Ruins(Cira, Gwenafer, Reynardo):

"Perhaps you don't understand how this works, Reynardo.", Cira said. He wasn't shaking anymore, and his voice seemed more controlled for now. He felt like a rope in the empty grasslands, just about to snap from weight of the corpse it held by the neck for days. Or maybe like a thundercloud, waiting for the first soldier in the field to raise his spear, so it could strike him down with lightning. Cira closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he lowered his sword, who was silenced and grew darker, until its outline of light was almost invisible, and its warmth was almost entirely inside of him, filling him with the determination, the drive, the ire he needed to survive. "No maze can contain a seer on the end of his pilgrimage, and whatever I stay with you or face the burning being... I am still dealing with an unknown threat that may or may not be real.", he said as small embers floated from his mouth.

He walked a few steps back into the corridor without taking his eyes off from Reynardo, finally settling a few arms away from the group and using the tip of his sword to mark a thin line on the ground, while recitating the invocation in his mind. Many lives, one death. Many bloods run, only one is shed, he thought, and watched the stone bleed. It wasn't true blood. It didn't even look exactly like true blood, being thinner and darker and ghastly, carrying reflections of humanoid figures lit by lights that weren't there. It wasn't blood, but an impression of in the plane of shadows. Just like what flowed in Cira's veins. And since it wasn't protected inside his body, it was easy to ignite it by mere resonance with its energized counterpart in Cira's body, creating a line of blood red fire between Cira and his former companions. It was short enough to be stepped over with proper care, but it wasn't a mundane display of pyrokinesis. It was linked to the shadow-world, and if anyone on the other side dared to cross, it would rise to bite. Gwenafer would walk away with minor burns, being a mortal with little attunement to the supernatural, while Suri as a ghost would feel pain, but if her purity was not some ruse she would be spared from the worst of it. Reynardo, however... unfortunately, Cira had a very clear idea of what the old man would feel.

The last time Cira was hurt by his own miracle, the physical consequences were far from pretty, but they surely weren't the worst. He could remember clearly, his own life being retold before his eyes as a series of pain, failures and humiliation, all good moments either removed or shown from the least flattering perspective possible. And then he saw those he killed, each taking their turn to mock and torture him, all while he knew well it was his fault. And he felt every insect he stepped on crawling across his skin, every animal whose flesh he ate stomping over his still conscious corpse, and after it was over he felt himself rotting and falling in the dark sea where ghosts wait for their vengeance, angry at all those still to sink, and envious of all the blessed dead who found peace in a better part of Hel.

He snapped back from the vivid memory, shuddering slightly. Yes, his visions were terrible in part because he was much more sensitive than most people in the world to the Other Side, but Reynardo was a very ancient immortal, with much more darkness in his past to be used against him, and he knew that no magic could avert completely the matrimony of Time and Sin.

"Gwenafer, you may cross this ward if you don't mind a small burn. Reynardo and the vampires certainly shouldn't try. Now, Rey, my plan against the enemy, if it is real, involves a form of ritual magic that requires me to stand closer to you than I would like, and I would have died long before my second decade if I didn't expect betrayal from all sides.". The fire on the torch Gwenafer carried started burning higher as he spoke, even if not amazingly so. "I apologize for misunderstanding what you said and for saying you know little about magic, but at the same time I let you lead us for long enough for us to get in place for the rituals to be done, and I say this is a good enough place to at least begin. If it serves as any consolation, I will feel as uncomfortable letting you close enough to kill me as you will feel letting Gwenafer point her gun to your head with a finger on the trigger."

The anger had faded completely as he said the last statement, and Cira added "I... am sorry about how things turned out. My paranoia is something I intend to heal one day, but... more often than not everyone really is out to get me."

After he finished speaking, a presence he knew all too well approached him, and with its raspy voice and fetid breath it said "Princess? The fire-thing is getting closer. Much closer. I think you should change the plan."

Shit.. "Shut up, Terim.", Cira whispered under his breath.

Terim is lying. He has no idea where the burning one is

Underworld:

Maybe it was merely a dream within a Dream. Maybe it was a cosmic intersection that was bound to end quickly. Maybe the mission the guardian sento to the trio was merely a way to send them away because like all mystical hermits, the guardian was feeling grumpy and none of the group happened to be some sort of "chosen one". But, in the end what matters is that the guardian was lying, and the whole underworld and its entrance returned to being their own dream, Anoerith woke up on a dark alley on Tevirre and her companions were sent to other parts of the Dream.

sorry. sorry. so very sorry. It is just that I felt the underworld wasn't productive, and I am not even sure if Ano will even appear in my writing anymore, due to heavy changes in the outlining, so keeping it up is pointless to me.

edited 11th Jul '16 6:14:39 AM by EternaMemoria

"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."

[Farm – Barn (Min, Varris, Seilaan, Vince, Ren Yangchao)]

Min raised an eyebrow at “Seilaan’s immortal ancestor,” but didn’t comment on the weirdness; it wasn’t too hard for her to believe that immortal humans could exist in an alternate universe. The weird thing was that whatever it was that was (supposedly) prolonging this person’s life definitely had to some kinda technology, but they didn’t seem to have any visible cybernetics. Maybe nanomachines? Some sort of genetic modification?

But just the idea of sitting through an explanation of how immortality worked in Seilaan’s world gave Min a headache, so instead she just nodded and said, “Nice to meet you, I guess. My name's Min. And my dragon friend here's called Varris.” Varris gave Seilaan’s ancestor a weak nod from inside of his cloak, although it was so slight that it could’ve just been another shiver.

Min turned around and walked over to Seilaan just as she finished wrapping up her wounds. Min swallowed heavily, her heart sinking as she stared at the bandages. Now that the blood was gone and Min could think more clearly about what had happened, she realized that the wounds hadn’t opened until she had started to shut Seilaan out. Does that make this my fault?

Min briefly locked eyes with Seilaan before jerking her gaze away, staring silently out the window on the adjacent wall. Outside, the dark clouds were beginning to roll in towards the barn, and the rain was still pouring relentlessly over the field. Once again the farm’s colors had been washed out by gray.

