Chronology: Ultimate

[PolikShadowbliss]

Killua Zoldyck

Mood: Neutral
Nen: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Health: Average
Interactions: thatguyinthestore (Bobby)

He was still a bit caught off guard because a bomb without a mouth is somehow talking with everyone in the room. But, he returned to Bobby anyway. "Great to meet ya, Bobby. I'm Killua, and we also just got here." He took a second look around the cave. He seemed to be getting used to the overall darkness, but still just your average cave for all he could see. Well, except to what appeared to be an extreme light source waaaaay up ahead. "I am not entirely sure if this is the afterlife. It seems a bit calm for that. Why would they give the dead a break room before the afterlife exactly? Something just doesn't add up..."

Other Mentions: @ A group of people that is just looking at stuff​

“Yeah something doesn’t add up!”

Zwei would say suddenly appearing by Killuas side.

“For one I still have my powers and two: we can’t be the only people that died when the freaking DEATH STAR blew up a whole planet! Where are the OTHERS?!”​

 

[Ciscodog]

Killua Zoldyck

Mood: Neutral
Nen: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Health: Average
Interactions: PolikShadowbliss

He jumped back out of shock from Zwei suddenly appearing. He closed his eyes and quickly reset. He opened and continued to speak.
"Another valid point. Hold on, lemme check something..."
Killua jumped straight into the air to an amazing height and created a large shockwave. He purposely avoided any contact with everyone else.
He hit the ground hard with a large jolt of electricity.

NEN ABILITY: THUNDERBOLT


Killua leaps into the air above the opponent and projects a bolt of lightning from his fingers, paralyzing them for a few moments and causing them pain.
Because this was not used on any target, this hit the floor.
-5% Stamina (High Jump), -5% Nen (Thunderbolt)

"That's 2 of us that can use powers."
He walks back to Zwei calmly.
"We should probably reassess that assumption. Anyone willing to scope up ahead?"

Other Mentions: Anyone listening to Killua and Zwei
​

 

[PolikShadowbliss]

Killua Zoldyck

Mood: Neutral
Nen: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Health: Average
Interactions: PolikShadowbliss

He jumped back out of shock from Zwei suddenly appearing. He closed his eyes and quickly reset. He opened and continued to speak.
"Another valid point. Hold on, lemme check something..."
Killua jumped straight into the air to an amazing height and created a large shockwave. He purposely avoided any contact with everyone else.
He hit the ground hard with a large jolt of electricity.

NEN ABILITY: THUNDERBOLT
View attachment 774931

Killua leaps into the air above the opponent and projects a bolt of lightning from his fingers, paralyzing them for a few moments and causing them pain.
Because this was not used on any target, this hit the floor.
-5% Stamina (High Jump), -5% Nen (Thunderbolt)

"That's 2 of us that can use powers."
He walks back to Zwei calmly.
"We should probably reassess that assumption. Anyone willing to scope up ahead?"

Other Mentions: Anyone listening to Killua and Zwei
​

“Gladly!”

And with that, she disappears in a flash of yellow light.

Time slowed to a crawl as the seconds turned into minutes. She used that frozen time to scope out the area!
thatguyinthestore



​

 

[quadraxis201]

Akari "Paladin" Kishiri
​

Akari nodded solemnly when Bobby mentioned that everyone might be in the afterlife. "It's just as I thought, then. When the laser hit the Axiom, I remember silence and blackness, nothing more. That must be what it's like to..." Akari said rather quietly. He decided to take a much more detailed look at his surroundings. Scorching heat, stalagmites and stalactites as far as the eye could see, dancing flames... it truly did seem like an interpretation of Hell. "You sacrificed yourself to save your friends, Bobby? That's quite noble of you."

​

His head hung for a moment, and then... Akari closed his eyes. "I wonder... the hatred I bore so many years ago, that winded itself around my heart and choked it... would it be enough to secure me a spot here, even with how I saved Tokyo from despair? I had heard in some views of this woeful realm that anger and hatred have a place here." He began to think about everyone back home-- Morgana, Takeshi, Akira, his own parents... and indeed, the rest of the Neo Phantom Thieves. Placing a fist to his heart, Akari nodded once more. "Still... I'm not alone, even if we are in Hell. I have friends here, and my other friends... they're with me in spirit. I will leave this place."

Akari decided to test if his powers worked, and with the removal of his mask... Kronos appeared. "Not even Hell can halt my power, it seems." Akari had heard talk of Personas potentially reverting back to Shadows, but he had yet to see if that was true.

Kagutsuchi's abundant enthusiasm had helped to brighten Akari up a bit after his moment of introspection, and he chuckled softly as his frown curled back into a slight smile. "A deity of fire providing warmth to our hearts while we stand in a blazing inferno... I'm unsure if I should be grateful, or chuckle at how ironic this scenario is. Well, if you'll be keeping our hearts from growing cold, I suppose it's only fair that I act as a light in the dark, former hatred or not. Paladin's vow."

"So... let's show Ganondorf that not even Hell itself can confine us."
​

Interactions:
thatguyinthestore
Celestial Speck
@HighwayToHell
(Open for Interactions)

 

[Celestial Speck]

thatguyinthestore | quadraxis201 | Necessity4Fun | CutieBoop
​

Akari's words caused a reaction from the deity of fire, his eyes moved from the rest of the group towards the young Persona user. Something about Akari's words about Bobby, and him apparently sacrificing himself to save his friends, it caused something to shine in the entity's eyes. His mouth opened for a second, almost as if agape, before almost by instinct, one of his hands moved up to one of the eight scars across his body. If Akari knew his story, he would certainly know the cause of those scars. After all...They seemed to be scars made by someone who cut his body up. There was only silence before the god's face returned to look at Bobby, and Akari could tell, there was immense newfound respect towards the small paper construct.

"A sacrifice to save one other than the self...That is beyond noble! It is heroic, it is legendary! To be selfless of your own life to see others live! If only more entities were like you, o' small one!" It was hard to tell whether or not Kagutsuchi was going to cry or not, but his tone was more emotional, but just as over the top as his previous one when speaking. His fist clenched, deep down, there was a bit of regret he couldn't have done the same for those in the Axiom, but at the same time, that regret didn't turn to any negative emotions of jealously towards the Bob-omb.

Regardless, at Sage's confusion, Kagutsuchi seemed ready to speak again, but Akari spoke once more what was on his mind. For a moment, the deity of fire smiled, before shaking his head, loud laughter echoing through the cave from him. "Fool! Do not see as a deity or one who deserves fancy titles! For while I am Kagutsuchi, I am Kyou Tana, too! I am nothing but a humble warrior when in the presence of all of you, my companions!"

Mimaki could only smile a little bit at Kyou, the fox standing next to Fuma and Sage. Icy cold air seemed to surround him, providing some manner of normal temperature as well, thanks to his ice manipulation and the Fire 'Warrior' currently eating away the heat and flames. He simply patted Sage on the back, offering the younger Pyromancer a small nod. "It's like they said, either we got transported here by chance, or...Well, we really are dead, somehow, despite myself being immortal." Mimaki spoke gently, his eyes landing on the laughing fire god, who was currently patting Akari on the back, the Paladin could only feel as if his soul himself was being touched and warmed up literally and conceptually by the deity. It appears Kagutsuchi's fire is not only literal but also conceptual, as the deity who birthed death in Japanese Mythology.

"But...You should hear what they're saying. If we're all together, and still have our powers, then we can break out of hell. This is only a temporary setback." Mimaki nodded in confirmation to his own words as if he was sure that was the case. He was however standing rather close to Fuma, holding her hand all of the sudden, and smiling at her as well. Likely to calm her down as well. After his tails gently stroking against her cheeks, he turned back to Sage.

"...I'm not sure if this is even our version of the Underworld, Yomi. But it probably isn't...Now...I assume you have a few questions about Kyou? And...What happened to him." Mimaki said, before looking back at Kyoutsuchi(?), and back at Sage. "And to confirm it, yes, what you see right now is a deity- The Fire God of our world, Kagutsuchi Mikoto. I assume Kyou explained it to you somewhat, though." Should make explaining easier.

 

[Ellya]

Ellie

Ellie didn't react much when Jason put his hand on her shoulder, only giving him the same stern look. "Yeah, we'll see about that... I'm not planning on stopping my... hell raising." She tried so hard not to chuckle at her own pun there.

Then Frank came up. With him, she took an entirely different stance. She just glared daggers up at the man, like he'd done her wrong somehow. She listened to every word though, his past was definitely interesting in many ways. And he definitely did have a point. Choosing your moments was key to winning some encounters, she knew that perfectly well, but Time Baby might have been about to disappear from their lives entirely. "Well, it was our only chance, and I took it. And now I know how everyone else thinks about crazy sadistic psychopaths."

