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

Texas Joker 52 · May 25, 2016

[hr]

While Wrath was busy shaking with laughter and wiping away the tears from her eye, Sloth merely shook his head. He didn't consider himself unreliable. It's just that people relied on him for the wrong things. That wasn't his fault, it was theirs. Turning back to Eddie and his companion, he strode over with his characteristic slowness, even as Eddie moved to meet him too.

"[color=5B9C64]That's certainly true, but I can solemnly say that I did not plan for that to happen. I think you can blame that on the higher ups. So, Bison, huh? That sounds like too much effort to me. And, I mean, there's so many of those so-called heroes in the Rising Yawn, surely they got things covered, eh?[/color]"

Sloth pursed his lips thoughtfully and glanced back at the capital building for a moment before smiling rather charmingly when he looked back at Eddie.

"You're certainly speaking my language." he said with a soft laugh.

"[color=5B9C64]I'm gonna be going to pick up sweets for the kids back in the airship. Reckon resistance will be pretty light down the road. Why don't you stick with us and relax a bit? You did your part for the day if ya ask me. Think about it.[/color]"

Sloth nodded, striding over to Nina's side as the Mercenary of the God's made a bee-line to Wrath. The Embodiment of Ire had finally managed to finish up her laughing fit, and had just realized that the flamethrowing ***** and the little wimp were both gone, much like Rory. With an irritated huff, she stared hard in the direction of the capital building.

True to her nature, she could feel the violence and hate radiating there. It wasn't hard for her to feel it, either, like it could be elsewhere. It was pretty concentrated, so there had to be more than a few assholes there. But beyond that, she felt that there was... Something there. Something infuriating, something so offensive at it's core that even she would have a hard time being around it.

"[color=5B9C64]Oi, Wrath![/color]"

Blinking her lone, remaining eye, she turned to Eddie and casually let her hammer rest against her shoulder.

"What is it, Eddie? I'm kinda busy." she grunted.

"[color=5B9C64]Sounds like yer having a good time over there. Can't say I've been having much of that the past day, but that's a different story. You're not gonna have fun in there, Wrath. Too many people, too much to watch out for. Collateral damage. You'll have Sloth yell at you every single swing you take, 'be careful' 'don't swing so wide' yada yada yada. I know you, Wrath. You're not the kinda person to have fun if they don't let loose.[/color]"

The Towering Vice frowned and reached up with her free hand to scratch idly at a scarred cheek. He was right: As much as she loved to fight groups, the fight she could sense inside was largely one-sided, and she didn't feel particularly inclined to help either side. Now, she could possibly fight both sides, but even she could only handle so much in a mortal body, a fact that made her bare her teeth unhappily.

"Yea, you've gotta point. So?" she asked.

"[color=5B9C64]So why not join me instead? I'll let you know how I ended up having to go shopping for a couple of brats all the way up on an airship. The schaudenfreude should help with the bloodlust, eh?[/color]"

As he strode back to where Nina and Sloth stood, Wrath stood there for a moment considering his offer. Ultimately, she shrugged and made to follow. He was probably right, if nothing else it'd be more fun than the clusterfuck in the political shit-house.

"Alright, I'll tag along." she said as she lumbered up, adding with a grin, "But man, it's times like these that make me wish for the good, old-fashioned religious wars this world used to have. Now those were fun. You could really spread the hate and discontent like a ************ in one of those."

When she finally joined them, Sloth glanced over at Nina and belatedly remembered basic mortal courtesy.

"Oh, right, introductions. I'm Sloth, Embodiment of Entropy, Laziness and whatever, this is Wrath, Embodiment of Anger, Sadism, and the like. Pleased to meet you." he said, raising his hand in a halfhearted wave.

[hr]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | ???
"You Are: Here."
Farber

[hr]

Farber was getting increasingly frustrated. Each and every hallway looked basically the same, despite some of the colored markers on the floors and walls, and the fact that almost each room had some kind of sign next to, or above the doorway. Despite the fact that he hadn't paid much attention to his run to the healers room, or from there to the tavern, he felt that his excellent sense of direction should have helped him find his way.

Ultimately, he wasn't ready to admit that he was lost.

Clenching his fists, he stomped over to where what was clearly a map was pasted on the wall. For the third time in five minutes. And for the third time, got even more mad at how the stupid thing didn't make a lick of sense to him. The layout was like some kind of messed up fairy story maze, and the same colored lines that marked the halls around him also seemed to trace the map too. He also noticed the red dot with some kind of odd writing next to it, but that didn't help him at all! He couldn't read!

He pulled at his hair and groaned.

"Awwww, man! Where am I?! How do I get back to the candy?!" he ground out though clenched teeth.

After a moment, he kicked the wall, only to end up recoiling in pain, reminded that he was still barefoot. The young Ish sat and clutched at his now-aching foot, wondering just how to get to his ill-gotten sweets when he simply decided that, if he was already well-and-truly lost, it wasn't as if he could get any more lost if he just picked a direction and stuck with it.

Standing up, he glanced down the hallway and shrugged before starting off. That seemed to be a good enough direction for now. May as well see where it led.

Zepherus14 · May 26, 2016

"You may call me Nadalia, for that is my name young one. But, to fill in your curiosity- I shall be fine." The woman replied back, and proceeded to rip her arm off. Now to most, something like that would be pretty traumatic but Nina didn't seem to be overly bothered by the arm now flying through the air, or the blood, or the fire that had soon enveloped Nadalia. The fact Nadalia had stated she'd be alright put her mind at ease. "OK! Good luck with the whole Bison fight thing! You can do it and all that jazz!"

[color=5B9C64]"You brought up a pretty good point there, my dear tentacle lover. So, here's how it's gonna go: I'll do a party check, you go on ahead and start walking. I'll catch up on you and Squidward in a minute."[/color] Nina's jaw dropped slowly as Eddie called her a tentacle lover. Frankly completely stunned until Eddie turned to move towards Sloth, Nina stomped her foot and shifting the Phillip dufflebag behind her back with her one hand keeping it there. "Y-You! I'm not-! He's not-!" She started to blurt out, each time her mind slapping her tongue from saying another stupid thing after already tempting another strike after her rock throwing stunt. She instead heel turned and stormed down the roadway, aimlessly walking as she had no idea where the pastry shop would be. "[small]Fuckin' bull, how!? HOW!? First Ryan McEyeball, now this asshole? How could he think I would do that with you?! And Squidward?! ...That was actually pretty good. But still!![/small]" She mumbled to herself, honestly most upset that she had to admit Eddie was actually funny.

She'd continue working her way down the roadway, stopping at an intersection and pulling out her phone to check, which gave Sloth some time to catch up with her. "Oh, right, introductions. I'm Sloth, Embodiment of Entropy, Laziness and whatever, this is Wrath, Embodiment of Anger, Sadism, and the like. Pleased to meet you." The man known as Sloth greeted her. Nina would give a quick look over the two, finding the names a bit odd, but frankly everything that day so far was odd. She would give a smile to the two new people and happily shake Sloth's hand. "It's nice to meet you Sloth, you and your... sister? Wrath did a good job back there, thanks for the help and everything. Is it just the two of you, or are the other five around somewhere?" Nina asked, wondering if the rest of the deadly sins were going to show up.

[hr]

A short while later, Nina would nearly walk passed a pastry shop, but quickly doubled back for seemingly no reason. The shop sign above reading 'Brakland's Pastry Cafe'. "OH! Look at that! I found it, yep." Nina said feinting confidence as she placed her hands on her hips. "Alright let's see what we got in here." Stepping towards the door and strolling inside, a pleasant bell ringing as she entered.

Although some work had been put into the cafe/bakery there, it still looked much more of a 'Mom and Pop' shop vive than a professional one. Behind the counter, one could see a window and a back door that seemed to lead to a kitchen area. There was no one in the cafe, but thankfully for Eddie there were still some pastries sitting on some of the glass display areas if he wanted to use those. "This place is pretty nice. Quaint and stuff. Kinda weird they left the door open though if no one's around..?" She said as she adjusted the bag with Phillip inside.

"HELLO? Hello?" She exclaimed as she got up to the counter, dinging the service bell on the front counter several times before standing on her tippy toes to try and look into the back window. With a short huff and a quick look over her shoulder, Nina quickly moved over to the counter to the staff work space. "Well regardless, I got you to the pastry shop you wanted Eddie, so that's my job done. I'm gonna go and make sure no one's stuck in the kitchen or something stupid." She finished as she started making her way to the backdoor.

[hr]

About a block away, some of the Bison's Ex-Soldiers would be rounding the bend on the side walks.[footnote]Now we'll see if I made any mistakes here, but I think we're all good. Just wanted to get this up so people had something to do over the weekend. If there's a problem send me a message and I'll get back to it when I can.[/footnote]

bluerocker · May 26, 2016

Diablo1099 said:
He helped me write some of this

Generic NPC 22 said:
So did you!

[hr]

Aside from the initial annoyance of Titania's entrance ([color=eca222]"Who did she think she was to go about and barging into his Imps' workplace and give them little mind?"[/color]) Luke was paying the conversation between Anjali and Deborah little mind, at least, before she opened a book of her's. Outward poured strange shapes in arcane patterns that Luke, no, Lucifer was not entirely familiar with; which was all the more disconcerting. A being of age and ability as he were, he was versed in the use of several magics - if not that, he at least a passing familiarity with many things within the Verse, such as the Ki abilities of martial artists, or the spells of passing Tiefling wizards. This? This was something he knew nothing of. Gold runes and sigils danced on paper as the owner went on about her ability to know much from her grimoire - however, the most disconcerting of all was,

"Given time I think I could - if I were to be so proud - pinpoint your nature within the limitless bounds that is the world that we live. For I am Nobody, and I am Anybody, and my domain is that of the very words themselves."

Did that mean she could see through him as well? Read a book to divine his essence, his true nature, as quickly as that smart mouthed psychic[footnote]In reference to 000Ronald's character, Boss. To be fair, he had an ability that allowed him to view souls/true natures or something to that degree[/footnote] was able? That was certainly the last thing Lucifer wanted at the moment, as quiet and firm as his position had been. After an annoying lengthy coup in Hell from his Ex-wife and some speed bumps along the way, the only thing that really mattered to him was being able to enjoy whiling away the hours here as "Luke". Perhaps he had no need for concern - he had given no reason for her to delve into his nature, no need to figure out who the "lowly" bartender truly was. And yet, the longer this woman stood by and described her book's abilities, the more he felt ill at ease - at least until it closed, and Titania ([color=eca222]"The mage's lover?"[/color]) roused, drawing attention to herself, and the small child who had decided to leave. Good. Very good, now he could just -

[sub][sub]"GROOVE GROOVE GROOVE" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcLox-o5GKU][/sub][/sub]

Lucifer - no, "Luke's" train of thought came to a crashing halt as the sounds of some goofy sounding dance number began to play in the air. After a quick scan, the bartender's eyes fell upon the dozing Violet, who had decided that the counter was the perfect place for a nap (it really wasn't, but drunkards were never well known for good standards on anything). As the sound of the ringtone grew louder, Luke gently shook Violet's shoulder to get his attention, and was only given silence and groans as answer. With a sigh, and a mutter of, [color=eca222]"This is so not company policy, but.."[/color] Luke reached into Violet's pocket, and grimaced as the ringtone intensified in volume-

-"I WILL NEVER EVER RUN AWAAAAAY~!"-

With a couple of misplaced beeps on the smartphone, Luke blinked in surprise when he saw he had in fact, answered the call. Placing the phone gingerly to his ear, Luke was about to open his ear, when Elise's voice tumbled out,

"Come in Violet, I repeat ... come in. This is Elise, and there's a hold of a hostage situation. Teri Gravel was abducted; we have ascertainment that she will be found alive. Bring an evac asap for Garm. Location is in Denver, En Route 119 within an alleyway 3 blocks from the Capital Building's entrance. I'll be on the roof, proceed with caution. This is a hot zone, I repeat- proceed with caution with evac. Do you copy?"

Luke stopped everything he was doing after hearing those words, his expression taking a distinctly slack look. Captured? Her? Why?

