sprites! It took Link seven years to return, and Saria's ascension as the Forest Sage to get things back to normal, but nothing could erase from his mind the sight of his childhood home in chaos.
All because the Great Deku Tree died.
All because Link was too weak to save him.
"What's that about?!" Tatl cried. "Calm down! Calm down! Nobody meant to make you mad!"
Link couldn't calm down. They wouldn't understand, even if he knew all the words he needed to explain it. Without knowing it, Ren had deeply hurt Link; he'd hurt him straight in the heart, and that wasn't something he could share.
It took Nora's question to at least force Link to stop taking an offensive stance; quite the contrary, Link shied away from the question and the questioner.
How did she know?
For a moment, he stood frozen to the ground. It wasn't as simple as missing everyone he'd lost—heroes don't do good deeds because they think it'll help themselves. With some slight hesitation, Link scribbled out a new message and handed it to Nora:
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Feb 18th 2019 at 6:47:16 AM
Lucy and Happy - Rostok Arena - Zone
"Oh, I guess you could say that..." Lucy started, the gears in her head turning. "See I'm from... somewhere else... and I heard you had an Arena here, so I thought I'd check it out for myself. But it's kind of-" her eye slightly twitched. "-odd that you actually, you know, kill each other in the ring. I was just wondering why you guys had to resort to that sort of thing. Back home, we have our teams compete in the tournament and make sure that every is alive when it's over. It's a lot better for merchandising, I'll tell you. Don't you want to sell action figures, posters, and get celebrity endorsements from your competitors? It's a liiiiiittle hard to keep selling your apparel if your competitors aren't around anymore, you know what I mean? Eheh..."
"Aye sir!" Happy helpfully contributed to the conversation, giving a little salute from where he stood beside Lucy.
"Plus you'd probably run out of people willing to fight soon enough, right?" she added. "I was asking these guys about it earlier, but it's easier to see it up close and find out."
Cana - Mirai Mall - Mitakihara
"Oh wow, one of the biggest? So you've got even bigger ones?" Cana asked in amazement and started perusing the directory. "So this 'Asia' place, that's the country we're in now? Or at least, if you were back in your world?"
She put her finger on the directory display, tapping on it for a moment.
"Say... Officer Kanda," she said. "You're one of the young woman living her life around here. What do you know about the sort of clothes gals like us should wear for a night out on the town? The people we saw when we drove by didn't seem too different from what you might see in Magnolia, but I think I'd still stick out too much in this. So you think you might be able to give me some help?"
She furrowed her eyebrows and gave Kanda an intense look.
"If you know those sorts of things, at least. You wouldn't happen to have a boyfriend would you? What were you wearing when you met him? Did you pick out your own outfit that night or did a friend do it for you? Huh, did you?"
Hiriko - Sakura Dungeon Egypt Library
"Oh, it's more common than you think," the Hammer told Nitocris. "At least it used to be. Last Dungeon Lord was a real piece of work, got people real worked up and angry all the time. We even moved out for a while at the end of it cause of how bad she had made it."
"Hmmph. She was a brute." The Noblewoman scoffed. "That such a noble figure as I would be forced to leave my home.... unthinkable!"
"Yeah, thankfully the new Dungeon Lord is all about peace and love and self-respect and all those things." The Hammer paused a moment and looked at the newcomers. "But you probably aren't here to talk to us, what brings you to the library? I have to admit, most monsters prefer the libraries on the upper floors and leave this one rather quite, so I'm surprised to see a couple of you from the surface all the way down here."
Mirajane - Common Room
"Of course not, eheheh!" Mirajane agreed with Ozen, a bright smile on her lips as she followed Link and the big scary Immovable object back to the main group, where it seems like they were getting into a discussion.
This... was almost uncharted territory.
Normally when they were back home, before anyone could get too sad or mopey, the problem would immediately change to Natsu or Elfman wanting to run off and beat someone up without even thinking, Gray wanting to beat them up before Natsu could hog the glory, Juvia wanting to beat someone up to impress Gray, Erza wanting to run off and beat someone up, Cana wanting to run off and beat someone up for interrupting her drinking, Lucy going off and beating them up for ruining her furniture or ruining her paycheck.... Wow, when you thought about it like that, her friends really believed in violence as a solution. And... so did she, come to think of it. At least Wendy was nice. Sweet little Wendy who was off on a shopping trip with Erza, she'd have to see how they were doing later. She'd have to get a strawberry shortcake ready for when they came back.
Anyway, back to the situation at hand.