As she spoke, Ellie suddenly pulled a 9 millimeter pistol out from behind her, discreetly showing it to Frank. "Next time, I'll make sure it's lethal." Maybe she'd misunderstood the lesson entirely. It was the same pistol that Jason had given her when she first arrived on the Axiom. As soon as they arrived back on the ship, she'd made her way to find it and pick it up, as well as the switchblade that was currently in her pocket. After showing it off, she slipped it back into the back of her jeans, tucking her shirt over it. Her tone wasn't aggressive or even angry anymore, and it seemed like she did come to understand Frank a bit better.

She then looked over beside Frank, to Atreus, who was standing there with a bit of a blank look in his eyes, staring at the ground. "Hey... you okay? You never really got a chance to talk about your uh... dad, did you?"

Atreus
The boy looked up at Ellie, just staring at her face for a while before shrugging. "No... it's okay though. I understand it wasn't him, and that he had to be... taken out. He can be uh... Pretty dangerous..."

He expressed his understanding, but it was clear that he was still conflicted. It was the first time he'd really stood up against his Father in that way. And just being tossed aside by him like a toy he didn't want anymore was... surreal, but somehow didn't seem very far off from his actual Father.

"The moment I saw him walking out, I felt... happy. I thought he was here to help us, and with him, we're sure to beat Ganondorf. But... Instead, he tried to beat up... well, kill my friends. And my friends beat him up pretty bad too. I've seen him take worse beatings, but... This time, I could've been there to help him. I just... couldn't..."

Atreus glanced up at Frank as he said that last part. It was pretty obvious that he, in some kind of way, blamed Frank for that, but he knew that it was wrong, so he didn't say it. Frank took from him the choice of helping out his Father or his friends, but maybe that was a mercy. It wouldn't have been an easy choice to make, and the scariest part... he had no idea which of the two he'd be fighting against.


BarrenThin2 thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc

 

[Celestial Speck]

ellie gets eaten by demons for making such a terrible pun

 

[BarrenThin2]

Frank Castle

He wasn't sure Ellie understood either, at first. It was a complex thing to try to explain to a kid, no matter how much they had been through. "Oh yeah, kill bad guys, but only sometimes, when it won't get your teeth kicked in. If you do it anyways, make sure it works." Inconsistent, but true. "Yes, we do. We know where most of the group stands now." Not just from that, but from them stopping him from killing Kratos, too. He thought better of mentioning that right then. That is to say, he wasn't sure Ellie understood, until she slyly revealed the pistol she had stashed away and mentioned that next time she would be sure it was a killing shot. For a few seconds, Frank just stared at her blankly. Finally, he reached up and pushed her hand back down to return the gun to wherever she had hidden it. He might have even winked as he did it, making sure only Ellie could see, if she even caught it. She had understood, after all.

Now came the hard part. It was time to check in on the boy. As with Ellie, Frank wouldn't be shocked if Atreus was angry. In truth, whether or not what he had done was wrong, the kid had every right to be pissed. So, when Atreus shot him a meaningful look, he didn't complain. He didn't rush to defend himself or explain his actions. There was no point; from Atreus's point of view, his father's life had been in danger, and he needed to help him. By contrast, from Frank's point ov view, Atreus couldn't make that choice. Neither side would change the other's mind. It certainly didn't mean the old man felt guilty about doing it, aside from just feeling a little bad for hitting the kid at all. With a slight nod, he said, "It's alright. I understand."

Now came the really hard part. The part where he got really honest with the kid. "Before we sent him home, your father said some stuff. I tried to..."
The old man locked eyes with Atreus. The boy was clearly upset. Off balance. Was it better to lie, if only by omission, or would the potential for the truth coming out later be worse than any repercussions now? Slowly, he looked away before continuing. "Remember kid, it wasn't your dad. Things he said and did don't mean anything. He said you were worth nothing to him. That you failed. I tried to shoot him in the head for attacking you and trying to kill everyone else. Got a good punch in the nose for my trouble," Frank shot a meaningful glance at Ellie before continuing,"But the guy was fine. Giant baby freak sent him home to go back to his Atreus." Frank did eventually make eye contact with Atreus again, about halfway through what he was saying. He didn't really have anything more to say.

Ellya thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc​

 

[QizPizza]

Chronology: Ultimate

GySgt Lazarus Huang

PHYSICAL CONDITION: Fine
MENTAL CONDITION: Shocked, Taking Initiative
LOCATION: Hell?
COLOR: #E83427
(Link to CS)
​

INFORMATION

INTERACTIONS: thatguyinthestore Necessity4Fun
MENTIONS: Ellya Celestial Speck PolikShadowbliss Ellya BarrenThin2 TheElenaFisher DerpyCarp Chungchangching

POST

The suggestion for a wish that would help people teamwork seems to have gone over everyone else’s heads. Rather, they focused on ways to defeat Twilight. While Lazarus certainly saw the value in such a wish, he didn’t think that was the most important one they could’ve made. He didn’t raise any complaints, though; these people have been working together long than he had been with them, so he supposed they would know whether they needed better teamwork or not. The Marine had seen some concerning signs, but they were probably the exception, not the rule.

Lazarus was quickly proven wrong as the Punisher sent three crossbow bolts into Jared Williams and executed the man with a final bolt to the head. He was shocked by the display of violence and utter disregard for life… then again, this was the Punisher… And even the brutal vigilante didn’t do anything, Jason had already drawn a gun in rage. Sure, it was disgusting to harass a child like that, but death was just… overkill. He wished he could bring the man back and have him face a punishment befitting his crime, but the dead are meant to stay dead, and no chronomancy could undo that.

The scene left a poor taste in Lazarus’s mouth. He just prayed to God that Frank was the only one in this group that would resort to that level of violence. Seeing a couple others share a similar reaction was slightly reassuring, but when push comes to shove, Lazarus wondered how easily these guys would snap. Many of them were just humans—children, no less—and they’re getting thrown into what amounts to a guerilla campaign against a tyrannical overlord. Even trained soldiers could snap, but people with the slightest indication of something special about them were about as fragile as paper.

Sighing, Lazarus took the downtime to reload his weapons and check himself for any outstanding injuries as the others discussed their wish. A split second later, Lazarus saw Supergirl sent a Cartoon Girl flying across the arena… That wish for teamwork was looking better and better by the second, but people were only focused on Twilight-this and Twilight-that. Unfortunately for all those clambering for Twilight-related wishes, though, Time Baby informed everyone that how much influence it has over Twilight was limited.

At around the time that the idea of a warrior able to wield a weapon capable of hurting Ganondorf was being thrown around, Lazarus noticed the literal child in a space suit hanging off of the pretty white haired lady’s leg, napping away like nothing. Was the kid there the whole time, as in during all the fighting earlier??? There was no way. A second later, it was awake, calling the lady “mommy” and examining the corpse of Jared with his child-like curiosity. It didn’t help that the plant girl handed the child a stick to poke the corpse with. That unsettled Lazarus in ways that he would be loathe to describe.

He walked towards the child to get him away from the dead body, both for the child’s sake and the corpse’s sake. There was a limit to how far one could take morbid curiosity. As he took his first step toward the kid, Lazarus froze. He felt his body fill with more strength than he should have right now. That must have been the effects of the Time Wish. However, that wasn’t what made him stop. He saw a blur of motion in the corner of his eye. For him, time may well have slowed down as he turned around to see a brown haired girl fire a crossbow at the Time Baby.

The Marine abandoned the idea of keeping the Space Kid from the corpse and immediately began to sprint towards the crossbow bolt, using his Blink-Pack to make up the distance and catch it. Even with his superhuman speed and the Blink-Pack, Lazarus was too slow to catch the bolt. In his mind, this was when the lack of cohesion of this group was finally past its breaking point. Time Baby was going to get shot and its blessings taken away with it. Luckily, where Laz and the others failed, a new hero came to the rescue. A boy in green armed with sword and shield deflected the bolt with a swipe of his shield, preventing Time Baby from getting hit. While Laz was no nerd like Hound, he still knew the protagonist of the Legend of Zelda games when he saw him—it was Link.

Things were definitely moving along fast, especially with the appearance of a fiery Deity bearing the Buddhist Wheel of Reincarnation made of flames on its back. It called itself Kagutsuchi and appeared to have been...possessing the oni, Kyou. No...possessing wasn’t the right word… nor was this the Kagutsuchi he knew. That thought stuck Lazarus—he knew Kagutsuchi? He certainly heard the story, but he didn’t remember meeting the Deity in this lifetime. Was it in one of his previous lives that he met the Deity of Fire? Perhaps… but that didn’t explain why this one didn’t feel the same. Lazarus brushed the thought off as blue and orange fire filled the edges of the arena, originating from a redheaded boy. The Marine just...felt it; he wasn’t sure how, but he just did.

