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

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

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"...If it makes you feel better, I can't quite believe it myself either."

As Livia began to walk ahead, Serra quickly voiced her protests to them seeing the former's grandmother.
Torn between the two, he turned to Serra before stating in an slightly exasperated tone "Alright, look, if this is going to work, you are going to have to help me convince her that I'm really talking to you. I'm sorry, but I doubt she'll heed my-I mean-your warnings otherwise. I'll do what I can and I promise to try and keep her safe but I can only do so much. I'll try to talk her out of seeing Veles now."
Following after Livia, Serra then heard another voice speak in his stead "Look at him...So unsure, so cautious. Do yourself a favor, don't rely on him. He has no idea how weak he's become now..."
A transparent outline of that figure seemed to part from the aging fighter, appearing slightly more muscular with white hair, beaming with health and confidence as he turned to her with a self-assured smile.
A plan was quickly starting to form as the figure attempted to put the best foot forward (And hopefully mask the scent of death and blood upon him whilst doing so...)
"Don't let on that we're talking. Bit of a control freak that one, it would upset him greatly should he find out. He'll tell you that I'm some kind of curse upon him, a terrible evil waiting to be unleashed. Being honest, he thinks himself both the brains and the brawn of this operation. The reality couldn't be further from the truth and that innate believe weakens us both. He called himself Rugal Bernstein, a name we both share. But don't be mistaken, you speak to the True King of Fighters now."

As his other side conversed, the "Real" Rugal began to stall, supporting himself on a wall as he held his head again, cursing slightly before he began to catch up.
"His grip over me weakens but not fast enough. So allow me to make you a offer. I don't know how yet but that body will be mine again. He stole it and tried to put me down like a sickly dog after I handed him the world and everything in it. But the way I see it, both of us have something to gain here. You help me make that wasted has-been give me what is rightfully mine and I promise to help you do the same. I know not your story or you kind but the fact we are able to talk like this? That out of all the people to reawaken you, it happens to be I? If that isn't fate, then I struggle to think what it could be..."
The outline "Leaned" against one of the walls and folded his arms, before asking "You said that the shaman woman would be a target of "The Incubator". What is it and why do you seem to fear it?"

While the spirits conversed, Rugal managed to shake off his migraine as he matched pace with Livia.
"Ahh...Yes, in my haste to return it's power, I might have..."Overcharged" them slightly with some of my own. [sub]And given myself one great headache in the process[/sub] but that's neither here or there. You said that you wish to have Veles see to me? I might suggest against that, Serra warned that it could make her a target. Something about an "Incubator". I don't know much else but she seemed pretty insistent against that course of action..."

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

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"How could I help you with a daughter I have never even weaned, much less known?" Serra answered Rugal.

Omega Rugal noticed immediately that Serra had an aura about her different from anyone else that Rugal had ever consorted with. It reminded him of himself more than anything, a true selfish determination that had left her blood black with sin. Yet she carried herself with the confidence and clarity of a crusader. She was self-righteous pass the point of narcissism, pass even the point of delusion. This was a purity-of-heart reserved solely for the ranks of those gentile girls who were wont to become magical girls. In those children it was the ideals of love, friendship, and forgiveness that gave them strength.

Serra was so very, very different from those girls. She might have been sixteen or eighteen judging by her appearance, but no more than twenty. Her eyes were dull and steely, weary of the world itself. To say that her heart was darkness was wrong. She was not evil, no, but of a type that was transcendent of the morals of humankind. It was impossible to tell at a glance where her allegiance lied, or if she had any at all.

She cast a sidelong glance at Rugal. Her eyes were blue, yes, but they weren't just blue. They were different from Livia's, they were a blue deeper than even black. An infinite abyss where light and color vanished into. They were dizzying to even gaze into. "I fear nothing," she said, "the Incubator is merely an invader. Something which has trespassed upon the world that my ancestors created. I dislike it as much as I have need of it's strange powers. My mother shares of my blood and it is that sanctity that I am loathed to have desecrated."

As Rugal and Livia fell deep into the shadows of the alleyways, Serra vanished again. Lost into the afternoon sunlight.

---​

"Incubator?" Livia repeated. Rugal noticed something immediately when he heard the words from Livia's lips. With her accent stressing the length of the round vowels, the word "incubator" almost sounded like... "I'm not sure what she could mean."

A flicker of white fur scattered the sunlight that peaked through the overhead vines. Kyuubey landed gently on Livia's shoulder, ears perked and red eyes gleaming. "There sure has been some exciting things happening since I left."

"Kyuubey!" Livia said, surprised. "Shouldn't you be back in Etruria?"

"I had business I needed to handle here as well. I have reason to believe that a witch's familiar has begun to manifest a labyrinth near here. About a half-day's journey northward toward Rome."

"No way," Livia seemed exasperated, "that is the worst timing possible."

"Indeed. Although imagine my surprise when I came here to find not one, but two magical girls in this domain."

"Another magical girl?" Livia asked.

Kyuubey nodded. "She's not too powerful, but I think she could make a decent ally." It turned to look at Rugal. "After all, I think that it would be wise not to remain in Pompeii for too long. There are dark forces afoot."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

"Because you're her mother. It's what you are meant to do?" Rugal scoffed at Serra's response before storming off, looking rather annoyed at that reply.
"See what I mean? The less you know, the more you think you do...I'd suggest you keep watching him though. Odds are he'll get himself and your daughter killed without your guidance and the last thing I'd want is to die by his stupidity. Until next time we speak..." Rugal's darker side requested as Serra seemed to fade from view.

