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

[bluerocker]

Black Mesa - Spawn 1 - Fury's Core: Caim, Zero

As Zero began to walk away, Caim's fury built within the core of his being. Who was this woman? How did she manage to walk by the corpses of his parents, and moreover, procure a replica of the blade meant for him? She knew nothing of the legacy that the sword held, nor it's meaning or the power contained within it. She didn't know how much joy a much younger prince had felt in receiving the gift, and she certainly didn't know that the sword was something much more than just a tool. She did not know, nor did she care what a mockery she had made of him, his parents, or the entirety of Caerleon. Regardless of the circumstance, one thing was abundantly clear in Caim's mind - she needed to pay for her slander.

"...Asherah and Gaap."

"..?"

"Their names were Asherah and Gaap."

Turning towards the Intoner, Caim charged with his father's sword and brought it upwards in an arc, hoping to give Zero a truly nasty sword wound.

Black Mesa - Spawn 3 - Tiberium Research: Teri, Garm, Ton Ton

Once he had revealed himself, a array of floating blue swords began to appear around his head before moving into position around them, ready to strike.
"...State your name..."

[color=0E59E4]"Sweet mother of high school flashbacks..."
"Quiet you."[/color]

Teri looked between her two companions, and signaled over the rings, [color=0E59E4]"This guy is kinda infamous where I'm from. Just follow my lead for right now, and hopefully it'll go alright. If he attacks, go nuts."[/color]

Putting her free hand to her chest, Teri spoke slowly and carefully, hoping that nothing she said would set of the Son of Sparda, [color=0E59E4]"I'm Teri, a Cleric of God; er, something of a priestess if you will. And these two are my friends,"[/color]
She gestured to Ton Ton and Garm, who addressed themselves thus,
[color=15650D]"I'm Ton Ton, a hunter for Daemons. Well, at least the ones that hurt people, that Squiggly lady seemed okay?"[/color]
[color=356D60]"I am Garm, a proud member of the great pack The Rising Dawn, and guardian of Tear-ri."[/color]

After her friends introduced themselves Teri took the lead again and began silently praying to God that this would work, [color=0E59E4]"The three of us are looking for our friends. As you could tell by the wierd lightning, some temporal stuff happened, er, world travelling sort of stuff - and we got separated. We're just trying to find our group again, so we don't want to fight you. So how about this - we team up for a while? I know some magic, and these two are good at fighting on their own. 'You scratch my back, I scratch your's' and so on. So how about it?"[/color]

Back outside on the dam: Angelus, Mikhail, Cadolbolg

Cadolbolg in light of the recent turn of events, had taken to hiding behind his mother's horns, calling out from behind them, "Mother! This dragon is trying to eat me! ...does that make him a cannibal? I'm a dragon too, after all..."

The red dragon gave a snort at the turn of events, and lifted her head towards the skies. With the influx of all manner of beings falling atop their heads, she was afraid that she would not be able to maneuver upwards; even if she was one of the best fliers from her realm (and not to mention all of the babies and other varying hazards that tended to litter the skies in her former home). That said, once Mikhail began to snap towards Cadolbolg (and subsequently hide under her wing), Angelus gave an annoyed growl, "Cease this at once. The little one is my son, and you should give him the respect he deserves....That and it's going to be nigh impossible to maneuver if you remain underneath my wing for the entirety of this storm. Let us proceed forwards.... But to where?"

Another thing that troubled her was the white dragon's personality as a whole. The Michael that she knew was an eager, but somewhat reserved warrior. Like many other dragons, he had at least some sense of propriety and decorum as a dragon rightfully should, this creature was... Different. As she began to walk towards the closest alcove she could find in the canyon bottom, she gave inquiry to the white dragon, "Tell me...What is your name? Do you recall anyone known as 'Red'?"
"Whoever he is, he needs to not bite at me again!"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Black Mesa - Spawn 1 - Fury's Core: Caim, Merlin 'n co.

[HEADING=3]Pre-Set Encounter: Zero: Drakengard 3[/HEADING] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD8PapT7ts8]

Caim's sword cut though the air before it impacted against the edge of Zero's, the woman having brought out her replica to block.
The force of Caim's anger however was enough to knock the false blade out of her equally false hand and right into the behind of the large fire demon (But he didn't seem to notice).
When he attempted to follow up however, it struck against another sword [http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/drakengard/images/c/c7/DOD3_Zero%27s_Blade_Lvl_1.png/revision/latest?cb=20140619192919] she quickly equipped, the two blades pushing against each other as their wielders glared at each other.
"...Suicide a popular pastime where you are from?" She earnestly asked before tackling against the Swordsman, quickly managing to back him towards the lava flow, their blades never once parting.
"I didn't care what they're names were and I really didn't care about who the hell you were. But now?...You've really pissed me off." Zero explained before suddenly side stepping and allowing Caim to stumble forwards as he pushed as hard as he could against nothing.
She then tried to keep this short by attempting to impale him from behind, she wasn't in the mood for this bullshit right now.

Black Mesa - Spawn 3 - Tiberium Research: Teri, Garm, Ton Ton

[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 3: Vergil: Devil May Cry[/HEADING] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Sy6thXuvM]

Vergil merely stared at the motley crew in front of him as he called off his Summoned Swords, not really seeming to respond much outside of when Ton Ton mentioned he was a demon hunter.
"A demon hunter?...You?...Such Foolishness..." He dismissively said as he began to straighten out a crease in his coat, all that was missing was a eye roll.
[color=15650D]"Well sir, from what I gather, the Daemons from my world are very different things than the ones that tend to exist here. They're made of shadows and tend to prey on children. Either way, I have found that more and more kinds exist as I have traveled. Regardless, if they seek harm against innocent people, I will put them down."[/color] The Tonberry answered, something that seemed to get Vergil's attention.
"And you think you can just "Put Down" a Son of Sparda?..." He threateningly asked as he reached for his blade.
[color=15650D]"But why would I want to? I don't see a reason for us fighting, considering we're attempting to make a partnership. Seems a little counterintutive, don't you think?..."[/color]
"Or a clever ruse to hunt your prey..."
[color=0E59E4]"H-hey, there's no need for us to fight each other! We can work something out rig-"[/color]

Before any other action could be taken, He moved quickly into a samurai stance before pulling out Yamato and cutting the air.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment before the half-demon began to rapidly slash at everything in the room, test tubes shattering, furnishings turning to dust, sheer steel being cut, even the remains of his victims got another mulching.
It was like being in a wind tunnel full of knives and when it finally stopped, everything in the room was laid to waste, bar the trio in front of him.
Tension hung in the air as he slowly brought the hilt of his sword back into his sheath, that horrible ringing sound hanging in the air.
For the second time since they meet, Teri heart skipped a beat when she realized she wasn't about to be torn apart, but Garm wasn't so lucky: his fur was now neatly trimmed, something that was slightly overdue.
Also, the entire wall between this lab and the hallway was now a pile of scrap, the NOD forces about to rush into the room and kill everyone in it were now little more the fine slices of meat and cloth.
Without saying a word, The Son of Sparda went to leave the room, but he stopped for a moment before turning back to the group expectantly.