This was quickly turning into a whole circus… Lazarus was just trying to take everything in and formulate a plan to get all these new characters and powers and conflicts into order. It was an organizational nightmare, and this did not bode well for the team. Sure, new powers and allies were awesome, but if they couldn’t coordinate, it would become their downfall. If it was up to Laz, they would spend at least a month or two training together so that they would be able to work like a well oiled machine, but the fate of the multiverse waited for no one.

Before he knew it, the Time Baby sent them off back through the white cage room and to the Axiom, where a floating elf awaited them. However, things were not all well. Screams and smoke began to fill the air. Lazarus followed Jason as he ran towards the source.

What they found was a warzone or rather… a massacre. Blaster fire had rained down on the ship’s passengers, leaving thousands upon thousands of corpses on the destroyed decks. And then… they saw Darth Vader, walking through the flames as he used his lightsaber to deflect Jason’s bullets. Though this man used the Force like Ori, his Pressure was immeasurably higher. Wait...who was Ori? It would be a question unanswered as the collapsing hall separated the group from the Sith. The bad news didn’t stop there, as Leo pointed out of the window to a moon right outside of the ship. No...that’s no moon...it’s a space station...the Death Star!

There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from the massive kyber crystal powered superlaser. It could destroy a planet like nothing and a spaceship was just a droplet in comparison. Seconds later, the green beams of energy had charged up and started flying towards the Axiom. Then… darkness.

__________________________​

Lazarus woke up when he felt an ominous chill down his spine. As he attempted to stand up, he could feel the dampness of the ground below him through his gloves. Through his suit, he could feel the heat that filled the dark cavern he was in. It reminded him of the jungles, hot, humid, and dark, even in the middle of the day. However, it wasn’t a jungle, as evidenced by the rock formations in every direction and the fires in the distance. It looked like the stereotypical description of Hell from every piece of media in existence.

It was a little unsettling…did that mean that the group died back on the Axiom? Lazarus knew that there should’ve been some kind of judgment before they were sentenced to an eternity in hell, but this didn’t seem to stack up with what he knew about Hell. For one, they were too comfortable. Sure it was unpleasantly hot, but Hell was supposed to be unceasing punishment for sin, the evil within man’s soul that corrupts all that it touches. Second, it didn’t look like anyone died. To go to Hell was for one’s soul to move on, but here everyone was, looking exactly the same with all their clothes, weapons, and powers. Lazarus still had his chronomancy. If he had truly died, his powers would’ve moved on, or he would’ve become 18 before that could happen. Finally, there was the Ghost Girl Laz had seen floating around. He wasn’t even going to begin questioning the logistics of how a ghost could die, but one thing was clear: this couldn’t actually be Hell.

As everyone expressed their confusion and tried to get their bearings on the situation, a little walking bomb approached the group. Lazarus was a bit hesitant to deal with a walking bomb, but he seemed quite chipper and nice enough. Bob-Omb had assumed that this was the afterlife, but even he wasn’t sure about what this place was. Even the Punisher and Jason, who supposedly died several times over like Lazarus has no idea what to do. That, however, gave no excuse to panic.

With all the commotion about being dead and in Hell, Lazarus decided to offer up some reassurance, even though he was just as unsure as anyone else. Initiative was necessary when there was no procedure or clear path forward. Lazarus made his words out to everyone, but in particular, the redheaded boy who seemed to overreact to everything, “Guys, let’s calm down and think about this. We aren’t dead yet and we can’t be in the actual Hell. If we can breathe and our bodies still hurt, we’re still alive. Only souls can go to Hell, which means that it makes no sense that we are in Hell with all of our possessions and bodies. I can’t claim to know what Hell is exactly like, but logically speaking, this place must be a dimension that resembles what people usually think of when they imagine hell.”

“That said, we should be careful about our next move. If we can still breathe, we can still die… and I don’t want a situation like Doom where we accidentally get the attention of a demon horde. God knows if we could stand to fight off an army at our current state.”

 

[Ellya]

Frank Castle

He wasn't sure Ellie understood either, at first. It was a complex thing to try to explain to a kid, no matter how much they had been through. "Oh yeah, kill bad guys, but only sometimes, when it won't get your teeth kicked in. If you do it anyways, make sure it works." Inconsistent, but true. "Yes, we do. We know where most of the group stands now." Not just from that, but from them stopping him from killing Kratos, too. He thought better of mentioning that right then. That is to say, he wasn't sure Ellie understood, until she slyly revealed the pistol she had stashed away and mentioned that next time she would be sure it was a killing shot. For a few seconds, Frank just stared at her blankly. Finally, he reached up and pushed her hand back down to return the gun to wherever she had hidden it. He might have even winked as he did it, making sure only Ellie could see, if she even caught it. She had understood, after all.

Now came the hard part. It was time to check in on the boy. As with Ellie, Frank wouldn't be shocked if Atreus was angry. In truth, whether or not what he had done was wrong, the kid had every right to be pissed. So, when Atreus shot him a meaningful look, he didn't complain. He didn't rush to defend himself or explain his actions. There was no point; from Atreus's point of view, his father's life had been in danger, and he needed to help him. By contrast, from Frank's point ov view, Atreus couldn't make that choice. Neither side would change the other's mind. It certainly didn't mean the old man felt guilty about doing it, aside from just feeling a little bad for hitting the kid at all. With a slight nod, he said, "It's alright. I understand."

Now came the really hard part. The part where he got really honest with the kid. "Before we sent him home, your father said some stuff. I tried to..."
The old man locked eyes with Atreus. The boy was clearly upset. Off balance. Was it better to lie, if only by omission, or would the potential for the truth coming out later be worse than any repercussions now? Slowly, he looked away before continuing. "Remember kid, it wasn't your dad. Things he said and did don't mean anything. He said you were worth nothing to him. That you failed. I tried to shoot him in the head for attacking you and trying to kill everyone else. Got a good punch in the nose for my trouble," Frank shot a meaningful glance at Ellie before continuing,"But the guy was fine. Giant baby freak sent him home to go back to his Atreus." Frank did eventually make eye contact with Atreus again, about halfway through what he was saying. He didn't really have anything more to say.

Ellya thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc​

Atreus
Atreus perked up a bit when Frank mentioned that his Father still said some things about him. He was sad that he'd missed them, but didn't want to bear any grudges for that toward Frank. "Oh?" he asked, some excitement in his voice. He then listened. And as he did, his expression fell much more sad. Nothing to him. Failed.

Atreus didn't have to try too hard to imagine his Father's voice saying that. The amount of times he'd disappointed his Father couldn't be counted on two hands anymore. And sure, he always tried to teach the boy a lesson about it, but it still felt pretty terrible. Atreus swallowed.

You know what? Maybe this was his real Father after all.

The boy had those big puppy dog eyes, which only stood out even more with their piercing blue color. Even it was some other version of his Father somehow, the news was still crushing. "I..." he started, not sure what he was even going to say anymore. "... thanks for trying to save him, I guess. Sorry you got your nose hurt..." He coughed. The kind of cough you'd expect from a cold. Maybe that wasn't too strange a thing to happen in this "temperature", but the boy seemed otherwise unbothered by it.

"Maybe... he shouldn't have lived after all... If he treats his Atreus like that, I... Well, I wouldn't wanna be him..."

AlexandraRoseLeclerc thatguyinthestore

 

[CutieBoop]

Fuma

Speaking of those two she mumbled about, Mimaki joined Fuma and Sage while Kyou, as Kagutsuchi, gave his powerful speech. Still, she didn't know when the timing of the hidden butterfly may be, but she'll have to stick close to the group. "It's weird circumstances, Mimaki-kun. It makes us ponder so many questions on how and why, and yet not all are going to be answered right away. Even Sage and I previously spoke of the afterlife before it happened, fufu..." Fuma shrugged in response about the circumstances of how they're even here- whether they're really dead or not. Kinda ironic, as one topic of death and rebirth between two people lead up to being in a place where people go when they die-- pretty emotional for a topic between group members, but it was a learning experience for Fuma to remember. But this is a setback, they'll just be back alive after the turn of pages and moments of time.

She got her book out with a tendril, and flipped through pages with her free hand, while the other held Mimaki's gently. "... And, it's likely our powers are still in place much like anyone else's, even if this isn't the same Hell... or afterlife. We just need to endure together as a group. Would there be a benefit for Goetia demons in this place, Fuma wonders? The answer may be unknown, for now." The tails do stroke the cheeks, which gave the demoness a chuckle before closing her book to hold it close by the tendril and to pet the tail with her free hand. "Ufufu. Ufufufufu. It is reassuring to know this fluffy method of comfort is a way of knowing we are still present here. I love you, Mimaki-kun~" She'll be like that for a moment, before important statements and observations are made. The fear she once had from the champions' battle will be relieved, at least.

