(Avatar by Coffee)
Dilapidated Temple
Fujioka would've complained some more, but the Sculptor grumpily told him to shut up and let the cat explain things properly. So the Information Broker stayed quiet throughout Mao's (second) explanation of the Mechanics of Battleworld.
Wolf listened attentively, as though it was the first time he was hearing things. It was hard to tell — expressiveness certainly wasn't one of the shinobi's virtues — but it seems that it was giving him Ideas.
"I gotta question, Mr Mao," Hanbei said, scratching beneath his menpou. "Do you think there's something out there in this place that can kill me?"
This prompted some annoyed grumbling about not being able to enjoy the finer parts of life from Fujioka, but the ragged samurai ignored him altogether.
Edited by desdendelle on Sep 9th 2020 at 5:30:27 AM
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
Eternal Princess
As the two step through the portal, they would be greeted with a very common sight in the English country side. Rain, and lots of it. It was the kind of heavy rain and thunder that made one just want to crawl back in to bed and sleep until sunny skies. At least the grey clouds helped the green color of the country side pop in the otherwise dreary scene. Towering ahead of them was the school for witches, built like a fairy tail castle. In the distance they could see the green glow atop the New Moon tower, visible even in the haze of the constant rain fall. Directly ahead of them however was a gate, guarded by two hulking figures.
The two stood more then twice their height. While it was difficult to tell their physique with the massive rain coats they wore, they were definitely broad shouldered. Peeking out of their hoods were two monstrous faces. A bearded blue cyclops and a green troll. The large eye of the cyclops looked from one visitor to the other with an expression that was hard to read. After considering the two for a moment, he turned to his companion.
The Troll for the moment was looking all too pleased with himself after Littorio's remark about the color green. Noticing the Cyclops was looking to him for confirmation, the Troll gave a thumps up to show that these two were cool. The cat girl had to be from Sakura Dungeon after all, there was no way there were two areas featuring voluptuous animal eared monster girls with a disdain for modesty. The green Troll gave a grunt and grumble, which was probably a greeting in the intelligible fairy tongue it spoke, if the creatures mannerisms were any indication. It gave a knock to the gate, alerting the welcoming committee that they had visitors. From the other side of the gate came the voice of a school girl.
"What? Someone actually came out in this weather?"
The trio of students were the same who watched the gate yesterday. The lanky book worm Rachel, the fire witch from Brazil Rita, and the monster enthusiast Abigail. Despite being a much less desirable position given the weather, they felt they it was their duty to volunteer again. After all they were the most qualified, having a full day of experience over everyone else. And after yesterday, what could possibly surprise them?
Unlike yesterday though, the students wore the full ceremonial garbs, witch hats and all. Rachel was the first to appear. She held her wand up right, a light at its tip suggesting some magic at play. The rain water seemed to curve around the witch, like some invisible bubble was keeping her dry. She opened the gate to greet the guests.
"Welcome to Luna Nova! I'm Rachel. Its a pleasure to make your...OH GOD SHE'S NAKED! WHY IS SHE NAKED!? HOW ARE THEY COMING WITH EVEN LESS CLOTHES THEN BEFORE!?"
The sheltered girl covered her face and turned away, the cat girl's look being a bit too much for her. The exclamation got the attention of the other two, who instantly went to see if it was true. Abigail and Rita peeked through the iron bars, spotting Felecia in all her glory. Their initial reaction was delighted surprise, but they both seem to soon settle on a thoughtful look. As if they were studying and considering the cat girl. The freckled girl with twin braids, Rita, was the first to speak her mind.
"I don't know...I think she has pasties or...fur? Like, I feel she not wearing enough that she would get kicked off a public beach, but that she is also wearing enough that she would get kicked off a nudist beach as well. Hmm..."
She furrowed her brow as she tried to work through this great dilemma as to whether this cat girl could be considered naked or not. Of course the thought process of Abigail was of a different subject entirely. Cat ears. A tail. Claws. There was no question in Abigail's mind, she already came to the conclusion.
"She's a werecat!"
At the exclamation, the German monster enthusiast rolled up her sleeve, exposing her bare forearm. She held it in front of her.
"BITE ME!"
This caused Rita to abandon her line of reasoning and turn to her friend, clearly concerned. Especially when Abigail rushed out the gate, seemingly intent to shove her fore arm into the cat girl's mouth and force her to chow down on it. Luckily Rita was able to get hold of the other girl.
"What are you doing Abigail!?"
"Let go of me Rita! I'm tired of being a boring old human! I want to be a monster!"
"What!? You're a witch! Isn't that enough!?"
"No! Monster!"
The two continued to struggle when Rita remember there was a non naked woman too. One they really should be paying attention to considering the military uniform. Rita looked at Littorio horrified, before nervously laughing to try to hide her embarrassment.
"Funny weather we are having huh?"
How do you kill that which has no life?
Mitakihara Middle School Roof
Madoka beat Kyoko to the punch when Wendy revealed her age: “You’re older than me?” She was clearly surprised; Kyoko was as well, though it seemed to fade a bit when Wendy went and pouted like someone who was half their age. The redhead stood upright and gave a visible sigh. “Look, the big issue’s been dealt with already — now that she and Sayaka know the truth the little rat can’t do shit by himself. It’s why he gets girls like us to make contracts and kill Witches so that he turns them into cosmic chow or whatever, at least until we bite it ourselves. He can’t even tell lies, although he’s good at getting around that kind of thing.”
“Still, it would be nice to have more help so that you and Sayaka-chan and Mami-san and Homura-chan don’t have to work so hard, and...put yourselves more in danger.” Madoka paused, trying to figure out what to say next. “At least against other Witches, at any rate. If there’s no way to get them back to being normal…And we still need to tell Mami-san about all this once they get back.”
“Yeah, that’s gonna be fun.” Kyoko’s tone of voice was obviously not expecting it to be fun in any sense of the word.
“So, in the meantime…” Madoka turned back to Wendy. “‘Sky-Dragon Slayer’? That’s a pretty fierce nickname, Wendy-chan! How did you get it?”
Delfi just nodded, noting that the woman was being honest so far in her explanation. Everything she said matched up with what she'd heard elsewhere, and told her that she at least wasn't attempt to lie or lead her astray on that.
The other woman interjected, prompting the wheelchair bound blonde to look over at her, taking in her appearance. She looked like a fighter, or at least the sort to not shy away from conflict. Drawing on her power for a moment, Delfi used it to take a read of the woman. Drawing in all the micro-movements, expressions and the like to paint a very good picture of what the woman was feeling and vaguely thinking at that moment.
She then turned the same power on Misaki, to try and get a feel for her. This was a little harder as the woman turned her back to the girl, but it helped her hide the small reaction she had to the revelation that the area was being recorded somehow. Even though she hadn't seen any cameras. Suspicion immediately filled Delfi, as she wondered if perhaps this had been a ploy by the woman, who already knew she had been there previous. She was quick to smooth over her expression once more, showing none of her worry or suspicion as Misaki turned back to look at her.
The wheelchair-bound young woman thought for a moment about the question. "I didn't come here with a group." She replied coolly, not even lying. She hadn't after all, and had instead been dragged here by Tatsu. Nor was she part of that group, despite what the younger boy had wanted. "I was brought here alone, as far as I'm aware."
Vampire Hunter
Grant, Rookie Village, The Zone
"Hmm... well then, prepare our escape route," Grant nodded to the Stalker. "We'll do what we can to help, but if the battle here seems lost, I want us to be ready to flee into the Anomaly Field."
"If you think the Rookies'll have no chance fighting here, then start sending them through the Anomaly Field like it's a training session for them," Grant continued. "Hopefully we'll hold off the military, but if they end up fighting, it should be somewhere the military will have trouble in."
Felicia, Luna Nova Entrance
Felicia accepted getting covered by Littorio's cape, since she wasn't expecting rain. She rolled her eyes at the reactions to her.
Felicia was about to respond when Abigail began thinking she was like some sort of werewolf and was asking to be bitten?
"That's not how Catwomen work!" Felicia yelled back. "My species is born this way, no bites!"
"Now can one of you get me a raincoat or something?!" Felicia asked them. "I wasn't expecting it to be raining today!"
Castlevania, Airspace
While the guards of the Castle noticed the intruders into Castlevania's airspace, there was not a lot any of them could really do about it given just how high up the intruders were. The only defenses at the top of the castle, especially while it was currently raining, tended to be bats and giant bats.* The bats look notably confused as to how to handle flying invaders since their normal attack pattern is to fly erratically to try to knock invaders off of ledges so they would fall to their deaths.
While the intruders were flying, they would see a long bridge at the top of castle leading into a Clock Tower as well the highest point of the Castle, the Castle Keep, which had an open window leading into it. It did look like the bats and giant bats, which were currently resting on the long bridge, were about to try to fly erratically at the intruders, though.
Edited by GameGuruGG on Sep 8th 2020 at 12:29:25 PM
Wizard Needs Food Badly
I have a plan.
Vector Docks
Kefka rolled his eyes at Friedrich der Große, and let out a dry scoff. "Clearly, you didn't do your homework before visiting the Empire. Did your dog eat it?" he said with a smirk.
"This fine city has been seeing activity from a group of anarchists, and this specific district has been hit the hardest. Of course, the perpetrators have been dealt with, but we need to make sure that any new visitors are carefully monitored," he said, crossing his arms. "After all, the masterminds behind our fine city's plight are still out there, somewhere..."
He spun his hand around, looking at the Ironblood with only passing interest. "I'm Kefka Palazzo, representing the Imperial court, and the Imperial special forces, blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah. I was instructed to guide any interested parties to the Imperial palace, because the Emperor is always interested in hosting visitors."
Kefka looks back at Friedrich der Große, meeting her golden-yellow eyes with an icy blue stare and a smile that was a little too wide to be friendly.
"By the by; I won't really care what you choose do while you're here. You want to talk to the old man in charge, or watch a show at the theater, or sleep in some roach-inn in the south part of town? Be my guest. Just don't make a fool of me during your stay. The last group that betrayed my trust are no relevant to this world's matters." As Kefka ended his threat (promise?), his smile grew unnervingly wider. His eyes peered into her soul.
He suddenly curtseys, showing his peacock-purple cape to everyone, breaking his staring-spell over Friedrich. "With that out of the way, welcome to Vector, capital of the Gestalhian Empire! I hope you enjoy your stay here, I really do. If you need someone to escort you through all the points of interest, I'd be glad to drop everything I'm doing right now and assist you. I'm kind of obliged to help out our tourists, after all!"
