San Francisco - Lauren's House (Gon, Lauren, Demo, Moreena) -> San Francisco - Outskirts

"That sounds rather... odd," Moreena replied to Gon's explanation, raising an eyebrow. Kidnapped through a computer screen?

"Perhaps the Dream is trying to tell you where she is?" she suggested, taking a step closer to the door to glance inside. "Or where you subconsciously expect her to be, maybe. I'm not entirely familiar with the rules of this particular dream-scape yet."

As she heard Demo's comment, her black lips curved into a subtle smirk, somewhere between amusement and disappointment. Mortals...

"I've encountered that opinion quite a few times myself," she said. "It seems especially common among those who are already doing quite well, for some r..."

She trailed off. From the corner of her eye, Moreena could spot the bloody-handed woman - Clearly an image of herself from a few millenia ago - again, standing silently in an alleyway that was darker than it should be given the sun above the city, staring right at her. She did not disappear this time.

"Excuse me for a moment," Moreena told her companions. These visions were getting very annoying now. She would have to deal with them somehow. "I will find you again."

Without any delay, she moved to the alleyway. No flashy displays of magic, no tricks with shadows. With the combination of her own abilities and the nature of this Dream, she was simply there. Her younger self - with her blood-covered talons and spiked silvery crown - had already moved on of course, so Moreena followed her through the city, letting her true form flow across the folds of this strange reality for several minutes, only occasionally manifesting physically to look around for a while.

Eventually, she failed to keep up, and stopped somewhere in the city's outskirts to let out a frustrated growl, her teeth growing noticeably sharper as she did so. Turning around, she noticed that she wasn't alone. A man with glowing veins was nearby, apparently engaged in a conversation with some ravens. Moreena quickly unsharpened her teeth, and assumed a more dignified posture before approaching him.

"Hello there."

San Fransisco outskirts

Caleb heard growling and turned to look at the source. He saw a pale woman in black approach him; a moment later he saw the horns and black eyes, but he wasn't to perturbed about that. "And hello to you," he said back, "this wouldn't be part of the 'Tranquil Underworld', would it?"

Misery Manor

Half watched Lorraine float through the cellar, a bit pleased to see her giggling stop. Before she screamed he turned to Gabe and said, "I agree, I don't think the visions will gi-" but it was to late, another vision took him.

Misery Manor - Romon

Half walked through the town with his group of wendigo. They dragged people out for him to transform, though many were instead marked for latter. It mattered not, those could run for now.

A teenage boy tripped in front of him, looked up and froze in terror. This must have been Caleb all those years ago, when he was marked as the next successor. Half looked deeply into the boy's eyes, and felt his very nature flow into him.

What happened next he did not expect.

With a flash of light Half's perception switched to that of the past Caleb, who watched the previous Half fall apart speck by speck.

Then he was back in the manor again, but more fearful than last time. It knew which mind was truely him now.

edited 9th Aug '16 1:04:28 AM by Novis

San Francisco - Outskirts (Moreena, Caleb)

"I don't know if this world has a name," Moreena responded, taking a closer look at the man. The glowing patterns vaguely reminded her of some of the demons from back home, though he clearly wasn't one of them. "This particular part of it is a recreation of some human city from a few decades ago, or so I've been told."

She let her eyes wander across the buildings around them, looking for signs of her past self, but there was nothing to see this time.

"The name's Moreena, by the way. I assume that you're just a temporary visitor to this place as well?"

[San Francisco ~ Intersection of Market, Haight, and Gough Streets] (Ruka)

The first thing Ruka was aware of was that she was staring up at a vaguely familiar skyline from the middle of an intersection.

The young woman was outfitted in a sleek, high-tech suit of armor. At one point it had been painted a bright blue, but now it was charred black. The armor was slightly dented in places and sported a set of shallow claw marks on the back. She had to hand it to R&D, the suit held up well to abuse. And it was air conditioned...

Gazing around through the semi-transparent visor of the helmet, Ruka gave instructions to the on-board computerized personal assistant, "Hey Siri, can you identify where and—" She spun around to view her surroundings better, "when I am." She watched the little blue loading circle spinning in the corner of her visor as it processed her request. "Location identified, ma'am. This is San Francisco, California; circa 1969. Specific date, unknown. Would you like me to update the Heads-Up Display?"

"Yes, that would be great, Siri." Indicators of armor integrity, power level, internal temperature, and other indicators framed the left side of her visor, a circular map filled the upper left.

Looking around, she noticed that there was a distinct lack of people in the city. "Hey Siri, perform a wide scan for people." A moment passed before Siri chimed in again "Three people detected west of here. Their approximate location has been marked on your map."

"Thanks, Siri!" Ruka nodded, before heading down Haight Street.

San Fransisco outskirts

"I'm Caleb," he said toward Moreena, "and you assume correctly. I've been here...." He though of the time, how long has it been? "...Well, it feels longer than it's really been."

"Anyway, I was looking for-" without warning a terrible dread came over him. Caleb remembered people being ripped from their homes, warped into beasts. He saw the shadow look right past him and....

No, not now he thought; but soon the moment passed. "Don't worry," he said, as much to himself as Moreena, "I just looked back on something, for...no reason actually."

Why did he think of that? Nothing brought it on.

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

Still a little disoriented, Mazra took a moment to refocus on her surroundings. The barn didn't seem much different from before, but there was now a new person there, who on a quick glance appeared to be some kind of ghost. She'd normally have been more weirded out by this development, but after the last place she'd been here, a ghost seemed pretty normal and harmless.