Before Luke could think anything else, a worried Elise cut in again, "Hello? Do you copy?"

With another pregnant pause, the blonde bartender was barely able to scrape [color=eca222]"Copy That. Help will come ASAP."[/color] before hitting the red button on the display, ending the call before he allowed himself any further distraction.

Lucifer turned to move towards the door, towards emancipating the one he love without second thought, but before he could take another step - there was a distinct feeling like his feet had been nailed to the floor. Oh yes, of course - this was a reminder of his duty. The role that was chosen for by a higher power, he could not interfere, for he was not allowed; not when it was outside of his realm of influence. "Duty", such a binding, dirty word. Why was it such a virtue? What good was duty when it prevented you from saving those you loved? What good was the ability to love if he could not act? Pure and simple, Lucifer was bound. If he took another step in the direction he wished to - there'd be consequences for both himself and his dearest Cleric. There was nothing he could do. Absolutely nothing.

Rage, hot and burning, began to grow his gut, crawling towards his chest and threatened to spew forth from his jaws - he wanted to revert to his darker nature then and there- allow horns to grow from his head and dark armor to take root, sprout the wings of a demon and go careening out of a window of the Dawn, howling curses in dark tongues mortals would shudder to hear - but he could do nothing.

He needed a plan, he needed to something, but what? He wasn't like The Boss, he preferred to just go out and do things himself, not operate through proxies- wait proxies. What were proxies? People that did things on the behalf of others. perhaps "someone" could do. Lucifer couldn't go out and save her, but a concerned Dawn member, or members... that could do the trick. The one who called identified herself as Elise, Lucifer remembered her from the night before - Spider-affinity, was with Rugal following the little incident with Kazuya, presumably working partners. If she was the one who called, Bernie wouldn't be far behind and probably was well aware of the situation; and as sexist as it was, fathers were always more extreme when it came to matters of Daughters. Maybe Lucifer didn't need to worry at all, as frustrating as this turn of events had been - if nothing else, the two could potentially coordinate and work out a plan should immediate extraction not be possible.

A strange of calm fall over ~~Lucifer~~ - (no, Luke - he needed to be Luke) over Luke as he thought over things more. Angry? Oh yes, he was absolutely livid - but he needed to be calm, or at least look calm. He needed to be calculating, and he needed a plan; but first things first - Garm. Luke's eyes scanned the Canteen for any roaming G-corp officers, and saw a small group of two enter; perfect targets for venting a little stress. With a pointed glare to the two grunts, Luke gave a notable [color=eca222]"*Ahem* Tell me, are you two gentlemen doing anything important at the moment?"[/color]

"Pfff, yeah right...not sure if it matters though, CO doesn't seem to mind..." one of them answered as they pointed to the passed out form of Violet, the puddle of drool on the table currently starting to soak into his hair dye and causing some of it to run off.

Luke allowed his eyebrows to raise in manner that he at least thought LOOKED like contempt, [color=eca222]"Oh, really? Well, seeing as your CO is a little indisposed, I have to deliver on his behalf. You see-"[/color]
He held up Violet's cellphone, it's garish wallpaper glowing faintly, [color=eca222]"I just got a phone call from a Dawn member detailing two things - 1) that our ships primary combat medic has been captured. You know, the nice one who doesn't use needles so much as praising Jesus; and 2) That her lupine companion has been wounded. So, tell me, do you think it matters if a member of this team is currently wounded and another captured while you so pleasantly chat among yourselves in the comfort and safety of our home?"[/color]

"...Oh shit. Sorry sir, we'll get right on that. Transfer over the coordinates. We had some men on the ground trying to get civilians out of the hot zone in case things went south. I'll personally oversee the mission. She saved a good number of our men, least we can do."

Ah, such a good little puppy. Luke allowed his expression to soften, if only a little to put the grunt back into an easy disposition, [color=eca222]"Wonderful. If anything else comes in on this"[/color] He shook Violet's phone for emphasis [color=eca222]"I'll have Vermilion patch it to you. Move out."[/color]

With a salute, the grunt and his partner ran back out of the Canteen. Back at the bar, however, Luke's troubles had not ended, as the distinct sound of a body slipping off of a barstool and hitting the floor filled his ears. With an expression of distaste, the bartender gestured to a couple of nervous looking Imps and pointed at the incredibly drunk CO, [color=eca222]"Clean up this mess. Put him at a table if you need to."[/color]

"Cool Cat Saves The Kids? What kind of pedo-swaying fucking movie is this shit??"

[color=eca222]"Ugh... Ride never ends, does it?"
"Can I help you miss?"[/color]

The Airship: Rising Dawn: Hallway
"Please leave your inquiries after the tone"
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | AI. Vermilion

[hr]

"Ummmmm... Miss Vermilion? Are you there? Are you on the ship?" Ruby called out into the corridor, hoping that the feminine A.I. was paying attention to the microphones installed about the ship.

After a moments silence, there was a small crackling on the speaker before the feminine AI began to speak, [color=FF5349]

Code:

"Yes, I am here. While A.I. Dimitri usually manages matters of humanities while I aid in maintaining the ship, I can easily suffice while he and the others are away. How can I help you?"

[/color]

Orinon · May 29, 2016

Capitol Building Compound: M. Bison Vs Pretty much everyone

To say Icarus was having a bad day would be an understatement. Between the chaos of the breakfast, The truck, the headaches. And that was before he got slammed into the ground and bison stamped onto his wing.
And spoilers for those unaware of anatomy, Having one of the largest limbs being crushed by a musclebound dictator really REALLY HURTS.
He screamed out in pain a long bloodcurdling shriek, His right wing luckily hadn't broken. His trembling arms pushed himself back up. He saw the Major was fighting someone else.

"Dragon, Got any ideas?"
"Your opponent is much stronger than you, Drawing out the fight will likely be a detriment to you Its best to try and hit him where his guard his down and strike hard."
"Got it!"
he spread his wings and winced in pain, gritting his teeth he forced his wings they weren't quite broken, Using his wings he launched himself at Bison the Dictators back was to him as Rugal was firing Ki Projectiles at him. Using his wings and legs he launched himself forward and slammed his fist into the back of Bison's neck. The massive momentum, as well as the metal gauntlet made it feel less like a punch and more like being hit with a sledgehammer.
Icarus followed up not wasting his chance, His fingers crackled with electricity black bolts arcing between his fingers.
"BOOST"
Icarus let out a Savage roar as he unleashed his attack The gem flashed bright red as The heavy punch Hit The Major in the same spot but this time he delivered an electric payload.
"See how you like it"
He snarled as he saw the golden wall of energy he grumbled and decided to get one more move int He lunged himself at Bison trying to pin him into a hold so the Ki attack would hit. Of course this would hurt Icarus alot, but he was prepared to take that risk.

bluerocker · May 31, 2016

Capitol Building Compound: M. Bison Vs Pretty much everyone

Denver: Capitol Building: Caim, Angelus, Cadolbolg

"Hey Cadolbolg, try this on for size!"

With a touch and a glow of Icarus' artifact, Cadolbolg felt a strange sensation within himself, before his whole body began to grow - his arms, legs, neck, and tail extended outwards from beneath his shell; giving the much bigger turtle-dragon baby a much ganglier appearance.[footnote]I imagine his newfound body structure would be somewhat reminiscent of a combination between these [http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/crocs/crocs_01.jpg] prehistoric [https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/79/47/ca/7947ca84a2209ea0fe99032c6b5cca1c.jpg] crocs with the shell structure of an Alligator [http://www.texasturtles.org/Alligator_snapper_op_800x604.jpg] snapping turtle [https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/44/52/8a/44528adc103c007afa49e18516b84575.jpg]; which if you note, have less shell than normal turtles, which enables limb mobility[/footnote] His horns grew in size as well, most notably the small horn on his nose. It was by no means comparative to the rhino's in might, but as it grew, it began to display an edge that looked more suited for goring and stabbing than simple decoration. The final touch in this transformation was the extension of the young dragon-turtle's wings - once minute and childlike, they began to grow and expand outward, until Cadolbolg giving a reflexive flap of his newfound appendages and sent himself a good himself a good 10 feet in the air without thinking.

"Mother, Father - I got big again!"
"AGAIN?! Cadolbolg?! What..What's going on?"

Code:

"We can explain later - move out!"

Angelus was the first to act of the trio, her concentration turning back to Bison as he redirected the bullets from ARES back towards the party. With a sweep of her mighty wing, the dragon pulled Caim closer to her body, opened her great maw and spewed forth a great torrent of crimson flame at the metal missiles. The stench of metal[footnote]Based on canonical evidence [https://youtu.be/JS2vp0n17BE?t=3m8s] in the game, Angelus was able to turn Iron or Steel into ash pretty quickly in her level 2 form. (AA has had her in her level 3 form throughout her run) Considering that lead is less dense and more malleable than iron and she's able to ash iron rather quickly, it seems logical that the bullets should be pretty easy for her to destroy as well.[/footnote] filled the air as Angelus retracted her wing, giving a very proud "HMPH!" in light of her fires proving to be a deterrent against the projectiles. After she lifted her wing and allowed her fool of a human to start charging towards their collective enemy, the red dragon began to concentrate on Bison again, and shot off 4 homing fireballs in his direction.

Caim, after being detained for Angleus's little fireworks display, decided that his family blade would suit him well for this situation. Pushing himself forward, Caim did what he knew worked best - he charged. Running towards Bison, while a seemingly stupid idea, had it's perks. For one, Caim knew something that Bison didn't - after so much running time, he could thrust his blade forwards, sending a sonic attack [https://youtu.be/j9pbwzQ2lr4?t=15s] straight towards the wanna-be dictator and still stay out of immediate blasting range of his draconic partner's homing fire. Of course, the next part of the fight would be fending off Bison himself in close quarters.

Cadolbolg, on the other hand, was still trying to adjust to his sudden increase in size. With a few awkward flaps of his wings, the much bigger turtle-dragon preteen(?) looked down at his parent's quarry and reflexively licked his lips. He wanted to help out in this battle, but felt uncertain about what his increased size would contribute. Was his fire and lightning still the same? Was his tail sharper?
As if his body tried to reflexively answer his own questions, Cadolbolg felt the tickle of electricity on his tongue, and giggled aloud, "That tickles!" and a small ball of lightning energy shot out wildly across the battlefield; landing a ways off from the main battleground with Bison. With widened eyes, the turtle dragon's jaw became slack at the discovery; his lightning HAD grown in power! Now, if he could just do as he had seen his mother do... With a gulp, Cadolbolg tried to concentrate again, feeling the familiar tickle of lightning on his tongue once more before - "Eat this!" a charged lightning ball shot forth from Cadolbolg's gut, this time looking to be a bit more on the mark....

Katya, Ton Ton

Ton Ton, who had decided to stay behind with the wounded Katya while Cadolbolg fought with his parents, valiantly stabbed at one of the spectral hands Bison had sent towards the wreckage of the truck with a spirited [color=15650D]"Take that!"[/color] As it disappeared under the power of the Knife, Ton Ton turned back to his charge to check on her condition, only to hear an ominous voice escape from the young hacker's lips,

"

Code:

Warning: 3 minutes and 40 seconds until commencement of harvesting protocols.  All friendlies in the area are advised to evacuate.  Repeat 3 minutes and 35 seconds until commencement of harvesting protocols.  All friendlies in the area are advised to evacuate...

" Katya's hijacked voice paused for a moment before the next process started, "

Code:

Commencing scan for raw biological materials.  Scan completed.  Raw materials located.  Four inactive sources, identification: Unknown Deceased, one active source, identification: Rising Dawn Member Selena and one incompatible source, identification: Rising Dawn Member Ton Ton located.  Suggested Actions:  Move inactive sources closer to primary host.  You have 3 minutes and 15 seconds to comply.  Will you comply?

[color=15650D]"Wait... What? 'Raw Materials'.."[/color] Ton Ton tried to ponder this thought further, before the voice boomed again,

Code:

Will you comply?

