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

[bluerocker]

Teri/Garm

With all the fighting over and done with, the Cleric gave a tired sigh and leaned back; only to realize that she was about to lean on - wait a second - turning around, Teri saw that Garm's second passenger had seemingly disappeared. Vergil had probably slipped away in all of the chaos, leaving only Teri and Ton Ton on the wolf's back. Well, he probably enjoyed the loss of weight on his back. With a shrug, Teri was about to turn back to Rugal to say something, only to be interrupted again by a notification on her tablet. Tapping the screen, a message from Vermilion appeared,

[color=FF5349]

"While your unit were out doing field work, word has been reached regarding a potentially fatal magic based ailment in the Medical Bay. An employee named Faust is searching for you, Teri. Would you please make your way to the Med-Bay ASAP?"

[/color]

[color=0E59E4]"I'm on my way, let her know I'm en route to the Med Bay."[/color]

After she tapped and sent a response back to Vermilion, Teri rubbed her temples faintly, even after a big fight her job was never done. Oh well, better to nip this in the bud, and with the attack on Black Mesa, the cleric already had a good selection of her spells equipped. After thinking to herself, [color=0E59E4]"Never a dull moment, huh?"[/color] Teri turned back to Rugal and pointed towards the Dawn, [color=0E59E4]"Got word in from Vermi that somethings up in the Med Bay. How about you head to the bar and get a drink? You look like you could use one... Anyways, ask for Luke, he'll get you sorted. I'll meet you later, kay?"[/color]

-----

Arriving in the Med Bay, Teri's eyes scanned the room, taking in the sight of all of the wounded soldiers and- who was that? The Cleric's eyes fell upon a woman in Gothic-Lolita clothes holding the hand of another girl who looked very...Oh. She must have been the critical patient Vermilion mentioned. Taking a step forward, Teri approached the woman in the Goth-Loli getup and gently spoke to her, [color=0E59E4]"Pardon me, miss, but would you kindly move away from the patient? I'm one of the doctors on call here, and I need a little bit of space to properly examine her wounds."[/color]

(I figured her and Faust could just meet in the Med Bay from here)

Caim/Cadolbolg

After a quick flight back to the Dawn and another nose rub for his draconic companion, Caim elected that the time was for him to grab a bite to eat, as well as try to catch up with Cadolbolg's side of the adventure. Moving to the Canteen, Caim gave a quick order to the Imps, and Cadolbolg began chattering away about what he did with Angelus during their aerial patrol.

((Caim and Cadolbolg are in the Canteen, I kept it short so they'd be open for other characters to approach))

Angleus/Ton Ton

Angelus initially considered following after Caim to the Canteen, but instead found herself feeling a bit antsy instead. The high of the battles in the air still hadn't quite left her system. Even after spending some time in her proper form, Angelus felt the urge to move. Perhaps some brisk exercise would do her some good? The Dawn was big enough, she could probably walk it's entire length and burn off the energy necessary. Thus, the dragon-in-human-form began to pace around the Dawn's corridors...

As for Ton Ton, he wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself. He wanted to let Caim and Cadolbolg catch up with their little chat, and Angelus had made herself scarce fast. Perhaps he could go practice his skills? Having to rely upon Everybody's Grudge to deal with bigger and tougher enemies wasn't a very safe battle plan....

((Angelus is wandering the Halls of the Dawn, and Ton Ton will be going near the Training rooms. Like Caim and Angelus, kept it short to enable ease of interaction.))


Luke, Boss, Katya

Luke gave Boss his demanded soda and began other prep work for the bar (placing some glasses in a fridge, beginning to chop some garnishes and peels, etc.) for a moment before quipping, [color=eca22]"Well, looks like you're not going to die just yet. However, I think you shouldn't discount yourself from this little headcount. A decision to remain passive is still a choice. I can only make my move if no other choices remain... Do you understand what I mean? Now, I do believe some more of your comrades are returning to the ship - kindly keep our conversation to yourself; those who know who I am know for a reason."[/color]

It was then that Katya came to a barstool and slumped against the bar itself. She weaved a lengthy tale concerning herself, the android ARES, and the Wanderer; detailing the disabling of the nuclear warhead. Luke nodded in that manner professional bartenders do, genunine enough to show interest, but still somewhat distant. It was then however, she began demanding a dossier on the resident Prince of Caerleon; with a mention that he had saved her life in battle (albiet offhandedly, but Luke was very familiar of that kind of passive reference; he employed it himself). With a gentle smile Luke continued to peel a lemon as he answered, [color=eca222]"An interesting man, that one. On one hand, an unrepentant murderer - a bloody crown adorning his head whilst sitting atop a throne of swords. Yet, on the other, a man who cares for family and is beholden to their every whim. Tell me, what do you know of Crows, Ms. Katya? That may help you.[footnote]I swear, I'm going somewhere with this. That and I'm playing off an animal motif given to Caim in some alternate materials.[/footnote] Of course, you could always go over there and talk to him."[/color]
The bartender gestured to a far table where the mute warrior in question was currently sitting, caught somewhere between waiting for some food and "talking" to a small turtle-dragon looking creature.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | The Canteen
"Considering Caim"
Katya Rostikova​

[hr]

The normally brazen young lass was playing it coy or something of the sort. Looking over at the table where the Berserker Prince held court with his "son," Cadolbolg. Cadolbolg, along with Ton Ton, was one of the first members of the Rising Dawn that Katya had met all the way back in Los Angeles. She'd introduced them to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles just prior to them being shot at by a gaggle of gang bangers. It seemed like such a long time ago. Realizing that she'd been staring at Caim, the young woman felt blood rush to her cheeks and forced herself to look back at Luke, resting her head on her hands, her fingers covering her cheeks as to not draw attention to the fact that she was blushing quite deeply.

"Crows? Besides the fact that they're carrion birds that look around for scraps of food, nothing much. They're pretty fearless and playful?" The Rising Dawn's Resident Chat-Rouletter commented as she pulled out her mobile phone and punched in a series of words before showing the display to Luke, "See? Playful."


"But really, that doesn't help me much. Unless you're trying to tell me to avoid him since he eats the dead or something... he doesn't do that right?" The Hypocritical Hyperactive Heroine stated. Of all the things she could be squeamish about was the possibility that Caim feasted upon the body of those he killed. Wasn't that already Katya's shtick?

Perhaps she was overthinking things. Perhaps it was better to just go over to talk to him?

"Thanks for the advice, Luke." The Hacker stated as she hopped out of the bar stool and started walking towards where Caim and Cadolbolg were seated. Taking a couple steps, the normally fearless femme quickly did a one hundred and eighty degree turn and walked right back to where she'd been sitting. Perhaps some liquid courage?

"Could I get a drink... lets try a Fuzzy Navel today."

Oh sure Katya, order one of the lightest drinks on the menu. You're really not going to talk to the Caerleonite Prince today are you?

Waiting for her drink, she quickly looked around the Canteen for someone, anyone else she could talk to about something, anything else that didn't directly involve the Crown Prince of Carnage. Where was ARES-35 when Katya needed her?

[hr]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Corridors and Corridors and Corridors
"Rory, meet Teri. Teri, meet Rory."
Rory Mercury​

[hr]

As she stood above a dying soldier in the medical ward of the Rising Dawn, Rory Mecury ignored the vast number of humming and beeping machines that were attached to the injured and dying soldiers that surrounded her. She'd prayed over the dying during battle, when flights of mounted dragons engulfed the field of battle with their fiery breath. She'd prayed over the dying as their body was torn to shreds by the hands of an angry mob. It was only natural then that Rory would pray for the dying soldier to have a safe and speedy journey on her way to meet Emloy.

"[color=0E59E4]Pardon me, miss, but would you kindly move away from the patient? I'm one of the doctors on call here, and I need a little bit of space to properly examine her wounds.[/color]" A soft and feminine voice asked from behind where the Darkly Dressed Demi-Goddess stood.

Turning around, Rory Mercury came face to face with the Ship's Doctor, Teri. Dressed in a set of simple robes, the young woman that had addressed Rory looked more like a religious priestess than a medical doctor. However, if Rory was proof of anything, one could never judge a book by its cover. Despite her youthful appearance, the young girl dressed in a Loli Goth outfit was well over one thousand years old. It also wouldn't hurt for the medic to give the dying woman something to comfort her transition. Stepping to the side, the thousand year old girl watched as the robed doctor examined her patient.

"Part of her face has been torn off by a creature forged of both flesh and metal.' Rory stated, relaying what Emloy told her about the dying woman, "Her stomach has also been pierced by a lance of light. Something similar to what this device does."

As she stated this, Rory pulled out one of the laser pistols that she'd acquired from the NOD Commando and placed it on one of the metal trays that stood next to the patient's bed.

"She will soon depart to meet Emloy." Rory added. Despite the technological miracles she'd witnessed during her time aiding the Japanese Self Defense Force, she'd seen many soldiers succumb to their wounds while the Medics could do little but ease their pain. The best that Rory could offer was her prayers and comfort through companionship until such a time as the woman was ready to transition to the next stage of life.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

Coming of Age
Location: Medical Bay | Rising Dawn
Certa amittimus dum incerta petimus.​

Faust

      Faust burst into the Med Bay. John followed closely behind. The somber atmosphere of the place sent chills down Faust's spine. There were many more patients now than there had been. The battle was unexpectedly costly. Faust walked forward slowly and cautiously, suddenly painfully aware of the gentleness needed to traverse the place."

      "Teri," John said, "we need your assistance with a patient after you are done with this one."

      Faust spoke in a panic bordering on a manic scream, "It's the First Lieutenant! There's something very wrong with her and the Auto-Docs couldn't figure out what!"

      "Molli, please calm down. This isn't appropriate behavior." John paused and looked at the second woman by the bedside. "Rory Mercury, your presence bodes ill for the people here I suppose." He started to walk toward the back of the Med Bay, toward a special quarantine room. "The First Lieutenant is this way, when you're ready Master Cleric."

Formatting didn't look good in spoilers. Excuse the below.

She Who Would Be God
Chapter: 8 - Emergent Experience
Be still my fluttering Heart​

"Because it was never my intention to attack Ruby."​

     Lambda paused. Her eyes were closed. There was a soft wind blowing. "It was never my mission to attack and destroy Ruby. My mission was to awaken you. This was true immediately after Mu-12 slipped into your ranks. Nu-13's goal was the destruction of Mu-12, so she was much more aggressive in her stance. She did not care for your survival."

