Posted January 2, 2018 Stan -- Stan's room "It wouldn't be a stretch to say that he might have caused that fire with his mischief too," Stan accused. But if what Yusei was saying was correct -- and looking at the strange wispy creature's simple joy nosing around, he could almost forgive it. Toddlers were a pain to watch, and it wouldn't put it past those little troublemakers to accidentally set something on fire and scatter other people's stuff to the four winds if left unsupervised for a few minutes. Property damage was property damage... and Stan was willing to let it slide this time. Lord knows how many reparations he owed from his recklessness. (Not that it mattered now, since he was literally in a different universe.) "Well, since he's a kid," Stan sighed, drooping his shoulders and relaxing, "Guess I'll have to go easy on him when I get ahold of him after I get back." He gave a cheeky wink at the implied threat, making sure that Yusei knew he was joking around. "Thanks! Seems like we'll need all the luck we can get." Waiting until Hush returned to Yusei, Stan dropped the box of his stuff near the foot of his bed. With a shove of his foot, he pushed under the bed and out of sight to be dealt with later. Finishing up his business here, Stan tugged open a drawer and ran his fingers over a few bags of ammunition and explosive charges, contemplating for a moment if flashbangs would work on those eyeless beings, then with a practiced motion he placed his selected grenades in his belt. Locked and loaded. It was a good thing he didn't keep these in the workshop, or someone could have been seriously hurt if one of his bombs were to be triggered by accident. Beyond Yusei was Lara, again, presumably after she finished assessing the hole in the ceiling from earlier. Stan's face grew into a smug expression when he noticed that she looked more angry than she was when he last encountered her, and he had a feeling that perhaps Hush had claimed another victim. "Now now," he said, going out the door and closing it behind him. "Being pissed off isn't a good look for you. You'll get wrinkles faster and ruin your pretty face," he teased. "I'm just here to ask what the hell happened to my room," Lara replied, stone cold. Business, as always. Stan could feel her glare bore through him with redoubled intensity. "Well, that is something Yusei is much more qualified to answer than I will ever be. Say, are you going to help out with the anchor I'm going to grab? Those dudes we're up against can deflect bullets, but it'll be fun to have you around. Wonder if there's any good bars in that world, or if they're too poor to afford a good time...?" Stan took the opportunity to slip away while rambling off to himself, his back to the wall, eager to remove himself from the situation. It'll still be a bit before everyone assembled, but it wouldn't hurt to make it back to the Gateway to make sure Pascal had the right co-ordinates. ((Adding in pascal+twilight tomorrow morning)) Share this post Link to post
Posted January 3, 2018 XDRS - Converging on the Scene Typheus was silent as he listened to the scout's response. That was even stranger: both sides of her war had been on Earth during the same time they were. She mentioned they were undercover for a while, but the mechs weren't on Earth for that period of time. Her war... well, it made the fight between the IR and the Apex powers pale into a hatchling's squabble. How could a society survive for millennia and be war-torn at the same time? Cybertronians must be seriously resilient. The scout responded better to his explanation of unstable relations with the humans than he had expected, continuing to say that much of the fighting had actually been cleverly concealed from the humans - that would explain why not even the scientists knew of them - and that the person she came with had been captured prior to the arrival of their opponent. It all sounded pretty real to him, so he couldn't doubt her story, but it still didn't make sense how it would fit into him not knowing about them this whole time. Then again... in thinking about it, all he knew of the IR were their policies, and everything there is to know about the Apex powers were restrained to Code Purples and their associates. He was a Code Green - well, used to be - so maybe he was just horrifically ignorant? "Megatron wants the AllSpark to utilize its life-giving power, to expand his forces and rule as a tyrant", the scout went on, "He craves power and destruction. He despises humans, and loathes their existence." The AllSpark gives life, huh? That's definitely something to fight for, Typheus mused. He then felt a rising concern, a previous worry he had for a long time, but kept shoving down because it challenged his standings. He was built to be loyal to the Empire, programmed to be so, and even though he had prioritized Fiddlestick's safety, and the success of the rebels' cause, he still felt loyal, and knew that the crystal they had gone to Earth for would aid the Apex powers. Yet... the point of the war was to expand their forces, and he knew Gryn wanted to expand his power. That was the part that rang foul to him. Typheus shook his head. He hated the feeling of his principles being shaken, and he didn't know how to fix it. He just tried to ignore it for now, instead absorbing the scout's words. An AllSpark, and a long war, and an entire planet as the biggest casualty... Wait... crystal... Perhaps another correlation? Circuit said it was life-giving, and with machines fuel gave life, and the mechs were pursuing a crystal the IR had manufactured as a renewable energy source... "Circuitraider," he repeated the scout's name after he roused her from his thoughts. "It's pretty. You're not going to hack me, are you?" he asked, half-jokingly. A thud, accompanied by a yelp, echoed down the halls, interrupting them. He stopped midstep. That wasn't a good sound. "Duke has been located," Circuitraider said hastily. "Crap," he agreed. She immediately picked up the pace and began speeding down the halls, deftly drifting around the corners with practice. He followed behind her, a bit less gracefully in discomfort of the limited space. He didn't unleash his bayonets lest they tripped him up, but he'll have to if things turned ugly. ------------------------------------------ XDRS - 110% Guilty Fiddlesticks hissed as her yelping target projected a barrier between them, pushing her back with a clang. It didn't force her to let go, but there was airspace between them now, which she pushed against, turning the barrier blue. Laying on the barrier didn't seem to be helping much, but it was something; although she hesitated when Duke asked her a strange question. "Who am I?" she wondered aloud. She wasn't used to the thing she was killing asking her for an identity. Before she could properly answer, she heard a sharp sound like something unsheathing. She turned, still holding Duke and inevitably pulling him up and smacking his face into his own barrier, fully expecting Typheus to be standing there; instead, it was Xander, who had procured a much smaller, handheld blade, glowing an ominous purple glow. It was also humming like it had a motor. Was it some kind of energy field? His companion was just a few steps away, an all-too-familiar gun trained on her. "Don't you dare make another move!" Xander demanded, close enough to strike. She growled at him. "I do not care what intentions you have for attacking that man, you will release him or be struck down where you stand." He sounded like a Superiority model! Not the best association to make, but the sentence structure cut through the negativity and almost made her laugh. That was new! He sounded very educated. Why didn't she sound like that? Her tension about the threat dissipated at the curiosity, and she looked at Duke. He certainly didn't look very composed or even angry, now that his challenge had been met. It was even a belated meeting; did he even see it coming? She heard the hum of something approaching, yet another mechanical sound of an engine coming down the hall. She turned her focus from her escorts and hunkered down over Duke, as well as she could with the barrier in the way. The vehicle came very quickly, too quickly for her to contemplate the tactics of the situation. A purple car - wait, an Earth car? - slid around the corner. It was smaller than any other car she had seen, and there was no driver-? The car exploded! Fiddlesticks reared back in surprise, yet stopped by the barrier as Duke yet again was slammed into it. She saw the parts swirling in the air, but there was no bang or fire or disorder? Instead the parts flew upward and stuck into place, forming a - wait a second, did that car just turn into a giant person?! It had an equally-giant gun pointed right at her! "What the-?!" she began. "Release the human or I will blast a whole in your armor," the strange car-person ordered. Fiddlesticks bristled at the hostility, and tried to stand up- Bonk. She fell back down when the barrier stopped her, her mandibles still stuck in Duke's shoulder. She hummed is dismay, forced into