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

Zepherus14 · Nov 30, 2016

[HEADING=2]The Rising Dawn Adventures[/HEADING]The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Rising Dawn Private Quarters - Ryan's Room
"Hopefully that doesn't go on my tab..." >.>
Ryan | Annie | Nina and Phillip

"W-what? Sorry, I was ... in thought. You asked if I was, uh, hungry right?" Ryan replied with a tone all too telling of his current condition. Although he wouldn't be able to tell with his blurred vision Nina gave him a disappointed look. Annie had said he just needed to rest, but even with Nina's limited knowledge of first aid, being out of it this much was not a good sign. Just about the time Ryan was considering if Phillip was something akin to The Thing or Alien, Phillip momentarily stopped the scissors he was holding mid stroke. The splotch that was Phillip in Ryan's vision would still be moving, but judging from the sudden and prompt lump that had formed in Ryan's stomach, even in Ryan's haze filled mind he'd still be able to tell this wasn't something from his eyes. However just as fast as that additional focus had found him, did it leave as well, Phillip continued his work on his own, leaving Ryan to the innate feeling he got from Phillip's presence.

Nina waited patiently while Ryan collected his thoughts, holding Phillip with her arms over him and giving him a periodic squeeze. She looked a bit more reassured once Ryan started talking again. "You know, it's probably not safe to live in Denver anymore. Even though it'd be easy for me to repair your apartment to its former glory ... I mean, you're still in a wasteland of ruin and decay 'Well, I don't think we've quite hit Detroit disaster levels yet Ryan?'. You should move here, and I'm sure Phillip- uh, will manage. We have some interesting members here and I don't think Phillip will cause any problems so long as he's being kept under control." Nina looked a bit insulted by that last comment however, Phillip kept under control? What kind of comment was that, Phillip's nothing but control? Compared to some of the not so savoury characters she'd met up with so far, Phillip was a saint in her eyes.

"Honestly, you wouldn't even need to move your stuff...'Uh, ya I do, no way am I living in one set of clothes up here.' I can just use my Author powers to create new furniture, 'No' clothing, 'Fuckin' materials- 'Way!' whatever you needed for a suitable room. 'That's outstanding! Screw the wobbling table, I could get... well anything! Although...' Then again, most of the guest rooms here are state of the art if not ahead of your generation's time. You'll definitely feel above middle class when living among the Rising Dawn. All I ask is, you just don't ... well, get involved with these missions just yet. I dragged Miia into the recent mission and you saw how that turned out. Ugh....."

"Well no, I didn't, not really." Nina replied in turn, since she hadn't really seen how the mission turned out overall, although what she had witnessed so far was clumsy at best. However what was sticking in her mind now was a couple problems with Ryan just magic-ing up stuff for her new room arrangements. As gracious as a gesture as that was, Ryan might be able to provide the items, but not the heart that came along with them. "But even if you can make me a gold plated everything... it wouldn't restore some of the sentimental stuff. Family photos, heirlooms, personal things; you know what I mean. Even if I can't take most stuff, I'd feel awful if I didn't at least attempt to see if some of our things survived. Even if it ended up fruitless I can't bring myself to just give up on everything there." Nina requested, not saying they needed to go right this very moment, but when it was safe. "And as for missions, look I helped save that crowd of people down there, stopped some missiles with a rock, advised Eddie to stop people exploding buildings before going on his little pastry run... which nearly bit him in the butt, and stood my ground against a bunch of hoity toity 'gods' just because they think they're all that and a bag of chips." Nina listed off but a couple of her accomplishments in his short romp through Denver today. "But you're definitely right, I'm nowhere near ready for missions. Maybe I could help on the planning side perhaps for now, although I'd need a general hat or something if I was going to do that." Nina smiled, although seeing Ryan cup his head into his hands she wondered if something had happened with Miia... whoever that was? Her name was certainly familiar. Wait that was that lady with the absurdly long dress, duh!

Ryan whipping out his phone was a new one though, was he getting her that hat? Was that how he magic'd up things perhaps? Nina watched intently as the magic happened only for Ryan to let out a "What??" Nina leaned back a little, looking around the room awkwardly, apparently Ryan liked his privacy when making his magic calls. "Well I was just curious-" She started to reply to his what, only for it to become apparent he hadn't been talking to her then, now beginning his journey into the maelstrom of his own shortcoming that would soon follow this path he'd. "... Faith deleted her number? "Who?"... D-did she run off? "Maybe?"......... Hold on, maybe if I can sense her-" Nina replying back to Ryan's vocal questions, feeling a bit put off that Ryan was now seemingly doing his own thing now. 'This must be what people stereotype millennials for all the time...'

When Ryan started furiously dialing more, Nina decided she'd at least go check on how her phone was doing with its recharge, Ryan seemed busy after all, might as well let him check on things for a bit. Nina gently lifted Phillip off her lap and pulled a leg off the bed before heading to the end table where her phone lay. It was about full by this point, the soup they'd made and had taking enough time for the phone to get a good amount of its fill as well. She picked it up for the moment now, looking it over before Ryan randomly blurted out "............ H-how ... HOW?" causing Nina to turn her head again. Her eyes blinked a couple of times as she made her way back to the bed, unsure exactly what Ryan was even looking at.

Ryan getting up and pacing however was not something Nina was expecting for a guy who not long before seemed unable to think straight let alone stand. "Ryan maybe you should..? Maybe just..? Ryan? Maybe standing isn't such a..? Ugh..." She attempted to get Ryan's attention each time he crossed the bed's threshold, to little avail. "[small]Wonder where Miia got into so much trouble..?[/small]" Nina mumbled out, only for her to look down to Phillip pointing one tentacle to the right of the bed, in the general direction of Annie walking out of the bathroom towel on her face. "No no, Miia Phillip, that's Annie. Thanks for trying to help though, that's very kind of you~ Maybe Annie can get through to him right now though?" Nina corrected him, prompting Phillip to go back to what he was doing prior."... Did I miss something? "Yyyeeesss??" What's up with you Ryan?" Nina started considering she might just want to plug her face into her own phone for the time being. However she would decide to keep herself involved in the conversation, it would look bad on her to just bugger off completely from the conversation even at this point she was little more than an observer.

And observe she did, Ryan revealing to them Miia's killing of an unknown woman of Elise. Nina gasped at this revelation, nodding along to Annie's reply to such a strange situation. Even if Nina had only had a minute at best to get to know Miia, her impression of Miia was much more of a dopey booby lady than some sort of killer. Ryan's attempt of reassuring himself however only earned him a 'You don't got this Ryan...' from Nina's mind, and when Ryan turned to fling his tablet Nina cringed at the impending impact.

Or it would have, if not a jet of blackness whipped through the room. Even from his far off position of the bed, Phillip snatched the tablet from the air, now holding it aloft. Nina would look surprised for a moment, looking from Phillip to the tablet and back again, before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Nono, it's alright Phillip, that's not my tablet, that's Ryan's tablet." She explained, brushing Phillip top, not noticing Phillip was curling the long tentacle that still grasped the saved tablet. "That was a really great catch th-" Nina complemented him before a huge crashing sound rang out in the room as Phillip hurled the tablet at the wall, impacting it with such force not only was a frame knocked down, but a sizable dent in the wall. Needless to say Nina jumped from the slam, having not been expecting Phillip to do this. It would take her a moment to settle down, losing her concentration on the argument with Ryan and Annie, and facepalming herself a bit. Why should Ryan have all the fun after all. "[small]Phillip, we're going to have a little chat about that later...[/small]" She said sternly, causing Phillip to freeze for a momentarily before churning a bit in her lap. "Later." She said much more punctual, visibly causing the tentacle monster to deflate somewhat.

Annie's hand slap would find a duel purpose as not only did it bring Ryan to his senses, but also redirect Nina and Phillip's semidivided attention back to their conversation too. 'Ouch, ooo that's gotta sting... Shit! How long were they talking for, did I miss anything!?' Nina straightened up in her sitting position, and listened to the rest of their exchange before scooting off the bed herself to give Ryan more space on sit. Needless to say, Nina wasn't overly happy with the results of their meeting, but what was she to do. She hadn't even expected Ryan to do the fixing up immediately but now it seemed like that plan would be set on the back burner. "It's alright... If this really is a thing then, wow... I don't know what to say really. Sorry for your loss." Nina replied, having not known Miia virtually at all, let alone Elise. There wasn't a sentimental attachment involved for her to get flustered, but that wouldn't stop her from having empathy for Ryan. "Alright so, I'm going to see if I can retrace my steps, and maybe figure out where I left my hat. I know I had it when I got here, but... well I don't know where it is now." Nina explained, holding the wiggling mass of Phillip in her arms as she stood there. "Phillip you wanna hang out outside this time? Maybe a piggyback, it's a bit awkward holding you like this." Nina asked Phillip, looking down at the mass as Phillip started to bring a couple tendrils up to Nina's shoulder's as he shifted around to her backside, looping a couple of tentacles around her shoulders and waist to comfortably cling to Nina while still leaving her free to move. Nina's long hair would act as a curtain, making Phillip obscured from behind for the most part. Nina would then gather her dufflebag and junk, and head for the door. "So good luck with everything Ryan, and Annie, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, he shouldn't be running around like he was with him being so woozy. That'll only make things worse, k?"

Gripping the handle and strolling through, Nina would leave the bedroom and take a right down the hallway. Unbeknownst to her, Nina would walk right passed Elise's room as she vocalized in a low but stern voice "And don't you dare think I forgot about that tablet mister! What were you thinking throwing that at the poor wall!" to the disappointment of Phillip. As the odd duo continued to increase their distance from the bedroom, to Ryan and Annie's relief, Phillip's aura would slowly waned leaving them to catch their breath alone.

Generic NPC 22 · Dec 3, 2016

[hr]

If you thought that the gratuitous nature in which the adventurers perished was had any affect on the Rising Dawn's resident Red Room Reject, you would have forgotten the girl's history as a Full-time Internet Junky and assumed that she'd only trawled through the surface bits. You know what they say when you assume things... real life was not the first place that Katya Rostikova was introduced to death in the most horrific of fashions.

Anonymity is like a cloak of invisibility though it not only cloaks an individual from sight but it seems to hide the individual's morals from himself/herself. The advent of The Onion Router (TOR), a communications protocol that enabled nearly perfect anonymous browsing, served as a key that unlocked the doors to the DeepWeb for many of its users. Free of prying eyes, those who ran through the networking routes of the true Wild West of the Web also found themselves free of their own morals and thus found a buffet of sites dedicated to fulfilling their darkest desires. From the sale of illegal narcotics to the trading of illicit sexual pictures to the consumption of more and more deviant sexual acts, those who browsed DeepWeb found every sort of site to fulfill every sort of curiosity or kink.

This sort of unfettered freedom was not the sort of thing that you gave a curious young 14 year old girl who had consumed much of the available data on the surface web. This was not the sort of freedom that you wanted to give a 14 year old girl if you'd ever heard of Red Rooms. So if you ask why Katya Rostikova didn't suddenly find herself weak at the knees at the gratuitousness of the Adventurers' deaths, you have you answer. She'd seen it all before, seen it worse even since there was not a being in the world that could inflict cruelty on a human as well as another human could.

Also... video games... if you subscribe to that school of thought.

Turning to look at the others, the least mature member of the Rising Dawn was rather surprised at the reactions of the others, even one such as Gissella who appeared to be on the verse of fainting. For someone that was tasked with fighting these adventurers she certainly didn't seem to have the stomach for it. The other members of her little group, Twit and Benedict, appeared to have other ideas in their head... stupid ideas like interceding on the behalf of the adventurers. Taking a few steps forward, Katya placed herself in front of them and shook her head.

"You can't go down there..." She said sternly at the two of them, "It's against the rules. You haven't earned the right to face her."

"What are you talking about..." Twit hissed angrily before being restrained by her mentor.

"We're in a dungeon. You have to traverse the dungeon to prove that you're worthy enough to face her." She continued, "We're in their world... we follow their rules... they run the game... we're just the players." she paused for a moment before injecting a little bit of logic... or whatever passed for logic in Katya-land, "Besides, if we were to jump in, it's very likely that our hosts up here would rip us to shreds before we hit the floor or we'd end up having to fight them and I really REALLY don't want to mess up Jizzy's rack."

Antoinette gave the girl a rather expressive look that questioned Katya's sanity. Shrugging off the stare, Katya moved on to Gissella and offered her a supportive arm, she wasn't without manners after all. Looking down at the last adventurer, who had at the point given up on life and decided that collapsing in a pool of her own urine would be the best course of action, Katya hardly flinched when the woman was bitten in half.

"[small]ULTRAAAAAAAAA COMBO!!![/small]" The catch phrase came out Sotto-voice to emphasize the final death. The room was quiet, unnaturally so. Easing Jizell onto the floor, Katya and the other two waited as the uneasy Guardians conversed among themselves.

