Elaine, Eastern Ruins, Center > Eastern Ruins
Those perilously close calls don't remotely help her confidence in the Lycanroc. "So I'll take that as a 'no'!" she quips, and not without shooting an annoyed glare at the... Cutiefly? who seems to be calling the shots in the operation as they pass by.
This whole arrangement, as far as Elaine is concerned, raises a good deal more questions than it answers, but before she can think to voice them she's already been carried off in the highest-stakes game of keep-away she's ever involuntarily taken part in since she was an Eevee, swearing under her breath all the while.
"Okay!" she snaps as her rescuer slows down some distance away from the action and gently sets her down behind some cover. "Okay, time out! I give up! Uncle, whatever!"
Back on her feet, she disgustedly shakes herself off from all the drool she's accumulated over the course of her journey. "Away from the fire-breathing monster. Thanks, I get the point." she sighs, looking back up at the Lycanroc, his evident intelligence coming as little surprise to a Pokémon like herself, but something about him is almost... no. Worry about this shit later.
"But, uh..." she glances at his injuries with something of a sympathetic wince. Pokémon hardly ever get hurt that badly in officiated battles—even in wild territorial spats, one side typically yields before things get that serious. "I don't think I'm the one that needed rescuing there. You get that looked at, eh?"
Given a moment to collect her thoughts, she peers around the edge of the debris and off in the direction of the continuing sounds of battle. Okay, maybe this has been a blessing in disguise. Think. Think think think...
An idea!
What if our new friend here were to...
...
"...you don't talk much, do you?" she wonders aloud, noticing how her rescuer hadn't even made a peep in Pokéspeak. Mute? Strong silent type? Crippling social anxiety? In any case, there goes that train of thought before it leaves the station.
The vaporeon starts to pace back and forth before another thought comes to her. "You know what? New plan." she half-lies, setting off in the direction the Lycanroc had indicated... only she has no intention of hanging her newfound allies out to dry like that conniving little shit Wulfrik. No, she'll circle around and come at this from another angle, with her foes now hopefully occupied and vulnerable to the element of surprise. The specifics will come to her on the way, she hopes.
"Later!" she calls back to the wolf as she vanishes into the debris and undergrowth, with the sounds of battle and a keen sense of direction honed by years in the wilderness guiding her.
Edited by Chortleous on Feb 8th 2023 at 11:27:09 AM
Eastern Ruins, Center
The blade struck true, and the beast roared in pain. The swordsman saw his opening.
There.
Yoriichi fell into Kraid's open maw. For a lesser warrior, it would have been suicide. For him, the path to victory.
He kicked off the creature's teeth and charged forward, praying that the inside of the beast would not be as invincible as the outside.
4th Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun
He spun, his sword becoming a flaming spiral, aiming to tear Kraid apart from within.
Edited by kagescorpionakki on Feb 8th 2023 at 7:44:37 AM
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Ruins, Center: Just Keep Tankin'
As Ridley began his first (of three!) monologues, the goron would hear another voice whispering over the "Lamentation of Ruined Fun:"
"Petty and a blabbermouth? Looks like we've hit the jackpot. Keep him busy for as long as you can; I'll be back in a minute with some backup.
"Oh, and try not to do any more reckless stunts while I'm gone, okay? If he starts getting serious, drop the tail and get some distance. We'll figure out how to beat him together."
And with that—possibly even without the Space Pirate's notice—the fairy zoomed away.
Ridley's decision to perch on the goron forced Link to widen his stance. The glare in his eyes sharpened when the dragon mentioned failing to protect someone (pairing the comparison with the death of a father-figure clearly struck a nerve), but the hero didn't make a sound.
No doubt to Ridley's disappointment—or perhaps amusement?—Link failed to provide the song of agony the Space Pirate was waiting for. The scratches went deeper than any claws that came before them, but single swipes would never crack the surface. That said, if Ridley truly was an expert on bodily pain, he'd make some quick conclusions:
The creature's rocky back wasn't worth the effort. If he charged up a full-power plasma beam he might be able to crack through it, but that'd probably be overkill and it would definitely cheat him of breaking the changeling's will to fight. The limbs were made of a softer hide, but they were covering tough muscle, which meant he'd have to dig through two barriers to do some real damage. The eyes were an obvious guess, but the goron had thought ahead and shielded his eyes from Ridley's teeth and claws. If the Cunning God of Death wanted "screams of agony," then the gonads would also be a viable option...if he could find them. No luck striking where the human ones were.
In the end, Ridley would discover that the best prospect was the hero's large belly. Scratching through the rib cage would take a while, but the Space Pirate would quickly discover that slashing down the ribs had some promising results. Scratches were more visible there than anywhere else, and he could feel slightly less resistance on his claws when he sliced in the same spot. A dozen rapid-fire cuts on both sides of the goron would earn the Space Pirate his first true sign of progress:
Blood. Eight trickles of a dark crimson liquid trailing from the goron's breast to his naval, and all the little hero could do to stop it was squeeze the dragon's tail even tighter.
Though he hid his face from the dragon (to protect his eyes initially, but maybe now he was also hiding his tears), the sharp and erratic breaths escaping Link's nose would be a surefire sign that Ridley's handiwork was being felt. If the dragon looked closely, he might even notice that the rock creature was losing some strength in his legs.
An exploit that he'd fail to take advantage of...if only because Conan the Barbarian beat him to the punch. The sudden spring-boarding weight of a heavy-built human being was enough to force Link to a knee. While the stagger happened after Conan was airborne, it did leave the goron a bit more vulnerable. To try and compensate for the stumble, Link tugged hard on Ridley's tail and tried to use the dragon's weight as an anchor to raise himself up.
While the effort would prove successful, it was possible that the maneuver worked a little too well. Perhaps the sharp tug on the dragon's tail made Ridley shuffle back a few steps, or the pain of stretched muscle made the rock creature a bigger priority than a human with a sharp stick. Regardless of the outcome, it'd be clear that these two do-gooders weren't fighting as a team. Their methods of attack could easily counter each other.
Perhaps to highlight that point, the little hero used his regained stability to yank at the dragon's tail with even more gusto, possibly enough to threaten serious harm. Should the Space Pirate turn around, he'd see a deeply determined glare that said more than a taunt or gloat ever could:
"We're not done yet. I'm the threat here, and you don't get to move against others until I say so!"
Ruins, Center: Tactful as Always
Amidst the scattered ruins and rubble, a young lady with wolf ears would find herself greeted by a floating gold light with wings.
Of course, "greeted" was an abundantly generous term, considering what the fairy said to Amako was "HEY! Get off your butt and follow me to the purple lizard! We could use a hand over here!"
The fairy wouldn't wait for an answer. She'd start flying off in Ridley's direction, and expect Amako to follow suit.
Castelia City, Bell Tower: This is A Temple, Not A Barn
The party of knights let out a chorus of stifled sighs as the generous goddess asked to be at ease. Holding one's arms in that position while wearing plate and chainmail was a bit strenuous. Perhaps it would make a good addition to the exercise routine.
So as the Royal Sentinels picked up their weapons from the floor (almost bashfully, it seemed), the lead knight thanked Lady Helia again for her hospitality. In truth, he was half a breath away from revering her for it...only she had just said that she wasn't asking for it.
How peculiar. And unlike everything he knew about Lady Gwynevere—not that that was much to begin with.
"Very well, Lady Helia. Thou spokest of refreshment? A far journey it may not be, but diplomacy is ne'er best spoken with an open door."
The leading knight turned towards his shoulder, as if to gesture to the Royal Sentinels at the rear of the party. True enough, they were not properly inside the monolithic structure, possibly concerned that their great weight would damage the pristine wooden floors.
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Feb 13th 2023 at 5:16:03 AM
The wide eye glare
◊ the bunny girl gave Mai didn't subside after her little humble brag. If anything, it may have gotten even more intense as Reisen got close enough that their noses almost touched. The hair on the back of Mai's neck might have even stood up as the ninja could practically hear all the little jealous mutterings going on in the lunarian's head despite remaining silent. When she did speak, she repeated the same line in the same creepy monotone.
"Must be nice..."
The spell was broken however with the sudden departure of the little green hero. Like everyone else, Reisen could only look on flabbergasted as the Link disappeared into the distance. She closed her eyes and mulled over whether she should chase after him. Didn't he know you were supposed to run away from danger. Still, despite only knowing him for a very short time, it seemed exactly the sort of thing he would do. A little hero through and through. Honestly, Nyarly never stood a chance. She gave a huff and a shrug, a smile on her lips.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Kid just came back from killing an evil god. Doubt there is anything in those ruins he can't handle. Worse case scenario, kid slays a dragon and the princess is disappointed her knight in shining armor is half her height."
Then a new comer made their presence known. Just like everyone else, the flying androgynous cat caught her attention. It was nice to have more yokai about, especially flying ones. Almost wished Link stayed around just a little longer, just so his fairy companion could see that flying is a perfectly normal and common thing. That said, it only took them two sentences for the cat to rub the bunny the wrong way.
"For a psychic, you aren't very perceptive!"
Humans!? How could anyone mistake all of them as humans!? Ok, the killer robo girls and the Teen Titans, maybe. But Hewkii and Seven!? And what about her!? Just look at her ears! Clearly not human! When Hewkii announced himself as not human, Reisen would nod along in agreement. Only to then turn to the Toa with a look of both shock and betrayal of being left out of the non human PSA.
Her attention was once again taken by the new comer though as the Psychic let some important information slip. Being able to change between animal and humanoid forms, and having supernatural abilities? That's a hengeyokai. The fact that he referred his species as Pokemon seemed strange. She didn't have much time to dwell on it though as the other tidbit he dropped was even more surprising. Seeming almost outraged, Reisen would point toward Castelia and yell up at Matthew.
"Wait!? That eye sore of a city is where you are from!?"
She looked out toward the city in utter disbelief. Well that was egg on her face. She completely mis-read it. But could you blame her!? No matter how you looked at it, it was clearly a city of human design. Even Nyarly brought them to a ruined city of similar architecture because ruined skyscrapers were meant to represent the death of human civilization. To be fair, she suppose even the Lunar Capital was something of a metropolis. Though she would still argue the two were of entirely different ilk.
Still, just staring at it in the distance made her uneasy. Part of that might have to deal with Santa Destroy and the ruined city not leaving a great impression. But a part of that was probably simply because she missed the Bamboo forest. How quiet and peaceful it was, especially at night. Like your own little world. Another overcrowded artificial environment and the constant smell burning fuel that humans seemed to have grown accustomed to was not exactly appealing. But if this was a city of yokai...er Pokemon, it might be her best bet of finding a place she could carve out for herself. She let out a sigh of resignation.
"Let's go."
How do you kill that which has no life?Seven - The Hill
"Alright, let's get moving." Seven nods as he follows along, making their west before speaking up once more. "So, ah, Matthew, yes? Is there anything we really ought to know about Castelia?"
Igno - Forest Kingdom
"Oh, hey!" Igno waves at the approaching knights, "I'm just getting the lay of the land, really; I dunno if you guys have eyes outside of this forest, but things are a complete mess out there. Straight up looks like someone had to make a world for Show and Tell but forgot about it until the last minute, so they just peeked at their neighbors' homework, hurriedly stitched it all together and called it a day!" He explains, gesturing in the direction he came from.
"How about y'all? I guess you got word that the androids were planning an attack? What do they want with you anyways?"
Anor Londo, Near the Great Lift: If Only They Had A Compass
The knight nodded, and pointed in a direction. "If that be the case, then fortune smiles upon you. Your companion ventured near the City of Castelia. I have had but one crossing with the Pokémon, as they call themselves, but they seem to be an amicable sort. Should you discover that your companion has departed Anor Londo, perhaps you could find her there. Ladies Lucia, Helia, and Zahriah have proven themselves worthy of my lord's respect; they would surely aid you."
With nothing more to say but wishing them the best on their search, the Firekeeper returned to her bonfire. Perhaps more visitors would brave the mountains to approach this lost city.
