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

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

The world was an anarchic mess. Airplanes soared high in the air held aloft by disembodied hands. Ash fell down like snow over the looming bodies of giant horses carting mountain ranges in the distance. The very color of the world was red and black, twisted into facsimiles of other colors.

Immediately, Rugal felt his darker half empowered. This was the element of selfishness, it gave strength to wanton desire, to hatred and envy. This was truly a world constructed to nurture the evil in humanity.

Livia and Julia danced against a sweeping shadow off in the distance above a grove of wailing trees. Ice and snow ripped into the creature's sinewy hide like steel. Even while assaulting the Familiar with her frozen fury, she swept away the smaller creatures that assaulted her and Julia with her other hand, casting wave after wave of consuming snow at the shadow beasts.

Livia danced against the rippling tendrils of the Familiar, her daggers glowed bright in the darkness as they tore into the flesh of the creature, strike after strike like the fangs of a snake riled into fervor. But the Familiar did not falter against the onslaught of the two magical girls. It's massive phallus-like body rippled with energy and sent trees and earth flying into the air. It's black tendrils reached out like the rays of a dark sun striking friend and foe with equal disdain.

Julia whipped her snow into a mound near Rugal as the two girls smashed into the ground. The snow exploded everywhere as it absorbed the impact of their bodies. Some got on Rugal's tuxedo. It was light and fluffy like cotton, cold, but quite unlike any real snow that he had ever experienced.

"Son of a *****!" Livia swore as she popped out of the snow that covered her.

Julia sat up next coughing, "Language! You're part of a senatorial family too you know!"

Livia grimaced, "Sad to say, I don't think this monster cares. It's existence is an affront to human existence." Livia threw out her chain daggers and cut apart two smaller creatures that had tried to flank them from behind. Her soul gem glimmered as it absorbed their essence.

"So if brute force isn't working, what's our plan?" Julia asked as she stood up. Now that she was close, Rugal could see that her costume was damaged. Much of the airy fabric she had on was eaten away by a thick black slime. Angry red rashes marked where it had made contact with her skin.

"Kill it harder?" Livia answered. She brandished her daggers. "There isn't too much more to it than that."

"Are you for real?" Julia said, exasperated, "There has to be an easier way to do this!"

Livia glanced at Julia, "Suit yourself, but strength is in my blood. I am the result of a thousand years of unbroken magical lineage!" She vanished, moving so fast toward the familiar that the wind from her charge tore the earth beneath her asunder.

"LIVIA!"

It was over in an instant. The earth below the Familiar exploded and a thick black tendril twisted around the forest. Livia's body shot out of the dust cloud like a missile, streaming high into the sky. The Familiar reared it's head and growled. The sky above turned red, shimmering with a tessellation of interlocked hexagons. Bombs started to fall from the clouds like rain. They detonated against the rotten earth, throwing pieces of wood and stone into the sky like shrapnel and coating the battlefield with a thick cloud of dust. Julia wove a crystal lattice to catch Livia's body before it hit the ground.

"You idiot! Are you okay?"

Livia groaned. A large gash ran from her hip across her chest to her right shoulder. The angry swelling at the joint told Rugal that it was probably dislocated if not shattered. "I've been better."

"Like hell! We're getting you out of the Labyrinth right now! This is way too strong to just be some Familiar, it has to be a Witch!"

"No," Livia shook her head gingerly. "If you leave this thing here, it will devour half of Pompeii by morning."

The Familiar swung it's tendrils against the ground in blind fury. It roared again, shaking the world around them.

"Rugal! We need to leave now! Take Livia and run while I distract it!"

"No!" Livia snarled, "No more people die on my watch! We're going to kill that thing!" She staggered to her feet, right arm hanging uselessly to her side. She slid both daggers into her left hand and held them paired, like fangs of a viper. "Rugal, you going to stand there and watch, or are you going to help us kill the fuck out of that thing?"

 

[Silence]

The Rising Dawn: Server Farm
Mio​

In the moment of hesitation, Mio looked around, then jumped back. The skeletons were gathering, one of them grabbing something that looked awfully close to a gun (Why there was a shotgun inside a glass for emergencies instead of a fireaxe was anyones guess). This seemed to be the one most dangerous for the time being, the others slowly and clumsily trying to find their own places, admittedly all around her.

She decided to charge at the one with the gun, though taking her time until he was ready to shoot and the other skeleton ready to jump on top of her, then she slid beneath one of the other, confused skeletons legs as the shot went off, hitting the jumper mid-air. Swinging herself upwards, she then just grabbed the gun out the hands of the one confused about shooting one of his own people, swung it around, then pulled the trigger, aiming at the heads of the remaning skeletons, until the magazine was empty.

After dealing with most of them, she walked up to one still 'alive' and whispered: "Here's a secret. There is a skeleton inside me."

[hr]

Spoiler: Anjali

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Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

Before she even really realized what had happened, Anjali was left alone with some vague instructions, still not knowing what purpose all the guild-business served exactly. She tried to imagine Freya in her own clothes, finding it hard to imagine it without Freya being completely embarrassed. She hoped Vil would not take it out too hard on her.

She started walking towards the guild, trying to remember that she needed a silver license thing, as Astarte stirred and she noticed it as well. Something that could be trouble, but also something that might be someone else being in trouble. With the short distance and short time she thought she would take inside the guild, while Freya and Vil were out shopping for clothes for longer, she guessed she could take a small detour and at least find out what was happening, and if someone needed help. Especially since there seemed to be so many different people here, they would possibly not even wonder who she was, as long as she didn't put her type on display.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

The area was a small market square largely populated by smithies. Thick smoke rose high into the air from large furnaces that spat embers and soot out of their gaping mouths. People were clustered around the edges of the square. There was a man standing in the center with a gun pressed up against a struggling woman. The man was wild-eyed and dressed just as badly. His skin was jaundiced and cut up, his being smelled of disease and rot. Yet he was alive, in some capacity at least.

"Somebody bring me wine or else the woman gets it!" he called out at the crowd. "An' if you don't got wine, then bring me coin for wine!"

No one in the crowd moved. They continued to observe carefully, not entirely committed to any action.

The man pulled the woman close and then pointed the gun at her foot and pulled the trigger. An explosion rang out. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream as she fell to the floor wracked in pain. The gun had blow her foot clean off. She screamed and screamed, writhing on the floor. The man put his foot on her back and pointed his gun at her head again. "If ya keep on staring, then I'll blow her brains out next!"

There was some muttering in the crowd and some shuffling, but no one made any real movement.

The man looked around, he seemed confused. "Or how about I fire into ya nubbits directly? Will that get ya to do something?"

The obelisk in the center of the square pulsed blue for a brief moment. As Anjali slipped into the crowd, she heard the citizens talking.

"Should we do something?"

"No, this is best left for the Adventurer's Guild."

"Who the hell does this guy think he is? The King of the Pirates?"

"He might not get here in time... We need to do something before that poor girl bleeds out."

"Idiot's looking for wine in the smithy's quarter... honestly, it boggles the mind."

"I just need to pick up my equipment before the admission examination begins this afternoon... I couldn't care less about what happens to that strumpet."

 

[Silence]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

Anjali winced as she saw the woman bleeding from what had been her foot. This man was clearly out of control and out of his mind. But she knew that she had to help, the woman seemed completely innocent and still heavily injured. She took a few steps forward. "Calm down, pleasse." she said, as softly as was possible with a hollow voice. "This woman did not do anything to you. Let her go."