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"(Thassa BIIIIIIG *****!)" The thoughts came instinctively to Katya's over active mind when her eyes caught sight of Maria the Librarian, who was in the midst of a post game bath. She probably really needed it considering the amount of blood that still clung to the bibliophile's body and obviously the lower half of the Bookish Behemoth's body needed a little extra care as well. If it wasn't for the maw that the Leviathan of a Librarian called a vagina, Katya might have offered a bit of help but she didn't exactly feel like being a Hot Dog for that Hallway. Glancing over at her companions, the Network-Connected Nymph(o) noticed that they seemed a bit on edge with their hands near their weapons. Grabbing their attention with the quick "pssst" the level headed level 1 attempted to calm them, "Chill, newbies, chill. If anyone's going to get attacked down here, it's Jizzy and her honka honkas"

"Child... you may speak the English tongue but there have been quite a number of times where I fail to understand what you mean," Father McPriesty muttered as he visibly attempted to make himself relax, which made him look even more on edge.

"Like... relax? You know if we were going to be fed to that Hatchet... Axe... Halberd Wound on Maria's lower half, they could have just as easily killed, hacked us up and brought us here in pieces." Katya whispered before looking at the Big Bertha of Bibliographies.

"And just how can I help the precious friends of my first apprentice? Would you like something to eat? Or perhaps to drink? Or do you need a companion of the flesh? Just ask and I will provide anything you could want." Maria the Teenage Library offered, "Oh, or perhaps you would like to hear a story? A fairy tale perhaps. After all, I might not look it, but I am the best storyteller in the land."

Without thinking or rather as was probably habit in her initial runs in RPGs Katya spoke up, much to Antoinette and Benedict's horror. Obviously they'd been around the young woman long enough to know that if there was the offer of sex involved, it was likely going to be accepted but this time around, they were in for a bit of a shock.

"As much as I'd love to fondle Jizzy's boobs all day long, I mean I have been staring at dat ass for quite a long time too, how about a story?" Katya responded, intent on remembering as much of the story as possible. It was obvious, in these sorts of things that you needed to pay attention to as much of the lore as possible. If you understand the lore, you understand the world. If you understand the world, you understand the mechanics of the game and if you understand the mechanics, you can exploit the game.

"Did I just hear her right?" Came an absent comment from Twit.

"Oh shut up, you. Would you rather me ask for play time with Jizzy?" Katya asked before looking over at the half naked Gisella, "It's okay if I call you Jizzy right?"

Silence · Dec 4, 2016

Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Denver
Diana

Diana followed the red dragon Angelus only for a short time, then she changed her form into something small, a sparrow, and flew downwards, where she spotted the air defenses, before they spotted the team. There was nothing suspicious about her, as she landed on the ground, turned into a mouse, and casually scuttled near one defense outpost.

Suddenly, she turned into a rhinozeros, breaking the metal structures they had put beneath their missile defense system. Despite the sudden increase in size, her speed did not decrease, as she wildly thrashed around, trampling everything in her path, and impaling a few soldiers. After the initial surprise, the anti-air soldiers who were left tried to shoot her with their normal weapons - whoever prepared the cannons did not think of using them as anti-ground force.

Despite riddling the rhinozeros with bullets, there were none that could pierce through it's thick natural armor. As cyborgs were slowly thrashed one by one, the actual missile system only being collateral damage, the ones left retreated, calling for backup. However, as fast as it had appeared, the rhinozeros vanished again ...

Only to reappear at the next outpost, helping to destroy all that was left of these annoying missile systems. It was natural brute force, seemingly without a mind of its own, but in the end, the effect was the same as it would be with targeted strikes: Twisted scrap metal, not usable for any original purpose it once might have had.

Generic NPC 22 · Dec 6, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver
Alert! Alert! Final Boss Encounter!
Anyone and Everyone that wants to take part in the Final Boss Encounter

[hr]

The idea started simply enough: How would one go about weaponizing a Hammerspace Container? In this day and age where nuclear/chemical/biological weapons could be held in a lead lined briefcase, the thought didn't gain a lot of traction at first at least until World Marshall started pulling in creatures and technology from parallel dimensions and distant planets. At first it was only possible to capture roughly human sized subjects as the portal was too small to fit anything larger, for example a Catican Intergalactic Heavy Shuttle. This hurdle was overcome with the discovery of miniaturization technology which made it possible to fit something of that size into a Hammerspace container. It was at that point that science and profit driven minds began thinking. Could World Marshall make money fitting massive and dangerous creatures into Hammerspace containers? The answer was a resounding "probably."

Project Instant Kaiju (formerly codenamed Cup o' Kaiju) was the realization of this idea. Fit a giant, unstoppable, biologically enhanced, technologically enhanced and mystically enhanced creature in a Hammerspace container and unleash it in the middle of an urban center and wait for governments to come calling on World Marshall. Because the creature was designed by World Marshall Engineers, the military arm would know the creature's weak points and take down the monster with a minimal amount of effort and monetary expenditure. The mercenary group would wheel out some fairly impressive looking weaponry which, if used properly, could take out entire army divisions in order to give the appearance that the price they charged was worth every penny. But really it was all overkill.

Take Katya's recently acquired assault rifle as an example of excess: A weapon that propelled a tungsten slug with not just a plasma burst but then used a series of magnetic coils to further propel the projectile. It was a little overkill on anything, right? World Marshall didn't just stop there, they included a squishy sensor that trailed the tungsten projectile which would detect whether the target the projectile hit was personnel or materiel. If the projectile hit a piece of armored equipment, it would continue traveling but if the target happened to be a person, the explosive encased within the tungsten projectile would explode. In the hands of the standard World Marshall grunt taking part in an Instant Kaiju cleansing mission, it was overkill but bringing it out into the field would justify an extra few thousand dollars on the final bill.

It was a relatively fool proof plan... at least as fool proof as you could get once you threw members of the Rising Dawn into your holding cells. Once that happened, all bets were off and whomever was in charge should have realized that shit was about to hit the fan.

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Deep in the core of World Marshall's Denver complex, Subject IK0001 had been undergoing the miniaturization process. Using a beam of gravitons, the space that existed between the creature's molecules was decreased, therefore decreasing the size of the target. The effects of the miniaturization beam was temporary, lasting only 30 minutes or so, long enough to shove the creature into its new temporary Hammerspace home. Unfortunately for the World Marshall technicians (any of the remaining population of Denver), the power to the beam was interrupted, as well as the neural dampener system that kept the subject unconscious. "Now, Generic," you're probably thinking, "Wouldn't these idiots have back up power?" to which the answer would be yes. Under normal circumstances, the backup power generators should have kicked in, at least they would have had they not been warped to the home plane of the Extra-Dimensional creatures being held in Cell Block Z. Now that I think about it, they probably kicked on but since they were located in a parallel dimension, it doesn't really much matter, does it?

Code:

[b]ALERT! ALERT! Subject IK0001 is regaining consciousness.  All personnel are to immediately evacuate the facility/country/continent/planet!!![/b]

You can probably imagine the rest of what happened from that point forward.

~Insert the rumble of a monster breaking out of containment and destroying the facility simply by standing up~

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Meanwhile on the Rising Dawn, the A.I. that was left in charge of the Airship's networks finished decrypting the initial portions of the encrypted message from Gunnery Sargent Percival Ross, Captain of Ross' Raiders... who were probably all squished under rubble at the moment. Seeing that usable information had been found, A.I. Vermilion transmitted the data to each and every member of the Rising Dawn that was taking part in the mission.

Subject IK0001 - Specification Sheet said:

Code:

[b]Code Number:[/b] IK0001
[b]Codename:[/b] Grotesquerie Empress
[b]Origins:[/b] Planet Midgard

[b]Original Subject Description:[/b]
In original observations, Subject IK0001 was identified as the Grotesquerie Queen by  and also identified as one of the creatures responsible for the destruction of its home planet, Midgard.  Due to her immense size and strength she is more than capable of destroying an urban center with her physical power alone.  It is her other capabilities that have made her a candidate for the project.

Her ability to create/birth grotesqueries, creatures that resemble giant humanoid infants with electrified wings and razor sharp teeth make it possible for this singular creature to become a threat to the world.  In her natural environment, she has been observed singing, though the effects of this action are unknown at this time.

[b]Subject Augmentations:[/b]
As described by the project documentation, the following augmentations have been made. 
[i]Personal Note:[/i] Sweet she looks like a hot chick with the attached to an ant body!

-Lower half of subject's body has been replaced with armored six legged chassis:  While the creature is bipedal, the replacement of her legs with the armored transportation chassis offers additional turret mount points.  The chassis also holds the equipment necessary to enhance the production of the Grotesqueries.

-Shield Generators (x3):  Three Shield generators have been installed on the various parts of Subject IK0001 offering added protection from attack.  Each of the shield generators also acts as a repair unit for the other two generators.

-Turrets:  Various Anti-Air and Anti-Ground turrets using both standard ammunition as well as mystical power systems.

-Grotesquerie Production Unit:  The GPU augments the subject's innate ability and speeds up the speed at which a Grotesquerie can be produced.  This is possible by gathering organic materials, using the gathering stalks, and depositing them in the unit's port.

-Control Array:  Colloquially known as the Control Crown, the device allows for World Marshall Central to control the subject's motor functions, although this should be rarely used as the creature is able to function independently.

- Armored Plating:  Chest plating to protect the subject's internal organs from direct assault.

[b]Take Down Sequence:  (CONFIDENTIAL)[/b]

Grotesqueries? Subject IK0001? Sounds pretty rough, especially considering World Marshall did everything they could to keep random militaries from taking out their Instant Kaiju. Oh look there she is now!

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The earth shifted and cracked as the World Marshall's facility was shattered and destroyed. Those who had escaped the facility could see that this was not caused by the destruction of the support structured that kept the city from falling into a giant pit but rather the awakening and emergence of a giant creature whose top half resembled and armor clad woman wearing a crown while her lower half resembled a mechanoid ant from hell. Spotting the Rising Dawn's primary assault group, the turrets that dotted the Grotesquerie Empress' lower half opened fire, filling the sky with lead, lasers and lightning.

GM's Note said:
Final Boss! Have at it. Try not to die and figure out a way to take her down! 5 posts until the first line of the take down process is decrypted.

bluerocker · Dec 6, 2016

-The following was me taking forever and takes place PRIOR to the boss dropping. Apologies for chronologists out there.-

[hr]

[hr]

~... I suppose I should be asking you the same thing, Lucifer Morningstar. Why are you here? The Vices have a job to do here, but I don't think that you do...~ Envy told him, never once seeming to avert her gaze from him.

~~Lucifer~~ Luke paused at the accusation, a strange sensation beginning to run up his spine. Something... Odd, was about to happen, he could sense it, like feeling the faint tickle of a insects legs on the back of one's neck, accompanied with a... Ringing? Blinking in confusion the bartender turned his attention back to Envy and gave his standard cordial expression, [color=eca222]"Sorry for that, I just thought I heard something. As for your little question, I certainly do have a job - I tend the bar, it's in the title, after all. My name is Lucas Cypress, but 'Luke' will suffice. Can I or the imps get you something... Or perhaps relocate the one over there?"[/color] He gestured to the prostrate body of Sloth, who was currently attempting to break the record for "largest pool of drool".

Not really expecting a proper drink order, Luke busied himself with gathering the assorted glasses left behind on the counter and assorted tables after the battle orders were engaged, placing them in a small washing machine under the counter. As he did so, Invidia received another response, [color=eca222]"Though if you mean something along the lines of what I'm 'really' doing here, that's none of your concern. My primary influence with mortals in this 'great' power struggle of heaven and hell is in the realm of mortals, is it not? It shouldn't be too strange that I stick around. I have secretaries in the Black Palace, they can manage the paperwork while I'm away."[/color]

[hr]

Furiae had been keeping an eye on all parties involved, and after seeing Blade and Jenny's joyful reunion, decided that she would be best suited to leave the lovebirds be. Hien was already apprehended, and she had a second job to do. Quietly slipping past the sloppy lovebirds, Furiae made a pointed powerwalk to the Brig of the Rising Dawn with every intention of delivering Inuart's message.

The Rising Dawn | Brig
[color=b4b4]Cortex[/color] | Furiae | Wesker

After a brisk walk to her destination, Furiae found herself at her destination, beholding two of the men who had stayed at the AIM facility. The first, Doctor Cortex, was something of a fond sight to her - after all, he was one of the kinder faces she had encountered; and was the one who fabricated the design of bracers on her arms. The second, Doctor Albert Wesker, was something of a mystery to the lady Strider. She didn't hear much about the man, sans that he was the one who had granted Inuart some form of "enhancements". At least, if the scuffle with Hien and his forces were anything to go by, there was something unnatural about the way the bard moved these days, and it was entirely Wesker's doing.

