Somewhere in the city

Rex plan didn't turn out the way he expected. He pushed Marcus to the edge of the city but the ultramarine made him fall with him.

Surprisingly, they both reappeared in another part of the city and Marcus tossed Rex aside giving him one chance to explain what was going on. At least this guy new that dialogue was an option.

"What does it look like, idiot? You're not in your world anymore! I mean, have you ever seen anyone with my powers?"

He reabsorbed his boots and lifted his arms in the air to show he was "Look time out, ok?"

He rubbed his back. Even while having superhuman endurance the armored soldier managed to hurt him.

"A guy kidnapped us from different worlds and each day he changes something. Today we're all dressed like medieval characters, yesterday the city froze over, and the day before that it was a jungle. His secretary is in the building at the center of the city. That's all I know, I swear"

edited 20th Jan '16 10:53:10 AM by DeisTheAlcano

"I can hear your hurts," Cole said, reaching up to touch his own forehead. "I can hear almost everyone's. There are people here I can't hear...I don't know what to make of those. You were hurting. I wanted to help...but I can't help until I know what the problem is."

Cole looked over his shoulder at Sadness as she spoke. "You're wrong," he said softly. "I thought as you did once, that things were...simple. People could be only one thing or another. But they can't. People are complicated, complex, convoluted, reasons that stretch and pull them between what they might want to be and not."

He looked back at Mary. "You are afraid, and scared. I'm sorry if...I made it worse, but now I want to help. I have secrets too, and where I come from they make people fear me. But not all. There are still many people who are my friends." He offered a hand to her. "I want to help you. You are real. You couldn't be standing here if you weren't, yes?"

"You seem really okay with just brushing that aside!" She flew right past the reaper, literally, and peered over the edge, gripping both the rock face of the balcony and her hat. There must have been some kind of credence to his statement; as far as she could see there wasn't a single sign that either of them left behind corpses. What he said about immortality must be true, as hard as it was to believe...

"If he just...you know, died..." Koishi said, trailing off before flipping herself over to look at the rest of the group. "...What do we do now? Do we look for him?"

Twilight turned to look at Sadness and Cole after Sadness tried to wave her off.

After the two spoke, Twilight asked them a question.

"Do you two... Want me to let her go?"

The hilarity of Marcus falling off the edge by means of boot to the behind was cut when he brought Rex with him. Plague Knight ran out from behind the tree he was hiding behind and ran up to the others, cautiously looking over the edge with Koishi.

"Quite honestly, looking for Rex would be an effort in futility," Plague Knight said to the Satori. "If he did die from the fall, he would be transported to a completely random location in another part of the city, and the landscape changes instantaneously every time someone looks away from a street. I'm sure he'll be able to handle himself if he winds up in the same place as Marcus.

"Anyway, my temporary laboratory is this way," he said. "If any of you are famished, I can make something for all of you. Except you, Spectre," he said to his fellow knight. "You don't eat at all. Probably to keep that ghoulish figure of yours!" He then chuckled at his own pun as he traveled back to his lab.

The Forest

Specter Knight rolled his eyes at Plague Knight's attempt at humor.

"Even if I could, I wouldn't trust anything made by you."

"Where? You're new here, aren't you" the woman said to Kouta and Ben, (whom she did not recognize in his current form) shaking her head a bit as she kept sitting against the tree. "It was not far from the library, but by now it's probably somewhere completely different. Everywhere except that library keeps moving around when people aren't looking; she could be anywhere" she explained to them.

"Anyway, it was a little girl, about yae high, blonde, white skin. Had a dress that kept changing colors like an acid trip; can't miss it" the woman described, holding up a hand to indicate Mary's height. "I have no idea why she did it, but it'd have to be one hell of a fuck up to have been an accident. I was sitting right in front of her trying to get her a bandage, and then she said something, I looked up, and bam, knife in the neck. She was staring me right in the eyes too" she added, the indignant and angry tone returning.

"Hell of a way to show gratitude for trying to help" the woman muttered sarcastically, folding her arms.

"No. There will be no 'time outs'" Brother Marcus said, grabbing Rex by the neck and hoisting him up against the tree so his feet were off the ground, "I have run out of patience for people in this city attempting to gain advantage on me by making me wait."

Marcus brought his sword up to point directly at Rex's face, the tip remaining steady only a few inches away from his eyes. "The trickery of dark powers is never ending; I have heard that this is not 'my universe', but I suspect it is only a trick to make me stop fighting for the Emperor. Have you any real proof that what you say is true?" Brother Marcus asked Rex interrogatively.

edited 19th Jan '16 6:17:14 PM by FirockFinion

Upon asking if he was new here, Diamondhead shook his head. "No, I'm Ben. Remember, from the ice cave? I was in Heatblast form and you yelled at me. And then we were in the library and I turned into Four Arms," he explained to the woman. He listened intently, until she mentioned she was a blond girl about a certain height.

