X-DREAMERS [IC - BASE]

[hikarinomemori]

 

Rayla, Alolan Prodigy
<Status: Stable>
<Location: XDRS Base - Gateway>
<People: Tsuki | Duke | Jowan | Natsuki | Raine | Sorey | Antoni | Giorno | Kelsier | Mista | Twilight>

 

Tsuki, the Beast that Calls the Moon
<Status: Stable>
<Location: XDRS Base - Gateway>

 

~~

 

So Mista hated the very concept of the number four? That was... strange, to say the least. Oh well, to each their own.

 

"So there's an anomaly 'round these parts that some of us have to investigate, huh? Good - I was gettin' bored." Ray tossed the ever-familiar PokeBall in the air. "Tsuki, come on out!"

 

And out came her signature 13-foot-tall Lunala. Tsuki rubbed her head a little and shook it, then looked around. "...oh boy. Quite the crowd we have here today... Something important going on?"

 

"Yeah, Tsuki. Some of 'em are going off-world, but the two of us are gonna be joining Raine to investigate an anomaly somewhere else in this universe."

 

"Sounds like my kind of thing."

 

Ray smiles. She loved Tsuki to death and back - if anything were to happen to the Legendary, she'd be beside herself. "Twilight. Raine. I hope you guys aren't opposed to me riding on Tsuki's back."

[Kiran]

Jowan 

Allies: Duke, Raine, Natsuki, Giorno, Mista, Kelsier, Ray, Twilight, Antoni, Sorey and co.
Location: Gateway 

 

“Thank you,” he said in reply to Giorno before quickly looking away again. The man looks… not upset, exactly, but not happy either, and Jowan wasn’t sure whether he’d done anything wrong or not. Better to just avoid opening his mouth and ruining things with someone that was going to be fighting with him. 

 

Jowan’s heart swelled at Duke’s words, and a small smile crept  its way onto his face. Truly, Duke wanted to hear him continue to read? That pleased Jowan more than it had any right to. “Let’s see…” he said, flipping through the pages. What would Duke be most interested in? For Jowan it was mostly the magic system (of which there were a few pages of information on), but he didn’t think that would be Duke’s favorite part. It was too detailed and focused on the specifics of which metals could be burned to do what. City layout was a no as well. Absently, he leaned closer to Duke. Hm, since Duke was so interested in taking down the Lord Ruler, something about him would probably be best. He skimmed through, trying to find something that wasn’t overly filled with strange words about the magic of Scadriel. “Rashek - that’s the name of the Lord Ruler - was part of a growing number of young Terris - that must be some kind of ethnic group? It doesn’t say - who had more violent attitudes than was seen as typical of their people. They believed that their Feruchemy should have been put to greater use than it was as a tool for simple labour.” 

 

He flipped over to another page, trying to keep the “interesting bits” like Duke had suggested. “The koloss are a bestial race of creatures on Scadrial, created by the Lord Ruler through the use of Hemalurgy. During the time of the Lord Ruler, koloss serve as a powerful, fiercely loyal army to him, thanks in no small part to the fact that they can be controlled through the use of Allomancy by any powerful Mistborn or group of brass and/or zinc mistings. Oh, those sound nasty, it says they can grow up to twelve feet tall. I hope we won’t have to fight any. ” As soon as he said it he winced. Why would he say that? Now they definitely would, just because the universe hated him. 
 

[TehUltimateMage]

 

 

Kelsier - Gateway

[ are we going yet ] - [ oh, what's this? ]

 

Kelsier ended up staying with the Xtra Dimensional Restoration Squad for a longer time than he initially expected before they allowed him to key onto his world. He had watched people come and go in the castle and met people who might be sympathetic to his cause, but every day that passed rendered him a little more skeptical that perhaps the X-Dreamers weren't planning to make a move at all. Half the agents had already departed for another mission or other. What about his?

 

When he first got to this planet, Kelsier was uncomfortably frugal with his metals. But when it became clear that hours upon hours had passed in this world with no day cycles, he had no choice but to burn all his reserves away. He had the vial of steel from the coinshot tucked in his pocket for a few days, but wandering around the castle grounds without the constant vigilance granted by tin was an unpleasant exercise at best. Well, until he struct a conversation about alloys with the woman with the red and white hair, who gladly, almost too enthusiastically, gave him a sheet of foil to chew on which, upon burning, ended up sapping away the trace amounts of other metals he didn't realize he had remaining. Worse than an empty stomach.

 

Eventually, they did sort out the mixup and Kelsier had acquired a vial of nuggets of the correct metal this time. (That woman -- Pascal -- had also fed him a pewter mixture upon his request. The mistborn wasn't sure what he expected when the ratios were obviously incorrect and his nausea caused him to make a mess on her workdesk.) And, eventually, they managed to get his mission sorted out. Everyone was at the Gateway ready to leave (that man, Jowan, still keeping a good distance away from him even after five days), but they were intercepted by Twilight and another group of agents.

 

Kelsier hid his impatience behind a pleasant smile. Right -- they needed the dagger! Comfortably burning tin, he relaxed with his back against one of the Gateway's stones and simply listened to the conversations going on around him. Raine had a package he was very interested in and it was being passed between Duke and Jowan. A monster with wings dotted with stars, floating behind a girl who mentioned that they were going on another mission (unimportant). Giorno, Mista, Natsuki, and Raine, discussing mission assignments -- but based on the intense look in Giorno's eyes, Kelsier wasn't sure if they were going to hold their end of the bargain. The key to a good team was trust, didn't they get it? And Kelsier felt that there wasn't much trust going on between them at the moment. 

 

What he focused his attention to, though was the continuing discussion between Jowan and Duke. The planet's climate and the Koloss were things he knew about; Rashek was new. From here, even with his senses enhanced, he couldn't quite read the document and so, leaving the agents to discuss the disadvantages of the number four, he approached Duke to take a look at the papers, noting how even days later, Jowan shrunk away at his presence. Was the emotional allomancy such a big deal?

 

"Jowan, was it?" he addressed the young man with a grin. "I'd like to apologize for pulling on your emotions without warning. If we are to work together, we'll need trust between us, yes?"

 

And then, building upon the quotes from the document, he put a hand to his chin and added, "To think that the Lord Ruler -- Rashek -- is Terris. Suddenly, it makes sense why he would control and selectively breed his own people. Wouldn't want anyone to accidentally find out his dirty little secret."

[Kiran]

Jowan 

Allies: Duke, Raine, Natsuki, Giorno, Mista, Kelsier, Ray, Twilight, Antoni, Sorey and co.
Location: Gateway 

 

He didn’t consider himself “freakishly strong”, what with his magic being so weak, but it was easy to believe in himself when Duke had such conviction. He couldn’t stop himself from grinning along with him, despite the dangers outlined in the information packet. 

 

For a moment, Duke looked completely serious. Jowan looked at him, anticipation building until Duke spoke. “If you're worried about the height, just look at them from a distance. They'll look small then!"

 

Jowan couldn’t keep a laugh from escaping. Only Duke could think of something so simple and ridiculous. And yet, the idea wasn’t completely without merit. Jowan couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not. “From the sounds of it they don’t use ranged weapons,” he said, trying to stifle his laugh and speak with mock seriousness. “So looking at them from a distance would be the best plan.” 