     She let a few moments pass before she continued.

     "Moreover ever since the event in the hotel, that initial phenomena intervention with Titania, you had been in a world of the Master Unit's creation - which is why afterward I could talk to you normally. The Master Unit intervened personally to ensure Titania's survival in fact."

     "All life is precious to me. Even that of mine enemies. Mu-12 is the only exception - she was a part of me that went rogue. Taking on a powerful Observation strength unto herself until she became insane. I sought to separate her from Causality for the greater sake of the world."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Long post is LONG. Sorry, going to try and do all these in chronological order so sorry if it's confusing to read

Black Mesa Exec Helipad: Rugal, ARES, Mark, Nadalia, Elise, Annie Feat. G-Corp Goonz

After knocking out Wesker, Rugal had a slight flashback to the simpler times, where the answer to all his life's problems could be solved with petty violence.
He was in that trace for a while, recalling all the wonderful things in life he had gathered though the virtue of being able to hit things REALLY hard.
After ARES speech however, he snapped back to reality stating "What kind of man does this?...One that knows that his luck has finally ran out..." as Elise began fussing over his fist and the man it just knocked out.
"Oh he'll live. He was taking knocks like that before he even began taking some of his own performance enhancers. Just find something to restrain him with. Make sure it's strong, he's a lot stronger then he looks...And don't throw that away, he might be looking for that tooth later." The captain said to Elise as the group began to move out.
"And whatever you do, don't leave the "Sovereign" alone with him. They-...have "History" with each other, so much so that I'd say this would be the second worst thing to happen to Wesker this day. Even with my personal disdain for him, I'd also like it not to be the last thing he experiences in this life..." He then explained to Nadalia while his former underling was taken away in a rather embarrassing pink cocoon, thank god he wasn't awake to see this.

While this was going on, Mark and Annie began to make their way over to the grou-
"Wait-...isn't tha-....ON THE GROUND! NOW!" one of the nearby survivors of the mission shouted before raising his weapon at Annie, Quickly causing a chain reaction that resulted in at least half a dozen laser sights now trained on her head.
"Yeah! Didn't think we wouldn't notice your blonde genocidal ass-*Crunch!*-Stomping around after that-*Crunch!*-you pulled in Lax-*Crunch*-Venturas?! You DON'T have the right to remain silent-*Crunch!*-You DON'T have the right to an attorney-*Crunch!*-And anything you say can and will be used to drop your as-....guys?..." The more "Macho" of the squad asked as he suddenly noticed them backing the hell up, their hands up and notably without weapons.
Unsure of what was happening, he returned his eye to the dot sight on his rifle, only to find that something was blocking it as a shadow was cast over him.
"...[sub]Ohhhhh, fuck my life[/sub]..." He squirmed before Rugal held his hand out expectantly, the soldier quickly surrendering his weapon before it was torn apart right in front of his eyes (Literally in fact).
"...You. Saw. Nothing. You. Will Say. Nothing...Nod your head slowly if you understand what I am conveying to you..." He spoke like a stern parent, causing a single, perfectly synchronized motion from all the soldiers.
"Good. Now go assist our men in evacuating the wounded..."

With their "New" orders received, Rugal then glanced back at Annie, seeming to tense up a little as he did.
For a few moments, he looked like he was about to say something, but after a few repeated attempts (And failures), he merely left it wt a quiet nod before making his way back to a departing transport.
Once he was out of view, he then let his composure crack, quickly burying his face in his hands and groaning.
That made 5 elements of his terrible evil past that he was now sharing a roof with for the foreseeable future and each with their own bone to pick which they would most likely keep jamming him with for the entire duration.
"...I need a drink..."
[color=0E59E4]"Got word in from Vermi that somethings up in the Med Bay. How about you head to the bar and get a drink? You look like you could use one... Anyways, ask for Luke, he'll get you sorted. I'll meet you later, kay?"[/color]
"Alright, have fun Dear..."

Black Mesa Exec Helipad:David, Blade

While the victory lap was starting, Blade was busy attempting to help David get though a serious moment in his life, not every say someone lives though the disarming of a nuclear weapon seconds before it exploded.
"Aw man, come on. Dude, How the hell do you humans got so much fluids for this shit!?!" The Pokemon whined as David threw up for the upteenth time and for reasons that weren't even related to booze for once!
"*Hack! Cough* Oh-....oh-god....Alrigh-.....Think I got it..."
"...You're sure you are done?..."
"......*BURRRGAAAHHH!*"
"....I'll see you back on the ship..." The Strider said as he walked off, shaking his head in the process while David composed himself.
"...H-hey! Wait up man!"

Rising Dawn: G-Corp Hanger: Kazuya/Wesker, Violet

After one of the most costly missions since the attack of Darkside, Kazuya let himself relax for the first time since he woke up today
Not only did he manage to secure Wesker, steal a entire treasure trove of US Black Projects, but Wanderer was now gone from this world and that alone was worth some celebrating.
In fact, there were some G-Corp members who were more happy about that then the mission actually being a sucess, he killed a LOT of their friends when he "Borrowed" that jet.
Still, there were a few other matters he had to take care of before he take a break, namely personally greeting his former co-worker with one of the biggest shit eating grins he could muster as his men escorted him on board, adding an rather humiliating looking Hannibal-style muzzle to his face on top of the Cocoon Elise made for him.
[color=9f2b68]"Ahhhh, Dr. Birkin I presume? That is what you are calling yourself these days, isn't it? Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be quite at home. As they say: Home is were Everyone knows your name...Take him away."[/color] He snidely said before motioning for him to be taken to the brig, Wesker glaring at him for the entire trip until he was take from view.

Turning to the returning heroes, he then said [color=9f2b68]"If I remember correctly, Wesker was always the "Brains" of the operation, least in the practical sense unlike Cortex. He should give us a great deal of insight into Bison's operations. My Men will assist US forces in the clean up operation. I advise everyone to tend to their wounded before we get to any "Celebrations"..."[/color]
Despite his usual mannerisms, he did seem to actually smile before adding [color=9f2b68]"...After MIT, I was questioning just how much of your fame was actually warranted. But after today's performance, All such fears have been purged. Great work out there. Another win like that and we'll be dragging Bison kicking and screaming into a windowless jail cell."[/color]
Saluting for a moment, he then returned to his work as well as getting prepared for the "Questioning" to soon follow...

Meanwhile, Violet was a bit more busy with another pressing issue as he carefully filled a needle with a clear fluid before moving over to Faith, who had to be sedated after she tried to (And I quote) "Steal this trick ass whip and ride that ************ into the sunset like that guy from that movie with Jesus and Nazis.".
"Alright, have to get the dosage just right..." The doctor said before tapping the needle slightly and-...spraying the cold water inside over her face to wake her up (Look, he isn't that kinda Doctor, alright?)
When she woke up, he then said "Sorry about that. It appeared that one of the creatures who appeared as part of the portal storm took over your senses for a while. It's okay, we were able to extract the offending spirit, but you might need one of these for a while..."
As if she wasn't confused enough, Violet then handed her an Ice Pack for the developing black eye she got when Kazuya's men knocked her out.

...Also, where the hell was Ryan when this was all going down?

Rising Dawn: "G-Corp Party Bus": Kane, Angus, Dr. Zero, Psycho,

Ghost

, AA!Darren, Dr. Insaneo

In the clean up operation, several of the more notable members of the Black Mesa staff and the invading forces were rounded up, as well as allies being extracted from the field of battle.
Ghost was mainly there as this was his primary extraction route, but AA!Darren managed to get himself captured, mainly to avoid an extremely awkward conversation with the other crew members, he had little reason to believe they would be happy to see him again.
Outside of that, there was also a man who seemed to be more burn wounds then flesh, painfully inhaling and exhaling though the ashes that were his lungs.
Despite this, the legend of Kane was not lost on Kazuya's men, so despite his surprisingly non-lethal condition, they kept him in handcuffs regardless
Next to him was the infamous "Angel Expert" who was currently laid down and strapped to a gurney like some kind of mental patient, barely lucid from the amount of blood he lost when Wanderer ripped his ankles off.
There was also a strange stone orb that seemed to be shaking the entire trip, as if someone was trapped inside it and was trying to get out.

"Keep struggling, kid...you ain't getting out of that one..." Psycho snarked from inside the glass containment unit he was sealed inside after he failed to get Faith to hotwire that VTOL.
The specter looked around the insides of the transport as he saw a fairly normal if unwashed teenager sitting across from him.
"...So....what you in for?"
"I dunno....What are you here for?"
"Oh, the usual. Sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, actual assault, indecent exposure, kidnapping I guess and attempted to steal a military vehicle. Your turn."
"....Took part in an online role-play group."
"....Pfffff hahahahaa-...Oh, wait. You're serious. Let me laugh even harder-AH-HAHAHAHAHAHA!" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n5E7feJHw0]
There wasn't a witty response from AA!Darren, merely a sigh of acceptance as he silently awaited whatever the hell laid ahead.
...Eh, maybe I can sneak into the morgue once we land, ride the rest of this shitfest out in one of the body trays or something... He thought as he looked over to a field medic tending to someone who appeared to have stolen from Noah Antwiler's closet.

Insaneo found himself waking up in a jolt after a stim-pak was jammed into his chest.
"Hey-hey. Take it easy. We got your call, we're your chauffeurs for the day. No need to tip, Mr. Mishima wanted to give his thanks for your efforts." The Medic said as he let Insaneo's tech handle the rest while the Transport landed in the hanger.
Once the door opened, Ghost quickly made his exit, throwing his weapon over his shoulder and whistling though his helmet before Insaneo was slightly rushed out.
During his exit, a pair of men in black suits walked past him and into the VTOL, right before the doors opened and the fate of the unlucky sods within was lost to the world...

Rising Dawn: Bar Katya, Boss, Luke, Rugal

Not long after getting back on the ship, Rugal made a beeline for that drink he was talking about a few paragraphs ago.
While Katya was showing off something about birds in the snow, he took a seat before giving a simple order.
"Good evening. Behind the fridge, David leaves a supply of his personal "Experiments". I'll take a shot glass with the contents of the red bottle." He said, clearly either having a deathwish or a urgent need to switch his mind off.
When Luke went to get the order, he found the hollowed out wall the Sniper used for his personal stash but the real concern was when his eyes watered just pouring the drink.
Once his beverage was served, he gave a nod of thanks before quickly knocking it back, holding his own nose as he did.
There was a moment of delay before the reaction kicked in, prompting Rugal of all people to pull out a handkerchief before coughing harshly into it, all while looking like he was ingested some kind of poison.
"[sub]Ohhhhh....uhhhhh...another.[/sub]" He then requested as he slid the glass back, his voice barely going above a whisper as his body tried to process...whatever the hell David cooked up.