Behind Kefka, the litany of crimson-clad soldiers just look at Friedrich and her 'children', and shake their heads quietly.
Vector Campsite
A very cutsey voice rings from deeper in the woods to correct Jean Bart. "I'm not a bunny, kupo! I'm a Moogle!"
The voice becomes awkwardly silent, and the grasshoppers hidden all around the forest resume their constant chirping.
Another voice, this one deeper and warmer, emitted from the campsite, this one sounding a bit closer to Eagle Union's finest scouts. "Ah. We have unexpected visitors. Please, come in!"
The speaker made himself known. Approaching Jean and Massachusetts was an older gentleman clad in teal-blue robes, flanked by two younger men who were covered head to toe in white bedouin-style robes. Nobody in the group was armed. The older gentleman waved to Jean and Massachusetts with a smile.
"You both must've had a long adventure out in the countryside. You both must be pretty cold and wet by now—We have a campfire, and plenty of tents that are dry."
The Zone - Shadow
Shadow mulled over Strelok's response quietly, feeling more at ease as he saw the Rookie Village in his sights. "So this is the place you chose to be your home? Do you have sentiments for this land, and the people who live here?"
Edited by TailsDoll on Sep 17th 2020 at 12:36:35 PM
"@[=g3,8d]&fbb=-q]/hk%fg"
PANDORA, Building 3: Can A Gauss Gun Erase A Chunk of South America?
"E...electrical anomaly?" Dr. Vectrof repeated. Judging by the faint glimmer of sweat appearing on the physicist's bald scalp, it wasn't hard to judge that those words struck a very unsettling tone.
But Sergei seemed acutely aware of this reaction, since he immediately apologized for it.
"You see, gentlemen...the Contractor we suspect to have stolen the Meteor Shard—a young astronomer named Nick Hillman—had the ability to generate massive amounts of electricity at will. He killed eight of his peers and three members of the faculty to attain it, and it was only after extensive autopsies that we discovered that the near-instant deaths were caused by electrocution. While Hillman later perished inside the quarantine zone due to an unforeseen shift in the Gate's geography, he managed to smuggle the Meteor Shard out of this facility to an unknown accomplice. The trail went cold from there."
The group walked for a dozen steps in silence before Dr. Vectrof could summon the courage to propose something his peers would detest for even suggesting to outsiders. But...well, there were more than a few similarities, now.
"The generation of electricity is a fascinating phenomenon. Mankind has so many myths about its creation; how it rains down from the heavens at the will of this god or that. But just as the divine is so incredibly large, the source of electricity is, in what I believe is equal measure, incredibly small. It's all just electrons breaking free of their orbit. Humans like you or I can generate small amounts of electricity in the form of a static shock, but for a Contractor to create enough voltage to kill someone with a single touch...in my mind it almost steps away from the impossible, closer to our understanding of reality. A Contractor who harnesses electricity is—at least in opinion—something of an amateur quantum physicist. On some conscious level, they comprehend that what grants them power does not come from dark clouds or power lines, but from one of the cornerstones of matter itself; from themselves, from their victims, and from the space between them."
Another pause followed, maybe long enough for the Ecologists to wonder if their host was getting to a point, or just wanted to wax philosophically about a dead thief who murdered nearly a dozen PANDORA staff. But just before Kruglov of his colleagues might raise their voice to answer, Sergei continued the topic with a new edge in his voice.
"And indeed, if a Contractor can harness one cornerstone of matter at will, an obvious question is bound to follow: can they harness another? Fortunately, there have been no documents of a Contractor with an ability to cause nuclear fission—what a monstrous state of affairs our world would be in if that were the case!—but there has been talk of one individual with a most extraordinary ability: the power to alter matter on the molecular level! Now I don't who this Contractor is or was, but if their ability was truly to alter matter, then wouldn't the ability to generate electricity be a convenient cover for them? Or perhaps 'cover' is the wrong word; perhaps 'larval state' is better.
"Either way, I'm not speaking in pure hypotheticals, gentlemen: such a Contractor must have existed, otherwise we cannot explain an utter disaster that happened in South America five years ago. As you can infer, the Meteor Shard that Dr. Hillman stole was not the only one in existence; another Shard was discovered within Heaven's Gate, the sister location of Hell's Gate, located in the polar opposite direction of Tokyo. However, soon after the Meteor Shard's discovery, a Contractor stole it and somehow managed to use it to amplify their ability to a devastating degree. The result was not some mere act of destruction like a nuclear bomb, but rather the complete and impenetrable encapsulation of parts of the continent, a field that spreads over 2,400 kilometers in diameter. Everything from Brasília to Rio de Janeiro to Florianópolis to Palmas to Puerto Suárez was suddenly and permanently cut off from the rest of the world! I'd say the area was swallowed by antimatter, or some kind of stationary white hole, but we still receive readings from Heaven's Gate, which tells us that it is still very much intact. As to whether or not the people inside that impenetrable curtain are still alive...I suppose we lack the technology to find out."
Dr. Vectrof stopped walking.
"This, gentlemen, is the power of a Meteor Shard if placed in the wrong hands. I want you all to comprehend that, and to understand just how much faith Mr. Nishijima must have that you will take good care of it."
Dilapidated Temple: Battleworld != Executionworld
Despite looking at the shambling corpse, Mao's utter lack of response to Hanbei's question might suggest he didn't hear it. He had heard it of course, understanding it was the problem. Sure, the samurai was clearly some kind of undead creature (Mao picked up on that just based on the guy's stench alone) but there were other ways around this apparent immortality problem aside from just waltzing somewhere hoping to be granted Super Death.
So instead of answering Hanbei, the cat just turned his head towards Wolf. "He drink something like what's in your gourd?"
Whether or not the shinobi (or Emma) explained Hanbei's condition didn't really matter; Mao wasn't interested in losing a potential ally just so the idiot could fulfill a death wish.
"Like I said earlier," the cat said to Hanbei, "the Cure is willing to grant favors from a group's delegate. Maybe if you help out the others here, Sekiro could wish to make you mortal again. That way you could be of use to everyone and get to die in battle later. Till then, I don't think pointing you in some random direction's going to help anyone, especially not you."
He was dodging the question, and maybe Hanbei could recognize that. But the truth was that Mao didn't actually know if there was someone who could kill an immortal, or even if something like immortality was even possible on Battleworld. After all, a fight against someone who can never die seems like a horribly boring fight; allowing the corpse to keep walking forever betrayed the Cure's interests.
...still, if Hanbei was going to keep sticking around, Mao might need to get used to the stink.
(Avatar by Coffee)
Dilapidated Temple — Hanbei does bathe
"I'm Undying," Hanbei told Mao when the latter asked Wolf about his gourd. "Infested." He seemed reluctant to discuss it any more, though, so the task of explanation fell to Emma: in a quiet tone and polite language she told the cat of the Senpou priests of Mount Kongo, heretics that left the way of Buddha in their search for immortality, and their discovery of immortality-granting centipedes.
"Oh, you think Wolf would grant me death, eh?" Hanbei asked Mao once the explanations (and question-dodging) were out of the way. He seemed to be looking at the other sword Wolf had — the one he was carrying on his back, rather than on his hip — when he said that. Wolf either didn't notice, or, more likely, noticed and elected not to show it. The samurai chuckled, a hollow, grating sound, then continued: "I guess I'll have to leave this damnable common room and find someplace with more amenable people, then."
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Common Room
MJ and Eddie just looked at each other as the Blood Gultch Crew suddenly departed in search of their lost comrade. "I coulda looked through my footage and told 'em which way he went..." Eddie pointed out with a shrug.
"Too late now!" MJ shrugged back, glancing around for more interview targets and spotting one in the form of the woman with the cape-like jacket and nice hat. Motioning for her cameraman to follow her, she paced over to Enterprise.
"Excuse me, Miss Enterprise?" she greeted with a wide smile after taking a look at the map, "My name is Mary-Jane Watson; I work for The Daily Bugle, a Manhattan newspaper. I'm sure being pulled into this situation must be overwhelming - it certainly has been for us since we were brought here yesterday! I'd be happy to share what information we've picked up over the past twenty-four hours, if you like. Would you mind doing an interview with us? I know our city would love to learn more about their new neighbors in Azur Lane!" She prayed to high heaven she was pronouncing the new land's name correctly.
Velvet Room
As the butterfly settled on Ursula's finger, two things would happen: first, her mind would suddenly be filled with happy feelings and memories. Times she had succeeded, her friend Croix encouraging her when she was down with six special words, the awe in the faces of the crowd when they felt the preciousness of magic deep in their hearts, the dawning of smiles on her students' faces as they understood what she was teaching, Akko's trust and faith in her and the girl's sheer joy at mastering the transformation spell, the Headmistress' gentle support, the exhilaration of flying through the air on a broom, and on and on. And then she would hear a voice reverberating in her head, coming in Miranda Holbrooke's soft, aged tone:
Of course, Chariot! A wonderful teacher and a woman who has worked for the happiness of others throughout her life, as you are and have, is more than welcome to visit any time! Although this is far from my first time meeting you... In any case, I know you're in a hurry, so I won't keep you. In you go!
The sound of a lock clicking open echoed down the hall. Taking this as her cue, Mitsuru led the witch down the way, through the door, up the stairs to the left, and down the another hallway, stopping before a door whose kanji nameplate would filter through Battleworld's automatic translation as the heiress' own name. "I'm afraid we don't have any public restrooms, so I hope you don't mind making use of mine," the Kirijou lady said somewhat apologetically. The redhead pulled out a small blue key and unlocked the portal, then ushered Ursula inside.
Mitsuru's room was quite large on the inside, featuring not only a bed, desk, and upholstered chair, but also a very nice, plush carpet, a full-size couch, and several bookcases filled with tomes on advanced subjects. Perhaps it would remind the professor of the more posh of the student rooms at Luna Nova. Or perhaps her eyes would be drawn tunnel-like to the open door on the side of the room, where the promise of a clean, well-ordered, and comfortable bathroom awaited.
City Hall, Mitakihara
"Is that so...?" Osborn mused from the other side of the line, as if he was really taking the other Mayor's words to heart, "Well, thank you for the warning, Mr. Kurogane. I'll have to keep that in mind as we navigate this strange new world we find ourselves in. That aside, I'll be sure to send a delegation as soon as I can. I'm afraid circumstances have me a bit tied up here, so I won't be able to come myself, but I'll be sending you my top aide, Mr. Robert Green. He has a keen mind, and at least as good a grasp of my city's particulars as I do; hell, maybe better!" He let loose a sensible chuckle.