 

At Duke’s request for more information he flipped through the pages rapidly, scanning for any other mention of the world ‘Terris’. Whomever the Terris were, either Raine didn’t think them important enough to include or their section was too small to find at the speed Jowan skimmed through. He flipped back to the beginning of the stack for another skim through, but before he could get more than a few pages in Kelsier approached them. 

 

He froze and, embarrassingly, shrunk back so that Duke’s body was partially between him and Kelsier. His gaze flickered up to Kelsier, catching sight of a grin on the man’s face, then went back down to the papers he was holding, as if Kelsier would just go away if Jowan was reading. 

 

"Jowan, was it?" Kelsier said. "I'd like to apologize for pulling on your emotions without warning. If we are to work together, we'll need trust between us, yes?"

 

Jowan bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. He wasn’t used to people apologizing to him (discounting Neria, for she was always the exception). He supposed he should accept Kelsier’s apology; after all, he’d overreacted, hadn’t he? Kelsier certainly seemed to think so, if his cavalier tone was anything to go by - not that Kelsier’s opinion on the matter was important. He’d been hurt, but it had been one act, and he couldn’t just throw away allies. Not when the mission meant so much to Duke. “I suppose so,” he said, still looking through the papers. He didn’t think trust was really achievable, now, but it’d be hypocritical to not try. 

 

Kelsier seemed to know something about the Terris, and Jowan was struck with the desire to just ask him about it. The information might not even be in the stack of papers, but he felt that it was important. Didn’t he say that he was going to try to trust Kelsier? “Who are the Terris?” he asked before he could talk himself out of it. He’d have rather just found the information himself and been the one to tell Duke about it, to hear his curiosity and desire to learn more. He almost resents Kelsier for butting in and ruining that. At least Duke’s closeness is a comfort. 
 

[TehUltimateMage]

Raine -- Gateway

[ preparing for departure ] - [ change of plans ] - [ what a splendid idea, natsuki ]

 

Twilight was going to lead the planetary expedition and Raine was expected to participate... but Natsuki brought up a good point. Raine's eyes darted between the two agents, then made her decision. They would need damage control in Scadrial, Natsuki might appreciate the assistance, and so far, she was the only one who had complete knowledge of the situation. Speaking of Natsuki, it pained her to hear that they thought that they weren't needed here, Raine supposed that it was no one's fault but her own for not telling them that they were needed, right here. The ideal situation would have been to take the star princess' offer and take a relaxing space walk with the only other reasonable person this side of the galaxy, but things in her life never tended to end up the way she wanted. Even before entertaining the thought for too long, she had already convinced herself that she would do nothing but worry about Duke while doing her job on base.

 

The healer mentally apologized to Rosalina. Knowing the princess, the 'mission' was probably a thinly veiled attempt at making Raine take a surprise vacation on some remote planet or something similar. That woman would forgive her if she had to tend to some... emergency matters. 

 

"I've heard from Rosalina that the other mission here is a relatively simple exercise," she responded to Giorno. She wasn't told outright that it would be simple, but it was described as 'relaxing', so that was an acceptable synonym. "No more than patrolling the area. I believe, which would be quite quick with Ray and Tsuki flying out with Twilight. In all due respects, I will be more useful on the clean-up job in case there are any locals caught in the crossfire."

 

Twilight gave her a long stare, as if begging her to reconsider. After a couple beats, she yielded. "...I see. Scadrial is more pressing, I agree, so all I can do is wish you all the best of luck." Preparing for the group's departure, the alicorn levitated the two anchors out of her saddlebags and towards Giorno. "You're usually on cleanup, and I'm sorry to make you do this again! But here are the hourglass and the dagger. Both are key tools for capturing the sand."

Similarly, she levitated a third, round object towards Raine, which she received with a thankful nod, then frowned after she suddenly recognized it as the item that had bankrupted the organization. "Qaksh mentioned that this possible anchor has extremely powerful healing energy," Twilight explained. "Hopefully it would be useful in your care, since I heard you lost your horn recently and, well, I'm pretty attached to mine!"

[TehUltimateMage]

 

Sorey - Gateway

[what a strange boy] - [welcomes and introductions] - [mikleo and lailah active over there]

 

Sorey watched in confusion as the boy ripped out chunks of grass from the ground almost fitfully after he thanked him for returning his glasses. The Shepherd blinked a couple times. Was he... alright? He seemed to be doing it with some sort of purpose in mind and Sorey wondered if he should ask about it, but the blond haired boy had already finished his task and scratched a symbol into the dirt before Sorey could offer to help out.

 

With a spark of electric magic, the glasses repaired themselves. It was fascinating, but not much surprised the young man anymore -- there seemed to be all kinds of strange magic that could do all sorts of things around here. The lenses, now on his face, gave the boy a wholly different, almost comically bookish look. Sorey couldn't help but think he looked cuter without them. 

 

"I'm Sorey," he introduced himself in return. "This place is known as the Gateway to the Starry Skies, and it's home to an organization that fixes anomalies in the multiverse. I don't quite understand it myself, but if you're here, that just means that your world had a hiccup at some point." He looked behind him, to everyone else assembled at the Gateway. "I think most of the people here are just about ready to leave on one of their missions, so it'll get a lot quieter in a bit. Our leader, Twilight is that little purple horse over there, so you should say hi! It's not that weird for new people to show up here now and again."

 

Mikleo - Gateway

[are you sure these people are competent] - [leaning on a rock and evesdropping]

 

"Another one?" Mikleo commented once Sorey approached the group with a new face in tow. He had closed his eyes and leaned his weight against the rock behind him, but Sorey's footsteps and voice brought him back to attention. "Not that I'm surprised, considering how many people we've seen show up here. Still, it's been a couple days since the Gateway's brought anyone new in." The seraph was at least glad to have something else to focus on other than Giorno or Duke's antics. The senior agents assembled here and had met so far didn't seem like they would be the type of people capable of saving entire worlds. But then again, he had traveled with Lailah for a while now and realized that, despite being a legendary Keeper of the White Flame, she was just as silly of a person as they rest of them. So maybe it was just his expectations that were skewed.

 

"Yes, everyone's doing well," Lailah had replied, as if Sorey and Giono hadn't seen each other just yesterday. "It seems you are close to departure, so I will leave you to your preparations. We will wish for your safe return."

 

Turning his attention back to Sorey, Mikleo gave a report of what the main group had discussed. "Natsuki and Raine decided to go with Duke and Gio, which leaves us with Twilight and Ray. Raine called it a 'simple exercise', but she also mentioned flying, which could be an issue because I don't think any of our armatus are capable of self-propelling flight. We're just patrolling the nearby planets, according to her."

 

"I see," Sorey replied, nodding. "Still, they were initially planning to bring Raine, which means that the XDRS would have had some way of helping us get around space without needing actual wings."

 

"The Lumas or I can help you with that," Twilight interrupted after overhearing him. "Some Lumas have the ability to help you jump even higher, and I've been working on perfecting some of my flight spells ever since we moved our base to this planet."

 

"Great!" He'd heard rumors that Twilight sometimes messed up her spells, but he was always ready to try new things, even despite the risks. Sorey then addressed the newcomer. "Why don't you come with us, Antoni? It'll be more fun than leaving you all alone here."

 

 

~~

 

Kelsier - Gateway

[apology accepted] - [history lesson]

 

Kelsier nodded at Jowan's half-hearted response. Good. He was glad that issue was resolved. He still eyed the document they were reading from, but the fact that both of the younger men asked for clarifications pointed to some holes in the report. The Survivor was quite eager to fill them in himself and explain it to his two students. They were so invested in his world!

