"It is no worry at all. You chaps simply can do much more with such items than we ever could and I would rather see them put to good use rather than simply collect dust somewhere. Duty is all well and good but there must be a proper amount of resources to fuel such efforts after all. An army marches on its stomach as the saying goes." Standing at the helipad after clearing the landing zone of possible obstacles, Da Vinci spoke into her communications device while flipping on a strong searchlight before angling it up into the air so as to show the pickup zone and assorted crates full of items.
Ears flattening and tail fluffing up from the sheer volume the man was outputting (she was used to such loudness but only when it was expected), the fearless leader's eyes turned into a more bestial almond shape as long suppressed primal instincts woke up from their slumber. If it wasn't for the fact that a chuckling demoness was holding onto her shoulders and whispering sweet nothings into her ear, the man's no special effects rule would have been broken right then and there by a raging vixen.
After the whole explanation with a grumpy fox getting patted on the back repeatedly by the other currently amused members who worked rather hard to stifle their chuckles (or in the case of Evelynn not at all), the group was left to their own devices. Rather than waste any time wandering off this time, the instruments were tuned, equipment checked, and so on.
Stopping in place as she heard someone addressing her, the eggplant ever so politely swiveled on her heel to face Jaune and Pyrrha with a slight bobbing of her head downwards. "Yes, we are from the Chaldea Security Organization. I'm Mash Kyrielight and this is my senior..."
"Gudako." The reply was half slurred and mumbled, with the redhead peeking at the newcomers while still nuzzling against the Shielder's shoulder.
"Senior! No joking around at a time like this! Whatever am I going to do with you... Excuse me, but her name is Ritsuka Fujimaru. She likes to be mischievous every so often... Especially towards me." Halfheartedly letting out a few gripes and grumbles, the glasses wearing test tube baby then peered at the RWBY people with a questioning gaze. "Are you intending to come in for a visit? Should I make some tea?" Chaldean hospitality at its finest.
Blinking as the youkai gave her a look that ironically asked if she was a monster in a nonverbal manner, Majin Saber wondered what was it that made everyone she interacted with have such thin skin. Reaching for her sword and using it as a cane to prop herself up from the slight feeling of being weighed down from her ridiculous binge eating, the stall owner simply received a small 'thanks' before the tanned Alter Ego went off into the distance with the quiet chivalry of one who stepped straight out of a romantic historical.
Deciding it was better to simply go about things at her own pace, the fusion sighed and began her manual labor of sniffing things out the hard way... by walking in a straight line down the main street and keeping her ears open for possible gossip. Such a mind-numbing task would have been torture on the more impatient characters but for one as placid and calm as her, it was rather enjoyable to simply go for a stroll in a patient manner.
Kitchen - Fairy Tail Guild Hall - Mirajane
"Well you should bring her over sometime then," Mirajane said to Trevor, thankful for his help. "It's always exciting to learn how other people use magic."
Now it was time to address the elephant in the room. Or at least the fairy.
"It's not a curse," Mirajane explained to Tatl. "Though when I was a girl, I definitely thought it was one." She sighed. Tatl was probably going to keep on asking and asking unless she went into detail.
"My siblings and I are all Take Over wizards. My little sister has Animal Soul Take Over. She can be the cutest kitty or a giant bunny in the blink of an eye. And my baby brother, he has Beast Soul Take Over so he can become so big and tough even Ozen might feel a little intimidated." She couldn't resist the urge to wink and nudge Ozen slightly with her elbow. "And then there's me, with the most powerful Take Over of them all...."
She frowned a little, and looked at her right hand. Then, after a moment, it grew scales and her nails lengthened into ugly claws, and she turned her new hand over.
"Satan Soul. And before I could control it, I thought I really was cursed," she explained. Then she snapped her finger, and her arm was back to normal once more in the blink of an eye. "But then I found Fairy Tail, and the Third Master explained how my magic worked. I have the Demon Factor, so when I use my Take Over, I steal the power from demons and use it against them. Each of my forms is from a demon I've killed or beaten because they were threatening my friends, which is why they might look a little scary to you. But it's still me."
She nodded.
"And that's why I'm not scared of Link when he turns into those other things either, because I know what it's like."
Rostok Arena - Zone - Lucy and Happy
"Hey, cool, thanks!" Lucy thanked the guard and proceeded to casually saunter on down the way he had indicated, Happy in tow.
When she got down the stairs, she knocked on the wall and carefully peered around the corner before going on.
"Hellooooooooo?" she called out, trying to see if anyone was there. "We're looking for Mister- General Voronin?"
Sakura Dungeon Gardens
"Military?" The Fox Tamer said, inclining her head to the side and scratching her hair for a moment as she thought over Teemo's word's. A different creature that looked like the first one came up and asked a more in-depth question, and as he did so, the little foxes tried to play with the Yordles.
"Well, this is the Sakura Dungeon, and we're supposed to try and be friendly with the people who come out of the portal here because they're important. As long as they're nice..." she explained to Veigar. "And since my babies seem to like you, I think you're just fine!"
The cat witch skipped on over, carrying a trio of wooden mugs that were filled to the brim with a mashed mixture of fruit that was nearly smoothie-like, topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
"It's hot meow-t here, have a drink, hehe!" she cheerfully... cheered. She leaned down low so that she could be in arm's reach of the Yordles and held the mugs out, two in her left hand to deal with the third one.
"If you've got it in mind to go exploring, that Tribeswoman over there is bound to head back to her tribe soon enough. They're always going around, I bet you could convince them to let you tag along - if you prove you're tough enough," the Fox Tamer tried to be helpful and offered a suggestion to the Yordles, pointing at the woman wearing clothes made out of plants who was lounging nearby; her wooden spear was kept close, even when she was relaxing.
"That Fox Knight was going around earlier, trying to get people to join the Monster Adventurer's Guild. She'd probably show you the ropes around the place," the Forrest Spirit contributed an alternative, suddenly taking an interest in the conversation. "And unlike the Tribeswomen, she'd do it without anyone hunting animals on the side. She's no doubt waiting in town for those who'd like to join."
The Murderhobos Take Manhattan - Juvia
"Cool. Yes, of course. I'm sure it will come in handy if we ever have to explore an underwater kingdom," Juvia said as they headed through the portal to Manhattan. Though she couldn't think of any good reason why people would want to go around some sort of nonsensical fantasy city where everyone lived in the water.
Sakura Dungeon Library
"Ah, I see," Yomi smiled at Nitocris. "I'm glad that Hiriko has taken to heart the need to form close allies with some of our neighboring lands. And told you such flattering things about myself, it seems - you truly humble me with all this praise. Though I have yet to even learn your name. As you've overheard, I am Yomi, the Dungeon Lord, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss...." She leaned in, both her hands outstretched in greeting to try and shake one of Nitocris's.
Rather than try and add to that topic, the Space Fox had gotten distracted by what the succubi were talking about. Or at least what one of them was talking about.
"Oh, you think I'm... lovely?" Hiriko blushed a bit at Morrigan's words. She absentmindedly stroked her hair once and her tail slightly swayed from side-to-side. "I am the Supreme Commander of our army on the surface, so there's no need to worry about having things come to blows with my people - that is, we'll only come that way with you if the situation escalates. But we have been striving to leave in peace on this planet - or at the very least, that was our intent before coming to this world. We still strive to live that way, though it may prove difficult depending on how these other nations act. Tell me, what nation are you and your... friend?... from?"
Hiriko's eyes shifted to Lilith. And lingered for a bit. The two of them were dressed practically identically, what was all that about?
"And is that some sort of uniform?" Hiriko added.
"Oh... okay...." Ceri said slowly to Delfi, then let out a sigh of relief. "I didn't get to do very much reading by the time I was your age. My parents were peasants, so we didn't have any books. Maybe I would have read more if I had let them stick me in an arranged marriage to a merchant, but I ran away before they could do that and joined the adventurer's guild. Haven't had much use for reading many books. Just some manuals, bounties, notices, puzzles, and the odd magic scroll every now and then."
Edited by nman on Mar 16th 2019 at 1:13:10 AM
CXZ - Mill
For a moment Homura stood there, coming to grips with the adrenaline rush that always needed to be managed once the fight was over. She looked around to make sure there weren’t any stragglers left or bystanders whose curiosity overrode their self-preservation, scanning for a light switch or a good enough flashlight she could use to survey the results inside. Also, don’t forget to collect the Type 89 she threw as a distraction. It was hard enough finding more weapons she could use, she couldn’t afford to throw them away — so to speak.
