The bard moved without thinking, muscle memory having him institutionally reach for the sword on his hip - then blinked in surprise when he actually felt steel at his side. What's more, he felt the familiar weight of armor on his shoulders, and heard the crinkle of leather. He was armed? When did he put on his old gear?
No matter - he surged forth, a mixture of combat training and Albert's serum enabling Inuart to close the distance quickly. He could see through his charge that the standing soldier was only wearing a chain shirt and a helmet - must have been of mediocre rank, or the army was not well funded. A open neck was not a surefire way to living long. Tightening his grip on his longsword, the bard waited til he was just upon the solider, and swung for the neck. Through a combination of surprising his enemy, as well as the windup to his attack, the nameless solider's head was lopped off, a messy gush of blood following in it's wake. Somewhere in the back of Inuart's mind, he vaguely remembered a lecture about blood pressure enabling such a spectacle; and brusquely pushed the memory and the headless cadaver aside. With the first soldier out of the way, there was the matter of the second, in the midst of a distasteful display. The bard's lip curled in disgust, and mercilessly kicked the second in the ribs to get him off of the woman, then followed suit in his execution; plunging the tip of his sword into the brigand's neck. Messy, but it got the job done.
The soundtrack of the soldier's death gurgles in the background, all that was left was the woman herself. Inuart turned to look at her, looking up and down to survey any damage. Barring her emotional distress, the only real impression he got was a... interesting sense of fashion. Certainly not something befitting of a battlefield. The best he could guess, this person was probably a civilian caught in the crossfire. What did draw his attention, however, was the curious blindfold, appearing to be wrought of something like leather, a motif repeated by a series of belts around her neck and shoulders.
He felt hesitant to approach, considering what had just transpired moments ago, and instead elected to simply speak to her, "What in the devil are you doing in a place like this?"
Typically, Inuart would have asked something along the lines of 'Are you alright?' after finding someone in distress, but given the circumstance, it seemed to be more of a stupid question than anything. The only people who are 'alright' on a battlefield are the victors.
It took Nina a second or two to realize Nocturne was the formless swarm of shadows, being so used to her eyes playing tricks on her it wasn't until Phillip gave her a prod of her wrist that she realize Nocturne was in fact real. "Hello! Good to know who I gotta call if I'm in trouble." Nina greeted the shadowy figure. Likewise the bell jingling caught Nina off guard not initially connecting the random sound would have come from Nocturne, but Talavie's translation was appreciated. "I can imagine, it looks amazing, I'm a bit jealous~" Nina lightly chuckled. "Sure there's some that don't appreciate the arts but, really, you're wearing a literal starscape as a dress. Who wouldn't think that's incredible?" Nina argued her point.
It was at this point Talavie went into concepts a tad beyond Nina's understanding. Colours of worlds, extinguishing universes, and catering that impressed a being that was literally wearing space. If it not for her attempting to keep her charade going, Nina would have had a much easier time responding to Talavie. It was the inexperience in this sort of grand scale that clearly dwarfed her. She drew smut for the internet and made people's websites look nice, what did she know about universe ending events or interdimensional travel. "Well, uh...""Food primarily, there are many here of the arts. Strong ones at that, like the one you spoke to." Phillip said, setting his drink down, the colour it once had muted to a dull grey, the tentacle that had been in it slinking back into his mass. "Much to learn indeed."
Nina couldn't fault Phillip, as far as she was aware this was the first time he'd ever been with chefs outside of earth. Obviously people from entirely different existences would have different ways of cooking. The talk about the end of everything was still on her mind however. "Like Phillip said, he's very interested in the culinary arts, practically eats, sleeps and breaths it." She joked. "But this end of a universe, I'm sorry but could you explain that a little more? How exactly will we be able to see an entire universe disappear from a train car? Like, you say that this is a once in a life time opportunity, but... why would a train be needed to see that? Uh... apologies if this seems rather odd, just trying to wrap my head around it is all."
Whomever would be working as a waitress in this establishment would take Phillip's beverage at this point, adding a quick. "Root beer for her?" motioning to Nina. "Oh! Thank you very much!" She then watched as they moved back to the food area, having a quick glance at some of the other people here on the train.
[hr]
Within the Grassy Plains of Grass
Code:
Those not important people not trying to save the world
[hr]
She couldn't remember what had happened. As far as Hillary could recall she had been hunting for this mysterious party room Rugal had instructed everyone to attend to. A mix of duty to inform the attendance of Miia's current situation and eagerness to enjoy some fabulous food. But now she was in an open space, the feeling of dozens upon dozens of thin blades piercing her body as her consciousness finally came to her. Had she been sleeping, she must have given her formless state she currently had, but that would quickly be fixed.
From the origin planes, the long grass seemed to swell up in one section, like a mass of grass clipping had been grabbed by some invisible force. As it collected more and more, it started to take shape. A torso, head, arms slowly molded from the mound and soon Hillary stretched her arms out in a long yawn to allow her voice box to form. "Am I now?" She said allowed patting her chest, pivoting on the pseudopod of grass blades that made up her legs. The grass was long and tall, but with Hillary's eyes she'd be able to spot several sections of the grassy plain that has disturbed. She would quickly swoosh over to the nearest one.
Although she won't know Diana at that point, she would slowly pap her face. Because of her composition, the pap was like having a pillow gently pressed up beside her face repeatedly. "Heeeellllooooo~ Hello! Please wake up please!" Hillary called before looking around her and moving to another person, Ton Ton. "Ah! Mr. Ton Ton? Wake up!" She called out, prodding his tummy a bit.
When Rugal awoke, he instantly knew something was wrong, though the change of scenery and local was a bit of a dead giveaway.
He quickly rose to his feet, falling into a more defensive stance as he gave his rebuttal: {"German in fact, though where I hail, Latin is considered a dead tongue. So the fact we are speaking it raises several questions to me. First things first, I want the current year, our location and whom is in a ruling authority here. I have little time to waste, so do us both a favor and don't waste any."}
It was then that he began to notice the strange outfits and the classically designed buildings nearby, as well as that thing Molly seemed so attached to: "Kyuubey...Figured you'd be involved in this. Had my suspicions before, just wish I could have acted upon them sooner. Where did you take me? What of the rest of the Dawn?! So help me if you laid one hair upon my family-"
He took far too long to figure out what had happened and now they were paying the price for it.
Sure, David had been around a few "Resets" before but this one really took the cake.
"[sub]nooo....nooo, fuck....dammit..[/sub]" he groaned in his dazed state, looking like he would after a rough night...or a weekend...or any night really.
Either way, he began to stir as he felt something against his nose.
It felt like he was laying down on a field of grass, because he was, but something was off. It was like something was pushing the grass up to his face. Opening his eyes he'd initially see Ton Ton standing up beside him, but obviously the little lizard stuffy was too far for him to touch him. And then it'd finally hit him, the grass had formed a hand and was touching him. "Hello? Mister? Are you okay? Please wake up." A woman's voice pleeded, sounding quite a bit breathy and gentle, but full of concern.
"WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-STEADY UP! I'M AWAKE I'M AWAKE!" He spoke in a startled panic, having thought it was something belonging to a creature or a god awful monster.
Getting up on his feet and pulling out his weapon, he took aim at first before stammering "Alright-...What exactly-...are you?..."
Realizing he might get his answer better while NOT holding her at gun-point, he then put his weapon away before asking "You one of the Dawn?"
Hillary would scoot back rather swiftly and silently on her pseudopod, throwing her hands up in the air in surrender. Having never seen Hillary before, David would currently understand her as some sort of grass monster woman. Almost like a statue of grass clipping, below the knees just dissolved into a blob of grass. Ton Ton was currently resting on her lap, apparently asleep still. "Don't hurt Ton Ton!" She yelped, leaning over him a bit but not smothering him.
Once David calmed down, she'd stand back up a proper. "Hillary is not technically part of the Dawn, but Mr Rugal said he would help her get back to the Laplace." She said to him, looking over him with her grass eyes. "What happened, do you know where we are? Where has the ship gone?"
Having seen Ton Ton in that state did much to both calm and stress David out anymore.