"...Well?...what are you waiting for?" He bluntly asked before leading the way, giving Teri a chance to see what DMC gameplay looked like for real as he lead the way, quickly laying waste to all threats in his path.
[color=0E59E4]..........Just as cool as the games. <3
....maybe a little too close for comfort though.[/color]

Black Mesa - Spawn 6 - Hanger Bay: ARES 35

[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 10: RED Spy/BLU Pryo: Team Fortress 2[/HEADING]

The RED Spy hummed happily to himself as he began pre-flight checks, something that quickly turned to sheer horror when the dead body he had just killed kneecapped him.
"Arrrrggggg, mon dieu!" He cursed as he fell to the ground, bleeding out of both his legs while the Undead Pilot attempted to get the Sapper off of ARES.
"Grrr...I'm Afraid not..." He said as he pulled out his revolver once more before nailing the corpse in the back and legs, using the rest of his clip to keep it from getting ARES back online.
"Awwww...Did I throw a "Wrench" into your pla-..."
He trailed off when he realized that Pryo was now in the VTOL and pointing a flamethrower at him.
"...merde. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Spy screamed as he was burnt alive in a rather horrible fashion, making ARES glad she didn't have smell detection or at least could switch it off as her BLU ally managed to get sweet sweet Revenge!
Turning back to the Android, the Pryo brought up some Strange Sign [http://i.ytimg.com/vi/v0GMU05tSvo/maxresdefault.jpg] before using it to smash the sapper

((Rest of reactions coming soon-ish))

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Back outside on the dam: Ryan, Faith, Angelus, Mikhail, Cadolbolg, Darren, Psycho/Milk

Once they were out of the, for lack of a better term, "Rain", Mikhail seemed a little guilty for scaring Cadolbolg like that.
"Awwww, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to eat you, little guy...My name is Mikhail and I know what Red is! It's this color!" He happily explained as he booped his nose against Angelus's scales, seeming to have missed the point entirely.
"You really don't remember anything? Hmn... Strange."
"...Remember what?" The white dragon asked again, proving the older dragon's point.
"The wars? With myself and the black dragon?"
"Hmmm....No, I don't remember any Wares...Apart from-Oh! Yeah! I remember! I was asking you if you saw Zero. She's this pretty lady that I love. I was flying around with her until the green thingy showed up. You didn't happen to see her did you? Could you help me look for her?" He began to ramble as only a young dragon could, kinda like Cadolbolg actually, only bigger and even more of a child it seemed.

Back with Darren, he looked hard into Ryan's eyes with his own twitching ones before letting go of his fellow Author.
"Believe me, the second I figure how how the hell that works, you will as well..." He grumbled as he looked back out on the Dam and storm outside.
"....God dammit...I really am back here ain't I?....************..." he groaned once more before literally pulling out some of his hair from his head, the closest this man would get to a haircut it seemed.
Turning back to Ryan, he walked back up to him and said "Right, now you are going to tell me what the fuck is going on before I throw you off this damn fucking dam myself!" right before grappling the guy once more with all the strength of vigor of a homeless man and twice the anger.

On a more calmer note, Psycho was grinning in a rather unsettling manner as he talked to Faith, noting how she seemed to be unable to get in touch with her friends and that there was a fair bit of chaos going on, just the kind of place a sweet female like her could go missing in.
"Oh, I ain't go no ball n' chain, Faith. Psycho does what Psycho does, no one to boss me around. You should try it, it's pretty sweet." He explained as he began to move in even closer to the Gardevoir, someone who clearly didn't understand what personal space meant.
"I mean, if you want, I could help you find your friends if you want, maybe I might even stick around if they are half as wonderful as you are..." The ghost said, a brief little ruse to get her to even look at him.
The next thing she knew was-

Look into my eyes, look into the eyes, the eyes, the eyes, not around the eyes, don't look around the eyes, look into my eyes *Finger Click* you're under. When I click my fingers, You are going to drop what you are doing for a few minutes and have a bit of a snooze some place, maybe just sit down here and have a nap. When you wake up, you aren't going to remember me being here and you will not remember us even talking. And my name is just Psycho, I was just calling myself Milk for a flirt. 3, 2, 1. *Finger Click* you're back in the room.

Faith wasn't entirely sure what exactly had happened but as Psycho's attempt at Hypnosis began to sink in, she felt...kinda tired...more like REALLY tired...

 

[Orinon]

Black Mesa: Anti-Mass Spectrometer: Selena, Kane, SNAKE


[HEADING=3]RANDOM ENCOUNTER No. 17: Solid Snake: Metal Gear Solid [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-gdYNLPMrk][/HEADING]
As the Acid storm whirled Selena's cold white eyes looked around as the bullets flew towards her she let out a scream, this was no cry of fear it was a feral roar and a wall of force erupted from it essentially knocking out the bullets, they fell to the ground uselessly.
She then took in a deep breath and then put her wrists together, her palms facing outwards aiming at Snake and the other inhabitants. An orange glow appeared for a split second before a cone of flame Erupted, The good news for Snake was he wasn't directly in front of Selena so he wasn't instantly incinerated, the Bad news was being in the middle of the fire was still pretty damn hot.

Selena's Wild Magic became a Cone of Flame, The Acid Vortex has Dispersed.

Selena stared at the Burning chaos she had caused, her hands had minor burns from the spell and her clothes were partially damaged by the acid. The part of her brain that was registering pain had reduced it to a tingling sensation but the adrenaline would run out once she was out of danger but could sense her opponent was not downed with one simple attack.

 

[000Ronald]

Black Mesa - Spawn 2 - NOD Barracks: Insano, Assassin, Elise, Nadalia
[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 19: Assassins: Assassin's Creed[/HEADING] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMpQJK_ugc]​

Just as Insano reached out to take the Apple from the dark-skinned assassin, Elise and Nadalia crashed through the celing of the room, screaming and cursing. Quickly-quickly enough that Insano didn't see it, and certainly quicker than a man his age ought to be able to move, he put the orb back in his robe and drew a sword from somewhere on his person. Insano barely had enough time to put his arm out to stop the assassin.

"{[color=00ad83]It's alright.[/color]}" Insano said. "{[color=00ad83]They're with me. Likely sent here by the same thing that threw me here.[/color]}"

[color=00ad83]Did we ever figure out what that was?[/color] Insano thought.

SCANNING INDICATES LINGERING RADIATION FROM A SMALL-SCALE RESONANCE CASCADE.

[color=00ad83]A resonance cascade?[/color] Insano thought. [color=00ad83]That's insane. That could have had catastrophic consequences.[/color] Insano paused. [color=00ad83]How small scale are we talking here?[/color]

WITHIN 420 LUVHOGS OF THIS WORLD'S BASELINE RADIATION

[color=00ad83]That's not bad, actually.[/color] Insano thought.

