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Meanken Since: May, 2013
#8551: Jul 22nd 2021 at 5:07:41 PM

Nyarly's Inner Shrine

As the minions get cut down one by one and Minako became enraged, Nyarly laughed

   Good! Yes, wonderful! Shed that mask of yours, show me your inner fire, so I can snuff it out!   

The minions around him die pretty quickly, but as for the being himself, he lifts his tentacles and causes a giant rock wall to appear in front of him, blocking the flames. The minions, meanwhile, alter their positioning, starting to appear in a circle around Minako and attempting to rush her down, until suddenly the two half demon and one quarter demon hunters took up positions around her

"We'll keep them off you!" Dante yelled.

"Make this jackass eat his words!" Nero added

And so they started cutting down the shadows, this leaving a notable gap in the stream of minions the others were busy fighting that they could go through to get to the man himself. Nyarly, meanwhile, starts flicking his tentacles and dropping huge lightning bolts around him that anyone who tries to close into close range is gonna have to somehow plan for if they intend to close the distance

megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#8552: Jul 23rd 2021 at 6:29:29 AM

??

Above the noise of spiritual combat Mami's ears picked up the shouts of anger coming from Minako and the calls to advance from Nero and Dante, alerting her to the group's forming advance to her and Sayaka's right. "Miki-san, this way — we're going to help cover Arisato-san." She began firing magic musket after magic musket ahead of Minako's path to keep baddies off of her while she advanced, while also looking for a moment when Minako wouldn't be critically distracted to reach out via telepathy: <Arisato-san, don't let him get to you! I think he is trying to make you lose focus with anger.>

On the other side, Homura had to keep her distance when lightning from the proverbial skies started to strike down. Her eyes briefly narrowed on the tentacles launching them. Too far and too chaotic for a clean shotgun shot, but she needed quick access to heavier weaponry if another Tortured Soul came by. Solution: keep the Remington out by holding it with her left hand while her right reached into her Time Shield to pull out one of those laser blasters she had scavenged from that space empire invasion a few days ago and use those laser bolts to slip past the lightning defensive curtain to hit the tentacles at their base.

Kyubey had also kept his distance as the battle commenced, moving briskly here and there while keeping his eyes open upon the field. <Such a waste,> he commented as he gazed upon Nyarthelotep's form. <With the amount of energy you have, you could have helped preserve the universe for so many eons. Perhaps even all of the universes that exist.>

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
Darkomega245 Since: May, 2012
#8553: Jul 28th 2021 at 2:57:27 PM

Zone-Rookie Village

After some time passed in the Village, making sure they was no attack by the Military, the scouts looking over at the checkpoint went over to Wolf, informing them they seemed to have calmed down....for now that is.

Meanwhile, a lone stalker would had went over to Grant, as he looked at him up and down. "We appreciate your backup lending a hand. If you're taking your leave and don't feel like having a fun time with the grunts over there, we got something." The stalker would pull over a PDA for Grant to see. As it showed a route he could take take that is near the village.

"This leads over to the Swamps. Not exactly the most glamorous place, but if you don't attract any noise to you, you'll be out the Zone in no time."

HGT-PANDORA

Thankfully for Dr. Vectrof, the Ecologists did seemed to have a device to contain such gift that was given to them, as one of the assistants opened their hazard suit backpack that held what seemed like a high tech container for the Zone's artifact. Once the process was done, the assistant would put it back on his backpack for safekeeping.

At the Doctor's warnings, the two Mercenaries guarding the Ecologists immediately seemed to go from bored and unamused to quickly being on alert. Seems like even though they're hired guns now, they can't shake off their former training.

"I see..." Kruglov slowly nodded at Vectrof's hushed words. "We'll do everything in our power to not have it be used by bandits or something worse. We...shall take our leave now." He glanced over to his other assistants and the hired guns they had, nodding at each of them. Better safe than sorry and taking off before things escalate if there's something bad.

GameGuruGG Vampire Hunter from Castlevania (Before Recorded History)
Vampire Hunter
#8554: Jul 29th 2021 at 3:38:17 PM

Sypha, Trevor & Morrigan, Nyarly's Inner Shrine

Trevor chose to cover Minako as well, using his Vampire Killer to strike down any Shadow that broke through both the Demon Hunters (and Vergil) and the Magical Girls. Morrigan struck any demon that might get close to the advancing group with her punches and kicks. Following Minako closely, Sypha snapped her fingers as she saw the rock wall and then the lightning strikes before turning to Minako, "The elements!"

"Blue Splash!" She then fired off her own brand of sharp icicles straight at the tentacles following Homura's lead.


Felicia & Talbain, Common Room

Felicia dragged Jon Talbain a bit away, being more knowledgeable about interviews with the press. This was Zelda's interview, so they shouldn't interrupt.

"She interviews well," Felicia whispered to Talbain. The werewolf who was currently human just shrugged as he let Felicia take the lead.


Grant, Zone, Rookie Village

"Alright..." Grant replied, "It seems you've got things well in hand here."

After this, Grant would head towards the Swamp and eventually out of the Zone.


Dracula, Castle Keep, Castlevania

"The brat has divine favor and has reincarnated multiple times," Dracula reiterated to Majora, nodding to him. "I've told you this before."

"Well, why does he reincarnate, and why do his gods favor him?" Dracula asked Majora. "Clearly, he must have a persistent reoccurring foe that he must fight against."

"Now, I would have assumed that you were that foe, but you say you've known the brat for three days from your perspective," Dracula explained. "However, the brat must have fought this particular foe multiple times in the past, and more importantly, prior to having met you."

"The answer on how to possibly kill the brat is simple," Dracula concluded to Majora. "Bring his previous foe here with one of the Cure's wishes and have that foe join our alliance."

Edited by GameGuruGG on Jul 31st 2021 at 9:48:46 AM

Wizard Needs Food Badly
TheodoreHastings Since: Jan, 2013
#8555: Aug 22nd 2021 at 6:06:00 PM

Nyarly Realm: Theo's Characters Stop Buffering

With Tatsu and his friend back on solid ground, Hei went about tending to his dislocated shoulder. The Contractor took a deep breath as he approached one of the standing columns and prepared to fix the situation.

This wasn't going to be fun...

Meanwhile, a certain pint-sized hero was getting a few tips on melee combat. While Sell S had some amazing magic at her disposal, it turned out she knew a few things about fighting with a sword and shield, too. And seeing how the little-turned-Goron hero had chosen to use his shield like a flyswatter than...well, a shield, now seemed like a good time for a quick lesson.

"Hup! Hup! Hyah!" Link shouted with each execution of the drill. It was a really simple technique, when he thought about it: rather than attacking with a sword, he could push out with his shield to hit enemies. The Ghestallian general explained that while this Shield Attack (as Link decided to call it) might not work against big enemies, but it could be a handy move if he wanted to stun his opponent for a moment. Definitely a simple technique, but its simplicity was its strength: no bad guys would see it coming!

With the Mexican standoff drawing to a peaceful close, Tatl fluttered back to her partner and plopped down on the top of his head.

"Goddess, why do half of the people here need to be so freaking scary?" The fact that the kid under her wings giggled at her distress did little to improve her mood.

Gradually, everyone was filled in on the plan for Lady's safe departure, and the path forward opened to them. Now that his arm was back in its socket, Hei approached the portal to the next stage...but not before turning to Dante as the demon hunter teased his friend's Shadow. Thanks to his mask Dante wouldn't be able to see the Contractor's expression, but perhaps he could make a guess or two. While Hei was the sort to dive head-first into a fight, he wasn't one to cause one for the hell of it. There was difference between being able to survive a bear attack and poking the bear in the first place. The Black Reaper didn't know how long Dante and Lady had been coworkers, but based on this exchange one thing was abundantly clear:

They had both been immature when they first met, but only Lady had grown up.

Without a word, Hei passed through the portal. Tatl and Link followed soon after.

...

Once in the void, Maki began searching for signs of Team RWBY or JNPR. There were plenty of familiar faces in the ink-black space, but not the ones he was looking for. The Contractor clutched Rupture Truss tightly, and silently bit his lip. Should she try to talk to him or look him in the eye, Maki would turn his back to Akko.

He hadn't wanted to be right about this.

"Looks like he's grown tired of toying with us." Hei stated, pulling out a dagger and assuming a defensive stance. "Better get ready."

"Ready for what?" asked Tatl.

As if on cue, a silhouette morphed in front of the lone object in the nothingness.

"Anything." the Black Reaper replied.

The Magical Girls' bickering drew Link's attention much more than Tatl would've liked. He dropped his guard, inched closer to the arguing girls, and even tried to send them a telepathic message about how they were all friends and friends shouldn't fight. The boy's fairy simply groaned and ordered her partner to either focus on the enemy in front of them or plug his ears for a minute. He didn't need to hear all this cursing.

Throughout his tiresome tirade, Hei was racking his brain to find a winning strategy here. This environment was almost as bad as they come: no cover, no signs of safe footing, no way to confidently close the distance, nothing but an old wooden door to distinguish between themselves and the void. It was entirely this bastard's field of play, yet despite its boasting that everything in this dimension belonged to (and in fact was) him, Hei just turned to the clear and simple fact that they wouldn't be here if their host didn't want this fight. Even if this battle wasn't fair, that didn't make it unwinnable.