Aside from the dramtis personae however, Furiae had noted two other things. The first, the dour temperament of duo, and the second, that Doom was missing from their number. Given what she had seen and heard from the Med Bay, he was probably due to arrive soon. Taking a deep breath, and going "ahem" to draw attention to herself, she opened with,

"Doctor...No, Doctors would be the appropriate term. I have a few things I need to discuss with you."

-back to our regularly scheduled timeline/sequence of events-

[hr]

Denver | In the skies
I. Hear. A. Sound.

[hr]

It was truly a grotesque sight. What was once something as simple as a ground to air fight had descended into something out of a horror movie. She erupted from the ground. Her upper complexion, at least, the parts that still resembled a "human" was ashen and smooth, almost akin to a gray marble statue. She bore no cloth that a human would, and her form lacked any particular markers for "humanity" (such as hair, a belly button, nipples, etc), her eyes even looked smooth, almost carved into being. However, the "statue" ended and the rest began with the machinery running and down her body; turrets, augmentations, even a little "crown" on top, almost a gross parody of the Queen's "glory". Her lower half best resembled the mid and hind quarters of an ant, with six great jutting legs from it's massive throax, ending with an even larger metasoma[footnote]For reference on what a queen ant's body [http://www.livescience.com/images/i/000/008/410/original/queen-ant-workers-100226-02.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&fit=inside%7C660:*] looks like, as opposed to the workers, the bottom part of the ant is a bit more fused than standard ants[/footnote]; all of which a construction of metal. A distant tone [http://tindeck.com/listen/nbgox], almost akin to a bell's, rang in the air as she made her entrance known, the only sound that the Empress seemed to "produce" at the moment.

After the Empress rose from the depths of the World Marshell building and began to fire it's varying weapons onto the group, the voice of the Herald - erm, Harold, rang in their minds via the Rings, "Hi, it's me again! I got orders from the top and we got a change of plans. With this thing distracted as long as you can, the Dawn's gonna make a break for the Marshell building and pick up the missing crew. Keep us covered as long as you can!"

There was a pause, before the rear thrusters of the ship began to activate, propelling the ship towards the lower wreckage of the Marshell building. In the meantime, those in the air were left to deal with the incoming onslaught. For one dragon in particular, this situation was beginning to look a little more familiar than was for comfort, and just barely managed to duck out of the way of one of the missiles as she quailed in the presence of the Queen, "What is this? This thing?! What can we do?"

Cadolbolg, on the other hand, shot a bolt of lightning at one of the missiles, creating a very pretty explosion that wasn't at all being noted by Angelus. As he tried to keep calm, the baby turtle-dragon shouted, "Mother?! Snap out of it, Mother; we need to fight!"

And if that were not bad enough, rubble from below began to rise in the air and spin. It was almost a mockery of planetary orbit, yet some of the pieces seemed large enough for a standard humanoid to land on - if it was able to support their weight.
---

In the wake of the oncoming madness, as well as some back and forth on the re-recovered rings, the Dawn was able to find and pick up the motely band of heroes who had barely managed to escape the Marshell building with their lives intact. With Vermilion bringing the party up to speed about the new threat, she closed with,

[color=FF5349]

Code:

"Unfortunately, the drop pods are no longer viable at this point. With the density of the rubble filling the air, we'd be more likely to send you off course and to your deaths. However, we can do what we can to position you towards the larger pieces. If you have any additional flying magic or abilities that enable fast transportation, now is the time to use them."

[/color]

Meanwhile, on the edge of the battle, a red-haired man watched the events with a grim expression, before running in towards the chaos.

DM Notes said:
Reunited and it feels so goooood~!

Well, it would if you weren't left to deal with the big scary queen/ant monster. If you were not initially a Dawn member or were introduced via the prison, whether your characters decide to get back on ship or not is entirely up to you.

For those who wish to engage the Grotesquire Queen/Empress, how you launch yourself into combat is up to you - the Empress has provided (albeit, moving) platforms for you to land on and hop between, or you can simply engage her from the wreckage of the Marshell building.

Generic NPC 22 · Dec 7, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Airship Rising Dawn | Crew Quarters
Hat-iquette #1: When entering any building a civilized cap bearer should remove any headwear.
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski

[hr]

"Isn't it a little early to be doing the walk of shame?" is what Katya Rostikova would have said were she there which, fortunately for the Woman Toting The Tentacled Tablet Tosser, she was not. Instead Nina Zaczoltski (Gesundheit!) was greeted by a headbutt... to her gut... which was an awfully strange place for a normal person to headbutt. Of course when it came to abdominal - cranial collisions, the perpetrators were fairly limited to either midgets, Farber or nine year old little girls wearing proper princess pink colored dresses. There was a fourth option which will remain unsaid but it's rumored to involve tablets which are re-purposed as Frisbees.

Fortunately for Nina Zaczoltski (Gesundheit!), the perpetrator of the cranial ramming into the abdomen of the Transporter of the Totez Terrifying Tort Making Tentacled Ta Ta Tickler was none other than Ruby Babbage-Lovelace, Magical Girl/Adventurer/Fashionista. Curiously, the Pretty Pretty Princess said nothing about the fact that she'd gone face first into not only Miss Zaczoltski's (Gesundheit!) belly but also a one of Mister Phillip's tentacles. Perhaps it was because the Nine Year Old Magical Girl was rather cosmopolitan and had experienced that sort of texture while out her her parents... at a sushi joint... you know one of the ones that served like octopus? Perhaps it was because the girl appeared to be crying her eyes out and didn't notice the textural difference?

Now just why would a little girl like Ruby Babbage-Lovelace be crying her eyes out? Well it might have... likely... probably... definitely had to do with the fact that she'd been told that she couldn't go out to play with the adults by which I mean due to the severe shift in mission scope, she was unable to participate in the current mission. While Little Rapscallion Ruby saw this as a really crappy thing for the adults to do, it was probably for her own good since there would be a lot of baby birthing, which would have been rather awkward considering no one had given Ruby the Birds and the Bees talk just yet. There was only so much a fragile child mind could tolerate and repeated birthings probably breached that like.

Regardless, Ruby was rather saddened by the turn of events and by the fact that Miss Rory had sent her back to her room, which is where Miss Zaczoltski's belly came into the mix.

*THUD!*

"S... s... SNIFFLE!!!!... Sorry Miss" The Semi-Sobbing-Seamstress said not bothering to look up for a moment. The child stood there for a moment, as if waiting for words to be said and then looked up, smiling when it donned on Ruby that this adult was semi-barely-familiar, "Hey! Aren't you the pastry lady?"

Pastry lady huh? Word travels pretty fast on the Rising Dawn.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Dec 10, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver
Alert! Alert! Final Boss Encounter!
Anyone and Everyone that wants to take part in the Final Boss Encounter

[hr]

Rugal

It all happened so quickly.
First he was part of the original "Ground force" team that would try and break World Marshall's grip over the area.
Of course, that all went to shit when some god-awful monster was released and sicced upon the city, though it was hard to tell if that was intentional or not.
Either way, there would be another thing to nail Armstrong for once they finally found his sorry ass, At this point, Bison might be getting off light by comparison.
But first things first: The monster had apparently busted out from where the prison was located, the implications of this not being lost on Rugal.
The barrage of lead and lasers from the creature was a major deciding factor in his next move, namely leaping out from his transport before landing on the earthquake ravaged streets below (Not sure if a Kaiju monster's movements technically counted as such but the end result was rather similar.)
Before he could even really process what his next move was, he could already see waves of what appeared to be waves of demonic infants moving on his location.
These creatures...they are like the ones that Caim spoke of...in his old world... He thought to himself, well aware of the threat they might pose not only for the city but to the entire world and Teri-

[color=eca222]"What are you waiting for?..."[/color] a familiar voice called out to him, giving him pause even as several of those creatures began to close in around him.
[color=eca222]"You know what you need to do, so why are you just standing there?"[/color]
"...Well enough." He answered back, recalling their arrangement as he got into stance, least before Lucifer added something rather distracting.
[color=eca222]"Let's try 0.5% for now. Try not to spend it all in one place..."[/color]
"Wait-...only half a percent? I don't know if you noticed but I might need a bit more th-...then...."
Rugal trailed off as the brand burned onto his head began to glow slightly, overwhelming his senses as power overwhelming began to Engulf his body [http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/1558266/kenshiro-shirt-rip-o.gif].
"Ngh-.....orah.....ohhhhhhhhh, thats gooooooodddd......" he groaned slightly, a slight raspy chuckle escaping his throat as he enjoyed a sensation that he hadn't felt since the time he stole the power of the Angels themselves.
"...Well then...what are you all waiting for?...Come on.....CHALLENGE ME!" He then roared at the incoming creatures before charging right at them in a move most would deem suicidal (Caim might disagree, but he would be the minority there), his slashing aura firing up as he jumped into the fray and rended all that stood before him.

David

"...Great...just fucking great..." The Irish Sniper remarked as he and the rest of the prisoners has seemingly escaped from the crumbling prison, only to find themselves being not unlike ants on the Kaiju's picnic blanket.
He was going to start thinning out the many, many, MANY little Mini-monsters this ***** seemed to be pumping out but it seems Rugal's latest tantrum was doing a good job of that.
Not that he couldn't use some help in that regard but David's priories were elsewhere.
While he was rearmed now and had Uncle Phil's gift of unlimited ammo again, he was starting to realize that perhaps he wasn't using a weapon large enough to even put a dent in that big ass Ant-*****.
"Alright, Blondi is giving us some breathing room. While he's making friends, we need to figure out a way to punch though those shields and disable those generators. Vermie says they are also repair units so we need to hit them hard, fast and in rapid succession. And I am going to need something bigger..." He announced, firing off a few rounds into the hoard from his transport while he attempted to get a supply drop sent out: if there was ever a time for the Cobra Assault Cannon, this would be it...

Zepherus14 · Dec 11, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Airship Rising Dawn | Crew Quarters
Hat-iquette #2: The fourth day of the fourth week of the fourth month of each year is Silly Hat Day. Do not forget!
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski

[hr]

Nina hadn't been watching where she was going, having been giving Phillip a scolding after his little stunt, she'd looked back over her shoulder when Ruby faceplanted into her tummy. Thankfully Ruby hadn't looked up immediately, as Nina had brought her hands up like some sort of discount kung fu master. 'Oh, it's just a girl.' She thought, relieved it wasn't some monster or something. However when Ruby looked up to Nina with her golden eyes, Nina oddly enough didn't seem to react to them as one would normally expect after seeing super natural eyes, but instead looked concerned that the girl was crying.

"Pastry lady..?" Nina's face switched from worry to miffed it would make your head spin, as she quickly put together that this girl was more than likely the twerp Eddie had promised pastries to in exchange for good behaviour. Although was that really fair to assume, Nina thought, lumping this girl into the label of twerp without knowing anything about her in the first place. Kids will be kids, and being promised 3 years worth of pastries does sound like a dream come true. Given Eddie's social skills it was just as likely improper caregiving than this poofy pink ankle biter being the actual problem, one which Nina would hope to rectify soon.

Nina stooped down to talk with Ruby at her eye level, putting on a cheerful face as she corrected the girl "No, you're a bit mistaken I'm afraid. I'm a pretty mediocre cook myself, but!" She said with a pause, raising a finger to draw Ruby's attention. "You were just the person I was hoping to find. See, I lost my hat, and a very very important hat at that. It's dear to me, and although it might not be as pretty as that dress of your's I'd like to try and find it." Nina explained her goal at the moment to the little one. The plan that had begun to form in Nina's mind however was one of many missiles being struck down by a single wonderful rock. She would find her hat, make a new acquaintance, and even help to end Eddie's plan of putting her into slave work. What could possibly go wrong?!

"Would you like to come with me and Phillip on an adventure to go find my lost hat? I could always use someone that lives here already after all. My name's Nina Zaczoltski, and this is Phillip. We're a bit new here." Nina casually informed the girl, sticking a thumb back over her shoulder as Phillip's tentacle mass waggled underneath Nina's hair as she remained stooped to talk with Ruby.