"Dammit!...Alright, the ship is still nearby, we just got dumped outside of it. Alright, look, I know you are confused right now but this mightn't be the safest place right now. I want you to go around and start helping people up. Got to get our people out of here and take a head count before we do anything else. Some REALLY weird shit just went down and we need to be ready, alright?" He quickly barked before moving around to assist the other members of the Dawn. "Alright, Hillary will make sure to try waking everyone up mister!"
[hr]
Rising Dawn: Brig
Code:
The Warmth of life into this tomb...
[hr]
"-Guys! I'm telling you! Something really fucking weird just happened!" "That's not the part I'm disputing. It's that we can't do anything about it! They'll kill us if we try to escape."
[color=6c1504]"Dammit...I know that old puppet of mine is on board. If I could get though to h-"[/color] "We are NOT doing that. Not anymore. If we get this second chance, we do it right this time. Am I understood?" "Shhhh...Doom is TRYING to nap!"
All the members of the Cartel were rather mixed in their reaction to this "Reset" as some would call it. After all, they had no idea what exactly caused it nor if they were affected by it.
Cortex was less interested as he finished item no. 41253 on what he would do to Chrysalis for her utter humiliation of him and breaking of his heart.
But there would be a slight snag to his "Fill her eyeballs with petrol and light them on fire" plan as he noticed a strange cyan mist start to gather around his cell.
[color=b4b4]"...What th-...Guys. GUYS! SOMEONE'S HERE! SOMEONE'S HERE?!"[/color] He cried out to his comrades before he felt a strange burning sensation around his arms.
It wasn't exactly warm in there and the mist cooled it more but the more he felt it against his skin-
[color=b4b4]"Ahhh-AHHH-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH![/color] He cried out in fear as the mist began to grasp his short frame, lifting him up into the air slightly as the life was literally sucked from him. "GUARDS! GUARDS! YOU WORTHLESS SHITS! GETTING THE CELL OPEN!" Wesker shouted before quickly taking action, swiftly prying the lock on his door as Cortex's screams began to turn into whines.
[color=b4b4]"AHHHhhhahhhhh[sub]ahhhuhhhuuuhhhhh[sub]uhhhhnnn...[/sub][/sub]"[/color]
[color=6c1504]"NEO?! NEO, YOU BETTER NOT BE DYING ON ME! FUCK YOU MAN! OHHHHH SHIT!"[/color] Bison panicked as Wesker managed to get to Cortex's cell, though a less then friendly face was there to meet him.
A large skeletal figure stood before Wesker, one he remembered from the battle of Denver.
He was cloaked in the strange mist as he held up the skeleton of the recently deceased Dr. Neo Cortex by his oversized skull. "What are-...What are you-...How-....Do you know-...wha-...""What are-...What are you-...How-....Do you know-...wha-..."
Wesker's fear and anger quickly turned to sheer confusion as the figure kept reading out every single word he said, right before he said it. "...Are you Psych-" "No. Too much chance of the Demon Lord Belial invading my thoughts. YOU HEAR THAT BELIAL!?...I KNOW YOU ARE OUT THERE! YOU WILL NOT CLAIM ME! NO MORE! AHAHAHAH!" The confused king rambled before throwing Cortex's remains at the wall, prompting a violent response from Wesk-
Before Wesker could raise a hand against Leoric, he could only watch in awe and shock as the business end of Leoric's mace, at speeds he didn't even believe would be possible.
Bounding against the wall, he attempted to get the mix up by flash stepping behind-
A simple movement with his mace was enough to end that, he knew this routine, this style, this entire encounter over and over and over again.
Wesker was a lot harder to fight then Cortex, but do it enough times and you can notice their patterns and tells, it's something he learned rather well in his quest.
He died the same way the last 2 times they fought, he would strike with the handle of his mace right into Wesker's throat, pin him against the wall with him before giving a brutal overhead swing down onto Wesker's skull.
Without even waiting for the blood splatter to hit the floor, he made his way towards the remaining prisoners.
"My hero," the woman said happily as she turned to face Inuart. She smiled broadly, more so than any sane person ought to have in the situation at hand. The earth beneath them shuddered and tiny earthen hands rose from the ground and latched onto the fallen bodies of the soldiers, slowly pulling them beneath the shifting earth.
The woman stumbled to her feet and dusted her short leotard off with her hands. She straightened her tabard and turned to face the oncoming wind. "I was being escorted," she said, "from the Tear back to Crosis after I performed the yearly harvest rituals. My escort and my assailants clashed, and this is the result."
The wind shifted suddenly and unsettlingly. The battlefield was utterly empty, but the ruins of equipment told a tale of a battle involving tens of thousands of soldiers. Had this strange woman not told him that this was an ambush on her escort, it would look the ruins of a battle over the Heavens themselves.
Her hair caught the wind and fluttered dramatically around her. She put a hand just above her breast and turned to Inuart. "My name is Alesha, and my hero, who are you?"
[hr]
Table for Two
Code:
nina's story
[hr]
Talavie chuckled, "Indeed, indeed. I'm personally looking forward to Ms. Lockstar's amazing stews. From what I hear, they'll make you feel like you just crawled out of your mother's womb!" Nocturne answered with similar sounding sentiments in his particular chiming voice. He shifted from the floor up Talavie's leg and settled around her bare shoulders like some sort of living scarf.
Talavie laughed and teased her husband by running her fingers inside of his shifting form. Nocturne chimed to answer Nina, but she couldn't quite understand what he was trying to say. His words were music, which while it was good for conveying emotions, it was difficult to discern academic thought from the melody.
"You're making it too simple Nocturne," Talavie chided, "she's not of our colors. There's no way she'll understand what you're trying to say."
"To put it more simply, this is Anazorzia, the land of wonder and dreams. We exist outside the boundaries of normal worlds, and as a result if we go far enough out from the center, we can watch the events of the multitude of realms around us unfold without entering them."
"Ah, Count. It's been a while," Talavie bowed her head.
The Count was a tall lanky man with grim eyes hidden behind a set of wire-rim glasses. He his his face beneath a large black hat and wore a simple trench coat over his suit. He bowed in return, "There is no need to be so formal, Lady Death, Nightmare." He addressed Talavie and Nocturne respectively with their titles. "And you, traveler, and his companion." He addressed Phillip and Nina. "Please, call me Crown."
One of the well dressed waitstaff arrived with a tall frost cup of root beer and set it in front of Nina before bowing and taking his leave.
"Tell me Crown, who else do you know received the tickets?" Talavie asked.
Crown adjusted his glasses. "As far as I know, the Matron has afforded a good number of us the invitation to our current macabre festival. Within my own circle, Faith and Scripture both were given the summons. I know that the mongrels War, Deceit, and Envy are all aboard as well. If I were to be honest, though my name is neither Truth nor Candor, both of whom are in car seven, I think every single person of worth is on this train." He leaned over and looked at Phillip and Nina, "As well as these two foreigners. We ought to have The Spider in to clothe the human in something more appealing. She sticks out like a sore thumb."
[hr]
Right to Rule
Code:
rugal's story
[hr]
"How rude. I'm utterly destroyed," the girl on the wall joked as her handmaiden back away from Rugal shocked. "Even the gods would not dare to be so upfront. Was it not you who was on my property unconscious until I have come home from the baths? Now you wake and accuse my pet of actions he could not have committed? I ought to have expected little and less from a German barbarian, but this takes it to a level I was not expecting."
"Humans think what humans want to think. I have found that if they don't make sense, it's best just to leave them to their own thoughts." Kyuubey answered, his tail flicking back and forth calmly as he gazed at Rugal. "You know I do not lie, and I will tell you that I have never seen this man before this point in time."
"That is assurance enough," the girl hopped off the wall and walked up to Rugal. "I am Livia Lucretius Lamia, daughter of the great family Lucretius, which traces our lineage from Lucretia the Pure, who was taken forcefully by the last king of the Romans! This is the land of Etruria, which once belonged to those who were called the Latins, but now belongs to us by method of conquest!"
She stopped posturing and let her hands fall to her hips, "Formalities and decorum aside, this is the 500th year of the Roman Republic, and second year of the tenure of the great Julius Caesar. Now that I have introduced myself, would you like some bread and wine in my estate, or shall I let the wolves have at your flesh for threatening my pet?"
[hr]
Abandoned Abyss
Code:
nadalia's story
[hr]
The ash was so thick that Vihaan struggled to breathe. The world was so utterly gray that even the beating of his heart seemed to disrupt the silent rest of the drifting soot. Yona stalked behind him as silently as she could, flashing over the short distances instead of slogging through the blanket like Vihaan was.
