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

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Nina

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Table for Two

nina's story

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"There's a sense of dread coming from up there," Mnemosyne answered, "it's like the stench of blood. It's sickly beyond reason." They moved slowly through the cars. Each one was the same of the last. The Eldritch patrons were dumbstruck by the sudden murder of the Matron. The only real movement was the heavy footfalls shared between Nina and Mnemosyne.

In the first car, the ballroom car, they found the whirlwind of darkness that was Nocturne. He hovered over a corpse on the ground that was soaked in black-shadow blood. The Matron, or at least her corpse, looked to be that of a human woman. She had long red hair that would have been waist length and fair skin. She had wide shoulders and hips and must have been at least seven feet tall when she was standing straight. Her dress was an immaculate weave of crystal thread that still held all the colors of light within it's lattice weave.

She lay still on the ground, arms placed on her lap. Instead of blood, a streak of misty shadows trickled out of a wound on her neck. For someone who was murdered, she looked oddly at peace.

Nocturne chimed as Mnemosyne and Nina approached, but with none of his family to translate for him, the primal darkness was indecipherable. Mnemosyne looked on in confusion at Nocturne and motioned that she couldn't understand him. He twisted and turned and then pointed at Nina as if to say, "this girl is now in charge of the investigation, if only because everyone else on board this train is no longer in a correct state of mind."

Mnemosyne nodded and took a seat on the floor, leaning back against one of the booth chairs. She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes betrayed her exhaustion.

The other great monstrosities in the ballroom car sat is silence at the booths near the walls.

Scene 1: Matricide

The Matron lies dead on the floor as eldritch life forces flows out of the wound in her neck. It looks like a laceration, but there is no sign of a struggle nor a weapon. She lies serene, hands folded in her lap as if in prayer. Her eyes are closed.

Nocturne has transferred the duty of the investigation to Nina for the reason that Nina is unaffected by the foul aura that has settled over the train after the death of the matron. Mnemosyne is crippled, but will help in the investigation when prompted.

The other guests in this car are flabbergasted, but most of them are too alien for Nina to speak to.

The killer could still be anyone.

It may be prudent to speak to one or more of the following people or anyone else that Nina might think of:

Crown, the Count of Lineage - He might know someone who has a grudge against the Matron?
Faea, the Spider - Maybe she heard something before the blackout that could help?
Groa, the White - His Domain is that of Healing, maybe he can examine the body?
Primal Knowledge - Mnemosyne's father. He's really smart, maybe he can point us in the right direction?
Nivdeth - The train conductor. Maybe he saw someone suspicious while he was collecting tickets?
Cuelle, Eyeless Seer - She was the only one that saw it happen, but she can see into the future so does that count as breaking the rules?
Miriam - Crown said that she has no lineage. Maybe she's not effected by the Matron's death either?

Mnemosyne chuckled, "To think that you used to be the weakest person here. Now you're the shoulder we're all relying on to carry us through this crisis. We're counting on you Nina."

 

[Zepherus14]

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Table for Two

Nina's story

​

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Spoiler

Nina would stop fast as she finally saw the corpse, the mortality one will inevitably face making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Although she'd seen other maimed bodies in the time in Denver, there was a differences here, a different mind set. Her delusions could not shield her from a corpse she'd gone to find, nor did this world lend itself to such hand holding. "I think I know what you're talking about now with the stench." Nina gulped loudly.

The turn of events were not in her favour, she was a civilian after all, how many ordinary people would be happy to hear that they alone were going to head a high profile murder case? But given the current situation Nocturne was right, she was the only one able to accomplish this goal. 'Damn it, I was really hoping to get everyone together for this but... if McDipshit's serious then... I'll have to follow along with their rules. Not that I want to, but if I don't then I might lose the one chance to fix all this. Someone that full of themselves wouldn't give up a chance to personally give a special gift, that's my chance!' Nina clenched her fist as her vision shifted from the Matron's body to Nocturne's mass.

"You got it! I won't let you all down." Nina confirmed to the shadow monster, taking out her phone and taking several pictures of the scene in front of her. Now real detectives would probably frown upon Nina taking investigation advice from the likes of CSI, NCIS, Phoenix Wright and Danganrompa, good thing they weren't there to chastise her about it. Those shows and livestreams were the best thing she had now.

"To think that you used to be the weakest person here. Now you're the shoulder we're all relying on to carry us through this crisis. We're counting on you Nina." Nina chuckled nervously at this comment, organizing the pictures she'd gotten of the general room's layout, the Matron's position and her current injuries. "No pressure though, right? I... I kinda wish I could be smug about all this, after some of the comments I've gotten here, some humble pie would have been really fitting..." Nina lamented, letting out a deep sigh. "But I'd never wish for this, brought down so far because of something so tragic." Nina said looking up to Phillip who'd been silently overseeing their activities. "I really wish it hadn't come to this, but since you're here, could you look at this for me?"

Nina would move over to Mnemonyse, showing her her phone with the wound marks. "Crown had said that your guns wouldn't hurt the people here, so what weapons do? Also, when we were walking up here, I tried to spot where your dad was, but must have missed him on the first pass. Do you know where he should be, I might need to get some info from him." Nina asked, giving the woman a good look at the wound marks, letting Phillip hold the phone up for her while she turned to Nocturne.

"And Nocturne, I know we can't understand you, but you can understand us." She said grabbing two random objects from the car, what they were didn't much matter. "I'm going to ask you some yes or no questions, and you're gonna lift one of these to answer which one, do you understand me?" Nina said setting down the two objects for him to use after indicating which meant which.

If Nocturne would answer yes, Nina would continue on with these questions.
"Has the Matron been moved since you've arrived?"
-
"Has there been anyone here acting extra strange here in comparison to anyone else in between that blackout and us getting here. And if so, point out who with the yes object."
-
"... Actually, did anyone else notice that blackout? It was after Cuelle said "Because of that" the world went black and silent for a bit before it came back. Was that just me or did anyone else see that? Trying to figure out a time line." This last one was for everyone including Phillip to answer.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Origin Plains: Rising Dawn Hanger: Adelheid Bernstein, Torment X Leoric

"-To engage in land transit mode, release the break handle and put it into 1st gear. 1st gear, 1st gea-...wait, where's the gear stick?...isn't there meant to be one in here? Who makes a car without a gear stick? Grrrrr..."