[color=15650D]"Yes, yes, I comply! Just tell me what I need to do!"[/color]

Code:

"Repeating previous message:  Four inactive sources, identification: Unknown Deceased, one active source, identification: Rising Dawn Member Selena and one incompatible source, identification: Rising Dawn Member Ton Ton located.  Suggested Actions:  Move inactive sources closer to primary host."

The realization of what the voice was asking of Ton Ton began to dawn on him, he felt his grip on the Knife and Lantern begin to go slack; before abruptly shouting, [color=15650D]"You want me to do WHAT?!"[/color]

Katya, or something within Katya, wanted Ton Ton to go fetch a corpse, which certainly wasn't on Ton Ton's "To-do list" at the moment. He was far more content and familiar with dealing with members of the living, and the dead were cleaned up by... come to think of it, how were dead bodies cleaned up - aside from rotting and natural processes? Either way, what the voice said about a timer not too long ago sounded pretty bad, and as disgusting as all of this was...

Ton Ton allowed the Knife and the Lantern to slip back into whatever Aether they had manifested from and began booking it towards the nearest corpse, his little hands grabbing onto the fabric of the body and weakly tugging, [color=15650D]"NNnnngh! It's so heaaavvyyy! I dunno if I can move it! What do I do? What do I do?!"[/color]

The little Tonberry scanned over the deceased carefully, and noticed a bit of flesh poking out from underneath a sleeve. If the body was too heavy for him to move... Then perhaps pieces would have to do.... Ton Ton felt the Knife appear in his hand again, ready to serve it's master; but he felt his gut drop out from under him. A body. He was going to cut apart a body to save his friend. This guy was a bad guy, and he was already dead, so that made things okay... right? Mr. Caim would put it that way, probably. But even as the Tonberry raised his knife to make the cut, he heard his own voice whimper in the chaos, [color=15650D][sub]"I'm sorry."[/sub][/color]

---

Blood slowly dribbled out of a ragged stump, little hands clutching to bigger fingers on a hand connected to the rest of the arm he managed to "harvest".[footnote]So I did some googling, and arms weigh a lot less than I realized. On average, an arm weighs about ~5.3% of your total body weight, depending on your gender, among other factors. A leg is about 17.5%. This means for a 150lb average human being, an arm weighs ~8lb and a leg weighs ~26lb. Based on that, I figured Ton would be able to at least drag the whole arm. [/footnote] Ton Ton tried keeping his eyes off of his bloody conquest and dragged it before the wounded hacker, gasping out, [color=15650D]"H-Here. I brought you an arm... Just get it away from me."[/color]

Diablo1099_v1legacy · May 31, 2016

Capitol Building Staging Area: Elise, Jenny, Cyborgs on break

After her communication to Rugal, Elise was easily able to catch up with the withdrawing forces (Then again, they weren't exactly running for the hills).
Thanks to the fact their alert status went from "Defcon 1" to "Lunch Time", she was even able to get within earshot of the strange female cyborg as she relayed orders to her comrades while strolling though empty bombed out streets.

Code:

[Strategic Strike is on Stand-by. All Units Stand-by until Strategic Strike is deployed against Organisation: Rising Dawn and World Marshall User: AD-317]

She droned on, even as her allies were pulling out their phones to update their status and even going to get coffee.
She was also able to hear this exchange from a another pair: "Hey, where's the FULGORE? Wasn't it ordered to Decloak?"
"Nah, it's currently running prisoner drop off, picked up some teenager a while back, most likely a mage or something."
"Wooo...wouldn't want to be that *****..."
"Yeah, most likely half-way to the secure location by now. Anyway, Going to get some coffee before the fireworks, want anything?"
"Nah, I'm good."

And with that, a sizable number of the Cyborgs laid down their arms before going to their local pastry shop for a new hot brew...

Brakland's Pastry Cafe: [color=5B9C64]Bootleg Iron Maiden Mascot[/color], Slightly-less Angry Soccer Mom, Me before 2pm, Implied Tentacle Molester, Generic NPCs 23-though-35 Feat. Larry and Gerry

Not too long after Nina rang the bell, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard before the main counter staff member walked out of the restroom.
"Sorry about that, all the racket from those explosions are actually pretty good at clearing certain internal blockages..." He said before getting behind the counter, making everyone around him wish that he washed his hands (whether he did or not will be forever unknown).
"OI! GERRY! MAN THE OVENS! GOT CUSTOMERS! So, what can I get you-"
This was then interrupted by the sound of at least a dozen of those Cyborgs[footnote]Visual Reminder [http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/metalgear/images/1/1c/MGR_ConceptDesignArt_01_MGSTV.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140819203048][/footnote] they've been dealing with all day walking right in, chatting rather loudly with each other.
"Hey! Larry! 12 Coffees, 24 jam scones, all to sit in." The leader of the pack said, getting the main part of their order in before every last one of them began to queue up to place their own individual orders on top of that.
"Hang on, let me get this chick first. So what exactly did you want?" The tiller asked as he began to take down Nina's order while the Cyborgs kept talking among themselves.

Generic NPC 22 · Jun 1, 2016

[hr]

If someone had attempted to use a song to summarize Katya Rostikova's day, of all of the titles that had been created or were to be created at some future date, the song would not contain the words "Good" or "Day." It would definitely contain the words "I'm," "Not" and "Okay" or perhaps "Famous," "Last" and "Words" or maybe when thinking about (D)Ic(k)arus, "Stupify." Whatever song title was used to summarize the Dying Dutchess of Dick Jokes, the situation she found herself in remained unchanged from two minutes and fifteen seconds ago, except for the fact that the Irish Marksman, David West, had decided to become status twinsies with the Emaciated E-Sports Enthusiast.

The one thing Katya had discovered about being KO'd for the entirety of the SUPER FINAL ULTIMATE BOSS FIGHT!!! was that being on the verge of death was incredibly BOOOOOORING. The formerly former combat enhancing distributed processing agent, designated as the Biological Enhancing Weaponized Phage, had already isolated Katya's thalamus from receiving incoming nerve impulses sent by the Young Miss' pain receptors and directed the remaining nano-agents still running through the young woman's veins to prioritize oxygen distribution to critical life supporting organs. The result was a quasi-conscious, super bored, slightly dumbed down version of the Rising Dawn's Resident Porn Peruser.

"Dare desu ka?" The Semi-Conscious Soon-to-be Cannibal muttered with a childlike grin on her face before chuckling to herself. No, Katya had not gone the way of The Vapors and started "Turning Japanese," instead she was passing her time the way she always passed her time when bored... watching j00tube. "Hachi-ju-hachi?"

As Katya watched the video, an overwhelming sense of... something that could have been mistaken for loneliness passed over her when seeing Ma-Chan, the woman with the glasses. Though something was off about her... perhaps the hair color... the look and personality of the woman managed to pry a memory loose in Katya's brain... something about fog on a wintry night... the lights of the city lit up the mist and painted the sky orange.. she was sick... crying... and the woman who was Katya's mother but not Katya's mother held her against the warmth of her chest... comfort...

"D...De... Dehhhhh..." The name was on the tip of Katya's tongue... on the verge of being pulled out of the dark recesses of the young woman's memories.

"[color=15650D]H-Here. I brought you an arm... Just get it away from me.[/color]" A familiar voice filled with revulsion said as he broke the Rising Dawn's Dying Dame of Daisuki's trance.

"Domo ... arigato ... Mister... Tonberry-oh..." The Hungry but Humble Hacker said in a near whisper as black shiny tendrils extended from her finger tips and wrapped themselves around the severed limb. Piercing the dough-like white skin of the arm, the remaining nano-agents in the Petite Pornophile's system started the process of converting whatever living tissue remained in the arm into new and functional nano-agents. While the process wasn't as satisfying as perhaps munching down on a steak, the harvesting and conversion process required the injection of existing agents into a bio-matter source. Slowly but surely the pale limb turned darker and darker as more and more nano-agents were fabricated.

"

Code:

Fabrication process complete.  Integrating new nano-agents into colony.  Thank you Ton Ton.

" B3WP said in Katya's voice before returning control of their shared body to its mistress. Blinking a couple times, Katya noted that her nano-bot population count was still critically low, though not as low as it had been.

Picking herself up off the ground, she noticed that she was still abnormally gaunt and that the cool afternoon air was still caressing her scalp. Katya was intimately aware of the fact that if she looked in a reflective surface, she would have seen that her eyes were still sunken into her skull, as if trying to hide themselves from the world. This was what Katya truly looked like without the assistance of her life support. Sighing to herself, she looked around the inside of the truck to see if there was another nano-agent fabrication source that she could use.

"Mehhhhhh..." The Diabolical Dutchess of Digital Distraction meh'd as she saw that only Selena and those two damnable blackbirds were inside the truck.... speaking of which. A pair of tendrils suddenly reached out and wrapped themselves around the Duo of Dodos and pulled them up to Katya's eye level. She hissed at the two before speaking, "See? I'm... not... dead... yet."

Finished with the Cocky Couple of Cocks, the Tumultuous Technophant's Tendrils hurled the Bitchy Blackbirds from the interior of the truck, giving them space to fly away... or go peck on some dead guy's pecker... or whatever it was that blackbirds did in their spare time. Grinning a bit, the Mischievous Queen of Mean remembered that there were a couple of freshly dead corpses outside of the van... as well as one dying David. As much as she hated to admit it, she was going to need help from the E-Cupped Enchantress.

Eying (D)Ic(k)arus' main squeeze, Katya approached the woman slowly so as not to give the wrong impression. The smile on her face was reassuring and soon, Selena found herself wrapped up... in Katya's hug.

"Thanks for looking over me." The young woman whispered breathily into Selena's ear, "If there's anything I can do for you... or to you... just ask." As she said this, a thin, black tendril wrapped itself around Selena's leg like a creeping vine, tickling the inside of her thigh before reaching up to the Witch's belt. There was a loud snap, as a leather strap was undone.

**SNIFF**

Katya sniffed the potion that she'd just pulled from Selena and detected the subtle smells of healing herbs.

"THANKS! ^_^" The young woman said as she gave the Coal Clad Conjurer a kiss on the cheek before heading out of the truck.

The scene outside the truck was no better than the inside. The crew of the Rising Dawn was getting their asses handed to them by the truck load. Between bullets being RTS'd [footnote]Return to Sender[/footnote] and everyone getting their heads shoved up their own asses, it appeared that the OP Endboss was pretty much going to mop the floor with everyone. A womanish scream caught Katya's attention. Turning her head, she witnessed the Crimson Colonel curb stomp the Doofy Demi-Angel into the ground, almost breaking the Boorish Buffoon's Blacker than Black wing.

"No time for gloating..." The Boldly Bald, though not on purpose, Code Breaker muttered as she walked towards the front of the truck where the corpses were... and David too.

Walking towards David, thin dark steams of nano-agents snaked out from her body and began wrapping themselves around the bodies of the fallen. Eyeing the bullet riddled bullet sponge, Katya knelt down by his side and pulled out the stolen vial, taking an experimental sniff of the brew. It smelled like a healing potion, though Katya would have likely added a bit clove essence to the mix since it would have numbed out the David's mouth and kept him from gagging on the taste. Absently, Katya wondered how it was that she knew this sort of alchemical, magical mumbo jumbo as she began pouring the putrid concoction down the man's throat.

"Man... I hope she made this healing pot correctly. Even though you think having severe lead poisoning is the worst of your problems at the moment, I assure you... the last thing you need is to go all Futa and shit."

[hr]

[hr]

"Yes, I am here. While A.I. Dimitri usually manages matters of humanities while I aid in maintaining the ship, I can easily suffice while he and the others are away. How can I help you?" Came a friendly feminine voice piped in from the overhead speakers. To the right of Ruby Babbage-Lovelace, a woman's face appeared on a small view screen. Entirely rendered in a particular shade of red, Vermilion looked a bit like Little Red Riding Hood if Little Red Riding Hood had grown up and started hunting wolves on her own. A small smile appeared on the artificial woman's face as she waited for the Nine Year Old Girl in the Pink Dress to respond.

"Uh... neat." The Young Girl stated rather hesitantly. It wasn't that she was clueless as to what the Artificial Intelligence had said, rather it was the fact that she was unused to be spoken to in such a manner, "I'm looking for my friend Farber. He's a little shorter than me... I think he's my age and he casts magical spells."