The whir of the Inquisition's engines overhead gave him some sort of reassurance. The Desire Drive had fired up correctly and they had torn through space just as the temporal anomaly manifested. All in all, it was a success in his book.
"Do you even know what we're looking for?" Yona growled through her rebreather. She wiped some of the white powder from her goggles. In this world even her fiery red hair looked colorless.
"I can feel it. It's here somewhere." Vihaan turned around and glanced at the horizon. Where there was once an eternal sun that drifted at the edge of the mountains, there was now only darkness. He shook his head. It was so bleak here that he wasn't sure he hadn't already died.
Up ahead he saw a hunched grey figure. A woman wearing black robes and a sad crusted crown. Vihaan kicked the frozen figure over.
"Do you recognize this one?" Vihaan asked.
Yona nodded, "This was the one that set my soldier ablaze. Fiery soul, this one. Can't say I'm not glad to see her swallowed in ash. It's as appropriate as it is ironic."
Vihaan placed a radio on Nadalia's frozen body and turned it on, signalling the Inquisition to retrieve the body. Then the two pressed forward into the plains.
"What kind of world is this?" Yona asked after a long period of silent hiking.
"It used to be verdant and beautiful. The god was a kind girl who loved the change of the seasons. But her people wished for an eternal summer. Good weather, good harvests and easy life. They hated the winter. So they captured her as she was changing the seasons and cast her deep into hell to extend the summer."
"What short-sighted hubris," Yona spat.
"The way I see it, the people got upset at their god the moment it stopped benefiting them. This death by apathetic neglect suits them." He couldn't help but laugh to himself, "People who stumble at the first sign of hardship are hardly worth calling people at all."
Yona nodded, wrapping her thermal blanket around herself more tightly. The ash storm was growing in strength.
"Here it is." Vihaan said suddenly, starting to dig into a mound of ash. He dug out the body of a young girl, face frozen in half-sleep, skin grey, and lips parted as if she were about to speak. The ash sloughed off her body like mud. Vihaan tore the clothes off her chest and grabbed the small grey gemstone in her chest and ripped it out.
The body turned to ash and was swept away in the wind.
"Alright, the other one is at the bottom of the abyss. We'll take the Inquisition for that one."
"Sounds like a plan," Yona answered as she lit a flare and fired it high into the air.
The flickering green flame in the sky was the last time this world saw color.
Ton Ton finally roused from his slumber, a mixture of Hillary poking his stomach and the argument that ensured over his slumbering body and sat up right, rubbing his beady eyes as he groaned, [color=15650D]"Uggghh, When did we fall asleep???"[/color]
Feeling the "grass" underneath, Ton Ton looked between Hillary and David with confusion, before whipping his head back to David, the memories all flooding back. The black gelatinous monster, Laeta, David saying there was someone who knew about everyone on the ship -
[color=15650D]"Cadolbolg!"[/color]
With a terrified gasp, Ton Ton tried to get up, stumbled and fell off of Hillary's lap, landing in the cushy grass below. He popped back up, his body language frantic as he looked this way and that, [color=15650D]"Cadolbolg?! Where are you! It's me, Ton Ton!"[/color]
He looked at David, his voice growing more panicked as he asked, "David, have you seen him?" then to Hillary, [color=15650D]"Have you seen my little brother? He's a little baby dragon, a bit bigger than me. He's got silver scales, a turtle shell, and these feathery wings-"[/color] he stretched his arms out for emphasis, before curling inward, his hands (paws?) on his head as he continued to panic, [color=15650D]"Oh, he was so scared and he was crying for my help and I didn't get there in time and it's my job to look after him, and something bad's happened, I dunno what I'm gonna do! What will I tell Mister Caim and Miss Angelus?"[/color]
After a few attempts, the Boss was able to come to a happy conclusion - her barriers *could* in fact hold back the Mercy. The only problem being, should She assist Venia, She'd have to be constantly monitoring the barrier. A task that would require Her undivided concentration and attention, but if it could minimize potential casualties, the Boss would take it. Which of course, left the matter of Teresa and Lucifer. Lowering Her hand, she addressed Venia again in this 'space between' that only Gods could comprehend,
"It appears my hypothesis is correct. My shields can restrain the Mercy - and it is because of this, I propose this compact. I will aid you on your quest, break the barrier your father has erected. I will use my shield to hold the Mercy back between our travel through each of the Labyrinths your sisters have created. In exchange, I ask you grant my son a little bit of time. Let him and Teresa go for now, fulfill his promise, and save her for the very last of your cull. Are we in agreement?"
Venia danced back and forth on her feet. She spent this time thinking about the proposal. "That sounds reasonable. I will hold back myself until it is time. But the moment that my lord Father's barrier collapses, I will fall upon the worlds within with all of my ability. To know that the end is so near quickens my heart."
She smiled, honestly and girlishly. "It does make me wonder though, how strong are you that you can say with such confidence that my lord Father's barrier is so easily done away with?
"I am One who has spun life into much of creation, including the world Lucifer has traveled from. Your father is in my domain as we speak. My sight may have been obscured, but My way will not be blocked."
She smirked, and added, "If My son can push pass it, it should be no effort for Me."
"It's easy to come out of, it's hard to get in," Venia added, "though, if I do recall. The one curating those that pass is one of your own as well? A 'King Solomon,' or something like that. If you could set him free from my lord Father's clutches, then I would be so eternally grateful. Without him, lord Father's retainers have no order, and the barrier will be easier to break."
"Solomon? He should be long dead...But, If that is the case, I could send Lucifer after him, or... I do have another agent on that side as well. One of my Clerics. Without me however, her powers are practically nonexistant. But, if Solomon is the one I know, then perhaps my Cleric can help him break free through the thread of commonality between them."
"It's worth a shot!"
"Do you know where Solomon lies in that world? Many things seem drawn to the Rising Dawn, so it is possible he is there, but I do not want us to waste any time on a mere hunch."
Venia just pointed toward the wall. "From what I can see, he's been cherry picking people from the sheltered worlds, stashing important characters, gods, and leaders in a cocoon deep within the barrier. There he hopes that I will not deign to reach him. Go there and destroy him and his wife, and set the prisoners within free so that I may cleanse them of my Father's influence when I arrive!"
"Hmn.. If that is the case, I will need to journey with Lucifer and Teresa. If I am to send my agent to deal with Solomon, especially if he is as formidable as I remember, they will need all the help they can get in this fight.
But, I have no intention of forgetting my part of the bargain. I will return to you the moment Solomon and his wife are dealt with. But first, we need to put on a show. Have Teresa and Lucifer believe that you have been sealed by my power, then the three of us will make our journey back in."
Venia tilted her head, "How should I make that look? I've never been sealed before!"
"How about I throw up my barrier like before, but all around you. I say something that sounds like it would belong with a sealing incantation, and you pantomime looking distraught. Perhaps even throw some Mercy against it, since My barriers seem to be able to contain it. Following that, I declare you are sealed, and we take our leave. The moment I'm gone the barrier will dissipate."
Venia smiled, "Okay!"
The Boss smiled, and the conversation ended.
Looking back to her son, she could see he was attempting to comfort the very scared Teresa, and a pang of guilt seared through her breast. She did not like what she was going to need to do later, but for now, she would grant Her son this indulgence.
"I have decided that she shall be sealed. Come, close to me."
She beckoned the two close to her initial barrier, gesturing for them to put their hands on her shoulders. She raised her hands, voice ringing sonorously in Celestial tones as the trio lifted up into the air, up up up, her barriers manifesting below on the areas around them.
Venia cast her arms out as if to embrace them, and her smilled widened. "Wonderful!" She exclaimed, "truly wonderful!" The waves of her ocean rose to swallow Teresa, but crashed against the Boss' barriers as they did on BlackHarte's black wall. The pale girl stood alone in the swirling Maelstrom of Mercy, grinning, "This is not the end, interloper!" She cried hammily, waving her arms around as she orchestrated an assault on the Boss's shields. "I will be free soon, you cannot contain me forever!"
The Boss lowered her hands, the "ruse" completed, and turned to Teresa, "Now I have a task I must ask of you. Myself and My son need to return to the world from whence he came, as one of My agents needs me. You are the best suited to bypass this barrier...and I am to understand My son made you a promise?"