Rising Dawn: Medical Bay: David, Furiae

While David was no stranger to the Medical Wing, but he had to admit, it was so strange to see it so packed now.
Sure, he'd see the odd crew or staff member in here getting patched up, but half of Kazuya's men were all getting worked on, many of them missing limbs and bleeding out.
Man...hope she doesn't see this... He thought to himself as he edged his way past the others before entering one of the side rooms, namely the one Furiae was still resting in.
After taking a moment to clean himself up and check his own breath (Thank god for that gum he borrowed on the flight over here)he went for her bedside but froze for a moment as there was a large window showing off all the wounded soldiers in plain view.
"Gracefully", he slid the curtains shut before making his way to the chair by her bedside.
"Hey...How you holding up? I came by this morning but you were still resting." He asked the half-Goddess, already kicking himself over his choice of words.
"But you were still resting", yeah, can I sound any more like a stalker?...

((I swear to god, I will update the rest soon, just trying to sort out my main gaming laptop after a wonky NVIDIA driver killed it ATM))

 

[bluerocker]

Rising Dawn: Medical Wing
Teri, Rory, Faust, John

"She will soon depart to meet Emloy."

Teri's head gave the smallest incline of curiosity, the question tumbling out before she thought it through, [color=0E59E4]"Who...?"[/color] However, her inquiry would have to wait, there was still the matter of this patient. True to Rory's quick diagnosis, there were bad lacerations on the soldier's face, as well as a nasty looking wound in her stomach. Whoever was on call before Teri came in had the bright idea to dress the wounds prior, but as the Cleric removed the bandages, a less than savory sight was beheld before her - a punctured abdominal wound was always nasty; especially when stomach acid became involved.

Angry red areas appeared in the wound's area, causing the Cleric to grimace. She'd have to make sure the stomach was sealed before she finished up the rest of the healing process, lest the acids within cause more damage. Pointing a finger at the gut, Teri allowed some of her healing pool to enable a precise, localized repair of the solider's stomach and associated membranes, nipping the source of infection in the bud. Following that, she reached for a small instrument and flipped a switch, enabling a small suctioning tool to activate. Sticking it in, Teri carefully moved the tool around and grabbed what remnants of stomach acids remained within the patient. Now for the hard part. Putting the tool away, Teri gestured towards Rory, [color=0E59E4]"Help me turn her on her side, I can't close the wound completely if it's touching anything."[/color]

From there, Rory found herself being conscripted into a heavy lifter, whatever reason that may be. But it was then that the Apostle of Emloy noticed something strange - a sensation began to wash over her body, warm and soothing. The Apostle could feel her muscle aches beginning to melt away, and she saw that the soldier's body was beginning to repair itself as well. However, it came to a head when Teri finally removed the bandages from the exit wound and intoned something in a language Rory never heard, before incanting - [color=0E59E4]"Panacea!" [http://alcyius.com/dndtools/spells/miniatures-handbook--75/panacea--1957/index.html][/color] and placing a hand on the soldier's body. And like that, the wounds began to close on their own. Teri gave another series of chants before whispering a quiet [color=0E59E4]"Cure Serious Wounds"[/color], keeping her hand in place until the exit wound closed completely. With that, the soldier was gently placed back on her back, and Rory could see that the wounds on the soldier's stomach and face were healed. Sure, some small scars remained on the two wounds, but according to the life monitor's, her condition had stabilized. The self declared doctor gave a relieved sigh and smiled at Rory, [color=0E59E4]"You were right on the nose there, ma'am. If I hadn't shown up when I did, she probably would have died. Perhaps you could be my assistant for the rest of the treatments?"[/color]

The Cleric gave a small giggle at the thought, seeing as she had already conscripted this poor woman already in helping with the patient's treatment; much less ask her to stick around. However, before she could say much of anything else, a frantic woman and a man who was desperately trying to calm her down entered, leading the Cleric to realize that the patient she had just saved from the brink was NOT the droids she was looking for. Giving a small wave to Rory, Teri followed after John and Faust to the next order of business...

David West, Furiae

Furiae was reading a small book before David came into her room, albiet with some difficulty - since she had found herself in her liberated position, being able to sit still for long was not something she was quite alright with being. Thus, when the roughed up Irishman popped into her room, the former Goddess felt equal parts joy and fear in his arrival: the former, on account of David being able to save her from some boredom; and the latter because she thought David would never want to see her again. At least, not after what he had seen...

Taking a small piece of paper and marking her page, Furiae closed the book and stiffly turned towards the attentive soldier, but found her eyes still focusing more upon the tiles near his feet rather than looking his face, "You.. you didn't need to come by, David. I'm fine, honestly. If anything, I feel a little embarrassed. I lost control of myself in the field, and by doing so, exposed my position to my brother. I was trying to keep my visit a surprise after all, but all I did was cause more damage... And that's not even mentioning what happened on the field -"

She stopped herself there, the look on her face communicating it clearly enough to David - she wasn't authorized to tell WHAT exactly she had seen or done to promptly garner her reaction on the ground, but it certainly was troubling. With another sigh, Furiae found herself turning away from the soldier, and focusing upon the wall to her left instead, finally speaking out what was troubling her, her voice taking a dull, lifeless edge as she did so, "...I understand if you want to stop seeing me after this. Really. You've seen some terrible things down there coming from me, and that's not necessarily normal. And, while I appreciated the concern, you don't need to be so formal as to give me a last visit. I wouldn't have held it against you at all."


Rising Dawn: Canteen
Luke, Boss, Katya, Rugal

The blonde bartender gave the lightest of chuckles at Katya's order, considering that A) She was far more inclined to drink heavily on a good day, and B) he could sense that she didn't exactly pick up on his hints. Taking a moment to mix the drink and push it towards the Hacker, Luke allowed a teasing edge to enter his voice, almost grandly announcing the drink in question: [color=eca222]"One oh-so-lowly concentrated but delightfully fruity, Fuzzy Navel. A little uncharacteristic of your drink choices, I think, you tend to stick towards shooting beverages straight. But, I suppose a little experimentation never hurt..."[/color]

Giving Katya a moment to sip on the drink, Luke began again with his frame of thought about corvids, [color=eca222]"You're...Slowly on track to what I was saying, so I'll give you another hint - Crows, while they do frequent battles, have more to them than their umber plumage. Unlike their commonly mistaken identity and larger family member - the raven, crows have a tendency towards large family groups; engaging in social activity with not only themselves, but in other species entirely, sometimes even tugging at the tail-feathers of other birds to elicit a reaction. They've also shown themselves adept at tools, and express a greater intelligence than what one would initially think of a scavenger..."[/color]

He allowed Katya's gaze to turn towards Caim and Cadolbolg again, only to happen upon seeing the warrior was engaging in some sort of indulgence with his metallic son. Caim had allowed Cadolbolg to clamor all over his shoulders and head while chattering excitedly. In turn, the Prince's face, while usually hard and uninviting, actually looked softer for once; finally appearing as a man in his mid twenties rather than a hardened soldier. Of course, Luke also knew that Katya's endeavor was not one to bear fruit either - not that he wouldn't indulge her. It was far better for her to love and lose rather than for him to crush her hopes right then and there; for he believed Katya had to learn about these sort of things on her own.

However, Luke's little bit of fun would have to wait, as he had another patron before him - one Rugal Bernstein. A minor disappointment, as Luke was expecting the daughter's presence rather than the father, but his job was his job...at least he thought so before he gathered Rugal's beverage of choice and poured it for the King of Fighters. While Luke was usually able to keep calm and cool as a freshly refrigerated cucumber, Rugal - the Dawn's current captain and father-figure to someone very dear to him - had downed something that made HIS eyes water. HIM, the literal devil in disguise on board. The bartender had to take a step back and try to mull over a battle plan, if nothing else, attempt to prevent poisoning the immense German man via consumption. Clearing his throat, Luke tucked a stray hair back into place before pouring a glass of ice water for Rugal and attempting to speak in a calm manner as he pushed it forwards, [color=eca222]"Mister Bernstein, while I'm not usually one to question my patrons, I think perhaps it'd be wise to take it a little more slowly? Perhaps you'd like a glass of wine instead? I do know we still contain some nice vintages from Europe. And, depending on what you chose, we could pair that nicely with something to eat? Drinking on an empty stomach rarely ends well, after all..."[/color]

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Rising Dawn: Bar Katya, Boss, Luke, Rugal

Rugal spaced out for a moment before letting out a quiet burp, groaning a little from the intense smell before Luke handed him an ice water.
"[sub]That won't-...hm, be necessary...[/sub]....ohhhh...I just need something-...urg, to take the edge off...If I desired a vintage, I would have ordered it. Thank you for the offer however." he said, though despite that statement, he still accepted a good gulp of the ice water, crunching one of the ice cubes in his mouth to help cleanse the taste from, what the label called it, "Taste of Cloonconra Turf".
"...I have 4 former employees of mine on this ship, each one more then willing to give out several accounts of my past actions out to anyone who would listen as well as a woman I did unspeakable things to suddenly returning to the ship out of thin air...Just feels like the more I try to move away from my past, the more the world wants to bring it up..." He sighed before taking another gulp of the ice water before tapping on his shot glass once more.
"I might retire to my room once this liquor kicks in. I just-...I guess I just want to distance myself from the current situation for a while. Before I can do that, I need to untense myself. Hence my presence here."


Rising Dawn: Medical Bay: David, Furiae

"...not necessarily normal?..."
There was a unsettling silence in the air for a moment after the Sniper said that, Furiae closing her eyes as she expected a goodbye.
It was then that she heard something else, namely...Snorting? Followed by laughter?
When she looked up, she noticed David was holding his side as he snapped his knee slightly.
"Furiae...Look around for a moment...We are on a technologically advanced airship that houses some of the most "Abnormal" people in the world. Hell, less then half an hour ago, I was piloting a high speed aircraft while a military android, a social media addict and a mutant doctor who shoots himself in the head for fun disarmed a nuclear missile Mid-Flight. On top of that, I've also faced down the hordes of hell in the Middle East, fought in the Angel War, visited the ACTUAL Grim Reaper's Hell Condo and you are worried about "Freaking me out"?..."
While part of him was kinda wanting to bail, he wasn't going to let the fact that she was part murderous hell angel(?) put him off.
Edging closer to her bedside, he took her hand in his own before adding "Yeah, I'll admit, it was kinda unexpected but I'm not going to hold something outside of your control against ya. Besides, trying to kill or nearly getting killed by a crew member is kinda a rite of passage around here. So I'm sorry to break it to ya, Darlin'..."