 

"The Terris, or Terrismen, are a tribe of people who live in the north. They're the only known people with the potential to use Feruchemy, which is a magic that involves storing attributes into metals. Stuff like strength, speed, or memories. As a refresher, it's completely different from Allomancy -- Allomancy is a magic that draws power from the metals after eating them. There are Terris people who live in Luthadel, but they're all used as stewards for the nobility, forced to serve. You can pick them out by their height and their bright patterned robes. One of my good friends is a Terrisman and I think he would be very interested in meeting you all." 

 

"As for being selectively bred," he echoed Duke, "We think the Lord Ruler is trying to breed Feruchemy out of the Terris people, and now it makes perfect sense. He could be afraid of it because he himself, as a Terrisman, knows the full power of what it can do."

Edited November 14, 2019 by TehUltimateMage

[Kiran]

Natsuki

Allies: Duke, Raine, Jowan, Giorno, Mista, Kelsier, Ray, Twilight, Antoni, Sorey and co., Tsuki
Location: Gateway 

 

Natsuki felt… happier than they should have at Raine’s support and choice to come with them. They’d been noticing that a lot recently, it seemed, and no wonder; Raine was excellent at everything she did. Even her handwriting was nice, far better than Natsuki’s own blocky letters. It made reading her notes or hand-written paperwork much easier, and Natsuki appreciated how seriously Raine took everything. 

 

“I’m glad that’s settled,” Natsuki said. They weren’t entirely satisfied with the people assigned to the mission; Antoni had just arrived and, in their opinion, shouldn’t be allowed to go. They had stacks of paperwork, rules, and policies to go over with new agents (not that most of them seemed to care) and Antoni hadn’t had a chance to be vetted or settle in yet. The trip to the marketplace had involved nearly-arrived agents as well, and that had turned into a mess. It wasn’t their place to say any of that, however, and they could trust Twilight to keep the group together.

 

“Your Tsuki will be invaluable on this mission, Rayla; it’s good that you’re going,” Natsuki continued, feeling somewhat awkward. They weren’t entirely sure whether they were supposed to be addressing Tsuki or Rayla. In their mind, Tsuki was similar to the dogs; a full member of the team and able to understand human speech, but still someone that stayed with their handler and understood their handler best. It wasn’t expected that they speak to the dogs directly in most situations, but Tsuki wasn’t exactly the same as a dog. The dogs, as intelligent as they were, couldn’t speak directly to anyone but their handler. 

 

They watched Gold Experience work, fascinated, though they couldn’t see the Stand itself. They weren’t overly interested in magic in general, but the way Giorno’s creations went through their life cycles to reach their final form was interesting, like a time lapse video. They almost wished they could study it. “Of course,” they said, plucking out a strand of their hair and holding it out towards Giorno. While they wouldn’t have trusted Giorno’s Stand as a sole tracker, having another option to make sure everyone was where they were supposed to be was an excellent idea. 
 

[Mikasa361]

[P - Gateway]

 

"I'm Sorey. This place is known as the Gateway to the Starry Skies, and it's home to an organization that fixes anomalies in the multiverse. I don't quite understand it myself, but if you're here, that just means that your world had a hiccup at some point. I think most of the people here are just about ready to leave on one of their missions, so it'll get a lot quieter in a bit. Our leader, Twilight is that little purple horse over there, so you should say hi! It's not that weird for new people to show up here now and again."

 

After a long pause, Parker raises his eyebrow. Then he takes a look around, rather surprised at the types of people he's seeing. One young man seems to have his hair in what looks to be some sort of pastry. At the very least, the ringlets in his hair are very strange. He does, however, look awfully familiar. Had he seen someone cosplay him at a convention....? Perhaps, perhaps. Maybe the last time he went to Comic Con... There's a young woman with gray hair and a strange orange cape, a blonde who also seems to like his capes, and a nervous looking brunette next to the cape man. But that's to name a few. What the ever loving....?

 

Sorey seems to be talking to the air, and Parker rushes to his feet, taking a few steps back. Oh no, he's nuts.

 

"I see, Still, they were initially planning to bring Raine, which means that the XDRS would have had some way of helping us get around space without needing actual wings." Space? Wings? Uh....

 

The purple horse seems to interrupt Sorey, saying things that make no sense. Lumas? Like.... From Mario? What's going on?

 

Wait.

 

Purple horse. Wings.

 

....Oh, his neckbeard ex-friend would have a field day. 

 

"Great!" Sorey seems to finish his strange conversation with the horse and the air. He then addresses Antoni, who flinches. "Why don't you come with us, Antoni? It'll be more fun than leaving you all alone here."

 

"Um.... The hell...." His brain registers that maybe it's best to not ask questions. "Ah, I really don't know what I'm.... getting into...", he replies. At the same time, it's an adventure, isn't it? A chance to show off his skills, a chance to go out there and do some good, from what Sorey was saying. It sounds like it'll be a rollercoaster.

 

But he'd always loved rollercoasters. 

 

"But I guess I'll come along." He gives Sorey a smile. "I'm sure your friend there will also be good company," he says with a wink.

 

He wonders, briefly, if he should've included the last bit. But ah, who cares? 

Edited January 28, 2020 by Mikasa361

[Kiran]

Jowan 

Allies: Duke, Raine, Natsuki, Giorno, Mista, Kelsier, Ray, Twilight, Antoni, Sorey and co., Tsuki
Location: Gateway 

 

At least Duke was excited by Kelsier’s presence. Jowan wasn’t entirely sure how he felt or should feel about that. Jealous? Hurt, that Duke didn’t care enough about his discomfort to be bothered as well? Whatever the feeling was, it wasn’t pleasant and left him with a bitter pang in his chest. 

 

To distract himself, he started flipping through the papers again. Feruchemy -- he’d seen that. Sure enough, the Terris were mentioned in the section about Feruchemy. He’d have been able to find it eventually if he hadn’t given in and asked Kelsier. Feruchemy sounded like it could be powerful, but the amount of set-up that went into it seemed so limiting. He didn’t really get why the Lord Ruler was so much more scared of Feruchemy than Allomancy, but then, he’d never been smart enough to figure that kind of thing out. 

 

The part about selective breeding… that was uncomfortably relatable. “That’s familiar,” he said, despite not having meant to speak. Mages weren’t allowed to have families either. There was nothing so horrid as a ‘breeding program’ for non-mages, but the loss of prestige for families that produced mages and the social pressure against them was high enough to be similar. 

 

He only looked up from the papers when Giorno called out. Thank the Maker, and excuse to look at something other than the papers or Kelsier. His eyes widened at the sight of Giorno growing a second arm -- no, the arm was incorporeal? It didn’t really look incorporeal, but it didn’t look entirely real, either. It didn’t disturb his clothes, almost as though it was a ghost that had been hiding inside his body. Eerie.

 

The extra arm was strange, but the bug that grew in Giorno’s hand was a little disturbing. It looked like a beetle, but no beetle could get that big naturally. It reminded Jowan of the giant spiders that kept infesting the lower levels of the Circle. Apparently he couldn’t blame everything in the multiverse on demons, but the comparison was there and he didn’t like the association. The thing had so many legs and he didn’t really fancy the idea of one crawling on him. 

 

He may have squeaked a little when it flew. 