Lucifer brightened up at the turn of events and wrapped an a friendly arm around Teresa's shoulder, [color=eca222]"That's right, I told you that I'd show you my home world! Get The Boss back to watching over the place and I show you around. Kill two birds with one stone!"[/color]
Teresa nodded sullenly, her eyes darted nervously back to Venia churning below. "....Aye. There isn't anything for me to do. I... myself am the key. So long as I am with you, BlackHarte's barrier will allow us to pass through it's dark maze."
"Good. Then let us make haste..."
As they began their movement towards the AA world, specifically the Dawn, Lucifer felt the Boss' hand on his back, a message strictly between Her and him passing through thought, "When we return to our World, you and my Cleric becoming active again will bar me from taking further action. I will not appear beside you when you enter that world, but I will be watching and giving what aid I can. Because of this, I will warn you, and ask you pass this along to my Cleric; Solomon walks again, return him to his eternal rest - but be careful. He retains his power from life, if not more."
Before Lucifer could say anything or react - the three were already gone.
[hr]
Origin Plains a much needed homecoming
[hr]
Luke and Teresa appeared on the Origin Plains with little incident, overseeing the large portion of people, be they Dawn affiliated or no, resting peacefully. Luke could feel the comforting presence of the Boss on his back again, and he sighed with relief. That was the Boss's way, always felt but never seen. He took a look over the plains, searching for one person that had cross his mind several times - ah. A little ways away, designated by a black lump of fur with a patch of white cloth, he could see his quarry. His shoulders relaxed, a sigh of relief escaping his chest before he whispered, [color=eca222]"Found you."[/color]
The ghost of a smile flickered across his face as the Devil flicked a finger over himself, resuming his 'human' guise once more, his steps casual as he approached. He paused, looked over his shoulder to Teresa and called back, [color=eca222]"I'll be back in a bit. Feel free to wake someone else up and have a chat with them. You wanted to make friends, right?"[/color]
He took a few more careful steps, before his 'casual walk' turned into full on power-walk, which then turned into a hearty jog, stopping just before the black furred lump. Garm, ever the faithful hound, was curled around his human pack-mate, the young girl leaning into his side like he were a giant body-pillow, her expression serene. He almost didn't want to disturb her, but at this point, he was feeling a bit more selfish. The tall man bent down on his knees, a cautious hand reaching towards a bit of hair that fell over her face, moving it behind an ear. His little reverie was stopped by the sound a huff from the lupine guardian, a pale blue eye opening to regard him, [color=356D60]"Took you long enough. She was worried about you."[/color]
[color=eca222]"I know,"[/color] he reached over and scratched the big wolf behind an ear, [color=eca222]"Thanks for keeping an eye out."[/color]
[color=365D60]"I don't do it for you."[/color] The wolf yawned and stretched his front paws, gently moving his side to rouse the young woman next to him, [color=365D60]"Just pretend I'm not here. I know what to expect at this point - and don't say anything. If you call me a 'good boy' I'll bite your hand off."[/color]
Luke chuckled, and turned his attention back to the Cleric who was waking up. Teri sat up, stretched, and rubbed her eyes with a groan, [color=0E59E4]"I don't remember falling asleep..."[/color]
When her eyes opened, she stared at Luke for a hard second, then blinked in confusion, [color=0E59E4]"Luke?...What are you- Is this a dream?"[/color]
Luke didn't need any further prompting, wrapping his arms around the Cleric's shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug, burying his face in her hair. Teri gasped at the sudden contact, her arms wrapping around his back and returning the gesture, her voice shaking with excitement as she buried her face into the fabric of his shirt, [color=0E59E4]"It is you! I was worried sick!"[/color]
[color=eca222]"m' sorry."[/color]
She sshed him, reveling in the contact before she pulled back, her expression curious, [color=0E59E4]"Wait, if you're here, does that mean you figured out what's happening?"[/color]
[color=eca222]"Sort of. But first thing's first - you feel that?"[/color]
[color=0E59E4]"Feel wha-"[/color] Teri stopped mid question, her brows furrowing in confusion before her eyes widened in delight, a surge of Aura following after, [color=0E59E4]"You found The Boss! I feel- I feel.."[/color] Teri's expression grew conflicted, and found herself at a loss for words. She had lost her connection to the Boss before, feeling so alone and scared; and every time it came back that connection always came back in full force, the intensity of the emotion making the corners of her eyes mist. She looked back at him, the corners of her mouth quirking up as she said, [color=0E59E4]"I guess I'd say 'right' again. Thank you. You must have worked hard."[/color]
He laughed, rolling his eyes nonchalantly, [color=eca222]"Just a lot of teleporting. It was nothing. Besides,"[/color] his hands moved, gently cupping each of her cheeks, forehead leaning to bump her's, [color=eca222]"Even if I did have personal stake in it, which I most certainly did, seeing you smile again is worth the trouble."[/color]
That seemed to placate the young Cleric, her eyelids drooping before shooting back open, [color=0E59E4]"Wait, if the Boss is back, what about the Host? Can't they see us?"[/color]
[color=eca222]"They can't. Not right now anyway."[/color]
To help his reassurance sink in, the Devil-turned-Bartender brushed his lips gently against hers. Then the dam holding back the tidal wave of relief seemed to give way, and they kissed a little more frantically before Teri gently pushed him away, laughing softly as she said in a gentle firm voice, [color=0E59E4]"We are a little out in the open...And Garm is *right* here."[/color]
[color=365D60]"In all fairness, I did say to pretend I wasn't."[/color]
The duo laughed, before Luke stood up, pulling Teri up with him, [color=eca222]"Well, as nice as that was, we've a bit of work to do now. Boss told me that you and I need to find King Solomon - as crazy as that sounds. Before we go do that, you start waking up the others around here. I'll go find Teresa and rejoin you where you're done."[/color]
[color=0E59E4]"THE King Solomon?! Teresa? WHAT?!"[/color]
[color=eca222]"Like I said, sounds crazy, but it's word from up top. Teresa, on the other hand, is a friend I made along the way. Like I said, I'll reconvene with you in a minute. Go wake the others up."[/color]
With a little wave, the Bartender began a casual jaunt back in the direction he came in, whistling a happy tune. Talk about a weight of his shoulders.
Teri on the other hand; stood up, stretched and scratched Garm behind an ear, before she hurried off into the rest of the fields to wake the others.
[HEADING=3]Teri and Garm are now waking up other sleepy PCs.[/HEADING]
Speechless would be an apt way of describing Nina's reaction to Talarie's description of Lockheart's cooking. Sure, birth is a beautiful thing but using that to describe food of all things was a bit much even by Nina's standards. To the contrary, Nina watched curiously as Nocturne traveled up Talavie's leg. Phillip had done similar times before, but the knowledge of the two's relationship with one another added extra context to what would have been a rather mundane interaction.
'Kinda wonder if this colour stuff they keep talking about is actually a colour, or more just a name..?' Nina thought to herself as Talavie chastized Nocturne lightly about talking in his foreign language. She didn't mind too much, since she was getting a translation without asking what was there to complain about. Some friends from her childhood had grandparents of a similar situation, hence why she was about to reassure Talavie there was no issue when another man introduced himself.
"Well, that's convenient." Nina replied, left scratching her head a bit at how that'd logistically work. Her mind wondered back to the time yesterday when she was in the cluster space with the Deadly Sins, a void world with the cosmic marbles enveloped by an endless sea of black... and llamas. Where would you put tracks in a space like that? "Don't think about it too much." Phillip piped up as he notice Nina's wandering in her stillness.
"Huh?" She replied, noticing that woman had bowed to this new fellow. Seeing that the Count bowed as well left Nina feeling a bit out of place as the only one not bowing, and made a half assed attempt herself. This new Count Crown fellow was an interesting one, the glasses reflecting the light combined with his hat gave Nina the 'dastardly villain impression' while she was simply relieved his trenchcoat was open. Having to wonder if that was that kind of trenchcoat on top of all the other things rattling in her mind was far too much to bare. "Phillip.""Uh, Nina. Nice to meet you Crown."