Before the battle could begin, Nyarly pulled a dirty trick to end it. Link and Hei managed to avoid falling onto their blades, while Maki strained to switch Rupture Truss into shield mode—to no avail. Only Hei had the strength to crane his neck high enough to see the incoming foe, wielding a blade darker than black. The Black Reaper tried to speak, to inch to his dropped dagger, even to activate his ability from this prone position. None of it worked.

This isn't impossible. he reminded himself. We couldn't be here if it was.

Sure enough, the solution arrived with a pillar of light. With the creature wounded, the spell broke and the heroes were free to move. Hearing Minako's orders to rush for the door, Maki almost retorted that heading to the source of this thing's power might be a bad thing, but he thought better of it and followed the others; much like Hei, Maki had determined that this was probably the worst place they could possibly fight this thing.

Once inside, a wave of relief hit both Contractors: this area had more to offer than one lousy door. But of course, that relief was short-lived as their opponent started to show his true colors. Soon after the heroes entered this final arena, their foe emerged in the center of a ritualistic hexagon. Before unleashing a damn company's worth of faceless souls, Nyarlathotep treated them to yet another monologue...as well as tossing them their rescuer's decapitated head to prove a point.

Maki barely gave the "gift" a second thought, and actively turned his attention to the four pillars surrounding the enemy. Hei's reaction was more or less the same; sp to this point they had been beyond fortunate to not have any casualties. This loss seemed inevitable, but while the emotional impact was more than a bit diluted, Hei did spare a moment for the dead woman—if only for Minako's sake. Link, however, grew wide-eyed and pale at the shocking sight. It was a small miracle he didn't drop his weapons.

He didn't know the lady who saved them, but the act of...killing somebody that way. To do something so terrible to a person, and then throw their body at the feet of that person's friends...that was unthinkable to the boy. Unimaginable, even. And this monster was still calling all of this a game?! Like it was having fun doing all this? Like it enjoyed torturing Mami, or turning the Lady into a monster, or...doing that to someone's body?!?!

Link had thought that he had seen the worst evil had to offer: between Majora and Ganondorf he couldn't think of anyone in the world who could possibly be worse. But maybe that was the problem: this wasn't his world, and this monster didn't play by Hyrule's or Termina's rules. It was something beyond the evil his world knew about—some kind of super demon that shouldn't exist.

With Tatl's help Link managed to pull himself out of shock, but once he was back in reality the first thing he did was dive into his utility belt for a mask. As it turned out, Nyarlathotep was wrong about the gods not providing miracles: Link had the favor of an evil-vanquishing warrior god—all he had to do was wear the mask.

"Hey, wait a min—"

The stare Link shot Tatl stopped her from finishing the word: a mixture of lingering shock and thinly-veiled rage, as if he couldn't understand why—at this moment, against this monster—she would even think about trying to talk him out of this. If he couldn't use this mask in this final battle, then when could he use it? The Fierce Deity existed to stop evil as horrible as Nyarlathotep...and it seemed that Tatl came to that conclusion a few moments after opening her mouth.

"...just try to steer clear of the others, okay? You to tend to go a bit overboard with that thing."

Nothing else needed to be said. In a brilliant flash of light, the tunic-clad boy was gone; replaced by a menacing eight foot evil-smiting god. With his massive double-helix greatsword in hand, the Fierce Deity charged into the thick of a flank of Nyarly's minions. By the time he kicked the last creature onto its back to deliver an Ending Blownote , Minako had cast Ragnarok, and the Faceless One had changed his strategy.

...

Hei would've chosen to follow others' lead to cover for Minako, were it not for two facts: the first was that dedicating everyone to defending one point gave their enemy the advantage—the monster was at the center of the battlefield, practically begging to be flanked from the side and back, so converging for a forward march seemed like a poor move. The second fact was that Hei spotted a young Contractor getting cornered by two minions, and deemed that the Black Reaper's skill was better used elsewhere. He had closed half the distance when the boy (with his back and hands to the wall) saw his opportunity, ducked and rolled under an incoming blade slice, activated his ability, and listened to the dark creature scream in agony. The wall where the boy had stood now had a fist-sized dent in it, the displaced debris having been shot into the minion's body like shrapnel.

The creatures didn't have much chance to retaliate; the wounded one found itself impaled with a dagger, while the unharmed minion died in the Black Reaper's grip, engulfed in a starlight blue glow. Watching the legendary killer in action, Maki found himself impressed by the Black Reaper's efficiency. He was good...but maybe not good enough to be Amber's favorite.

"I don't need your help." Maki told the masked man, albeit with a bit more venom than he intended.

The Black Reaper turned to the boy, then glanced at his crossbow and the dent in the wall.

"Perhaps." replied Hei. "But I could use yours."

...

Hardly thirty seconds on the battlefield, and the Fierce Deity was already annoyed. The wisps that had met its blade were little more than an inconvenience, yet even so he couldn't help but be irked: the lion's share of them had chosen a different target. But annoyed or not, the warrior god didn't bother to give chase, or to join in Minako's defense. Why bother? The true enemy was making himself more and more vulnerable trying to attack one child.

The Fierce Deity had considered charging in for the kill, but the monster's magic was proving to be even more annoying than the gnats it called "minions." No matter. If the abomination planned to strike anyone who drew near, he would just have to take it down from a distance. With a shout and a swing of his blade, the Fierce Deity unleashed a beam of magic towards one of the tentacles. The spell mimics the wielder's weapon, turning a thin yet wide beam of light into a slice sharp enough to fell a tree. Unless the monster was quick enough to evade it, one of its lightning-summoning tentacles was about to be chopped off...and this wrathful god was only getting started.

On another front of the battle, Hei had settled on an initial plan of attack. He was fortunate in a number of ways, not just because the bastard's attention seemed to be primarily on Minako and her protectors, but also in the element he'd chosen to protect himself with. Lightning moves too fast for most fighters to avoid, himself included. Fortunately, thanks to some on-the-job practice, Hei didn't need to worry about avoiding the electricity.

You would have had less than a second to neutralize that electric shock with one of your own. the assassin in Ikebukuro had said. When it comes to enemies, there is nothing common about you.

The fight against Nick and that skirmish in Ikebukuro didn't compare to being struck by actual lightning, but if he could manage to maintain a circuit long enough to discharge it against something else, then he should be able to breach this defense. Aside from perhaps Tatsu, Hei reckoned he was probably the only one who could. Better make this sneak attack count.

As the Black Reaper breached the threshold, a lightning bolt shot straight down on him. Against other opponents that likely would've been the end of it, but when the flash subsided the Black Reaper remained standing—cloaked in a starlight blue glow rippling with electricity. The gamble paid off, but he wasn't about to wait for another strike. One lightning strike was one thing, but if he'd probably be struck over and over again if he decided to stick around. With his dagger in hand, Hei rushed to the nearest tentacle and stabbed it deep near its base, discharging the electricity as he did so. The thing likely shared his near-immunity to the element, but that wasn't the point—what Hei wanted was to create a long and deep enough gash to plant the bolt he'd taken from the EPR kid.

Assuming that Nyalry failed to notice due to the chaos of the battlefield, and assuming that the lightning defense didn't make more than a few encores, Hei would dash out of the threshold and start planning his next move.

...of course, those were some awfully big assumptions.

...

"Spider-Man!"

From wherever he was fighting, the web-slinger would hear the cry of a familiar young Contractor along the edge of the battle. If the superhero managed to find a moment to ditch whatever minions he was facing and swing over to Maki, he'd be greeted with a handful of seven crossbow bolts.

"I don't think the plan will work exactly like last time, but that monster still has limbs. Think you can stick these to some of them?"

Castlevania, Castle Keep: The Demon King of Darkness

Putting on its figurative thinking cap, Majora floated back and forth across the carpet to Dracula's throne.

"So...you're saying that the reason he keeps coming back...is because he needs to keep fighting somebody? Somebody's that got even the gods spooked enough to lend a hand to a twerp like him? Wow, what would someone like that even be like?"

The mask turned towards the sprawling arches above their heads.

"They'd have to be immortal, that part's pretty clear. But there's all kinds of gods and spirits that live forever, and nobody wets themselves in fear of them. They'd have to be stupid strong, too. Strong enough to threaten other gods, or even the world if so many gods are gonna back the brat destined to fight back. And this guy's gotta have something he really really reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally wants if he's gonna want to keep coming back to fight for it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again...otherwise he'd get bored after a while and leave everybody alone! You really think somebody like that exists on my world, Mister?"

A thought sprouted from the question. Majora turned both eyes to the Count and said—in a rather rough-edged tone:

"And do you think the Big Red Mister will let me bring this guy here without making him a total wimp?"

Edited by TheodoreHastings on Aug 27th 2021 at 5:13:24 AM

darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#8556: Sep 4th 2021 at 6:19:29 PM

Inner Sanctum

"Aigis, activate Orgia and attack him; I can handle myself!" Minako barked, even as she attempted to duck and weave around the attacks of the Shadows who had converged on her after her last attack, with limited success. Thankfully, the cavalry arrived and took some of the heat off The Fool long enough for her to bring her evoker to her head and shout, "Makarakarn!" A many-winged demon of some description appeared at her back and raised a hand, causing transparent spheres to briefly appear around each member of the party.