Everyone was picking sides and making a big deal out of this whole situation, and it looked like they were getting heated. The four kids were on one side making their own arguments, while Link and Tatl were on the other side - with Tatl talking enough to count for ten people - and now Ozen had picked her own side, while Trevor, Shanoa, and Grant were adding their own two jewel. Well, Trevor and Grant were. Shanoa was checked out of this whole thing. They would have to work on that later. And to top it all off, Link reacted poorly to something Ren said. She had no idea what it was in the specific, but she was more than familiar with the general. He was sad about something, and you couldn't beat your emotions to a pulp with your sword.
So, she decided to solve things the way only she could.
She walked over with great purpose, and knelt down by Link.
"It's okay, Link," she said, and leaned forward in order to give him a hug. "I think life has taught you how to be very strong, and now it's just so hard when there are things going on that you can't fix with your own hands and nobody else understands."
Vampire Hunter
Grant & Shanoa, Common Room
Grant looked over the two messages, one in very different handwriting than Link's. Was this something written by Death?
"So Death challenged yo—," Grant would not finish his sentence as Link screamed at Ren. However, it seemed like Shanoa reacted to it when she was previously checked out of the emotional conversation before.
"Why did you scream at Ren?" Shanoa asked Link as if this particular act of emotion completely confused her.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Delfi side-eyed the fox-woman slightly as she sat and waited for her drink, looking for any signs of insincerity in her comment. She didn't dare use her powers again for the time, which left her frustratingly blind to any trickery or motives. What she'd... 'seen' was enough to keep her wary for the moment. When the drink was presented to her, the young woman took it with only a small look of confusion at the fruit wedge. Just happy to have something cool to drink.
Taking a sip, she hummed happily as the cool water touched her tongue. A faint hint of flavour to it a not unwelcome surprise as she quenched her thirst. She opened her eyes slightly to stare at Isabella as she called her cute, a touch of suspicion at the compliment. This place had already started to make her jumpy, and in a way she hadn't expected or planned for. When she leaned in, her suspicion increased and Delfi leaned backwards into her chair slightly. The kind words were not what she expected, her eyes widening briefly before they flicked downwards as the young woman hid her face. "Thank you... for the water." She quickly and quietly added. She... wasn't used to people being willing to help so easily. Not without an ulterior motive.
Seagull warmly laughed alongside her for a moment, while Yuki just looked further flustered and thrown off by the praise. Turning away to hide her red face as she began fussing over the equipment she had been using. Tatsu smiled slightly off to the side, seeing that they were getting on. He knew bringing her to Seagull first would make a good first impression. The guy was genuinely caring and made friends easily.
"That's perfectly fine. We wouldn't ask you to hurt yourself or such. I wouldn't be a very good medic if I did, now would I?" The man smiled at Amber, before glancing at the group as a whole. "Well since you're all here, is there anything you might need looked at before you head off? I imagine the Captain isn't finished showing you around just yet."
"We're fine!" Tatsu said, before glancing at his other two companions, who replied similarly. "And yeah, I just thought we'd stop in here first since Amber said she would be happy to help in here."
"Devil May Cry. Sure, alright. They one of those groups that don't have a place to stay?" Garnet replied as he gestured off to the side at one of the other young soldiers to come over. "And I don't doubt he is dangerous, if what you've said is true. But I can't promise anything. Once the Captain finds out about it, and if this guy actually does try getting on here, he's not going to just stand back and do nothing. This place might not mean anything to all of you, but to us it's the only place we've got."
The man wasn't rude about his words, or even judgmental, instead just speaking in a matter of fact way; With a hint of exasperation at the mention of his captain. Then he turned to the young woman he'd called over. "Go find the captain or Mc Innes and tell them about all this." He paused for a moment. "Actually, just tell Mc Innes if you can find him alone. The captain would probably just jump on the speakers and broadcast a message aimed at this guy in case he is actually here..." It would be hard for the girls to tell if that was a joke or not.
The woman nodded and ran off, leaving Garnet to turn his attention back to the guests. Looking curious, he said. "So what's up with all of you? I've been to that weird white room once, and I saw some pretty weird things there."
"Much obliged. We'll be in touch." Giving a nod of assent for the Eastern European men to take out the trash, Leonardo would then beep and boop through her touchpad a bit to tell the golems that worked in some parts of the facility to get to packing up the 'souvenirs' from Shinjuku for the later pick up.
