The Escapist Avatar Adventure: An Open RP (Now Re-Opened!)

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

Maiden's Wish

side story

​

[hr]

"Never ask for anything, but desire everything."​

Waves of mana erupted out of Vihaan's body and he took a step backward as B.C. approached. "I was not born yesterday woman," Vihaan said as he wove spells of strength and vitality around himself, "a woman's allure only surfaces when she's on the hunt." Vihaan's magical armor grew around him. A flurry of vibrant green-red light shimmered around his pale robes.

The Gem lashed out, a bolt of azure hit Vihaan and tore the enchantments from his body. The boy took a quick backstep to get out of range of B.C.

"White Rose, you are a strange mistress indeed," Vihaan spat. He threw off his mantle and dropped into a hand-to-hand position. The rivers of gold shimmered in the blue light emanating from the mysterious gem. Vihaan's stance was light, he kept his distance and his slight build afforded him flexibility most men couldn't. From his footwork and his eyes, it was clear that he was no stranger to melee combat. "I will vanquish any champion you throw at me, White Rose, and then I will have you."

The gem thrummed, "I will have a fair fight." Two swords manifested themselves in the room. One before Vihaan, the other before B.C. They were ornate, silver swords gilded with gold and gemstones. Vihaan drew his and flourished it. The blade was slightly curved, but otherwise quite similar to the weapons of olden knights. They were light, despite their length and composition, well balanced, and sturdy. "No magic, no projectile weapons. First to strike their foe is the victor."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Maiden's Wish | Unknown Location
"Fair? Life ain't fair."
B.C.​

[hr]

Despite her easygoing stride and the friendly expression on her face, it was clear to the Black-Haired Convict that the Pretty Boy before her was no-one's fool. He took a step away from her, not looking away, as some sort of glow came off of him in waves. She took a reflexive step backward herself, even as her smile soured into an awkward grimace.

"I was not born yesterday woman, a woman's allure only surfaces when she's on the hunt."

"So you aren't an idiot. Could've fooled me, honey." B.C. taunted with an edged grin as she leaned forward and bent her knees in a ready stance.

But as a sheen of greenish-red light began to cover his robes, a streak of blue lightning struck him and seemed to shatter whatever it was he was trying to do. He called out someone, someone called White Rose, about being a strange mistress. B.C. had no clue who he was talking about.

As he took up a fighting stance of his own, the Convict realized that he wasn't about to back down, magic or no.

"I will vanquish any champion you throw at me, White Rose, and then I will have you."

B.C. sneered, "Big talk, from a little boy."

That was when the second voice she heard since arriving there spoke up again. This time, when she looked around, she realized that it was coming from the big, floating gemstone behind her, and her eyes narrowed.

"I will have a fair fight."

Fair fight? B.C. scoffed quietly. If you're having a fair fight, she thought to herself, you were doing it wrong. That was when she saw a silver sword begin to materialize in front of her. A single, hair-hidden brow quirked upward. She reached forward, took it from the air. Tested it's heft. It was light, which was a plus, though she would have been more at home with a knife in her hand. Or better, a pipe.

"No magic, no projectile weapons. First to strike their foe is the victor."

So that was how it was. Get first blood, and you win.

The Convict shot toward her opponent like a lightning bolt, her body low as she darted forward. Sword in one hand and kept at the ready. A murderous smirk was on her face, and both of her pink eyes were locked onto his.

"Eyes on the sword." she hissed through her teeth as she drew near and slashed, upward and underhanded.

Just as she jabbed her free hand in the direction of his crotch.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

Maiden's Wish

side story

​

[hr]

"Never ask for anything, but desire everything."​

Vihaan struck the blade of B.C.'s sword with the guard of his and knocked the uppercut off-course. He leaned forward, and saw the punch coming - and in a moment of arrogance, he let the hit connect instead of dodging backwards. Her fist was hard and solid, sending a shock through his hips before the tensing of his muscles absorbed the full force of her blow. He fell forward, sweeping across B.C.'s back and whipping his sword around in a wide flourish - a move that would have taken off B.C.'s head if she did not throw the boy off of her with a sudden surge of strength. Vihaan landed on his feet a few steps away, dropping low again with his sword poised in his left hand and his right hand back toward his flank.

He laughed as he wiped a lock of B.C.'s hair from his blade, "Dirty tactics will get you nowhere against me." In his own arrogance however, he missed his chance to strike a blow. He shouldn't have gone for the kill, and one as fancy as that. Though it was pretty satisfying when he killed the crown prince with that move.

Vihaan took two steps forward and then struck out at B.C. His movements were reserved and fluid, keeping well at a range where he could duck out of B.C.'s strong heavy-hitting attacks. His attacks were a flurry of one-handed strikes, short, fast, calculated. Both his footwork and his bladework was guiding the would-be champion back into the wall of the building. "Someone who fights out of wanton desire has no chance of beating me."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Maiden's Wish | Unknown Location
"Victory isn't just about skill, or smarts, or luck. It's about wanting to win so badly, you'll do anything to achieve it."
B.C.​

[hr]

There was a moment of sharp disappointment when the Convict realized that her unsportsmanlike ploy didn't come close to working. What was worse, the kid was ready for her. With a somersault over her back, his sword flashed near her head, and it was enough to send a stab of panic in her gut. With a heave, she pushed him off of her, but not without him taking off a lock of hair.

Turning to face him, the grin on B.C.'s face had shrunk to a hostile sneer as she raised her sword.

"Dirty tactics will get you nowhere against me."

She didn't bother to reply. Even if she wanted to, his ensuing onslaught of blows didn't give her an opportunity. The boy was fast, as fast as she was. And she could tell as he flashed his sword against hers, as metallic clangs echoed throughout the round chamber, he was good with it. As he pushed her backward with each swing towards the wall behind her, he smiled.

"Someone who fights out of wanton desire has no chance of beating me."

That was when she saw her opportunity. This time when he swung, instead of blocking with her own sword, she simply knocked his sword away from the two of them, and stepped toward him. As she did, she wrapped her sword arm around his. She grinned savagely as her chest bumped his.

"You clearly don't want the win enough then." she said as she sharply jerked his trapped arm upward against the joint.

In the next moment, she brought one knee upward toward his belly, and her left hand jabbed towards his throat. If she was lucky, this would be enough to knock the wind out of him. Then, victory was hers.

 

[Zepherus14]

Technically helped with this

Also technically helped with this

[footnote]Gen also helped with this technically, but I don't have a quote to put that under[/footnote]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Cloudtop Citadel: Rising Dawn and the surrounding Hanger
Nina and Phillip
​

Spoiler: The Filling from Then and Now!

Nina stepped out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam slowly invading the main room after her well deserved shower. One towel was wrapped around her torso, while another was atop her head. "Not having to worry about the utilities bill is *sigh* wonderful~." Letting it be known to her noodly companion who was finishing up salveging what he could from the fridge of their old apartment. Despite most of the food being no worse for wear, the fact some of the frozen foods had thawed had put Phillip in a bad mood, one which compelled him to put a speedbump in Nina's pleasant daydream. "Oh ya... we don't really have confirmation on that, do we..?" Fish hooking her bottom jaw with a worried expression, the towel clad normie mulled the possibility of being footed a hefty bill until a water droplet beaded down into her ear canal. "Eck!" She exclaimed, reminded that the mop of a head she had still wasn't close to dry.

