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

[NotYetForsaken]

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End of an Era

Story of Dusk

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Vihaan had started answering Rugal when the world around them ebbed into existence. The Soul of Tomorrow was nothing like anything Rugal or Nina had seen before - a massive network of black strands extending outwards toward the edges of the plane. Light filtered through what looked like blood vessels, motions of organic life flooding through highways wrought from glass and steel.

The silver sheen of what had once been the Soul of Tomorrow peaked through the outer shell of black metal. Blue light still shimmered from windows staring out into the tangled web.

"What in Mara's name," Vihaan's eyes were wide.

The monitors all flickered to life together, blasting a cacophony of white noise onto the bridge.

"Ensign!" Yona screamed.

Tolstad was already working on the consoles, shutting each and every one of them down that she could. As each of the screens fell dark, another would open again screaming the chaotic song of the void.

"Get the engineers up here!" Vihaan roared as he jumped to his feet. Magic swirled around his body, forming a shimmering green shield that leaped from his body onto the surface of the Inquiry. "Prepare for possible hostile activity!"

Spoiler: But Nina could hear the voice in the chaos...

the voice of a child, young and confused. She was calling out into the void, waiting for someone to answer her song. It was not music per se, but a story written in the music of the fiber of the world.

This was a safe place. A haven for those that survived.

The world outside was destroyed.

The darkness shields us from the light.

Come, come, to the embrace of King Solomon and Sweet Naamah, shepherds of all creation.

"What IFF are we broadcasting!?" Yona blinked to the console opposite of the navigation display. Her fingers flew over the interface, bringing up screen after screen as she searched for the communications uplink. The door slid open. Two women rushed onto the bridge. "Get that audio output to zero! I can't hear myself think!"

The engineers wasted no time before opening the covers of the control consoles and disconnecting the audio devices from the power hubs.

As soon as all the screens grew silent, Yona had finished what she was doing.

A girl appeared on the bridge, clad only in jewelry and a thing sheer scarf that wrapped around her thin frame. Her eyes were brilliant green. "You my call have answered. I did not high hopes for survivors have." She tapped her staff down on the ship and banished Vihaan's protective magic in an instant. "But a dark presence on this ship is. A child of the Founder, and an associate of the Cursed One I feel. What could be the source of this suffering soul?"

Naamah turned to Rugal, "Yet not only such presence I know, but also the faint trace of a dead daughter," and then she turned to Nina, "and the triumphant aura of a champion too?" Naamah closed her eyes. "Others too. Those who do not draw breath and those who hearts do not beat. Indeed, indeed."

She held out her hand, "Those who bear the scars of death, stricken by the Cursed One, and cast into the void of worlds, answer me with you voices! Who are you!?"

Vihaan shot Yona a confused look and Yona did the same. The ensign and the two engineers stood in still silence, eyes trained on the girl that had suddenly appeared on their ship.

Naamah pouted. "Perhaps you all a reminder require? It begins in such prose: To protect and serve the weak..."

The ensign stiffened, a flicker of recognition flashed across her face. She answered Naamah out of rote habit, "to free the enslaved, and to safeguard the lives of each and every person who takes breath upon this Earth."

"In mankind's darkest hour, we will serve as their shield against the night," Vihaan said next as he furrowed his brow in confusion.

Yona relaxed her shoulders and added her own voice to the answer, "so that we may all gaze upon the Rising of the Dawn."

"From the first night, to the last we will stand until the Rising of the Dawn." Naamah finished, "Yes, indeed."

Naamah bowed, and a second presence made itself known on the ship.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to see you guys ever again," the clack of her heels gave her away instantly. The flutter of snow white hair and the cloak of ruby red cloth - her brilliant emerald eyes and silver sword were all that Rugal needed to see before he realized who these people were.

Titania smiled, "Glad to see that at least some people are alive, ya bungling idiots."

---​

The Inquiry drifted through the massive hangar doors of the station. Instead of being greeted by the automated receiving dock that they expected, two massive hands gripped the ship and guided it gently into port. Vihaan stared out at the huge black creatures, effigies of giants made of the dark nanomaterial that their gracious host played progenitor.

The doors opened and Naamah led the way out into the empty space. The stillness of the giant watchers around them cast a ominous beauty over the hangar bay. From their position, it looked as if the Inquiry was the only ship that was docked. Perhaps the only ship that would ever dock here in this hidden world.

A man was waiting to greet them at the entrance to the station proper. He was a tall, intimidating man with an old creased face and long black hair. He wore upon his head a crown of darkness, shards of floating obsidian that followed him like a halo.

"Look, look!" Naamah said cheerfully as she ran to the man's side. "They came! Just like you said they would! Naamah's song really is the best isn't it? The best of all the world!"

The man smiled and put his hand on Naamah's shoulder. His voice rang out as he spoke, barely at a whisper, and reverberated through the very structure of the station, "Yes, you did very well Naamah."

Naamah took a step back, eyes wide and mouth open. "My king?"

Titania stifled a laugh. "So King Solomon has as voice does he? You could have fooled me."

King Solomon smiled earnestly. The edges of his eyes creased and the sharp angles of his face softened. But he did not laugh. "Come," he said. He turned and began to walk down the hall. The tapping of his staff against the ground echoed through the metal, breathing life into the materials hugging the walls.