 

Natsuki moved without hesitation to give Giorno one of their hairs, and Jowan supposed that he should trust the senior agent, but he didn’t like the idea of just handing over part of his body for someone to track him with. He’d worked so hard to escape from that. It was a bit different though, wasn’t it? It wasn’t blood magic, for one, and unlike with his phylactery he’d have control over it. If he did need to destroy the creature Giorno made for him for whatever reason he’d be able to. That thought was comforting, so he lifted a hand to his head and, after another moment of hesitation, pulled a hair free.
 

[hikarinomemori]

 

Rayla, Alolan Prodigy
<Status: Stable>
<Location: XDRS Base - Gateway>

 

Tsuki, the Beast That Calls the Moon
<Status: Stable>
<Location: XDRS Base - Gateway>

 

<People: Duke | Jowan | Natsuki | Raine | Sorey | Antoni | Giorno | Kelsier | Mista | Twilight>

 

~~

 

"Just a simple little patrol, then? I'm sure just me and Tsuki could pull it off, but then again... You never know what could happen. The more the merrier, I always say!" Ray smiled - she liked the idea of getting to know Twilight better, and was still a little surprised that the alicorn knew what a Pokemon Trainer is.

 

She turned to watch the other mission's group get ready and immediately wished she hadn't. Somehow, she'd managed to see Giorno turn a strand of hair into some sort of larva. On one hand, it was amazing that he'd been able to do that, but on the other... why something so gross??

 

"I know that look. You're grossed out now? You went through the Lush Forest surrounded by Bug-type Pokemon just fine, I don't see why--"

 

"None of them were squirmin' little larvae, Tsuki! I don't see how you're not grossed out."

 

"I'm more disturbed by what I saw! You're telling me you didn't see that?!"

 

Ray raised an eyebrow in confusion. All she'd seen was the hair turn into a larva. "See what?"

 

Tsuki lowered her head in disbelief. "...oh my Arceus, Rayla..." Unlike the human Trainer, Tsuki had seen a third arm on Giorno for all of maybe ten seconds, and it had been enough to disturb her a little. Humans weren't supposed to spontaenously grow limbs, were they??

 

The larva, thankfully, wasn't a larva much longer. Now it was a beetle of some sort, and the beetle had flown to Mista. Ray calmed down a little, still utterly fascinated by Giorno's mysterious power. Maybe she'd ask him sometime when he wasn't so busy...

 

Then she saw Natsuki approach and speak. "Your Tsuki will be invaluable on this mission, Rayla; it’s good that you’re going."

 

Ray smiled - it was good that Natsuki thought of Tsuki as helpful. "Thanks, Natsuki. But really, I was barely able to handle myself on the last one. If anything, these missions are a team effort, and I ain't just talkin' about my Pokemon. Every little thing counts."

 

Tsuki watched Natsuki carefully, listening to their voice, observing their mannerisms. "You don't need to be awkward around me, Natsuki. If there's something you wish to say to me directly, you need only say it."

 

Ray, meanwhile, turned to look at Antoni. "...I ain't entirely sure who Sorey was talkin' to, either, but hey, I just chalk it up to bein' another weird quirk of the multiverse. He's got friends that not a lot of people can see or hear. I still ain't sure if anybody can see or hear them... Still, I'm glad you're comin', too."

 

Rayla then turned towards Twilight. "By the way, Twilight, Tsuki can fit one more on her back besides me. Just let me know if anyone wants to ride with me, and who. And, most importantly, when we'll be off."

[Eto]

 

by your sword -- 

.

.

shield me from judgement!

 

Kelsier's explanation is delightful, and if it was up to Duke he would insist that they stay here until the older man had completed all of his speech, shared all of his thoughts.

 

"Your friend," Duke echoes, as if this fact in itself is a wonderful thing, "can I ask who?" If Kelsier is introducing them to his friends, should Duke return the favour? Briefly, Duke entertains the idea of requesting to return to his homeland so he can show Kelsier off to everyone he knows. To his benefit and their annoyance, surely. 

 

"Forced servitude," he muses, wondering; that subject in itself is tricky, all things considered. The more he hears about the conditions of Kelsier and Dynarst's world, the more he is filled with a vigour to explore it further, change its structure, and the more Vylcan's presence burns his blood through his veins. "Is your friend in this situation?" Another ally, another glimpse into the world, perhaps? 

 

He wants to discuss more, but it seems the other agents involved are getting ready to go, including doing things like preparing -- who prepares for something in advance? -- and discussing -- why talk out the figurative when he couldn't be sure it would happen? -- and Duke is forced to return his attention to the agents setting up, in particular Giorno. He steps in front of Jowan instinctively when the other makes a sudden sound at the senior agent's abrupt movements, and glares at the blond man. Perhaps his actions are normal to the agents accustomed to the sight, but there is no need to shock newcomers, either. Perhaps the two of them are too used to each others' movements. 

 

Regardless, that doesn't give him right to deny the mission onwards, as much as he'd like to talk with Kelsier more. Reaching up, he takes a strand of his hair -- with an overexaggered motion, as if he were dying -- and gives it a light tug. 

 

"Oh, the agony," he moans, "how terrible. I've been stabbed for less." Plucking the strand of hair from his head, he presents it to Giorno with a satisfied expression, before sweeping his gaze around the field. Admittedly, he has been rather one-track-minded with Kelsier's arrival and their impending justice delivery, and has failed to notice the multiple scenes going on around the area. From Sorey welcoming a rather dazed looking blond to Ray and Natsuki conversing, it fills him with a strange sense of excitement in preparation for their incoming mission. 

[TehUltimateMage]

Raine -- Gateway

[ preparing for departure ] - [ thank you, giorno ]

 

 

When Giorno reached under his hat -- without warning -- to forcefully pull out a hair, Mista let out a yelp but couldn't move because of the other man's grip on his chin. Once he had let go, however, Mista gripped his head with both hands and doubled over in pain in one exaggerated motion. The contrast between the sensual, teasing touch and the surprise was too great. "Oi, Giorno! Give me a warning next time!" The boss always ended up getting what he wanted effectively and efficiently. Mista just conveniently forgot that sometimes.

 

During the golden man's demonstration, Raine twirled a silver hair around her finger and, pinching it firmly with her other hand, painlessly snapped it so she could offer it to Giorno. Gold Experience Requiem, his ability, was incredibly powerful and versatile in its life-growing abilities. Even though she couldn't see the spirit itself, she could most certainly feel the power rolling off of him and the subtle way it mutated whenever he activated his stand. Most thankfully, everyone so far had been cooperative with the procedure even if some were a little disturbed. Even Kelsier had plucked a blond hair off his jacket without complaint and passed it forth. 

[TehUltimateMage]

 

Twilight Sparkle -- Gateway

[ready for departure] 

 

Twilight watched the senior agents depart. She nodded to herself. If anyone in the organization could manage pulling off such a daunting cleanup task, it would be some of their best. The pony then turned her attention back to the three teens present. "I think now would be a good time to get started. This is actually an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the world where the XDRS has made their home. It's all thanks to Rosalina that we managed to secure a place here and this planet in particular is very dear to her. This means, in addition to our regular duties, it's our job to protect it!"

 

The Luma who had made the mission announcement zipped up and down. It was as if it was nodding, but since it was all head and no body, all it could do was shake. "Yep! Mama really trusts you guys! Can't wait to see her again!"