Also, a dog had come over and sniffed at her. "Oh, hello," she said to it. She wasn't really sure if she should pet it or not, having never really seen a dog up close, so instead she turned to see Seilaan lowering her sword.

"I hadn't noticed," she told the other girl. It was supposed to sound a bit airy, but it came out more annoyed than that. Not surprising - Seilaan's self-righteous presumptuousness had grated on her a little, even if it wasn't worth becoming stressed about.

Deciding it would be best to quickly move on, she turned in Varris's direction and shrugged. "I can honestly say you know about as much as I do. I think one of the people I was with must have woken up" - actually, that idea had only just now occurred to be - "but even before that, it was really strange."

Sorry it's not much of a post. I realized I completely forgot I was going to post today and wanted to get something up quick so as not to keep people waiting until tomorrow.

edited 10th Aug '16 3:42:15 PM by nrjxll

[farm, inside barn]

He sighed quietly at Mazra's clipped response as he buttoned and smoothed his jacket. Fucking great. Vince looked at her again, smiling a bit in that gentle, host-like way as she wisely chose to change the subject.

"Tell us a bit over coffee and tea, if you'd like." He looked around a bit at the others. "I'm sure the three of you wouldn't mind warming up a bit." Just no shouting matches, please. There's enough of that when you're awake and a politician.

Lise sat on her haunches and smiled back at Mazra. The wyverns sitting in the back with Varris tasted his air again, just to make sure he was actually okay. The large one with multiple horns stayed behind to watch him in case he tried anything funny, while the smaller one gathered the baby onto its back and set about taking the baby around to see all the new people.

San Francisco - Outskirts (Moreena, Caleb)

"Bad memories?" Moreena asked, taking a step closer. "This place seems prone to bringing those up."

She leaned a bit against a lamp post, and scratched the base of one of her horns. "Is that a common thing in dreams? I don't sleep all that much myself."

Shorter than I'd like, but meh...

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

Min looked between Mazra and Seilaan, shuffling around awkwardly on her feet. She’d thought she had problems with Mazra, but Seilaan looked like she wanted to go at the other girl’s throat… or gut her with that sword.

As though reading Min’s mind, Varris said, “Could the two of you just chill for a moment? That argument was ages ago. It’s over now. We can all behave like adults, right?”

Min nodded slowly, looking away from the two of them, eying the door longingly. “Yeeeah, no offense or anything, but I’m just going to leave if you guys keep fighting.” It was already cramped enough in here without people arguing right in front of her. Her own dreams rarely spent so much time indoors.

[Farm (inside barn)]

Seilaan took a deep breath and sheathed her sword. Her form shimmered and the armor was replaced with a different set of robes from before. The white cotton fabric was edged with bands of sage green, and embroidered with various flowers, mostly purple dahlias. There were two extra decorative layers on the lower half, secured around her waist underneath an even thicker sash, and a loose white bolero tied off at her chest was added.

She glanced down at herself. Not bad. Less formal than before. And she could definitely feel her undershirt on now, thank goodness.

Ren Yangchao sent the tea set floating towards her. She knew what to do. First, she had to serve the elders. The greenish yellow tea coming out now was definitely Ren Yangchao's preferred variety, not the brew Seilaan remembered having when she was last inside, so Seilaan assumed that the teapot was also filling Vince's cup with whatever his favorite drink was. She sent the two filled cups floating back before moving on to the remaining three.

"Cheers." Ren Yangchao muttered as they caught their cup. "This is going to be awkward."

[Eldritch Factory - Forest of Bones (Midnight Stitcher, Vita Exosso, Ethoya, Ayako, Durnem)]

Ethoya shook her head and muttered, "how am I supposed to keep up with you mortals and your fashions?" She sighed. "Ten thousand years ago I didn't even need the skirt..." she paused. "Ayako, apologies if my ignorance of your custom offends." Then an idea came to her. "You mentioned you're a seamstress? When we have a little time, would you be willing to help make me a more... appropriate outfit?" She paused and added, "if you feel it is necessary, of course." Sometimes people were willing to accommodate her; the Uelane typically did wear tunics, but that Okul fellow had told her that she was free to dress as she pleased. Rather insisted on it, even.

She let the thought go and looked to Vita. "Now," she said, "as my new associate," she nodded at Durnem, "mentioned, there appears to be something stuck in that..." she glanced at the pod, "thing. Care to share any details?"

edited 11th Aug '16 7:09:12 PM by KillerClowns

[The Eldritch Factory - Sanity's Descent]

After seeing the effective way in which Ashleigh and Phoebe commanded their diminutive familiars in order to take down that strange monstrosity, the Azure Knight couldn't help but to smile under his heavy helmet... Not that anyone could've noticed, considering that his pressurized mask did a pretty good job when it came to hiding his disfigured and hideous face. Nonetheless, he decided to express his satisfaction and relief by letting out a loud laugh that could be heard across many of the contiguous “rooms”.

-“Ha ha ha ha ha hah! I see you're quite prepared to deal with the horrors of this chaotic and strange place.”

Then, he turned his back against the group and took a few heavy steps back so there was a generous distance between them, before opening a panel on his left arm, and punching a code into it. Then he turned around to give the group a rather casual military style salute, using just his right index and middle fingers instead of his whole palm.

-“If that's the case, I won't be needed here after all. It was nice to meet you, young ladies. I wish you all good luck!”