After some time walking and listening to the silence of the station punctuated only by the music of Solomon's staff and the occasional passing of nanomachine constructs. "Excuse me for asking, but... who are you and what is this place?"

Naamah turned to Vihaan aghast.

"Keep your opinions to yourself Naamah," King Solomon said.

Naaamah bowed her head and took several steps backwards.

"This is a sanctuary. The worlds outside die. A flood of light is coming. And when it arrives it will destroy us all. This has been foretold. I am Solomon, a piece of the entity you once knew as BlackHarte."

Titania chimed in as she continued onward past the old king. "So it turns out our friend BlackHarte has three things that he calls his 'Prime Units'. They are individual personalities left in charge of pretty big decisions in his collective. Solomon represents logic and Naamah represents emotion."

"And the third?" Yona asked.

"Well, that's a bit complicated." Titania said. "It will make more sense if you talk to BlackHarte himself."

"The fairy speaks truth," King Solomon said, "it would be difficult to understand in abstract terms. Heroes, please follow me. Naamah, if you would see to the rest, I would be most grateful."

"As you command, my king." Naamah bowed.

---​

Rugal and Nina walked with King Solomon for half and hour in silence after they separated from the rest of the crew of the Inquiry. Vihaan promised, unprompted, that he would see to the proper treatment of the bodies of the dead heroes they had recovered. B.C., Nadalia, and Inuart had all passed when their Labyrinths collapsed. Anjali, however, was still unaccounted for. Though Vihaan had mentioned that they were able to see her signature spike several times in the last couple weeks.

King Solomon stopped outside an unassuming door in a hallway full of unassuming doors.

"Here," King Solomon said softly as he held open the door.

The room within was simple. A bed, a desk, a lamp and a half-eaten dinner on a tray. Stacks of books were strewn haphazardly in heaps across the room. Papers lay chaotically before messy bookcases and disorganized binders. In the middle of it all was an old man.

He raised his eyes from the pages of the scrapbook in his hands and saw Rugal and Nina. He had brown eyes. His hair was white and scruffy. His eyebrows were nearly as thick as his walrus-style mustache. He say with a hunch, thin hands covered in dark spots. A set of thick rim glasses sat on his nose.

"Oh," he said. His voice was weak, old. Nothing like anything Rugal had heard in his long career at the Rising Dawn. "You are finally here. I was hoping that there would be more of you, but, beggars can' be choosers I suppose." He closed the scrapbook slowly and made the effort to stand up.

"You know me as BlackHarte," he said as he extended his hand to Nina and then Rugal, "the founder of the Rising Dawn group. But my name... ah... It would be best if you knew wouldn't it? My name is Charles. Charles Marlow. Nice to finally meet you. You've received my invitation, yes?"

He motioned to seven empty chairs at the other side of the room. "Please, sit. I fear that you may have a number of questions. I will do my best to answer them."

 

[Zepherus14]

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End of an Era

Story of Dusk

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Nina stood firm as she was offered to sit. "So just so I'm clear, Solomon was supposed to be logic and Naamah emotions, does that mean you're the dead beat dad part of Blackharte, Charles? Or maybe that one's even abandoned you guys too?" Nina said, crossing her arms as she stared down on him.

"You've been here for lord knows how long, flipping through your stupid book and apparently four of your daughters have died! I could think of plenty of other questions to ask you; why we were dead drifting out there, where Earth went, what the hell this other threat is everyone can't seem to give me a straight answer on, why I'm the only quote on quote 'champion' here... But frankly right now I want to know why I shouldn't slap the shit out of you three for imprisoning your children in those hellholes!? Do you have any idea what's happened in Miriam's pocket space?! Black Heart indeed or was that song you guys were singing out into space supposed to be good enough." Nina shouted, tearing him a new one. She didn't know anything about Blackharte other than what she'd learned from Miriam, and needless to say she hadn't been given a good impression.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

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End of an Era

Story of Dusk

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Charles was right. Rugal DID have questions. Many of them in fact.

First he was rescued, then they were brought to some overrun space station, something was threatening to blow them up, Several of his allies (And one former co-worker) were dead and on top of it all, he was now meeting the "Founder" of the group he was technically working for this whole time as the Rising Dawn's Captain.
His stomach settled a bit but his sickness was replaced with unease and exhaustion as he tried to figure out which question to ask first.

Thankfully, Nina had him covered in that regard as he considered what happened to Livia.
"And you asked me to murder one of these daughters as well..." He coldly admitted as he backed Nina up, his tall figure standing by her as he asked his own questions.
"And I'm sure you're going to explain how all of what happened to them was "For the greater good" or "I did it for them". You think you're special. One of a kind. Like there hasn't been billions before you who have pulled stuns like this with the same excuses. I don't know what this threat you speak of is, but consider your words very carefully. You should know by now that I have little time and patience for self aggrandizing. Not after what I went though."