"That should be enough to deflect his lightning back on him for a bit!" she informed the others as she began to rush toward the great abomination, "Don't worry about me! The sooner we close in and take him down, the sooner we end this!"

Meanwhile, Aigis whirred with increasing intensity as her joints lit up a fiery orange and she sparked with electricity. "Activating Orgia Mode!" she announced, then charged toward Nyarlathotep with blinding speed as her leader's spell enveloped her, firing off a sweeping blast from her arm-cannon, aimed to sever one of the adversary's tentacles from his main body - or more specifically, one that she didn't already see Hei and the Fierce Deity attacking.

Spider-Man briefly glanced between Maki and the Big Bad as the former asked him for a repeat performance, then quickly nodded and grabbed the handful of bolts the boy was passing him. "You got it, Maki!" he agreed, taking the time to shoot off a salute before he leapt into the air, fired off a webline to Thwip! Nyarly in the torso, and yanked hard to hurl himself through the air toward the monstrosity.

Okay, Pete! Just gotta dodge some lightning! How hard could it be, with your spidey sense only working when you see things in front of you?! Oh, I am so getting fried, aren't I? Wonder if it'll hurt more or less than getting zapped by Electro?

At about the time Spider-Man was thinking he would become a crispy man-spider any second, Minako's protective spell wrapped around him in an obvious shield, and if there was any doubt she immediately shouted an explanation for all to hear. "Hey, thanks! This is way more help than I usually get when it's team-up time!" our hero called over as he dodged and vaulted around the enemy's flailing tentacles, webbed bolts to their bases, and worked a quip in for good measure while one of the lightning bolts struck directly on his shield and was reflected back at the caster.

"Hey, Tall, Dark and Ugly! Didn't your parents ever tell you that if you don't have something nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all?"


Common Room

"You certainly have at that, Your Highness!" Robbie assured with a nod, "It's reassuring to know that you come from a land with a diversity of peoples and embrace that diversity, since our Manhattan is also a highly multicultural city, with people from all walks of life and many ethnicities from various countries across our home planet of Earth."

He had been sitting with his hands folded in his lap, genteel smile on his face all while Zelda was talking and showing no hint of skepticism, though now he leaned forward as he continued, "I have to say, though, the idea of a royal dynasty being able to trace its roots back ten-thousand years is... impressive, to say the least. The oldest surviving monarchy on Earth is only about twenty-four hundred years old, and though many kingdoms have risen and fallen over the millennia, the entirety of recorded human history only goes back about six thousand years to the invention of writing. So, I'm afraid you all have us at a bit of a disadvantage, time-wise!" The editor chuckled. "In any case, to have ruled that long, I'm sure your family must be wise and benevolent rulers, hm? They would inevitably have been overthrown by now if they weren't. But as with any history, I'm sure Hyrule has had its ups and downs and had to reimagine itself more than once. If you had to pick one, what would you say your favorite era of Hyrule's history is?"

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
TheodoreHastings Since: Jan, 2013
#8557: Sep 12th 2021 at 6:04:39 PM

Common Room: The Hero, The Goddess, and The Piggy Demon

"Impressive."

Zelda smiled politely at the carefully-chosen word. She could hardly blame her interviewer for his shade of disbelief; even if she hadn't learned his world's recorded history was considerably shorter than her own, it was still a very hard fact to wrap one's head around. It's not like books can survive ten thousand years, even in the driest and cleanest libraries.

"I suppose Hyrulean dynasty's claim sounds far-fetched—in truth, Mr. Robertson, it could not be possible without thousands of new editions painstakingly documenting every generation...but such records serve a vital purpose."

The princess paused for a moment—perhaps not long enough to build suspense, but long enough to take a deeper breath. She didn't want to talk about him, but to ignore him would leave out so much information that almost anyone would detect that she was withholding the full truth. It'd cripple her first impression to the people of Manhattan, and possibly hurt Mr. Robertson's reputation as well. She could possibly live with the former, but she refused to risk the latter.

So ignoring the pit in her stomach, Zelda began:

"The history of Hyrule is also the history of Calamity Ganon: a monster of unfathomable malice and power who invades the kingdom time and time again, in the hopes that he may someday plunge it into eternal darkness. He...I'm sorry, perhaps 'monster' is the wrong word. It's too simple, too straightforward. The Great Calamity is closer to a demon, or a deity who...imagine a sentient storm: a devastating force of nature capable of changing its course at will. A hurricane that targets cities, towns, and villages for the sole purpose of killing everyone residing there. Now imagine that the storm is not only a storm, but also a general: one who commands legions of terrifying creatures. Some of these creatures are small, some are the size of buildings, while others are such infamous killers none but the most skilled warriors stand a chance to fell them. Calamity Ganon not only commands this army, but holds the power of life and death over them; at the peak of each blood moon, every monster who had been killed is revived, making a military victory over this army utterly impossible. To make matters worse, the Great Calamity cannot die, he can only be sealed away...at which point the kingdom earns a long-lasting peace until he can break free of his prison, and the cycle repeats all over again.

"The only reason the Great Calamity can be sealed away is because of my bloodline. Legends speak of how the Matron Goddess of Hyrule chose a mortal life, and founded the Hyrulean dynasty as the kingdom's first queen. Hylia's magic is a hereditary trait passed from mother to daughter, and while there are other sources and forms of magic in Hyrule, there is no substitute for the goddess' power. With that in mind, perhaps the dedication to documenting every generation makes a little more sense. It's not because we are perfect rulers—though I believe most of my ancestors were just and benevolent—but because we know what lies in wait should the bloodline ever be snuffed out."

Zelda paused again, involuntarily shifting her gaze directly to the camera before snapping back to her interviewer. "Forgive me, Mr. Robertson. I doubt your viewers wish to hear about something this tragic, so after this one uplifting note I will happily change the subject: in case you were wondering what would qualify me as someone our captor might deem 'entertaining,' it is because I sealed the Great Calamity away not one month ago. Considering how the previous gap between his invasions lasted at least ten-thousand years, I trust that the kingdom will manage until I find a way home."

She desperately hoped that joke would land.

"My favorite era? That would be the Golden Age of Sheikah Technology, without a doubt. The Sheikah Clan has served as protectors of the royal family for millennia, far surpassing the records of royal lineage. Around ten thousand years ago—perhaps a few centuries before the last return of the Great Calamity—the Sheikah somehow found a way to harness energy itself. They built incredibly intricate machines that could walk, communicate, and even think on their own. The engines powering these machines were capable of turning any material—any solid or liquid matter—into pure energy, allowing them to function almost anywhere without falling into much disrepair. In fact, these machines are so durable that they exist even to this day, ten thousand years later! Although we only rediscovered these machines within the past twenty years, we have managed to get hundreds of them operational. Among those hundreds are four titanic machines that dwarf all the rest; we have come to call them the Divine Beasts, and each is capable of feats that almost defy logic. Vah Ruta can bring rain to droughted fields, Vah Rudania can calm Death Mountain, Vah Nabooris can safely generate a storm's worth of electricity, and Vah Medoh can soar through the heavens—despite the fact it's the size of a village! If I had not studied each Divine Beast in intense detail, I would swear they truly were created by the gods!

"Though what I love most about this Golden Age is that we have only scratched the surface of what it was truly like! All we have are relics and components, and almost all of those were discovered underground. If we keep exploring, there's no telling what we'll find, and what our ancestors have to teach us. Improvements to agriculture, architecture, infrastructure, transportation, communication, medicine, entertainment, the culinary arts, academics...our fundamental understanding of the world might very well be flipped on its head! I get light-headed just thinking of the possibilities!"

Zelda suddenly realized just how flustered she must look, and took a few moments to regain her composure.

"...as you can see, Mr. Robertson," she sheepishly replied as her face reddened, "I have a passion for archeology, technology, and science in general. It's one of the reasons I find your Manhattan so fascinating; from my perspective, your world resembles that mysterious Golden Age, in the best of ways."

The princess' knight remained utterly stone-faced up to this point, silently tucked outside of the camera's view. However, there was one idea—mostly composed of three words—that brought so much life to his eyes it rivaled Zelda's enthusiasm.

That idea was improvements to "the culinary arts."

Meanken Since: May, 2013
#8558: Sep 24th 2021 at 7:21:00 PM

Darkness

It is a slow thing, the defeat of a god. The sheer scale of such beings, the power they wield, particularly at the seat of their power, is enough to humble any one hero. Which is why it's a good thing that you all brought a bunch of them, as well as some less then heroic people who just so happened to have a bone to pick with this specific god. Slowly, surely, Nyarly was being whittled down. Tentacles were being cut down, replaced, only to be cut down anew again and again. Some with the blade, some with magic, some blown up by crossbow bolts attached with webbing. And it's becoming more and more apparent that Nyarly is getting really really fed up with your collective refusal to just lay down and die, and the attacks are getting more wild and random, tentacles flailing all over the place, magic blasts being unleashed at random, doing more damage to his own forces at this point then you are, and overall just degenerating into chaos.