Then, in a quiet voice, without looking away from the window, she said, “Seilaan… I’m sorry for whatever it is I did that caused this.”

Gave them our reactions, our explosions, all that was ours For graphs of passion and charts of stars...

[Ritter Clinic (Front Hall) —> Parlor]

The force Friedrich used to shut the door fell just short of qualifying as a slam. It would have been a slam if he was the only one in the house, but he held himself back a little just in time, trying not to alarm his guests. They might have been alarmed anyway. Heinrich certainly was; he jolted a little in his seat.

Slow, heavy footsteps heralded his return to the parlor. Heinrich waved at him. "What was going on out there?"

"Wasting my damn time and letting all the cold into the house," he muttered. "Snowdrift would've formed in the front hall if I'd kept the door open any longer, I swear. Anyway. Ruth, uh—"

Well she definitely seemed to be in quite a bit of distress. He softened his voice a little, though it was still somewhat gruff. "How old are you? There's some whiskey out, but I can get you something else."

---

[Farm (inside barn)]

"Min, don't apologize, I—" Seilaan glanced back at Vince before moving closer to Min and lowering her voice. "You were reminding me of myself during a bad time in my life and I might have panicked a little. These scars—they happened because I shut all my pain inside me and didn't know what to do with it. I'm not saying that that's what I think is exactly what you're going through, it's not in my place to make assumptions, I just—I worry about others easily. Maybe too easily."

She backed off a little, face steely and businesslike as she continued gazing up at Min. "I'll leave it at that. Whatever's bothering you, I hope you know where to go from here."

The last battle's curtains will open on stage!

Misery Manor - Room of Blackness (Sinistrina)

I considered calling the place the Void Room, but since it's not caused by void magic, I didn't think that appropriate.

It turned out that Sinistrina could summon her will-o-wisps after all, even if they did vanish immediately. At this, a thoughtful smirk spread across her face. "Hmm," she spoke to herself, "then this blackness does not seem to be anti-magic, and perhaps it just extinguishes any light source, no matter how faint."

But that didn't quite help, as besides the will-o-wisps, the only magic she could use required the presence of living or dead beings, and a little bit of elemental Darkness magic which she figured wouldn't be of much use here. Well, except for one spell she could try. But before casting it, she walked around the room a bit, figuring that she'd have to rely on other senses to detect if anything else was in here. As she walked, she tilted her staff forward and held her other arm out in case anything hit her in the head, and also listened closely for the strange metallic sound that penetrated the manor.

Another thought occurred to her - if there were no walls in here, what about the floor? That was why she carefully stuck her foot in before entering, as she half-expected it to be completely empty. So she paused for a moment, kneeling down and pressing a hand to the floor, a part of her thinking her hand might just go through it.

Misery Manor - Front Door (Gabe, Half, Lorraine)

Lorraine listened intently to what Gabe and Half were saying - basically talking about why Half had come. Once Half was in the manor, he started asking Lorraine about being here before, before pausing, frozen in a sense. And when he came to, he asked about seeing something. At this, Lorraine laughed, an uncomfortably cheerful laugh.

"Oh dear, it seems the manor's curse is taking hold," Lorraine mentioned sarcastically. "Be careful, or you just might lose your mind!" Then she looked away from Half (who began running into the living room) and more toward Gabe. "What's funny is that even you seemed to be affected in there. So much for light and purity. Where'd Sinistrina go by the way? For some reason, ever since those strange vibrations started, I couldn't travel through the walls, and the vibrations themselves produce a sensation in me that is too uncomfortable to be pain."

Misery Manor - Living Room -> Cellar (Artemis, Real!Yamiko, Real!Lupin)

Once Artemis was in the living room, the first thing she saw was Half rolling around on the floor^note this corresponds to Half rolling down the slope in his nightmare. Ignoring him for the time being, she sniffed around once more, and all of a sudden she picked up the scent of human. Plus two different shampoos she remembered. It was coming from a door that currently stood ajar. Artemis followed it, descending down a flight of stairs into the cellar. This cellar was not as dusty as the rest of the manor, but smelled of mold and old wine, and in fact had a few cobweb-riddled wine racks on the walls, plus some broken bottles in the corners.

It wasn't too long before she found them. Lupin was lying unconscious on the floor, and Yamiko was sitting right next to him, quietly weeping. Although she didn't think it would help any, she nudged Yamiko's face with her nose and gave her a few licks on the cheek. Then she gave Lupin a nudge, confirming that he was still alive, though who knows about his mind. She whimpered, hoping he would make it out all right.

Misery Manor - Cellar (Yamiko)

Yamiko couldn't sit there crying forever. When she had no more tears to shed, she sat back, gazing down into her lap, practically drained of all emotion at this point. But after a while, she felt something warm and wet on her face, and looked to the side to see a wolf with black and purple fur - apparently that warm wet thing was her tongue.

"Artemis?" Yamiko spoke while wiping the saliva off her face. "What are you doing... oh, right." She took a quick glance at Lupin, still infested with mushrooms. "So you stayed out while Lupin investigated the manor?"

Artemis slowly nodded her head in reply, though there was sadness in her purple eyes. "I waited for him to come out for so long... Usually when a Mystripet's Keeper dies, the police confiscate the Scanner and help rehabilitate any pets they have. But the police never touch this place, and I can't even get out of here. I've been waiting so, so long..." The sadness was even more profound in her voice, and she let out a whimper afterward.

Yamiko reached out and petted Artemis for a while, especially the long black patches of fur on the back of her neck and shoulders which she liked. Artemis didn't like the parts with finer lavender fur being touched so much. But as she did, she noticed something else in the cellar: a tombstone, standing next to a bare patch of dirt, with a bouquet of dead flowers lying in front of it. And then there was Alice, standing there facing the tombstone, but as Yamiko approached with Artemis tailing behind, she turned around to face them.

"Do you like what I did with the flowers?" Alice asked, still looking quite happy in spite of everything. "My mom keeps bringing fresh ones here, but I think they look better dead."

