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

Zepherus14 · Oct 8, 2016

[HEADING=2]The Rising Dawn Adventures[/HEADING]The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Rising Dawn Private Quarters - Ryan's Room
Ryan | Annie | Nina and Phillip

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"Hey, don't worry about it. More for me then~" She mused, cracking a smile as she lay on the bed, passively grabbing a loose newspaper for her to look at any coupons that might be there. Although she didn't quite get Annie's reason for not wanting the soup, she wasn't offended either that Annie wouldn't want some.

Phillip on the other hand, had a slight bit more insight into why Annie refuse, or at the very least knew it wasn't 'because I'm not hungry'. He could tell Annie was interested in the soup and as such, he too would give her a motion, which she struck down as well. Regardless Phillip would get the soup ready for Nina and be done with it for the moment.

During her eating time, Nina started finding her current belly lying on the foot of the bed a bit uncomfortable to eat, and as such, she readjusted herself to instead sit there. One leg was tucked underneath her while the other hung off the bed, bracing herself on the floor. A large majority of her hair tumbled off the bed as she looked to Annie to ask her question, and would passively listen while she finished the bit of bread she had left. The comment of "-Some of them may have a strong immunity from Phillip's presence, biologically or even matters of magic-" produced an odd look from Nina however, the wording frankly a bit weird when Annie was talking about a presence. Heck, Ryan had mentioned something similar about some weird feeling too back in the Denver streets, which then brought her thoughts back to Ryan. "Really I'm not sure where I'm going to go from here if Ryan's really going to take that long to get up. I just don't want Phillip to get hurt."

Now what came next could only be described like stepping into a movie half way through it. Obviously Annie had history with the medical staff, both with how she spoke about them, and how Annie didn't want her to tell anyone about Ryan either. Which Nina thought was honestly pretty dumb, which Annie seemed to catch on to pretty quickly saying her piece about Ryan owing her for some unforgivable even. Nina of course wouldn't know what this even was, but given her current train of thought that didn't much matter to her.

"So, I get where you're coming from. Ryan did something dumb and you want him to get better." She stated, leaning over the side of the bed a moment to set her finished mug down on the ground, afterwards looking back to the stoic woman slowly patting her fingertips together. "The way I'm kinda seeing this though, I'm feeling you're kinda going at this the wrong way." She said gingerly, then raised her hands in a surrendering fashion.

"Unfortunately, I feel like I've jumped headlong into the middle of a 20 part series with no context, because you saying 'the medical staff can't be trusted' fills me with why? Ryan said the Rising Dawn was sort of like the Xmen, while the way you're describing it sounds more like Deadpool... [small]Which was also part of Xmen wasn't it... Right?[/small]" Nina pondered a moment, plucking her bottom lip with her finger before hand waving it away.

"Anyways the point is, you solely taking care of Ryan is probably a bad idea if he's going to be like this for a long while." Nina said straight forward. "As far as I understand, you don't have medical training, which if all he needs is rest to get better cool, but how do you know that? He still needs to get fed all the time, and water, and speaking of water showers too so he doesn't get dirty, and you gotta make sure he gets moved a bit so he doesn't get bedsores, and make sure he doesn't puke and drown in his sleep." Nina rhyme'd off like some sort of laundry list of activities, then snapped her fingers. "Oh, and poop! This isn't some videogame where that doesn't come up, he is probably definitely at some point going to poop his pants and I am certainly not taking care of that, and neither will Phillip." Even know no audible sound came from Phillip, the recoil alone from that comment was enough of a response.

"And see, I know what you're thinking. "Well Nina can still take care of him.", but to you I respond with." Nina continued, almost arguing with herself at this point, putting in her own interpretation of Annie that to her credit was pretty dignified. "You can't be the only person that knows he's here and still do all the important people saving stuff you do on the Dawn!" She spelled out, karate chopping her own hand as if to punctuate each word. "From what I've gotten so far in the short exchange I had with him, he definitely has the idea of helping people down... fairly well. He fumbled a bit, but whatever. Point is, I can't see him appreciating you staying as his solo caregiver, and not helping other people you could be saving instead. Moreover it's a liability for Ryan since no one would know he's here, what happens if anything happened to you! I'm not even talking about anything major, even just something like a simple trip to get groceries, would leave him open for crazy people jumping through your house! Regardless of your thoughts about the staff, your plan isn't a very good alternative either!"

"Unless I get info to say the otherwise, you sounding a whole heck of a lot like my mother and vaccines, and ooooh boy is that a fun migraine to have, let me tell you." Nina concluded, probably not the best articulated rebuttal, but she felt her point had been gotten across. Regardless of Annie's feelings, leaving Ryan solely to herself in this state was showing some serious hubris that was just asking for the oodles of gods that seemed to be walking around here to fiddle with. She also wasn't underestimating Annie's capacity to achieve this goal of her's either, but today was showing that if bad things can happen, they will probably try in spectacular and unpredictable fashion, and putting one's eggs in one basket was not a smart plan.

[HEADING=2][color=E34234]"Attention Crew. Please report to the main hanger for briefing."[/color][/HEADING]

Nina looked up to the disembodied voice of the speakers as the group was assembled, obviously the call didn't matter to her, and she figured Annie didn't care about it either, but she thought she might as well ask. "We're gonna be ignoring that I assume?"

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Oct 8, 2016

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...One for the dramatics I see... Rugal thought to himself as the briefing finished, not exactly pleased with the tone the Major had chosen to take but it was hardly inaccurate: He did fail in his duties and it was well deserved.
During the presentation, he glanced over to Kazuya, who had wisely decided to retire from the scene, giving his men instructions [color=9f2c68]("If they tell you to jump, ask how high.")[/color] but opting out of any more involvement in what was most likely the greatest military failure of his entire life.
With Kalastryn's announcement of going on the Anti-Anti Air team, he stepped forward and said "I'll be with the Extraction team then. I should be able to ensure the team's safety in close quarters...That and I'm certain Teri would be relieved to see me..."

Not long after, the agent known as Ghost soon spoke up, totally not just after sneaking in during the speech.

Code:

*TSK* "Alright, guess I'll go with the assault team once those AA installations are down. So...how many of these "Angels" are we sending in or are they just for show?..." *TSK!*

He asked in a somewhat jeering manner while the Doctor of Doom merely rose his hand as if in a classroom and asked [color=004d]"....ummmm, what can Doom do?"[/color]

Code:

*TSK* "Go back to his cell and let the grown-ups handle this mess? Man, get out of my sight before I get have a mind to finish what Kazuya started. This is a military operation, not the fucking Special Olympics..." *TSK*

The Agent then snapped before wandering over to his equipment locker, getting loaded up and ready to go

((Working on other posts, honest))

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Oct 8, 2016

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The Rising Dawn | Medical Bay:
Jenny | Chrysalis | Dr. Violet | Anyone I didn't list

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It had been a rather tense evening for Jenny, fresh off a days in World Marshall "Employment" and looking rather worse for wear.
While her body wasn't too heavily augmented compared to most Cyborgs, it still made her treatment a bit harsher on her body all the same.
A few internal devices were removed while she was "Disconnected" and there was word that she might need a cane for the rest of her days.
Thus, as she laid there, staring at the ceiling, she longed for something to take her mind off this...

It was about this time that she saw someone who looked like a black woman get put into a cot beside her own.
She fixated on the woman for a moment, thinking that she didn't look like Staff or any crew member she knew, what happened to her? how did she get there?
"..."
Pangs of guilt spurred her to sit up, wincing rather intensely as she did so.
After all, she was used was a weapon by Armstrong's men, what if this was someone that she hurt.
Leaning over to the other patient, she reached out to nudge her asking "Hey....Hello?...Can you hear me?..."

While this was happening, a pair of annoyed looking guards began to drag a rather crazed looking Dr. Violet along the ground towards one of the soundproof wards.
Diana's spells and Miia's "Assault on his senses" left him a twitching mess as his hair dye leaked from his sliver hair whist rambling about "potatoes on people's body" and "They were in my face" and so forth.
The guards were just glad they had broken any other would-be heirs to the company, happily tossing him in a ward before locking him inside.

Generic NPC 22 · Oct 12, 2016

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Before the Briefing

Were Rory a mere mortal, rather than an Oracle to the God of Death, it was within the realm of imagining that Naamah's sudden and feverish embrace might have, at best, caused some light bruising or, at worst, caused a few broken rips and internal bleeding. Despite the immortal demi-goddess' ability to shrug off even the most severe of life threatening injury, she was not immune to being surprised or being startled by the violently exuberant hug.

"YES INDEED, YES INDEED!" Naamah screamed "Love is so sweet, yes indeed! Hearts intertwined, locked together, beating as one! Humanity is born to love for self and for others! Yes ineed!"

Like a constrictor, like two atoms being fused together, the Black and Crimson Clad Berserker felt the space between her and her companion growing ever so smaller and the capacity of her lungs getting equally as small. If Naamah was expecting a response from Rory, she was going to have to wait since even Demi-Goddesses weren't immune to the laws of physics and needed to fill their lungs with air in order to speak.

"Ummm... Miss Naamah" A young and familiar voice chimed in from the side, slightly muffled by two pump mounds of flesh in front of her mouth, "I don't think that Miss Rory's face is supposed to be that color."

"HUFFFFFFFFFF!" Came the sudden intake of air into the freshly released lungs of the former blue faced loli-goth former love goddess, who simply smiled at her companion, putting finger to lips as the briefing started.

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After the Briefing

"(That was certainly a lively briefing)" Rory Mercury thought to herself as she waiting for Major Rhodes to climb down from the briefing stage that she'd used to present the assault briefing. The plan was simply enough for even a fool to follow, though there was no doubt that there was at least more than one fool present for the plans that the Major had outlined. Looking out from the slightly lower dais, a look of disapproval crossed the War Goddess' face when she realized that there were a number of crew members absent from the meeting. Were these members too consumed with their own affairs to be concerned with the welfare of their comrades or were they something else.

Having placed Naamah on the ground next to her, the Black Haired Berserker was able to pay full attention to the meeting, admiring the efficiency at which the Major had delivered her impassioned words, though unlike a certain First Lieutenant from Rory's past, there was a certain amount of vengeance fueled blood thirstiness. Were they back in the Special Region, there was no doubt that Palapon, the God of Revenge, would have given this woman her blessing or, perhaps, offered her a place by his side as his Oracle.