After the cab drove off into the distance, Ahri turned her attention towards the other emotional empath that made up their little group, sly and knowing grins being exchanged between vixen and spectacle wearing demoness as they ambled through the streets of the infamous district. If this was in the later evening hours, things would have definitely be rather spicy but even during the day time there was enough of an atmosphere to know that they were definitely playing by street rules now.
Dressed up in their stage outfits that they were ensured that even a simple walking jaunt through the streets would be rather attention grabbing given just how colorful and expressive their outfits were, much like cosplay but with tens of thousands of dollars of work put into their custom cut costumes.
"Let's see... our next target would be... eenie, meenie, meiny, moe..." Ticking off her fingers while flitting her gaze about and spreading out her senses, the fox would then attempt to home in on the area with the most overall 'greed' that was localized in the area, since that place would be making enough money to cause a snowball effect in their desire to grow even more rich and decadent. Negative emotions always were much easier to find due to how potent they were, especially in the desirous race of humanity. Especially in a hub of decadence and sin such as Kabukicho.
Super Saiyan Ruins
If anything, Toriel's shout would only spur the errant paladin onwards even faster since the off chance of Toriel being able to fly and catch up would have been somewhat embarrassing after he promised the kiddos would be reunited. "TALLY HO!" Flying at breakneck speeds, the Servant would then be distracted by the CORE area, turning his head towards Chara while pointing at the power plant while his hipppogriff grumbled and went on autopilot. "WHAT'S THAT?!" Shouting to make himself known over the rushing g force brought about by sheer momentum, the Rider was rather suitably awed by the thermal generator.
And then Majora fell off and the paladin sighed, so deranged that he didn't even care about any potential feelings of the boy potentially being scarred for life with fear of heights as he got ready to pick Majora back up. Or would have if the guy wasn't just flying at a set distance with them. Measuring the distance with his eyes, Astolfo then generated his large lance and jutted it outwards so the mask jacked being could grab hold of something and get his keister back onto the seat. "You should be more careful!" Chastising Majora, Astolfo looked slightly exasperated at the whole situation.
"Oh yes, I know those types of rulers all too well. People who can't even be competent tyrants would always get deposed eventually since they'd be lacking any sort of necessary qualification to defend the throne in the first place. Even the iron fist cannot be too hard else it'd break from sheer brittleness." Tsking at the sheer unprofessionalism of it all, Nitocris then hummed before angling about for a brief look on the shelves to see what secrets the place would hold.
"Well, I'm a foreigner to this fine land of yours myself... I hail from Chaldea and am here on Miss Hiriko's kind offer to peruse the texts of a rather well ran country like that of Sakura Dungeon. I profess that I'm a bit of a recluse who enjoys quiet and texts a bit more than the average person so that particular bit of selfishness is why I'm here. Judging from your words, I take it most Monsters aren't the literary type?"
Edited by Makaioh on Feb 19th 2019 at 3:02:34 AM
As Homura threw the grenade to the approaching Bloodsuckers, they seemed to realize what exactly was thrown to them. They quickly sprinted away to avoid the incoming explosion, though one of the two that was chasing Homura wasn't fast enough to avoid the explosion of the grenade and was caught by it. The hurt bloodsucker revealed itself for a second as it lied on the floor, the beast clutching it's side in pain and bleeding slightly.
This distraction from the explosion would give Homura enough time to fullfill her plan to distract the bloodsuckers in order to take out one of her weapons.
The Dutyer pointed over at the stalker nearby as Lucy asked how the arena worked. "Arnie here will answer your question easily. He's the guy who runs this whole business."
Arnie would then approach Lucy, giving her a smile. "Good to meet ya, miss. Now, I know that this whole idea would seem...unfair and cruel, but many stalkers have grown over time to the whole idea of the Arena. Sure, killing your fellow stalker seems a little bit distasteful, but there wouldn't be much interest if we had a tickle fight between stalkers, not many people would like to see a hugging contest. But stalkers who have the guts to enter the arena, either to fight stalkers, imprisoned mutants, or anybody else, will get rewarded pretty nice! Not only do they gain a great reputation in the community of stalkers and be respected due to their abilities, they also gain plently of rubles to spend in their gear, weapons or whatever they want. Like for example, we had a stalker called The Marked One pass through here. You know, typical stalker rookie with no name, the public thought he wouldn't pass through round one at all...but he surprised a lot of people with every round he survived and even took down some heavily armed guys from OMON and a expert stalker in a Exoskeleton with nothing but a knife! Dude is basically like a pro here."