   Pests! Insects! You are nothing! Less then nothing! Just a few pitiful humans, half breed rejects, and a spattering of demonic beings who are only here because you're bored! What right do you have to stand before me? I am a god! What right do you have to challenge me? You, a pack of mere mortals? I already told you, I cannot die! All you do is forestall the inevitable! So cease wasting my time and lay down and die like the weak, sad, pitiful little mortals you are!   

darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#8559: Sep 24th 2021 at 7:21:14 PM

Darkness, Inner Sanctum

Minako opened her mouth, and when she spoke, it was with many voices - one the voice of the SEES Leader that those around her had come to know, but the others an amalgam of voices familiar to the assembled heroes in a different capacity. They were those of cherished friends and allies, loved ones and family members, mentors and idols, everyone they knew who had supported them throughout their years and who they were fighting for the sake of:

"As I told you, Nyarlathotep, when working together, mortals can bring about feats that match those of any god. But I do agree that the battle has stretched on a bit overlong, and it's about time to bring this contest of ours to an end..."

As her words echoed across the space, her entire body radiated a blinding, golden light, which washed over their adversary. Where the light touched, Nyarlathotep's pitch-black form dissolved into smoke which quickly faded away into the aether, until all that was left of the monster at the center of the room was a very reasonably-sized, and very obviously human-looking, figure: Wallace Breen in all ways except his eyes, which were still a demonic yellow.

With that done, the radiance lessened in intensity, and began to peel away from "Minako's" form in the shape of glowing, golden butterflies, which flapped to and fro about the chamber. As the light departed her body, what was revealed was an individual who looked somewhat familiar, but in wildly different attire.

"And now all that remains is to finish you off," she pronounced as she folded her hands behind her back, and then continued, clearly addressing the assorted champions, "I shall leave that to you all, of course. It would be meaningless if threats to mortalkind were not defeated by mortals themselves, after all."

Edited by darksidevoid on Sep 24th 2021 at 12:26:39 PM

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
TheodoreHastings Since: Jan, 2013
#8560: Sep 25th 2021 at 6:14:46 PM

Nyarly Realm, Inner Sanctum: Puny God.

Flailing. As the battle drew to its conclusion, the enemy to every hero present resorted to a tactic championed by cornered animals. Flailing. No more mind-numbing monologues, no more chess grandmaster strategies, no more exuding a tangible aura of complete and absolute control. Just cries of disbelief, and flailing.

Unfortunately for the Black Reaper, even blind attacks land their marks every now and then. One of the creature's tentacles managed to swipe Hei with enough force to knock him off his feet. While the blow was avenged with an exploding bolt planted by a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, the Black Reaper needed a moment to recover and drag himself off the floor. It was only when the monster began whining about this humiliation that Hei noticed he wasn't looking through the left eye hole—his mask had chipped, and even now was beginning to crack.

"You still don't get it." he answered the flailing creature. "This isn't an execution. It's an eviction."

With the monster forced to assume a meek mortal formnote , Hei saw his chance to get in one final strike. He hardly registered what happened to Minako, and failed to hear her invitation to attack. By the time the Persona user had finished speaking, Hei was less than three steps from his foe. In one swift motion, the Black Reaper seized one of his daggers, and aimed to drive it deep into the heart of this white-knuckled god.

Maybe the monster saw the simple attack coming, and tried to counter with more flailing. Maybe the force of driving the blade into its final sheath was a bit too strong. Maybe the presence of Philemon brought a sense of closure to this strange inner sanctum. But whatever the case, as the Black Reaper walked past the cowardly man (perhaps with the dagger still imbedded in his enemy's chest), the growing cracks finally gave way, and the entire mask crumbled to the ground.

...

The Fierce Deity smirked as Yin clashed with Yang, and the abomination reverted to a sniveling mortal. The fun part was over. All that was left was to kill it, and move on to the next target. The white-haired swordsman, perhaps; he reeked of evil and spilt mortal blood. Their common enemy was on its way out, but the half-breed in the blue coat wouldn't be far behind. With his double-helix great sword in hand, the Fierce Deity took his first steps to confront Vergil.

Though it seemed the boy's companion sensed the warrior god's intent, and in a hushed and nervous tone demanded that he stay focused on the creature they came to defeat. The fairy's gall was almost amusing, though after a moment's thought he realized she had a point. He couldn't imagine the swordsman had much energy left to spare, but striking down one evildoer here would anger too many warriors on the righteous path. It simply seemed counterproductive for now, so after those few steps in Vergil's direction the Fierce Deity stopped and turned his attention back to the center of the room.

Your lucky day, little half-breed.

The suggestion that this abomination be felled by mortals stamped a frown on the warrior god's face. Mortals were marvelous creatures, but they were infuriatingly fickle. Their enemy was clever—it'd have to be in order to live long enough to grow this strong. Temptation would no doubt be its last attempt to save its skin, and it would only need one wavering mortal to distract them all from doing what must be done. This deed was far too much for them; the mortals could be trusted with smaller responsibilities once this wretched thing was gone.

...and yet he did not move to slay it. The velvet-clad deity had invited the mortals to deal with the threat, and while he thought that was a ridiculous idea, the warrior god had no intention of crossing her. They seemed to have aligned roles to play, and besides: this was her counterpart, not his. She deserved to make the rules, here. So without wasting another moment, the Fierce Deity sheathed his great sword, and cupped the sides of his face.

The boy could take it from here.

One flash of light later, and the massive warrior god was replaced with a pint-sized hero.

"Got enough juice for a light arrow?"

The boy blinked in surprise, but nodded.

"Good. We've got one last shot at him, so make it count."

Link had his bow and arrow out within moments, and as he took a beat the calm himself and pour blessed magic into the arrow tip, Tatl gave their enemy one final message:

"HEY! NYARL-WHATEVER-YOUR-NAME-IS! IT'S HIGH TIME SOMEBODY SHUT YOUR TRAP FOR GOOD!"

With that, Link let the light arrow fly.

...

Almost as soon as he'd activated his ability, Maki knew that his fighting was over. He'd used his power more in this long multi-staged battle than he'd ever done in a single day, and there was only so much his power could do. Fortunately for Maki (and everyone else for that matter), the bolts that Spider-Man planted did the job. As the starlight blue glow faded from his outline, the Contractor leaned himself against the sanctum's wall and slid to the ground, more mentally exhausted than anything.

The fighting didn't last much longer, but while everyone else was bound to take turns beating this monster into a pulp, Maki's attention was drawn to someone else. He called her a "someone" for politeness, and for the previous identity he knew her as, but a person who spoke with more than one voice—not only her own, but with Nora's, and Blake's and Amber's and Instructor Moonstar's and Ren's and Quill's and even Hibachi's—could a person like that even be called a person anymore?

Maki raised himself from the floor and slowly approached the enigmatic figure.

"Who—what are you?"

The question was more forceful than Maki had intended, but the velvet-clad figure probably didn't need to hear the tone to know what the young Contractor was thinking. He was clutching Rupture Truss in kite shield mode, and while he kept even eye contact on "Minako," his shoulders were slumped forward and he was subconsciously clenching his jaw. Judging by her words alone he couldn't conclude that this stranger was a threat...but then again, from his perspective this thing was on the same level of strength as their enemy, and it seemed to have hijacked the body of one of their strongest fighters. The boy could be forgiven for being cautious...and maybe more than a little afraid.

Meanken Since: May, 2013
#8561: Sep 29th 2021 at 7:48:50 PM

Darkness

Over with the three demon hunters, there were two dropped jaws and one smirk as Minako made her transformation

"I knew it." Vergil said.

"Would have been nice to share with the rest of the class, bro." Dante said as he shook his head.

"Just a suspicion, nothing more, unlike some people, I don't spout off every thought that goes through my head."

Nero sighed "Can you two fight after we kill the evil god or whatever he is?"

"I'll leave you two to handle that. I have standards, and killing anything acting like that is beneath me."

As for the that, Nyarly had been stunned into inaction by this, clearly in massive shock at what just happened, not even so much as moving as he was attacked, blades, bullets, magic, whatever, all striking cleanly.

   But......How.......You......What.....That.....   

As he was stuck, his now human form slowly started to fade, turning translucent more and more as he was struck by every blow. Three more bullets to the head were added by Joker, who, dispite having his mask on still, looked very angry as he turned and walked over to "Minako", stopping next to Maki, gun still held in his hand.

"I'd like to know that, too. I appreciate the assist, and it's the only reason I'm not already pointing this gun at your head, but you have a lot of explaining to do."

"Perhaps I can help you understand."

And thus Vergil walked up behind them as Nero and Dante start going to town on Nyarly

"I very much doubt this girl was ever herself. I'm sure somewhere in your world, mind you, this girl existed. Those friends of hers you met are likely real, I would guess, but somehow, this being, this "god", or whatever he calls himself, managed to intercept her and take her place. I'm assuming he came to some form of secret agreement with that other thing that runs the Battleworld, much like the other one had to."

Joker glances over his shoulder at Vergil, then looks back at "Minako". "Is he right? Because she's been around since this started, from what I understand. This thing's been running around this planet for almost a week, terrorizing people, creating chaos for its own amusement, and creating fear wherever it goes. No one knew what it was, what it wanted, how to fight it. And you just stood by all that time and watched them run around like lost children when you had the answers they needed, and diden't help them?"

Keen eyes would notice that his grip on his pistol was getting noticeably tighter.

Edited by Meanken on Sep 29th 2021 at 7:49:58 AM

megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#8562: Sep 29th 2021 at 8:56:00 PM

Nothing, Yet Everything

Homura had just lasered one tentacle off, Mami pelleted more to keep them at bay from the advancing Minako, while Sayaka made hurried parries to cover her senpai. The tide began to turn, little by little, then from behind all at once when Minako revealed her true abilities. All three of the Magical Girls stared in awe for a moment when they saw Nyarly taken for a loop.