Omega[footnote]Might as well shorten it to that, makes it easier[/footnote] seemed a lot more sure of himself as he began to scheme his way back to life.
Ahhh, the youth. As foolish back then as they are in the present it seems. ~ohhh, I fear nothing, I just don't want the mean old monster to hurt my mommy.~ Tch, what a basic *****. No wonder she got her ass handed to her by a oiled up stripper... The dark side thought to himself as he blended back in with the rest of Rugal's memories, grinning with malice and intent as he did so...
===
"Neither do I. She just mentioned fearing making her a target of it. Once again, I'll confess my ignorance but she wouldn't have said that if she didn't think it was important. Ah, just wish there was another way we cou-"
It was then that little rCat bastard showed up again, prompting a rather noticable eye-roll from Rugal as he made a note to try tying him to a rock the next time he threw him into the sea.
He did perk up a little when he mentioned a magic girl "Making a labyrinth", albeit mainly because he didn't entirely understand what he meant by that.
"Hmmm...Do you have more details on her? A name, description, how attuned she is to the arcane? Magic was always something I found tricky to fight and if it comes to that, the more I know the better I can adapt..." He asked as he noticed his head start to settle down again.
"Livia, if you wish to resupply for the trip ahead, I can meet you on the road to Rome. You mother warned about letting Veles meet me but my understanding is no danger to you meeting her. [sub]Least not that she told me[/sub] Oh, and I understand how this might sound but-..."

Slight embarrassment filled his expression as he leaned in and asked "...Could you please bring my suit with you? I believe I left it there to be cleaned after an eventful night out..."

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

Livia nodded and took off toward her estate, but Kyuubey jumped from her shoulder onto Rugal's. It looked onward toward the rapidly disappearing silhouette in the distance. "Her heart is so young and so pure. It is incredible how different human offspring can be from their parents." Kyuubey sat on top of Rugal's head and patted him in the direction of the labyrinth. "You can start by heading over there. I think there is someone you might want to meet."

---​

The area outside of Pompeii was just as hilly as he remembered and the afternoon sun made travel not only warmer, but also a bit more humid. At the very least a cool breeze tickled the rows and rows of wheat that lined the northern side of the small seaside plains.

There was a figure in the distance standing on top of a large pillar near the ruins of a temple. A young girl, maybe two or three years younger than Livia. She was dressed in fancy silver robes where layers and layers of light airy fabric fell upon each other like the cascade of a waterfall.

She turned to acknowledge Rugal and Kyuubey.

"Goodness, good to meet you sir. I did not expect that you would be the help that Kyuubey had departed to raise." She curtsied and bowed her head politely. Rugal noticed that she had a broach of a silver eagle on both of her shoulders.

"This is not the other magical girl I was telling you about. This is one of my consorts, Rugal Bernstein. He is from a world far and away from ours." Kyuubey hopped off of Rugal and scurried up the pillar to the girl's side.

"Well, any friend of Kyuubey is a friend of mine." She flourished her hands and produced a puff of cool white snow that settled on Rugal's head and shoulders. "My name is Julia Quattra. You can call me either Julia or Fourth. I answer to either."

"Is the familiar still here?"

"Yes, quite. I think we'll be able to catch it manifesting once the sun sets." Julia pointed toward a patch of earth where all the wheat had wilted. "It's hard to say what kind of emotion it's fueled by, but I'd guess it's either envy or melancholy."

"We should wait for Livia to arrive before attempting to engage it." Kyuubey said. "I suspect that she will arrive soon. If there is anything you want ask before we get started, this would be a most opportune time, Rugal Bernstein."

 

[Zepherus14]

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Table for Two

Nina's story

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Spoiler

-"I was inspecting the Matron's personal car. I didn't find anything out-of-the-ordinary, so that's why I let Crown call me away."- Those words were what stuck with Nina, the Matron had a personal car? She'd gone through the entirety of the train at this point other than the engine, and nothing had given off the indication of a 'personal car'. Perhaps she meant a personal room in the same car Ensay was in, but why wouldn't she have just said that.

The shaking would take her off guard, causing her to adjust her footing as her eye caught the strange veins overtaking the scenery outside the train. She would try as best she could to pay attention to Faea's description of the mysterious human on the train, but she would be lying if she wasn't distracted by the growing red swelling outside. The fact Faea wasn't reacting to this was getting her wondering if she was merely seeing things again.

"About that personal car? Where is that supposed to be? I've been through nearly all of the train at this point and haven't seen-" "That makes five." Phillip interrupted her as Nina too saw the red head stand up tall. Despite her small stature, the red light that increasingly washed into the car.

"Is that-""Miriam. It appears to be, came just now, after the rumbling. Different than the others before her." Phillip stated as they watched Mini Miriam freaked out about the goings on outside.

When she saw Miriam heading for the door, and moreover say she was heading for someone, Nina's heart skipped a beat. Miriam was already on Nina's radar on possible suspects, her just appearing like this unannounced was raising almost as many red flags as there were veins in the sky. "Shoot, we need to stop her, out of the way Faea!" Nina shouted, darting around the Weaver as best she could. "Phillip, tug me over to the door!" Nina instructed as she saw a clear way to the door. "Hmph..."

As several of Phillip's tendrils launched outwards, the ends grasping, sticking and biting onto the door frame, Nina would brace herself. Her hope was that her silky socks would allow her to slide across the polished floors with little issue. As she rocketed to block the endowed munchkin's escape, she had a brief moment of victory that she hadn't fall face first into the ground.

Her braided hair would slam into the door with a heavy WHACK!, whipped around as she stopped herself with Phillip's assistance. "You stop right there Miriam, if that is your name!" Nina exclaimed. "You've got some 'splaining to do. Where are you headed, what's going on out there, who are you going to see?!" Nina demanded, deliberately blocking the way.

Nina wouldn't notice Cuelle leaving, not yet anyways, but Phillip would sure make a note of it.

 

[Zepherus14]

The Rising Dawn: Medical Bay [https://www.darkcreations.org/static/uploads/gallery/album_388/gallery_6484_388_862189.jpg.d35680cc97d6cec95e101b676f46e953.jpg]
Hillary the Slime | David West | Jenny | Violet​

As the cabinet shattered under the weight of the colossal skeleton, a portion of the wood's framework slammed into the back of Hillary's head. The metal 'TANG' was loud and distinct against her metal body, but as she looked down she would see a label for 'Pt Implant storage' followed by an oddly shaped metallic half ring [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/349369015505911818/477292666841858048/ConforMIS-iTotal-Knee-Implant.png]?