Mary's height.

"Mary?!" Diamondhead asked, eyes widening. "No, she... really?!" he asked. He stood silently for a moment, trying to take it in. Mary.... a murderer?! It was almost unthinkable for him. Mary seemed extremely cheerful and friendly, and she didn't look like the type who had it in her to murder anyone. Apparently looks were deceiving.

He balled up his fists. "We have to find her. I just wish I was in Stinkfly or XLR8 form instead of this, I would be able to find her so easily!" He sighed angrily. "Any of you guys coming with? We could cover more ground."

Another reaper appeared by Koishi's side, standing over her as she looked down. It was much tinier than the other, to put it nicely. Even after what had just happened, Koishi couldn't help but noticed how cute it looked in comparison.

She listened to him speak, and was still upset with how they were all taking this. Somebody was just killed, even if temporarily, and this is how they take it? She wanted to raise her objections, to tell them what horrible things they are...but, the longer she waited to say it, the more reasonable a certain notion inside her started to seem. Maybe she was overreacting?

If she tried to argue, to yell and whine, she would just end up making these two mad, and it wouldn't bring the jester back. If she took the little reaper up on his offer, however, she could go somewhere safe. She could sit back, and discuss what this place was in depth, figure out who they were, relax a little bit. She could even get something to eat. She hadn't eaten in a while, after all. Why bother worrying when it's going to only make things worse? She couldn't come up with a good answer.

She got back onto her feet, and slowly but surely walked after the little reaper. Even as he cracked a joke in light of the situation, Koishi had a hard time caring. A little while after that, and her memory on what had happened started to get a little foggy, as well.

edited 19th Jan '16 8:39:04 PM by wikkit

Wow, that knight honestly fell for that? Talk about the oldest trick in the book, huh? Now Trevor could easily file this big guy under the "Definitely Stupid" category. Though it seemed that the people behind him were nervous about this guy, and he did seem to be sporting an impressive looking sword. So, stupid and dangerous. A combination like that was bad news for a lot of reasons, but so long as this fruitcake wasn't swinging his sword in Trevor's direction, there was nothing stopping him from just going on his merry—

The sound of clanking metal made Trevor turn, just in time to see Rex and Marcus plummet over the edge. Trevor's suspension of disbelief followed soon after. "Fuck!" He dashed over towards the balcony again, stopping just before stepping off himself, and peered into the deep abyss. No screaming, no whistling sound that accompanies falling things, and no thud and/or squish. He spun towards Specter Knight, the only other person still around, and grasped his cloak tightly. "Is this some kinda game, huh? Is-is-is this some fuckin' reality show?! Making me see all this bullshit, it's funny to you?!"

Bloody Mary - Human Wannabe

"It's not enough!"

Mary stomped the floor twice to emphasize how not enough it was; However, delicate princess shoes are not made for stomping, so she soon found herself falling to the floor once more due to a broken heel. She lifted her head, and simply stared at the pouch the woman she'd killed had dropped.

"I want to be human," the girl stated with a saddened look. "I want to live in the real world, and have a family and friends and do fun stuff. I don't want to go back to the Gallery! I don't want to be a painting anymore! I want to be real I want to be real I WANT TO BE REAL!"

"Oh come now, I would never reduce myself to something as trivial and low class as food poisoning," Plague Knight assured Spectre. "Besides, I am the only who provided the recipes for the Order at the Tower of Fate."

It was then Trevor started accosting Spectre Knight, grabbing the undead knight by the robes and screaming out nonsense about some sort of "reality" play. "Alright, alright, that's enough," the alchemist said as he tried to brake up the two. "I most assure you, everything here is most certainly real and not a show! And the only one treating this as a game is the being who trapped us all here in the first place! So please calm yourself!"

edited 19th Jan '16 8:15:41 PM by UdtheImp

New here? Kouta had no idea what the lady was talking about. She could be anywhere... Kouta looked to Ben. By that point, Ben suggested to cover more ground.

"I'll come with you." Kouta paused for a bit. "Are... you sure you'll be okay? Chasing a..." Kouta took a while before he got around to saying the word. "Murderer? It's..." Kouta stopped himself. He constantly thought of how Ben was a big boy and that he could handle things. Perhaps Kouta was more concerned with how Ben said Mary's name. It seemed that Ben was pretty close to Mary.