None of them said anything for a moment, until Kyubey spoke up. <You truly are a being of immense potential, Minako Arisato.>

At Minako’s signal, Mami took a step back and with as much concentration as her partially-occupied hands would allow began to summon the largest hand cannon her renewed strength and will would muster. <Go, Miki-san! I’ll need a moment.>

<Right!> Sayaka dashed forward at the now-rather-pitiful form of the embodiment of human greed, her cutlass glowing with her magic as she struck her blow for justice — once, twice, three-four, five times dashing past him and laying cut after cut before thrusting it into what was probably his torso before scampering away to let the incoming projectiles have a clear shot.

The timeliness of others’ attacks allowed Mami to put more effort into her gigantic forming cannon. Even with having to hold her Soul in the nook of her arm, she took aim at the vulnerable form. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Homura waiting at a safe enough distance to allow the shot. There were many things they would have to discuss. Apologies would have to be sorted. But right here, right now, she was her ally. The one whose fault it was that she had to fumble around with a glass jar just to continue to exist...that was in her crosshairs. “Tiro...FINALE!!”

Homura would wait for the others’ shots to impact first. No point in getting caught in the crossfire. Only when enough smoke cleared and she wouldn’t be hit by friendly fire would she then begin to approach Nyarly’s struggling form, each step measured but deliberate in pace. The shotgun had been put away; one of Lady’s CZ 75B hybrid pistols was in her left hand and a decently-sized white object was in her right. At point blank range her left hand took aim and fired, one trigger pull per step as she approached, her eyes staring daggers at the form while her right thumb began tapping buttons on the object in it. “A god, you say? I don’t care,” she said, firing another bullet in the pistol as she reached right next to him. “You attacked our homes.”

Bam.

“You hurt my friends.”

Bam.

“You tried to blackmail me.”

Bam.

Click — the gun was now empty. But Homura wasn’t done. She dropped the empty pistol and changed her stance slightly, enough to show others who were paying attention what she was holding in her other hand...a bomb.

“But most of all...you threatened Madoka.”

Homura tossed the bomb from her hand into the air above Nyarly’s form, at the right angle for her to bring it straight down with an axe kick from above. Her foot struck the arming mechanism on the bomb as they impacted his head.

“I will always protect Madoka from whatever threatens her. Always.”

With a kick from her other leg and some help from her Time Shield, Homura will scram back to a safe distance before the bomb detonates.

Edited by megarockman on Sep 29th 2021 at 11:56:21 AM

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
GameGuruGG Vampire Hunter from Castlevania (Before Recorded History)
Vampire Hunter
#8563: Sep 29th 2021 at 9:09:04 PM

Trevor, Sypha, and Morrigan, Darkness

Morrigan looked offended at Nyarly calling her out for being here because she was bored.

Before anything could come of that, Minako spoke with the Voice of the Legion. Both Trevor and Sypha were instantly on guard, but it seems like whoever was with them as Minako was on their side. It was then Sypha remembered what happened when she spoke Nyarlathotep's full name in the Velvet Room... and how to counter its effects on it.

"Philemon... I think we can trust this being," Sypha looked over at Trevor. Sypha saying that was good enough for him. Both of the vampire hunters had their questions, but that can wait until after the immediate threat was dealt with. Trevor would move in close and strike Nyarly-Breen down with the Vampire Killer. Sypha would follow that up with her Blue Splash attempting to follow the Black Reaper's example and stab him with icicles like a pincushion.

Morrigan, to her credit, was also eyeing "Minako," suddenly very interested in learning her backstory now. But trash did need to be taken out first. There was no real excitement or joy on her face as she used her Finisher Shower. Her wings turned into a giant cannon which fired a freakin' laser at the weakened Nyarly-Breen. All she had on her face was the boredom of someone having to clean up a annoying pest.

Wizard Needs Food Badly
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#8564: Sep 30th 2021 at 11:37:27 AM

??? ?? ?????, Inner Sanctum

"Fear not; all of your questions will be answered!" the Minako-thing assured with a serene smile, "But first: Thank you, and well done, o brave heroes and heroines! Well done, indeed!" She gave the party a round of applause - not too long or too short, just the right length to seem genuine.

"Now, allow me to properly welcome you all-" She snapped her fingers, and the entire area brightened up from the dimness that had permeated it while their enemy had been in control, the fog around the edges of the sanctum dissipating to reveal a vast sea of stars in every direction. "-to the center of the Sea of Souls, the seat of Nyarlathotep's power, and of my own."

"As Sypha has surmised, I am Philemon, a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls," she continued, holding a hand over her heart and offering the party a theatrical quarter-bow, "I created Igor, who you all have encountered in Battleworld's Velvet Room. Vergil's guess is also partially correct. The form you see before you is a false copy I created to use as a vessel, and the true Minako Arisato is elsewhere, fulfilling another important role."

"Then, my memories are...?" Aigis asked dropping to her knees with a metallic clang, orange light fading from her joints, which began to emit plumes of smoke instead as she stared at the being, a look of despair overtaking her face.

"Yes, Aigis," Philemon confirmed with a nod, "I sealed the memories of your friends when I brought them to Battleworld so that they would not question the scenario, but I left yours untouched, because an obvious sealed portion of your memory banks would create its own questions. Of course, as planned, you never told the other members of SEES that your memories were further along than theirs, because it seemed so out of step with what everyone else believed. And besides, your beloved friend had returned to you, so you hardly had a cause for complaint, even if you doubted yourself."

"Then, Minako-san... Minako-san is still..."

"Indeed." Philemon snapped her fingers again, and with a swirl of mist, an absolutely massive golden door appeared in the air some ways off the side of the sanctum, practically more a wall than a door. And at its center, embedded in the side, hung an equally massive golden figure of the young lady in question, facing outward and embedded with her arms spread out wide as if in crucifixion. "The true Minako Arisato attained the zenith of the Wild Card power which I granted her, and used it by sacrificing all of her life energy in order to turn her own soul into a seal on Nyx, the embodiment of Death itself, which had threatened to awake and wipe out all life on Earth. Nyx's awakening, too, was a scheme of Nyarlathotep's, and Minako was my chosen champion in that instance."

"But to return to the question of why I did not act or intervene to provide answers about Nyarlathotep," she continued, folding her hands behind her back once more, "As I said, threats to mortalkind must be overcome by mortals themselves. To act before it was clear that Nyarlathotep would be defeated would have defeated the entire point of this entire experiment. You see, Nyarlathotep and I are two equal and opposite forces: I embody that which guides people toward betterment and enlightenment, and he embodies that which guides them to destruction and negativity. Our entrance into Battleworld was in service of answering the question of what truly lies at the heart of mortalkind: will they one day rise above their natures to become enlightened beings, or will they completely and utterly destroy themselves? The Cure found this entertaining, and so allowed us to use his Battleworld as our stage."

"The agreement between Nyarlathotep and I was that we would only offer guidance to mortals and grant them powers, which they would then use for their own purposes, and we would continue until either the mortals on Battleworld completely destroyed themselves or Nyarlathotep's philosophy was completely rejected. As is his nature, however, even though he thought his victory was an eventual inevitability and couldn't conceive of losing, he couldn't help cheating and trying to tip the scales even further in his favor. My intervening by using this vessel was something he wouldn't expect, so all I could do up until this final battle was have you all rally together to confront him, lest he call off our agreement and attack me directly as well as causing yet more problems. As I'm sure you can imagine, an even more active and unrestrained Nyarlathotep would be disastrous for everyone, everywhere."

"But now, thanks to your efforts, Nyarlathotep will remain unable to interfere with mortal affairs for many years! Once again, thank you, and well done!" She lifted her hands to gesture widely at the party, and began clapping again.

Edited by darksidevoid on Sep 30th 2021 at 2:46:22 PM

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
Meanken Since: May, 2013
#8565: Sep 30th 2021 at 6:56:55 PM

Sea of Souls

Joker remains defiant at first, until Minako's actual fate is mentioned, at which point he frowns, his mood clearly disrupted by this. He refrains from commenting until she finishes, at which point he shakes his head

"We diden't do this for you. We did it to stop this thing, this god, or whatever you want to call him, from continuing to harm innocent people. You keep saying that we "Mortals" need to overcomes threats to us ourselves. That's a nice thought."

He takes a few steps forward until he's a foot or two from Philemon.

"But from where I'm standing, there's something you're not mentioning. All these major threats to humanity, him, demons, shadows, even that thing back on Battleworld waiting to laugh at us and thank us for the show, you're all not mortals. Free to do whatever you want, interfere in our lives as you please. So why are we the ones who get slapped with the restrictions, when you and those of your kind are the ones who cause all the problems in the first place?"

Vergil snorts. "Ah, yes. Because humans are so perfect, is that it?"

"I never said we were. That's why me and my friends started fighting back in the first place. But we did that because we choose to do so, not because of some mandate from some god with nothing better to do."

He takes a step or two back

"I'm still tempted to at least pistol whip you. But I believe in justice, and I'm not the one you wronged. I'm not the one who's friend you impersonated, I'm not the one who had her memories so out of step with her closest friends that she probably felt like an outsider in her own group for almost a week, I'm not the one who got led on with the hope her friend did in fact survive, only to have that hope cut short at the very moment of victory against one of her primary targets."