All Sidorovich needed was the mouth-tentacle things from each of them. Homura looked back down at the last one she downed, the one who took two guns to the face. Hmm. Even assuming whatever remained of the bloodsucker tentacles would suffice for him, she’d still have to figure out a way to actually get them off first — she wasn’t strong enough to carry back even one of these things dead, let alone four of them. Maybe there was an axe or saw lying around the mill that she could “requisition”.
Mitakihara - Industrial Area
“That so? One moment.” The soldier that was addressing Ruby made a quick two-finger-swipe signal to his partner, who began speaking into a radio: “Outpost to Base, three arrivals from the portal. They're claiming to be with the Lady.” He waited for a response from the other end, allowing time for Mami, Kyoko, and (unbeknownst to all except those magically-inclined) Kyubey to follow them back through; that elicited another look from the soldier, who had more to add: “Base, two more. One of them’s Barbie.”
If Mami noticed what the guy on the radio was talking about, she didn’t let it show as she addressed the one that was free to talk. “Sergeant Anderson, the equipment has been set up on the other side — is it working?”
“Yes, Ms. Tomoe. We’re getting feed.”
Mami glanced around at everyone just standing. “Are we....free to go now?”
“Are they with you?” Anderson motioned to the newcomers
“They’re here to search for a potentially dangerous individual by the name of Vergil. They think he may be here.”
“Vergil? What does he look like?”
Mami and Kyoko would look to their guests to see if they can help there.
Mitakihara - Mirai Mall
Neither Kanda nor the odd voices heeded Cana’s demand, the former continuing to struggle to get her arms free of Cana while the latter kept up the whispering. The voices remained soft and indistinct, which meant that it would be very obvious to Cana when a loud “BANG!” came from the elevator doors, like something just rammed into it from outside. Then came a voice, muffled but obviously female: “Is someone in there?!” A groaning of metal could be heard following up the call.
Help was coming, but would it come in time?
The Thieves took a long moment to glance at each other, clearly unsure how to take the argument that had just happened and the warnings they had received. Then Joker took command.
"Wait outside. I'll be out in a minute."
The other three nodded, said generic goodbyes to Minako, and headed out the door, Makoto pausing to switch out of her thieves outfit before she stepped into the hallway. Then Joker crossed his arms.
"We're going out on a pretty far limb for you. All of this, it's pretty far from our usual operations. But we've agreed to help you, because we think it's a worthy cause. And by asking my team to do this, I'm putting them at risk. That's always an element in our operations, but now that risk is on your behalf. I don't feel it's too much to ask for you to be honest with us. Sugarcoating the truth doesn't help us, and if there's a risk we don't know about, we need to know about it. From you. You can be assured, we'll keep your secrets, no one outside of my team will ever be told anything you don't want passed on, and we'll operate, as always, with extreme caution."
He leaned forward, not enough to be threatening, but enough to get the point across.
"But if any member of my team, my friends, get hurt because they were unable to account for factors you withheld for us, whenever out of malice or not, I'm holding you personally responsible."
No, no, just the Emperor will do. Nyarly said to Havoc. His son will suit my purposes nicely, once his father is removed from play. The only other thing I will say is, while not strictly necessary, maintaining confusion about the exact identity of the murderers will greatly help in the long run. Do your best to remain unseen, or at least, leave no witnesses alive who can speak of the faces of the killers.
He waved his hand, and a portal appeared. Now then, go. We will speak again once the deed is done. And Vergil, it is time for you to leave.
He nodded, started to walk away, and then Nyarly as well vanished, leaving the two to go through the portal
In order to get to the slums, Jack would soon learn that he would have to cross a massive bridge
◊ that led away from the main city in order to get there. Given the sheer size of the bridge and the lack of obstructions, Jack would be able to see a man in a bright blue coat approaching long before he could make out any facial details, and while his hair did look white, at this distance and in the sunlight, that could well be a trick of the light. Jack would, however, have some time to make a decision on how he wanted to approach this. If he simply decided on the direct path and continued to approach, once the two were close enough to make out each other's faces and identify one another, at about 40 feet between each other, Vergil would come to a direct halt, staring silently at the Samurai, as if inviting him to speak or act first.
Nero reached into his pocket and pulled out a now wrinkled photo of Vergil, because he just kinda shoved the thing in his pocket without much care when given it earlier.
"This is the guy. Lady said I should ask if there's been any.....weird activity lately. Unexplained events, people getting killed in unexplained ways, supernatural events.....you know, weird shit. Says he'll be a lot more likely to be interesting in that kind of thing then normal people going about their lives."
The Cure turned to face the demon now adressing him.
"Something like that, yes, although I would not use that exact word. Allow me to explain what is going on. Welcome to the Battleworld. This planet, a world of my own creation, is a world which I have forged by taking bits and pieces of other universes and putting them together into one mass. No doubt you have questions. Let me get the obvious ones out of the way."
"You and your people are here to do battle with the other lands I have brought to this world, for my own personal amusement. However, you are free to forge alliances as you will. Ally with who you wish, it matters not to me. I have brought a diverse group of lands to this planet. Each in their own way different from anything you may be familiar with on your own worlds, each with their own set of standards, ethics, goals....whatever your wish, you will come into conflict at some point. Whenever you choose to be the aggressor, or the defender, that is up to you."
"Naturally, your next question, why should you play along, apart from the obvious response of the fact that I could kill anyone on this planet with the snap of my fingers? At various intervals, I will offer rewards to those who play along with my game. What this reward is, that is completely up to you. Bring the dead back to life, no strings attached? A new power for you or a loyal subordinate? Equipment? The possibilities are endless, I have the power to grant you anything."
"That said, I place a firm value on balance. It would not do for any one faction to become too powerful. There is no fun in watching a one sided curb stomp battle as one land wipes out the rest with no opposition. Thus, I reserve the right to refuse any request should I deem it too powerful or otherwise feel it would not be appropriate. In that same way, a select number of your people may find that particular powers or equipment of yours function differently, typically having been reduced in power in some way. This is also due to my personal balancing, and is not up for any form of negotiation."
"Questions?"
Netherworld, Castle Market: This Princess is STAYING in This Castle!
Judging by the way Jai turned her head to the prinny, one might've mistaken the princess for a machine. Her neck practically creaked with the effort it took to look over her newfound uhhh, obstacles, when it came to looking down. For like an owl, those glazed-over eyes never turned in their sockets.
Weird pet. How could it whistle like that? Songbirds can whistle, but could penguins? If they could, would that make penguins songbirds?
She didn't find the cat calling offensive, in no small part because Jai donned this magic crown because the Contractor thought it'd make him pretty. No, if anything was going through the mind of Princess Jai, it was what this creature had in its fanny pack. Food? Buttons? Pens? Pencils? Food, again?
Without really considering the question, Jai—Master Assassin and Princess of Prettiness—nodded. Earthlings had invaded Netherworld. Again, apparently.
"Got any food?"
With her conditions for a peace agreement stated, Princess Jai stared blankly at the penguin/bat/songbird/ignore that last one if penguins are songbirds, and waited for it to meet Her Highness' demands.
Red Sprite, Dining Hall: U Srs, Boi?
Maria's eyes narrowed at the guard. Disbelief was acceptable, skepticism was understandable, but that little chuckle about the size of a phone was damn near condescending. That was one insult over the line.
"We just told you cabrones there's a maniac walking around who can block bullets with a sword, and a phone is what you can't believe?"
The Contractor dipped into her jacket pocket and showed the Philistines her cell phone: a throwaway flip phone so tiny it could even fit in the pockets of her wardrobe.
"You kids are decades behind the times." she smirked. "I can talk to anyone on the planet with this thing, and that's the simplest thing it can do. So yeah: we can call the cavalry if we need to."
Red Sprite, Halls: Who Names Their Kid "Vergil" Nowadays?
The messenger's spurred approach brought a shade of concern to Amber's face, not unlike the others'. At the name of "Vergil," any brief glances to the glowing young lady would reveal...nothing, actually. Despite the fact that she knew exactly who the messenger was talking about, she'd never learned the blue coat swordsman's name.
Amagiri had told her how a man with white hair in a blue coat had entered the portal to Hell's Gate Tokyo, on the night after Tokyo's abduction. The man had slaughtered his way through the police officers at the portal. He was soon challenged by Wei Zhijun, one of the most skilled Contractors under Amber's command, and beat him and a few Good Samaritans practically with a hand behind his back. Forced to honor the deal Wei made before the fight, Amagiri guided the swordsman within Hell's Gate—a quarantined zone in the heart of the city, a place that's absolutely inhospitable to human life and a damn near impossible maze to escape. And Vergil had been wandering around the planet for four days since then!