Unfortunately for Trevor, Grant, and Alucard, the knight had made a terrible mistake. The cardinal direction had convinced her to use the sun as her compass, but since Anor Londo was shrouded in an eternal sunset, she had pointed the visitors Southwest instead of Northwest. Perhaps the visitors would discover this mistake at a later time, but for now they would be taking the Grand Lift downwards—heading in nearly the exact opposite direction from where Sypha found herself now.
Duke's Archives, First Floor: Thots Detected!
The first floor of the library would lead Sypha and Carmilla out into a spacious reading area with four lines of long oak tables. A grand central staircase connected this area of the first floor with the second, which appeared to be a solid twenty feet above their heads. The reason for the height was obvious enough: the bookshelves lining the first floor's walls needed all that space to store its content. Railed ladders spanning the startling height could be found on every wall but the farthest one, which seemed to lead to another, much smaller area.
And it was in this reading space that Sypha and Carmilla would come across what they might consider a "resident" of this place of learning...assuming that his staff, garments, and unusual height didn't persuade the two trespassers to remain hidden.
In short, he appeared to be a wizard of some kind, albeit one extravagantly dressed in charms and a strange cylindrical helmet.
◊ Headwear included, the figure stood at nearly seven and a half feet tall. In one hand he clutched the trident-like staff that likely served as his magical conduit, and in another he held a book. While the helmet was painted with three pairs of eyes, the slit where the sorcerer could actually read the material was rather difficult to spot at a distance.
The SMACK! of the book shutting violently rang through the empty hall, and it wouldn't take the trespassers long to realize why he had stopped reading. The sorcerer raised his staff in a threatening manner, either aiming it directly at Sypha and Carmilla if they chose to approach openly, or moving it around cautiously as he searched for the hidden visitors.
For during their trek through the library, the click, click, click of Carmilla's heels suggested a most unusual presence in these halls of learning:
A woman.
The sorcerer began to speak in a language neither witch nor vampire recognized, but considering the tone used it was likely an urgent command. Something along the lines of "Identify yourself!" if the magician spotted the newcomers, or simply "Show yourself!" if they kept out of sight. Regardless of how they approached this strange figure, it would be clear that he was not expecting guests. And if he found them, chances were that he'd want some answers. FAST.
Ordon Village, Rusl and Uli's Residence: There's All Kinds of "Monsters"
"Hyrule sounds like quite an expansive kingdom." Qilby smiled. Of course, knowing what he had just shared about what his scope of size entailed, it was probably a safe bet that he was trying to be polite.
"You mentioned when we arrived that monsters had been spotted on the outskirts of this village, and that you were on the lookout for them. Are these creatures a common pest in Hyrule? Considering that you were a lone sentry, I imagine that their monstrosity comes from appearance or behavior, as opposed to their capability to cause harm."
Ordon Village, Sera's Sundries: Didn't Account for Inflation
Miss Moneybags blushed at the realization that she had offered far too much money for the (admittedly already overpriced) map, and she bashfully took the silver rupee back, along with the map.
She must be crazy rich to not even know the different values of money. You simply can't buy that level of ignorance. A shrewder merchant (or at least a conscienceless one) was bound to eat her alive sooner or later, the poor thing.
With her purchase made, the young lady gave Sera a quick and quiet apology for the mistake, thanked her for the map, and left the store as soon as she could.
Once outside, she'd find her knight petting the mane of his mare. He turned to her with a puzzled look on his face; evidently her cheeks were still bright red.
"I could barely understand what she was saying." the princess confessed, raising her shoulders and crossing her arms. "This is going to be much more difficult than I thought. We need more information, but if we go around striking conversations, I doubt I'll be able to keep up with the translating. We'll stick out even more than we do already."
Zelda sighed, and opened up her latest purchase. "Well at least we can properly get our bearings, now. According to that green Bokoblin, we crossed through Faron Woods on our way here, which must mean that we're presently in Ordon Village, all the way to the kingdom's South. We knew that much already, but according to this map...the geography is wildly different from what we're accustomed to."
Almost absent-mindedly, the princess began to walk up the path through the village, studying the map as she strolled. Once he found a spot to tether the horses, Link followed along behind her.
"And it's not just the geography that's different; we just passed through Faron Woods, and I didn't see even a hint of Zonai architecture, did you? If we're dealing with a lexicon that's nearly extinct, and it possibly predates the ancient Zonai, then I fear we've been shot so far off-course that we've entered the realm of legends and forgotten history!"
While Zelda's modern Hylian language was probably even more intelligible to Ordonians than their language was to her, it would be obvious to anyone outside that this strange and rather richly-dressed young lady wasn't paying attention to where she was walking, or what obstacles might come her way.
Nia and Pyra, Ordon Village, Rusl's House: Collision Course
The sagely Eliatrope obviously spoke to Kayne, but a glance towards the Aegis deep in thought caused Nia to raise an eyebrow. In a way, Nia also could feel some relation, but for now, that would have to wait. Pyra's pensive frown soon gave way to a calm smile to Uli, "The soup is delicious. Thank you."
Nia chimes in, "Yeah, tastes pretty good."
With the comments on the soup out of the way, then came the question on what kind of creatures lurk in Hyrule. Whatever the man's answer may be, she imagined that they wouldn't be as big as the ones on Alrest. Sure, she knows better than to judge a monster's strength by size alone, but some of the nastiest ones happen to be house-sized at least. Hell, her home Titan has a giant fire-breathing lizard
and two massive
monkeys
! Thankfully, they typically leave civilizations alone, but they do make getting resources a risky endeavor.
Nia didn't say a thing, not willing to interrupt the conversation. However, Pyra still stared off into space, still thinking about Qilby's words. She stood up and looked at the married couple, "Excuse me. I need to clear my mind."
Nia looked at her Blade as she walked out the door, wondering what that was all about. She wanted to follow her, but she had to stop herself from leaving the chair. Perhaps she's just overwhelmed by all this, and she needed to get some breathing room.
Pyra sighed as she walks outside of the house and onto the trail. She saw the people going about their lives, but what she didn't see was a certain princess walking into her field of vision. The Aegis accidentally bumped into a woman and took a few steps back her face a mix of shock and embarrassment as she looks at the woman and her guardian, a man in a strikingly blue tunic, "Oh! I-I'm sorry! I didn't see you there! Are you okay?"
"I treasure every day with you, darling." "No need to be so sappy, love." "You know that's how she is, Nia." - AU!Pyra, Nia, MythraAthena, Mai, & Yuri, The Hill
While Athena was talking to Matt, Mai Shiranui was staring right back at Reisen's eyes. Then she started hearing sounds... voices inside her head, in fact. While Reisen's mouth wasn't moving, Mai could hear all the jealously Reisen had about the ninja's body in all the voices that she was now currently hearing. Mai was breathing quickly and her hair was standing on ends. It felt like Reisen had declared the ninja a mortal enemy.
Reisen then repeated what she had said before in the same monotone... and then the eye contact broke and the voices stopped.
Yuri shook Mai's shoulder, "You okay?"
"Ahh!" Mai snapped out of it and started catching her breath from... whatever that was. She looked around, seeing that no one else had noticed it. Was that psychic powers?
"I-I'm fine," Mai started keeping a close eye on Reisen. Whatever she did certainly wasn't a normal stare.
"Psychic, huh?" Athena repeated when she heard Reisen's comment about Matt. Now she was curious about both Matt and Reisen, so Athena would follow the two while Yuri and Mai followed. Mai specifically kept her distance from Reisen after what had happened.
Sypha & Carmilla, First Floor, Duke's Archives, Anor Londo
Both Sypha and Carmilla took to hiding when they saw the large wizard. That being said... they weren't going to be very successful at hiding given Carmilla's heels. Sypha pointed to Carmilla's shoes and glared at her as if to say to not try to murder this one like the last one. Carmilla felt offended, but pointed to Sypha's staff as if to indicate to prepare magic just in case. Sypha seemed offended by this.
Eventually, both decided to reveal themselves after preparing to use their magic to defend themselves just in case.
"I am Sypha Belnades, and this is Carmilla," Sypha began, speaking slowly. "We are... um, lost."
Once more Sypha gave Carmilla a glare to not stab this one in the back. Carmilla was still offended.
Quiet Robe, Long Library, Castlevania
"I'll see to it he does," The Master Librarian said to the Mawkin, smiling.
Of the various books there... Most of the scientific ones were no good. It wasn't that they weren't accurate, but they mostly detailed more primative inventions compared to those of the Chozo. That said, the scientific books were rather anachronistic to 15th century Europe where Dracula's Castle came from. Perhaps it was that Dracula was more advanced in science than this contemporaries of that time period.
There were a number of books of interest, though. First is a book on the creation of an artificial human... This seemed to have been written by a Dr. Frankenstein.
The second book is one on something called Alchemy. Namely, it gave information on the Philosopher's Stone. The book states that, while a true Philosopher's Stone had not been created, the two greatest treasures of the vampires were created from alchemy as attempts to create the Philosopher's Stone. The Ebony Stone had the power to shroud its general area in eternal night. The Crimson Stone gave its creator immense power at the cost of the curse of the vampire. The book then notes that a true Philosopher's Stone would give the creator immortality without the curse of the vampire. Quiet Robe would find there was no books in the Long Library detailing how to make either, just books indicating that they existed. Given that Dracula is an immensely powerful vampire and that his castle is shrouded in eternal night, perhaps the way to create the Ebony and Crimson Stones are his personal secrets.
The rest of the books are on various magic spells ranging from elemental magic to transformative magic to... dark magic that Quiet Robe would have complete distaste in using.
Wizard Needs Food BadlyHeadmaster’s Residence, Fuuka Academy
The pounding on the front door was steady, heavy, until it finally gave way. Soldiers flooded into the foyer to secure the area room by room before the tall blue-haired girl and her little blonde charge walked in, not apparently armed. The two maintained silence even as they strolled up the stairs, only giving a cursory glance at the wheelchair lift folded up at the top as soldiers moved ahead of them to secure the upstairs walkway. The little girl stopped for a moment once she reached the top step, turning left to look down the hallway towards the closed double doors leading to the master bedroom as well as the four men stacked two per side around them. With a nod, the larger girl stepped forward, her arm morphing into a blade as she dashed across the walkway, three swift swipes turning two doors into six pieces as they were blown back into the bedroom. The soldiers poured in, taking up position right inside the doorway around the sword-wielder and all of them holding there as the little blonde girl walked across and into the room.
Inside, another little girl with lavender hair sat by the windows, her back to the door and looking out the window, making no apparent acknowledgement of either the commotion behind her or the rumbling from outside coming in until she turned her wheelchair around just as the blonde girl entered. The lavender haired girl’s eyes shifted ever so subtly towards her blonde counterpart, silently seeing the latter’s eyes go off of her for a moment and at the strange towers coming into view in the distance, behind the ships in the bay. She waited for the unwelcome guest to look back at her before breaking the silence in the room: “Do you believe you’ve won, Alyssa Searrs?”
“I’m not sure what board you’re seeing, Director, but it looks like a checkmate to me.”
“Perhaps. A queen, a knight, and four pawns would be difficult to escape. So long as you don’t let overconfidence blind you into a blunder.”
Alyssa paused for a moment, staring across the room at Mashiro by her lonesome. "What are you talking about?" Did she have another trick up her sleeve, leaving herself undefended like this?
"I think you're right – you don't seem to be seeing the same board as I am. The pieces, the boundaries, the rules, the players. That you still went through with your plan even though all this came about…"
"This is what I was born to do, Director. Nothing is going to change your fate at our plans. As long as the power of the Star is there, everything else will be dealt with in time – you think I don't know about what's going on beyond this city?"
"I don't question your awareness or your intellect, but your wisdom. Are you so sure about your abilities, all of you, that you can take on a world that you don't have any idea about by yourself? Or is it that it just has to be so, to quiet the discontent and dissent that arises in those darkest corners?"
"Enough with the stalling! Miyu!"
"Yes, my lady!" In an instant Miyu blitzed towards Mashiro, blade for a hand.
Fuuka
The rumbling was difficult to miss, even through all the upheaval going on with these armed men running around shouting orders and no Fuuka staff around to say otherwise. And at least for those nearest the waterfront looking to the west, it would be just as difficult to not notice the appearance of a new skyline, reaching high and a style not ever seen before.
