Posted August 25, 2018 [ This could get long... - Gate - Illidan ] "Okay, I can see that both of you need a bit of a crash course in the Fel. This could get long, so pay attention, both of you - I'm only going to explain this once." Once Illidan confirmed that his wounds were healed, he stood up once more. "As Xander probably knows by now, contact with the Fel burns to the touch, but it is more than a simple flame licking away at skin. The Fel can touch and sear a being's very soul, given the chance, as it is fueled by sacrificing both the lives and souls of living things. That being said, the Fel does not discriminate between the kinds of life; plant and animal life works just as well as the lives of men and women. To the Fel, life is life regardless of the source. Naturally, that means it can also be used to animate constructs and reanimate the dead. I should also note that souls that are destroyed by the Fel have a tendency to produce more Fel as a result. "It can also be used for many of the same things as Arcane magic from my world - invisibility, scrying, and portals are but a few examples - and it can be used for healing. I'd strongly advise against healing through the Fel, though, as it tends to leave a mark on the one being healed, should they lack the Fel." Illidan paused to see if Xander had that distinctive scent now... and he did, making the Demon Hunter gag a bit. "...augh. I never could stand the smell Fel gives out. Another thing is that Fel tends to smell like sulfur and brimstone - a scent as unpleasant as the Fel itself is. "I should warn, however, that the Fel is extremely addictive, and physical transformation is not an uncommon occurrence. The changes could be as small as simple changes in skin or eye color, or they could result in demonic features entirely, depending on how much Fel is present and how fast." Another pause. "...keep that healing of yours handy, Raine - I don't remember the timing very well, but any demonic features Xander is going to get will start growing in any second now; it's going to hurt a lot and get very bloody. I wouldn't be surprised if it were to be a pair of horns on his head. "Demonic features aren't the only effect Fel has, by the way. There are... how to say... 'positive' and 'negative' types of corruption. While positive corruption - typically seen as blessings - typically only result in increases to strength and magical potential on top of any physical changes, negative corruption - the kind associated with curses - more often leads to both physical and mental decay. ...I don't see either kind of decay happening to Xander, so I suppose it's safe to say that my blood went to the side of 'positive' corruption. "That's not to say there are no mental changes with positive corruption - that is never the case. I wouldn't be too surprised if Xander were to be more violent or impatient in the long run, as the Fel tends to amplify negative traits, while at the same time trying to snuff out positive traits such as empathy. And, sorry to say, once the changes begin, they're next to impossible to stop regardless of the willpower of the corrupted individual. "That being said, there is a way to make sure the Fel stays in check - we Demon Hunters in particular have runic tattoos, Arcane in nature, that keep our Fel under control." Illidan paused for a while, silently musing over whether Xander would need any or not. "Xander, if there are any significant marks or emblems from your world - any at all - it'd be wise to use such as an Arcane tattoo to keep you from potentially being killed by your own Fel." Satisfied with how he'd explained the Fel, Illidan now turned his attention to what demons from his universe were like. "What are my universe's demons like? Immortal, for one, even beyond the usual scope of life and death. The souls of demons are tethered to what people from my universe call the Twisting Nether; should a demon die in the physical plane, their soul goes to the Nether to either regenerate a new body or await a suitable vessel. There are only three ways to permanently kill a demon: kill it in the Nether, kill it in a place where the Nether bleeds into the physical plane, or kill it in a place saturated with Fel. "There is, however, an exception to that: Argus. There is an army of demons, known as the Burning Legion, that uses the energy of the planet Argus to circumvent permanent death since the planet is so heavily bathed in Fel. The energy comes from the planet's World-Soul - Argus is, indeed, as alive and unending as the demons walking upon it. It is why I am so concerned about returning to Argus - as long as the World-Soul lives, the Burning Legion will continue to harass the people of my universe. Killing the World-Soul will result in the infinite army becoming finite, at least on that planet. "With knowledge of their eternal selves in mind, though, most demons will taunt their killers with the knowledge that they will, at some point in the future, return as if they were never struck down... but this isn't without consequence for the demon, either. Sargeras, the Legion's ruler, does not tolerate failure and often tortures the souls of slain demons prior to their rebirth. For what reason, I cannot say for sure. "Not all demons join the Burning Legion, however. Some choose to strike out entirely on their own, while others will band together with other like-minded demons - I can attest to the latter, having quite a few demons in the ranks of the Illidari. They can also, unsurprisingly, be undead, as well." Illidan sighed. Was that everything? That seemed like everything. "I believe that is all I know on both the Fel and the demons of my universe." Share this post Link to post
Posted August 25, 2018 Circuitraider | Fruit Somewhere in the Market, there was noise. The Autobot paused in her musing about where the others might be, lifting her gaze from the ground and scanning the environment in search of... what, exactly? She lightly drummed her fingers, the silver metal making a faintly rhythmic sound against the purple plating of her arm. Circuitraider still hadn't moved from the entrance to the alleyway, letting other visitors of the Market to pass by her without hindrance. There were more large beings than she had originally taken notice of, several obscuring her view of the rest of the area. It vaguely unnerved her, leaving her tense and expecting something to happen. Tired of standing uselessly, she began moving once more, slipping into the throng of shop-goers and ignoring everyone. She was intending to return to the Green Gate but a faintly familiar orange-scaled dragon caught her attention and she drifted towards them. When she was closer, Circuitraider noticed the small being with the dragon. The pointed ears and bright hair were distinct enough to differentiate her from fellow humans but the scout couldn't remember her name, nor that of the dragon's. Maybe she never got their names in the first place? It didn't matter. Approaching, Circuitraider caught