The sound of Nina's root beer hitting the table and the slow familiar fizzing of carbonic acid converting to water and CO[sub]2[/sub] was all that was needed to grab Nina's attention, slamming her butt into the booth opposite and giving a friendly wave to the waitstaff as they moved onto their next customer. "You have no idea how much this means to me!" She smiled and started drinking while listening to the other patrons.
The name Envy nearly got Nina to choke on her drink, having not left her on good terms after the sweater incident, seeing her again was the last thing on Nina's to do list. Phillip just silently gave her a knowing look, causing Nina to cover a bit more of her face with her hat until Crown finished the last of his words. "Sorry about that, I'd be wearing a beautiful dress with this nice matching hat and shoes, but someone decided to pull a stupid prank on me and totally destroyed it. Can you imagine?"
"You're feeling better though." Until now, Nina hadn't noticed but Phillip was right. The burns she'd experienced that morning were gone, even while at the party she was still a bit tender in places. Checking over herself again she would confirm that indeed, those injuries were gone. It was almost like they hadn't happened in the first place, but she still remembered it..? "Ya, I guess I do." She eventually replied, reminding herself to ask Phillip about that later. "But we wouldn't refuse some high end tailoring if you're offering. Nocturne or... Nightmare? He certainly showed you all have way better stuff than anything Earth's got available, isn't that right Phillip?""Heh, go nuts. But keep her in one piece, would you?" Phillip in a rare moment joked. "So where is this The Spider?" Nina excitedly asked.
"Formalities and decorum aside, this is the 500th year of the Roman Republic-"
"...You mean to tell me...That I'm in Roman Times...Julius Caesar is still alive...Oh, out of all the hair-brained...insane-..."
He sputtered in anger and confusion, while he accepted that being part of the Rising Dawn included all matter of madness (Even that time
In past times, this would be the part where the old Rugal would work though his anger issues with the entire countryside, but...he couldn't do that, not anymore, not if he wanted to be able to live with himself. Okay...Calm down...There is a out of this. There always is. You are NOT going to become some footnote in Roman History. Okay, okay...focus...focus...
Taking a few moments to pace over, have a nice deep breath and count backwards from 10, he massaged his face in his hands before quickly changing gears to a much more "Polite" tone" in which he said-
{"...Apologies, Livia Lucretius Lamia, daughter of the great family Lucretius, whom carries the blood of Lucretia the Pure. I understand my-...words were rather charged. I've had a rather stressful morning and-...If you accept my apology, I in turn shall accept your offer for bread and wine. Once more, I cannot stress my regret for my outburst. My line of employment is-...annoying...}" He said as he finally composed himself and tried to think of something, anything he might be able to do to make this right.
{"Now, if you would permit me, I would gladly lead my services to your estate in exchange for lodgings. Merely until I can get my bearings and move on. Oh dear, completely forgot, My name is-..."}
This was a bit of a snag in the plan, while he could just use his own name, the possible repercussions of world leaders reading about "Infamous Crime Lord Rugal Bernstein spotted in Roman times" running though his head.
...Then again, if there was to anyone with a time machine back in his home world...
"Rugal Bernstein of Rising Dawn. {Now...Might be head off, I feel like I've done enough laying down for one day."}
Inuart listened to the young woman's story quietly, making note of the strange hands swallowing up the corpses of the soldiers with a grimace. Strange magic seemed to be at work here. Additionally, her rather blase attitude about the entirety of the situation was incredibly off-putting, and made Inuart more than a little suspicious about the current circumstance. What he could draw, however, based off of what Alesha had said told him a few things.
One, she was a person of importance in this world; presumably some kind of priestess, if the mention of Rites and the enemies attacking her entourage were anywhere to go by.
Two, He was most likely not in his home world (or rather, what had *become* his home).
Three, by sticking with this woman, it was possible he could gain his bearings as well as figure out how the hell to get back. The magic on the battlefield was sign enough that stronger magics were possible, and he could use that as a means of return, potentially. Additionally, if Alesha's pull was so much that she had literal armies were fighting over her, he could use that to his advantage as well - maybe even call in a favor.
All of this accounted for, the bard sheathed his sword and spoke quietly, "I am known as Inuart, son of Ipris. Aside from that, I am no one of importance; I just happened to be passing through." He paused, letting that information sink in before he 'graciously' offered, "If... your procession is truly destroyed as you mentioned, this cannot be a safe place for you to be alone. Seeing as I don't know where I am, I think it would beneficial for both of us to stick together, I as your temporary bodyguard, and if possible, you could answer a few questions I have. If nothing else, if we are able to find someone who won'tattack you, and get some directions back to your destination, it will take you somewhere safe. That'd be conducive to your duties, I imagine."
The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Child in Chains | Some Freaky-Ass Jungle "Wait, what do the Muppets have to do with all this? Oh..." B.C.
[hr]
"Call me Syl! And we need to turn right! We need to turn right immediately! Cherie! TURN NOW!"
The sudden tug to her right had the Anarchist swallowing a series of curses, both in English as well as several other rather entertaining languages from beyond the stars, but she followed the chained-up madwoman before the two of them darted deeper into the brush. She was about to open her mouth to finally protest when she heard a rumble behind them. So she hazarded a backward glance.
Whatever the Convict and the Exhibitionist were running from now, it was big, it was angry, and it was shooting a bright, arcing beam of golden light from a giant, toothy maw. Right at the soldiers they were previously running from, as a matter of fact. That was enough to send all manner of critters running, and for good reason. It was a goddamned dinosaur that was firing off frickin' laser beams out of it's mouth! And she already wanted one. B.C. had begun to muse that those poor bastards were having one hell of a day when she was pushed to the ground. The next moment, she had boobs upside her head as it was being cradled by a pair of arms.
"Stay quiet! This is the territory of the Dahmahwa. If you are so reckless you will wake more from their daylight slumber."
"I don't do quiet, Miss Tits McHugeKnockers!" she hissed under her breath as she struggled to aim a disgruntled glare upward.
Then she focused more on the... Mahnamahna. Whatever that dinosaur-looking ************ was. And it did look like a dinosaur, feathers and all. The lasers were definitely different, though. The way the feathers lit up when it was firing it's laser made her think of some kind of discount Godzilla with it's atomic breath. But, that aside, it was an impressive beastie, especially since that beam seemed to obliterate almost anything it hit.
All of which made her want to ride it.
She frowned thoughtfully. Impulsive as she was, and as fun as the idea of riding a laser-spitting dinosaur sounded, she wasn't stupid. Just because she was out of the rather oppressive setting that was the Rising Dawn, which plainly reeked of being "For the Greater Good!", didn't mean she had to throw all caution to the wind. Just most. So she pushed Syl off of her and laid on her side, propping up her head with one hand as she made a relaxed pose.
"Alright, while the Mahnamahna snacks on those dipshits over there, care to explain where we are? I'm sort of from out-of-town, if you couldn't already tell." she asked blandly, before she added irritably, "And please tell me that that ***** Balance isn't involved with this crap."
While she saw that stupid fucking crystal crash down and shatter, and even bleed for some odd reason, she didn't trust that it was actually, really dead. Especially if it would be far more inconvenient if it was still alive. Given her luck with infuriating authority figures, she had a feeling Balance wasn't just alive and well. Balance was probably more powerful than she could even imagine after it was struck down.
Origin Plains Remember kids, having a density of 91kg/m3 is murder on the hands
[hr]
"You finally woke up!" Hillary cheerfully greeted the woken Ton Ton, leaning over him as he lay in her lap. She'd pull back sharply as the little Tonberry shouted his brother's name. Having met the two of them when she'd first arrived on the Dawn, Hillary instinctively started to look around at her surroundings for the little turtle dragon. Judging by the various disturbed patches, nothing really looked small enough to be Cadolbolg, he was in trouble before so he must been alone. The area around them was largely just rolling hills of grass and some spare trees. Hillary wished she had her colour vision, the contrast would make this quite a bit easier.
"Ton Ton, do you know where he last was? Maybe we can..." Hillary started to say until she suddenly stopped, squinting her eyes and craning her neck a bit as her mound pushed her up that little bit more. Hillary wasn't entirely sure, but she could have sworn she'd seen a reflective glint in one of the trees nearby. Nothing overly impressive, but what little she knew of trees she did know one thing, trees don't glint. Focusing in on the tree, Hillary would make out what appeared to be a... wing? "I-I think I see him! Uh, come here." Hillary stammered, scooting up to the Tonberry and trying to pick him up in her arms absentmindedly. Ton Ton would remain on the ground, but Hillary would succeed in brutally breaking her hands, most of her fingers and even some of her palms falling apart. "Um... right... Get on then." Hillary pointed to her pseudopod with her remaining good hand. "I'm pretty sure Hillary saw him up in a tree!" She explained.