As she was informed on just how dire their situation was, Hillary couldn't help but look scared. Not for herself, the skeletons clearly appeared to be unable to harm her. It was everyone else, they were so exhausted and in pain, she wanted to help them but she wasn't a fighter! She didn't know the first thing about actually fighting! Clearly they didn't even know how she worked either, 'picking' when did she ever have the luxury to pick a form? But for her to help them the way that she could, they would need to help her help them.

"All I know is Hillary's gotta help make sure you all get there safe. Hillary can help you after that, but you gotta help tell her where to go and how to do it. I don't know how to fight, but I can make sure she's always in between all those mean guys and you!" Hillary informed them, reaching down and picking up the package with the metal ring inside. "Also give Hillary more of these if you see them, I can only be materials I'm touching." She'd then rip it open and swallowed the glory of PLATINUM!!!

Although Hillary's appearance wouldn't change overly much, she'd regain the mirror like appearance she once had from Rugal's apple, her hair would have ringlets close to her head. What was different was the now staggering weight Hillary had at her disposal, weighing in at an insane 2,956lbs or 1341kgs. The floor actually bent under the sheer weight.

Once she was pointed in the right direction, Hillary would speedwalk at top speedwalking speed. She'd exhale moments before impact to remove her air chamber within her, and went through the skeletons like tissue paper! They'd try to slash her, but unlike last time, she just plowed straight through them!

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Nina

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Table for Two

nina's story

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The little Miriam was unable to stop her momentum and she slammed into Nina, face into her chest. She flailed, unsure of her footing and slipped. Miriam reached out wildly, grabbing hold of the margin between the adhesive of the silk dress and Nina's skin. Her weight brought her down, and her weight tugged tightly at Nina's dress, which in turn threatened to pull off the sensitive skin that it was attached to. Philip saw a glimmer of light shine out from Miriam's headband, a color in infrared, bright as a star.

Then the train lurched and Nina lost her footing. Then the two girls were gone.

---​

They were falling in an airless expanse. Nina couldn't breathe, the world around her gnawed at her skin. But it wasn't cold and it wasn't warm. She just couldn't feel anything, as if she was drifting in a pool of lukewarm ink. She could feel the pressure of the other girl against her body. She was holding onto Nina tightly, there were hard parts of her body and there were soft parts of her body. But there was no hot nor cold. Just pressure.

And then the world appeared again abruptly as if a black sheet had been violently torn away.

The room was spectacular. Rows and rows of books rose as high as Nina could see. They were layered upon shelves and shelves of old rose-colored wood. They were books of all kinds, picture books, encyclopedias, novels, memoirs, journals, research notes, short stories, comics, pulp, magazines, guides, and indices. Roots and vines covered the bookcases, draping down from high above.The floor below them was shimmering crystal, clear but pulsing with a pale blue light where their limbs touched the cool surface.

Beyond the crystal floor was the darkness rippling with angry red tears. Soft blue crystal dust streamed down from the ceiling, illuminating the room with their dim glow.

"Let's agree not to do that again," Mirian groaned as she sat up. She rubbed her face, "Heavens above, I feel like I ran into a steel cage. What in the world compelled you to do such a silly thing?" Nina noted that this Miriam had a bit of a posh British accent.

Then she bolted up and started to half-stumble half run through the rows of shelves. "Nevermind that! I have to find her to put a stop to this madness!"

---​

Philip still felt Nina nearby. But she was... down... He looked down at the floor and peered, slowly coming to a simple revelation.

The train had more than a single floor per car. Yet, each "floor" was separated by an oblique space, like the phantom kitchen that he had entered not too long before. It was unlikely that any normal person could survive for long in the hostile space and it would take a strong eldritch being to initiate the breach.

Still... this vacuum different in other ways. It didn't seem held together by the invisible strings that the blue Miriam had nor did it seem to be under the control of the black Miriam with her stone monoliths. This space was raw and chaotic, an opening in space like a window into some blind eternity. It was almost like... a wound.

---​

Nina's phone buzzed. This time it wasn't a text, but a notice from her carrier that she was "outside of service range." With Miriam dashing ahead at, an admittedly underwhelming, full speed, Nina didn't think she would have trouble catching up to her if she really tried. But the books around her seemed interesting, every now and again a book would be strewn on the floor, pages open and covers bent as if someone had quickly riffled through them and tossed them aside. All of the books on the ground were scrapbooks filled with pictures of a family. There were nine different girls depicted across all of the books. One man, and a final person that had been burned away by fire.

One of the nine was a modest looking red-headed girl with a blue headband. Of all of the others, she was the only girl never to appear alone in a photograph.

---​

Mnemosyne was besides herself with shock. She stood up, stumbled, caught herself on a table and hobbled over to where Nina and Miriam had disappeared. "That girl is a planeswalker!" Mnemosyne was sputtering more than actually speaking, but she managed to get her point across.

Faea looked incredulous, "That is what you do?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean, yes but not quite like that!" Mnemosyne answered, "I can only move between planes, but she just walked between two places in the same plane! That takes a lot more skill than what I do! But the more important thing is that she just walked into the Matron's personal car!"

Nocturne immediately snapped to attention, his body twisted and twirled, ringing in all sorts of tones and chords. He took off, streaming across the walls as fast as the eye could see. Then he was gone.

"Even with how fast Primal Darkness can move, it will take at least thirty minutes to make it into the car. Mnemosyne, can you not do anything?"

Mnemosyne scoffed, "More than you, but not enough to be helpful. I still need more time to gather my strength."

The Wound: A rip of space along the route of the train that is exposed to the void between worlds. Whether it is a natural result of the deterioration of Anazorzia or an artificially created phenomenon is unknown. Unlike the other rips in space on the train, this area is not controlled by either binding strings nor containment monuments. Exactly on the other side of the wound is the hidden personal car of the Matron.