the tail-end of the not-human girl's words. "Fruit? Are you thinking of buying sustenance for all of the organics within XDRS?" Circuitraider wondered, staring down at the pair. Should she crouch down? The dragon was just barely half her height... No, she'd already waited too long to figure that out. Crouching now would just result in an awkward position. Sora | Times Change He stared, dumbfounded. Something dropped into the pit of his stomach, leaving a queasy sensation in its wake. Screwing his face into an unhappy frown, Sora pressed his hands against the counter, leaning forward slightly. "But that -" What? "That's impossible"? He'd seen so many new and 'impossible' things in only a short amount of time, and then slept for a year to have his memories repaired. And now he was here, after waking up and being sent out to discover what Organization XIII was up to. Pushing back against the counter, the boy stood straighter and shook his head. "So... this version of you has been here, at the Market, for little more than a year?" Sora wondered, remembering exactly the task that Cid had once set upon him. An old book that led into another world. He puzzled over that, a layer of worry settling upon his shoulders. What would happen to all his friends if he were gone for a year? What would happen to the worlds? Or was the time more confusing than that. Especially if Sora was from Cid's future, supposedly. And - He remembered about Hush, his breath catching. Didn't the Nobody claim he destroyed the Organization and their world? Sora swallowed, trying hard to get past the lump in his throat. Did it mean something, that the Keyblade possibly brought him here? He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. You're being too dramatic. It can't be that crazy. Keychains... Oh! Turning to Pascal, he smiled. "I'd love your help! Fortunately, I didn't lose the one that's most important to me so I'm not in any rush to start searching," he replied. Back to Cid, he nodded once. "I know they are. Pascal, don't forget why you're here," he reminded her. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 26, 2018 (edited) Raine -- Green Gate Now that the winged elf-demon had drawn attention to it, Raine noticed both of them did have a scent of sulfur and brimstone. It was unpleasant, but nowhere near intolerable. Despite herself though, she scrunched her nose at the smell while listening intently to the rest of his explanation and committing it to memory. "To summarize:" Raine said when he was done talking, "you have evidence that Xander's corruption is beneficial in some instances rather than turning him undead, that he's looking forward to physical changes that can vary in in severity, an immortal soul, and a demon's temper..." It was troublesome, but not entirely game-breaking. She expected the effects to be much worse, like loss of self or a decay into a blob monster -- both effects that negative corruption would have brought on. The Nohrian had gotten lucky. "I'll accompany you. I've finished my business here, and you might need me for the... horns." She stopped and squinted at the king, trying to imagine Xander with horns and purple skin and fangs and tiny wings. Since he was covered head to toe in armor, if they gave him a helmet she didn't think anyone would notice the difference, unless the Fel changed his voice as well. "Let's go," she suggested, now that both Xander and Illidan seemed to be walking fine. "I'm sure we can find an artisan in the marketplace willing to do a tattoo for you." Pascal -- Cid's shop "Right!" Pascal smacked her fist into her open palm, nodding to Sora in gratitude. "I almost forgot about what we were here for, since we were caught in the lovey-dovey reunion..." Without warning, Pascal vaulted over the counter. The moment her feet touched the ground she was off and running but Cid's hand shot out and snatched the end of her scarf before she could get two steps further. Pascal stumbled forward, tripping over herself and crashing to the floor with a yell. The engineer's demeanor had changed instantly now that he was no longer talking to Sora. "My shop, my rules," Cid snapped at her. "How many ****in' times do I have to drill that into you, you numbskull?! Sit your ass down and let me get you what you need." Pascal reached up and hoisted herself up using the lip of the table and dramatically threw her all her weight onto the counter, as if her disappointment were physically trying to crush her into the floor. "But Ciiiiiiiiiddddd!!" she whined. But she conceded. Cid knew every trick in the book she tried to take a page out of. "Same as last time," she told him, her expression perking up again, away from the mock sadness. "But three times as many. Transmitters, worm gears, the rest of the stuff I picked out... Oh! And that doohickey I was thinking about using on the Gateway last time." "Why on earth would you need so many...!" He stopped, huffed, and shook his head before making his way to the back. "Honestly, this is a workshop, not a friggin playground," she could hear him mutter. "If you'd calm your tits I'd let you back here more often." While he was gone, Pascal gracefully used the swinging door in the counter to get back on Sora's side of the shop, giving the youth a small salute. Cid emerged with a plastic pouch of electrical and mechanical components and placed what looked like giant fuse onto the table. Pascal proceeded to dump the entire bag onto the counter to undo the elastics and examine the contents, then swept them all back into the pouch in an unorganized mess. "This should do it. Thanks a bunch, Cid!" She slid him her card which he slashed and handed back to her. He simply nodded his thanks, and seemed to have a ghost of a smile on his lips. (Though Pascal figured if she inquired, he'd just say he was frowning less hard.) "Thanks for waiting too, Sora," Pascal finally said to her companion. She had just finished stuffing the items into her many pockets. "Shall we go? We still have time to wander around for a bit, I think." Edited August 26, 2018 by TehUltimateMage Share this post Link to post