the submissive position. That disappearing machine! It could turn into a car!? Why-!... was Typheus standing right next to it? His wings shifted. Her ears twitched. Those were some mixed signals there. She locked her free turret onto the machine, tensing up in recognition of her escorts just steps behind her, but Typheus shot between them, blades out in an instant and pointed at them both. She recoiled with the tip of the blade so close to her face. "Stop it!" he spat. "Why is everyone ganging up on me?!" she cried. "Are you mad?! They're supposed to be our allies!" he said. "Then why did he challenge us?!" she retorted, referring to Duke. "We're fine! You're not!" There was a shout close by, yet another order too close for comfort, and she flipped around out of reflex and shot a hole in the wall above the person's head. The loud bang resounded down the hall and gave Xander a few new tiles to repair. Fiddlesticks shrieked; only because Typheus plunged his blade in her arm and tried to pull her bayonet out of Duke. He didn't know about the barrier though, and the rim of the turret became caught on it. "Stop it!" Fiddlesticks objected, wrestling with both him and Duke and finally releasing the latter's shoulder, just to bite Typheus. He wasn't new to the force, but still grunted in surprise. "Dang it Fiddlesticks!" "You can't stop me!!" Share this post Link to post
Posted January 3, 2018 Pascal (and Cistina) -- Gateway "Your arrival was a coincidence, but we would really appreciate if you consider lending us your aid. The decision is ultimately up to you and your... companion," Cistina said to Ayaka. "So what is this? A militia? I want answers an' I'm sick o' waitin'," the new roguelike man barked. "And the rest of you who have just arrived," she addressed the newcomers, "You are here because of an unfortunate disturbance in the universe that might otherwise have put you in jeopardy. Pascal and I are, to put it one way, restoring order back to the myriad of worlds before we can send you back--" Cistina was interrupted by the explosive arrival of a blond-haired individual who immediately ran to Ayaka, then Pascal, who looked completely puzzled at his behavior. "Date?" The Amarcian echoed. Once he let go of her hands, she put a finger on her lips, deep in thought. "It's probably a bad thing if I'm driving you totally crazy. Cheria says that I drive her totally crazy all the time..." The gears turned in her oblivious head, trying to parse the meaning of his words. As quickly as he changed moods, the blond haired man skipped over to Cistina. To her astonishment, he too was flying like her, except he did so while flailing his legs like he was running in the air before gracing her with a marriage proposal. She wondered for his well-being for a moment as he was apparently moved to tears. Pascal, on the other hand, had already forgotten about him. She was looking at the sky, shielding her eyes from the dim sun as a winged form flew in from what would best be described as a hole among the stars and nearly crash landed into the space of the gateway. "It's a giant space bat!" she exclaimed, as if no one else could see the obvious. "That's pretty cool! Welcome to the Gateway to the Starry skies!" she said to the bat, and the human that had dismounted from it. Was she a space traveler or world-hopper of some kind? Those weren't that uncommon, Pascal had quickly learned. There was also the tall, dark man and the owl who could speak, and also the pink creature in the spacesuit... There were just so many people to keep track of, though everyone had similar questions, at least. "You are no longer in your world," Cistina helpfully answered the bird. "It is unlikely that you would be able to find your specific great tree. And yes, XDRS!" Seems like their reputation was growing, if the strange slime knew about their organization. "That is us. Hello!" ~~~ Stan -- Castle > Gateway "Woah there, I didn't think there would be this many people today," Stan spoke up as he approached the rock formation that designated the entrance and exit of the planet. He knew he would drive himself insane if he had to repeat the same three lines to everyone who showed up with the same three inquiries. "Although technically, the term day is relative in this place." He first noticed the starry monster who was floating by a young girl, then the piles of mud in the shape of people, Mr. Tall and Dark, some kid floating on a cloud, two men with nosebleeds (one of them also crying tears of joy), someone's pet owl, a pink thing dressed like an astronaut, an old guy, and a cute girl with horns. It felt like he was returning from a pizza run to a room that had set itself on fire. Pascal looked like she was having the time of her life, though. How she could keep that energy up, he would never know. "...You can land now, Cistina," he told the woman. She was still floating off the ground in mid flight. Nobody was batting an eye at it. Wasn't flying energy-intensive? Eager to shoo everyone away, he gave his pre-prepared answers to the same questions everyone asks. "You're not in your world anymore, you're on a tiny weird planet called the Starry Skies Gateway, everyone here's a stranger who comes from another universe, no we don't know if your friends are okay, no we didn't intentionally kidnap you, the gate rocks did it, we run a squad to save the multiverse, I'm Stan, that's Pascal and Cistina; yes you can stay and help us, no we can't pay you. Castle's that way, now get outta here so we can actually use the Gate." He gestured behind him by pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "There's more qualified people to give the extended welcome speech over there, and a place where you can settle in while we locate your home and put you back." "Although, you can stay if you'd like, cutie with the candy pink hair and the demon horns," he added as an aside with a wink. "You going back for round two already?" Pascal asked asked him. "That reminds me! I gotta get something for you guys, whoever you're taking along with you!" Before Stan could answer her, Pascal had already begun to dash off into the distance. "She's going the right way!" he hastily told the newcomers. "Follow her to get to the castle!" Share this post Link to post
Posted January 3, 2018 [ Gateway - Rai and Tsuki ] "Wh... Giant space bat?! What, have you never seen a Lunala before?!" Tsuki looked and sounded annoyed, but then she and Ray both froze. Tsuki had spoken. In smooth, fluent English. Ray quickly gathered her senses when she heard that they were, in fact, in another world - maybe the world had given Tsuki the ability to speak without using telepathy? One could only guess, but she'd have to ask someone else about it later. "...well, shoot. I expected to end up in another world, but not this one. Gateway must've hijacked the Ultra Wormhole we flew through, or something like that..." That was when another guy had walked up and given a rather rapid-fire explanation of everything going on, and quickly introduced himself as Stan and two of the other girls as Pascal and Cistina. "Castle's that way, now get outta here so we can actually use the Gate." Wow, that last sentence was rude. Regardless, before either Ray or Tsuki could speak, Pascal ran off and Stan mentioned that she was headed towards the castle. Tsuki shot a glance at Ray. "Not that I couldn't open another Ultra Wormhole so we'd be on our way, but there's something about this place... I have a feeling that there are a lot of potential allies here. We could get help against Necrozma - we sorely need it, given what that freak did to Nebby-- er, I mean, Solgaleo." "...augck. You've got a point there... That and I'm kinda tired. A little rest wouldn't hurt." Ray got back on Tsuki's back, and the Lunala began to glide in the same direction Pascal had ran off in. [ Elsewhere on the planet - Illidan and Hibiki ] There was no denying it: they were lost. Illidan lifted one of his hooves and spotted what he knew was green ink - he'd stepped in it so many times during their search for Marie that there was no denying what it was. "Yuck. I must've stepped in green ink at least ten times now. ...I think four of those times were the same ink puddle, too." "Can't you fly with those wings, Illidan-san? Maybe we could find Marie-san faster if you did." Illidan hated it when other people were right. He used his wings to glide up into the sky, to try to get their bearings of this new realm, and almost immediately spotted Pascal in his Spectral Sight. There was another winged creature behind her... or was there another person on that creature's back? It was hard to tell at this distance, but it was new, nonetheless. He came back down and motioned towards where he'd seen Pascal. "This way. I spotted Pascal. We can find ink-cheeks after we aren't lost anymore." "But--" "Hibiki, I have a lot of energy but it's running out. Even demons need their rest and I definitely need mine. I would rather not be sleep-deprived." Hibiki sighed in defeat. She didn't like how rough Illidan's tone was, but as it stood, he was the one she was most familiar with in this strange new world, and she was also getting tired anyway. The unlikely pair ran in the direction Illidan had pointed out... Share this post Link to post