Once the introductions were out of the way, Nina clapped her hands together in a resounding conclusion. "NOW!" Nina said springing to her full height, giving her hair a light dusting as it had definitely been pooled onto the ground when she'd stooped. "Mom always said If you wanna find something you've lost, retrace your steps back to where you last remember having it. so that's what we're going to do. After that we could maybe try the lost and found!" She proclaimed before marching off confidently.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Dec 13, 2016

Texas Joker 52 said:
This guy wrote some stuff

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver
Alert! Alert! Final Boss Encounter!
Anyone and Everyone that wants to take part in the Final Boss Encounter

[hr]

Bison/Bruiser

Back with the former antagonist of this story, Bison was starting to wake up after getting his lights punched out for the 4th time that day.
[color=6c1504]"....uhh-ngh....wha-...who...Eh, WHAT?!"[/color] He exclaimed as he found himself currently hanging on a coat hook (or something to that effect) in one of the transports, clad in a straitjacket and the only one that still had his World Marshall collar still on for reasons I think the last 3 years of my shit GMing should make clear.
[color=6c1504]"HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! WHERE AM I?! WHY IS THERE A BELL PLAYING?! WHY ISN'T ANYONE TELLING ME ANYTHING?!"[/color] He shouted as he fruitlessly struggled, his comfort being the last thing anyone was concerned about right about now.
Bruiser meanwhile was being a bit more productive as he stayed in the transport, occasionally leaning out before kicking a stray monster that tried to get at a soft target.
"Ohhhh Arceus, I get why you hate me and all but couldn't you at least let me finish leaving the first hell before throwing me into another one?!" He whined as he did his best to stop the monsters from taking down his transport.

Leoric

Leoric was a bit more-..."Stunned" by what he was seeing, it was just like the battles he had heard of as a child, where the Horadrim of old lead by Tyrael, the Arch Angel of Justice against the forces of the Burning Hells and the Prime Evils.
But-...these people couldn't the Horadrim and this was by far the largest demon Leoric had ever seen and considering his past company was Diablo himself, that was saying something!
And thanks to his curse, he could only watch helplessly from his spectral form as it laid waste to a city who's size would rival that of Westmarch itself!
"..."
His hand bones shook for a moment as he hovered over to B.C. once more, looking almost desperate as he made her an very generous offer.
"Young Warrior, I cannot just sit here while you fight this terror alone. But if I am to aid you and your comrades, I will need my crown. In exchange, I want you to think about the biggest treasure chest [http://www.diabloii.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/diabolic-hoard-sk1.jpg] you have ever laid your eyes on. Return my Crown to my head and I shall promise you both that and my Mace at your disposal..."

The Curvaceous Convict stopped in her tracks for a moment and glanced back at him with a quirked brow. There was a short pause before she finally spoke.
"Really? I'm never one to turn down treasure if I can help it..." murmured B.C. partly to herself before she turned to face him properly.
"Alright, Big, Bony and Kingly, tell ya what. I can't use your mace, because that monster is way too big for me, but I know what I can use: A promise to not harm, maim, or kill me, either directly or through any means you command." she said with a small, sly smile, adding, "Neither of us are stupid, and we both know that once you have this back, you have the perfect opportunity to crush me, the unruly peasant who hasn't done much to acknowledge your authority. But, to sweeten the deal, hun? I'll promise not to even touch your crown again, unless it's to give it back to you. How's that sound?"

"...Wha-...Oh, I-...wasn't referring to the actual mace-...Nevermind, a kings word it shall be then!" The Black King happily said as his bond to the physical realm was soon returned to him.
Soon his spirit faded as his armor and mace reformed, as did the Crown of Khanduras on his royal skull.
His imposing figure towered over B.C. as he mechanically marched into the fray and slammed the hilt of his mace against the landmass he was standing on.
About a dozen spirits were pulled from the ether before digging their way into the ground, each one prompting a Skeletal Minion [http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Royal_Henchman] to start forming on the spot to act as a line of defense for the Rising Dawn.

"Cursed Armies of Khanduras...OBEY YOUR KING!"

Viscus

All the while, the AI known as Viscus was fighting his own battles, but rather then waste his time and effort on attempting to disable a creature of that size, he fought a war he was the best equipped to win: The war for intelligence.
With their base in shambles and a number of their higher ranking officers openly attempting to flee, Viscus flew around the air some distance away from the actual fight in search of officials with access permissions to World Marshall's databanks.
There was a lot of equipment on that monster and, even if it's actual hardware was redacted, he might be able to find a link between the specs used in less secret projects and the ones on the monster.
After all, they wouldn't be able to make a Control Array that large unless they had a working model to base it off.

NotYetForsaken · Dec 14, 2016

[hr]

Code:

Homelands

maria's story

[hr]

"The hope of salvation forces me ever onward."

Maria let her body coil around her, the scrabbling black claws toyed with her soft pale flesh as they held her body like jaws. "You are very interesting little girl," Maria's words were sweet and thick like honey. A heavy sultry sort of weight that held uncomfortably long on the nape of the neck, "why do you think that each of these things are mutually exclusive? Is it my fault? I should not have been so reckless with my words." Maria leaned forward and swept across the stone floor on those scrabbling claws until she was behind Gisella. "Please, go ahead. You don't mind do you Gisella?"

Gisella looked up at Maria, "Ah... no... not... not if you command it." Maria held Gisella like a present in a scaled frame. "If you wish it, please go ahead. I am at your mercy," Gisella held the back of her hands against the swell of her breasts.

Maria swept away from Gisella, her huge legs crashing against the stone and sending rumbles as she ascended a bookcase on the far side of the cavern. It was not long before the monster returned carrying a large leather-bound tome in her arms. She landed on the stone floor and slid across toward Katya until she was close enough that the wet sheen of her scaled reflected the warm lamplight in soft splotches across the young woman's face. Maria brought her human half down so it was eye-level with the rest of the party before her.

"But yes indeed. A story, a story. I have so many stories I could tell," she flipped through the thick cream pages of the book. What was written on the tome was not any sort of writing that Katya or Antoinette nor Benedict had ever seen. It was thick black blocks of intricate geometric shapes that wound between itself as if constructed from a single string. The more they looked at each block, the more it seemed to writhe and change, to impart emotion directly into the soul - a worming, invasive, penetrating script. Maria seemed to be bewitched by the esoteric text, "Aye, aye, aye, but which one for you to hear? The story of the Calamity, the story of the Fairy's War, the tale of the Frozen World, or even the myth of Black Logan."" She flipped through the pages more and more vigorously, the familiarity with which her hand danced on the cloth and the gentle sound of her nails tugging at the woven lattice cut through the ambiance of the cave.

Then she stopped suddenly. "Or... yes... the story of the Chosen One. I think that is appropriate." She looked up at Katya - her eyes burning brightly with that ephemeral power that belonged to storytellers - and said, "There was once a girl that stumbled her way here, much like you. This happened but when I was a child and my father would tell me about her adventures when he had the time to visit me in this place. She was strong, gallant, and well-spoken. But she was very clearly a outsider." She closed the book and set it aside, her eyes grew softer as she gazed into the darkness in the outer cavern. There was a sense of nostalgia as the fires in her eyes dimmed. "Father... how long has it been since you came to see me last?"

Maria sat down, her legs folded together and her tailed coiled around her body. She smiled with a genuine gentleness at Katya and crew. She held her hands together at her navel, as if in prayer."Would you like to hear the story of the First Paladin? She was a great and magnanimous outsider that came and delivered the will of Eden to humankind whose likeness has fallen to obscure antiquity. She had hair like spun gold and eyes that gleamed like emeralds. Aye, and all Paladins since have taken her name as their own. First of Firsts, Flaxen-Haired Selmy."

Generic NPC 22 · Dec 15, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Airship Rising Dawn | Crew Quarters
Hat-iquette #3: Japanese Law mandates that all bowler hats be registered with law enforcement in case of hat related decapitations.
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski

[hr]

It was all over before Ruby Babbage-Lovelace even had a chance to scream "STRANGER DANGER!." Before Princess Pinky Pie realized what was going on, introductions had been made, information passed along and somehow, she'd been wrangled into going on some sort of head garment based scavenger hunt. While such a quest didn't seem like the most important of things to do given recent developments... like the fact there was a massive, potentially world destroying monster hanging outside of the Airship causing all sorts of issues for the crew members of the Rising Dawn... the nine-year old unofficial magical girl didn't have anything else so do considering that the mission to save the captured crew members from the clutches of the evil organization, World Marshall, had been scrapped.

Now there were a number of reasons why the Cloth-o-mancer didn't immediately offer to magic up a new chapeau for Mister Eddie's bestestest friend, Miss Nina. There was the primary fact that Ruby had no idea what the hat looked like and secondary to this was the fact that regardless of how perfect a replica she made of the topper-less tentacle toter's topper, it was still a replica and lacked any of the original's personal nostalgic value. There was also the added bonus that Miss Nina, Mister Eddie's bestestestestest friend in all of existence, might be persuaded to produce some pastries if the Pink Dressed Princess participated in this Sombrero Scavenger Hunt.

"Miss Nina? Wait for me!" Ruby called out as she ran after the Pastry Princess and her Tentacled Playmate, huffing down the corridor as quickly as her nine year old legs could carry her before introducing herself when she finally caught up, "I'm Ruby Babbage-Lovelace by the way... I'm surprised that you aren't with Mister Eddie in the Canteen right now... are you his bestestestestest friend?"

Oh Ruby, how naive... but this was the Munchkin Magnus' attempt at small talk. Small talk was important when questing since it helped bring flesh out the background of all those involved and solidified any sort of burgeoning camaraderie that the party would share.

"From what I heard, you and he spent a bunch of time together down in Denver. I'm sorry that I wasted your and Mister Eddie's time looking for pastries... " The Mini Magical Girl muttered her apology as she attempted to keep pace with Miss Nina's longer strides, "He seemed pretty disappointed that Farber and me ran off... you don't think he's going to be mad that I'm running off to help you do you?"

[hr]

If those gathered in Maria's personal quarters were expecting for Katya Rostikova to act upon the display of wares that had been presented by Gisella at the behest of Maria, no one had been paying attention to the appall that had been worming about in the gut of the former priest, Benedict Warrington. Quickly removing a cloak from his bag, the Blasphemer draped it over the their guide's half nude form, his eyes looking up towards Maria as he did so.

"That won't be necessary..." He stated sternly as he helped Gisella to her feet, engaging the cloak's clasp, "As much as my young companion might enjoy the company of Miss Gisella, it would only serve to fracture the unusual amount of focus that Katya is demonstrating and I believe that honoring her request to hear your story would be the best course of action."

Satisfied with his statement and the fact that he would no longer endure the sight of the half clad young woman, the former priest returned to where his companions stood waiting for Maria to return, the creature having stalked off to fetch a tome of some sort. While he might have garnered some sort of personal satisfaction for the gesture in covering their guide, it was not a sentiment that was shared by all.

"[small]Fucking white knight...[/small]" The young hacker hissed angrily at him.

"Miss Gisella was clearly uncomfortable by the act of placing herself on display and..." Benedict started to say before being interrupted by the still seething ball of teenage angst.

"[small]Whatevs, Father Dick. I can speak for myself, you know. I have a brain and if we're going to finish this stage, I know that I don't have time for a QTE with Jizzy's perky pair right this second.[/small]" The Cancerous Malcontent commented before adding another item to the list of Benedict's offenses, "[small]And just because you're getting tempted to break whatever vows you're keeping, doesn't mean that you have to ruin the view for the rest of us.[/small]"

Benedict frowned, his brows furrowing as he felt his own temper rising, replacing the sinful lust that had been worming through his loins. while he didn't remember mentioning this to the young scamp and yet, her mocking his sacred vows was ...

"Holy shit... I didn't actually think you were that kind of priest." Katya mockingly exclaimed as her eyes sparkled mischievously in the dim light, "Did the sight of Jizzy's mammaries get the ole blood flowing in your abstinent loins?"

Before the Former Priest could retort, the earth started trembling once again as Maria returned with a leather bound tome in hand. Settling down, the massive creature with a woman's torso spoke to the youngest member of the troupe with interest. While the Rising Dawn's Resident Digital Drama Queen seemed comfortable with the attention she was receiving, Benedict was unsure if such attention was particularly healthy in the long run. Even in the Blasphemer's home dimension there was a saying that one should never trust a dragon and this librarian... this Maria appeared to be half trustworthy. The creature spoke a few words, listing off a number of story topics that Maria could regale the group with, none appeared to be of particular note until she spoke of someone named Selmy...

"Would you like to hear the story of the First Paladin? She was a great and magnanimous outsider that came and delivered the will of Eden to humankind whose likeness has fallen to obscure antiquity. She had hair like spun gold and eyes that gleamed like emeralds. Aye, and all Paladins since have taken her name as their own. First of Firsts, Flaxen-Haired Selmy." The monstrous librarian offered with a smile on her face, her eyes placed firmly upon the troupe and its apparently leader, Katya Rostikova.

While the Selmy familial name held no meaning to either Benedict nor his apprentice, Antoinette, there was a sputtering noise that came from the third member of the group, the outspoken and often brash young woman who seemed, at times, more fixated on her lust than the happenings of the world. Drawn by the young woman's noise, Benedict observed a bewildered and surprised expression on her face as she registered Maria's words.