Posted August 26, 2018 ~Kouji and Tara- Not today.~ Kouji had no idea who this person was that was being attacked. He knew one thing though- that creature that did… well, whatever it did…. would need to be knocked down a peg. It was some sort of dragon-like creature, that’s what Kouji could tell from a first glance. He glared at it. That’s it. I have no idea who this person is, or where they’re from, but Tara’s been sticking kinda close to them. I can’t just let this happen. He stared at the ground, preparing himself. He glanced at Tara, who looked too afraid to even move. His heart sank. What was she going to do if she was too terrified to digivolve? “Tara, get out of here! Go somewhere safe. I’ll help these guys over here.” Tara was frozen in fear, so Kouji swore under his breath. “Screw it. EXECUTE.” That familiar feeling of being digitalized and being pulled this way and that took over again, like it did every time he tried to digivolve. It hurt, but there were worse things, like stubbing a toe or getting a paper cut. Soon enough he found himself in reality again, although taller and stronger than his human form. Here it was, the legendary warrior Lobomon, spirit of light. Tara had managed to jump back in fear, but Kouji didn’t mind that. He picked Tara up and moved her to the civilians who were running to safety. “Stay here, this’ll be a mess.” “W-wait, what about you? I-it’s too dangerous, that thing can kill you!” you’re the only one I know here. Please don’t leave me. The giant wolf-armored man shook his head no. Figures. He’s too stubborn. “I can’t just do nothing, Tara! That’s your comrade. They need help, otherwise that thing is just gonna hurt more people. I’ll be fine, promise.” Then he ran back to the fight, about twenty feet away at this point. Tara shivered as she watched her friend run toward the danger, but her knees were locked in place. I can’t do it, she thought, there’s so much confusion, what if I hit someone? Tara watched from the sidelines. She wanted to help him, she truly did. But knowing that she would be useless anyway, she stood back with the crowd who watched in fear and anguish. I’m too scared to fight, too scared to run further, all I can do is just stand here? Tara, why don’t you run? Why don’t you help? Why must you be such a useless little ninny? Kouji whipped out his handles, from which two blades of light immediately emerged. He always felt that he was in Star Wars when he used his powers, it was pretty cool. Maybe others didn’t think so, maybe they did. He didn’t care though, to him it would still be the most awesome thing he could do, at least now. Lobomon lunged forward with his blades. Lobo kendo. The blade made its way into the flesh of the beast while it was distracted by… Bowser of all things? It was strange being here, but he could get used to it. He slid the blade out of the wound and stepped back, ready for the next attack. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 26, 2018 (edited) Qaksh -- Fruit Stall The silence weighed heavy between them. Qaksh wasn't quite sure what to say next. Light must have felt it too, for she changed the subject and asked if they wanted to do some shopping now, and he happily obliged, heading towards the fruit stall. "Oh! Yes, that was our purpose, wasn't it? Getting supplies? Come to think of it, I don't think Pascal assigned anyone to do it, so..." He froze. The scales near his neck rose, but his frills flattened to his head. "...I was so caught up in all the new people," his telepathy became very small, nearly inaudible, "that I didn't bring any bags other than the one around my neck..." Thankfully, before he could get berated for not using that brain of his and preventing this issue through foresight, a very tall creature -- no, a machine, like the ones Pascal had in her room -- approached them through the crowd. It was so tall that it easily stood a whole body higher than most other beings milling about. "Ah, hello, yes!" He waved his tail in greeting. Qaksh had seen the metal golem before when they were about to leave -- it was hard to miss them, after all, since they were nearly twice as tall as he was and took up half the teleporter pad -- but it never occurred to him to inquire about them or ask their name. "We were planning on getting some food, in case no one else thought to return with groceries. Usually, whoever calls the supply run organizes what we get, but Pascal is not the best in that area..." He glanced around. No Pascal in sight to hear him complain, which was a relief. "When it was just a handful of us at the XDRS, we didn't need much food at all, but because of all the new members we'll need to get a lot more." He lifted up an apple with telekinesis, looked it over for bruises, then put it back down on its stand. He had no idea of anyone's food preferences, and with a sinking feeling he realized that he should have asked everyone about it before they left. What if they bought food that nobody liked, or worse, food that no one could eat because of allergies or general incompatibilities? Edited August 26, 2018 by TehUltimateMage Share this post Link to post
Posted August 27, 2018 (edited) [ It's hard not to worry. - Gate - Illidan ] That's right, there was a dragon-like beast rampaging back near the goblin's shop. It would be foolhardy to not deal with it - what were a few more minutes to the Fel, anyway? "I can't say I blame you, Xander. Fine, just keep in mind that the Fel can be volatile without a way to keep it in check. We're at least getting that tattoo before returning to the base, though... and I will pull us both out again should you get too injured for even Raine to handle, regardless of any protesting." There was no way Xander was going to die on Illidan's watch and if that meant pulling the king out of battle a second time, so be it. "We should regroup with the others." Illidan unfastened Quel'delar, in its scabbard, from his waist. "I believe this is yours, Xander." He held out the scabbard for Xander to take - Quel'delar rightfully belonged to the Nohrian king, after all, since he'd won against the blade... even if just barely. Here was to hoping things hadn't gone to complete hell during their absence. Edited August 27, 2018 by hikarinomemori Share this post Link to post
Posted August 27, 2018 (edited) Natsuki [ Kyurem Fight ] Natsuki pushed themself back to their feet, wincing at their new injuries. Bits of gravel had embedded into their palms from when they used their hands to break their fall, and the axe’s head had grazed their shoulder. They reached to touch the wound, and their hand came back lightly bloodied. That was fine. A bit of blood was to be expected, but the slash wasn’t doing more than seeping and sending throbbing feelings of pain down their arm. They supposed that it could have been much worse, considering the damage that such a weapon could have done. No one had been seriously injured, so -- An animalistic screech of pain rent the air. They turned to look, eyes wide, unsure of what they were seeing. Magic, clearly, but they had no idea what kind. A creature of some sort had attacked Reshiram, and now had taken on some of their appearance. I will be free. I will… I will be whole. Ominous. They had to help Reshiram, but they had no idea how the creature had absorbed them, let alone how to free them. Unsure of what to do, they turned to Xander, both for orders and to see if he was okay. They hoped -- expected -- to see him standing triumphantly over the sword, or whatever it was that people did after defeating magical floating swords. Instead, they saw him being carried by Illidan, a panicked expression on his face. “Xander!” Their hand shot to the holster at their side, pulling out their gun, but no, they couldn’t. Even if the marketplace hadn’t been so crowded, they had just as much chance of hitting Xander as they had of hitting Illidan. They held the gun at hip