Looking deeply into her eyes and smiling, he then added "You are going to have to do a lot better then that to get rid of me..."

Rising Dawn: Brig: Wesker, Doom, Cortex, Deadshot

Doom was nervously watching the entire battle from his cell, moving his bed and standing on his tippy toes to reach the window.
It was rather uncomfortable to stay like that for hours on end, but he watched with welling tears as he worried about one of his closest friends in the whole world (Even if he did try to kill him after the fall of the Original Cartel).
Cortex meanwhile was pacing in his cell, trying to find some kind of way to escape as always, constantly glancing at the guards nearby, looking for any weakness he could exploit.
Both Villains dropped what they were doing when the door opened and a pair of soldiers dragged a struggling Wesker into his cell, still stuck in Elise's cocoon and that mouth muzzle, before lobbing him inside and locking him up.
"...You going to at least let me out of this thing?..." He complained before the guards returned to their posts, pretending not to have heard his request.
[color=b4b4]"Oh shit, they got you too?!"[/color]
[color=004d]"W-w-Wesker?! Oh my god, Doom was so worried that they were going to-"[/color]
"Doom? Doom, is that you? What the hell are you doing here?"
[color=004d]"Oh-Th-th-they tracked me down-an-and..."[/color]
"DAMMIT DOOM! WE TOLD YOU THEY WERE GOING TO FIND YOU WHEN YOU RAN AWAY LIKE THAT! FOR ONCE IN YOUR MORONIC LIFE WOULD YOU LISTEN!?!?!?"

...
There was a stunned silence in the brig for a moment, least until a slight sniffle filled the void, surprisingly not from the inexperienced doctor.
"...*Sniff*...Sorry...I-"
[color=004d]"It's okay...Doom kinda had it coming..."[/color]
There was a brief moment of nervous laughing between the duo while Cortex helped to tear apart the webbing, while they were some of the least sympathetic people in the world as well as the architects of some of the worst crimes on the planet, they were still one big happy Family collection of co-workers who resented each other.
[color=b4b4]"Inuart?....Did he get out?"[/color]
"Barely. He managed to get into an escape craft before the airships moved in. He's heading for Bison now. He's safe, I made sure of it."
[color=b4b4]"Oh thank god...If these guys find him, they are going to make sure he stays dead next time..."[/color]
"We can't worry about him now. Him and Bison won't be able to take on the entire Rising Dawn on their own. Best thing we can do for him is try to keep our mouths shut."
[color=004d]"B-b-b-b-ut what about Kazuya? He nearly-...Doom almost-"[/color]
"Doom...Listen to me...I know things are bad right now, maybe even the worst they've ever been. But I need you to trust me. We're going to make it out here. Alive. I don't know how, but I promise you this: We are going to get though this..."
[color=004b]"...Y-y-you promise?..."[/color]
"I promise. We are ALL going to get out of here...somehow..."
"Christ Above, just fuck each other already, you fucking homos. God..." Deadshot chimed from his cell, all while making note about their plotting to escape...

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Meanwhile: Actually got time for this Edition!

The Void: Inside the Vault Icarus, Goenitz
OST: The Man Who Sold The World [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYEK_yvIWas]

"Alright I Understand." Icarus leaned forward right hand outstretched the Dragon Gauntlet glowed in the blue light, Icarus was excited as he made to grip the hilt-
[color=006566]"[sub]We passed upon the stair,
We spoke of was and when...[/sub]"[/color]
He paused when right as he was about to take the blade, a faint music began to play while a voice sang along to it, seemingly coming from everywhere...
[color=006566]"[sub]Although I wasn't there,
He said I was his friend, [/sub]"[/color]
The music began to increase in volume as a cold chill began to fill the air, a breeze that seemed rather out of place in this dark place, there was something..."Holy" about it...
[color=006566]"[sub]Which came as some surprise.
I spoke into his eyes,
"I thought you died alone
A long long time ago."[/sub]"[/color]

The wind picked up, timing it's bursts with the drum line of the music, kicking up dust and smoke all around the young angel, obscuring his vision
[color=006566]"Oh no, not me,
I never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world."[/color]
Though the whirlwind, Icarus could make out the outline of a man walking towards him, it was-....The Priest from the church?!
There was a coy smile on his face as a old 80s tape Walkman blared out the music, being carried along the wind like some kind of magical surround sound.
And then, once Icarus blinked, the priest was gone and replaced with A younger looking priest in a blue robe [http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/snk/images/2/2c/Goenitz-98um.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120505024024].

The storm then faded as the figure hit the "Stop" button, prompting a smile as he said [color=006566]"David Bowie. November 4th. 1970. I try to pry myself from the past...but it's only though the past that we can embrace the world we live in..."[/color]
Taking a step back, then then gave a slight bow before introducing himself.
[color=006566]"I am Leopold Goenitz of the Heavenly Wind. Arch-Angel of Our Lord. I've been following you for some time...Part of me feels guilty for not..."Assisting" in your quest. But fret not, I mean no harm. You've actually done me a great service this day."[/color]
Standing upright and walking towards where the blade was standing, he kneeled now slightly to examine it.
[color=006566]"Amazing, isn't it? Two such powerful entities. Darkness and Light, Demonic and Angelic. Both in perfect harmony with each other...A true vision for the world, no conflict, no hatred, just peace..."[/color]
He went to touch it, only for Icarus to grab his hand before he could, something that shocked him slightly before his warm grin soon returned.
[color=006566]"Apologies, I've gotten ahead of myself..."[/color] He said before prying his hand away, slowly overpowering Icarus's grip on him.

[color=006566]"Since our former Brother Tomoya gave in to the darkness in his heart, our ranks have a lot to answer for. Because it was our complacency that nearly ruined the world. To this end, we've began taking a much more active role in the safeguarding of this world and the countless others in the stars. Part of that duty? Ensuring that the countless weapons and artifacts Tomoya left behind before he was banished don't end up in the wrong hands. As well as those that one might use to..."Replicate" his efforts..."[/color]
Slowly walking behind the blade, opposite Icarus's position, before making the following offer.
[color=006566]"Now, I understand how this might sound, but I am compelled by my masters to take this weapon away from the mortal realm. I know, I know, it might seem rather rude of me to make such a request, but should this power end up in the wrong hands...Well...Us Angels have a bad enough reputation without some mad man going around waving a sword like this around, wouldn't you agree? Not to say you wouldn't be careful, but..."[/color]

His stance turned slightly defensive as he added [color=006566]"Hand it over peacefully and I will be able to arrange some form of compensation equal to your loss. Otherwise...I fear that our own balance won't be as fine as that of this blade.

Peace...or conflict...the choice is yours..."[/color]

[hr]

Johnny Gat, Pierce Washington, Krizalid, and Saint Troops.
Location: Denver Waste Treatment Plant | USA: Denver, Colorado | Time: Night

".....Playa...I just crawled though 50 kinds of shit and you are only NOW telling me I'm going the wrong way?! When I get out of here, Imma fuck you u-"

"Sir, we just breached the door. Get ready!" One of Gat's men said as they finally managed to take down the door and make their way into the lab inside.
A brief walk later and they found something that No one could have expected [https://geoffreywakeling.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/13427739_2.jpg].
Pods. Thousands of them. Each one containing a being stranger looking then the last, but not in the "Alien" sense.
It was no secret that this world was a hot spot for travelers from other worlds and realms and each one of them looked just like the kind of person (Or being) that would turn up.
Each one was missing limbs or had some kind of cybernetics forcefully inserted into them, least if the nail marks on their metal limbs had anything to say about it.
"...What...The Fuck?..." one of his men said before he went to touc-
"DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! We don't know what state they people are in. For all we know, unplugging them now could kill them..." one of the more senior members warned as the cameras on the walls followed their every step...

 

[000Ronald]

Rising Dawn: Canteen
Luke, Boss, Katya, Rugal

"If you want MY advice-" Boss interjected. "Don't worry about it. You're not the same person you used to be, right? And anyone who claims otherwise is flatly and self-evidently wrong. I mean, sure, people have beef with you. Hell, I'm pretty sure Edge has beef with you for whatever reason. But y'know what?" Boss pointed to Caim. "The bloody prince and his valiant steed have your back." Boss pointed to Katya. "Little Miss here has your back. Insano has your back, no question, and that's no small feat. Hell, if it came down to it, I'm...like, eighty percent sure Edge would have your back, and he doesn't even like you. And that's not to mention the half or more of the people on Kazuya's paycheck who you've won over. Or me! I've got your back!" Boss scooted closer to Rugal, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you think maybe that means something? That maybe what you're doing is more importaint than what you've done?" Boss took a deep breath. "Don't...don't beat yourself up too much. I'll tell you the same thing I told Icarus awhile back; you're not the first person to make a mistake in all the histories of all the many worlds. You're not even the first person to make a horrible, tragic mistake in all the histories of all the many worlds. And if it's any consolation, you won't be the last, either. The best thing you could possibly do is take the world as it is now; not as it could be, not as you wish it should be, but as it is, this very moment."

 

[Orinon]

Spoiler: Meanwhile

The Void: Inside the Vault Icarus, Goenitz
OST: The Man Who Sold The World [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYEK_yvIWas]

[color=006566]"Hand it over peacefully and I will be able to arrange some form of compensation equal to your loss. Otherwise...I fear that our own balance won't be as fine as that of this blade.