Hopping off the bedside, she undid the turban towel, and made a note on her phone as she went back to the bathroom to find another. "Get better towels, nice and fluffy ones!" She proclaimed out loud, grabbing another towel and walking back into the main room. As she was getting that one properly wrapped around her noggin, the glossy sheen of a particular black book caught her eye as Phillip turned its pages. Now Phillip reading was nothing new to Nina, he actually read more than she did in all fairness, but she couldn't remember when she'd gotten that book for him. "What you got there Phillip?" She asked, the tiled floor of the kitchen area cool on her bare feet as Phillip lifted up the pages for Nina to see. If it were anyone else, the contents within would be giving them a major headache if not far worse. The characters across sheets were in such disarray it felt like they were vomited upon the book rather than placed in any particular order, and refused to remain on the page in one spot. Nina however, had one thing to say as she read through the contents. "Oh! BBQ'd Porkchops, garlic brussel sprouts, chicken fried rice? If it wasn't 3 in the morning, I might actually take you up on that! Maybe we can have that for lunch tomorrow?" She smiled cheerfully, before getting ready for bed

[hr]

Nina lay down for the night, well passed when she normally would but with the party being at 3 in the afternoon, she could sleep in. It took some coaxing, but Phillip would curl up with her, despite some wordless resistance. Despite the sandman dumping a desert's worth of sand, Nina couldn't shake the possibility that if she went to sleep now without Phillip nearby, one might be wisked off to somewhere else possibly to never see the other again. Phillip disagreed, but put up with it as the slow churning of his limbs finally allowed Nina to succumb to the temptations of slumber. Her breathing slowed while the feeling of the bed beneath her slowly warmed to her body's touch.

It's hard to know when one starts to dream. One moment you are in your bed, the next...

Spoiler: Nina's Dreams

An alleyway that gave way to sunken, sickly flesh stood before her. A man stood there, clutching the woman that extended forever in the gallowed hall, once cradled by the flesh itself. He turns, calling to her and she responded, but from behind approached a third of many. Tied to woman's other end, plunging through the walls like a needle and thread, an amalgomation of harlots drew itself to them. Unaware was the man as the many arms of each torso'd segment pulled the whole to him, finding purchase on his clothing, coiling around in an attempt to meld flesh with flesh. Nina watched, eyes distracted as the very touch of this creature peeled away at the man's flesh, leaving behind only a orange mask and a singular eye that wept gouts of blood where his face once lay.[footnote]Now if I knew how to do zalgo text properly on Escapist I wouldn't need to use the pictures, but since I can't get it to work here, this is the next best thing XD[/footnote]

Within the deep expanses of nothing, spheres slowly drifted by. Worlds upon worlds of different realities, all connected by the space between them. A llama walks across the sky there, a stupid grin on its face. A hand, her hand, flicks it away.

The view sunny, scents of cooking meats, chatter among the shifting crowds, curios lining the shelves; this is what a shopping district brings. The door, yes a door, but which and where? A man chatting to another while a girl waits. It's her turn, but she does not answer, only the cloth does to the pink one. The girl turns, her face only a sunken hole for which stars once dwelled, snuffed out in the void they now drown in. Set to drown the very light itself as Nina found herself at an alleyway. Neon light flickered, casting light to dispel the darkness, but the darkness refuses. Spilling forward, each tendril seethed through each crack in the asphalt, defiantly pressing forward. She felt heavy, she tried to move, the darkness refused. The air became thick, choked as it took hold of everything. Clammy vices pressed into her, she couldn't resist being linched forward, upward, inward.

She was in her bedroom, Phillip in mid process of falling off the bed as she shot up to a sitting position. Her face was flush as she looked around the room, clenching her chest before flopping to the soft sheets she'd just moments ago rejected. 'Just when it was getting good...' She groaned, and watched as Phillip climbed back up onto the bed thrusting the book in her face. "What do you mean the book's broken? Books can't break, not... like... that..." She argued before taking the book herself. Although from what she'd seen the night before, there were oodles of recipes from page to page, and yet now there was only one page that displayed anything. A single page displaying the makings of a contract, a simple one at that, very little if any fine print.

[HEADING=2]"To whom who hungers for this book, must allow the book to hunger for them. Your Blood for the ink, and ink for your blood."[/HEADING]​

Nina rubbed her eyes, she was not in the mood for this, why did she have to deal with legal jargon when she'd just gotten up. "Okay, let me have a look at it... These kinds of things you need to read very very clearly or else they'll get you." She informed the tentacle monster. "No, signing it willy nilly is pretty bad too, even if there were good recipes in there. There could be oodles of clauses that might remove some of the recipes, which we don't want. What we'd want to do is find a loophole that just gets rid of this garbage entirely. But first! Bathroom!"

[hr]

Present Time!!​

With it getting close to the party time, Nina and Phillip had gotten ready and started making their way to the ball room. Nina'd dressed herself in a black and yellow dress, with a matching choker, stockings and high heels. Her hair was woven tight to the side of her head and bound into a long flowing ponytail behind her. Of course she also had a miniature hat that was clipped to her head as well. Phillip however, had insisted on having a particular hat of his own. [http://pre03.deviantart.net/d93d/th/pre/f/2017/184/5/0/fancy_dress_nina_and_phillip_by_zepherus14-dbexmpb.jpg] He was supposed to dress to impress after all, what would be more impressive than a chef's hat larger than he was?

Although Nina wouldn't notice the shadowy abomination as Phillip did, the fact reality was partly unwinding from itself was more than enough for her vision to go into sensory overload. She stumbled forward, being caught by Phillip as he propped up against the side of the wall. "Ugh, thanks Phillip..." Nina said feeling a bit light headed and rubbed her eyes. "I guess I'm not super used to wearing these new shoes just yet..." She lied, not wanting him to worry. Phillip merely watched the creature leave, feeling like he'd found something he could make a meal for using those bugs from yesterday.

With where she was, there was some of the citadel personnel around, Nina had to squint as she saw the blue lightning blasting out of the gems that they carried. "What the hell is going on here?"

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

Maiden's Wish

side story

​

[hr]

"Never ask for anything, but desire everything."​

"A man's downfall will always be his false sense of superiority over women." There was a pop as Vihaan's arm was dislocated. B.C.'s two blows landed hard against the boy. He crumpled, his gold chains and circlets rang harshly against the metal floor of the containment bay.

There was a small pause before Vihaan laughed. He rose from the floor quickly, dodging B.C.'s attack.

He landed several yards back, away from both his sword and the dominating presence of the lady convict. He cracked his neck as he put his right hand forward. His right hand had an angry red bruise from where it took B.C.'s strike. "I had always thought," Vihaan said as he sidestepped B.C.'s lunge of opportunity. He was moving fast now, his chains rattled madly, "your father told you... that Mankind's greatest folly was his desire for independence." He spat on the floor and hopped backwards, letting his left arm dangle to his side. "White Rose, you disappoint me with your self-righteous prattle."

Another attack-of-opportunity from B.C. came out of nowhere, yet Vihaan seem to know it was coming. He slammed his left shoulder into B.C.'s chest and knocked her away from him. "It is rude to attack when someone is talking." He straightened up and moved his left arm back and forth, having popped it back into place using B.C. as the counterweight. "Again, girl, I will tell you. Someone like you has no chance of beating me." He took off the gold chains and bracelets and circlets from his body and dropped the heavy outer-layer of his robes. The heap landed on the floor with an audible thump. His body beneath was lean and scarred, his face took on less of a playful and arrogant mood.

"My name is Vihaan Valdur, second son of Krishna Valdur, and high priest of the Maara. If I must fight you with my all, I will. For the sake of my people, and for the sake of my honor." Vihaan put his best foot forward and steeled both his body and his eyes. "I recognize you as my opponent in this fight."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Maiden's Wish | Unknown Location
"Cause one of us is goin', one of us is goin' down."
B.C.​

[hr]

B.C. was more than a little surprised to hear the Gemstone "speak" again as she dislocated the boy's arm. In fact, she hadn't been expecting any running commentary whatsoever. Still, the words it spoke made her smirk.

"A man's downfall will always be his false sense of superiority over women."

"Yer damn right!" she called out as she lunged forward with her blade to claim her victory.

Only the her opponent wasn't about to be beaten that easily. With a backward leap, the tip of her sword didn't even come close. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. Her last hits should have had him crumpled up on the floor for a good minute.

But when he lifted his hand, she couldn't help but nod with grudging respect. To be able to block one of those blows, after having an arm dislocated? That took discipline. Which meant he wasn't some martial artist wannabe with some natural skill. This little shit knew what he was doing. As she lunged forward, he took the opportunity to reply to the Gem's words as he sidestepped her.