Though, by the kitsune also mentioning about Kyou's current state to the group, she piqued her interest to look to the firey oni. "Maybe one or two questions. I'm certain about him becoming Kagutsuchi being added to my memory and my knowledge about the people around me. It must be a blessing of power, is it? Or maybe it takes a ritual of some nature to do it? It's like he's at a different power level, and the optimism is appreciated and spread for the whole team." Maybe it takes some sort of special ritual to make it happen. Or other special circumstances. It's just research questions so she could add it to her own living encyclopedia of the world. Of course, she likes the optimism of the fire god to a group that had so many questions on how they're all there... Maybe Sage has some questions of his own to go along with Fuma's questions.

Tags: Celestial Speck , Necessity4Fun ​

 

[BarrenThin2]

Frank Castle

His eyes searched Atreus's face in stoic silence. The boy was clearly crushed, but there was more than that. It was the way the kid chose his words so carefully, like he was scared his father would somehow hear and punish him if he spoke ill of the man. It was the same sort of wording he had heard from more than one child. The kind of wording someone used when asking for help. It left a bad taste in his mouth, to say the least. Normally, Frank would, at most just kill the perpetrator and call social services. Obviously, that wasn't an option here. They were stuck together. It seemed Ellie wasn't the only person that would need someone to guide them to the other side of this.

Fortunately, his interaction with Ellie had already greased his wheels a little bit. Flipping the switch to bring back those long-buried instincts was easier than before, though it still felt like trying to start a car that had been left in the open for thirty years. There wasn't an easy way to go about this, though. Atreus would likely still defend his father, if only in word, so convincing him his father was somehow not worth thinking about would likely be a lost cause. He wasn't sure what physical comfort the boy could possibly take from him, either. Granted, all things considered, Atreus didn't seem that sore about the blow to the head, it was more the other stuff that was tearing him up.

The old man's frown deepened. Maybe the kid really just needed someone to cheer him up, honestly. Atreus was younger than Ellie, and had seemingly been through less... well, less awful stuff than she had. Maybe the best route was to just treat him like he would treat any normal kid. His mouth opened as he got ready to speak, but something stopped him at first. His still living child, Sarah. Growing up without him, as it should be. If O'Brien kept her promise, she would never know who he was. Normally, Frank did his best not to think of her often; in general, he actually did a pretty good job keeping her far from his mind.

Was he doing her a disservice, after rejecting her, by even temporarily acting almost like a father to this child? To turn away his own flesh and blood, but accept another's? He thought about it for a few seconds, his eyes still seeming to study Atreus's face. Finally, he kneeled down to be at eye-level with Atreus, now for the second time. He didn't have anything monumental to say, at least not in his own mind. "I'm sorry, Atreus. Something tells me we're going to be walking for a while once we leave these caves. Would you like to ride on my shoulders when we leave?"

Ellya thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc​

 

[Laix_Lake]

Orbeck of Vinhiem
status: YOU DIED.
condition: Normal. Bewildered.​

So they leave the arena with a new found ally, the hero of twilight. Now with a few new-found advantages. Things were finally looking up to this group...Until disaster struck the ship. In the form of a raging inferno...and destruction all about. That's not to say much about the inhabitants of the axiom, who were all killed in a violent conflict...by the one in the mask.

And in the center of it all, as you stared out of the useless door, stood a singular figure.

"Your day of rebellion ends here."

Those who have followed were separated by a pile of rubble, and before he knew it they were at death's door.

"U-uh... guys..."

The last thing you saw was a giant green laser beam of pure light headed your way, and then for a split second, an explosion...

And then, everything went dark.

"..." To get this far, only to be killed by the might of yet another ridiculous looking masked foe. It was stupid, stupid as Soma's death to those dolls. It wasn't as if death will be a consequence for him, for the undead curse will end up sending him back to the last bonfire...But as for the others...They will die. With him being one of the few remaining, If Ganon has somehow wanted to end their journey. Well, he has done his job, For even if he was revived, he would be useless in this endeavor of fighting the lone threat.

And then...he died.


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sometime after Orbeck awakes from his slumber...insted of walking beside the crackling flames of a bonfire, he was woken to what was said to be a place called hell, it was formerly a concept that even he could understand. But it was just...was it...HOW. At this point he was thinking to himself, why was he not revived? what it because of more convicted nonsense. If he had known the identity of Darth Vader, it would have only added to this.

A little cartoonish walking bomb was talking to people. Sage's mind had instantly gone back to the train where everything seemed made of paper, noticing a resemblance between that space and the small guy. The mentions of afterlife and the unknown concept of 'hell' were already putting him on edge, but once it had turned into people chatting about dying and Kyou- Kagutsuchi, both, said something about returning to the world of the living, he had just... frozen in shock.

"Wait, WE'RE DEAD?!!", the young man's breathing rate had started to accelerate, he was definitely panicking. SHIT, HERSHEL HAD WATCHED HIM DIE?!, "But-But, I'm still me! And you're all still, you!", the notions conflicted with his beliefs and brought about denial. With each question he had recoiled back with suspicion, feeling unsafe, his own temperature going up though it made no difference right now, "How does that even work? Where are we? What's going on??!"

And he wasn't alone when it came to this. As Sage started to panic over his conflicting ideas on death. Actually overhearing his explanations beforehand, he can understand why sage is questioning their retained sense of individuality...even though they died. There was also the idea that..well...he wouldn't know what hell is in the simplest way possible. He may also have his own questions...as well.

Though, by the kitsune also mentioning about Kyou's current state to the group, she piqued her interest to look to the firey oni. "Maybe one or two questions. I'm certain about him becoming Kagutsuchi being added to my memory and my knowledge about the people around me. It must be a blessing of power, is it? Or maybe it takes a ritual of some nature to do it? It's like he's at a different power level, and the optimism is appreciated and spread for the whole team." Maybe it takes some sort of special ritual to make it happen. Or other special circumstances. It's just research questions so she could add it to her own living encyclopedia of the world. Of course, she likes the optimism of the fire god to a group that had so many questions on how they're all there... Maybe Sage has some questions of his own to go along with Fuma's questions.

So he approaches the two, Fuma and Sage for questions and contradictions.

"You remembered what I mentioned regarding the undead curse?" he said to sage "Because if we had truly died, truly been killed in a...stupid way, I wouldn't even be here, most likely reviving back at my own world...if such a thing is still possible. So there should be no need to worry at this point about your retained sense of individuality." With that said. "So what was going on with Kyou?" He was...ignorant to what has occurred with him, and his newfound transformation, it was a contrast to his previous form and more casual demeanor.

thatguyinthestore Celestial Speck CutieBoop BarrenThin2 TheElenaFisher AlexandraRoseLeclerc Necessity4Fun

 

[Atomic Chucklenuts]

With enough tussling and hustling, team one has won the fight and Sora and Rex avoided themselves a fight with friends for now fortunately. However, unfortunately, the fight was far from over. Two competitors entered the arena. One covered in what looked to be white war paint, and the other was a robot in a Santa Clause outfit. Strange attires aside, the battle was won and the two were defeated. The robot Santa was defeated and Kratos was sent back to his own time.


The Time Baby then grants the MPF a glowing ball as their prize, claiming it is a time wish, allowing anyone’s wishes to come true at any place or time. A lot of people were suggesting they ask for Twilight protection, the Time Baby will provide, but only to the best of his abilities as Ganondorf has gotten much too powerful not even a time lord can do much to stop him. On the other hand, he says there’s a warrior that can help them in the fight against Ganondorf and wields a weapon that only he can, a weapon Ganon’s weak to, ‘the blade of evil’s bane’ as Time Baby puts it, with the wishes of others, hey summon the warrior.

The Time Baby sends the MPF back and wishes them well on their quest. Lilith mentions how they should interact with the warrior. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing?” Midna decides to show up again and she actually recognizes the warrior as ‘Link’. “Wait. You’ve met this guy before?” Sora clears his throat before looking at Link. “So. You’re the guy who’s gonna help us with Ganondorf? That’s good to know.” Sora gives a simple wave gesture to him. “Name’s Sora. It’s nice to meet you.” Just then, an explosion accrued. Suddenly, when everyone would wake up, they look to be in what looks hell!; moreover, a talking bomb appears to be chatting it up with them.

“Uh, yeah. Do you know where we are?” Sora asks the little bomb. He says he doesn’t know where they are either, leaving Sora with a disappointed smile on his face. “Right..” He says his name is Bobby and that he’s lost his memories.

“Memory loss? I know that feeling. I’ll tell you what, Bobby. Why don’t you come with us? Maybe we’ll find something that’ll help you get your memories back. I’m Sora.” Sora does his usual shtick and introduces himself to another friendly face and offers to help him in his time of need.


thatguyinthestore (mentioned > ConnorOfficials )

 

[thatguyinthestore]

"Ohhh.... so people usually burst you out?" Bobby would ask Frank, even as he turned around, jumping up and down all the while. His attention was soon taken away at the words of Yoshi, though. "Oh! Could you deliver a message to him for me?" He asked, basically reiterating what the dinosaur had just said. "Just... let him know that I'm okay, ya know? And that I miss him... and Olivia, too!" His attention had been stolen once more, this time by Akari's and Kyou's words - specifically the words about him being noble. The statement made Bobby chuckle a bit to himself in response.