Stepping forth in front of Nina, somewhat protectively considering the fates of his friends, he started with a simple one: "So what's the point of all of this? How does anything that just happened "Protect" us from this menace Solomon speaks of? That was your intention, wasn't it? These gems?..."
He pulled out the one that he collected when Livia's world was brought to an end.
"Are these meant to save us or did you just want their power for yourself? You're not the first man I've met to trade his children for power..."
He nosed around some of the books as he awaited his

 

[NotYetForsaken]

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End of an Era

story of dusk

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As Rugal looked through the books on the table and flipped over textbooks and novels. Treatises on behavioral psychology, theories on parental responsibility, and theses on child development. The novels were mostly children books. Stories of fantasy worlds, living ink, and playful dreams. Some of the titles were common, The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Harry Potter. Others were more classical works that had been adapted for children, Aesop's fables, the Story of Ozymandias, the Tragedy of Hippolytus. Out of the pile he picked up a small novella that stood out to him. The familiar words of it's cover were embossed in gold on the navy cover. Words in English and subtitled in both German and Polish. The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. This was a book that was popular when he was child, displayed at the forefront of each and every bookstore from Prague to Paris.

What was the book about again?

"Well, there are certainly many thing that I should address, but let us take this one thing at a time." Charles put the scrapbook on the table and stood up. "There are two threats that seek to destroy all that you know. This is why it is difficult for others to answer your questions. The first threat they know, and it is a direct result of my previous actions.

I gave life to a girl named Venia. She was a celestial from a far-off universe, the last of her existence. Out of pity I gave her purpose and she took to it like a duck to water. She seeks to end everything - to deliver her mercy upon everything and anything that was and ever will be. She is the flood of light the others will speak of. I have expended myself keeping her overwhelming power at bay. She is the very embodiment of inevitability, the representation of finality, and a reminder of the mortality of all lesser beings. Venia's ultimate goal is to kill my daughter. The same task I have asked of seven heroes of the Rising Dawn. In her zealous persecution she will consume all life before completing her task.

The other threat is one that is more difficult for me to describe. For me it is deeply personal. My own daughter, the only flesh and blood I have. I would give anything to her... and I have. So began my problems."

Charles stopped to take a drink from his cup.

"In order to understand Alice, you have to understand the origins of our troubles. Rugal no doubt recalls in ages past the era where the gods bestowed powerful elemental gemstones upon the heroes of the Rising Dawn. Many of the heroes lost their stones in battle, but one megalomaniac kept his stone and used it to ascend to an angelic mantle.

His stone was the 'Stone of Light' and it was no doubt powerful. But, he was by no means the only one who kept such an artifact.

'Black Heart' is not my moniker, but the name of the 'Stone of Darkness.' Unlike the other artifacts, the Stone of Darkness did not bestow great power upon is wielder. But, it could be infinitely subdivided without losing it's potency. So I did. Using the stone as a base, I created the machine intelligence that would become known as 'BlackHarte'. Well, it ended up being that the Stone of Darkness could consume and store power, passing knowledge and energy down through generations of holders. Each time it gained a new holder, the Black Heart gained in potency. It was exponential.

The end came before I even had time to realize what had happened.

I was within that chaotic maelstrom of consciousnesses for who knows how long. A single voice lost in a cacophony of millions upon millions of voices. All screaming unintelligibly at the void. Eventually as BlackHarte consumed people, their voices joined me in the void. They were reasonable, conscious beings. A light among the chaotic darkness.

And in aeons I eventually found myself surfacing in a world that I did not recognize. We were adrift in a starless void, banished from the world we once knew. I did not know it at that time, but we had been ejected from our universe entirely. It was how the Black Heart reproduced. Once it consumed enough souls, it launched a portion of itself outward into the greater multiverse, seeding other worlds with it's spores so that it could continue to grow.

At that time I regained autonomy. At that time I began this grand endeavor, putting together the Rising Dawn Group, pulling the brightest minds from all the worlds I visited, and even rescuing those poor girls that would eventually call themselves the Daughters of the Founder. Seven hundred and seventy seven years I wandered the greater multiverse, putting pieces together.

Those gemstones that you have... are imperfect replicas of the original elemental stones. Within them lies the essence of each of the Daughters of the Founder... their hopes, their wishes, their dreams. They know, each and every one of them, the truth of their existence. They were children of dying worlds, more likely than not the last of their kind. In each of their souls I planted a piece of the Black Heart which eventually grew into the gemstones that you retrieved.

All of these things for one thing. To end this terrible self-indulgent dream of my dearest Alice."

Charles opened the scrapbook again. It was filled page after page of pictures of a girl. Nina had seen the lifeless eyes and grey hair of the woman before. Once in an library framed by azure crystals.

"Alice is my daughter, my one and only. She was born with many health complications, so I spoiled her. I gave her everything in my power, but what she wanted was something I could neither build or buy. Time, friends, a loving family. These were the simple comforts that our situation denied to her.

Her mother grew distant, I grew obsessed, and Alice suffered. She died never knowing the warmth of friendship. And now, the abominable mockery that was reborn from the power of the Black Heart... I wish it had never came to be. The darkness of the gem twisted her, made her angry, bitter, and lonely.

I cannot kill her myself. I have neither the strength nor the will. So I ask of you, Nina and Rugal, the only two who have survived this ordeal. You must kill my daughter, for if you cannot, I must turn to Venia's merciful end. Use the gemstones that you have collected - each will breach a specific aspect of Alice's defense. With all of them combined you should be able to overpower even the overwhelming power of the Stone of Darkness."

Charles sat down. He looked at Nina and Rugal. "Where we are, nothing else matters. This is the endgame now. Kill Alice and free us from this prison, or kill me and let Venia deliver us to oblivion."