level, arms shaking, as Illidan flew away. Things had all gone to hell so quickly -- two people that were their responsibility were in danger, and they couldn’t do anything to help either of them. If either of them died -- Wait. Breathe. A few seconds. A flood of calming hormones was released, slowing their breathing and allowing them to think clearly. Out of habit, they took note about how the hormones affected them: effective, but the release was a bit slow. Normal, then, and difficult to change without increasing the rate of false positive releases. Not that that mattered now. Right. They scanned the creature that had attacked Reshiram, and their heart sank. It was clear that it was powerful, whatever it was, and they doubted that taser barbs would pierce its hide even if they did manage to get close enough. They reholstered their gun with steady hands; it wouldn’t be of any use either, not where there was such a high chance of hitting innocents. Crowd control was the best that they could manage. They began directing the fleeing pedestrians away from the fight, hoping that they knew the marketplace well enough that they weren’t directing people into a dead end. They picked up a small creature that was trying to run from the fighting and carried it a street away to safety, watching the creature that had absorbed Reshiram the entire time. For now the evacuation attempts were going well, but that could change swiftly if the fighting damaged the streets. Anders [ look at their widdle paws! ] Anders tried to prepare himself for whatever it was that Ranulf planned on showing him, but he still let out a small “oh!” when Ranulf transformed. It would have been difficult not to; Ranulf had both shapeshifted and turned into a beautiful cat. He resisted the urge to stick his hand out for Ranulf to sniff; it’d probably be rude to, and Ranulf had already established that he appreciated his personal space. At least it wasn’t that weird. The telepathy was new, but Anders was quite familiar with shapeshifters. Justice warned him to keep quiet about his own shapeshifting abilities, which was silly. Even he wasn’t stupid enough to reveal such a thing to someone that he had just met. Well, Keaton already knew. And turning into a cat would be a great way to play with the kittens. Maybe he was a little tempted. He could completely understand Ranulf’s desire to sit in a box. Boxes were wonderful. Very cozy. Nice and warm. Focus. Right. Not sleeping for two days tended to make that difficult, but he’d fought drakes after longer. Having a conversation shouldn’t be so difficult. “I’m not really sure,” he admitted. “Shopping, apparently, but no one told us what to look for, so. That wasn’t very smart of them, was it? I guess that makes our job making sure that Keaton doesn’t get into trouble.” He glanced at Keaton, making sure that he hadn’t run off in the past five seconds. “So, is there any way that we can help you with the kittens?” Maybe he’d regret saying that, but they were adorable and he would do anything for them. Edited August 27, 2018 by Zor Share this post Link to post
Posted August 27, 2018 Raine -- Green Gate Raine stopped, her breath catching in her throat. Her frown deepened. Up until now, she was not aware that there were more urgent matters than the Fel in Xander's veins and the scuffle with the living weapons that the king had mentioned. Given that he had mentioned a beast, it was unlikely that they were still talking about the weapons. Other members from the XDRS must have been defending against some sort of creature causing a commotion in the marketplace, unrelated or semi-related to the weapons that caused the slice-wounds on the two men. (But where did the bite mark come from? That was a mystery.) She remembered Xander had always tried to take the weight of everyone on his shoulders, and she could only respect his sense of responsibility even if she couldn't agree with some of the unhealthy choices he made. But, in this case, she knew that she would have done the same thing in his place: prioritizing the safety of those under her care. The silver-haired woman motioned toward Illidan. "If it's faster, could you carry the both of us in flight?" she asked. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 28, 2018 (edited) Anders [ keaton… is now pettable... ] Anders wanted desperately to join Akatsuki and Keaton in petting the kittens, but first he had to finish talking to Ranulf. The area around the box had gotten fairly crowded, anyway, and he'd gotten his chance to pet Leonardo da Kittinci (short though it was). He nodded, mentally taking note of all of the things that the kittens needed. He wasn’t exactly sure where any of it could be found and didn’t remember seeing anything that looked like cat supplies on the way (not that he’d been looking). It couldn’t be that hard, though, and it wasn’t like he had anything else to do. There was one other problem. He stuck his hands into his pockets and withdrew two pieces of copper and a piece of silver. He had no idea what the coins would be worth at the Market -- or if he would even be able to find someone willing to take them -- but they wouldn’t have been enough even in Kirkwall. Pascal had said something about mentioning her name, but it didn’t seem right to ask XDRE for anything, especially when he wasn’t planning on getting involved with them. “Maybe I could heal someone…” he murmured, returning the coins to his pocket. He didn’t normally charge for healing, subsiding on donations, the odd Hightowner, and loot from Hawke’s expeditions, but he was hardly in Darktown anymore. People could likely afford it here, and if not, he had a lyrium potion that might be worth something. That was better saved for emergencies, though, and as much as he cared, retrieving food for the kittens wasn’t an emergency. “Huh?” Keaton had, somehow, managed to get into trouble without even leaving Anders’ sight. Well, in a sense. Another way of looking at it was that he’d been improved. His ears were shorter, and his tail flicked in clear interest. Adorable. “Keaton?” he asked, and waited a moment for Keaton to turn around. Keaton had certainly been willing enough to be pet before -- maybe that offer still stood? Feeling almost mesmerized by the way that Keaton’s ear twitched, he slowly lifted his hand and reached forward, giving Keaton plenty of time to push his hand out of the way. His ears looked so soft. Edited August 28, 2018 by Zor Share this post Link to post