With the briefing ended, the three battle groups started to form. As one of those who was to take part in the prison assault and rescue mission, Rory waited for the Major who was also taking part in inevitably bloody incursion (blood splatter being inevitable whenever Rory was involved).

"A noble speech, Major Rhodes," The Former Goddess of Love commented, "I'd almost forgotten how impassioned the people of your world can get prior to battle, especially when given proper cause."

It had been a widely held view by those in control of the Empire that the people of Japan were weak due to the care that they showed for their citizens. No government with an army powerful enough to withstand the might of the Imperial Army could possibly be concerned about their civilian population. Their beliefs were soon corrected when the JSDF mounted raids on various occasions to rescue not only enslaved Japanese citizens but to rescue their captured ally, Princess Pina Colada. It was this desire to protect, not conquer, that seemed allowed the soldiers of this world to persevere.

"Auntie Rhodes is going to make sure that those men down there are never going to be able to hurt anyone like they did with Miss Dolly... Loli," Ruby said as she walked next to the Major, seemingly more mature than possible for someone of her age.

"You should stay aboard this ship, little one," The Demi-Goddess said, kneeling in front of Ruby. While there was a tone of respect and admiration for a child that would risk her life, even Emloy frowned upon the senseless death of a child, "It would be much safer for you."

"Nu uh. You and Auntie Rhodes'll keep me safe and I can help you get through the maze when we get there." The nine-year old girl in the pink dress responded, shaking her head.

"And you are going to allow this?" The Demi-Goddess of Death asked the Major before turning to Naamah, "As for you, friend Naamah, are you coming with me as well?"

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Escapist Avatar Adventures | Undisclosed Location | Weapon's Storage
Ross' Raiders' First Day...
ARES-35 | Dimitri | Viscus versus Gunnery Sargent Percival Ross and The Raiders

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Had Gunnery Sargent Percival Ross been aware that he'd been assigned to guard patients belonging to a Inpatient Medical Facility for the Criminally insane, he would have been a bit more prepared to contend with the fact that the patients held onto their delusions as though they were fact. He would have been prepared to explain to the woman standing in front of him that she was, in fact human and that anything contrary to that belief was a misfiring of her synapses. However, he could not ignore the fact that the woman appeared to be wearing a full suit of combat capable armor nor the fact that she was standing in the epicenter of the blast that had claimed the lives of two of his men... nor could he explain just how she was causing energy to dance from her wrists ever so dangerously, causing the Sargent to swallow nervously.

Gunnery Sargent Ross was in charge of a group of contractors that had taken part in more than a few skirmishes in the past, taking part in conflicts in places where the populations walked miles down unpaved roads to get to communal wells or where the more popular family names ended in -ov. While the money had been good, Ross and his Raiders had gotten rather tired of the merc business since it seemed like the shit usually hit the fan the day Ross' Raiders landed and so they had decided on a milk run, sub-contracted guard work with World Marshall. Ross was totally and completely unsurprised that there was now a prison wide riot on his first day.

Despite all the piss poor luck Ross' Raiders had with their contracts, he'd never lost a man until today and here was some bright and bubbly ~~*****~~ woman saying that she could bring them back from the dead? He was unamused by this.

"Lady... if this is some sort of joke that you're trying to pull on me, it's not funny." The Gunnery Sargent muttered, his rifle still pointed at the woman's center of mass, watching as the woman pulled a few weapons from the shelves that even Bull, the group's strong man, would have had trouble carrying, "To be blunt, even if everything you were saying was true, about M. Bison masquerading around as a politician and trying to become president by controlling the world by enhancing his psychic powers through the use of NASA satellites and MIT, what makes you think that the public would even have allowed him to get into that sort of position in the first place? I've heard of the guy, never met him personally, but based on what's been circulated, he's not the brightest bulb in the box and it would take someone with more than four braincells to see through any sort of disguise that the former dictator could come up with. That's not to mention that he's pretty much wanted by every sort of law enforcement agency on the planet for a varying assortment of war crimes and human rights abuses. That's not even taking into account that the guy's masquerading around as a Senator and not one hack with political aspirations has decided to dig into Vincent Vegas' past and found out that the name is an alias and demanded proof of citizenship. So it's a bit hard for me to think that the entire world would be dense enough to buy into a plot that sounds like it was lifted from a James Bond Porn Parody."

Despite the fact that there were more than enough reasons why Ross could simply dismiss the woman's claims, there was still the underlying fact that the worm being dangled in front of the Sargent was quite a plump and juicy one. She was offering the lives of his men.

"Fine... you've hired me and my men for five minutes. The way things are going, it doesn't look like we'll be collecting a paycheck any time soon for this gig. BUT if you so much as make a move on any of my men or deliver what you promised," Sargent Percy said lowering his rifle, "I'm going to send this armor piercing tungsten slug flying at 3000 m/s through your body."

Turning to his men he started barking orders, before moving to cover the door. Seconds passed before the sound of gunfire echoed down the corridor. Seemed that even after being hired by ARES, Ross and his men couldn't catch a break.

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Escapist Avatar Adventures | Pocket Dimension
New Beginnings... New Endings
Katya Rostikova | Antoinette de la Trou | Benedict Warrington | Lucieon

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It must have been quite the sight that Lucieon beheld when he came upon the trio stuck in Twit's pocket dimension. A young adult female, who appeared to have lost her clothing in a friendly game of strip poker, stood in naked defiance with a rifle pointed in the air, her skin flushed at not only the sheer frustration of having lost all of her clothing, while having won none of her opponent's clothing, but also having been betrayed by her internal companion. In the mean time, another woman, her body swathed in some sort of tactical armor, floated in nothingness of the dimension, a rapier held in her right hand while a main gauche was held in her left. It appeared that it had been a sliced fragment of tungsten that had struck the man in the face.

"Mortal men and women should not frequent planes like this, you might get lost forever you know." said Lucieon as he landed in the midst of the trio of lost souls. They were indeed lost, for who would willingly stay in the nothingness of this pocket dimension for as lengthy a time as to have one of their party lose all of their clothing in a card game.

"Alright... who the fuck are you?!" The Princess of Profanity, Katya Rostikova, cursed loudly, obviously startled and appeared to be strangely displeased by the fact that yet another soul had found them. If it had anything to do with the fact that her clothing was floating about in the nothingness that permeated the void, she did little to cover her stark nakedness. Were Lucieon the sort of man that could read minds, he'd have known that the Rising Dawn's Resident Mean Girl was still a bit sore about her companion having betrayed her, though for all her anger, the stench of desire clung to the young woman's body.

"A guide perhaps?" The singular male of the trio spoke, his accent betraying him of English origins... though perhaps not originally so. With the next few words, the man betrayed himself perhaps as a one time man of the cloth, "He does imply that he traverses these planes quite a bit frequently, do you not my son?"

"Even if he's a guide, I'm still forced to wonder what act of fate brought him here? It is only the by the rarest of serendipity that someone would be able to find us amid the infinite possibilities" Antoinette said, looking at Lucieon with suspision and her weapons still held in hand "C'est vrai, Monsieur Etranger, n'est pas?"

Of course, Fate would have never admitted to intervening in such a situation regardless of whether he'd been involved or not. There were times when mortals forged their own path and there were times when Fate pulled the strings on the grand skein. Regardless, it didn't matter whether or not those intangibles were involved, what did matter was that the trio of trespassers now had a guide.

"By the way you are looking at companion, it is clear that you know her or are enamored of her unclothed form," The French Fencer stated with a grin, "Would it not be polite for the gentleman caller to introduce himself first?"

"[small]I'm so going to kill you, Twit[/small]"

Kalastryn · Oct 12, 2016

Escapist Avatar Adventures | Undisclosed Location | Weapon's Storage
"If you're smart, your first day on this job will be your last."
ARES-35 | Dimitri | Viscus versus Gunnery Sargent Percival Ross and The Raiders

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"Fine... you've hired me and my men for five minutes. The way things are going, it doesn't look like we'll be collecting a paycheck any time soon for this gig. BUT if you so much as make a move on any of my men or deliver what you promised," Sargent Percy said lowering his rifle, "I'm going to send this armor piercing tungsten slug flying at 3000 m/s through your body."

"To be honest, from an outside perspective I wouldn't have believed a word out of my mouth on the subject. Not that it isn't the case, but I agree it sounds a bit absurd, putting it lightly. Bison is an idiot, if you should ask me. Though, he's an idiot who has a talent for finding much brighter people to associate with. That said, I don't know about you, but I only strike bargains I intend to keep." ARES replied, and while her would-be mercenary executioner decided to be a smart man and not fire at the currently bullet reflecting ARES.

For the next three or so minutes, ARES was knelt down on both knees, here eyes closed. If Mr. Ross had decided to take a moment to look in at ARES, he'd probably be surprised by the mechanical appendages with welders and clamps springing out of an area on her back that was flung wide open, stripping her out of her armor and placing a new set in it's place. This one was quite different from all her others. The armoring it possessed was probably akin to Kevlar across her arms, legs, and torso. However, other than on her knees, feet, hands, elbows, and back... there was a distinct lack of metal. That isn't to say it didn't have something impressive about it, but the biotech frame wasn't at all made to be a jack of all trades. It was a master at one, which is keeping people alive. That would mean as far as defenses, attack power etc. it was probably the frame in which she was the most vulnerable. There were may things this suit was not suited for, but it would be hard to match up to it in what it is capable of.

There were roughly two minutes left to go when a pneumatic hiss came from ARES as the mechanical arms receded to where they belonged, her joints unlocked, and she was able to move. And move she did, quite quickly in fact, not wanting at this stage to anger the Sergeant in the next room if she didn't have to.

Kneeling down and Examining [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yQmPQqpA18] the body she decided she was going to resuscitate, it didn't look great... shrapnel was not exactly a great thing to contend with. There were more entry wounds than exit wounds, which meant that at least some of the sharp metal bits of ARES' control collar were still embedded in Ms. Lafferty's corpse. This was never a good thing. Even if said pieces of metal were embedded in non-vital organs, once revitalized Private Lafferty would be in excruciating pain as the everyday biological processes the human body goes through would have to perform those tasks around the shrapnel. This... often proved deadly, as movement from muscles and organs could shift the metal around into something that without a doubt matters to keep the body running. Fishing all of that out of the Private was going to be the first priority. At least her body was still warm, so she'd have gone through minimal if any decay yet.