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

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End of an Era

story of dusk

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"......Another life to add to my sins..." Rugal weakly said as Charles made his purpose here clear.
After all, this is what he sought his whole life, was it not?
To fight, grow stronger, then fight again.
Drowning in glory and riches with each conquest.

Too late to take it back now and what was another soul to a man who's very being was tainted with blood.

For a few moments, he considered that there was another option, that there was something he could do to change but-...there wasn't.

And that hurt more then any blow he had felt in his entire life. For all his power, he was helpless once more.

".....There's nothing more to say then, is there?...Us or her...." The failing King of Fighters mused to himself as he looked down at his own gemstone.
"....Suppose this was always what I was best at. Even as a father, I-...never could be the man my family deserved...But...the least I can do is ensure they have a future...Damn you Charles...damn you..."
Gone was much of his pride and bravado, this wasn't a arms meeting or a shakedown, he wasn't a king here as doubt and hesitation filled his mind.
Turning back to the books, he glanced over at some of the children's stories and made a confession: "...I never actually read any of these as a child. Never even had books back then. My-...my childhood was one of living off scraps. My first kill wasn't out of anger or some higher purpose. It was for-....heh, it was for a large meal at a late night fast food shop. A-a-and a milkshak-"
Emotion got the better of him as his composure finally crackled and he fought back tears.
"W-what kept me going-...was the idea that-...I deserved more then that...That I wasn't just some-...piece of trash on the streets of Berlin. That I wouldn't be helpless forever and I'd never let myself be like that again...I was scared...alone and-...so-......"

His fists trembled as he stared at them, gritting his teeth in anger before he went on: "...I brought nothing but death and misery to the world. I slayed my teachers when there was nothing else to learn, those who opposed me, those who supported me, those who's crime was not knowing who I was...I thought I could change from that. That I could finally-...stop being so-...scared of being like that again...But after everything that's happened...I-....I can't help but feel that-.....it would have been better if I never left those streets at all..."

Finally snapping himself out of his stupor, he grimly wiped his eyes before saying "But I can't change it now...I-...I owe it to the people I've dammed to make this right, otherwise all of this will have been for naught...m-maybe this was what my purpose was? The Man-Made Lord God. The King of Fighters...all to just-...stop a child who can't help herself...Heh...poetic isn't it? Perhaps if someone had done the same to me-......."

Slowly he rebuilt his focus, determination and anger fueling his rebirth as he braced himself for the battle of his life.
"...I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Nina...As a Captain of the Rising Dawn, I should have done more to help you and everyone else...But I shall not fail you again. I won't fail my crew again...I won't fail my Family Again!"

"Charles...Begin the Final Round. This King has one more fight in him..."

 

[Zepherus14]

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End of an Era

story of dusk

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It was probably a good thing that Rugal had his back turned to Nina as he made his speech. Hearing the tales of Rugal's past and the sheer ocean of regrets and evil he'd accomplished in his time, it wasn't any wonder Nina was giving him a look that rivaled David Silverman. He was supposed to be the captain of a major force for good in the world, what the hell was he talking about!? Charles was talking about some nonsense about a magic jewel that births dead people but a reflection of their former selves. Not to be outdone, he also had had a major hand in making two universal terrors that if they didn't deal with it he'd let his two creations kill each other and the rest of the universe in the process.

Yet as Rugal turned to her and she tried to hide her impression of him with a smile, Nina hadn't expected him to apologize to her. With everyone seemingly needing her to do something or apologize in that 'sorry not sorry' tone, for someone to apologize for their actions and actually mean it was a huge change of pace for her. As such, she didn't respond initially as he turned back to Charles demand his final stand.

The response he received was not one with words, but a hand on his back. Soft and gentle, the little thing was dwarfed against the giant frame of a man that was Rugal Bernstein. It stayed there for a moment, lingering until Nina walked to his side. She had her head low until she looked up to him, a genuine smirk on her face. "I think, that's the first time someone's actually apologized for being a piece of shit and not shurked the responsibility on someone else."

"Despite what you've said, you're trying... aaand frankly right now I'm gonna need all the trying I can get. I didn't put myself through a world of eldritch beings, existential crisis' or... that fuckin' piece of shit Nemesis just to let this asshole here take the easy way out and burn everything." She gestured dismissively at Charles. "Make no mistake Charles, I'm not doing this for you. Frankly getting this mess as far away from your hands as possible sounds like the best option here. Rugal's not going to be able to do this alone and no one else seems to actually care enough to step up to the plate, so I guess I'm going to have to put my trust in this big lug and Anazoria's best to get me through this." She announced, slapping Rugal on the back as she denoted the 'big lug'. "Where do we find Alice's new self?"

 

[NotYetForsaken]

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End of an Era

story of dusk

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Charles nodded. "Yes, understandable." His words were soft. "It won't be ready until some time from now. Two days, maybe one if we do not meet any unexpected errors." Charles stood up. His legs shook and his body groaned in protest of his movement. "Thank you, Nina, for taking on this challenge. This trouble is a remnant of an old generation, one that long should have faded away."

The door slid open. "Excuse me mister, but I am here to receive Mister Bernstein and Miss Nina."