Posted August 28, 2018 [ This'll be a bit of a stretch... - Gate -> Above the Marketplace - Illidan ] Both of them were asking if Illidan could carry them both in flight. "...I can certainly try to. I normally don't, but given the circumstances right now..." The fact that Xander, of all people, was now asking to be carried... The Demon Hunter could feel the heat going to his face. Elune dammit, no! Focus, damn it! He had to push those kinds of thoughts aside - he was not about to think of the Nohrian king like that. ...at least, not that quickly. Carefully, he picked up Xander with his right arm, and Raine with his left, and got that running start of his so he could ramp up the speed. Although a little more difficult with two people than with one, Illidan got himself into the skies fairly quickly. Finding the goblin's shop from here would be easy. Finding that beast, even easier. His Spectral Sight was already going into overdrive, searching for the dragon's aura... [ CAT!! - Lost in the Black Market - Ray ] "You heard the nice cat man, Akatsuki - play nice." Now that Ray thought about it, Akatsuki was kind of a cat. "If y'all need help, I can give it, too. Had to raise Akatsuki there all by my lonesome - how much different could these little guys be from a Litten?" Ray dug through her bag, trying to find her PokeDollars - she always kept a small fortune on her person in case situations like this arose, as things in her world could get awfully expensive. She counted out about 400,000 PokeDollars - she could've sworn she had 700,000. "Dang it, must've lost some in Ultra Space. Oh well. Just gotta find someplace to exchange this and then we should be set." Ray saw how little money poor Anders had. "...don't worry your head about it, Anders, I'll pay for it. I always keep some money on me for situations... like..." Things suddenly got a lot less normal when Ray saw Keaton with cat features instead of dog ones. "Keaton? Um..." She wasn't quite sure what to say. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 29, 2018 (edited) [VS White Kyurem: Round 2] The succession of attacks from the elven knight wounded White Kyurem, who reeled back and was caught off-guard by blades of light belonging toca lupine-armoured humanoid. The pale grey was bady damaged by this attack, bleeding clear blood with bits of hlowing white magic in it. White Kyurem's senses were still stunned when Bowser went in the attack, hitting hard with a tail strike. Unfortunately, it snapped Kyurem out of the stun. The ice-fire dragon roared, summoning the power of the earth to cause flames to shoot from the ground and energy to ripple through the earth nearby. Bowser roared in pain at the earthly energy's impact. Edited August 29, 2018 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
Posted August 29, 2018 Natsuki [ Kyurem Fight - Talking with Illidan & co. ] Natsuki scanned the area for something else that they could do to help. Instead, they spotted the reason for one of their troubles -- Illidan. He wheeled around in the air, almost appearing to be looking around for something. He carried two people, Xander and -- Raine? Why did he have her? It didn’t take Illidan long to find whatever it was he was looking for, and as he dove Natsuki ran to where his trajectory suggested that he’d land. As they did so, they reached for and unholstered their taser. They almost wished that they could have gone for their gun, given that Xander and Raine could be in danger, but such a thing would have been beyond reckless. More drugs pumped through their veins, spurred by the continued release of adrenaline. A delicate balance of positive and negative feedbacks, but relatively crude compared to some of the other things that the universities could produce. Enough to let them push themself a little harder, slow down their perception of time a bit, but hardly good for their body in the long run. Even so, it was practically considered standard issue. “Stop! Let them go,” they yelled, pointing the taser straight at Illidan’s chest. If they were lucky, he would be able to understand the threat that the weapon represented. “Raine,” they said, giving the healer a nod of acknowledgment. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 29, 2018 [ What is that thing he's pointing at me? - Above the Marketplace -> Kyurem Fight - Illidan ] It did not take Illidan long at all to find the beast and land. No sooner than he did, however, that Natsuki was pointing a very strange object at his chest as if it were a blade. He gently set both Xander and Raine down on the ground before looking back at the strange device in Natsuki's hand. "...just what is it that you're trying to threaten me with? I assure you, Natsuki, I meant no harm to either of them." He paused. "...I'm serious, though, what is that thing?" Share this post Link to post
Posted August 30, 2018 (edited) Anders [ disrupting pets is unjust ] “You don’t have to do that,” he said quickly. Ray was, what, twelve? Eleven? He couldn’t accept money from her, not when he didn’t even let Hawke give him extra money and when she probably needed it more. Scraping by with the bare minimum was something that he was used to, and just because he was in a different world didn't mean he couldn't keep doing it. But… if it meant that the cats were safe… “Thank you,” he said, quiet. Anders swiftly withdrew his hand, feeling both disappointed and a little embarrassed. Petting another person was weird, wasn’t it? It was definitely weird. Though… Keaton hadn’t exactly seemed opposed to the idea. He’d started to lean in, hadn’t he? Anders was pretty sure that he had, and Keaton had sniffed him, so that was something. Maybe he’d get another chance. Not that he needed one. Nope. Touching those soft ears wasn’t the most important goal in his life at the moment. He ignored Justice’s grumbling about how lying was unjust, even if it was to himself, because it was the truth. Getting supplies for the cats was the most important goal for him. “Well, I didn’t do anything,” he said. Though I would have if I could. “Maybe the box had something to do with it?” He eyed the box, which now seemed much more ominous -- aw, but he still couldn’t be wary of the box when Leonardo da Kittinci’s ears were poking over the top. Maybe it was best to avoid touching it if it could be something that Xenon would want to collect, but the kittens! He reached out a hand to rub behind Leonardo da Kittinci’s ears. Natsuki [ Kyurem Fight - Talking with Illidan & co. ] Natsuki stepped back in shock, dropping their hands so that the taser pointed at the ground and away from Xander. Their eyes widened as though they’d been slapped and excuses danced along the tip of their tongue -- that they’d thought he was in danger, that Illidan had kidnapped him, that Illidan had gone rogue. None of that was worth the air that it would take to explain; they’d messed up, and apologies wouldn’t do anything to fix that. The best they could hope for was following their current orders and accepting that there would be more reprimandations later. They took a brief moment to reorientate themself, swallowing and holstering their holster. Switching tracks of thought was made both easier and more difficult by the combat drugs; on one hand their mind felt sharpened, but on the other they felt excited, restless. Too many stimulants for the situation? They tried to damp the buzzing feeling in their limbs as they spoke quickly but clearly. “There was a dragon of some sort. I didn’t see it all, but it attacked and somehow