 

Sorey followed along with the explanation intently. This Rosalina must be busy if she couldn't visit them personally. She sounded like a pretty important figure!

 

"I might not actually need to ride with you, Rayla," The Shepherd replied to the trainer and her pokemon. "I'll see if my powers would be enough to fly."
 

"Luzrov Rulay!" Sorey shouted, raising his hand then lowering it over his heart. The incantation didn't change anything at all -- at least, not to the others present. But to himself he saw and felt the aura of the seraphim change his body and the appearance of his clothing, making him feel faster and stronger. He could feel Mikleo on the edge of his mind and found that his friend, under his cool facade, was just as excited as he was to explore the stars.

 

He took a running start and, with a splash of water magic, sprung high up into the air before really consulting anyone. The pull to the planet weakened more quickly than he had anticipated and Sorey soon realized that he was floating. He wasn't really falling, but he wasn't really flying, either.

 

Whoops. At least, kicking with water jets on his feet managed to get him tumbling gently in one direction. So cool!

 

We definitely should've taken up Twilight's offer, Mikleo grumbled into his mind. Honestly, you're way too reckless.

 

[Mikasa361]

[P - Gateway]

 

Parker had never really been one for imaginary friends. But Sorey seems nice enough, he supposes. He kneels to the ground and fixes his boots, quietly tying the laces back together. It's really weird, this whole thing... A whole multiverse out there... Who knew?  He smiles to himself as he presses a palm against the ground to push himself back up. He's definitely not sure what any of this entails, or why he's here in the first place. But the chance to finally try and make a name for himself? To kick ass, take names, help others, and get some muse for his art all at the same time? 

 

Hell  yeah. 

 

Parker straightens his back and flashes Sorey a very wide smile. He has to admit, Sorey is a bit of a looker. He'd make an excellent subject for a painting. Or a drawing. I should find some paper and draw... That could be a very interesting piece indeed... He puts a hand on his hip. "Well, I can finally say I went to space if I go... So why not? Sounds like an adventure." 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Mikasa361

[Pachimew]

Some days, or what passed for “days” out in space, were nice. Calm and peaceful. Usually those kinds of days were transit periods, ferrying themselves from one place to another. Some days xe could just sit on the bridge and watch the stars go by.

 

This was not one of those days.

 

Ace gripped the edge of xer seat with white knuckled fingers as Robin slammed the ship forwards, the young pilot spinning the controls in terrifying pinpoint spirals to avoid the lasers on their tails. They could escape if they went through the Deeps, but that required getting past the starsdammned Deepwatcher that had decided to try and block off the area.

 

Ace swore those things had the worst timing possible. But Robin had a glint in her eyes and xe knew better than most how capable xe was.

 

And yet, there was something...something...wrong. 

 

Elaine shouted something, a garbled warning that would not resolve itself into coherence. Ace prodded mentally at the settings in xer chips that were supposed to help with it--no, those were balanced. What…?

 

Xe glanced over at Robin, whose determined gaze had not broken from the Deep in front of her. Glanced back forwards. The hole in the Deepwatcher’s so-called ‘cloak’ was closing.

 

Something still felt wrong. The Pull called, called, it should feel like coming home--

 

Something else was pulling xer elsewhere.

 

Away. 

 

Away from h̴̩̠͖͖͉̜̠̜̤͐̂ͯͪ͞͡o̞͖̾̃͋̒̅̇ͅm̵̳͓̎́̓ͨ͑̏̆́e̳̝̞̪͓̫̝̋̓́ͩ̚ͅ

 

The Shrike shot through the gap and into the Deeps.

 

Ace felt something wrenching.

 

C3PH3L10N's scream echoed in xer head, and then xe was slamming into someone. 

 

Ace got a glimpse of stars, enough for a sense of simultaneous comfort and dissonance as xe realized xe did not recognize them. 

 

Then xe hit the ground in a tangle of limbs with someone else. Ace shoved them off and rolled back, springing to xer feet. Xe put one hand on the stun-baton inside xer coat and glanced quickly around.

...What the ****?

[Kiran]

Zagreus

Allies: Caspian, Jin, Ace, Parker

Status: Uninjured

Weapon: Exagryph, the Adamant Rail

Location: The Gateway

 

As is usual, Zagreus is fighting for his life. 

Exagryph hums in his grip and, at his bidding, forms a grenade that sparks and falls slowly to the ground. Unwilling to risk getting hurt by the bright explosion of wine that follows the grenade hitting the ground he dashes from the epicenter of the blast, icy wind tailing him. Behind him, a crowd of Numbskulls disintegrate in the wake of the blast. The Skullomat that spawned them perishes afterwards, the last vestiges of its vitality taken by the curse of Dionysus. 

The battle is mundane, until suddenly it isn’t. 

It is as though his next step takes him a thousand miles. The omnipresent green glow, stone walls, and dank air of Tartarus are gone, replaced by thousands of pinpricks of light in the sky, open space, and light, cool air. The place he finds himself in is similar to Elysium in that it has grass and flowers, and completely unlike it in every other respect. There are no statues of dead heroes, no walls, no Lethe, no ceiling. 

It doesn’t make sense, and is as likely to be some new infernal trick or illusion as anything else, but still Zagreus nearly drops Exagryph in surprise as he stares up at the sky. The sky! 

"You!" yells a voice, distracting Zagreus from the sight above him. He can’t relax yet, it seems. The owner of the voice isn’t a simple mortal, if the multiple arms and tooth-lined chin are any indication, but she doesn’t seem dead, either. "I need -- more, healing -- give me your blood!"

"My apologies," says a pink haired man. His stance is tired, but there is a sword held loosely in his grasp and a glint of will to fight in his eyes. Blood drips down his chin, as red as Zagreus’ own, and there is no divine energy about him. A mortal. "Please accept my sincerest regrets for ruining your present company." Three large, white and black striped beasts prowl protectively around him, unlike any creatures that Zagreus had ever seen before. They’re most similar to drawings that he’s seen of the Nemean lion or the chimera, yet they lack manes. 

For a moment Zagreus questions whether or not he should interfere. He could leave the pink haired man to his battle and talk to the red haired man or the two people tangled on the ground instead. He dismisses the thought quickly. He hadn’t had many chances to play the hero, but now is as good a time as any to start. 

“Need a hand?” he asks. Starting a fight with some form of banter or pun is required, of course, and the multi-armed woman seems to have enough hands already. He could have said that she has her hands full fighting the pink haired man already, but the pink haired man almost looks like he might collapse. 

Zagreus looses three bullets from Exagryph towards the multi-armed woman, two of which hit, then dashes towards her. The snowy wind rushes ahead of him and slams into the woman, curling harmlessly around the pink haired man and his white beasts. As soon as the dash is completed he turns on his heel and dashes back the way he came, putting some distance between him and the woman and allowing him to see how the bullets and wind affected her. 

 

 

[TehUltimateMage]

Sorey -- Gateway

[ crash landing ] - [ hellion!!! ] - [ Luzrov Rulay --> Fethmus Mioma ]

 

The agents on the ground didn't have too much time to react before something strikes Sorey out of the atmosphere and sends him crashing back to the earth. The other form that fell with him roughly shoves him off and maintains a cautious distance, but Sorey himself rises only to his knees and bows his head in apology.