Joker turns to look over at Aigis.

"I'd offer you my gun, but I don't think you'd need it if you really wanted him dead. He's all yours. Do whatever you want."

As Nyarly finished fading away, Dante and Nero turned toward the rest of the group.

"Hang on a minute-" Nero started to say before Dante threw his arm in front of him

"This ain't our business, kid. That girl, guy, whatever, he's from their world. Not ours. And that kid's not wrong about what he did. It's not a fight we have a place interfering in."

Edited by Meanken on Sep 30th 2021 at 6:58:05 AM

Alleydodger Since: Jan, 2012
#8566: Oct 1st 2021 at 1:54:12 AM

Meeting Room

A number of emotions danced across Delfi's face as the woman admitted she could not answer what was asked, a strange mixture of smug victory, bitterness and resignation. All that lasted for just a moment, making it hard to pull out just exactly what she might have been feeling. She could read plainly how the woman was feeling, and she was torn on two sides by it. Disgust, at one being so subservient to those she obviously hated. But then, she was no different, in the end. And a glimmer of something else, something sympathetic, that she did her best to squash. This was no place for such things.

Still, any information was useful. And so the young woman nodded. "I will." Then she was silent for a moment, mind working hard. While she could not trust Misaki with her wellbeing, perhaps she could... attempt to ensure some possible protection. Delfi allowed her expression to become less cold, sympathy and a sad smile appearing on her face. "You seem like a good person, and I can tell that you wish to help. That is... not something that I get very often. Thank you."

Onward to the Sea of Souls

The battle was chaotic, and beyond the scope of anything the thundercore kids had dealt with before. The sheer otherness of the being that called itself Nyarlathotep. Each of three boys did their part as best they could. Tatsu trailing crackling red electricity as she danced around the shadowy figures and limbs, lashing out with his blade to do as much damage as he could. Alfred laying down constant gunfire with his rifles hanging in the grip of his powers. Even Mono managed to unleash intense bolts of lightning into the shadowy foes that got close to me, eyes surprising cold as he did so.

And bit by bit, the flow of the battle turned. And, despite its claims to being unbeatable, and its hate-filled curses towards them all, the 'god' was losing. And then, it was done.

The trio came together once the threat was over, their attention now turned towards the new set of events unfolding. They watched and listened, obvious outsiders to whatever was going on. With no context as to the what and why, though the conflict was obvious.

Edited by Alleydodger on Oct 1st 2021 at 1:54:25 AM

TheodoreHastings Since: Jan, 2013
#8567: Oct 1st 2021 at 6:42:55 PM

The Sea of Souls, Inner Sanctum: Your Pollux

It seemed the increasingly flashy death blows to their enemy were only outdone by the sudden, violent change in scenery...though perhaps it was more appropriate to claim the stage was illuminated, not changed.

With more and more of the heavy-hitters turning their sights on the strange figure, Maki allowed himself to explore the scenery. And explore he did: spinning around the open space in a mix of caution, confusion, and a seed of wonder he'd never before felt staring at the dots on his own world's night sky.

"Are these...stars?" he asked. "Like...the real stars?"

The question piqued Tatl's interest, and not just for its supposedly obvious answer; the kid sounded like he'd never seen real stars before. Did he live under a rock or something?

"I doubt it." the fairy replied. "If this place is where we've been fighting this whole time, we're nowhere near a real sky. Not really sure what a 'Sea of Souls' means, though..."

The term pulled Maki's mismatched eyes straight back to Philemon. "We're not...dead, right? Even if souls exist, people aren't supposed to be able to see or hear them. Isn't that one of the obvious signs that you're no longer alive?"

"What, your world not have ghosts or Poes and stuff?" the silence gave Tatl all the answer she needed. "Wow, sounds boring. Where I come from spirits can stick around if they have unfinished business. Sometimes they're malevolent, but once you figure out what they want they're usually even-tempered. My partner and I deal with ghosts on a pretty regular basis, and we're no worse for wear. Besides, didn't Nyarblablahblah plan to kill us? That be a super dumb idea if we were already dead."

"He said we would die here." Maki corrected, a small frown on his face. "Not that he had to kill us to make that happen. There's a difference, and that difference is important if we don't have a way back home."

With that point, the young Contractor turned his head to Philemon, as if to silently ask the question "Can you get us out of here?"

At the same time, Tatl took the topic as a golden opportunity to figure some things out. "While we're talking about this place," she addressed the velvet-clad deity, "can you explain what we're really looking at? Were we walking around those star-looking things this whole time? Are those things supposed to be Shadows?"

The fairy fluttered to the edge of the cosmic enclosure, and added: "Come to think of it, we never crossed paths with some Shadows, did we? I didn't see anyone who looked like my partner—is his Shadow somewhere out there?"

Outside of Tatl's line of sight, a little hero nervously rubbed the nape of his neck. He knew what his Shadow would look like; frankly, he was quite happy it didn't show up.

The revelation that the soft-spoken android had been living a lie failed to shake the Contractors present—in part because they lacked the full context to measure the cost of this Great Lie. But Link wasn't one to watch someone get so sad and do nothing about it, so after some brief consideration, he rushed over to Kyubey and the Magical Girls and pointed to his temples, and then to Aegis. If they didn't understand the request, he'd retrieve the light pen Mirajane gave him and scribble out Thinc-tawking is faster then riting., which should make the favor clear.

Once the connection was established, the little hero would walk over to Aegis and place a hand gently on her arm.

< Hey, Aegis? There's no reason to be sad. You got to keep your friends, and your memories! I know that having a god on your side can be tricky and confusing sometimes, but it's a good thing cuz their help lets you help a lot of people. And you know what else it does? >

Link turned to look the android face-to-face, mournful turquois to beaming sapphires.

< It makes you a hero, Aegis! >

For his part, Hei seemed to ignore the lion's share of Philemon's answers. Perhaps it could be chalked up to shock, since as soon as that massive door appeared, Hei's eyes failed to leave it.

He had met, talked with, laughed with, nearly killed, and was forgiven by an imposter. Someone who shared as much in common with the real Minako Arisato as he did with...well there weren't any fair comparisons in his experience. If his world really did had a God, they kept awfully quiet.

Though even the Black Reaper wanted to find out something while he had the chance. If this engagement had been permitted by the Cure, Hei doubted he'd allow Philemon to stay now that their enemy had been displaced. So as he stared at the effigy of the young woman he thought he'd known, the words she'd said that night came to mind:

Pollux cried for a very, very long time, for years and years, but no matter how much she pleaded, no hand reached down to return Castor. So, she drifted from place to place, not wanting to form any attachment that she could lose again. Eventually, though, she discovered her purpose in life - something only she could do - and she found friends and comrades in spite of herself, whom she made sure to cherish dearly. After that, she realized that even though the place where Castor used to be still hurt, it wasn't quite as painful to still be alive. She decided that she would help as many people as she was able, live her life as fully as she was able, and then one day, after her work was finished, drag her brother's spirit up to live with their parents in Heaven.

"I only have one question, Philemon." Hei said at last, finally turning his eyes to the deity. "That night, what you said about Pollux mourning Castor..."

He turned his head to stare at the face of the true Minako. "...was that how she would've answered?"

GameGuruGG Vampire Hunter from Castlevania (Before Recorded History)
Vampire Hunter
#8568: Oct 2nd 2021 at 5:34:59 PM

Trevor, Sypha, & Morrigan, Inner Sanctum

Trevor walked over to look at the golden figure of Minako Arisato, thinking in contemplation, "Death, which is to say my world's Death, has certain rules he has to follow while serving Dracula and his arrival here in Battleworld had weakened him to an extent."

"If I were to challenge Death in his own realm with Death at his full power, I would probably die from the attempt even with my... whip," Trevor explained as he looked at his whip, the Vampire Killer. "Sometimes, sacrifices do need to be made, but that doesn't mean we have to like it."

"Do you know what happens to those who leave Battleworld?" Sypha asked Philemon, looking at Aigis. Now that Philemon has shown herself, it was likely Aigis and her friends will leave Battleworld.

Like some of the others, Morrigan was an obvious outsider and had no real questions for Philemon.


Dracula, Castlevania

"The 'Big Red Mister' brought the both of us here," Dracula pointed out the obvious to Majora. "I don't believe either of us have been turned into 'total wimps' here."

"What the 'Big Red Mister' desires is entertaining conflict," Dracula explained what he knew about the Cure's desire. "So long as this person we summon can bring with them entertaining conflict, they will be brought in."

Wizard Needs Food Badly
megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#8569: Oct 3rd 2021 at 10:50:25 AM

Sea of Souls (Apparently?)

None of the Magical Girls allowed themselves to let their guard down until Nyarthalotep was dealt with one and for all. And even after the architect of their miseries was finally confirmed vanquished, the circumstances which had enabled that to happen would draw their attention to the form of someone who looked like the SEES leader but was obviously wasn’t. So, they had been recruited into a battle of good versus evil this whole time? And Minako Arisato…

“...so, Arisato-san has sacrificed herself? To seal away Nyarlathotep?” Mami asked.

“At least for some time,” Homura added.

“Alot of years, though,” Sayaka quipped. “That’s gotta count for something, right? We beat the bad guy again!”