"Dafuq?" The outlandish words were spat out like a curse as Katya attempted to wrap her head around the information that had been presented to her. Katya's face contorted from bewilderment to confusion to thoughtfulness as she attempted to reconcile what could have been the coincidental sharing of names, "You mean Dolly? My Dolly? No... couldn't be her... someone else? A family member?"

"I believe what my companion is attempting to say is that she would enjoy hearing more about First Paladin Selmy..." Benedict interjected, as he placed a calming hand on Katya's shoulder.

"Right..." The Rising Dawn's Resident Virginal Nymphomaniac agreed before eyeing the Gisella with a small grin, "Then maybe an after-story drink with Jizzy?

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Dec 15, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn Hanger
Alert! Alert! Final Boss Encounter!
Major Rhodes | Kazuya Mishima | Rising Dawn/G-Corp intelligence officers

[hr]

While the battle raged in the city, the support teams of both the Rising Dawn and (what was left of) G-Corp's finest did what they could to both assist the heroes and try to limit the amount of civilians harmed in the cross-fire.
Kazuya watched from his make-shift office, still nursing the wounds he received while watching the Dawn fight once more, regrets about this entire operation weighing heavily on him.
As such, he soon overheard a comment made by one of his officers: "Mr. Mishima, we're detecting what appears to be a distress signal from World Marshall's HQ. But-...it's strange, there's no audio message..."
"...What do you mean there is no audio?"
"It's-...hard to tell what it is. There is a lot of data being sent out but-...it's on a secure channel with extremely heavy encryption. It appears to be heading to a location outside of the cit-"
The realization was swift as Kazuya barked "Then it's not a distress signal! It's Armstrong's golden parachute. He's sending his mainframe's data to a backup site, no doubt it's a safe house of his. Track the location of it and prepare a transport. I'll kill that bastard if it's the last thing I do on this earth..."
With his orders relayed, he then went to attempt to suit up, something he'd find a bit hard to do with only one arm.

NotYetForsaken · Dec 20, 2016

[hr]

Code:

Homelands

selmy's story

[hr]

"Does it really matter what my name is? You called for me and I came. I am your salvation."

"Ah... thank you..." Gisella said meekly as she wrapped the cloak around herself. She looked at Benedict and blushed, unsure at how to react at such a display of knighthood. She put a hand to her cheek and turned away. She felt shame for causing shame - where Gisella was perfectly trained to be comfortable without wearing any clothing at all, the idea that someone in the room didn't want to see her stripped bare made her feel unusual and awkward.

Maria turned her head toward Katya and began to speak softly. In the quiet of the library Maria's voice carried on forever. It danced among the shelves and struck the stone walls. It flickered between the flames of torches red and skimmed over the water flowing. Maria hummed and the stone sang, Maria called and the darkness answered. With her voice came colors and textures, smells and tastes, as well as deep satisfaction. Once the echoes of her voice inhabited the emptiness of the library, Maria began the story in earnest. The world seemed to melt away around them, the stone turned to grass and the shadows to light. The dancing shadows on the wall became distant mountains and sweeping forests. And they became engrossed in a memory so vivid that it was indiscernible from reality.

[HEADING=2]"The story of the First Paladin."[/HEADING]

[hr]

"A thousand-thousand years ago, long in the time of myth when heroes had but a single name. The Age of the First Names it was called, when the fairies still fluttered through the sky and the earth was rich and heaving with chaotic magic. Humanity had first come to the land we now call Midas through the Eden Gate to flee the disaster that befell the land before. The first Calamity that mankind had ever known. Where we had reached too deeply into the realm of Gods and drew power we were unable to control.

The abyss came spewing forth from the aether and corrupted our old home - giving birth to monstrosities that could not be felled by magic nor steel. With the abyss came the abyss striders, the abyss dragons, with it came the race of witches and daemons which feast upon the fear and pain of humans. With it came chaos, who sought to undo all of life. The world then had ended, brought to destruction by the weapon now known as the Black Shard. As those chosen by Eden fled through the gate into the pure land of Midas, the king of humankind - not long ago a princeling still - stayed to guard the gate. His name was Midas, and for him this new cradle of life was named. For it was his bravery that held the abyss at bay while humanity ran."

[hr]

Katya was running down the steps of the grand palace. Eden's gate loomed overhead, it's massive maw drawing in the wind and flame of the city around him. St. Alaasam had been such a beautiful city. It's massive limestone towers held huge lacrima crystals in their three pronged zenith, showering their magic over the whole city. It had once been the seat of magic, where all of humanity gathered to prosper. The food was plentiful and the river Io ran pure through the center of the city. From his perch atop the palace peak Katya could see all of the city burning. For a hundred miles in each direction there was black flame. The river ran red with blood and the call of abyss dragons echoed through the air.

A huge black shape swept over the sky and cast the entire palace in it's shadow. The abyss dragon circled overhead with sharp veins of angry red burning in it's pitch black hide. It roared, sending weakness into Katya's legs. He could not stand under the utter despair that these creatures brought. To his side wood roared in response. Ballistae ripped through the sky and tore into the wings of the creature, sending it spiraling down into the city below. It's body crashed and threw dust and rubble hundreds of meters into the sky. The smoke added to the spiral of clouds that hid the sunlight.

"Prince Midas! Prince Midas!" a man screamed at Katya as he scrambled toward him. He was a huge man clad in white armor stained with bloody hand prints. His eyes were tired and bloodshot and his thick beard was covered in soot and dried blood. He held a small girl in his arms. "I found Althia... I... I found Althia... but..." He held the small body close. His face twisted in pain.

"What happened to Althia!?" Katya screamed, his voice hoarse already from a day of screaming. He ran forward and grabbed his sister's body. It was cold, but there were no scars on her body. No blood. Yet her veins ran black and the specter of decay had taken over the beating of her heart.

"It was a strider... the entire district was just dead on the floor, rotting from the inside... there was... there was nothing... we were too late." Boros held Althia's body close. He had always been fond of the little princess, Katya knew. With the striders came death. There was nothing they could do. Even more fearsome than the dragons of the dark, the abyss striders were huge faceless monstrosities that walked on two legs. They stalked across the country alone, they paid no attention to anything. They leveled mountains and turned rivers to ash. They wilted forests and turned the crops to stone. They felt nothing and could not be stopped. Their bodies huge, weightless, ephemeral. They were uncaring, they did not seek to do harm as the flight of abyss dragons did. They did not prey upon mankind like the witches, they were the very embodiment of inevitability. They saw no friend or foe, they simply spread the corruption. "We have to get her body to the other side. She has to... she has to be remembered."

Katya drew his sword and placed it on Boros' shoulder, "No, leave her. We can let none of the corruption reach the new land. Not ever."

"But she's your sister Midas!" Boros screamed. He was shedding uncontrollable tears. So loyal, so in love. It made Katya's own heart ache.

"Don't you think I know that! Don't you think it hurts me too!?" He pointed at the line of refugees fleeing into the Eden Gate's gaping maw, "But look at that. That's humanity's last bastion. We can't do anything to jeopardize those that still yet live!"

There was a pause as Katya and Boros stared at each other. Another deafening roar flattened Katya against the ground, the very earth shook. From the sky the air broke and a line of black flame ripped through the city naught but a mile away from where the princeling stood. One of the high lacrima towers collapsed from the sudden strain on reality. The thick limestone broke into pieces and rained down in dust while the crystal above exploded, sending deadly debris raining down on the entire district. Boros threw himself over Katya as the blue crystals rained down, lodging themselves into his armor and the stone around them. When the rain was over Katya pushed Boros over. The old man had been struck on the back of the head with the crystal rain. The blue of the lacrima drew red blood from his wounded head and bits of brain oozed out of his skull. That blue crystal flickered with a black flame - a corruption that grew from each and every source of magic.

The mages had been the first to go - consumed by the sudden appearance of the abyss in the world. They could not fight it's influence and they became witches. Their flesh melted and their vices grew rampant. They could only think like animals and desired more magic. They took it where they could, from the earth, from the living, and at times out of the bodies of those few magus' that had the power to fight the corruption. Now but four battlemages remained - none of them of the Grand Magus'. Nay, they were the White Mages of the sect of Somnus. Their purification of their own bodies had kept the darkness at bay for the past few months. Enough time for them to finish the ritual to summon Eden into the world at any rate.

Another dragon descended upon the gate, drawn by mass of refugees.

"BALLISTAE!" Katya roared over the clamor of the crowd. He raised his gold sword to direct the massive batteries. With a roar that rivaled the dreadful screech of the dragon, a hail of thick metal arrows soared into the air and struck the dragon in it's breast, sending it careening into another part of the city. He didn't know how many men he had left under his command. The Kingsguard were all but dead, and the royal legions were spread thin out in the city dealing with the small spawn that sought to overrun the high ground of the palace. There could be no more than a day until the last man perished in St. Alaasam, and with him would perish the last living creature on the entire world.

From the clouds three more dragons erupted from the maelstrom. With them came another sundering of reality and soon there after the crackle of black flame as the abyss rushed to fill the empty existence. The fire raked the palace grounds and the entire palace began to crumble. The sundering had torn the ground in half and huge slabs of limestone and marble collapsed into an empty gaping maw. The earth tilted and the screams of the refugees became panicked hysterics. The legions scrambled to save as many as they could with practiced efficiency. They launched ropes from crossbows on bolts that latched themselves into what little solid structure remained, and from those ropes the knights of St. Alasaam swung and grasped the hands of those falling into the gaping ravine.

Katya stood up, legs weak. The sight of both Boros' and Althia's dead and now decaying bodies filled his stomach with dread. He felt sick. The ground shook as another of the huge lacrima towers crashed into the earth. Katya looked out at his kingdom. It had fallen. The dragons where now countless in number with more pouring in from the dark maelstrom. They could not hold out for another day, they could not even hold out for even another hour. With the palace grounds broken the last of the ballistae were inoperable, and the last battlemages were stopping the corruption from breaching the Gate. The dragons descended upon the refugees and feasted in wanton delight. The legions could not stop them, their thick black hides with lines of angry red, their eyeless black skull-like faces, and their wings as black as night. Their claws spread black flame across the stone as they landed, turning the rock into nothing but ash.

"Is there nothing that can stop this... is there truly no God that can overpower this darkness. Nothing that can save humanity?" Katya lamented. The dragons clashed against the barrier that held the corruption at bay. Their snapping maws tried to crush the magical dome. Below, the refugees ran followed closely by the legion. There were none left to fight. There was no more room for bravery. There was barely any room for survival. The young prince took several steps forward and then broke into a run.

All was lost. He had to make it to the gate. Above him the cacophony of leathery wings turned quickly into a whirlwind. Their massive bodies ripped through the air like missiles as they threw themselves against the barrier. Each time they impacted, white lightning and black flame splashed out from the wound in the barrier.

Katya got closer and closer, his legs burned with strain and his lungs no longer could find the strength to draw breath. It was a desperate sprint as the dragons overhead swept across the burning sky and lashed at the last bastion for survival.

The barrier would not hold for long. And soon the gate would close.

Then one of the dragons came barreling close to the ground, it's wings tucked close to it's body as it slammed into the barrier - and this one Katya saw got it's maw through the milky white barrier. Katya's heart sank and his legs lost their strength. The barrier exploded, launching the flight of dragons back into the sky and obliterating what was left of the palace grounds.

Katya blacked out.

[hr]

It was hard to breathe, the dust was so thick. His legs hurt, his arms hurt, he felt the trickle of blood down his face and he could smell burning and rotting flesh. The world had ended. The Gate had fallen. He raised his head to look around and indeed there was nothing but black flame around him. Stone, ash, rotten flesh. The wispy remains of the abyss dragon that had broken the barrier as it's corporeal body returned to the aether from where it was born.

He looked at the gate... and it wasn't closed. One of the dragons had it's head stuck between the massive doors. It struggled, but the door could nether open nor close. But Katya couldn't move. There was no strength left in his body. Then came the beating wings of another abyss dragon as it landed before him. It's massive blank face glared at him, as if recognizing that he was the king of this ruined land. The gods knew a king when they saw one, he supposed. It opened it's maw. It was black beyond black, like a gateway directly into the underworld.

Katya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was it.

But death never came.

When he opened his eyes, he found a radiant figure standing over him. Her long blonde hair was whipping in the ashen wind. She had four blades that hung behind her like the wings of an angel, and her sword of gold held the struggling maw of the abyss dragon at bay. It struggled against the golden radiance of the angel.

"Hey King Midas, get up. You still have a country to lead." She said, turning her head back to look at him. She had the most beautiful green eyes - unnaturally fierce and strong. As if they were made to peer directly into the hearts of men.

"Who... no, what... what are you?" Katya whispered through his injuries.