Posted January 4, 2018 Stan -- Gateway "Of course not," Stan replied, his voice smooth as water in response to her receptiveness. Demon women and alien women... strange enough, many of them were quite similar to human women. "Your horns give you a certain air of regality. And like your eyes -- those rubies set in porcelain --- they reflect an enticing sense of danger more alluring than the song of-----" Suddenly he lost all sense of direction and for a panicked heartbeat he couldn't see anything through the stars in his field of vision; but gravity soon made him re-orient himself as the ground met his back and his cheek began to sting. What the hell?! He squeezed his eyes shut to recalibrate from the dizziness. It was smarter to stay on the ground for a bit. Wiggling his nose and clenching his jaw, Stan noted that nothing had been broken by the impact, though it was clear that it was no accident. That pathetic man had nailed a blow on him, and he noticed that the strike was powerful enough to send Stan flying a dozen meters outside of the ring of rocks. Was he a friend of hers? He settled into the grass, tongue loling and mouth agape. Probably better to play dead until the confusion passed. Share this post Link to post
Posted January 4, 2018 Philip (Gateway) He was hearing new voices as he stood there, both female and male. Something about a starry bat called a Lunala along with something about a tree. Perhaps he could see these things out for himself if his eyes could eventually get adjusted to the darn light of this world. He froze. Light? Tilting his head to one side and then the other. Is that was replacing the flashlight sensation of being blinded? How long had it actually been since he had been in the Entity's realm? It was then he realised he didn't feel the presence of the dark deity forcing him forward. Was he...was he free? He certainly wasn't in the trial anymore, that was for certain. Philip had zoned out in his thoughts that, when he came back to reality, realised someone was talking about how a gateway took him from his area and to go to a castle. Now, it was a matter of how to get someone's attention. Certainly not by talking. The Entity took away his ability to speak. He let out a snarl, trying to sound nonthreatening as possible before trying to do some sign language, hoping someone would pick up on it. ~~~~ Ruby (Gateway) Ruby fluffed her feathers slightly as she landed on the ground, spinning her head around to look at the Others and weird creatures. She shrunk in fear as a huge bat came forth carrying another Other on its back (and upon further conversation, Ruby learned it was a Lunala, whatever that was). She clicked her beak as her question got answered. “Are there any crows here?” she asked curiously. “I mostly ask since it looks like it's about to be daylight out.” Swiveling her head,she listened to someone as they repeated something like they done this before. Her eyes grew wide at the mention of a castle. What Ottulisa would give to be here! She took off without a second thought after Pascal and the Lunala who decided to go as well. Share this post Link to post
Posted January 4, 2018 Anders [ Near the Gateway ] “Yes, I’m human,” Anders replied. What kind of place was Keaton from that he couldn’t tell the difference between an elf and a human? He certainly didn’t look like a dwarf. Perhaps there were non-humans that looked like humans in Keaton’s world- it’d be less strange than dog-eared people. The creature sitting wouldn’t prevent it from lunging forward and killing him, but at least it wasn’t looming quite so high over him. More concerning was the way it was making eye contact- that was bad for dogs, right? Or- no, it was good? There was some kind of difference between normal dogs and Mabaris, he knew, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. Did giant talking wolves even count as dogs? He decided to not break eye contact- even if it was a terrible idea, he wasn’t going to submit. “It isn’t exactly common where I’m from either,” he said. He didn’t think he’d ever met anyone aside from Neria that could shapeshift, and she hadn’t done very often. Forget what he had said about not wanting to give more information than he had to to Keaton. If the dog was willing to listen, he’d tell him. He shook his head before beginning. “The Chantry is a religious organization, founded over nine centuries ago. In most southern countries it has more power than the true rulers, as shown when King Alistair’s attempt to free the Fereldan Circle failed.” He paused for a moment, considering how to continue. He could literally talk for hours on it, but he doubted that they had that kind of time or that Keaton would be willing to listen for that long. The basics, then. “The Chantry uses its power to oppress mages, both because it wishes to control us and because it fears us. Aside from creating a culture that fears mages and considers us subhuman, the main method that the Chantry uses to control mages is the Circle system. In all southern countries, mages are forced to live in old prisons and forts where they can be watched by the T- Chantry.” No use complicating things. “Those that refuse or hide are labeled ‘apostates’ and are hunted down. Children are taken from their homes and families torn apart- if the family doesn’t fear their own child so much that they send them away first.” He took a moment to take a deep breath and calm himself. Too personal. “That’s the short version, anyway.” Share this post Link to post
Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) Xker walked back towards the Gateway, clicking occasionally. The Volt's ears were pricked in the clear air as aer made aer way back. Whoever had sent that damn Luma had done it quickly enough that the Volt had had to mostly reverse aer course after getting a good amount of the way to aer room. Mostly because the back exit was a bit closer than backtracking all the way. Xker's fur was slightly prickled, at least the less matted tufts. The Volt's prosthetic limb clacked against the ground, the noise stopping only when aer made aer way to the grass and then to the Gateway. Xker took note when Pascal passed aer. Domething kept her. There were... still more newcomers. Lotta 'em. Well. Xker looked around. "Lot more 'n the average today...." aer mused. The Volt scanned the Gateway again. Cistina was the only veteran agent within the group. She was on Gateway duty. Couldn't have been the one sending that Luma. "So the person who sent that Luma din't even-" Aer eye caught sight of someone in the grass. Let's see what the hell happened. Given the soggy ground, I'm wondering if this bunch out here are just as rowdy as whoever put that hole in the entrance hall ceiling. Aer ambled over to the fallen person. It was Stan, his body limp. Watching, Xker made out the rise and fall of his chest. Unconscious. Or fakin' it. "Th' **** happened?" Xker snarled. "Today seems to be the day of rowdy newcomers...." So saying, Xker wheeled around and started back to watch the happenings at the gate, organic eye narrowed. Xker's weapons hummed, the Volt activating them in case one of this bunch had issues with less-than-organic creatures or aliens. Edited January 6, 2018 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
Posted January 8, 2018 (edited) Clint [Gateway] This was starting to get out of hand. Like, a lot. There were too many people (and creatures) talking at once; he couldn't settle on whose lips to read. He frowned, rubbing his sore nose. It was only when a brown-haired woman seemed to address the crowd did he turn his attention to her. Clint narrowed his eyes as he pieced together her words. "You are....