Kyubey kept his gaze away from the Girls for the moment as Philemon laid out the after-action report. <You say ‘many years’, which suggests he has done this sort of thing before and likely will in the future. Can you say how much time exactly our efforts have bought in this regard?>

Mami also didn’t seem to notice Sayaka’s talk, looking from the gold-plated Minako to the one wearing her skin. “Then, the one who called out to me back at the shelter…”

Further ponderings were interrupted by the little kid suddenly running up to them and pointing to his head and then Aigis. “You want to use telepathy on her?” Homura asked Link, looking over at Aigis some distance off. “But she’s a robot. Is that even possible to do?”

<Ordinarily I would believe the answer to be ‘no’, as the souls that are needed to achieve the abilities of Magical Girls have only been found organically,> Kyubey replied. The sudden darkening of all three Girls’ looks as they stared down at his existence seemed to have relayed another message without even the use of telepathy: <But given there may be different metaphysical rules at work here, what may not be possible in our universe may be possible in others. There is no downside in trying.> Kyubey would leave (perhaps hurriedly) with Link to Aigis as the boy tried — and succeeded! — in his efforts. <Interesting…>

Homura did have a question to pose for Philemon once the latter saw she took zero mirth in the supposed congratulations: “Does this mean our presence on BattleWorld is finished? Will we be returned to our original universes now?”

Edited by megarockman on Oct 3rd 2021 at 3:06:43 PM

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#8570: Oct 3rd 2021 at 1:23:48 PM

Sea of Souls

"Do not worry, Maki," Philemon assured after everyone had asked their questions, inclining her head at the young Contractor, "You are not dead, and I will provide a way for all of you to leave once everyone's questions have been answered."

"To answer your questions, Tatl," she continued, turning to each person politely as she replied, "Each of those distant galaxies - clusters of stars - represents a single set of universes, and each star within is a single, individual soul. As the number of universes is infinite, the number of souls is also beyond counting. Except in special cases such as Link's, souls depart here when they are born into their respective worlds, and return here when they die. The various afterlives also exist here. As this is a realm of thought and will, the areas you were traversing while here were constructions created by Nyarlathotep and your Shadows, and have now ceased to exist. As for Link's Shadow, yes, he is out there somewhere, though he also exists within Link himself."

"And yes, Hei," she answered the formerly masked man, "I made sure the emotions and words expressed while I was disguised were exactly accurate to the true Minako Arisato. Everything I said to you was exactly as she would have said it. The same goes for you, Mami."

"To your question, Sypha, yes, I do know what happens to those who leave Battleworld. However..." Philemon shook her head. "I agreed not to explain such things as a condition of being allowed into The Cure's universe, so unfortunately, as I honor my agreements, I cannot answer."

"However, thanks to your efforts, Nyarlathotep will remain sealed for approximately ten-thousand years," she explained, nodding to Kyuubey, "And to be exact, Minako Arisato did not seal Nyarlathotep. She sealed Nyx, the embodiment of Death, which is a distinctly different entity."

"As for whether your presence on Battleworld is finished..." She pivoted to Homura. "This is a realm of thought and will. Anything is possible here, so long as you are not obstructed by an equivalent power. Sadly, The Cure is such an equivalent power, and I cannot aid you in escaping without breaking my agreement with him. That said, you have already found a method to defeat a godlike being in his own realm once, so if you persevere, I am sure you will be able to find a solution."

Meanwhile, Aigis, joints still smoking, turned her head to look uncomprehendingly into the Hero of Time's eyes. "Is it not commonly accepted that heroes are heroes because their characters and deeds are exceptionally great, and not because they are aided by gods?" she responded uncertainly after a moment of thought, "Also, I believe you have misunderstood. I did not get to keep my friend, Minako-san, because she is dead and Philemon was pretending to be her for the entire time we have been on Battleworld."

The blonde gynoid smile weakly. "However, I do understand that you are trying to encourage me and make me feel better, so thank you, Link. You are a good and kind person. I would like to give you a hug, but unfortunately I cannot move my limbs until my joints have finished cooling off."

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#8571: Oct 3rd 2021 at 2:33:16 PM

Sea of Souls

It took Mami a few moments to digest Philemon's words, her eyes drifting down to the glass jar in her hands and the golden spark within it. "I see," she said eventually. "Regardless, I owe you my thanks. Perhaps more than that." Sayaka's mouth made slight movements as if she wanted to say something to Mami, but she opted against it.

Kyubey's eyes looked around at the hundred million galaxies of universes, the multitudes of stars within. <Is that so,> he said finally. <Then they will be a concern then.>

Homura's expression looked rather nonplussed at Philemon's prognosis. "Then my goal is unchanged," she said at last. "Just a different board."

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
TheodoreHastings Since: Jan, 2013
#8572: Oct 5th 2021 at 6:41:56 PM

Sea of Souls, Inner Sanctum: An Ascending Order of Violent Reactions

For a while, Hei said nothing. Even though he kept his weary eyes on the door, the Black Reaper let Philemon's words sink in like raindrops on parched soil. Eventually he thanked the deity, but fell silent once again. It'd be obvious to all but the most clueless witness that the Contractor was deep in thought, though if they were to look closely at the Black Reaper's face, they might spot something Hei rarely showed in full sincerity:

A small—yet undeniable—smile.

...

Not unlike the Black Reaper, Tatl also found herself entranced by a sight in this Inner Sanctum; though while Hei focused on an object he could reach out to touch, the fairy stared at sights so far she couldn't even begin to guess the distance.

"And...you're in charge of all of this?" were they speaking in pure hypotheticals, the question would've likely been drowning in sarcasm. As things stood now, though...

"So, uhmm. Listen." Tatl drew her attention from the countless stars to the deity sitting at the center of them all. "I try not to stick my nose into other people's business, but since it's been brought up twice now..."

She flew as close to Philemon as she dared, then whispered in an almost incoherent speed:

"Kaywhat'sthedealwiththiskidIpickedup?! Firsthe'scarryingaroundmagicthateventhe GODDESS OF TIME answerstoandthingsonlygotcrazierfromthere! Yesterdaywehadaliteraldeathdeitypickafightwiththekidjustbecauseofhissoulorsomethinglikethat! He'sthemostabnormalthingI'veeverseeninTerminaandhe'sstillinthetoptenweirdestpeopleI'vemetonthisplanet. Soifyoucouldjustgivemeahintortwoaboutwho Ipartneredwith I'llstopbotheringyouandletyougetbacktotheotherquestionskaythanks!"

...

The little hero blinked at Aigis' confusion. Great deeds and divine aid—had she really never connected the two?

< Heroes can do great deeds because they have gods on their sides, silly! I've been on lots of adventures, but I would'nt've been able to do half the stuff I've done without help from a god or guardian spirit. There was the Great Deku Tree, and Kaeopora Gaeobora, and Lord Jabu-Jabu, and the Eleven Great Fairies, and the Seven Sages, and the Four Giants, and the Great Bay Turtle, and...well that's all of the ones I've met so far, but they've all helped me out a lot! >

A befuddled frown creased Link's lips as the android spelled out just why she was upset. So she got to keep most of her friends, and it was just one friend she remembered dying? Judging by what Philemonnote  said earlier, Aigis' other friends didn't remember that their dead friend died.

That seemed...confusing, and either way too complicated, or way too simple. Couldn't the whole problem have been solved if Aigis had just asked the disguised Philemon about her memories? Or talked to Mr. Big Nose and the nice servants? If something felt off, why didn't she share what she was feeling?

...but then again, it's not like he couldn't relate. Having memories that no one else shared had been Link's life for the past...well, he'd lost count of how many times he'd turned back time. So with his own experience in mind, Link prepared to share his thoughts on the matter.

But while he had been quietly trying to piece together the situation he'd clearly misunderstood, it seemed that Aigis had concluded that he was just trying to cheer her up. The little hero tittered and rubbed the nape of his neck, as if to say "well, I'm tryin' to, anyways."

< That's okay! > Link grinned. It just means I gotta give you a hug instead! >

Before Aigis could fully explain the matter, the little hero had reached into his utility belt and retrieved a coffee-colored mask of a round, almost jovial-looking figure.

< Darmani's people live in mountains with lots of lava. Doesn't matter how hot you get, you're never gonna burn his hide! >

Link donned the Goron's mask, and in a flash of light the little hero disappeared—replaced with a round, seven foot tall creature with an even bigger grin than the boy had worn.

< Hope you're ready, cuz here comes a Big SUPER DUPER GORON HUUUUUUG!!! >

With minimal effort, the rock-eating creature grabbed Aigis by the arms, yoinked her straight off her feet, and into an embrace and/or death-grip that probably would've cracked a vertebrae or two of a normal person. All the while, the Goron grinned and chuckled like it was all part of some party game.

Though perhaps the Goron realized he was roughhousing the poor android, or perhaps he recalled how Reisen had nearly died in his vice-like grip, so after a few moments the not-so-little hero set Aigis back down on the ground—hopefully not much worse for wear—and reverted to his pint-sized self, still grinning.

< It stinks when you remember things nobody else can, and it really stinks when those memories are close to your heart. But Philemon's trick is over now, and you only had to go through the loop once. That means you don't have to get used to feeling like you're outside of your own time. You can go back to your friends and catch them up on all the things they don't remember! >

...