The A.I.'s face froze for a moment as she accessed the Rising Dawn's security camera feed. Once patched into the security feed, the Scarlet Artificial Intelligence made quick work of the request using her facial recognition processes and comparing them against the crew manifest. There were only two remaining passengers aboard the Airship that did not match any of the existing records, one of whom was conversing with the A.I. at that very moment. The other, who roughly matched MisS Ruby Babbage-Lovelace's description was located near the aft half of the ship.

"Miss Ruby Babbage-Lovelace, I have located the subject of your query. He is currently located in the aft portion of the airship and appears to be lost. I have calculated the shortest route that will take you to your associate. Please follow the arrows." A.I. Vermilion stated crisply before her face was replaced by a green arrow telling her to go down the corridor.

------------------------------A few moments later...------------------------------

"FARBER! There you are!" The Nine Year old girl said excitedly as she ran through the hallway and tackled the diminutive Ish, "What are you doing out here? Why'd you leave the Canteen? Did you meet my other mom? She's just a little grumpy from traveling. I hope you like her. Did you mean to come all the way out here? Why are we near the brig?"

Sure enough, the two found themselves in front of a large and imposing looking door, the sort of door that screamed don't you even think about trying to get to the other side of me. Of course, the two laser turrets installed on either side of the door didn't help it look any friendlier either.

"Maaaaybe we should head back... like... right now..." Ruby suggested, tugging on her friend's arm.

NotYetForsaken · Jun 1, 2016

Misunderstood Intentions
Location: Rory's Neck | Denver
Contrivances

Naamah

Code:

"Prime Unit Fatima,"

came a deep dark scary voice. I jumped. It was quite scary indeed! It sent shivers down my spine, that voice. I looked around and there was nobody around Rory and I. In fact, the desolate wasteland that had become of this city was as silent as could be for the battleground. All I could make out was the crunching of rubble underneath and the crackling of fire.

Code:

"Prime Unit Fatima!"

It came again!

I looked around. There was no Fatima around here, much less a Prime Unit. Indeed. Whoever this voice was, it didn't make much sense.

The voice came again. It was inside my head!

Code:

"I give up."

There was a pause. Then a longer pause. Then there was an even longer pause indeed. Then I finally understood! He was inside of me, like how he usually is. O, the sweet feeling of his gentle caress within my body. Lovely, lovely, lovely!

"Solomon! Naamah is very happy to hear from you again!" I said back to him within me. I know I didn't need to vocalize it at all, or even think it, but it was a habit. He humored me! Usually when he was being super serious Solomon wouldn't so much as allow a second for rationalization. It was subtle, fast, and absolute. Absoloodle.

His voice came gently and slowly. Wise and old, like a book. I didn't so much hear his voice as I read it, out of the pages of my own heart. "Naamah, dear," he said. He's a good husband, I nodded. He treats me well. "Naamah, I would like you to do something for me."

Code:

"Prime Unit Solomon! Do not force yourself to such a low level to deal with the Exiled One!"

The air cracked between us, the metaphorical air of course. That annoying deep resonating voice hushed up quick. Dear Solomon had silenced him without a word. Like usual!

"Dear Solomon, what would you like Naamah to do for you?" I answered cheerfully.

"Solomon needs Naamah to recover something precious that has been lost." He was playing with me now! I laughed.

"Naamah will!" Indeed. "What indeed is this precious thing that Naamah will get for Solomon?"

"A girl."

"Another wife?" I pouted. Even of all of Solomon's wives, I, the youngest, was the only one to give him a child! I was barely of age then too. How inconsiderate.

"No. A friend."

"Solomon has friend?"

"Solomon the Wise has wise friends indeed. But a wiser wife."

"Friends indeed!" I echoed.

"Go there." He said finally. Then I knew where to go. He had placed the place within my heart, and in my eyes I could see where it was, no matter where I was or where I was looking. Solomon the Wise indeed!

"Rory!" I chimed as loudly as I could, "Naamah has something for Rory to help with. Please head that way, towards that crater. We shall find something of great importance buried within the rubble there! Yes indeed!"

Epyc Wynn · Jun 4, 2016

A fly wanders by. It buzzes merrily. It lives a happy life without a care in the world as the NPC side character it is. It lands on Rory's eyeball just as it is opening wide.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Jun 4, 2016

Epyc Wyn said:
Snip

Heya, I'm Diablo1099, the main Mod of the Escapist Avatar Adventure.

if you wish to the join the RP, I recommend that you join our RP User Group [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/The-Avatar-Adventure-Group] and we can get you up to speed on the current events of the RP as well as lay down some ground rules.
Oh, and have a bit of fun chatting and whatnot

bluerocker · Jun 5, 2016

Caramel Frappe said:
This dude here collabed on this

"Aaacctualllyyy, why don't you have a seat? Seems like there's something I can help you with." A cheeky smile, and while Chrysalis in her human disguise tried to look civil & humble, Lucifer probably could see right through that ruse. Whether he would take the bait or walk away, it didn't really matter. Chrysalis would be able to feed off his love for days if he stuck around the ship.

Luke quirked a thin eyebrow at the stranger's request, the curiosity further compounded when she not so subtly knocked her phone off of the table. This, on top of her sudden 180 in demeanor had given Luke the following conclusion - he had something she wanted. What that was exactly, was still up in the air. The bartender did notice that the young woman, who had yet to identify herself, was giving him a long, slow inspection of his physical form. It wouldn't be the first time that a patron had flirted with him, but given his current circumstance, as well as the conclusion that this woman wanted something out of him, Luke could only be suspicious of her intentions. The easiest fallback in this situation was to blame duty, which started with the bartender quietly beginning to wipe down the barfront, [color=eca222]"I'm sorry, Miss; but I'm afraid I'm on the clock. Can't leave unless nature calls. However, I can keep talking. Might I suggest a stool? There's plenty open."[/color]

"Works for me." Chrysalis nearly sang as she slid out of her chair in a risky business style [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2UVsyVLLcE] before pushing her chair in and skipping to the stool like a school girl (though she was merely getting in character, not so much doing this by nature). Sitting upon the stool, she smiled gracefully at the bartender, seeking out a drink to pass the time while Luke would be paying for her drink personally without him realizing it.

Soooooooo, you have someone on your mind?" Chrysalis asked, in a teasingly snarky tone but without much toxicity too it. It's in the voice you'd expect from that one girl you didn't trust, but she catches you off guard regardless.

[color=eca222]"Hmn?"[/color] Luke blinked quietly and looked up from a particular spot he was cleaning, [color=eca222]"Rather upfront of you, don't you think? But, I suppose my thoughts go out to my comrades. They're out fighting on the front lines, after all."[/color]

[color=#0877830]"Sure about that? You have the same impression as Jack Dawson does in Titanic. Your look is basically screaming 'helpless romantic here'."[/color]

[color=eca222]"Never heard that one before..."[/color]
Luke's brows furrowed at that comment, annoyance taking root in his already thin patience the further this conversation continued, [color=eca222]"You must be young, because slicked back hair is a classic look. It was done well before DiCaprio attempted to charm teenage hearts."[/color]

The young lady didn't seem to notice, and giggled ever so lightly, her eyes containing some mischievous glee as she spoke, "Hahaha, I am young thank you. It feels good to be young- and you certainly do the trick right."
[color=eca222]"Uh huh... How old are you exactly? I don't serve minors alcohol, but I can make you a mocktail?"[/color]
"Twenty two, but everyone believes i'm 16 ... only further boosts my ego. But, enough about me. I'll have a mocktail as you tell me more about yourself Mr .... ?"
[color=eca222]"Lucas Cypress. But Luke is perfectly acceptable. Your name?"[/color]
"I came from Japan, but I learned fluent English here in 2008. My Japanese name is Kagome, but you may call me by my American name ... Amber."

Luke shrugged, not really being one to question or comment on a multitude of names (especially seeing as he had so many), and decided that, if he had to be stuck with this conversation partner, perhaps he could try to steer it away from his love life, rather than careening straight into it, [color=eca222]"So tell me, Amber - what are you exactly doing in a place like this? Not to sound rude, but the Dawn is hardly a safe place to live."[/color]

"Same thing can be asked your way, wonder boy. Why is a perfectly charming, normal looking man doing in a place filled with mutants, freaks, and outcasts? Don't get me wrong, they aren't ugly or mutated on the outside but they're clearly far from human. You on the other hand, have nothing wrong with you on the outside."

The bartender chuckled at that, [color=eca222]"Oh if only you knew..."[/color]
[color=eca222]"Well, someone needs to serve the drinks. Even "mutants and freaks", as you put it, need to relax and unwind. And a perk of being a bartender is that I get to hear some interesting tales."[/color]
"Ahhh, right you are. I've had my fair share of stories- most of them kill the mood for me but others, well ... they're delicious to hear. Speaking of tales, what's your story Luke? Why serve drinks on the Rising Dawn?"

Ah, a nosey one. Luke would have to remember what he told this young lady - someone else of higher importance was bound to pry sooner or later. With a simple shrug of his shoulders, Luke feigned humility to his guest, [color=eca222]"I'm really not that remarkable, Miss. I'm just a man who's bounced between jobs and ended up here. Room and board on a flying international airship with good wifi? Can't complain."[/color]
"Tu parles comme un coureur de jupons~ mmh mh, forgive me. I was speaking French ... from the looks of it, that makes you sound like a womanizer. Going between station to station, seeking out beautiful women whom love adventurous guys, no?"

[color=eca222]"You know nothing of what I am. I don't even want to be here right now."[/color]
Ah, that struck a nerve. ~~Luci~~Luke's eyes narrowed at that little comment, a motion he did not care to mask. Were it in his power, he wouldn't be at his station - he'd be off going to rescue his Cleric from captivity, but instead he had to entertain a young woman who was quickly working her way up to be a great annoyance. His voice, surprisingly, remained calm, [color=eca222]"I can't say I follow. I'll admit I'm a drifter, but I know better about how to treat women."[/color]

His adversary chuckled, this little conversation a game to her, So you're telling me a guy who's hot, obviously wealthy, and loves to travel doesn't get women in his chamber? Are you pulling my leg? Well, I mean ... you could if you wanted to." She smirked at her not so subtle double entendre (while Luke inwardly groaned), and continued, "But if you're really ... that noble and thoughtful on women in general, then I guess I can't judge. Still, hard to believe you're only worried about your friends but not someone dear to you. I can see it on your face."

Luke kept quiet at that little comment, silently finishing the touches on a mixture of juices and small pour of club soda, for that little fizzing appeal, before sliding it towards his customer. As she began to sip, he considered a differing approach, denial could only go so far, so perhaps changing the subject towards his opponent in this verbal spar could turn the tide, [color=eca222]"And I think you're a bit more invested in my affairs than any stranger has any right to be. So I'm worried about my friends. Why do the specifics matter to you? What do you get out of this?"[/color]

Amber accepted the mocktail with little ceremony, sipping it while giving, at least what Luke thought to be, an attempt at seductive eyes, a delicate smile following afterwards, "It's fun to understand people. I love what excuse they'll use to weasel out of things, when they could simply be honest. I mean, your friends must mean something to you ... but, you're not hitting on me. You aren't even interacting with people like a host should- let alone bartender. You have something on your mind, and it's fun to see what makes you tick."
She punctuated this with a soft smack noise with her lips, equal parts in relish of her drink and an attempted distraction of her conversation partner.

Luke rolled his eyes at the theatrics, his patience growing even thinner, [color=eca222]"Spare me the "I want to see what makes you tick" number - we've already one psychologist who's a regular. Second, the matter that I'm not hitting on you means absolutely nothing, and third,[/color] He gestures to the environment around them, aside from Deborah, Titania and Anjali, the atmosphere was kind of dead - the G-Corp grunts that filed in and out previously had be reorganized to more important posts than drinking, leaving a quiet and sedate canteen in its stead, [color=eca222]"Not much is really happening here, now is it? If someone wants a drink - they'll ask."[/color]

"And just like that- you took the bait. So defensive, aren't you? .. She starting rotating her glass, getting the drink to spin slowly "Alright, which girl is it? Angelus, Dolores, maybe ... nah, couldn't be Katya. Kurumu maybe ... hmmm, perhaps Elise suits you. Both of you have fashion syndrome. Oh you wouldn't happen to like that girl Rory now? I've heard quite a few things about her. There's also Diana who could be the next hit in your chamber. Oh do tell, who's the lucky girl?"