Astarte stirred, ready to protect Anjali in a moments notice, but Anjali did not feel fear. Still, however, from under her sleeves silvery snakes came out, sneakily, nearly invisible, and going low towards the maniac. She now held her hands up, showing to be unarmed, and took another step forwards. "I think I can get you some coin for wine." Her eyes were darting at the woman, however. It did not look good, and she needed to be treated quickly.

"Someone help her, please!" she called out as her snakes slithered into the mans mind, starting to build pressure onto his mind until he suffered an excruciating headache. Trying to find the right moment, if noone else was helping, she ripped a part off her sleeve, going down to the woman, and wrapped the cloth around the bleeding stump while Astarte knowingly put herself between Anjali and the man.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

[hr]

The mind that the silver snakes coiled around felt... odd. Instead of a panicked blood-rushed soul, the thing inside of this man tasted like iron. It was cold to the touch, almost shockingly. The man jerked backwards and convulsed as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Who is that?"

"An amazon? I thought they were extinct."

"Do you think she's with the Guild?"

"Was that magic? What rank do you think she is? At least Gold-level right?"

The woman clung onto Anjali, tears in her eyes. "Please, I don't want to die." Her voice was hoarse, as if she was trying to choke out her words. Her chest heaved. She was hyperventilating, but she didn't seem too concerned about her foot anymore. Her arms twisted around Anjali's waist. Astarte slammed its body into the woman repeatedly to try and force her to let go.

The man staggered back to his feet and his limbs shot out unnaturally quickly, brandishing his gun with precision. He aimed at Anjali, his eyes wide and wild, but afraid more than anything else.

The woman held onto Anjali even tighter despite Astarte's assault. The woman's eyes were wide and she was trying to speak, but all that came out were a soft choking noise.

The air was thick with killing intent... but it wasn't coming from either than maniac nor the woman holding onto Anjali. It was somewhere in the crowd.

The gun fired. Astarte twisted it's body so the porcelain armor shielded Anjali from the projectile, sending the bullet flying high into the air where it exploded.

"That snake... it moved way too quickly to be a puppet... right?"

For a brief moment the killing intent crystallized. It was a man in the crowd wreathed in white robes. His eyes hidden behind a sheer veil adorned with clear gemstones. Anjali could feel his gaze, his sudden interest.

The maniac reloaded quickly and took aim again, but before he could fire a black obelisk slammed into the ground in front of him, followed by a mountain of a man landing between him and Anjali. He picked up the obelisk from it's impact crater and swung it at the maniac, the sheer force of the stone slab tore his body in half, flinging the top half of the man out toward the pier. His bottom half slid alongside the cobblestone road and crashed into a smithy's wall, breaking through the wooden structure.

The woman suddenly let go and collapsed onto the floor. She sucked in air quickly and deeply, wheezing as she did. The wound on her leg started to bleed in earnest.

"Have no fear, citizens," the man said. His grin broke the mass of red hair that adorned his face. "For I am here."

"It's Garotte himself!"

"A Master-Class adventurer?"

"I commend you Adventurer," he said as he turned to Anjali, "for having the heart and bravery to come to this woman's rescue!" His voice was so deep and loud that it was a little bit overwhelming. "I am Garotte ous Kallenhreis, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Two more people appeared next to Garotte, materializing in blue light out of the obelisk he was holding. They were two women dressed in white-red robes. Anjali knew instinctively that they were healers. The two white mages rushed silently to the woman's side and began to administer triage.

Another man appeared in a flash of blue light out of Garrote's obelisk. He was a tall blonde elf with sharp eyes and a composed figure. He wore long green robes with a gold trim. His hands were covered in clean white gloves and he held onto a ledger in his left hand and a quill in his right. He grimaced at the carnage Garotte had wrought. "What in the world were you thinking."

"He was about to kill this fine woman!" Garotte said, pointing toward Anjali, "I had to do something!"

The elf exhaled sharply, "The peacekeeping division modus operandi is to apprehend, not obliterate. This is the fifth situation we've had this week, and we need more survivors to corroborate their stories." The elf adjusted his glasses before turning to the White Mages. "Once the civilian is healed bring her to the Investigations Corps. I have many things I need to ask her."

He turned to Anjali, "And who is this suspicious figure?"

"An adventurer with a heart full of courage, Ranweiss. Something you wouldn't be able to appreciate."

"Yes, yes, very witty. But who is this adventurer? What is their rank, their company designation, their sponsor? Who has given them license to cast magic in a district under the direct supervision of the East-Bordeau Metals Company?" Ranweiss said. "These are the things that you and your division never think about Garotte. It causes and endless amount of trouble for everyone else involved."

"I have seen with my own eyes their compassion. That is reason enough to earn my respect." Garotte answered. He set his obelisk down and walked over to Anjali. "Satisfy the elf, adventurer, show him your badge and we can be done with all of this formality."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

"...What in the world-???"

"...You never told me we were doing back to North Korea..."

Rugal silently took in the twisted landscape before him, trying to make sense of any of it. A playground of a young god? The ruins of a great battle? Just being here was enough to fill him with un-ease, long before the actual enemy showed up.
"Hey look, Little Kimmy is even trying to murder some hookers!" His dark side snarked as his attention was finally brought to their enemy: A-...massive-...oozing-
"...[sub]Oh you have to be kiddin-[/sub]" He muttered before his migraine flared up again, this time from deafening laughter.
"Ohhhhh my god. How the mighty have fallen. It's just a massive-hehehahahahahaahah! I didn't even mean to make the Kimmy comparison sound like that. But boy am I glad I stuck with it!"

Those taunts did little to weaken his resolve as he quickly landed near where Livia and Julia had landed.
Their crash landing helped snap him out of his little daze, as getting snow to the face tended to do that.
The two chattered for a time before Livia rushed on ahead for a full on assault before a sudden rain of bombs put an end to that.
"It's too well defended to attack head on. We'll need to weaken it before we'll be able to do any damage." He said as he started to undo his suit jacket.
When asked if he was going to "Stand and watch or Help kill that thing", He responded by throwing his jacket at Livia's face, both for modesty and to keep her quiet for a moment.
"Before I do either, you'll want to be still for a moment..."
The next thing she knew, he grabbed her injured arm before "relocating" her shoulder with a single fluid motion (Oh, he knew how much that would have to hurt...).

"Alright. New tactic: It's too strong in it's current state to fight head on, so we'll need to sap it's power by bleeding it out. Those tentacles coming from the main mass, they won't be as well protected. Allow them to make the first strike and for the love of god, don't let it land. Counter attack and inflict as heavy of an injury on each one as you able to safely. All 3 of us doing this at the same time should be enough to keep it's attention divided long enough for the pain to mount. Then we go for the kill. Second either of you need to pull back, let me know so I can cover your escape." He firmly ordered, speaking from experience as he stared down the creature.
*sigh* Hope I don't get any of that corrosive gunk on my outfit...

Without so much as another word, he fired up a large "DARK BARRIER!" around his forearm, large enough to keep him protected from incoming blasts[footnote]While the usual Dark Barrier is about the size of a hand held shield, the CGI KOF Anime showed him making Reinharte-sized barriers while maintaining it's reflective qualities. So assume that's what he has now.[/footnote], before sprinting towards the creature.
Rather then attempt to attack the main mass like his allies did, he purposefully made himself a target of all it's external tentacles, even dropping his barrier to lure one of them into taking a swing.
Rather then try to block it, he leap at the last second once a tendril had committed to it attack.
Landing on it's mass, he then raced along it's surface, dragging a Slashing Aura infused hand across as he did.
The result was a rather deep cut extending along a wide amount of the tentacle's length before he leaped off it and onto another one, keeping the monster distracted as much as he could.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

I once had a younger sister who I looked up to. She was so good at everything. In comparison, nothing I did was of any consequence. Father doted on her, gave her money and power. I never did receive anything from him.