That was the last thing that The Azure Knight said before luminous particles and lightning bolts started crackling around him. He was enveloped in a bright teal light that engulfed the whole “chamber” before he blinked out of existence, leaving behind faint traces of electricity still coursing around the place where he last stood.

[Ritter Clinic - Parlor]

Clearly flustered by Henry's strident laughter, Ruth tried to clarify herself...

-“I-I wasn't lying, I swear. Well, maybe the fine details aren't quite accurate, but the general gist of it certainly is... Kinda... I guess.”

...With predictable results, as those words didn't sound convincing at all... And the intense red blush all over her face didn't help either.

-“If anything, I can guarantee that the part about me being completely normal is true!”, she said as she regained a little fraction of composure, “That's just who I am: A completely average individual with no outstanding qualities and nothing of value to bring to the table...”

She said as fleeting images of all the people she knew in that other world, and the things she lived along with them, flashed through her mind... All those painful, frustrating and humiliating memories that made her realize she was merely as small fish in a tiny pond when compared to all those people...

-“...yeah, nothing of value at all...”

She uttered in a barely audible volume before hanging her head in shame once again.

edited 11th Aug '16 11:12:48 PM by VPhantom

San Fransisco outskirts

"Yes, bad memories," Caleb told her, "and you'd be right unfortunately." For a moment he looked down and swung his foot back and forth, then he continued "it seemed like you were looking for someone or something, maybe if I help I'll end up finding the people I'm searching for." He looked back at the birds, "and maybe what they are as well."

my fault really. Caleb's offer was an attempt to get things happening.

[San Francisco-Lauren's house/Lauren]

"What the fuck does a 'pocket monsters' have to do with this?" Lauren said to Gon before deciding it wasn't worth the time. "You know what, never mind." She then turned back to Demo.

"Yeah that was my Grandpa. He thought the same thing including the girl part. He was real disappointed when I was born but started to change his mind when I showed interest in serving my country. I guess that's why I pushed myself when I got the chance to serve my country by joining the CIA, I wanted to show I could make him proud." She said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Lord knows what he'd think if he found out about my husband. He's the opposite of my Grandpa, he believes 'we're all in this together', was anti Vietnam War, and refuses to accept his place." She started laughing now thinking about the differences.

She laughed a bit longer before she realized Demo asked how they got into this mess. "Sorry got caught up there. You see Henry my husband and I have encountered these 'people'. These 'people' are almost like gods, they know everything about us, can read our minds, follow us through dimensions, and even change reality to their will. Henry was curious about them, so he decided to find them. After many long coffee and Mcdonalds filled nights he was able to use his interdimensional traveler to hone in on their home dimension. Once he did that he tried to pierce in there. Next thing I know there's an explotion and here I am."

[San Francisco-Lauren's house]

Demo resisted the urge to chuckle at Gon's remark.

"Listen little laddie, that's just how life goes. An' unless you're willin to punch a lady just as hard as you'd punch a man, yer part of it too. But enough about that."

He paused to take another swill from his bottle before sighing in appreciation. "Talkin' aboot how people with different nether regions are treated isn't wot I'm trying to do here."

He spared a moment to glance at Moreena, mumbling something about her 'shore being in a big fat hurry', before turning his attention back to Lauren.

"Honestly lass, I'm not exactly a specialist when it comes to things like 'psychology' or something," he began to talk frankly and openly.

"All I can figure out is the same as you: yer probably here because this piece of yore memories is special is some way. Whether you need to solve it like some puzzle, give some 'ere a boot up their arse or just leave isn't an answer I have. But for the sake of your little ones back home if ya 'ave any, I'd suggest figurin' it oot quick."

edited 13th Aug '16 9:20:07 PM by gameknight102xx

[Misery Manor —> Cellar]

Gabe was about to follow Lorraine when another hallucination took Half. He kept an eye on Half again, to make sure he didn't hurt himself. He still didn't entirely trust Half, but wasn't about to start an unnecessary grudge. When it was over, he nodded and said, "good... you're back with us." He took a breath, and almost apologetically, said, "I'm going after that... fiend. If you want to come, you may, but... it's up to you. Or... Sinistrina is upstairs, she may be able to tell you more than I can." With that, and a nod, he kicked open the cellar door and gracefully leaped down. It didn't really matter how far the fall was; a landing at terminal velocity wouldn't hurt him. He put his fans out; they cast a golden light, as well as being ready to slice anything diabolic into slivers.

San Francisco - Lauren's House -> East Haight

Gon laughed nervously when Moreena and Demo replied to his plucky comment. Demo in particular sounded like the typical Scottish drunkard when he said it, which Gon thought kind of odd given his appearance. Then again, he himself was technically still in pajamas, so who was he to judge by one's appearance?

When he saw Moreena head into an alley, he began to run after her... but by the time he got there, she had disappeared. Sighing, Gon began to walk back to Lauren's house, even though he wasn't particularly interested in talking to her and Demo (especially with the whole topic of war stuff).

"Gon?"

Gon stopped dead in his tracks - that voice sounded familiar, and it was coming from across the street. Turning, he cried out in surprise when he saw a Japanese tween girl in glasses and a blue hat and peacoat. And then he ran across the street (narrowly avoiding an old VW Bug that drove past and honked at him) towards her.

"Ari! Is that really you?!" He instantly hugged her when he approached. "''Mariko-chan... I've missed you..."

"Hiroshi-kun..." Ari replied back, in a somewhat monotone voice. "I didn't think I'd see you... I don't even know how I got here."