Alas, Amber couldn't connect the dots with only a name she'd never learned. Truth be told, if there was anything about this news that bothered her, it was the strangers searching for this Vergil person. If any of Amber's enemies were among them (and her enemies weren't few in number), then she'd be in trouble. Even if Tatsu had welcomed her aboard, she couldn't imagine he'd judge her life worth more than the lives of even one of his Magonian crew. At least, she wouldn't, in his position.
The news came and went, and Alfred left to investigate. Now it was just her, Mono, and the Captain.
As they continued the tour, it didn't take Amber long to come up with an answer:
"I'd imagine you'd hide above the clouds. Even if places like Tokyo have had radar for decades, it's not like they'd point it at the sky for no reason. Steer clear of the airport and they'd be none the wiser."
Fairy Tail, Kitchen: Has the Jury Reached A Verdict?
The fairy fluttered where she was, her expressions unreadable behind a shell of yellow light.
She figured the first sketchy detail was the name of her brand of wizardry, though she also figured that if Mirajane wanted to fabricate it all, she would've at least come up with a better name than "Take Over." Splitting the difference between "animal" and "beast" was also a little odd, but then again there were "animals" and "monsters" in Termina, so maybe that was a comparable distinction. Tatl couldn't help but wonder how Mirajane gained her first demon soul—especially if the wizard had been dealing with this power since she was a girl—but she knew firsthand that it wasn't impossible for a child to defeat a powerful creature.
All in all, there weren't really any holes in the explanation to exploit. Her problems relied on, at best, circumstantial evidence, and that little flex of demonic muscle proved to be more convincing than the fairy first thought. Tatl might not be ready to call the wizard a friend, but she could at least drop the suspicions and the resentment.
...or at least she would've dropped the resentment, had Mirajane quit while she was ahead. After offering the comparison between her Satan Soul and the kid's masks, Mirajane would probably notice the one visible tell that Tatl was angry again: her wings flapped faster and faster.
"No, you don't." the fairy answered, impressively even-tempered. "You don't know what it's like because 'those other things' were never our enemies. They were heroes, and they had families, and memories, and names that they left behind because they couldn't stop the evil monster we're trying to stop. The big rocky one's named Darmani, for future reference; that mask holds a piece of his spirit he gave to us, so we could end the eternal winter that killed him and was bound to wipe out his tribe."
The wings flapped slower now, though her slightly strained tone didn't waver much.
"Thanks for telling me about your powers—I really mean that—but don't share the details with the kid. Fact is, you're lucky. You get a new form by killing a monster that could kill good people; my partner only gains power like that when he's too late."
Tatl sighed, already sick and tired of the heavy topic.
"So, y'know, don't remind him."
Desperate to change the subject she'd fallen on, the fairy turned to the oven:
"So what do these things taste like, anyway?"
The Zone: Car Troubles
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh fuck."
The driver stepped out of the car to investigate. Since leaving Tokyo on this mission, the scenery's been a little...off. In several ways. First there was the bold colors, the near-cartoonish environment, and the bizarre, inexplicable sensation of feeling thinner. Then after a few dozen miles of that fun house ride, they'd somehow flipped to the other side of the spectrum and went full grimdark apocalypse; complete with that...whatever it was they'd hit a few hundred yards back. Which was where the car troubles had started.
The first sign of the problem whiffed past his nose the moment he stepped out of the car: cooking meat. A hearty slice of the fucker must've gotten caught somewhere as it got run over. More evidence was found at the hood of the vehicle: the dent wasn't terrible, given the size of what it hit, but something was lodged in the front of the car that made him curse again.
"Ariel, get out here!"
The shotgun door opened and shut, and his partner joined him.
"Ugh," she grimaced, "what's that smell?"
"Cooking meat." the driver answered, then ripped out the piece of olive fabric lodged in the car's hood: "Human meat."
"Holy shit." Ariel shuddered, more out of shock than terror of taking a human life. That thing was crawling on all fours and had something wrong with its spine. Sure as hell didn't look human.
"Yeah, well..." the driver thumbed to the hissing noise rumbling under the hood. "I'm guessing we've got other problems to deal with."
His companion stared at him, then at the hood, then at the tinted windshield.
"We'll have to go on foot." she sighed.
"...think he's gonna be mad?"
"Yeah. Prepare for an earful."
The Zone, Army Warehouse: Any Cheeki Breekis Here Who Can Fix A Car?
Whatever patrol the Freedom faction had scouting the area would find three of the strangest individuals to ever form a pair:
The first was a tall and muscular German man, with a chiseled chin and short styled blonde hair. With a pair of studded earrings, a pink V-neck shirt covered by a purple jacket (to match his purple pants), a thick black belt and boots to match, and cheap metal rings on every finger, the driver looked like a gentleman ready for a night of clubbing.
His partner, a short Polynesian woman with long black hair and eyes always shifting for new threats, couldn't be more of a contrast if she tried. After all, she looked like she was prepared to tackle the Zone, given her grey military gear complete with Kevlar vest and tactical knife holstered to her outer right thigh. Perhaps the only odd thing about her was her apparent lack of firearms; apart from the knife, all she carried was a black teardrop-shaped backpack.
The central figure, equally out of place as the first, was a bearded Japanese man in his late fifties, early sixties.
He wore a business suit and tie, along with a pair of immaculate black leather gloves that—as those who shook his hand might notice—had two bizarre shapes and circles apparently sewn into the palms. Compared to that, the two rubies in his cuff links weren't so weird.
"Hey there!" the nightclub fan greeted with a smile (and his hands in the air, for safe measure). "We come in peace! Just a few out-of-towners who's car broke down! Know anyone who can lend a hand?"
Glory to Arachnos
The trio after a few moments of walking through the surroundings of this place would find a patrol of 3 soldiers, all of their outfits being coloured green, with thier suits having the emblem of a green wolf
, their outfits, though the same colour, varied in appearance.One wore green body armor while wearing a mask that covered half of his face.
Another wore a military-like bulletproof vest and helmet
, while the last one which was in the front and seemed like the leader wore a green coloured hazmat suit with a screen helmet covering his face.
◊
They seemed like a professional pair of soldiers...
Until they talked.
The SEVA suit leader waved at the strange trio of people, before adressing them, the freedom patrol visibly relaxing and lowering their guns, as if showing they meant no harm to them. "Yo dudes, what's up? Don't worry bros, we won't harm you, it's nice to see some friendly faces over here. You say you got some vehicle problem huh? Not sure how ya managed to get a vehicle over here without crashing into any anomaly, but I bet we can help ya bro!"
The military-ish suit freedomer would then speak after their leader informed them. "We got Uncle Yar and Screw over at our headquarters who are some pretty good mechanics who can fix any kind of gun, armor or machinery, bros. Betcha they would be able to fix your car in no time if you tell them of your situation!"
The masked freedomer then spoke next. "Come by our base, bros. We are always happy to accept visitors that are not part of Duty. You can even relax with us over there with a joint and a vodka while they get that stuff done."
The Seva suit leader would point to what seemed like a large military base behind them in the distance, the trio from Hells gate would notice a few sentrys in the checkpoint entrance and some snipers in the watchtowers guarding the base. "You want us to guide you there? Who knows what kind of crazy mutant could come out of nowhere, bros."
If they paid attention, they would notice the smell of marijuana coming from one of the freedom stalkers in the patrol group.
As Lucy and Happy descended to Duty's headquarters, they would take notice of a small bunker, with a bedroom with some Dutyers sleeping from doing their night shift guardian, while others were walking around. The person of interest, though, was a middle aged man
emitting a aura of that of a military leader. He was looking at a map of the Zone along with another dutyer and pointing at some of the locations of the area.
"The new defense group will be up near the border of this "Chaldea" land, and your supplies will be more than enough to last for 1 week."
"The Ukrainian government still hasn't responded yet?" The dutyer near General Voronin asked.
"Negative. Hopefully the equipment we will get in exchange will be enough until we can recover contact with them...that is, unless something happened. Other than that, you are dismissed, sergeant. Good luck."
The dutyer saluted the General, and would move out, passing near Lucy and moving up to the stairs. The general would take notice of Lucy and address her.
"Hello, stalker. Why have you come?"
Homura would find a light switch near her that if turned on, would light the mill and show the carnage she caused to the bloodsuckers and the rats. As for a way to cut the bloodsuckers tentacles, there were some crates near her with a abandoned axe that seemed to be in decent condition, and could cut the tentacles of the creatures.
That could work.
"True. Our men would not be able to do the things we are doing if we didn't had the aid of the outside world. Anyways, we are hearing that the helicopter crew are closing in on the landing pad. I wish you good luck and thanks for your aid. Hopefully you can take advantage of the artifacts the bandits gifted to you. Goodbye." Kowalski would give a chance for Da Vinci to say her farewells before hanging up.