The Crystal Records: The Matron's personal car. It runs alongside the bottom of the Path of Destiny and houses the collective record of all of Ensay's cataloged memories. The only light in the car is produced by a blue dust that drifts down from somewhere high above.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

Rugal kept his mouth shut during the walk over to where this "Familiar" seemed to be, he didn't want to give Kyuubey the satisfaction.
His connection to the several strange things that had been happening since he arrived here didn't give him much reason to trust him.
However, his mood did pick up when they came across Juila, another one of these "Magic Girls" he had heard about prior.
"Pleasure to meet you, Juila. Now, to business. My understanding is that a "Witch's Familiar" has been seen in this area? Could you tell me more about it? I'm not a stranger to combat but when dealing with magic, the more information I have the better."
Taking a moment to scope out the ruins, he attempted to plan out his approach.
"Keep talking, don't mind me. Just going to see if I can sense it's location..."
To this end, he knelt down and laid his hand upon the ground, taking a deep breath before attempting to sense the energy of their target.
Emptying his mind, he focused on nearby energy fields, namely the ones that were large enough to be noticable.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Rising Dawn: Hallway outside Armory
Hillary the Slime | David West | Jenny | Violet​

"...God, I know we don't exactly talk as much as should but...thanks. " When this over, I owe you a church." David half-prayed as Hilary began to charge though the skeleton filled hallways, breaking bones (literally) before they crumbled to dust.
Now, they would get back up but it'd take some time before they'd be able to reanimate from having their skulls crushed between a hard metal wall and Hillary's shining Platinum form.
Hell, even Violet was starting to be useful as he aided an exhausted Jenny in her wake, rooting his pockets, jacket, in-lining, pants, cuff-links and basically anyplace else you could have jewelry.
"Alright, uhhhh, I got some Diamond, bit of Amethyst, I got Gold but you don't want that. uhhhhh, Ah! Platinum. Just-errr-am I going to get it back or-"

David then snatched the Platinum rings, earrings and so forth (basically a lot more platinum then a doctor like him should have on his person) right before casually lobbing them ahead of Hillary, letting her absorb it as she marched to the Armory [https://orig00.deviantart.net/1cc6/f/2012/168/d/1/contact___armory_by_shimmering_sword-d53uu2p.jpg].
Due to the unusual needs of the Rising Dawn, it was mishmash of both modern tactical weapons and magical swords.
But what was much more notable was the several Skeletal Archers [http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Skeletal_Archer] who were running about the place.
They HAD come here just to nick some arrows from the ship's supply but they found themselves far more engrossed by the modern weapons (Even if they had NO idea how to use them).
Hillary's massive form made their entrance rather loud and startled them as a result.
{Wh-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?}
{DEMON! KILL IT! KILL IT!}

Their inhuman crackling halted before one of their rank leaped up on a table, a strange Golden Aura [http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Johanys] about him before he rallied his troops and fired a (rather impressive) triple steel arrow shot at the door where our heroes were busting in from.
Before long, a barrage of arrows and REALLY poorly aimed lead started to rain in their direction.
"Oh great, they got here first...Hillary, try and draw their fire. I'll aim for golden boy over there." He said before returning fire, being careful both not to hit Hillary but not to touch her either, least he ruin her current form.
Violet meanwhile hung back while Jenny attempted to regain her Psionic Power (or if you feel like being really technical, PP)

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

A faraway land. A tumultuous world. Shades flicker below ashen clouds as fire rage in the sky. There are countless suns baring down upon a parched land. A lonely mountain stands in a field surrounded by groves of stone trees. A figure dances through the fleet shadows cast by rock and dust.

The emotion is unfathomably deep, a wholly and extreme abyss of fear.

A girl keeps in the shadows to survive.

Envy consumes her.

She hates the suns that burn her, the world that belongs to the light which devours her world. Her realm is the shadow, but not by choice. It is a necessity to survive. Her desire to snuff out the sun has eaten away her reason. Her ego has consumed her. She deserves the world, a marginalized darkness swallowed by unforgiving, uncaring, rays of light.

The creature was not the girl. He was born from her, a piece of her venomous heart, marred by the grief that has gathered in her soul. His nature is to cause blight. He exists to curse the world that follows the light of the sun, blinded by it's false succor.

Wither, die, starve, vanish. Such is the fate of those who reject her. Such is his mission.

Julia touched her lips with her ring finger and smiled. Her eyes crinkled slightly, her curly black hair swayed in the wind blown westward by the setting sun. "A familiar is an agent of a Witch."

"And it is the duty of Magical Girls to fight the Witches and defend humanity!" Kyuubey chimed in.

"For you see, Witches are born from the despair of humankind. They gather their strength in pockets outside of our world, waiting until they are strong enough to break in. Their only goal is to cause as much grief as possible. A familiar is an agent of a Witch's overwhelming will. It comes to seed the world for her arrival, and in time can even become a Witch itself."

"Familiars and Witches manifest in Labyrinths, twisted pocket dimensions where they bend the rules of space-time to their whim. From inside a Labyrinth they weave curses to harm the people of the world. They blight crops, sow discord, cause depression. And if they gather enough strength, they will manifest directly in our world and cause a disaster. Earthquakes, eruptions, famines, riots, wars, name the disaster and there's a Witch out there that will cause it." Livia landed near the ruined temple. Her outfit had changed. Instead of the deep green tunica she wore before, she was dressed head to toe in golden-white glass armor. She wore a thin white veil above it all that flourished in the wind. Gold gilded wings adorned her wrists and ankles and she wore a twin-asp broach over her breast which held a small deep-green gem in place.

"Livia!" Kyuubey chimed.

"Here," Livia said as she tossed Rugal his suit, "you'll be needing this."

"Why, you're the daughter of the Etruscan governor!" Julia exclaimed, "I haven't seen you since we were toddlers!"

Livia smirked, "I'm surprised you remember that far back." She threw her hair behind her so it caught the breeze and fluttered as the sun set into darkness. "I didn't expect to see you as a Magical Girl, Julia Quattra Aurelius Majora."