"I had always thought your father told you... That Mankind's greatest folly was his desire for independence. White Rose, you disappoint me with your self-righteous prattle."

His attention was elsewhere. Seeing her opportunity, she took it, attempting another upward slash to his blind side. The little shit wasn't having it as he managed to not only avoid the edge of her sword, but shoved her away with his bad arm. She glared daggers at him, and for the first time since her arriving there, her face was devoid of any smile.

"It is rude to attack when someone is talking. Again, girl, I will tell you. Someone like you has no chance of beating me."

She stood there, just a few yards away as he took off the chains, bracelets and other jewelry that was weighing him down, along with the his robes. And from the sound they made as they thudded against the metal floor, all of it was heavy. And when he looked back at her, his game face was on.

"My name is Vihaan Valdur, second son of Krishna Valdur, and high priest of the Maara. If I must fight you with my all, I will. For the sake of my people, and for the sake of my honor. I recognize you as my opponent in this fight."

The Convict's lips began to curve upward again. This kid just didn't know when to quit, she thought as she began to snicker, and then burst out into raucous laughter. The kind of laughter someone had when they had just heard something hilariously funny.


If he wanted to play that way, then she'd bite.

"Alright then, kiddo," she said, tossing her sword aside and shrugging out of her pink leather jacket before tossing it as well, "I am Black Connie, Convict #7660103-B51, and I am an Anarchist from Future-Space. Call me B.C. for short."

She brought her fists together and grinned derisively as she said, "Not that you'll be able to say much when I'm through with you. New rules! No swords, only good old hand-to-hand, and our wits. Last one standing? Wins."

There was a moment's paused as she stared into his eyes before she dropped low and rushed toward him. Her right fist drew backward for a powerful right hook long before she could reach him. But once she got close, she flipped forward, placing her right hand on the floor. And drove her right knee towards his nose.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

Maiden's Wish

side story

​

[hr]

"Never ask for anything, but desire everything."​

Vihaan's hands wrapped around B.C.'s knee and threw her out toward the wall. "A feint only works if you attack from a different angle than your original attack," Vihaan scoffed as he dashed forward while B.C. was getting back on her feet. He threw out a flurry of punches at her, forcing her arms up to shield her face.

Then he struck out with his right hand and drew his hand across B.C.'s chest, tearing her top into almost two pieces. The gem above boomed with azure light and a bolt struck Vihaan, launching him backward. The boy landed against the wall, dragging his hand along the metal, leaving trails where his nails dug into the steel.

A soft light enveloped B.C. and mended the scratches on her skin. "No poison." B.C. felt vitality being restored to her, the stiffness ease from her muscles, and her body lighten. What the gemstone did was more than administer an antidote for Vihaan's trick.

Vihaan grimaced, "And I thought you wouldn't notice." He flicked a ceramic lid off each of the nails on his right hand. Vihaan dashed forward and let loose another flurry of punches, this time however, he properly stuck his blows instead of faking his punches for the sake of his poison.

After two seconds of attacks he dashed backwards and set himself into another defensive stance, ready to parry and counter attack. He watched B.C.'s movement carefully, dutifully noting the tricky angles she could attack from.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Maiden's Wish | Unknown Location
"Fight smarter, not harder."
B.C.​

[hr]

Things were going poorly. The boy countered her poorly-thought-out feint with ease, tossing her into a wall before rushing towards her even as she got to her feet. She brought up her arms to defend herself. And his right hand tore through her halter-top, drawing blood as his nails dug shallow grooves into her breasts. She started to stagger backward when she felt the scratches he made burn.

Vihaan was immediately thrown backward into the wall behind him by another flash of blue, and a soft glow began to surround the Convict.

"No poison."

It was a familiar feeling as her wounds began to close, reminding her of a young woman who practically oozed virtue as she healed her and others in the middle of a prison break. All the same, she was ready for another round as her opponent pressed the offensive.

He didn't bother with poison this time as he struck, and despite her blocks and parries, the blows that landed had impact, and one left a painful bruise on her left cheekbone. And then in a flash, he stepped backward and took a more defensive stance.

And he waited as B.C. merely stood there and gave him a once-over. He was good, but he was hurt. Even someone with his skill simply didn't shake off a dislocated joint so quickly. And while he was giving as good as he got, she was still fresher than him, physically. And a large part of that had to do with the Gem.

She glanced upward at the floating stone. Whatever it was, it was clearly sapient, and it was playing favorites. That was hardly fair, though she wasn't about to point that out in the middle of a fight, especially since it gave her a precious advantage.

Taking a few slow steps, the Convict began to circle Vihaan slowly towards his left side, rolling her shoulders and disregarding her currently bare chest. She needed to play this smart. She stopped. Paused for just the barest moment after having closed some distance between them. Then she moved.

She kept herself low as she darted towards him, but a second before she reached him was when she fell backward and slid the rest of the way across the metal floor. In the next moment, she pumped both of her legs into a trio of savage kicks aimed at his right knee, all the while keeping her arms up to defend herself.

On the third kick, she twisted like a snake, going belly down to the floor. With a solid push with both hands, she twisted again as she got to her feet, driving her left elbow into his. Which she immediately followed by a right hook aimed at his face as she completed her turn.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

Maiden's Wish

side story

​

[hr]

"Never ask for anything, but desire everything."​

"Arrogance," Vihaan spat a swept his right leg away from B.C.'s attack, "do you really think I would stay still and let you combo me?" He met her elbow strike with his own, hitting hard and relishing in the sudden numbing pain that shot through his entire body as the two collided. He let her right hook land and answered by striking B.C. hard on both of her temples. When the two broke, Vihaan was still standing.

"You had the right idea, attack where the enemy is weak," Vihaan coughed as he rubbed the blood from his mouth. "But to attack such obvious places is foolishness." He took a step forward, "Let me educate you," he ran forward and struck out with his right hand, pushing B.C.'s shoulder backward, as soon as the edge of her frame passed the width of her stance he struck out with his left and hit her below the jaw and he dashed backwards. The strike didn't feel like it hurt. But... something else was off. It was starting to feel like she was underwater.

"There are four points to strike in my country's art of military brawling. The first is hard on the temples, enough to disturb the fluids of the inner ear. The second is to strike in at the base of the jaw and at the base of the nose," he held out three fingers to make his point, "the swelling of the throat and sinuses distracts from the natural rhythm of breath."

He took a step forward. His movements were sharp and deliberate, he hid his left arm behind his body when he could, and kept both feet tentatively on the ground, never utilizing anything as dangerous as kicks in the brawl. His entire lifeblood was in his balance, losing it now would be mean defeat.

The last point was on the abdomen, right above where the torso and the legs meet. Flood the body with a sudden burst of adrenaline, so they can't feel where your real blows are striking. Though on this girl, that might be difficult, given how strangely her muscles moved. Instead, Vihaan decided to stand his ground, giving a close eye on not only B.C. but also the floating gem above. His entire body hurt, the woman was strong, but any longer and this fight was his. If she was reckless one more time, he'd clinch it.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Maiden's Wish | Unknown Location
"Fuck this fancy shit."
B.C.​

[hr]

As B.C. staggered backward from Vihaan's response to her latest attempted onslaught, she could taste the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. Her head was throbbing from the blows to her temples, and her coordination felt like it was going to shit. Of course, he took the time to explain exactly what his strikes were meant to do, which was a sign of arrogance on his own part.

The end result was that the smile was wiped off of her face for the second time in this bout. Instead, she bared bloodied teeth at him before spitting a globule of blood onto the floor. This whole fight was turning in his favor, and all she had to show for her effort had been a dislocated elbow, which he had promptly relocated not long after. She was outmatched when it came to skill. That much was clear. Which meant that a change of tactics was in order.

Wiping away a trail of blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, she stood up straight and steadied herself. Then she began to slowly but surely stride towards him.

"Alright you little shit. Now you've pissed me off. No more games." she ground out through her teeth.

Her hands were at her sides. There wasn't even any hip-swaying swagger like when she had first arrived there. She didn't seem to be taking any kind of offensive or defensive stance at all. But her posture, along with the look on her face as her eyes locked onto his, radiated a primal sort of violence.