Stretching out her right hand, flipping it upwards so that the palm aligned with her wrist, a hole opened in her palm to drop some white canister to the floor. Turning it upside down and flipping a switch, it then began to hum and release a cloudy black mist. If one were to look at the contents of it under a microscope, thousands of nanobots were dispersed throughout, and wherever it landed on the Private's body, their purpose was made abundantly clear. The spilled blood coating Private Lafferty seemed to be slowly flowing back into her body as the nanobots herded to the surface wounds of the Private's body and diving into her blood stream. Shrapnel began to seemingly pull itself mostly out of Lafferty's wounds and protrude long enough for ARES to pull them out by hand.

ARES, at this current moment, was functionally blind. Not that her eyes didn't work, but rather, every nanobot that activated was sending a real time video feed straight to ARES' vision, showing ARES their progress. This was good insofar as seeing what she was dealing with, but terrible at letting her see her surroundings. It was like trying to view your desktop through 800 overlapping message windows. Though, with what she could see, the miniature mechanical medics inside the Private had extracted nearly everything, and the newest ones to land on Lafferty stopped carrying what very little blood cells that weren't already relocated back inside.

Now knowing that all the shrapnel in the body in front of her was removed, the nanobots began hardening themselves, linking together like threads of a rope and looping themselves like thread and sutures to close and bandage the wounds left on Lafferty's body. At the end of it all, it still wasn't exactly a perfect recovery. Hell, even having effectively reclaimed about 97.86% of the blood lost from the neck mounted grenade ARES set off, those scars weren't going to heal themselves very soon...

However, while it wasn't a pretty sight, it would be functional enough to hold the Private together at least. Which was all well and good, since the process left her with precious little time to actually revive Lafferty, about 30 seconds. Sergeant Percival Ross would likely step back in the room with his rifle at the ready, only to find that ARES had much a different look to her. Even the blades of energy which Sergeant Ross was threatened with were formed very differently. Instead of two long blades, one in each hand, they were like the knife tips of a scalpel protruding from her fingernails. With one swift stroke, she made an incision in his fallen comrade, and the mist of nanobots went for it almost entirely together. It was almost as if her chest cavity had just sucked air in like a smoker with their mouth on a cigarette. These nanomachines threaded together around Lafferty's heart, and began to constrict it, and then slack... and repeated this process to simulate a heartbeat until her own vital processes rebooted.

Flipping the canister and turning it off, the lingering mist in the air slowly drifted out of sight, carried away by- and likely disengaging within, the ventilation system. Standing up and addressing Sergeant Ross, she concluded."Hmph. My old employers used to think we were so different... I don't see how. The human body is like a biological machine in a way. All it's parts working together like gears in clockwork to make you function. She's not exactly awake yet, but her heart's beating and she's in stable condition. She'll live, provided you can get out of here before worse occurs to one of you.

Think it strange all you want, I do have to apologize for hurting your friend there. It wasn't my intention, all I wanted was to get my restraints off. Pretty inhumane to line control collars with explosives, you think? That said, looking over the files on the personnel your employers did manage to capture... I've got rescue coming, in addition to the riot. Of course I don't know that for sure, but it's not like the crowd I associate with to leave anyone behind. It would be rather wise to make yourselves scarce as soon as possible." she advised. Turning to the storage shelves and collecting the last of the gear attached in Dimitri's message.

NotYetForsaken · Oct 13, 2016

Mujahideen
Location: Bow Hangar Array | Rising Dawn
White iris' for resting spirits.

Major Rhodes Selmy

[color=49453a]"If the child wishes to fight then I have no right to deny the yearning of her spirit,"[/color] Rhodes answered. She turned toward the open hangar doors. The wind billowing in swept her hair into a frantic dance reminiscent of the clash of a cat o' nine tails. She put her hands into her pockets and leaned back to look at Rory. [color=49453a]"Whatever providence I can get, I will take. This world is too harsh to pass up any opportunities."[/color] She closed her eyes and motioned toward the sea of clouds basking in moonlight. [color=49453a]"This is the world, my small friend. And it will welcome our coming with open arms. Under my blessing, Ruby shall come to no harm."[/color]

Naamah tapped her staff on the ground twice. She leaned on the old wood staff and swayed gently with the breeze. The jewelry that adorned her hips jingled lightly as she moved. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleeping. "Naamah has no quarrel with those below, yes indeed." She pursed her lips, "Naamah's role is to observe and record. Naamah only acts when Naamah's Solomon bids Naamah act. Otherwise she should not become to intertwined with the strings of karmic destiny." There was a small pause as she stood up on the balls of her feet, as if trying to taste the very wind on her lips. "Yes indeed. Naamah needs to stay here and prepare to witness a great change in the threads of fate. An event looms on the horizon like a mountain. Dark, immense, and inescapable. It tastes frightening."

Rhodes chuckled, [color=49453a]"I did not know you had the Wife of the Good King herself on board."[/color] She seemed to only be half-joking. [color=49453a]"This is great providence indeed. Let it be known then, anisa, with you two we cannot fail! Not when the very eyes of King Solomon's bride watches us so graciously!"[/color]

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Homelands

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lucieon's story

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"There's always someone familiar no matter where you go."

Lucieon flinched at the comment. He had not noticed that his gaze had lingered for so long on the naked girl. Though now that the Mademoiselle had mentioned it, he had been long deprived from working the nubile flesh of a budding woman. He stretched his fingers. Aye, it would be quite nice to feel once again the soft tissue underneath his fingers as he worked. The slickness, the smoothness not found in specimens of other types.

He stowed those thoughts away. Any more and the vengeful spirits of his victims might find him int his void and drown him in spilled blood.

In a flash he drew his rapier and placed the fine tip against Antoinette's own. "Very well," Lucieon bellowed, still staring unflinchingly at Katya's average chest. "I am Lucieon Cazzemello Sato di Roma. I have no other titles, but many simply call me 'the Loathed.'" Then he sheathed his sword. "Though I would be more considerate of not raising a commotion. Beasts of the dark frequent planes like these and more often than not find the flesh of young women sweet."

He paused and then shot a glare at Katya, "And there are monsters here made of tentacles. Though they are not so palatable as the ones conceived in material planes." Lucieon walked up to Benedict, "And to you, priest. I would say that you are correct. I am indeed what you speak, a walker of planes - though I am not a Planeswalker. I am undead, and in being unbound from the laws of time, I can travel between timelines easily. Though, being so immaterial I am wont to become lost during long forays, as I have done so just now."

He took a step back and spun around, waving. "I have part of my soul tethered to my home plane, just for occasions like this. If you wish to tag along, I will not mind this one time. I have already been defeated in my quest. Though know that my plane is not that same that any of you three call 'home.' Though different, it is more hospitable than this infinite darkness populated by abstractions of nightmares. There is food, water, light, and women or boys depending on your fancy. At any rate, you will be better able to coordinate your planeswalk back to the Rising Dawn in relative comfort." Lucieon drew a small golden string from the lining of his cloak and pulled on it.

It snapped taut and in the darkness it shone brilliant, like a single thread of solid sunshine, it cut into the darkness in front of them and left a gash of liquid light. Beyond came sound - that of running water and calling birds, of rushing wind and waving grass.

"Though home it is, it is still under the influence of that accursed Lord. And know that I play no host. Once there I will leave you at the whims of my old master, the Librarian Maria." Lucieon gave a genuine chuckle after he said that name, "Try not to comment on her appearance. She's rather sensitive about her... girth."

Neuromancer · Oct 13, 2016

The events of this post happen before people gathered at the canteen.

The Rising Yawn - Corridor
[color=5B9C64]Eddie the Dead[/color]

He hated time travel.

For most people, a meeting with their future self is an extraordinary, nearly impossible circumstance. More often than not, it was not an actual meeting with their actual other-time selves, but rather, a meeting with a self from an alternate reality, which was similar enough to be mistaken as their own reality, but not quite the same. Time travel thus was not truelly time travel, but rather dimension hopping. The rules of time are strict, and as most beings are bound by it, they are bound in a fundamental level to its rules.

But he was a being outside of time, unrestricted by its laws, free of their limitations. Needless to say, this was not the first time the timeless rocker had met himself from a different time.

Most unfortunate, then, that every other time it had happened brought grim tidings.

Time travel was by its nature a hastle, its very involvement in jobs meant ill days approached. Though he was unbound by time's limitations, he was nonetheless subject to its complications, and so every action taken must first be fully considered and analysed. To do that, rather than focus his perception of time up a single, 'present' instant, he would need to instead broaden it from point A (which would be the point upon which he would need to travel in time) to point B(which would be the point from which he jumped from.) and everything inbetween and after, and fully analyse the consequences of each individual action from there. Otherwise he would be stuck in a nearly endless loop of trial and error until he got the desired effect. And, of course, there was always the meeting with his future self, which almost always went as it did in this instance: Lots of cryptic words but no actual substance.

By Luck, did he ever hate time travel.

The imp had already buggered off by the time Eddie had fully assessed the situation. Today it just kept getting better and better it seemed. First he was tricked into his assignment, then the promise he made to the kids, followed by the stupid pastry business which reminded him why counting on mortals is synonimous to disappointment, the return home only to find the promise broken by the children and his efforts in vain, then there was the talk with his patron and her dreadful foreshadowing, and now this. Not one break to be had, one unfortunate circumstance after the other.

He stared at the ceiling, with a look that said "You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

And so, with a deep breath, Eddie walked his way back to the canteen, only to be met with another nasty surprise: his ward wasn't there. In her stead, he was greeted by a drunk with pieces of glass stuck on his head. Said drunk managed to set a new record for quickest three strikes: Fifteen seconds, three sentences, twenty-two words. Already in ill mood, Eddie without a word grabbed a bottle of wine from the nearest table and smashed it on his face so quick and hard that it sent the man flying in the impact's opposite direction, doing two full circles before landing on his face.

In that small rage-fuelled explosion, Eddie had an epiphany. Why should he spend every single moment of his precious time babysitting that little brat? it was gonna be years before she came of age, and since his future self was still on the job, it meant that he hadn't to worry about the girl walking into her death.

So to hell with it, he thought. He had already devoted enough of his time for her in one day, and in both instances was awarded with squat. The girl didn't deserve his full attention, and he still have all the time in the world to nurture her into bartending. It was thus time for some Eddie time, Eddie felt like spending this time on a much more interesting person. Peering into the All-song, he located her part of the melody, and with a single step walked through time and space a few ounces away from her location, in front of her room. Knocking before entering, Eddie took note of his coat hanging along other clothes, and put it on.