[here? near? No use trying to figure that one out. Too many words looked exactly the same when lip-read]" Great. He'd already lost half her speech trying to muddle over that word. "...Disturbance in the universe..." Dammit, he hated universe shenanigans. He'd been swept up in more than a few of those in the past. Stuff with alternates universes, alternatives selves, evil Avengers...It all got old fast. Clint pinched the bridge of his nose-gently-and sighed loudly. "Stupid universe..." He felt just as confused as before, except now he was frustrated too. Universe shenanigans left everybody confused and angry and usually hurt both physically and emotionally. It was kind of traumatizing when you meet an alternate version of yourself. Or worse, find out you'd been killed in another universe. Spider Man apparently dealt with that a lot. Clint looked up, shaking himself from his thoughts. This was no good. There were too many people talking to pick out words and phrases. He'd just have to wait until the crowd dispersed so he could find someone he could watch talk in better clarity. It was only when a stranger- a man about his age with a scarf- staggered and fell did he move. There was a fight, and the stranger clearly hadn't done anything. It was an effortless thing, to slip back into combat mode. Clint caught up with the fallen man, kneeling down and frowning. He extended his ice pack to the scarved stranger. As he did so, his gaze drifted to the strange creature beside him. He tilted his head slightly, struggling to read the creature's lips. They were talking, right? That looked like talking. "I, uh...I think he got knocked down?" Just like that, the mechaniod trotted away, agitated. Huh. This place was getting stranger by the second. He extended the ice pack once again, this time offering a lopsided grin. "Here. I'm done with it anyways." Dismas [Gateway] "No no, I am content to stay here." The red-scarfed man beside him declared. "For now." The Darkest Estate was a miserable pit of squalor and corruption, and although he had taken the job for Lord Darkest, there was nothing wrong with a little break. Besides, literally any place was better than the estate. He was still nursing a few wounds from his last battle with the Hag, and frankly, he wasn't eager to return and fight again. Still...He had Reynauld to worry about. After two of the best mercenaries disappeared, everyone was a little on edge. No bodies or anything. Just... Gone. It was unnerving. As what appeared to be a small fight broke out, Dismas merely shrugged. It wasn't his fight, and he didn't care. Tugging at his scarf, his hands twitched above his blade. There were too many people here. He was getting a little nervous about it. Crowds were always a bad sign. Edited January 8, 2018 by shadow_claw Share this post Link to post
Posted January 9, 2018 Masala (gateway) She was running, hoping to get inside the mountain in time. “Masala! Do you think maybe we can slow down a bit?” her partner, an Archen, asked. “If we do it may be too late!” Masala said, taking a glance at Archen. “We wouldn't be in training to become a rescue team had we been slow!” She heard Archen suck it up but said nothing as they continued running. She just hoped it wasn't too late. Her ears perked up, hearing a terrifying roar coming from the mountain. “What was that!?” Archen yelped as he continued after Masala. “I don't know!” Masala answered as that roar urged her to go even faster. Finding the entrance, Masala didn't hesitate to hurl herself in, hearing a thunderous voice. “Who are you that disturbs my slumber!?” “I-I’m the g-great Electrike!” Masala heard Electrike say. She soon saw a cavern filled with crystals, Electrike as well as this huge massive Pokémon she could only assume that was Tyrantrum of the mountain. “A-And I-I was going to challenge you to a battle.” “Holy Mew,” Archen whispered in awe at the sight. She could see Tyrantrum stare down menacingly at Electrike. “Very well,” Tyrantrum growled, opening his mouth to attack. Masala jumped, glowing red as he unleashed a stream of blue fire at Electrike, who stood there paralyzed in fear. “Masala?” Electrike asked dumbfounded as the attack ended. “And who are you?” Tyrantrum asked. “I'm Masala,” she said, panting heavily as she had endured the attack. “And I challenge you to a battle Tyrantrum?” Tyrantrum threw back his head and roared loudly, making the mountain shake. Masala closed her eyes, grinning as she was about to let loose her Bide attack. However, something was wrong. She gasped, not seeing Tyrantrum, Archen, or Electrike anymore as she opened her eyes. She did see other creatures moving about in a grassy field that she was also standing in. “H-hey!” she hollered. “Everyone watch out! I can't keep this attack in!” With that, she opened her mouth and let out a huge beam of white light, hoping she wouldn't hit anyone. Share this post Link to post
Posted January 9, 2018 Twilight -- Dining Hall "I see, I see," Twilight added, nodding to herself. "So the magic to transform does come from that stone of yours, and that it can be controlled at will to some extent," she mused out loud, excited that her hypothesis was correct. Despite the sudden movement the human made, the dragon appeared to be relatively calm this time -- as opposed to the agitated beast that earlier attacked out of self defense. Now she had the chance to take a proper look and note all its features: broad wings like an alicorn but with clawed hands, a vulpine face and white fur like clouds. Now, she was sure she could find that book matching the shifter's description... "Are you feeling less scared now?" The pony asked. She wondered if they felt more at ease in this form than when they were in a human body, and perhaps she could get a better read on the body language now. Pascal -- Outside... somewhere "HiIllidanandHibiki!" Pascal shouted as she saw the distinct shape of the demon man and the girl beside him heading towards her, her words melding together as she struggled to get them all out before she sped past them. "I'mjustheadingtothecastletograbathingandyoucanfollowmeeeee!" She wasn't going nearly fast enough to achieve the doppler effect, but that didn't stop her from mimicking it with her voice as she passed them by. Share this post Link to post
Posted January 10, 2018 Circuitraider | I'm Going In... She almost hesitated. Had Typheus just complimented on her name? "Thank you..." she responded. It was very unexpected. Circuitraider had not considered the appearance of her name as it was normal for Cybertronians and humans had strange naming schemes. The scout allowed herself to chuckle at the silver mech's mild joke, passing through the transmission as she spoke, "Only if you want me to." It was refreshing to have a normal conversation, no matter how short, without the pressure of war weighing down upon her. It only made her current position that much harder. Blue optics narrowing, she watched as Typheus quarreled with his companion, Fiddlesticks. He even went so far as to harm her himself. From the corner of her vision, she glimpsed the swordsman as he shuffled Duke away from the arguing mechs. Good. Most of the humans were now at a safer distance. However, the threat was no less than it had been. Fine. Change in tactics. Their attention was focused on each other. Apologies, Typheus... She didn't give herself the chance to question her decision. If she hesitated on her course of action, another human could be hurt. Circuitraider did not want further casualties as result of her mistakes. The rifle broke apart, retreating to hide beneath the plating of her forearm. Armor shifted along her right shoulder, exposing a nest of cables with no ends in sight. Several of them began to glow a soft, light blue along the seams that connected segments. Instantly, three thick cables ejected upward and raced towards Fiddlesticks, many of the seams opening to allow dozens of thinner, paler cables to spread like fingers. In less than a moment, the cables secured themselves to the back and sides of the bronze mech, the thinner cords slithering into more vulnerable areas. Circuitraider's pale blue optics widened, the tiny plates shifting and spinning as if she were trying to refocus her vision. Foreign programming filled her circuits, whispering and mumbling a language she couldn't make heads or tails of. Whatever built the mechs clearly didn't share the same lexicon as humans nor Cybertronians. Which, really, did she expect it to? It shouldn't have been a surprise to the Autobot but, she had to admit it had been a long time since she'd navigated anything remotely sentient. Lately, it had been primitive human technology. Fiddlesticks was taking notice. Something laced up her cables, like a needle fired blindly in hopes of finding... something. "Behave..." Circuitraider growled, shutting her optics and bringing a hand up to her face. Such a child! The Autobot couldn't waste time trying to learn and translate every bit of the mech's programming. She needed to immobilize the bot before further harm could be done. And before Fiddlesticks sorted out her own circuitry in the counter-hack. "Firewalls? Really?" Circuitraider questioned, a bit offended. "What are you?" she breathed, not aware that she had spoken out loud. It didn't matter. The scout found something that looked like what she wanted. Grabbing on to it, she flipped what she hoped was the 'kill' switch to make Fiddlesticks immobile. Share this post Link to post