"Aw, well... that's what every Bob-omb hopes for, ya know? The chance to make an impact for the better..." Even though Bobby lacked any semblance of a mouth, it was obvious that he was internally smiling at this point. "The chance to save a friend like I did... it was the chance to be the kind of Bob-omb I always wanted to be." He looked up at Akari and Kyou at this point, directly into their eyes. "So, it wasn't anything to do with nobility or whatever! I just knew that I had a chance to make something of my life, and I took it!" Bobby did, however, notice Kyou's fists clench up by his side. He tilted a bit in confusion as he noticed the sight, and asked, "You okay?" There was another pause, and then, "Also... who's Ganondorf?" He then looked up at Sora when he too approached, and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Sora. But I'm afraid that I've already gotten my memories back - thanks to Big M and Olivia." There was another short pause, before Bobby exclaimed, "But thanks for the offer, though!"

When the old man in question had turned around, though, Jason was there, nodding and listening to him all the while. He didn't say anything in response - there wasn't really anything to say - but he still remained in place, down on one knee and nodding his head. It wasn't until Ellie's reply that he finally said something to her. "Terrible pun.... but thanks, kid." He said, before standing back up. When she pulled out the gun that he'd given her, he smiled a bit under his helmet. "Glad that you're takin' care of it." He commented... only for his attention to then shift to Arteus. Like Ellie, Jason hadn't interacted with this kid much... but he knew his struggles were real. And, like Ellie, he sympathized with them. So, as he kind of still stood off to the side while Ellie went for the full-on approach, he would let Frank speak, and then finally he said, "Yeah, don't sweat it, kid. Dads can be dicks."

Choking sounds could be heard from Leonardo Watch not too far away, though, as Sage wrapped his arms around the other boy. "S-Sage... I'm fine...!" He tried his best to wheeze out through sputtered sounds and rapid movements of his arms. He hadn't heard what the other had said back on the ship. The existential terror of facing a literal death beam to the face would do that to a person. Regardless of not hearing things, though, Leo still found it to be a relief whenever Sage was indeed okay. Whenever the young pyromaniac had finally let go of him, Leo was left slumping forward, both hands on his knees as he gasped for air.

Sage's subsequent shouting about being dead had drawn Leo right back into the moment, though, and slowly (while he continued to breathe in sharp breaths), Leo raised a palm, pressing it flat against Sage's back. "I-it's okay..." He said in a slightly exasperated tone, finally catching his breath while Lazarus began to give a rousing speech. "We'll get through this..." As he spoke, though, Fuma had approached and tried to reassure Sage as well. Having all but regained his breath at this point, Leo had finally managed to stand upright, as he now looked at Fuma quizzically. "Dante's... Inferno?" He asked curiously while Fuma began to flip through her book.

Jason had tilted his head up whenever Lealan had asked about how they'd died. It was weird that she was the only one that had to grow back pieces of missing flesh... but he didn't dwell on that for long. "We were shot by a giant fucking laser." He spoke, his words blunt as ever. Then, he turned to Supergirl and muttered, "Ain't my first time..." He then turned his attention to Killua, and shrugged. "Could just be the calm before the storm."

Unfortunately, Zwei wouldn't have gotten very far. Whenever she ran off into one of the nearby caves, she would find that all of the sources of light had entirely disappeared, resulting in her surroundings being nothing but pitch black. She'd find it hard to know where to go at this point.

BarrenThin2 quadraxis201 Necessity4Fun PolikShadowbliss Ellya Atomic Chucklenuts Ciscodog ConnorOfficials DerpyCarp CutieBoop Celestial Speck QizPizza​

 

[Lazaro1505]

Gretar​

His train of thought was interrupted when he felt his body and mind feel..... different in a way, but there was also one of their newer and much younger female members try and shoot a arrow at time baby, before it got deflected into the air by a stranger in green tunic. Apparently summoned by the time baby as one of their newer allies that can help fight against Ganon and wield the weapon to combat Ganon as well. Before Gretar can get a word in, everyone went inside the white cage they were inside earlier, while Gretar could only run after them to keep up and not get left behind.

On the other side however, was a much different story was taking place here..... other than Midna knowing the newest member ‘Link’, and the Guardian’s ship now gone, probably left into space, but smoke also began to fill the air, along with the screams of human people. And going into the main halls of Axiom, laid many bodies of humans on the floor..... seemingly endless in a way, the last humans on this ship..... now wiped out by whatever force was attacking this place while their group in the arena, and Gretar could only close his eyes and say a small prayer to the lost innocent souls in the carnage. He didn’t open them at all, even when the sounds of fighting were heard.... as everything became truly dark...... now leaving this Jormugandr Cultist gone..... within the abyss of the shadows..... now seemingly truly dead.... or are they....?

His eyes shot open as the Jormugandr jumped back to his feet, looking around his hot and hellish like area, one of the more later ones to awaken..... but he thought of one thing only..... are they truly in hel.....? But he disregarded that thought, as he looked at the others speaking to some sort of strange 2d black orb creature, but he just ignored it for now as he spoke in a loud enough voice “Well..... you guys see anything that seems important around here, you know, somewhere we can go. Because I’m sure we can’t just stay here all day long.... but I’m not sure if we can even find something other than hellish landscape and what may monstrosity’s live here....?” as he looked at everyone around him, mostly at Jason, for some guidance.

thatguyinthestore @ To whomst it may concern

 

[PolikShadowbliss]

Supergirl looked at Jason and just nodded. She knew that he had died once, the Joker killed him and he had probably died multiple times after that.

Zwei returned a second later, “okayyy, the caves have no light!”

“I don’t like how calm everything is. I feel like we are going to be put on the grinder sometime soon.” She didn’t mention that she would be pretty human down here as she no longer had the sun powering her up but the fear in her voice was evident to all that could hear it.

“..... don’t like being underground....”. She muttered to herself.

thatguyinthestore
Ciscodog

 

[Thepotatogod]

--Hiryu Kakogawa || Whisper The Wolf--
Interaction: thatguyinthestore Celestial Speck

"Land of Shadows? Wait, are we in hell?!" Hiryu exclaimed when Kagatsuchi, the former japanese guy now turned into the manifestation of the literal god of fire mentioned that they're in the home of his mother, also known as the underworld to japanese folk. He soon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "...Can't say I'm surprised, we DID get shot by a giant laser beam." He grumbled, bitter about dying. He didn't expect to die so easily, especially after he unlocked his full potential. It was around that time when Bob the Bomb-Omb asked who's Ganondorf. "Long story short, he's a an evil dark lord who's planning to rule the multiverse." Hiryu explained, crossing his arms. "We were going to try and kill the damn guy but instead we got killed. Right after we got that Hero that could beat him, too..." He sighed, soon looking around. "Speaking of which, where IS that guy?" He asked, not seeing Link anywhere.

Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not, in fact, go to heaven. Whisper found herself lying her on a nearby rock spike, snapping awake with her mask on. She breathed heavily, as if waking from a nightmare. The wolf stood up, taking in the scent of this fiery landscape. Seeing her comrades nearby, Whisper decided to lay low and rest. After everything, it's hard to come to terms that she just...Died.

 

[quadraxis201]

Akari "Paladin" Kishiri
​

Akari nodded when Bobby began to go on about how he did what he did to make himself useful. Frankly, the idea that there was a sentient race of bombs that were created just to explode and effectively die was rather dark in Akari's eyes, but he said nothing on the matter out of preserving Bobby's happiness. "Well, I'm certain they're proud of you, either way." Akari also naturally assumed that the 'Mario' (or 'Big M', as Bobby seemed to enjoy calling him) was different from the Mario the group had seen in New Donk City, especially when he didn't seem to be with anyone named "Olivia".

Akari positively blushed when Kyou reacted in a way that he was frankly not expecting. His head darted from side to side as his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh... s-s-sorry! It's just... I... I can't say I've ever had the chance to... to actually talk with..." Thankfully, Kyou also starting patting Akari on his head, which caused some sort of warming, soothing sensation to flow through his body and quell his anxiety. "Well, with someone like you... Kyou. Other folks only pray and hope the gods hear their words, but being physically around one, well... I know you're acting rather casual around us, but... to me, it just kind of feels only proper that I refer to you as such. It's not like I've ever had such an opportunity before. Still, now that I know you're willing to accept more informal conversation, I will oblige, however weird it may seem to me and however much it seemingly contradicts what I was taught to believe all my life. If we run into, say, your mother or father, that'd be quite a different story, though. Especially with how... well..." Akari's gaze drifted towards Kyou's eight scars as he finished his sentence in his head:

/Your father... might not be the biggest fan of you after what you did./
​

Zwei had apparently done some reconnaissance further into the caves, and reported how dark it was out there. "I see... well, as far as lighting the way goes, I don't suppose my Sumarbrandr is going to put out enough light, even with its red-hot edges, though it might be worth a try. I could use some of that Light magic that Kronos has to create ephemeral checkpoints of sorts, but as I mentioned quite some time ago, I can't overuse it. Doing so would tire me out, and I'm unsure how far these caverns span. If we're in Hell, they might be endless for all I know."