Insano stepped in front of the assassin, speaking to Nadalia and Elise. "[color=00ad83]This man is not hostile, but he doesn't speak English. He's speaking some form of Arabic from the thirteenth century. And he has higher tech than I do.[/color]" Insano adjusted his goggles. "[color=00ad83]Tech he wants me to look over. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to get it back to the ship to do that.[/color]" Insano lowered his arms, slowly. ""[color=00ad83]And I'm not going to run the risk that the thing he has is keyed specifically to him, which means we need to get him back to the ship alive. Would you two be willing to help me with that?[/color]"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Black Mesa - Spawn 2 - NOD Barracks: Insaneo, Blackharte, Nadalia, Elise

[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 14: Predator: Predator Series [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZMq6li2RP4][/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 19: Assassins: Assassin's Creed[/HEADING] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMpQJK_ugc]

The assassin seemed more then a little confused as these two strange women just dropped in out of nowhere and began conversing to the even stranger man from before.
He was starting to question his sanity as things just seemed to get weirder and weirder the more time went on.
{"...Perhaps it is wise to resume my travels with allies..."} Altair meekly said as he kept the apple out of view, he had strange visions before and this could all easily be another one.
{"I do not want to seem ungrateful at your offer but-...I'm starting to believe that this world is not my own. As such, I believe I should re-focus my efforts on getting back to my hom-"}
A massive bang filled the air, as if a nearby cannon was going off as the room shook slightly, Blackharte was able to stop the blast from causing any real damage, but it was still a PRETTY big bomb.
Quickly that became the least of everyone's problems as a Alien looking creature [http://www.cinemaquette.com/sites/default/files/image_gallery/cinemaquette_maquette_predator_3.jpg] stumbled into the room, looking rather wounded as it nursed the bleeding stump where his wrist used to be as well as the large number of knocks and bruises his last hunt had inflicted upon it.
{"My God!? What is this creature?!"} Altair shouted, even for a man like him, this wasn't like anything he had seen before as the Alien roared at the group, pointing his Plasma Caster at everyone in the room in a threatening fashion

Black Mesa - Spawn 5 - Armory Kayta, Level 72 Bandits Vs. XCOM
[HEADING=3]RANDOM ENCOUNTER No. 6: XCOM Soldiers: XCOM: Enemy Within [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqfHuaHvaT4][/HEADING]

The Goliath was quickly starting to snowball out of control as he swatted aside both Bandits and XCOM n00bs alike, getting "Dem Mad Gains" as his size and power began to increase with every kill.
Quickly the battle became less about who would win in a fight: Lilith or The Volunteer and more just trying to put down this raging monster before he managed to do the same to them.
After Katya was thrown like a rag doll against Lilith, The Volunteer brought up a Telekinetic field that managed to keep the Goliath out, but as a few of the bandits found out, made it impossible to attack him.
"This barrier is only to going to last for so long, if anyone has any ideas, now would be a good time!" The Legendary Psi Operative explained as the monster bashed his fists against the field, screaming in rage as he did.
"Hold on, I got this..." Lilith said before phasing out of existence, a faint outline of her being able to be seen as she managed to slip behind the monster.
Once she was in position, she then struck it in the back of the head(?) with a massive flaming blast, blinding everyone on the inside of the barrier.

The air was tense for a moment as the fire consumed everything in the room (Aside from the field), leaving it a ruined black mess as smoke masked what little remained.
There was a moment of hope, least before Lilith was suddenly thrown right though the fading barrier at The Volunteer, revealing a burnt, bruised but very much alive GOD-liath standing and charging towards whoever was still alive.
And for anyone who was thinking of possibly trying to slip away, the hole the MEC used to enter the room was located and which might be used as a possible escape route was located behind the GOD-laith.

~Have fun!~ <3

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Black Mesa: Anti-Mass Spectrometer: Selena, Kane, Snake

[HEADING=3]RANDOM ENCOUNTER No. 17: Solid Snake: Metal Gear Solid [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-gdYNLPMrk][/HEADING]

Snake was quick to drive out of the way of Selena's, getting some proximity burns but little else.
Kane on the other hand...wasn't so lucky.
"NO! I AM THE PROPHET! I AM THE MESSIAH! I AM KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" The NOD Leader shouted right before he was burnt badly by Selena's attack, reducing the Tiberum Prophet to a flaming wreak (yet one that still clung to life strangely enough).
Snake meanwhile was busy ensuring that the next body to hit the floor wouldn't be his as he discarded his pistol to instead pull out something that would hopefully have enough kick to ensure his continued existence: A FIM-92 Stinger [http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140728091742/metalgear/images/9/9a/TTS_Snake_Stinger.jpg].
Quickly locking onto his target, Selena soon found a large missile racing towards her back.

Spoiler: Meanwhile: Finally updated edition

Austin Texas: Icarus, ???

"...Hm..."
The Priest didn't seem to react too much to the sudden disappearance of the Angel, instead merely just putting his hand to his chin in thought for a moment.
[color=006566]"Of course...no wonder I couldn't find it...It was never on earth to begin with..."[/color] The man said as his voice completely changed, As did his appearance [http://orig15.deviantart.net/991e/f/2012/328/3/8/leopold_goenitz_kof_um_by_orochidarkkyo-d5m07mc.png].
[color=006566]"Which begs the question just what exactly did that fool process that required the hounds of hell to defend?..."[/color] He asked out-loud as he looked at the now sealed door, he knew where that abyss led to and it seemed so did Icarus.
[color=006566]"Oh well...At least by the time I catch up, he'll most likely have handed the defenses himself..."[/color] He sighed before beginning to make his way out of the church, humming a personal favorite of his.
[color=6566]"Well I can feel it...coming in the air tonight...oh lord...oh lord..."[/color]

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

[HEADING=2]The Rising Dawn Adventures[/HEADING]
Location: Unknown Dimension / Characters: Ryan, Darren​

"...Oh come the fuck on...Where the fuck do you people even get these fucking things?!" Darren groaned as yet again, an attempt to get answers from someone involved him getting put inside some kind of pocket dimension.
It didn't take long for Ryan to reappear and then actually explain the situation, a rare first considering this kind of adventures.
"Oh great, just what I need, you make a stupid group of villains once and it's the gift that keeps on fucking giving..." He cursed, once again, his love of playing "Bad Guys" has cost the lives of so many people, just another mountain of sin to add to the entire planets of the stuff he carried around.
"Alright...Assholes are being assholes, didn't need to fucking create a reality just to tell me that, Ryan..."
"You probably have a million questions for me. That's fine. But, first off .... when we leave this place, you will not address me as 'Ryan' .. rather-"
Darren watched on with a bored and annoyed expression as Ryan began to dramatically change his appearance to something that REALLY pissed the Suicidal Author off.
"Refer to me as .... Uchiha Madara."

"..."
There was a long silence as a glare of sheer malice and resentment as Darren glared at Ryan for a moment, followed by a long sigh and a faceplam.
"...Ryan, Mcpop couldn't make me care about that stupid magical preteen ninja anime bullshit, you won't either. Now just get us back to Black Mesa so I can try and un-fuck the situation before I make Slenderman again. Don't fucking test me, I've officially reached the point in my life where being brutally maimed by an Internet Meme is the highlight of my day..."

Location: Dam Generator, Section #107 / Characters: Faith, Psycho​

"Dear Dairy...Jackpot!" Psycho gleefully said as he rubbed his hands while Faith passed out right in front him.
"Alright, time to get to work..." The ghost-type said before rolling up his shelves(?) and gathering a whole bunch of dark energy as he plunged Faith's mind into a horrible Nightmare...

Time passed, Faith couldn't know just how much as she could see the room she was in, she was now standing and...Moving?
She tried to turn her head, but she couldn't.
She tried to move her hands, but she couldn't.
She tried to send out some kind of message, but she couldn't!
What she could do was look out her eyes as her body seemed to move and talk entirely independent of any input on her end, seeing a large crowd of staring people though her limited vision as the most embarrassing thing to have ever happened to her in her life...happened.