The Familiar recoiled and flailed in terrible agony. Knives flowed from it's wounds, cutting into the ground they landed on and spreading rot as they broke. The Familiar trudged it's main body forward in a stilted rampage, waiting for more of it's combat tendrils to regenerate.

Never good enough. Nothing I do is ever good enough. No matter how much praise I get, it just doesn't compare. I want to be noticed by her.

Julia landed on top of Rugal and pulled him up in the air away from the dust storm that the familiar was whipping up. High above the clouds had began to turn black and the sky had caught fire. "Be careful!" Julia cried, exasperated, "You're just as bad as Livia!"

As the air around them began to heat up, Julia conjured a thick sheet of ice around them to repel it.

Livia had erected an earthen pedestal separated from the spreading rot below and to shelter herself from the raining fire above.

My envy burns like fire. Savage, wild, cruel. Unquenchable.

"Aggravating that monster is all well and good, but this environment isn't going to be hospitable to human life for much longer!" Livia shouted over the roar of the angry winds. Julia brought Rugal down onto the stone pillar and put up another shield around the three.

I will rage against your light, dear sister, until nothing you love remains.

The Familiar roared and thrashed, throwing it's body repeatedly against the ground until the earth began to fissure. Magma started to erupt from below, carried up by broken facsimiles of cut-out doves. The creature limped forward, stretching it's tendrils out toward where the group was standing. The shadowy sinews split into a swarm of twisting images of it's ailing progenitor. It's metal blood continued to pour out in tinkling droves where it had been cut, casting pestilence upon the ground.

"Well, it definitely looks like it's hurt." Julia said. "But what now?"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Rising Dawn: Server Farm
Mio |

Viscus

​

{...}
The skeleton didn't speak per say as he stood there shaking with fear, but the way his jaw just fell off the bottom of his skull said it all before he just flat out *fainted* on the spot.
The skeletons she had bested soon crumbled into the dust, including the one that fainted, as they would return to their dark master and most likely get killed again, this time FOR incompetence rather then because of it.
Now that the invaders were dealt with, she would be able to reactivate the Rising Dawn's computer systems and, more importantly, the security systems.
It wasn't even all that hard to do, the computer would scan her hand before everything soon began to come back to life.

That (Deactivated) killer android she passed on the way in quickly flared back to life, using it's hover jets to quickly upright itself.

[Scanning for hostiles: ....Area Secure.]

Viscus barked before lowering his weapons and returning to the console.

[The one known as King Leoric managed to access a emergency debug shutdown command and input it before I could detect his location. You have my thanks for your assistance, User: Mio.]

He thanked her, albeit his tone of voice made that part sound almost sarcastic.
Manning the console, he unfolded a spike from his wrist before plugging himself in, finishing off the repair job as well as reactivating the ship's camera's.

The situation was a bit dire as dozens of skeletons roamed the hallways like a zombie infestation (Then again, Zombies can't reconstruct themselves nearly as well...)
While he was scanning for Leoric's current location, he did pick up Hilary and David attempting to fight a well armed band in the ship's Armory.

[Users: West, Hilary, Violet and Jenny are attempting to re-secure the ship's weapon supply. I'll have to stay here to safeguard the system. Without it, we'll never be able to locate the enemy. If you have any requests for my services, let me know.]

He said as he resumed his search, seeming somewhat confused that a skeleton as massive as Leoric was that hard to find...

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

This is taking too long and you know it-
Shut. Up.
That's it?..."Shut up"? All I've done for you and this is how you thank me. Bah!...

Attempting to ignore the barbs his other side threw at him, he leap and grabbed Julia's hand before she carried them both to a safe distance.
With his other, he fired a series of Ki blasts to cover their escape before they both landed on that earth pillar.
Taking in the side effects of the creature's wounds, he first noticed the magma starting to seep from the rot as the doves started to air lift it towards him.
"...There! The Magma below. If we keep attacking it, it's wounds will keep destabilizing the entire area. We might be able to use that to drown it in fire. Keep your distance and attack those doves as they fly over it. I'll get their attention. And be ready to evacuate us soon, I doubt this world will last much longer at this right. Cover me!" He quickly ordered before using his own "Dark Barrier!" to shield himself from the heat and fire from the air around him.

You know you are holding back. This could have been over by now. What are you afraid of? Your power? Just give them ol' "Kaiser Phoenix Special". Show those two children playing at hero what real power looks like...
...you're just going to keep ignoring me are you?...Hello?...Hm. :/

Leaping from the pillar and back into the fray, he targeted one of the flying metal doves before bringing his heel right down on it's skull(?).
His Slashing Aura made for a rather brutal (And literal) Ax-Kick before he launched himself off it, causing it to spill it's cargo prematurely. (and right onto one of the wounded tendrils)
Rugal didn't really have the ability to fly but watching him hop from one dove to another would make anyone think otherwise as he closed the distance between him and his opponent.
His goal was to make these minions unwillingly drop their molten payload either upon their master or around it to try and limit it's moments, as well as keeping them focused on him instead of the girls.

While he was airborne, he let himself free fall closer to the monster with his arms outstretched, gathering energy before launching a "KAISER WAVE!" [http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters3/rugal-kaisawave.gif] towards the ground the creature was standing on, attempting to blow a hole wide enough to plunge it into the pooling magma below.
The force of the blast was enough to keep him airborne along enough to land on the head of another dove, taking a moment to appreciate his own skill.
Still life in the old man left... He thought before checking up on his allies, driving his foot clean though the dove's face before he leaped off into the hostile sky again.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

The Familiar sank into the earth, whipping and thrashing as it did. From the heart of the great beast thrummed with sound. It turned toward Rugal and it's head split open to reveal a terrifyingly human face hidden among the mass of glossy flesh.

You too will be devoured by her light.

And then the beast exploded, leaving behind a small black gem where it had been. The world dissolved back into the field of wheat that they had been standing in. The rotting stalks had vanished, turned to ash when the Familiar and it's world died.

Livia collapsed onto the ground and her outfit changed back into her normal tunica. She sighed, relieved and looked up into the starry night sky. Julia landed nearby and changed back as well. Her civilian outfit was a golden dress pinned with no less than four silver eagles.

"It only dropped one grief seed?" Julia said, disappointed. She walked over and picked up the small black gem. It was encased in a silver cage, sealed by two pointed poles.

"With how strong it was, I would have assumed that it had at least four or five souls inside of it." Kyuubey said. He had reappeared some distance away from the group, sitting on top of some rubble.

Julia made a noise and shook her head, "What gives? This was hardly worth having both magical girls here."

"We killed it though. It won't hurt anyone else." Livia said. She lay with her arm over her eyes, panting. The wounds she had suffered had already healed, but the exhaustion seemed to remain. The gem she wore on her broach looked dull.

"That's fine and all, but the point of killing these things is to collect grief seeds, not save people," Julia replied."If I wanted to just save people, I wouldn't have become a magical girl, I'd stay with Third or Second and do whatever it is that they do in the temples."