absorbed Reshiram and is now going on a rampage. I’ve been helping civilians escape, but some others have been fighting the dragon. It’s powerful, whatever it is -- it’s fighting multiple people at once and doesn’t seem to be stopping. I saw it use some sort of energy attack.” Hopefully that was all the information that was expected of them, because they hadn’t seen everything and didn’t understand what they had seen. They were still confused about what had happened with Illidan, and were sure that it showed on their face. Xander’s clothes were stained with blood, but Raine’s presence meant that he was fine, physically. Yet… They frowned. His face was more heavily lined than usual, as if he was in pain. It didn't make any sense, unless Raine hadn't finished healing him. Had he been that badly injured? Natsuki had plenty of questions about that, among other things, but didn’t deserve to ask or take up any more of the group’s time. It took them a moment to answer Illidan's question, their brain still classifying him as an enemy and so reluctant to share information with him. “...It’s a taser,” they said. “It shoots out two prongs and then electricity travels between them. Usually it isn’t lethal.” Edited August 31, 2018 by Zor Share this post Link to post
Posted August 31, 2018 (edited) [ ...taser, huh? Let's hope that doesn't give the goblins ideas. - Kyurem Fight - Illidan (& Nora) ] The very thought of Xander going to defend him, of all people, made the heat rush to Illidan's face once more. How... noble of him. He truly was a king in all senses of the word... Truly fit for the throne of whichever world Nohr was located in. In one word, he was... perfect. Perfect... A word he hadn't used to describe someone since... her. Natsuki described the strange device, and Illidan couldn't help his concern. Lethal, no... but the very thought of it sounded very painful and, frankly, jarring. Here was to hoping the sound of what this "taser" did didn't give the goblins any ideas... Illidan then spotted the familiar aura of one of his Illidari out of the corner of his eye. "Nora, I could've sworn you'd be out there fighting." "Lord Illidan! I--" The startled man sputtered. No doubt about it - though pale skin made it clear that Nora is the same kind of elf as Oblivionix, the horns, bare chest, and runic tattoos clearly gave him away as another Demon Hunter, though strangely, he didn't wear a blindfold like his "Lord" did. In lieu of the blindfold were two emerald flames where his eyes should have been, too bright to see whether or not he actually had eyes to begin with. Clearly startled, Nora had to gather his composure and try to ignore Xander's Fel lighting up in his own Spectral Sight like a goddamn Winter's Veil tree. He cleared his throat and began again. "Father had other plans. He told me to watch from afar. As I understand, he's helping to heal the one fighting that... thing." "I see. Well, then, shall we catch up with the scene of the battle?" "Aye, Lord Illidan... Against a creature like that? The one fighting it will only be able to hold for so long..." [ Want to pet... so bad. - Lost in the Black Market - Ray ] Ray, confident that she'd have plenty of money for cat supplies even after exchanging for the right currency, smiled at Anders before neatly putting her PokeDollars into one pocket of her bag. "...ya think it's the box's doing? I mean, Akatsuki don't look affected... then again, he's technically already a cat, so..." The urge to pet those cats was so tempting... Surely petting one wouldn't hurt. [ Elsewhere near the Kyurem fight - Oblivionix (& ???) ] Oblivionix had finally found a place that was high enough. There was lots of fuschia ink splattered across the place, but that wasn't important... What was important was getting that monster lined up in her scope, waiting for Noraeash's signal to fire... Pale summer moonlight shimmers on the seafloor. An octopus, unaware that dawn will bring capture, Rests within a trap, dreaming fleeting dreams... Edited August 31, 2018 by hikarinomemori we need to get the ship sailing boys Share this post Link to post
Posted August 31, 2018 (edited) [ Sonic | Tails | Joshua - White Kyurem fight ] The sudden eruption of the earth below them prompted all three to move as fast as possible. Which, unfortunately for them all, was not fast enough - to Sonic's chagrin; he was always fast enough! Tails was the one who avoided most of the damage; he was able to get up in the air fast enough for it to only lick his shoe, while Joshua and Sonic were not fast enough to avoid a bit of damage. Joshua's entire left leg was caught when he jumped to the side, and the human boy hissed in pain. Sonic, out of all of them, simply got distracted. Out of nowhere - literally! - a certain blade came down and hit Sonic in the head hilt-first, accidentally causing him to take the brunt of the earthshattering attack. "Ow! Who threw that!? Seriously, that's just-- Caliburn?" "Sir Sonic!" the blade exclaimed. "It is good to see you again, sire!" "Who's that?" "No time!" Joshua said, standing up and looking at White Kyurem and Bowser. "This fight is far from over, and I think its time we took more of an active approach!" A grin crossed the hedgehog's features and he looked at Caliburn. "You willing to help me out here pal?" "Yes, sire!" "Sweet! What's a knight without his blade and a dragon to slay?!" He was only saying that for show. He wasn't actually going to kill Kyurem. Edited August 31, 2018 by catstreetCAT Share this post Link to post
Posted August 31, 2018 Sacred ~ Oath of the Ancients The dragon roared, and it seemed that some other forces had joined her and the dragon-turtle thing. A giant wolf thing appeared before slashing into the dragon with daggers of light just as her feet reunited with the earth and she easily drew her sword in one fluid motion--too fluid--as the dragon roared. An immense pressure seemed to press from the bottom of her feet up, growing hotter--she sucked in a breath and spun, gathering her mana around her into a protective shield. The ground cracked below her, and there there the pressure disappeared as a gout of magma erupted. Sacred smirked and bent down as the magma flowed around her shield, then she used the plume to thrust forward at the ice dragon. As she leapt out of the attack, she held up her shield and concentrated the mana around her into it, expanding it into a huge construct that brought to mind sunbeams filtered through young forest leaves--BAM! She smashed into the ice dragon; The bright shield shattered into a burst of light as she did so, sending the concentrated power out. Share this post Link to post