While she began to cross the length of the room, she watched as he made to move away from her, but she simply continued walking. That was the one benefit of this damned place. There was nowhere he could run from her that she couldn't get to eventually.

When she finally reached him, she simply reached up with her left hand, and grabbed onto his right wrist and pulled it towards her with an iron grip. With a snarl, her right fist rammed home into his nose. It broke with a sickening crunch. Then she brought her fist back and drove it as hard as she could into his belly, with the express purpose of making him lose whatever he had for lunch that day.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Rising Dawn
Med Bay
Morning

[hr]

Diana | Hiryu​

For some time, Diana was able to sleep soundly in the empty bridge of the Rising Dawn.
While it was fully equipped, ironically a lot of the Heroes of the ship were too busy to be up there much.
And it was in this peaceful place that the shapeshifter was finally able to get away from the madness of the ship and enjoy a nice calming-
"Diana Black?" A asian voice asked as she suddenly found a young man sitting in the chair right next to hers, despite the lack of noise (audio or otherwise) or any other hint that there was anyone else in that room.
He didn't appear to be like any of the other crew of the Rising Dawn, the fact that he was dressed like Some kind of Ninja [http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/_img/chars/strider-hiryu-namco-x-capcom-27.9.jpg] most likely was the reason behind that.
"Apologies for disturbing you. I myself wasn't meant to be here but one of my students asked me to approach you with an offer...Can you do me a favor and look at your hand?" He asked before motioning to her empty hand-....which was now holding a letter of some description.
"Contained in that is a brief description of what I will ask of you and how you are to conduct yourself. My question is this: Do you wish to become a Strider?..."

Somehow, she just knew Jenny had something to do with this...

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Rising Dawn: Lower Levels: David West

He had no idea what the fuck just happened but judging from the fact that he was now thinking like someone who just saw the unspeakable, David figured it most likely wasn't a good thing.
"What...the...FUCK?!" He screamed as he attempted to find a way out of this mad-house, it was nearly as bad as the demonic invasion, only this time, it was his fault.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?! WHY ISN'T ANYONE EXPLAINING THIS SHIT?!" He demanded as he did the only thing he really could: Start shooting.
Yelling with each shot, he unloaded on everything in the lab that was moving as Niflheim opened the door, allowing him to run off screaming in horror.
He stumbled as he did so but he refused to stop running until he was back in an area of the ship he knew was real.
Ramming his body against the wall, he slid down it before burying his face in his hands, shouting a few more times before he soon settled for merely sobbing and having the rest of that drink.
"...Vihaan...w-what the fuck did I just do?!" He asked outloud, trying to make sense of everything that just happened.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[[Secondary Scenario]]​

[hr]

Maiden's Wish

side story

​

[hr]

"Never ask for anything, but desire everything."​

"Mr. West, are you alright?" The voice that came was soft and sweet. The accent was uncharacteristic of the members of the Rising Dawn. It had all the underpinnings of someone young, pure, and gentled. He opened his eyes and he say a girl leaning against the wall besides him, her hands rested gently on her skirt and her long brown hair drooped down around her exposed waist. She looked at him, concerned, with piercing blue eyes.

David flinched. It was one of the girls that had nearly attacked him earlier. Between her and Katya, he couldn't say which one was actually more dangerous.

Yet, there was something different this time. Moreover, he didn't actually know her name. The list of names was still burned into his minds, alongside the faces they belonged to, and yet. He didn't know who this girl was. Her clothing wasn't Rising Dawn at the very least. She wore a loose sweater that left both her shoulders bare and a short skirt. Her hair was done, not elaborately, but with enough care that it was pleasant to look at the gentle weave of ribbons and braids. "Good heavens, you look like you've seen a ghost. Though it isn't often that I see a grown man crying his eyes out like a schoolgirl."

She sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around her knees, "I had just finished up with Saren in medical, and I come out and hear hysterical sobbing in the hallway. I come down the way, and it's you sitting here with bottle in hand and crying your eyes out. If I told you I didn't feel a little bit responsible, I'd be lying." She leaned forward, putting her cheek on her arm. "You aren't crying because of what I said, are you?"

There was a stretch of silence. "I guess something else is making you upset. Not a lot that I could think would throw a soldier like you into a fit of hysteria. But hey, whenever you're ready to talk, well. Well I'll just sit here with you until that time." There was an aroma of apples that followed the girl, a gentle, pleasant, and calming feeling. With her it was as if all the senses were being soothed, and the world around David stopped rippling with that eldritch energy. In a world of insanity, she was an anchor of the mundane.

"My name is Laeta, by the way. Laeta Selmy. I'm sorry if I was hard on you earlier, I... I'm quick to act. More so than my sisters. You can uh, you can call me Lee if you like. That's what the girls at school call me anyway. Laeta sounds a little bit 'hoodlum' in some contexts." She laughed. A gentle small smile and a tip of her head. Her hair shimmered around her as it settled down across her bare shoulders.

---​

"I concede." Vihaan said bluntly. He wiped the blood from his nose and took his hand off of B.C.'s wrist. Her blow had never actually hit his abdomen, he had used both hands to catch her punch. Breaking her wrist grab was easy, that was the first thing they taught you in hand-to-hand, the difficult decision was deciding to take her first punch so he could prevent the woman from breaking her hand on his abdomen. If that had happened, he doubted that the Gem of Want would let him leave with his body unmolested. "You win."

He knew that the fight was rigged from the beginning. Without his enchantments, he was never as good of a fighter as his sister, and though he outclassed this woman with a sword, the awkward adaptation of his curved-blade style to the heavy weighted knight's saber was disadvantaged. In hand to hand, he lost in a fight of endurance.

Vihaan glared at the gem as he held onto B.C. "You win," he repeated. At least his father wasn't here to chastise him for losing to a woman.

"And the duel is completed. Begone, troublemaker."

The two fighters broke and Vihaan walked over to the lift and punched in his access code, commanding the whirring machinery within to being it's arduous climb up the sheer sides of the wall. He leaned against the wall of the lift and ran his fingers through his hair. "Still, I struggle to understand your warped sense of justice, White Rose. It is as self-serving as it is difficult to understand. You are rid of me for now, attacking me under pretenses of enforcing the rules of a duel, your actions are absurd." The boy admiral turned and left the containment bay. His footfalls echoed in the cavernous steel cylinder.

The gem hung in the air in silence for a short time before drifting toward the center of the room. Blue light continued to pour out of the stone in streams. The mending light showered B.C. and restored her to some semblance of her pre-fight attire.

 

[Silence]

Cloudtop Citadel
Yona's office

[hr]

Mio | Mitte​

Mio was about to try and get closer to the gem, to inspect it in detail, as Mitte suddenly fell to her knees, blue light shining from the gem. There was something wrong about it. This was magic, while Mio was not a particularily magic person, she had run into quite a few mages in her time. And from what she had gathered, it held Mitte bound to the commander. So there were two reasons for her to act in the way she did, and think quickly on the spot.

For once, she really did not like anything that remotely looked like it would restrict freedom in any ways. There were no gods or masters for a pirate, just the free seas and the dangers lying in them. And second, she had made acquiantance with another kind of magic that had bound people together, keeping the owner of the ritual in life for eternity, unnaturally, letting them continue their evil deeds without being able to die. Something that even remotely looked similar - there was a precaution in breaking it before knowing more.

So in a quick sleight of hand, not noticed by anyone but her and maybe Mitte, she put her hand on the shining blue gem and tried to yank it off, to break whatever connection Mitte had to the commander and to free her from the pain that drove her to her knees.

[hr]

The Rising Dawn
Bridge

[hr]

Diana | Hiryu​

As her sleep was suddenly interrupted, Diana opened her eyes and looked into the direction of the source, for a second glaring with anger, her skin turning dark, her eyes red, her teeth pointed and her turning black and moving on its own. Though this was a mere second, before it just seemed like a hallucination for Hiryu and he could see her normal, beautiful face looking at him in a calm and calculated manner.