"There's no need to be so formal," Julia answered, "we're practically sisters."

The sun dipped below the crest of the hills. Thunder boomed out from the barren patch in the wheat field. Space folded into itself and vanished, leaving a twisted portal tumultuously writhing in the air before them.

Julia smiled, "That's the entrance to the Labyrinth."

"It feels like a strong one. One of us might not make it back you know."

"Ah, but that's the price we pay for our wish." Julia's smiled turned into a honest grin. "Let's do our best today Livia. For our fatherland, for our families, for ourselves."

"Puella Magi Livia, reporting for duty!" &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp"Puella Magi Julia, reporting for duty!"


The two girls dashed into the Labyrinth's entrance and vanished, leaving Kyuubey and Rugal outside.

Kyuubey turned to Rugal, "So are you going to follow? It'll be dangerous. Many mortals never make it out of a Labyrinth. Many Magical Girls don't either." Kyuubey tilted its head, "Your goal is to simply return home right? Then it wouldn't be logical to get involved in this fight."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

Oh god, Either they think that's a actually supposed to be a catchphrase or someone really broke them in when they signed up for-...whatever hell they are meant to be...

Rugal was somewhat silent as he watched their display, taking a moment to quickly change as they prepared to enter the portal.
"If that's the case, we better have a word with this one. Last thing I need is more arcane madness in my life..." He firmly remarked, hanging his Toga on a nearby fence while the girls conversed.
He did pause for a moment when Livia addressed Juila by her full name: "Wait, did you say Aurelius? As in the Aurelius family?"
Sadly, he didn't get much of a chance to pry further before the two of them walked into the portal, prompting a slight pang of annoyance.
To add this, Kyuubey weighed in again right before Rugal glared down at him but he did have a point.
"...Hmmmm...You know, you're right. It does seem dangerous...better do a quick warm up first..."

Next thing Kyuubey knew, Rugal quickly used his foot to launch him slightly into the air, almost like a footballer about to play "Keepie Uppie" with a ball.
The next part was a bit less enjoyable as he "Flexed his Leg Muscles" [https://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters4/vice-kicks2.gif], tearing him to fine pieces better then any swordsman could.
Before his remains could even hit the ground, he followed up a "REPPUKEN!" to scatter all the little bits and pieces onto the field like a farmer scattering seeds.
Such an act didn't go un-noticed as he felt a sharp pain in his temple: ...Okay, are you doing that because you genuinely believe it's helping your situation or just because you enjoy animal cruelty? I mean, I'm not going judge either way, I'm just curious...

Gritting his teeth slightly as the pain passed, he didn't respond as he crackled his neck and walked into the portal after the two girls.
"Alright, time to show the kids how it's done..." he muttered before casually walking in after them, no need for the dramatics this time.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

The world was an anarchic mess. Airplanes soared high in the air held aloft by disembodied hands. Ash fell down like snow over the looming bodies of giant horses carting mountain ranges in the distance. The very color of the world was red and black, twisted into facsimiles of other colors.

Immediately, Rugal felt his darker half empowered. This was the element of selfishness, it gave strength to wanton desire, to hatred and envy. This was truly a world constructed to nurture the evil in humanity.

Livia and Julia danced against a sweeping shadow off in the distance above a grove of wailing trees. Ice and snow ripped into the creature's sinewy hide like steel. Even while assaulting the Familiar with her frozen fury, she swept away the smaller creatures that assaulted her and Julia with her other hand, casting wave after wave of consuming snow at the shadow beasts.

Livia danced against the rippling tendrils of the Familiar, her daggers glowed bright in the darkness as they tore into the flesh of the creature, strike after strike like the fangs of a snake riled into fervor. But the Familiar did not falter against the onslaught of the two magical girls. It's massive phallus-like body rippled with energy and sent trees and earth flying into the air. It's black tendrils reached out like the rays of a dark sun striking friend and foe with equal disdain.

Julia whipped her snow into a mound near Rugal as the two girls smashed into the ground. The snow exploded everywhere as it absorbed the impact of their bodies. Some got on Rugal's tuxedo. It was light and fluffy like cotton, cold, but quite unlike any real snow that he had ever experienced.

"Son of a *****!" Livia swore as she popped out of the snow that covered her.

Julia sat up next coughing, "Language! You're part of a senatorial family too you know!"

Livia grimaced, "Sad to say, I don't think this monster cares. It's existence is an affront to human existence." Livia threw out her chain daggers and cut apart two smaller creatures that had tried to flank them from behind. Her soul gem glimmered as it absorbed their essence.

"So if brute force isn't working, what's our plan?" Julia asked as she stood up. Now that she was close, Rugal could see that her costume was damaged. Much of the airy fabric she had on was eaten away by a thick black slime. Angry red rashes marked where it had made contact with her skin.

"Kill it harder?" Livia answered. She brandished her daggers. "There isn't too much more to it than that."

"Are you for real?" Julia said, exasperated, "There has to be an easier way to do this!"

Livia glanced at Julia, "Suit yourself, but strength is in my blood. I am the result of a thousand years of unbroken magical lineage!" She vanished, moving so fast toward the familiar that the wind from her charge tore the earth beneath her asunder.

"LIVIA!"

It was over in an instant. The earth below the Familiar exploded and a thick black tendril twisted around the forest. Livia's body shot out of the dust cloud like a missile, streaming high into the sky. The Familiar reared it's head and growled. The sky above turned red, shimmering with a tessellation of interlocked hexagons. Bombs started to fall from the clouds like rain. They detonated against the rotten earth, throwing pieces of wood and stone into the sky like shrapnel and coating the battlefield with a thick cloud of dust. Julia wove a crystal lattice to catch Livia's body before it hit the ground.

"You idiot! Are you okay?"

Livia groaned. A large gash ran from her hip across her chest to her right shoulder. The angry swelling at the joint told Rugal that it was probably dislocated if not shattered. "I've been better."