"I dunno either," Gon lied, letting go of her and suddenly realizing that this was probably another dream. "How'd you escape from Virtualmon?" Ari merely shrugged in response.

For the next few minutes, Gon forgot all about Lauren and Demo, walking back to the Haight with Ari and heading eastward. He didn't care about all the funky shops - he was just glad to be walking around with his little sister, just like they used to do back in Tokyo. Especially since the city invoked a few memories of him walking around a modern version of it himself, since they moved close to there afterward.

After some walking, Ari stopped in front of a store and looked in the window. Gon looked in too, and thought it odd that there were modern-looking cameras and electronics inside. He also realized many of the signs and labels were in Japanese.

"Don't you remember?" Ari asked him. "This is the camera store we used to look around in while we went out shopping with Mom and Dad. We sure used to wander off a lot. It seems we're in Shibuya, then."

Gon scratched his head. "But I thought..." His voice trailed off when he saw a ramen shop right next door, which he also remembered. And a few miscellaneous stores he recognized... but no people. Then he looked across the street and saw a head shop, a record store, and a couple of quirky and psychedelic-looking cafes, and all the signs were in English. "Heh, more like San Fransokyo. Except it doesn't look that futuristic."

"HEY!" shouted Triumph, who had followed them here. "You fuhgettin' about me? Psh, I might as well be back in the Scanner."

"Oh hey, it's Triumph!" Ari had just noticed the golden draconic salamander. "So you still have the Fire Key?" she asked Gon.

Gon took out his Scanner, which was red. "Yeah, I guess, provided I didn't lose it in my sleep. Wait - if you're here, does that mean you got the Spirit Key back?"

"I dunno. I never checked." She took out her own purple Scanner, and sent out a Mystripet of her own. This one was a slightly large and slender black cat with bright green eyes and purple tufts on her ears and short tail.

"Oh hey, I haven't seen Lucky in a while!" Gon mentioned. He still found it funny that Ari named her that, since black cats were normally considered unlucky, but he remembered Ari saying that this one wasn't because she was the child of a goddess. Speaking of which...

"I guess the only way to find out if I have it is to try and invoke her. Here goes..." She took a few steps back, with Lucky patiently waiting in an open spot. "By the power of Spirit, I invoke the goddess Mythrine!"

It worked! Lucky transformed into a great lavender-coated saber-toothed lynx about the size of a horse. And then a moment later, she transformed right back to the black bobcat, for Ari figured she wouldn't want to draw attention in a city. They both turned around and continued walking east as if nothing had happened.

Gon and Ari are heading right towards where Ruka is walking. WillDeRegio, you're welcome to have her encounter them (and maybe even see Mythrine's brief appearance if she heads there quickly enough) in your next post or two, if you wish.

Misery Manor - Cellar (Gabe, Lorraine, Artemis)

If the light from Gabe's fans didn't glare too much, he would've seen Lorraine recoiling with her eyes shut tight and the pin she removed from the picture in the living room stuck in her chest, which black wisps leaking out of where it struck. But right after that, she opened her eyes (which were glowing) and started laughing, the same obnoxiously sweet and maniacal laugh she uttered before. For now, she seemed completely unaware of Gabe's presence.

"I curse you!" Lorraine proudly proclaimed. "I curse the very name of Murakage! My own suffering shall soon become yours! Ahahahahaha- waugh!"

The second her eyes stopped glowing, she flinched and threw her hands up in front of her face, startled by the golden light emitted from Gabe's fans. Then she backed away.

"I normally don't dislike her," Artemis pouted, "but right now she's just being pitiful. Wouldn't you agree, Gabe?" She watched as Lorraine started flying all around the room, periodically switching between moaning and shrill laughter, the pin leaking more dark substance as a trail behind her. "For some reason I feel a desire to rip that cloak of hers to shreads... but I can't do that since that would be a Melee attack and go right through her. Instead... Moonbeam!"

Artemis jerked her head upward, and a moon-like body appeared right in the middle of the ceiling, firing a celestial beam right where Lorraine was flying. This sent her flipping backward in the air a few times, and she paused... and then winced from the pain of having a freaking pin stuck in her and resumed her gleefully tortured flying around the room.

"Drat," said Artemis, bowing her head. "I guess there really is no snapping her out of what she calls 'extreme pleasure'. I can understand her attitude, being the same element as her, but still..."

Her eyes wandered over to Lupin, her motionless Keeper, and let out an obligatory whimper. Nearby, Yamiko was sitting on the floor curled up into a ball, softly muttering to herself, at first sounding confused, but at one point, suddenly curling up tighter and burying her face in her knees.

Misery Manor - Illusion!Cellar (Yamiko, Artemis)

Yamiko was dumbfounded for a bit at Alice's appearance. Anaissie look outright confused, upon which Yamiko explained who she was, and Anaissie promptly flew up onto her shoulder and hugged her neck.

Yamiko glanced to the side at Anaissie for a moment, but when she looked back at Alice, she looked taller and a bit older than before - perhaps in her teens or something, dressed in black punky clothing and with a look of steely spite on her face, despite the obviously overdone black makeup around her eyes. Celia didn't seem surprised at all about it (Alice was her daughter after all - surely she must have watched her grow up), instead saying something about sending out her Mystripet, upon which Alice took out a Scanner of her own, which looked identical to Celia's.

"What - now you're gonna cheat by making it two on one?" Yamiko sassed. "Hmph, I guess if anything, that evens the odds for you. I still have two fightable Mystripets after all." Artemis looked up impatiently wagging her tail at that point, but Yamiko ignored her.