"Attention stalkers! The Arena fight between the Dutyers and the Mercenaries will start in 30 minutes! Be sure to not be late for the viewing, and to place your bets with Arnie!" Lucy would hear the loudspeaker announcing the upcoming fight between the Mercenary Group and the Duty Group.
The Dutyers seemed to ready themselves up, checking their gear and making sure their guns were clear, before the exo leader returned his attention to Lucy. "Anyways, we're heading out for our fight. Have a good day, miss, and hopefully, you watch us give the mercs a lesson."
As the Duty stalkers started to move out for their fight, Arnie would speak to Lucy once again. "So, you wanna see the fight, miss? You might like the idea of this if you saw it in person."
Meanwhile, near a rooftop in Duty headquarters, those in Rostok would hear the sounds of a helicopter lifting off, and if they paid attention to the source, they would see a MIL MI-24 Hind-D helicopter
◊ painted black and red, along with the Duty Emblem printed to the sides heading off somewhere.
"Well, we try to be clean the best we can...expect for Twitch, but sometimes, the worst places with mud, blood, and other nasty things can ruin that for ya!" Fizz shrugged to Juvia, before Tristana waved to them to come over.
"With ya in a sec!" Fizz and Veigar went away from Juvia and headed off with Tristana and Twitch, as they huddled together to plan out their next movement.
"So Squad, what do you all say we do in this wonderful land away from Bandle City?" Tristana asked, as the squad started to give out their opinions. Fizz was the first to speak. "My opinion? Well I say we split in teams before heading out somewhere." He looked over at the map shown in this place. Well, sure is pretty big. Sadly, not many places here that seemed like a underwater civilization. Sad. "Two, two and one should be enough to scout places and see if we could consider them friendlys or enemies."
"Splitting up?!" Veigar exclaimed. "Don't you remember what happened in the Plague Jungles when we split up?! I got captured by the noxians that were stationed there and tor-"
"Hey now, Veig, that won't happen here. We just need to be sure where we go, be prepared if it's a hostile area so that no unpleasant event can happen here." Tristana calmed Veigar, who seemed to not like such things.
"Why don't we ask the human over there who is so insistent of cleaning? Maybe she knows something." Twitch pointed over to Juvia.
Tristana and the Squad moved their attention to Juvia, as the Yordle Commander spoke to her. "Yeah. Human, you know anything of the lands here? Not much of a good idea to head in blind, after all...even though I like going guns blazing."
Eternal Princess
The heat generated from the Fiery Bird peeled the paint from the walls. Elaborate drapes burst into flames. Carefully painted murals of the Tree of Life and Heaven became scorched beyond recognition. It was a vision of hell, or perhaps Paradise Lost with all the angelic imaginary now burning before them.
As Felicia escaped the clutches of the strange tree like abnormality, it remained ever frozen. Just as it did when they first entered the room, it stood as stone. Its countless eyes watching theirs for that split second, that fraction of a moment when its eyes could no longer see theirs and it was free to act. They afforded it no such luxury.
Even as the cat girl seemed to go feral and attacked it relentlessly, it did not move. Its body was harder then steel, yet slowly but surely the cat girl in her rage made progress on its frame. Perhaps the fire had weaken this shell, or perhaps this was the work of the other, the abnormality not of this facility, the one that had brought them all here.
The attack was made only worse as Satori joined in the assault. The magic released with each of her blows perfect for bypassing that harden exterior. Branch by branch it broke apart under the combined onslaught. Each of their strikes ending with a loud snap and red blood oozing out of the broken bits like sap.
Regardless, in spite of its apparent wounds, in concerned it self solely with watching their eyes. Even as they all but turned it into a blood covered stump, its gaze never averted from theirs. Its round fruit like eyes always watching
. Spurred by love, the werewolf pulled the cat girl from her prey. With Yesod in tow, they escaped into Disciplinary Department. It was not a moment too soon, as on their heels the floor gave out, dropping the tree like abnormality into the pit of rock worms below. No longer hidden by the ground, they would be able to see that it was much larger then what simply sprouted above the surface. The needle like roots spread far, and with it many more eyes.
Its mind was alien. It did not think like a creature, it may not have thought at all. Satori would hear nothing. Yet it was a strange silence, like a deliberate silence. Still, there were light murmurs of something approaching a feeling. As it gazed intensely into her eyes, Satori would feel that all it saw in her eyes was itself. Like some twisted vanity, it admired the perfection that was the form of the Burrowing Heaven through her eyes. Even as its bloodied broken form disappeared beneath the surface of the swarming rock worms, it only continued to gaze until the very end.