Meanwhile, the helicopter after noticing the signal from the searchlight, would head out to the landing pad, heading down to the ground and landing safely. Da Vinci would see the doors of the helicopter opening and 2 dutyers exiting from the passeger area. The two exoskeleton dutyers would start to grab the crates full of supplies and gear and start to put them in the storage area of the Hind-D helicopter, using the increased strenght of the exoskeleton to help them with that task.
Edited by Darkomega245 on Mar 13th 2019 at 5:01:07 AM
-Spider Lizard Noises-
Laharl, Common Room with Goro
Laharl’s only initial response was an annoyed ‘hmph’. Though it had never been on a scale quite this large, this was far from the only time he had been dragged to another land for the express purpose of fighting people he didn’t know. These incidents were better known in the Netherworld as ‘cameos’, and often happened to Overlords with great prestige such as himself. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the demon before him was too powerful to take on in a direct fight, that much he could tell by looking at him. For now, he would have to put up with the annoyance of playing along with his little game.
“So I’ve been summoned once again to fight a bunch of weirdos,” he said in a tone that made it obvious he was at least somewhat familiar with this premise. “Great. That’s all I need to know for now, then.”
Laharl looks around the room until he finds Goro guarding the portal entrance to Hell’s Gate Tokyo.
“So it looks like we’re neighbors,” he said to the man, recalling their positions on the map. “I don’t know why a bunch of humans are so casually invoking the name of Hell as though they rule over a Netherworld. That being said… don’t mess with my land, and I won’t mess with yours. I presume that sounds reasonable to you?”
The Netherworld, Chapter 1 – Jai’s Sexy Princess Adventure
The Prinny seemed a little weirded out by Jai’s mannerisms, but figured that maybe she was just weird like that. Or a sexy robot, who knows? In any case, he didn’t seem very receptive to the idea of parting with his food.
“Us Prinnies only earn a sardine every 20 hours, dood,” the Prinny said with a huff. “If you want food, you’re asking the wrong person. However... maybe if you give me a big ol’ kiss I’ll reconsider, doood~”
The Prinny puckers its beak in a beautiful display that could move lesser beings to tears with its loveliness. The raw, animalistic charisma of the Prinny is hard to resist, but perhaps someone of Jai’s willpower could manage it. Still, it won’t be an easy task!
These rocks yielded to atomic flame, but not the thing that confounded her the most? Drat! Double drat! The living shrine of a three legged sun god taken root inside of a raven from hell that was a scatterbrained girl silently cursed the anomaly's tenacity.
She could at least applaud it for being durable, she liked that in an unexplainable phenomenon.
This wasn't a complete loss, at least. Utsuho looked on the map, guesstimated where she was, and marked down the anomaly there before flying off to the North. Getting a headache was just going to make her tour worse if she stuck around...
It was only a good distance from there that she wondered to herself the following question: Who the heck built those rocks?
With now enough time to catch her breath and recover from the heat, the satori named Satori was glad that these people wanted at least a moment to think. Even with flight, this was a new level of exercise for her.
She was preoccupied with envisioning what this Dee Oh Three was supposed to look like beyond merely having "pink slime". The way they put it, just touching it would create an irreversible sickness...even more unpleasant than usual. Her body shuddered as Yesod described it.
However, her concern couldn't fully develop, as everyone started to look at her. Or, more importantly, slightly above her. She didn't know how to respond at first, beginning with a tired "Be rid of what?" and then running a hand across her head.
Her fingers caught on one of the thorns, and she pulled away with a yelp.
Taking it off, where in all of every Hell did this thing come from? Satori carefully held it in front of her, staring at it with more confusion than her reserved face would normally admit. It was a living accessory alright, and one of the worst ones she had ever seen alongside Utsuho.
Her first instinct was to, naturally, throw it away and fly away as fast as she could. Her curiosity got the better of her.
"...Wait," she said, inspecting it with a little less fear, "will this...thing...grow back, eventually?"
Mirajane's compliment fell on deaf ears. She nodded, and cynically smiled, but to be praised for mixing dough was pretty lame. Ozen did not accept that compliment.
Sadly, no, it seemed the fairy didn't care that Ozen so violently impeded on her personal space. The way Tatl merely sat there as she intimidated her* let her realize that maybe the little ball was smarter than she seemed.
If she could figure out just how much Ozen enjoyed making people squirm...then she could go and start telling other people about that. Shit.
Mirajane's story about having a saytin or whatever in her was not a rousing one, but at least it was resolved quickly. Not painfully, though. Ozen gave her a bemused look as her ribs were so violated by the kinda-devil's elbow.
Tatl did have one thing right. Unlike some people here, Mirajane hardly seemed to work for her ability. It just sounded like something a lot of people were born with. Not that she was being looked down upon by the Lord for it, no, it was just...disappointing.
Finally, all of that put aside, Tatl was wise enough to move on from the edgefest and take a right turn onto the on-ramp to Cookieville. Oh, by now, Ozen was really starting to feel hungry. Like she often did.
Leaning down (way down) to look inside the oven, she answered Tatl's question with her best guess: "Hopefully as good as it is uncooked. That was delicious."
Did you know this section has a character limit?
Ruby and Yang - Potentialities (Is Actually A Word, Surprisingly); Portal Alleyway, Mitakihara
“There's no ‘potentially’ about him being dangerous.” Yang corrected. “What's only potential is whether or not he's here.”
“He's working with someone who helped the Empire attack the day before yesterday.” Ruby added. “And both of them don't care at all about people's lives.”
Both were slightly confused as to why the soldier called Mami “Barbie”, though from context it seemed to be a nickname. Must be some cultural reference they didn't get.
Weiss - Heiress Powers, Activate!; House of Hell's Administration Authority, Former Hell
“My question was regarding the ubiquity of knowledge of Hell.” Weiss explained patiently. “My friend here was treating it as if it was common knowledge, so I asked Dmitri if Hell was a common name for a home for demons across the universes, as he's from another universe again. Apparently, it is.”
But as the demon began to explain the application process for meeting with a Kishin, and how due to bureaucracy it was a two-day affair, Lady seemed to lose a lot of her steam, and resigned herself to not getting access.
Which seemed a little premature. After all, this was effectively an emergency, there had to be protocols to prevent a multi-day wait. Weiss was about argue such, before a thought hit her.
The paper that had been stamped at the Gatehouse. Nobody had asked for it yet. Could it be…?
With a quiet “Just a moment, please.”, Weiss jogged after Lady, and reached into the pouch where she had placed the missive. Pulling it out, she turned back around to the Oni and presented the blank but officially stamped piece of paper to him.
“I don't suppose this qualifies as a proper missive?”
Blake - Ahoy-hoy!; Dining Hall, Red Sprite
Blake opted not to say a word, but instead make a demonstration. She pulled out her Scroll
, brought up the number Maria had provided back at Devil May Cry, and after pointed the screen at Garnet, tapped the “call” symbol.
Unless Maria had provided a false number, her phone would ring. Blake already had her Scroll on speaker, so the woman would only have to talk into her phone to complete the demonstration.
Jaune and Pyrrha - Time For Tea; Chaldea Portal, Common Room
Lucky them, they'd only just stumbled across the (apparently half-asleep) representative of Chaldea. Though they had no idea why calling herself “Gudako” qualified as a joke.
“We're actually looking for information.” Pyrrha chimed in. “Though we wouldn't object to discussing our questions over tea, would we?”
The redhead cast a glance over at Jaune, who gave a shrug of agreement.
“We were told you'd heard of a hero called Joan of Arc?”
Nora and Ren - Be Gay, Do Crimes; RWBY RWMS
Both agreed to play along with the game, though both had a fair idea of what was going to happen. They had grown up orphans, after all.
Ren by far had the easier time picking out where the aces were, being able to track them as they moved. So could Nora, but she preferred to simply trust her gut and pick at random, which surprisingly worked at least 50% of the time, in defiance of statistics.
When Maki slipped up and left his ruse exposed, there were no looks of horror or shock. In fact, all he got was a look of sympathy.
“And that's to show that cheaters never win.” While Nora's words were an admonishment, her tone was playful, and the way she stuck out her tongue at Maki made it clear that she was just teasing him.
Ren, instead, offered words of encouragement. “Don't worry. Dexterity comes with practice.”
Bond - Lady and a Gentleman; Universal Exports Lift, The Past
“I'd suggest a movie, but that might come off as me being egotistical.” Bond said with a smirk. “I'll see if I can spy a good restaurant while I'm out.”
And with that, Bond let her leave, before activating the lift and descending down towards Q. It was time for a change of appearance
Bond - Actual Spy Work; Common Room, The Present
Bond
◊ stood off to the side of the Common Room, wearing a grey three-piece suit. On his nose rested a pair of eyeglasses, which unbeknownst to anyone who looked at them from the front, were projecting a feed of the three cameras Q had set up in the Common Room.