"Wrong - you have one." Alice's voice sounded so low and creepy that it shook even Yamiko, who had been quite used to creepy, especially after dealing with Lorraine.

"One?" Yamiko asked, clearly confused. "But..." Then she remembered how at the beginning of the battle, Lorraine had failed to appear. Did she really chicken out of this battle? That didn't seem like her at all; Lorraine loved to battle, since it was an excuse to both inflict and experience pain without guilt (not that she would've cared about guilt).

Although she didn't intend to send her out yet, Yamiko looked at the party screen on her Scanner, which at the top showed Melusine knocked out, then Anaissie at full HP and almost-full PP (she had consumed some with the Petal Flurry she used to defeat Kazuo-chan) below her. But much to her shock, Lorraine was completely gone. Usually she would at least show up even if she was far away.

"Uhhh... Artemis?" She finally cared about the purple wolf next to her. "I hate to say this, but I may need you to participate in this fight after all. Lorraine's completely disappeared for some reason, so you can be my third Mystripet temporarily. So you're wrong, Alice. I have two left." "Whatever," Alice replied.

"About damn time!" Artemis growled, leaping out in front of Yamiko (while timid little Anaissie was still clinging to Yamiko's neck). "Why don't I take the pleasure of fighting whatever Mystripet Celia and/or Alice sends out next? Poor Anaissie doesn't seem to want to fight right now."

Yamiko comforted the little cat-eared fairy by rubbing her back. Anaissie finally turned her head towards Celia and Alice, put promptly shut her eyes upon seeing how scary Alice looked (though not to Yamiko, as she had dressed kind of similarly to her on occasion, but didn't have the scary makeup). Especially now that they both looked, Alice had a knife in her hand. Yamiko could only wonder what that was for.

"Y'know, Yamiko," Alice spoke, casually flicking her straight black hair back, "I'm not too fond of fairytales myself, but I can't help but see a resemblance between her Kazuo and your Lupin. Not to mention her Kenji and your Remy either, though the former is more pronounced. They're even both gangsters - isn't that funny." She sounded entirely sarcastic at the last part.

Yamiko looked at the moldy mushroom patch Lupin was lying in, and had to admit that Alice was right about them. She remembered the guy who got stabbed in that flashback was also dressed classily all in black, and spoke more calmly and stoically than the other gangsters - despite the fact that his gang was larger and much more violent and public than Lupin's was. More importantly, just recently Lupin had seemed distant from her, while she settled for a relationship with Remy. Just like Celia with Kazuo and Kenji, she would've definitely preferred Lupin over Remy, feeling that same mysterious special closeness that Celia must have felt with Kazuo, but Remy seemed the "safer" option and the one everyone else liked.

"You do know that Lupin will die if you lose, right?" Alice continued all of a sudden.

Yamiko was taken aback. "W-what? But... uh, besides, I thought he was already dead. Y'know, because..." and she tilted her head over to where the mushrooms were feeding off of his body.

"Oh, I'm sure that if by some miracle you win, God will come right out of the machine and bring him back to life," Alice mentioned. "Because they're equally as likely."

"Alice..." Celia muttered, looking at her daughter with concern. "This is meant to be a friendly battle. It's true that I resented having to settle for Kenji after Kazuo's untimely death, but I wouldn't go so far as to..."

"I don't give a crap about that!" Alice shouted at her. "Remember, if Kazuo had not died, I wouldn't have even been born! You have every right to curse the family!"

"Uh... are you saying you hate yourself?" Yamiko asked with fickle amusement.

Alice turned to Yamiko, fuming with anger and pushing Celia aside. "That's it, I'm taking over from here! And I'll use what should be rightfully mine in the first place! Just to... spite you and all." Her lips curled into a menacing smile as she raised her Scanner and pressed a button on it. And what came out was...

Yamiko's heart skipped a beat. It was Lorraine.

edited 13th Aug '16 9:41:12 PM by ladytanuki

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

Raising an eyebrow and examining Ethoya & Durnem, a laugh-in-smile form crosses Vita's face when Ethoya spoke. Though her smile straightens and her eyes narrow once Ayako responded, yet a dismissive look as Durnem called out- That it, until Durnem & Ethoya took notice of the pod.

Her amusement, intrigue, and dismissal- All gone in favor of a coolly locked face, her fists tightly clenched. Yet during all this The Midnight Stitcher stood silent, taking in the actions of the others around him even as his eyes never left Vita. Hmph, keep staring like that and you'll look obsessed...

Then, the mysterious woman turned her attention to Ethoya first, her voice sounding enough- Yet an undercurrent tinge like she was somehow offended by something she said. "Sure, if you tell me whether you're wanting to be a bio momma or just flaunting your goods- An 'angel' like you can't possibly be so oblivious to Brittles' sexuality."

Though an amused smile forms as she turns to Ayako, she speaks in her earlier playful tone. "Ah yes, I see what you mean Meguca, so let me offer- Make a contract with me and become touched by vorlons! Resultant powers not guaranteed no refunds and side effects may include insanity and potentially life altering mutations."

Yet as she finally turns to Durnem, outright offense is presented through Vita's voice "Think I didn't noticed Not!Mer, that you've been glancing at souls? You Brittles are such offensive creatures, fetishizing hatred and living so ignorantly willingly- This is not your domain so don't go making assumptions."