"You're starting to sound like Lorraine," Yamiko remarked. "Whose grave is that anyway?"

"See for yourself!" Alice said with a giggle, stepping aside so Yamiko could have a look.

"Tomoe... that was Celia's real name, wasn't it?" She case a side glance at Alice, who nodded. "Who is this Kazuo anyway?" She remembered that the man she ended up marrying was named Kenji, and she doubted the occupations of mycologist and gangster would mix well.

"As it says, he was my one true love."

Yamiko froze. That wasn't Alice talking, nor was it Artemis or Lorraine. It sounded like an elderly woman, and that's exactly who she saw when she turned around. She had a calm and sorrowful air about her, her hair completely white, her skin seeming to be glowing slightly despite the wrinkles.

"Celia!? Is that you? But-" She took a backward glance at the tombstone, and realized that Alice had disappeared. Meanwhile, she heard the sound of growling.

"What have you done to Lupin?" Artemis snarled.

Celia just shook her head. "Nothing, I assure you. Is that the lad over in the mushrooms?" She heaved a sigh. "He was already in that state when I arrived. It's a shame though. There is something about him that reminds me of my darling Kazuo. But enough of that. I know you were expecting me. So, a battle it is then. I happen to have three Mystripets of my own, so let's get right to it! If you win, the curse is broken. If you lose... well, we'll get to that later."

Yamiko glanced back at Celia. Something seemed off about the whole situation. In all the nightmares she used to have about Celia, she saw her as this mean old lady who enjoyed her suffering, kind of like Lorraine only with actual evil intent. But the Celia she was looking at now seemed calm, friendly even.

Phoebe and Ashleigh will have to wait until tomorrow.

edited 11th Jul '16 1:14:35 AM by ladytanuki

Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.

[farm, inside barn]

Vince had settled against the support beam that he hung his jacket on, facing the girls, but for the most part looking away as he listened. He met Seilaan's gaze when she looked at him, then looked back away to listen some more.

He could still hear her, and it was exactly as he thought. Not having much to add to whatever had transpired outside, he sat by and waited for the girls to finish working it out amongst themselves.

Seilaan would probably want some coffee when she's done. It was always refreshing to meet another coffee-lover...

The coffeepot seemed to hear him, emptying itself and refilling with fresher coffee. A second cup materialized next to his own.

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."

[Misery Manor, Room of Blackness]

Fortunately, for Sinistrina's sake, the floor appeared to be solid. Nothing moved to strike her either. The noise seemed to have changed. It sounded quieter, more subtle, despite the fact that she was now supposedly very close to it's point of origin. Curious.

Everything about this place was off in some way that Sinistrina couldn't quite define. It didn't exude wrongness in ways one might expect so much as it put across a deep and abiding sense of the alien that was deeply disquieting.

edited 11th Jul '16 10:29:50 AM by Gault

yey

[Empty Desert]

A hot, unpleasant wind picked up, with something dark and grotesque in it. Not unlike Xeqa's aura, in fact. A sandstorm came with it, and when it was gone, so to was Xeqa, leaving Durnem alone in the desert.

Yeah, I've decided I've done what I needed to for Xeqa.

[Ritter Clinic - Parlor]

Raising her head just enough so her voice wasn't muffled by her own knees, but still “tucked” into that anguished fetal position, Ruth uttered with a gloomy tone...

-“Well, I... I'm just 17 years old, Mr. Friedrich. Technically, I only have to wait one more year before I can legally consume alcoholic drinks... But, I'd prefer not to if given the option. They make me rather sick and drowsy... I'd appreciate a hot drink, like a tea or some coffee, instead... if you do not mind, of course.”

Once she finished stating that, she moved her legs once again in order to sit in a cross-legged position, with her hands resting over them, and her head still handing down in order to avoid eye contact out of shame due to her perceived failures...

-“...I apologize for my rudeness, Mr. Heinrich... I didn't introduce myself, despite you asking for my name a few moments ago... My name is Ruth, Ruth Diederich. Nice to meet you all... I really mean it. From where I come from, not many people would be so willing to open their door to a complete stranger...”

After raising her sight a little bit in order to inspect her surroundings, she tried to make some small talk by complimenting the tidy home of her impromptu host.

-“...This is a really nice house... It's quite cozy... It reminds me of the home of a good friend mine...”, she said with a melancholic voice, before letting out a loud sigh, and resuming her speech, “I wish she was here, right now... I miss her so much...”

It was after she had finished that last phrase, that her eyes started to water. While she wasn't bawling just yet, it was clear that she was about to break down in tears any moment now...

"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"

[Ritter Clinic - Parlor] (Heinrich, Iveya, Henry, Ruth, Friedrich)

Iveya raised an eyebrow at Ruth. Seventeen was, in Iveya's culture, a woman grown, but she seemed... younger, somehow. Still, she also seemed like she'd been through some rough times, so Iveya forced herself to refrain from judgment. "If you want to get whatever it is off your shoulders," Iveya said, "you're free to do so. Even if it seems stupid or silly. It seems to be a theme around here, and Friedrich and Heinrich have proven most excellent listeners." She gave the two a nod of appreciation, then added, "of course, if you wish to keep your secrets, I for one shall not pry."

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bones] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Golden Parrot)

It wasn't entirely clear where it came from, but a parrot alighted on one of the nearby bone-tree branches. It was completely out of place; a bright, merry-looking bird, its feathers seemingly made of gold. It briefly preened itself, then took to watching Ayako and the Midnight Stitcher with curiosity, an intelligence far beyond even the most intelligent of mundane birds in its eyes.

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bones] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Golden Parrot)

His eyes focused on Ayako as she spoke, The Midnight Stitcher closes his eyes once she finishes, tilting his head downward in thought- And it, not a moment later, he reopens his eyes as the crimson they were before. Giving a cursory look around, more to get Ayako to, The Midnight Stitcher begins to speak with his growly voice.

"I would prefer you call me by my name, but that is another subject. This place... It almost feels like home to me, though I suppose that could just be wishful thinking. However, the creatures borne here are indeed like me- We defy the laws of science and magic, something that by definition should be impossible."