Posted September 1, 2018 Sora | Safe Zone? It was always amusing to see Cid get grumpy with someone else, turning his sharp growl onto a different target once in a while. Sora grinned broadly at Pascal as she saluted him, Cid's back retreating from sight. He wanted to ask what all the parts were for but he figured he would find out sooner or later and so let the curiosity fade to the back of his mind for now. It wasn't long, anyway, before Cid returned with what Pascal wanted and she paid with some sort of card. "Oh...!" Sora exclaimed softly, reaching into his pocket as Pascal thanked him for waiting and suggesting they spend the rest of the time exploring. "I have Munny; do you think the shops here will take it?" he asked, pulling out a small gold piece shaped into a rhombus to show Pascal. Stepping outside of Cid's shop, he looked around at their immediate surroundings and shrugged. "You know this place far better than I do. Is there anywhere you recommend looking?" Absently, he shoved the Munny piece back into his pocket, a nagging thought starting to rise up. "Hey, Pascal? Do you know what the Heartless are? And Nobodies?" Neither creatures had shown up at the Gateway (with the exception of Hush) so he figured the world was safe from their notice. Maybe Cid had mentioned something about the Heartless, at least, to Pascal during one of her many trips here. Share this post Link to post
Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) [VS White Kyurem: Round 3 - Let Wave 2 Begin] White Kyurem screamed in pain. The icy dragon was knocked back, and snarled at the elven knight. Bowser pressed the advantage with a fist to the dragon's face, creating hairline cracks in Kyurem's facial ice. He was about to attempt something else when a claw lashed out to throw him off balance. As Bowser spun away from them, White Kyurem caught sight of a group forming. A group? Better not let them team up. Kyurem's body became shrouded in icy mist, before something sped up the process. Lines of icy flame formed around Kyurem, who launched a missile of ice with a strange inner fire. A missile of both ice and fire. The icy attack was aimed at the forming group. Edited September 20, 2018 by DuskOfTheStars Share this post Link to post
Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) "Natsuki," Raine greeted, nodding in return. When Illidan touched ground, she landed lightly on her feet, a little queasy but otherwise alright. It's not that she didn't trust Xander's friend, but she was skeptical about the fact that his arm was the only thing stopping either she or the king from plummeting into the market a hundred feet below. Despite her reservations, the flight was short and without issue. Arguably, she found Natsuki's caution an appropriate response, considering that Illidan didn't look like the friendliest being at the market, and it was likely that the officer had seen him wounded earlier. She listened to their account of what had happened since Xander was last here, and took the time to scan the surroundings for anything matching the description. It wasn't hard to see the white dragon. It was two or three times taller than a person, encased equally in ice and white fur, and the quarrel between it, a turtle-like dragon, and a dozen other heroes had made a decent sized clearing in the crowd. Those who tried to stay and watch were quickly being ushered to safety. It seemed to look towards them -- Illidan, Xander, Natsuki, and herself -- and its body sparkled with a glimmer of frost that seemed like it was gathering energy for an attack but, too quick! While the group was still talking, Raine swung her staff in a wide arc, projecting a barrier along its path just as massive icicles and searing flames shattered against it. She grit her teeth against the strength of the attack, feeling its powerful mix of hot and chill wind even through the barrier spell. When the fire dissipated, she dropped her defensive spell. She yelled to her group, "Now's your chance!" Edited September 2, 2018 by TehUltimateMage Share this post Link to post
Posted September 3, 2018 Anders [ science ] Well, that was a bit troublesome. Anders probably should have stopped Ray from sticking her hand in the box, but he had been a little occupied by the way that Leonardo da Kittinci leaned into his hand and closed his eyes. Some things in life were just more important than stopped small children from acquiring potentially permanent magical body modifications. Things like kittens yawning and nearly falling over, sweet Maker. Had he died? No. Anders repressed a sigh. Eight years and Justice still hadn’t gotten the point of a rhetorical question. He probably wouldn’t any time soon. As distracting as Catilla the Hun knocking over Leonardo da Kittinci again was, Keaton shouting and tackling Ranulf was enough to draw his attention. At first his heart leapt at the sight of such large creatures fighting each other, but it only took him a moment for him to realize that it wasn’t a true fight. There wasn’t any blood, for one thing. It did give him the opportunity to see that Keaton’s wolfskin body, though still massive, had been blessed with catness as well. He craned his neck to try to see the beans in question, but Keaton’s body blocked the view. How disappointing. He supposed it was a bit fortunate: he wasn’t sure if he could’ve resisted tackling and cuddling Keaton if he saw the giant beans. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for cat supplies?” he asked, but his voice was weak. Truthfully, he didn’t want to leave the cats. It was nice to relax, and he hadn’t in… quite long time. Not that he’d had the opportunity too; it had been vital to finish their plans without delay. Every second that Hawke had tried to make him sleep or visit the Hanged Man was another moment that mages were in chains. Sloth! Picking up cat supplies didn’t have the same urgency, whether he’d promised or not. Somewhat grudgingly, Justice agreed. It helped that Justice wasn’t entirely invested in the cats the way that Anders was. Maybe Anders could convince him. Though, Ray getting ears did give him an idea -- Do not. -- the ears were rather cute, and -- Stop it. -- twice could just be a coincidence, right? They couldn’t be sure that the box was some magical artifact that gave people tails if he didn’t test it. Why, it would be wrong to not try it out. We don’t know -- Ignoring Justice’s protests, Anders quietly slipped his hand into the box. The first thing he noticed was that his eyes were far closer to the ground than they should have been. The second thing he noticed was that he was fluffy orange tabby again. Justice, predictably, was upset. Anders was a bit on edge as well; being a cat did make him feel much more vulnerable in most cases. The cat instincts begged him to run and hide from the multitude of people and noises, but Anders managed to stay put (albeit with a very bristly tail). It wasn’t like he couldn’t just turn back -- Huh. Well then. Share this post Link to post