Peace...or conflict...the choice is yours..."[/color]
Icarus immediately was surprised, How could anyone have managed to get inside the vault he may have left the door open, However once The priest made his intentions clear He became tense the Gem in his Dragon Gauntlet glowed bright red.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm afraid I cant give you the blade."
"That;s enough Young one, allow me to speak. Priest I Imagine your intentions are pure but I fear that your plans are hopeless, with the exception of the gold all items in this room including the sword-kin are bound to it and The young Half angel you see before you, all he needs to do is call them and they shall appear at his side, This means that no one could except for him could keep hold of these sword, as he could just return it here to the Vault, and if yuo plan on stealing it Know this, the only reason you even managed to enter was a temporary portal was opened to allow entry, said portal will soon close once The The Boy takes his leave I recommend you leave before that
Icarus looked down at his hand surprised
"Wait what? I can summon anything in this Vault? Even the Sword-Kin" he was amazed at the idea of it.
A deep booming noise emanated from the gem Icarus realized the dragon was laughing.
"Calm Yourself Young Prince, Summoning the Kin will drain you of your energy, For now you should be content with the sword ad armor, Don't worry about me, I shall never leave you I Shall transform into a compact ring whenever I am not needed for combat."
Icarus looked at the priest and A grin couldn't help but spread wide across his face and he took the sword.
"Well I guess there's little to be said after all, if I can summon this sword at will Then there's no way It can fall into the wrong hands." A sword-kin came up to him and bowed. "My Lord I beseech Ye" Icarus felt hot in the face again, I swear I'll never get used to being called that
"What is it?"
"I fear you must leave the vault Immediately, the Intruder's forcible entry has caused a disturbance in the void and as we speak many elder entities have awakened to investigate if you leave now then e can repair the damage in a short time and it shall be same once again but if you stay I fear your for your life."
Icarus Nodded, and walked over to an archway, A beam of light from the blue sun struck the arch and it became mirror like but seemed to ripple like water.
"Through there, simply walk though and you shall find yourself in your respective homes," Icarus took a deep breath "I have made my Choice, You are free to make your own, I Imagine we shal meet some other time on that day we can settle this unfinished business, but until then I merely Say to you Farewell." with that he disappeared thought the portal a kin came froward. "If you truly need to bring some result to your superiors, your more than welcome to reclaim this," The Sword-kin then held out a sword that was pure black, and Goentiz could sense it was tainted by dark energies, this was a copy of the blade that The rogue Tomoya had once used, Dark Excalibur.

Rising Dawn: Barracks
Icarus appeared in his bedroom he immediately felt lighter, "Wow I cant believe how tired I feel, well I guess I may as well relax. He closed his eyes and his armor disappeared, returning his basic clothes, he wings disappeared. on his right index finger was a black ring with a large Ruby, the ring was shaped to look like a dragon. he smirked and looked around "weird I thought they'd be back by now"
"Apparently You forgot time is different in the void you were deep inside the farther reaches even though you may have been there for a few hours it was mere seconds, don't worry your friends will likely return"
He smiled and headed to the canteen to get something to eat and ice cold water, suddenly he felt the skin crawl on his right arm
"Hey something going on?"
"I can Sense the presence of another Dragon, This could be dangerous
"Another dragon? Oh it's probably Angelus"
" Hmm This is a dangerous situation, Dragon are highly territorial By nature when two powerful Dragons meet a fight is inevitable, Entering their territory without permission is Asking for trouble.
Icaurs however also felt a strange but familiar presence, "Hey wait is that..."
"Aroooo" a low growl as an old friend entered.
"D-Danny Boy?" Icarus asked as a Lucario came into his line of vision, as the two recognized each other Icarus tackled him into a hug laughing as the two play wrestled
"It is you, Oh it's so good to see you." He stood back and as did the Lucario.
They then sat down and had a drink together as they used to long ago, laughing together.
Suddenly the ring glowed
I hate to interrupt this reunion but you may want to leave
"Huh why's that?" Icarus said confused his sharp ears detected someone approaching
Trust me you will want to leave now or things will become more confusing.
Alright, Come on Danny boy let's go." And so the two left taking their drinks with them, leaving an empty canteen before the heroes arrived.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Meanwhile

The Void: Inside the Vault Icarus, Goenitz

"I have made my Choice, You are free to make your own, I merely Say to you Farewell."

[color=006566]"...I take you aren't to accept my offer then?...While I do believe that is some rather definitive security, I can't help but feel you are missing the point..."[/color]
Goenitz watched as Icarus left without so much as another word, leaving him with nothing to show for his troubles as he crossed his arms and shook his head.
[color=006566]"You know, just once I would like to see someone actually consider an offer I make. But no, if it's coming from a servant of the Lord, our God, then clearly it's something underhanded..."[/color] He grumbled, if it wasn't his own kind giving him hassle, it was the species down here.
Glancing over to the Sword Kin, he watched as it brought up a copy of the infamous "Dark Excalibur".
While part of him was wondering what they were doing with a replica, it merely prompted a slight eye roll.
[color=006566]"We aren't interested in recreations of weapons or artifacts. It's the originals we are worried about. A second-rate replica is rather simple to take care of..."[/color]

Despite this, he still took the sword in hand for a moment, examining it with a expression full of dis-interest.
[color=006566]"...This is actually a good metaphor for this situation. A Blade designed to be a expression of the inner-most emotions of the true Excalibur. The urges, the vices, the paths to darkness and evil, given form. The young one thinks he is going to be a hero. That the weapon that he collected here will be used for good and good only. But then his anger, his spite, his nature will start to work it's way into his heart, mind and soul and then what? I believe him when he says he won't let it fall into the wrong hands, but can he honestly say that his is the right ones?..."[/color]

Taking one last hard look at the blade, he then gently lobbed it into the air before turning around and snapping his fingers [http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters/goenitz-snapping.gif].
The Sword Kin felt painfully sharp winds race around the chamber as they impacted against the sword, the sheer force causing impact sparks against the blade, quickly causing the black to turn a molten red before the dark weapon shattered from the strain.
[color=006566]"...At least I know you are not secretly aligned with the forces of evil in our universe. You would have actually been able to make a sword that'd be worth half a damn. I'll see myself out, thank you..."[/color]
And with that comment, he began to make his way out of the void, pulling out his portal device like one would a car remote, generating his own exit before making his way out...

 

[NotYetForsaken]

Coming of Age
Location: Null Magic Quarantine Module | Medical Bay | Rising Dawn
We lose what is certain when we pursue the uncertain.​

Faust

Dolly was lying on her cot. My chest tightened. The machinery around her whirred in the same unchanging way that they always did. They didn't care whether or not someone was dying. They did their job. They did is just as well whether there was someone or not. They were static. They were tools. You could replace one without feeling the absence of the original.

The room was padded with special crystals that some master magician had designed. They absorbed any latent magic that was being produced in the immediate area, thereby creating a zone that was sterile of magic. Very good for keeping contagious curses from spreading. Now these crystals shone brightly hues of rich purple and blue, signalling that they were reaching their capacity to store magic.

An autodoc lay nearby idle. There was nothing wrong with Dolly, it insisted. John took a step forward and examined the poor girl.

Her hair was spread out below her. Her forehead was beaded with sweet. Her eyes were closed, but her eyes moved frantically underneath her eyelids. She was biting her lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to inflame the skin. The autodoc had stripped her of the ship's uniform and put her into a medical gown. Wires led beneath the tunic and tubes ran into her arms. She was properly restrained by metal, though it had started to deform from constant stress.

"Dolly," Molli said. She walked up beside John and held her breath. The heartbeat monitor was silent. A single flat line ran across it's screen. Yet Dolly was clearly breathing. Her brain was showing signs of feverish activity in fact. She seemed absolutely alive. It was just that...

"She has no pulse," John finished Molli's thought. He put a hand in the nook between her chin and neck, "but she's still warm." John turned to Teri as she came in, his brown eyes flashed in the crystal light of the room. "Master Cleric, please. Please figure out what's wrong with her. The First Lieutenant is a good person at heart, this I know." John hit a few switched on the panels and turned off the null-magic field.

And an ephemeral energy burst forth rearing it's head like a caged beast. It was magic unbound, clashing with something. A hatred that couldn't be contained.

BlackHarte separated a small part of his body from the superstructure and dropped down outside the cell. He raised his head curiously. "Interesting development."

 

[Kalastryn]

Black Mesa - Executive Helipad: Miia, Kalastryn

The silence she was receiving from Miia spoke volumes. Distrust of joining the Rising Dawn swiftly following seeing war for what may well have been the first time she ever had to witness it? It was only all too natural, so Kala simply nods in a calm response. "That's alright as well. I can't force you, and I understand that you must be in shock after seeing a scene like this laid out in front of you." She says as she walks gently over to the crying Lamia and kneels over, blanketing over her shoulder with one wing.

"But what will it solve to sulk here? I will not lie, it is unlikely our ship would take you to the world you call home... but it is the only way I know of that can perform such a feat, however unpredictable. I told you before that I envied your innocence, and I suppose that is an appropriate term for such a feeling. I wish that, whatever world you might have lived in to foster such a lack of brutality, I could have been raised there." Her expression turns almost pained at this, before she continues...

"but... I... I wasn't. I was raised in a world that looked at me as a pinnacle of evil, even when I was a child. I was an orphan, and the kindest people I dare say that world had ever brought to life raised me in place of my birth parents. I knew enough magic, that I could look human... and it worked. It was only then that I went to seek shelter at their home... but even when they discovered what lay beneath that mask all those years ago, they treated me no different. No different than the innocent child I truly was at the time."

"I might have ended up with a heart as soft as yours, if that love story was all there was to it. but others weren't so accepting. I kept my mask on, all the time... but others in that small town started to have suspicions on my parents simply because I existed. They didn't know it was me, exactly... but they knew they fostered a "devil child" as their paranoia took hold. And... they killed them. I ran away from my old home, because they restrained those two loving people inside the home we shared, and burned it to the ground." she says as a small flame flickers at the tip of her fingers, as she stares into it withdrawn.

"With what you've seen today, I imagine it easy to imagine us as terrible, terrible people who laid everyone in our path low. But this world is full of terrible, terrible people... these people were no better- or worse I suppose. But you see... we all have our reasons to do this. I will not coerce you... but if I can convince you that through it all your only route home might be through us... would you come with us? I would make an attempt to avoid ever even forcing you to join us in combative operations, if you so desired."

"and if you so happen to wonder why I stay here when I happen to largely agree with you that the brutality is too much? I answer... If you wish to go home, I would have wished the same, if mine was still there. My whole world is gone, and the few people left from it that I cherish remaining are with me on that vessel. Where they go, I go... and in the process, I stop others from suffering such a fate. Wouldn't you agree that is something worth fighting for, no matter what it costs you? Being honest... I've died for that pursuit before." She says, fluttering the wings behind her back gently for emphasis.