Spoiler: Warning: Sick Ass Beats ahead

"X gonna give it to ya-WHAT?!
Fuck waitin' for you to get it on your own
X gonna deliver to ya-Uh!
Knock knock, open up the door, it's real
With the non-stop, pop pop and stainless steel

Go hard gettin' busy with it, but I got such a good heart
That I'll make a ************ wonder if he did it-YEAH!
Damn right and I'll do it again
'Cuz I am right so I gots to win

Break bread wit the enemy-WHAT?!
But no matter how many cats I break bread with
I'll break who you sendin' me-YEAH!
You motherfuckers never wanted nothin' but your life saved
***** and that's on a light day

I'm gettin' down, down, maken niggas say freeze
But won't be the one endin' up on his knees
***** please
If the only thing you cats did is come out to play
Stay out my way
************!"

Faith was powerless to do anything as her body began to break out into a vocal rendition of the DMX Classic "X Gonna Give It To Ya!", namely a faster variant [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHEJ6fURMUg] as she got the attention of everyone in the room. (And seemingly learned to speak english during her "Nap").
While all input was locked off, she could still feel everything her body did, especially when it began to twerk and spank itself for the onlooking crowd.
Why was this happening?!

"First we gonna ROCK, then we gonna ROLL
Then we let it POP, DON'T LET IT GO-WHAT?!
X gonna give it to ya-uh!
He gonna give it to ya
X gonna give it to ya
He gonna give it to ya, WOOOOO!...
...Oh don't look at me like that, you know you want a piece of this!" "Faith" shouted to her fans, gripping her chest and squeezing her boobs in front of a crowd of wounded, confused and frankly disturbed looking G-Corp and NOD soldiers.
"...Tch, fucking Homos..." She then groaned before making her way out, skipping happily back up the stairs to the surface of the dam, all while Faith could do nothing but watch.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

Misunderstood Intentions
Location: NOD Baracks | Black Mesa Base
Kindle not the fire that you cannot extinguish.

BlackHarte

Do not dare run from conflict.

BlackHarte's voice rang out from the shadowed side of the barracks. A wave of black rain came forth, hail raining from the cloud. It stuck to the Predator and forced his arm to the ground. More and more the black mist advanced and attached to the Predator like moss. It weighed him down, forcing his body to the ground.

Do not dare turn your back on an enemy.

BlackHarte enveloped the Predator's body and collapsed his own form, forcing the Predator out of the top of his body.

BlackHarte reared his head and let loose a soundless scream. From around the Predator strange bugs appeared out of nowhere. They swarmed the Predator. Bats rose from below and bit him, spiders dropped from above and slammed him towards the ground. From the left and right came wasps and mosquitoes, each the size of a shoebox, to assail him. BlackHarte backed up against the corner and wall-teleported under the Predator.

Heat at 100%. F Inverse.

BlackHarte's body opened up and let loose a dense beam of violet energy, consuming the predator and launching him skyward. Meanwhile the insects continued their assault.

Crimson at 1% portal decay imminent.

On the last hit of F Inverse BlackHarte canceled out of it and expanded his body.

Overdrive - Crimson Depths!

The bug onslaught doubled, and below BlackHarte reconfigured his body again.

Heat at 50%. F Inverse - Overdrive

A thicker and more violent flurry of energy hit the Predator again, sending him back into the air. The bugs came again until BlackHarte's meter ran out. The Predator hit the floor with a dull thud.

And never raise arms against non-combatants.

[HEADING=2]201 Hit Combo.[/HEADING]​

BlackHarte raised himself to his full height. Though he was naught but a limping mess of back liquid, an uncomfortable sludge made by skittering machina barely visible to the human eye, there was something noble about him. An uneasy truce between madness and order, a compromise that defied the very nature of common sense. He was horrific and charismatic. He was a friend and an enemy that seemed to exist on the thin border between dreams and reality. More human than man, more devilish than demons. A creation born of equal parts love and hate.

And perhaps overfond of his own competence.

He was madness given corporeal form.

If you are still able,

his voice boomed with a sinister sophistication,

then stand.

That baritone bass hung in the air, giving the timbre of his voice an awesome quality. Wordless orders. An emotion that carried beyond language. It instilled the basest form of communication - a covenant. And that covenant conveyed one undeniable command. Kneel.

 

[Kalastryn]

Black Mesa - Spawn 6 - Hanger Bay: ARES 35

[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 10: RED Spy/BLU Pyro: Team Fortress 2[/HEADING]

As the red spy's deathcry sounded out through the VTOL, and the pyro was kind enough to have that (admittedly pretty damn sub-par) piece of equipment to smash the sapper with she got up and gently patted the pyro on the back with a "Thanks... that guy needed an anatomical correction. He didn't just have an asshole, he was nothing but an asshole." Looking to the now Re-dead pilot on the floor, she walked over into the cockpit and used the radio to try and signal Kazuya and anyone else listening at the Hangar of the Rising Dawn. "Hello? This is ARES 35, this extradimensional bullshit is really getting on my nerves [small]not that I have a nervous system[/small] *ahem* I just thought it prudent to let you know that the VTOL we have deployed in Black Mesa's hangar? Well the interloper is dead, but... so is the pilot. I could provide more details if necessary, do you read?"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Black Mesa - Spawn 2 - NOD Barracks: Insaneo, Blackharte, Nadalia, Elise, Blade

[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 14: Predator: Predator Series [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZMq6li2RP4][/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 19: Assassins: Assassin's Creed[/HEADING] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMpQJK_ugc]

After getting his ass kicked once more, the Predator was unable to make much of a protest other then a low snarl, but aside from that, he did little else before submitting to Blackharte's command, still nursing his bleeding stump as he did.
During the combo, his Shoulder Mounted Plasma Caster was broken off his armor and now laid inert on the floor next to the Nanoswarm, just in case he wanted to take a prize from this encounter apart from the pride of this alien being.

Loot Get! Predator Plasma Cannon: Classic 80s energy weapon with authentic sound effects! But like many thing in the 80s, it's not very energy efficient...

Altair watched keenly the whole time, unbelieving of what he was seeing but extremely thankful none the less, though it was hard to tell from all the shock on his face.
{"...I-...never knew such things could be...I thank you for your efforts...I-...Guess it might be best if I leave this in your hands...I think after this, I've seen enough for one life..."} The elder assassin said before slowly pulling out the orb again, this time handing it to Insaneo.
{"If this is the world in which you live, then you are truly worthy of your namesake Dr. Insaneo."} he said before starting to shuffle out of the room before the next crazed monster jumps out at them.

Loot Get! Apple of Eden: Influence and even control minds lesser then your own, but at the cost of your HP.

Good think too, because not long after he left the area, a familiar Grovyle stumbled in, black, red and blue from burns, stab wounds and bruises as he wielded a pair of bloody but cool swords [http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141115031713/deadliestfiction/images/8/83/Scorpion_swords.jpg] which had a harsh demonic aura around them.
"...Oh-....hey guys....can we go home now?..." Blade wheezed as he walked in, clearly after having the fight of his life as he attempted to brush back his hair/head leaf, only to find nothing but ash.
"...why do I always get the fire ninjas-..Wait...IS THAT THE FUCKING PREDATOR?!"