To any observers, Bond would look like some official who was trying to type a report on his smartphone. In actuality, he was sending a text to Homura and Kitana:
He would've contacted Ritsuka too, but the verbal aspect of the communicator made him hesitant to use it the Common Room. Also, she was being draped over the shoulder of that friend of hers, and seemingly talking to Jaune Arc.
Seems the boy might be finding out about his namesake.
Back in Q's lab he'd gone over the footage of the Common Corridor, and it wasn't great. At least two separate groups had entered SEES’ chunkless room earlier, one he was able to identify as the Phantom Thieves that had arrived the day before, and the other was Misaki Kirihara, the newest representative of Hell's Gate Tokyo. She'd since left, but the man she'd entered with hadn't.
The door to the Velvet Room was open, and those groups, as well as members of SEES, were milling around it. It seemed like Minako had been doing some recruiting, and that might be trouble. Thieves usually had a sense they were being watched, and the man Misaki had left behind felt suspicious. Bond couldn't pin it down, but something wasn't quite right with him.
Case in point, the two blonde Phantom Thieves keeping an eye on the Common Room. Oh, they acted casual, but they kept a good enough position to see everything in the room.
In any case, Bond would have to do better than the usual shadowing. Thankfully, he had a plan.
But for now, information gathering. With a flick of his pupil, Bond selected the Common Corridor camera, and the feed from it's directional microphone began playing in his head.
Edited by GeekCodeRed on May 10th 2019 at 3:41:24 PM
They do have medals for almost, and they're called silver!
As Bond flicked to the channel, he would hear Makoto talking and in the process of walking away.
"-brief them in on what's going on. Catch up once he's done in there."
Makoto would then enter the Common Room and walk over to Ann and Ryuji, Ryuji in front of a notepad with a lot of sloppy, hastily written notes on it, and Ann holding a phone and doing a poor job of hiding the fact she was taking pictures of anyone she saw. Makoto walked over to them, and a simple switch of mics would enable him to hear them clearly.
"How's it going?"
"We're trying." Ryuji said with a shrug. "Lot of shit happening out here."
"I've got a TON of pictures." Ann chimed in.
"Good, because we've accepted a new job from our mutual associates"
"You mean those guys who also got pe-"
Makoto's fist smashing on the table cut Ryuji off.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry,"
"Yes, Ryuji, the ones who have the same......skillset as us."
"So what is it?"
"We've been asked to assist in their hunt for some being, some shapeshifting monster by the name of Nyarlathotep. Apparently he's been running around the planet for the past few days, causing chaos and attacking people. We've agreed to help take it out."
Both of them nodded.
"So there a plan?" Ryuji asked.
"Yes. But this isn't the place to get into details. Right now, we have two major figures of interest. Firstly, a white haired, blue coated man, carries a katana, name of Vergil, he's apparently working with this thing. Any sign of someone matching that description?"
"Well there was a guy in a red coat with white hair that had a broadsword." Ann said as she pulled out her phone and flipped back in the picture log to a picture of Dante with Nagi.
"He related?" Ryuji asked.
"Not sure. We're working with.....limited information."
"The hell's that supposed to mean? They didn't tell you everything?"
"Let's just say there's some questions about what Minako considers "Need to know" and leave it at that. So no sign of him?" They shook their heads. "Alright then. Second person, a woman carrying a rocket launcher, goes by the name of Lady."
"Shit, I remember her!"
"Kind of stood out."
"Actually looked kind of like you from the back."
Ann pulled up the photo, and Makoto leaned in.
".....Huh. So that's why someone mistook me for someone else yesterday."
"Had some serious hardware."
"I'm sure that's what you were staring at."
Ryuji groaned, clearly not ready to restart this argument. "So what's her deal? And.....Lady? That can't be her name."
"Probably a false name, she's apparently in the buisness of demon hunting, associated with a group called Devil May Cry. And she may be hostile."
"What?" Ann said "What did we do to her?"
"There's apparently some kind of tension between this woman and SEES. We were warned from a third party that this woman may attempt to kill us if she thinks we're working with SEES."
"The fuck?"
"Minako didn't seem to agree with this assessment. Still, she also neglected to mention that the woman has more guns then our entire team combined, so take that how you will. Where did she go?"
"Former Hell."
"Ok. We'll be sure to avoid that place. If you see her again, we need immediate notification of where she goes."
The two nodded.
Edited by Meanken on Mar 14th 2019 at 11:32:56 AM
Mitakihara - Industrial Area
Sergeant Anderson took the photo from Vergil to examine, with Mami and Kyoko also attempting to sneak peaks at it from their position (the latter more discreet about it than the former). As Vergil went about his description, though, Mami’s attention would turn from the photo to the one that had given it, a dawning realization coming across her face.
Anderson would speak first. “Unexplained deaths and supernatural happenings? Ms. Tomoe, could this be related to these ‘Witches’ you were talking about earlier?”
“That’s precisely what I was thinking, Sergeant.” Mami glanced back toward the others who had just arrived. Kyoko gave an unusually stone-faced look but said nothing, leaving it to Mami to continue: “In our world, Witches spread despair among normal humans and are often the cause of suicides and other deaths which are otherwise unexplained. Their actions, though, are of the subtle type and most humans who fall prey don’t realize it until it’s too late. Usually, they hide in otherworldly Labyrinths of their own creation and it is up to us Magical Girls to seek them out.”
“Usually.”
“As I said, the storm that struck here five days ago was caused by a Witch so powerful she did not need to hide.” That was more for the benefit of Nero, Ruby, and Yang. “If Vergil is seeking a place where powerful supernatural things occur, Mitakihara would be a very tempting choice for him.”
Anderson sighed. “Well, at least this time we’ll have more than a one-hour ultimatum to prepare. I can tell you right now we don’t have any records of anyone looking like this coming through here, though I can’t say the same about the overland borders at the edge of the city, that’s MPD’s turf. You know already about how the Captain wants to meet with you Magical Girls” — he said that as if he was still getting used to the idea of using the term without wanting to wash it down with a beer — “but I think right now we have more pressing issues. We’ll inform the police and City Hall about this man — do you mind if we kept this picture so that we can make copies? In the meantime, where are you guys planning to search?”
Mami mulled over the question for a moment, allowing a chance for one of the others to give their two cents.
CXZ - Mill -> Sidorovich’s bunker
That’ll do, narrator. That’ll do.
Homura made a small start, blinking a couple times and taking a deep breath. The fighting may be over, but the clock always kept ticking. Especially once she felt her phone hum and stopped to read the message from Bond. With a brief “I will let you know”, Homura put her phone away and went to work with the axe, hacking off the necessary parts as her prize from each one.
One more thing before she left. This zone didn’t seem like the kind of place where passer-bys would lend a helping hand for someone with their arms full. She could keep it in her Time Shield for safekeeping on her return, but at the moment these things still looked fresh and she didn’t know whether guts dripping onto her equipment would ruin them. Plastic wrap, butcher paper, old newspapers — whatever would put a barrier between it and the rest of her portable armory would do.
Once that was resolved, Homura would make one last scan for anything else she might be able to scavenge out of this place before leaving - any other weapons her predecessors might have left behind, equipment she could take from the mill itself that might come in handy, whatever. A long shot, but the benefits of having a hyperdimensional armory meant she never had to worry about spacing or weight, long as it could fit through the gap. Even the axe she found would be useful as a proper melee weapon — well, more proper than throwing a two-handed rifle in desperation. She’d have to figure out what was wrong with it when she got back to Mitakihara.
At any rate, eventually she’ll make leave of the place, the four sets of scalped tentacles secure in her Time Shield as she made her way back towards the bunker.
Edited by megarockman on Mar 14th 2019 at 11:51:41 AM
Nero shrugged when he asked if he could keep the picture.
"Sure, I got a few copies. As for where to search.....I guess these Labyrinths are the best bet. Sure sounds like the kind of screwed up shit that demon thing he's working with would care about. How common are they? How easy is it to find one?"
Glory to Arachnos
As Utsuho flied over the skies, eventually she would make out in the distance what seemed to be the lake everybody kept talking about where the ecologists live near....though if she would notice, that looked hardly like a river. More like a filthy, trash filled swamp with what seemed like humanoid beings crawling on all fours moving near it. This whole land somehow looked worse than most of the places here, as there was barely any grass here and the land here looked...well, dead, with no vegetation, dead trees, no flowers or anything resembling nature.