 

"Really sorry for bumping into you...!" the Shepherd says, even though he was the one who had been bumped into. He was going to ask the stranger if they were alright, but a confident-looking red-haired man posed the question first. "Yeah, it was a little rough, but I'm fi-"

 

A pulse suddenly strikes Sorey's mind, like a split second flash of pain between his eyes. His newly intense stare locks on to a point beyond the new person.  It had been a while since he had sensed any malevolence at all, and the sudden outpour of it was like being exposed to a noxious corpse that had been sealed in a box for months. Lailah's warnings are loud in his head but her words were far away. Sorey acts mostly on instinct and crouches, drawing his blade. The blue parts of his armatization change to a bright red color, starting from the feathers near his face and spreading to his feet. His ceremonial sword catches fire and transforms -- bigger, better, brighter, coated in the flames of purification. 

 

It was as if his Armatus -- the artifact itself -- was a little restless after being dormant so long... or was that simply his unconscious desire to return to his purification duties?

 

Sorey follows the cold wind dash of another fighter and charges in himself with a fierce battle cry, sword ablaze and cutting towards the many-armed demon with a sweeping motion. A lot less light on his feet than the other, but he was confident he could do a lot more damage. 

 

~~~

 

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle made an uncertain grimace, her ears tilted back and betraying her nervousness. "Oh dear. Is the Gateway intercepting another wave?" It certainly wasn't that bad yet, she didn't think, Or at least not bad enough to call Nata for backup.

[Pachimew]

 

Alright. Reorient. Center. A variation on the old Archive motto rose from somewhere in the depths of Ace’s mind. Observe, catalog, process. Seeing comes before understanding. So what did xe see?

 

...Stars. Xe saw stars. That was strangely comforting, despite their unfamiliarity. Ace wrenched xer gaze away from the sky and back to the situation as hand. The...kid? Across from xer looked vaguely confused, but otherwise unharmed. Ace waited for their information--name, pronouns, anything--to hit xer ID chip, but nothing came. Huh. 

 

Okay then. Stars over...a grassy meadow filled with flowers and a circular arrangement of stones reaching into the air. The place seemed to be in a perpetual twilight. Ace caught sight of a few other people clustered nearby, and a--

 

A--

 

Was that a giant, starry bat? And why did xe swear xe recognized it from somewhere?

 

Ace tried to image search the Archive with a memory screenshot.

 

[ERROR]

 

...What?

 

[ERROR. USER IS OUT OF ACCESS RANGE.]

 

Oh, what the ****? 

 

Panic--the kind of deep, true panic that Ace hadn’t felt in decades--started to claw at xer chest. Distantly, xe registered the kid xe’d shoved off offering an unnecessary apology. More distantly, xe noted xe should probably respond.

 

“It’s fine,” Ace said curtly, gaze not landing on the kid as xe tried once again to ping the Archive and got the same starsdamned error message. You couldn’t get out of the Archive’s access range, that was the point, what the--

 

Mercifully, a much louder unfamiliar voice interrupted xer thoughts. “Hi my name is Jin Kaien! Have you heard—” 

 

Ace swung xer head to pin the new person with a sharp look. As though in response, the...stars, this kid’s information wasn’t pinging either--pulled their hand back, expression shifting to concern. “Are you two alright? Rough landing?”

 

You could effin’ say that.

 

Ace pushed xerself up from xer cautious crouch and drew xerself up to xer full height--a little taller than where xe normally kept xer height mods set, xer maximum setting of 185 cm instead of xer default of 178. 

 

“Yeah, it was a little rough,” the kid xe’d crashed into said, “but I'm fi-”

 

A sudden scream grated against Ace’s ears, and xe yanked out xer stun baton before xe could even think. A moment later, xe registered what xe was seeing.

 

That thing was probably too big for xer stun baton. And it felt--it felt wrong. People said the Deeps felt wrong sometimes; Ace had never understood that, never understood how people could look at the Deeps and not feel the wonder, the call, the Pull.

 

Looking at whatever that creature was, Ace thought maybe this was what they meant by wrong.

 

There was a pink haired kid--stars, did no one have ID chips here?!--fighting the creature. Animals prowled around them. In a distant, vague way, Ace recognized them as tigers; animals xe’d never seen, a cultural memory xe’d picked up somewhere.

 

The kid hit the ground and skidded back slightly as the creature screamed for blood. Ace shoved xer baton back in its holster and checked xer pockets for xer stunner. I can’t believe I’m wishing I carried one of Louise’s guns.

 

“My apologies,” the kid said. “Please accept my sincerest regrets for ruining your present company.”

 

Why was this kid apologizing for being attacked? Unless Ace was interpreting this very wrong, there shouldn’t have been--ugh. Starsdamned self-sacrificing morons. 

 

Ace’s hand landed on xer stunner as xe caught a flash of fire in the corner or xer vision. The first kid, the one xe’d crashed into--their outfit changed in a flash of fire, blue accents turning red as an oversized sword materialized in their hand.

 

...This is turning out to be a really weird day, even by my standards.

 

The sound of a bullet firing drew Ace’s attention back to the creature. Yet another person had materialized, attacking the thing with a gun and...a...was that dash summoning snow? What even--

 

The kid next to Ace took off as the snowy wind whirled past the demon, spinning their sword with a yell. Ace sighed, figured xe’d better help, and finished pulling out xer stunner.

 

Xe aimed and fired without hope of it doing much.

[Mikasa361]

[P - Gateway]

 

Ah, he had said he loved rollercoasters. 

 

But maybe this was like the one that made me nauseous because of its near-ninety degree drop. New Jersey, was it? 

 

Parker can only think that because he'd only been here for maybe ten, fifteen, twenty minutes before Sorey was sent into the air and more people started raining from the McFreakin' sky. The first is a galaxy-haired person, soon followed by a rather happy-go-lucky red haired man. And not long after follows a beautiful pink-haired young man with an equally stunning (and rather odd) form of dress. He appears to be bleeding from the neck area, scarlet blood staining those clothes in a way that actually does make him sick. He's surrounded by not one, not two, but three giant white tigers. He is also fighting some sort of.... demon?. Haha, I guess 19 years is enough time, right?

 

Then follows a rather odd person- no, that's not entirely human. He has almost grayish skin and wears an outfit that vaguely reminds him of Greek mythology. Actually, he looks like a character his friend had showed him from the game Hades. But he can't remember anything about it for the life of him. Strange. 

 

Everyone starts coming after the demon.  Galaxy person has some sort of stun gun, Sorey is back and coming at it with a sword, and the Greek man starts shooting at it. The only ones who aren't actively fighting are Twilight and this pink haired man, who seems to be hanging back due to his wound.  Quickly Parker takes two key items out of his bag- his gun and his first aid kit. Quietly, he unwraps the package and straps on the holster to his right leg, placing the pistol in soon after. Then putting the bag on his shoulders and tucking the kit under his arm, he rushes to the pink haired man. "H-hey, you're hurt. Hang on, I can patch that up, uh..." He carefully leads the man further away from the demon and guides him so he's kneeling on the ground.

 

This man is very reluctant, and Parker gets that. But he doesn't see any sort of help coming right now. So he gets to work. He starts with the antiseptic, covering the wound and warning the man that it might Sting. Once the wound is clean he places a gauze pad or two over it and grabs the bandages. As soon as his work is done, Parker takes a few steps back and gives him some space. "Um... Sorry, where are my manners? My name is Parker Mizushima." He gives the pretty man a sheepish smile and then glances at the demon. "Jeez, this was the last thing I expected today," he says as he takes out his pistol and takes aim. 

 

 

[Eto]