Rising Dawn - Hangar (In which I actually respond!): Kazuya, Violet, Kalastryn

Kazuya was quickly starting to feel the pressure, sweat pouring openly from his forehead as he still failed to receive any contact from the rest of the crew, least until ARES finally managed to get though.
""Hello? This is ARES 35, this extra dimensional bullshit is really getting on my nerves not that I have a nervous system *ahem* I just thought it prudent to let you know that the VTOL we have deployed in Black Mesa's hangar? Well the interloper is dead, but... so is the pilot. I could provide more details if necessary, do you read?"
[color=9f2b68]"ARES? We read. There should be another unit in the Hanger that can take over. Find the others and regroup, we can't allow Wesker to escape again!"[/color] He practically shouted into the radio, more out of stress release then anything else.
The fact they were even able to hear back from one of the crew prompted minor cheers from the Hanger Bay staff.
Letting out a slight sigh of a relief that he DIDN'T just march the entire Rising Dawn to their deaths, he the finally got back to Kalastryn.
[color=9f2b68]"Very well. I have our Comm frequency set to the signature of your communication rings. You can you that to keep in touch. Get over there and, this is important, find out what the US policy for such a situation is. I don't know how we are going to deal with this storm with our current resources. Go, GO!"[/color] He then ordered before trying to reach their people on the ground once more.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

[HEADING=2]The Rising Dawn Adventures[/HEADING]
Location: Black Mesa Dam Exterior / Characters: Ryan, Darren, Faith/Psycho​

"...Urg, fine. Just so I can get this over with and go back to having a spike driven though my head..." Darren said before they were brought back to their dimension.
Looking around at the storm, he rubbed his temple for a moment as a bolt of green lighting spawned a Mr. Saturn just in time for it to get run over by Sweet Tooth nearby.
"...Alright...Good news, now, if I remember the plot of Half Life 1, the only reason the Resonance Cascade kept teleporting shit in after the Anti-Mass Spectrometer was turned off was because an Alien in Zen was keeping the link open. Now, seeing how we're basically ripping off every popular copy-written property, that must mean the device is still running or at least not entirely blown up yet. So hopefully, when Wesker most likely tries to blow the entire place up, it'll take the lab with it and this bullshit will stop. So, we just need to find Wesker on his way out. He'll most likely try to take a helicopter or something so he'll either head to the Hanger Bay or to a secondary exec-only helipad at the top of the Mesa. Least that's how I'd write this shit if I was running this retarded ass scene. Urg, and I thought the arc where Bison took over Asia was a clusterfuck..." He explained the plot to Ryan before-

*SPLAT!*

The Fallen Author's chest exploded as a stray .50 cal bullet raced though it, but at this point in his "Life", Darren was so used to such injuries he didn't even really react to it as his flesh quickly healed over, even regenerating his clothing.
"...Also, that was kinda a good shot, considering it was from a moving vehicle. Right, better find the other characters then..."
As he said that, Faith had managed to make her way up to the top of the damn, quickly stopping once she saw what the hell was going on.
It was then that Ryan was able to hear something he hadn't before: Faith's actual voice.
"Holy Shit! The fuck is happening here?! Man, I got to get out of here!" She stammered before quickly making her way into a wall an-...Walked right into it?
"OW! SON OF A-...oh, right. Corporeal form..." She said as she rubbed her head from the impact before attempting to make her way towards the desert away from the battle.
This got Darren's attention as he looked over to the Gardevoir, quickly groaning before asking "...Alright...who was the one who ripped off Jenny? I want names!"

 

[Kalastryn]

Black Mesa - Hangar: ARES 35

Needless to say ARES was more than a little bit relieved that communications weren't being interfered with by whatever was going on throughout the compound. "Copy that Mr. Mishima. I'll begin searching for the others as soon as possible, but first I figured something Wesker said about how this rift functioned was interesting. It could be key to finding a way to fix whatever is going on here. Just before he initiated this... if you would pardon my French, clusterfuck... he commented a theory that one of his researchers had been working on, and I think this is how this all might work."

"They were working on more reliable inter-dimensional travel [small] though I could hardly say this was any result any sane person would look forward to. [/small] He said that while they were all aware of multiple dimensions, connected to each other, but they think they'd discovered how. He believed them to be all connected in some form of hub, shaped like an hourglass, and that when grains of sand pass through they would do so naturally through a narrow gap. His theory was that the dimension we are currently residing in is in the middle of said gap, and acts as a junction for all matter in the infinite worlds passing between sides... hence explaining the only part I've yet to really grip what he meant entirely- "How we get so many "guests" from other worlds."

*ahem* "That all being said however, and only because I thought the insight would be helpful if correct, I'll begin searching as directed."

She says as she gets out of the cockpit of the VTOL located in Black Mesa's hangar. Passing her pyromaniac "friend" and the smoldering corpse of the kneecapped international man of mystery she informed the mute "Some friends of mine may come by in a while. Do be on your best behavior. If you want to burn something... I'm not opposed to overcooked French fries after today."

Hoisting her rifle over her shoulder, she set out to explore what of the compound she could navigate through, engaging her stealth module again and again the second it became available... she did *not* like that damn impostor, and she wasn't going to leave herself prone to being spotted by anyone with more of that equipment.

Speaking of equipment, the first location she seemed to run into was the armory. If it wasn't for the commotion inside, she wouldn't have any cause to be there... but she did decide to at least take a peek in through the entryway before letting herself be known.

Rising Dawn - Hangar: Kazuya, Violet, Kalastryn

"Understood. I admit I'm rather unversed in how all of these political things work, but I guess that's why I've always usually had to take a more blunt approach like at MIT. I expect you'd be able to feed me information on anything else you'd need to ask?" she asks, rhetorically before rolling her shoulders performing a few little magic tricks before anything else. First off, her wings are out of course but second she casts a Seeming spell to appear otherwise human. "If I'm going to stand in as a diplomat-
We may as well be smart about it and not look like we're ready to SCREAM "devil's advocate" at a moment's notice?
Yes... that... sometimes I forget you're even here.

This being done she does exactly as Kazuya had said before and dives out of the hangar door before unfurling her wings and letting the velocity they gained from a moment of freefall carry them forward rather quickly, taking a good moment at least to survey the ground below... and give a wide berth to the storm and the fighting around the compound as she flew to the Daedalus.

 

[000Ronald]

Black Mesa - Spawn 2 - NOD Barracks: Insaneo, Blackharte, Nadalia, Elise, Blade

Insano took the small orb in both hands, looking it over thoroughly. Several...very odd things had happened all at once, but his scanners said that the thing that had taken over the predator was a friendly, so he wasn't especially worried about that. "{[color=00ad83]I thank you.[/color]}" Insano said to the robed stranger, bowing. "{[color=00ad83]If you are ever in need of aid, seek me out. And please, be safe on your travels.[/color]}"

Turning around and picking up his rail-pistol, Insano said (in English) "[color=00ad83]You can leave if you want; the old man might know the way out. I'm still going to find Wesker and kill him before he does something that can't be fixed with a vaccine.[/color]" Insano looked around, then appeared to wander off in a random direction. "[color=00ad83]But first, I'm going to shut down the resonance cascade. The longer it stays open, the better chances are that something...particularly unpleasant crawls out of some crack in the world. And I won't be having that, either.[/color]"

Spoiler: MEANWHILE...SEVERAL MINUTES AGO...

Edge nodded. President made sense; that was good. "This guy?" he said, pointing at Nickolai. "He's going with you. Invisible tanks and exploding aircraft are a bit above his pay grade."

Nickolai seemed to want to stutter out a protest for a moment, but ended up grimly nodding. "Dah. Is so."

"No offense to you, pal." Edge said, putting a hand on Nickolai's shoulder. "It's not that you're not capable. It's that I don't want you to die."