Kouta bit his lip. He wouldn't know what to do if one of his friends went behind his back and killed someone. Kouta simply froze for a bit before he looked at Ben. "...Are you sure you want to do this? Confront Mary?" Kouta asked. Even though he was a large diamond man that was mistaken for Homeworld Gem royalty, Kouta still thought of Ben as a 10-year-old boy. "You might not like what happens." He was worried, not for the boy's safety, but for the preservation of his innocence.

edited 19th Jan '16 8:09:36 PM by Psyga315

Somewhere over the rainbow

Well, it looked like the facts simply couldn't get through the big guy's helmet. So much for trying to reason with him. With the soldier still grabbing him by his neck and threatening him with a sword, Rex figured two could play that game.

"Now, hear me out. You could consider the fact that most of the heretics you've killed probably don't look like anything you've seen before or"

He moved his right hand near his face and created his sword, which ironically lacked the distinctive orange coloration on its blade but more than made up for it by having a multicolored hilt, and tried to swing it to avoid the soldier's own sword.

Diamondhead solemnly nodded at Kouta. "I'm a hero, it's what I do. Don't worry about me. I'll be... fine," he muttered. "I deal with bad guys all the time. People have tried to kill me a hundred times." He crossed his arms. "But I've never had to deal with a bad guy who was also a little girl..." he sighed, looking somewhat unsure of himself, before shaking his head. "Let's hope that I can find her in time to change aliens. Maybe I can go Wildvine and tie her up. Or go Ghostfreak so she can't stab me. Or Stinkfly and put a cocoon around her or something. I dunno!"

As he thought for a moment, the sound of clock chimes was let out, and Diamondhead was bathed in red light, becoming Ben once more. Sighing once more, he stood silently in thought. "Anyone else want to help?" he asked the others, standing next to Kouta.

"Alright... If you're sure." Kouta said to Ben. As he was pondering what Alien to use, Kouta took out his three Lockseeds: Orange, Pine, and Strawberry. Kouta didn't have a lot of forms to offer as a Rider, but he at least knew which would be good for fighting and which would be good for fleeing.

Kouta was a bit unnerved with Ben saying that people tried to kill him, but the way he said it, it seemed like normal stuff that happened everyday. Besides, it was better if he prepared for what would effectively be a manhunt than to ask the child about the constant dangers he faced. He did say something regarding never facing a person who was a little girl.

"This is my first time too. And that's what I'm afraid of."

edited 19th Jan '16 8:33:26 PM by Psyga315

"...Killer girl?" Ranma's somewhat lackadaisical attitude did an abrupt 180 degree flip as soon as she heard the sordid details from the poor woman who was lucky that the place seemed to bring people back from the dead. In fact, even the detail about resurrection was enough to freak her out but that was surpassed by the idea of a deranged psychopathic child going around as a walking time bomb. Who cared if people came back from the dead, they still DIED in the first place. A martial artist had a duty to protect the innocent and the defenseless.

"I'll be going along with you two." The girl muttered in a matter of fact tone, her previously lively eyes now devoid of emotion and brimming with a coldness so chill that it was akin to a blizzard. "Fights are alright when they're between trained experts. Against innocents though... That's when things go wrong." Shouldering her haversack, Ranma waited for the party to set off patiently, thinking of how to interact with someone like this.

Lune listened to Ben ask the group for some backup. Of course, she'd help. In fact, she accepted Ben's offer two days ago. Although, it might be tough. Apparently, Ben knew Mary. He was shocked that he was going to stop her. This was going to hurt Lune as much as it was going to hurt Ben.

Lune simply gives Ben a thumbs up and said, "Yeah! I'd love to help you!"

After saying that, Lune checked her weapons for a bit. Maybe the change had spread to her weapons, as well. The Divine Arm now looked more wicked and edgy. The Divine Blade now looked like a curved saber. Finally, the wasp gun now looked like a staff, but it still had a wasp-like motif.

Cole looked to Twilight, nodding once, before turning back to Mary. "I understand. I used to be...less real. But I had friends who helped me learn, help me become more than I was. Perhaps in this place, we can find someone that can help you too. You don't have to hide what you are here. We are all things that might not be 'real.' I'll help you talk to them...search for answers. I promise I will help you. But you can't hurt people anymore. It isn't right. You made a mistake, a very serious one, but I can help. I want to help."

"You know her? Well, good luck to you heroes and dudes in armor and martial artists; I'm gonna stick my normal ass right here and have some food" the woman said, finally getting up and walking over to the cooking pot. "What's on the menu, and how much is there to pass around?" she asked the man tending to the pot.