"Then go hunt the Witch that spawned that monster. If it's familiar was that powerful, then she herself must have quite the grief seed."

Julia rolled her eyes, "Yeah. Let me just convince my dad to loan me his legion. God fucking knows where that idiot man is now. Probably somewhere in Germany looking for the keys to his box."

"You can have the grief seed then, I'm still pretty good on my magic stores."

Julia paused and looked at Livia's gem, then back at her own. She frowned, "I'm not going to refuse that offer, but you don't look exactly like you're in great shape." Then she turned around and pointed at Rugal, "And what's the deal with this guy? He can just shoot sun spears out of his god-forsaken hands. I've never heard of a deity like that."

"Rugal is a member of your species," Kyuubey answered, "he comes from a different timeline and as such possesses traits that would otherwise be impossible in this world."

"Eh? Is that so?" Julia turned around, "Well don't be a stranger Livia, introduce us. After all, any friend of yours is a friend of mine, right?"

"I don't actually know him that well, you can fuck him for all I care." Livia sat up. "It's so late and I have the be in Rome tomorrow. I hate how difficult my life is."

"Such is the fate of those with immense karmic destinies." Kyuubey swung its tail to the other end. "To live and die as magical girls, all for the sake of their one wish."

"Ah, enough with that Kyuubey, just let me have a quiet after-fight nap for once."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

Upon the creature's death, Rugal soon found himself back in the "Real" world with barely a scratch on him despite the battle he was just in.
"And that's how we do it where I come from..." He lightly bragged before picking up his jacket off Livia and putting it back on while she and Julia conversed.
He seemed a bit puzzled by the whole "Grief Seed" thing, glancing at it a few times as the two girls discussed what to do with it.
When the topic turned to him, he was rather put off by Livia's attitude, chiming in "Nice way to talk about the man who's saved your skin twice now..."
...is that a thing Julia is known for? Might want to get in on that-
With an audible grunt, he rubbed the side of his head in pain before finally introducing himself.

"The path of the heroic is not often paved with gold. If that's all you're after, you're in the wrong line of work. As for my "Deal", My name is Rugal Bernstein of the Rising Dawn. And it's not "Sun Spears", it's Ki Energy my body generates and I then harness into my attacks and techniques. It's somewhat like your own magic energy, but based off my own power rather then mana or what-have-you." He quickly explained, giving another demonstration of his abilities as he fired up his Slashing Aura.
"And before you get any ideas, I'm a family man with someone waiting for me back home. And being honest? I prefer her better..."
NONON-Gah! Freaking Cockblock...

Gritting his teeth slightly, the eldest of the group then asked "Now, sorry to pry but you mentioned your father looking for "The keys to his box". I'm searching for a man who fits that description in Rome. My understanding is that the power contained in Livia's blades are the key and he was quoted as saying he believed the contents of that box would cure his sick daughter. On top of that, he too was a member of the Aurelius Family. So if you ask me: I think we have much to discuss you and I, Julia..."
Crossing his arms as he leaned against the wheat-field fence, he added "Is your father the man I seek? I'm travelling to Rome to find him as I believe that he might hold the key to returning me to my homeland. Considering my role in slaying the beast and stopping the both of you from ending up like damsels in a terrible erotica, an answer seems like the least you can do..."
Ohhhhhh, come on, you're really going for the passive aggressive approach? You saw them back there, you could just pry the answers out of them with 1 arm tied behind your back and both legs broken! Look at this smug *****...Wonder how long it'll take for her to realize what path truly pays out the most...
Despite his efforts to hide it, there were some growing visual signs that there was something up with him as he nursed his head again...

 

[Zepherus14]

The Rising Dawn: Armoury [https://orig00.deviantart.net/1cc6/f/2012/168/d/1/contact___armory_by_shimmering_sword-d53uu2p.jpg]
Hillary the Slime | David West | Jenny | Violet​

Perhaps David was still so hopped up on pain killers his mind was playing tricks on him, overcompensating for what was really happening in reality. The only real heavy impact was the very first one, to which Hillary would actually recoil at how easily she smashed through them. What proceeded after would best be described as the fastest disarming raid to have ever existed, as Hillary was literally ripping any implement the skeletons had on their person like taking candy from a baby.

Any warrior of merit would be utterly humiliated to have their arms of war removed, to have it bitten through, spat out, and tossed aside was a disgrace, but to be picked up and hurled down the hallway was completely demoralizing. This is the situation the skeletons faced, an unstoppable juggernaut that wouldn't put them out of their misery. Only to prolong their suffering as the group continued."GO AWAY!" Hillary exclaimed with a booming voice, taking in air long enough to get out that simple command as well as swallow the bits of platinum she'd picked up from Violet.

---

"Eek!" Hillary exclaimed as the fancy electric arrows darted towards her, quickly ducking back around wall. "Oh great, they got here first...Hillary, try and draw their fire. I'll aim for golden boy over there." Mr. West would instruct her, while Hillary nodded furiously, the little hamster in her mind working overtime today.

What was she supposed to do, how're you suppose to distract thingies that just wanted to big meanies!? If she just walked in there the big scary sparky one would shoot her with its fancy arrows. David wouldn't be able to tell where Hillary was looking, mirror like eyes after all, but neither would the skeleton that was attempting to sneak up on the group from around the corner from where they'd came. Wielding a large warhammer, it would attempt to bring it down on Jenny and Violet, only for Hillary to reach out and grab it. Before the skeleton could realize he should probably let go, Hillary pulled the skeleton up and over the group as she reformed her voice box again. "Hillary told you to go away, but now I got an idea! You will help Hillary!" She said as she strolled into the armoury room.

Try as the skeleton might, it wouldn't be able to break out of Hillary's grasp as she held him up by its forearms. "Waaaah, you will listen to Hillary and stop trying to hurt the nice people of the ship here! Wooooooo~" Hillary shouted, waving the skeletons arms around like a puppet. If the skeleton struggled, Hillary would more than likely break an arm unintentionally, which would cause her to yelp and throw the arm away.

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

Table for Two

Nina's story

​

[hr]

Spoiler

It all happened so fast; the crash to her chest, the agonizing near waxing of her front, and the fall into the suffocating oblivion. Finding herself on the new crystalline floor, Nina coughed and wheezed as she lay there, clutching her aching chest. Her eyes watered as her breasts or lack there of, practically screaming at her. She'd had the misfortune to try a bikini wax once before, she was a bit drunk at the time, and that was probably her one saving grace. She wasn't even a ginger, how did it manage to hurt that much!?

Nina'd plant a hand down on the crystalline floor beneath them, watching as the light pulsed away from her touch. This was different than before, where was she now? That smug posh accent gave her something to focus on, and what that little twerp had to say definitely got Nina's attention. 'I'm going to kill that girl, I'm going to do it!' Nina thought as she watched her scamper off. 'She called me FLAT!'

She'd slowly try to get to her feet, using the bookshelves as a crutch, looking around to try and get her bearings. Best as she could tell Phillip wasn't there, the transition too fast for her to notice when exactly she'd lost him. This had happened before, when they'd first tried to enter the kitchen, but where she found herself now was utterly new. Her best guess was something to do with Ensay, but she couldn't still be on the train, this was way too big!

The fact remained, she needed to catch that little harlot and by god she was gonna do it! Her focus was largely set on Mini Miriam, but as she began to chase after her she'd notice the discarded books. She wouldn't have the time to stop to look at them however, not now, if Miriam got away she might be stuck here. "STOP RIGHT THERE YOU LITTLE TWERP!!" She would exclaim, grabbing hold of Miriam's shoulder.