Taking notice of the golden bird, The Midnight Stitcher gives it a look of curiosity in return, before stopping his movement. Rotating his head to look at Ayako without shifting his body, he then does it again to look over the dead creature- Speaking out with some disdain, or perhaps a touch of anger.

"Humanity calls them Eldritchs, at first assuming they were products of The Fair Folk- However, their true name seems to be Eldritchian, though I must confess I doubt the Kutians' naming ability. That one, however, is specifically called Skeletal Conqueror and honestly? I don't think that was the real version at all."

Turning his body and head around to look at Ayako, some of his tendrils spool out from his palm, before assuming a model of some gigantic furless wolf(?), his tone the same usual growliness. "This is the first one I encountered, back in the entrance area... It lashed about almost ferally, diving into and out of the fleshy walls- I believe the name is Rage Diver, but who can say?"

The figure then unraveling and shifting to become an even less humanoid entity than The Midnight Stitcher, the model conveying the creature might be physically unstable- The man continues, some reflection in his eyes as he looks at the model.

"This, Sanguine Shaper, was encountered in the Heart Forge- Blood flows like water there, hearts everywhere..." The figurine 'exploding' into an unraveled mess, the razor-thin tendrils fall off, The Midnight Stitcher resuming his speech.

"The hearts, the bones... I believe this is an Eldritch Factory, mass producing more blasphemies like these creatures... And perhaps like myself, if that unnaturally white girl is real... However, Eldritchs come in all kinds, practically anything could be borne from Eldritchian wombs... Like, for example, an extremely intelligent 'bird' with golden feathers."

However, instead of looking at the bird, The Midnight Stitcher calls out "I advise you don't eat any of this meat- Eldritch matter is why I'm even the thing I was unwilling created as. Still, you are here for understanding first? Then come with me mage- I am searching for the center of this Factory, in hopes of confronting whatever intelligence is in charge."

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

[Farm – Barn (Min, Varris, Seilaan, Vince, Ren Yangchao)]

Min sighed and slumped into a chair, resting her head on her hand. She didn’t know how to respond to Seilaan, at least not without thinking about things she didn’t want to think about. God, this was going to be awkward if the storm didn’t let up soon.

Varris stirred a bit in Min’s lap, poking his head out from the cloak and peering around the room. For a moment, he just stared at Seilaan, studying her. Then, softly, he said, “You know… you remind me a lot Nora. She cared so much about everyone, too.”

Min suddenly looked up at Seilaan, staring her in the eyes for much longer than she ever had before. Jumbled memories came back through the haze, things that had Min had started to forget over time. Seilaan’s eyes were mirror images of Nora’s, her deep brown eyes so full of concern and empathy.

Min’s expression finally softened, some of its defensiveness fading. “It’s nice of you to be worried about me, Seilaan. But I promise you I’ll be fine. Let’s just… talk about something else, alright?”

Gave them our reactions, our explosions, all that was ours For graphs of passion and charts of stars...

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bones] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Golden Parrot)

Ayako rubbed the back of her head, "I'm sorry Midnight Stitcher-san, I'll call you by your full name from now on..." She looked at the 'man' who was very evidently not human. A knot formed in her stomach, he reminded her of some of the bizarre things she had fought over the past year. On the other hand, he was much friendlier than them. She decided to follow him, he seemed knew the way about this place, and she'd rather not have to find her way alone through this dangerous place.

The magical girl thought of the terminology the Midnight Stitcher used. Eldritch. It reminded her of that god awful mission to Antarctica she volunteered for. She shuddered at the thought of what had transpired there, and sent the memories back into the depths of her mind.

Ayako twirled the umbrella around. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on eating weird foods anytime soon. Oh, and I'm a magical girl, not a mage. There's a difference!" She pouted, before heading after the Midnight Stitcher.

Ruins (Gwenafer, Reynardo, Cira)

Gods, this isn't going well. Gwenafer took a step back from Reynardo, holding her arms up in a defensive gesture. She still kept a very tight grip on her weapon, but reluctantly pointed it away from him. He did have a point after all, she needed him way more than the other way around.

"Hey, it's just a precaution," she said, giving him an attempt at a disarming smile that ended up looking nervous instead. "Revenant or not, I ain't gonna shoot you unless you make me."

As he walked away, she turned towards the mage, giving his wall of fire a skeptical look. Her mechanical eye whirred slightly as the iris adapted to the sudden increase of light.

"No thanks," she answered him, frowning a bit. "Having a thaum-jet blow up in my face was enough fun to last me a while."

She glanced back at the revenant, or the "vampire" rather, and the eerie-looking woman - Suri, was it? - as they talked to each other. What was up with that look though? Didn't he trust her?

Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bones] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Golden Parrot)

Softly grumbling to himself, The Midnight Stitcher lets his arms dangle by his side, beginning to head off northwest- Yet calling out "Like I could care either way if people call me by my True Name- Most do only call me Stitcher, assuming they don't call me Monster or Experiment." Sighing to himself, The Midnight Stitcher rotates his head to look back at Ayako. Yes, that's not disturbing the Brittle...

However, upon hearing her insistent terminology, a... Smile(?) revealing surprisingly normal teeth forms on The Midnight Stitcher's face, softly chuckling before abruptly speaking with amusement in his voice "Yeah, and because I can sprout tendrils I'm called a Tentacle Man- Not like Magical Girl is a unnecessary specifier, like calling a Mech 'Giant Robot'." "No, with that logic we would've been called Random Idea Generator: The Species."

The smile on The Midnight Stitcher's face fading, he sighs and calls out more normally for himself. "I apologize... Usually I do not go this long without some conflict when I'm around others. Thus, I tried to do a... Joke, as I've never get the chance to. Things are always serious for me, but you clearly get to have humor." Honestly, Brittles am I right? Such ridiculous creatures.

Rotating his head forward, The Midnight Stitcher abruptly stops as he turns towards a section of trees closed off with more bone- Though possessing a 'gate' of some kind, resembling closed teeth. Slowly advancing the structure, The Midnight Stitcher calls out to the mage girl.