The woman looked back and grinned, "Does it really matter what my name is? You called for me and I came. I am your salvation."

"But you can call me Selmy if it makes you feel better. Dolores Selmy."

[hr]

Kalastryn · Dec 20, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver
Alert! Alert! Final Boss Encounter!
Anyone and Everyone that wants to take part in the Final Boss Encounter

[hr]

It all happened so fast. Too fast for the mind to easily comprehend. Some... creature of truly massive proportion burst from the ground, the rubble of the streets of Denver levitating around it as from it spawned forth more monsters nightmarish in their own right. The ominous tone of bells ringing through the air from nowhere... it was a lot to take in considering moments ago Kalastryn had just started descending upon a much... simpler, battlefield. There was little time to ponder that however, as one of the pieces of rubble that lifted from the ground forced her into a sudden and rough landing. Rolling bodily away from the impact of being uppercut with a rock larger than her entire body, Kala had a hard time standing up after the fact. Oh, not because of the dizziness very likely caused by a concussion, nor from the absolute terror of beholding such a being. It was likely more because of the inability to separate her shoulder from an iron pipe that it had been impaled upon. Separated from the rest of the Rising Dawn at this point, there was little to calm her thoughts. She'd faced a lot of monstrous creatures in her time, even a few giants, but nothing like this. She wanted to get up, to fight back, to do something. Though, what could even be done? Utterly hopeless, she lay propped up against the wall of a ruined building wracking her brain as to how to get out of this alive, and was left wanting for answers.

[hr]

In the rubble of World Marshall's prison beneath Denver, ARES was buried alive. That... is not much of a surprise, considering how many kilometers of the ground had just collapsed in letting this "instant Kaiju" out of whatever confines it had previously been subjected to. Thankfully, unlike a human woman of actual flesh and blood, ARES didn't really need to breathe. Now granted, despite having survived the cave in, being stuck underneath of it was no situation to be thankful for. Digging her way out with all her strength (which if the fact that she can even lift some of the heavier weapons she is equipped with doesn't tell you anything, she could give a professional body builder a run for their money) she was understandably shocked and awed. The extent of the destruction around herself and the fact that she was faced with a monster at least 10 times the size of the nearest miraculously-not-destroyed building would be enough to make anyone hesitate in her position. Though... if World Marshall unleashed this beast, they must have had a way to leash it in the first place. ARES went about trying to find any of World Marshall's employees who survived... but they'd get no kindness from her if she found them. She was of the mindset to beat the first World Marshall employee who refused to give her that information so hard his or her offspring would feel the pain for the next seven generations, if they survived.

Zepherus14 · Dec 24, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Airship Rising Dawn | Crew Quarters
Hat-iquette #4: Chinese culture dictates that green hats on husbands indicate unfaithfulness, don't be caught out!
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski and Phillip!

[hr]

As Denver burned in ruins, littered with hordes upon hordes of monsters, and the fate of Nina's stash of unmentionables back at her house hung in the balance, Nina stopped in her tracks as she heard Ruby call out to her, briefly looking back and forth with her eyes alone before then turning back to the approaching Ruby. Appearing to have been lost in thought, Nina turned back around as Ruby caught up to her, scratching her cheek with a painted yellow nail. "Sorry about that Ruby, that was rude of me to just start walking without you~" Nina apologized sheepishly, at least until she registered Ruby insinuating that Nina was even buddy buddy with Eddie let alone best of bestest friends. "Ya about that..." Nina started to reply as they both got moving down the hall again but Ruby quickly compounded onto her question, with more questions!

"Okay, whoa hold on for a second." Nina prefaced, trying to stem the torrent of 20 questions at least so that she could get some answers in. "Now where to start..?"

"Okay so first off, I didn't get here with Eddie. He actually... well he got thrown up here oddly enough by this hulking wall of muscle named Wrath. [small]Kinda wonder if they're secretly an item or something..?[/small]" Nina mused with her hand to her chin and clearly not looking where she was going. Without a word, an inky black tentacle swiftly coiled around Nina's neck and chin, Phillip corrected Nina's attention just in time to narrowly avoid colliding with another person. Apparently the bundle of noodles didn't feel like being hit with a forehead a second time as a generic working within the Rising Dawn ran passed, obviously busy with the current situation outside. "Phew, that was close; she should really watch where she's going! Anyways! We spent so much time down there because until some hours ago, I was not in Denver, heck this is the first time I've ever been in Denver. Finding a pastry shop is like finding a needle in a haystack. But that was Eddie's idea." Nina explained, either oblivious to the hypocrisy of her comment or simply feinting it, it was hard to tell with her.

Initially as the two journeyed through the hallway, Phillip seemed to silently lurk behind Nina's hair like a spector. A light slap of his rubbery appendages, a slurping gurgle, and the occasional ruffle of Nina's clothing were the only sounds he made, while periodically as Nina would turn to look at a window or a posting on the wall some of his tentacles would poke out from behind that curtain of hair. Despite the mediocre at best hiding spot, Ruby would seem to be constantly aware Phillip was indeed there Although as the conversation continued, Ruby noticed something rather odd poke out from Nina's backside. It wouldn't take much to figure out what exactly it was as Phillip's tentacles pulled it forth, opened it, and started flipping through the pages. It was a book! Yes, this book in fact! [https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51136MNN53L.jpg] A couple of tendrils held the book open, while one gingerly thumbed through it like a smug linguist, finger lick included.

"Wait; hold on a second, Phillip?" Nina paused the conversation, looking over her shoulder to the spaghetti monster, who momentarily lowered his book closing it partly. "I'm delighted to see you reading more than just cookbooks, but could you use your inside voice while we're talking alright?" Nina asked politely, to which Phillip simply went back to his book. "Anyways, what were we talking about again? Oh ya!"

Nina would open a doorway that led into an interior portion of the Rising Dawn, getting pretty close to where she'd used the elevator earlier. "But let me guess Ruby, Eddie wanted you to stay put and told you that if you did you'd get pastries? Farber had you do something that Eddie didn't like, and then that's why Eddie's now mad at Farber?" Nina asked, trying to figure out what had gotten Eddie 'disappointed'. "As long as you just needed to stay on the ship, I can't see how he'd get mad you were wandering the hallways with me." Nina answered on her own interpretation of Ruby's home rules for the moment.

While Ruby was working on her answer, she would possibly notice Nina was obviously counting something as they went down the hall. At first it seemed like Nina was counting the doors on their left as they passed, but oddly at #4 Nina's finger raised, yet no door was present to warrant the count increasing.

Generic NPC 22 · Dec 24, 2016

Preface said:
I apologize in advance if this seems a bit on the railroady side of things but I believe the time has come to finish this arc. I know that some of you have already posted your responses for the final boss encounter but I hope you'll understand that this isn't so much an F.U. to this arc so much as I think it's high time to give TheMehKingdom a chance to assume the mantle of GM. It's with this in mind that I give you the final post for the arc.

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver
Alert! Alert! Final Boss Encounter!
Anyone and Everyone that wants to take part in the Final Boss Encounter

[hr]

Snow had began to fall gently on the skeletal bones of the Denverian Ruins. It appeared that it was going to be a white Christmas that year, save for the fact that what was falling from the sky was ash and the fact that there was a giant, cybernetic ***** in the middle of Denver trying to literally paint the town red... and was succeeding for the most part. Those in the employ of the World Marshall were not a lucky bunch considering those who had been lucky enough to escape the destruction of their underground base were being snatched up by shark toothed hell babies with wings and being toted off towards their mom's nether regions to be converted into more shark toothed hell babies.

The crew of the Rising Dawn was fairing much better than those unfortunate souls belonging to the World Marshall, but not by much. While none of their number had been consumed and converted into a Nightmarish Rendition of Baby Jesus, the team was having quite a bit of trouble breaking the tree layers of shielding that the World Marshall had strapped onto the Empress' mechanical body. Affected by the gravitational anomalies, projectiles found their trajectories wildly altered while the crew members that charged up to the Grotesquerie Empress' face found themselves either pinned to the ground or jumping over their intended landing spots. Even those who could fly found it difficult to dodge the debris that was floating every which way.

Of these two groups, however, none was as unlucky as the parents of the world. You see, it was Christmas Eve and, as every good little boy and girl is aware, Christmas Eve is that magical time of year where Santa Claus piles 353,430 tons worth of goods made in China and delivers them to all the good little boys and girls (who will have the unfortunate pleasure of getting lead poisoning in the future). In order to accomplish such a feat, the Jolly Fat Man travels at 650 miles per second along a very well planned route that took him to all 91.8 million homes within 33 hours. For anyone with a mind for physics, you might have picked up on a few key numbers to be saved for later.

Normally traveling at over 3000 times the speed of sound would be protection enough from most things but when it came to wild fluctuations in gravitation fields traveling fast became more hazardous than helpful... and this was just one case of that little fact.

The first sign of trouble was the sleigh's sudden and dramatic loss of altitude, nearly 5,000 feet in a little under 3 seconds, causing a tremendous amount of strain on harnesses that caused a chain reaction of failures. The failures cause the separation of the sleigh from reindeer that had been pulling it.

"HO! HO! WHOA!!!!" The Jolly Fat Man started yelling as he found himself plunging not towards the ground, but a rather large looking woman with mechanical legs and lots of little children. It looks like he had found his next delivery.

Now for the fun stuff, grab your calculators. As had previously been stated the loaded weight of the sleigh was 353,430 tons traveling at 650 miles per second. Using simple Neutonian physics one can calculate that the force of impact on the Grotesquerie Empress would be 46217000 Kilotons of TNT. Keeping in mind that the yield for the Hiroshima bomb was 15 Kilotons of TNT, that would make the impact of Santa's Sleigh equivalent to 3081133 and 1/3 Hiroshima bombs. Fun fact, this is also the equivalent of a 1,000 meter wide asteroid impacting the Earth at 45 degrees.

Needless to say, the force of impact of Santa's sleigh was large enough to break through the Grotesquerie Empress' shielding and blast her into a parallel dimension five doors down.

But what of the crew? What of Santa? Well, since the shields installed on the Empress worked both ways, the impact was channeled through the path of least resistance, the hole that the sleigh had made in the shielding. A large pillar of light split the heavens and with it, the Final Boss was no more.

"Oh oh oh," came a grunt from bridge of the Rising Dawn as Santa Claus.

GM's Note said:
This is the end of the arc. Any final reactions you want to add are entirely up to you.

Generic NPC 22 · Dec 30, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Airship Rising Dawn | Crew Quarters
Hat-iquette #5: A chef's Hat should never be worn at a buffet.
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!

[hr]

Walking alongside the duo, one blonde woman with a penchant for going in head first and the other an invertebrate mass of appendages, Ruby Babbage-Lovelace could not help but be reminded of a rider and a horse nor could she help but absently wonder if the hat that Miss Zaczoltski sought was infact a helmet rather than a proper hat. Of course this was prior to the revelation that Miss Zaczoltski and Mister Eddie were not, as the Princess in Pink had assumed, bestestestest friends. In fact, if Ruby were to make another assumption, it would have been that they were not friends at all, which made the already guilt riddled nine-year-old feel a bit more guilty since she was not in any of the places that she was supposed to be. To be fair, at this point, she didn't exactly remember where she should have been, though a safe bet would have been somewhere other than an Airship involved in a pitched battle with the forces of Evil.

Phillip, as Miss Zaczoltski had introduced him, was a bit of an oddity, not so much because of his species but rather in his mannerisms. In the nine year old novice mage's experience, the majority of creatures like Phillip were not... as polite and that was putting it mildly. Even more surprising was his choice in reading material. Having read the nine-year old girl version of Chicken Soup for the Soup, it felt a bit strange for Phillip to be reading it instead of a Soup Noodle Soup recipe or something of the sort. Of course, this was a blatantly bigoted view of tentacle monsters, one that would require a change of perspective if Phillip was to be one of the Rising Dawn's... long term passengers.

"But let me guess Ruby, Eddie wanted you to stay put and told you that if you did you'd get pastries? Farber had you do something that Eddie didn't like, and then that's why Eddie's now mad at Farber?" Miss Zaczoltski asked, trying to figure out what had gotten Mister Eddie 'disappointed'. "As long as you just needed to stay on the ship, I can't see how he'd get mad you were wandering the hallways with me."

In truth, it had been a while since she'd thought about her Ish BFF. Ruby briefly wondered where he'd run off to, though, knowing Farber, it was probably somewhere that would get him into trouble with one of the Rising Dawn's crew members. In the time that Ruby had known him, he'd not only gotten into trouble with Miss Katya and Dolly but Mister Eddie as well. He was not exactly the sort of influence that either of Ruby's mothers would have probably wanted around their daughter but there was a distinct shortage of people Ruby's age aboard the Airship.