"You- gasp are going- huff to tell me- wheeze what I want to know!" She demanded, glaring daggers into that pint sized terror. "Where did you bring me, why is there multiple of you running around the train, what the hell is going on?! There's weird red stuff outside the train, you randomly appeared and apparently know what's going on, and wanted to go find someone?"

Bzzzzt!

"What now?" She groaned, using her free hand to look at her phone briefly to see she was out of service, which was weird since... she shouldn't have any service anyways. Her service provider was back on her Earth after all, several iterations away from where she was now. As she waited for Miriam's reply, and pondered what the no service meant in the big picture, she'd also notice one more of the many books scattered across the floor. She hadn't examined any of them in her haste, but the brain was an interesting organ, able to pick up on patterns that you might not personally realize at a first glance. She may not have realized it yet, but some of those pictures were appearing a lot more familiar than she first thought.

[hr]

Phillip meanwhile was rather stunned by this turn of events, one moment he was on Nina's shoulders and the next he was on the floor with no Nina. More shocking was that there was an entire floor underneath them and that he hadn't noticed this little tidbit until just now!? But Nina was down there, and although she didn't move for the first few moments, she was eventually up and moving. She'd managed to survive this void that even Phillip didn't dare cross. "This is normal here?" He commented, sounding an odd mix of perturbed and uninterested. "How many more layers are there in this train? Is it just these two or more?"

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

"Oh no. What have you done." Kyuubey said. "This is bad Rugal, this is really bad."

Before Rugal could even process the words that Kyuubey had said, there was a blinding flash of light. He couldn't see anything, but he smelled blood in the air. Julia had transformed again and taken off as fast as she could. Livia was on the ground, grasping at a spear of ice sticking out of her exposed midriff. Blood ran in thick streams down her skin and pooled on the ground. Her hands were bleeding, cut by the crystalline spikes on the spear.

"That whore!" Livia screamed, blood streaming out of her mouth. Her brow was contorted in rage. "That traitorous cocksleeve, fuck, damn, shit!" Livia sat up with exertion, her muscles twisted and lurched, breaking the spear free from the earth. Then she pulled it out of her. Blood gushed from the wound in thick strands, pooling on the floor below as she stood up. The gem in her hair glowed brightly as her belly stitched itself back together.

Kyuubey landed in front of Livia. "At the very least she did not intend to kill you."

"Not kill me my ass!" Livia roared, staggered, and then collapsed to a knee. "That spear was bigger than a scorpion missile!"

"Ribbed to cause pain, big to slow you down, but not aimed to kill you." Kyuubey replied. "Nonetheless, I believe that this is an unfortunate situation. It looks like that she has made off with your knives Livia."

"Kyuubey, you're my friend, but you infuriate me sometimes."

"You are the one that is acting irrationally, Livia. Now would be the time to try and minimize the damage that this could cause." Kyuubey turned around and sat down. It started at Rugal with unblinking eyes, "It is amazing that you would make such brazen mention of such a thing. Do you really have such unwavering faith in the goodness of humanity?"

Spoiler: Nina

[hr]

Table for Two

nina's story

​

[hr]

A black crescent gently fell between Miriam and Nina. A big yellow eye looked at her curiously from the base of a massive scythe head. "I would prefer it if you didn't harass my small friend." From beneath the large brim of a straw hat laced with small golden bells came the deep resonating female voice. The woman turned away from a book to face Nina. Underneath the hat and hidden away by a black cloak was an unbelievably handsome woman. She had thin slanted brown eyes and a gently sloped nose, high cheeks and a strong jawline. Although she was only a few inches taller than Nina, her presence felt huge. The scythe growled.

"Nemesis!" Miriam cried.

"Yes, I'm Nemesis." the woman named Nemesis answered. She smiled, "What do you need White?"

"The world is breaking apart and this crazy lady is chasing me!" The Miriam-called-White continued, tears welling up in her overlarge eyes.

"That is quite the problem you're having," Nemesis answered.

"Help me Nemesis!" White screamed as tears flowed down her face in rivers.

"Help me Nemesis..." Nemesis said with disinterest as she flipped through another book and tossed it to the floor.

"Help me Nemesis pleaaaase-se-eeee-seeeeee!" White had devolved into a sobbing and screaming mess at this point. It was hard to believe that the little girl had at any point been a mysterious and refined waif.

Nemesis pulled her scythe back and touched Miriam on the head. The two women vanished in a burst liquid light and then reappeared two feet away. "There," Nemesis said, "she's not touching you now, all better?"

"NEME-NEME-NEMESISSSSSSSSSSSSS!" White cried as she clung onto the larger woman.

"What is it now?"

"THE WORLD IS BREAKING APART."

"Yes, generally worlds do that when they die."

"NEMESSSSIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSS!" White continued to bawl.

Nemesis resigned herself to a good-natured smiled before picking up White and gently rocking her side to side until she grew quiet. "Is this how the most important person in the universe behaves?"

"No..." White said, regaining some of her composure. Her cheeks were puffy and red from crying, but she tried her best to look put together. "Quite. It's only appropriate for me to always appear infallible."

"Good girl." Nemesis turned to Nina and put her hands on her hips. Her cloak spilled open and underneath she was wearing a familiar insignia. "And I imagine that you have a very good reason to be here young lady. Let me introduce myself. My name is Nemesis and I'm in the middle of a rather personal matter." Her scythe glared at Nina. "Ah, and this is Pox. He's a living weapon. He barks but doesn't ever bite."

Pox's blade bristled with a row of obsidian teeth. Nemesis took a quick look over the books in the shelf next to Nina and then kept going, the clack of her heels sending an ominous echo throughout the crystal chamber.

"Wait! Wait for me. And you still haven't done anything about the red tears!" White said as she hurried after Nemesis.

[hr]

"It's the first floor and then the hidden layer, that should be it." Faea said exasperated. "But like you, we're learning a lot of new things today."

"No," Crown coughed as he sat up. His long gaunt face was flushed red with fever, but he forced himself to face the two conversing eldritch. "We don't know how many there are." He coughed. A goblin handed him a cup of water and the demon drank greedily from the glass. "This train... the Path of Destiny is different from the rest of the fleet. She's old, older than most of the bloodlines of the families here."

"You're kidding me. You're not trying to say..."

Crown smirked, "This is the Inter-dimensional Phantom Train after all! What else could take us pass the end of the Universe!?" Then he fell into a coughing fit. "Sorry... force of habit. The point is, rumors say that this train is as old as the Primals. The floor plan has long since been lost to time. I doubt there's anyone who actually knows the full layout of this thing."

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

Table for Two

Nina's story

​

[hr]

Spoiler

Nemesis' teleport was largely unnecessary, partly because of its incredibly short displacement, but more because Nina would have let go long before that. The sudden appearance of a sentient scythe that was just as large as she was, was more than enough to reconsider her advances, let alone the woman holding said scythe. She hadn't been looking hard, but as she'd chased after Miriam, or White as she was now called, she hadn't noticed any extra pulses to show Nemesis was present.

But as Nina watched the scene play out, it largely felt like a slap to the face. This had been the third or fouth time at this point of her asking what the hell was going on, and largely getting nothing in reply. Like the people unknowingly above her, most had given her little information without having to pull teeth in the process. Even now, with White blubbering like an idiot that the world was unraveling, she couldn't be bothered to answer any questions.