The rumbling from beyond the city's west would fade, just in time for another rumbling to echo from the Academy. A sharper, louder boom would grab everyone's attention, coming from the Academy. Soon, a trail of dark smoke would rise, visible to much of the campus and some locales nearby it.
Headmaster’s Residence, Fuuka Academy
From the blown-out remains of the second floor bedroom, Miyu and Alyssa stood near where the windows once were, the walls now charred at the edges around where the bomb had detonated. A similarly charred body laid nearby their feet, though the two were close enough to see that it was simply a wooden dummy. They were silent for a moment, even as the other Searrs soldiers with them recovered from the blast and quickly moved to secure the building to disable any additional booby traps like that.
"My lady?"
"Keep looking for the other Valkyries. We still need to neutralize them."
"Yes, my lady."
Alyssa looked back out towards the bay, her ships in them and the new city behind them. That lockdown better hold until they can get control here.
Bridge of the Ragnarok, Fuuka Bay
“Captain, contact, subsurface!”
“Where?!”
“Bearing 3-1-0, depth 40 feet and rising, speed 12 knots, distance 1100 yards."
"Port side, I want visual contact!" The captain hurried over to the sonar station to see what was being shown. "How the hell did something this big get so close?!"
"No idea sir. Looks like a boat, but whose?"
"Captain. Report from station three, we have visual."
The captain and a few others grabbed his pair of binoculars to see what their mysterious new contact was exactly. "We got a boat for sure, but that’s bigger than any Typhoon I've ever seen. Get a firing solution started!"
"Captain, we're picking up radio transmissions. It's coming from that sub."
"This is Captain Kaname Ohgi of the SS Ashtapadi. We are non-aggressive; repeat, non-aggressive. Requesting safe passage for our vessel and a line of communication with the officer in charge of your operations."
"Sir?"
"Give me that radio." The captain took the mic and brought it up to his mouth. " Ashtapadi, this is Captain Liam Fisher of the SV Ragnarok. Line of communication granted. Safe passage request towards our position denied, repeat, denied – this area is restricted to all unauthorized vessels. Continued movement towards any of our ships will be interpreted as hostile." With a snap of his fingers another officer on the bridge would head out – not long after a signal lamp atop the bow of the Ragnarok would begin sending Morse coded lights saying essentially the same warning, assuming the unknown ship would also see it. "State your reasons for being in this area."
Underground base, Fuuka Academy
"Eh?" Yukino's attention turned to one of the hexagonal screens Diana was providing her, a look out at the bay where she had previously seen four warships forming a cordon across the bay. “What in the…”
“Is something going on, Kikukawa?”
“There’s another ship out in the bay. A really large...submarine. It just surfaced. And…” With a few delft fingertip moves the camera view switched to another angle, looking at the ships from the other side.
“What is that blinking light on that ship?” Yukariko pointed toward the screen.
Yukino blinked, staring intently for several moments through the not-great resolution. “It’s Morse code. They’re telling it not to approach.” Her eyes moved towards some of the guns aboard the Ragnarok beginning to turn towards the submarine. “I don’t think the submarine’s Searrs’ if they’re treating it cautiously like that.”
“Could it be from that city that just appeared?”
“Maybe. If the different guards at the other bridge is an indication, cities might be coming and going just randomly.” Yukino looked for a few more moments before pulling the camera view back. She had to get back to finding the others. Figuring out what exactly going on out at sea will have to wait for later.
Girls’ Dorm, Fuuka Academy
“You there, go in.” Mai watched as the girl in front of her stepped forward and went around the corner of the erected curtain. These soldiers were thorough, with so many of them around that she couldn’t find any good opportunity to sneak away and make a run for it — and even then, what would her plan be, exactly? There were so many of them crawling and patrolling around. Maybe she could find someone like Natsuki, but how?
“Mai?” Chie’s voice coming from behind her took Mai’s attention. “Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah.”
“I’m sure it’ll be alright. They’re looking for someone specific if they’re going through one at a time — what are the chances it’ll be you?”
“Pretty high, actually,” Mai replied in her head.
“You there, next!” The soldier at the entrance pointed at Mai, drawing her attention back to the front with no one in front of her. Her thoughts interrupted, Mai hesitated for a moment, then cautiously stepped forward as another man that returned from within came back to escort her this time through to the cordoned-off area where more soldiers were waiting, one with an opened folder as she was motioned by one of the men armed with a rifle to stop in the middle of the space. The one with the folder flipped through a couple pages, then started looking between them and her a couple of times. “Mark V, next.”
Mai looked around as two soldiers at the far end walked up and motioned for her to follow. Was that it? Maybe Chie was right. Maybe they’re looking for someone else. That could give her a chance to sneak back to the crowd, perhaps see if she can find Mikoto again and maybe they could try to figure out a plan to — wait, wasn’t that the way back to the rest of the group? Why were they turning off to the side and walking away from the dorms?
...Oh, no.
Elsewhere on campus, Fuuka Academy
Natsuki had to hurry, but in a way that wouldn’t draw attention. So long as they didn’t have all of the HiME accounted for, they couldn’t risk starting any kind of commotion yet. It would be too easy for them to get picked off if they didn’t coordinate now. It wasn’t her strategy of choice, but there were just too many soldiers around, too much heavy weaponry with all those tanks.
She had just ducked underneath another row of hedges when she heard what sounded like men shouting briefly followed by a brief struggle before it stopped. She poked her head out in the direction she heard it from and saw a redhead teen in a middle-school uniform standing rather triumphantly over two adult-sized cocoons, squirming a little bit. The girl’s right hand was holding a cell phone out taking pictures; the left was curled against her side, the fingertips closed to show that it was a dark green color and rather metallic-looking. “Oi, Yuuki,” Natsuki called, stepping out and approaching her.
Nao turned around to see who was calling her. “Hmph. Was just about to leave these guys for Goody Two-Shoes to pick up.”
“Have you seen anyone else?”
“Does it look like I have?” Nao started to walk off.
“Where are you going?”
“Out of here — I am not stupid enough to take on a whole damn army by myself.”
“And go where, exactly? They’re crawling all over town too. There’s warships in the harbor. The bridge’s been blown up. And beyond that? Who the frick knows — the geography’s all different now, nothing’s where it should be outside of Fuuka.” A pause to let that sink in for a moment, while Natsuki looked down at the squirming tied-up man still trying to shout for help through the silken wrap and shut him up with a kick to the head. “We’re gathering everyone up — Mai, Mikoto, Midori. All of us together, we can take these guys on and free everyone.”
Nao was silent for another moment, glancing back down at the now-unconscious Searrs soldiers. “These guys?”
“Go to town. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.”
“...Fine. Least I can get some fun in.”
“Alright. Still gotta find the others first before we can start — follow me and stay quiet.”
Eastern Fuuka
“Yes I am,” Pennington stated without a hint of irony or mirth. Bundle of joy, that one.
Fernandez glanced over to make sure Howard’s suggestion would be acceptable. “Yeah, that should be fine. Just have to make sure it doesn’t come down to that, right?” He took a seat, ready to be dealt in.
????, Alleyway
Even with the proof that there had been another way to get answers from the man, Homura did not look particularly interested in questioning a random bum. Nonetheless, after a moment she stepped forward: "Where is a good place to acquire firearms?"
Both Oriko and Mami turned to look at Homura, the latter adjusting the glowing jar in her arms in the process. Was it wise to ask something like here?
The damned queen and the relentless knight.Wulfrik, Ruins
-Wulfrik's voice is weary as it is contemptuous as he answers. Yet another creature deemed unworthy of his blade by the Gods.-
I see. I mistook you for something with courage, when you are nothing more than a scavenger.
-Outside the battle still rages, but he cannot leave now, not without presenting his back to a self-professed coward and ambusher.-
-The fact that it knows his name is of little interest, for it is a name known and feared all by many fighting-men of the true world, be they elves or dragonkin or orcs. That it knows of his sword-of-light is more noteworthy, the term was used by young Ren when he forged it for him, and the voice does not seem to issue from any living lips.-
Dracula's Castle, Colosseum: You Had Who Over Here?!
The short distance to the Colosseum surprised Ganondorf, and appeased Majora; that convenience allowed the latter to keep its metaphorical blood boiling, and not need to worry about exerting much energy by maintaining this larger form. Once the other monsters were out of the area, the mask would raise its tendrils into what some might consider a defensive stance, ready to absorb or deflect whatever Raven Beak had in store for an opening move.
"Mortals first, you oversized cucco." Majora sneered.
Meanwhile, Ganondorf joined the Count in the audience chamber. He smiled politely at Lisa Tepes, and gave the Countess a courteous bow. Having now encountered Dracula's lieutenant for the first time, the Gerudo King found himself rather puzzled by the creature. With a name such as "Death," he expected the figure to be more...imposing, than he appeared to be. Death was a force of nature; an ever-encroaching tsunami that none could avoid forever, no matter how far inland they fled. A Stalfos with a peculiar choice in weaponry hardly seemed to do the concept justice.
The mention of Death fighting the Hero of Time in this very arena managed to do something that Ganondorf was rarely compelled to do: feel a surge of surprise. The boy fought Dracula's lieutenant? And in the Count's castle no less?! The Gerudo King rose from his seat to study the colosseum's floor, searching the arena for signs of that struggle. Sure enough, there were several giant holes in the wall that looked like they had been destroyed by bombs, and one particularly large hole that must've been caused by something with more force behind it.
"...might I ask the outcome of such a conflict, my lord? Neither the boy nor Death have perished, so who was the victor of this match?"
The mention of exploring neighboring lands brought Ganondorf to a somewhat calmer mood. He returned to his seat and met Dracula's blood red gaze with his fiery orange one.
"Now that Battleworld is no more, my lord, has your desire to establish a Confederacy changed? Should we find fellow creatures of the night, would you ask them to join our ranks?"
Ordon Village, Collision Course: Well That's One Way to Learn About a Universal Language!
While Zelda might've been oblivious to oncoming traffic, her stalwart knight was not. Before Pyra could collide with her, the Blade would feel a gentle touch on her shoulder. The figure preventing the collision was the young man in a sky blue tunic, a sword with a purple hilt strapped to his back.
The young lady who had been hyper-focused on her map appeared startled—just not by the averted collision.
"You...how...this isn't Hyrulean..." Zelda's mind raced as she began piecing together the words, sentences, and complex abstractions that she hadn't realized she already knew.
"How did you know to address us in this tongue?" the young lady asked. Evidently, she'd already forgotten about the near-accident, and was entirely focused on this new discovery.
For his part, the young man's surprise at the new language turned to an inquisitive look to Pyra, once his companion identified the Blade as someone with answers.
Duke's Archives, First Floor: Uhhh...Ditto?
Once the two trespassers were out in the open, the sorcerer's wariness quickly shifted to shock.
"This...speech...it sounds nought like Lordranian. What sorcery be this?!"
Considering that the wizard had not motioned to cast any spells, it might be safe to assume that the aggressive stance and accusatory tone was just his way of walking through these big discoveries. Though even if he were to channel magic, that'd only give Carmilla the excuse of self-defense.
After a few moments of silently thinking through the words, the sorcerer gripped his staff tighter.
"Answer me this, Sypha Belnades and Carmilla: for what purpose art thou here? Thine claim of being 'lost' is a difficult one to believe; these archives are secluded, and house few simple means of approach—none of which are known to maidens such as thee. Elaborate, or I shall call the Man Serpents."
The magician waited, still holding his staff in a threatening manner.
Mountains, Mountain Pass: Demons 101 with Professor Felkin—Hey, He Might Actually Have Been A Professor!
The Channeler remained silent as Lillian provided a brief summary of the history of Ivalice. One subject in particular caught Felkin's attention the most:
"Demons in the guise of men...fascinating! Ne'er had I thought such a feat to be possible! Your land of Ivalice proves to be more enlightening by the moment, Maiden Lillian."