Just as Edge finished his sentence, bolts of green lighting rained down on the group, transporting everyone except Edge and Nickoli away from the dam. "Yebena mat'!" Nickolai shouted, jumping backwards. "The fuck was that?"

Edge stood up, calmly and took a deep breath. "No idea. Probably nothing good." Turning back to Nickolai, he said, "I'm going to go in and see what the hell just happened, and if there's anyone left alive. I want you on the first chopper leaving here; get back on The Rising Dawn, and make sure Kazuya has some idea what happened down here."

Nickolai nodded, and handed Edge a walkie-talkie. "Take this. If you learn anything, let me know."

Edge stared at the walkie-talkie a moment before laughing to himself. "Why the hell didn't I think of that?" he asked himself. "10-4. If I don't see you up on The Dawn when I get there, I'm going to kick your ass."

Black Mesa - Spawn 6 - Hangar Bay/Armory: ARES 35, Nickolai

Nickolai had no idea what he was looking at, except that there had been two people stumbling out of the cockpit in quick succession. Recognizing Violet's voice and taking a wild leap of faith, he rushed into the armory where the heavily armored person had just gone. "I can fly the helo!" he shouted, nearly breathless. "Where did the fruity man say we needed to go?"

Location: Black Mesa Dam Exterior / Characters: Ryan, Darren, Faith/Psycho, Edge

Edge walked up to the group of assorted G-Corp and NOD soldiers a little too late to see 'Faith' doing her best Miley Cyrus impression, but not quite late enough to see her climbing up to the top of the complex. Feeling something was off, Edge followed her, taking in the surroundings as he did.

That same green lighting that had bombarded The President and his men was striking everywhere. And every twenty or so strikes left...something in its wake. Something different every time. A human-shaped mass of water that evaporated as soon as it touched the air, a spinning ring of swords that flung itself into the ground, a puppy that was immediately ripped apart from the inside by some kind of demon-looking thing, an...ice cream truck armed to the teeth? Edge had seen something like this happen before once; there was a name for it, but he couldn't recall it offhand. Something to do with artificially forcing particles to vibrate at different frequencies than they normally did or something. Screwy super-science was just a little bit above his pay grade.

What he DID know was that it wasn't a natural occurence. You had to have very specific-and very delicate- machinery to do it. And what he was hoping was that between him and Faith, they would be able to either avoid or stab to death any resistance the encountered and get to wherever the machinery keeping the lightning-strikes going was.

Climbing over a rampart, he saw Faith...smack her head into a wall? And she was walking with an odd gait...like...

...where was Ryan in all this?

...oh no...

"Faith!" Edge shouted, running over to where she was stumbling around. "Are you alright? Where's Ryan? Look at-" Edge knelt down, grabbed Faith by her shoulders, and spun her around to face him. "Look at me. Are you alright? Where are you-" Edge shook his head and began searching through the pouches on his belt. "I have to have some fucking paper somewhere-hold on-"

 

[bluerocker]

SOMEBODY collabed on some of this post's content.

Black Mesa - Spawn 1 - Fury's Core: Caim, Merlin 'n co.

[HEADING=3]Pre-Set Encounter: Zero: Drakengard 3[/HEADING] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD8PapT7ts8]

Caim stumbled forward in surprise at Zero's sidestep (as well as her sudden lack of being right in front of him), and allowed himself to fall forward into a crouch. Caim's gambit was certainly a risky one, however, as he heard the edge of Zero's sword make a nasty "SHING" as it slide off the back of his armor. But now was not the time for thinking! Spinning back around in his lowered position, Caim brought his family sword in a deadly arc towards Zero, her catching his blade in another stand off again! Hmn, if the direct approach wouldn't do, perhaps he could throw her off with something else. Reaching into the wheel, Caim replaced his family blade with Windsinger [http://lparchive.org/Drakengard/Update%2058/36-truth42.jpg], a wicked looking polearm. Caim was hoping that with his new reach, and change of weapon, perhaps he could disorient her enough for the kill!

Black Mesa - Spawn 3 - Tiberium Research: Teri, Garm, Ton Ton

[HEADING=3]Random Encounter No. 3: Vergil: Devil May Cry[/HEADING] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Sy6thXuvM]

"...Well?...what are you waiting for?"

Teri gave a small sigh of relief at Vergil's willingness to cooperate, considering that he was easily strong enough to take on some of the heavier hitters of the Rising Dawn, and quietly had Garm follow after the younger Son of Sparda. Not too long after the group began their search for Rising Dawn members, Garm's ears perked up in curiosity, [color=356D60]"Hey, I hear something funny."[/color]

Vergil turned, his expression not necessarily looking amused, and looked ready to say something - but stopped. There was indeed a - thudding? It seemed to be in the distance, but grew louder and louder until-

THUD!

Rugal flew through a nearby wall, a groan echoing from his throat. Teri perked up immediately, and shouted [color=0E59E4]"Dad!"[/color] with a mixture of excitement and relief (after all, she did see the guy disintegrate via Wesker's lightshow earlier). Unfortunately for the Cleric, her call to Rugal was drowned out by the resounding call of
"SAXTON! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-", followed by an incredibly burly man [http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/nonsensopedia/images/2/2c/Saxton_Hale_propert_damage!.png/revision/latest?cb=20130223222641] with a plot of chest hair shaped like Australia burst through the wall. At the sound of the gentleman's entrance, Rugal chucked a piece of rubble at him, shouting back, "OH GIVE IT A REST, IT WAS ANNOYING THE FIRST TIME, AND IT'S ANNOYING NOW!" Before he could say anything else, Hale tackled the King of Fighters, and the two began rolling around the floor, punching and kicking in a way that was akin to an old cartoon; all that was missing was the dust cloud.

Garm's tail wagged slightly at the sight, and perked up at Teri, [color=356D60]"And you were worried. So, should we jump in?"[/color]
[color=0E59E4]"Hmn, I think so. Dad might be super tough, but this guy looks like an even match for him."[/color]

In the midst of the fighting, Hale's head looked up, a jolly laugh echoing from his belly - "...Dad?!....Bernine Boy, you got a kid? AND A TALKING DOG?! I THOUGHT I HUNTED THOSE TO EXTINCTION AGES AGO!" Which quickly lead to a punch in his face, Rugal shouting, "YOU LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS!"

A low, deep growl errupted from Garm's throat, the wolf's hackles rising from the back of his neck as he practically barked, [color=356D60]"YOU DID WHAT?!"[/color]
[color=15650D]"I thought you were a wolf, Mr. Garm?"[/color]
[color=356D60]"I am! But the principle remains! This -thing- is worse than the Pack-Slayers! Tear-ri, prepare yourself, this thing will probably target cubs the moment it breaks from Alpha Rugal's grip."[/color]

True to Garm's prediction, Saxton Hale did in fact break from Rugal's grip, and turned, baring a jovial smile, "Oh, I like the moxie of you- I'm going to turn you into a feather duster!"
Rugal lept on Hale's back again in a manner akin to a monkey and pulled the Australian back, "WHAT-DID-I-SAY-EARLIER! THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!"