As Nina would watch the two walk off, she'd pause for a moment, considering that if she was actually outside of her service connection within whomever McDipshit was, this might be the only moment she'd be able to tell anyone about her situation. At the same time, if either of these two were McDipshit and this was all a trick, she'd be messing up the possible only chance she had to fix this. This place was important, not just because of its contents, but because it had the same blue dust the Matron had on her body. She'd been here recently, if not moved through here after being murdered. Likewise Nemesis seemed to be the one making a mess in here, for whatever reason that was.

She would eventually reach out to grab the book Nemesis had thrown away, looking it over to see what was in it, and then if nothing of interest showed up, she would close it properly and put it back into the bookshelf where it looked like it'd been removed from.

[hr]

Phillip's tentacles slowly churned as Crown said his piece. "Miriam and her others would likely be our best chance, as would Ensay may know, although the cost is much too steep for Nina to accept. Who else among you would be capable of making the journey through the tear? There is one that has been keeping me from my recipe book." He asked, clearly unimpressed that this information was only now appearing. Perhaps the odd sections he'd crossed to and frow from the kitchen were also layers of the train. The problem of everyone here being heavily exhausted from the Matron's death was acknowledged by Phillip, but largely ignored.

 

[Silence]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise
Anjali's Story​

[hr]

Anjali stood there, slightly overwhelmed by the chaos that ensued in short order. She thought about how to react, standing perfectly still, before she decided on honesty. "Ssorry, but I was just on my way to get one. I had to rescue this woman before though, she would have died otherwise."

She shuffled her feet. "I'm sorry about this mess ? it won't happen again. Thanks for the help, umm, Garrote." She gave him a small undead smile. "I'm Anjali of the Rising Dawn, and this is my puppet, Astarte." She pointed at her snake. "Now that we have saved this woman, can I please continue on my way to the guild?"

[hr]

The Rising Dawn: Server Farm
Mio​

[hr]

"Hey!" Mio said, nonchalantly sniffing the robot that just woke up and spoke to her from her own actions. "It's good that you are taking care of the safety of this ship now. Construct, do you accept me as your new captain?
Also, should you know where the old useless captain is, could you tell me where?" She placed her hand on its shoulder.

"The situation has grown quite dire and I would hate it if anything would happen to this beautiful airship and its treasures. I can take the responsibility the old captain couldn't, as I have enough experience to serve a crew several times over! Anyways, why don't you answer me?" She gave Viscus a broad smile, and winked with her one eye.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

Ohhhh man...Part of me really wishes I had some popcorn for that...

"!?!?!?"
By the time Rugal realized what had happened, Julia was already gone with the blades in tow.
Even when the flash first happened, he dashed toward to grab at something, an arm, a leg, but ended catching nothing as vision returned to him, leaving him grasping at air.
"...No." He grumbled under his breath, not out of despair but rather sheer anger.
That barely of-age brat would pull such a stunt? After he basically handed him victory on a sliver platter? No...That wasn't something you do to Rugal Goddamn Bernstein.
His mind raced considering all the possible outcomes he just spurred into life, most likely Julia was heading to her father right now and would use those blades on that box. And remove possibly his only path home.

Rugal's hope of seeing his family again, taken away by a stupid. Arrogant. Unskilled, unworthy, unlikable *****.
Who the fuck did she think she was? She hadn't even enough experience with her power to be his damn servant, nevermind an enemy.
That she would so willingly throw her life away like that? How stupid did she have to be!?
His rage wasn't at his own mistakes, no, not this time as much as he tried to convince himself otherwise.
He was doing the right thing, he could have grabbed that whore's head and smashed it against the stone under his feet over and over until she begged for the release of death. But no, he just HAD to give her a chance!
Grabbing his head in pain, his migraine reached new heights as his anger took over.
Awww, what's the matter? Get outplayed by a child again? I thought you were wise? I thought you were full of wisdom and shit? No...You had to hold back and look what happened. Ah well...I'm sure Teri won't mind losing another father-
His fists clenched hard enough to turn rock to dust as Kyuubey went on about "unwavering faith in the goodness of humanity".

"....Heh.....hehahaahah-AHAHAH-AHAHAHAHA! [https://youtu.be/zyHBuqHiIpM?t=31s]" He began to laugh somewhat uncontrollably before he began to gather energy from the surrounding area, a unsettling grin upon his face as he did.
No-...NONONONONO-
A shockwave coming from from his form drowned out his laughter, blinding most of the nearby area with a plume of stone and dirt.
When it settled, there was something-...off about Rugal. Everything from the way he carried himself to the energy he gave off seemed completely different.
The most notable was a change in hair color, his vibrant wheat-blonde hair turning into a pure sliver.
"...Beep! Hi, You have reached the automated messaging service of Rugal Bernstein. Please leave a message after the crunch."
Said crunch could be heard when he brought his heel down right on top of Kyuubey's skull, bringing it down with enough force to splatter blood as far as where Livia laid.
"...huh...guess I was right."

"He was doing that because he enjoyed it..."

Spoiler: Here comes a new Challenger!

Because of how different the two personas are, Omega!Rugal could be considered his own character.
He is the personification of all of Rugal's old arrogance in relation to his skill and power. As such, he is far more willing to use styles and techniques the "Good" Rugal wouldn't for reasons like "It uses too much energy" or "It will hurt too many bystanders".
His regard for human life is-...well, he doesn't have any and will gleefully either kill or throw the lives away of anyone but himself in order to achieve his goals. There is a major downside to this form however as it would drain his energy reserves far more quickly then his normal state, so he needs to keep "Topped up" otherwise his control will falter and he'll return to normal. (Think a mana bar constantly depleting while he's in this form).
As such, it's possible to "Starve" him long enough but unlike his normal state, he doesn't mind "Borrowing" energy from others to keep himself going.

Power Remaining: 3 posts.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Nina

[hr]

Table for Two

nina's story

​

[hr]

Erika was fighting with Teresa again today. The more that they bicker the more they start to seem like real sisters. I'm jealous. Not only are they both beautiful, but they're powerful too. I can't even muster the strength to conjure even a small familiar. I spent some time talking to Syl too... but I can't remember what we talked about. As each day fades into the next, I keep feeling like I'm losing more of myself. My memory has gotten spotty, yet at the same time I've started to recognize a lot of things I shouldn't recognize.

Teresa showed me something that she took from Erika's world the other day. It was a sword, beautiful and ornate. The blade made of gold so pure and so vibrant that it looked like solid sunlight. Yet, to some part of me it felt familiar. As if I had seen it somewhere before.

It's name was Murakumo, Teresa had said. The untempered form of a more dangerous tool.

Kusanagi, the God-slaying sword. I had answered without thinking. Teresa was surprised, but so was I. Why would I know such a thing?

A picture of an eastern sword was included. The blade was made of solid gold and the hilt was decorated with a brilliant crimson colored braid.

The next page had a picture of a city in a valley flooded with trees. A giant stone structure was being carved into the side of a cliff face. A clock bore the image of a sword-in-moon.

I visited Vil today. She was in the middle of orchestrating her grand rebuilding. What was it that she was rebuilding though? It looks more like she's tearing apart the land with her magic. She assured me however that it would be an incredibly beautiful place once she was finished.

A home for anyone without a home. A journey for anyone without a purpose.

Those are some big abstract words... I don't think I fully understood what she meant by it. But I have to try my best to be like Vil! She's so strong and beautiful. I wanted to know why she was so strong and competent, but all she told me was that I needed to find my "raison d'etre" or something like that.