Well, if nothing else, his assailant was on the wrong track, sort of. Shaking his head, the bartender tried a different approach, [color=eca222]"I think you're delusional (and obnoxiously persistent)....You know, I have heard that there are a few tabloids about the ship...You wouldn't happen to be with a writer for one of them, would you?"[/color]
"Nope. I'm not with them, nor do I have any interest in writing. It's not my strong suit. But here's the better question- why would someone like you, go out of your way to serve drinks here? Seems like you had a ray of other hobbies you could of occupied yourself in." An eyebrow quirked at that question, the young woman looking very confident in her style of interrogation.

What was her angle anyways? Well, maybe if he tried wowing her with a little trick, that could get her off his back, [color=eca222]"I mentioned it earlier - but I can expand on it a little. So, ever heard of Pousse-caf??"[/color]

Oohhhh yes, yes I have. What of it?" She leaned back in her seat, smiling faintly at the thought of one of those drinks.
[color=eca222]"They sound simple enough - through the power of differentiating densities, multilayered drinks with different colors can be made. But, to properly create these drinks is another matter entirely. A Black and tan is simple - it's two beers. But what about something like this -"[/color] Luke pulled out a trio of liquids, a red, a white, and a green, before carefully placing a spoon in a tall shotglass. Starting with the red, he poured each drink, before creating a glass with three distinct layers of color in it, [color=eca222]"It requires a steady hand, and a knowledge of one's materials, like a painter knows his paints and his brushes. There's a sort of "art" to mixology, I think; aside from Pousse-caf?. I enjoy practicing that art, even if it's something that'll be downed quickly."[/color]

The young woman looked up, her interest piqued further by the little display, "Wow, quite sophisticated ... making alcohol into an art form. By all means, this is exactly why I would come back to the bar for and you're still telling me you're single?"

Ah, there it was - a perfect opportunity to shake her off his back. The best lies always had a grain of truth to them -less body language to cover for, less manipulation of the voice and face. With Ageha to blame for his sorrows, it'd be easier than turning dirt to mud. Faking a bittersweet smile, the bartender imitated the motions of the jilted lover, [color=eca222]"Well, I didn't really want to bring this up but... I've been through a nasty divorce recently. The two people that fell in love initially ended up growing to realize they weren't suited for each other - they had different wants and needs between them. As such, I think you can imagine why I might like to stay off the market..."[/color]

Silence · Jun 5, 2016

"You ask for the truth to the nature of life. Such a question, is not one to be answered. To know the nature of life, of how to live, that is your own journey." Deborah told Anjali. "I ... that is true, but I meant it more practical. I'm sstill ... dead. Or ssomething like it ... I don't know. How can I 'live'?" she answered, sceptically. "I can't jusst do the ssame thingss I did before."

But Deborah spoke more, while her eyes seemed to glow. "You must find your?raison d'etre, your reason to be. Seek it, and in seeking it find the secret to living."

Anjali thought, then nodded. I guess I need to find the reason for why I am a walking corpse. It's ... something very unusual, after all. she thought, as Deborah continued. Anjali looked from her to Titania, unsure of her facial expression. She seemed shocked by how Deborah appeared and by what she spoke for some reason. But why? Because her power seemed to be greater than it appeared to be? But Deborah had shown it before. Or did she not?

"Travel with us, and in time I think you will be able to find the reason behind both your rebirth, and your future life." Deborah added, before taking a sip of her drink. "Cheers."

"I thank you." Anjali responded. After a moment of thought, she added: "You already did much for me. I'm ... I will pledge mysself to you, to sserve you. To travel with you. Sso it might benefit uss both.
But I have to assk: What do theesse travelss entail? Where do you go, with thiss ... vesssel? And in what way can I sserve you, or the crew of thiss sship, or life itself?"

She looked around, wondering why such a spacious pub was set up inside such a vessel. The 'cheers' also made her long for something to drink ... in her mind. Her body seemed to want the opposite - only a sanguine fluid would be suitable. Anjali decided that this was not the time for something like it. She just curiously, with a new outlook on life, observed all the people present in the canteen.

NotYetForsaken · Jun 6, 2016

Postmodern Mysticism
Location: Rising Dawn
Divergent Paths

Titania

Titania was aghast, she lunged forward and tried to grab Anjali and anchor her. The air around her continued to crackle with energy and the static grew louder and louder in the Queen's ears. Titania opened her eyes, and they too were flooded with the light of embers. "No!"

It is too late.

The thunder broke over Titania's head. The observing entity had superseded her. Even Deborah, with all her strength, had fallen accidentally into this trap, this labyrinth. His labyrinth. Locked into this world of perpetuity and lies, wrought into a living prison. Titania struggled against the oppressive weight of his voice.

It is too late. Titania has failed.

The sun set. Out in the window, the infinite skies turned blue and black, glimmering with the white pinpricks of stars above. They shuddered with the cold embrace of the night. Titania shook with them, knowing the cold of being surrounded by such infinite darkness.

[hr]

Raison d'etre

Code:

[i]Anjali's Story[/i]

[hr]

O sister mine, life has become hard. I wish each day for it to end.

Deborah leaned forward, laughing girlishly. Her chest shook with the rhythm of her breaths. "We do much and more, Anjali," Deborah said, ruby lips dancing in the last light of sunset. The internal lights of the Rising Dawn flickered on. It was now night. The windows gained a soft yellow tint to help illuminate the events of the outside. Thick streams of black smoke drifted up and pierced the cloud layer that the Rising Dawn held over. The devastation on the ground must have been something to behold.

The moon held it's head high in the sky, shining down on everything with it's silver-blue light. Even with columns of smoke dotting the sea of clouds, it still seemed strangely serene. The sky, the world, the very air. Deborah stopped laughing. What had once straddled the boundary between reality and dreams had now fallen into our realm.

A dream. If this was all just a dream.

Titania stared at the moon, marveling at it's roundness. Tinted yellow by the illuminated windows, it seemed as if it was so far away. Cast distant by old gods to serve as a painful sentinel in the skies above. Titania's heart yearned against the prison. "No," she muttered under her breath.

But it was too late. A thousand years too late. The moon held onto the sky dearly. It held onto the rim of it's home, and it's once great mother. Both yearned to be closer, but were torn father and farther away over eternities without words.

Deborah held out her hand and let the magic flow through her. Runes made themselves known above her hand, glimmering gold like the lunar eye, and then vanishing to leave a glass in her hand. She held it up to Anjali. It was filled with a pungent red liquid. "Blood, please drink up if it suits your tastes. A toast is best held in company," Deborah said sweetly.

She handed the glass to Anjali. "And with this toast let us then celebrate your forthcoming into our fold, and into our world so that our dreams may become reality." Deborah raised her glass and gently tapped it against Anjali's. The crimson waves of both cups crashed against each other. One wine, one blood. "To protect and serve the weak, to free the enslaved, and to safeguard the lives of each and every person who takes breath upon this Earth. In mankind's darkest hour, we will serve as their shield against the night - so that we may all gaze upon the Rising of the Dawn."

Deborah downed her glass and encouraged Anjali to do the same with a wink.

"From the first night, to the last we will stand until the Rising of the Dawn," Titania finished. She took a seat next to Anjali. Her eyes were troubled, staring off into the night sky in the distance. "That is our creed." How long had it been since she first heard that? It seemed so unfamiliar, but she knew it by heart. Miki landed on Titania's head and nodded. Stalwart as always, and no-nonsense to a fault, Miki was a strange anomaly among the carefree fairies of her kind. Titania gave a soft chuckle. It was good to have the familiar feeling of the retainer so close after such a long absence from the Fey Court.

"And in doing so we will make friends, fell enemies, and suffer indescribable hardship. We will fight the forces that seek to harm the innocent, and we will seek secrets lost to time. That is our raison d'etre, our reason to be." Deborah swept her hand over the cover of her grimoire. She could hear Pisa's solemn reports on the comings and goings of Ruby through the cover of the book. "In time, I have no reason to doubt that you will take up our mantle as well, Anjali. But for now, I accept."

Deborah stood up and looked at Titania, smiling.

Titania smiled back after a good pause, "Alright, alright." She got off the stool and swung with her right hand outward. In a flash of light Tsilring materialized and left gleaming stars in it's wake. The whole of the canteen was filled with it's brilliant light, casting rainbows across all surfaces and showering the air with stars that dimmed the true stars outside. Titania placed Tsilring on Anjali's shoulder.

"I Titania of the Fairy, Queen of the High Court which governs all lower courts of the Fey, I Titania who harnesses the very strength of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars themselves grant my favor upon thee, Anjali Khatri. For you, Anjali have been given the right and prowess by Deborah Cerulean of Styabahl and the Court of Dreams. Both my dear friend and faithful retainer. Will you, Anjali, stand guard against the darkness and against all enemies that might do her harm? Do you Anjali, swear by the soul that binds you to this world to protect and serve the allies of both Deborah and the Court of Dreams? Do you Anjali, swear by the soul that binds you to never let your loyalty waver, even in the light of oblivion? If you, of all the conditions above abide, then I, Titania of the Fairy, Queen of the High Court which governs all will grant you knight-"

Titania stopped suddenly. Tsilring was shaking.

"Night," she repeated. Her brow was furrowed in concerned thought. "Night... night... knightship..."

Deborah put a hand on Titania's small shoulder, "What's wrong Tania?"

Titania was gritting her teeth. Her eyes burned black like coal. A deep infinite brown. "Knightship and vassalhood..." Titania continued. She was sweating now. Her hands shook fiercely, and Tsilring seemed to shiver. She placed her left hand on Tsilring's hilt and began to pull back. "N... n... no..." Titania gasped. Her eyes were burning fiercely now with that lively black flame. A darkness so deep it was blue.

She thrust Tsilring into her stomach. Blood spewed outward into the air and hung there as a fine foul mist. Tiania gasped and coughed. Blood trickled out of her mouth. Miki was aghast.

"Tania!" Deborah threw herself over Titania's small frame, "What are you doing!?" She struggled to free the blade from Titania's bleeding body. "What are you doing!? What are you doing!?" Tsilring did not budge in Deborah's hands.

"No..." Titania gasped, her eyes were more brilliant and beautiful than ever before. Her teeth were stained red with blood, and each word sent a gush of the thick red liquid onto the floor. "See... what... see what he does..."

Deborah's cries were hysterical. Tears flooded down her face and stained Titania's read cloak. The pool of blood below her grew larger and larger. Then Titania fell over, and her eyes closed.

[hr]

Yet we will persist all the same, do we not?

The sun was setting, the last feeble light trickled into the Canteen as the windows grew tinted and illuminated. The moon rose to it's throne in the night sky, lording over all the stars in the inky blue of the farthest reaches of the heavens.

Deborah smiled and tapped her glass of wine with Anjali's glass of blood. The two crimson liquids danced at the edge of the thin glasses. "And with this toast let us then celebrate your forthcoming into our fold, and into our world so that our dreams may become reality."

"To protect and ssserve the weak, to free the enssslaved, and to sssafeguard the lives of each and every person who takesss breath upon thisss Earth. In mankind'sss darkest hour, we will serve as their ssshield against the night - sso that we may all gaze upon the Risssing of the Dawn." Anjali answered almost instinctively. She did not know why she knew, but only that the image of little Titania disemboweling herself clung to her mind.

Titania sat next to Anjali looking out at the moon outside. The small fair Miki stood upon her head, stalwart as always.

"I see you are already acquainted with our creed," Deborah said as she finished her drink. "We can get all the formalities done at a later time though, so for now please just try to make yourself at home! Later when everyone arrives once again we will have you introduced properly, and get your papers filled out!"