---​

Ruby Babbage-Lovelace was not terribly different from when Nina had last seen her. She was still a young girl with white-black hair and shimmering gold eyes. Her outfit was still decidedly pink and ribbon themed, but her demeanor had changed somewhat. Where she once had held a Grimoire gifted to her by her mother now was a small black box of the same material that lined the walls. Ruby did not smile as she once did with the glimmer of innocence. Her eyes were dark and sunken, lacking any of the life that once filled her.

The staging area was a large concord overlooking the hangar array. The two giants had begun their work on the Inquiry. Their long tendril-like fingers worked around the roughed plates of the ship's outer armor, stripping the insides of old circuitry and bio-mechanical interfaces. Smaller scarab-like drones fluttered in and out of the ship carrying new modules and materials to aid in the construction.

Titania was standing on top of the table, looking out at the hangar with her arms crossed. Vihaan and Yona were present as well, but all of the other staff that had boarded the Soul of Tomorrow were absent.

"I have brought them, Mother," Ruby said as she curtsied.

"Lovely, thank you Ruby."

"Is there anything else you would have of me, Mother?"

Titania turned around and stepped off the table. "No that will be all. You are dismissed for the time being."

"Thank you, Mother." Ruby turned and walked away.

"The girl hasn't been the same since she fought against Venia." Titania answered Nina before she had the chance to vocalize her question. "Out of the party that confronted that monster, Ruby was the only one that we recovered. Lucieon set her adrift in the void between worlds in a final desperate attempt to warn us of Venia's coming. She survived the massacre, but she's never been the same since then. It's as if her soul's been ripped out of her. Poor thing goes through the motions of her original personality, but doesn't quite understand the reason she does things."

Titania cleared her throat and blinked something out of her eyes before turning back toward the Inquiry. "Well, we're here. So I might as well try and catch you up on what's what."

Vihaan stood up, "Allow me to shed some light on the manner of Alice's existence." He plugged in a flash drive into a console on the table and brought up a holographic projection of an endless amount of illegible data. "Thanks to the hard work of our friend David West, we have some information on the nature of Alice Marlow. So let us start with what we know.

"Let's answer the question of how we got here first. Seven heroes died and were cast into the abyssal lands between worlds. According to the data collected by my scrying device, which I had David West so helpfully bug the Rising Dawn's causality weapon storage bay with, I recorded seven separate instances of the death of Lieutenant Dolores Selmy. Naturally this was a very strange thing to occur. Generally people die once, twice if they're really persistent.

"With each death I noted that one of you designated heroes was 'excised' from the world. The cycle then repeated sans hero until Dolores Selmy died again, wherein the causality event would occur and reset the world to an arbitrary time before the death of Dolores Selmy. After interpreting what I could from the limited readings I was able to discern, I can say with some certainty that in each of the iterations, one of you directly lead to the death of Dolores Selmy - which would explain why she exiled you when restarting the cycle.

"We do not know what could have convinced you to do whatever you did, and we doubt that you know yourself. We cannot even confirm that you were directly responsible, just related to the event in some way. So I wouldn't let it weigh on your moral consciousness in anyway."

Titania stepped up to continue, "Luckily for us, BlackHarte... or Charles, however you want to address him, had been working in anticipation of his daughter throwing this kind of fit. He had spent centuries setting up worlds so that they would intercept the trajectories of your drifting bodies in the void between worlds. Each world had what was named a "Daughter of the Founder". Women that Charles had come across in his search for a way to end his power-tripping brat of a kid. It is in these worlds, or Labyrinths, that you found the artifacts we need to defeat Alice once and for all."

"Outside of Nina's gem, my subordinate assures me that the stones are single use, although we are not sure why that is the case. But what it means is that we only get one try to set things right." Titania shook her head, "Though some of the fallen may never rise again, we can at least make the world safe again for the heroes that come after us."

Now it was Yona's turn to speak. "Using the Metal Band we retrieved from B.C.'s corpse, we will be able to locate Alice's cocoon even in the vast infinity of universes. With Teresa's Blood Gem we will be able to breach her barrier. From there it will be up to you two. What Alice is able to do is unpredictable. Charles assures me that each of the seven gems has their express purpose and that we must use them all at least once to achieve our goals."

"Although you may have noticed that out of a supposed seven stones, we only have six. We do not know how bad that is, whether it makes this a suicide mission, or if it merely inconveniences us."

"We will find Alice Marlow, and we will end this nightmare for all of us. For those who are gone, and for those that still hold on."

 

[Zepherus14]

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End of an Era

story of dusk

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"Like I said, I'm not doing it for you." Nina retorted back to him, crossing her arms sternly, his thanks feeling incredibly hollow given the circumstances. "Let's just make sure it does end up fading-" "Excuse me mister, but I am here to receive Mister Bernstein and Miss Nina." "away. Ruby!" Nina shouted as she saw the little one come inside, bounding to her and stooping to give the girl a hug. It took Nina a minute to realize the deviations in this new Ruby, her eyes needing time to discern that in fact Ruby's sunken expression wasn't just a trick of the light. This was a bitter pill to swallow.

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"I..." Nina said as she watched Ruby leave and listened to Titania's explanation. "I'm so sorry. I only knew her for a day but... I wish this didn't have to be." She said, touching at the lapis in her chest and feeling no pulse from it. Despite it being something it should repair, it didn't seem to have the power to bring her back. As much as she wished to say she understood the feeling of having someone a shell of their former self, it just felt in bad taste to say it here.