[color=5B9C64]"It's me,"[/color] he said as he did, [color=5B9C64]"I've come to check how yer doin'."[/color] He took a peak into the bathroom, liked what he saw, and leaned on the bathroom door, grinning.

[color=5B9C64]"Ya know, people of this world usually bathe with their underwear off. Not that I'm complaining."[/color] His face hardened, and he took a more serious tone. [color=5B9C64]"How are you adjusting? I saw you got yourself a new pair of clothes. I take it the crew hasn't given you trouble?"[/color]

Barbas · Oct 13, 2016

The Rising Dawn | Crew Quarters
Barbas

[hr]

Oh nooooo...

"-ngar for briefing."

*Yeeeeeeeeeeergh...*

"-e main hangar for briefing."

Ugh.

"Attention Crew. Please report to the main hangar for briefing."

Barbas slipped off the vacant bunk and dropped to the floor with the grace of a freshly evicted flounder. He went splat.

BLEHHH! Never be teleported on a full stomach.

Rising one leg at a time, he dragged himself in the direction of what must be the washroom. Hopefully nobody on the ship's crew had spotted the creature from the barf lagoon; with any luck the mess would be blamed on beings from another world.

The message had piqued his curiosity. Since he appeared to be stuck here for the time being, why not? Surely it couldn't entail anything more unpleasant than what he'd already suffered on the way here, he hoped, shivering under the cooling blast from the taps. Sheesh, it was like Coldharbour in here.

He paused briefly, considering the last thought.

No, it definitely isn't that bad. At least this place didn't have three-armed, argh, no, why that memory, argh.

Screwing shut his eyelids and concentrating hard on forgetting his most recent time in the umbral plains, the shaggy hound padded toward the hangar.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Oct 14, 2016

Escapist Avatar Adventures | Undisclosed Location | Weapon's Storage

Code:

[color=grey][...Great...][/color]

ARES-35 | Dimitri | Viscus versus Gunnery Sargent Percival Ross and The Raiders

[hr]

Code:

[Just...Great...]

The AI thought to himself as his dreaded countdown finally finished, looking rather on edge and twitchy within the tablet as he watched his chance to finally get some revenge on the race of meat-sacks that had tormented him for so very long.
But no, there was no one resisting and the ones that were ARES was able to talk out of hostilities.
This seemed to anger the AI, he was looking forward to being "Let loose" off the binds he had spent much of his existence in for the last few months.
Well...there was nothing he could do about it, but seeing how the timer had finished, it was time to make good on his promise.
Using the Cameras and research logs, he began to scan though countless files on all the Androids they had in stor-

Code:

[...Target Acquired] :)

The AI's mood finally was lifted as it then transferred himself into a Rather Advanced Power Suit [https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f0/27/d3/f027d3acce6cf10aa29b0517ac32d031.jpg], instantly feeling back at home inside one of his original armors.
The armor quickly sprang to life, hovering off the rack before marching right past all the Soldiers and frightened staff.

Code:

[Viscus Mark 3. Armor : Online : I *live* again!]

He blared without any modesty before making his way to the equipment section, keen to resupply his weapon systems and perhaps pick up a few upgrades.

bluerocker · Oct 18, 2016

Diablo1099 said:
dis dude contributed too.

Texas Joker 52 said:
This person wrote some stuff. :3

[hr]

".......huh...I-...really wasn't expecting that to work...Want me to do yours next or..."

Caim would have slapped David at that moment. He really wanted to. He was practically dying to, in light of the events that had just occurred; after all - it's not often that a man confesses to dating one's sister and then do something so horrendously, borderline-suicidally stupid...then again, that was David West for you. Caim grabbed David by the scruff of his shirt, pulled him close and very pointedly mouthed, "We will need to talk. Later. Don't die" before the Irish gunman was unceremoniously dropped back on his feet. Caim tilted his head to allow for David's little "back-alley" collar removal procedure, his eyes closing in anticipation of a bullet misfiring and entering his neck, blood spilling out as he cursed an idio-*BANG!*

The gun went off, and the remnants of the collar were on the ground. With it's destruction, however, Caim could feel the sensation of fire in his veins singing once again, Angelus' mind tugging in the back of his. He smiled, the connection no longer blocked and absently 'reached' for her. The stifling silence from that a moment past was now gone, and in it's place was an incarnation of fire and smoke; of burning vengeance - he'd see her again soon. Caim waved off for David to rejoin the group and dashed for Nadalia, the oncoming steam making it harder and harder to see. Finding the Bride of Ash, Caim jerked her shoulder with a free hand and animatedly gestured towards the direction of the little group growing by the other end of the hall. Not receiving much of a response in return, the Warrior gave an audible sigh and shook his head before diving back into the fog caused by the steam.

---

Following being dragged down the hallway by Mio, Teri tried to gasp out a "Wait!" or "Hold on!" to her friend, but to no avail - she was already pulled along, Bruiser, Bison, David and Caim (the last two missing their collars) joining. The most notable, however, was that there was a young woman sauntering over to the group. She was clad in a very brightly colored bikini, wavy blonde hair and a cocksure grin. In a very nonchalant manner, the young woman had fired a burst with one of the Guard's weapons at one of the staff, bringing them down in a heap of metal, blood and oil in a manner of ease - one that reminded Teri of the mute in their party. Were it not for the prison setting, the young Cleric would have sworn she had walked straight off a beach looking for some fun; which brought her attention to the most notable aspect about her - the lack of a collar. It was then that the sprinklers came on, dousing Nadalia's flames and creating a heavy mist; the sounds of additional mechanical reinforcements filled the air and an idea hatched in the Cleric's thoughts. Pulling herself away from Mio's grip, the Cleric ran to the strange young woman, her eyes pleading as she stammered out, [color=0E59E4]"Excuse me - I don't mean to be rude, but some crazy shit is going down, and I really need you to get this collar off me. Do that and I'll help you get out - I know magic and I'm a healer."[/color]

The Space Convict's smile didn't so much as dim for an instant as she turned to look at the woman who stepped forward first. She looked pretty rough and tumble herself, having wrapped her hands in rags presumably so that she could punch something without hurting herself so much. The fact that she mentioned that she used magic and can heal people though was weird, but really, it was par-for-the-course for the way the day was turning out. After all, less than an hour ago she was sharing a cell with a ghost and their boxed-up remains, said ghost turned into a giant mace-wielding skeleton, and some chick turned the halls into a furnace before popping in a big-ass knight. Weird was kind of understating today.

"Sure, gimme a sec and I'll get that collar off-a ya." she said with an almost sing-song tone to her sultry voice.

Taking a few steps closer, she bent down a little to get a better look at the collar and, fingers of one hand dancing over the surface, it popped off with a click, along with a slow series of beeps. Bending to pick it up, she ignored the rapidly increasing beeps and threw it in the direction that power-armored asshole had gone after his cloak malfunctioned.

When the collar came off, the Cleric gasped like a drowning man tasting air for the first time. Hands grasping at a now free neck, the young woman rasped [color=0E59E4]"Thank you"[/color] to B.C. as she began to feel the previously suppressed effects return to her. The sound of water rushed in her ears, and a happy, kind, sorely missed sensation began to grow. It started in her chest, and spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. It was a gentle warmth, akin to getting a hug from someone after they've been away on a long trip, or having a cup of hot cocoa after a rainy day. The love that the Cleric feared was lost was never gone - it's aftereffects were merely suppressed, held down by a cruel device.

It's first manifestation was in her Aura, shooting outward in an invisible field 15 feet around the Cleric. Those caught in it's path began to feel their wounds closing; the nasty effects of fatigue and bruising melting away and being replaced with a warmth in their bones. The next step, was when the Cleric grabbed BC's hand and gently tugged her along to the rest of the group. Calling over her shoulder with a nervous edge in her voice, she began with, [color=0E59E4]"Thanks again! I-I'm Teri, by the way. You'll learn everyone else's name soon enough, I'm sure!"[/color]

After she pulled BC closer to the main party, the Cleric's eyes darted about to figure out what to do next. Her aura was good, but trouble was coming in on mechanical tentacles, and they needed to be ready to wade into melee - at least, some of them were. Scanning over their heaviest hitters, the first set of chants came easily enough. The familiarity of a healing incantation filled the Cleric's mind, and even without her holy symbol, this was one that was able to be cast. Point to the members of the group that were more of an "in your face" inclination (read: Caim, Bison, Bruiser, and Mio), another surge of healing energy filled them as she called out, [color=0E59E4]"Oh, Lord - I call to thee, grant these warriors four your Vigor!"[/color] In a manner akin to the Aura, the bodies of those affected noted a sudden OOMPH in their wounds, Bruiser and Bison's being the most notable in closing up after their abuse in the cells. However, this was not the end of the Cleric's work. With the water raining down on all of them, another idea hatched in her mind. Mio, while showing prowess with her blade, was probably the most "mundane" of the group in the Cleric's eyes, and after showing such care for her well being, Teri saw fit to try and pay back the favor. Waving a hand over the wet blade, Mio's sword gained an icy shimmer, almost as if she had left it in the frost overnight. With a smile at her handiwork, Teri gave Mio a weary smile, [color=0E59e4]"It'll last for about half a minute, make it count!"[/color]

Code:

Spell slinging! Teri dropped two buffs - for Caim, Bison, Bruiser, and Mio, they get Lesser Vigor, Mass [https://dnd.arkalseif.info/spells/spell-compendium--86/vigor-mass-lesser--4729/]. What this does is that those affected get fast healing 1, enabling them to heal 1 hit point per round until the spell ends and automatically becoming stabilized if it begins dying from hit point loss during that time. Think of it like a weaker version of her aura, only they don't need to stick close to her. It lasts for 18 rounds (114 seconds/ 1 minute 54 seconds). Because of Augment Healing, the first "round" gives 7 points of healing, the rest being at 1 point per round.

Mio, however, gets an additional buff. Frost Weapon [http://alcyius.com/dndtools/spells/frostburn--68/frost-weapon--1312/index.html] - which is exactly what it sounds like; it grants a magical ice magic effect to her sword. Lasts for 48 seconds.