I didn't know what that means, so I had to ask Balance about it. Apparently it means "reason to be" in French, which is a tongue from the Origin World.

Raison d'etre. I like how it sounds, it feels like silk... I wonder if there are more things like that from this... France.

France is so cool! The food here is amazing! I've never been so excited to see a place in my life! There are buildings and people and more words that feel like silk. The skies are blue, they're filled with clouds and the land is rolling and green. I can see for miles in each direction!

There's the big black tower made of iron right in the middle of everything and it's so commanding! It reminds me of... it reminds me of... what does it remind me of?

Below is a picture of Miriam and a white-haired girl standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. The white-haired girl is smiling sadly. The picture is signed in golden ink. "Get well soon. Love, Venia."

The next pages are filled with pictures of a ruined and abandoned Paris. At the end of the book is a note scribbled in blue ink.

I don't remember any of this...

[hr]

Crown sighed, "Would that any of us had the gift to traverse that space. That space is deadly even to the strongest of Eldritch. Only Primals are allowed to pierce through that boundary. For as long as I can remember, it's been sealed away by some incomprehensible force."

"I think Reign might be able to." Faea said softly.

"Reign? Him of all people?" Crown said, baffled. "Why would you suspect Reign of having the strength to pierce that space? He's a bastard that hasn't been claimed by any bloodline!"

"I overheard him talking to someone in the kitchen one day... about wanting to go see some place far and away. He called it... 'Paris.' Do you know what such a place would be Mnemosyne?"

Mnemosyne was pensive. Then she answered slowly, "It's a city... on another plane. While it's extremely unlikely that the bloodlines of Anazorzia could spawn a first-generation Planeswalker... it's not impossible. We would have to see if Reign was at all affected by the Matron's passing."

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

anjali's story

​

[hr]

"Truly?" Ranweiss said as he approached. Garrote was a large man, but Ranweiss' slender and tall figure was somehow even more imposing. "While it is true that there are no shortage of strange people moving in and out of Ionei, it is very seldom that someone with equipment this advanced is somehow unaffiliated."

"It is not so unthinkable, Elf. The world is vast and many places have yet to be explored! Clearly our intrepid friend comes from some place far away." Garrote put a hand on Anjali's back. His palm covered nearly half of Anjali's shoulderwidth. "I think we should reward such earnest behavior. Allow me to take her to the Guild while you do whatever it is that you do."

"Investigate?"

"Yes! That is a word that suits you and your people. It's long, complicated, and means far too many things."

Ranweiss scoffed.

Garrote retrieved his obelisk and hoisted it over his shoulder. "Well, I'll be leaving you to your work then Ranweiss."

"So be it. Do not kill any more people on your way back to the Guild." Ranweiss chided.

---​

The Guild hall was so stupidly large that it didn't even seem that big anymore. It just seemed like another city. Beneath the arches and domes carved into the rock face was an extension of the city of Ionei. But there were more people here, stronger people. They were mostly in groups of four or five. By their clothing it was easy to tell that there were all sorts of different types of warriors and sorcerers among the groups.

Garrote brought her to what looked like an administrative building. A long line of would-be adventurers were lined up outside the offices. Some cast strange looks at Anjali, both for her famous companion and the presence of Astarte by her side. Most however, were busy chatting with their parties.

Garrote scooched past the line and put Anjali in front of a mild-mannered receptionist.

"Master Kallenhreis!" she said, surprised.

"A special request from me. See to it that this woman's registration is done without trouble."

"Yes, without delay."

The woman produced several pieces of paper and laid them out before Anjali. They were drafted in a runic script that she could neither read nor recognize, but the woman placed a pen before her and began to read out what each box was. It was a slew of jargon that didn't really apply to her. "Family, homeland, political affiliation, other active guild memberships, delving teams, provisional adventuring records, field experience."

"Just the form for the Silver-class delving license please."

Vil was standing behind Garrote with Freya still riding on his shoulders. He bowed deeply to let Freya off. The young woman had changed out of her leather and cotton work clothes into something that was more warm-weather inclined. Layers of thin sheer fabric fell over her body from a circular clasp around her neck. Beneath the veil she wore a fabric top that crossed her her breast and then tied onto a short silk half-pantaloons.

"We... we're ha sponsas..." Freya said meekly. She produced the sheet that Core had signed before they left Dulce. "As'a part'a tha United Engineerin' Corps a Dulce, we officially sponsa this girl for ha c- cl- class license."

"That accent." Garrote said as he turned to look at Freya. He beamed, "You're from Terenith! It's a long way from the Southshard Basin little girl!"

"I'm not little! I'm twenty four yeahs old."

"More like twenty four years young!" Garrote laughed raucously at his own joke.

The receptionist laughed nervously and produced a much smaller form. "This is the Silver-Class Delving application combat waiver. Just sign on the dotted line and head to Circus B at two in the afternoon."

Garrote poked Freya's cheek. "You remind me of my niece. I haven't seen her in years!"

Freya grabbed his finger with her hand and pushed it away. She cleared her throat and spoke slowly, trying hard to shake the long vowels in her words, "I would appreciate it if you didn't touch me without permission." Vil leaned in, placing his own hand on Garrote's.

"A Soul Tinker are you? That would explain the girl's serpent. It's fine work you've done on her equipment." He leaned in. "But adventuring is a lot more than just the quality of your gear." Then Garrote hoisted his Obelisk over his shoulder and sauntered off deeper into the Guild superstructure.

Freya and Vil approached Anjali. "I hope that there was not anything that troubled you on your journey here?"

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

[Bad End Flag]

The moon hung high over them in the night sky. Stars glimmered in the far off reaches of the darkness and the owls called to each other. Livia was in shock staring at the broken remains of her long-standing friend. "Kyuubey!" she screamed. Livia looked up at Omega and backed up in fear. "A witch. You've been cursed by the witch..."

Her gem glimmered and the armor reappeared over her body.

"This day can't get any worse."

"Why are you mad when all of this is the direct results of your own thoughtless actions, Rugal? Well, in the end I guess I don't care either way. This will be interesting to watch no matter the outcome."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

[hr]

The Rising Dawn: Server Farm
Mio​

[hr]

[...]

If a expressionless face could emote, Viscus would be glaring right at Mio even harder then he usually does.

[The acting captain, User: Rugal Bernstein would have to approve and sign off before you can be designated captain. Forging User Signature now...Processing...]

Before she could even asked what happened, a nearby contract began to print out from one of the nearby terminals.
The contract pertaining to becoming Captain of The Rising Dawn was a massive tomb of legal jargon and technical terms that were unlikely to have existed back in Mio's world.
Thankfully, rather then force her to read all the terms and conditions, Viscus was kind enough to instead give her a "Sign here" page before adding

[In order for this provisional contract to be legally binding, I must recite the remaining 234235 pages of the contract to you-]

Viscus then began to speak so quickly that Mio couldn't make sense of it, right before finishing with

[-Recital complete. User: Mio has been legally cleared to become captain. All captain protocols unlocked. Request my presence at any of the terminals on the ship and I will assist. Now, return to your mission of securing the vessel while it's still intact. I will keep this room secure.]

He then got back to his vigil, keeping his sights trained at the door into the Server farm while the computer began to run both auto-repair on the ship as well as scanning for King Leoric's current location.

Meanwhile, on the security screens...