Felkin turned his head as much as he could over his shoulder, as if to gesture to the two corpses they had left behind. "Thou recallst my mention of the Witch of Izalith, one of Lord Gwyn's allies in the war against the dragons? Well, soon after the war ended, the Witch of Izalith sought a means to duplicate the First Flame. The naive or kindhearted might claim she attempted this impossible feat to aid in perpetuating Lord Gwyn's Age of Fire, but I suspect her actions were driven by pure and simple ambition. She sought the might to match Lord Gwyn—perhaps even to usurp him as ruler of this new Age—and her arrogance cost her more than she could have e'er imagined.
"The Chaos Flame that she and her daughters engendered was impossible to control. It consumed them, warped their flesh and transformed them into creatures of unspeakable horror. And it gave birth to new life. To barbaric things like the Batwing Demons we fought minutes ago, and other monstrosities great and small. They feed on the flesh of men and seize their humanity, for what foul purpose I know not. Upon scouring the swamps of Blight Town, I discovered that a demon had even embedded eggs into her living victims! The demons are a cruel and sinister race, yet we are fortunate that their hideous appearance matches their hearts. Were demons to walk in the shape of men...I fear they could tear entire kingdoms apart."
The Hill -> Castelia City
Matthew looked sheepishly at Hekwii.
“My apologies - I was focused on the humans among your number when I said that, but it was insensitive of me to exclude the other species. Still, it’s good to meet you, Hekwii.”
Reisen’s rudeness made the humanoid Mew frown ever so slightly. He had barely said anything substantial and he had already managed to get on someone’s bad side. How? Actually… no, it seemed fairly unlikely to him that his pretty innocuous comment was the sole reason for her attitude unless she was really that short-tempered - in fact, he noticed she was visibly more angry at Castelia’s mere existence than him. Not a big fan of cities, he guessed.
Upon hearing Athena’s question, Matt nodded in confirmation.
“I do indeed have psychic abilities. Not all pokemon do, but enough of us do that we’re our own distinct category.”
He took note of Mai’s moment of panic, and the fear she now showed around Reisen. He wasn’t present at the time when Reisen used her abilities, but he was definitely at least a little suspicious of the rabbit at this point. He hoped she would not cause trouble once she was in the city.
He turned back to Seven as he asked a question.
“Well, I guess the main thing to know is just that Castelians come in all shapes and sizes. Pokemon can take the form of beings that many would consider frightening. I kind of already touched upon that, but I want to reiterate that because I don’t want anyone to be taken by surprise if they see someone transform. Beyond that…”
He shrugs.
“Just uh… be nice, I guess? Pokemon aside, it’s likely not hugely different from any of the big cities most of you are presumably used to.”
Probably, anyways. He had no idea what these people were ‘used to’.
“So, anyone who wants to come along, follow me!”
Matt leads whoever wishes to follow him over to Castelia’’s border, where they are greeted with some very tough looking customers. A Tyranitar
◊, stands on the bridge, and a Gyarados patrols the water around the bridge
◊. Given that they’re not gijinkified, it’d be easy to assume these were vicious beasts of some kind if Matt hadn’t already explained pokemon to the group already.
“Excuse me,” The Tyranitar addresses them. “What business do all of you have… here?”
Their speech trails off as they see the gijinka leading them.
“...A Mew?”
Whatever kind of pokemon a Mew even is, they evidently weren’t something people were used to seeing everyday.
“That’s… correct, yes. And well, They just want to take a look around the city - is that alright?”
The two guards glance at each other for a moment, whispering to each other briefly.
“That is acceptable,” the Gyarados replies.
“Alright,” the Tyranitar adds. “Go right ahead.”
They moved out of the way, allowing Matt to bring the group into the city proper.
To paraphrase the multi trillion dollar blockbuster Gotti… Let me tell you something. Castelia City is the greatest fuckin’ city in the world. My city.
But to actually give a description that is at least marginally helpful, the towering skyscrapers and crowds of pokemon walking the streets immediately impress upon you that this is a very busy metropolis. You even hear a Pikachu give the stock line ‘hey, I’m walkin’ here’ somewhere as they make their way through much larger pokemon in their path.
You all can get a glimpse at what looks like an entertainment district through one of the streets, with restaurants, theaters, and the works. But before you can go anywhere, a certain Charlie-shaped individual
◊, very tall and equipped with large draconic wings and a tail that marks him as one of these pokemon despite his current humanoid form, recently left the cafe he was at previously after some hijinks and merriment with Brobot. He notices the eclectic group entering the city.
“Oh hey!” Charlie calls out to them. “Looks like we’ve got some out of towner visitors. Welcome to Castelia! You guys just here to look around, I take it?”
Manhattan, City Hall
Ray couldn’t help but wonder a little bit if maybe she should’ve been less… forthright about the destructive capabilities of pokemon in her explanation of her species. But frankly, what good would that do? She had no way of hiding what pokemon were capable of. It was obvious enough to anyone with eyes that she and Lucia were far from normal people, and that was while they were in their humanoid guises. Seeing a 7 meter green dragon or a… giant aquatic bird/plesiosaur (Note: it has been decades and I’m still not entirely sure what animal Lugia is based on exactly) flying through the city would’ve assuredly caused a panic, which made Ray glad they weren’t confined to those forms.
She figured the best she could reasonably do was establish some kind of rapport with Norman and Manhattan while having this information out in the open. In spite of their quirks, Pokemon were very cooperative beings. There were hundreds of different species of pokemon that lived together and helped build a society where everyone could live in peace in Castelia and throughout the pokemon world.
Adding human neighbors into the mix would certainly complicate things - a city of over a million and half people to her west that had never seen pokemon before, that may fear them, was hardly an ideal scenario. But Castelia would figure out a way for this arrangement to work, because they had to. Besides, Manhattan had apparently been in this scenario once before in the ‘Battleworld’, apparently, so perhaps this wouldn’t be as difficult a process as it could be.
“A measure like that is probably necessary, given the situation we find ourselves in. I am well aware that my words alone cannot provide genuine safety and security to both of our people, and instituting an ID checkpoint system at our city’s entrances would be a step towards achieving those ends. I will make sure to alert Castelian border security to vet anyone coming in from Manhattan.”
Ray scratches her chin in thought at Norman’s next suggestion.
“Hm… yes, I believe I would support an international political body like the one you’re describing. It is paramount to me that cooperation, rather than competition, is the guiding principle for how Castelia deals with other territories. It remains to be seen how willing the other territories will be to sign on board with your idea, but you can at least count us among your number.”
It was then that Lucia spoke up.
“‘I know of one other that might,” she suggested. “Earlier I had a meeting with Lord Gwyndolin of Anor Londo, our neighbor to the north. I don’t know what their opinion will be on this particular idea, but we have established friendly relations with them, so it might hold some weight if Castelia vouches for your proposal.”
“That’s not a bad idea, Lucia. Getting more territories on board will take time. But in the meantime, a triple alliance between Castelia, Manhattan, and Anor Londo would be beneficial for security, trade, and communication within the region.”
Ray chuckled at Norman’s last comment.
“Your assessment of me is correct. Besides, I don’t think it would really send the right message if I arrived at diplomatic meetings with a veritable army behind me now, would it?”
Bell Tower, Helia
Helia looked at the inside of the tower, then at the assembled knights and giants.
“We will certainly not be able to fit within the tower - its floors were not meant to endure the combined weight of the group gathered here. No matter - we can simply drink outside. Faye, could you please retrieve my tea set?”
“Of course!” The Flygon said, hurrying off to the tower and returning with an elegant tea set.
The Ho-Oh suddenly returns back to her humanoid form, and the two of them serve tea to each person who wants it - the voracious appetite for the stuff shared by her, the Prime Minister, and others mean she always has plenty at the ready.
The already tall Flygon has to actually fly up a bit to even serve some of the really big sun boys assembled here with their tea, but she gets the job done.
“Please, enjoy.”
“So,” Helia said. “I suppose the first thing I’d like to establish is, what sort of conditions is Anor Londo seeking for this peace agreement? Just so that I have some idea of what needs and concerns your people have regarding all of this.”
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Feb 16th 2023 at 7:37:06 AM
Castlevania
Raven Beak said nothing to Majora's taunt as if it was falling on deaf ears. Perhaps one could think of Raven Beak as an actual Chozo statue with just how still he was, still staring at Majora with the cold eyes of his helmet.
In truth, using Majora's cockiness against it as it didn't make a move, Raven Beak was studying his opponent, planning his first move. Majora was clearly in a defensive stance, and its front certainly looked sturdy. If Raven Beak wanted to strike hard first, he had to get behind. The only way would be for Majora to act stupid enough to let that happen.
Or to surprise it.
Raven Beak didn't want to use Flash Shift yet, this ability would perhaps be crucial later on to dodge, but the warlord knew that he had to constantly dominate Majora in this fight if he wanted to shut it up.
"As you will." he said after what seemed to be hours, his Arm Cannon emitting a small red light that grew bigger, charging one of his powerful Hyper Beams.
But then, without warning, almost instantaneously, Raven Beak focused and used Flash Shift
. His body glowed in reddish pink, before leaving only an after-image of himself. A second after-image appeared around the same time on top of Majora, Raven Beak naturally unable to just get through the mask, before the Chozo warrior reappeared not even a second later behind the mask.
Once behind his opponent, and his attack ready, Raven Beak pointed his Arm Cannon and fired a big burning laser at the mask.
With the Mawkin's eyes upon him, Quiet Robe, with a heavy sigh, started to silently contemplate the books around.
As the old Chozo had suspected, many of those books were far from being as advanced as those of the Chozo race. There were some exceptions. One book about artificial life, a subject that Quiet Robe was no stranger to, given that he already did it, by creating the Metroids with the rest of his tribe, at first with good intentions.
Because of the disasters surrounding the artificial aliens, however, Quiet Robe focused on the second book as well as the magic ones, not wanting to create another lifeform used as a weapon if possible.
Though he hoped he would not be forced to work on such powerful artifacts such as the Philosopher Stone, the subject of alchemy actually earned a small grin on the scholar's beak. He was a Thoha, after all. And the Thoha tribe was known for their thirst for knowledge.
Of course, with the librarian around, Quiet Robe was forced to tell the truth to the guards and him.
"I do not think I will be able to do much... But I could work on artificial lifeforms, surely more primitive than what we are capable of. There is also alchemy and magic. Perhaps the former will be easier for me to learn." he said.
Eastern Ruins
Yoriichi got into Kraid's mouth first, and he slashed at the beast's inside.
It was enough to do massive damages, just as much as getting several Super Missiles in the belly.
And just like getting several Super Missiles at once in Kraid's belly, Yoriichi's strike ended the fight. Kraid barely had the time to let out a shriek of agony.
Kraid's red eyes turned pitch-black, and the massive Pirate, either dead or unconscious from the great injury, stood still for a moment, before slowly collapsing, taking several buildings with him before landing with a very loud noise, even causing smoke to rise from the impact.
It took one or two swipes for Ridley to deduce how sturdy Link's body was. One or two more, he deduced precisely where to strike.
Ridley grinned, focusing savagely on the lower belly as well as the sides under the hips. It was slow, but he was getting through Link. The Goron squeezing Ridley's tail was nothing compared to the sheer rush of adrenaline the monster was having when he saw blood and heard the Hero's breath going faster. The dragon's monstrous grin widened even further, to the point it seemed almost unnatural. He kept going and going...
That quickly died down upon hearing Conan already reaching him, using Link as a springboard to get above him. It was like someone waking him from a good dream, especially since Ridley had to shuffle back a few steps because of Link's grasp on the tail intensifying for a brief moment, giving him away.
Not wanting to have both Conan and Link harassing him, Ridley snarked as he turned around to face him. He simply raised one of his hands before slapping the barbarian with it as if he was some kind of fly. The sword still slashed through the backhand, but Ridley couldn't care less about such a minor injury.
"Be a good boy, and wait your turn. Go play with the Wulfrik guy or something." Ridley scolded in contempt before turning back to meet Link's eyes.
The Hero of Time was still determined, but the sadistic dragon could still see his big blue eyes more watery than usual. He also started to realize just how hard Link was yanking on his tail.