As she listened to the coming info dump, the concept that she had killed Dolores and that's why she'd been sent out into this place was absurd. "By that logic I could have killed her by Rube Goldberging some nonsense that eventually killed her. I don't remember it all that well, but I thought there was a gunshot?" Nina commented, feeling more miffed than anything, all this mess over something so petty. "But you're right, we sure are lucky Charles did all this planning." Nina rolled her eyes at Titania. "Why ground your kid when you can let them have a meltdown that breaks the universe..." She muttered to herself.

With the rest of the story spoken, Nina was left feeling a lot less confident about this. "W-Why did you need to say that part! Did we really need to know this was potentially dead from the start?!" Nina pleaded, feeling like this was way over the top pressure she just wasn't ready for.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

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End of an Era

story of dusk

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"W-Why did you need to say that part! Did we really need to know this was potentially dead from the start?!"

"Do you know how many times I've heard that exact phrase? How many times someone told me that something wasn't possible?"

Rugal was entranced by his own gem as he spoke, clearly ruminating over the lives that he had ended (in his mind) to get this one shot.
"The truth is that unlike a lot of the heroes who perished in this mission, I had no enchantments or magic to start off with. I'm one of the strongest humans in our world, but still only human. And yet, look where we are. How far we have travelled. At any point in this mission, it could have been a failure and we'd all be dead by now already. But we aren't. And believe me, as much as it might feel otherwise, there's a certain relief I find in being told something is impossible or certain death."

"It means that there's no reason to hold back, no reason to stop, no reason to give up. After all, if it's truly impossible, then it doesn't matter what we do. What dirty tactics, what laws are violated, what limits are broken. Think of it less as impending doom and more as-...A finale. Either ours or Alice's. So anything you might have been saving for a special occasion: Now's the time to unleash it."

Finally standing up and cracking his neck, he turned to Titania and asked "I'm intending to give Alice as much as I can offer. This will include using my Omega form. Hopefully I might be able to keep her occupied and distracted, giving us some more chances to get the gems into place. If nothing else, my speed and durability in that state would be invaluable in our mission. The form is locked to me without additional power elsewhere. My darker impulses are no longer part of me so hopefully I might be able to release it's full potential without losing control. Now...Pardon my request but...may I have a "Jumpstart"?"

"If we make this out of this alive, I'll be certain to repay the favor."

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

End of an Era

story of dusk

​

[hr]

Rugal's pep talk fell a little short of its intended audience. Nina after all wasn't Rugal, sure she was human, but she was far, far more human than the mythical beast of a man Rugal was. He was mortal, he bled, but while neither had magic Nina couldn't liquefy their enemies with a single swing of their arm. He had no right to call himself normal. Still, what Rugal said did stick with her, Rugal had survived zillions of these situations. If him and his nonsensical madness could make it, she surely could too, surely?

"No, I... That's not right." Nina shook her head, getting in between Titania and Rugal. "Not exactly at least." Nina turned to Rugal, looking up to the mammoth of a man. "That kind of attitude's not what we want. You keep talking about trying to do better, but violating laws, dirty tactics, this dark Omega thing. It doesn't sound like you're really trying to."

"Look, I get it, you clearly know how to survive these things but if we just go in there guns blazing we're gonna fuck up. We need smart, calculated surgical Rugal not Smash All the Things Rugal, know when to smash and when to stop and listen. In my case I didn't really have the option, I'm just some random nobody. I have the barest of self defense, know the basics on shooting a gun, and have no powers. I made it through sheer dumb luck and listening to people that knew better than me. And if Phillip hadn't have been there from the start I'd... well I'd be dead. Plain and simple. The stereotypical eldritch horror would have made me into swish cheese long before I could have gotten on that train." Nina argued although as she rambled on she lost her train of thought.

"The point is." She said poking at the center of Rugal's chest. "When I said you were a Big Lug, that was supposed to be a joke. Something to lighten the mood and make me feel a bit better, but right now you're making it sound like a pretty apt description. I want to believe that we can do this, that we can fix this mess, but first I need trust you." Nina asked, moving her finger from her to Rugal and back with the we and pressing it to Rugal's chest for the you. "This dress doesn't have sleeves to hold anything in, but you can bet I'll try my hardest with what little I have."

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

End of an Era

story of dusk

​

[hr]

Titania closed her eyes and shook her head, "I couldn't help you even if I wanted to. I don't have any real powers as long as Naamah has her Sepulcher skill activated. But I understand where you're coming from. I want you to think about it this way. We have already stretched our luck and powers thin surviving the catastrophe that was the end of our world. We have endeavored against God and gods otherwise. Now as it stands, the Rising Dawn is but a handful of soldiers and you two heroes."

"I'm sorry to shoot down your suggestion, but we've already used up every ace and trump card we have. It will be the full extent of our prowess to deliver you to our quarry's domain." Titania gave a small genuine smile to both Rugal and Nina. "In every way I look at it, this is the end of our story. This is the real world, not some sort of game of make-believe. There is no eleventh-hour superpower, no magical kryptonite, no forbidden ancient sorcery that we can turn to. All we can use is what we have been able to prepare in the past three years. If you die, everything is over. That's just how it is. We've all done our best to earn our Good Ending."