"Rugal Bernstein," Livia repeated, licking her lips. She leaned against the cobblestone wall, "fitting name for a outsider, don't you think my slave?"
The handmaiden bowed, careful not to spill any of the wine in the jug she carried, "Etiam est, me domina."
Livia gave her servant an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder and sent her scurrying into the estate proper. "Your services will not be necessary, Bernstein. It is the will of Jove that travelers in need be taken care of for as long as they need. You will have the utmost of what I can afford you in my humble province while you are here." She touched her hands on Rugal's sides and smiled, looking up to his older, imposing figure. She put her hands under his chin and gently brought his face down to hers and pressed her cheeks against his, once on each side, "When you are able, then you are welcome to show me your gratitude."
She started down the road to the entrance of her villa. Kyuubey followed behind in her footsteps, tail waving in the twilight of the setting sun.
[hr]
The inside of the villa was quaint by Rugal's standards. It was two stories of white concrete decorated with colorful frescoes and murals. The scenes depicted were mostly of women harvesting and tending the land, as well as a several illustrations of Jove and a swan. The main entrance lead into an open air atrium. Several types of exotic plants bloomed in carefully tended displays. Two benches and a game board lay in the center. Around the atrium were several small hallways leading to other rooms, they were all rather small, built for a people much shorter than Rugal was, so he had to duck any time he wanted to pass through the doorways.
The bustle of the kitchens echoed through the villa, carried far by the concrete walls. The sweet smell of baking bread dominated everything.
"I hope you'll like our fare. Bread, grapes, and cheeses are about all we have here. Game is scarce and our farmlands are not fertile enough to raise cattle for slaughter," Livia said as she led him down several winding hallways. Several slaves hurried alongside the young mistress to light the sconces that lined the villa. All of the slaves were blonde and blue eyed.
In fact Livia's own appearance, with her head of straight scarlet hair, cerulean eyes, and alabaster skin didn't seem to fit his impression of the tan, brown-and-curly haired Roman.
"Feel free to help yourself to any of my slaves if you would like," Livia said as she opened the curtain to a bedroom, "They're from Britannia, so they should be quite compatible with a German as yourself." She paused, looking at Rugal and then added coyly, "They were gifts from my brother, he led a legion with the Plautius boy. He said the girls were strong despite being pretty and slight. He gathered as many as he could and shipped them back here. Bless his heart and may he rest kindly in Elysium. The stupid boy died trying to scale the White Cliffs."
The bedroom was pretty, but not lavish. There was a couch with padded pillows and a neat folded wool blanket. The walls were decorated with geometric frescoes, and several colorful stone vessels were placed on stands near the walls. The windows were alabaster stone, carved so thin that dying sunlight filtered in through the sheet of rock.
"These vases were courting gifts from a Persian trader," Livia said. She put a finger on the stone and gently brushed over it. She smiled and leaned back on her heels, "He thought that he could win me over with such pleasantries. He was not a bad man, all things considered, but he wanted me to be a part of his harem. I would have no such thing, in good faith though, he left me with these vases. They are the treasure of this family and no small part of our wealth."
She turned to leave, beckoning Rugal to follow, "Come, food has been prepared."
[hr]
The meal was simple and instead of being served in the atrium by slaves, it was served in the kitchens. A long wooden table ran alongside the kitchens, and servants were sitting quietly along the wall. It was mostly fresh bread. Heaps and heaps of it in baskets along the table. Several dishes of olive oil lay intermittently along the length of the table. Other bowls held some fruits and cheeses.
Two slaves showed Rugal a seat near the end of the table where Livia sat herself, neatly adjusting her robes so that they didn't catch on her seat. Despite the size of the villa and the breadth of the table, Rugal couldn't find the man of the house. Or in fact, any able-bodied masters of these servants. Out of all of the women, and all but the guards were women, the only one wearing normal clothes was Livia.
"Eat," she said coolly, taking a bite out of a piece of bread, "then sleep. When the sun breaks I leave for Pompeii. If you came with me, I'm sure you would make the acquaintance of many powerful men if you visit the brothels. Some might even be able to help you with your... problem." Livia smiled genuinely. "I don't know anything about the Rising Dawn or whatever, but I know a lost soul when I see one."
[hr]
Lost to Love
Code:
inuart's story
[hr]
"Son of Ipris!?" Alesha said. She clasped her hands as she turned around, her bosom heaved with the sudden movement. She seemed more than delighted. She seemed positively ecstatic. "I am the Daughter of Ypris!" She embraced him affectionately and suddenly. Her warmth was intense. Inuart could feel the thrum of her heartbeat. It echoed inside of him with the same strength as that of a dragon's. "It is fate then! It is fate that have brought us together here. Me to you, and you to me."
The winds changed. It came across the plain and stopped around Inuart and Alesha. It held them gently in a gentle vortex. The very earth rumbled beneath them. Then the world seemed to sigh, everything stopped and there was utter silence in the plain. Even the sun, as it was climbing overhead, felt immaterial. The weight of the heat had just vanished.
"Should I call you brother?" Alesha mused as she lifted her head from Inuart's shoulder, "Ah, I am getting ahead of myself. I accept you, Inuart, Son of Ipris, to be my owner. You will have all of me, as you wish for as long as you live."
Alesha was smiling to happily, cupid bow lips and all. What's more she was so... trusting.
"You lead, and I'll follow you to the end of the world."
[hr]
Table for Two
Code:
nina's story
[hr]
"I will fetch her for you." Crown said. A grin crept across his face. He raised his right arm up dramatically and then threw his arm out, stretching his arm across the train cars, through the doors for a moment before pulling it back. A woman landed awkwardly next to Crown as his arm snapped taught and he let go of the poor lady.
"Arachne, introduce yourself."
Arachne nodded, still somewhat disoriented from her sudden and unannounced snatching. She was a woman of middling height dressed well in a shoulder-less white dress. A big black spider flitted around her head like a living hat, white silk raining down in rings around her shoulders. "H... hello... my name is Arachne, the Weaver. But you can just call me Faea... if you would like."
"You shouldn't abuse your authority to snatch people without telling them, Crown." Talavie laughed.
"Oh, I doubt my snatching was a surprise. Tell them Arachne." Crown pat her on her head. Her spider hissed in response.
"It's true. I can hear everything that goes on in this train through my silk threads. I was aware of your conversation." She turned to Nina and stuck her fingertips together and pulled them away, revealing a sticky web of silk. "I assume this human girl is Nina. You're so thin! Is Phillip not feeding you properly? Oh no, it's such a shame. Girls should be nice and juicy, it's so much more satisfying to wrap them up when there's meat on their bones!"
Faea set to work, weaving a web in the air around Nina. The spider on her head popped off and landed and Nina, scurrying in and out of her clothes, her innerwear, and worming its way into every private corner of her body, looping it's silken thread as it did. Faea sighed, "It's so sad. Must be the norm for girls nowadays. The other human girl was also this thin, though she had a little more to work with around the bosom."
"Other. Human?" Crown asked, he leaned back, interested.
"There's another human on this train?"
"Oh my, yes! She came on alone, she had a ticket from the Matron and everything. I didn't get too good of a look for her since she was wearing a big thick cloak, but Issim took her measurements."
Suddenly the train lurched, the engine howling, and the scenery began to shift. They tore out of the station like a hound out of hell. In one moment the posh architecture was sheltering them, and in the next they were racing across the surface of a nebula a million light years in breadth like it was a shallow lake. They kicked up clouds of stars in their wake, sending brilliant specs of light deep into oblivion as they passed.
"There we go, to the edge of the universe. What a trip. The Matron truly is amazing to have constructed such a marvel."
Faea pulled her silk tight and Nina's clothes exploded off her body, replaced by an elegant dress woven from white silk. It didn't leave a lot to the imagination, but it covered what it needed to, leaving her shoulders, cleavage, hips, and naval bare. The dress ran down to just above her knees, ending in a series of jingling beads. Her hair was braided back now, brilliant shining crystalline silk pieced together in each strand of hair. Faea ran her fingers over Nina's scalp, "Oh you look so appetizing, I might just eat you before the food comes!"