"It's like a dream isn't it Miki? Do you think the moon gets lonely? Dreaming the same dream each night, gazing upon the Earth and wishing to return?"

Deborah grinned, "I have no doubt in my mind that you will make a fine addition to the Rising Dawn!"

Kalastryn · Jun 6, 2016

Caramel Frappe said:
Written in part by this awesome gent.

"That's the spirit, I swear you won't be disappointed." Kala said, as She placed a hand on Nadalia's shoulder. Only, the hand was not her own. Rather, the spectral hand she had summoned rested on and gripped Nadalia's shoulder, with a faint eerie glow.

Nadalia didn't react negatively to the dismembered hand, yet she did gaze at it with oddity. Is this a form of necromancy? .. An art long forgotten, and those who possess it can only control merely skeletons. This girl is not corrupted, and yet she has this technique in stored. After getting a good look of the glowing hand, she turned to Kalastryn to gather the details.

"I can tell you prefer close quarters, as does my little friend here, but it's oh so fragile. The next time you get in close with him, I'll start strangling that bastard all the way from over here. Then, I can use it to cast a spell on him that would be unusable from this distance, but that I think would be highly effective."

"I've grown weary of Bison, so by any means ... I will do what must be done. Yet, I sense he has struck a cord within you, more so then he has with I." Nadalia brought up, noticing the fueled rage Kalastryn was letting out behind her words. While everyone wanted a piece of Bison, even the Iron Queen could see something became personal between Kalastryn and the psionic fighter.

Kalastryn continued as the hand gingerly walked on its fingers before clinging to the back of Nadalia's head and concealing itself with her hair. Normally, this would be a bit much even for the Bride of Ash ... but this was a special occasion simply because both of them wanted Bison dead so, it would have to do. Besides, it wasn't like being forced to cosplay as a helpless, pathetic princess from a video game again. She cursed in her mind and still had thoughts of visiting this 'Princess Peach' to shape her up.

And the truth nears ... Nadalia respectfully listens, wanting to know what Kalastryn had to say since the girl's expression was becoming angrier by the minute. Guess she predicted it in time, since Kalastryn informed the Iron Queen as to what happened. "He had the gall to modify the body of an old friend, and command her to commit suicide before my eyes. When it comes to corpses I could say I've done worse, but this is personal." She said.

"I don't care what Kazuya wants anymore, if I can help it we're burying what's left of this monster in a pill bottle. So I do hope you follow up with whatever devastation you so please."

Does she plan on consuming him? Nadalia mistakenly thought, since pill bottles to her were just that, taking a dose of something in pill form despite not realizing Kalastryn was speaking metaphorically.

Cranking her neck with the one (and only) arm she had, Nadalia was dead set on fulfilling Kalastryn's wishes. "I do not know what your intent is with this hand, but I will trust my faith in thee. I shall lend you my strength; do as what follows thereafter." Nadalia followed up on, and without sharing another word- dashed back towards Bison. Luckily the combined assault of Angelus, Caim, and Cadolbolg had Bison preoccupied, and her footsteps were masked due to the sounds of lightning filling the air. She side stepped to ensure she wouldn't be struck by her ally, breezing through the area that would make a Olympics Athlete doubt their place in this world. Of course Bison caught wind of her coming up from behind and struck out his hand- only for Nadalia to quickly lock his arm under her armpit and slide a leg behind his left one. She locked him, their faces quite close- Nadalia giving him the death stare and risking her safety since their bodies were basically pinned to one another. "Deluded you are, thinking you're quaint to rule the lands with an iron fist. You aren't even fit to declare yourself a king to degenerates..." She taunted, as while in Nadalia's death grip, the spectral hand leaped onto Bison's face from over the shoulder of her dismembered arm. It attempted to very dexterously use it's palm to cover Bison's mouth, while using it's index and middle finger to pinch his nostrils closed. It's thumb, ring, and last finger tried to gouge into his eyes from either side.

Noticing that the plan was going well thus far, Kala used the conjured phalanges to cast vampiric touch which would suck the life out of Bison while empowering the hand with all that it took from him.

As much as she might hate to admit it normally, Kala was enjoying being so cruel. It was almost too satisfying for her normal demeanor. She might have questioned earlier if these actions were her own, but not now. Now, she was finding the attempt of simultaneously blinding, choking, and depriving a man of his life more satisfying than any person had a right to feel. For the first time ever, she was a monster, and she enjoyed it.

"When you get back to where you came from, tell the devil I'm coming for him next!" She taunted with conviction.

Generic NPC 22 · Jun 7, 2016

[hr]

In the really real world, Physics, being the science of how the universe works, breaks down at some point. Cosmic Inflation, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, quantum mechanical processes such as Quantum Entanglement are all examples of where really real world physics breaks down. As much as fiction likes to model its physics after the really real world, there are also points in which fictional physics breaks down. For some it's out of necessity. A shotgun blast sending a bad guy flying 20 feet through the air or the hero performing a double jump in the sky to land on a dragon are both examples of a necessary collapse in the a fiction physics system to make the story more exciting. There's also another point, however, where fictional physics collapses onto itself... boobs.

It's not to say that fictional boobs are ignorant of physics... there appears to be another system at work. In some worlds, woman with breasts that look to have been made of the nose cone from a Antonov An-225 strapped to their chest are able more about without assistance from brassier or back support, all the while, their heaving bosoms bounce about as if they'd been formed out of some bizarre gelatin material. In some genres it appears that the atom's located in a woman's mammary glands exert their own gravitational pull. This pull does not affect the world around it, only other atoms located in a woman's mammary glands. Like the force of gravity, the greater the mass, the greater the force of boob gravity. This is the surest scientific explanation for why Ryan Wheatley found his head pressed between two sets of heaving bosoms and was quite fortunate that he wasn't the male protagonist from that one video with the girls with the blue hair and the beads hanging from their nether regions and a skull with the structural integrity of a chicken egg.

So how did it get to this? Mind you we're no longer talking about physics here but rather the fact that Ryan's head was being pressed by a pair of the squishiest of boobs, like he'd been placed into some sort of breast based Large Hadron Collider. Well it all started with a change. Having grown tired of cosplaying as bald Kate Moss, Katya had decided that it was time to look the part of someone with a little more meat on their bones and where better than to store said meat than the chest?! The question was who? Having browsed through the database of former crew members, the Creepy Computing Cosplayer had found the perfect former blue haired, sweater vested, G-Cupped Succubus, however... thinking further on that, the reappearance of a former crew mate without her self-torturing husbando could be construed as rather creeeeeeepsters. Instead she went for something of a new school classic... Boobs? Monsters? Magic? Nothing matched that better in the irreverent IT Specialist's brain than Black Hanekawa from the Monogatari series.

"A little more top heavy than I'm used to..." The Neural Networked Neko muttered to herself as she finished her little transformation before grabbing the new set of fun bags attached to her chest and grinning, "... not that I mind."

With her nano-agent reserves fully restored, a new body and the Healing Potion poured into David's mouth, it was at that moment that Katya Rostikova realized that she wasn't alone.

"[color=BA0025]C-can't you give me some room?! I'm squishing Katya over here![/color]" Came the voice of the formerly catatonic Lamia two bodies over from where the Felinesque Formatter of Disk F: was squatting.

"I can't help that a 24-28 foot Lamia is sharing space with 3 people in a broken down truck...!" Came the voice of the Headmaster of the Harem.

"MIIA!!! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!!!" Katya exclaimed as she gave the Coral Colored Formerly Catatonic Monster Girl a great big squeeze, which of course was why Ryan's head suddenly found itself the meaty portion of a Neko-Lamia Boob Sandwich.

"You had me worried that I broke your brain." The Rising Dawn's Resident Sexual Deviant whispered into Miia's ear, her voice filled with concern, her chest heaving up and down against Miia's as an expression of her relief at seeing the snake girl in a state other than "Error 404." There was a slight pause as Katya realized that there was something missing... namely, "Hey... where's that Harem-Meister of your's? He's normally around you, right? I could have sworn I heard him around here..."

Replaying a log of her environment, Katya could see that Ryan had indeed been in her general vicinity and had even asked about how it was that Katya knew about healing potions. To which she would have responded, "Well duh, they're red!" were he still around and not probably trolling for Harem Member #365.

[hr]

Avatar Adventures | Denver, Colorado | Abandoned Streets
Hello! My name is... Rory Mercury
Rory Mercury | Naamah

[hr]

Most people would consider it strange that a Demi-Goddess serving the Special Region's God of Death would be bothered by the sight of a city devoid of life, shops and restaurants without patrons or the absence of children's laughter. A city devoid of Life contributed nothing to the cycle of Life and Death. Looking through the doorway of an abandoned restaurant, Rory Mercury could see that the occupants had been forced out since the only diners within the shell of the former eatery were maggots and flies. One of the insect inhabitants came perilously close to landing on the surface of the Demi-Goddess of Death's eye, only to be caught by the young looking woman's long black lashes, like some sort of ~~Venus~~ Mercurian Fly Trap.

Removing the brave little bugger from her lashes, the Crimson and Black Clad Loli was in the process of placing the creature gently on the table, allowing it to return to its swarm, when an explosion rocked the very earth, causing the tiny insect to be squished under the Beserker Beauty's thumb. Eyeing the dark smudge on her fingers, Rory prepared to move on, sensing that the soul that had been so close to being released from its shell was no longer in any danger of dying, though there was this M. Bison to be dispatched to whichever of the multitude of the Gods he answered to. The showdown would have to wait a little longer, if it was ever to take place, as the Cloth Companion spoke.

"Rory!" Naamah chimed as loudly as she could, "Naamah has something for Rory to help with. Please head that way, towards that crater. We shall find something of great importance buried within the rubble there! Yes indeed!"

The Mercurial Demi-Goddess responded with a grunt and a nod before moving with a moment of hesitation towards the still smoking crater, the origin point of the explosion that had recently rocked the city. Perhaps it was a bit naive of her to rush towards the site of the explosion without asking the significance of the request or who the object at the crater was of great importance to but having been left unfulfilled by Katya's soul, Rory was eager to find a substitute and the explosion was more than likely to draw the curiosity of more than one combatant.

With that in mind, the Loligoth launched herself into the air, landing silently on the rooftop of a nearby building before slowly continuing on towards the crater. While it might have suited Naamah to move faster, Rory needed to be ensure that none of her prey were spooked by an errant noise. A block later, Rory found herself at the outer perimeter of the blast zone, happy that her hunch was correct. Seven armed soldiers clad in the uniform of the enemy, had arrived to investigate the blast, unaware that they were living on borrowed time. Licking her lips with anticipation, the Black Haired Berserker started to laugh... announcing her presence to the soldiers below.

"Huh? Who the hell is that?"

"Pfft. Just a kid."

"Holding an axe like that? You sure?"

"C'mon let's finish up here so we can roll more of those civies. The way shit's going down, we ain't gettin' paid unless we crack some more skulls. Just ign-"

The man never got to finish his words as the Halberd that Rory had thrown sliced through the man before embedding itself in the cracked asphalt. Laughing even harder as she felt the man's soul depart his mortal shell, Rory addressed the villains below.

"Gentleman, thank you for today. Thank you for giving your lives so selflessly. The Dark God is very pleased with your actions. He now requests your presence. I am Rory Mercury. Apostle to the Dark God, Emloy." The Reaper stated before launching herself at her hapless sacrifices.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Jun 9, 2016

World Marshall HQ: Armstrong, Sundowner

"...I never actually got the chance to see them all in action before...I have admit, they're good..."
All during the battle with Bison, Colorado State Senator Steven Armstrong was watching from his Ivory Tower in the distance, a series of displays projected onto the window of his office detailing the showdown as it went on.
[color=803300]"Man...I could watch this for hours..."[/color] Regional Director Sundowner laughed as he couldn't help but watch a replay of when Icarus cold socked Bison while the latter was expecting the army he hired to do it's job.
"...Alright, I've seen enough. Our units in place?"
[color=803300]"Sure as Sure can be, Boss."[/color]
"Good. Give the order to fire and...Make sure they "Miss" a few of their payload. There are going to be a lot of news coverage and I want to make sure they got the right idea of who to blame..." The CEO said as he took another hard drag of his Cigar as he watched his plan be realized...