The Rising Dawn: Armoury [https://orig00.deviantart.net/1cc6/f/2012/168/d/1/contact___armory_by_shimmering_sword-d53uu2p.jpg]
Hillary the Slime | David West | Jenny | Violet​

"...Oh you're joking..." David groaned when Hiliary tried to reason with the undead skeletons.
It did work for a moment, least in the sense that they stopped what they were doing as they tried to figure out what SHE was supposed to be doing.
{HEY! PUT ME DOWN YOU HORRIBLE DEMON!} He pleaded, shaking and trying to break from her grasp while his friends reacted accordingly.
{SEE! SEE! I TOLD YOU THEY HAD TRAINED DEMON LAPDOGS!}
{IT HAS KENNETH! JUST HOLD ON FRIEND! WE'LL GET YOU OUT OF THI-}
Johanys (That was the name of "Golden Boy") didn't really care too much as Hillary found her hostage suddenly pelted with arrow bolts in the face before fading into dust in her arms.

{OH MY GOD! HE KILLED KENNY!}
{YOU BASTARD!...Wait, aren't we already dead?}
{WELL-...Yeah...but THAT REALLY HURTS! SO IT'S STILL A JERK MOVE!}

The golden one merely motioned to the others to attack again, least before David nailed him in the skull with his magnum.
Rather then the skull exploding boom he was hoping for, the bullet merely made Johanys stumble a bit, the Former Royal Archer holding his head in pain.
With a roar of anger, a sudden surge of electricity arced from his body, running along the floors, the walls and anyone unlucky enough to be in their way.
His forces retreated to cover, as did David as he muttered "Okay...That's a new one."
Violet was actually helpful as he said "I-I-I-I know this. It's an old demonic enchantment Kazuya tried to have me put on APCs. Every time that one is struck, he'll release a powerful current in all directions. The harder the impact, the greater the reaction."
"Oh great...Alright, how do we beat it then?"
"Oh, that's not the hard part. The reason that project went nowhere was because it didn't increase the durability of any person or object enchanted and caused a massive around of frien-"
"That's not what I asked, Doc!"
"Beat him like you would anyone else! Just be careful, the closer to the subject's destruction, the more intense the reaction! HILLARY! HE'LL LIGHT UP EVERY TIME YOU HIT HIM SO WATCH OUT!" Violet warned before Johanys began to take aim at her again, static flowing off his body while his men started to open fire again, not wanting to end up like poor old Kenny...

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

"Cursed? Hardly! No, I have just been given the freedom I have been denied for so many years. And apologies for your friend. He'll be back the second you give him a chance to. He's rather persistent like that. It is a neat little trick of his, one I might have to inquire about, but onto more pressing matters..."

Omega stood before Livia before giving an arrogant flex and a pose, .
"Allow me to Reintroduce myself. I am known as Rugal Bernstein's "Omega Form". Fighters like us, we strive to find the limits of our mortal forms. Then shatter the holy fucking shit out of them! OH YEAH!!" He explained, quickly doing a few kicks and strikes with enough force, the air itself seemed to reel as fleeting but potent drafts of wind rocked the area with every motion.
"Heh! Everything you know and love about the old model, turned up to 11. I'm faster, stronger and can handle far more Ki energy then that old fool ever could. Oh god, feel that air! That Wind! The stars! Those damn stars, they shine upon us, Livia! Ohhh, I never thought I'd see them again! That my fate would be to languish in the body of a aging man. No longer! LOOK OUT WORLD! THE OMEGA HAS RETURNED BABY! WOOOOOOOOOO!" He laughed as he enjoyed his new found freedom, looking far happier to waltz around a wheat-field then anyone would normally.
He was almost child-like in his glee before he turned his attention back to the magic girl.

"Now that is out of the way, I believe we have a mutual problem. See, as you noticed, my weaker side's big dumb mouth and his inability to keep it shut has cost us a great deal of misfortune. Julia has taken your property and possibly my only way to my homeland. But turn that frown upside down my friend, for I am in control now and believe me, Julia will soon be on her knees before you, begging for you to accept her handwritten apology for her actions today. I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand your fear. "Hey, the crazy old man I've been travelling with just underwent a massive change and he kicked a kitty." But I still recall the warnings your mother made, the visions I witnessed, hell, the battle we just won. I AM Rugal Bernstein, I'm just a bit more..."Me" then him."

Despite everything, Omega kept smiling as he glanced over at Livia in her armored form, waving his hand dismissively.
"Oh put it away, I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to fight for you. You see, Rugal's mission still stands, I don't want to be trapped in this world and away from my family anymore then we does. The only thing that's changed is my power. It's far beyond what it used to be. And you saw how he fought that monster, did you not? All the while, that was him holding back. He was pulling his punches. Refusing to let his true power shine out of some misplaced notion that revealing it would see him shunned. The only difference between us is that unlike him, I don't believe such power is something to be ashamed of, not when used constructively."
Realizing that this might be a hard sell, he snapped his fingers before saying "Tell you what, how about instead of me yammering away, you give me a chance to prove myself to you. Julia is most likely in Rome right now, isn't she? With what belongs to you, your mother. Stolen like a mere loaf of bread. And all because my weaker self let her do it. If you give me this chance-actually, hold on, let's make this official-"

He then got on one knee before Livia, clearing his throat and bowing before her as if she were royalty: "Livia Lucretius Lamia, Executor Prima Etruira. Though both my actions and inaction, you have been wronged. I swear upon my honor, my power, my flesh that until this wrong has been righted, I pledge to you my power, my body and skill as one of your honorable servus. Consider this my sacramentum de jure in accordance with the laws of your people, to serve as an extension of your will and wishes until the harm my weakness has done to you has been righted. I shall honor any request my mind and body can withstand so long as I witness the wrong I've inflicted upon you righted. And lest you believe my actions to be a mere gesture, one of someone...how did you put it, "Cursed by a Witch"? I urge you to look upon me and tell me, where do you find the mark of a man cursed?"

There was no trace of "Foreign" magic upon him, nothing about his form that indicated that any of this was some kind of hex or not of his free will. His power was far greater then at any point in their journey before and his words were genuine: Until those blades were once again hers, Omega would heed any request made of him outside of suicide.
And he was hoping he would take up his offer, there was only so much longer he could maintain control...

Power Remaining: 95% (-5% from passive burn)[footnote]Reworking that "Running out of energy" concept so it's more based off what he does rather then how many posts he's in. Rule of thumb, the more he does in a post, the more energy he loses I.E. He'll lose between 20-40% from the remaining travel to Rome alone.[/footnote]

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

[Good End Flag(?)]

Livia looked at Omega warily, keeping a hand on her hip and another in front of her. "You speak of ill omens, but I cannot reject your offer. Your actions have always been selfish and rash, ill-advised and lacking in proper decorum. Yet, now you speak well and properly, as if having been held to the position of an orator." Livia turned toward the falling moon. Even now, the chill of Julia's magic lingered in the night air.

"I accept your offer," Livia finally said.

Lightning crackled above in an otherwise clear sky and the brilliant azure bolt tore through the heavens and struck a stone that rested between the two warriors. The stone glowed and radiated energy from a brilliant blue rune that had been shocked into its surface.

"And the gods send an omen of your sincerity," Livia said as she picked up the small stone. "A contract upheld by the king of kings himself."

"Do not be mistaken, I do not forgive you for the murder of my dear companion, but I have no choice if I am to recover what is rightfully mine." Livia took off at a sprint toward Rome. Arcs of light burst forth from her feet as she pushed herself, gem glowing brightly as if danced in her bouncing locks.