[hr]
Child in Chains
Code:
bonnie's story
[hr]
Syl visibly flinched when B.C. said the name "Balance." It was as if that name itself carried some sort of weight in this world, and it wasn't good.
A lancing beam from above cut the silence short. Explosions rocked the earth as the vehicle above attacked the Dahmahwa. It stumbled backwards, letting out a rippling roar before stamping down, bristling with lightning and then launching another onslaught of gold light heavensward. It bellowed, the foliage around it catching ablaze from the stray arcs of energy discharging from it's feathers. It ran forward and caught one of the soldiers in it's jaws, before throwing him so far that he vanished into the forest, leaving nothing but a trail of broken trees to mark his existence.
"You speak my language, but do now know where you are?" Syl said incredulously as she started to crawl away from the implacable death lizard. "This world is called Suwa. It is my home, and home to many many others."
Syl paused, looking over B.C., sighed, and then dropped all pretensions of being just a beautiful amazon in a jungle world. "This is Suwa, an ultra-Earth in the Talmus cluster. It's the homeworld to the Dahmahwa, of which that thing," she pointed to the dinosaur continuing to rampage toward the soldiers, "is but a soldier drone. They're an intergalactic space-faring biological race that have terrorized this part of the Galaxy for the last several hundred years." She pointed at the soldiers now currently being eat alive by the monster. "Those guys are pirates here to capture and sell the native humans as sex slaves. Idiots if you ask me, they're so much more useful for navigating the underworld here. They're the only thing that the Dahmahwa don't attack on sight, for god knows whatever reason."
Syl threw herself over B.C. smothered her again as a second Dahmahwa passed overhead on it's way to the blood bath. It's massive talons uprooting trees as it passed. "Now who are you, and how in the name of high heavens do you know Balance."
The air here was so thick with her influence that Teresa felt ill. Everywhere she looked, everywhere she turned, it just reeked of Alice. But on the bright side, it didn't seem like she was conscious at the moment since Teresa hadn't been immediately eviscerated from the inside out by a thousand different shadowy hands.
Even though she wanted to talk to people, she couldn't find her voice or her will. The world seemed so incomprehensibly large. Now she felt more alone than ever. She couldn't feel the minds of her NPCs, nor see the nook and crannies of the world. She was in someone else's home, someone else's world.
She was at the mercy of her older sister, whenever she decided to awaken and return.
The weight of the sun was crushing her shoulders. It was unbearable. She collapsed onto the grass and curled up, hiding behind the veil of her mantle, wishing for succor from this massive open world.
She wanted to cry out for help, to ask for someone to still the mad beating of her heart, but all that came out of her mouth was a weak, "Nnnaaaaaaaaaa..."
The gun suprised Anjali, but she did not even flinch. The thing inside her was waking again, and it lured, would have sprung at Freya the second she would have made her move. Anjali did now that she did not have to fear, but she feared for the life of this woman. She knew she was no vampire, but from what she slowly learned about herself, she was not less of a reason to fear. And in this swamp, that fueled her, she knew that there would have been no stopping her.
Luckily, the automaton, the person that was not a person, stopped Freya. And introduced itself as Vil. It was nice, and she knew that she liked it. Maybe there was something about it, that reminded her of herself. Other than Freya. While Freya was a human, her personality was quite different from her own, and Anjali knew that she was not really a human anymore.
"I am Anjali." she spoke. "I am ... something. I'm sorry, I do not know what. But you do not have to fear me, I do not want to hurt anyone." She tried her best to put on a smile that was not unsettling in any way. "I never visited this place, and ... I did not go anywhere. I was somewhere different, and ..." She noticed that her spear, the weapon that she had left in her room, was sticking out of the mud. "And something happened. A person was shot? It does make no sense. I am sorry."
"I hope you forgive me, but I should get my weapon. As I see, you are also wearing some, so if we need to defend ourselved ..." She hopped down from the air raft, got the spear, but held it down, unthreateningly. "If you are willing to help me out ... to find out what has happened, and how I get back to where I was before, I can ... I think I can help you, too. I don't know how yet, but I think there is a reason why I am here."
As she climbed onto the air raft again, a red-eyed snake seemed to slither beneath the mud, past them, not paying any attention.
It was quiet. And peaceful. Diana dreamt of kittens ... "Heeeellllooooo~ Hello! Please wake up please!"
Someone was pressing a pillow into her face. Trying to wake her up. Lucky them, a hand would have been bitten off. Diana groaned. And the girl?s voice was already gone.
Annoyed, she opened her eyes, and saw the grass moving away. Running to another. Diana was confused. And she remembered. She had just attended a party, and now... ? "For fuck's sake!" she called out loudly, and got up. Her dress was full of grass. And she was quite annoyed, her eyes glowing an uncanny cold blue ice.
She tried to dust herself off, but instead just got grass on her hands. Even more annoyed, she decided to change, right then and there. Her makeup got darker, her heels even higher, getting spikes and changing into thigh-high platform boots. Instead of a dress, she used a black mini-skirt with a large belt, and a short black latex top with a V-neckline, that accentuated her features even more.
It seemed to do most of the trick of making her outside look perfect again, without any patches of grass. And the black lipstick was helping to see her mood, which had not changed. She quickly strutted over to the grass person, the little thing and the man, and made herself heard. "Alright, which one of you little bitches is responsible for this shit?" Though, the man seemed to leave already. Her expression did not soften, as the grass monster and the little monster were starting to look for more people. "And who the fuck is responsible for ruining my outfit?"
Frey threw a blanket over Vil to cover the porcelain body. The figure clutched the cloth like a cloak with it's one good hand. It gazed at Anjali and observed a brief silence. "Do not be sorry," Vil said, leaning forward. It's mask was so close now that Anjali could make out the shallow scratches on the material's surface. "The world is a vast place. To not know is natural. We do not begrudge you for not knowing why you are here."
"You sound like a grandparent over there Vil," Freya called over from the steering wheel. The raft was sailing smoothly over the muck and over the yawning roots of the mangrove trees. Soon the mud and vegetation began to give away to true water. They were travelling upstream.
"Ah, forgive my rambling. It has been too long, too long, since I've seen a person like you." Vil paused, smiling underneath its etched grin, "A person like me." It retracted it's face back into it's body, ducking down into the blanket as they broke from the cover of the mangrove trees.
The river flowing past them was clear as crystal, Anjali could see the bottom of the riverbed a hundred feet down. The water surface was still, but the fish swimming madly against the currents spoke of a storm below the surface. There were small fish, large fish, crabs and frogs, snakes and salamanders, even turtles that lived inside of boulders. The water was a wellspring of all sorts of life.
A trout rose to the surface and leaped out of the river, splashing some of the ice-cold water onto Anjali and Vil. The water was refreshing, inscrutably pure despite the variety of life living within.
Up ahead some distant miles were the silhouette of buildings laid out over the river's wider bends. A city on the flowing waters, tethered by way of giant crystals to the sky. "Dulce, the Alchemist's Refuge," Freya called out, "It's not much, but it's where Vil and I live for the time being. Since Vil likes you so much, you're welcome to stay with us until you get your bearings."
[hr]
Dulce was not large, but neither was it small. There were about two thousand residents, many of them alchemists of some sort like Freya, but also families seeking asylum from the warring nations outside. The buildings were thrown together in clashing ideals, with beautifully decorated and ornate filigrees coexisting next to brutalist concrete hovels. The artisans all had their own spin on their homes and communities, and the Guild Hall was just as over-designed.
It say in the middle of the city, held aloft by four gleaming crystals in the sky. six stories tall, and twice as wide, all sorts of strange vehicles and mechanical marvels littered it's lot. Freya pulled their air raft into a small covered section of the lot and turned off the engine.
"Well, this is home, more or less. If you can, help Vil unload all of the scraps we got. I'll meet up with ya'll in the blast furnace once I get clearance from the administrators." Freya hopped off of the air raft and started to jog toward the Guild Hall.
Vil stepped off of the raft slowly, keeping his small slouched stature and blanket over himself. Vil handed a second blanket to Anjali, "Please, cover yourself lest others take you for a Child of the Night."