"Hmph... You're right. You're certainly more of a pest than the primate. To think a child would be more dangerous than a muscled brute... I admit you got me curious, kid." he reluctantly acknowledged before looking around.
As much as he hated it, he was running out of time. He didn't know what happened to his men, but either they were dead, or retreating. Kraid, that big, stupid dumb brute just collapsed further away, and that cretin Wulfrik got lost in the ruins or something.
Useless piece of shit, he thought. What was taking the other barbarian so busy? He'll have to check it out before leaving.
Indeed, even the Space Pirate knew he would be outmatched the moment Yoriichi, Starrk, and/or that wolf-eared girl he spotted before would join the fray.
"Sadly, I think we played enough." he calmly announced before savagely screeching.
Ridley already figured out how to deal with Conan if he kept pestering him. Just unleash Plasma Beam at full strength, likely pulverizing him on spot. As for Link, matters were a bit more complicated, but the Goron pulling Ridley's tail gave him a wonderful idea.
Ridley got closer to the boy to avoid Link just trying to rip his tail off... But he also started to push it, the sharp tip of his tail visibly shaking in the Goron's hands, trying to force its way. If Link was yanking too hard, then perhaps the tail would even reach its target.
Indeed, Ridley was trying to skewer Link, targeting the belly that he already bloodied with his swipes. If he could just aim properly, with enough strength, he was sure he could at least greatly wound Link.
And if he could actually impale
◊ his target
◊ in front of everyone else here, whether that killed the brat or not... It would be glorious.
Dracula & Death, Castlevania
"The child won. It was my mistake. It was supposed to be a spar like this one, but I had attacked his fairy which enraged him. It seems he had gained transformative masks... likely from his battles with Majora given his own masks. One that transformed him in this large orange-brown rock being."
Death seemed to be trying to describe a Goron. Lisa seemed to be giving Dracula a look. That look that said she was disapointed in him. Yep, it was similar to the look Pyrrha gave him during the match.
"And another that merged him with an evil-smiting god. Creatures of the night are already weak to holy magic like the child's Light Arrows, but that was so absurdly powerful, Dracula had to transform and interfere to stop it."
"I consider it a draw," Dracula disagreed with Death. "While Death would have been dispelled without my interference, the boy did have severe wounds which needed healing... What prevented him from dying was the fact it was supposed to be a friendly spar and not a battle to destroy the other!"
Dracula yelled this out to seemingly remind Raven Beak and Majora not to kill each other. Lisa seemed to have accepted this explanation before returning to watch the match.
"...No, if I find lands willing to ally with me, I shall accept it," Dracula answered when asked about alliances.
Meanwhile, Death eyed Ganondorf. He was... unnervingly similar to Dracula save for the fact he seemed to carry a holy artifact of some sort and he lacked the Power of Dominance. It was clear to him that Ganondorf took a different path that still ended up giving him immortality and immense power. Including the ruler of the City of Sunset, that would be two confirmed beings on this world similar to Dracula.
"Why are you still here?"
"Right, Master. I shall gather the witches right away."
Death then left, while Dracula summoned one of his red wish-granting tablets to look at.
"I actually have two of these," Dracula told Ganondorf and Lisa, quietly so as to not tell Raven Beak or Majora. It seemed like Dracula was contemplating on what possible wishes could be made with them.
Sypha & Carmilla, First Floor, Duke's Archives, Anor Londo
"We came from over the mountains," Sypha explained to the wizard. "From what we can figure out, we all come from different worlds and plopped right down on this world and there were not much in the way of mountains from where we came from."
"Do you know how hard it is to climb a mountain in heels?" Carmilla added, unhelpfully.
"At the very least, you must have noticed the strange sleep you and everyone else on this world," Sypha continued. "And our language is different from yours because we are from a different planet. While I do know a lot of languages, your own language is a complete unknown to me, but Carmilla and I can somehow speak it."
While Sypha talked and remained the focus, Carmilla frowned... She couldn't exactly sneak away in her heels. She'd either have to go barefoot or fly.
Edited by GameGuruGG on Feb 12th 2023 at 6:03:27 AM
Wizard Needs Food BadlyPyra, Ordon Village: Pumping the Brakes
Thankfully, Link's quick thinking stopped Pyra before the princess got a face full of Aegis. Hearing her talk in the same universal tongue and seeing her outfit stand out from the rest of the villagers made her think that these two are not from around here. With a few moments of silence, she responds, "It just... came to me. Like as if I've known it all my life and only today, I've heard about it. And it's this way for everyone here as far as I know."
It wouldn't take them long for the princess and her champion that this girl in an eye-catching outfit of red, green, and a bit of gold, is not from around here. Her mouth formed a polite smile, "I'm Pyra. What are your names?"
Leif, ?????, Alleyway: What's Behind Door #1?
Adjusting the poncho to fit properly, Leif looked at the scene around him and then at the door. The whole deal about everything around your place being gone and replaced with something unknowable just sounds awful and he did feel a little bad for the bum. That thought soon was replaced with confusion when the girl in black hair asked for "firearms." Even with a common tongue, the moth still had some things to learn about. Leif tilted his head at the question, "Fire... arms? Why do you want to set your arms on fire? That sounds like a terrible idea."
After his inevitable correction, he looked back at the door and approached it. He's not too willing to blow a few berries on answering a hobo, so he decided to learn about the world through his own eyes. He's an explorer for a reason, even if he had nowhere else to go after being freed of Snakemouth Den. With a few seconds of hesitation, he turns the knob and pulls on the door.
"I treasure every day with you, darling." "No need to be so sappy, love." "You know that's how she is, Nia." - AU!Pyra, Nia, MythraSeven - Castelia City
Seven follows along with Matt down the hill, scanning around for threats, at one point nervously putting their hand on their hip holster to rest their thumb on their Pew-Pew's hammer; their finger only finds an empty space, reminding them that the Sparkpower-powered contraption had shot its final rounds before being destroyed during the martial artist's latest confrontation with Lupa-Lupin, the recent fight still feeling like it happened but hours ago, both with the memories in their mind and the scars on their body.
Letting the Mew take the lead when it comes to dealing with the border guards, Seven takes in the sights as the group crosses the bridge and walks into town, looking around in amazement at the sheer number of people assembled here, far more in a single street than in some of the most populated villages they'd visited in their homeworld. Not to mention the fact that power appears to be available in every building they're walking past, or the general feeling that the town isn't one bad winter away from being in serious trouble.
The little furball leans in and whispers something into the ear of the automaton perched on their shoulder, just moments before A wild CHARIZARD appears! Seven needs to take a moment to look up, way up before their eyes finally meet Charlie's. "Ah, not exactly. Unlike you all, we've been brought here without our homes. Do you people know more about what's going on?"
In the meantime, the mechanical grasshopper's antennas swivel around, emitting a few quiet beeps every now and then as it scans the airwaves for anything of interest, should there be any errant radio signals it can catch
Edited by FokiasTheJester on Feb 13th 2023 at 8:21:44 PM
Hewkii, the Hill > Castelia City
"No harm done. Not sure I know what a human even is." Hewkii admits. "Guess we'll find out!"
Allowing Matthew to lead the way, Hewkii takes point near the front of the odd ragtag group, remaining ever-vigilant of his surroundings—while he can't begin to guess what kinds of powers or abilities everyone else has, should push come to shove and this turn out to be some kind of trap, the Toa is the most well-armored of the lot. He can't help but wonder how anyone does anything with only this flimsy fabric for protection, frankly, unless they're far more durable than they look.
On approach to the bridge, Hewkii finds himself looking up at the high-rise buildings of Castelia City, confirming his earlier assessment of the cityscape: familiar but alien. Even the smallest buildings in Metru Nui utterly dwarfed anything here, but amid the glass and metal and concrete, there's definitely still a resemblance, if a bit more angular and squared-off.
Bringing his attention back down to the matter at hand, though, the Toa is visibly puzzled by what look to be... patrolling Rahi? Are these the 'Pokemon' Matthew was referring to? More confusing when one of them, looking somewhat like a decidedly more mellow Tahtorak, speaks coherently to the Mew, asking what business the group has here. The Toa defers diplomacy to their guide, who soon waves the guards aside and leads the group in... though their visible confusion at seeing him doesn't go entirely unnoticed.
Entering the city proper, Hewkii can't help but resume looking around at the place, drawn most of all to its inhabitants, who seem to run the gamut of size and shape even more than the people back home. From towering behemoths to miniscule beings who barely come up to the Toa's knee, some look not unlike Matthew, while others are covered in fur or scales or armor plates, with no two built alike.
Then, he catches sight of something else: Signs and advertisements, printed on the sides of buildings and broadcast on illuminated moving pictures resembling telescreens, but made up of segments so small he can't discern them. The written language this place uses is one that he doesn't recognize—that figures—but the context for many of the signs is clear, and it could be a crucial point of commonality.
"Yeeeah, not so much sightseeing." the Toa agrees with Seven, thinking back to what the bug had told him and relaying the gist of it to the winged one. "We all suddenly woke up on that hill out there, and a few of us have been through this whole thing at least once before... some place called 'Battleworld'? Big villain, evil mask, some guy named 'Igno', stuff appears and disappears." he shrugs. "The usual."
Glancing off at one of those moving signs, though, he thinks for a moment and comes up with a plan to build rapport with the locals and hopefully expediate the search for answers accordingly. "Bit of a language barrier, but is that some kind of sport?" he indicates one of many signs that appear to show some sort of officiated fight, with what seem to be elemental powers on display. "Not to brag, but yours truly knows a thing or two about those."
Edited by Chortleous on Feb 13th 2023 at 9:05:40 AM
Eastern Ruins, Center: If Only He Were A Dark Souls Dragon...
Link had felt more than his fair share of pain in his short unfortunate life. Bites from Skulltulas, scratches from Wolfos, burns from Flare Dancers and the frostbite of Freezards. The Demon King had struck him with magic. He had been cut with a sword wielded by his own dark reflection. He had been rolled over by boulders and fallen from great heights, and though he never admitted it, even donning the masks of Alder, Mikau, and Darmani had their own unique brand of pain.
But he had never felt the heart-stopping terror of being impaled; the agony of something sharp not only storm through his gut, but worm its way around and show itself out somewhere else. The Cunning God of Death knew that the kid's rocky back wouldn't pierce easily, even from the inside. So he improvised, and curved his tail to puncture out on the edge of that shell. Wasn't his best work, but once he fed most of his tail through the creature he'd get the horrific image he wanted: a mortal wound that started on just Northwest of the naval, made a turn for the exit, and burst through just behind where the right elbow would rest. Curve around the shell, and anyone with a profile view of the struggle (like a recently-arrived Ellie, perhaps) would see what looked like a goron-kebab, and the majority of the dragon's tail dripping in dark red blood.
To put icing on the cake, Ridley would feel the goron's body spasm around the tail. Guttural stutters escaped the hero's throat. The hands that had anchoring the two together loosened their grip. The rest of the goron's body had frozen still, no doubt succumbing to shock. It was truly a pleasure for the senses; if only Ridley had time to wait and see the light leave the child's eyes.
Oh well. Guess you can't get everything you want all the time.
Assuming that Ridley would want to avoid more annoying obstacles, he'd probably turn to fly off. That's when he'd feel something unexpected: two pairs of adamantine clamps at the base of his tail, suddenly cutting off circulation to the impaled extremity. Should he try to turn around—and that might prove difficult with something pinning him by the tailbone like this—he'd see that the clamps were none other than the kid's mighty goron hands.
There was no chuckle; no cunning smirk to relay that Ridley had fallen right into his trap. There was only the determined glare that the hero had shot at Ridley a few moments earlier, and while it was now coated in sweat and tears, the message that glare sent had only been amplified:
"We're not done yet."
In that moment, Ridley would no doubt realize what this freakish twerp was trying to do. The Space Pirate was welcome to try and stop it: try to scratch at armored hands, shoot fireballs on a creature built for volcanic heat, muscle through the pain and sluggish reaction time of a tail slowly starving for a fresh blood supply. Or perhaps he'd try to knock the burly rock creature off-balance, maybe try to take flight and see if he could inch the goron's grip further down the tail. At some point, the agony of that wound and the lubricant of the blood would allow Ridley slip free. He didn't need to topple the monster. He just had to make the damn thing budge.