"Like hell! We're getting you out of the Labyrinth right now! This is way too strong to just be some Familiar, it has to be a Witch!"

"No," Livia shook her head gingerly. "If you leave this thing here, it will devour half of Pompeii by morning."

The Familiar swung it's tendrils against the ground in blind fury. It roared again, shaking the world around them.

"Rugal! We need to leave now! Take Livia and run while I distract it!"

"No!" Livia snarled, "No more people die on my watch! We're going to kill that thing!" She staggered to her feet, right arm hanging uselessly to her side. She slid both daggers into her left hand and held them paired, like fangs of a viper. "Rugal, you going to stand there and watch, or are you going to help us kill the fuck out of that thing?"

 

[Silence]

The Rising Dawn: Server Farm
Mio​

In the moment of hesitation, Mio looked around, then jumped back. The skeletons were gathering, one of them grabbing something that looked awfully close to a gun (Why there was a shotgun inside a glass for emergencies instead of a fireaxe was anyones guess). This seemed to be the one most dangerous for the time being, the others slowly and clumsily trying to find their own places, admittedly all around her.

She decided to charge at the one with the gun, though taking her time until he was ready to shoot and the other skeleton ready to jump on top of her, then she slid beneath one of the other, confused skeletons legs as the shot went off, hitting the jumper mid-air. Swinging herself upwards, she then just grabbed the gun out the hands of the one confused about shooting one of his own people, swung it around, then pulled the trigger, aiming at the heads of the remaning skeletons, until the magazine was empty.

After dealing with most of them, she walked up to one still 'alive' and whispered: "Here's a secret. There is a skeleton inside me."

[hr]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

Before she even really realized what had happened, Anjali was left alone with some vague instructions, still not knowing what purpose all the guild-business served exactly. She tried to imagine Freya in her own clothes, finding it hard to imagine it without Freya being completely embarrassed. She hoped Vil would not take it out too hard on her.

She started walking towards the guild, trying to remember that she needed a silver license thing, as Astarte stirred and she noticed it as well. Something that could be trouble, but also something that might be someone else being in trouble. With the short distance and short time she thought she would take inside the guild, while Freya and Vil were out shopping for clothes for longer, she guessed she could take a small detour and at least find out what was happening, and if someone needed help. Especially since there seemed to be so many different people here, they would possibly not even wonder who she was, as long as she didn't put her type on display.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

The area was a small market square largely populated by smithies. Thick smoke rose high into the air from large furnaces that spat embers and soot out of their gaping mouths. People were clustered around the edges of the square. There was a man standing in the center with a gun pressed up against a struggling woman. The man was wild-eyed and dressed just as badly. His skin was jaundiced and cut up, his being smelled of disease and rot. Yet he was alive, in some capacity at least.

"Somebody bring me wine or else the woman gets it!" he called out at the crowd. "An' if you don't got wine, then bring me coin for wine!"

No one in the crowd moved. They continued to observe carefully, not entirely committed to any action.

The man pulled the woman close and then pointed the gun at her foot and pulled the trigger. An explosion rang out. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream as she fell to the floor wracked in pain. The gun had blow her foot clean off. She screamed and screamed, writhing on the floor. The man put his foot on her back and pointed his gun at her head again. "If ya keep on staring, then I'll blow her brains out next!"

There was some muttering in the crowd and some shuffling, but no one made any real movement.

The man looked around, he seemed confused. "Or how about I fire into ya nubbits directly? Will that get ya to do something?"

The obelisk in the center of the square pulsed blue for a brief moment. As Anjali slipped into the crowd, she heard the citizens talking.

"Should we do something?"

"No, this is best left for the Adventurer's Guild."

"Who the hell does this guy think he is? The King of the Pirates?"

"He might not get here in time... We need to do something before that poor girl bleeds out."

"Idiot's looking for wine in the smithy's quarter... honestly, it boggles the mind."

"I just need to pick up my equipment before the admission examination begins this afternoon... I couldn't care less about what happens to that strumpet."

 

[Silence]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

Anjali winced as she saw the woman bleeding from what had been her foot. This man was clearly out of control and out of his mind. But she knew that she had to help, the woman seemed completely innocent and still heavily injured. She took a few steps forward. "Calm down, pleasse." she said, as softly as was possible with a hollow voice. "This woman did not do anything to you. Let her go."

Astarte stirred, ready to protect Anjali in a moments notice, but Anjali did not feel fear. Still, however, from under her sleeves silvery snakes came out, sneakily, nearly invisible, and going low towards the maniac. She now held her hands up, showing to be unarmed, and took another step forwards. "I think I can get you some coin for wine." Her eyes were darting at the woman, however. It did not look good, and she needed to be treated quickly.

"Someone help her, please!" she called out as her snakes slithered into the mans mind, starting to build pressure onto his mind until he suffered an excruciating headache. Trying to find the right moment, if noone else was helping, she ripped a part off her sleeve, going down to the woman, and wrapped the cloth around the bleeding stump while Astarte knowingly put herself between Anjali and the man.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Anjali

[hr]

Reason to Rise

[i]anjali's story[/i]

[hr]

The mind that the silver snakes coiled around felt... odd. Instead of a panicked blood-rushed soul, the thing inside of this man tasted like iron. It was cold to the touch, almost shockingly. The man jerked backwards and convulsed as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Who is that?"

"An amazon? I thought they were extinct."

"Do you think she's with the Guild?"

"Was that magic? What rank do you think she is? At least Gold-level right?"

The woman clung onto Anjali, tears in her eyes. "Please, I don't want to die." Her voice was hoarse, as if she was trying to choke out her words. Her chest heaved. She was hyperventilating, but she didn't seem too concerned about her foot anymore. Her arms twisted around Anjali's waist. Astarte slammed its body into the woman repeatedly to try and force her to let go.

The man staggered back to his feet and his limbs shot out unnaturally quickly, brandishing his gun with precision. He aimed at Anjali, his eyes wide and wild, but afraid more than anything else.