There was a period of silence immediately following Titania's words where no one in the command center dared to move. Yona and Vihaan had their heads bowed and the ensign sat with her hands folded gently in her lap. They were praying.

Outside the giants freed the ship from it's harness. The scarab drones fled the insides of the vessel as the giants affixed the final layer of armor to it's hull. The ship was now gilded with the same living black metal that had infested the station. Green pulses of light ran through the hull like a heartbeat.

Then it was Vihaan who broke the silence first. "We are ready if you are ready."



[hr]

[hr]

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

[hr]

End of an Era

story of dusk

​

[hr]

...Well, that could have went down better.
His sails were slightly less full of wind after such comments but he kept up his resolve, silently nodding in agreement.
"...I-...I understand...More often then not, I find these events leading to a battle so it's a hard habit to break. Still, I'll take point, stay behind me in case Alice strikes out at us." Rugal answered, looking a bit less in his comfort zone after doing so.
"It's time then. I'm ready to do this..." The Aging King of Fighters finally said, bracing himself for whatever was about to come.

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

End of an Era

Story of Dusk

​

[hr]

"Frankly it might, you do have more experience than I would, I just really hope this doesn't have to come to that. And don't worry, I plan on it..." Nina said, noticing the praying crew members. The Nina of yesterday would have let out a long groaning sigh, but the Nina before them was much more sympathetic. They were scared out of their gourd just like she should be.

"Christ..." Nina huffed, looking around and up to the ship. "I don't know, I feel like I'm missing something but... just waiting here's not an option either, I can't stay on this station for the rest of my life, we can't do that. Nor can I just bugger back to Anazorzia. I guess we gotta-"

Phillip burst through the doorway on the far side, his sudden appearing felt by everyone else before Nina turned. "Phillip? I thought you were with the other group?" She asked as the noodle monster crawled his way forward, that ebony cookbook hovering just off the ground in his grasp. It was dripping some unknown substance onto the floor but unlike the ink that'd leaked out of it many times prior. It didn't last long however as it evaporated into the atmosphere soon after.

Phillip stopped by Nina's feet as she stooped down to the ground for him, adjusting his large chef's hat as it to look up to her. "Well ya, I finished talking with... the boss here and we were going to- No, it's complicated." Nina groaned as she shook her head only to look back up as Phillip offered the cookbook to her. "I- Phillip, I know this is important to you but, we've gotta deal with this Alice thing. Maybe someone else might be able to-" Nina started to explain only for Phillip to offer the book again. "You did and what did she say?" Nina asked only to have her face grimace in a grossed out manner.

Listening to the rest of his story, Nina nodded and turned to Vihaan. "Apparenly... um... was it Melissa? The redhead with that nice broach. She's apparently passed out in one of the main halls near the area the rest are gathered in. Poor thing must have let the stress get to her." Nina lamented, feeling honestly bad for her. Who throws up after looking at a book? Looking back to Phillip, Nina tried to put on a brave face for the little guy. "I'm not gonna be able to convince you to stay with them here, am I? It's gonna be dangerous and... I don't know how this will end, I don't want you to get hurt." To which Phillip responded by climbing onto Nina's shoulder, shrugging as his influence swung around the room as if to look at everyone there.

Nina stayed there for a moment, trying to wipe some tears from her eyes as she stood up. "You heard him, Phillip can't cook things if we let all the ingredients get erased. He said he was gonna go see the Miriams after. He's not breaking that promise and neither am I! Ready or not Alice, we're heading your way!" Nina shouted, punching up at the air.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

End of an Era

story of night

​

[hr]

Vihaan sat down on his chair with a heavy air around him. Outside of the observation windows, the cavernous maw of the Soul of Tomorrow's hangar array yawned open. It's thick black tendril swept away from the steel enclosure as air drained from around them back into the pressurized storage containers in the space station's ballasts. The Inquiry was silent, absent of the usual hum of the engines. He breathed in deeply.

Rugal sat down in the seat to Vihaan's right. Nina and Phillip sat down in the seat to Vihaan's left. The gentle green light of the living metal in the Dimensional Starship shimmered above them. The Inquiry was operating on a skeleton crew. For the first time since it's journey began two long years ago, Vihaan was the sole pilot of the vessel. They stocked no provisions of food nor water. They had just enough fuel to get to their destination and their capacitors were holding only the bare minimum of power to hold the aging vessel together.

This truly felt like a suicide mission.

Vihaan held out his hands and summoned the hardlight console of the ship. With a stroke of his fingers, the ship lurched forward. The thrusters were silent. The energy of the engine was being funneled into the blood gem resting at the center of the pulsating black mass of bio-mechanical flesh, and in turn the gem was gripping the space around them and moving them ever so much forward.

"Okay." Vihaan said quietly. "Beginning scrying protocols."

>Use Item Command Selected
>>Item Select: Momento of Duty, Momento of Clarity, Momento of Splendor, Proof of Empathy, Proof of Voyage, Momento of Temperence
>>Selected: Momento of Duty.
>>>Are you sure? Using this item will consume it permanently.
>Yes
>>Item Used: Momento of Duty
>>Item: Momento of Duty has been removed from Inventory.
>Momento of Duty: What would you like to find?
>Alice Marlow
>>Momento of Duty: "Alice Marlow" discovered.
>>Momento of Duty: Add "Place: Core of Creation" to destinations list?
>Yes
>>Momento of Duty: "Place: Core of Creation" is now accessible by dimensional breach.