Capitol Building Compound: M. Bison Vs Pretty much everyone

This was seeming to be going well, least compared to past fights he had with both the Rising Dawn and others.
Years of experience was finally starting to payoff, no more would he be some weakling waiting at someone else's beck and call, no longer would he be someone else's lackey while they reap the rewards, no longer would he be a scared Thailand boy having to endure the insults and slights of his villag-

That one second of distraction nearly cost him his life as ARES charged in with some sort of bladed weapon, he didn't know what it was, but it didn't take a genius to figure out it might be better if he wasn't hit by it.
As she went for the swing, he stood his ground, only to warp out of existence for a moment as the blade went though where his head used to be.
Upon reappearing, he then struck her in the gut before Blasting a large amount of Psycho Power clean though her body [http://streetfighter.wikia.com/wiki/Psycho_Punisher].
[color=6c1504]"Bah! Such Weakness."[/color] He couldn't help but gloat as he yanked his fist out of her robotic guts and-...felt...really.....happy...

For a brief moment, he was no longer fighting for his life and his right to rule the world, he was instead in a wonderful paradise with kittens and flowers thanks to Diana.
Little by little, all the hatred and anger he had spent so long spreading began to fade away, there wasn't any racism, any sexism, any latent desires for homosexual relations...and that's why he realized that something was wrong about all this.
But he couldn't act, he had to see what this cute little Lemur was going to with that cute little hat that looked a bit like his own.
Wait...Lemur?

It was then he found himself getting his eye nearly torn out as one of Kalastryn's minions was sicced upon him, followed by the others as well.
While enough to break Diana's spell, it was little comfort to him considering he was now pinned to the ground and getting his skin torn off by these freakish things.
[color=6c1504]"GRRRRR ENOUGH!"[/color] He shouted before letting out a large surge of energy from his body, knocking him away as he got back on his feet, only to find that his hat was gone as he checked his head.
What he should have been looking out for however was Icarus as he felt a thunderous blow nail him in the back of the head, followed by another with ACTUAL Thunder!
Grunting in effort, he then found himself pinned by the Half-Angel while a massive golden wall of death began to race towards them.
Taking a split second to nearly shit himself, both he and the Angel were soon teleported out of harms way as the ki blast raced by.

When he reappeared this time, he did so a good dozen feet off the ground with his back, and Icarus, to the ground.
Firing a large bolt from his hand towards the sky, he then propelled them both right into the ground, using his attacker as a buffer as they both landed with a nasty crunch.
His wounds starting to take their toll, he pried himself out of Icarus's grip before quickly getting back on his feet, stumbling slightly as he tried to keep his guard up.
This was a mistake as he quickly saw a trio of Angelus's fire, Caim's magic and Cadolbolg's lighting all rushing at him at the same time.
[color=6c1504]"ahhhh crap-"[/color]

Once he was done exclaiming, he tried to disarm as much incoming damage as possible, launching a series of orbs back at Angelus's fireballs to cancel them out and reflecting Caim's sonic boom back at him.
Lightning however was a bit too fast for him to react to, what with it being lightning and all, and as such Cadolbolg's attack managed to get though, violently turning Bison into a Christmas Tree if Christmas Trees were people and screamed in pain.
[color=6c1504]"GRRRRAHOHHOUERTHOUASHDFOAWEUSTHASDTUHEWTHASHEDFASOUTHASDFOH!!"[/color] He shouted as he comically shook to the force of the current, finally getting knocked back from the static discharge.
Stumbling backwards after such a nasty shock, he was quickly thrown to the ground by Nadalia, The Iron Queen living up to her name as she resisted his attempts to struggle.
"Deluded you are, thinking you're quaint to rule the lands with an iron fist. You aren't even fit to declare yourself a king to degenerates..." She taunted before that strange hand went onto his face, silencing his protests as the vampiric touch quickly lived up to his name.
His struggles began to lessen as his face began to get more and more emancipated, the muscle mass fleeing his body and quickly turning him into a Undead Husk [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VKkvUE52Jd0/U5YgIZn-NmI/AAAAAAAAE3g/47rgJSNuVuU/s640/dead-rising-3-zombie-m-bison.jpg].
But as his went on-

*Ring Ring! Ring Ring!" [https://youtu.be/Bk6HauM9IsU?t=9s]
The initial confusion at what was happening soon faded as a small metal device fell out of Bison's torn pocket in the struggle, the impact of it hitting the ground answering because that's how scenes like this are written okay?!
"BISON! GET OUT OF THERE! IT'S A TRAP! ARMSTRONG IS GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH! YOU NEED TO SHAKE THEM OFF BEFORE THE MISSILES HIT!" a frantic Inuart shouted on the other end of the line, giving Bison pause as his life slowly faded from his body and a strange sound began to fill the air.
A even more horrified expression appeared on his face as he got a hand free from Nadalia's grasp, but instead of attacking her or anything, he instead groaned before pointing frantically at the sky behind her as some distant objects seemed to race towards their location...

Capitol Building Compound: Rugal

"ICARUS! GET OUT OF THERE YOU FOOL!" Rugal shouted as the Half-Angel nearly got himself killed by attempting to keep Bison in the path of his Super Geyser, he had Bison's name all over that thing and he didn't want to have to look for Icarus's remains also.
As such, he was both relived and disappointed when Bison was able to barely get out of the way, taking Icarus along with him.
Before he could make his next move, Elise radio'd in with an update: "Rugal, this is Elise. Don't mean to alarm you but; they are planning a strategic strike on your guy's location. I repeat, a strategic strike. It could be of an unknown caliber, equivalent of a mini nuke or stronger. They might risk taking Bison out with you as a last resort-"
"Wait-They are going to do what?!-" He shouted as he realized what was happening, Whomever Bison hired that army off had plans of his own and they involved striking both at him AND the Rising Dawn.
While Elise did also report news of Teri, the first thing Rugal had to do was get them the hell out of there before this "Armstrong" followed though on his attack.
"...Fall back! Repeat! EVERYONE FALL BACK! IT'S A TRAP! WE NEED TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW!" He shouted to the others as a salvo of a Surface-to-Surface Missiles began to race to their current location.
"Dammit...INCOMING!" He called out before bringing up a Dark Barrier on himself as the shit began to hit the fan.

Capitol Building Compound: David West

While it wasn't the Cleric he was expecting, David wasn't really in much of a state to object as Katya fed him some sort of potion, not unlike the kind that Slindis used to hand out.
It's effects were rather quick as his wounds began to clot much faster then normal, even as he retched slightly from the taste.
Spitting out some blood from his mouth, he then quipped "I don't know what a Futa is but I can't imagine it being worse then death..."
It was around then that Miia, being the load that she was, decided to rest her lower half on David's body, the last thing a sniper currently suffering from several bullet wounds needed.
"OWSHITFUCUKING-GET THE HELL OFF ME YOU FUCKING MORON!" He shouted at the snake as he struck at her body with the butt of his gun.
This was until he also saw what appeared to be a missile strike in the sky, quickly silencing him as he asked the golden question: "....Hey, those Missiles are from our guys, right?.....Right?..."
...
"...oh fuck me..."

[HEADING=2]And before they knew it, a storm of explosions and shrapnel began to rain down on all parties in the conflict...[/HEADING]

-At this point, Armstrong and his men will be soon returning to the area to capture characters and bring them to a prison scene. It's an optional path that you can take if you wish, while everyone else will be fleeing back to the Rising Dawn before plotting a counter attack to bust out their captured comrades. Just a heads up there.

-While some of the missiles can be stopped, this is a largely scripted scene so don't expect to be able to stop the barrage. Besides, the missiles are being launched by MG-RAY units positioned outside of the city and they can fire a LOT of missiles [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RypphRK14t8&feature=youtu.be&t=4m27s]...

-Other reactions and such coming soon-ish[sup]TM[/sup]

Kalastryn · Jun 9, 2016

Capitol Building Compound: M. Bison Vs Pretty much everyone

[HEADING=2]And before they knew it, a storm of explosions and shrapnel began to rain down on all parties in the conflict...[/HEADING]

Until this fact became clear, Kalastryn was very, very content with the damage she inflicted on Bison. Were anyone to look at her specifically before their situation became apparent, the smile on her face, and the goosebumps on her skin were nothing like how she would normally act.

That is until reality called, the call to retreat only as deniable as the reality of the large, bold alert above. Some part of her wanted to stay and make damn sure Bison never drew another breath... but those thoughts were quickly receding. It was almost like flipping a light switch between indulgent insanity, and reserved concern for everyone around her.

(Yawn What did I miss?)
(What the hell do you mean "what did I miss?")
(Exactly that, about the time you started to fly off the deep end I started to feel really, really tired. Guess whatever you were doing, you didn't need me to do it.)
(... I guess not.)
(Ho- ... Holy shit look at his face!!)

No. No she was not going to do that. She knew exactly how bad it must of been to make her shadow recoil in surprise, especially having to think on how satisfying it had felt a moment ago. There were bigger priorities at the moment however.

Starting a mad dash to the location of Ryan, Miia, Katya, and Selena, she said about as calmly as she could muster (which in this situation, I dare you to remain composed) "You heard the man! EVERYBODY OUT!! As she did two things.

First, she handed Miia a book. The book she, or well ARES, took all night to write. Even if they might not get out of here, she wasn't going back on promises.

Second, she opened a Dimension Door at the maximum distance from the compound she could in the direction of the stadium which she decided to land in. She didn't really care for specifics since at the moment, clearing the area was on her mind.[footnote]Basically, an 880 ft distance into whatever available space was in that direction.[/footnote] Once that was done, she booked it through the door and held it open for anyone else to do the same.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile when it came to ARES, she had seen far better than what was filling her eyesight at the moment.
Which was... to put it bluntly...

Say what you may want about being a heavily armored machine, but whether your human, machine, or a f*cking unicorn, something seriously bad happens when someone rams their fist into you so hard, it creates a gaping crater in you.

Insofar as what this meant for ARES, it meant that while she didn't need her vision to be barraged with error messages to know it was so, it hurt like hell and she was likely about to shutdown for emergency repairs. The one last thing she did before falling over, unconscious, was stumble over to the truck she arrived in. The last thing she said before shutting down was.

"S-s-see? I-I-I told you I'd b-b-be back." She stammered out, voice skipping from short circuit as she fell bodily to the ground.

She wasn't quite dead... but damn if she was even able to open her eyes at the moment. So grievous was that one blow, that every little bit of her system was devoted to patching it up. She couldn't see, nor hear, arguably she couldn't even think.

The space inside of her was easily visible, every bullet, every gun, all her armor plating, and every single piece of shrapnel caused by Bison's fist, she kept inside. It was like looking into one of those "infinite tunnel" mirror tricks, there seemed to be no end to the armory underneath her skin. It was like there was an entire factory inside of ARES, and there was. One that was, for now at least, totally devoted to working on new replacements for what Bison had broken. Though, even the most efficient factories take time to work.

Were there an accurate estimate, it would take roughly at least six hours for ARES to come online again.

NotYetForsaken · Jun 10, 2016

Broken Doll
Location: Denver | Colorado
To where sleeping sisters lie.

Dolores Selmy

Everything hurt. My head hurt, my arms hurt, my legs hurt. I could feel the trickle of blood down my stomach where the metal and glass had dug deep into my flesh. I couldn't move. Something tugged at my insides whenever I tightened my muscles and I couldn't feel any pain in my lower body. I closed my eyes. I knew what had happened. I saw it not only with my own eyes, but with the eyes of two others - foreign eyes born of my body. She had wrestled me away from my sin and accepted my disastrous hate. I couldn't find in within me to forgive her though, she had robbed me of my one chance to indulge as so many had done to me. I closed my eyes.

I was so tired. The world had lost all sense. It was neither warm nor cold. I laughed. Blood pooled out of my mouth and dibbled down my chin and neck. I yawned. The sun was setting. Now would be a good time to go to sleep. I hadn't eaten yet though. That might be a problem. It was always hard to fall asleep without eating dinner.