Back with our heroes and one of the least lucky people to ever been born, Adelheid was trying to make sense of one of the least helpful user manuals he had ever read.
Peering from his book and over the transport's dashboard, he let out a sigh of relief when he failed to see anyone else in the hanger.
"Alright. Calm down, nearly there. You got this...Y-you got this..." He reassured himself as he shook off his nerves before attempting to start the transport-
"The ignition is under the steering wheel."

Instincts quickly took over as Adel barely avoided getting his head taken off by a rather large mace, watching in shock as it cleaved right though the dashboard.
His eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing, a rather large skeleton with a frenzied expression on his face(?) as he grinned at him.
"Don't worry, you were still the fastest one of you to figure out how to use one of these flying vessels. Shame it won't help you..." Leoric taunted before Adel attempted to escape, vaulting over the chair and-...getting whacked in the chest by a rather skillful swing.
Stumbling back to his feet off the floor, he brought up his hand before shouting "REPPUKEN!", attempting to use one of his famous ki attacks on the skeletal invader.

Such an attempt was met with manic mocking laughter as Leoric swatted it away with his mace, blowing a large flaming hole in the side of the transport.
"You tried this last time! It's not going to work!" He pointed out before Adel used the opening to dive out of the vehicle.
Phasing though the metal, Leoric quickly prepped another mighty swing of his mace, nailing Adel center-mass and flinging him against the exterior before he could even touch the ground.
"No one. EVER listens to me! NO ONE! You will obey your king, Peasant! HEAR THAT DIABLO!? I KNOW YOU CAN! YOU THINK YOUR LITTLE CHILDREN'S PUPPETS CAN FOOL ME?!" The Black King barked, as if someone was watching, while Adel tried to flee once more.
That was before he noticed a large spectral hand start to form around him, squeezing the literal life out of him and transferring it to his attacker.
Confusion set in first as Adel noticed the flesh on his limbs start to become more emancipated and his bones more visible, then terror as he realized what was happening then...sheer exhaustion as his attempt to run turned into a meek stumbling crawl.
"Oh, where were you going to run? To your demonic masters?! Well, I have some bad news for you..."

Grabbing him by his hair as the life and strength fled his body, Leoric knelt down before whispering a rather unsettling message: "No one came to help you the last time I killed you. So make it easy on yourself. Surrender. It will be over soon...For you and the rest of these traitors..."
He then raised up his mace to bring it down upon Adel's head...

Origin Plains: Rising Dawn Medical Bay: David West, Jenny, Dr. Violet

After whitie'ing out in front of everyone and ruining what at the time seemed like a wise use of several thousand dollars ("Ewwww...it's all warm and under everything..."), David soon awoke in the medical bay, feeling just as much of a killer hangover as he did earlier.
But even though the sedatives, the comfort liquor and the medical grade liquor you aren't even meant to drink, it wasn't enough to stop the pounding in his skull.
Clutching his pillow, he grit his teeth in pain while Jenny and Violet tried to figure out what was happening to him.
"So if it's not biological, then what is it? Technological?"
"No, it was nothing like that. Don't even know what kinda term we would use for it. All that I know is it's causing him a great deal of distress..."
"[sub]And gave me one hell of dry cleaning bill...[/sub]

Their exchange was interrupted when David suddenly screamed awake, shouting "HANGER BAY! BLONDE KID! SKELETOR! SOMETHING ABOUT SHIFT STICK! FUCK! WHY WON'T THIS STOP?!"
"David! David! Calm down! Violet, more sedative!"
"Again?! God, what's this guy's liver made of?!" The "Doctor" said before quickly taking another needle and jamming it into David's neck, causing his expression to go blank before he finally leaned back on his pillow, murmuring slightly as he drifted off into another restless sleep.
"It's getting worse...And we're no closer to figuring what it is..."
"...Why was he talking about shift sticks?"

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's Story[/i]

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"...Of course she is..." Rugal sighed after watching the two god's slight confrontation.
While Kyuubey did stand up for him, it did little to ease his distrust of the creature as he looked down at Livia.
He paused for a moment before gently picking Kyuubey, even petting him slightly as he stared down at her.
Indecision filled him as he slowly raised his palm towards her, as if about to raze the woman with a powerful ki blast.
"..."
Silently turning back to Kyuubey, he spent a lot longer weighing up his options then he usually did when he was about to end someone's life.

"...There is one thing I am curious about. You seem to be able to reform from any injury. But what about...displacement?...Like this-"
Rather then take his advice, Rugal instead decided to see how well he compared to the Discus legends of old, throwing the creature with all his might as far as possible across the city.
He watched from the balcony with a content look on his face as Kyuubey flew though the night sky like some children's lullaby. (Albeit, a bit closer to the Mach 1 then in most of those stories...)
Exhaling happily as he managed to vent just a bit of his anger on someone who most likely deserved it, he then calmly picked Livia's sleeping form up before returning her to her room before that smug little bastard flew back or something.
Casually laying her in her bed and even going so far as to tuck her in, he then retired for the night, awaiting their departure to Pompeii.

This road might be the longer one to home, but it would have been the one his family would have wanted him to take.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Nina

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Table for Two

Nina's story

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Mnemosyne smiled weakly, "My guns are causality weapons. They're more for damaging the souls of aberrations than any actual killing. But if you want to know about the weapons that can kill a God... there are several that exist. But they're all special, named weapons. There's; Sendahl, the Banishing Blade; Kusanagi, the God-Slaying Sword; Vora, Ancient Disk; Telshir, Heaven's Needle; Longinus, Crown-Breaking Spear; and Dusk King, Ancient Reaper. But almost all of these aren't in Anazoriza, in fact, most of them can't even be brought into Anazorzia. " Then Mnemosyne tilted her head, "as for Primal Knowledge, he should be somewhere in the operations car down near the center of the train. If you're going to go talk to him, I would make sure you have a really good grip on your intimate regions. His branches wander a bit too much in his old age."

Then Nina turned to Nocturne who graciously took the objects from her hands.

"Has the Matron been moved since you've arrived?"

No.

"Has there been anyone here acting extra strange here in comparison to anyone else in between that blackout and us getting here. And if so, point out who with the yes object."

No.

"... Actually, did anyone else notice that blackout? It was after Cuelle said "Because of that" the world went black and silent for a bit before it came back. Was that just me or did anyone else see that? Trying to figure out a time line."

Yes.

"I saw that as well, yes. The emptiness. It was something more foreign than usual," Mnemosyne chimed in, "it was different from darkness, it was more intense... you'll have to ask Primal Knowledge about it. I have to admit that I don't know enough to tell you anything about that phenomenon."