Maki felt his shoulders relax at the promise of a safe return...only to find himself tensing straight back up again when Philemon claimed they knew what happened to those who leave Battleworld, but they wouldn't share. The young Contractor clutched Rupture Truss as tightly as he could. Then, with color boiling onto his face, he cried:

"That's such a LOAD OF CRAP! Why should anyone care if we know what happens or not?! It's not like we're able to leave this stupid planet without that monster's permission! What the hell's wrong with filling us in?!"

He pointed an accusatory finger at the velvet-clad deity. "I've lost three homes in four days. All the friends I've made on Battleworld are gone, and there's no way I can figure out how or why. No way but you, and after all we've been through—after all your smiles and promises to answer our questions—NOW you decide to shut up?! That's...that's..."

Maki was tempted to resort to cursing, but his Contractor side advised against it. Even in this justifiable anger, he was still speaking to an elder and a person of authority; Amber had taught him better than to swear at people like that.

"COMPLETELY UNFAIR!"

He was panting, trying to vent his frustration by breathing out the steam in his lungs. When he no longer felt like yelling, the young Contractor finally returned his weapon to his back, and crossed his arms impatiently.

"...can you at least tell us if those who leave survive the trip? That's useless information all by itself, so it won't affect how we act on that stupid planet. How could that little detail make the Cure mad?"

Edited by TheodoreHastings on Oct 6th 2021 at 12:37:59 PM

megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#8573: Oct 7th 2021 at 6:12:22 AM

Sea of Souls

There was enough of a lull in the denouement for Homura's attention to be draw over to the conversation Link and Aigis were having. She had seen more than enough weird shit in her life to not give a double take at the boy suddenly getting big for the sake of a hug, but the words he said to the android were enough to draw her eyes over.

On the outside, she made no noise or any other indication she was doing anything but letting others get the catharsis they wanted with Nyarly's defeat. On the inside...part of her wondered whether fate was still messing in with her, to have a kid whom before today she had never even met before say words that seem as though they might not have been only for Aigis. That on top of those passing words that shady man over there — Hei, was it? — most definitely dropped onto her as he passed by before back at the giant tower. The talking part, though...Homura wasn't sure at this point whether "friends" would have been the correct term, but she was going to do that with the other Magical Girls when they got back, as promised.

Homura looked silently, wondering how Aigis would respond to Link's words.

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#8574: Oct 7th 2021 at 7:06:18 PM

Sea of Souls

Aigis was still rather confused, but smiled as Link lifted her up into a hug, even if she couldn't hug back. His strength as a Goron may have been crushing to a human, but to a body made of metal, the embrace was just tight and snug.

"Thank you, Link," she said earnestly after he had deposited her back on the floor, "I suppose you are right. I am still very sad that Minako-san is dead, but I still have my other friends. I will talk with them about it when we return."

"You are very welcome, Mami. I should be the one thanking you, really, for all you have done to protect the people of Earth," the masked spirit said with a smile meanwhile, inclining her head, then refocused as one of those assembled had an outburst at how unfair she was being.

"I admit, that is a good point," Philemon conceded with a nod at Maki, "There is no reason for The Cure to object when it will not make a difference to your staying in his world or not. Very well. You may think of The Cure's method of bringing things and people from other universes into his own as like precariously stretching a rubber-band when he draws things across the boundary between worlds, and of each world like an anchoring point. There is a tension there, but as long as everything is kept stable, there are no problems with this method. With too much slippage, however, the rubber-band comes off the second anchor, Battleworld, and snaps back to its original position. That is, when things and people leave Battleworld, they are returned where they came from, to their original places in their original universes. This is not a process The Cure controls, but rather can happen at any time, and is especially more common when new groups are brought in to Battleworld, which is why you may have seen various groups and lands disappearing just as other ones appear. And of course, yes, they survive the trip back."

Concluding that explanation with a nod, she turned to Tatl, and began whispering in reply: "You aren't bothering me, Tatl, and your questions are just as important as anyone else's. The first thing you should know is that Link is the chosen champion of the Goddess Hylia. Long, long ago, an extraordinarily powerful and malicious demon king named Demise led a horde of demons - which you also know simply as monsters - to invade the surface world, seeking to steal Hylia's font of ultimate power, the Triforce. To be brief, he was sealed away, then broke free many years later and his power was sealed away again through the use of a holy blade known as the Goddess Sword, later called the Master Sword, by Link, whose soul had been reborn from his time in the original war against the demons. However, Demise's hatred upon death was such that his soul was reborn across the ages and sought to obtain the Triforce again each time. The most common name of his incarnation is a Gruedo man named Ganondorf, also known as Ganon, who would later persist in some form or another across the ages after attaining a fragment of the Triforce. Each time Ganon returns, Link is reborn as well, destined to slay his physical form and seal his evil away once more, though Link does not retain his memories of past lives."

"That particular Link over there is known as the Hero of Time, who has already defeated his version of Ganon. The reason he is able to control time in your home universe is that the ocarina he holds, known as the Ocarina of Time, is extraordinarily special and is able to call upon the Goddess of Time's power. If you are wondering how he did all that when he is merely a child, the answer is that he effectively traveled through time to a future in which Ganon was at the height of his power, and Link was aged up seven years physically in the process. After defeating Ganon, he traveled back to his original time and returned to being a child, and later went on a quest in search of his fairy companion, Navi, who had gone missing. It was during his search for Navi that he ran into you, your brother, and Skull Kid, and you know the rest. There are some details I left out, but they're not particularly important to understanding the core of why Link is special. Also, there is only one other being in existence from your universe who knows the full truth regarding Demise and Link being reborn, and though she is on Battleworld currently, she is in a sleep from which she cannot awaken."

"Now, if any of you have more questions, you may find me in the form of a butterfly in the antechamber between the Velvet Room and the Chunkless hallawy, but two final things before you all leave here and can rest," Philemon continued, returning to a normal volume, "First..."

She snapped her fingers, and the rest of Elizabeth's body appeared alongside her head. Then, with another snap, the two were joined together again, and the attendant opened her eyes and stood. "My, what happened?" she asked, blinking and looking about the space, "Master Philemon? I remember attacking the adversary, and then..."

"There is no need to dwell on it, Elizabeth. Nyarlathotep is defeated, thanks in part to your efforts. You have my gratitude." With another snap of Philemon's fingers, a familiar blue door appeared on one side of the chamber.

"Oh, no! Please, there is no need to thank me, Master. This is part of why my siblings and I were created, is it not?" Liz replied, hustling over to stand by the door and prepare to open it for our heroes.

"Indeed," the masked one agreed, "And finally, I have a gift for Mami, Hei, and Aigis and the rest of SEES. I see no reason to let this vessel go to waste after she has served me so well, so I shall fill her with the memories of Minako Arisato and of my time on Battleworld. She will not be the true Minako, but with exactly the same memories and personality, it will be as if she is the real thing."

"....." Aigis stared up wordlessly with mouth agape at Philemon, who smiled back.

"I am Philemon, a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls," she repeated with another bow, "I am you. You are me. I shall always watch over you from within. Farewell..."

With that, the mask fell off her face and dropped to the floor, where it shattered into golden butterflies, and after a flash of light which saw Minako return to her original clothes, her body went limp, like a puppet with her stings cut...

Only to be caught by Spider-Man, who finished up taking myriad pictures of the soul-stars with his mask's in-built camera while soaking in the view and everyone's words, and returned just in time to save the SEES Leader's body from dropping gracelessly on her face. "Well, that was interesting!" he opined cheerfully, "Great job, team! I'd be glad to have you all as backup any time! You know, I bet nobody's gonna believe us if we tell them what we did here, though. 'Hey, where were you yesterday?' 'Oh, just defeating the embodiment of negativity and evil and talking with his polar opposite who was actually possessing the body of one of my allies while standing in the middle of the source of everybody's souls! No biggie!'"

"We will not know until we try explaining," Aigis retorted, finally standing up as the smoke stopped wafting from her joints, "Either way, let us go home and take a well-deserved rest."

At her words, Elizabeth beamed and opened the door to the Velvet Room, standing to the side and holding the way open for everyone to return... to Battleworld.

Edited by darksidevoid on Oct 7th 2021 at 12:32:03 PM

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#8575: Oct 7th 2021 at 9:08:00 PM

Sea of Souls

"It's the right thing to do," Mami answered simply to Philemon's compliment, her face glowing a bit for the first time since they had left the Velvet Room. The announcement that Minako would be returned allowed her to feel a bit more lighter — even if it wasn't the true Minako in a sense, does that really matter?

Homura would be among the last to return to the Velvet Room, carefully turning over the words of Philemon in her head like a surgeon examining a patient on the operating table. Her eyes would move from the back of Mami's head (with Sayaka beside her) to where Spider-Man was carrying Minako's comatose body out, then back to where Philemon relinquished control of SEES' leader, marked by the butterflies. She needed to confirm something.

<What is on your mind, Homura Akemi?>

...Make that two somethings. Homura turned her head to look down on the little white furball. "Nothing," she replied.

<I have reason to doubt that statement. Your body language indicates one of deep thought.>

"And what business is it yours?"

<You are still the chosen leader of our chunk thanks to The Cure. Your actions hold the most sway in what happens to Mitakihara.>

"All the more reason to be careful about what I say." Homura walked for the door, leaving Kyubey to catch up.

The damned queen and the relentless knight.

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