"Beef stew, and I think there's enough for everybody here..." the man trailed off as he looked at the various people sticking around. "Uh, the big guy might have to settle for the same size portion as everyone else though, if he wants any" he added, indicating Grimlock.

Rex was able to swing the sword up into Brother Marcus' own blade, deflecting it away from his face so that Marcus could no longer just stab it into him if he so chose. But that didn't do anything about Marcus having a grip on his neck, with which Marcus hoisted him back for a moment, then thrust him forward again. Through the tree.

As broken pieces of book-cover-bark went scattering and page-leafs drifted down, Rex was sent tumbling to the ground on the other side of the now broken stump. "I have seen many strange and horrific things across the galaxy: Foul xenos that come in nearly every form, and heretical illusions of every shape" Brother Marcus said as he stepped over the stump, his sword at the ready. "And by the Emperor on holy Terra, I will strike them down just as I will strike you down!" he yelled, and swung his sword down at Rex.

Ben winced a bit, and turned towards the woman as she pointed out the menu. His stomach growled slightly. "Well, uh..." he muttered. "I think it'd be a good idea to eat before we fight her. We need to, uh, keep our strength up," he stated. He was hesitating; he really didn't want to have to fight Mary. But deep down he knew that he really didn't have a choice. Nonetheless, he approached the cooking pot and took a big whiff. It smelled good. It certainly smelled better than Grandpa's cooking, at any rate.

The Forest

Specter Knight sighed in frustration. So this lowlife still didn't believe his own eyes? Combined with the fact that he was currently clinging to Specter Knight's cloak and shouting at him, Specter Knight was just about ready to off the man.

"Look, mortal. Unless you want your lifespan to be abridged, let go of me."

edited 20th Jan '16 5:49:55 AM by astrokitty

"You're not human?"

Sadness' head was spinning. Turned out she knew literally nothing about Mary after all.

"But - I didn't know that. I don't even care if it's a secret. Lots of people here aren't human; I'm not human, Mary! That doesn't mean I'd - that I'd hurt someone like that!"

She took a deep breath and spoke a little more quietly. "Listen to Cole. He can...he knows what you're going through."

Hesitantly, Sadness stood up and reached for Mary's hand. Maybe her powers could help Mary relax...crying never did any harm, did it?

The scent of beef hot Kieri's nose like a battering ram, her stomach growling loudly at the announcement that it was ready. The Angel quietly approached the campfire to receiver her share of the meal, bowing thankfully to the scavenger that cooked the meal before walking towards Lune. She paused however, finding her eyes drifting towards the mysterious and clearly very paranoid Peridot.

Kieri was a listener. She had been listening to the many conversations that had been going on around the campfire and had picked up a great deal-there was Ranma, who hailed from the same region as Kouta if her gushing over his powers was any indication, and was quite the peppy character. Kouta himself was a person with a sense of justice, not unlike Ben, if his jumping at the call to go with him after this Mary was any indication. There were a few others she didn't have a good read on yet, like Sinon and even some of the survivors from last night, but they both seemed like level headed folk to the Angel.

Peridot though...The green woman had already pulled her weapon on Lune, and that may not have been the first time she had done it today. It didn't strike Kieri as openly hostile though-it struck her as someone who was lashing out at a strange thing that had happened to them unexpectedly. Just like se had been when she first came to Media. That had NOT been a good time for the Angel.

'And I don't wish that upon anyone...' She concluded internally. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Lune and nodded towards Peridot, letting her friend know wha she intended to do before approaching the gem slowly, trying to look as non threatening as possible.

Ben licked his lips when he was scooped out a nice hot bowl of stew, and he was about to start digging in, but then blinked, realizing how difficult that'd be with the small spoon he was handed. "So, uh, you got a fork or something?" Ben asked, holding the warm wooden bowl and looking a bit confused. Apparently not. He decided to try and eat it anyway. Usually he wasn't a stew guy (he much preferred stuff like pizza and chili fries but he was pretty sure those weren't in abundance in the Middle Ages), so he took a tentative bite.

And another. And another. Apparently he was hungrier than he thought because in a moment he had eaten the entire bowl. "Thanks," Ben told the stew chef, wiping his mouth with his forearm and handing him the bowl and small ladle. Ben then balled up his fists and furrowed his brow. "All right, guys, let's get moving! The sooner we find Mary, the sooner we can put a stop to this whole mess! Anyone else who wants to come can come!"

edited 20th Jan '16 10:09:59 AM by AllHailThrall