The first sign that Ridley was running out of time would come in the sound of an audible CRACK! and the sudden loss of feeling in his tail. Should the dragon try to move it, he'd find that the signals from his brain weren't making the full distance. A quick look over the shoulder would prove that the appendage had been paralyzed. Maybe permanently, maybe not.
But that was just the first sign; the second sign was that Link's grip on Ridley's tail wasn't letting up. A look at the kid's expression would show that he had only leaned deeper into that determined glare.
He wasn't letting go—not now, not ever. This monster was way too much like Ganon to be allowed to walk free. He killed people for fun. Tortured them for a laugh! Reveled in the pain and fear he could inflict, and moved on to the next victim. And if he wanted to hunt that little creature—if he wanted to hurt anyone else ever again—then he'd have to make Link let go, and he'd sooner die than let that happen!
The third sign was the blood oozing through the newly-formed cracks in Ridley's scales. Not enough to coat the goron's hands, but enough to lubricate the hold a bit. If he pulled himself away from the hero, he might be able to slip some of his tail out from that terrifying grip.
Perhaps the dragon's thoughts might turn to the other meddlers. Not much time had passed since he swatted the barbarian aside, but the Cunning God of Death had clearly seen Kraid take a tumble. That meant the human with the weird ear accessories was done playing with him; either that, or the coward was already hiding somewhere, waiting for another opportunity to chop his head off. And what about the chick with the wolf ears? How long would it take them to find this little tug-of-war? Three minutes? Two? One? Shit, how long would it take that half-naked primate over there to ready another attack?
Where were his subordinates? Where was Wulfrik? Could he just trust that somebody would swing by and get him out of this mess? Or could he try another tactic? Grab a hostage? Feign a mortal injury? Talk his way out?
Whatever he was thinkingnote , Ridley would be interrupted by the fourth sign—and this one was hands-down the loudest sign so far:
"GoooooorrrrrRRRRRRRUUUUUUUHHHHH!!!"
His stone-crushing teeth clenched, and with tears flowing freely down his face, the goron let out what someone like Conan might call a war cry. Channeling every ounce of energy Darmani's form and his own willpower could offer, Link clenched the broken bleeding tail so tight that his rock-carving fingers broke the skin of his own palms.
The cry was followed swiftly by the fifth sign that Ridley was running out of time: a wet, squishy, and horrific ripping sound, followed by a swift and terrible SNAP!
...and just like that, Ridley was free. Nothing tethered him to the monster behind him anymore. He could fly away, or make a break for a hostage, or take revenge on the do-gooder brat over his shoulders.
Just not with his tail—the base of which had been nearly clamped flat, and dripped blood from the hero's hands.
Dracula's Castle, Colosseum: Where's the Yellow Flag, Ref?!
For half a second, Majora figured that the big armored bird just didn't hear it. Either that, or the dummy didn't even know what a cucco was.
...wait, those things were supposed to be crazy strong. Did Majora just compliment this jerk?!
Distracted by this thought, the inflated mask almost didn't catch the Mawkin Chief pull a Wizrobe move and after-image himself from sight. Let's see...where oh where oh where would he wind up next?
Perhaps at the big gaping weakness behind the mask? Nice try, bird-brain. The mask whipped a few tendrils directly behind itself in an attempt to strike its under-handed opponent.
Except...
PEW!
The tendrils reared back from Raven Beak, just a blink away from hitting him. The tactic had been predicted, but the choice of weapon had not. Truth be told, Majora had never really considered what that cylindrical growth on the Mawkin's right arm could be. It had now learned the hard way that it was a ranged weapon—a very hot ranged weapon.
"OW!" it yelled as the mask flopped face-up onto the colosseum floor. "Owowowow owowow OW OW OW! What gives?! You brought a weapon to this fight?! No fair! All I've got's me and my magic! I want a do-over!"
Evidently the mask wasn't just a nuisance, but a sore loser as well. As if to demonstrate that, it proceeded to spin rapidly on the ground, its tendrils swirling around with it as it ever-so-gently levitated off the dirt floor. Part tantrum, part readying the next strike.
Raven Beak would have plenty of warning before the mask's spinning flew his way. Its target: the Mawkin's ankles. After-images and fancy dodging was one thing, but this buzsaw of tendrils spanned nearly 15 feet in diameter. Let's see if Raven Beak's jumping skills were any good!
Or...y'know, he could use those wings Majora failed to notice. The ones tucked behind his cape.
Ordon Village, Exterior: "The Legend of Purah"
Evidently, the shock of this linguistic discovery was still occupying the young lady's mind. She failed to answer the Aegis right away, and only seemed to register that a question had been asked a few moments after the silence grew uncomfortable.
"...oh, my apologies. I'm just..."
She paused, took a breath, and offered a hand to shake. Better start over!
"My name's Purah. My companion here is Robbie, an old friend of mine. We're residents of Castle Town off on a tour of the rural districts of Hyrule."
The lie was safe enough, at least on paper. Zelda figured that no matter what era of the kingdom's history she found herself, there was bound to be some bored nobility taking a holiday from court to travel the countryside. And if anyone asked why she was touring the kingdom when Hyrule was riddled with monsters, she could just point to Link. To think she used to try and ditch him before the Calamity.
"Forgive me, Miss Pyra, but..." the young Hylian said with a studious scan of the Blade's outfit—and more specifically: the gem on her chest. "You do not seem to be one of the local Ordonians. Might I ask what brings you to this humble village?"
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Feb 15th 2023 at 6:46:37 AM
With word of the joint operation, the Phantom of Bravery sent a dozen soldiers to reinforce the Resistance Base and familiarize themselves with their new comrades in arms. These young men wore similar black sci fi outfits
as the others, though with cookie cutter gear meant for the rank and file. They carried out what ever orders given them with a certain eagerness that might contrast with the more war weary resistance members. In fact, their adherence to military discipline might even have them appear more robotic then their android counter parts. Even within friendly territory, they preferred to keep their helmets on. Ready to deploy at a moments notice.
The two aces however took the liberty to let their hair down. The one talking to Jackass had a rather bookish look
to her, looking perhaps more at home in a library rather then the flight suit she was in now. She had a friendly demeanor, but a certain impersonal air about her. As if she could not help but be formal. Admittedly she was quite happy to make Jackass' acquaintance. A demolitions expert was a role currently vacant within the Jelly Fish Special Forces, and one they could make great use of. Especially now that circumstances required a change in tactical approach. Upon seeing the android's delight at her primary weapon, Sea Slug saw fit to share her flight suits other functionality. A missile swarm system.
Sea Wasp carried her self with a certain rigidness. A real soldier's soldier, through and through. Despite this, the girl showed a surprising degree of vanity. Appropriate for a girl her age, but perhaps contrasting her militaristic attitude. Her ear lobes played host to all sorts of piercings and she even saw fit to wear lipstick despite usually hiding her face beneath her helm. Even the way she tied up her hair to adhere to military protocol showed more style then the usual simple bun.
Her eyes looked about the camp with both the focus and friendliness of a lioness. When the black smith asked his question, she merely seemed to consider him a moment before turning away with a curt...
"Classified."
Luckily for the blacksmith, a murmur sounded in the cyborg's ear piece with a new order. If they were going against an unknown enemy, ensuring that their weapons were up to snuff was imperative. She gave the a small hmph under her breath before turning back toward black smith. She shifted her arm into the pointed lance and held it for the blacksmith to inspect to his heart's content.
"An anti-nevi lance made of a custom light weight alloy. While designed primarily for nevi-cores, it should have no problem against steel. It is also able to transform into an energy cannon capable of discharging explosive projectiles at 120 rounds a minute. At least before you factor in cooling."
While she tried to give the stats of her weaponry as dry as possible, there was a hint of pride as she talked about her armaments. The blacksmith might even notice the ever slightest smirk on her lips. A smirk that turned to something of a scowl. Something had caught her eye. A gathering of new comers. In particular she seemed to eye the white haired girl with something of suspicion.
So that was the Yo RHA huh? The best of best of the Androids. They were allies to the Jelly Fish Special Forces. But to Sea Wasp, Yunica personally, they were rivals. Yunica was a weapon. She knew that. She was proud of it! To be of use to the military when she was...broken other wise. But like any weapon, she was always in threat of being made obsolete by a newer better model.
It wasn't just the Yorha either. It seemed there were some other strays caught up in a gravity storm and stranded here just like them. She didn't get much info on them. Only that they were human. The one in power armor seemed one to look out for, packing the hard ware she was. Though the Jelly Fish Special Forces recently discarded heavier weapons like the one the bounty hunter used, focusing on sleeker more efficient designs. There was also the blue haired girl. She held no obvious armaments, but Yunica could tell. Call it intuition, from one combat unit to another. She had her work cut out for her. When it came time for the operation, she would have to show that even with these new comers, she was still the best bar none.
Commander Yuri remained fixated with his talks of tactics with Anemone. Not even the new arrivals could distract him. Striking the factory first was a sound decision on Yo RHA's behalf. Still, the situation didn't look good. There were at least four different machine groups setting camp with in the area. The fact that even just out side the camp were roaming machines didn't sit well with him.
A part of him wanted to suggest reclaiming the city first. Spread out their realm of influence and create a larger buffer between the Resistance Camp and potential invading machines. The city buildings were perfect for setting up ambushes and sniper nests. But there is the risk such a strategy could back fire. Trying to patrol reclaimed territory can spread out their forces. Weakening their position and creating a bigger footprint when perhaps their biggest defense was being a holed up in a blown out building in a city of blown out buildings. Like a needle in a hay stack.
No, they lacked the man power to for such open warfare. Surgical strikes to deal fatal blows to the Machines while avoiding giving them an obvious target to retaliate against would be more ideal. But then what was the next priority target? There was still so much he didn't know about their new enemy. He couldn't accurately predict how any plan of action would play out with any certainty. He needed more intel on the enemy. His eye shifted back to the factory.
"Would you be opposed to a follow up operation at the factory. I have a weapons engineer among my crew. If this place was being used to create the enemy, I would like my man to take a look. Get a better under standing of their make. Perhaps even repurpose tools and resources there for our own efforts."
How do you kill that which has no life?Northwestern Frontiers
The perhaps now-familiar aurora and faux-earthquake phenomenon occurred once again, and West of Castlevania, another new, walled city, Outset, appeared somewhat North of the three-tiered metropolis that had manifested not half an hour before. Although a number of miles away from the Count's castle, Outset was nonetheless on roughly the same line of latitude, and there was nothing obstructing one's view of it from Castlevania save for some rolling hills broken up by a river.
Manhattan, Police Station Rooftop
"Oh, sure!" Spidey agreed readily, flashing his conversation partners a thumbs-up. "I can get you in touch with - OOF! the... Mayor...?" The Man of Spiders stood, rubbing his behind as he stared at the empty space where the X-Com craft had once been.
"Awwwwwwww, maaaaan!" he groused, palming his face through his mask. "I hate it when that happens! It's so damn creepy!"
Manhattan, City Hall
"It certainly would not, heh," Norman chuckled slightly at Ray's last comment. "About this... Anor Londo place to the Northeast, though... We have news drones out in the four primary cardinal directions, but from what it looks like from a distance, Anor Londo seems fairly... medieval, if you'll pardon me for implying that they're less developed. I have to wonder whether this 'Lord' Gwyndolin would even be open to talking with a mere Mayor like me. Could you tell me some more of what you know about the place and the people who live there? I'd like to be prepared in terms of what to expect, consider what sort of etiquette to use, that sort of thing."
Fuuka/Manhattan Border
After everyone had anted, the cards went out. Fernandez's hand was decent enough. A five of clubs and a five of spades, a nine of hearts, a Jack of hearts, and a Queen of hearts.
"I raise!" Howard declared, slapping down a fiver with Abe Lincoln's face on it into the center of the table.
"Fine," said the second guy, matching.
"Yeah, yeah..." said the third guy, also matching.
"Well, Fernandez?" Howard prodded with a grin.