The Emptiness: Mnemosyne and Nocturne both agree that the darkness that Nina experienced was not unique to her. In fact, after asking around, just about everyone experienced the Emptiness. They all describe it similarly, a brief instance of a nothing so intense that even the word "nothing" fails to describe it adequately.

Mnemosyne said to ask her father, Primal Knowledge, about it. But Cuelle was the only one that actually saw through the phenomenon, maybe she knows something even Primal Knowledge doesn't?

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's Story[/i]

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The morning broke without much incident. Kyuubey had returned at some point during the night and eaten the broken corpses of his previous bodies. The spears that Minerva had summoned lay in neat organized piles on the balcony. They had begun to turn transparent as the sun bore down on them. They would disappear by midday.

Kleo prepared a breakfast for everyone that consisted of spiced bread and fresh fish she had picked up from the docks before the sun had risen. Despite her youth and small stature, she was succeeding at filling in the void that Eurydice had left with her passing. Though, there were clear signs of exhaustion starting to appear on the girl. Every now and again she stumbled in her gait as if her mind was somewhere else.

Ostia was just as lively in the morning as it was in the night. Instead of business men lining the streets, there were fishermen, farmers, craftsmen, and cooks who peddled their wares to passing travelers from either the sea or capital. Livia had bought a second horse to carry the lithified body of Eurydice. The other girls had wrapped the marble statue in robes and a scarf, and sitting on top of a trotting horse, it was difficult to tell that she wasn't alive.

As they were about to reach the coastal highroad down toward Pompeii, a courier appeared shouting after Livia.

"Lucretius!" the lanky man shouted as he approached. He was ambiguously an adult. He had the beard for it, but the rest of his body seemed to be stuck in his teenage years, from his knobbly knees up to his frayed sandy hair, he looked like someone who had just stumbled out of a high school. "A letter for you, from the Consulate." He handed a bound parchment to Livia. "It is a case most urgent."

Livia looked over the paper and scoffed softly, "I will get to this when I can. At the moment I am on an important pilgrimage, so I would appreciate it if you would tell Julius that I will appear before the Senate come the next full moon."

"Understood," the courier bowed and then left the way he came.

"What is it about, mistress?" Kleo asked.

"Just some loose ends that Father left me. I will clean them up on our return trip." Livia answered.

Kleo's eyes widened at the mention of her Father, but she quickly averted her gaze and ducked her head beneath her cowl.

---​

They reached Pompeii a little before the onset of evening. They had eaten a mix of cheese, bread, and fish that Ortha had fashioned into a makeshift stew for lunch. She had come across a bushel of lemongrass from Arabia in the morning markets and the addition made the stew somewhat edible.

Where Ostia was a small bustling city on a well defended artificial harbor, Pompeii was something else entirely. The place reminded Rugal more of Las Vegas than any other place he had ever seen. It was better than Las Vegas even, instead of a flat plain of unbearable desert, there were olive trees and greens that blanketed the rolling hills around the city. The city itself was in a valley near the ocean. Huge estates covered the land from high on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius down to the beaches. Further inland, the density of the buildings increased until at the forum, huge complexes for pleasure, drinking, and gambling existed. The tune of the city itself was lazy. The people moved and acted as if they would live for an eternity.

There was a gambling den on every block, a brothel every other, and on every corner was a cook hawking his meats, breads, and vegetables to people passing by.

Unlike in Ostia, when Livia rode into the city, no one paid her any attention.

"Rugal," Livia said upon reaching a crossroads near the estate road and the downtown center, "I am going to journey down to the shore to visit my grandparents. This is the place where you would best find someone devoted to the God of drinking, orgies, but most importantly, boundaries. Look for Bacchus among the women of this city. Most likely they would be girls from wealthy families posing as prostitutes and the like. If you do not find what you need before you must rest, you may seek out the villa on the coast emblazoned with the mark of twin asps. That is where I will be, and I will welcome you to rest your head there should you need it."

With that Livia pulled the reigns of her horse and started down toward the shore and the setting sun.

 

[Silence]

Spoiler: Anjali

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Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

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Anjali thought for a long time, and looked around the workshop, before she finally decided. "I definitely need something else to wear regardless. And I think I know what kind of puppet I want to use. Though first, what fits me ..." She walked over to some leather plates. "Maybe we could build some kind of armor out of these ... tie it together with some laces. And ..." She looked over what was available further, and found a dark green cloth.

"I think this would make a good cape and hood ..." Now that she had thought about it, and had this many materials at her disposal, she started to learn what she wanted. Instead of letting Vil work by himself, she instructed him how to build some kind of leather armor and trousers, tied together with laces at the sides, some plates on her forearms and lower legs, for protection, and a belt and some more laces at her back, to keep her spear there. And above, a dark green hood and cloak, flowing over her back and to the ground, so she could keep herself hidden from view, if necessary.

After she was done, she set her eyes on pieces, plates, that looked similar to the ones Vil had on his body. "I know what you should build for me, though I do not know how you would build something like it. And how you fuel it with this soul essence. I require you to build a long body, something that can writhe and is agile enough to both get through small spaces or constrict something between it. Something that has sharp fangs and a bite that can go through whatever this guild is throwing at me. I want you to build a mechanical snake for me. Can you do this?"

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Anjali

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Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

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"You insult me by even asking," Vil said. The inner workings of his body clicked and whirred. The back of his chest plate let of steam and he held out his arms to either side of him. "I am more than capable."

Spoiler: Party Member: Vil

Name: Vil ur Cor Sakse
Age: Unknown
Race: Living Doll
Affiliation: Dulce Free States
Unique Ability: Nameless Art
Equipment: Puppet Chassis - Smiling Moon

The dormant puppets rattled at his sudden display of power. The salamander that Anjali had saw before materialized again. It's body a bed of smoldering lava as it clung to Vil's back. It blinked. Anjali could swear that she felt Vil swell with pride as the salamander crawled up to his shoulders. The sapphire on his belt gleamed with light. The incomplete bodies sprung to life, clattering and rolling. Their limbs and bones smacked against wood and metal as they rolled toward Vil.

"A puppet snake you desire, a puppet snake you will acquire." He clasped his hand and the pieces slammed into each other. The clasps undid themselves as ceramic and steel came apart to be rebound by leather and crystals. Slowly the frame of a great snake began to take shape. A serpent armored in white, with glittering amber eyes. From head to tail it was twelve feet long and as thick as Anjali's thigh. The underbelly was woven scale and undulated as it cleaned itself of dust.