"What is your True Name in full? I have accepted The Midnight Stitcher as mine, but I know some entities may lack one or changed what it is. Thus, mage... 'Magical Girl', do you have a True Name or only something you're called? Though, I suppose it wouldn't be Sakura Kinomoto..." Stopping before the 'gate' of teeth, the not-quite-human man turned to look at his companion, his voice 'strong'.

"This is something you'll be seeing a lot- Little spots that stand out from the surrounding area if you pay attention. What is behind these areas vary- I fought the Rage Diver by entering one of the secret areas in the entrance, Sanity's Descent. However, in the Heart Forge I instead spotted vaguely humanoid deer creatures with grey skin. Still..."

Some tendrils sprouting from his forearms, they gently move over the gate, the monstrous man continuing "I wouldn't want to endanger you by unleashing whatever may be inside- Thus, are you willing to take the risk, or should I leave this gate alone?"

edited 13th Jul '16 12:47:09 PM by Kkutwar

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bones] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Golden Parrot)

A voice, a woman's voice, firm and mature but with a soft, lilting accent, echoed in Ayako and the Stitcher's minds. <I assure you, I am not from this realm.> Somehow, the voice seemed to be coming from the parrot. <Now, I'm looking for a creature with which I have a score to settle. All I can say about it is that it has too many eyes and too many teeth, but,> the parrot turned its head to and fro to examine the forest before she continued, <I doubt that narrows things much in a place like this.> As an afterthought, the parrot added, <It's certainly not responsible for this realm, though. There is a certain... morbid beauty to this forest that suggests the touch of a thoroughly insane artist. The Eyes and Teeth only fits the first criteria.>

Then she paused and, tilting her head quizzically added, <Oh, and I overheard your conversation earlier, and I notice: in a way, you both might well be called 'Stitchers'. How... apt.>

What she seeks isn't anywhere in the Eldritch Factory. But at present, she has no way of knowing this, and it's quite reasonable for her to assume she'd find it here.

edited 14th Jul '16 8:18:56 PM by KillerClowns

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bones] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Golden Parrot)

Ayako laughed, "I don't go around collecting cards! Anyway, I don't know anything about this 'True Name' business, but my name is Ayako." She jabbed her umbrella into the ground and crossed her arms, a smile beaming across her face.

The purple garbed girl jumped lightly at the voice in her head. Looking around, she notice the golden parrot perched on the limb of a tree. "Oh! A psychic parrot? Neat!" She pulled the umbrella from the ground, shaking it clean. "We'll probably run into who you're looking for if you come with us. Stuff like that tends to happen around me."

She looked up at the set of teeth. "As for our current journey, they say shortcuts just make trips longer..." The umbrella morphed back into sword form, the magical girl posed to engage what ever might show its ugly maw. "On the other hand, if the creatures in there are like that Skeletal Conqueror, it shouldn't be that difficult!" She grinned, "Bring it on!"

Empty Desert -> Eldritch Factory - Forest of Bones (Durnem, Ayako, Midnight Stitcher, Parrot)

The warrior woman introduced herself as Emperor Xeqa, heir to the Adamantine Throne, whatever that was. Probably some highly prestigious warrior clan, for all Durnem knew. However, before she could answer Xeqa's question about why she interfered, another sandstorm came.

"What in the name of..." Durnem muttered, before setting up another force field to shield herself from the sand. As with the last one, the sandstorm subsided quickly... but as she looked around, she realized that Xeqa had disappeared.

She looked around several times just to be sure, and at one point she even looked through the orb on her staff like a looking glass, scanning for any trace aural energies that might be present. She found nothing.

"Kraguor," Durnem grumbled, stomping a finned foot into the sand. "Damn that hypnotist, creating a portal to this humi-no desert. At least Watimari can fly."

In fact, by a stroke of luck, she saw some trees in the distance, mired by a thick fog. Not an ideal location, Durnem thought, but at least better than a desert. And so she wasted no time - swinging her staff beneath her as she did when the first sandstorm came, she hopped on top of it and rode it like a hoverboard (except squatting), flying just a few feet above the ground, right at the trees. As soon as she reached said foggy trees, she dismounted the staff, as with this fog, she would not want to crash into any trees. In this fashion she walked, hoping to find civilization soon.

After a while of walking though, she noticed something odd about the trees. A few unusual white trees appeared amidst the normal ones, and the further she went, the more they began to replace them. Before long, the fog disappeared as well, and Durnem saw that the trees looked more like bones. Was this some sort of graveyard? Even weirder, the ground she was walking on looked... meaty.

There also was something peculiar about the bony trees. Some of them had a very unusual aura about them, concentrated more in their trunks than their bare branches, and appearing more as wisps stretching out from them. Yet others had no distinguishable aura at all. Durnem's crimson eyes widened as she looked around the place, for it seemed to defy the very laws of magic. Heck, for all she knew, this entire place could be alive.

But after a while, she saw a more "normal"-looking aura, though it was difficult to see at first because of its bright red hue, blending into the meaty ground. And then she saw something golden, which seemed to be glowing even though it actually wasn't. As she got closer, she saw that the latter was a fairly large bird, and the bright red aura belonged to a girl in a purple dress. There was also a third person there - a grey-skinned black-haired man even taller than herself - who instead had the strange wispy aura fragments around him, matching the strange forest. Behind the three was a gate, bony like the rest of the forest, even looking like a large jaw.

But she detected no hostility, so she decided to approach the group, walking on her fins for shins, her tail flowing behind her like a half-skirt, her blue staff with the black lily-like charm at the top held proudly in her claw-finned grasp.

"What is this place?" she asked them, turning her attention more to the tall and lanky man since he seemed to fit in most with the place. "The aura around these trees is most unusual, and I'm not even sure if they have any life or not." Then she turned her gaze towards the gate, studying it a bit. Although it too had no distunguishable aura from the rest of the place, she could hear something from beyond it, or perhaps beneath it - it sounded almost like a heartbeat.