Fuuka Bay
"Understood, Ragnarok! Halting course now..." the apparent Captain Ohgi replied. True to his word, moments later, the incoming sub slowed and moved backward a bit before stopping altogether. "As for our reason for being in the area, well... the geography has clearly shifted again, so we needed to ascertain who our new neighbors were. We're from the urban area that's currently to your West, which is the Tokyo Settlement, formerly of Japan, currently under Britannian occupation and rule. If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me whose armed forces you're a part of, and what this city North of our position is called and where it's from?"
????? ???????? Tokyo, Alleyway
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the bum exclaimed, holding up his hands as if to ward off bad luck. "I don't deal in that kinda stuff, and I don't poke my nose in it! I don't need the cops breathin' down my neck! ...But I do know a guy that comes around here pretty often. He'd know. What's a schoolgirl need to know the answer to a question like that for?"
"Not setting your arms on fire, silly! Armaments that fire projectiles!" Minako corrected Leif, giggling, then replied primly to the bum, "She likes to be prepared!"
"Prepared? For what?"
"Any kind of battle we might get into, of course!"
"Yeesh... sounds like you kids got tonsa problems. Anyway, you answered my question, so I'll tell you 'bout the guy. His name's Saizo, and he's pretty unmistakable; you'll know 'im when you see 'im. Green hair over his eyes, pointy teeth, dresses like a smooth criminal."
"Thanks~!" Minako sang, then pivoted to follow after Leif. "Let's go explore, gang!"
"Good luck to ya, I guess!" the bum called after them.
????? ???????? Tokyo, Alleyway -> Karakucho
The various entrepreneurs and visitors from the flying metropolis to the West had quickly found a foothold in the large city of Tokyo, including on the main drag of the commercial and entertainment district of Karakucho, where their peddlers, food trucks, and an odd fortune-teller lined the street and the wide sidewalk as they struck fertile ground in the weary populace eager for something fresh and exciting. And flying vehicles and people from a flying city were certainly fresh and exciting! Not to mention the variety of food! Quality food of the kinds that originated in Jirga Para Lhao, many reminiscent of South American fare, were largely unknown in Japan, or at least very uncommon, and many of the old-fashioned trinkets like non-digital watches were novelties to a population used to everything being electronic and online.
However, there was just one problem: because everything was electronic and online, the sky people's money was no good here! Thankfully, some considerate members of the ground-bound city were happy to assist them in setting up digital payment schemes, in return for a meal or a bauble or two. It wouldn't help the merchants from the floating islands with the issue of there being no exchange rate between currencies as of yet, but at least they could use their profits in yen to buy things of material worth in Tokyo for later resale or bartering.
And so, it was onto this even-busier-than-usual street
that Leif and the teens from Mitakihara and Tatsumi Port Island emerged, with sky-scraping buildings full of electronic billboards and a giant neon effigy of Black Frost (Jack Frost's black-and-purple counterpart) looming overhead, and an assortment of establishments lining the storefronts at street-level - not to even mention the variety of enterprising people from Jirga Para Lhao. Immediately visible on their left-hand side was some place whose sign simply labelled it as "Cretaceous", and the next place down was apparently a sushi restaurant with a host club two floors above it. On their right-hand side was a humble ramen stand with several stools, followed by a tiny pizzeria built into the wall called "Bon Appetite", which had only a couple of seats and seemed designed entirely for take-out orders - and mechanized, given the three-armed robot whipping up pizzas behind the counter.
There were more things along the street as well, of course, but that was about as far as they could see in either direction at first glance. Naturally, some people looking to do business from the sky-city were present as well but your humble GM will leave the particulars of that up to the player in question.
Earth 11945, Amusement Park
"W-Wow, that's really... (sniff) that's really kind of you, Miss Kat!" the clownlike Machine said at the blonde's attempts to comfort it, straightening up, and then taking note of the chestnut-haired woman's comment.
"Oh! If you're still unsure about what this place is, Miss Kaiba, I can explain again, maybe in more detail this time?" it offered uncertainly.
Earth 11945, Forest Kingdom
"SHOW-AND-TELL? HOME-WORK? YOUR WORDS ARE STRANGE, INDEED! AS BEFITTING A STRANGE CREATURE, I SUPPOSE!" the 'Drill Sargent' boomed, putting a hand to his non-existent chin. "WELL, NO MATTER! AS FOR THE ANDROIDS, THEY WANT TO KILL US AND DESTROY OUR WAY OF LIFE, AS A MATTER OF COURSE! WE MACHINES HAVE WARRED WITH THEM FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND EVEN AFTER THE GREAT KING OF THE FOREST CREATED THE FOREST KINGDOM AND DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD LIVE ISOLATED FROM THE WAR, THOSE ACCURSED ANDROID CURS STILL INVADE OUR LAND AND DO THEIR BEST TO SLAUGHTER US AND ASSASSINATE OUR KING! THAT IS WHY WE MUST REMAIN EVER-VIGILANT, AND TRAIN ALL DAY, EVERY DAY! WE WILL PROTECT OUR KINGDOM AND OUR KING, NO MATTER WHAT!"
"We will protect our Kingdom and our King!" the other knights chorused, thrusting their spears skyward.
"AS I SAID A MOMENT AGO, HOWEVER, WE KNOW THAT THE ENEMY IS AMONG US, EVEN AS WE SPEAK! THERE WERE TWO PINK ONES EARLIER, BUT WE DROVE THEM AWAY, AND THEY FLED NORTH! YET NOW WE FACE ANOTHER, EVEN DEADLIER SINGLE WHITE-HEADED ENEMY, WHO SLEW THREE WHOLE COMPANIES OF OUR KNIGHTS BEFORE DISAPPEARING INTO THE WOODS SOMEWHERE! THAT IS WHY WE ARE PATROLLING AROUND THE AREA OF THE CASTLE, TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE CANNOT ENTER ITS HALLOWED GROUNDS AND ATTACK THE KING! LONG LIVE THE KING OF THE FOREST!"
"Long live the King of the Forest!"
"WHAT ABOUT YOU, STRANGE CREATURE? IF YOU ARE HEADED OUT OF THE FOREST KINGDOM, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE NEARBY RUINS OR VILLAGE!"
Earth 11945, Resistance Camp
"Our previous assignment, before we were reassigned to accompany you, was to investigate the activities of the Machines in the forest to the North, and neutralize them if they proved to be a threat," 2B explained, folding her arms. "That work still needs to be done, but if you would rather take a different approach, it can wait until later."
"Why don't we ask Anemone what her plans are?" 9S suggested, then realized his audience may not realize who he was talking about. "Ah, Anemone is the leader of the local Resistance. She's right over there." He pointed.
As it happened, those who had come down from orbit stepped over to Anemone and Yuri just in time to hear the latter's suggestion. "Unfortunately, we can only launch a surface-level assault on the Machine factory," the Resistance leader explained. "Their main manufacturing center is actually subterranean, and they just emerge from underground to repair whatever damage we do after we leave, since we don't have enough manpower for an occupation of the ground level of the complex. We can't even reach the underground level, either, because the elevators that lead from the surface to below ground are operated from down there. Still, we could temporarily disrupt their surface operations, and if you want a better idea of how the enemy is created and fights, the factory probably is the best place to start."
"Ah." She paused, looking up from the map at the new arrivals. "Hello there. I'm Anemone, good to meet you. This man is Commander Yuri of the Jellyfish Special Forces, who arrived with his men from part of a different universe that appeared to our East."
After basic introductions and pleasantries had been exchanged, the discussion returned to the possibility of an assault on the factory. "What about the possibility of inserting our forces via the air?" Jin suggested, tapping the sea-side end of the complex on the map. "If you need transport, the ship my friends and I came on has plenty of space, hanger included."
"An airborne approach would be inadvisable, especially with such a large vessel," 2B piped up, shaking her head. "The factory is equipped with a huge laser weapon that can easily snipe incoming aerial units from a distance."
"So, a ground assault it is..." Jin nodded in understanding, putting a hand to his chin. "Well, it would seem we have plenty more personnel involved than we were originally expecting. 2B mentioned that she and 9S were also supposed to investigate the Northern forest. Should we split up and tackle both tasks at once, and if so, who should go where?"
Eastern Ruins, Northwest
"Ivalice, huh?" Nel nodded in total comprehension. "Makes sense, what with the chocobos and all! I'm Neliel Tu Odelschwanck, but you can just call me Nel! I live here in these ruins with some friends of mine. As for what this place is called... Well, it used to have a name, but nowadays it's mostly dead except for me, my friends, and the animals, so... I just call it 'Home'!"
"Anyway, what are your names, Ms. and Mr. Ivalice?" she asked with a sunny smile. "Oh, and you can help yourself to any of these fruits, nuts, and so forth, if you want! This is a public garden, after all!"
That said, if they did pick any of the garden's bounty, they would find it growing back on the very same plant limb moments later in a startling show of accelerated growth.
Eastern Ruins, North-Northwest
As Alpha proceeded on into the ruined city with sibling on her back, presumably following the trail those who had come before her had left, she would notice the boot (and sandal and canine and ape) prints on the ground splitting off in two directions: the majority down a heavily vegetated side street, which she couldn't readily see into, and two pairs of boots leading further North, to the vicinity of the giant, obvious landmark in the form of the enormous tree. Presumably for the safety of her hanger-on, she investigated the latter first.
Maybe it was also the faint sound of life in the form of music that led her onward in that direction, as well. The beautiful, nuanced plucking of a lute's strings, accompanied by a positively angelic soprano singing in a language that was simultaneously lyrical, unlike anything she'd heard before, and oddly nostalgic.
Soon enough, following the trail led her to the source sitting against the base of what she could now tell was a flowering tree: Two women that would be virtually identical but for their style of hair and the positioning of the flower woven into the locks of each, leaning against one another with their eyes closed. The messy-haired one quickly became evident as the performer as her hands whispered over the strings of her instrument and her voice crooned out the lyrics for her straight-haired companion and an attentive audience of little, primary-colored plant people, who had arranged themselves in neat rows before her as if attending a concert. Laying on the ground to the ladies' sides were two rather worn, but wickedly serrated swords.
Probably sensing Alpha's approach, the musician's peepers snapped open and she abruptly halted her song and set down the lute, eyeing the albino woman warily. "Sis!" she hissed, shaking the other woman's shoulder, "Look alive, there's somebody here!"
"Well, of course there's - hmmmm - somebody here, silly!" the straight-haired one retorted with a yawn as she cracked her eyes and rolled her neck. "You probably attracted them with your heavenly voice and masterful string-work~!"
"Sis, this is serious!" the performer griped, "They've got white hair and-"
"Oh!" the more languid of the two snapped awake at that news, and waved cheerily to the newcomers with a beaming smile. "Hey, there! We weren't expecting backup from YoRHa... or any backup at all, really! Good to have you aboard!"
"Damnit, Sis, her eyes are red! That means Logic-"
"Ah, right." The smile dropped from the straight-haired one's face in favor of a frown as she studied Alpha... but then her cheeriness almost immediately returned. "Well, she's not attacking, and she doesn't look like she's malfunctioning, so it's fine, right?"
"What?!"
"Hmmmm... maybe she was just designed to be accurately all-the-way albino?"
"Since when has YoRHa ever - ugh, Sis, you're unbelievable!" the messy-haired one palmed her face.
"Sorry about my sister~!" the other sibling
◊ called over to Alpha, grinning cheekily. "I'm Popola!"
"And I'm Devola..." her sister
◊ begrudgingly ground out.
"We're twin units! How about you two? You look liiiiike... a Type B, Miss Swordswoman, am I right?" Popola guessed, putting a hand to her chin. "I mean, I've never seen a Type B unit with only one sword, but we manage with just one as well! You have great fashion sense, by the way! All the red really compliments your eyes!"
Edited by darksidevoid on Feb 17th 2023 at 9:43:10 AM
GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.Eastern Checkpoint, Fuuka
Fernandez looked at each of the other men around him at the table, then down at his cards again, a thoughtful look on his face, trying to gauge whether to play it safe and keep the fives or go big with three other players still in. Well, chance at both a straight or a flush, or possibly even both — nothing ventured, nothing gained, especially not in a new situation. "I raise it to $15," he chimed, placing a $10 and a $5 bill in the middle. Maybe he can scare off one or two of the others to make things easier after the draw.