If she paid attention, she would see a guarded bunker
◊ with guards in the entrance, the roof of the bunker, and patrolling the area. It seemed like this was the place where the ecologists lived. In the far distance, Utsuho would see a factory complex
, and what seemed the outlines of people....shambling about there like zombies.
The two yordles looked at the gift of food from the cat witch with curiosity. Normally when they entered a unknown territory they didn't expected such niceness. Getting shot down by the enemy from multiple angles was more their thing. Twitch meanwhile, as he received the wooden mug filled with food, looked downright amazed at it, quickly taking off his gas mask, giving a quick "Thanks!" to the cat witch who gave them the wonderful food, and started to eat the wonderful food given to him.
"Well, I guess that information will be good enough!" Veigar said to the Fox Tamer who gave them the information. "We'll be off. Thanks for the information!" Veigar waved goodbye to the foxes, the Fox tamer and the forest spirit as the trio would group up together. Meanwhile, Twitch waved goodbye to the nice cat witch for the nice food they got. He would then continue to eat the food, as the trio would gather to plan out what to do now.
Considering Twitch seemed fine from eating the food given to them, and they were somewhat hungry too, they decided it would be best to not to let this food go to waste. The two yordles would take off their gas masks and start eating the delicious food given to them, and start planning their next course of action.
"Sooooo, what's the plan Veigy?" Twitch asked as he finished his food first. The heavy artilley specialist thought of where they could go, and would speak after finishing his food.
"Well! I would say we split up so we can gain more information of this place! How about this, Twitch and me go see this adventurer's guild or whatever it is, and Teemo goes with the tribeswoman. How that sound, Teemo?"
Teemo shrugged. "Fine by me. Bet that tribe would live in some jungle like place....the experience of going there will be nice."
After the trio would finish their food, they would then prepare to move out, putting their gas masks back on, and splitting up, Veigar and Twitch going to find where this Adventurer's Guild is, while Teemo would start approaching the tribeswoman.
Once Homura returned to Sidorovich's Bunker and head down the stairs, she would see Sidorovich examining the RG-6 grenade launcher, making sure that the grenade launcher was in perfect condition. He would then take notice of Homura as she would enter his abode, smiling at her.
"Ah, there you are. Here I thought you wouldn't make it, but you seem to be in one piece. I assume the deed was done, eh?"
-Spider Lizard Noises-
Mitakihara - Industrial Area
"You'll have to ask her about that." Anderson pointed at Mami. "She's the expert. All we know is to look out for weird tattoos on the neck."
"We have to search for them." Mami took a step back from everyone and laid out the palm of her hand, letting her Soul Gem manifest seemingly out of nowhere. "They give off a magic signature, which I can use this to track. Other than that, it's usually a matter of keeping one's eyes out for anything strange."
Sidorovich's
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't." Homura set down the axe against the bottom of the counter before reaching into her Time Shield and laying out each wrapped tentacle grouping one at a time. She kept an eye on the RG-6 as the last bundle was laid out.
Vampire Hunter
Morrigan & Lilith, Sakura Dungeon Library
"We are succubi from the realm of Makai, a realm similar to that of Sakura Dungeon, though it does have... male monsters," Morrigan explained to Hiriko, hoping that no one here would be too shocked about it. "But Makai is not here on Battleworld."
"Yesterday, I did find a way to encounter native succubi of this place, and they aren't that much different," Morrigan concluded to Hiriko.
B.B. Hood, Red Sprite, Dining Hall
"I'm with Maria... You're being deliberately obstructive now," B.B. Hood tilted her head and gave them a glare before looking at the others. "We ought to leave as these guys clearly do not appreciate being warned about a murderous demon."
Wizard Needs Food Badly
The Zone, Outside Army Warehouse: I'd Like to Speak to the Manager
Well. These gentlemen weren't the most professional soldiers ever, far as first impressions go. Tough to shoot incoming hostiles when you're using your helmet as a fishbowl. Still, it's not like they were armed with sticks and rocks, so insulting these three with the truth could be a decision they'd quickly regret.
"We sure as hell hit something." the woman muttered. Somehow "anomaly" just didn't seem to fit the description, though. Too polite.
At the invitation to the PARTY!!!! Freedom home base, only one of the strangers seemed eager to enjoy the local recreation. Guess which one.
The woman punched her associate in the arm as his face lit up with the offer. "We're on the job."
Dreadfully disappointed, the blonde-haired man pouted and shook his head. "What she said. Wouldn't mind chatting with the big cheese, though."
"We'd appreciate the escort, too." the woman added. Better deal with these three idiots than a series of three idiots each time they crossed a scouting party.
The party-lover extended a hand to shake. "I'm Puck. She's Ariel. The guy in the suit's our boss: Director Horai."
By now, the Freedom fighters would've probably noticed that the Director hadn't said a single word since they'd arrived; hadn't even tired to utter a word. Either the old man was so stuck up he wouldn't even speak to these grunts, or he couldn't talk at all.
Turns out it was actually the latter. It's tough to speak after an unholy ritual turns hundreds of people into a limitless power source...at the cost of your own vocal chords. Not that he would share that information, anyway.
Common Room: Easiest Recruitment Job Ever
Goro sluggishly turned to the newest state rep with the same gaze he gave almost everyone: a stern and disgusted frown that suggested he already hates you before you open your mouth.
He didn't, of course—though he'd appreciate a more professional wardrobe when speaking to a delegate. This wasn't the beach.
"Quite." he frowned. "However, the term 'Hell's Gate' is purely nominal; there lies a common misconception on this planet that we house the entrance to the world of the damned. While that is not the case, Hell's Gate is not to be taken lightly; it is an inhospitable wasteland that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives."
With that charming introduction, the frowning man extended a hand to shake.
"I am Goro Kobayashi, an associate of our city's delegate: Miss Misaki Kirihara. While I can promise to do everything in my power to ensure a peaceful border, we are nevertheless here to provide entertainment for our host. If we do not fight each other, the Cure will provide an aggressive opponent to strike us all at once, as he has done in the past."
Before that warning could be taken the wrong way, Goro continued:
"Yet this need not be our only fate: Miss Kirihara and I are seeking the support of the planet's delegates for a neutral space to settle disputes through combat. A Dueling Grounds of sorts, where the Cure will be provided with entertainment that does not endanger innocent lives. Does this sound like something you and the people of Netherworld would support?"
Netherworld, Castle Market: Rejection (via Ejection)
This thing...wanted...to kiss...her?
The very thought sent a surge of pure unrestrained rage flowed through Princess Jai. To tarnish these perfect lips by touching that song bird's beak was an unspeakable crime! Like drawing dicks on the Mona Lisa!
It must be punished.
As the prinny awaited its kiss, Princess Jai suddenly began to glow a cold starlight blue. Her dull half-closed eyes gained a sinister red gleam in the pupils. As a dainty hand rose from her side, the prinny would realize its body rose off the ground, as if clutched by a large, invisible, and wrathful hand.
"No thanks."
The hand brushed to the side and (unless a miracle happened) the flightless bird would be sent soaring through the air and into the lava lake far below.
Having likely committed some casual murder, Princess Jai would then proceed to hike up her dress an inch, and head for the castle gates. Castles have lots of food, right?
Commons Corridor, RWBY RWMS: The Man Who was Too Hot to Handle
Maki smiled at Nora's teasing, and nodded at Ren's words.
"I'm a lot better at it than I was a few days ago." he said, collecting the cards to try another round. "Someone from Ikebukuro taught me: a man who called himself Hibachi. He was really weird, but he was nice to me. I don't know why, I didn't give him much reason to be nice, but he was."
The thought had occurred to him that Hibachi might have returned to Ikebukuro; after all, he didn't appear in the big white room when Genosha vanished, like everyone else did. He had probably left the city by then.
Maki finished shuffling the cards, and invited Ren and Nora to try their luck again. Though this time, the ace would be gone. When the cards were all flipped over, the boy's smile widened.
"Nora, may I go out now?" he asked, already gathering up the cards to put them away in his room.
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Mar 15th 2019 at 9:58:04 AM
Glory to Arachnos
The SEVA leader shaked Puck's hand happily. "Good to meet ya all. Our leader would gladly speak with you all with no problem whatsoever. His name is Lukash, and you can just ask around where to find him once you're there." He wondered though, what's up with the old timer not saying anything at all...it kind of felt weird, but eh. He couldn't judge his silent presence. After a few minutes of walking, the Freedom fighters and the syndicate group would approach to the entrance of Freedom's Base, finding themselves in a checkpoint guarded by 3 freedomers
◊, the main gate guard wore a yellow and green colored variant of the exoskeleton.
"Shit, Leshiy. Is that a woman right there? She's kinda hot." The guard in the left said to the other freedomer as the group slowly approached the base and they took notice.