"But first I must introduce myself," she spoke to the others, extending a claw-fingered finned forearm towards them. "I am Durnem, warrior of the Oradamin." She looked around. "From the Magic Lands of Orenya," she decided to add, as by now she figured that nobody here knew who the Oradamin were. "It is my duty to investigate evil presences, and correct me if I'm wrong, but there seems like there could be one beyond this gate. I don't see it but... I can feel it, somehow. Do you feel it too?"

Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.

edited 15th Jul '16 5:55:19 AM by EternaMemoria

"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."

[Ritter Clinic - Parlor]

-“S-secrets?”

Ruth uttered in confusion, and clearly flustered, as she tried to clumsily react to the elegant woman's inquiry in a casually playful manner.

-“I-I don't have any secrets! No, not at all! I'm just a normal girl, with a regular life and a boring job, looking for a...”

She took a brief pause in order to take a loud gulp, before she could awkwardly spit the next words...

“...handsome guy to... cuddle, and watch sappy rom-coms with, and... kiss...”, she clearly had difficulty saying that last word, as denoted by her not so-subtle expression of disgust, “...and do whatever else couples do. So, yeah! Pretty normal, run-of-the-mill, and non-deviant stuff... Ha ha ha hah...”

She concluded by laughing nervously, as she was well aware that her little speech didn't sound convincing at all.

---

[The Eldritch Factory - Sanity's Descent]

Unbeknown to the girl with the white eyes and the Keepers' duo, a large humanoid figure approached with a slow but steady pace towards their current location, its heavy steps muffled because of the organic nature of the “ground” beneath them. Once this new entity was close enough to them, it announced their presence by stating in a blunt and authoritative manner:

-“Freeze.”

The stranger said with a deep and booming electronically distorted voice, an appropriate fit for such an intimidating “metal creature”. Standing at least 2.5 meters tall, sporting jet-blue armor plating and a pair of glowing yellow eyes, this “robotic-man” loomed over them, his right arm extended and aiming towards them as if it was ready to attack at a moment's notice.

-“You don't look like servants to the master of this accursed place, but I won't take any chances.”, the metal juggernaut said as his right palm started glowing red, “Drop your weapons and identify yourselves. I would prefer for us all to make it out of here alive, but don't try anything funny, or I'll be sure to incinerate you all.”

edited 15th Jul '16 3:27:59 PM by VPhantom

"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"

The Eldritch Factory - Sanity's Descent (Noire, Phoebe, Ashleigh, Unnamed Mecha)

The blood-splattered doctor was able to make quick work of the Ribeye Butterfly - now that it was weakened by Fooly's knives, all it took was an odd sort of sword beam (first the sword grew, then it fired off a piece of itself) to finish it off. Seeing this, ghostly music conductor Ludwig lowered his baton and bowed his head.

"What a shame. I never got ze chance to conduct mon symphony."

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the battle, the sword-wielding woman took the opportunity to introduce herself, and explain about the place a bit. Moreover, she spoke of 'homunculi' and 'Wightlands', which were entirely foreign concepts to Phoebe especially. And then she... lectured the two about it being dangerous bringing one's daughter here?

Phoebe gave Noire a dirty look, pointing at Ashleigh. "She's not my mother! Though I suppose she's been kinda like one to me."

Ashleigh laughed softly before speaking. "She's right. I'm not quite ready to have children - haven't even found a husband yet. My name is Ashleigh Sable, and this is Phoebe Heatherfield." She decided to include last names to emphasize the fact that they were not mother and child. "We did arrive here from the same place, but we're originally from completely different countries."

"Yeah, I'm from Kentucky and she's from Ireland," Phoebe added.

"I don't think she knows what those places are," Ashleigh said to Phoebe.

Before either of them could explain more, they heard a very robotic voice shout "Freeze". Immediately they jumped in surprise and looked worried, as this was the same sort of voice used by the robots of Mystrica, including the T-Bots who were after their Elemental Keys. But the source of the voice was instead a rather large mecha. He reminded Phoebe of these robot toys that could transform into cars that she saw some of the younger boys at school playing with. And he sounded like a cop, teling them to drop their weapons and such.

Ludwig and Fooly could tell that he was preparing to attack, so they moved in front of their Keepers in preparation. Out of a strange courtesy though, Ludwig stashed his baton inside his elegant coat, and Fooly held her ragdoll hands up to show she wasn't holding anything.

"What do you want, Optimus Prime?" Phoebe asked him, being on her guard and gripping her Scanner tightly. "You better not be after our Elemental Keys, 'cause we're not gonna give 'em to you!"

While Phoebe was speaking, Ashleigh pointed her Scanner at the robot's armoured leg, the digitized scanning beam running down the length of his shin, not hurting him (or intending to) in the slightest. She didn't trust the robot either, and wasn't about to take chances by playing along with him.

I'll cut it off here so that the robot has time to react to being scanned.

edited 15th Jul '16 8:35:45 PM by ladytanuki

Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.

[The Eldritch Factory, Sanity's Descent] (Noire, Phoebe, Ashleigh)

Friendly little smile appearing on Noire's face as she notices the ghostly Homunculus, a look of surprise covers her face as she hears the little girl call out. Looking over to the adult woman and tilting her head a bit in confusion, Noire takes in what they say before closing her eyes in thought. "Hmm, is this like Demon Goddess Lilith's denials or is it true? Sounds like they're from-"

However, before she could continue her thoughts Noire's eyes sharpen with alertness when she heard the abrupt voice. Turning her head to the side and finding a roughly eight foot tall mechanical creature, a slight frown forms on her face as she notices the aggressive action of the creature- Yet once it spoke again, her fists clench as it readies an attack. What a shameful creature, issuing a death threat and readying to murder you all despite 'claiming' it wants you alive...

Noire's eyes narrowing as she notices the voice from before in her mind, she mentally comments to it. "Oh yes, and I'm sure sending out a giant monster to murder a child is so much better than this thing..." The air shimmering and distorting between them & the metallic brute, the young woman speaks firmly but coolly. "Golem, machine, or whatever you are- You have no right to demand that we disarm whilst you yourself threaten our lives. Whether you're just stupid or lacking a soul, it isn't a good idea to give a death threat to unknown entities that you want complying with your demands. First of all..."