"There was one other thing I wanted to speak with you about," he continued, "Miss Kirijou mentioned a certain plan her group has been pursuing since they first arrived on... Battleworld... that I believe Manhattan would be perfectly equipped to facilitate. Cities like you or I or Tokyo aren't, to my knowledge, in possession of a great deal of military capabilities when compared to some other territories. Our advantage lies mainly in our sheer population and our shared values. As you may know, Manhattan is home to both a number of embassies, and the U.N. Headquarters. What would you say to a new United Nations, unique to this new planet? As one of the founding members, Mitakihara would have a seat on the new Security Council, of course."
F.E.A.S.T. Building, Manhattan
"Ha ha ha ha! You gals are a riot!" John guffawed at the girls' tall tales, "Ain't they, Ern?" Ernie stubbornly shook his head no, but even he had snorted audibly at Sucy's mention of the "Spider Lair".
"A hundred grand, huh?" John rubbed his chin in thought at the notion, "Let's see, what's a one-bedroom apartment gonna run you per month? Three thousand?"
"At least," Ernie agreed, scowling, "Damn rent's out of control."
"So, thirty-six thousand per year. If you think about food, water, electricity, sanitation bills, I guess you'd have enough for a little less than two and a half years of life in an apartment in this city. Personally, I don't know how much longer I'm gonna live, but I'm sure it ain't gonna be too much longer, so I'd rather spend it on something that means something, y'know? I think I'd give it back to this place, or one of those nonprofits around here that looks out for the young people." John nodded decisively. "How 'bout you, Ern?"
"I'd give it to Pete," the other man answered without missing a beat, "Poor kid could sure as hell use it, and it'd take some pressure off May. Besides, if the kid succeeds, it'd help a few buddies of mine get back some things they thought they'd never have again."
"Now there's an idea! Give it to Peter!" The elder of the two nodded slowly. "You know, that's even better than what I was thinking! I'd do that too!" He turned back to the girls. "See, Aunt May has a nephew - not a figurative nephew, an actual one. His name's Peter. She and her husband Ben raised him after his parents died in... a plane crash, I think. Ben passed away about eight years ago now and left Peter and May on their own, sadly. Anyway, the boy's really smart - and I mean an honest-to-God genius! He was always really into science. May worked her tail off to put him through college, and then he got a fellowship and got his Master's degree in, er... what was it, again?"
"...Science stuff." Ernie shrugged. "More than one field, I'm pretty sure."
"Yeah, sounds right. So, Peter, being at or near the top of his class and having the recommendation of all of his professors, could have gotten any job inventing whatever he felt like for, say, a big company like Oscorp, with all the money and fame that goes along with it. What does he do instead? He joins up with his mentor, Otto Octavius - another genius - and the two-man team, funded entirely by grants, works on creating advanced and affordable prosthetics! I'm not talking the cheap plastic kind, either; I mean full-on lightweight robotic arms and legs that respond to your actual muscles and nerves! They even had a working prototype when, well..."
"That son of a bitch Mayor of ours took away their grant money, stole their brand spanking new arm, and hung them out to dry!" Ernie growled.
"Yep. And of course, Mayor Osborn just happens to be CEO of Oscorp, their biggest competitor. Peter, though, well..." John sighed. "Without the grant money, Octavius can't pay him, which means he can't pay rent. He got evicted a little while ago; lost pretty much everything he owned except the clothes on his back. Aunt May's been helping him out, but you can just tell it's eating him up inside to have to rely on her stretching her own finances thin for his sake again. So, if anyone deserves to win the lottery, I'd definitely say it's him."
"So, what would you girls do with a hundred-thousand dollars?" the very-old-timer continued, turning the question back on them, "Young ladies like you gotta have big dreams! You gonna spend it all on new equipment tryin' to make it big with your band?" He winked.
Chinatown Warehouse, Manhattan
Vincent said nothing as the woman he'd driven all this way headed for the warehouse, just sat in the front of his vehicle, scowling and looking twitchy. Mark offered a wave and a "Good luck, Miss Anna!" and Alan a snappy salute and smirk accompanied by "Good hunting!"
On the other side of the door was... a concrete floor and shipping containers. Specifically, the space in front of Anna funneled her into a rough "hallway" between lines of large metal boxes stacked atop one another. Pressing against one side and looking forward would reveal the fact that there was a gap up ahead so that instead of having to continue straight ahead, she could head left or right. Directly ahead of her and perhaps fifty yards away was a staircase leading upwards to a second floor that was open to the storage space below, though what was up there wasn't visible from her current angle. Up above, catwalks crisscrossed the second floor, masked men with machine guns stalking across them, though they clearly hadn't seen her yet.
Also evident would be a pair of men standing between her and the first gap in the rows of shipping containers, also holding automatic weapons, though luckily both of them had their backs turned to her.
"Big brother," one said, "Why are we made to guard this door, when noone ever comes through it?"
"That is the task we have been given, little brother," replied the other.
"But I was told that to join the Inner Demons was to be on the path to greatness. Guarding an unused door does not feel like greatness."
"A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step, little brother. Do not worry. Today is special: He is here. If He sees that you are carrying out your duty correctly, you will be rewarded."
"Oh! I had no idea He was with us today! I understand, big brother! ...but still, it would be nice to have something to break up the boredom. A beautiful woman, perhaps!"
They shared a laugh.
Edited by darksidevoid on Sep 21st 2020 at 5:26:16 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Vampire Hunter
Alucard, Common Room
"I'm pretty sure most of the lands here could have told those strange knights where their fellow knight went," Alucard shrugged as he didn't really care before looking over in the direction of Enterprise. Strange... She didn't smell human, and it seemed like even Carmilla and the other vampire here noticed that as well.
"I am Alucard, Miss Enterprise," Alucard bowed to her. "I come from... a different land than Manhattan."
Best not to explain the situation with Castlevania to her right away.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Hell's Gate Tokyo - Tea Time
"I am most certain it shall be pleasant day indeed," Tosa replied with a straight face to the synth as she left.
On the ensuing trip, she paid special attention to the so-called 'Hell's Gate'. At first glance she nearly mistook it for a Mirror Sea that had somehow manifested right in the middle of the city, but closer inspection made it clear it was
"My thanks," Tosa bowed her head momentarily and then took a long, relaxing sip from the tea cup that Eric had poured. Not a traditional name, to say the least. He was either foreign-born or else had a mother who had immigrated, in either case the fact that he had any sort of power and influence indicated quite the break from the more conservative practices of the Tokyo she knew of. One could only guess what had happened to make things like that in this particular version of Japan.
"Yes, that seems to be a correct assessment of things." She nodded once in affirmation. "Four states. That is quite a large portion of this world, is it not? And multiples in this world being Tokyo? I suppose it only demonstrates the exceptionalism of the Sakura soul. Sadly - or perhaps, given the circumstances, fortunately - my own Tokyo is not here, which is why you are no doubt unfamiliar with the name our... area... has at the moment. Instead we are a military base, and I have been sent out to report on how amicable this Tokyo would be with the members of a Sakura Empire that is not their own."
She takes another sip from her cup.
"As for what I would like to know..." she calmly set her teacup down. "Are you amicable? You have mentioned working with four other groups, so I take that to mean you are at least capable of cooperation, to my understanding. You mentioned that they were mutually beneficial, so what sorts of benefits do you provide to your partners in such an arrangement, and what do you wish for in return? It must be something feasible if multiple states are able to partake."
Mitakihara Middle School Roof
"Whaaaaat, no it's no big deal, it's just um..." Wendy blushed at the praise and lightly twisted one foot in place on the ground. "I was raised by the Sky Dragon Grandeeney, and she taught me how to use her Dragon Slayer magic. But um... she sacrificed herself to save me, because the magic inside of me was going to turn more from a hman into a dragon without her help, so... so that's why I don't want to let any of you turn into something else because-"
She rubbed her eyes and cried a bit.
"Because I can try and help someone else the way she helped me. I know we just met but... but I still don't want that to happen to you. So please let us help you Miss Madoka!" She hurried forward to hug Madoka.
Cana, for her part, took a large sip of her bottle and put her hand over her heart, actually seeming somewhat... solemn about all this.
Vector Docks
Große smiled and lifted her chin up, gripping her baton with both hands and holding it near her stomach.
"Oh my, anarchists. Such unruly children causing trouble for their homeland?" Große shook her head. "That cannot do. We will be sure to keep an eye out, of that you can be assured. You will both be vigilant to protect me from such troubles, no?"
She pouted at Deutschland and Graf Spee, and the two nodded several times in return.
"Very well, now I believe you said something about a palace, did you not? If your role is to escort important visitors to the seat of your government, who am I to deny you the chance to perform your duties?" She put a dinger on her cheek. "And be most assured, the last thing I would want to do is make a fool of you. Why, we hardly even know you, how are you supposed to crush someone without being intimately aware of what they fear? I just know that you will do a very good job of leading us to the palace, so I'd have nothing but wonderful things to tell your superiors about your service, won't I?"
Vector Campsite
"Mass and I are no strangers to being wet, we can talk where we stand," Jean huffed at the old man in her ridiculous French accent. "I simply did not know we were interrupting a... church service." She waved a hand at all the robes.
"She wanted to pet the rabbit," Massachusetts deadpanned.
"What? No that was - well no matter, we are here now," Jean brushed off the reply. "Whether or not there is a rabbit is of no consequence anymore. Though that you would set up camp in the woods in the rain when there is a city just down the river is rather strange, is it not? And not wearing boy scout uniforms, either. Are you poor, criminals, or both?"
"Jean."
"What? Is not a problem if they are either." Jean waves at the men there. "Really, not at all. So long as you don't try to rob me of course, then I would definitely have a problem, wouldn't you say? But I simply wish to know how... interesting you are, you understand?"
Rookie Village - The Zone
"Yeah, that's good, leave it as a last resort..." Lucy nodded at the STALKER and Grant.
She shook her head and groaned. This sucked.
"Gaaah, that's if it turns into a fight though. Our best bet is figuring out how to get these guys to leave. Or at least stand down long enough for us to talk to them."
Luna Nova Entrance
"Ha, worry not child, such rain is but a mere inconvenience," Littorio replied to Rita with a flourish of her non-cape-holding hand. "I am, after all, the great Littorio of the Sardegna Empire! I am here to ensure that no harm shall befoul the signora as she ventures out into uncharted waters. For truly, what sort of foul rogue would allow such a beauty to wander alone? Not Littorio, that is certain! Nay, I shall resolve to escort her to the gates of Hell itself if such a feat is required of me, for it is not in my blood to turn my back on a girl in need, especially as we go into lands we are not familiar with."