The ship had drifted forward enough to be outside of the Soul of Tommorow's gravitational influence. All that was before them was the unnatural darkness of the artificial universe they had taken refuge in. "Preparing breach." Vihaan announced.

For a while nothing happened. Then more time passed and nothing continued to happen. Vihaan closed his eyes, his hands were shaking. "Preparing to breach..."

Then he brought his hands down on top of the hardlight console.

Unlike the violent lurching jumps they had experienced when using the Desire Drive, the Inquiry simply faded into Eternity. The space around them was beautiful. It was full of a myriad of colors and lights, a dazzling display of wonder and they drifted through the raw materials of creation. Thick tendrils of red and black reached forward from the ship and dragged it through the medium like some sort of grotesque machine octopus. It's hands dug deeply into the web of light outside, leaving thin distorted streaks as the Inquiry passed through the primordial realm.

Then they faded back into existence elsewhere.

---​

 

[BlackHarte]

[hr]

End of an Era

story of night

​

[hr]

I watched as Nina, Rugal, and Philip fell into the seat of all creation. They landed gently in a dark abyss. All they could see in all directions was blackness. It was not dark, for there was enough light for them to discern both their own forms and the forms of each other, there was just simply nothing for the light to reach nor express. The world was empty. Their feet touched ground only because they expected to touch ground, that their subconscious yearned to be standing. In the same way was their light, for their desire to see.

I don't know if I expected them to arrive or not. I couldn't remember. The plan had gotten too convoluted. I couldn't even remember which timeline they were from. In the end it doesn't matter. It's all the same. They all have to end the same way. I clapped my hands.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

>1
The Core of Creation
You find yourself in a dark expanse. You can feel the ground beneath your feet, but can see nothing but each other.

>

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

>1
The Core of Creation
You find yourself in a dark expanse. You can feel the ground beneath your feet, but can see nothing but each other.

>

"....Huh...this is-....unexpected..." Rugal remarked as he examined the expanse around him.

[>Look at Dark Expanse]

Finding nothing (Least at this moment in time), he slowly began to walk forward while keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of live or movement.

[>Move North]

[footnote]North or whatever direction is in front of him[/footnote]
"...This mission gets more and more bizarre...Nina, you going alright over there?..." He asked, being sure not to let her leave his visual range.

[>Look at Nina]
[>Talk to Nina]

He then attempted to make sense of this strange realm they were in, kneeling down and running his hand along the "Ground" they were standing on.

[>Examine Ground]

Part of this investigation included testing the "Rules" of this new world, prompting him to timidly strike at the surface beneath them with his fist.

[>Attack Ground]

 

[Zepherus14]

[Examine Area]

Looking around at the place they'd found themselves in, seeing that there was a whole heck of a lot of darkness all around them.

[Request Item: Flashlight]

"Phillip, we still have that emergency kit right? I'm pretty sure we didn't take it out when we were setting up our place in the ship? Maybe we could use that?" Nina asked as she continued looking around and watched Rugal head on ahead.

[Answer Query]

"I'm okay, a little weirded out we're suddenly not in the ship anymore, but I'm okay." She answered and after a short pause. "Phillip's okay too, he says this place is kinda familiar." She added, sounding perplexed by that, not understanding what place Phillip had seen that'd resemble such a oppressively dark place.

[Touch Ground]

Seeing Rugal examine whatever they were currently standing on, Nina did the same. Where they standing on the same metal flooring of the ship somehow or something else entirely. Phillip did one step further as he extended several tendrils outwards as they pawed at the ground.

[IF Request Item: Flashlight > True]

Nina happily took the light and flicked it on, shining the light around to see if anything happened, or if they truly were in an void of darkness.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

>2
The Core of Creation
The area around you is dark. It is impossible to discern anything at a distance. There does not seem to be anything that obscures your view.

>3
The Core of Creation
You move Northward. You travel some distance but the environment around you does not change.

>4
The Core of Creation
You look at Nina. She is a young woman. She has blonde hair and noticeably large breasts. She wears a dress woven from starlight. The Proof of Empathy rests in a broach at the base of her neck.

>5
The Core of Creation
You examine the ground but are unable to discern anything with your eyes.

>6
The Core of Creation
You attack the ground. Your fist connects with something solid, but you cannot discern anything from the contact. The ground has no visible reaction to your strike.

>2
You turn the flashlight on and shine it around you. The darkness continues to expand in all directions. The area around you seems no brighter than it had been. It seems that the are is already well lit.

 

[Zepherus14]

"Damn... it's not helping at all... It's kinda like that van black stuff I saw on the internet once. So dark it eats light." Nina suggested, walking up to Rugal as she turned the flashlight off. "Let's see if this does anything." She said as she grabbed Rugal's shoulder and then attempted to activate her Proof of Empathy, trying to correct this lack of anything despite them being on something.

>Retrieve BaseBall
>Hurl BaseBall

Phillip seeing these different attempts at figuring out where they were shrugged and upon feeling no determinable difference in the floor decided to see how far out things might go. Reaching inside himself, he pulled out a ball and YEET'd that poor thing as hard as he could!