Waving her right arm to indicate Ashleigh & Phoebe, Noire continues with her firm voice "You just threatened to murder a child and her guardian- How does that not fill you with shame? Secondly, we were just assaulted by one of the monstrosities of this place- Be it a Homunculus, an Eldritch, or engineered entity we are in no mood for another violent creature assailing us. Finally, you crudely rude entity..."

Her white eyes glowing brightly, Noire speaks with a cool viciousness in her voice "I am Noire Blanc, probable human, adopted daughter of the infamous Demon Goddess Lilith- And not one you should make enemies with, because why? My blade Death's Knell is able to kill even the Aberrations, things that destroy souls, retroactively eliminate entities, drag them into the insides of the Wall Between Worlds! I have slain impossibilities, and you're nothing more than a walking hunk of metal- What makes you so boastful that you can just threaten us and expect us to obey without issue?"

---

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bone] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Golden Parrot, Durnem)

Hearing Ayako's response, a small smile crosses The Midnight Stitcher's face, pleasantly surprised she understood what he was referring to. "Huh, guess she really is a fan of Magical Girl materials... I wonder what she likes about Cardcaptor... Maybe the episode with The Dash, or the ones with The Mirror, or maybe she likes The Nothing? No, that's ridiculous- She couldn't possibly understand those poor Homunculi and their longing, she's human after all." "Well, you were meant to be one of them- Oh yeah, your creators ruined you, I keep forgetting..."

However, as the mysterious bird telepathically calls into his mind, a frown crosses the man's face before directing his thoughts towards the creature. "Ah, so you're a predator too, wishing to eliminate those that have wronged you? I am familiar with predation, however far too many creatures possess far too much- I would never be of suitable aid in tracking it down with so little detail. However, you are right about this place... It feels vaguely familiar, yet 'The Eyes and Teeth' doesn't seem connected to that sensation. Still, from experience most things never are in fitting locations..." What is that thing!? It isn't one of us, its smell is wrong! Is it... Is it a Wight?

Little amused smile as he witnesses Ayako's antics, his tendrils tighten as he readies to force the gate open- Yet all of a sudden notices a new smell appearing from nowhere, and soon a new voice calls out. Rotating his head towards the direction of the newcomer, The Midnight Stitcher tilts his head in curiosity as his crimson & golden eyes examined them. Pulling his head up as the strange fish-woman spoke once again, he listens intently to her words. His eyes following her gaze, they narrow as he considers what she said. "You hear that? She can't determine if the trees have souls- This is perfect my beloved self!"

The Midnight Stitcher's eyes lingering as the woman extends her arm, he turns his whole body to look at Durnem. His tendrils stretching out as he folds his arms together against his chest, The Midnight Stitcher finally speaks. "I believe it to be some kind of Eldritch Factory, however since you don't seem to know about Eldritchs... I can only assume you come from off the planet Earth, another universe, or come from the ancient past before the Servants of Humanity enforced the masquerade of all things fantastical. Nonetheless..." Keep silent for that, we don't need that thing interfering...

Keeping his head focused on Durnem as he steps up to the gate, The Midnight Stitcher speaks with a little pride in his tone "Eldritchs defy the known laws of science and magic, potentially even classifiable as a type of Wight. Regardless, this Eldritch Factory is indeed creating monsters- For what I haven't ascertained, but I get the feeling this place may be 'beta-testing' some designs. My young mage companion can fill you in on some of the things I just informed her about. Though..." "Just the thing for nosy little telepaths-" An abominable, unnatural scrrreeech rings out, piercingly loud to all invaders looking past the Stitcher's own mind

His tendrils sliding beneath the 'teeth' of the gate, The Midnight Stitcher turns his head towards it, calling out once more "What I have accepted as my True Name is The Midnight Stitcher, a title given to me. While I'm rather surprised a mage like Ayako isn't familiar with the True Name, what with it being part of the Soul's Anatomy... I'm curious if you know what your True Name is Durnem- I've been trying to figure out Existence for a while now, and since you can see auras presumably you're able to point out information regarding someone's Soul? However, regarding this gate..."

Once he finished speaking, The Midnight Stitcher pulled his arms in opposite directions, the tendrils jerking- And suddenly the gate is violently opened, revealing... A rather sparse area, with things almost like beds if they were made out of living flesh and a bone chandelier hanging from the ceiling with a chain made out of black hair. However, beyond the perverse idea of a bedroom, are two hallways at the back- The pathways obscured from this far back, yet the sounds of activity could be heard from the right- And for those that could hear...

"Come on you guys, there's very important things to do- Unless, you know, ya adorable tykes wanna brave all the deadly superpowered entities running around." The Midnight Stitcher softly "Hm"ing as he makes note of the soft female voice, the man-like monster calls out to the group. "Alright everyone, keep quiet and advance slowly- I don't know what could be waiting, but if you see any deer-like humanoids they won't engage. However, should the ground suddenly start rumbling... Get back."

The woman who spoke is the same one from Stitcher's introduction, named Vita Exosso- Thus it is possible to enter the right hallway and encounter her, along with a handful of Deer Greys Hybrids... As well as a large fleshy mechanism with an infant girl inside. However, the left hallway is for a potential character introduction.

edited 16th Jul '16 6:37:13 PM by Kkutwar

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bone] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Ethoya Uvalex, Durnem)

<A predator?> The parrot was insulted, almost to the point of fury. <Do you know nothing? If I were a mere predator, I would seek the easiest prey to sate my hunger. Predators are cowardly by nature; whenever possible, they descend upon the sick and weak to sate their appetites. I am far more dangerous than any predator: I am a mother, coming for the predator that dared to lay a single claw upon my child.>

Then the parrot exploded into a cloud of feathers and smoke, and descended to the ground. The smoke quickly took humanoid form, and solidified into a woman. She was a tall, lean, shaven-headed woman, and clearly not quite human. Her skin was the dark gray-black of charcoal, and preternaturally devoid of even the slightest flaw. She had the inquisitive amber eyes of a bird, and a flowing skirt that reached nearly to the ground, covered in, or woven of, golden feathers. The feathers glittered and shone as only gold can, but maintained the texture and weight of natural feathers, and a resilience more akin to kevlar. She wore nothing else, leaving her chest bare. Magic emanated from her; indeed, she was made of the stuff in the same way mortals are made of cells and carbon. (Magic untainted by the Eyes and Teeth, which most experts of her universe believed impossible. Or was it perhaps the dreamstuff of this realm she was formed from?) She stood proud and confident, with a noblewoman's poise. Her first expression was one of bristling irritation as she glared at the Stitcher, still very much insulted by the comparison he had made, but with a deep breath, she let it go and settled into a calm, affable demeanor, with more than a hint of mischief glittering in her eyes.