Interactions:
thatguyinthestore
Celestial Speck
PolikShadowbliss
@HighwayToHell
(Open for Interactions)

 

[GearBlade654]

SPARK-001 and The Force Commander
Interactions: No direct interactions

Praetorian booted up far later than the others, and the second it booted up, it quickly looked around.
"Is everyone alright? I will attempt to triangulate the source of the weapons fire-"
Praetorian looked around itself. Something was wrong. For all it saw when it analyzed its allies, everything seemed normal save one thing.
Everyone's heartbeat. Praetorian looked at Blake. ( TheElenaFisher )
Flatline. 0 BPM.
Praetorian then turned to Yang, then Weiss. ( marc122 )
Flatline. 0 BPM.
Jason. ( thatguyinthestore )
Flatline. 0 BPM.
The SPARK desperately looked around, trying to find someone with a heartbeat. None. None at all. No matter where he looked, he only saw 0 BPM and a flat line for their cardiac activity monitors.
"...strange. Perhaps my systems are knocked off calibration? Allow me to run self diagnostics..."
The SPARK shut down for three seconds, before booting back up.
"My systems are fully calibrated-wait-"
"-self diagnostics complete. Strange. My elerium power cell is not functional as well as several sensor suites which may explain the cardiac anomaly. Attempting to reassess system status..."
"Elerium power cell confirmed destroyed. This... does not make any sense. All technical manuals state that upon destruction of power cells, a mechanical unit cannot resume functions of any kind."
Praetorian checked itself. Its BIT was hovering in place, its Elerium Phase Cannon was functional... so where was it? Why was everything else... okay?
At this point, Praetorian realized something else that it should have realized a while back. Ruby. Ruby Rose was missing. But that simply wouldn't make any sense. Ruby would never just leave her team. Which meant...
"Checking survival probability of Operative Ruby Rose..."
Praetorian tried its best to deny what had likely happened. But the statistics pointed at the very real fact that Ruby Rose was dead.
The next word out of Praetorian's voice modulator was not the usual polite robotic tone. There was minor, yet noticeable sorrow in the robot's voice.
"No..."
Praetorian's eye lights slightly dimmed, but it quickly set its audio sensors to maximum activity, taking note of everything happening right now.

"GAHHHHHHH! THE EMPEROR WILL WATCH OVER ME! I WILL DIE STANDING, KNOWING THAT THE GOD-EMPEROR WILL-"
The Force Commander blinked.
"...where in the name of the Emperor am I?"
The Astartes looked at himself. He was seemingly fine, save for that his left arm was... missing. Hairgel blinked, slightly shocked by what had happened.
"I should be dying now from shock, even with my second heart and my genetic modifications. So... wait... I'm..."
The Force Commander closed his eyes, an expression of neutrality on his face. He had long accepted that his days were numbered ever since the second Aurelian Crusade. Death had come for him at last. Ironic. The Angel of Death finally meets the fate he doled out to so many enemies of the Imperium.
"May the Emperor judge my soul worthy."
The Force Commander knelt for a second to pray to the God-Emperor, before standing up, hammer in his right hand. The Astartes do not let silly limb losses stop them, and the Force Commander was no different. Now, it was time to proceed.
A small bomb with feet wasn't the worst of what Hairgel had seen so far. The FC remained silent.​

 

[AlexandraRoseLeclerc]

Jett

Location: Afterlife
Expression: Being A Calm Person Physically but Worried Mentally about Ellie
Interaction: Jason, Frank, Aterus, Ellie, Akari
Mention: thatguyinthestore , BarrenThin2 , Ellya , quadraxis201

Atreus & Ellie

Ellie didn't really seem to want to think rationally. As soon as the two approached, she just turned her head and said "Back off, this has nothing to do with either of you." Atreus shook his head at that and still started to walk away toward Frank, past Jett and Jason. "She's just angry right now... She won't listen to anyone..." there was some contempt in his voice. He was disappointed to see the girl like this. Nevertheless, he did decide to stop for a while beside Jett, standing and watching Jason & Ellie.

As the man got on one knee in front of Ellie, she just looked at him with a furrowed brow and listened. "I... I fucking know, okay?" Her tone wasn't exactly friendly toward the guy that had beaten up Frank so roughly. "But all of these people seem to be just be going along with everything. Like sheep. And shitty stuff keeps happening, probably because we don't do anything about it. I just..." the girl sighed. "I was trying to make some kind of difference. And if it worked, and everyone still hated me for it, I guess it'd be worth it." She looked about the crowd. Most people definitely weren't happy with her actions, and she felt like Mimaki's method of restraining was something most people wanted to do right now.

"... If it turns out you gotta knock me out or cuff me or something, just don't hit me in the fucking nose again. It's getting really annoying."

Jason found himself sighing again after Ellie responded. “Kid.. I know what you mean.” He said, honestly. “Trying to make a difference? Wanting to know why everyone is doing things one way, when they could easily do things the other?” He turned his head a bit, now looking directly into her eyes. And even though his own eyes were obscured by his helmet, Ellie could probably feel the gesture all the same. “Not knowing why certain people leave the terrible people alive, when it would save everyone else a lot of heartache to just put a bullet in their heads and be done with it.”

He looked up at Frank as he spoke those words. He didn’t know the man... but just how he carried himself, he knew that Frank reminded him a lot of how he once was... not too long ago. But still, he looked back at Ellie. “I’ve been in all the places you’ve been in, kid. I know how you feel, and believe me, I know how much it fucking sucks to feel like no one listens to you - because it does. It sucks like... royally.” Hesitatingly, Jason rose a hand. He wasn’t the best with kids... but he hoped that this gesture would work on Ellie, like it had on him, back when he was Robin.

So, if she allowed it, Jason would rest his hand on her shoulder, like a big brother would to a younger sibling. “But you can still make a difference, kid. You’ve just gotta learn how to go about it.” At her final comment, though, Jason found himself snickering slightly and shaking his head. “And no one’s gonna tackle you or pin you down again. I promise.”

Ellya

Frank Castle

Dying expert. Frank looked at the bomb quietly for a few seconds. In a sense, maybe he was. Hi, my name is Frank Castle, and I'm great at killing people, but also dying a lot. "No one afterlife I've been to has ever been the same. If there's a way out, we'll have to find it ourselves. No one busting us out this time." For now, he turned away from the bomb. A more immediate issue than the talking explosive's seeming lack of any information about their whereabouts was the fight between Ellie and Atreus. Understandably, yes, Ellie was angry. People had lashed out at her, called her stupid, physically assaulted her. He had stood by and watched. Jason stepped in and did his best to calm them down, though Ellie was still pretty upset.

It was Jason's pointed comment about killing people with a glance at Frank that spurred him onward. He wasn't entirely certain of this kid's deal, but there wasn't contempt there, or judgement. Frank hadn't even said this was what he did, necessarily. Maybe he just really didn't like Jared. No, Jason had read him like a book, more than just one or two instances of action would give away easily without someone knowing what they were talking about. As Atreus returned to him, Frank briefly ruffled his hair with a nod before moving in to help. "Alright, Ellie. You want to know why I didn't help you?" He didn't sound angry, or even disappointed. It was an honest question, though he didn't wait for an answer.

"Back home, I hunt criminals. I punish them. Way I figure, can't murder someone again if you've got bird shot where your brain used to be. Been doing it for about forty years. Longer than either you, or likely Jason here, have been alive." Even with the time loop. Better spare her that detail. Some things were probably better left forgotten. "Won't get into why I do it. Doesn't matter here. I think shooting time baby was stupid." He paused. "I also think it was the right thing to do." The old man was sure this would draw some ire from anyone listening, but he didn't really care. "I told you to take the shot if you felt, without even a moment's hesitation, he deserved to die. That's enough for me to trust that he did." Now for the ugly part. The part that made his job far more challenging, and the point of why he didn't move in to her aid.