She glanced around.
"What a... what is this place, anyway? Luna Nova, I would have thought it would be the moon, no? Or perhaps a military base, with the rockets pointing up, yes? But this seems to be... an office? Or no, a school, if there are children such as yourselves here. Now tell me, do they teach you how to treat a lady in your scuola?"
She gestured at Felicia.
"Because I believe she has asked for a raincoat, no? While I certainly would not object to keeping her abreast the entire time we are out here, I am not the sort of shameless animal who would take advantage of such a situation and intentionally sabotage her efforts to find a jacket for the rain."
Edited by nman on Sep 25th 2020 at 12:42:58 PM
Time passes.
Through various trials, the three groups manage to reach the end points of their individual areas. As they each defeat the final enemies waiting for them at the end, their vision goes dark. It starts to fade in again, and you can hear Nyarly's voice.
So, you have made it this far. Good. I admit, I'd be disappointed if you had all died that easily. But the time for games is over. No longer will you contend with the shadows of yourselves. You now stand at the Outer Gates. If you seek to pass them, you will have to defeat the Gatekeepers. An act that will be far easier said then done......
For half of the group, your vision returns, and you behold in the distance this
◊ big ass house that looks more on the scale of a mansion, and you're all standing in an open field. You all look around to find that there are people around who wern't with you a second ago, and some of your group has probably vanished as well.
"So. It has a sense of humor, I see. Or perhaps irony......"
V slowly walks forward, leaning hard on his cane as he looks up at the house. Nero speaks from around the middle of the group.
"You know this place?"
V nods.
"This is where it all began, all those years ago. Me and Dante, we grew up in this house."
He turns around to face the rest of the group
"I can sense what waits for us. It is a monster, in the truest sense of the word. A twisted being, consumed by his need for power, one who has cast aside all else in pursuit of it. It will know no mercy, accept no surrender, it knows only strength and rage, and anything weaker then it, it shall crush without a thought. I should know, for until yesterday, when I choose to defy him-"
-He gestures upward, toward the sky-
"-it was the only part of me I cared to obey."
And such a shame. You could have had all the power you ever wished for, had you just done as you were told.
V shakes his head
"A Son of Sparda bows to none. You should have known this."
Meanwhile, as the rest of the group opens their eyes, they'll be treated to a different scene. A house that's not nearly as big as the Sparda Mansion, but big enough to where it's clear whoever owns it has a good amount of money. Unfortunately, it also looks like it just went through a war, with shattered windows, ruined lawn decorations, burned grass, a door blown off the hinges, and what look like giant claw marks gashed into the wood next to the door.
"You brought her here?"
Dante takes a few steps forward, looking up at the sky
This place is but an illusion, formed from the latent memories of those who reside within. She brought herself here. Or at least, what's left of her.
You can almost hear Dante grinding his teeth
I spent a great deal of time breaking her, you know. They don't have words for the things I did to her after she was taken. By now, whatever fragments of sanity remain are only the base, animalistic traits. There's no recovering from what I did to her. No saving the girl. She won't stop until she takes her last breath. Either you kill her, or she kills you.
There's a moment of silence as he considers
If you die, perhaps I'll bring just enough of her mind back to recognize what she's done. The final nail in the coffin, that final little straw that will shatter her forever. I might enjoy that.
Sparda Estate: So Now What?!
Maki opened his eyes to a field of dying grass leading to a great big house. It had been a little hard to listen to the monologuing monster with his head pounding in sync with his heartbeat, but it wasn't like he was in the best mood to listen to it, either.
Those last moments in Momento Mori had left him with a lot to think about.
Nightclub (Flashback): "No Matter Where You Go, I Hope This Always Makes You Smile"
By the time someone could rush over to Maki and rouse him back to consciousness, the fight was effectively over. Whether the others chose to pry some answers out of their fallen foe, or elected to put the Shadow out of her misery wasn't his concern. When he opened his mistmatched eyes, the only thing he registered was the sight of his Shadow staring down at him with a smile.
"Good, you're awake." she sighed, before holding up three fingers and asking Maki to count them. A few concussion tests later, and Maki's Shadow helped him back to his feet.
"You should probably pay your price now, while you have a minute." the Shadow advised, and retrieved the thermos of hot water from the boy's backpack. As Maki gingerly sipped the burning beverage, his Shadow stepped away from him to address the group as a whole.
"I'm afraid this is where we part ways. Nyarlathotep would never allow me to accompany you after what I've done; he has a very low tolerance for traitors."
A jolt of pain on his tongue helped clear the fog in Maki's mind. "So...what'll happen to you?"
The golden-eyed girl paused and mulled over the question for a moment. "Y'know what? I don't really know!" she chuckled, then shrugged, then sighed. "It probably won't be fun, that's for sure. The scene's over, so all that's left to do is to sweep it away. And I guess if I'm stuck here when that happens..."
Despite the implications, Shadow Maki seemed far more curious about her fate than bothered by it; the kid struggling to keep both hands clasped to his drink did the emotional heavy-lifting for both of them.
"You can't die here!" he cried, almost literally.
Sensing the waterworks were on the way, the Girl with All the Answers turned back to Maki with a knowing little smirk.
"You're more right than you think, Maki. For me to die, I'd have to be my own being—a living thing that exists independently of another. But since that's not what a Shadow is, what do I have to be sad about? Better yet: what do you have to be sad about?"
Maki turned his eyes to the floor, which only goaded his Shadow into a lecture as she strolled back towards him with her arms crossed in a "Do I really need to say this again?" manner:
"Shadows aren't good or bad, they're just the parts of a person's heart and mind they don't want anyone else to see. So whether that hidden self treats living things like collateral damage, or finds purpose blindly serving their superiors, or wants a little someone they know to listen to his own head more than the next stranger who smiles at him...at the end of the day, they're all still a part of someone else. The Heartless Angel might be dead, but that doesn't mean all the skeletons in Aigis' closet are somehow magically gone."
Here, the Shadow briefly turned towards Aigis with an expression that could only be translated as "I am sooooo sorry," before getting back on track.
"You asked me what I wanted out of helping you all out, and I've pretty much told you already: I want you to start thinking for yourself, making your own decisions, and stop putting people on pedestals they'll never live up to. For the past week you've wandered from team to team like a lost puppy, breaking your principles at the slightest nudge in an attempt to gain their approval. It's pathetic, and it's been driving me nuts."
"So I should grow a backbone?" the boy muttered to the ground.
Shadow Maki shrugged off her own words. "So I used a little tough love; it got through to you, didn't it? It's okay to side with people if you really believe in their goals, but don't deny who you are just because you hope it'll make someone else happy."
Two drops splattered on the ground beneath Maki's head, so the Shadow sighed and poked him in the chest—specifically on the emblem of a treasured trinket painted on his breastplate.
"C'mon," she said in a calm, slightly teasing way. "Don't make me say it."
"You'd probably call it cheesy if you did." the boy replied, a chuckle bursting out to relieve the tears.
Shadow Maki laughed. "Well, you got me there. Not sure I can even think of anything cornier than 'No matter where you go, I hope this will always make you smile.'"
They shared a laugh, and by the time Maki dared to raise his eyes, his Shadow had begun to fade away. Though before the figure of Amber vanished completely, she shared four final words with a warm and gentle smile:
"Take care of yourself."
Sparda Estate: Medic?
Take care of yourself. Right. Guess right now that had a pretty literal meaning.
"Does anyone here have healing powers?" he asked the group that had emerged with him. Judging by the dark red stains in his sandy blonde hair, it would be pretty clear that the kid wasn't asking out of idle curiosity. Hopefully any of the other injured warriors would chime in to ask for medical attention as well.
For his part, Maki largely ignored the talk about this bloodthirsty monster waiting for them. The Heartless Angel didn't give any mercy either, and they managed to kill her somehow. And judging by the head count, their chances against just one opponent were even better than they were in Momento Mori.
Still no sign of Teams RWBY or JNPR, though. For half a second, his thoughts went back to what his Shadow said about their disappearance, but his Contractor brain quickly steered him away from the subject.
Worry about that later. Feel sad about that later. None of that will help you here and now.
Eternal Princess
Reisen found her self in front of a ruined house. Physically at least, her mind was still trying to work through the battle of the ruined city. No matter how she looked at it, she came back to the same conclusion.
"That was exceedingly easy..."
I mean, she got that stage 1 types were really just warm ups. But really, what was that!? She has to wonder if Nyarlathotep is even taking this seriously! They have a quota to fill on entertaining the Cure if they want their wishes! She knows Nyarlathotep bragged about how the Cure had no power here, but it was obvious he was full of crap. While she still recognized his power, it was hard to take him seriously at this point.
"If you are going to play the villain, do it right..."
She crossed her arms and fumed, rather annoyed at the situation when she heard Red Coat having a conversation with their host. She was starting to get deja vu to the FEAST building. That lingering feeling that it was obvious you were just a side character in whatever drama was unfolding here. Just like then, she kept to the back. And just like then, she could not help but to heckle the whole thing through.
"Don't have words for it? I am pretty sure they do. That is just short hand that you just don't have the imagination or vocabulary for it. Though that might actually be keeping to HP Lovecraft. No saving her? We just went through this scenario, and we all know how that turned out. Ask the kid with the jar."
She let out a sigh. Still, Red Coat seemed to be taking this hard. She probably shouldn't make light of the situation. Her better judgement told her to let it play out for all the drama it was worth for their viewing gods. But he just looked so miserable. Plus Nyarlathotep sounded absolutely pathetic with the way he was going on, like some little kid torturing a bug. Floating over, she tapped Dante's back. She spoke under her breath, like trying to explain to a child in the middle of a theater that Tinker Bell wasn't going to die.
"Its obvious this guy has been talking out of his ass since the moment we arrived. Even if he incinerated every atom of her, then went back in time to completely remove every trace of her from history, then went into the after life to obliterate her there as well, there would still be ways to bring her back. Its the kind of stakes when you play games with gods. When the limits of reality are just guidelines, there are no rules that can't be broken. And where I come from, impossible is absolutely ordinary."
How do you kill that which has no life?
Castlevania, Airspace: Majora is Chaotic Stupid
"Oooooooh, lookit the little people down there!" Majora giggled. "They look like ants!"