The woman held onto Anjali even tighter despite Astarte's assault. The woman's eyes were wide and she was trying to speak, but all that came out were a soft choking noise.

The air was thick with killing intent... but it wasn't coming from either than maniac nor the woman holding onto Anjali. It was somewhere in the crowd.

The gun fired. Astarte twisted it's body so the porcelain armor shielded Anjali from the projectile, sending the bullet flying high into the air where it exploded.

"That snake... it moved way too quickly to be a puppet... right?"

For a brief moment the killing intent crystallized. It was a man in the crowd wreathed in white robes. His eyes hidden behind a sheer veil adorned with clear gemstones. Anjali could feel his gaze, his sudden interest.

The maniac reloaded quickly and took aim again, but before he could fire a black obelisk slammed into the ground in front of him, followed by a mountain of a man landing between him and Anjali. He picked up the obelisk from it's impact crater and swung it at the maniac, the sheer force of the stone slab tore his body in half, flinging the top half of the man out toward the pier. His bottom half slid alongside the cobblestone road and crashed into a smithy's wall, breaking through the wooden structure.

The woman suddenly let go and collapsed onto the floor. She sucked in air quickly and deeply, wheezing as she did. The wound on her leg started to bleed in earnest.

"Have no fear, citizens," the man said. His grin broke the mass of red hair that adorned his face. "For I am here."

"It's Garotte himself!"

"A Master-Class adventurer?"

"I commend you Adventurer," he said as he turned to Anjali, "for having the heart and bravery to come to this woman's rescue!" His voice was so deep and loud that it was a little bit overwhelming. "I am Garotte ous Kallenhreis, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Two more people appeared next to Garotte, materializing in blue light out of the obelisk he was holding. They were two women dressed in white-red robes. Anjali knew instinctively that they were healers. The two white mages rushed silently to the woman's side and began to administer triage.

Another man appeared in a flash of blue light out of Garrote's obelisk. He was a tall blonde elf with sharp eyes and a composed figure. He wore long green robes with a gold trim. His hands were covered in clean white gloves and he held onto a ledger in his left hand and a quill in his right. He grimaced at the carnage Garotte had wrought. "What in the world were you thinking."

"He was about to kill this fine woman!" Garotte said, pointing toward Anjali, "I had to do something!"

The elf exhaled sharply, "The peacekeeping division modus operandi is to apprehend, not obliterate. This is the fifth situation we've had this week, and we need more survivors to corroborate their stories." The elf adjusted his glasses before turning to the White Mages. "Once the civilian is healed bring her to the Investigations Corps. I have many things I need to ask her."

He turned to Anjali, "And who is this suspicious figure?"

"An adventurer with a heart full of courage, Ranweiss. Something you wouldn't be able to appreciate."

"Yes, yes, very witty. But who is this adventurer? What is their rank, their company designation, their sponsor? Who has given them license to cast magic in a district under the direct supervision of the East-Bordeau Metals Company?" Ranweiss said. "These are the things that you and your division never think about Garotte. It causes and endless amount of trouble for everyone else involved."

"I have seen with my own eyes their compassion. That is reason enough to earn my respect." Garotte answered. He set his obelisk down and walked over to Anjali. "Satisfy the elf, adventurer, show him your badge and we can be done with all of this formality."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

"...What in the world-???"

"...You never told me we were doing back to North Korea..."

Rugal silently took in the twisted landscape before him, trying to make sense of any of it. A playground of a young god? The ruins of a great battle? Just being here was enough to fill him with un-ease, long before the actual enemy showed up.
"Hey look, Little Kimmy is even trying to murder some hookers!" His dark side snarked as his attention was finally brought to their enemy: A-...massive-...oozing-
"...[sub]Oh you have to be kiddin-[/sub]" He muttered before his migraine flared up again, this time from deafening laughter.
"Ohhhhh my god. How the mighty have fallen. It's just a massive-hehehahahahahaahah! I didn't even mean to make the Kimmy comparison sound like that. But boy am I glad I stuck with it!"

Those taunts did little to weaken his resolve as he quickly landed near where Livia and Julia had landed.
Their crash landing helped snap him out of his little daze, as getting snow to the face tended to do that.
The two chattered for a time before Livia rushed on ahead for a full on assault before a sudden rain of bombs put an end to that.
"It's too well defended to attack head on. We'll need to weaken it before we'll be able to do any damage." He said as he started to undo his suit jacket.
When asked if he was going to "Stand and watch or Help kill that thing", He responded by throwing his jacket at Livia's face, both for modesty and to keep her quiet for a moment.
"Before I do either, you'll want to be still for a moment..."
The next thing she knew, he grabbed her injured arm before "relocating" her shoulder with a single fluid motion (Oh, he knew how much that would have to hurt...).

"Alright. New tactic: It's too strong in it's current state to fight head on, so we'll need to sap it's power by bleeding it out. Those tentacles coming from the main mass, they won't be as well protected. Allow them to make the first strike and for the love of god, don't let it land. Counter attack and inflict as heavy of an injury on each one as you able to safely. All 3 of us doing this at the same time should be enough to keep it's attention divided long enough for the pain to mount. Then we go for the kill. Second either of you need to pull back, let me know so I can cover your escape." He firmly ordered, speaking from experience as he stared down the creature.
*sigh* Hope I don't get any of that corrosive gunk on my outfit...

Without so much as another word, he fired up a large "DARK BARRIER!" around his forearm, large enough to keep him protected from incoming blasts[footnote]While the usual Dark Barrier is about the size of a hand held shield, the CGI KOF Anime showed him making Reinharte-sized barriers while maintaining it's reflective qualities. So assume that's what he has now.[/footnote], before sprinting towards the creature.
Rather then attempt to attack the main mass like his allies did, he purposefully made himself a target of all it's external tentacles, even dropping his barrier to lure one of them into taking a swing.
Rather then try to block it, he leap at the last second once a tendril had committed to it attack.
Landing on it's mass, he then raced along it's surface, dragging a Slashing Aura infused hand across as he did.
The result was a rather deep cut extending along a wide amount of the tentacle's length before he leaped off it and onto another one, keeping the monster distracted as much as he could.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

I once had a younger sister who I looked up to. She was so good at everything. In comparison, nothing I did was of any consequence. Father doted on her, gave her money and power. I never did receive anything from him.