Posted January 10, 2018 (edited) [ Somewhere outside - Illidan, Hibiki, and Ray ] Whoa, and Hibiki thought Kirika spoke quickly! Pascal was clearly in some sort of rush, but she wasn't the only one to pass the two. Was that a bat??? Illidan realized it was the same new creature he'd seen before... which, he quickly found out, was actually two creatures, with a human riding this strange bat. Regardless, they didn't stop to chat - they were probably going to this castle as well. Hibiki started following Pascal, too. Illidan shrugged and followed suit - it wasn't like Pascal was one to deceive them (and he'd only known her for the one day). Even so, they all eventually wound up at the castle gates. Ray hopped off of Tsuki's back and took out a strange round device. "Come on back, Tsuki. You deserve the rest." Tsuki disappeared in a flash of red light, seemingly going inside the device. Hibiki had played enough Pokemon to know that the device was a PokeBall, but the technology was very alien to Illidan. As much as he wanted to react to it, however, he simply couldn't take his chances - not after what had almost happened with Ayaka. ...and there was Marie, off to the side a little bit. It gave Hibiki some sense of relief to know where the squid-girl was, but she seemed content where she was. After Illidan, Hibiki and Ray had exchanged the necessary introductions, they went inside the castle and started to explore. Illidan turned a corner and was met with quite the sight in the hallway. Hibiki stopped behind him, and Ray bumped into Hibiki. There was blood on the floor - likely from someone being injured - and there were three mechanical creatures that towered above Illidan. The three newcomers were silent... at least, until Illidan expressed his shock in the one way he did best. "...what the bloody hell happened in here?!" Edited January 11, 2018 by hikarinomemori OOPSIE. Colored Ray's dialogue (which I somehow missed while posting) Share this post Link to post
Posted January 12, 2018 (edited) ~Edward~ Edward yelped and ducked. He looked up at the hole in the wall above his head. What the f--- He looked up at the giant hostile thing and glared. It’s a good thing I’m sh…. S…. sh….shhhhh…. Not of average height. Ed approached carefully, but noticing that the tall blond man with the odd weapon saved the victim with the weird tattoo, he relaxed. Still, Ed came a little closer, just in case. That large metal creature didn't seem to want to back down too easily, hence the odd shrieking that came out- wait, was that a female voice? Odd. He approached the other mechanical beings that were attacking the other. They didn't appear to want to have anything to do with him, which was fine. At least they weren't trying to kill him. "Damn. What is that? Why was it trying to stab that guy?" Edward kept his distance from the fiendish creature, with a wary gaze. Even if it were an ally, he wasn't sure if he would be able to trust it, no matter what that magical-talking-pony-thing said. Nothing about this world seemed normal. Talking animals? Kids with giant clown shoes carrying giant keys? Whatever that blond guy was carrying? Giant hostile... What were they, anyway? Were they like his brother, souls trapped in suits of armor? Had they attempted human transmutation as well? He couldn't understand. He never even got the name of the girl who he walked with for a little while. Come to think of it, she wasn't particularly interested in talking too much, It looked like the people here were as unfriendly as the creatures here. Was Twilight the only friendly one here? He continued to peer at the creature that lost its mind. It was oddly-shaped for a possible suit of armor- was it an older version? Or was it more advanced? The joints were remarkably smooth for a suit of armor. It seemed very lithe too, and way too tall for a human to fit in it. Hmph. He stared at it, refusing to put away his blade. Edited January 12, 2018 by Mikasa361 Share this post Link to post
Posted January 12, 2018 Audrey the Grave Robber Offering a short smile, the mercenary continued her intended explanation. "So, a friend of mine works here. Just arrived today myself, but she took the time to fill me in on the essentials." Then, she gestured to the castle doors. "This is the XDRS Headquarters, the home base for a transdimensional group that formed to restore the universe. You got dropped here because something happened to your own world, and fate thinks you could be useful in setting things right. You can stay here as long as you need, and then either go home as soon as you're ready or aid the cause. Whichever works for you." Then, she flicked a knife from her sleeve and started picking under her fingernails with its point. While no longer looking at Marie and the pink cat and her eyes covered by the brim of her hat, she continued to speak. "You, however, have not introduced yourself yet. That's useful information for us. Makes it much easier to send you home if we know where you live." To emphasize her point, she nodded her head in the Pokémon's direction. Then, she prodded the brim of her hat with an index finger, and looked directly at him. "So. Who are you, then?" Share this post Link to post
Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) Fiddlesticks was biting down hard, but the steel tines of her mandibles couldn't pierce Typheus's hull. Instead he attempted to drag her away from Duke to free her bayonet. She thrashed her head, scratching up his hull and only widening Duke's wound. He growled, leaning over her and biting down on her tail to hold her still, his blade sinking deeper into her arm. He felt a pang of regret at being so unforgiving. Fiddlesticks, on the other hand, didn't care in the slightest, slamming the both of them into the wall. He snarled and ripped up her side, leaving deep gouges behind with sharp metal edges, the harpoon tips of his mandibles poking holes in her. She was blind to the release of her initial target, simply thrusting the blood-coated bayonet into her partner, the other aimed yet parried by him. Typheus unsheathed his emitters for another counter, but was unable to move to aim them at her; so he flared his wings instead and briefly fired them. FwwooOO-CRASH! The two instantly launched into the opposite wall! He had a brief respite from the clawing as his partner recovered from the shock, her threads flying about in a panick from being smashed in. Typheus prepared a hack, but then the umber machine looked up in surprise at her mobility and the missing weight from her arm: Duke! He wasn't there anymore! A shrill whistle and a turn, and she spotted Xander supporting him, trying to get him to safety. No! she mentally objected, throwing Typheus off her and getting to her feet, leaping toward them; her momentum was stalled when something unusual latched onto her back though. Typheus looked up to see strange, nearly-organic cords attached to her, painted silver and pulsing blue, finer wiring leaking from them over the mech's form and seeping into her joints; Fiddlesticks felt only a strange pulling sensation until that moment. "No no no - pff squZzeeeeee - teeheeheeheeheeheeee! Stooop it!" her defiant buzz terminated into excited giggling and squirming. "Stop! STOP!" Typheus didn't know whether or not he should burst out laughing or try and help; a quick glance at Circuitraider told him to do the latter. Her cords were being stretched out and that couldn't be comfortable. Assuming a hack, he jumped to his feet and rushed over to Fiddlesticks, hooking his claws into her hull and pulling her backwards to slacken them. The mech snarled at him and fought back, but he sank his back claws into the ground, punching through the tile floor and keeping him in place; in combination with the hooked claws, Fiddlesticks could only struggle in vain, the bleeding Duke mere yards away from her. Yet still she slashed at the air between them, snapping her jaws, claws scratching up the tile below... Then she began to cease. Typheus watched in bewilderment as his partner fell still. Was this a good thing? A bad thing? Circuitraider was stopping her, as needed, but what if she was hurting her? He couldn't expect her to know what to do with Fiddlesticks's head! He didn't even know what to do with Fiddlesticks's head, and he had been with her since manufacturing! He decided not to risk it, finally launching his own hack now that she was immobile. As soon as his presence made it to her mind he could tell immediately that Circuitraider was in there. Wasting no time, he organized her threads, shrunk them into a tight bubble, then went and cut off all signal clusters at the points Circuitraider was connected to. "Don't touch the cables," the purple machine warned. He was pulled out from the hack momentarily at the sound of her voice. "I'm not touching them, I'm blocking them off," he retorted, hugging Fiddlesticks close. She just started giggling, still dazed by the double hack. "You don't know what you're doing!" "Relax, I'm not hurting her," she said, "but keep playing with those and I will." "I can't let that happen," he growled. Fiddlesticks started laughing louder. "I have to protect... What's up with you?" his threat died with the tension as the mech practically collapsed, still laughing. "It tickles! It tickles!" She squirmed. "S-Sp-pffhaha, s-stop!" "See what you made me do?" Circuitraider scolded. Typheus watched in exasperation for a moment, still miraculously holding Fiddlesticks as she struggled, before he finally tore his eye from her hull to meet the Autobot's indignant glare; as a result, his hack failed and the firewalls fell. "Fine," he said, "but I have to be there." He turned back to Fiddlesticks to hack again, right as she fell limp as something was presumably turned off. He cursed himself for breaking the previous connection so soon, jumped in, and did a quick diagnostic check on her. Fiddlesticks hummed unhappily, and began prodding at all of the unwelcome connections, a stream of bits swirling about