Time till next 2nd level spell - 18 seconds
Time till next 3rd level spell - 24 seconds

Generic NPC 22 · Oct 21, 2016

[hr]

If it had been the goal of the Rising Dawn crew members to not only avoid a conflict with Ross' Raiders but also impress them, both ARES-35 and Viscus could consider their objectives completed. The sound of armor piercing explosive tungsten slugs breaking the sound barrier echoed down the hallway for roughly four minutes and forty-five seconds as Sargent Ross maintained a perimeter around the room, not so much for ARES' and Viscus' sake so much as his desire to keep his men and women from being ripped limb from limb by a horde of angry extra-dimensional beings.

"What in the fuck is that?" a soldier by the name of Ramirez blurted out in disbelief before firing an ineffective salvo of automatic fire at the ten foot tall, lizard-like, bipedal horned demon with the razor sharp claws. The creature roared in annoyance before getting hit in the head by one of Sargent Ross' MAC rounds.

"Maintain the perimeter, Ram," The Sargent ordered before re-entering the weapon's storage room just in time to watch as the "human-looking non-human woman" somehow managed to massage Private Lafferty's heart back to life. The woman coughed loudly as she sucked air into her lungs for the first time in ten minutes. Comparing the private's previously terminal status to her current one, the unlucky Sargent was rather thankful that he had opted to negotiate with the female humanoid rather than shoot her on sight, as were his standing orders, his thankfulness doubling upon spotting the matte grey power suit, Viscus, that entered the room, keen on grabbing as much tech as he could.

"

Code:

[Viscus Mark 3. Armor : Online : I *live* again!]

" It blared loudly, making a grand entrance.

"[small]What's this world coming to when a woman claims not to be human and a robot claims to live...[/small]" Sargent Percy muttered to himself as he eyed the woman that had saved Private Lafferty's life.

"Hmph. My old employers used to think we were so different... I don't see how. The human body is like a biological machine in a way. All it's parts working together like gears in clockwork to make you function. She's not exactly awake yet, but her heart's beating and she's in stable condition. She'll live, provided you can get out of here before worse occurs to one of you." The armored woman stated in a rather neutral manner.

Between you and I, dear reader, this wasn't going to be the last time ARES and the crew of the Rising Dawn would run into Percival Ross and Ross' Raiders, but at that point in time, a future encounter seemed rather questionable given what was unfolding around the prison. While the prison guards had been able to suppress the uprising in some of the cell blocks, namely the ones that contained creatures that couldn't breathe outside of their own atmosphere or ones that contained beings that were inherently pacifistic, others had grown out of control.

"This is all pretty strange but..." Ross started to say before being interrupted.

"Think it strange all you want, I do have to apologize for hurting your friend there. It wasn't my intention, all I wanted was to get my restraints off. Pretty inhumane to line control collars with explosives, you think? That said, looking over the files on the personnel your employers did manage to capture... I've got rescue coming, in addition to the riot. Of course I don't know that for sure, but it's not like the crowd I associate with to leave anyone behind. It would be rather wise to make yourselves scarce as soon as possible." ARES advised pragmatically.

Percival Ross signed the weary and tired sigh. Another job that he had chosen where the employer wouldn't be able to pay him, however, there was something of even bigger importance than his own survival on the line.

"Can't do that." Sargent Ross stated in a rather flat manner, "If what you're saying is true, that the prison is under full scale riot, that means that we've got thousands of beings that have been treated the same way as you and your friends, meaning we've got thousands of beings that are rather angry and once they finish tearing this facility apart, I don't think that they're going to stop."

Ross paused for a moment to let his meaning set in. If kidnapped extra-dimensional beings took control of the prison, given their relative isolation from the remainder of the population, it was highly unlikely that they would differentiate between the World Marshall and the World at large.

"So... either we've got to secure the prison or..." Ross paused again, this time for an entirely different reason.

"Do you hear that singing?" He asked loudly.

"[color=3897E0]

Code:

Singing...? I can search for sources of audio in the immediate vicinity...

[/color]" Dimitri's disembodied voice responded as he began to scan the hallways, "[color=3897E0]

Code:

Subjects detected.  Displaying on screen now.

[/color]"

"Oh that's just wonderful." Ross said as he viewed just about the cutest little robots ever conceived, each one holding a turret in their blade-like arms.

GM's Note: said:
FILLER MATERIAL!!

EVE Specs:
Armor: Titanium Alloy
Weapons:
- Hidden Arm Mounted Plasma x2 (Long Range)
- Blade Arms x2 (Short Range) - Robot's torso will begin spinning very fast when in use.

[hr]

Escapist Avatar Adventures | Pocket Dimension
Paradisus
Antoinette de la Trou | Benedict Warrington | Katya Rostikova | Lucieon

[hr]

Unlike her younger companion, the foul mouth yet charmingly innocent Katya Rostikova, Antoinette had remained silent for the exchange of introductions between her companions and the Loathed, Lucieon Cazzemello Sato di Roma, her face betraying none of the conflict of emotions that battled in her mind. While there were a number of undead that rallied on the side of the Blasphemer's Brigade, some of whom were not so decomposed as to make poor bed mates, the name Lucieon Cazzemello Sato di Roma sounded rather... Roman. In her and Benedict's world, Rome was the center of the Universe, the first city blessed by the Father and the capital of his lands. From there the Father's puppets ruled in his name, killed under his name and ensured that the world suffered under his name. While Luceon had sheathed his blade, Twit kept her's in hand.

"I am Lucieon Cazzemello Sato di Roma. I have no other titles, but many simply call me 'the Loathed.'" The Stinker said by way of introduction, "Though I would be more considerate of not raising a commotion. Beasts of the dark frequent planes like these and more often than not find the flesh of young women sweet."

"[small]Something tells me that's not the only sweet thing out here,[/small]" Twit's companion whispered in her ear before taking the liberty of making introductions, "I'm Katya Rostikova, the Priest over there is Padre Eatadick..."

"Benedict..."

"That's what I said Padre Eatadick... and this is Twit." The 18 year old Eccentric Little Girl concluded before indulging in her curiosity, "You said something about beasts? What are we talking about? Cthulhu? Gozer? Domo-Kun?"

"And there are monsters here made of tentacles. Though they are not so palatable as the ones conceived in material planes." Lucieon responded as he "walked" up to Benedict, "And to you, priest. I would say that you are correct. I am indeed what you speak, a walker of planes - though I am not a Planeswalker. I am undead..."

"GODDAMIT!"

"and in being unbound from the laws of time, I can travel between timelines easily. Though, being so immaterial I am wont to become lost during long forays, as I have done so just now." The visitor to Antoinette's pocket dimension continued, ignoring Katya's curse, before drawing a small golden string, "I have part of my soul tethered to my home plane, just for occasions like this. If you wish to tag along, I will not mind this one time. I have already been defeated in my quest. Though know that my plane is not that same that any of you three call 'home.' Though different, it is more hospitable than this infinite darkness populated by abstractions of nightmares. There is food, water, light, and women or boys depending on your fancy. At any rate, you will be better able to coordinate your planes walk back to the Rising Dawn in relative comfort."

Antoinette's eyes widened as the darkness was shattered, though it was not from anything that Lucieon had done by ripping the trio from her shadow realm, rather it was the sight of their new surroundings that brought the woman's emotions to the surface for she'd never seen a place such as this, a place of such natural beauty. A breeze whipped over Antoinette's skin, bringing with it a delightful coolness that brought bumps to her smooth skin.

"Hey Twit... you cold?" Her young companion asked with a mischievous grin on her face.

"A little... why?" Came a voice filled with suspicion

"Because you look like you could cut some glass with those nip..." Katya quipped, her fingers closing in on Antoinette's chest and coming perilously close to being lopped off by the sword still clutched in Twit's hand. A voice cut in between the two as Lucieon continued his dimensional tour.

"Though home it is, it is still under the influence of that accursed Lord. And know that I play no host. Once there I will leave you at the whims of my old master, the Librarian Maria." Lucieon gave a genuine chuckle after he said that name, "Try not to comment on her appearance. She's rather sensitive about her... girth."

"Librarian?" Katya's voice questioned, dripping with the thought of a shy, young woman bereft of inhibitions in the darkness of her own room, at least that was Antoinette's interpretation.

"You spoke of that accursed Lord, surely you don't mean the Father?" Benedict queried, his voice filled with worry. He could not sense the presence of the Morning Star in this realm and without it his infernal patronage, the two blasphemers would be easy prey for even the weakest ranking member of the Host. The man paused for a moment, his eyes closed as he reached out with his senses, attempting to sense his former patron, "No... not that Father. Perhaps you'd better speak of this Lord while you lead us to your Master."

Taking a guess at the direction, Benedict started on the path that would lead the trio towards the Librarian, Maria, and her home. Katya followed not too far behind, leaving Lucieon and Antoinette standing alone for a moment. As Lucieon turned to follow, the Apprentice Soldier stopped him.

"A moment if you will, Monsieur Cazzemello Sato di Roma, I never thanked you for leading us out of the darkness. Had you not appeared when you did, I'm afraid finding our way home would have been beyond my abilities." The woman stated, her voice making it apparent that she loathed to admit her shortcomings. Sheathed her weapons, the woman offered her guide a simple bow, "Merci, Monsier Lucieon. I owe you a debt of gratitude that I shall endeavor to repay."

With those words spoken, she hurried off to catch up with her companions.

Silence · Oct 21, 2016

Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Canteen/Hangar
Diana | Others

As the crew was called to the hangar for briefing, Diana thought about joining them or not joining them for a while. Her feet carried her towards the hangar however. Still, she was lazy enough to come in well after Major Rhodes speech had already started, and as furious and impressive it was, Diana still just yawned. Another change in leadership? It was odd.

After hearing the assignments however, Diana decided to join in the mission, because of one thing and one thing only: Being allowed to just destroy. And what better part for her to play than joining the anti-air team, to directly target the ones responsible for her long delay in the previous encounter.

Her lips still red, she joined the group, without saying anything.

[hr]

"Why hello there! I hope you don't mind, but I overheard that you all are planning on gettin' outta here. Mind if I... Tag along?" a female voice sounded from behind Mio. She turned immediately, and froze. This was ... hot. Before her stood a very lightly clothed young woman with a sultry grin. "The name's Bombshell Carrie! Pleased to meetcha!"

Mio raised her arm as a greeting, before realizing she still had the sword in it, and lowering it again. She grinned back, however, clearly looking B.C over several times. "Someone like you always can tag along, Bombshell." she answered, before Teri spoke to her, asking her to take off the collar. Which she did, in a gracious manner. At least in Mio's mind.