"See, back home, the supes are always fighting about something. The law versus what's right, fuckin' nonsense. They really got into it once, though. A war. For once, I took a side. When a couple of the kinds of people I punish show up, naturally, I blow them away. It's obvious to me that I should. They've hurt and killed innocent people time and time again." He tapped his new gun with one finger. The corners of his mouth twitched. Talking about the memory was almost making him nostalgic. "The guy in charge beat the shit out of me and threw me out, half-dead and pretty confused. Surely they knew what they were getting into letting me sign up, and surely the world wouldn't miss either of them." Frank's hand came up to his face. It was a tapestry of long-faded scars, but his finger found the one he was looking for, under his right eye. It was where he took a shield to the face. "Would I do it again? Without hesitation. That's why I took the crossbow after you got tackled, because I think if no one stopped you, you would have tried to shoot Time Baby again, too." Maybe this was getting through to her. Maybe not. Either way, he continued. "Because it was the right thing to do. Maybe not the way you did it, but it was. Some people deserve to be punished, no matter the risk to yourself. You've just got to learn not to risk others when you do it."

He glanced at Jason briefly, before making eye contact with Ellie once more. "We can talk about why you did what you did more later, if you want. Beyond just... whether or not he deserved it." Frank wasn't interested in turning out a mini-Punisher, but, as before, if she had a war inside, that needed to go somewhere before it got her and others killed. The possibility that she would still be pissed at him remained, but he had at least explained himself now. Maybe she would at least not be so pissed that she wouldn't talk to him.

Ellya thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc

Ellie

Ellie didn't react much when Jason put his hand on her shoulder, only giving him the same stern look. "Yeah, we'll see about that... I'm not planning on stopping my... hell raising." She tried so hard not to chuckle at her own pun there.

Then Frank came up. With him, she took an entirely different stance. She just glared daggers up at the man, like he'd done her wrong somehow. She listened to every word though, his past was definitely interesting in many ways. And he definitely did have a point. Choosing your moments was key to winning some encounters, she knew that perfectly well, but Time Baby might have been about to disappear from their lives entirely. "Well, it was our only chance, and I took it. And now I know how everyone else thinks about crazy sadistic psychopaths."

As she spoke, Ellie suddenly pulled a 9 millimeter pistol out from behind her, discreetly showing it to Frank. "Next time, I'll make sure it's lethal." Maybe she'd misunderstood the lesson entirely. It was the same pistol that Jason had given her when she first arrived on the Axiom. As soon as they arrived back on the ship, she'd made her way to find it and pick it up, as well as the switchblade that was currently in her pocket. After showing it off, she slipped it back into the back of her jeans, tucking her shirt over it. Her tone wasn't aggressive or even angry anymore, and it seemed like she did come to understand Frank a bit better.

She then looked over beside Frank, to Atreus, who was standing there with a bit of a blank look in his eyes, staring at the ground. "Hey... you okay? You never really got a chance to talk about your uh... dad, did you?"

Atreus
The boy looked up at Ellie, just staring at her face for a while before shrugging. "No... it's okay though. I understand it wasn't him, and that he had to be... taken out. He can be uh... Pretty dangerous..."

He expressed his understanding, but it was clear that he was still conflicted. It was the first time he'd really stood up against his Father in that way. And just being tossed aside by him like a toy he didn't want anymore was... surreal, but somehow didn't seem very far off from his actual Father.

"The moment I saw him walking out, I felt... happy. I thought he was here to help us, and with him, we're sure to beat Ganondorf. But... Instead, he tried to beat up... well, kill my friends. And my friends beat him up pretty bad too. I've seen him take worse beatings, but... This time, I could've been there to help him. I just... couldn't..."

Atreus glanced up at Frank as he said that last part. It was pretty obvious that he, in some kind of way, blamed Frank for that, but he knew that it was wrong, so he didn't say it. Frank took from him the choice of helping out his Father or his friends, but maybe that was a mercy. It wouldn't have been an easy choice to make, and the scariest part... he had no idea which of the two he'd be fighting against.


BarrenThin2 thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc

Frank Castle

He wasn't sure Ellie understood either, at first. It was a complex thing to try to explain to a kid, no matter how much they had been through. "Oh yeah, kill bad guys, but only sometimes, when it won't get your teeth kicked in. If you do it anyways, make sure it works." Inconsistent, but true. "Yes, we do. We know where most of the group stands now." Not just from that, but from them stopping him from killing Kratos, too. He thought better of mentioning that right then. That is to say, he wasn't sure Ellie understood, until she slyly revealed the pistol she had stashed away and mentioned that next time she would be sure it was a killing shot. For a few seconds, Frank just stared at her blankly. Finally, he reached up and pushed her hand back down to return the gun to wherever she had hidden it. He might have even winked as he did it, making sure only Ellie could see, if she even caught it. She had understood, after all.

Now came the hard part. It was time to check in on the boy. As with Ellie, Frank wouldn't be shocked if Atreus was angry. In truth, whether or not what he had done was wrong, the kid had every right to be pissed. So, when Atreus shot him a meaningful look, he didn't complain. He didn't rush to defend himself or explain his actions. There was no point; from Atreus's point of view, his father's life had been in danger, and he needed to help him. By contrast, from Frank's point ov view, Atreus couldn't make that choice. Neither side would change the other's mind. It certainly didn't mean the old man felt guilty about doing it, aside from just feeling a little bad for hitting the kid at all. With a slight nod, he said, "It's alright. I understand."

Now came the really hard part. The part where he got really honest with the kid. "Before we sent him home, your father said some stuff. I tried to..."
The old man locked eyes with Atreus. The boy was clearly upset. Off balance. Was it better to lie, if only by omission, or would the potential for the truth coming out later be worse than any repercussions now? Slowly, he looked away before continuing. "Remember kid, it wasn't your dad. Things he said and did don't mean anything. He said you were worth nothing to him. That you failed. I tried to shoot him in the head for attacking you and trying to kill everyone else. Got a good punch in the nose for my trouble," Frank shot a meaningful glance at Ellie before continuing,"But the guy was fine. Giant baby freak sent him home to go back to his Atreus." Frank did eventually make eye contact with Atreus again, about halfway through what he was saying. He didn't really have anything more to say.

Ellya thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc

Atreus
Atreus perked up a bit when Frank mentioned that his Father still said some things about him. He was sad that he'd missed them, but didn't want to bear any grudges for that toward Frank. "Oh?" he asked, some excitement in his voice. He then listened. And as he did, his expression fell much more sad. Nothing to him. Failed.

Atreus didn't have to try too hard to imagine his Father's voice saying that. The amount of times he'd disappointed his Father couldn't be counted on two hands anymore. And sure, he always tried to teach the boy a lesson about it, but it still felt pretty terrible. Atreus swallowed.

You know what? Maybe this was his real Father after all.

The boy had those big puppy dog eyes, which only stood out even more with their piercing blue color. Even it was some other version of his Father somehow, the news was still crushing. "I..." he started, not sure what he was even going to say anymore. "... thanks for trying to save him, I guess. Sorry you got your nose hurt..." He coughed. The kind of cough you'd expect from a cold. Maybe that wasn't too strange a thing to happen in this "temperature", but the boy seemed otherwise unbothered by it.

"Maybe... he shouldn't have lived after all... If he treats his Atreus like that, I... Well, I wouldn't wanna be him..."

AlexandraRoseLeclerc thatguyinthestore

Frank Castle

His eyes searched Atreus's face in stoic silence. The boy was clearly crushed, but there was more than that. It was the way the kid chose his words so carefully, like he was scared his father would somehow hear and punish him if he spoke ill of the man. It was the same sort of wording he had heard from more than one child. The kind of wording someone used when asking for help. It left a bad taste in his mouth, to say the least. Normally, Frank would, at most just kill the perpetrator and call social services. Obviously, that wasn't an option here. They were stuck together. It seemed Ellie wasn't the only person that would need someone to guide them to the other side of this.

Fortunately, his interaction with Ellie had already greased his wheels a little bit. Flipping the switch to bring back those long-buried instincts was easier than before, though it still felt like trying to start a car that had been left in the open for thirty years. There wasn't an easy way to go about this, though. Atreus would likely still defend his father, if only in word, so convincing him his father was somehow not worth thinking about would likely be a lost cause. He wasn't sure what physical comfort the boy could possibly take from him, either. Granted, all things considered, Atreus didn't seem that sore about the blow to the head, it was more the other stuff that was tearing him up.

The old man's frown deepened. Maybe the kid really just needed someone to cheer him up, honestly. Atreus was younger than Ellie, and had seemingly been through less... well, less awful stuff than she had. Maybe the best route was to just treat him like he would treat any normal kid. His mouth opened as he got ready to speak, but something stopped him at first. His still living child, Sarah. Growing up without him, as it should be. If O'Brien kept her promise, she would never know who he was. Normally, Frank did his best not to think of her often; in general, he actually did a pretty good job keeping her far from his mind.

Was he doing her a disservice, after rejecting her, by even temporarily acting almost like a father to this child? To turn away his own flesh and blood, but accept another's? He thought about it for a few seconds, his eyes still seeming to study Atreus's face. Finally, he knelt down to be at eye-level with Atreus, now for the second time. He didn't have anything monumental to say, at least not in his own mind. "I'm sorry, Atreus. Something tells me we're going to be walking for a while once we leave these caves. Would you like to ride on my shoulders when we leave?"