More bone spikes sprouting up between her and the pod, Vita speaks once more as she folds her arms against her flat chest "This is a sacred place, one of the greatest Eldritchians ever created by the True Gods- And yet your words make it so clear you think something wrong or utterly unnatural is happening. If you want unnatural, look at what Brittles did to that poor boy with all of you!" "Well, it is rather offensive they would try to use angelic power."

Taking a deep breath, the unnaturally white woman speaks with a more refined anger "If you think I'll let you take my new baby sister away, then think again- And be blinded by the light of my soul!"

With those words the bone wall before her erupts into flames, calling out once more "Either leave us alone, invaders, or I'll be forced to hurt you."

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

Giving a very confused look at Ashleigh's reaction to Demon Goddess Lilith's name, though her expression became even moreso upon claiming no familiarity of the Age of Magic. "I suppose if they are directly from the Age of Magic they wouldn't call it so... Though which phase were Homunculi introduced in?"

Still, Noire's attention was easily caught as the two explained about their Homunculi and where they came from- Thus intrigued confusion upon mention of a Vi Willow. "Demon Goddess Lilith never mentioned another super-mage by that name... Could Vi Willow be tricking people unaware of the Masquerade to enter her own constructed reality? Certainly sounds like an Eldon thing to do..."

The moment Phoebe spoke up made Noire realize she was already scanned, looking perplexed for not feeling anything- Yet focuses her attention on the two, her hands folded together and held over her lap. However, upon being called Light element, a bit of 'force' was put into looking intrigued yet puzzled.

Before she could speak, though, Noire listened & watched the Azure Knight- And then her eyes widen in surprise at his grandiose disappearance. "How... How does he have spatial mastery? That's a forsaken magic field, h-how has he not- Oh, oh I think trial and error is why he's a cyborg... Geez, I really hope he doesn't work for the Servants of Humanity..."

Clearing her throat and returning to Phoebe & Ashleigh, Noire finally speaks up in her casually friendly voice "While I confess to not knowing my birth parents, there's zero possibility I'm one of the Fair Folk- See, no grimoire anywhere on my body, though I suppose the blood doesn't help my case..."

Her sword reappearing and holding it out with both hands, the white-eyed girl continues "My sword is the only thing I really have, so I suppose I could be an Artificial Fair. Still, I'm not entirely sure what system of definition you're using- What is Light and Fairy suppose to mean?"

Look of realization, the young woman swings back her sword as she points at Fooly "You said there were only Goddesses for five elements- Yet Light wasn't listed there at all. Thus what element is Fooly supposed to be? If she's yet another, then why only five Goddesses? Does Vi Willow lack the sufficient power? Maintaining a whole other reality must be extremely taxing."

With that said, an excited smile crosses Noire's face, planting her sword in the ground before gesturing Fooly towards her. Regardless she speaks once more "Soul Synchronization would be a huge support for someone like Willow- Sure Demon Goddess Lilith invented it by synchronizing with her own unborn child, but many magical experts have expanded & refined the base concept to allow male users amongst other things. Which... Admittedly would explain why Vi Willow is letting so many Masquerade-Unawares into her private reality, using them as unwitting Soul Synchronization partners..."

edited 14th Aug '16 4:12:11 PM by Kkutwar

[San Francisco ~ East Haight] (Ruka)

Ruka proceed through the neigborhood, her attention solely fixed on her navigational map. It updated her position via comparing historical archives to what she could see. She continued for several blocks until the map stopped updating, the word ERROR appearing in large red letters.

"Hey Siri, what's going on?" She asked as she scratched her helmet.

The computerized assistant didn't respond. Eventually, a small message popped up indicating Siri had crashed. Ruka palmed her visor, growling slightly in her helmet. She looked up and proceeded down the street.

A few moments passed before she noticed two people a block or so away. She headed towards them, the first people she'd encountered in a city of several hundred thousand, which was odd in itself.

Then the large purple cat appeared.

She blinked for a few moments. Cats of any kind normally aren't purple. She performed a few gestures, conjuring up a holographic smart phone. She frowned, scrolling through screens and screens of little app icons until she found the one she was looking for. A push of a button, and she was operating her suit's scanning function.

By the time she looked up to scan the cat, it was already gone.

Switching screens, she pushed a button on her phone, causing the mechanisms in her helmet to begin whirring. The helmet parted, retracting back into her suit in a swift, streamlined motion, revealing her heart-shaped face framed by neon blue hair. She was of Japanese decent and looked to be in her mid twenties.

As she drew closer to the other two people, she could tell they were young. Definitely younger than she was. "Hell~o!" She called out, waving towards them.

San Francisco - Outskirts (Moreena, Caleb)

"I was," Moreena answered, throwing a quick, questioning glance at the birds before continuing. "I believe this place intends to show me something, and it's been rather... stubborn about it this far."

Noticing a flash of light in the corner of her eye, her gaze wandered down the street and off towards the horizon. A storm was brewing far outside the city, but it wasn't the usual, soothing kind of storm she was so fond of. It was very far away, but she had no trouble noticing the subtle shifts in the air surrounding the black clouds...

"And it still is, apparently," she said in solemn tone. She knew exactly what was hidden inside that storm. "Our destination seems pretty obvious."

She held out her hand towards Caleb, retracting her nails a bit to make herself less threatening.

"Shortcut?"

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

Mazra took a moment before speaking to observe the rest of what was going on in the room. The floating tea cups were strange, but no stranger than what she'd seen already. Still, they were worth watching for a moment.