"You can take mine off, too. Don't hold back! Fondle it off me!" she said, after this was done. "I mean, I would like the accessoire, but only if it would not have a chance of exploding."

In the meantime, Teri was able to use her healing magic again, and Mio felt it, mostly in her previously injured legs. She led out a pleased sigh. "Ahh, you are better than I thought, Teri." she said. "I feel warm and fuzzy near you. I wish this would never e ..."

Right then, someone shot at the group, but not having any good aim in this place, blatantly missed. As far as Mio could tell, it was a soldier, who now fumbled to get his sword out instead, hoping it would give him an edge. In the meantime, Teri waved her hand over Mio's sword, whose eye glimmered as she saw what she did. [color=0E59e4]"It'll last for about half a minute, make it count!"[/color]

"Thank you!" Mio called out, as she rushed towards the guard, of course taking another glance at B.C. before arriving in front of him. Now, he had armor, but his weapon training seemed much insufficient as Mio fought him straight, one-on-one. She seemed to dance around him and around his blows, only getting scratches, which healed instantly. Her own hits were far fewer, but every time she hit, she seemed to find a weak spot in the guard's armor. Of course, every time she hit the guard also got slower, the freezing blade doing its effect.

Finally, she gutted him, not even looking, instead blatantly staring at B.C.'s body again, before barely dodging a shot from other guards ahead. Mio quickly returned to the others. "Time to get moving, I guess!" she called out. "Lead me to my coat!"

[hr]

Avatar Adventures | The Airship: Rising Dawn | Anjali's Cabin
Night
Anjali | [color=5B9C64]Eddie the Dead[/color]

Anjali opened her eyes and rose from her wet, cold, bath. She looked up at Eddie as he was standing in her bathroom door and spoke: [color=5B9C64]"Ya know, people of this world usually bathe with their underwear off. Not that I'm complaining."[/color] Anjali did not know what to answer to this. It had been less of a bath and more of a ... sleep. And she felt like she had to be ready, for anything ... not that anything could hide in this bath, but instinct was instinct.

[color=5B9C64]"How are you adjusting? I saw you got yourself a new pair of clothes. I take it the crew hasn't given you trouble?"[/color] Eddie said, and Anjali smiled up to him after she had left the bath. "No, most of the crew was very nice to me." she answered. "Two little ... monster kids showed me the Rising Dawn. I hope I'm not getting lost here.
People seem much more accepting towards my ... condition, as well. I thought I was a freak, but it seems there are mostly freaks here." she let out a small laugh, then got serious again. "But I'm still not used to it. I eat ... raw meat. This is weird. But I felt like I had to. And then ... there were these two people - I think they were faeries, but only kind of? - they only spoke in riddles, and showed me weird dreams. Something like a bond towards the Rising Dawn, but also ...

it's not normal here to just torture little faeries, right? Even if they can be summoned again? We are the good guys, right? Not just ... I don't know. I don't really like violence.
But I'm sorry, I'm talking far too much."

Anjali now seemed to realize she still had not put on her uniform, and she took it off the curtain, having to stand on the toilet seat to get to it. "How are you doing, Eddie?" she asked. "What is your role here, anyways?"

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Oct 21, 2016

[hr]

Viscus wasn't really tuned into the discussion, instead he was busy going though the technology that his captors had managed to secure and picking out what best suited his current armor.
While it was an older model, his AI still had plenty of data on it's functionality, as well as what improvements he made in later versions.
But as he was picking out a model of flamethrower for his left arm's sub weapon, the singing began to get his attention, prompting him to slowly turn and face the oncoming killer, but cute robots.

Code:

[...]

A sense of confusion began to wash over Viscus as he stared back at the incoming enemies, then to his "Allies".

Code:

[....Threat level: low]

He then dismissed the machine before returning back into the lab they had just escaped from.
5 paces in and 3 to the right, he then plunged his fist into the wall, prompting a surge of electricity to crackle throughout the room as he ripped out one of the EM field emitter bars that had been used to keep the area on lockdown.

Code:

[All units: remain behind me at all times : I will mark deployments of the EM weapon with the prompt "Firing" : Manage your configurations accordingly to prevent hardware and software failure]

He explained to the group as he broke off pieces of it and bent it into a crude staff of sorts.

Code:

[Firing weapon in 3...2...1]

He then announced before walking into the enemies path, using his armor's power source in order to fire off a wave of electromagnetic energy down the hall, like some mechanical mage.

Diablo1099_v1legacy · Oct 22, 2016

[hr]

As the riot began to grow and the body count began to rack up, there was one soul in the battle that was rather unconcerned with the bloodshed around him.
"Dammit, where is my crown?!" Leoric languished as he haunted the battlefield, searching for the last remains of his kingdom and mortality amidst the fog of war.
He phased though friend(?) and foe alike in his search, unable to find his precious crown whist David and Caim barged right though his spirit.
"WATCH YOUR PATH! YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF ROYALTY!......Wait, no, please come back, I can't find it anywheeeeeeeereeeeeeeee!" He yelled before whining like a banshee, not exactly happy with the notion of his "Freedom" being limited to be trapped in the embrace of undeath for all eternity.

Speaking of David, fresh off his confession to Caim and Teri's healing aura, he was feeling a LOT better about their odds of getting out of this situation alive.
Spraying a few weapon bursts at the HENTAI units, he shouted to his comrades "Try and get more cells open if you can, we need the extra numbers or we'll be overrun!"
With that, he began to open fire on the cell locking panels, attempting to get some more prisoners on their side.
"Anyone see the kid?! (Katya) I saw her get dragged off, where is she?" He then shouted to his friends, the mental image of what a bunch of insane Cybernetic Neo-Nazis might be doing to teenage girls behind closed doors being just as unappealing as it sounds.

Bruiser meanwhile was overwhelmed by the Heal Pulse Teri had just given off.
Months of torture and ill treatment just washed off his form, his arm was still missing but just the fact that he was even able to stand unassisted was quite the shock to his system, to the point where he nearly flat out collapsed from all the sensations that wasn't pain now being felt along his body.
Resting on his knees for a brief moment, he slowly stood back up before glancing over his body, as if still unsure about what he was seeing.
As such, he was the one that was able to see the HENTAI unit that was prepping to strike at them from one of the empty cells.

From Teri's point of view, suddenly a massive wall of muscle was racing towards her as the Machoke charged in her direction.
Time seemed to slow down as many painful memories began to arise from her mind, flashes back to that dark room and to that question she struggled with for so long: Fingers or toes?
But why now? Why would he attack her in front of everyone after all that happened? Was his soul really that corrupt? Was it all just an act?
She tried to find an answer to all this, right as the HENTAI unit behind her made it's move, launching itself at her from behind.
By instinct, she then dived to the side, the machine grasping at nothing but empty air whist the Machoke was able to get a rather nice helping of Revenge on his former tormentor.
His lone arm struck at the machine, screws and bolts going flying in all directions as it was flung back into the cell, shattering into steel plates and scrap upon impact with the wall, the force of which made the cell door slam shut afterwards.
The strangeness of his moment was not lost on either party as they shared an somewhat awkward nod of acknowledgement while the Pokemon took point.
Standing in front of the group, he then let out a feral Roar before charging at the robotic hoard, keen to even the score for all his suffering.

Bison, like his villainous friend, too was a little shook up from going from "Oh dear god, I'm on fire, it hurts so much, help me!" to "Right as rain" in the space of a few seconds.
Doubly so as the positive energy began to clash with his own negative energy, resulting in a rather conflicting sensation though the reaches of his very soul.
The former Presidential hopeful laid there for a moment, eyes wide as he realized the situation he was in.
As well as the fact that he was now free and able to get his revenge on-
*TWACK!*
That line of thought was soon veto'd by David as he rammed the butt of his rifle in Bison's face, the impact of which knocked his head back against the steel, quickly giving him a ticket to Sleepy Time Junction.
[color=0E59E4]"David!? What the hell!? I just healed him!"[/color]
"Oh spared me the lecture. After everything that happened today, he's earned that!" The sniper shot back as he hoisted the mad dictator into a fireman's carry before resuming his covering fire.

bluerocker · Oct 24, 2016

The Rising Dawn: Hangar Command Center
Time to get this show on the road!

Team 1 - Anti-Anti-Air
Alashi, Angelus, Cadolbolg, Diana, Icarus, Kalastryn,

Team 2 - Extraction
[color=356D60]Garm[/color], Melethia, [color=BA0025]Miia[/color], [color=49453a]Major Rhodes[/color], Rory, Ruby, Rugal, [color=c200]Slindis[/color],

Team 3 - Missile Cleanup
[color=00c863]Devon[/color],

Code:

*TSK*Ghost*TSK*

, [color=15650D]Ton Ton[/color]

Mission Control
[color=FF5349]

Code:

AI Vermilion

[/color] - Tactical Officer
Harold - Herald.

With Major Rhodes' speech delivered, the teams drawn up, and additional communicator rings distributed to those lacking, the PA system crackled before a familiar feminine voice began to speak, a display nearby showing a red, hooded figure on the screen, [color=FF5349]

Code:

"This is AI Vermilion speaking. In light of recent events, I shall act as your tactical officer during this operation. User: Harold shall act my organic relay while you are on site."

[/color]

A meek looking G-corp grunt gave the Anti-anti Team a weak wave, before Vermilion continued, [color=FF5349]

Code:

"Should any changes in available information or necessary tactical maneuvers be made, Harold will let you know. Now, I shall begin with the preparations for the commencement of our rescue mission....
....
....
Airship Rising Dawn is being moved into position. All members of Team 1, prepare for launch into aerial assault in T Minus 2 minutes. All members of Teams 2 and 3, please remain on standby."

[/color]

Following Vermilion's short spiel, members of the varying crews began to run around here and there to do a number of tasks, such as clearing out the runways, beginning to make ready the drop pods for later parts of the mission etc; leaving the seven fliers to position themselves as necessary. Angelus, the large dragon that she was, had been instructed by varying members of the assisting crew to take point, the others following on either side of her wings. The purpose of this was threefold, the first being that would provide a wind break and allow the others to travel more efficiently; the second, an attempt to throw off the enemy radar, and the third (and perhaps grimmest of duties) to provide as a shield for the smaller fliers.

A loud noise rang overhead, a siren to gather Team 1's attention once more as Vermilion called out,

[color=FF5349]

Code:

"Airship Rising Dawn has been placed in proper assault position. Team 1, launch and engage!"