"Something like that... Miss Zaczoltski." Ruby responded briefly, "Farber and I didn't just not stay in the Canteen like Mister Eddie asked but we snuck into the brig and Mister Eddie probably heard about that. I heard it wasn't a safe place to be but it was really kinda boring."

Ruby paused for a moment when she noticed Miss Zaczoltski counting on her fingers and curiously she wasn't counting doors. What was she counting?

"Excuse me, Miss Zaczoltski? What are you counting?"

[hr]

"BAAAAAAARF!" Katya grunted as she evacutated the contents of her stomach all over the library floor. For the same reason that she avoided watching "Let's Play" videos involving First Person Shooters, namely motion sickness, the Rising Dawn's Resident Regurgitator found herself unable to stop the gastro-intestinal upheaval caused by her vision of this world's origins. With the nausea knocking at the back of her throat, like some sort of reverse tentacle monster trying to explode out of her mouth instead of explode into her mouth, the Weak Kneed Young Woman staggered over to a seat, conveniently nearest the softest looking spot in the room, Jizzy. Glancing over at the Busty Bombshell known as Gisella, the weak kneed young woman frowned when she remembered that the Non-Practicing Perverted Priest had offered a cloak to cover up the offering to the Echii Gods.

"Sigh" The Barf Breathed Debugger sighed feeling a combination of a bit homesick and a bit confused and a bit actually sick. Had she been imagining things? Did she really, truly see Dolly in that vision or was her mind, her demented and devious mind, playing tricks on her? Was it really possible that this First Paladin was in fact Dolly? The Rising Dawn's Resident UnRealist felt somewhat unhinged by the entire situation, as if she'd gone slightly nutty from seeing the Abyssal Dragons and the Striders that had assaulted the original home world. What was the black shard that Maria had mentioned? So many questions floated about Katya's mind that she thought that her head would explode.

*Rummage Rummage Rummage*

"This may help your stomach," The Familiar Fatherly voice said as Benedict handed his comrade a pack of soup crackers, "They were of great help when Antoinette was practicing her teleportation magicks."

"You did not have to help me, you know this." Came a French accented interjection from the Benedict's Apprentice.

"Yes, I did. I needed to ensure that you were safe if you accidentally teleported into the midst of one of the Father's battlecamps." Came the retort before the Priest that probably had more than a few skeletons hiding in his closet (probably due to Auto-Erotic Asphyxiation) before he turned his attention to their host, Maria, "Our thanks for your story, Lady Maria. You were being quite modest when you said that you were the best storyteller in the land for I have never been so transported in my entire existence. I dare say that it is for the opportunity to hear one of your tales is the reason why adventurers would brave the dungeons beyond your doors."

"Is he flirting with her?" Katya queried both Jizzy and Twit before turning her head to ask the same question to Benedict himself or would have if she hadn't turned her head too quickly and lost her balance, causing her head to "accidentally" land on Gisella's lap, "Baka...."

Turning to see his youngest charge in such a state, Benedict frowned at the such a lewd sight before returning his attention to their host.

"The topic of adventurers does remind me of a question that I had meant to ask. Why did your staff seem so surprised when you slew the adventurers who entered your domain? Surely this is not a new thing?" Benedict asked before being interrupted by Antoinette.

"Perhaps our gracious host, Lady Maria, could explain this over some refreshments and a light repast? Young Katya seems to be in need of something to ease her nausea and delirium." Twit said as she stabbed a finger in Katya's direction, where the Rising Dawn's Resident "Romantic" was rubbing her face against Gisella's bare thighs.

"Teeheeee! Teeheeee! Teeheeee!" Katya giggled, her mind having lost some of its earlier focus and reverted to some sort of extremely childish version of her normal behavior, "Your thighs are really really soft, Jizzy. Has anyone ever tried to stuff you with feathers and use you as a pillow and hug you and squeeze you and hold you forever and ever and ever and ever..."

BlackHarte · Dec 31, 2016

[HEADING=2]Rising Dawn: Officer's Quarters ------------------------------------------------------- 10:30 PM[/HEADING][hr][HEADING=3]Lt. Dolores Selmy[/HEADING]

"Lieutenant," Isaac said as he took a knee, "the battle reports have arrived. The fight is over. World Marshall has been defeated, and the monster has been banished." He hung his head and put his hand over his heart. My god it was embarrassing.

"Um..." I leaned forward and put my hand on his shoulder. My back cried in protest of my movement. "Isaac... you, you don't need to do this."

He looked up and his eyes gleamed in the light of my room. I could hear Laeta stifle laughter behind me. "Private Mohsen, milady," he corrected.

Did the other officers have such troublesome subordinates? "Um... no... please don't." I said. I turned away from him. His eyes were locked onto me with such... single-mindedness. I pulled my sheet over my chest to try and shield myself from him. He means well. I know he means well. But still.

"What is it milady?" he asked.

"You need to stop!" I said. It was far more forceful than I had meant. I snapped my eyes back to him, afraid that I might have hurt his feelings. Instead I found his confused face staring back at me. Olive skin, slick black hair and big brown eyes. He was like some sort of lost puppy. Despite his strangeness, he was well groomed and handsome with a strong square chin and broad shoulders.

"Stop what milady?"

"Stop this! This!" the words were practically exploding out of my chest. "The kneeling, the milady, the oaths, the swearing, all of this!" I motioned frantically in front of me with my hands. I wasn't really sure what kind of message I was trying to convey, but I wanted to make sure I encapsulated just... all of him. "You don't have to wear your dress coat everywhere and you can take your gloves off too! You don't need to have your dogtag around your wrist and you don't have to always be wearing your combat harness! And please, please, please stop calling me Lady Lola when we're in private!" I felt Laeta's chest slam into the back of my neck suddenly. I turned around and continued, "And you! It's not nice to laugh!"

Laeta doubled over and hit the floor, no longer able to contain her utter jubilation. Her stupid guffaws were almost as animated as the bouncing of her chest. Saren was smirking too, sitting on my bed with her head buried in a field manual - though she was holding it upside down.

Isaac bowed his head again, "My apologies milady... ah no..." He shook his head as if confused. "Lieutenant Selmy," he settled on.

I shook my head now, "No. You can just call me Dolores. It's okay. We're not children anymore. You don't have to do all those things I told you to do when we were kids. You don't have to call me Lola."

"I gave you my vow, that I would treat you like a princess. And that I would serve you." Which he had done. The minute he had heard that I had joined the Rising Dawn, he abandoned his position in the military to apply here. His loyalty was as baffling as it was outdated. Back then I had to call him "Captain Mohsen" but now he was kneeling in front of my wheelchair trying to figure out what he was going to use to address me.

"Ten years ago. You took that vow ten years ago. And I had never expected you to do it at all!" He wasn't so much like this through high school as much as I could remember. He had always been at least somewhat normal. "Why start all of this again now anyway?"

He stood up. I had never noticed how tall he was. Isaac was actually quite intimidating. The lines on his face were sharp and fierce. Strong and firm, and his lips were stretched thin. The shadows made him look so much older than he was. "Because of my own indiscretion you're in a wheelchair now. Not only that but it was nothing less than a miracle that you survived your ordeal at all Lola. There is none that I am more upset at for your condition than myself. As your subordinate, I should have given my own life before yours was put in danger. I should have been there to stop you."

"What's done is done Isaac. There's no point crying over spilled milk." I sank back into my chair. The canvas stretched slightly at my weight. "Just... stop your theatrics. It's really embarrassing, even if we're in private."

"Hooooo boy, Lola. This ain't private. I've been recording this the entiiiire time sis." Saren said, dropping the field manual to reveal the smartphone she held in her hands. "I'm live-streaming right now, 'cute teen cucks soldier,' it'll be all over Facebook in a few."

Laeta's guffaws came back with renewed vigor.

"Just need to get to the part where the clothes explode off your body."

Isaac was fast, faster than I had ever expected anyone to be. Saren let out a yelp of surprise as she lost her grip on her phone.

"It... wasn't on." Isaac cleared his throat and handed it back to Saren. His cheeks were somewhat flushed.

"Yeah, because it was a joke doofus!" Saren screamed as she snatched her phone back.

Isaac shuffled a little, "I... uh... I'm sorry."

Laeta continued her imitation of a dying fish.

I massaged my temples, "Let's not think too much of it all, okay Isaac? You can lighten up some. You're far too serious." I pulled several letters from within my blanket. "Here. Take these to the others. See that they deliver these to their respective charges." I handed Isaac the letters.

"I will see to it. Dolores," my name seemed forced. Almost as if it pained him to say it. He left quickly.

"Asshole," Saren spat as soon as the door closed.

I turned to face Saren, "Actually, I have a question. Couldn't you have sensed him coming? You have that electromagnetic radar thing that sharks have right?"

Saren snapped, her dark brown hair falling in long thick strands around her neck, "They're called ampullae. And it annoys me too that I didn't see him coming." She ran her fingers over the skin on her neck and traced it down her forearms on each side. Then she cupped her chest and let her fingers run down all the way down to her thighs. She was feeling up the soft jelly-like membrane that lay just below her skin - like an exo-skeleton made of hyper-sensitive nerves. "Everything's in working order too."

"Maybe you short circuited. Do you want me to turn you off and on again?" Laeta teased as she rolled over on the floor. "I bet I could really - shock - your system."

"The last thing I want is to have your masochistic ass working me over, I'll chalk it up as a freak occurrence." Saren leaned back and let her head rest on the lacquered wood bed frame.

"Oh yeah, pull Losko out of the pillow now. He's been in there for quite a long time now hasn't he?"[hr]

---

[hr]

[HEADING=2]Rising Dawn: Hero's Cabin -------------------------------------------------------------- 10:47 PM[/HEADING][hr][HEADING=3]263rd Support Squadron[/HEADING]

Pvt. Ilana Emmerson

The atmosphere outside of the room was thick - it was hard to breath and reminded Ilana of a swamp. There was this essence of stagnant water and dark shadows, flickering insects and the horrible twisted sense of life that sprung from decay. It was as if the scaled body of a snake had wound around her chest and had begun to ever so subtlety squeeze the air out of her.

She shook off the feeling and knocked heavily against the door. She waited for some time and then knocked again.

"Ms. Khatri, I have a message for you." Ilana said loudly.

Then she knocked again and waited.

Pvt. Marcus Lassirbeen

Marcus found Rugal on the "bridge" or at least what the Heroes thought was "the Bridge." In fact the rising Dawn was outfitted with three bridges, each one was a command center in charge of a different set of components of the vessel. The lower bridge was weapons and engineering, and had a clear vantage for bombardment and combat. The upper bridge was locked away deep in the superstructure of the crew's cabin. That held all the strategic personnel. Then there was this one which served as the navigation bridge and a showroom for any of those unacquainted with ship design.

The hulking man was hunched over a console, no doubt immersing himself in how incapable he was at reading actual tactical information. Marcus almost spat. Heroes should stick to punching things. Strategy is best left to those who have fear of death. He cleared his throat to get Rugal's attention.

"'Captain,' here you have a letter." Marcus held out the folded piece of parchment to him.

Pvt. Kristen Elvenwald

"Ms. Nina, Ms. Nina!" Kristen called out as she ran down the hallway dodging other staff members doing their duties. It looked like the young woman had just not long returned from an excursion to the library. Kristen was glad, the fact that Nina was here and alive meant that there was one less thing that could break the Lieutenant's fragile heart.

Kristen caught up to Nina and had to fight back a sudden wave of unease. She took a few steps back and thrust out her hand to give Nina her letter.

"From- from the Lieutenant!" Kirsten screamed. Sweat beaded on her forehead. The urge to vomit was increasing. Must be the monster that she keeps in that dufflebag. "Pl-please take it! I need to leave immediately!"

Pvt. Steel "Joseph" Rose

"That can't be your real name!" Penelope said incredulously as the two walked into the Canteen. Steel ran his fingers through his hair and laughed. He was a very handsome man. Clean cut with a rugged strength to him. He wore his uniform half-buttoned to show off his toned abs and never once had his sleeved extended full. It would hide his guns.

Not his real guns. The guns that nature had gifted him. He took out his sunglasses and put them on as he entered the Canteen, "I swear to you babe, my real name is Steel. Jospeh's the name I picked for myself."

As the two passed the table with the always cool Eddie the Dead, Steel slipped him a letter and flashed him a smile and a look from over his sunglasses. "Oh, and before I forget. My CO wanted me to give this to you, cool guy."

Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off with that incredulous girl Penelope in tow.

Pvt. Joshua Thomas Jefferson (No relation.)

Joshua hurried along the hangar floor. By the lord it was large! Huge hulking shuttles came in and out of rapid launch devices as the Airship continued to limp closer and closer to the Cloudtop Citadel. He was never the most fit in his class, not by along shot. The expedient journey that he took all the way from strategic command down to the forefront of the hangar array and already knocked the breath out of him. With the roar of the engines and biting cold from the atmosphere outside, he was sure that he would pass out before he reached his charge. Joshua held the letter firmly in both hands to keep the winds from ruffling the parchment.