She took a glance at him as he spoke, and a quick glance at the letter he apparently put into her hand somehow, before looking right into his eyes again. "I hope not all Striders look like they are trying way too hard. But ... consider me interested. At least in hearing out what a Strider is. You seem to have some sort of skill at least." She looked down at her hand again, and opened the letter with a long fingernail. "Just don't get any wrong impressions, my work ... I assume it is work ... does not come for free." She thought about Jenny having set this up, but decided she did not really care that much. Maybe she actually knew how to get rid of boredom, now.

Diana looked at the letter, quickly reading over what it said, while awaiting answers from Hiryu.

 

[bluerocker]

this dude helped a bunch!

So did this one

And this one too

Additional supervision by this dude

[hr]

Airship Rising Dawn
Canteen
Smoothing over ruffled feathers
Anjali | Engineer | [color=eca222]Lucas "Luke" Cypress[/color]​

[hr]

"Who are you exactly? You're not part of the staff are you?"

Oh dear, leave it to one of the worker bees that comprised of the Dawn's hive to come crawling out of the woodwork and poke their nose in affairs that were not entirely their own. Luke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the accusation the engineer brought to his bar, and instead allowed his expression to slip into its usual "place"; a serene, but inviting smile - one that was not disarming, and held no preconceived notions of his patrons. Following that, he mimicked a thoughtful furrow of his eyebrows, a small [color=eca222]"hmnn"[/color] leaving his lips as he expertly pantomimed thinking over the matter and giving an apologetic shrug in response, [color=eca222]"Well, I can certainly tell you that I work here. As far as a matter of badges or identification, I've never been informed of such a thing. The same goes for my staff-"[/color]

He gestured to one of the imps with a light tilt of his head, the imp in question being the one who had brought Anjali a lovely, dark maroon piece of bovine liver. Placed on some lettuce for presentation, the raw meat's juices pooled on the platter as if it were fresh from the animal itself. Perhaps not appealing to the standard connoisseur, but it was deliciously raw and rare for the resident undead diner. However, the point of contention for Luke's case was not the meat that was being served, but the server itself. The fact remained that they too bore no identifications or badges, rather akin to Luke, [color=eca222]"Furthermore"[/color], he added, [color=eca222]"They've been working here longer than *I* have, and we've never gotten word about this protocol. Seems to me that the matter is some kind of clerical hiccup."[/color] Luke resisted the urge to smile at his choice of words, his mind briefly flitting to matters much more appealing than the present conversation before snapping back to reality again, [color=eca222]"If it really means that much to you, send me the appropriate paperwork and I can have myself and the staff put in the order for the IDs? I doubt that'd be too much trouble...."[/color]

To seal the deal, Luke faked looking distracted by a particular bit of the bar that needed wiping, before adding with a faux gasp, [color=eca222]"Oh, where are my manners? I never gave you my name! Sorry, it seems my age is getting away from me - I am Lucas Cypress, bartender and herder of cats - metaphorically speaking of course; but please, call me Luke."[/color]

[hr]

Cloudtop Citadel
Hallways
Impromptu tech-support
[color=3897E0]

AI Dimitri

[/color] | [color=356D60]Garm[/color] | [color=0E59E4]Teri[/color] |

AI Viscus

​

[hr]


"...Hm....I think he's bitten off more then he can chew...Teri, would you mind helping him while I bring Hillary to the Colonel? I think you and Dimitri might need to put Humpty Dumpty back together..."

Teri blinked in surprise after the new turn of events, but gave a dismissive wave of her hand as she cheerfully replied, [color=0E59E4]"Oh, don't mind me. You're the captain and stuff, so I'm not surprised you got places to be. It was nice meeting you, Hillary! Later!"[/color]

[color=356d60]I'll keep a good eye on Tear-ri while we're gone, Alpha Rugal."[/color]

Turning the other direction, Cleric and Wolf bounded off back towards the Dawn to pick up Dimitri from the Dawn's mainframe. While the "chauffeuring" was wholly uneventful, it was during the return back in the Cloudtop Citadel that the trio of Wolf, Cleric and AI noticed a distinct change in atmosphere - an alarm rang overhead, alerting to some kind of attack! Teri gasped at the sound, and urged Garm onwards to Viscus' location, images of all sorts of terrible things flashing in her mind. Maybe Viscus had finally decided that being "on probation" under Dimitri's restrictions wasn't worth being teased by others, maybe he had finally began a bloody rampage in the lab for having his external armor, maybe-

[UNHAND ME AT ONCE!]

Garm came to a skidding halt when the trio of Cleric, AI, and Winter-Wolf arrived on the scene, only to find Viscus' physical form being poked and prodded by a selection of very enthusiastic engineers. Teri blinked dumbly as she surveyed the scene, her voice only barely escaping as she asked, [color=0E59E4]"So...he wasn't the cause of the alarm?"[/color]

Almost as if on cue, the siren that rang overhead ceased, leaving the Cleric even more red in the face than before. Then, perhaps in a bid to give his creator a form of reprieve, Dimitri's voice echoed from the Tablet, [color=3897E0]

"*ahem* While Viscus may not be the source of trouble, I do believe we were here on his summons regardless..."

[/color]
Dimitri's pale blue avatar appeared on the screen of the tablet's display, and after a moment of straightening his tie (as well as Teri turning the screen for the engineers to see), he asked in a polite tone, [color=3897E0]

"I'm sorry to break up your fun, but I am afraid myself and my compatriots have been sent to gather the one you are currently taking apart - as well as his body being made whole once more."

[/color]


[hr]

Cloudtop Citadel:
Nadalia Vs Rugal Vs Yona!
Hallways
A mother's role is not always for her own brood
Angelus | Caim | Hillary | King Leoric | Nadalia | Rugal Bernstein | Colonel Yona Isami​

[hr]

Following a lovely rendezvous and more time assisting with clothes choices than he ever wanted to ("You look good in anything to me!" "That's not good enough!"), Caim found himself being shepherded by his partner to the strange and unknown halls of the Cloudtop Citadel, with the insistence that they had to attend some kind of function she had received an invitation for earlier. Caim, electing to 'voice' his misgivings over the privacy of the pact, opened the matter again with,

"I don't see why we have to go to this thing."

Angelus's 'voice' answered back in the same matter, "Because we were invited."

Alongside this, the message came with with a thread of 'respect' hiding in the undercurrents of her 'voice', Caim being able to sense that she was trying to soothe him as she 'spoke', even if she sounded exasperated. At least, he thought she did until she quipped, "You were a prince once, and yet your understanding of decorum is severely lacking."

With a huff and a cross of his arms, he shot back, "Yeah, because of the Empire. I focused on combat training moreso than 'courtly manners'."
"I thought the war started for you when you were 18? That's plenty of time for training in the court. Or were you so poor a student they gave up upon you?"

Caim rolled his eyes at the weak barb, before his expression grew slightly more grim, "I...Yeah... I wasn't great with people. That was more Inuart and Furiae's thing. Maybe that's why they got paired up, diplomats in the making."

Angelus drew pause at that comment, already sensing her partners misgivings towards the past flow into her, and decided to try a different approach, "Perhaps...But we are getting a little off topic - you said the dress is safe?"
"Yes, I told you five times already - it's in the armory, with the mask, whenever you need it. Just say the word, and I'll get it out. Also, before you asked, I polished my armor. See, look at the shine!"
"It looks very nice, Caim; but I just want us to make a good impression -"

Almost on cue, the alarm went off, and the duo bolted towards the source of the commotion, bringing them to the scene with Rugal, Nadalia, and the good Colonel, in addition to Hillary and Leoric having some kind of disagreement. Seeing as A) the alarm ceased almost as soon as they arrived, and B) the Colonel and her soldiers were suddenly on their knees, the duo decided to split the work. Caim went towards Rugal and Nadalia, his hand resting on the handle of his sword as the PDA asked in confusion,

"We heard the alarm go off and came back as fast as we could...what happened to these people?"