[/color]

It was a quick affair, a flurry of wings and magic to bring Team 1 to their designation. The smoky ruins of Denver remained below, the scent of the battle below entering the nostrils of the more scent inclined of the bunch. As they moved into position, the "sound" of a communicator ring activated, and the meek man's voice entered their minds over the rings' "link",

"Is this thing on..? Ah, it's working now. Hi, it's me, Harold! Um... According to Vermilion, you should start seeing some ground Anti-Air Units pretty soon. Keep on the lookout, they have a bad habit of sneaking up when you least expect it! Once you clear those things out, we can move the Dawn to get the Extraction Team in there. Good luck!"

Almost on cue, the sound of grinding metal and sirens filled the air, albeit muffled and distant. The darkness of the night was an inconvenience for a normal human being, but for a group of individuals with "special" talents; this was less so. A good thing too, as they began to see, a bit off in the distance, movement on the ground, the distant sound of whirring and-
"INCOMING!"

The small walking units, (pictured below)

had made their way towards our completely innocuous septet of flyers, their barrels spinning as a rapid fire of bullets began to shoot up, hoping to catch the fleshy under-bits of the stomach and wings.

GM Notes said:
Whew, sorry that took so long, kids!

Long and short of it, there's a bunch of mechs on the ground shooting up at you! Kinda jerkish of them, amirite? Anywho, feel free to flavor/flourish your character's departures from the Dawn as you see fit, and have fun working with the ground-bound anti-air. Just be careful, I hear their gatling guns are really rough on wings!

Texas Joker 52 · Oct 26, 2016

[hr]

It was a little odd, which was appropriate given the day's events, how the woman in front of her seemed to react whenever the collar was finally off of her. After a sharp gasp, B.C. could swear that there was a warm, subtle glow that started to emanate from her, and she realized that the light burns that she was starting to get from the nearby, dying inferno were starting to ease, along with the spreading headache that she had refused to acknowledge earlier. Then all of a sudden the Space Convict was being dragged behind this woman as she looked back with a grateful smile.

"[color=0E59E4]Thanks again! I-I'm Teri, by the way. You'll learn everyone else's name soon enough, I'm sure![/color]"

"Hey, no problem, just gimme a--Oh. What's this?" B.C. started, only for a glimmer of gold nearby on the floor to distract her.

It was an ornate crown, one that she had seen before very recently at that. Leoric's Crown. Bending down, she snatched it up with the barrel of her rifle. Examining it idly with a greedy smile, she flicked her wrist and managed to flip it up so that it landed jauntily on her head. As she did, she could hear the familiar voice of her former cellmate.

"WATCH YOUR PATH! YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF ROYALTY!......Wait, no, please come back, I can't find it anywheeeeeeeereeeeeeeee!"

Pursing her lips, she whistled shrilly and grinned as she hopefully got his attention.

"Hey! Where's your crown, King Nothing? It's mine now." she called out, sticking out her tongue.

As she did, she noticed one of the others had raised a sword in greeting and realized it was one of the other women. In fact, she, like the rather heavily-wounded fire witch, was down an arm. But she didn't seem in the least bit concerned as she grinned and looked over B.C. with a look she was rather familiar with. Really, it was flattering.

"Someone like you always can tag along, Bombshell. You can take mine off, too. Don't hold back! Fondle it off me!"

At that, B.C. broke out into low, sultry laughter and shook her head before pulling away from Teri and bending down to take off another collar. As she punched a quick code into the collar itself, there was a nearby burst of gunfire that seemed to be woefully inaccurate, and when the collar popped off with a click and slow beeping, the woman she had freed was off to take care of the source of said gunfire.

She was quick, and only having the one hand didn't seem to be much of a disadvantage at all. She weaved between the guard's blows as she slashed with her sword at all the right places to bypass armor. What was really impressive, however, was the fact that she did so without so much as looking away from B.C.'s body, specifically her tits. Even as she gutted the guard with a flair, she just continued to eat the eye-candy that was the scantily-clad Space Convict.

"You know, a girl likes to be appreciated for her looks, but you might wanna focus on the guards instead of me. I'm probably still gonna be here even after they're dead." she pointed out with a giggle as she shook her head.

She started to turn back to Teri, opening her mouth to say something when a blue blur at the corner of one eye caught her attention, at the same time that a dark shape at the corner of the other did. Stepping back as the blue-skinned alien that had been tending to one of the more heavily-wounded inmates rushed past both her and the healer, she leveled her rifle at his target: A mechanical, tentacled shape that wouldn't have looked at all out-of-place in a space porno. And there were more not far behind it.

Focusing on the group of HENTAI units lagging behind, she let loose with a long, barely-controlled burst of gunfire and grinned.

[hr]

[hr]

It didn't take long after she entered to be hit all-at-once by a sudden influx of thoughts, doubts, sources of jealousy, and even more from the various patrons of the Canteen. Reeling back at how overwhelming it was, the floating form of Sloth behind her abruptly dropped to the flood of the Canteen with a heavy thud, followed by a loud snore. The people here weren't mere mortals. Some of them were more. The bartender was a deity, while one of the patrons had a mental passenger that even Envy wasn't about to put up with, while others seemed to mentally scream their inadequacies to her, save a few.

[HEADING=2][color=FF5349]"Attention Crew. Please report to the main hanger for briefing."[/color][/HEADING]

The sudden, blaring announcement was enough to snap Envy out of her mental struggling, and she seemed to look around in disorientation for a few moments.

"[color=eca222]As entertaining as it all is, I think some of you may be a bit more interested in the briefing?[/color]"

The bartender gave her a pointed look as those that felt obligated got up and made their way out to get to the briefing. Envy stepped aside so that she was out of their way. Once those that were going to leave, left, Lucifer Morningstar directed his thoughts more coherently to her.

~[color=eca222]I am in no mood for your games. Why are you here?[/color]~

The Anthropomorphic Personification of Jealousy seemed to shrink a little as she walked up.

~You would have to ask Sloth, he was the one who felt he needed to come here.~ she told him, before looking down at the Vice's sleeping form.

It was quite the sight, really. He had been dropped in such a way that left his rear end hunched up into the air while one cheek pressed against the floor of the canteen and a growing puddle of drool started at the corner of his lightly-snoring mouth.

~Though, you'll have to ask him later...~ she continued sheepishly before she looked back up at Lucifer.

It gave the feeling of not so much being stared at as being stared through. For most, it would have been incredibly unsettling. Making her way to the bar, she sat awkwardly on one of the stools and wrung her hands in her lap. When she spoke next, she took care to focus solely on Lucifer, so there was no chance of anyone else catching anything she thought.

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

NotYetForsaken · Oct 27, 2016

[hr]

Homelands

Code:

lucieon's story

[hr]

"My lonely heart yearns for the comfort of my children."

Lucieon closed his eyes and let the world around him ebb into his senses like flowing ink. The sun above was warm against his skin, and the twin moons of the heavens lingered low on the horizon, watching the sun jealously from behind the blue veil of open sky. He breathed in the air, it was cold with the sting of autumn. The grass here would soon dry and the hills of Candor would turn into a golden sea. Harvest time made him nostalgic. It reminded him of the vineyards of home, high in the mountains in the old city of Roma in the south. Autumn there was a gentle season full of good wine and fat game. That life seemed so long ago. He could not say whether he missed his mother and father, or his many sisters, or even the young boy that had once served as his faithful companion. He had forgotten their names to the ages and now he wondered if they even still lived.

"Merci, Monsier Lucieon. I owe you a debt of gratitude that I shall endeavor to repay,"

"Knowst the weight of thine words, woman," Lucieon replied. His rapier jingled lightly at his side when he took pace with the troupe.

Before them on the plain ringed by mountains lay a great glimmering city with walls that ran fifty meters high. They shone brightly in the afternoon sun, gleaming white limestone, layers upon layers as if built like a gargantuan cake. Lucieon smiled and thrust his hands forward as if to receive the entire city.

They could hear the clamor from this far out.

It was the din of carts and the roar of crowds. It was the wafting aroma of spices and cooking meats mixed with the acrid bite of industrial coke. It was the chimes of blacksmiths at work, it was the bustling of a million feet upon the earth. It was the creak of massive ornamental doors and the whipping winds against the banners high on four colossal bridges that connected the outer wall to that of the inner citadel.

From miles out they could feel that Candor was alive.

"Behold!" Lucieon cried as he set foot on a cobblestone road and joined a throng of travelers on their way to the capital. "This is Candor, in all it's beauty! A gleaming city with walls as tall as the greatest of wyrms, foundations as deep as the very core of this Earth, and a people as avaricious as they are kind!"

A few of the merchants on the road shot Lucieon some funny looks but kept to their business.

Lucieon turned to Katya, turned to Antoinette, and he turned to Benedict. "And behold the seat of power for that accursed church."

He turned and walked.

The winds bellowed past him as he did, but his voice cut through the roar of the world as a knife parts flesh. "Though, not the seat of the accursed Lord. Nay, her name here is whispered only in the darkest of shadows in the deadest of nights. And even then only to those who are privy to know of her existence.

Once I knew that creature as BlackHarte, a friend and a companion, but now I know of her truth. The nature of her being.
Her powers spans a thousand worlds, and then within each a million more. Her name here though, we call her the 'Great Mother.' Certain sects of magicians entertain the notion that it is through her that we were given the gift of sorcery and it is through her that our land was imbued with the phenomenon that we describe as 'mana.' But as I have learned in my travels, magic is a corrupting influence. Like a parasite, it sinks it's teeth into the world and begins to replicate. At first it seems beneficial, it has the ability to bend the laws of a world, but slowly it becomes clear that it only functions because it unravels the world as it works, making more of itself. Then like a virus, once it has taken over the entirety of a plane, it destroys it and sends itself toward other planes.

Damned BlackHarte had tapped into the natural cycle of magic and used it to her advantage. She molded it, rode it, and used it to extend her influence to a thousand worlds before sealing it all within a labyrinth so massive that I had only recently realized it's existence. We are her plaything, her toys, her possessions." Luceion drew his rapier and held it toward the sky.

"Though I have failed in my quest, I should not say that BlackHarte herself is so safe. Nay, though she might sit sheltered within a cocoon she calls a world, I will find a way to pierce it and once more claim the right given to all living things!"

He thrust the rapier through his own throat. Lucieon grimaced. "Even though I am undead, I should have perished and been cast into the aether before being reborn." His act bore no witness in the travelers besides the group. It was as if nothing had happened.