The masked figure proceeded to wave its arms and legs at the onlookers on the ground as a form of greeting...a greeting which could in no way shape or form be taken as a form of mockery!
Feeling the itch for castle-storming, Majora insisted on aiming for the tippy top of the castle to get a good view of the landscape below. It noticed the (giant) bats hanging along the sides of the castle's structure, but didn't give them a second thought. After all, Keese were a form of monster, and monsters had never attacked Majora before, Italian fungi notwithstanding.
What was there to worry about?
Common Room: Under the Microscope
From her observations, Delfi would be able to deduce that the woman with the shaved head was just the slightest bit on edge. It might be a novel experience for the Thundercore girl, studying the expressions of a person who's neural network had been rewired to place rationality above feelings, which hid her physical tells as if she were some sort of poker prodigy. But if Delfi was struggling to figure out just what the woman was thinking, she'd have some pretty low-hanging fruit to grab—the woman with the shaved head hardly paid attention to her; her focus was always on the other strangers in the Common Room, and especially on the green creature with the blurred outline and the cloaked figure who had accompanied them here.
Delfi's initial assessment seemed accurate: this woman was some form of muscle, on the watch for any potential threats. Probably a bodyguard.
Misaki, on the other hand, was much easier to read. Her most obvious tell was the constant eye contact, but smaller things like relatively few microexpressions, an even distribution of weight on both legs, and the tonal consistency of her voice presented a woman who was had no reason to deceive a wheelchair-bound newcomer to the planet. Perhaps Delfi might dare to suspect that Section Chief Misaki Kirihara could be a "good person," but perhaps the Thundercore girl knew from experience how quickly that assumption can change.
Unfortunately for Delfi, claiming that she had arrived on Battleworld by herself was a mistake. Misaki's gentle smile switched to surprise, and suddenly the bodyguard's purple eyes were immediately locked on Delfi's.
"You came here by yourself?" Misaki repeated.
"If the Cure's bothered to bring you here alone, you must know some fun tricks." the bodyguard hummed. "So. What can you do?"
The Section Chief shot her protector another look, but with a split second of hesitation first; perhaps only someone with Delfi's abilities would spot that Misaki had to force herself to chide the woman with the shaved head, when in reality she didn't quite disagree with her. Delfi could summarize the reactions facing her as "Curious" for Misaki, and "Suspicious" for her protector. Either way, they now shared an interest in learning more about Delfi's powers.
"You don't have to answer that right here." Misaki assured Delfi once her look had convinced her bodyguard to back off. The Section Chief turned to one of the open Meeting Rooms and pointed to it.
"Those rooms were created for private conversations. According to the Cure, they're completely soundproof and destroy any bugs planted within their walls. You and I can speak in there, if that's alright. I don't know of any groups consisting of only one person; not going to lie, this planet might be hard to survive in if you're all alone. If I know a little more about what you can do, I can try to point you to towards some allies. Or at the very least, I could tell you who you might want to avoid."
Despite the implications (not to mention the muttering), Delfi could detect that Misaki hadn't reached the decision ally with the girl just yet. That choice could be chalked up to either experience-tempered patience or reluctance to join forces with children, right now it was tough to say. Regardless, unless Delfi wanted to draw even more suspicion on herself and refuse what anyone else could see as free advice in a foreign (and super hostile) land, she'd better come up with some "powers" to explain in the Meeting Room.
Dilapidated Temple: Rood, Hanbei
"I'd hope that he'd grant you mortality so you can find an honorable death on your own." the cat corrected. He had some understanding of samurai honor, and knew that the Bushido code was far less practiced and far less chivalrous than what Western media liked to imagine it was. Hanbei's daimyo probably died in battle, so now the Undying samurai was seeking a way to join him; it was as simple (and stupid) as that.
Mao caught the glare Hanbei shot at Sekiro, but his significant height disadvantage made him mistake just what the samurai was looking at. From the cat's perspective, Hanbei was glaring straight at Wolf, and not the weapon just over the shinobi's shoulder. So when the Undying man stormed off, it seemed caused by the embers of some personal grudge.
"You're wasting your time." Mao warned, though he wasn't even sure if the warning had any weight to it. Perhaps Hanbei didn't believe the talking house pet, or perhaps he figured it couldn't hurt to look around. Either way, Mao could guess that the Undying samurai wouldn't be convinced by his word alone, and the Contractor knew he couldn't fabricate anything to keep him from leaving. Better to just count him as a lost cause and move on.
Turning his attention to the rest of the group, Mao decided to take an extra step and offer some options for allies apart from himself.
"There's a group near the front of the Commons Corridor called Devil May Cry that runs some kind of..." he paused to check that Hanbei was either gone or on his way out the door, "extermination business. Since we're not exactly welcome in the city we came here with, most of my team and I have been staying with them since yesterday. If it's alright with you I'd like to bring them here, assuming that old bastard Huang can get back on his feet. It's not that the people in Devil May Cry are a pain or anything, I just think my team would appreciate a place where they can stretch their legs for a while."
And get out of a stuffy office that reeks of old pizza. thought Mao.
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Sep 25th 2020 at 5:57:34 AM
Vampire Hunter
Morrigan, Sparda Estate
"Rather homely," Morrigan muses as she looked at the Sparda Estate. She had taken some damage from the fights given what they all faced at the end there, but they all needed to press on. This was probably going to be a bit fight just like the last.
Trevor & Sypha, Ruined House
Once Trevor and Sypha were united and Trevor saw the state Sypha was in, he ran straight to her side. She had a number of first-degree burns and slices over her body and her clothing was a mess from both. She knew she'd be feeling her injuries for the next few days.
"I fought... myself," Sypha told Trevor. "I learned a lot from it."
In her head, Sypha replayed how she won the fight with Shadow Sypha. They had been both been manipulating the elements like she had never seen, but eventually, Sypha had succeeded in pinning her hands against the side of a building with her icicles. She ran as fast as she could to grab her Shadow's head and channeled all of her ice magic right through the Shadow's body before grabbing her staff and shattering her Shadow to pieces. She was now leaning on said staff for the moment.
"Are you feeling up to fighting Lady?" Trevor asked Sypha before he whispered to her. "We may have to kill her."
Sypha thought about Mami and looked over towards Homura. She was one of Mitakihara's magical girls like Mami is. It didn't seem like Mami or Sayaka was here. Hopefully, Sayaka will keep one of her own safe. Since Mami was not here, she did not feel the need to confront Homura about the subject right now. Instead, she chose to walk over to Dante and put her hand on his shoulder.
"We saved one of our own once by doing the impossible," Sypha told Dante as she looked over at the moon rabbit youkai. "We will just have to do it again."
Castlevania, Airspace
Unfortunately, these 'Keese' had a different master so the bats actually did try to dive bomb at him. Majora and company might have to dodge to avoid getting hit by them!
Edited by GameGuruGG on Sep 28th 2020 at 12:36:42 PM
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Common Room
After Enterprise had radioed back with some initial findings and Mikasa had managed to make it back to discuss with people what to do now that things were slightly different from how they were yesterday, various groups set out in search of information, allies, Gol D. Roger's treasure, and just lookin'. One such group was picked to venture to an American territory - Manhattan. After all, New York was a State of the Union, so it would always be handy to know more allied powers.
She had remained to take notes of the map. Just calmly looking at it when-
"Oh, me? It's good to meet you three. I guess I can - wait did you say Manhattan....?" She looked over her shoulder at two faces popping out of the Azur Lane portal.
"Hey everyone, it's your girl Bremerton, streaming to you live on Juustagram! Say hiii, Lusty!" Bremerton
◊ strutted towards the Manhattan portal as she held her cell phone at arm's length and spoke into the front of it, before turning tilting it to the side and holding it out to capture footage of her traveling companion.
"Hello? I'm sure your friends would prefer to see you more than me. This is an expedition and political mission, hardly the sort of thing the young ones are interested in." Illustrious still gave a simple, polite wave to the camera regardless. "Though I would be lying if I said I was not curious why you were interested in such an endeavor."
"Because I'm awesome! I just have a way with words, right?"
"...."
"And I volunteered? I mean come on, don't lie, it's New York! I practically had to beg and fight my way into this gig! I bet you wanted to check out all the hottest stores out there, huh? Maybe you just wanna kick back and go shopping, get your nails done, dress up for someone special, get an actual hotdog from a street vendor... or maybe silently judge all the people dressing like 'miscreants' or whatever you'd call them in Royal speak?"
"What? I simply have experience in these diplomatic matters, it's hardly about what sort of diversions I would entertain. And... I would not be so cruel to someone simply for being a ruffian-"
"Oh right, ruffians, ha! That's the word. Okay, anyway, portal time, get your game face on!"
The two headed towards the portal, with Illustrious walking at a steady, smooth pace while Bremerton dashed ahead of her by a few yards.
"Hellooooooooooooo New York!" Bremerton happily cheered as she headed to the portal, holding up her phone to video the beauty and majesty of Manhattan as-
"Hey, wait!" Enterprise called out suddenly, bringing her to a halt.
"Huuuuh?" She looked back at Enterprise talking to some other people. "I... guess it's hello weird big white room. New York's gonna have to wait."
"It would appear the Gray Ghost requires our assistance," Illustrious nodded, and the two walked over to Enterprise, Alucard, MJ, and Eddie.
"These two were just on their way to Manhattan to see how things are like over there." Enterprise explained to MJ (and Alucard) as Bremerton and Illustrious approached. "If you can help them out with that afterwards, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help you out with answering some interview questions about us. Especially if you can show them around while you talk - two birds with one stone."
"Ooooh, an interview? Like for a magazine? Ahhhhhhhhhhh, but I'm not even in a fancy dress or anything for a photoshoooooot!" Bremerton briefly panicked, then noticed Eddie's camera. "Oh. My. God. You mean a television interview?" She quickly tossed her hair back, adjusted her shoulders, and straightened her back out a bit in order to look pristine for the camera. "I mean, of course Miss Enterprise, I would be charmed'' to participate in such an important mission." She winked at Illustrious when she threw that random 'charmed' into her sentence.
"I would not be opposed to such a thing," Illustrious said in a much more calm and measured manner, giving a quick curtsy. "Of course I cannot discuss much about key Royal Navy intelligence or other classified matters, but I can certainly entertain a few questions of a more general nature."