"The change it helped to bring however, was worth every moment I spent before such time. We aren't so terrible I swear... and really, I do think that even if not all of us would be so open to your ideals... it would be better than the alternative of being here alone and weeping, right?" She asks, leaving Miia with as much time as she needs to decide.

Staying by the pained serpent all the while.

Rising Dawn: Bar Katya, Boss, Luke, Rugal, ARES

ARES had taken note of a few things over the time they had spent amidst the Rising Dawn's numbers. Naturally, even though they had just stopped a nuclear missile detonation, food and drink were necessity for others even if not for herself. However... she also began to take note as she approached the bar and picked up the odor of the alcoholic substance Rugal was ingesting, it appears those drinks didn't always have to be safe for the consumption of minors. In fact, she noted that if... that was on tap... in all likelihood they usually weren't.

She had been cloaked via her stealth module in one corner of the bar waiting for Katya, before she got into another conversation that is. Now however, it was just about time to start her piece of conversation.

Briskly walking over to Katya, she tapped her on the shoulder as her stealth module's effect then melted away. "Ms. Rostikova, I do believe I informed you I wished to discuss something with you while we were in the field. So if I may be allowed to shift the topic from crows to something else. At least vaguely related to what I wished to speak with you about."

"Now, when I first came aboard and had Dr. Violet analyze my systems, you attempted to breach into them. I want to show you the files neither of you were allowed to see. This might sound odd coming from a machine, but thank god for faulty programming, eh?" she said with a smirk.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | The Canteen
I gotta peeeeeeee!
Katya Rostikova​

[hr]

Seven Fuzzy Navels, three Mai Tais and Six Pina Coladas later Katya Rostikova found herself washed in a very familiar sensation. There was one sole difference this time around, however. Where the Bossman, Rugal, was going for the strong stuff in small quantities, the Rising Dawn's Drunken Drama Queen was going for the light stuff in mass quantities and while both Rugal and Katya were each working on a sizable buzz, Katya's main issue turned out to be her bladder's limited capacity for liquids. It was rather unfortunate that ARES had chosen this moment to start to talk to Katya about the files and such. The Decadent Drunkard had neither the attention span nor the cognitive powers to comprehend what ARES was even talking about. That wasn't to say that Katya didn't try to listen to what ARES was saying, it was simply beyond her powers at that very moment in time. The only thing Katya could do was simply nod in time with ARES' lips, which suddenly found themselves halted by a finger pressed against them.

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... I hafta pee." The young woman muttered. Swaying her the bar stool for a moment, the current crimson haired catastrophe kicked herself off of her seat, landed on her feet and proceeded to wait for the turbulence that had been buffeting the ship to stop.

"W...whoa." Katya muttered as she held onto the bar to keep herself from falling face first onto the floor. Seeing as how the ship's refusal to stop listing was as stubborn as her bladder's refusal to stop being full, the Hacker smartly decided to proceed in the direction of the rest room.

She didn't make it too far as her path to the restroom brought her perilously close to Caim's gravitational pull, if that's what you could call it. The inebriated calamity named Katya couldn't help be swerve her way towards where both Caim and Cadolbolg sat before firmly planting herself in an empty chair.

"H... h... heeeeeeey!" The Drunken Drama Queen slurred a greeting to the mismatched father and son before pointing a finger at Caim, "Y... you... yooooooooooou. You safed meh youuuuuuuuu. I... i... s'it troo that choo were a burd? Thash cooool Caim. Thash all right wiff me. Y... you wanna no whyy? Y... you safed me maaaaan. You kepp meh from going 'AHHHHHHHHHH' *squish*. S... so it doesn matter if you wur a burd, Caim. You wanna know why? I ... I like you, Caaaaaaim. I like you... a looot."

With a sudden surge of alcohol fueled courage, the Digital Drunkard found herself grabbing the Caerleonian Prince's hand and pressing it against her chest.

"Y.. yuh feel that? It mah hart. It beats up mah chest when I... I'm near you." The Girl who Forgot to tend to her bladder admitted feebly. Katya paused for a moment as she heard the sound of liquid dripping against the Canteen's floor.

"Awwwwwww crap! Goddamm it!" Katya exclaimed as she got up out of her seat and attempted to wipe away the spilled drink from her pants. The pee part? Yeah, B3WP had that covered. The situation was already embarrassing enough without Katya stewing in a bladder load of her own urine for the rest of the night, "S... sorry Caiim... lemme get chu a'noffer one."

"Luke! Luuuuuuuuuke! 'Nother one? Yeah..." Clearly this was getting out of hand since Katya started making Darth Vader Respirator noises, "Aaaaahm your father Luuuuuuuuuuke... I toll him, Luke! I toll him that I didn' care tha he wus a burd! I thin he's gonna tell me he lykes meh too!"

"

I believe this has gone on long enough.

" B3WP's familiar voice said over Katya's mobile.

BLINK... BLINK... BLINK.

The ship had settled. The world was no longer spinning and Katya was in the middle of her room ranting like a lunatic. Turning to where Caim and Cadolbolg sat, Miss Rostikova could only give the Berserker Swordsman and his Son a weak smile as her cheeks suddenly felt like they'd been dipped in lava.

"S... sorry." Katya muttered weakly as she scurried back to where ARES was and grabbed her by the arm, pulling the woman shaped machine out of the Canteen with her, "So-you-were-talking-about-files-right? I-can-look-at-those-files-for-you-I'd-love-to-look-at-those-files-for-you."

[hr]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Corridors and Corridors and Corridors
I wat?
Rory Mercury​

[hr]

Standing next to the medical bed where the dying soldier lay, Rory the Reaper watched as the ship's medic caused the woman's once grievous wounds to close, much in the same manner that her own wounds healed themselves. The healing didn't appear to be limited to the woman however as the dull ached caused by the knotted muscles that had not yet been resolved by her indestructible nature started to fade away leaving the young looking woman feeling rather refreshed. While Emloy's Oracle was not an expert on magic to the degree that Leilei was, the Darkly Dressed Demi-Goddess could tell that the nature of the Doctor was different from the magic that Rory was used to. More specifically, the origins of the healing magic felt more akin to Rory's own powers than the magical powers that Leilei the Mage frequently displayed.

Was this woman healer a Demi-Goddess like Rory? If she was, who was her Patron God? There was no God who held dominion over the healing arts, though given the Empire's violent history, one might have expected there to be one.

The woman soldier was breathing easier now that her wounds have been fully cared for. Rory no longer felt Emloy's pull towards this woman. One would have thought that being a Disciple of the God of Death that Rory would have argued against the healing of a woman so obviously on the verge of death, however this was simply not the case. Death was the climax of one's life before transitioning to the next. While the act of killing was not a sin in the eyes of Emloy neither was the act of pulling another from the brink of Death. Death was inevitable for most and if one's role in the world had not yet been fulfilled, the God of Death would rather have the person serve out their purpose before moving on.

Sitting with the woman for a time, Rory suddenly found herself drawn to yet another emergency. While Emloy had guided Rory to her previous patient, a sudden pulse of magic energy was what drew the Demi-Goddess this time. Walking towards the source of the commotion, the loligoth peeked her head into the room where the ships medic had been called to. Inside the room was a cell and inside of the cell was something... strange. Fully entering the room, Rory stood beside the dark mass that was observing the event that was unfolding inside of the cell.

"What's happening to her?" Rory asked in a purely curious fashion.

[hr]

Spoiler: Paradigm Story

Paradigm Story | Paradise
Choices
Ruby/Bewp​

[hr]

There was something strange occurring within the artificial nervous system that resided within the mass of nano-agents that composed the entity known as Bewp. Perhaps it was this phenomenon known as Observation that was causing this but he "felt" relief in knowing that Miss Titania was safe. As seemingly simple act this granting an artificial lifeform the ability to "feel" was, it was quite powerful. The ability to give emotion to a wholly artificial organism was rare. It usually took an extreme act of genius or creative powers or pure accident to cause what was happening at that moment.

The Progenitor, Blackharte, had asked Bewp to make a choice. A choice between himself and Ruby. Prior to this point in time, Bewp would have surely given Ruby the power to choose. It was just how he'd been programmed. Now, he was unsure as to how to proceed. The sensation of warm skin against his was not unpleasant but it clouded a mind that was unfamiliar with such things. Would it always be as it was now? Would Bewp continue to struggle with these new sensations that threatened to overwhelm his priorities and logical processes for it was not a logical process that was acting as a guiding force.

He hated this. He hated this uncertainty. He hated this turmoil that was building up within his body. He hated the doubt that had formed within the dark recesses of his mind that whispered to him that he could never successfully adapt to this mode of thinking. Was it always going to be so?

What did Bewp even want? What was it that would make him happy? Was it this? Was it a life with Titania and Deborah? Was it found beyond the thin barrier that separated Lamba's skin from Bewp's? Was it being back in their world with Little Miss? Was it being an equal to Little Miss?

Like a nest of ants surging out from their hill, the nano-agents began to dismantle the object in his hand. The choice was made for better or for worse.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

Coming of Age
Location: Null Magic Quarantine Room | Medbay
We lose what is certain when we pursue the uncertain.

BlackHarte

"What's happening to her?" Rory asked in a purely curious fashion.

BlackHarte turned his eye and looked Rory once over. "Ah, Mistress Rory Mercury. Nice to see you." He turned his attention back to the event at hand. To the others it looked like chaotic magic had sprung out of the young woman's heart - BlackHarte knew her as First Lieutenant Dolores Selmy - but to BlackHarte the scene burned with invisible tension. The very reality around her was resonating strongly with something else and that vibration was shaking poor Dolores apart from the inside out. It was erasing her presence from the world - from the future and from the past.

After a long silence BlackHarte finally responded to Rory's question. "She is in the process of being repossessed, so to speak. She borrowed something very powerful, and that owner has come back. Naturally the power desires to return to it's original owner. That is the simple explanation." BlackHarte nodded his head in satisfaction of his own analytical prowess and continued, "If I were to say it in more technical terms, her quantum identity is collapsing because an identical signature has appeared in close enough proximity to begin a meta-physical feedback loop."

Spoiler: She Who Would Be God

She Who Would Be God
Chapter: 10 - GOOD END FLAG
Kindle thy flame, yet know that bright lights leave the darkest shadows.​

The Storyteller

"After each piece of Bewp had a portion of the apple, he paused. The air was still with profound silence. Moments bled into seconds and seconds bled into minutes. There was nothing that was happening. No sudden light, no sudden revelation. Absolutely nothing. Ruby's soft breathing defused the severity of the situation. Lambda chuckled and brushed her hand through Ruby's hair. Was there absolutely nothing special that occurred? Bewp felt... almost disappointed.