The Familiar recoiled and flailed in terrible agony. Knives flowed from it's wounds, cutting into the ground they landed on and spreading rot as they broke. The Familiar trudged it's main body forward in a stilted rampage, waiting for more of it's combat tendrils to regenerate.

Never good enough. Nothing I do is ever good enough. No matter how much praise I get, it just doesn't compare. I want to be noticed by her.

Julia landed on top of Rugal and pulled him up in the air away from the dust storm that the familiar was whipping up. High above the clouds had began to turn black and the sky had caught fire. "Be careful!" Julia cried, exasperated, "You're just as bad as Livia!"

As the air around them began to heat up, Julia conjured a thick sheet of ice around them to repel it.

Livia had erected an earthen pedestal separated from the spreading rot below and to shelter herself from the raining fire above.

My envy burns like fire. Savage, wild, cruel. Unquenchable.

"Aggravating that monster is all well and good, but this environment isn't going to be hospitable to human life for much longer!" Livia shouted over the roar of the angry winds. Julia brought Rugal down onto the stone pillar and put up another shield around the three.

I will rage against your light, dear sister, until nothing you love remains.

The Familiar roared and thrashed, throwing it's body repeatedly against the ground until the earth began to fissure. Magma started to erupt from below, carried up by broken facsimiles of cut-out doves. The creature limped forward, stretching it's tendrils out toward where the group was standing. The shadowy sinews split into a swarm of twisting images of it's ailing progenitor. It's metal blood continued to pour out in tinkling droves where it had been cut, casting pestilence upon the ground.

"Well, it definitely looks like it's hurt." Julia said. "But what now?"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Rising Dawn: Server Farm
Mio |

Viscus

​

{...}
The skeleton didn't speak per say as he stood there shaking with fear, but the way his jaw just fell off the bottom of his skull said it all before he just flat out *fainted* on the spot.
The skeletons she had bested soon crumbled into the dust, including the one that fainted, as they would return to their dark master and most likely get killed again, this time FOR incompetence rather then because of it.
Now that the invaders were dealt with, she would be able to reactivate the Rising Dawn's computer systems and, more importantly, the security systems.
It wasn't even all that hard to do, the computer would scan her hand before everything soon began to come back to life.

That (Deactivated) killer android she passed on the way in quickly flared back to life, using it's hover jets to quickly upright itself.

[Scanning for hostiles: ....Area Secure.]

Viscus barked before lowering his weapons and returning to the console.

[The one known as King Leoric managed to access a emergency debug shutdown command and input it before I could detect his location. You have my thanks for your assistance, User: Mio.]

He thanked her, albeit his tone of voice made that part sound almost sarcastic.
Manning the console, he unfolded a spike from his wrist before plugging himself in, finishing off the repair job as well as reactivating the ship's camera's.

The situation was a bit dire as dozens of skeletons roamed the hallways like a zombie infestation (Then again, Zombies can't reconstruct themselves nearly as well...)
While he was scanning for Leoric's current location, he did pick up Hilary and David attempting to fight a well armed band in the ship's Armory.

[Users: West, Hilary, Violet and Jenny are attempting to re-secure the ship's weapon supply. I'll have to stay here to safeguard the system. Without it, we'll never be able to locate the enemy. If you have any requests for my services, let me know.]

He said as he resumed his search, seeming somewhat confused that a skeleton as massive as Leoric was that hard to find...

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

[i]Rugal's story[/i]

[hr]

This is taking too long and you know it-
Shut. Up.
That's it?..."Shut up"? All I've done for you and this is how you thank me. Bah!...

Attempting to ignore the barbs his other side threw at him, he leap and grabbed Julia's hand before she carried them both to a safe distance.
With his other, he fired a series of Ki blasts to cover their escape before they both landed on that earth pillar.
Taking in the side effects of the creature's wounds, he first noticed the magma starting to seep from the rot as the doves started to air lift it towards him.
"...There! The Magma below. If we keep attacking it, it's wounds will keep destabilizing the entire area. We might be able to use that to drown it in fire. Keep your distance and attack those doves as they fly over it. I'll get their attention. And be ready to evacuate us soon, I doubt this world will last much longer at this right. Cover me!" He quickly ordered before using his own "Dark Barrier!" to shield himself from the heat and fire from the air around him.

You know you are holding back. This could have been over by now. What are you afraid of? Your power? Just give them ol' "Kaiser Phoenix Special". Show those two children playing at hero what real power looks like...
...you're just going to keep ignoring me are you?...Hello?...Hm. :/

Leaping from the pillar and back into the fray, he targeted one of the flying metal doves before bringing his heel right down on it's skull(?).
His Slashing Aura made for a rather brutal (And literal) Ax-Kick before he launched himself off it, causing it to spill it's cargo prematurely. (and right onto one of the wounded tendrils)
Rugal didn't really have the ability to fly but watching him hop from one dove to another would make anyone think otherwise as he closed the distance between him and his opponent.
His goal was to make these minions unwillingly drop their molten payload either upon their master or around it to try and limit it's moments, as well as keeping them focused on him instead of the girls.

While he was airborne, he let himself free fall closer to the monster with his arms outstretched, gathering energy before launching a "KAISER WAVE!" [http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters3/rugal-kaisawave.gif] towards the ground the creature was standing on, attempting to blow a hole wide enough to plunge it into the pooling magma below.
The force of the blast was enough to keep him airborne along enough to land on the head of another dove, taking a moment to appreciate his own skill.
Still life in the old man left... He thought before checking up on his allies, driving his foot clean though the dove's face before he leaped off into the hostile sky again.