Ragnarok, Fuuka Bay
Captain Fisher listened carefully as the radio conveyed more...curious things about their situation. Once the Ashtapadi was finished, Fisher took a moment to figure things over in his head before responding. "Ashtapadi, it looks like there are multiple things going on here, so I will go through these one at a time. Number one, please repeat — did you say that the geography has shifted again?" The "again" suggested they’ve been through this crap before — perhaps they might have some idea as to what kind of situation they’ve found themselves in.
"Number two, you are facing the Jotnar Squadron of the Searrs Foundation. Number three, you are currently in the waters of Fuuka Bay, and behind us is the city of Fuuka." He didn’t ask what they were doing out in formation in Fuuka Bay — no reason to invite snooping outsiders while the operation was still going on. Presuambly the closure announcement would be enough to convey to the sub that they were busy at the moment.
"Of Japan. However, none of the places or entities you have mentioned are familiar to us, except for Tokyo." Fisher decided now was a good chance as any to trybto figure just what was going on today beyond the operation, starting with the city that just appeared was apparently Tokyo having taken over by...the British? Wait, what?
Alleyway to Karakucho, Tokyo (of some kind)
"Thank you for your help," Mami replied for the girls before they turned to follow Minako out.
Once out of the alley, all of them couldn’t help but stop and look around at the new sights, cool nights, neon lights of what was apparently "Karakucho". "Cretaceous", a ramen stand, "Bon Appetite" (Oriko made a very slight eye-roll at the misspelling) — there were certainly worse-looking places they could have ended up.
"Reminds me a bit of home," Mami said quietly. "Certain parts of it, at least."
"I have a plan," Homura announced. Waiting for Mami, Oriko, Minako, and Leif to turn to her, she would then continue: "Two of you head down the street that way and check out the nearby stores. Two of you head down the other way and do the same. I’ll go make a wider search of the area, see what else might be beyond what we can see here."
"Are you going off by yourself, Akemi-san?" Mami asked.
"Perhaps it would be better for someone to go with you, Angel," Oriko suggested.
Homura made a slight grimace at Oriko’s nickname for her. "That won’t be necessary. I will take care of myself. Let’s meet back here in...90 minutes." If there weren’t objections, Homura would start to move to cover as much ground as possible, leaving the other four to sort out pairings.
Edited by megarockman on Feb 26th 2023 at 9:06:04 AM
The damned queen and the relentless knight.Castlevania
Raven Beak didn't answer Majora's tantrum, simply folding his arms as if he didn't care.
Majora was wrong on one thing. The Arm Cannon wasn't the weapon. The entire suit was. Power Suits were the apex of Chozo warfare. Unlike normal weapons like swords or guns, only a few individuals had the mental and physical strength to wear them.
"Hmph..." Raven Beak scoffed in a frankly bored tone as Majora furiously, but predictably spun towards his way, "threatening" to either try to impale him with its spikes or grab him with its tendrils. If there is one thing the stoical warlord understood well, it was that his foe was easy to irritate.
He thought for a moment about using Lightning Armor, but he decided against it. As of now, the mask wasn't even worthy of seeing all of his abilities.
It was just an animal that needed to be disciplined.
Though he could just jump around to dodge his opponent, and he was able to leap very high in the air, Raven Beak wasn't going to get on the defensive yet.
Once more, at the last moment, as Majora was about to reach him, the Chozo's wings exited from his Power Suit. Raven Beak immediately charged and flew just between Majora's back and the ground, striking at its back again with yet another hot beam.
Eastern Ruins
Ridley viciously grinned as the edge of his tail finally pierced Link's chest, plunging into his insides. The space dragon licked his lips.
Too bad he couldn't pierce through the back, or just stay in this position to prolongate the agony. Another idiot might show up soon enough. Oh well. Ridley figured out he just had to have his tail go through another hole. The mouth, to be precise, likely piercing through every organ in the way.
A slow, painful death. Perfect.
Before he could do that, though, Link grabbed the monster's tail again.
Hmph. Likely one last, futile attempt to restrain him, he believed. Or perhaps was he doing it instinctively, trying to hold on to something in his last, pitiful moments. Ridley simply scoffed at the attempt, convinced he had already won.
Ridley tried to move his tail away to regain control of it. He wiggled it, first in annoyance.
But the more time passed, the more Ridley started to realize what the Goron was trying to do. His eyes widened in shock when he heard an audible CRACK!, with a sudden jolt of pain.
Grunting, Ridley stared back at Link with the same determined look, albeit a clearly eviler one. The dragon grabbed his tail and frantically tried this time to get it out of Link's grasp with all of his might. He even started to breathe fireballs directly toward Link's wound. His grunts turned into roars and screeches as Link pulled again and again.
Link let out a battle cry. Ridley shrieked in pain. A loud, disgusting ripping noise echoed through the ruins.
The Goron had ripped Ridley's tail off. Blood was pouring out from the monster's butt, where his tail originally was.
Panting, Ridley was forced to get on his four for a moment, panting from the pain, staring at his wound in disbelief.
True, Samus had managed to do worst in their last battle
◊. It has been a close one, but the dragon got literally dismembered, his remains falling into the super-heated magma below.
But still, no one ever ripped his tail off.
The shock quickly died out as he stared back at his foe. Unlike Link, there were no tears on his face.
Just pure, bestial rage.
"YOU WRETCHED BRAAAAAAAT!!!" Ridley furiously roared. He completely forgot about everyone else around him.
All he wanted was to slaughter the Goron for good. Kill him. Rip him to shreds. Burn him. ERASE HIM FROM EXISTENCE.
In one last attempt, Ridley lunged toward Link and tried to get his hands on the hole in his chest, to outright open him up like a nut. Though with how long Link distracted the monster, perhaps others might be able to prevent the dragon from finishing him off.
Earth 11945, Resistance Camp
Samus politely nodded at Anemone and Yuri, her visor mostly hiding her face. Apparently, two options offered themselves to her and her new partners.
Either investigate a forest in the North where the Machines were, or a factory, with the manufacturing center underground.
The Bounty Hunter was quick to make her choice.
"It depends on your ressources. One thing is certain, I'll go after the factory and try to destroy it. It won't be the first time I have to go through an underground facility." she said.
Edited by Scipion3 on Feb 18th 2023 at 11:35:17 AM
AND I'VE STILL BLOCKED OFF MY BALL!! FUCK!!Eastern Ruins (Northwest)
"We're clearly not home anymore, that much I can tell." Alma said in return, able to sympathize with Makura's lack of knowledge and presence of confusion at this juncture.
"My name is Ramza, and this is my sister Alma." Ramza said in response, taking Nel up on her offer and grabbing a piece of fruit, noticing with widening eyes how it rapidly grew back. He'd love to learn more about it, but he had a job to do, so to speak, so he turned his attention back to the duo. "Have you two been out here long? We only just arrived, and had to step around a mansion that, well...it would be best not to approach it."
Mountains (Mountain Pass)
"They very nearly did." Lillian said, trying not to let the discomfort of what she'd just heard show on her face. She was a warrior, and she was as strong willed as anyone else in her party, but knowing that such horrors may yet be on the table for them to face at some point offered no comfort. To distract herself from such, she continued to speak. "No one's certain of the exact truth, but the rumors I've heard suggest that the demons of our world infiltrated and corrupted the clergy itself in recent years. Even if our kingdom is still standing, the very idea is almost too blasphemous to put to words or paper, so to even suspect it may have actually happened...it's not pleasant to think about, to put it very lightly."
Proud member of the AGOG community.Reisen followed along silently, intending to with hold further judgment until she got to see this Pokemon city first hand. Though the remark "it’s likely not hugely different from any of the big cities most of you are presumably used to" didn't leave her with high hopes. Being like cities she knew was exactly what she was worried about! She could feel that knot in her stomach forming up again. She was going to get challenged to a fight just because she crossed some rando's line of sight or the city was going to have its own Pokemon version of the UAA, she just knew it! That was the way her luck always played out.
Upon seeing the large monsters that awaited them at the bridge, Reisen could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. They should have lead with something like this rather then those ugly towers. An Azure Dragon guarding the east. Now that was classy. It also suggested a far better understanding of the mystics then the modern design would suggest. Her shoulders seemed to relax some, as optimism crept into her hopes for the city. She gave the two guardian beasts a wave as they walked on by.
Of course her initial enthusiasm seemed deflate some as they entered the city proper. Greatest city her foot! It was just a human city, but with pokemon instead! Overcrowded, loud, and full of those ugly buildings!
And the smell. To be fair, it wasn't from lack of trying. There was a lack of that distinct odor that came from burning liquified dragon bones that permeated modern human cities. She was grateful for that. The water outside the city didn't smell like sewage either, or she was sure the dragon wouldn't take to swimming in it. So there was that. But there was only so much you could do when you had that many bodies occupying the same place at the same time. Honestly, it smelt like the Inabas' room...
When all was said and done though, the city was passable. It wasn't the worse. She still had places she would rather be, but the same could be said about their whole predicament in general. If the Mew was taking tallies on the guests reactions to his home town, he would get one of resounding indifference from the Lunarian. Which was at least better then how she reacted on the hill.
Reisen also took to eyeing the advertisement. Admittedly she was more interested in what the music and fashion scene was like, but even she couldn't help but see the advertisements for the Colosseum. Of course they had beat each other up for fun. Every where she goes they beat each other up for fun! She nudged Hekwii and motioned toward the advertisement for the pokemon battles.
"Matches."
The Toa seemed confused earlier, so it seemed the perfect example to show exactly what happened to his brother from another universe.
It was around this time that Charlie arrived and asked his question.
"Something like that. Though admittedly, as they explained, we are kind of stranded here. No home, no money, no food. While it would be great if we can fix things to be back home by dinner, we might need to look for more long term solutions if we end up here for the long haul."
The bunny girl let out a sigh. They needed money. As is, they couldn't even enjoy a street hot dog let alone even think about going to a nice café! All the advertisements and entertainment on display was just a cruel demonstration of everything out of their reach.
A city of this size had to have some ready available jobs though right? She was able to pay for room and board in Luna Nova by serving as a lunch lady. Maybe she could do that. Some menial labor that pays right away. Just enough to make sure they don't go hungry and cold come night fall.
"You guys got any jobs that pay up front? It doesn't have to be clean. I am used to getting my hands dirty. As long as the pay is there."
Ah, that's right. She forgot to give them her card. Following her question, Reisen would float up and hand Matt and Charlie the same business card she was handing out on the hill. If Matt was suspicious about her before, he was probably doubly so now. The little business card handled to him proudly declared the bunny girl an assassin. A magical moon rabbit assassin. Apparently even ranked 3rd in something called the United Assassin Association! It certainly painted her previous statement in a grim light. At least the little chibi mascot of the moon rabbit printed on the card was cute.
How do you kill that which has no life?

Conan - Eastern Ruins, Center
One doesn't survive long on the roads of the Hyborian Age by standing still, and so Conan would quickly scamper to avoid both the tray of unnatural energy, and the falling building that nearly squished his body flat. But still, he retained his focus on the beast, which proven to be rather easy given how eagerly it was talking.
By Crom, why did two-bit scoundrels always felt the need to go into monologues like they're part of a theater troupe? Did they thought that a bard was nearby, taking notes so that they could write down into prosperity the time some bandit burned down an hut? For his part, Conan had ill time to waste on hearing a dragon philosophize about justice or the two times he apparently failed to kill a lass. And so, the muscular warrior would instead continue his run to rushes after his foe. "In some way, you are correct...!"
Upon coming close enough to Link's back, the Cimmerian would attempt a mighty leap to land right on the rocky creature. "Opportunities must be seized, and I see a free trophy!" A savage yell would follow his actions as the swarthy man would use his ally as a springboard to attempt jumping *above* Ridley. During his fall, the daring adventurer would almost spin on himself to slash directly at the reptilian enemy's head!
Edited by Alecoene on Feb 8th 2023 at 8:56:42 PM