"That most definetely is, Twig. Now that's a anomaly if I ever seen one." The guard in the right said, as then the group would get to the front of the entrance.
"Hey, Murk." The exoskeleton Freedomer greeted the patrol leader. "Seems like you got some new friends here. Are they visitors?"
"Yup. We just found them a few minutes ago. Said they're looking for a mechanic to fix their car, and also would like to speak with Lukash here."
"Is that so?" The exo guard examined the trio. Pretty weird group, to be honest. A old geezer, a guy that looked like came from a hardbass party and a....woman. Never thought he would see a woman ever again since he stayed in the Zone.
"Well, lady and gentlemen." He would adress Horai, Puck and Ariel. "This is Freedom's Base. Relax, make yourselves at home! We love having visitors in our place. You can find our best mechanics, Uncle Yar and Screw at their workplace near the helipad, they'll help you out with your car problem. You can also visit Ganja's and Chef's bar and eat some delicious food, vodka or even roll a joint with Ganja. If you want to speak with our leader, Lukash, you'll find the main building near the helipad. If you lack supplies, you'll find Ashot and Skinflint inside the main building, they can easily stock you up with gear, weapons or supplies."
The guard's tone then suddenly became serious. "We may be friendly, but don't abuse of our hospitality. Behave, OK? Got it? Try fooling around and you'll be sorry. We had a slow-witted one here once; he pissed everyone off so bad, that when we told him to behave or we'll kick him out, he then suddenly shot one of our own. We then made him take a hike on the minefield - naked. You should have heard Skinflint cursing when that dude's arm fell square on his head! That was something special... yeah... So, you got the idea? Let's just be friends and don't cause any trouble here."
Sidorovich looked at the Bloodsucker tentacles that Homura left, looking quite pleased at Homura's success in dealing with the bloodsucker infestation. The ecologists will pay him nicely for giving them the tentacles from those things, but first things first, to give the girl her reward.
He would grab the tentacles from the bloodsuckers and put it in a bag, before moving in to give Homura her reward. He would grab a small supply of 18 VOG-25 Grenades from a box in her bunker, put in in the desk, and then grab the RG-6 Grenade launcher from the gun rack, and then place it on the desk, giving her the reward for the task.
"There you go, missy, for a job well done. I also promised you to give you another weapon along with the RG-6. So what will it be? Two days ago, I got a supply of 5 FN F2000 assault rifles with a built in grenade launcher. Normally I'm not a fan of NATO guns, but these ones are pretty good and in excellent shape. If those don't tickle your fancy, I can show you other weapons, be it pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles or sniper rifles from either NATO or from the Warsaw Pact."
Edited by Darkomega245 on Mar 15th 2019 at 12:40:14 PM
-Spider Lizard Noises-
The Grand Re-Vizier
As Jack approached the bridge he spotted the white-haired demon warrior from City 17, or else a figure with a very close resemblance to him. As he began crossing the bridge, the samurai prince spoke into the little speech transferring device the older man had given him.
"I have found this 'Vergil'. He is on the bridge to the slums. If my information is false I will alert you and continue my search. If I do not, assume it is he. Call for the others immediately in any case. It will be safer to have to call them off than risk such a foe slipping from our grasp."
He finished his message long before he got within sight or earshot, and continued walking on until it became plain that the man in the blue coat was indeed the treacherous swordsman. The samurai gave the pale man his coldest scowl.
"You betrayed us to a shapeshifting creature of darkness. The scent of battle and senseless death hangs over you like a shroud. I have seen your evil before, across many lands and times."
Jack stepped deliberately forward with each word as his hand drifted to his sword, until they were about seven paces apart. He gripped it and checked that the blade was free in its sheath. Yes, until now he had deliberately avoided killing even the Outworlder demons. But this was a duel between warriors, against a foe who had already given himself over to darkness.
Whether he was to live or die, the Sword would decide.
"Draw your blade. There is no escape."
Edited by Dblade26 on Mar 15th 2019 at 12:44:41 PM
Vergil showed no reaction as Jack made his speech. But there were a few other random civilians on the bridge, all of who came to a slow halt as it became clear a confrontation was unfolding in front of them. Vergil himself, meanwhile, shook his head.
"This is it? I was told to expect you. But I was hoping for more. My dear brother, who I still owe a proper rematch, couldn't be bothered to show up? Perhaps I need to take his pet human as bait. But even that foolish woman couldn't be bothered? Rather, I get you. Just another human, thinking themselves the equal of a Son of Sparda."
He raised his hand, wagging a finger. "And don't think I can't sense the power behind that sword. I may have been caught off guard by it once. But no longer. If you believe leaning on that sword, like a crutch, will save you, you are sadly mistaken."
He moved the thumb on his sword hand, sliding his katana an inch out of its sheath.
"But if you are so eager to throw your life away for lazy louts, and weaklings who cannot fight their own battles....then come."
Common Room, Laharl and Goro
"Very well then," Laharl replied, shaking Goro's hand. "I’m Tyrant Overlord Laharl.”
A strange title for someone who appeared to be so young, but Battleworld was full of weirdos.
“Killing people who have neither the strength nor willingness to fight back would be considered low class for a demon of my standing, so I can see the appeal. On the other hand, I’m sure that many of the people here are far less reasonable than I and would be unwilling to honor such an agreement, and will force you to fight on their terms regardless. But what the hell? Naive as it may be, I want to see where this goes. You have the support of the Netherworld.”
The Netherworld, The Castle – Jai and the Castle Guards
“Wh-What?!” the Prinny gasped. “Hey, put me down dood!”
The Prinny panicked, reaching for his knives but not really being able to do much in the face of his one true weakness – ie, being lifted by weird spectral hands or some shit.
“Noooo! All I wanted was some sugar, dooooo-”
He landed face first in the lava, causing him to explode instantly. Nobody really blinked an eye at this incident, though. A Prinny death in the Netherworld was a common enough occurrence that most people just ignored it, assuming they didn’t outright make a game of it. This was the Netherworld, after all, and Prinnies were the lowest of the low.
Jai made her way across the bridge and towards the castle gate without incident, until she was met with a pair a pair of armored guards
◊ who stood in front of the entrance wielding lances. Stonefaced, each of them turned their gaze toward Jai.
“Halt!” they said in unison. “This is the Overlord’s castle. What business do you have here?”
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Mar 15th 2019 at 1:05:28 PM
Vampire Hunter
Trevor, Fairy Tail Guild Hall
"Satan Soul, huh?" Trevor seemed to be in thought, but he pulled out the Vampire Killer, hopefully reminding them of Sara Trantoul's sacrifice. "It seems we all have our own burdens to bear."
"I've had some chocolate brownies and chocolate... um, cereal before," Trevor said as he put away the Vampire Killer and tried to give a few of the leftover chocolate chip to Tatl. "It's pretty good and sweet."
Jedah & Demitri, Common Room
Jedah Dohma and Demitri Maximoff had spent their time observing the Common Room... Jedah Dohma having been sent back there once the Mushroom Kingdom vanished. However, Demitri had given the various hunters of the supernatural a wide birth even as one of them just stayed in the Common Room for a while. Thankfully, all of them were gone and it seemed like Demitri could finally get to exploring another of these chunks. For his part, Jedah simply shook his head when he saw what replaced the Mushroom Kingdom and the apparent ruler.
"It seems the Darkhunter has found others of her field," Demitri muttered to himself although Jedah was able to overhear. "A lot of others."
Jedah found this development very concerning, especially for his future plans. However, there was more immediate issue for him to take care of since he floated over to where Laharl and Goro were standing.
"Intriguing... How did a demon as young as you get to be ruler of his own Netherworld?" Jedah then introduced himself to the two. "My name is Jedah Dohma, High Noble of Makai... Or I would be if Makai were here."
Edited by GameGuruGG on Mar 22nd 2019 at 9:32:26 AM
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Fairy Tail Guild Hall - Mirajane
"You shouldn't assume you're the only one who's ever lost people...." Mirajane half-whispered, almost to herself, before shaking her head.
"You'll find that out... when they're done. Now if you're finished with all of these questions, Trevor and Grant were nice enough to make us all lunch, and we don't want to ruin our appetites by eating a bunch of cookies before we get to those, now do we?"
She headed to the door, then at the last moment, turned around and glared at Ozen and Tatl. "And don't think about taking them out yet! They need to cook!"
With that, Mirajane walked off to the tables. The tables located on the other side of a door. The tables that weren't in the kitchen. The tables that weren't in the kitchen where the oven currently was, cookies baking inside. The place where, once she sat down at one of the many plates that Trevor and Grant had prepared, she would be completely unable to see what was going on in the kitchen when the door was closed, leaving the oven virtually defenseless. Nothing short of luck and her own faith would protect the ovens once she sat down.