Is the black-haired youth mocking her? The demon draws back, eyes wide, as she collects herself once more. Everywhere she looks -- it fills her with a sense of intense hatred bordering on desperation, an urge that screams in her most primal instincts to destroy, consume, leave no survivors. If one person lives -- she has disappointed Him, and he will not be pleased --

 

But where is he? In this new world, where --

 

Stinging pain bites at her body, pulsating in and out as new, smaller hands spring from within the mass of her quickly growing body. Her regeneration here is slow -- slower than usual, and that makes the formation of new limbs slow as well. She has to end this quickly, before it worsens her condition. She shrieks in combination with the furl of wind against her body, the cold sharp gust cutting small slices into her skin. Small slices that before she wouldn't have felt, and still does not feel now, but is still conscious of their existing.

That, in itself, is unforgivable. Her attention is drawn upwards by the curl of a yell -- how many times has she heard such a war cry, and then crushed the head of the opposing youth so easily? -- and sees a boy bounding towards her, his brown hair stirred by the wind, his eyes filled with determination.

 

Her mouth curls into a smile, and she lunges for the boy, her previous target forgotten. Blood -- give me your blood!

 

To her surprise, neither the boy's attack or her own hits its target. A glittering orange wall blocks both of them from making contact, and she draws in surprise, offended at being suddenly blocked. What kind of Breath Style was this -- something so defensive and so ridiculous?

 

It fills her with anger at being taken lightly and wails once again, swatting the land around her, ripping chunks of grass and dirt from the ground as she flings herself against the barriers of the shield, until their glimmering walls crumble down and she breaks through, bloodlust clear in her gaze. 

 

A new man runs into the scene, with shockingly bright red hair. She prepares herself for another attack, but to her surprise the boy stops right before her and is speaking -- to the other humans?

 

How pitiful, is all she can think, as she looks down at this boy who seems to be defending her. Her, of all people -- with her bloodstained hands and the taste of millions upon her tongue. She doesn't need -- his pity, nor his defense, nor his companionship. 

 

Perhaps long ago, she did -- she vaguely remembers a blinking figure before her trembling gaze, a familiar, strange, unknown smile -- 

 

The thought makes her pause for longer than necessary, silence echoing into the air between them, as everyone processes the boy's words. 

 

Then -- 

 

--

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Shoukaku

[Kiran]

Zagreus

Allies: Caspian, Jin, Ace, Parker

Status: Not Great

Weapon: Exagryph, the Adamant Rail

Location: The Gateway

 

Zagreus raises Exagryph to fire another hail of bullets at the woman, but before he can pull the trigger all of the combatants are surrounded by strange barriers that repel attacks against them. Wh-? 

 

Normally, he would have just continued to attack. In his experience, barriers and shields always went down eventually, and it was best to be shooting when that happened, but he doesn’t want to shoot the red-haired man that ran in between him and the woman (even if the man’s actions are strange). In the pause of the action he reloads Exagryph, hands moving automatically and without conscious thought. 

 

He’s not sure how to answer the man. What did he mean by “you can’t just kill people?” Of course he could kill people. He doesn’t want to, of course, but what was there to stop him? He’d killed dozens of the best warriors of Elysium again and again (not that he would be able to do that now, with as few boons as he has). “Do you want to test that?” 

 

Well. That sounded a bit like a threat, and it was partially meant as one, but he doesn’t want the redhead to get the wrong idea. He doesn’t have time to say anything more. The shields crumble under the woman’s onslaught and the battles resumes. He feels almost bad for the redhead. He’d prefer if there wasn’t any fighting either, but this is what he is good at. Killing is what he does. 

 

The woman isn’t aiming for him but he dashes anyway, constantly moving to make himself harder to hit. With the swordsman of flame so close to the woman he can’t risk Exagyph’s bullets, so he calls up the power of his cast, augmented by the power of the Huntress. Once, twice - twin arrows of green launch from his hand and dart towards the woman, curving in flight to hit her. The first digs into the flesh of one of her arms, less helpful than it could have been, but the second strikes true and drives itself into the woman’s throat. 

 

The woman hardly seemed affected by his earlier attacks, he’s closer to death than he’d like thanks to Master Chaos, and Exagryph is a ranged weapon. Despite having such good reasons to stay away from the fight, at the sight of the pink-haired man held tightly in the woman’s grip he dashes towards her. Again, icy winds dig into her flesh, while the man’s hair is ruffled and snowflakes gently caress his skin. At his side one of the lion-creatures digs into the woman with its claws. It’s strange to have someone fighting at his side, but it fills him with a surge of camaraderie. He won’t allow the Keres to take the man today. 

 

“I’ll give you blood,” he snarls at the woman, close enough that she could reach forward and tear open his chest (although she seems busy tearing apart her own), before dropping a bomb. 

 

It’s not the most delicate approach. In fact, it will definitely hurt the pink haired man as well, but it’s the only way to deal damage quickly enough to the woman that he has. The initial blast won’t do much more than scorch the people in range other than the woman, at least. She’ll have a much worse time of it. 

 

The demon, it seems, was preparing an attack of her own, and it’s not one that Zagreus is ready for. He’s good at analyzing his foes’ attack patterns and countering them. He’s not good at reacting to them the first time he sees them. Red crescents of blood slice towards him, tearing through the earth, and he isn’t quite quick enough to avoid them. A slice through his leg, his ribs torn open - it’s too much and for a moment he falls. “Nngrh, I won’t go back.” He rises into the air, will and determination half healing his wounds. He can keep going. He won't be stopped by the likes of the multi-armed woman. 

 

bloodstones: 1

death defiances: 1

Edited February 9, 2020 by Kiran

[Pachimew]

 

 

Ace’s shot hit an orange barrier and burned into nothingness. Ace blinked.

 

Firewall. Don’t think about--

 

Wait. No. That didn’t make sense. Firewalls were a mental construct only, and they hurt. Ace’s mind wasn’t twinging with the pain of trying to remember something xe shouldn’t be thinking about. This was a physical firewall. Better not touch it.

 

Ace lowered xer stunner as the kid yelled about not ganging up on others. Part of Ace rebelled--can’t you feel the wrongness?--but some people said the Deeps felt wrong too, and that had only ever been--

 

Ace instinctively slipped out of the line of thought before realizing xe didn’t feel the heat of a wall.

 

...Wait…

 

Tentatively, Ace reached for the thought again. The Deeps only ever felt like…

 

...Home.

 

Nothing burned.

 

Ace grabbed for something deeper. A memory of xer time in the Deeps, long past.

 

Nothing burned.

 

The other side of being out of the Archive’s range is that they can’t firewall me.

 

Oh, holy ****. 

 

Xe faintly registered the pink-haired kid shooting forwards, leaping high into the air with a spear of light at the ready. Much less faintly, xe registered the waves of red energy hurtling towards xer as the firewall-barrier flickered out. Those did not look good. 

 

Ace dodged to the side with easy grace--looks like all my other mods are still online, reflex-analysis-dysfunction regulator check check check; probably should have checked those first, can’t check all eye mod functions right now--and decided forget this, actually. The kids seemed to be handling themselves fine, even that weird gray-skinned one who’d gotten knocked to the ground. They were getting back up and looked ready to charge again.

 

Ace placed the entire situation firmly in not my problem and edged around the side of the battle to the other cluster of people. The space-bat still seemed faintly familiar. Besides, they were all out of the battle.

[Mikasa361]

[P - Gateway]

 

 