I struggled a little bit. It wasn't comfortable at all. I could feel whatever was pinning me down slid a little bit. Then something cracked against the ground and I tugged backwards. A horrible stench echoed in the dusk. I opened my eyes and bent my head to look down.

I had ripped open my own intestines against the jagged metal that surrounded me. I laughed. I could feel tears forming at the edge of my eyes. I don't want to die. I pressed my hands against the metal. For the first time I noticed that I was naked, but the dried blood did well to cover me as any cloth. I pressed my hands against my abdomen. At least I can still move a bit... Panic was welling in my breast. I dug at the viscera coming out of me. It... it doesn't hurt... at least... My fingers fumbled through a tangle of torn intestines. Bile and blood had mixed to make a bubbling putrid solution that was sticky against the air. I dug a bit deeper and found a small hard structure. I fondled it gently, pulling at the curves and shape of it. I knew from the muscles and the bone what it was, but I couldn't believe it. That in my own hands I was holding something... that... something that...

I felt sick. I pressed my hands against my abdomen as if I was trying to keep everything from falling out. Everything had already begun to fall out. Tears rolled down my cheeks, washing away some of the dried blood.

"Rory! There! Beyond that rubble lies the one that Naamah seeks for her Solomon!"

A voice. A child's voice. Was this a delusion at death's door?

"Are you sure, Naamah?" It asked, the voice getting closer to where I lay, "I don't sense anyo..." The voice paused as its owner passed though the smoke and came into view. A girl, no older than 13, clad in what could only be a gothic lolita costume straight from Japan, stood at the edge of the crater. She stared at me, eyes piercing through my naked form. There was a look of confusion on the young child's face which was slowly replaced by understanding mixed with an undertone of disdain.

"I don't sense anyone down there." She stated as she slid down the embankment, closing in on me. She looked over me once she reached me. Her eyes were glowing in the dark of the night. The stars were obscured by the smoke around us, yet I could see the caution in her eyes, "What are you?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I couldn't summon the strength to speak. What came from my throat was a meager wheeze sprinkled with blood and spit. My chest heaved. The beam had torn my diaphragm. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't find my voice.

"Yes indeed, this is a woman most peculiar! To find such a wretched girl, one who sits upon the brink of death clutching her own womb while holding tears within such beautiful eyes, is a find indeed!" The scarf on the figure twirled as it spoke. It was the child's voice. "This is Solomon's friend, yes indeed, and none other could it be! Naamah has done it, Rory has done it! Discovered the treasure we have!"

I reached out toward the young girl. Save me... I wanted to say, but what came from my mouth was instead a weak hiss. I was so sleepy. The air hissed with me. The stars had returned to the sky. I closed my eyes, smiling. I'm sorry Molli. I couldn't come back...

The earth rumbled. I felt like I was being lifted into the air. Is this what death is like? The darkness swallowed me.

Silence · Jun 10, 2016

Avatar Adventures | Denver | Capitol Building Compound
Sunset
Diana | More than 200 missiles

Ohh shit. Diana thought, as she first heard, then saw the message about the missiles. It was a very clear message. So that explains it. she added to her thoughts, previously wondering about why Bison had been betrayed.

Even though she was exhausted mentally, and in her current state she could only see with one eye, Diana still was a dragon, and still could fly. She roared, then began to flap her wings. She would get out of here as fast as possible, as she planned on living. Maybe someone was close, wanted to get protected by her, but her own survival took priority. In any case, if someone wanted to, they could just hang on her while she flew away. While active help was a waste of time, there was no reason to let someone smart enough to think for themselves behind.

Slowly, the black dragon rose into the air, then pushed herself forward, as quick as the air currents allowed. These missiles would not get to Diana. The only thing she was regretting was that apparently, her job was not done with this.

Rising higher, Dream looked down on the field barraged by missiles. Chance of survival approximately 50%, uninjured 0%, she pondered. It was primitive, stupid destruction. She did not like it.

After she had observed the destruction, Diana flew even higher, the Rising Dawn in her sight. She still was free, and that was a good thing.

[hr]

Avatar Adventures | Denver | Capitol Building Compound
Sunset
Mio | More than 200 missiles

After a moment of confusion recognized Mio the danger she was in. Missiles did not sound good, and as she looked upwards, seeing something like heavy black rain, she realized that she had to find cover, as fast as possible. Running towards the dragons was no option in any case, so she looked at the field to her right. She could see some kind of giant metal box, door open, seemingly abandoned.

Maybe it would not be the best place to be, but being under any kind of cover, aside from stone, wood, or anything that would break if a missile exploded on top of it, was certainly better than staying out in the open.

For now, Mio stayed calm, her sight - for her own means in any case - clear. She was focused on one thing, and one thing only: Getting to that box. She ran as fast as she could, sweat running down her face. It was pure luck that she did not stumble. It was also luck that the box did, in fact, have the door open.

With a dive, she jumped inside, just as the missiles came crashing down.

It might not be common knowledge, but the impact of a missile is LOUD, only amplified by multiplying the missiles. Raining it on a metal case did not help matters either. And Mio was, for several reasons, unable to cover her ears fully. She heard a BANG, then another, and then nothing but the ringing of her ears, as she felt further impact of missiles on the ground, just by how it shook.

She felt something fluid run down her right leg as well, but she felt no pain. Not at the beginning. Not until she felt something alien inside her upper leg. Then it began to hurt like hell. And while she had been focused running inside, now all came crashing together, and her panic reached new heights.

Mio's status was not too different from ARES'. Her leg was severely injured, going somewhere was out of the question. That is, if it would not have been out of the question already, as she was, at least temporarily, blind and deaf after the bombardment.

She kept lying down, putting one hand on her leg to try and stop the bleeding, waiting for something, anything to happen, nearly passing out due to the increasing pain.
It would be no problem to imprison her.

[hr]

"No!"

It was too late. Anjali was drawn into another ... experience. It irritated her at first. Had it not been finished already? What was this ritual, was it a dream? Should her dreams become reality? Something .... something was weird.

In the court of dreams, Anjali got the glass of blood she had thought about. But had she not denied it? Why, why would she get it again? Anjali looked into the red liquid. It felt like it wanted her. But she, she did not. What was this place? Why, again? Because she pledged herself to help?

She did not drink, not even take a sip. "I'm not ..." she began, but was drowned out by the ritual. She could not drink, but not deny it either. She kept the glass between her fingertips, waiting. To herself she said she would drink once she was out of this dream.

Anjali observed the queen of fairies start the ritual of knighthood. She felt the ancient blade on her shoulder and waited. It was .... why would Titania accept? She had ignored her previously. The being inside Anjali, now dormant, it probably would ... somehow stop this. What was this? Could Anjali even truly dream anymore?

And then Titania stopped the ritual and instead thrust the sword into her own stomach. Anjali stared in shock. The glass, still full of blood, fell to the ground and shattered, spilling red fluid onto the floor. "What?!" was the last thing Anjali tried to say, before everything came back to normal.

[hr]

Deborah smiled and tapped her glass against Anjali's. It was unshattered, still in her hands. Full. "And with this toast let us then celebrate your forthcoming into our fold, and into our world so that our dreams may become reality."

What was that? What did just happen? Anjali wanted to say. Instead, she repeated what she had heard, like it was water coming out of her mouth, no choice in stopping herself: "To protect and ssserve the weak, to free the enssslaved, and to sssafeguard the lives of each and every person who takesss breath upon thisss Earth. In mankind'sss darkest hour, we will serve as their ssshield against the night - sso that we may all gaze upon the Risssing of the Dawn."

Like someone had yanked her back, the being inside Anjali stirred and became active again. It seemed irritated, but it did communicate a single feeling: Betrayal.
If Anjali understood, it meant the following: You will keep in mind this oath, and betray it, if it does not serve my will.
Anjali felt split between two, not of her own, free, will. She was just a simple girl, and behind and around her other beings, far more powerful, were dancing, fighting.

"We can get all the formalities done at a later time though, so for now please just try to make yourself at home! Later when everyone arrives once again we will have you introduced properly, and get your papers filled out!"

"T ... Thank you." Anjali said, still disturbed by all that had happened. And now the numbness was coming back, although the memory of her feelings, it all still was there.

"It's like a dream isn't it Miki? Do you think the moon gets lonely? Dreaming the same dream each night, gazing upon the Earth and wishing to return?" Titania said, lost in thought, staring at the moon. She seemed fine.

Anjali - and even the being inside her - both seemed to feel different about Titania, now. What had it been, that had brought the queen of fairies to her knees? Why had she chosen to thrust her sword into her own body? Should dreams become reality, or were both the snake and Titania not too fond of this idea, making them allies?

Deborah grinned. "I have no doubt in my mind that you will make a fine addition to the Rising Dawn!"

Anjali smiled back, then drank the blood. She nodded to Deborah, then got up, observed Titania again, for a moment. And whispered towards her: [sub]"What? What did jussst happen? Of what are you afraid?"[/sub]

Generic NPC 22 · Jun 11, 2016

Avatar Adventures | Denver | Selmy Crater
No Missile Surfing here...
Rory Mercury | Naamah | Dolores Selmy

[hr]

A growing roar could be heard in the skies above where the Demi-Goddess stood, growing louder as they closed in, not unlike the sound of a charging cavalry coming in for the kill. Rory Mercury knew the thunderous roar made by missiles quite well. Nicknamed "Iron Cocks" by the Dark Elves of Schwartzwoods, they had been instrumental in defeating the Fire Dragon that had been a scourge in the Empire's side. Incidentally, the Dark Elf warriors sent to assist in the defeat of the Fire Dragon had also themselves become victim to the missiles, though mostly due to improper training it their use. While Rory was never present during the encounter, she knew this because Itami knew this.

"(No time to think of Youji...)" Rory reminded herself as she eyed the impaled abomination. The "woman" was unconscious now and while she should have been dead already, the Demi-Goddess of Death could see the pulsing of life in the woman's veins. As a servant of the God of Death, things such as the husk that lay before the Oracle were to be destroyed on sight as they were the product of man delving into knowledge reserved for the Gods alone. Holding her Halberd high into the air, the cresent blade caught the last rays of the fleeing sun as it disappeared beyond the horizon. This was not to be the end of Dolores Selmy, however.

SHLINK!

The God Forged blade sliced through the thick metal of the I-Beam with ease allowing the diminutive Demi-Goddess to move the woman down to the ground. The missiles were close now, too close for Rory to have brought them down in order to save her comrade. Instead, she covered the woman's body with her own, aware that by doing this, she would suffer not only an intense amount of pain, she would suffer the wrath of her God... her master. This woman was a comrade, however, and if she'd learned anything from her time wandering around the realm of mortal man, one did not leave a comrade behind and one did not allow a comrade to die if they could be saved.

The first of the missiles crashed into a nearby building... followed by another... and then another. All around the two women, the missiles fell from the sky, crashing harmlessly into the ground like lawn darts. Looking up from where she lay, her body pressed against the bloody and mangled body of Lieutenant, Rory counted fifteen or so of the missiles that had crashed into the surrounding environment. Rory counted fifteen or so of the missiles that had failed to explode upon impact. Picking herself off of the woman's body, Rory was also surprised that Emloy had not voices his own displeasure, though it was not long before she understood the reason. Looking down at the battered form, Rory could sense something stirring about. Looking about, the Apostle of Emloy found a blanket that had been cast out of one of the shattered buildings and used it to cover the young woman.

"Naamah, could you call for one of the fliers to come pick us up? I need to tend to your friend, this treasure of yours." Rory asked of her companion absently before bowing her head. It had been a while since she'd communed with her God but she did at the moment... asking Emloy to deny the young woman passage into the afterlife should she appear before him.

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

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Queen of Cockblocking and Misery

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Queen of Cockblocking and Misery

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

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Power in Procedure

Disobey unethical rules.

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

Queen of Cockblocking and Misery

Living undeath to the fullest

Power in Procedure

What is "normal?" Sounds dumb.

The Most Generic of NPCs

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

What is "normal?" Sounds dumb.

Power in Procedure

Living undeath to the fullest

The Most Generic of NPCs