So, when she was out of the kitchen, Mirajane let the door start shutting itself closed again, and she sat down at one of the many plates that Trevor and Grant had prepared. She hadn't had a chance to talk much with that Shanoa, so she sat next to her. Conveniently, Link was sitting across from Shanoa, which gave her a slight extra bit of distance from whatever splash zone the kid was making with his pasta.
"Oh wow, this looks good!" she complimented the chef(s). She picked up a fork, carefully twirled it on the plate to pick up a considerable forkful, and bit into it, enjoying the flavor. "And it tastes great too! Bet you've done this more than just a few times before. Maybe for candlelit dinners with your ladyfriends, huh?"
She giggled to herself for a few moments and ate another forkful of spaghetti, giving Link a smile when she saw him doing his best to use the fork. And she figured that if the sauce dripping off of his chin was any indication, they'd probably need to help him with his laundry before the day was through.
"We haven't had a chance to talk too much... but we can fix that by talking now!" she tried to strike up a conversation with Shanoa. The woman didn't seem like much of a talker, but, well, it would be a damned shame if she didn't try and get her to open up a little at least. "That was some pretty cool magic you used earlier, summoning your sword. Not too many people out there can use Requip like that. And even less who can use it that well. My friend Erza is a Requip master, though, and she's one of the strongest wizards in Earthland. Sure is neat that you can do it."
Sakura Dungeon Egypt Library
Hiriko's eyes widened.
"Male monsters? How horrifying," she said, partially in shock. "You won't find that sort of nonsense here."
Sakura Dungeon - "Adventurers Guild"
Going into the town
◊, there was a small, humble building that had a rudimentary wooden sign that said 'ADVENTURERS GUILD' on it and a door with a sign saying it was open.
If it looked like a simple two-story house where someone had hastily converted the lower level into some approximation of a gathering hall, well, that was because it was. The relatively-large room in the first floor that should have been a den or dining room of some sort was, instead, quite bare. In the middle of the wooden floor was a wooden table, some wooden chairs, and then a wooden notice board was hanging off of the wooden wall, a thin sheet of wood known as 'paper' had been nailed into the board with, you guessed it, a steel nail.
Seated at the table was a Fox Knight
◊ - a fox monster who happened to have a longsword - who was reading from a book. She quickly slammed the book shut and set it down, hopping up out of the chair and smiling at the newcomers.
"Hi!" she shouted. "Welcome to the Adventurers Guild, are you here to joi...."
She paused.
She blinked.
She looked down at the duo.
"Uh......... what are you?" she asked.
Sakura Dungeon Garden
The Tribeswoman frowned when Teemo approached, and her hands tightened around her spear as she assumed a nimble crouching position, ducked down low enough that she wasn't all that much higher than the yordle.
"What you want, Tiny?" she asked gruffly, pointing the spear at him.
Mirai Mall - Cana
"Sorry about this, Kanda..." Cana muttered, frowning for a moment and then headbutted Kanda.
"We're in here!" she shouted back at the (hopefully) friendly person that was coming from outside. An actual voice this time, instead of one being slammed straight into her head like some sort of telepathy the way these other creepy voices were. She reached her right hand down to her pouch, then rapidly flicked her hand towards the front of the elevator.
"Cards volley!" she shouted, throwing a cluster of energy cards from her hand and over at the door to the lift. They flew straight at the door with all the force of a raging bull, smashing towards it like a veritable battering ram.
Monokubs & Kizakura- Hope's Peak Academy w/Nagi & Dante
"... So, can we start moving on with the tour?" Kizakura asked the small Plushes.
"Yeah, sure. Time is money, after all."
"Just call on us if you need anything!"
So long! Bear Well!
And with that, the five bears left, the scout shaking his head.
"They are a handful... So," he turned to the two escortees, placing one hand in another. "Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy. We're currently at the gates. Once we get past there, we'll be in front of the Old School Building. Directly behind it is the New School Building, which was just finished a few months ago. If you follow me, we can start this tour proper."
He turned to the gates, which were now opened, looking back to see if the other two were ready to embark, or if they had any other questions.
Byakyua & Sonia- Facility X-394 Disciplinary Department
After their rapid escape into the relatively more safe department, they allowed themselves to breathe. After catching what the had lost, they noticed three other figures came with them, what seemed to be a catgirl and a wolfman, as well as a relatively more human male, asking how they were.
"I'm okay... relatively..." Soina responded.
"We're alive. I think that's as good as we can get here." Byakyua added.
Eventually, they were joined by another girl, with purple hair and a crown of eyes. At this point, the two were pretty much over how strange everything here can be, given what they just witnessed. At least it wasn't dangerous? Small blessings are important.
And Sonia wasn't going to admit it now (time and place, after all), but she would not mind having one of those.
The two waited for their next move. Perhaps they could survive after all.
Tsubaki- Red Sprite w/ Tactical Virgil Team
"That's probably a good idea..." She joined in the whispering. Waiting here, despite the annoyances, was probably the best course of action.
It was, perhaps, good that Tsubaki was the one assigned to go here. Because the place was testing even her patience. Even so, she wasn't ready to out and out abandon them.
"They are, but I would rather not see them destroyed." She turned to BB. "Besides, I do not think it wise, in terms of relations with everyone else here, to have death on our hands by abandoning our post."
If you're stuck on a makeshift conflict world, it was probably best not to give people reasons to either a.) hunt you, or b.) ignore you.
Edited by Boomer75 on Mar 17th 2019 at 12:54:48 PM
As they started walking, Dante went digging in his coat, pulling out a piece of wrinkled paper and opening it. Anyone who looked would see some fancy looking, neat handwriting. That is to say, unlikely to be his.
"So, er, let's see....What makes your school stand out from others of its type?" Dante asked in that stilted tone of voice that would make it clear he was reading off a sheet of paper even if the scout wasn't looking at him. "What makes your school unique? Why should we select your school over other options? Make sure to ask Nagi what she wants out of a school and Dante don't.....read this part out loud."
He scratched the back of his head. "Why diden't you put that before it then?" He asked the sky. It did not reply.
Edited by Meanken on Mar 17th 2019 at 12:12:16 PM
Delfi turned to look at the brown-haired girl that had spoken to her, a faintly bemused look on her face at the obvious comment. The following abruptly ended comment and reaction further confused the young woman for a brief moment, before she realized what she had meant. Years of cold treatment, quiet derision and other negative reactions of various blatancies had hardened and steeled the wheelchair-bound girl against what others thought of her, and her constant exposure to some of people's worst parts dulled her further.
But, the circumstances of her arrival to Battleworld and meeting some of the others from her past had put a crack in that armour. Frustration, anger and the bitter weight of self-loathing settled in her gut, and no doubt showed on her face for a moment. She looked away from Ceri, refusing to see the pity she was sure would be there. She didn't need nor want it. Ignoring the awkward attempt at an apology, Delfi said, "I would read when I was able too, but it wasn't often my choice at when and what I would read. They kept me on a tight leash most of the time."
"What, so you've got some kind of wireless phone radio with you that can reach from here to wherever the others are?" Garnet scoffed at the small girl's, crossing his arms across his chest and looking them over with a disbelieving look. Even leaning around as if to look behind them. "Because I sure don't see one. Unless you're somehow hiding it, huh?"
One of the other guards chuckled quietly at that, and in general there was an air of disbelief from the assembled group.
"Cool." Tatsu stated, quickly setting off down the hallway again at a decent pace, the jacket around his shoulders flapping behind him. They didn't make it very far, however, before the sound of running approached from behind them. Glancing back, the group spotted a young soldier weaving between the occasional person to get towards them. Looking faintly concerned, the young captain came to a stop.
Pulling to a stop just before them, the young messenger threw a quick sloppy salute towards them. Alfred, who was closest, spoke first. "What's wrong, soldier? Is there a problem?"
"Um, I'm not sure." The woman replied, huffing and bending over slightly from her speedy search. "A group of people came through the portal thing, saying that the ship could be in danger from a person called Vergil. They wanted to search around for him. Now they want you to look before they'll leave."
Alfred glanced over towards Tatsu, a silent conversation passing between the two for several moments as their demeanor shifted greatly, looking serious. Finally, the dark-haired teen nodded at his friend. "Go find out what's going on exactly, and if it's serious come get me."
The older of the boys nodded sharply once, before turning towards the messenger woman. He stepped up and then past her, gesturing for her to follow. "Let's get moving then."
As the two moved off, Tatsu seemed to shift back to his usual self, smiling at his guest as he started moving once again. "Anyway, let's keep going ourselves. I'm sure you've realized where on an airship now, right? How do you think we get around without being obvious?"