Just as he was about to pass out, the telltale beat of leathery wings gave away his quarry. As the great red dragon landed in on the floor from one of the hangar doors, Joshua called out to them. "Master Caim! Master Angelus!" he said, "I have something for you!" He huffed and he puffed as he waddle-ran all the way up to the dragon and presented the Lieutenant's letter. A piece of cream parchment written with a pen in golden ink. "From the Lieutenant..." he wheezed.

NotYetForsaken · Dec 31, 2016

[hr]

Code:

[b]Homelands[/b]

maria's story

[hr]

"You were never free. I just made you aware of your prison."

"Hum... I think Gisella has had lots of different things shoved up inside her, but I do believe that feathers is something that has not. At least to my knowledge." Maria mused as she clapped her hands. From some hiding place behind the bookshelves several small golems hurried out with a table, a tablecloth, some chairs, a tea set, and a lavish array of small desserts. They set up the impromptu tea-picnic in a panic before vanishing again into the darkness of the Library. "You've have had lots of sleepless nights when you were younger, right Gisella?"

Gisella didn't say anything. Instead she just stroked Katya's hair with her hand as she coddled the teen.

Maria knocked on her head with her palm, "Ah right, that's a touchy subject if I recall. I shall speak no more of it then."

She lowered herself to Benedict's height, "Instead I will speak to you with your honeyed words," Maria leaned in on him, letting her flesh get a good feel of his body. "It is as you surmise, priest. While death is not so foreign here, there are those that live in our world that we deem "heroes." And they alone possess an innate talent, a blessed spirit that returns even after they have died. They are truly remarkable. The more they kill, the stronger they become, and the stronger they become, the more they can kill." She spun around Benedict, her body wistfully curling on itself like undulating waves in a sea. "It's a strange thing really. Once they become very strong, they start to seek stronger things to slay. You know, for excitement. They collect treasures, trophies from their enemies or gear from their treasuries. They adorn themselves with these things because they believe it makes them strong. And to some degree, it does."

Maria picked up a cup of tea and began to drink from it. "Yes. To have the power to bring permanent death to a 'Hero' is an aberrant skill indeed. It goes against the very nature of our world. Our existence. In fact, I dare say that this skill comes from a place, 'outside of reason.'" She set down her cup and turned to Benedict. "Mmm, indeed. You have quite the good eye to recognize my skill. I am indeed of great prowess. And not only that, but of both beauty and intelligence as well."

There was a flutter of butterflies as blue light illuminated the area, casting the world in shadows of light lavender. "I return from my duties, Lady Maria." Jiyam said as she landed on the stone floor.

"Mmm... ah yes. Jiyamuanna, if you could I would like you to go fetch my sister. I believe she will be needed to send this troupe home."

Jiyam nodded, "Yes, Lady Maria." Then she took off in another storm of the luminous butterflies. In the distance they could see the ball of blue light leaping from bridge to bridge as she descended deeper in the abyss of the Library.

bluerocker · Dec 31, 2016

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver
Mr. Bison Goes To Washington Arc Epilogue/Segway into the Next Arc:
Reunions and Partings
Mood Music [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1KI3qdpZTs]

[hr]

It was strange, how quickly the tide of one's circumstance could change so quickly. In one moment, the Empress had descended on the ruins of Denver, her song echoing in the air like an awful din - and in the next, it had been cut short by the harbinger of Christmas cheer; an almost literal example of hope triumphing over despair. After the Queen and her brood had been taken so quickly, the members of the Dawn were left to pick up the pieces.

Angelus breathed a happy, if somewhat exhausted, sigh of relief. While her pride may have dictated she take down foes with her claws and flame - this was the sole exception. Opening her mind to the pact link, another pleasant surprise found her being lead to the ruins on the ground, Caim standing over the corpse of one of the former broodlings. Giving her a friendly wave, the dragon could hear in her mind a simple, "Hey."

Anger overtook her relief, and the dragon landed heavily on the ground and stood tall, allowing her full bulk to tower over her human partner as she bellowed, "You have some nerve! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?! I had to mind the little ones on my own and they were asking questions! 'Where is father, why hasn't he rejoined us yet?' Do you understand how much it pained me to dodge around the fact that you were captured? Possibly being tortured or gods knows what else? And you simply say 'hey' to me like nothing is wrong! Well, Caim? Answer me!"

Caim's blinked slowly at the vocal onslaught, and simply lifted a hand towards her great head. Even if he couldn't reach her, the intent was more than clear. With a huff, the dragon saw fit to lower her great head, her human's hand finding itself running up and down the bridge of her nose. A comforting gesture, and one well missed in her companion's absence. He bowed his head to the dragon before him, his forehead barely touching her snout as she heard a faint "Sorry" enter her mind. That did draw some pause with the red dragon, who blinked in surprise before speaking again, "You never apologize."
"I know. You never say you're worried about me. I'd rather you weren't."
"You shouldn't be surprised. You made yourself a distraction, got captured, and our communications were cut off."
"One, that wasn't entirely my fault.. Two, I'm not used to it, you being...Worried. Angry, or annoyed? Sure. Easy. Actual 'worry', that's kind of a new one."
"HMPH! Then you are more of a fool than I thought if this is the first time you've noticed."
"Well you do call me a fool frequently."
"..? What's wrong with you, Caim? You're supposed to blow me off or protest my claims."
Caim remained silent for a time, before pulling himself closer to the dragon, the mixture of warm flesh and cold metal making for a strange combination of sensations against Angelus' scales as his mind 'spoke' to her's again, "It's been rough. I didn't like it when it was quiet. I missed you.... Still mad at me?"
"Absolutely livid." She chuckled softly, before stretching her wings and (albeit reluctantly) pulled herself away from Caim, inclining her head upwards, "For now, let us return to the ship. The little ones will be happy to know you're safe and sound."

However, when the duo found themselves back in the hangar of the Dawn, they were immediately beset upon by one Private Jefferson, who held forth a letter that apparently addressed to the two of them by "The Lieutenant". Both partners looked at each other in confusion, before Caim "said" from the PDA on his hip,

Code:

"Didn't start any trouble without me, did you?"

with a huff of hot air and some smoke the dragon answered in kind, "I am not like you, willing to start up a fight at every turn. Open the parchment."

Unfolding the envelope and with a giant dragon looking over his shoulder, Caim opened the letter to find...?

---

In the interim of his parents reuniting and having their little chat, Cadolbolg returned back to the Dawn on his own, quickly reuniting with his partner (and sometimes minder), Ton Ton. The tiny turtle dragon gave a happy wave and a "Hallow~" to his pact partner as he fluttered over. When he reached the Tonberry, his tail began wag excitedly, "So you know how father said he was gonna meet up with us again?"
Ton Ton nodded carefully, the memories from the night before with Angelus' somewhat panicked self coming to mind - at least, before Ton Ton excitedly spoke again, "Mother found Father again~! She sounded a little upset, so I bet she's kinda grumpy he took so long - not that I can really blame her. So, I decided to leave em alone for a while; Mother gets grumpy after stuff like this."

The Tonberry among them relaxed visibly when told this news and gave a sigh of relief, [color=15650D]"Well that's good to hear. Between the stuff going down on the ground and everything else, I was getting a little worried myself! And who'da thunk that Santa of all people would come save the day? I guess the Mistress was right about him being real..."[/color]

Cadolbolg only tilted his head curiously at the sentiment, as he asked plainly, "Santa? You mean that red guy who hit that big monster?"

Now dear reader, I must reiterate - prior to being a creature of the flesh and blood, our friend Ton Ton had once been but an imitation of a Tonberry, a toy version. However, all good sentient toys in the Western world know the tale of Saint Nick and understand the importance of the magic and the spirit of giving that he brought to young children. Even if he wasn't believed to be a physical entity among his circle of toys, the very idea of a being who brought joy to a toy's child was a sacred ideal all toys wanted to live up to. For Cadolbolg, a creature that was so youthful, to be so sorely lacking in this knowledge was, frankly, shocking to Ton Ton's system. With a dramatic gasp, and his little hands landing on round green cheeks, Ton Ton couldn't help but stammer, [color=15650D]"You don't know who Santa is?! How old are you, Cadolbolg?"[/color]
"Uuhh... Well, Mother says dragon ages can get a little murky and don't always line up with physical development like it does with humans. Why?"
[color=15650D]"Well that needs to be fixed immediately! Come on, I saw him land on the bridge!"[/color]
Grabbing his foster brother by a paw, Ton Ton sped along as best as his little feeties could take him, Cadolbolg being curious, but not entirely unreleased at the thought of his older brother leading him to someone very important.

---

Diablo1099 said:
This segment was written in collaboration with dis guy.

Garm waited anxiously in the transport as it began to circle down on the ground level for remaining Dawn members from the previous battle, and found that he was beginning to pace as the transport flew around. However, that was when a familiar scent entered his nostrils. Ears pointed forward and tail going rigid still, the wolf didn't need further prompting before he lept from his spot to the ground below, ignoring the shouts of protest from those inside. Barreling forward, Garm picked up his pace, searching about until he saw a flash of white among the sea of gray and black, combined with an all too familiar scent. He was asked to describe it once, and the best he could place it was a mixture of "incense, rain, cleaning alcohol, and shampoo"; but it was a smell of a friend, a battle partner, a pack member (or as humans called them, family), and someone he had been sorely missing. He continued forward, his voice joyfully shouting, [color=356D60]"TEAR-RI!"[/color]

At the sound, the Cleric whirled around, her eyes widening with what could be best described as joy when she called back, [color=0E59E4]"GARM!"[/color] and held her arms open in a wide hug. The massive wolf was able to stop himself before he knocked the girl over, and he found he pulled into a nice, warm hug instead - a perfect compliment to the newly falling snow.

They stayed like that for a while, before Garm pulled away, his ears twitching with interest as he said, [color=356D60]"Tear-ri, I hear something. Over there, in the rubble."[/color]
Turning back towards the mess that the (former) Grotesquirie Queen left behind, Teri gingerly poked at the rubble with her quarterstaff, to unearth a familiar figure. The young Cleric stepped back in surprise, the silver weapon raised defensively as she whispered, [color=0E59E4]"It's Adel!"[/color]

Garm's ears immediately fell back, his teeth bared into a snarl, [color=356D60]"We should leave him behind. He hurt us and dragged you off to that prison."[/color]
Teri's lips drew into a thin line as she thought over what her partner was very reasonably suggesting; after all, Adel had brought her nothing but trouble and pain before. However, she did know - even if it was a matter of knowledge she gained during her tenure as one of the Authors - that Adel was more than just a random thug and many powerful men were after him; she shook her head, [color=0E59E4]"No... I think it's more complicated than that. There's a person under all that metal, and I bet Armstrong did something bad to him. Trust me on this one, please Garm?"[/color]
Garm looked ready to protest again, before huffing, [color=356D60]"...You're too nice to people. If he hurts you - I'm not gonna be nice. Get him on my back, I can carry you both."[/color]

The Cleric smiled again and gave her wolf companion a very big hug, before going back and dragging Fulgore - no, Adelheid, out of the rubble. After several more minutes of positioning the former hellion on Garm's back, Teri pulled her tablet close and asked [color=0E59E4]"Dimitri, can you get Viscus on the line? I'm gonna need both of you to help me out with something..."[/color]

With that, the Cleric and wolf began their journey back towards the now upset transport pilots, and from there - the Dawn and it's Med Bay.

---

Further away from all of this, Inuart watched as the Dawn members slowly began to pick themselves up from the madness that had consumed Denver moments ago. He shuffled, changing weight from one foot to another as he tried to think of the best course of action to take. If what he heard really was true - his comrades really were aboard the ship and he was but a hair's breadth from seeing them all again; as well as possibly bringing them to the fresh air of freedom...Only there were two big problems with that line of thought. The first of which, he was sorely outnumbered. The second, he had no resources outside of himself. Even with the virus Wesker had synthesized affecting his body; there was no possible chance he could take on the entirety of the Dawn alone. Back when he had Legna as a (somewhat) reliable helper? That made it a mite bit more plausible, but that still left a certain other red dragon, as well as the number of other air forces Inuart had seen thus far. If he wanted to do this right at all, he'd have to be sneaky, as well as patient. On top of it all, he needed to think of a plan.

A chilly gust of wind blew in his direction, the slicked back style of his hair offering no protection for his face as the flakes stung like tiny flies. In spite of that - the bard scarcely moved a muscle. He could only watch, after all; and he didn't want to miss a thing.

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

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What is "normal?" Sounds dumb.

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the Heart of Darkness

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