Angelus, on the other hand decided to focus on Hillary swinging around a mace at the very undead Leoric. Straightening her back and arranging her face into the best maternal incarnation of "I'm not angry, just disappointed", the dragon-in-mortal-form stepped in with a pointed "Ahem!" to catch both Hillary and Leoric's attentions. Once both parties had their eyes upon her, she spoke in a gentle, but firm tone (one that was often reserved for her little ones when they were caught with hands in cookie jars),
"What seems to be the problem here? Don't both of you know that swinging weapons such as maces is a very dangerous thing to do outside of a training room?...also, that's not how you hold a mace. You're lucky I'm the one talking to you and not Caim."


[hr]

Cloudtop Citadel
Hallways
What about elevenses? Afternoon tea?
Cadolbolg | [color=15650D]Ton Ton[/color]​

[hr]

Whilst the adults were all off dealing with their adult matters, a pair of youthful children floated along the halls of the Cloudtop Citadel, happily chattering with each other about the events to come,

"So everyone's landed on this new station thing, right?"
[color=15650D]"That's correct. Ms. Angelus said that herself, Mr. Caim, and us have been invited to a get together of some kind."[/color]
"Hmn... So what do we do till then?"
[color=15650D]"I.. Dont know to be honest. I've never gone to a big party before, aside from The Mistress' tea parties."[/color]
"Ooh, the Mistress' tea was actually really yummy! It was really sweet for tea!"
[color=15650D]"That's because you asked for 3 sugars."[/color]
"I am a conni...conni...[sub]what is that c word...[/sub] Uh, A GOURMET for sweets! I say we should look for some food!"
[color=15650D]"But didn't we just eat?"[/color]
"We can eat again!"
[color=15650D]"Cadolbolg..."[/color]
"And we don't know if this thing will have food there too - we're 'growing boys' aren't we? And growing boys are supposed to eat lots and lots!"
[color=15650D]"I don't think that's what they say-"[/color]

The two boys were cut off when they heard an exceptionally loud bang, the source of which being David West seemingly launching himself against a wall, quickly followed by a concerned Laeta Selmy. The two Cutie Bruisers, looked at each other and then back to the scene, before Cadolbolg hovered over and asked in a concerned voice, "David, are you okay?! I think the only people who SHOULD go through walls are my parents or Mr. Rugal, and even then it looks like it hurts!"

[hr]

An unnamed manor
Los Angeles, California
How do you pick up the threads of an old life?
Inuart​

[hr]

"...for the last time, as I said before - my absence was medical in nature. I was placed into a coma while my condition stabilized, and the whole affair was kept under wraps to avoid a PR incident. I already came into the office, I delivered the documents as requested. Why do I not have access to the account yet?"

"Our apologies, Mister Iprisson, it's only a matter of red tape - see, with your absence..."

"With which I have already clarified."

"Y-yes, sir; I do understand, but I'm working as fast as I can to grant you full access to your funds again. There is only so much I can do with forms that need to be processed and the like... Please give it some more time?"

"How much time are we talking about? I do need to eat..."

"Well, since your case is placed within high priority, by the end of the workday at the latest?"

"Very well. Can I receive a notification when the transaction is completed?"

"There is an email synced to this account, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue."

"I have no further questions then. Good day."

Clicking off the phone, Inuart groaned and settled into a comfortable chair in the living room. Despite the hiccups and royal pains in his rear end for the day - the affairs he had been sorting through had gone surprisingly well. Seeing as the assassination attempt left him with an incomplete autopsy, Inuart was never officially declared dead, and barring the payments for housing bills via direct withdrawal, his finances had been left relatively untouched, which left him the bit of hoop jumping he had just finished enduring with the bank to physically access the account on his own. It made sense, in it's own little way, for things to be a little suspicious to the bank before he physically showed up, but didn't artists have reputations for being eccentrics in this world? So what if he metaphorically dropped off the face of the planet for a few months?

As Inuart mulled over the frustrations of his situation, his phone rang again; the listing on the caller ID causing the bard's lip to curl. Yet, he still hit the green icon and held the phone about an inch away from his face as a cacophonous voice rang in on the other end,

"How-dee-doo In-u-art~! Talk to me, babe, how's my up and coming music star? Settle into the old homestead snug as a bug in a rug?"

Inuart repressed a groan of distaste, electing instead to rub one of his temples with a free hand as he answered, "I'm.. I'm fine, Mr... what was your name again?"

"The effervescent Sca-ra-mouche bah-bay, only one of the most we-ll sought after producers in the buiz~ How you managed to get this far without me really is a test-a-ment to how good your strings sang, but trust me In-u-art, I'm gonna send you to the -"

"That's...Quite enough. I already called the bank, and I'm waiting for their confirmation; why did you call?"

There was a pause, and Inuart could hear a shuffling of papers on the other end, before his newfound producer happily rang back, "Oh that's right, babe - my old secretary's outta town for the next couple days, and I've been runnin' round like a chicken with my head cut off; especially with date. DATES BABE- when were we planning to start that revival tour of yours again? I got something written down, but it's all chicken scratch. I gotta make some calls, you know - this guy who knows that guy who knows the PR guy, who knows-"

"I GET IT. Just...give me a moment-"

Inuart moved the phone away from his face and began to hit a couple buttons on the phone's surface, biting back an annoyed curse when he realized he opened the photo app instead of the calendar like he wanted to. However, the image that appeared gave the bard pause, as it was one he hadn't looked at in quite some time.

It was a group selfie, it's date showing it was back when Inuart and his compatriots were hiding out at Maximilian's house. From the viewpoint of the image, Inuart was the picture taker, Wesker flanking his right, Cortex on left due to his height, Doom and Bison behind him, with Max and Mizune barely filling the edges of the frame (and looking reasonably annoyed by it). A smile flitted across his face as he looked at the old photo, and flicked the display to the next, Scaramouche beginning to prattle on about some thing or another while Inuart "looked for the date".

Oh yes...There was the infamous "Toaster War" from before Bison made his bid for the presidency, detailed by a picture of him going blue in the face as he was strangled by a power cord. Cortex managed to save him and the toaster was defeated but not before he manage to swipe the Bard's phone.

Speaking of, the one right after that was part of an album Cortex had made when he tried to grow a woman in Max's basement using nothing but secondhand needles, toxic waste and plant seeds.
He could still remember the words he kept repeating as he stood there over a bubbling bathtub like some kind of witch at a cauldron: "Science isn't about why, it's about why not?!"
Inuart smirked, not only at the fact he was nonsensical enough to try such a thing but by the fact it worked.

And after that, it was a duo shot of himself and Wesker, from the first week of his recovery from alcoholism. The Former Black Mesa Administrator was beaming with pride as he head up his 1 week AA medal up in one hand and a Fanta in the other; Inuart following suit by holding up a bottle of water in the same manner.

However, the more that he looked at the photo, the contrast between the then and the now was more readily apparent to Inuart. His house was full of luxuries and creature comforts; a stocked fridge, comfortable furniture, air conditioning - but it was devoid of what he desired most. The joy the photo brought a moment ago quickly turned heavy, and sunk into his stomach like a stone. He felt strange, his throat suddenly going dry and something in his chest tightened as he mashed the button to close the application, suddenly no longer able to gaze upon it. Placing the phone back to his ear, Inuart quickly rambled "I'm having trouble finding it, I'll text you later" before ending the call abruptly and tossing the phone to a nearby chair. Curling in on himself, Inuart pulled his legs to his chest and rested his head on his knees, unable to properly comprehend what he was feeling or why he had tossed his phone like that. However, as the phone began to ring again, Inuart ignored it, his thoughts fixating on one thought:

"What am I doing here?"

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Maiden's Wish | Unknown Location
" For some, lack of satisfaction is the same at the end of a fight as it is at the end of sex. It's just more violent."
B.C.​

[hr]

There was a pause after B.C. moved to drive her fist into Vihaan's gut. It was odd how his face wasn't screwed up with the need to puke, or how it didn't feel like her hit actually made contact with the boy's belly. A moment stretched to two as both opponents glared daggers at one another. Vihaan finally broke the silence.