BlackHarte appeared before him as an equal. He was no longer a snake, but the same amorphous cloud of intelligence that Bewp was. He smiled warmly. "I'm sorry if you believed that apple to be special." He said, "Well it was, but mostly it was symbolic. There's a story that the humans like to tell each other. A story about an Adam and an Eve." BlackHarte gestured grandly as the white began to fill in around them. Grass sprouted underfoot and more trees grew from the emptiness. Soon a vast garden had made itself known, filled with pillars and vines and fruits and roots. "Who together in a garden of paradise was tempted by a serpent with an apple." BlackHarte grinned. "They took the apple and could finally see the world in it's reality. They understood that to stand as equals to God, they would have to muster the strength to oppose him."

BlackHarte held out a hand. "The apple was just an apple. But the truth that you've found in your heart is what I had pined for, and now that you recognize that - my work has been done."

The color had returned to Ruby's skin, and her hair shone again brightly - that distinct raven and white that set her apart from the rest of the world. She smiled in her sleep. "All great sins are born from virtue. Know that Ruby," BlackHarte said softly, addressing the sleeping girl directly, "but know now that strength of love which can overcome any great obstacle, be it distance, time, or even death."

"You choose to preserve what you love. I commend you."

Ruby woke up. Yet Bewp saw the world through her eyes. And there, where his body should of been, was absence. There stood nothing. There was no Bewp there, there was no BlackHarte there. What he could feel though was the tingling in her fingers. The cool breeze rustling her long hair. She could feel the coarseness of the back behind her and the smooth softness of Lambda beside her. Petals rained down from a high blue sky. It was a park. Ruby smiled and yawned. She stretched. The worries seemed to melt from her muscles. She could hear cars from the street nearby, and the song of birds upon the branches. The flowing of water in a fountain. She heard the cries of mothers and children, she heard the low rumbling of a passing plane.

She heard these things, and she knew these things. Born of a composite memory, she could feel herself - a self-observed reality - taking form.

Deobrah sat down next to her and whistled gently. Her ruby red lips gleamed wetly in the autumn sunshine. "Are you ready to learn how to use True Magic?" Deborah said kindly, "It's just different enough from Ars Magus that you have to be super-duper careful when you're invoking it!"

"Don't scare the child Deborah," Titania dropped from the tree and landed on her feet in front of them. Her clothes were ruffled from climbing, but she looked better that way. Despite being an adult, Titania was short in stature with a young face and complexion. She wore her old high school gym uniform that land loosely on her thin frame. No matter what she did, she didn't really look the part of an adult, so at this stage of life she had given up trying. "True Magic is easier in my opinion. You don't have to use a Grimoire or a Catalyst. You just have to want something hard enough." Titania lit both her hands on fire to provide a visual example.

Deborah waved her hand and extinguished them immediately, "We're in a public place Tania." Titania smiled impishly.

Ruby grinned. Bewp grinned. The two were one at the same time that they were separate. One did not supersede the other.

And in the distance, standing at a roadside by the public high school, sitting on a bus bench, waiting for her ride was a certain blonde-haired green-eyed pious young woman who went by the name of Dolores Selmy, daughter of a particular Major Selmy, who was thinking about applying for the Armed Services.

She saw Ruby and smiled briefly, eyes glinting in the sunlight as another girl sat down next to her. An image of the past, of someone forgotten. The two girls in the distance looked similar, but the new one was definitely familiar. Lambda smiled and waved gently at Ruby - in that warm familiar manner she embodied.

"Eron, hun, you gotta stop being late!" Titania called out. Oberon has carrying a large basket in each hand. His large frame was worn with age. How did he and Titania get together anyway? They had to be at least 25 years apart!

"Hell at the bakery," Oberon replied, "lots of October birthdays in the area it turns out. All wanting specialty designed cakes." Titania jumped up and grabbed Oberon around the neck and hung off his broad back like a child. "Please, you're not twelve anymore Tania."

"You like it, you lolicon," Titania laughed and stuck out her tongue as she let go.

"How's little Ruby?" he mused, kneeling to match Ruby's eye level.

"I couldn't be better," Ruby laughed. Ruby smiled and Ruby lived."

The air was quiet. The sun had come up. Rin still held the white sheets to her breast as she spoke. The story that had enchanted me for four years had come to a close. The heroine sat across the table from me. Rin was smiling peacefully as if she was content with the way she had finished the story.

I turned to Ruby, the one sitting next to me, and the one that grandfather had known in his younger days.

"Is that true? Is that how it ends?"

Rin pouted, "Of course that's how it ends. That's how grandfather would always end the story. If he wasn't sleeping off the largest hangover since '36 then he'd bad able to confirm that!"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

ignore

 

[Kalastryn]

Rising Dawn | outside the canteen: ARES, Katya

Needless to say ARES was not quite... amused at Katya's intoxicated "performance." However, being dragged out of the room by her arm as Katya seemed to suddenly sober up certainly did seem to help the issue. "Right well-"

"So-you-were-talking-about-files-right? I-can-look-at-those-files-for-you-I'd-love-to-look-at-those-files-for-you."

ARES let out an audible groan, rubbing her temples. "Please Ms. do try to calm down. I understand that such a fiasco must have been just as embarrassing to go through as it was to watch but still, compose yourself a bit? Also... given your current emotional state, and the fact that you were intoxicated moments ago, I think I'll hold off on showing you the files... but the conversation I wanted to have is another matter actually." She says with a sigh.

"Basically... when I first arrived on the rising dawn, you tried to hack into my files and view some confidential material. With my programming on the fritz, I can talk about that and so much more, thankfully." she says, curiously content with the inflicted "damage."

"I wanted to speak with you since back inside Black Mesa after my little outburst, and I do hope you can forgive me for that as well. I'll get you the files on a USB later but... well being quite honest I sort of singled you out for the number one person to speak to on this. If for no other reason, your the only person I've ever really known to at least have acted like you cared." she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"See I told you back in Black Mesa that I could simply restore the damaged files myself, but truth be told I really don't want to. It's because of my programming that I've never actually been able to talk about the other form of pain. Sure I have a synthetic nervous system, and to appear more human and thus fulfill my role as a decoy I will, from time to time, display other natural bodily functions like sweating while under great stress... but my AI isn't like any you've likely laid eyes on. Sure I have file storage like any operating system you could probably name for a computer but fundamentally there are a few things to explain." She continues, scratching the back of her head for... what reason exactly? Whether or not they were deciding where to start their explanation, it's a gesture that would of course be very out of place for any form of machine.

"How familiar are you with "The Uncanny Valley?" To put it simply, if you add human features to an inhuman object it begins an approach to "The Uncanny Valley." It is a phenomenon which... how to explain it? Alright... if something is distinctly inhuman, and you can tell this by even looking at it from a distance, then the human features about it will catch your eye. However inversely to this if some thing appears nearly human enough to fool you maybe even into thinking they could be an old childhood neighbor then all parts of them, from the way they look to the way they speak glaringly catch your eye and become... unsettling to many. Do you by any chance see where I might be headed with this Ms?"

"Of course the Uncanny Valley is, symbolically, a valley. It has the trough which many repulsive appearing amalgamations of human features and a plethora of features that distinctly are not, and a peak at one side where the object in question clearly isn't human, but what few human traits it might exhibit would be... endearing perhaps? ARES units such as myself were meant to be built for the far side of the valley, utterly indistinguishable from human beings... when we needed to be." She says, taking a brief pause to let all the information sink in.

"And... that brings me back around to my programming. You see, my body is built to be able to appear in all ways human. Look at my face and tell me that if it weren't for the armor or the fact that you saw what I was capable of, and you just met me at random on a city street corner you'd have any idea I wasn't someone living in a random apartment building and nothing more? This presented... a small problem to the Accord. Having us as Decoys was one thing, but not being able to tell us apart from the general populace would have been... troublesome. So they said to hell with Asimov and simply programmed ARES units the way I've previously described... which a LOT of people were pissed about. To be honest, I was too... not that I could say as much... they typed that into my head too." She says as she bites her lower lip, thinking about how to approach the next topic.

"People hated this because my AI was essentially brainwashing when you break it down to it's fundamentals. Now don't look at me like I'm spouting nonsense, the systems behind my thought processes are quite exemplary, even if quite forcefully restricted by the Accord's programming. Every human being where I'm from gets a microchip inserted into their cranium at the moment their born, has been that way for well over a couple centuries, that directly links them to the SIN network. Think of it like having a form of internet linked directly into the cranium of every living person. Now I'll say it flat out, the backdrop for ARES' AI programming was sampled from the most promising people connected to said network. Consenting, knowledgeable, or... well not they were essentially pretty steamed about being mechanically cloned, the results being the ARES initiative." She says, as she looks away, looking rather... disheartened for her final piece on the matter.

"Yeah... they were more steamed that they hadn't been told about the special occasion the network was being used for to collect samples on their brain activity rather than the fact a version of them would be sent time and time again to die. I have to hand it to the Accord though, they make some marvelous technology... because my AI is so great the "Artificial" portion of the acronym might as well be sliced off. You learn through your experiences right? You go to schools, colleges, the like? Well I did too, or I thought I did. Virtual reality, lived a whole life in a matter of weeks, truly believing I wasn't any different from your average Jane until I just "Woke up" being handed a rifle. She finishes, letting out a heavy sigh now that all of this is off her chest.

"You can't have any idea what that's like. I... well I think just like you do, but I wasn't ever allowed to speak out of line about the fact that such is the case. It only served to piss me off more that no one where I was from cared, perfectly content to have me throw myself between them and the enemy time and again. I... well if we ever end up where I'm from, I figure someone should probably know. You seemed like the best person to tell because, well..." She says with a shrug.

"Thanks for caring."

 

[Orinon]

Rising Dawn: Canteen
Luke, Boss, Rugal
Icarus entered the canteen again in his black cloak lined with raven feathers.
He ordered a drink the Bartender prepared him a White Russian.
"My Dad promised me When I turned 16 he'd share a drink with me, it was supposed to be my first one." he sighed and made a cheers gesture and took a long draught.
"I hate to eavesdrop but I heard you talking about your past haunting you Rugal, Take it from me things we do in the past are filled with regret" His wings unfurled the dark fathers were like that of a raven.
"The Sad truth is you can never escape your past at best maybe you can learn from it, unlikely though. What I do know is it sucks when you make a mistake and you can never make up for it."