Vil drew the mechanical snake around on the floor with a flourish of his hand until it rested in a neat coil before Anjali. "Alas, the gift of life must be given by its puppeteer." He produced a small amber gemstone seemingly from nowhere and held it out to Anjali. "Hold this lacrima and summon forth all of your love. Envision the puppet in your mind's eye and crystallize your desire for it to prosper. See it grow and live, be happy for it's joy and heartbroken at it's sadness. See it hunger and be satiated, see both the peak of it's excitement and deepest lulls of its sleep. Then press all of your empathy into the puppet through this crystal, and bring it to life with it's name."

 

[Silence]

Spoiler: Anjali

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Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

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Anjali took the lacrima into her hands and kneeled down on the ground, before the curled up, lifeless snake.Vil had said that she should summon all her love into the crystal, though she did not know how. The feelings she had, they still felt alien to her, not quite her own. Though ... what was inside her was supporting her in what she was doing. It wanted to bring part of it out, into this crystal, into the snake's body. Before Anjali even started doing anything herself, the small amber started to change its color into a dark, almost black, greenish color, and swirling around it were the silvery snake spirits she had summoned before.

She looked up to Vil, then down on the gemstone again. It was starting to emit power. Anjali softly spoke, trying to bring what happened under her control. "You are part of me and I am part of you. I want to bring you to life, and keep you safe. Your feelings are my feelings. Your hunger is my hunger, and your rest is my rest. I want you at my side ..." The spirits stirred, then calmed down, giving a seemingly spiritual connection between the gemstone and her hands. The greenish tint slowly vanished again, though the power inside the amber lingered.

Helding out the amber to Vil, she smiled, and said: "I think it is done." She looked at the ceramic snake, like a mother looking at a child, and waited for it to stir and move by itself.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Anjali

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Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

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Vil put his hand over Anjali's and gently guided it down to the snake's head. He pressed his ceramic fingers into her cold flesh. His hand was warm and smooth, with the subtle reassuring feeling that was appropriate for his grandfatherly mannerisms. The gemstone melted into the ceramic and the snake's eyes flared to life.

She could see herself in the snake's mind standing before herself. A myriad of colors shimmered in her vision, she saw these colors flow through the room, pouring out from the activated lacrimas in the puppet and in Vil.

The puppet raised it's head. It was not wholly subservient to Anjali. No. But it loved her as she had loved it.

"Wonderful!" Vil said, "Truly wonderful."

The door opened.

It was a tall man, comely with well groomed brown hair and a square chin. His eyes were dark brown and his outfit reminded her of some of the higher ranking staff she had met on the Rising Dawn. It was a black coat that buttoned down on both sides of his broad chest. He cleared his throat, looking at Anjali with suspicion.

"This is the girl that you are sponsoring to become an adventurer?" He seemed dissatisfied somehow. He turned to his right and shouted, "You could have at least told me she was a Soul Tinkerer, then I would not have needed to waste my time coming down! I would have dismissed your request immediately!"

"No, you cuntnugget!" Freya answered with the same amount of aggression, "She's not a Soul Tinker. She's an honest to god Puppeteer. Like Leland. She has the gift."

This man must have been Cor.

Cor turned and regarded Anjali again, tearing her apart with his analyzing gaze. Her snake instinctively moved to shield her from his leer. "So it seems. But I will not allow you."

"I ain't askin' to be allowed! You don't have any power over me, ya hear!? You can make goddamn suggestions, but you ain't going to stop me from doing nothin'!"

"You would so flippantly disregard your father's will!?"

"I. AM. NOT. LELAND'S. PUPPET."

Cor took a step back, flustered. He cleared his throat, "I... I didn't mean. I mean, I never said you were."

"Than whattafuck are ya on about talkin' about some deadman's will!? I'm alive, he's dead, getitinta yer goddamn ****-dreaming bullshit-spewing overdressed-assstain-colored-hair-brownnosing-whore-fuckin' head!"

He held his hands up. "Look, I know your mad. I know there's no point in talking to you when you're mad. So let's just calm down and talk this through like adults. This is a very dangerous proposition you're asking me to sign off on."

Freya slapped him. "So what!? You want me to stay cooped up heah withya for the rest of my life? If this is about wantin' ta sleep with me, then fine! I'll fuck ya if you sign off on this fuckin' sponsorship form. I'll do it right fuckin' now so youc'n show everyone how ya have finally broken in ol' Leland's daughtah."

"That's not what this is about!" Cor roared back. He grabbed her by her shoulders and embraced her.

"Let me go!" she shrieked.

"I love you Freya, yes. But it's not because of anything your father did. I love you because you're like this."

"Fuckin' pervert! Ugly bastard! Die you fuckin' goat-sucking whore-beating asshat!"

"I know you don't want to hear it. But for fuck's sake I need you to listen to me for a damn second!" Cor shouted. Freya stopped struggling, stunned by his use of an expletive. He let her go. "I love you, Freya, but not because of anything your father did. I love you because you were cruel and crass, and you loved to pick on me more than anything. That even though i was a pathetic child who didn't know how to do anything, you would always bring new inventions for me to see, new animals, new insects. I loved that you always came to see me, even when everyone told you that you couldn't. I love you because I don't want to be away from you. That's why when your father put you up, I spent my entire family fortune to save you."

"Savin' me? Is that whatcha call it?" Freya grumbled.

"I don't want to see you hurt. That's why I never sent any of the delving teams your way. That's why I always wanted you to check in with me with whatever you were doing. If you died, I would have no reason to live, no reason to advance my position, no reason to make Dulce a better place." Cor cleared his throat, "You're my raison d'etre, Freya. Without you, my world is an worse place."

Freya stared at Cor. It was her turn to be flustered. She wore a mixture of anger and relief on her face, unsure of which one she ought to be feeling in a situation like this.

"So I don't approve of you running off in search of Controller like this. Because I don't want to lose you. But if you can swear to me, in the way that Freya Allyone of Terenith swears, that you will not take any stupid risks in this journey. I'll approve your sponsorship."

"That's... askin' a lot."

"You were ready to fuck me in this hallway to get what you wanted not two minutes ago."

Freya blushed. "And ya won't laugh?"

"Why would I?" Cor answered as he let Freya go.

"I swear upon my heart, my soul, and my body that I will uphold this promise with all of my being."

"I still don't like this," he produced a pen from his breast pocket and signed a paper before handing it to Freya, "but God knows that I'd rather die than have you be legitimately angry at me." Then he turned to Anjali. "You take good care of Freya for me, okay? She's hotblooded to a fault and liable to get herself killed to satisfy her curiosity."