Posted September 3, 2018 [ The battle commences. - Kyurem Fight - Illidan, Noraeash, Oblivionix, Noreillan, Saen'theas, Nora, & ??? ] The attacks and barrier happened so quickly that it was all a blur to Illidan, but it didn't take him long to figure out who it was that had dragged him behind the barrier. Again and again, Xander came to his rescue. Even after what he'd done to him, the king came to his rescue. Even with his unpleasant appearance, he still came to his rescue. It didn't take Illidan long to realize that he was in love with Xander. ...he shook his head and tried to shove those thoughts aside. Now was the moment to fight a beast, not gush about his latest crush! He felt the energy build up near his eyes... "Now's your chance!" ...and let loose a Eye Beam, fueled by his own Fel, the moment Raine's barrier fell. That was the signal for everyone to let loose on the dragon-like beast, and let loose they did; Noraeash went from healing the dragon... turtle... thing and poured his Light into a single attack that Oblivionix recognized from her scope as an Execution Sentence. Oblivionix herself lined up the scope and fired an Arcane Shot. Noreillan and Saen'theas flung some standard spells - Oblivionix could see a Frostbolt and a Scorch spell among them - while Nora flew in close for a decent melee strike. And then... a flash of fuschia as a girl with fuschia octopus tentacles for hair literally rose up out of the ink and hurled four pyramid-shaped containers at the beast. When those containers came close, they exploded, seeking to drench the dragon in more fuschia ink. Closer to pyramids than spheres— Let fly the bombs! A sigh, then calm. A pillow stained with ink—or tears. [ Ears and a tail?! What am I, a Litten?! - Lost in the Black Market - Ray ] Ray was halfway through petting one of the cats - a blond-furred one - when Keaton's comment got her attention. Ears?? On her??? She lifted her hand out of the box and scrambled to get her hand mirror out of her bag. Sure enough and true to her own reflection, Keaton's words rang true. She had ears and a tail, not unlike a Litten's except hers were the same color as her hair. She'd also lifted her head in time to see Keaton's tussle with Ranulf, with the former now in that strange Lycanroc-like form of his... except now it more closely resembled an Incineroar than a Lycanroc. Ranulf then asked if anything had happened to her hands. She looked, and while she was sure she had the retractable claws now (there wasn't much of a way to make sure as she didn't quite get how they worked), they otherwise didn't look any different. Just normal human hands. "N-No... They don't look any different... I think." ...and then she watched as Anders stuck his hand in - before she could warn him against it - and went full Litten. Not just ears and tail like her and Keaton, but full-blown Litten. Arceus dammit, some of the adults were more naive than she was. ...either that or Anders just really liked cats. She looked back at the blond-furred cat, which was now meowing at her loudly, as if it were taking offense to her ears and tail and sounding like it had some sort of inferiority complex. "...you would've listened if I'd warned you about the box, right?" Share this post Link to post
Posted September 3, 2018 Pascal -- Wandering around the Market "Money?" Pascal repeated. She found it curious that Sora had dragged out the first syllable with a slight upwards inflection -- pronouncing it strangely, like it was spelled differently. "People trade all sorts of things here, so I think you'll be able to use your floaty gold piece," she continued. "Though, depending on who's looking at it, you might not get its full value. The standardized currency here is the galactic Pixel, because of how you can break materials down into Pixels as well as craft new things with them if you have the right machines. It makes it have a standard value everywhere, you know?" "Around here there's some pretty good food places, like that one run by the turtle guy that Xander really likes, and you can find things like grilled chocobo, frozen bananas and deep fried rage candy bars..." Pascal prattled on and on, mouth watering from thinking of the exotic foods. When she trailed off, Sora used the opportunity to ask about Heartless and Nobodies were -- and Pascal barely had a clue. "No, I don't think I know much! Cid did mention them in passing, so I know Heartless attack people, but that's about it." She looked at him and raised her eyebrows, expecting him to elaborate. Share this post Link to post
Posted September 4, 2018 [ Sonic + Caliburn | Tails | Joshua - White Kyurem fight ] Seeing all the attacks on the creature made Sonic grin. It was finally time for some action; no more waiting around! Gripping Caliburn by the hilt, Sonic idly wondered how much of his knight training he actually remembered as he rushed toward the Pokémon. Clearly, he didn't remember much at all, as his attack was wobbly and definitely lacking practice, but the hedgehog could only hope that his attacks actually did any kind of damage. "You need more practice, Sir Sonic!" "You're getting told off by a sword," Tails laughed, setting up Chu² Bombs to chase down and explode around White Kyurem's feet, all while snickering at Sonic getting yelled at by a sword. It was hilarious to him. He wasn't taking this seriously at all. Joshua, unlike the twin-tailed fox, was taking this more than seriously. This thing was bigger than Anguis Cantus, and probably at least as powerful as Panthera Cantus. Even with his strength, the Composer knew one thing: he was not going to be able to take this thing down alone. Good thing he wasn't alone. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he tapped in a stream of digits, a smirk crossing his face punching in the last number. "You're done!" A beam of light came from above, seemingly out of nowhere, to strike White Kyurem. "... Jesus beams. Huh. That's impressive. Nice one, J.!" Share this post Link to post
Posted September 6, 2018 [ Gotcha! - Lost in the Black Market - Ray ] Ray was relieved to hear that not only did someone have pet supplies, but he also knew something about the enchantment on the box of cats. "Well, that's a relief... Oh, wait! What if this is permanent?!" She didn't want to be stuck with cat ears and a tail forever! Hau would tease her about it and she'd get all sorts of ridicule from Gladion. "I don't wanna be part-Litten forever! Oh, this is horrible..." And then the blond cat with no name managed to escape from the box after Ranulf picked it up. Ray didn't need to be told to catch him - what if the cat carried the box's magic with him?! She was quick to run and scoop him up - she remembered Akatsuki making his own escapes when he was a Litten, so it wasn't too unusual to her. "Gotcha! Gave us quite the scare, little guy..." She held the cat with one arm momentarily while she used the other to grab Akatsuki's PokeBall and call him back. "I think you've had enough fun for one day, big guy..." She then returned the PokeBall to the inside of her bag and returned to holding the cat with both arms. Then she took a closer look at the blond cat. He had a little black headband on... and the most beautiful maroon eyes she'd ever seen! "Oh, your eyes are so pretty!" Share this post Link to post
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