Once again, everything moves much too quickly. As Caspian introduces himself, The redhead makes some sort of a field and yells at him and some other people, “Hold on! Was there some memo I didn’t catch? Why are all of you attacking this one person? Lots of people who aren’t used to warping get violent afterwards and there’s no excuse for that. I get that, i really do, but that’s no excuse to pump them full of bullets! You can’t just kill people!”

Parker puts the safety back on and looks at the man in shock. “What the fu- What do you mean, this thing was attacking Caspian over there! Are you saying we purify it or some  like that?” He sighs in defeat and hastily places the gun back in its holster, stepping back to interact with the two tigers Caspian left behind. ”Bah  it.” I thought I was gonna get to fight something today, but I suppose patching someone up is sufficient enough today. He places a hand in front of each one, allowing them to sniff him and see whether or not he’s a threat. 

Soon enough, he’s petting the two giant, fluffy tigers. Huh…. So this is what it’s like to pet a big cat. They’re not too scary when they’re getting pets. It’s cathartic, really. Part of him misses his cousin’s cat, but perhaps it’s better he not think about home right now. Two. Fluffy. Cats. 

Seeing the explosion and the fact that Caspian is in danger, though… Neither of the two seem particularly happy about that. They charge forward, knowing their human is probably going to be eaten. Parker knows better than to try and hold back two giant animals, so instead he follows. He takes the gun out once more, avoiding putting the safety off just yet. Caution. Caspian could easily be shot if you’re not careful. And then that redhead… looks like he can clock you in the head if you shoot someone. Not a chance you wanna take. Even the biggest pacifist can do some good damage.

Galaxy Person moves to the edge of the battlefield. They don't seem interested in this fight at all. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mutters. He doesn’t appreciate not being able to do much else, everyone else has some sort of magic powers or brute strength, it seems. But if he can help keep these tigers safe from the demon’s wrath… Who is he to not do so?

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Mikasa361

[TehUltimateMage]

Sorey -- Gateway

 [ hellion!!! ] - [ free him ] - [ Armatization: Fire ]

 

Sorey is as surprised as the hellion when his sword bounces harmlessly off of a radiant orange barrier. He leaps backwards to give some space between him and the monster, only for the redhead to run in front of it and advise that everyone stop attacking each other. Sorey holds his blade in front of him cautiously and bites his lip. The man who introduced himself as Jin Kaiden was right -- Sorey remembered that when he first appeared here it was quite startling and disorienting and could have easily erupted into needless violence.

 

But at the same time, no one at that time of his arrival -- not even the little monsters -- felt so strongly malevolent. "Jin, it's my duty as Shepherd to quell hellions," the young man pleaded. "I can calm it down and return it to its original form, but not if it's actively trying to harm other people!"

 

'Just kick him out of the way and go on with your day,' he hears Edna say in his mind. 'Before any of these other idiots end up killing it before you can purify it.'

 

Sorey nods, acknowledging her words. Too late -- the barriers are losing strength and just as they were flickering out, a pink-haired warrior charged forth. Predictably, he was plucked out of the sky by one of the hellion's regenerating arms. The demon's counterattack was swift and Sorey is forced to thrust his sword into the ground to protect himself from the sharp red roots of its spell. Most of them screech as they scrape against the steel of the holy sword and some even tore at his clothes. He huffs, a little peeved that he missed his chance to go on the offensive.

 

'Well, so much for being first.'

The Shepherd pulls his sword out of the dirt and charges once more. First thing was first -- he lunges forth at the demon and brings his sword across the arm holding the delicate pink-haired man. Fire and steel tear through rotten flesh and bone and sever the limb, dropping the person. Sorey lands light on his feet. The hellion had many more arms he had to keep track of and they seemed to be quickly regenerating despite the best efforts of the fast cold-wind rogue and the tiger clawing at its side.

 

 

 

Twilight Sparkle -- Gateway

[normally i can explain] - [but today is quite inexplicable] 

 

Twilight was ready to lend her aid to the fight at the gateway, but hesitated. What if she messed up again, like last time, and made things worse? It didn't seem like they were doing too terribly against the creature at the moment -- at least, out of the people fighting, she knew that Sorey would be able to hold his own based on the information they had on file -- but maybe it was time to call for backup... Using the magic of her horn, Twilight took one of the cube communicators out from her saddlebags and navigated to the one side that she could make a call from. Most of the agents were on their various missions, but not--

 

One of the newcomers looked like they had enough of the chaos and simply walked off towards Ray and herself. Twilight put the act of calling on hold and greeted xer out of politeness, but still pawed nervously at the ground. "Hello! I'm Twilight, and welcome to the Gateway to the Starry Skies. Fights like this don't usually happen, I'm sorry... I'll have to ask Pascal to see if she can do anything to stop aggressive creatures from appearing on our planet. We were just about to go on patrol, actually, but it seems like trouble has found us first..."

 

The fight seemed to have attracted a few Lumas to the ring of stones. It wasn't uncommon for the native inhabitants of this planet to be curious and appear before newcomers warped here. Twilight was about to tell them to watch out for the danger but stopped herself once she noticed that it wasn't the fighting people that they were drawn to. It was the blue-and-purple haired person. At first one or two floated over, then were joined by three more. Curiously, unlike the vast majority of common yellow Lumas, these star creatures had more uncommon colors.  

 

"A star person!!" exclaimed one of them.

 

"You smell like stardust and candy," said another, this one pink-toned.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by TehUltimateMage

[Pachimew]

 

The horse talked first. Sure, okay, this day was weird enough already. 

 

“Hello! I'm Twilight, and welcome to the Gateway to the Starry Skies. Fights like this don't usually happen, I'm sorry...I'll have to ask Pascal to see if she can do anything to stop aggressive creatures from appearing on our planet. We were just about to go on patrol, actually, but it seems like trouble has found us first…”

 

Nice to know xe wasn’t the only one having a Really Weird Day. Ace nodded in return, crossing xer arms. “Nice to meet you,” xe said, falling back on social rites for lack of anything of depth beyond what the hells is going on and hey can I friend the space bat, neither of which seemed like good places to start.

 

Well. Come to think of it, that first one actually was a fairly solid place to start out. Gateway to the Starry Skies...yeah, Ace kind of liked the sound of that, despite. Xe glanced briefly over at the continuing battle. Despite all that. And Twilight (where had xe heard that name with that creature before?) said it wasn’t normal, so…

 

Ace thought this might have been a nice place to visit in literally any other circumstances. Keyword there, visit. Xe wanted home. Xe needed it. The Shrike, xer crewmates, the stars…

 

There were stars gathering nearby. Little creatures in the shape of stars. Xe could hear their songs, strong as anything. Like xe was staring out from Shrike’s bridge. Like xe was singing to the deeplarks.

 

Ace loved them on sight.

 

“A star person!!”

 

“You smell like stardust and candy.”

 

Without thinking, Ace raised one hand to xer face and sniffed at it. Smelled just the same as ever to xer, but then, xer Touch was hearing-oriented, so xe didn’t know what xe was expecting. Xe shrugged, stopped paying attention to the others, and crouched to eye level with the little stars.

 

Melody. Ace could hear their melody. The urge to sing back welled in xer throat, but these could talk, had spoken with human words. So xe slipped into a half-sung tone, old but familiar. “Hi. What are you called?”