He held out his hand to Anjali, "Will you promise me with the oath of wherever you're from?"

 

[bluerocker]

shout out to Diabs for writing/supervision on some bits.

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Origin Plains​

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Ton Ton and Cadolbolg looked at each other with curious expressions when Diana suggested making use of shapeshifting for investigative purposes...or perhaps mischief. Cadolbolg was the first to speak up, his youthful exuberance shining through when he asked, "You can shapeshift? Can you turn into a cupcake? No would expect a cupcake watching them!"

[color=15650D]"Or potentially get her eaten..."[/color]

"Aww...." Cadolbolg slumped in the air - a strange sight for something that was formerly hovering there, and then reflapped his wings to right himself as he asked instead, "Well, I dunno what'd be the most fitting, really. My father says spying on people is rude, so you shouldn't do that in the first place! But you are right about one thing- something's screwy. I thought we were on the Dawn, but instead it's right over there..."

Ton Ton coughed to get his brother's and Diana's attention, and indicated his head to the airship, [color=15650D]"While your shapeshifting abilities are a very useful ability, I don't think they'll get much use out here. Why don't we go inside- and maybe you could tell us your name? I'm Ton Ton by the way,"[/color] he gestured to Cadolbolg and followed up, [color=15650D]"And this is my brother, Cadolbolg. Also, I apologize for yelling at you earlier. I suppose we all got off on the wrong foot with the rude awakening."[/color]

---

Angelus looked down at the "former" slimegirl, her immense head tilting in confusion as she regarded Hillary, "What on earth...?"

She took a hefty sniff at the strange red-scaled creature, and to her surprise - smelled herself! The dragon lifted a toe cautiously to inspect Hillary further, an expression of bemusement upon the dragon's face, "'Another' dragon...? Ah, you must have met my son, Cadolbolg. I think I recall speaking with you in my mortal form, Hillary."

She lifted her wing to let more of the sunlight in from above dance upon Hillary's new scales as she examined her, thinking aloud, "I understand that is a human's name, but human you clearly are not. What matter of creature are you that you can replicate the exact smell and texture of my scales... Caim, come gaze upon this."

Caim - who had felt a strange sort of disappointment from his fight being interrupted, turned when he was called. Sheathing his sword, the warrior wandered over to where Angelus and the draconic-Hillary were speaking, blinking in confusion at the sight. As he closed in, he crossed his arms and tilted his head, looking between the pair and shrugging,

"Hillary, right? Angelus, we've seen this one change before- it's probably just like that, only with your scales instead of metal...though the fact that she *can* replicate it is interesting..."

Rather like Angelus before him, Caim leaned in to examine the strange property of Hillary's as well; eyes narrowing as he scrutinized each scale that made up her new form.

---

Teri gave Hillary a friendly wave before the shapeshifting slime girl went off to hug Angelus' leg, a small smile growing on the Cleric's face. Hillary was honestly one of the nicer people she had met on board - her disposition being something she'd liken to a sunflower; bright, open, and easily seen by all. As she watched Hillary carry on as she usually did, Teri couldn't help but muse, [color=0e59e4]"What a sweetie pie..."[/color]

However when she heard the sound of the Reppuken Adel sent towards Leoric, her head jerked in the reaction towards the sound. At the sight of Leoric assaulting her once very cyber-ified patient Teri hopped on Garm's back and urged him towards the terrifying looking skeleton man. As the wolf charged towards Leoric, Teri's hands moved in strange and arcane waves, her voice taking on a sonorous quality as she incanted the spell. With a final gesture, a series of small blue lights appeared out of the aether, 10 in number, and began to spin around her head, almost like a crown. With a focused glare at Leoric, the Cleric pointed a finger at the undead king, the lights around her head shooting straight towards him.

Right before his mace could hit it's mark, he stumbled back when the weapon was seemingly shot out of his hands.
"What th-OW! Hey-OH! AH! Will you-OW! Now you liste-OW! I'M ON YOUR SIDE! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO KILL YOU BEFORE-AHHH! DAMMIT! RIGHT WHERE MY FACE WOULD HAVE BEEN!" He then protested as he was peppered repeated with holy bolts, each one causing his undead form to glow brightly as he used his hands to protect his crown from the barrage.

"No, no, no, NO NO NO NO! You aren't meant to show up now! Curse you! The Black King screamed as he faded from view, only to reform atop the burning transport, clearly irate over his lovely one liner being ruined by meddling kids.
"Oh, you think you can best me, child!? Or should I say....DEMONIC APPARITION OF BAAL-I mean-...wait, which one was the one who lied all the time again?...Belial! That was it!" He rambled for a time, followed by his best "Totally insane old man" impression.

Teri elected to ignore Leoric's ramblings, instead dismounting from Garm to look over Adel. While the winter wolf stood his ground and growled at the undead king, Teri began chanting another series of prayers, laying a hand on the young martial artist as she finished with a punctuated, [color=0E59E4]"Panacea!"[/color]

A golden light bloomed around her hand, before entering the martial artist's body, the young Cleric's lower lip worried as the healing energy surged through him, [color=0E59E4]"Come on...hang in there! Don't die on me!"[/color]

Teri cast Darts of Life (a 5th level spell) and Panacea (4th level).
Darts of Life creates 10 glowing lights around the caster's head, each able to heal 1d8 points of damage. In Leoric's case, because he is undead, it *damages* him instead.

Panacea is a powerful healing spell, which restores a small amount of HP as well as wipes away a number of rough status conditions. Adel heals for 19 points and is cleared up of (most) potential status conditions.
Time till next 5th level spell: 12 seconds
Time till next 4th level spell: 12 seconds

 

[mcpop9]

Origin Plains

Akasumi gasped deeply as her eyes opened. Something had happened. She had been one minute under contract to try and entertain and keep an eye on the guests of the dawn, but it's been a weird past few hours. She'd been stuck somewhere inbetween here and... well... not here. She had been using a disguise to hide her identity from the crew of the dawn during her employment and deployment to it. Unfortunately, 'repspawning' on the origin plains had removed her disguise, leaving the woman in a white blouse, black skirt, black stockings and high heels. What this didn't hide however were her distinctly Japanese facial features and her long hair, the insane length down to past her rear. For those familiar with those employed to the dawn, the outfit was one seen prior about the ship but the person in it would be recognizable to only those who had existed in this world for a long time.