Teri flinched unintentionally at the sentiment, and began to hear Toyotama whispering in her mind again, [color=0E59E4]"Ouch. That's a bit rich, coming from someone who couldn't handle 'himself'..."[/color]
Biting her lip, the Cleric opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she heard Hale speak again, "Bernie Old Boy is right, girlie, let the men do the talking, and I'll let you walk away with your prospective rug. This is between me and your old man!
"old-I'M YOUNGER THEN YOU, YOU ROTTEN SON OF A-"

Still unsure of what to say, Teri couldn't get a word in edgewise before the Shadow began whispering again, [color=0E59E4]"....you gonna just let him talk you and your dad and your wolf like that? You got Vergil McBadass, Garm, Ton Ton, and yourself with Dad. You can do it. Dogpile his ass. Tell him to suck your balls. Show Dad that you're awesome and that you're not worthless. Make that asshole pay. Do it. Do it. Doit.Doitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoit."[/color]

As the jeers from her Shadow began to echo in her mind, Teri quietly got out a bottle of water and place a single drop on Sadei, chanting an incantation over the staff and creating an icy sheen after she waved a hand over it. Following that, she willed the staff into its bow form, and readied a stance on Garm's back. Drawing and launching a series of arrows at Hale, the Cleric shouted, [color=0E59E4]"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUCK MY BALLS, MR. GARRISON?!"[/color]

Teri has cast Frost Arrow! yadayada, Ice buff, moar damage, it'll last for 48 seconds.
[b]18 Seconds till next 2nd level spell[/b]

Back outside on the dam: Angelus, Mikhail, Cadolbolg, Ryan, Faith, Darren, Psycho/Milk

After Mikhail made a promise not to harm him, as well as give Angelus a friendly 'boop' on the side of her flank, Cadolbolg fluttered down from his mother's head and landed on what appeared to be a saddle on Mikhail's back.
"Zero... Can't say me or Mother seen anyone with a name like that. I bet she rides around on your back like Father does on Mother. You even have a special sitting place right here! Mother, why does Father not have a special sitting place?"
Angelus had to refrain from answering for a moment, a less than clean thought coming to surface for the briefest moment before she finally gave the cop out of, "...Because he doesn't need one."

However the mention of Zero and a "green thing" did intrigue her. If Mikhail, from some point in time that he didn't recognize Angelus, had appeared, then did that mean one of her sons disappeared? Almost immediately on cue, Cadolbolg spoke up, "I asked Friend Ton Ton about the Zero lady, and he doesn't know what I'm talking about. He said something about a Vergil and a Mr. Garrison who threatened that big black wolfie friend of our's. Mother, maybe you could ask Father?"

Yes, perhaps Caim was the answer... Reaching into the pact link, Angelus found her partner in an absurdly hot place, where demons were playing among the magma. However, the moment she interfered in Caim's mind, the moment that she felt herself being ejected outwards again, with only "Busy now, talk later." and the sound of swords clattering ringing in her ears. With a disgruntled "Hmph!" the red dragon shook her head at Mikhail, "I'm afraid we cannot aid you, Mikhail. However, your description of this Zero is rather vague. Could you tell us more about her aside from being 'really pretty'? That term is rather objective in nature..."

Spoiler: Meanwhile on the Rising Dawn - Sorry this took so long, Ronnie

Also Sprach Brooks - Catherine OST [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56vRDr7K3mY]

Boss leaned forward. "Because when I tried to ask you about that, you told me that, 'Hey! It's on The Internet! That means it must be true! You know what Abe Lincoln said about the internet, right?'" Boss leaned back, again. "If you're gonna give me the runaround, then I'm going to try to get a rise out of you. I do the same thing with Edge all the time."

Luke sighed again, his shoulders sagging as he muttered, [color=eca222]"I guess this is the less glamorous side of bartending I've heard about..."[/color]

Recollecting himself after a moment's silence, Luke's posture remained at ease as he began to speak, sticking some glasses in a freezer and refilling an ice containter as he did so, [color=eca222]"I get that you're frustrated, kid, but there's really nothing I can do to help you. The best I could do is point you in the right direction. Otherwise, I told you before, and I can tell you again; I can't mess with anything above a few parlor tricks in this realm unless it's necessary, like another of Heaven's Host falling or the world ending, or someone makes a deal with me. Besides, even if I tried to get you to start bartering with me, that'd negate a prior contract. Thus, I literally cannot do anything in your favor."[/color]

 

[NotYetForsaken]

Misunderstood Intentions
Location: NOD Barracks | Black Mesa
Raison d'etre.​

Fateless Child

BlackHarte picked up the plasma gun and swallowed it. Time passed. BlackHarte's body started to calm down from the active combat state and reform into a more stable mold. Infirm tendrils grew into long sinewy strands and bound themselves into muscles. The calcium he had ingested fused with steel mesh to create steel bones. A soft leathery layer wrapped itself around his innards to finish his transformation. He was much smaller than he was before, denser. Still he stood larger than he was before the fight. About the average height of a man. Though his long slender limbs and economic body made him look like a creature torn from nightmares.

He turned toward Blade - and Nadalia and Elise - and spoke. His voice lacking the gravitas that he had held a few moments before. "Is there anything of which I can be of assistance?" The sound of BlackHarte's voice was tinny - sharp and high - but gentle and reserved. It held a quality similar to wind chimes. "I am built to assist the members of the Rising Dawn as a supplementary Artificial Intelligence developed during the ALICE Initiative. Please allow me to make your acquaintance if you are unfamiliar with me. Master Blade, Mistress Elise and Iron Queen Nadalia."

He bowed his head. "I am

Niflheim

of the Master Core Processing Unit. However, you may refer to me with the same moniker reserved for other units - Black Heart. I was drawn here by the same temporal mishap that brought you all together."

He reached inside of himself and pulled out a Max Potion before handing it to Blade. "I believe this will help you recover."

 

[Kalastryn]

Black Mesa - Spawn 6 - Hangar Bay/Armory: ARES 35, Nickolai

The first thing to come to ARES' mind when Nikolai shouted from behind her was, given the chaos inside the armory that they are just feet away from... to shut him up. Now normally this would mean having shot him given her programming... if he didn't identify himself as an ally by bringing up Violet (more or less by name... kinda the only person she knows that fits the descriptor of "fruity.")

However having him be so loud right behind her while she tried to hopefully get the drop on or just avoid the havoc in the armory was still... not ideal. Ergo she whirled around and cracked him in the side of the head with the butt of her rifle and then covered his mouth saying at a near whisper. "Shut it... it is really not a good idea to make a lot of noise at the moment with whatever is in the next room. That said, you weren't really told to go anywhere... but Violet instructed me to try and track down the rest of the Rising Dawn's crew and gather them together after Wesker decided to make an escape route by... oh, what any sane person would do- tearing a hole between dimensions this being said... your welcome to come along, but keep your voice low."

Though as she let go of Nikolai, a few things felt... off to ARES. Not in the sense of impending doom, so much as she already knew from the moment Nikolai spoke about Violet and presented himself as willing to help... why was she even able to hit him? By all means she shouldn't have been. ... God damn it Frenchie... I'm going to have to run a system diagnostic when we're finished here. she thinks, figuring that her encounter with every spy's favorite machine disabler may have had some lasting effects on her programming.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Black Mesa: Armory | Katya, Level 72 Bandits, Psychos Vs. XCOM
Get ready to feel my fingers in your eyeballs!
[HEADING=3]RANDOM ENCOUNTER No. 6: XCOM Soldiers: XCOM: Enemy Within [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqfHuaHvaT4][/HEADING]​

"Get ready to feel my fingers in your eyeballs!" The Hulking God-Liath screamed as it continued to beat on the psychic shield that the Volunteer had erected, each blow causing the shield to get smaller and smaller and smaller. While the Volunteer concentrated on keeping the God-Liath's fingers out of their eyeballs, both Lilith and Katya concentrated on formulating a plan that would keep their eyeballs intact.