"The one who I seek to save is not literally my child, but," she scoffed, "given how wretched her own mother was, my priestesses were the closest thing she ever had to such. And so I feel a certain duty to protect her from that... parasite." She bowed and finally introduced herself: "Ethoya Uvalex, known also as Golden Parrot, spirit of luck, keeper of portals, and breaker of prophecies." Finally, she looked to Durnem, and speaking partially to her, partially to the female voice beyond, she said, "an evil presence beyond a gate of teeth in a twisted biological forest?" Ethoya raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that does seem more likely than flower-tea and candied fruits." She had no desire to go into the gate herself quite yet, though she was ready to introduce anything that came out with violent intent to the concept of divine retribution.

edited 16th Jul '16 8:11:54 AM by KillerClowns

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bones] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Ethoya Uvalex, Durnem)

Upon hearing the completely unexpected response, bafflement crosses The Midnight Stitcher's face. "What? That's not predation at all... Is it? Predators hunt down those that wronged them, to slaughter the sinners beyond sinners... Was... Was he not admitting I'm justified?"

However, witnessing the transformation of the bird, a look of realization crosses his face. Though still very much confused by her anger, The Midnight Stitcher considered and mulled over her words as she spoke. Once she was done, the tendrils used to open the gate snap off from his forearms.

Though The Midnight Stitcher didn't try to approach, he did extend his right arm for Ethoya to accept, calling out. "You are a Goddess yes? Though what is your origin? Created that way, Exalted by belief, or simply possessing so much power they worship you? Either way, it seems like you're out of touch with modern definitions."

Tilting his head down, his eyes flash black with grey irises, speaking more softly. "I have no understanding of the power parental instinct instills, so I cannot say how that could motivate someone. However, I am familiar with base creatures defiling the natural order of things..."

Lifting up and holding out his arms to point out his entirety, The Midnight Stitcher continues. "I was mutated into the monstrosity you see before you- I was suppose to be a genetically perfect human being... However, my creators went against the program and infused me with Eldritch matter- Yet tried to destroy me when their mistake was clear."

His eyes returning to their normal crimson & golden irises, The Midnight Stitcher's arms fall to his side, his tone like earlier. "So I cannot abide such disrespectful actions from any entities, Goddess Ethoya. I am sorry for whatever conflict I caused with our different understandings- It was not my intent to offend another who wishes to eliminate their adversaries."

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

[The Eldritch Factory, Forest of Bone] (The Midnight Stitcher, Ayako, Ethoya Uvalex, Durnem)

Ayako turned around at the newest arrival, Durnem. She stared at the fish-woman, multiple thoughts crossing her mind as to what she was, until the woman stated she was from 'Orenya'. Ayako had never heard of such a place. The woman mentioned feeling a presence from beyond the gate. Planting the point of her blade into the ground, the short magical girl shrugged, "I wouldn't know, I can't sense presences too well..."

As the Midnight Stitcher opened the toothy gate, a chill went down Ayako's spine. Before her was a bizarre version of the interior of a house. When the voice that came from inside the new route mentioned 'deadly superpowered entities', Ayako sighed, muttering under her breath about "Thursdays." Reequipping her weapon, the girl took a step forward...

Only to stop when the Golden Parrot revealed herself to be a being of immense power. The girl blinked a few times, before realizing she was gawking. She chided herself, this wasn't the first time she had been in the presence of a goddess. Placing her weapon on the ground, she bowed, "I, Magical Girl Ayako-chan, will be glad to assist you in any way, Ethoya-sama."

[The Eldritch Factory - Sanity's Descent]

Looking intently at the three women and the diminutive familiars, the imposing stranger kept them all on his sights, as he readied himself to shot them as soon as they showed any kind of aggressive intent. While he was wary about that ace of light one of them used on one of his legs, he also assumed that was just an analysis instrument and not a weapon, so he restrained his fire for the time being.

When the girl with the white eyes confronted him with all those big claims and a defiant attitude, he almost decided to perform a warning shot, if only to show her that he was being serious, and that he didn't have patience for those that speak in such arrogant way. But before doing something so drastic, he decided to verify their claims, using his own scanner to examine the remains of a nearby monster. While there wasn't much left of it, the analysis confirmed that its molecular structure didn't match that of neither of the people before him. Not a definitive proof of their “integrity”, but good enough to at least give them a chance.

-“I see... You raise a valid point, Ms. Noire. Very well, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to those who care about children.”

He calmly stated, as the glowing light in his palm faded and he folded both arms over his chest. Even as his violent disposition dissipated, the stranger still had an imposing aura, both because of his towering appearance and his unnatural echoing voice.

-“My apologies for the aggressive first impression. This... Place, or however you might want to call it, isn't something to be taken lightly. I've seen but a glimpse of the unspeakable horrors that lurk inside those disgusting corridors.”

The stranger then approached the group, and in drastic reversal from his previous attitude, he knelt before them using one knee as support while placing his right palm over his chest, as if he was some kind of old-fashioned gentleman making a courteous bow.

-“If you are truly innocent people dragged down here against your will, it is my duty to protect you all. You may call me Azure Knight.”

edited 18th Jul '16 6:49:37 PM by VPhantom

"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"