Eternal Princess
If Constanze was iffy about her teammates in the beginning, then by the end of their journey she was pretty sure she hated all of them. A part of that was her own deep rooted anti-social tendencies. But even then, what a series of blunders that was. She was pretty sure the only reason it was even as difficult as it was were their own ineptitude. It all started from one of the very first decisions they made, running like cowards from a single enemy. A decision which only served to bite them in the rear later. But that wasn't all. It was Sypha's gross overestimation of enemy's ability in the first place that led to such a massive tactical blunder. Then there was the original in question who was of no help, Dante choosing the most inappropriate time to start shooting. Mami apparently had "If I get too sad I die" disease. Minako lacked the presence and direction of a leader. Link, Alfred and Reisen all played with friendly fire. Was she forgetting someone? Oh, Spider-man...he was alright. Though, she wondered why he didn't call his own mech
◊ down for a mech tag team battle. She was pretty sure that was all of them now. Even she herself had apparently killed Mami...If there was any benefit of realizing that everyone of them was idiots, it was that she really didn't need to second guess her own actions when it was apparent no one else knew what they were doing.
There was a moment, when the shadows all ambushed them. It was a moment she had seen countless times in movies. The do or die moment. The moment where every one of them would have to pull their weight and come together as a team or they would fall. They may not have been friends, but they were comrades in arms brought together in pursuit of a single goal. But in the end, its not like the movies. The enemy went down with out much fight or fanfare, and in the end she felt nothing for those at her side.
She took a look at the new group she was with. She wasn't holding breath for this one either. Going at it alone was still the preferable option, but she opted to stay for tactical reasoning alone. Strength in numbers. She saw there were a few familiar faces in the crowd, including one really familiar face. Though she was unused to seeing her like this.
It was a surprise to see Akko on her knees, looking so bruised, battered, and defeated. She rushed over to her friend to take note of the damage. There were a variety of small cuts and bruises. Turns out standing up while explosions happen around you was not a great idea. She had some light burns, the result of smashing molotovs at melee distance. The worst was her right hand. It was obvious it had been set on fire. Knowing Akko, she probably did it herself. Her costume was completely ruined. A seemingly inconsequential thing to worry about at a time like this, but it stung none the less. Constanze knew how proud and excited Akko was to wear that silly thing, she really idolized that Shiny Chariot. But nothing was so telling as to how her head hung low.
Akko's dejected eyes raised from the ground to see her friend's worried face. Seeing that Constanze was ok brought a hint of a smile, though it disappeared before it could form. She looked guilty that even such good news could not dispel how horrible she was feeling at that moment. She knows Constanze hates emotional stuff, but she really needed a friend right now. With a sheepish smile, and holding back tears, Akko confessed.
"I don't think I saved a single person..."
She wanted to save everyone. She thought she could too, she really did. If she just tried, really worked for it. She could do what heroes do. She gave it everything she had, and in the end it didn't even matter. They all died, and they were the ones who killed them. She knows everyone would say they were just Shadows. But Akko fought against magical entities with no sense of self. They were empty. These shadows, they could think, feel, and want. Is that not proof of life? Is what Akko and the other did any different from what the Shadows were trying to do? Killing your counterpart so you can live yourself? Their group survived, but this didn't feel like victory.
What was she even doing this whole time? Saving a middle schooler who didn't want to be saved, nor could be. Attacking Heartless angel with a fire attack that probably did more damage to herself. Bringing Shadow Hair girl to safety, and putting everyone in danger as a result. Even trying to protect Maki was a failed venture. That rocket that hurt him, any other witch would have stopped it. What's worse is that even she could have stopped it. She was in prime position and had the ability. A few seconds later she did just that with the second rocket. But when it mattered, she does what she always does, she failed.
"...d-do you think its too late for us to just go back home..."
Constanze considered punching Akko for a moment. She already had to deal with one emo magical girl, she didn't have the patience for two. This was how it was always like with Akko. She gets an idea in her head then goes full ham
. Then when things don't work out the way she thought, she get all mopy
◊ about it. But she gets up again. Every time she gets back up and tries again. She believed in Akko, which made seeing her like this all the more frustrating.
Being unable to say anything, she went about patching up her friend. When you have a work shop like Constanze, you keep at least a few band aids on you. She went about covering the small cuts with a variety of colorful band aids, each showcasing a different mecha. She took off her green sash and wrapped it around Akko's burnt hand. She then took off her coat and hat and put it on Akko. With her wand in a device with a dial, she began messing with the control. First to adjust the size of the outfit to fit the bigger girl. Then to switch the wardrobe, quickly changing through a cowboy outfit, a ninja outfit, a bunny girl outfit, a Super Sentai outfit, before finally settling on something that looks like Akko's traditional uniform.
The call for a medic reached their ears, especially Akko who knew the voice.
"Maki!"
She didn't have a chance to check on him during the fight. Moving him after a hit like that was dangerous, and they had no where to run to that would have been safe. After the fight, things moved fast. She didn't get the chance. Though still feeling the aches and pains, she made a bee line to the kid. She garbed his head and started moving it every which way, looking for the wound.
"Are you hurt!? Where!?"
She realized she didn't actually know any medical magic. Remembering something, she took out her wand.
"Metamorphie Faciesse!"
After a small puff of smoke, standing where Akko used to be was a little dog with familiar bangs. Dog Akko!
"I heard dog saliva is an antibacterial! Oh...but licking your wounds sounds super gross...I know! I can just spit on them! Wait! Maki! Hold still so I don't miss!"
Hopefully an actual medic comes before the poor injured kid has to be subjected to such humiliation.
Constanze would keep an eye out for the actual healer. If able, she would make eye contact, then motion to Akko. That girl needed healing too. With that, something caught Constanze attention.
Even with how stone faced the little engineer was, it was easy to read that V's statement had earned a thoroughly unimpressed look from Constanze. Somehow, the evil side of some scrawny boy who looked liked the love child between Criss Angel and a Jonas Brother just didn't fill her with the intended dread.
◊ Her response was to hold up a tablet showing a screenshot from her mech of the last person who was the subject of some overblown warning. Someone V may recognize as the shadow of his brother Dante, getting his butt severely kicked.
She swiped it away and opened a new tab, before pushing the tablet to V. It contained a character sheet to be filled out with plenty of space for notes. If he wanted to be useful, rather then vague cryptic warnings, how about giving them some concrete information. Strengths, weaknesses, limitations, tactics, weapons, counters, things they could actually use to come up with a battle plan. She also swiped again to show an empty blue print layout for him to fill in since he apparently knew the floor plan.
How do you kill that which has no life?
HGT, Hatsudai Government Building: ...You Think the "This Is Fine" Chunk is Looking to Befriend Strangers?
"The four states are the present members of our fellowship." Nishijima repeated. "PANDORA has partnered with three others who are, tragically, no longer with us. It seems that the Cure occasionally grows bored with states if they fail to entertain him, so he removes them from the planet. It's a shame and a great hindrance to business ventures, but I suppose it keeps things interesting."
The Sakura soul? Nishijima had to make a conscious effort not to crack into a smirk. So she was a patriot—how quaint. Here's hoping she didn't let that narrow-minded sense of "nationalism" get the better of her.
Thankfully, she cut to the point rather quick: she wanted to know if Tokyo was interested in friendly relations. She, a Japanese nationalist apparently stationed on a large military base just off the coast of Tokyo...wanted to know if his city wanted to offer the olive branch first.
Interesting.
"Perhaps I should make some distinctions." Nishijima replied as he leaned ever-so-slightly forward in his chair. "PANDORA does not answer to Tokyo's government; I represent a state-of-the-art international research facility funded and regulated by the United Nations. In fact, when it comes to Gate-related phenomena, we are authorized to take charge of any investigations Japan's government may have started. Not that we need to play that card often, of course; we keep an amicable relationship with the city that surrounds our facility, even if we must—out of security risks and for the welfare of the general public—keep our work classified."
The Research Director glanced at the table, as if there were a puzzle strewn across its surface from which he could piece his next words together.
"To give you a simple answer, Madame Delegate: PANDORA is interested in amicable relationships with its neighbors; far as the rest of the city is concerned, I believe 'the jury is still out,' to use an American phrase."
For the first time since he poured it, Mr. Nishijima reached for his tea and took a modest sip. He savored the flavor for a moment as he waited for some sort of reaction—possibly a xenophobic one. There was no evidence to suggest she would resent borrowing an American term over any other, but in his world's history Japan hadn't boasted an "Empire" since the end of the Second World War. Maybe she would react, or maybe she would insist that he get to the point. Right now, Nishijima just wanted to test the waters.
"I'm sure you saw the sorry condition of the area around our city's portal. It was just a normal residential neighborhood a week ago, but since arriving on Battleworld we've had no less than three bloody skirmishes from hostiles either trying to enter our city or escape it. Eleven police officers were massacred less than twenty-four hours after our arrival, and we have had over a dozen more serious injuries caused by engaging enemies in later encounters. It was such a PR nightmare for the city that I felt obligated to step in to bear responsibility for securing the portal. PANDORA's Synths have been set with strict parameters to prevent any hostiles from entering the city...but I suppose you know that already. My apologies for any rough behavior you may have endured, but as they say: better safe than sorry."
Another sip.
"I wish I could say that isolated conflicts in an evacuated neighborhood were all Tokyo had to worry about. Unfortunately, this city has suffered two attacks from two separate neighbors. The first was from another model of Japan's capital, but condensed to the small entertainment district of Ikebukuro. An independent foreign power discovered the existence of Gate-altered individuals known as Contractors, and despite being warned that this intel was not public knowledge on our planet, let alone within our Tokyo, this foreign power decided to broadcast this information on the Internet, uploading a video about it on a popular website used by an Ikebukuro color gang called The Dollars. Whether they meant to do so or not, publishing that information was a threat to Tokyo's internal security, and it forced our Cure-appointed delegate to hold a press conference and officially disclose the existence of Gate-altered individuals several days later. It's a miracle the news has yet to spark a city-wide witch hunt.
"The second attack was far worse than the first. Two days ago, our neighbor to the West unleashed a devastating bioweapon on the planet: an opaque gas that activated a dormant gene in some humans called an 'X Gene' that sparked all sorts of unpredictable—and oftentimes untreatable—symptoms. Hundreds perished, and it was only thanks to PANDORA's ingenuity and a favor from our host that we were capable of synthesizing a cure for the condition.
"In summary, Madame Delegate: the government of our Tokyo has been struggling with the aftermaths of a sudden abduction from our home world to partake in a planet-wide gladiator match for a god's amusement; the massacre of nearly a dozen officers at the hand of the first stranger to step into our city; the viral reveal of classified information regarding Gate-altered individuals who live among the population, and a widespread pandemic that struck men, women, and children of all ages. I would add to this list of woes, but I'm sure you recognize by now why the government—let alone the public—are understandably cautious around strangers, regardless of their nationality."