"You know what? I'm going to teleport him into space!" Lilith finally said after a few moments.

"J00 c@n d0 7h@7?" The Rising Dawn's Hacker Heroine asked much to the confusion of both Lilith and the Volunteer. She was speaking English, right? It sounded like English except... not English. Clearly the two would need to spend some time with Katya if they were going to understand her, not that Katya would mind given how Lilith looked.

"You're thinking perverted thoughts about me, aren't you?" Lilith asked, glaring holes into the young woman.

"33333rrrrr n0?!" Came the unconvincing response.

Still, teleporting the God-Liath sounded like a plan and so it went that Lilith started concentrating really, really, really, reallyreallyreallyreallyreally hard.

"I'll BREAK you in half!" The God-Liath bellowed as he started to float, he arms flailing about as he tried to reach the floor... and then he was gone.

"Phew. That's all done." Lilith said as she mimed brushing dust off her hands. Which brought us back to the Volunteer versus Lilith. The two glared at each other for a moment.

"I CAN'T BE STOPPED!" Screamed the God-Liath from the other side of the room.

"Oh crap. I literally teleported him only 10 feet didn't I?" The Siren asked rhetorically as the Volunteer re-erected the Psychic Shield that kept their eyeballs unfingered. Looking around the armory, Katya could only notice a crap load of empty guns and the wreckage of the X-Com Mec, it's legs ripped from it's body but its arm... and more importantly the Kinetic Strike Module was still intact.

"H3y 1 g0tz an 1d3@!!" The Digital Drama Queen reported to the others who gave her a blank stare. Breathing in, Katya spoke more slowly and properly, "I have an idea. I need you to teleport that MEC up to the ceiling and drop it and teleport it back up to the ceiling and drop it. Do that until it reaches terminal velocity."

As she told Lilith her plan, she walked over to the MEC and started reprogramming the Kinetic Strike Module to engage one it touched the God-Liath.

"Alright... go." Katya called out and the MEC Disappeared... and reappeared... and disappeared.. and reappeared and disappeared and reappeared, this time flying horizontally and directly at the God-Liath. There was a short hum as the Kinetic Strike Module sensed its target and powered up... and fired.

SPLORCH!!!!!! Went the God-Liath.

"Phew!" Went the three women.

The Hacker Heroine smirked at Lilith as she wiped away an imaginary bead of sweat from her forehead.

"You're thinking dirty thoughts about me again, aren't you?"

[hr]

Spoiler: The Much Belated Continuation of Paradigm Story

Paradigm Story | She Who Would be God
"I wat?"​

"This is my last warning. Leave the agent, intrepid traveler, or I will burn both of you in self defense." The Stranger said as she threatened both Lambda and the young girl... and yet, Ruby did not move. She did not allow herself to feel a moment of hesitation in maintaining a position between Lambda and the stranger. If she died, so be it. This reality appeared twisted. Unknown. Her second appearance in this temporal iteration had perhaps caused a deviation in events from what they were fated.

If she were to be burned with Lambda, she wouldn't mind. Her childish mind turned towards Lambda and placed her fingers over where her heart should have been. There was a small prickling sensation as a series of molecular tendrils slipped inside the Murakumo's suit and pierced her skin. She wanted to believe. She needed to believe. She wanted it to be true that the Lambda that had protected her in the last iteration was the same as this one. This was a scary place. There was an uncanny familiarity juxtaposed against the deviated events.

"Lambda." Ruby said as the tendrils snaked their way through Lambda's body, "Will you please stop? Will you please stay and help protect me?"

 

[StormShaun]

Wanderer and Old Snake West.
Location: not Dystopian future | Tiberium Refinery Complex. [http://lparchive.org/Command-Conquer-Renegade/Update%2027/9-CMWNe.jpg]
Serious song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XmDYJBZZdc]

As if the New Vegas bullet had hit him again, Wanderer felt a sudden anger in him. Enough to make him turn, and as David has seen many times before, his blue eyes turned crimson. When he noticed those eyes, it seemed that black revolver already appeared in his hand and raised right in front of the old man's eye. "I feel you did something that changed... me. I dislike that." He muttered to the elder.

It seems that the survivalist barely squeezed the trigger, before forcing the gun down with his other hand. The more dark Wanderer took a couple of deeper breaths. "Point... made. I believe I need to get out of here, ASAP." He said, the tone containing something that almost snapped.

Merlin 'n co Vs

[Mech-Zangief.]

Location: Black Mesa | Fury's Core.

With the loss of Lancelot, the two knights and magician simply signed. Merlin was especially disappointed, who groped his forehead as if he contained a headache. "You'd think a Knight of Camelot would solve this problem..." He muttered, before turning to the other two, who looked at each other. Noticing the slow walk of the mech, the three jumped several steps back.

Gawain nudged Bedivere. "Uh, I believe this is your turn to prove yourself, good sir." Gawain said with his false nice tone and smile. Shocked Bedivere waved his hand. "Oh this is how your playing it. No, sir, I'd hate to get in the way of your glory." He feigned manners, also with a smile. Gawain smacked his armour, "well, you know what they say. Age before beauty." He said, still giving his smile. With a high volume of anger, Bedivere's face gave away his rage. "Age... Age?! I'm only months older, you wench plower!"

Rolling his eyes in the background, the mage gave a magical, non-physical push at Bedivere, who was forced a couple of steps from the mech. Turning around, he showed his watering eyes. "I'm a guard. I guarded her in the final hours!" He wept, trying to invoke sympathy. Seeing the deadpan faces of his so-called comrades, Bedivere bit his lip. "Y-you... Churls!" He yelled, turning around and attempting to strike the mech with his rage.

The President
Location: Daedalus 2.0 | Hanger.

When the chaos erupted from the facility, the giant airship that is the Daedalus moved away immediately, especially due to the 'courageous' acts of Pierce, the stand-in Commander on deck. The green lightning licked at the machine, but it escaped safely as it returned to a reasonable distance away from Black Mesa. The actual Commander was on-board, who retreated to safety after the concern of G-Corp.

Yet The President was in the hanger, smoking a joint and laying back on a couple of metallic containers. The chaos spread to the ship, where the soldiers ran around, gathering weapons, and preparing for any attacks. It seems natural that The President would spend his time in here. "Kanye West... Fucking Kanye West wants to run for President?! What the fuck, I'd rather have a literal gay fish in charge! Ah, bleh, that leaves a bad taste..." The President bellowed in his thick cockney accent.

 

[Kalastryn]

Kalastryn
Location: Daedalus 2.0

Flying around the entire circumference of the storm to avoid being bolted to god knows where certainly made the flight over to the Daedalus a bit longer... and so naturally as Kala would finally be able to set foot on her destination, her wings were more than a little sore.
damn... I need to-
actually start using such a great gift on a regular basis? I mean by the flame you were such a saint that gods you never even knew about decided to give you the ability to fly and extend the courtesy of their clerics to resurrect you whenever they die, and you hardly ever use them!
... Demi you can cease mocking me you know. Though you have a point. [small] and those clerics to a piss poor job from what I remember... or what I didn't for that matter.[/small]

Oh... there was also the matter of... well, would whatever armed forces they have on the equivalent of Air Force One really just let land without a lot of guns in her face? ... would they? Well, there was only one way to find out.