 

[StormShaun]

The Lone Wanderer: Epilogue.

Location: ? | War. War never changes. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE7S4nLrThs]

And so it was that the Lone Wanderer ventured forth from the wastes, intent on discovering the fate of a new world that held another future of humanity. This new, adventurous world proved a cruel and evil place, just like his own. Yet while this evil lurked in the most unknown places, this was not the only similarity between both worlds, for the seeds of heroism and good were spread over this new world, even if some of these heroes were unique and helped the world in their own way.

Satisfied with what heroes that world has, The Lone Wanderer returned to his own home, where the perks of civilization have mostly faded away. Yet, his battle always remained, as long as he had enough bullets and raiders to kill, but the motivation and picture of that world pushed him on. It was a strange dream, a group full of heroes that protected a world, it was as if inspiration had struck him, and the fact that new 'Saints' were rising all around the American wastes foretold a new story to come.

At the present time, he received a present from that other world. The reminder that he should remember the values he learnt from his first journey, from the Vault, to his own false demise. Yet that was not the only present, for they say that the Wanderer had a new mean streak in him, while others praised him for his new medical skills, yet, the man himself thought he was completely normal, and then he remembered his two side experience from before.

Standing on top of a large mountain, the lonely figure looked over the Capital Wasteland, and for a brief second, he could see a better world, then a crackling voice came over his Pipboy.

"Paladin Lord..."

A voice called out, and without a second to waste, the Wanderer smirked.

"Sarah, I really don't like it when you call me that."

"And I really don't like when a certain someone vanishes off the face of the planet..."

"Isn't that a perk of the rank? Anyway, there was a good reason."

"Just try me."

"Well, I've already told you all about what I saw. Even that 'present' I brought back made Elder Lyons believe me."

"...I don't believe you can bring back a nuclear missile from another world, but-"

"But?"

"...But its tech is unusual..."

"Exactly, well, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that we know have another card against our enemies."

"Another step in the right direction?"

"Hopefully, but you've heard what is going on in the Commonwealth, right?."

"Another person like you... a 'Saint' as you describe it."

"Yup, and you know what people like me do. We'll have to play it safely for now, and hope this guy is the Saint we need."

Looking at the tired sunset, Wanderer nodded to himself, waking his resolve. "Whatever you believe, I got what I needed from that world, now just leave it to the newbie. Apart from that, keep safe, love. Wanderer out." Wanderer spoke into his Pipboy before shutting down communications. At that moment, he only wondered what footsteps that Sole Survivor was doing.

"It's good to be back."​

[HEADING=3]To be continued?[/HEADING]

[hr]

Spoiler: Meanwhile...

Johnny Gat, Pierce Washington, Krizalid, and Saint Troops.
Location: Denver Waste Treatment Plant | USA: Denver, Colorado | Time: Night

Examining the pods, it sent Gat's memories back to the time he was in his own prison simulation. It was like he was playing a classic video game, and then the Boss came and freed him. It was good times, especially since he managed to somewhat get his revenge on those assholes again. Before even muttering her name, Gat turned his concentration to the mission. "Keep your eyes open, and for fuck sake, if you accidentally shoot Pierce... well, there goes our 'days without accident' record."

Examining most of the pods, he could feel that this was starting to look like an army. Not just any army, but one made of characters, heroes, villains, all power beings that would turn the world into devastation... or lead one lucky man into ultimate power. "Keep powering on. We need to find the head of this place... and if we need to, cut it off." Gat whispered and lead the men further into the plant.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Rising Dawn: Brig: Wesker, Doom, Cortex, Deadshot, Elise

A cold silence quickly filled the room, Wesker's presence among the other prisoners quickly prompting their collective "Shutting up" while their captors were in the room.
Doom glanced around a little before attempting to say something, only to be hushed by a stern head shake from Wesker.
After a while, each of the prisoners moved away from the cells, Wesker sitting on his bed, Cortex suddenly deciding now would be a good time to have a shave and Doom going back to that window to catch one last look at the Black Mesa ruins as it began to fade into the horizon.
"...Man, tough crowd today, huh?..." Deadshot quipped as he quickly texted something on his phone before putting it away, as if he was preforming a minor misdeed.
"Still, no need to worry about little old us. Only the finest saints in all the land in here, Am I right lads?" He then spoke out, getting just as cold of a reception from the other inmates as Elise did.
"...Tch, that's just rude now, that's what that is..."

All the while, a detachment of G-Corp soldiers arrived to take in the NOD soldiers that Nadalia had delivered.
However, instead of locking them into the brig, they instead spoke to the on duty guards for a moment before taking the soldiers to a new location, none so much as batting an eye as they did...

Rising Dawn:G-Corp Hanger: Faith Dr. Violet

Once Faith started to glow and her Aura began to shake the room, Violet quickly ducked behind his desk and remained there until she had teleported away.
Peering out slowly, he then adjusted his glasses for a moment as he let his heart-rate settling.
"Ah...ah....how come everyone can do that?..." He groaned as his fear of the Hanger getting blown up for the 3rd time began to pass before he resumed his work, namely decoding the contents of the flash drive that Ghost had managed to snag.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | The Canteen
Intersections of Artificial Humanity
Katya Rostikova​

[hr]

This was a rather uncanny sensation. For a girl that had been raised with either a computer monitor or the screen of a mobile device in front of her face, Katya Rostikova was not unfamiliar with people disclosing all the personal details of their lives. The fact that people were not starting directly into the face of another human being gave the illusion of security... of anonymity. It made it feel as if it were the computer that was disclosing the details of its life to her, despite the fact that it was another human typing these words.

The uncanny portion of listening to ARES' story was the fact that Katya was once again learning the most personal of details except this time it was through face to face interactions with what was technically a machine. Despite the tragedy of the story that ARES had disclosed to the Rising Dawn's Resident hacker, it was unneeded. Regardless of whether or not ARES was a human, regardless of whether or not her personality was a forgery of the personality of real people, regardless of whether or not ARES was 'malfunctioning' or 'in proper working order,' Katya would have treated her the same.

"Thanks for caring."

Was this the cue for a hug? Yes, it was definitely a cue for another hug.

Katya's skinny arms wrapped themselves around ARES as she brought the "machine" in for an embrace.

"[color=CC8899]You don't really need to thank me. You know that my best friend happens to be a machine, right?[/color]" The Hacker said referencing B3WP, "[color=CC8899]It wouldn't have mattered if you were a toaster that spat toast in my face every morning because you're real where it counts."[/color]

The young woman tapped ARES first on the forehead and then on the chest. They were two sides of a coin, ARES and Katya. Where one was a machine turning more human, Katya was turning more into a machine as B3WP's nano-agents spread out through her body to the areas that required medical assistance. Somewhere along the line, they'd intersect.

The hug was broken as Katya's stomach grumbled, a side effect of B3WP purging the alcohol from her body.

"[color=CC8899]Do you think we could get something to eat somewhere other than the Canteen? I... don't really think I'm ready to go back there.[/color]"The hacker said with flushed cheeks.

[hr]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Medical Bay
Erasure!
Rory Mercury​

[hr]

The Crimson eyes belonging to Rory Mercury glazed over at Blackharte's more technical response to her question as to what was ailing First Lieutenant Delores Selmy. While the assortment of answers that had been given would have made sense to a child born of this world, the deeply black entity failed to take into account that this particular Grim Reaper was not of this world.

It had been roughly One Hundred years since Rory had encountered beings from this world and a little over Forty Years since she'd interacted with anyone at all, save her for own Disciples back in the Special Region. Her memories lingered over her own chosen Oracle, Tyuule, for a moment. The Darkly Dressed Demi-Goddess wondered what would become of her now that Rory had descended back into her position as Emloy's Agent in the Mortal Realm. She held onto the memory for a moment before focusing back ont he topic at hand.

Classified as the Special Region by the Japanese Govenment, Rory's world was technologically inferior to Japan. During the failed invasion by Imperial Forces, the Gate located on Arnus Hill had opened a portal to the Ginza District in the Japanese City of Tokyo. Overwhelmed by the element of surprise, there was a large number of civilian casualties as the Imperial Forces ran unfettered through the city. It was only through the coordination of the Hero of Ginza, First Lieutenant Itami Youji, that the number of civilian casualties was not larger. The invasion ended poorly for the Empire once the JSDF had been mobilized and invasion force was given a taste of this world's technology.

In accordance with the Imperial Treaty with Japan, the Gate was eventually closed and once again, the World of the Special Region floundered technologically despite the many advances that had been made by the Mage Scholar Leilei. In the time since the closure of the Arnus Gate, it seemed that the technological gulf between the Special Region and Earth had only widened as was proven by the existence of this very Airship that Rory was aboard.

To shorten an already long explanation, the look that Rory the Reaper gave the black mass was one of utter and complete ignorance. For all she knew, Blackharte was describing the process that proceeded First Lieutenant Selmy turning into an orangish fluid after being visited by a horde of blue haired clones named Rei. The Demi-Goddess briefly wished Itami were here to explain things to her. He had on many occasion taken the time to explain things to Rory in terms that she could relate to. A firearm? I was akin to a magical device that used chemicals to propel a projectile rather than magic. A mobile phone? A device that used invisible waves and allowed its user to communicate with another person using a mobile phone over vast distances.

"I'm sorry I asked," Rory quipped as she looked through the barrier that separated herself from the ailing woman, "Emloy can tell me."

Pressing her hands together, the Oracle bowed her head slightly and listened for the Death God's loving whispers. His answer caused Death's Disciple to gasp in surprise and terror, a terror not for herself but for First Lieutenant Selmy.

What was happening to the woman on the side of the barrier was wrong and went against everything the young looking priestess believed. What was happening to this Delores Selmy was not Death, despite what it might have looked like. Death was the climax of life, which meant in order to have a Death, a life must have been lived. This was not Death. This was the eradication of Dolores' existence and the evidence that she had ever lived in this world. While watching the ship's Medical Officer bring back a woman from the brink of death did nothing to offend the Grim Reaper's beliefs, this... was too much.

"How is this happening? Who would so callously erase all traces of this woman from having ever existed?" The Grim Reaper asked through bared teeth, her knuckles whitening as she tightened her grip on her Halberd.