By doing so, she missed when Seilaan's clothes transformed. She decided to take it as a good sign that the younger girl had gone from what had looked like armor to another set of robes. In completely different colors from before, which is strange. She had assumed the previous colors must have been tied to Seilaan's House, given the robes' formal appearance.

Folding her hands together to wait for her own cup, she had only just begun saying "So, when - " when she caught sight of the small wyvern carrying around what appeared to be a baby of the species on its back. Her hands flew up to her mouth. "Oh my god, that is absolutely adorable!" Normally she wasn't very interested in animals (there certainly weren't many to be found on the House Ji estates, but the tiny creature was surprisingly cute.

Quickly she lowered her hands - less concerned, this time, about her dignity than about having them ready for the tea - and cleared her throat. She avoided looking in Seilaan's direction again for the moment, just to be safe, and focused on Vince. As the apparent owner of the barn (inasmuch as that made any sense in a dream), the doctor was probably the most important person here.

"Um. Thank you for the offer, zer," she said belatedly. "As I was saying, soon after my companion and I departed, we encountered a very strange... woman, I suppose, who called herself Anoerith. I'm... still not entirely sure what she actually was - some kind of clockwork machine intelligence with organic parts, or maybe the other way around. I think."

Going to stop here to let others post. I'm not sure Mazra really needs to repeat her whole previous plot here, but we'll see.

San Fransisco outskirts

Caleb turned to see the clouds when Moreena. He was a little creeped out by her nails shortening, but whatever, he was considered a bit scary back home. "We're going in there?" Caleb didn't want to be alone right now, but this? Well compared to what he just went through it didn't seem so bad.

"Shortcut," he responded and grasped her hand, "but just a warning, I can't fly." With that one of he birds flew off, back in the direction of the black jungle. The others intensified their gaze on Caleb enough to make up for the loss.

Misery Manor

Still in a daze, Half walked to the cellar door and saw it went straight down. Weighing his options, he thought back on his last vision. It told him mostly what he thought he'd find; part of Caleb's mind has been converted into the next successor of Zexal-that is, the Half having these thoughts-and the dream manifested that in the self Half perceived himself to be. Ever since he realized this was a dreamworld Half entertained that possibility.

But that wasn't really why he was here anymore. Like he said earlier, this had become personal. Half didn't quite understand his own feelings or motivations, but he wanted to find out, to discover his real desires. And that goal led him....

Down. Half jumped in and slide down the wall, hoping to be able to push himself off if there was someone or something underneath.

edited 16th Aug '16 3:14:19 AM by Novis

San Francisco - Outskirts (Moreena, Caleb) -> The Graveyard

"Oh, don't worry," Moreena responded. The cityscape around them became warped and blurry, all lights dimming until the world was pitch black. A mere second later, the light came flooding back, revealing their new surroundings. "The ground is quite solid, despite the... circumstances."

Moreena, Caleb and the birds found themselves in the middle of a vast plain, the ground a mixture of scorched earth and sharp edged gravel, with the occasional patch of cracked stonework or asphalt. Tall spires of crumbling concrete and twisted metal could be spotted in the distance, and far above it all raged an unnatural storm, the black clouds moving in chaotic patterns despite the complete lack of wind, crackling with multicolored lightning.

Some distance ahead of them, the ground began to slope down into a huge crater, at least a couple kilometers wide. As one moved towards the center, the landscape became increasingly strange. Pools of oddly colored liquid, boiling or freezing over seemingly at will, jagged shards of dark crystal pulsating with inner light, and massive chunks of rock floating in midair.

In the middle of it all, the air itself twisted and turned, distorting the landscape behind it. Images of buildings and people - and pieces of buildings and people - flashed in and out of existence, and every once in a while the echo of a piercing scream could be heard, before quickly being silenced again.

Those with a talent for such things would quickly find that reality was broken here, the entire landscape contaminated beyond repair by raw magic.

Moreena prepared a few spells to protect her new companions from the worst effects, and looked out across the devastation with a grim look on her face.

"I haven't visited this place in quite some time."

[Ritter Clinic - Parlor]

Iveya raised an eyebrow at Ruth's insistence of normality. The haughty Uelane plutocratic families did not, to say the least, suffer from a lack of self-esteem, but they did have a long habit of lying almost compulsively, especially while scheming. So she greatly misconstrued Ruth's response. Iveya had meant it when she said she didn't want to pry into Ruth's past, but this was just suspicious. She loosened the leash on her magic ever slightly. Just enough for it to pick up any surface thoughts going through Ruth's mind, though it wouldn't be able to delve any deeper. The magic, for its part, slunk cautiously, actively trying to hide itself in the local background magic to avoid detection by Friedrich, Heinreich, or Ruth herself. "And nothing to hide?" she said. Hopefully that would kick up a hornet's nest; the inevitable denials wouldn't matter, she'd pick out the thoughts that ran through Ruth's head.

edited 16th Aug '16 4:53:13 PM by KillerClowns

The Graveyard:

Beneath the black granite clouds, far from were the earth collapsed on itself, there was a sea.

A sea? No, not a sea, but an ocean. It was the size of a small lake, barely thirty feet wide, but it was an ocean, a deep blue abyss pulsating to the beat of waves in a distant shore, the inconstant rhythm of nature rendered unnatural by the unlikely location it was found. Its beat did not come in the form of waves, but the rising and falling of water, like a cavern in the coast that had its entrance submerged, or maybe like a drum playing to a chaotic yet slow symphony.