"I concede. You win."

The Convict gaped at him as he released the hand that she only dully realized he had caught. That was it? That was her victory. She wasn't done! She wasn't nearly done with trying to beat that arrogant little boy's face in till it was a bloody pulp!

So as he glared at the giant, floating gemstone, B.C. was glaring at him, and fuming. What was worse was that the Gem simply accepted it. At that moment, she imagined that she felt something similar to what some guys felt when they were cockblocked.

"And the duel is completed. Begone, troublemaker."

"What? No! I'm not finished! This fight isn't done 'till one'a us is cryin' on the floor in a puddle of their own piss!" she cried out angrily. Her normally sultry voice was beginning to have a higher-pitch to it, along with a rather noticeable accent.

But neither of them paid her any mind. It was as if she was simply the third wheel to the real conflict in the room. And that pissed her off. There was palpable tension as he strode across the room to where she realized a lift had opened up, and as he ran a hand through his hair he gave some parting words to the gem.

"Still, I struggle to understand your warped sense of justice, White Rose. It is as self-serving as it is difficult to understand. You are rid of me for now, attacking me under pretenses of enforcing the rules of a duel, your actions are absurd."

And with that, the elevator doors closed behind him, and she was alone. With a presumably sentient gemstone. That appointed her as it's "champion". After pulling her through space and possibly even time, from the middle of shopping. She watched as said gemstone floated towards her. Once it was overhead, it shone a soft light over her, and she immediately felt all her aches and pains fading away. Her halter top was even repaired.

Forcing down her frustration, she cleared her throat. When she spoke this time, her voice sounded smoky and sultry again, albeit with an undercurrent of tension.

"So, do you mind if I ask what the fuck is going on? You drop me here without so much as a 'Please' or 'Thank you', have me fight this asshole little kid... For what? What exactly do you want from me, and what do I get for my trouble?" she asked, before adding, "And where's the rest of my shit? My guns, grenades, you know, the things I had on me before I got here?"

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[[Main Scenario]]​

[hr]

Glimmer of Hope

titania's story

​

[hr]

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light."​

The gem pulsed as Mio's hand wrapped around it and threw her off. The light had been hot, as if gripping burning iron. The glimmering increased and azure light bloomed from the gem. Mitte fell to the floor, unable to carry the weight of her own body anymore.

The Gem of Want looked down at B.C. and suddenly she felt strange. It was a crushing feeling, almost as if the entire weight of the world was falling down on her shoulders. She was compelled to stand, to fight the force, but it came in torrents, unstoppable, unbreakable, a waterfall of emotive sorrow. It was a feeling foreign to B.C. but definitely recognizable.

It was regret.

Yona fought her way onto her feet, fighting the overwhelming gravity wrought by her connection to her Gem of Want. She brandished her spear, driving the holy point into the ground and gritting her teeth. The light pulsed from across the base, shining from all of Yona's soldiers. Those who were under Nahar's command scrambled to help their female allies. Yet, they each recoiled at the touch of the azure light.

[HEADING=2]"Hear me."[/HEADING]​

The White Rose's voice boomed across the hanger. It echoed from the depths of each of the gem shards scattered throughout Cloudtop Citadel. Titania rushed for ward and wove dancing streams of crimson mana around Rugal, Yona, and Nadalia. The wisps of red light rose from the floor, the stone, and met each other in cascading loops and flourishes. They leaned and bent like growing sapling until a garden of gleaming red vines encircled the people around her. Titania grimaced when the azure light grew and the world around them fell. Machinery shook and stone crumbled from the chiseled face of the hanger walls. The Rising Dawn itself bowed under the sudden pressure and stretched the harness that held it in place at the dry dock. Chairs broke under the sudden pressure, glass cracked and shattered. The forge's embers suddenly grew dark and the air fell cold with the specter of death.

"No!" Yona said through grit teeth, "You listen to me you prissy little *****!"

[HEADING=2]"Trespasser."[/HEADING]​

The gravity around the base doubled again and the change in momentum crumpled cars and tractors. Titania flourished her hand and summoned more streams of magic to hold up the weight of the mountain's collapsing leylines. "Deborah!" she screamed. Deborah swept in next to Titania with her grimoire open, her hands were out and she chanted quickly spells of strength to reinforce each of the waning vines.

[HEADING=2]"I am the knight known as Balance."[/HEADING]​

Vihaan looked at the gem from his vantage in the containment bay. A deep green sheen covered him and everyone else in the room with him. The strength of his enchantments kept the waves of collapsing mana away from him and his charges. He frowned as a retainer dabbed the blood from his nose. "With how much mana she's trying to bring down, I would think she's trying to kill a God." He shook his head. It was like she was trying to kill everyone in the base. But that was impossible, her sense of justice wouldn't allow for it. She even held back when he was about to land the fatal blow on the stupid knight himself. Vihaan looked up, his eyes adjusting to see the bending leylines above and below him. It was like the mountain itself was dying.

[HEADING=2]"I am the Warden of this World. The shield of it's citizens, and the sword of it's sovereign."[/HEADING]​

"What the fuck is your problem!?" Yona wailed, standing up now that the weight of the falling mana was lifted from her shoulders. She swung her spear wildly, "Are you trying to kill us you stupid *****!?" Two of Yona's soldiers fell in and grabbed onto the small Colonel to stop her from swinging her flaming spear.

"Colonel! Control yourself!"

Titania glared at Rugal, "Are you just going to stand there and gawk!? Go get people before they get hurt!"

[HEADING=2]"You have desecrated hallow ground."[/HEADING]​

Luke grimaced and excused himself from the bar as the Rising Dawn shuddered under the pressure around them. As he bowed out of the Canteen, the imps rushed to calm it's patrons. With the groaning of the steel around them and the shrill shriek of bending glass, many grew uneasy in the "earthquake." Luke looked up and saw the leylines above him bending under some anonymous pressure [color=eca222]"I don't like the looks of this, Boss. Not one bit."[/color] He clapped his hands together and let providence manifest. Golden light opened itself above and below the Rising Dawn and diverted the torrential flow of mana from above. Luke leaned against the wall and looked on coolly, wishing silently under his breath for the phenomena to pass swiftly.

[HEADING=2]"You will be dealt justice."[/HEADING]​

Laeta grabbed both Cadolbolg and Ton Ton and held them close to her breast as the shaking stopped. Laeta put her head against David's chest and screamed, "Everything is going to be okay! Everything is going to be okay!" She was shaking more than the ship, and tears streaming down from her face. David looked up as if forsaken. Cursing the world and his own misfortune. "Stay calm!"

[HEADING=2]"So by the power given unto me,"[/HEADING]​

Rhodes rushed down the halls toward the medical bay, her feet barely touched the ground before she launched herself forward. The world around her looked like it was ending. Her eyes darted back and forth as her Angels struggled to keep up with the Major's flying pace. She landed in front of the medical bay and blew the doors off their hinges with as single blow before stabilizing the room by invoking the same golden providence that held off the full brunt of the collapsing leyline. "Saren! Saren are you safe!?"

Saren was shivering in her cot, a nurse was gently tending to her with a dish of water. "She's got a fever ma'am. A terrible one."[/color]

Rhodes strode forward, holding the holy providence across the entire medical bay and put a gentle hand on her daughter. "If God is good, this will pass quickly."

[HEADING=2]"by my father, and his charges,"[/HEADING]​

Nina struggled to make sense of the world around her. Shifting images of landscapes and phantoms ebbed in and out of her vision. It was as if a thousand worlds were trying to collapse into this one. Phillip bristled and held onto himself and hit hat tightly. The mana around them bent as it clashed against his own eldritch presence. He recognized this sudden rushing existence. It was the same as mere minutes before. His body kept the forces from destroying his confused human companion as the lights and images grew in thundering intensity.

[HEADING=2]"I will banish you!"[/HEADING]​

Solomon stood up and held his hands up. Naamah was shocked beyond shocked. She had never seen Solomon exert himself before. But now the sovereign king seemed to be stressed under the pressure of what he was fighting. Beads of sweat appeared on his furrowed brow as the pieces of the void that made up his crown danced behind him with increasing fervor.