Indeed, nothing had, for Lucieon's rapier had never pierced the skin of his throat. Instead it had tore through his hood and gotten tangled in the straps of his bags. He sheathed his rapier. "What fool would wish for eternal life..."

The south gate of Candor received them well. The massive ornamental steel doors that rose thirty meters tall and at least fifteen wide were decorated in gold carvings of heroic stories. Knight slaying dragons, the workers building the walls, portraits of kings and queens. Guards were perched on ledges up high with catwalks crisscrossing high above the road, which now had turned from cobblestone to beautiful colored frescoes of the Candorian heroes. The suburbs outside the walls were filled with merchants and mercenaries, pilgrims and priests, and even refugees from far away lands.

There were merchants handing off their wares to gold-clad guards to be inspected. Wagons full of fruits and vegetables or bags of grain stacked three men high. There were pots and pans and heaps of silver and gold. Sprinkled here and there were flasks full of the most valuable spices won from the barren East by brave sailors warring with the island nations of Aecor, Terra, and Fira.

Lucieon scoffed at all of those commodities. The only thing he kept his eyes on were the carts holding cages filled with beastkin. Beautiful girls and boys pillaged from the Eastern frontier. They were the plainsfolk, wargs. Fox-kin beastkin that had gold eyes, beautiful tails and ears, and an obedient and amiable demeanor. The men made good laborers, the women good escorts, and the young ones bedslaves. Though their sensitivity to magic had made them prime candidates for Candor's own brand of magical bondage. Lucieon smiled to himself at the thought of his own involvement in the program. He had bred the most vicious traits out of the female wargs, kept them under his thumb with hormonal treatments and branded them to be loyal with his own form of runic control magic. The number he had killed by experimentation were beyond counting.

Within the sounds of Candor were deafening. Life seemed to just exist. And it was packed tightly within the towering white buildings and multi-story platforms that made the bulk of Candor's infrastructure. Bridges connected platform to platform, each supported by tens of square stone buildings. Everything held onto each other and rose high into the sky. The verticality of the city was staggering. Even the flat roads seemed to curve suddenly into taller platforms where even more market space existed. And above it all were the colossal bridges that linked the outer and inner walls. They were so big that buildings were carved into the pillars that supported it's arches. Buildings to large that they could by themselves be considered mansions or malls.

Here Lucieon motioned to the troupe and took them down the winding roads and alleys until they reached the very innards of Candor, the second wall that rose a hundred meters high. The citadel within held all of the noble houses and their manors, built into the side of a massive man-made mountain in the middle of the plain that had become home to the Candorians.

The gate was sealed shut and guarded heavily.

Lucieon leaned back against the wall of a shop and closed his eyes, "My master lies within those walls in the Imperial Palace. The library at the bottom floor. Unfortunately this is as far as I can take you. The Citadel runs some pretty nasty warding spells." He turned and looked longingly at the high walls. "I've sent for one of Maria's new apprentices to come out and receive you. But otherwise, this would be the last call for any further questions you'd ask of me before I go."

Kalastryn · Oct 27, 2016

The skies.
A less than relaxing flight.

Were it a simpler time than she found herself in now, Kalastryn would have found their flight thrilling. Before she had earned the favor of some far off deity, she always envied those who could fly. There was an inherent beauty in it, she thought. The freedom found in the defiance of gravity, the feeling of the breeze surrounding and rushing past you from all directions, unchained by any obstacle on the ground.

Now was hardly a time that allowed such a mindset to seem realistic. When you get right down to it, flight is just controlling in what direction, from what height, and at what speed you fall. Sure you may propel yourself so very high into the air, but you have to land eventually. It was a state in which with a wrong move you could fall to your demise at any time. This, coupled with the lack of cover aside from the size of Angelus' draconic form and anti air units made her feel quite vulnerable, despite her airborne agility.

As the anti aircraft units on the ground began to come into view of our winged warriors however, she began to worry less about herself and more about her companions, namely the largest target among them, Angelus. "Be ready, they'll see you long before the rest of us!" she shouted, not that she was far behind, but the whirling wind, especially with the steady beating of Angelus' wings was loud from so close.

She began to think over just how difficult it would be. There was value in occupying their attention, but they were supposed to deal with foes that had an advantage over them from their exposed positions on high. Wouldn't a better plan have been to clear the anti air forces from the ground prior to- no. If they were in respectable range to drop to the ground to deal with them swiftly, they would no doubt target the Dawn itself.

Kala could spend all day thinking about how things could be, it was just how she thought. Possibilities upon possibilities. The reality was this was the route they took, and they needed it to work. Though her former way of thinking did bring an idea to mind. "I'm going to split off here!" she said, and by the time the group had come into view Kala had dropped significantly in altitude. As much as she could very well try, she tried to keep her descent subtle, splitting from the group just before she thought they had been seen. Just in case however, she made sure to do it quickly, wrapping her wings around herself, and diving in a spin straight toward the ground.

While the weapons they were tasked with destroying would be hellish to be struck by, she figured that what she had said was true. Angelus was a much larger and more visible target. By the time gunfire rang out, she had righted herself and was gliding down to get a close look at what they were dealing with... and a closer shot for bolts of lightning to short circuit whatever they may.[footnote]For the GM(s) concerned, I mean to say with all this that when things begin to happen, Kala is going to be attempting to cast Lightning Bolts at the walking units, relying on Angelus and the others being a much more obvious target to hopefully gain an element of surprise to begin with."[/footnote]

Generic NPC 22 · Nov 5, 2016

Escapist Avatar Adventures | Pocket Dimension
Paradisus
Benedict Warrington | Antoinette de la Trou | Katya Rostikova | Lucieon

[hr]

Unlike his two younger companions, the former Priest, Benedict Warrington, was not enamored with the trio's new surroundings. As civilized as this town, Candor, appeared on the surface, the man felt that the town's opulence hid a rotten, wicked and black core. He left these thoughts unspoken, humble enough to not speak out against the home of the one who had rescued them from the abyss, but his expression expressed these thoughts well enough.

Just as their host, Lucieon, had ignored the more common wares, Bendict's eyes fell upon the unsightly scene of the caged beastkin, their pitiful demeanor dragging out well buried and guilt filled memories. How many of these cages had he filled in his service to the Father? Freeing these creatures would do little to make up for his past actions but they would go a long way to assuaging his guilt.

Benedict stopped as he felt a hand pressed against his chest. Looking down he half expected to see his apprentice blocking his path only to find the hand that stopped him had been extended from one of the cages. Looking inside, the former Priest's eyes met those of a Fox-Girl, her head shaking as if she had sensed his intentions.

"So cuuuute!" The younger of his two companions cooed as she spotted the scene, ignorant of the inevitable future that the beings in the cages were destined to suffer, "I think she likes you!"

"T'would be a far kinder thing for her not to be capable of that emotion," The Priest said, forcing himself to look away from the imprisoned slave.

"Huh?" Katya huh'd as Benedict passed her through the gates into the city.

The city proper was far more populated than the Blasphemer would have thought possible. He'd never seen so many souls jammed into one place. Even the streets of Rome seemed empty compared to the roads of Candor. The smells of freshly cooked, spiced meats clashed with the sounds of smells of human waste. The squabbling of merchants clashed with the sound of strange prayers to even stranger Gods. The former Priest found the experience as terrifying as he did exciting.

Walking through the streets of Candor, Benedict's mind wandered back to the familiar scene from the city gates. He thanked the Morning Star that they had not been human children. Were he a better man back then, he'd have spared himself his guilt now, though realistically, had he been a better man back then, he'd not likely be here now.

The group stopped at a set of interior gates and just as Lucieon had stated, he appeared to be unable to go further, not that Benedict was all that sorry they would be parting ways with their guide. He'd noted the expression on the undead man's face the moment they set upon those ... creatures in the caged.

"My master lies within those walls in the Imperial Palace. The library at the bottom floor. Unfortunately this is as far as I can take you. The Citadel runs some pretty nasty warding spells." Lucieon said as he turned and looked longingly at the high walls. "I've sent for one of Maria's new apprentices to come out and receive you. But otherwise, this would be the last call for any further questions you'd ask of me before I go."

"Yes, I have a question..." The Blasphemer said eyeing their departing guide, "What is the nature of this labyrinth you mentioned... or rather... what is this labyrinth? And if these worlds are imprisoned as you've said, does that not mean that you've not imprisoned us by bringing us here?"

For the first time since they entered the city, Lucieon suddenly found three sets of eyes looking at him, none of them particularly pleased.

"Wait... wut?" Katya asked, her brain unusually focused on a topic outside of its norm.

Orinon · Nov 8, 2016

The skies.

Icarus was a Natural Flyer; the freedom of spreading your wings and seeing the earth below you, to be unattached to the ground, There was no greater feeling.
Icarus wasn't flying for amusement this time, His whole body was tense. Anyone close to him could feel an electrical vibration around him, there was a sense that if one were to touch him they'd get a dangerous shock. He stayed in formation with the other fliers, Specifically he was behind The Massive Red Dragon Angelus. As they approached he noticed the Devil Woman Kalastryn had started to descend, they must be getting close. He attempted to clear his own mind and viewed himself as a patch of clouds just a soft, gentle cloud, Before long he appeared to fade away thanks to an illusion.

There were many people In prison quite a few he had become friends with, and while no one told him explicitly, he knew he had made several mistakes in the fight with Bison, the fact that he had been rendered unconscious and had to be dragged away proved that.
Whatever he did he couldn't let them down, not again. He Kept his eyes open for Hostile Aircraft's. Despite Some warnings he felt like he was back to full strength, And he'd need to have energy to spare if he planned on not only taking out threats in the sky but then joining the rescue team when this was done. He had His partner The Twilight Dragon ready to summon into a gauntlet, he had a minor curiosity: if giving Cadolbolg a charge made him grow up significantly, what would it do to someone like Angelus?

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

New member

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

The Most Generic of NPCs

What is "normal?" Sounds dumb.

Power in Procedure

Endless Struggle

ExQQxv1D1ns

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

Queen of Cockblocking and Misery

The Most Generic of NPCs

Living undeath to the fullest

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

Doom needs Yoghurt, Badly

Queen of Cockblocking and Misery

All hail the Pun Meister!

Power in Procedure

What is "normal?" Sounds dumb.

The Most Generic of NPCs

New member