Despite bearing the bad news, Mr. Nishijima didn't seem upset by it. In fact, the polite smile he had shown when first greeting Tosa came back to life—even stretching further into something more genuine.
"But perhaps if Azur Lane partnered with PANDORA, we just might be able to change their minds."
The Research Director leaned back in his chair. "Naturally, the benefits PANDORA offers its partners vary depending on need: some request political advocacy and official alliances with other members of the fellowship, some request access to the data archives we have collected on the past and present states of Battleworld, and some request more tangible benefits such as shipments of our advanced medical supplies. Of course, we have plenty more to offer that has not been requested yet; it's all handled on a case-by-case basis."
The smile cracked a hair larger, from genuine delight to patient excitement.
"As for what I would want from Azur Lane...I suppose that depends on what you have to offer, Madame Delegate."
Velvet Room: Waiting for Utter Annihilation Sure Does Take A While...
The sound of footsteps outside her door opened Havoc's eyes to the dark surrounding her. Her eyes had adjusted well, so it wasn't difficult to get out of the bed and aimlessly walk around. The crack underneath the door was all the light she needed; this wasn't anything like the pure dark she'd drowned in twice now.
A voice followed the footsteps, talking about a restroom or something. That was a weird request. This place wasn't a shopping mall or anything...least she didn't think it was. Truth be told, she hadn't actually gotten a good look at her supposed prison; Hei had carried her in here unconscious, asked her questions about her master that she no longer had the will to refuse answering, then left her alone. That was pretty much it.
Havoc made another lap around the room, but something about the people outside her room made the gears in her head start turning. What kind of captors had to direct each other to the shitter? The kind of captors that had guests over, probably. Which meant this place wasn't designed to contain people at all. Made sense; the room she wandered in had furniture that seemed way too fancy for a prison.
The door to the outside was awfully tempting. If this place wasn't meant to keep people locked up, she could probably break it down with things she could find in this room. Or maybe she could try a quieter approach; maybe test her restraints before deciding on how to free herself from them.
With that in mind, Havoc approached the door and grabbed the handle to feel for and grooves in the lock. Her semi-blind fumbling twisted the knob a bit, and she was downright shocked to find that it twisted well beyond what any tumblers should allow.
Was this stupid thing unlocked? What kind of captors let their prisoner just walk free?!
It had to be a trick. At least two guards had to be outside this door just waiting to put her down the moment she stepped outside. But at this point some ember of pride (not to mention a burning curiosity) compelled her to at least check to see what her security detail might look like. So with a slow and patient hand, Havoc opened the door and peeked through the sliver of light she welcomed into her prison.
Nothing. Well maybe they weren't standing right in front of the door; maybe they were to the left or right of it. So she opened the door a little more to check the left...still nothing. She opened the door further to check directly in front of her door...still nothing, though she could now guess that Hei must've carried her to some 5 star hotel or something. Weird.
Alright, moment of truth: Havoc opened the door enough to slip out into the open, ready to ambush whoever might be waiting to the right. STILL NOTHING!
"What kind of security detail is this?!" she muttered out loud. Though by the time she had decided to step out into the open, Ursula would likely be finished using the facilities and have stepped back outside Mitsuru's room.
I have a plan.
Vector Docks
Kefka seemed to appreciate Große's honeyed words. Seemingly. He had a rictus grin plastered on his bone-white face for about half of the time he was talking to the Iron Blood delegation. The court mage nodded happily when Große finished, and with a flourish of his robes, he lead her and the others past soldiers who looked relieved that the jester was leaving their detail.
The train station was not a very long walk away from the riverside docks, but it would be indistinguishable from every other building in the north district if it wasn't being fed by a series of railroads. Every construction here was built from the same combination of worn bronze metal and brick, with a healthy layer of soot on every wall, window, and roof.
"The trains in Vector always run on time," Kefka cheerfully added. It was only a short wait and watch as the engineers scrambled to keep the city's transport on schedule before the mage corralled Große and her cohorts onto a train that was just as spartan and ugly as the rest of Vector. The passengers making their depart gave the three women curious glances before they caught wind of Kefka, and carried on about their day. The next destination was the vast pyramid structure that towered over the rest of the cityscape, a murky silhouette against the rainy gray sky.
"I think you'll grow to love Vector as a home away from home. Well, you don't have much of a choice in the matter, because one day, the whole wide world will look just like this! Most of the other states on this world agree with the Emperor that progress is the only way to get by, so they'll figure out what's what and have little industrial revolutions of their own. Besides, who really wants a bunch of messy, nasty wilderness? Anybody with a brain can get what they want right here."
After passing multiple stations deeper into the south of the city, the Iron Blood delegation might have been surprise to discover that they were due to depart directly inside the capital building itself, as the train ran through tunnels that went directly below the palace. Getting off, Große, Graf Spee, and Deustchland were confronted by a large group of tall, armored men weilding huge axes, who were quickly dismissed by Kefka. Kefka lead the visitors deeper into the palace, up through dimly-lit steel stairwells, through hallways decorated with velvet red rugs and bright banners showing the imperial crest, and across a foreboding antechamber, before finally opening the gates to the throne room itself, where Gestahl observed a tabletop map of the area surrounding Vector, while a small group of men and women in decorated uniforms stood along his side.
Kefka took a knee, bowing to the elderly man seated at the head of the room. "Your majesty, I've come with visitors seeking your audience."
Gestahl raised his eyes from the map, peering at Kefka, then at Große's group. "I can tell. Welcome to Vector, seat of the Magitek Empire. I hope that Kefka gave a sufficient guide of our city. Of course, the city of Vector does a fine job speaking for itself. I am always happy to accommodate the lost souls of the universe. What world do you call home? Did the Cure take mercy on you and include your nation into his design, or are you all sharing a room back on the other side of the portal?"
Vector Campsite
Jean Bart's sarcastic remarks didn't seem to have any effect on the old man besides a few genuine smiles on his part. He lowered his left hand subtly. The two men flanking his side nodded, and left for further into the camp, while the branches above Jean and Massachusetts stirred and creaked, before becoming quiet parts of the scenery again.
"Was it that obvious?" he asked. "We are indeed criminals, visitors. We seek a world that is free from those who seek to plunder its wealth and people. Our conscience is our crime, and that's why we live here in isolation."
The old man spread his arms, showing his ornate teal robes, but also revealing he was unarmed. "There are powerful people who want us gone, and there will be many rewards given to whoever brings us to the city alive. Now that you know this, what are you planning on doing?"
"@[=g3,8d]&fbb=-q]/hk%fg"
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Sparda Estate
Minako let out a long, slow breath she had been holding as the group passed through the suspiciously-marked "EXIT" door. She was nursing more than a few cuts and bruises herself, but her pain was overwhelmed by relief at seeing some of those who had been originally sent to completely different locations were safe. Aigis, on the other hand, the redhead would know if she was in imminent danger thanks to their Aeon Social Link, which was, for the time being, not flaring up. The fact that the mechanical maiden wasn't present meant that the overall team had been split into at least two different groups again. So, content with the knowledge that the person most important to her and a large number of the others had survived as well, she smiled slightly, put her evoker to her temple and invoked: "Raphael."
The angel
◊ planted his blade in the grass and the mending wave of his Mediarahan swept across those assembled and healed even their most grievous wounds completely. Minako nodded in satisfaction, and called out to the group, "Alright! Congratulations, everyone, you're still alive! Let's take this moment to catch our breath and strategize before we go charging into another ambush!"
Still holding Mami's literal soul jar with one hand, she turned to the blonde Magical Girl. "How are you feeling, Mami-chan?"
For Spider-Man's part, he groaned his own relief as the healing magic washed over him. Who'd have thought getting hit in the carbon-nanotube reinforced chest with a musket round or co-piloting a giant robot would take such a toll on his physiology? Thank goodness for modern medical science magic. He shoved aside the mental agony at the thought that numerous laws of biology and physics were being violated yet again in favor focusing in on eight simple words that cut deep into his psyche:
"I don't think I saved a single person."
It had been a teenage girl who said that, a short, Asian, brown-haired girl who couldn't be older than sixteen. Her name was Atsuko Kagiri, or Akko for short. How could he forget her marching into the Velvet Room and shrieking about a spider in her hair, or her brimming overconfidence, or her... boisterous Shadow who was so inadequate at the magical arts that the others had only seen fit to use her as a distraction? At that memory, his heart went out to her even more as he imagined what it must be like for her at a school full of teenage witches, some doubtlessly more evocative of the words "witch with a capital B" than others. The wallcrawler's fists clenched at his side, then relaxed as he nodded to himself and made his mind up.
Spider-Man walked over and knelt in the grass next to the little witch, reaching over to scratch behind her canine ears. "Hey, Akko," he greeted softly, "You don't know me, but my name's Spider-Man. I'm a superhero who protects Manhattan. Just like you, I try my best to save everyone I can, but sometimes, even your best isn't good enough. Sometimes, I can't save anyone at all, and I hardly feel 'super', let alone like a hero. Feeling like I could have saved them, like I could have done better if I had just done things differently or tried harder, all while people put me down and try to make me feel like I'm small and don't matter... some days, it eats me up inside, and I can't stop feeling like I'm a failure. But you know what I tell myself when that happens? 'You can't give up now. You have to keep at it, because there are still people who need you.'"
"Our Shadows may be fragments of ourselves, but they're still people with their own dreams. And what I learned from meeting my Shadow is that what they want above everything else is to be accepted by their true self. My Shadow may have disappeared, but he's still a part of me, and the others' Shadows still exist as part of them also, even the ones that we've sent packing. Some people and their Shadows rejected each other outright. But you know what the real problem was? It was Nyarly, the one whose butt we came here to kick, turning them against us. It's also Nyarly who's threatening our homes and loved ones, and really everyone on Battleworld, no matter who they are."
"There's something special about you, Akko, I'm sure of it. Something that only you can do, that nobody else can. And we need your help to stop the villain we've all come here to face down, who's threatening everything we all care about. So, Akko, you can't give up now. You have to keep at it, because there are still people who need you. Okay?"
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Vampire Hunter
Morrigan, Sparda Estate
Morrigan smiled as the wave of healing magic washed over her, her world not having things like angels or holy magic. As such, being healed by holy magic was a new experience for her, one which she tried to savor as long as she could.
"Holy magic tingles," Morrigan muttered to herself before flying over to Akko. "Spider-Man is right, little one."