"Solomon, what wrong is!?" Naamah cried as she huddled under Solomon's dominating figure. The shimmering world around them crumbled.

Something massive is trying to get into the world. Solomon answered. He struggled as cracks in reality appeared in the distant space where the rest of the collective scrambled to bring data to Naamah to store in her sepulcher. Something foreign, absurd in both scale and strength. It is a being like the first of firsts. Of our father who crafted this world.

B.C. looked up, uncomfortable by the rising pressure, but not crushed to the floor. The gem directly above her was shaking as if being attacked. The lattice lit up brilliantly with azure light, striking out through the containment bay and into the depths of the base.

The gem above her cracked as a black force flashed across the surface of the gem. Thick streams of liquid gold erupted from the ruptures in the lattice structure. The Gem dipped in the air as liquid light pooled at B.C.'s feet. The azure glow started to fade. But then, it rallied, swinging back up into the air as the cracks grew. It was hemorrhaging the liquid light as it struggled to summon more magic.

"I'm sorry," it said softly, "I do not think I can do that for you, B.C. Though I do thank you for fighting for me. And being my champion."

With what mana was left in the faltering stone, Balance wove a spell infinitely complex in nature. With it's energy waning and the life draining from it's body the dark presence struck again, fast and hard. But this time, Balance caught the blow, and the with the intricate weave of her spell bound the dark presence to herself.

Vihaan didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. It was so perfectly orchestrated. The White Rose's signature spell, as her last word.

Her namesake.

Balance.

In the instant before her death, the dark presence vanished, relieving the terrible pressure from all of those in the Citadel. "Like a chord snapping back after it's been stretched to it's limit. He's been launched back into the place between worlds," Vihaan mused. "It is a shame we lost our leading lady to witness such an act of glorious heroism. Go, retrieve the stone. Bring me the woman too."

Titania collapsed as soon as the presence evaporated. The shaking stopped, the gravity returned to normal, and the shields all over the Citadel, from within the Rising Dawn to the enchantments keeping Mio sheltered near the secured floors, vanished all at once. There was a tired sense of distress that hung in the atmosphere, as if a great natural disaster had just passed.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Rising Dawn: Lower Levels: David West, Ton Ton, Cadolbolg, Laeta

David spent another solid minute trying to catch his breath after his mind screwn, pausing only to knock back the rest of his drink and fling the bottle at the wall.
"Laeta...Do me a favor...Shut. Up." The Sniper bluntly said as he managed to get back on his feet, shoving away her attempts to help.
"Ohhhh, shit, shit, fuck, FUCCCCCCCK!" He then cursed himself for being so stupid to allow this to happen, realizing the company he had only after he had dropped the f-bomb.
"...Okay...So basically...I might have-...made a bit of a mistake and...well-"
The entire ship began to rock violently as the words of the Knight Balance began to radiate though the halls.
Picking himself back up, David cursed himself some more as he realized that stupid USB might have awakened some Lovecraftian Horror or-...okay, he had no idea what it did but it went without saying that this was certainly not a good turn of events.
"...Okay, I'll explain what I fucked up later, We need to find this guy called Vihaan right now. He's a admiral here. He's the one who tricked me into causing this latest bound of bullshit. We find him, we find out what he got me to do and then I make him eat this own nutsack!" He then proclaimed, not even taking time to wipe the tears from his eyes before he pulled out his weapon and began to set off down the halls.

Rising Dawn: Bridge: Strider Hiryu, Diana Black

The letter detailed a contract of sorts, the type that a private merc would get but...a bit more "Honorable" then that description entails.
There was a fair bit of fine print but the majority of it boiled down to following orders to the letter
"If it comforts you, most of our targets only see us in their final moments. Otherwise, you will never know that we are watching you every move. My student has informed me of your abilities, of your powers. Shapeshifting, Psionics, those talents alone could be of great use to the people of this world. The Striders main objective is to maintain order in this world, to counteract efforts by those who would rather see the people of this world suffer. This takes many forms: Counter intelligence, assassination, sabotage. Despite what some believe, there is more to this world then this airship. And we take it upon ourselves to keep it-"
His little speech was interrupted by the sudden rapture taking place within the main base, causing the ship to suddenly shake.
"...It would appear that fate wishes to test you." He calmly said before getting up from his chair.
"And to answer your question, You will be handsomely paid for your efforts. But before I shall permit you to enter, I must observe your talents. For now, I feel getting to the bottom of whatever strange events are going on here would be a good test of your skills...wouldn't you agree?..."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

Had some help from this here fella.

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Maiden's Wish | Unknown Location
"The convict without sin."
B.C.​

[hr]

As the Convict half-glared up at the floating Gem of Want, she could definitely feel it's gaze on her. Back in her world, there were species that didn't see with eyes like hers, but she could still tell when they looked at her. Usually because of the unsettling tingle it sent up her spine. But silence stretched out between the two of them until B.C. finally opened her mouth to speak again.

That was when she felt an oppressive weight try to crush her underneath. It was like being swept under a tidal wave of every negative emotion she could think of, culminating in regret. It was odd, because she never felt regret before. Her legs threatened to buckle. She found herself clenching her teeth. But she refused to so much as take a knee under whatever force wanted to pin her to the floor, because she bowed for no-one. It was simply a matter of principle.

"The fuck... Is this shlorbagh-shit?" she ground out through her teeth, forcing herself to look upward against the force pushing down on her.

[HEADING=2]"Hear me. Trespasser."[/HEADING]​

Sweat began to bead on her forehead and the back of her neck as she struggled to keep upright, calling out, "Trespasser? You... Invited... Me!"

[HEADING=2]"I am the knight known as Balance. I am the Warden of this World. The shield of it's citizens, and the sword of it's sovereign. You have desecrated hallow ground."[/HEADING]​

Desecrating holy ground? The Convict's lips subconsciously curved upward even as she strained against the weight. She'd done far worse things than desecrating holy ground, so she was getting the distinct impression that it wasn't her the gem was talking about.

[HEADING=2]"You will be dealt justice. So by the power given unto me, by my father, and his charges, I will banish you!"[/HEADING]​

The gemstone began to tremble much like she was, as if it was trying to weather a similar onslaught of power. Bolts of blue electricity shot out from it, throughout the circular room and beyond. And as it did so, a second voice rang out. One that made the Convict's blood run just a little colder.

There was an ear-splitting crack as black, jagged fissures formed in the Gem of Want. And from each fissure, it began to "bleed" a liquid gold, forcing B.C. to take a few shaky backward steps. The glow around the gem began to fade. No longer firmly suspended in the air, it began to falter. And it quietly spoke to her, and only her.

"I'm sorry, I do not think I can do that for you, B.C. Though I do thank you for fighting for me. And being my champion."

There was a arc of dark electricity that spread across the Gem of Want's surface before a flash of blue seemed to drown it out, filling the entire room and nearly blinding her. Then there was a crash as the Gem fell to the floor. As it did, some of the liquid gold it had "bled" splattered across B.C.'s front and face.

At that moment, the oppressive, sorrowful weight was gone. More than that, she felt oddly... Light. She breathed easier, her mind was clear, and even with the rivulets of sweat that poured down her face, neck and arms from the exertion a moment ago, her body didn't ache in the least. It felt like she was clean in the purest sense of the word, or maybe the word was blameless.

The expression on her face was thoughtful as she frowned at the gem, and she reached up to wipe away the liquid gold on her cheek. Whatever that stuff was, it certainly wasn't hurting her, so maybe it was worth some experimentation... But she shook her head before turning to walk over to where she had tossed her jacket earlier. No, now wasn't the time for that, and even she had some standards.

Once B.C. shrugged into the hot-pink jacket, she spared one last glance at the broken stone as it lay in it's own, shining blood. Whatever it did before it... Died? Went inert? Whatever it did was important. She just wished she knew what it was. Then she looked down at her "blood"-spattered halter-top and grimaced.

"Ah, that's gonna stain, isn't it?" she grumbled.