Seeing several people outside the ship and thusly some sort of fight occured between some guy... and someone she recognized as... Adel? She had come this far and was about to blow her cover by starting to pull off crazy combatant abilities, that and whatever just happened was leagues above her current abilities. Deciding to try and make herself scarce in this instant, Akasumi began to walk towards the ship as if nothing was rong, keeping her nerves calm and making herself try to look as natural as possible. Reaching the side of the dawn, she opened one of the doors and began to step inside, a goal of making it to the brig to "keep an eye out for any prison break attempts." or so she would claim if she was caught.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's Story[/i]

[hr]

...7/10

That's the score Rugal gave this particular den of vice and excess, which was rather high praise for someone who practically lived and worked in such places for most of his life.
While the classical nature of the city endeared it, he still longed for some of the more modern day amenities not to mention the possible looming threat of Mount Vesuvius making the whole region history (Literally and figuratively).
But alas, back to more pressing matters.

Once they reached the city, he gave a polite bow to Livia and said "I thank you and your servants again for your assistance and patience. I'll begin my search right away and meet you at the villa once I'm done. May you all stay safe until then."
With the formalities out of the way, he began to walk the streets of the city, looking somewhat unimpressed with the sheer number of "Working girls" vying for his attention.
Out of all the groups of people I have to search among, why prostitutes?...And ones who look young enough to be my children no less?... Rugal thought to himself, wondering just how this realm dealt with "Social Diseases".
Then of course there was the possibility of Bacchus deciding to hide among mortal women, which meant that possibly every single wealthy woman in the city could be whom he was looking for.

He would need a way to narrow things down first.

To this end, he began to browse the gambling scene first, while he mightn't have enough gold on him to really make much headway at the tables, if nothing else he could find something useful or even better possibly stumble upon some prize fighting den.
Wishful thinking, sure, but if such a place existed, he could easily enrich himself with his skills.
While those bandits who ambushed managed to get past him and kill one of his allies, if they were anything to go by, the skill ceiling for combat here didn't seem too high (Thus far anyway...)

It was either that or attempt to present himself as a male escort to lure in his target, something that he could do but didn't necessarily want to. ("Like anyone here could afford me anyway...")

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's Story[/i]

[hr]

"Live well and live long, Livia. It is a terrible thing, when a parent cannot watch their child grow up."
Vil ur Cor Sakse​

As Rugal meandered through the loitering crowds of people, he found all sorts of games that the ancient Roman elite gambled on. There were dice games, games of sticks, and all sorts of strange strategy games using foreign tiles and pieces. It was both familiar and different from the dens back home. The people were more reserved and real gold and silver coins graced tables instead of plastic chips. But women and drinks were plentiful all the same.

Something hit his boot as he was walking. It was a small cup. It was made of a beautiful deep red wood. Dark arboreal swirls in the grain painted a picture of drifting clouds over gentle plains. Waves of amber wheat bowed under a light breeze. He heard the laughter of a young girl. Her hair brilliant red, eyes blue. She ran through the wheat fields, arms out, skin catching the shine of the autumn sun. There was a house too. It was small, made of dark brick. But next to it was a construction site where men were hoisting white marble columns up in neat rows. An old yew tree hung its head by the road.

A soft voice broke the strange vision.

"Oh, I'm sorry." An old man said as he hobbled over to pick it up. He was a hunched and scrawny man with dark skin and so many wrinkles that it hid his eyes. He had a long white beard but no hair on his head. His robes were simple and brown, his sandals were worn smooth. "I wasn't being careful."

He sat back down at his table. He put two dice into the cup and shook it gently. The old man was alone, but he played the dice game by himself. He threw the dice onto the table and counted before taking them from the table and placing them back in the cup. All the while he hummed to himself a simple tune. It was music like a lullaby sung by nightingales, sweet but so gentle that it was hard to hear clearly.

After some time he looked up at Rugal, "Oh, I'm sorry. That was rude of me. Would you like to play?" Then he put his hand over the cup. "It won't be for coin I'm afraid. I have nothing of the sort left in my old age. I pay with stories." He put the cup face down on the table and motioned to it. "How about it young man? If I win you buy us both a jug of wine. If you win, I'll tell you a story."

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

Table for Two

Nina's story

​

[hr]

Spoiler

"Just give me a quick sec!" Nina exclaimed as Mnemonyse appeared to be listing off specific names of weapons that could have done this. She'd take a moment to walk over to Phillip holding her phone, and switch it to a memo app of sorts that recorded her voice. A list of weapons that were largely the only tools capable of being the murder weapons were kinda important. "A specific list of weapons that are solely capable of killing the eldritch like The Matron, very important I'd say!" Nina thanked the exhausted horror. Personally, she didn't believe these were the only ways to kill the Matron, much like how it was impossible for Stardust to get here, but it's not like she needed to rain on Mnemonyse's parade. Nina couldn't help but make a cringy face at the mention of her father's touchy feely side. He wasn't much of a looker and the idea of getting paper cuts in general wasn't a pleasant thought to begin with. "Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely keep that in mind when I see him." Nina said, side glancing at Phillip a moment as she could practically feel his eyes rolling out of his nonexistent sockets.

Watching Nocturne's answers and listening to Mnemonyse's subsequent explaination, Nina couldn't help but scratch her head. 'Well, I can't rule out someone didn't move her before Nocturne got here, but she still looks weird lying down like that all calm and everything. Maybe they used the emptyness to sneak attack her and set her down like this? Which means...' Nina would type into her phone a bit before moving over to the body again, kneeling down as she tried to steady herself. "I'm really sorry about this, you've probably gone through a lot already, but... I really gotta check there aren't any clues on you, so you know... Don't hold it against me?" Nina said as she started checking in any pockets available to her, seeing if anything stuck out.

She'd also try and lift The Matron to the side so she could check underneath her, but Nina's lacking strength meant she'd at best clumsily push the corpse, at least until Phillip reached in to assist. Gingerly grabbing various parts of the corpse, he'd lift her up with little effort allowing Nina to check underneath. "Uh, th-thanks Phillip. She was kinda heavy." Feeling a bit off since she couldn't ask him herself, him doing it on his own was appreciated. "Whatever gets this finished quicker. Satisfied yet?"

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Nina

[hr]

Table for Two

Nina's story

​

[hr]

The Matron's body was cold, but not in an unpleasant way. Her skin felt like a breeze and her blood like cold mist. But Nina felt lightheaded again, her eyes seeing a world flicker back and forth. The lights in the ballroom car suddenly seemed for too bright for what they were.