"These Shadows were just the manifestation of that part of our souls we try to hide," Morrigan explained to the little witch. "I know this because my own soul is split between my beautiful self and my sister Lilith."
"Prior to coming here, Lilith and I had become one, but Lilith still existed in here," Morrigan pointed to her chest where her heart would be. "The same can be said for these Shadows, and no amount of violence can truly destroy them."
"You know those unpleasant truths you hide from not only others, but yourself?" Morrigan asked the depressed witch. "That's your Shadow, Akko... And everyone here has them. And still has them."
"And so long as we live, our Shadows will live inside of us."
Edited by GameGuruGG on Sep 27th 2020 at 3:21:12 AM
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Ruined House: No Rest for Real Heroes!
Hei's mask was back in place almost the moment his body returned to normal. The modifications he had to make for Havoc's short and scrawny frame were restored on their own, but he wanted to be extra careful that no strangers caught a glimpse of his real face. While he lacked the altruistic flair often possessed by certain superpowered mask-wearers past and present, he did recognize the importance of hiding one's identity in mixed company.
Chances are he'd wind up infiltrating at least one of the states represented in this miniature army; his job would be a touch harder if the natives knew his face.
But looking around at the group that emerged with him, he spotted one figure who wore a different sort of mask—one he had witnessed under great pressure back in the Morgue, not that he could see the cracks in it now.
Homura might be surveying the area and counting heads when she spotted the masked guy in black approach her as he straightened one of his jacket sleeves:
"When this is all over, find a girl named Amber. Judging from what your friend's Shadow said, I think you two might have a lot to talk about."
With that little aside, the Black Reaper kept walking to do a brief head-count of his own: fourteen fighters, many with some kind of injury...and an unsettlingly short supply of the known healers. The only figure he'd seen take one of the potions intended to help out the magical medics was the rabbit woman, and she had gone out of her way to state that she did not know how to heal people. If this is where they'd fight whatever Lady had become, they might be in trouble without any way to mend their wounds.
Hei hadn't sustained more than a cut and a bruise from his journey the the Hospital from Hell, but he counted himself among the lucky ones; his role in the fight against that creature in the crematorium had been largely a supportive one. Since his direct attacks didn't seem to bother the thing—and since he discovered Magonia over there could absorb electricity to supercharge his own abilities—Hei had stepped away from the frontlines to help with directing others from a short distance. Besides, brawling against a massive creature in Havoc's brittle would've ended badly sooner or later.
"Does anyone here have a healing ability?" Hei asked the group at large. "If we're up against Lady, we better patch up while we have the chance."
In the midst of the emerging group, a pint-sized hero heard the masked man's suggestion and became suddenly aware of a burning lump on his cheek. Curious, Link removed the Mirror Shield from his back, raised it in both hands to eye level, and...well, used it like a mirror! The burning bump turned out to be the beginnings of a bruise, and a pretty bad one at that. He poked it just to be sure, and sure enough he winced in pain at the touch. Dumb idea, little hero!
Though the wound on Link's face was hardly the only one. With the Mirror Shield in his hands, the other warriors present could see that the little guy had four or five holes in the back of his tunic, the size of musket balls. Though surprisingly, the bruises on the kid's back seemed considerably tamer than the one on his face. Perhaps it wouldn't be much of a surprise to those who had seem him in action against Shadow Mami:
While it would have been appropriately heroic for Link to charge his opponent head-on in an epic battle, the boy had been carrying Mami's all-but-motionless body at the time. In the split seconds he had to think before the onslaught began, Mami's soul had encouraged him to set her body down somewhere safe so he could fight unburdened...only Link couldn't see any safe spots with three super strong Shadows and a giant moving statue running around. So instead, the little hero (in his not-so-little Goron form) had decided to take another tactic that was just as heroic as charging to face the enemy head on:
Taking shots that were never meant for him.
A Goron's back was the hardest and thickest part of their hide, so all it really took to shield Mami until help arrived was to plop down on the ground, tuck his head down, and let his rocky shell soak up the bullets. Mr. Spider-Man and the grumpy guy with the magic pebble-shooting stick swooped in and got Shadow Mami off his back for a minute. Enough time for the Goron to get back on his feet and try to find somewhere the other Shadows wouldn't try to attack Mami when she was most vulnerable. He got maybe twenty feet to the nearest building before he felt those pesky pebbles shooting into his back. A quick glance over his shoulder cost him a painful pin in the cheek, which must've been one of those speedy pebbles Shadow Mami liked to shoot at him. It stung so much his eyes had watered up; who knows what that might've done to him if he'd been running as his fleshy Hylian self!
From that point on, the Goron hadn't risked taking any peeks over his shoulder. The pebbles either missed his feet, or hit his back, but most of the time he was too focused on where to run next to really pay attention to what was going on. He recalled hearing a great big boom right over his shoulder, but didn't dare check what happened. Things started to quiet down soon after that, and by then Mami was feeling well enough to stand on her own two feet, so her let her down! After that, Link took the Goron mask off, followed the others through the exit, and wound up here!
Satisfied that the mark wasn't really all that bad, Link returned the Mirror Shield to his back and started to look around at the others who had shown up in this messy field with him.
He started looking, but soon stopped when he saw an AWESOME cat-ferret-thing! He'd never seen anything like it!...which some might consider weird, because he probably should've seen it back in the Velvet Room, but who cares?! There was a cool animal to pet!
So as the Black Reaper left Homura's side, a little elf boy would show up to take his place, only to then squat down, and happily hold his hand out to Kyubey as an invitation to pat him on the head. Wait for the animal to come to you; after all, that's only polite!
Meanwhile, Link's fairy companion had spent the last minute or so readjusting to the much more familiar setting. A big farmhouse wasn't much news to her, even if the whole place was an absolute mess. Least there was a whole lot more color in this place.
The fairy's attention drifted towards Reisen, Trevor, and Sypha, who all felt the need to comfort Mr. Red Coat. Right, he was part of that Devil May Cry group—the business Lady was a part of! Well, if the guy needed encouragement, he needn't look farther than the kid who had already performed a so-called "miracle" just over an hour ago!
"You had your hands full at the time, so you probably didn't see it happen with your own eyes, but take it from Sypha: the Song of Healing's one super strong spell. If it can turn Mami back to normal after becoming a Witch, then it's bound to work on Lady! Isn't that right?"
She turned around expecting her partner to be paying attentionnote , only to see the kid going gaga for some girl's animal companion. The fairy fluttered her wings faster and cleared her throat.
"I said, the Song of Healing's bound to work on Lady. ISN'T THAT RIIIIIIIIIGHT?"
Link turned to his partner, blinked in bewilderment, glanced at Mr. Peetzuh, then back at his partner, finally connected the dots, and shot the demon hunter a great big grin and a thumbs up!
"Goddess." Tatl sighed. "Don't know why I even bother."
Vampire Hunter
Sypha, Ruined House
Sypha sighed as Tatl tattled before walking toward Homura, nodding, "We fought the Witch Candeloro."
That's a name that everyone here who was in The Morgue group would likely recognize as one of the names that haunted Homura, though Sypha wouldn't know that. She quickly clarified, "Mami's fine!"
"The boy used his ocarina to heal her soul and then trapped it in a bottle, and that somehow worked." Sypha frowned as it was their fault for that. "We will probably need to find a way to get her Soul Gem back, but taking a chance with unknown magic was better than the alternative."
The alternative being left unsaid, but Homura could probably guess at it, given what normally happens with Witches. Given the terseness of Sypha's statements, it was clear she was only saying the essentials about what happened with Mami since it wasn't relevant at the moment.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
The stalker looked impressed at Lucy's summoning of the maiden and how she started creating these barriers to protect the village in case the military arrives.
"Well," The stalker responded to Grant's question about the village. "The few experienced stalkers like me here who are guiding the rookies here are well equipped to fight any of the grunts, but the rookies? They aren't ready for something like this. Upstart bandits and some dogs are completely different to handling a elite force of soldiers, and a mere leather jacket and a makarov pistol will do no good for them in this fight."
When he then asked them if there was any possible escape route, he nodded. "We do have one, though a bit risky. In the back, there is a anomaly field filled with springboard anomalies. Most of the army don't have much experience of the Zone itself compared to us stalkers. As long as any of the forces they send aren't something like Military Stalkers who would know how to navigate it, we'll be fine if we have to go that way to get them safe."
Strelok chuckled as Shadow asked him if he was born in this place. From what little he remembers, it was obvious that it wasn't the case.
"No, I wasn't. I doubt the Zone itself would be a safe and good place for a child to live in. From what little I remember, I was born in a small town in Vinnystla, Ukraine. As for the reasons I went here? ...I really don't remember. But many stalkers have a reason to come live here. Making a fortune so they could be settled for life. To help their families be well fed or have enough money when normal work would just not do at all to sustain them. Former criminals escaping the law and making a new life. Adventurous people wanting to experience the Zone for themselves. I am not sure what were my reasons to come live here, but I guess...I got so used to this life that I'm not even sure if I could leave it behind, no matter how dangerous it is."
Finally, they managed to leave the anomaly field unscathed, and would see the rookie village in the distance...along with some defenses that were not there before.
"Most interesting. Though it is unfortunate one of these shards got stoled by this threat, Dr. Velcrof. Hopefully you'll be able to find the thieves soon." Kruglov spoke as Sergei explained the Meteor Shards and how one of these samples were stolen by a threat.
"The idea of weaponizing such things reminds me of something we have in the Zone," Assistant Stefan spoke next. "Well...we never exactly got the chance to get our hands on such weapons considering the hostility to everything this faction shows to everyone, but there is a faction of cultists located in the Zone who have managed to weaponize the artifacts of the Zone. From the footage we got of Stalkers dealing with them, they seemed to have found a way to use artifacts from a electrical anomaly, use the shards from that artifact in particular to create a extremely powerful rifle that has been told to even be capable of taking down a armored helicopter with ease with just a few shots. Sadly, we never got a chance on our time on the Zone to study this weapon, despite our tasks to get stalkers to get us such a weapon to see how it works, these cultists would rather die than part with it, not to mention the extreme danger of dealing with them."
"There has been a few requests by the Ukrainian Military to see if there could be studies to see if the artifacts could be weaponized," Kruglov spoke next. "Though the United Nations, who are rather involved in keeping a eye on the Zone, denied any possibility of such things, mainly that it could be taken negatively by other countries, and they preferred the study of the Zone to only be focused on the medicinal and scientific approach."
-Spider Lizard Noises-