Vil loaded what scraps there were into a big basket and then scooped it up with his bladed arm, slinging it behind his back like a basket woven of metal. "So Anjali, please, won't you humor an old monster and tell me about yourself while we walk? What are you? Where are you from? What do you want?"
"Oh it's not trouble, we... don't... have... to... [sub]just yet....[/sub]" Nina started to say, her voice trailing off as she watched Crown's arm just extend and extend and extend! She tried to get her straw back in her mouth, but she couldn't break her eyes off of this ubsurd scene. After failing several times with her mouth, she'd eventually broke down and grabbed it with her fingers. "Oooo, s-sor-... sorry." She winced as new woman in white was pulled into the traincar, sure she wanted new clothes but this was way out of line even for her. "Don't worry about it.""But, look at her. He just dragged her from who knows where!""She knew he was coming."
Nina would give Faea a friendly but meek wave, feeling a guilty as she didn't understand yet the Weaver's eavesdropping webs. But in time she'd feel a little better about the whole situation, Faea seemed to be alright with the situation as well. The dancing strands of silk magically coming forth from Arachne's fingertips was surprising, Nina leaned back in the booth, watching curiously. "I assume this human girl is Nina. You're so thin! Is Phillip not feeding you properly? Oh no, it's such a shame. Girls should be nice and juicy, it's so much more satisfying to wrap them up when there's meat on their bones!""Well no actually, Phillip's actually really particular about what he prepares for me. 3 square meals, lots of snacks when I want, I think it's more just a really strong meta-A-BOL-ISM! AH!" Nina tried to explain herself a bit, not initially noticing the strands of silk circling her. She would look back to the Weaver just in time to see her pet spider leap onto her head.
In all fairness, Nina wasn't entirely afraid of spiders but the sheer surprise was enough to get her squeeling like a little girl, even more so when the nameless arachnid found it proper to crawl underneath her clothing. Phillip pulled the root beer away as Nina flailed, flinging off her hat in the process as she clumsily stood up from the booth and started to dance in place. "AH! Get out of there! Haha-ha! N-no not there! Ehehehe! Nuuuu!" She cried, a mixture of swift tickles, sensitive swipes and utter embarrassment assaulted her body and prevented her from listening to Phillip as he asked for her to settle down. "Gah, must you always be this loud." he mumbled to himself as he kept Nina's keepsake hat close, giving Faea a bemused stare as to why she'd think this was the best idea.
"Oh my, yes! She came on alone, she had a ticket from the Matron and everything. I didn't get too good of a look for her since she was wearing a big thick cloak, but Issim took her measurements." Nina would barely keep herself upright as the train suddenly lurched forward, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she'd been laughing too much. She wouldn't win any river dance competitions with the amount of hand waving she was doing, but her leg work was stellar. Embarrassment and gross out factors aside, she was actually loving this but one can't simply turn off their reaction to such unorthadox stimulus. "OH HO NO! No! OUT! I-I can't breath! Ahahaha!!""This human you speak of, she must be much further down the train, since I have not seen her. What did she look like?" Phillip asked, figuring Nina might want to know that information once she had a chance to calm down.
With a punctual snap and burst of fabric, Nina was left panting with her hands covering herself frontally. Her cheeks rosy, she was at a lose for words for what had transpired. The dress was quite tight to her goosebumped skin, almost defying gravity in some places. Additionally to the dress, Nina also had a set of gloves and socks fashioned from the silk, adorned with similar beads to the dress near the ankles and wrists where they ended, as well as a corset that had several beads around the collarbone area. Still left breathless, Nina looked down at the scraps of her old outfit as Faea traced her well groomed nails across Nina's scalp playfully saying a line echoed so frequently in smut it was almost criminal.
She bit her lip, leaning down to pick up her smartphone from the floor, exploding clothing make pockets far less functional. Her vision was unfocused, there were a lot of different thoughts angrily attempting to grab at Nina's voice box at this point. Phillip lightly waving her hat back and forth in the background, perfectly fine unlike everything else she'd had on her body. She'd eventually look into Faea's eyes and said shakily. "Bathroom, I really need a bathroom. Or powder room, or whatever it's called.""I'll take care of it, I see it from here." Phillip answered quickly, climbing onto the booth table, and reaching his tentacles up and catapulted himself onto Nina's bare shoulders as Nina quickly made her way out.
When the very earth seemed to bow before Inuart and this strange woman; her magics, if they were in fact their own, left him in a stunned silence. He had felt this before, this strange heat, this sense of invulnerability, a very long time ago.
"Our hearts are now as one. If you die, I die. Don't get us killed."
The serpent's name hung on his lips, a ghost haunting the back corners of his mind; and with it, came a gripping fear. Were his songs lost to him again? Did he once again throw away the one thing that was helping him rebuild his swiftly crumbling life? The younger man backed away from Alesha, his eyes wild and staring at nothing as panic gnawed at his gut, hand reflexively reaching for the band around his neck, where the old brand lay hidden, before he stopped.
There was only one way to prove of whether or not what he feared had come to pass. A familiar tune came to mind, one learned from his friends, and the bard nervously hummed the first few bars, shaking with his frayed nerves. The notes hung in his ears, and Inuart sighed in relief. He had not made the same mistake twice. His ability for song remained.
Taking a moment to breathe, Inuart had to remind mentally himself - woman of immense power right in front of him. Some kind of priestess, probably has some degree of political power, and for whatever reason, thought his father's name was really keen. Really doesn't understand the concept of personal space and coming on super strong, but useful. He opened his eyes again, did his best to smile (could she even see his face?), and offered his hand for the blind-folded woman to grasp, "My apologies, that little display was...unexpected. It was a little overwhelming."
Looking around at the seemingly empty landscape, he added sardonically, "You say you'll follow me, but I'm afraid it's a case of the blind leading the blind. I don't have any idea where we are, or where we should go. The only thing I know for certain is that I am very far from my home. Unless you've a suggestion, I'm going to start walking in a random direction."
..."Welcome to show me your gratitude"? Slavery?...Oh god, it's the G20 Summit all over again... Rugal merely thought before he followed his "Host" to her estate, recalling some of his interactions with both previous "Nobility" as well as their property.
===
It didn't take long for Rugal to feel like he was in the wrong place, least part of him felt like that.
All the slaves, the gifts from suitors and the smug sense of superiority over others you deem to be lesser?
It was-...jarring to say the least, given how long he tried to distance himself from his old lifestyle and, well, life.
He was rather stoic as he examined the residence, pacing around slightly with his arms crossed with a hint of disapproval in his expression, especially when he was offered to "Use" one of the slaves.
"I am a happily wed man with a family. Despite your brother's labors, I do not require such services. Apologies."[footnote]I'm assuming that everyone is speaking Latin so no need for the Square Brackets[/footnote] He explained to Livia, realizing the kind of life many of these women had endured before he arrived. (As well as trying to remember if he himself attempted some mad feat at the Cliffs of Dover himself!)
He was still sure to follow proper mannerisms and decorum for this era as he examined some of the food on offering, mentally musing if the lack of modern day food regulations would make for a better or a worse meal then any modern day supermarket's fruit section.
Letting his strange false eye go over the room, he did notice the slight..."Sappho and Alcman" vibe about the place, but decided against speaking about it nor would he let himself dwell on the implications. Hm...Perhaps a lack of interest in me is for the best. I have little desire to become my own ancestor...
Alas, that was neither here or there as he quickly went for his staple: Red Wine.
His expression softened slightly as he sampled the nose of his cup, Ah, now THIS was more like it, "Hmmmm...If there is only one thing you should learn from my being here, it's that the Roman's love of Wine shall be preserved in future generations."
Taking a sip of it, he then addressed the matter at hand: "I have little time to waste in brothels and even less for the men who use them. While I hail from a distant-..."time" for lack of a better term, I must find a means to return there as soon as possible. For the sake of my family and those I care about. I thank you for your advice, but I don't require the help of some nepotistic general or god forbid, Nero...Wait-...[sub]was he even born yet?[/sub]...Hm. Regardless, the type of power that I would require would not be power over man, but of nature and magic...So unless they happen to be common in Pompeii, I wouldn't find myself travelling there..."
Part of him felt like warning about the terrible eruption happening in about 30 years from now but, really, what would it do? It was a hard fact to forget that everyone he was speaking to had long since died before he was ever born.
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