In the beginning, the girl was lonely. She wished desperately for a mother.

Nocturne chimed, lending two black tendrils to help Philip lift the Matron's body. He held her lightly, as if somehow afraid to touch her. It was more than reverence, but somehow not quite fear.

To ease the girl's aching heart, the mother told her fantastical stories of far away lands.

There was a tinkling. Blue glass landed on the floor under the Matron's body. They were brilliant azure, a shining blue that foreign and familiar at the same time. Nina felt like she had seen something like this before. Nocturne didn't seem to notice it. In fact, no one else seemed to notice the dust, not even Philip.

Just... what was this stuff?

"Well," Mnemosyne said to break the silence, "doesn't seem like there's anything there." She cleared her throat and stumbled to her feet, "We should set her down now. If any of the others recover and see you manhandling the Matron like that, they'd be liable to upend this train car."

The Corpse: After searching the Matron's corpse and immediate surroundings, Nina discovered nothing obvious. Below the Matron's body was a pool of the shadowy-blood that trickled out of her wounds. On close examination, there are small reflective pieces of blue dust amidst the dark grey mist.

The Matron's body had nothing of interest on her, and she did not wear any jewelry. She suffered two wounds, one cut across the base of her neck, and a second, less serious injury on the back of her head. Maybe she had sustained that particular trauma when she collapsed onto the floor?

 

[Zepherus14]

Origin Planes - Outside the Hanger of the Rising Dawn​

[hr]

Hillary didn't flinch as Angelus' massive head drew closer to her, her own scaly smile greeting Angelus' curious inspection. Hillary's tail adjusting as the dragon's toes lifted, keeping a comfortable position as she giggled at the rushing air blowing passed her as the dragon sniffed her. "'Another' dragon...? Ah, you must have met my son, Cadolbolg. I think I recall speaking with you in my mortal form, Hillary."

The reaction Angelus would have expected wasn't the one she received, as Hillary tilted her head in confusion. She would look across the grassy hills, still seeing Cadolbolg flying a distance away talking with Diana, releasing her grasp of the leg with one hand to get a better angle. "He is isn't he, but then that means..? You're Angelus!" She gasped turned back to the gigantic face, hugging her leg again and papping at it affectionately.

Hillary would squint briefly as the sun danced across her body, the dulled scales oddly showing several nicks and scratches across her body. The locations would be off, but Angelus would realize these markings were also mimiced from her own body! "I understand that is a human's name, but human you clearly are not. What matter of creature are you that you can replicate the exact smell and texture of my scales... Caim, come gaze upon this."

Hillary would rotate around the dragon's leg, and coming to a rest on Angelus' foot. Oddly, Hillary didn't slither like a snake but more like a treadmill. The contact just moved along her skin, like someone rolling a wheel, the difference made more clear since Hillary traced one hand on the leg as she rotated around. "Human? Hillary's never been that. I'm a Slime." Hillary explained as she looked up to Angelus and waved a winged hand at Caim as he approached. "I don't know why Hillary does this, but she's done it ever since she left Garton." She said looking down at herself and noticably taking in her appearance like it was the first time. As it'd been described before, Hillary was entirely scales; her body, hands, hair flills, eyes, tongue and even the deepest parts of her throat were all scales. Everything was indistinguishable from Angelus', even the scar tissue speckled across her body was similar to the damage battles past had left on his wife."This is new though, Hillary's never quite looked like this, Ms Angelus must be quite a special dragon~" She said sweetly.

It wouldn't be long after that the explosion and sounds of battle range out, causing Hillary to stand up straight, the more decorative scales around her scalp area lifting up in surprise! "What was that noise?!" She exclaimed looking at the hanger's direction and seeing Leoric. "AH! It's the weird floaty man from before, but he's got the lady's stick and... even her crown!" She pointed as she moved back behind Angelus' leg, subconsciously protecting herself from the fire even if it was a considerable distance away.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Child in Chains | Some Freaky-Ass Jungle on Shuwa
"Treasure? I like treasure. Let's get me some treasure!"
B.C.​

[hr]

As B.C. stood there in the dense brush of the forest with her hands on her hips and staring at the "Shuwan" woman that was her companion, the response she got to her earlier question of where she needed to go to get off of this rock didn't improve her mood. In fact, the bland expression on her face transformed into a glower.

"You want to... leave Shuwa? Far be it from me to stop you, but it just seemed odd to me. Most people spend their life trying to get on Shuwa is the thing."

"That's right, I want offa this planet, because I didn't even come here by choice in the first place! I was at a party last I remember, and I was about to crash it with this other chick who actually seemed to get me, unlike the rest of the others there!" she told her, before shaking her head and turning on her heel, "Whatever, I'll find my own way."

Giving Syl a backward wave without a backward glance, she started to make her way back the way they came. After all, if she knew space pirates, the best way to find them on a planet was to follow the loudest noises. The fact that they were being chased down by laser-breathing Mahnamahnas would make it even easier. Syl's parting words about a vessel touching down to rescue them was also encouraging, but it was her next words that had her pause.

"If that is your wish then I will part with you here. I plan to journey to the core of Shuwa and claim whatever treasures this terrible planet hides in it's mysterious depths."

Treasures. That piqued her interest. B.C. liked treasure, but the way Syl phrased that left it incredibly vague and open to interpretation. Did she mean classic treasure like gold and jewels, beautiful and scantily-clad people? Or something more abstract like knowledge or cultural artifacts, lost advanced technology, or even some kind of magical macguffin? Regardless, it was bound to be treasure to someone, and that meant that she would be delighted to keep it from whoever that someone was. So, schooling her expression into a mask of mild concern, she looked back and called over to her.

"Treasure, huh? You know that that sorta stuff is usually guarded pretty well, right? Like, to the point that those Mahnamahnas would be a joke by comparison. That's not including other treasure hunters." she said.

After a moment, she gave a grudging sigh as she started to follow her, inwardly chuckling at the idea of using this chick for her own gain. The expression she pictured Syl would have at her sudden but inevitable betrayal only made her more giddy.

"Guess I ought to tag along after all, because you'll need some muscle if you're going after treasure." the Convict told her, letting the smallest smile spread on her face as she hefted one of her MP7's.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: B.C.

[hr]

Child in Chains

[i]bonnie's story[/i]

[hr]

Syl smiled innocently, "You pirate types are slaves to your vices aren't you?" Syl started to walk again, ducking beneath the yawning canopy of vines, branches, and flowers. The sap on her skin started to emit a sweet aroma, not unlike that of peppermint. The smell got stronger as the heat and the humidity grew as they journeyed through the jungle.