everywhere and sending pings. Typheus jolted at his ping, then shot over to one of Circuitraider's connections is suspicion of the worst. The umber machine's consciousness darted around anxiously like an insect, waiting for returning signals... but Circuitraider's connections were like black holes. There was a spike of hostility in her mind; it was as if everything flashed red, and Typheus tasted a bit of the anger. Pull back! he warned Circuitraider, as his partner's consciousness shot off toward a connection. Typheus pursued her, but was too far off; he "felt" a sharp strike - as the best way to describe it - from that section before Fiddlesticks was repelled, shooting back into her own head. Good! That meant Circuitraider either heard him or had her own defenses. Don't counterhack, it's not worth it, he told Fiddlesticks, more in concern about what she might do to Circuitraider. She hissed as his presence became more apparent. You're just standing there and letting this happen?! You're being too violent! he argued, These people have technology capable of bouncing between REALITIES and you're threatening them! Their fault for challenging us! Besides, I'm only picking on the one who did! What do the others care? She threw herself into another glowing connection, only to be repelled by it. She darted to the next one, but he flew over, procured a firewall, and slammed it into her. AA! Knock it off! This is MY head! I'm sorry, but I have to suppress you! It's for the better. But... Typheus... He felt overwhelming guilt at the soft cry. Why? Because... I'm supposed to keep you - No, why can't I feel my ears? Typheus paused in confusion. Did Circuitraider flip the wrong switch? How many switches was she playing with?! Well... if he was going to trust her... Hit the sensory input! he shouted as loud as he could without interrupting his partner's functions, hoping she could hear him. Typheus!! Don't help her! Fiddlesticks threw herself at him, and her counterhack overloaded his CPU and made him freeze for a second, which was as inconvenient as an hour for code. He growled and shook off the attack, almost regretting teaching her that. Fiddlesticks was about to say something else, but right then Circuitraider launched another hack, and like a beam of light it shot through Fiddlesticks's mind. She and Typheus both took off after it. He was too slow to stop her. She was a millisecond late to reach it. There was a pop, and everything stopped. The threads froze in place, like bright stars in the abyss. Typheus swirled to the front of Fiddlesticks's consciousness, which had also stopped. Fiddlesticks...? There was a lurch, and all of the threads were suddenly sucked into a tight ball in the corner. The bright ball dimmed to a dull glow, and her consciousness dispersed. No no no...! He panicked, shooting over to the ball and checking its status. Don't shut down don't shut down don't shut down-! Oh, by Carace, she's just in hibernation... Typheus let out an immense mental sigh of relief, pulling out of the hack and checking her physical condition. She had fallen limp, with deep gouges in the floor and her eye completely dark: the mech equivalent of a coma. He supported her weight and sheathed his emitters, assessing the situation: a hurt Duke, his dismayed helpers, and the boy who was nearly shot, but everyone seemed okay. He looked back at Circuitraider as her cords detached and retreated. He didn't say anything, but now trusted her skills; she would make a good ally as long as Fiddlesticks's foolish pugnacity didn't ruin the chances of it. As for Duke's condition... well, she would have to apologize to him herself. ((Logging in IC: godmodding Circuitraider was permitted)) Edited January 13, 2018 by skwerl56767 Share this post Link to post
Posted January 13, 2018 Sora & Yusei | Bedroom Hallways He caught the tease and smirked faintly in response. Stepping aside from the doorway, Yusei stuffed his gloved hands into his pant pockets once more. Hush eventually emerged from Stan's bedroom as the brown-haired man vacated the space. Almost simultaneously, the duelist caught sight of Lara approaching. “Oi. Any idea what this mess is about?” the woman questioned. "Now now," Stan spoke up, closing his door. "Being pissed off isn't a good look for you. You'll get wrinkles faster and ruin your pretty face." "I'm just here to ask what the hell happened to my room." "Well, that is something Yusei is much more qualified to answer than I will ever be..." Yusei lifted a hand free of its pocket as Stan continued talking, eventually walking away before his rambling was finished. Turning his attention away from Stan's retreating form and back to Lara, the man frowned slightly. His gaze drifted towards the unknown girl and eventually to Sora. Lingering for a moment, Yusei finally answered, "I'm sorry about your room. I'll make sure it gets cleaned up sooner than later. A..." he glanced back at Hush briefly, wondering if 'child' would be a suitable description after all. "A newcomer found his way into the Castle on his own and got into some trouble," Yusei explained. Sora watched the Dusk for some time before realizing that Ev was asking him something. "Huh?" he breathed, lowering his hands to his sides and looking at the girl. "Oh! Uh, it doesn't matter to me," he stated, giving another foolish grin. "Though, maybe away from... Gun Slinger, here," he whispered, leaning towards Ev with a hand up to hide his face from Lara's view. Standing straighter, he continued smiling and let his body display his ease, leaning back. Share this post Link to post
Posted January 14, 2018 Light ~ Library ~ Make things? Wolf-boy considers her question for a second, then points at himself before speaking. "Me, Fushi." Oh. Right, that was his name.... Fushi... Fushi... Sounds like a Suju name. And there was another slight widening of his eyes, then looked down, holding his palms towards her. His face scrunches up slightly, like he's thinking but couldn't find the words. Light bounced on her feet slightly, looking down at the book and then back up at him, waiting. "Can make ...Book." That‘s... All? "Sword. Bowl. Can make," he turned towards Spike, shaking his head. "Cannot make dragon." "So... You can't make living things?" Light cocked her head. That doesn't answer the how, but I guess neither of us are "qualified" enough for determining that. ”I sure hope so! I wouldn't want another me running around," Spike exclaimed--then he doubled back with, "Actually, another me means I would be able to do more stuff! I might not mind that." "Could you make..." Light trailed off. Do I have anything on me...? Ah! yes! With that thought, she closed the book and set it on the ground before reaching into a fold in her sleeves and taking out a blackened metallic flute. Attached to it was a red cord tied to a intricate-looking brass key which she untied and palmed. "...This?" Share this post Link to post
Posted January 16, 2018 ~Lara and Evonna~ Lara sighed in disappointment. She heard Evonna and Sora making small conversation, and felt a small smile emerge on her face. It’s nice to see them talking about something. I'm honestly worried that Evonna wouldn't be able to get along with anyone here… I doubt that's good for her. She shrugged and turned her attention back to Yusei. “Well, I do hope this newcomer knows to stay out of my area. I'll be alright this time, though. I can clean up most of it, it's nothing too serious. Just came as a shock.” She glanced back at the two new children, then back at the odd creature in the corner. Then she sighed, still a bit agitated that someone ruffled through her space… Those pillows were very soft and comfy. “Well, I’m off. Stanley mentioned something about going to the Gateway. I'll see what's going on down there. Feel free to help Sora and Evonna here with finding their rooms.” Then she turned to the newcomers again. “Well, I’ll see you two later, hope you find the rooms comfortable. I do apologize, the mess in my room was a little surprising.” That said, she politely waved and slinked off. It was irksome that she would have to reorganize her things, but it was better that she did that herself, after all. If the newcomer was not going to mess up her room again, she was more than fine. Her guns, however, that was still what annoyed her. Heading down the stairs and into the dining hall, Lara heard some commotion. Raising her eyebrow, she considered popping in to see what the hell was happening. There were some very odd noises coming from nearby, but it did sound like things were going to be under control. Thus, Lara decided against intervening. Besides, she didn't need to be using pistols and making a wreck of the place. Xander had plenty to fix up earlier. Instead, she wandered through the hall and made her way out of the castle, trying to think about calming down the rest of the way. Clear head, Lara, clear head. Just keep a clear head. In her peripheral vision Lara saw what looked to be two men who were highly invested in listening to the castle. She cocked her head to she side a bit, curious but also wary. Who eavesdropped in