The Hope's Peak teens and Wendy would be able to make their escapes without incident thanks to the efforts of the others. The circular maws of the rock would snap at their heels and around them the room would fall apart, but with quick feet they would make it to the seeming safety of their respective departments.
As Erza joined her, the berserking red head Gebura turned toward the Fairy Tail knight. She was like a rabid dog, and for a moment it looked like Erza was her next target. She twisted, hands firmly griping that enlarged blade. But sparks of humanity flashed across those mis-matched eyes of hers and her hand halted. Through the haze of blood lust she remembered...something.
She seemed confused, as if struggling to merely remember words as a concept. There was something there, like memories of another life. Protect...protect...protect? She remembered people. The way they looked at her then, it was different from now. Alot of things were different.
She couldn't quite remember, but it seemed she at least regained enough of her sanity to realize what was being said to her. With a quick slice and motion of her blade, she would give Erza the ammunition to launch at the Fiery bird.
The musket in Chessed's hands clicked, signaling it was ready to fire. He quickly took aim at the Fiery bird. He won't get another chance, another reload would take too long. They would all be dead before he finished. He had to make this count. He lined up the shot and pulled the trigger. The projectile's path seemed to warp space and crackled with electricity. But the bird seemed to have anticipated the attack. It deftly moved out of the way with elegant movements. Chessed wasted his shot.
But while it was able to dodge the magical musket fire, the corpse of a rock worm came flying at it. The first from Talbain came colliding with it, causing it to unbalance. But few flaps with its powerful wings, it was able to regain most of its steady flight. It did provide the opening for the second of the rock worms to come crashing into it from Erza. The impact seemed to send the creature into a free fall. But before it fell, it opened its wings and swooped along the ground. It charged toward the two red heads, picking up speed and heat as it moved until it became something if a giant fireball coming right towards them. All the while letting out a magnificent cry.
Gebura seemed to gain back her wits. She griped her sword and looked toward Erza to see how she wanted to play this. She'll let Erza take the lead and follow suit.
How do you kill that which has no life?
"Very well, that is doable. The majority of our employed staff do not rely on modern day firearms so we'll give you the spoils of war that we've taken from our enemies." Thumbing over her tablet, Da Vinci then handed it over to show a rather garish setup that resembled certain stinger carrying insects to some degree
.
Former Hell Oden Stand
"Looted from the bodies of people dubbed Hornets, they carried some rather strange gear. It's not the best but we do have a lot of such of their equipment because they came in swarms like their namesake. Radios, ammunition, rifles, body armor, grenades, etc. If need be we can unload the majority of the stock on over to your men."
"Some aren't in the best of conditions due to active combat protocols but since it's a freebie it'll be better than nothing at least. I believe the helmets have built in voice modulators, thermal and night vision scanners, radios, and can be sealed off to behave like a gas mask at the price of looking rather disgusting. Just call a transport over and I'll unload the supplies off for you."
"I'm quite serious. Give me one of everything you have. I'm not picky and I'll eat everything." Said in her most serious face and voice whose overall gravitas was utterly bombed by the fact her stomach was gurgling nonstop, Majin Saber plunked a golden skull down as collateral payment since a part of her fusion was Oda Nobunaga who had a rather demented sense of aesthetics. That said and ddone, Majin Saber tilted her head back as she got ready to be a high roller with intense anticipation in her eyes.
Sakura Library
"Why would we fight in a library? Such a place should be a bastion of quiet perusal of texts. Were your prior visitors that much of rowdy troublemakers that even now you still suffer from such memories?" Blinking with a slightly reddened face after seeing such intimacy (she was Egyptian so such gaiety was alright in her book), Nitocris wondered just what had transpired beforehand even as her godly antennae wriggled here and there from the earlier stimulation.
Awkward Taxi Ride in HGT
"Oh, him. We just met the nice chap just a few minutes ago and he was a gracious enough host to let us have a free ride towards people that I presume would be a part of the entertainment industry so we can peddle our talents. Kabukicho though... I wonder why exactly they're stationed about that area. Perhaps his people are the work hard, play hard sort...?"
Going along with the rather forced shifting of topic by toning herself down to 'slightly vapid and rich party girl' mode so as to let the man relax some (along with imagine scenarios that could easily be misconstrued due to what hints were already dropped), the vixen then simply relaxed back into her seat and waited out the ride while mentally scheming various scenarios that could happen and how to respond to such.