They reached the edge of the jungle in about twenty minutes. The foliage ended abruptly into an expansive open plain, and the suddenly Syl's advice about the sap became much more reasonable. The star in the sky was a massive angry red ball that dominated the skyline. There were no clouds to shield the land from it's harsh burning rays. The earth of the plain was angry and cracked, thick geysers of steam reached toward the sky from deep below the soil.

Syl pointed out in the distance. "There's one of the hive openings. The Shuwan women call it the "Lip of Hell."" The opening that Syl was talking about was a crater of some sort. It was perfectly round with a circle of rock concealing the center. B.C. could guess it was maybe about three kilometers in diameter at most.

Some distance away there were giant jellyfish-like creatures crawling across the plain on long lumbering tentacles. Their fleshy mushroom-cap bodies caught the steam from the geysers to keep themselves floating near weightlessly along. There were creatures hiding from the sun in the shade of their bodies, scampering across the dirt as the floaters drifted toward the hole. One of the smaller beats started to make toward a pool of standing water some ways away from the shade of the drifter, but a large tentacle grabbed it around its leg and tugged it back into the safety of the herd.

Those things were herding the beasts.

"When the Shuwans performed sacrifices, they offered a girl to the dahmahwa cultivator drones. Then those things would carry the lass into the hole with it along with its herd of aurochs. What's down those depths are known only to heroes of legend, and the bravest of treasure hunters." Syl pursed her lips. "What do you think? Should we offer ourselves to one of the cultivator drones, or try to brave the descent on our own? This is the limit of my expertise on this matter."

She looked down at B.C.'s guns, "Or do you have a more... creative suggestion?"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's Story[/i]

[hr]

...?
The strange vision stuck with Rugal for some time, namely because it's a rather notable event when you witness events and places like that.
Had it not been for the old man's interruption, he would have tried to study it in more detail but when he suggested a game in exchange for possible information (Sure, he said stories but if this was anything like what happened back at the mercury temple...)

"How about it young man? If I win you buy us both a jug of wine. If you win, I'll tell you a story."

"...I have slight issue with that arrangement. If that is the wager, then what shall we drink during the game?"
Rugal took a seat opposite the old man before flashing his gold at the waitress, ordering 2 jugs of wine while he got caught up on the rules.
"...My eldest daughter is rather fond of playing with dice. Granted, the games she would play would be more complex and not for wagers. She taught me how to play them, something I hope to do again once this journey of mine is over..." He remarked, dropping a hint for the old man if he was who he thought he was.
Once their drinks were served, he thanked the waitress as he had a sip before adding "You may go first. I would like to make sure I understand how to play..."
All the while, he kept his senses and mind alert, watching for either for other notable people or energy field's, relaxing into his chair as he did so.
His mind wandered back to that vision as he tried to figure out what exactly caused it, while such visions weren't alien to the realm of martial arts, he wasn't a fan of such "unwanted distractions".

On the plus side, red hair and blue eyes. That narrowed it down a bit at least... (What is it with us and redheads?...Least this one seems human...)

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Rising Dawn: Brig: The Artists Formally known as The Bernstein Cartel

"-Just do it already."
[color=b4b4]"I'm going to do it!"[/color]
"Then why haven't you done it?"
[color=b4b4]"Al, if I don't take the glass out right, your body will heal over it. Do you want to have a shard of glass in your eyeball? Do you?"[/color]
"..."

Wesker stood still, cleaning off the dirt and blood from where his face met a metal wall while Cortex picked his glasses out of his own eye.
[color=b4b4]"Alright, removing it on 3...1-"[/color]
Wesker shouted and shuddered in pain when Cortex attempted to surprise him, making him kick the wall from pain and leave a large indent of his boot against it.
Once his uncontrolled spasms were over, he winced before muttering "...T-thanks..."
[color=b4b4]"Thank me next time by not picking a fight with the people who can kill us..."[/color] The short scientist remarked while Doom enjoyed a frozen yogurt ([color=004d]"It's called a Fro-gurt!"[/color]) and Bruiser silently knelt in the corner of his cell, gazing at himself in the mirror.
So many years of scars and memories, his wounded arm, the burn marks, his time locked up under Armstrong.
All of them just-...gone...

That would be something he would need to fix.

Wesker was less then impressed with Bruiser's actions, less out of his views on the Machoke's new beliefs but still wishing he could have punted that damn swordsman one more time instead of him.
With the swelling on his face starting to fade, he spat some blood into the sink before asking "...Why were we outside anyway? I doubt it was something planned."
[color=6c1504]"Ahh...you know how much this damn ship screws with space-time. Maybe one of those imps turned a toaster into a time machine or something..."[/color] Bison chimed in, though quickly realizing that his "Friends" weren't exactly fond of hearing his voice as much these days. (What with him being the reason they were all here).
"...Yes, the demonic staff in the canteen managed to trigger a space-time event with a toaster, good one..."
[color=b4b4]"...Well, I mean-...if I had enough time, I could try an-"[/color]
"Oh shut it you Simpson's reject..."
[color=b4b4]"OH YOU KNOW THIS IS A MEDICAL THING!...Asshole..."[/color]


Life for the Cartel went on as they bickered and fought over petty things, you know, like most prison inmates but not Bruiser.
Instead, he backed away from the mirror before noticing someone coming inside the brig.
"...Guys, we have guests..."
[color=004d]"Oh about time. Those guards were taking forever to get Doom's order..."[/color]

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Origin Plains: Rising Dawn Hallways: Mio

While everyone else was trying to get to the bottom of this mystery, Mio was realizing just how empty and lifeless the entire ship seemed to be now that the staff were gone.
And they didn't seem to be the only ones.

All over the ship, the AIs Dimitri, Vermillion and Viscus worked to keep all the ship's systems running but since they landed, it appeared that something was wrong.
The displays by the doors and on the walls for the AI's to communicate with the crew were replaced by a strange error warning.
It was a looping message in a droll tone by Viscus, muttering the same message over and over again.

[Attention: Captain's Emergency Override Code has been activated. All digital services have been suspended by executive action. All non-vital processes have been halted. Contact your local administrator for further instructions. This message will repeat...]

As annoying as that might be, imagine how annoying it is when every single one of those displays are showing the same thing.
And saying the same thing.
And all while staring at you.
Dammit, where the hell was the off button?!