broad daylight? It was, indeed, very strange. Then she heard a little yipping sound to her right side. When Lara looked to see what it came from, she noticed a tiny little puppy. It looked to be a Rhodesian ridgeback puppy, and dear goodness it looked sad and lonely… And so, so scared. Slowly, Lara knelt down in front of it, gently placing her hand palm-up on the ground. “Oh darling, it's alright. C’mere, little one.” The puppy carefully walked up to her hand and sniffed it for a moment, eventually approving of her with a tiny lick. Lara picked it up to inspect it- or… er… him. Other than looking a little hungry, he appeared perfectly healthy. The puppy licked Lara’s face gratefully, to which she responded with a little chuckle. “I’m keeping you, little pup. Let's see… Cicero, is that alright with you?” Cicero did not object. He wagged his tail and snuggled into the arms of his new mama. Content, Lara turned her attention to the people who were eavesdropping. “Um, hello? Is there something I can do for you? Did you get any good information?” Cicero yipped as if in agreement. Lara pet him on the top of the head and kept watch on the two men. — Evonna glanced at Sora and shrugged. “I mean, whatever you want to do.” She allowed her voice to drop to a whisper, “As for what you said, I don't know, man. Seems cool to me.” Evonna shrugged. “Hmm, wonder if there are some good books in the library,” Evonna mused to herself. Then she paused, thinking about a few things. She poked her head into the room to see the man Lara was talking to. Then she saw the creature and raised an eyebrow. “Um… What's that?” Share this post Link to post
Posted January 16, 2018 Masala (gateway) Masala looked up, not even flinching as this large Pokemon(?) swung it's blade down just inches from her head. Was it an Aegislash? “My name is Masala!” she replied, doing her best to stare whoever this was down. “I am a Stufful in training to be a rescue team!” Was this the one her attack accidentally hit? “I'm sorry my attack hit you,” she said. “I wasn't aiming for anyone but the Tyrantrum, but I have seemed to have vanished from the cave.” She kept her eye on him, not wanting to look away least she gets attack. Of course, it didn't help that her HP was low and she felt like she was about to collapse. ~~ Philip (Gateway) Philip stood there, not know exactly what to do. He started moving gently and carefully this time, arms stretched out in a way to feel where he was going. He sighed, realising that the bright light was slowly fading and that it seemed to get a tad bit darker. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around to see a rather beautiful place that took his breath away. He was in the shade, he realised and noticed actual colours. Not the stupid replacement colours that the Entity tried to make. There were others, cooing as he noticed a small little creature being threatened by another, making him worried for its safety. Looking around some more, he spotted his weapon and bell on the ground, wanting to grab and hide them, he took one step out into the light and had to shield his eyes. It was so bright! The Entity's realm was so dark unlike this place and thus he moved back into the shade. ~~~ Ruby (somewhere outside) It was rather easy for Ruby to keep up as she trailed behind Lunala before it landed. Ruby decided to follow suit and landed somewhere next to the Other as the Lunala somehow disappeared into a little tiny ball. Curious. She tilted her head upwards. “Neat trick,” Ruby said. “My name is Ruby.” Share this post Link to post
Posted January 17, 2018 Circuitraider | Children Need Discipline The blond human still too close to the fighting mechs was not moving. Instead, he seemed to get even closer! Circuitraider shifted her optics upon the red-clad boy, her attention only momentarily drawn away when a new voice cut through the noise. The Autobot searched for the unexpected source, spying yet three more individuals. Though, one of them was clearly not human. Why did organics have the bad, life-threatening habit of getting too close to dangerous situations? "You need to stay back," the scout warned, trying to minimize the damage potential that was steadily growing. Fiddlesticks was pulling against the cables, earning a low groan from Circuitraider as an ache began to flood her sensors. Bless Typheus for arresting his companion's forward motion... He was doing something now. She could feel a new string of data, different from Fiddlesticks' though somewhat similar. Typheus - What are you doing? Circuitraider questioned silently. She felt him d- "Don't touch the cables," Circuitraider grumbled. Typheus was going to ruin her hack! She knew how reckless Fiddlesticks was based on first impressions but she hadn't considered Typheus would be too! "I'm not touching them, I'm blocking them off." Fiddlesticks began giggling as Typheus replied. "You don't know what you're doing!" The Autobot almost snorted in derision but silenced it before it rose, knowing the validity of his statement. She knew what she was doing. But the reality was that she didn't know the foreign programming. Why? The language should have translated by now. Still, she needed to reassure him before the mech made the situation worse - knowingly or not. He was stubborn though. Unfortunately, the distraction from the banter was enough. Circuitraider made a small slip, which resulted in more laughter from the bronze mech as she brushed against the wrong string of code. Annoyed, she scolded Typheus with a growl and a glare. Why was it that someone always had to try and help when she was busy working a hack? When was someone going to just let her be and not interfere? "Behave..." Circuitraider growled as something raced up one of her cables like a red beacon. Typheus called out a warning but the Autobot didn't hear it very well. Annoyed by the counter-hack from Fiddlesticks, she slammed down on the area of data the foreign string was racing through. She couldn't multitask like this. Either she was going to analyze and translate enough of the lexicon for a proper hack, bicker with Typheus about who was doing what, or keep Fiddlesticks from creeping through her own code. The humans' presence only added to the frustration building up. Why is everything going wrong? On a normal day, she could multitask just fine, even under pressure. But when was the last time she had to deal with an alien sentience? Decepticons she could understand and wouldn’t give two nanoseconds of thought about getting the hack wrong. However, Fiddlesticks was not a Decepticon, let alone a primitive human device she could disassemble in the blink of an eye. Another flare went up one of her cables and Circuitraider swatted that away in turn. This entire ordeal was taking far too long. The scout needed to resolve this now or else she was going to just break everything apart and be done with it all. Typheus was deflecting now. She saw it as she shifted her way through. Fiddlesticks was trying to counter but something else blocked her off, and it wasn't Circuitraider's doing. Sensory... The word came through Circuitraider’s internal transmission, broken and incomplete. But it was enough. She found the matching lexicon, using Typheus' language to cross-check. It wasn't a perfect fit but Circuitraider trusted it to work. Suddenly, everything went out like a light and the Autobot waited, watching to see if anything would happen. After a moment, confirming that the hack was complete (if not a bit sloppy), she eased. The cables detached from Fiddlesticks' body, falling limp to the ruined floor and sliding back towards the Autobot. They retracted and were stored back beneath the plating on her shoulder. Circuitraider caught Typheus' one-eyed gaze. He held his companion, keeping her limp form from hitting the ground. It reminded her of - Shutting her optics, she waved a hand, almost dismissive. Optics open once more, she turned her attention away from the mech pair, examining the humans and the… winged being with horns and odd skin. Definitely not human. Why was Prime so set on protecting humans? Many of them lingered too close to deadly things. Stupidity, or foolish bravery. Perhaps both. What was that human phrase? The one with the cat and curiosity, was it? “Are we finished here?” Circuitraider inquired, the words floating to the air without a real target. She shifted her gaze when movement flickered at the corner of her vision. Duke was being led away from the volatil exchange by a dark-haired individual, the one who possessed the inefficient gun earlier. The scout looked to the swordsman, recognizing the air of authority. “Is there someone here with knowledge in mechanical repairs?” Share this post Link to post