But the composer, if there was one, was too ambitious to be constant. Or maybe the rhythm was wrong all along, and then it returned to its "natural" state, like a heart that almost stoped working. And its new state was very much like a sleeping heart, drumming a faster yet more constant rhythm, as the blue waters turned blood-red. Now the little ocean was no longer rising and falling, but spreading and contracting, pushing and pulling, and every time it "pushed", something seemed to divide from it faster and faster.

At first it was like an indistinct lump of flesh and blood, that took more determinated shape as it escaped the great heart's grasp, taking the long form of a giantic serpent uncoiling itself. Most of it was covered in blood, but it was possible to notice that it had no skin, is muscles and part of its spine were exposed in a terrifying display.

Its head, or the place it should have a head, was covered by some sort of bloody membrane, which was slowly being absorved by the deloping form, revealing the shape of a humanoid upper body. The rest of its body, which had divided itself from the strange water almost completely, started to rearrange, bones piercing through flesh and blood solidifying into muscles that together formed six legs, each probably longer than a man was tall if fully extended. Black, gold and red scales emerged from flesh like it was water, and skin formed to hold them in place, followed by fins on the back and tail of the dreamer's bestial half and webbing between its claws.

The humanoid part of the being was clearly too big to belong to a human, but still diminute compared to the body it was linked to by a extension of the torso that was not quite a neck. It looked clearly female, and her skin was fully exposed to the elements, but the harmful energies that filled the area didn't seem to bother her. Her black hair was long enough to reach the middle of her back, and hid a face with eastern features and half-closed eyes with red-and-gold irises, but could not hope to conceal the seven black horns that sprouted from her head like a crown, each with a tip made of silvery metal.

As the Sentinel's body finished its construction the lake returned to a natural form, or what would be natural for a lake anywhere else, becoming a static and shallow body of water that could hardly conceal something as big as the Sentinel in her current body, almost as long as the lake was wide. She oppened her eyes slowly to the sound of screams, and quickly used her hand to put aside the wet hair that blocked her vision. A vast field of emptyness revealed itself to her, like in visions she had before, and screams with no owners could be heard from shadows that blinked in and out of view like dim stars in the night. She had such episodes before, and knew she was in Tev, or maybe in Vionar, or Malstut, or any of the cities destroyed in the unification by the Emperor she helped create. But something didn't fit, and while she knew it she also wasn't conscious enough to determine what, so she let the tides of the dream carry her further. Towards the center.

She tried to take a step forward and stumbled, all of her left legs failing to support her. She felt a piercing pain as something punctured through her lower belly, piercing her liver, and with it came a surge of lucidity. In this dream she was in her larger form, one she didn't use in the waking world for centuries, and unfortunately she would have to relearn how to use it. rising back from the ground, she felt her wound closing itself, and searched for what hurt her with her middle left leg. Her claw grabbed the culprit, and with surprisingly flexibility lifted it so she could better inspect it with her eyes. She also had to twist her upper body in order to face backwards, but while the posture was uncomfortable it was good to remember what she could do with her old new body.

The Sentinel was not easily surprised. Not after centuries of paying for her immortality, not after being made a servant to the god she crowned. But what she saw in her hands, a block of concrete with a piece of iron sticking out of it, did surprise her. Was that dream a manifestation of her fears for the future, instead of some ancient memory? Looking above, she saw the black skies with enlightened eyes, and realized that whatever destroyed or would destroy that land was not the Imperial Light. But what was it then?

She resumed her trek towards the center with measured steps, trying to pick up the right rhythm of motions with some sucess. She felt tempted to abandon the unnecessary biomass and walk with a more graceful humanoid form, but shapeshifting in a location like that could prove dangerous, and she did not want to change her actual body by accident. Plus, opportunities to recover lost biomass seemed scarce, and she needed to learn to appreciate again the advantages of her current form. Being adaptable is what kept her alive in a age when even gods died.

The environment was constantly battered by some sort of harmful force, but what worried the Sentinel more were the unending manifestations she saw on her path, symptoms of a wound on the cosmic tapestry. She didn't have time or knowledge to heal it, specially through a vision, but she had to try.

A dome of artificial stability extended from her and the area became more hospitable to life as the harmful energies lessened, even if said stability was as unnatural as the chaos it was made from, featuring colorless and immaterial images of people and buildings frozen in time instead of blinking in and out of existence. The Sentinel felt pain pulsating through her body, possibly a backlash from her actions, which she took as a sign that what she was fighting was not exactly a void, but a force, more like a cancer than a wound.

Knowing the futility of the struggle she looked around, seeking any potential source of information on the area so she could know if that sickness on reality would ever be healed. She felt compelled to seek the center, yet tides were not to be followed blindly, lest she find herself on dangerous shores.

She noticed two figures nearer to the edge of the great depression, which were most likely using powers of their own for protection. They were not close to her, but with such a large and heavy body it was unlikely that they didn't hear her. Or see her.

Who were them? Sorcerers, ghosts, or maybe hallucinations. It did not matter, she didn't want to cross paths with them, not while so exposed, not with her nature so obvious. She felt at home in the shadows, wearing a mask, yet that body was made to be seem.

But the center called the Sentinel, and they were in the way. Maybe they would have answers to sate her thirst, or injuries and curses she could heal to feel less impotent about being unable to cure the land for now. With heavy steps she moved towards them, using her inhuman vision to measure how they reacted.

edited 17th Aug '16 4:44:10 PM by EternaMemoria