Posted January 17, 2018 [ There's a mess in here. First floor hallway - Illidan, Hibiki, and Ray ] Illidan was too tired, both from fighting demons and nearly losing his life, to deal with this crap. Normally, he loved conflict, but even he had a limit, especially when he was tired. Plus, fighting constructs that were several times his height sounded like a worse idea than fighting Ayaka. Not that he couldn't handle it, but he'd gotten at least ten times his daily dose of near-death situations in the past few hours and he certainly didn't need another one. He addressed the construct that had spoken (such a feminine voice - did constructs even have genders???). "I don't know, are you finished? Me and my companions just got here--" Ray interrupted him. "And now one of us is turning around and leaving again. Nope, ain't dealing with this noise. I think I'll explore outside some more. Maybe give Akatsuki and Malamar some fresh air..." She then looked at the strange Noctowl-creature - Ruby, she had called herself. "You're welcome to join me if you want, Ruby." And then she made good on her word, spun around on her heels, and walked the other way. Hibiki sighed and smiled a bit, trying not to let her nervousness show. "Maybe we can explore the castle a little more, Illidan-san." "You do that, Hibiki. I'm going upstairs and finding a place to rest before my hooves give out on me." Illidan turned and went to find the stairs. "...guess I'll keep looking around the first floor, then." Hibiki shrugged and moved towards another hallway. [ Second floor hallway - Illidan ] It was the first time he'd been by himself in months. It gave Illidan some peace and quiet that he could use to think. There were a few people up here, chatting it up with each other, sure... but it was relatively peaceful compared to the Gateway and the mess on the floor below. He had to admit, though, Hibiki's kindness was contagious. She was kind of like Turalyon, except less of a religious fanatic and more of the just plain friendly kind. It was a huge relief compared to the High Exarch, to tell the truth. There was a multitude of rooms up here - he could tell just by the doors - but poor Illidan wasn't sure how many of them were occupied already, or even if any were vacant at all. He caught a quick glance of Pascal going into one, but before he could say a word, she came back out and passed straight by him again. There went asking her if any rooms were open. The guy in the jacket seemed promising, though. "Hey. I kind of, uh... need a place to rest. Badly." Illidan cursed under his breath; he was not good at socializing. He only hoped that he got his point across. [ OMG this place is beautiful! - Hibiki ] Hibiki was loving every inch of just the first floor, and had just come to the grandest dining hall she'd ever seen. Of course, it was the only dining hall she'd ever seen. There were only two creatures here, too! One was a purple horse and the other was... she assumed that was a dragon? It kind of looked like that one Pokemon from the last game she'd played before becoming busy with the Symphogear... What was it called, again? Hibiki felt like cussing herself out for not finishing Pokemon Black... [ Back outside again. - Ray ] Ray had just gotten back outside and was absentmindedly walking around, scrolling through the Pokedex and reading through the data on all the Pokemon she'd caught. The Rotom that had been inside had apparently jumped ship when the anomaly hit, but at least the Pokedex itself still worked. She was so deep in reading it that she wasn't even sure whether or not Ruby was following her. When she looked up, she saw what appeared to be a Lycanroc in the distance... but that was a really big Lycanroc! There was a guy with it, too, thankfully a human... hopefully. Man, this place is weird, she thought to herself. Share this post Link to post
Posted January 18, 2018 Anders [ Near the Gateway ] Interpreting Keaton’s facial expressions was made difficult by his altered features, but he didn’t once look away; Anders suspected that this might have been quite the feat for him. It was gratifying to have a non-mage actually listen to him for once. Usually it was “shut up, mage” or “Anders please, I don’t want to arrest you”. His eyes widened. Royalty using magic openly? What Keaton was describing didn’t sound anything like Tevinter, either. The way he described it made it sound like magic was just… normal. A tool and a gift, like anything else. The way it should be. He couldn't get too excited before learning more. It was possible that the magic system in Keaton’s world was completely different from his own. Maybe those mages there could only deal minor damage, or maybe they were more reliant on lyrium or focuses. At the very least, the history and politics had to be very different. Despite that, just hearing of an example where it worked… There were at least a half-dozen questions that he wanted to ask, but he tried to answer Keaton’s questions first. “Usually they don’t even have to. They’ve convinced the people that apostates are dangerous and that the Circles are for their own good. If that doesn’t work, and if the mage’s own neighbors or local guards don’t turn them in, the Chanty has its own soldiers.” He scowled and his tone grew darker. “Some mages are dangerous. They turn to blood magic or consorting with demons. But not all mages are like that, and most of us just want to live in peace like anyone else. I’ve seen more mages that felt forced to accept the help of demons because of Templars attacking them than I’ve seen genuinely evil mages.” Not that there hadn’t been plenty of those as well. Really, one would think that the hordes of bandits and abominations would give up on trying to attack Hawke’s group after the first dozen were killed. He paused, both to calm himself and to think of how to explain. “There aren’t many noble mages. Having magic in your bloodline is seen as especially shameful for nobles. But if one is born, they lose all of their inheritance rights and power like anyone else would. The only recent example I know of is Arl Eamon’s son, and I don’t know what happened to him. So, yes, they can.” Anders cared more about the common people that didn’t have money or influential family to help them, but denying noble mages their titles was yet another symptom of the Chantry’s corruption. Clearly, they feared that a mage with political influence would be able to challenge their rule- there was no other reason to deny their birthrights. “Magical creatures?” He wasn’t sure what Keaton meant, but it sounded like something personal. “Knowing the Chantry, they would. They’re very pro-human.” Part of him wanted to continue explaining, but he needed to learn more. “Tell me about your world, it’s only fair. You really have both mages and non-mages in power?” Share this post Link to post
Posted January 27, 2018 Xander - Hallway Despite Xander’s suspicion of the newcomers, he could not deny the wave of relief that washed over him as he saw the two strange robots subdue Fiddlesticks. There was no doubt that without their assistance Xander would have had to disable the robot himself and hope that Stan or Yusei would be able to repair her if Xander didn’t end up making her completely non-operational. Pushing his dreary thoughts aside, Xander glanced towards the end of the hallway and frowned. He heard someone—another newcomer—yell while the fight was still ongoing. Xander had caught a glimpse of the small party, intending to address them once the fight had concluded. It seemed as though they had been spooked off by the commotion. Xander suppressed the urge to sigh. Once he had dealt with everyone still in the hallway, he’d have to make sure the group that had wandered off was attended to. I’ll have to lecture the current members about this later, Xander thought to himself before glancing back down at Duke just as the boy chuckled. “You would look nice ... even without ... the armour," Duke had while Xander gingerly handed him off to Natsuki. "I'll be ... fine.” “Of course you’ll be fine,” Xander assured him, a small smile appearing on his lips. “I’ll visit you in the infirmary when you’re feeling better.” Xander squeezed Duke’s hand reassuringly. “Stay strong. You’ll be fine.” Xander glanced up a Natsuki, giving them a brief nod before turning around, ensuring Duke to their care. Satisfied that Duke was in capable hands, Xander’s attention was once more to the robots. Specifically, his attention was on the purple robot who asked him for the location of a local mechanic. “We do have more than one agent who could assist in mechanical repairs,” Xander said. “That said, I’m afraid I’m going to need you to identify yourself before I let you near any of my co-workers. Your assistance is much appreciated, but considering that… problematic robot was devoid of violent tendencies moment before she attacked my friend, I’m afraid I must extend my caution to all newcomers.” Xander looked around the hallway, taking in all the unfamiliar faces. “The same goes for all of you,” he said in a louder voice. “I will not claim any of you will spontaneously assault someone, but if I am to protect my people I will need to know your names, occupations, and world of origin. If you don’t comply, I’m afraid I can’t let you wander around the base freely.” Not that any of you should be without supervision in the first place, Xander thought to himself. Share this post Link to post
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