Ellya thatguyinthestore AlexandraRoseLeclerc

Jett looked at Aterus with a very worrying mood on her mind but she needs to help Ellie about her emotions going to be more aggressive yet she is like a team player in the team right before saying to Aterus with a almost worried mood after she hears that Ellie doesn't hear from anyone of the team "Maybe Ellie is like a lone wolf in the team, like she doesn't want to follow orders or something but she is a very viable asset in the team...."

She frowned a bit when she turned back to Ellie with a purpose to do about her own true heart and soul inside of her mind since she felt the power inside of her mind and physically from Kyou, she had to be ready to use the power later on since she decides to conserve it for a big battle going on.

Akari "Paladin" Kishiri


Akari nodded when Bobby began to go on about how he did what he did to make himself useful. Frankly, the idea that there was a sentient race of bombs that were created just to explode and effectively die was rather dark in Akari's eyes, but he said nothing on the matter out of preserving Bobby's happiness. "Well, I'm certain they're proud of you, either way." Akari also naturally assumed that the 'Mario' (or 'Big M', as Bobby seemed to enjoy calling him) was different from the Mario the group had seen in New Donk City, especially when he didn't seem to be with anyone named "Olivia".

Akari positively blushed when Kyou reacted in a way that he was frankly not expecting. His head darted from side to side as his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh... s-s-sorry! It's just... I... I can't say I've ever had the chance to... to actually talk with..." Thankfully, Kyou also starting patting Akari on his head, which caused some sort of warming, soothing sensation to flow through his body and quell his anxiety. "Well, with someone like you... Kyou. Other folks only pray and hope the gods hear their words, but being physically around one, well... I know you're acting rather casual around us, but... to me, it just kind of feels only proper that I refer to you as such. It's not like I've ever had such an opportunity before. Still, now that I know you're willing to accept more informal conversation, I will oblige, however weird it may seem to me and however much it seemingly contradicts what I was taught to believe all my life. If we run into, say, your mother or father, that'd be quite a different story, though. Especially with how... well..." Akari's gaze drifted towards Kyou's eight scars as he finished his sentence in his head:

/Your father... might not be the biggest fan of you after what you did./

Zwei had apparently done some reconnaissance further into the caves, and reported how dark it was out there. "I see... well, as far as lighting the way goes, I don't suppose my Sumarbrandr is going to put out enough light, even with its red-hot edges, though it might be worth a try. I could use some of that Light magic that Kronos has to create ephemeral checkpoints of sorts, but as I mentioned quite some time ago, I can't overuse it. Doing so would tire me out, and I'm unsure how far these caverns span. If we're in Hell, they might be endless for all I know."

Interactions:
thatguyinthestore
Celestial Speck
PolikShadowbliss
@HighwayToHell
(Open for Interactions)

She then decides to walk away from Aterus & Frank before headed towards Akari just to talk with him saying to him "Hey, can we talk a second??? I need to relax my mind about the kids by talking to you..... I wasn't controlling her aggression a lot but I need to calm myself down from the mess now.."

Jett sighed in a quite sad tone about what will she's going to say about either what will happen if they are now alive after the journey in the afterlife but the war for the multiverse is now over or talking about Ellie on her aggression come out all the time when she is now part in a argument, she looked at Akari to wait for his response while looking at the cave before trying to hold down some tears coming from her eyes and wiped the tears out..​

 

[quadraxis201]

Akari "Paladin" Kishiri
​

Akari faced Jett when she came up to him and said she wanted to talk in order to calm herself down and help take her mind off of Atreus and Ellie. "Oh, of course. Is there anything in particular you wanted to discuss?"

Interactions:
AlexandraRoseLeclerc
Ellya (Unspoken Mention)
@HighwayToHell
(Open for Interations)

 

[AlexandraRoseLeclerc]

Jett

Location: Afterlife
Expression: Being Honest About Ellie
Interaction: Akari
Mention: quadraxis201 , Ellya

Akari "Paladin" Kishiri


Akari faced Jett when she came up to him and said she wanted to talk in order to calm herself down and help take her mind off of Atreus and Ellie. "Oh, of course. Is there anything in particular you wanted to discuss?"

Interactions:
AlexandraRoseLeclerc
Ellya (Unspoken Mention)
@HighwayToHell
(Open for Interactions)

Jett would turn to Ellie thinking about her honest opinion on her right before turning back to Akari saying "You know.... I really like how Ellie is being in the mission but I'm really disappointed about her aggression sometimes, and I think I'll should try to fix her aggression just to keep things normal here. What about you?? How is your opinion about Ellie also.." She waits for Akari to respond in some time but she needs to be calm about her own emotions on kids or older people, and then decided to take an deeper look on what is more than the appearance in the afterlife or Hell is known best for her.​

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Mood: Flustered, Thoughtful, Sympathetic
Tags:

thatguyinthestore

(Leo)

Celestial Speck

(Mimaki),

CutieBoop

(Fuma),

Laix_Lake

(Orbeck),

QizPizza

,

ConnorOfficials

-Art Credits--
Chiaki Morisawa Fanart [スタろぐ④] by ますぎ, minimally tweaked

Fire Flames Texture by arundel
Golden Floral Pattern from PNGkit,
original artist PaperElement?

Divider Set #02 by NorasFed, edited by me​

Speaking of the demoness, Fuma had indeed been the first person to try and appease the pyromancer's panic. That same word, 'hell', kept being used by the others, making him feel really left out for not knowing what it meant. This was never going to stop happening, was it?

"No.", really, you should have seen such a reply coming, "I am not okay!", if there still any nearby fires in a range of about a city block radius, they'd have flickered wilder for just a moment, otherwise a couple of them had spawned in a safe distance from the group, "I don't understand any of this, or any of what you're trying to tell me. It's like you're speaking in a code other than Bh̀-liwê ^(hiliwee) and I'm... frustrated. But mostly confused and exasperated.", he had sighed, both fires and temperature stabilizing a little as his hands moved to cover his face, "More than not understanding it, I- I can't imagine how Hershel must be feeling right now. I can't even tell if he can still see me...!", once his gaze had met the others again it was waving, erratic with concern and doubt. He tried to fix his breathing but it didn't seem to be doing much, "Gods, he must be so worried after just watching us blow up in SPACE!"

Lilith's effort had been appreciated, though not very effective. There was a strict difference between joining forces against threats in Life and presumably being dead. Heck, could they even revert something like this?? More importantly, were they allowed to? Wasn't the Universe going to resist the Concept tampering? Was there a higher reason behind this?! The more he thought about it, the less he understood! It wasn't until Zwei's commentaries of they still having their powers and Killua's demonstration of Lightning that rationality had found a breach. Waaait, they had a point there! He still had all of his things and, surely if he was actually dead the Concept wouldn't be connected to him anymore, right? But then who or what had healed his wounds? An explosion of that size would have burnt him regardless!! There were way too many unanswered questions and he didn't like this at all!

A bit farther from them, Akari sounded rather confident prompting the pyromancer to sigh once more. If only he could be that sure about anything. No matter how he looked at their current predicament, it felt rather hopeless... He couldn't say that the uncertainty of practically everything was helping any either. Then it had been Mimaki's turn to try reassuring him.
The two conflicting auras of heat and frost resulted in their clashing giving off some vapor out, lingering a bit like a fog in a constant formation and ascension cycle. Regardless of the 'conflict' of powers, what the Kitsune had said made perfect sense and had been the first actually calming idea. He couldn't die. Kyou had stated so too... So the fact that Mimaki was here was incredibly odd. Maybe, maybe they weren't actually dead and had solely been teleported somewhere else? This was a notion that would later be reinforced by Orbeck as well, re-iterating about his curse and its mechanics.

Soon the subject had changed to Kyou- or rather Kagutsuchi. Well, rationally Sage understood that they were one and the same, --even if it was a bit confusing--, but his internal child just wouldn't have it. It wasn't just the appearance that was different, even the way of speech was, some of the intonations, some of the body language... It certainly didn't feel the same. The Descendant actually felt intimidated to approach at all, apprehensive... It was a mix of the respect that he carried for any kind of Deity, added to the conflict of what he knew and what he felt. Even as Kagutsuchi had asked Akari to not be so formal, he just... couldn't oblige with such a request. At least not until it was made directly at him and even so, it would be because he was bond to listen by the Magic Hierarchy more than anything. It was the same feeling that he had once had towards Alexis, in the very beginning of their interactions... And it had certainly taken him a while to let go of it back then.

Mimaki had asked them if they had any questions about Kyou's current state. Surprisingly, Sage had just shaken his head. Not really, he was certain that he understood enough... It was less of a matter of knowledge and more of a matter of familiarity. Or therefore lack of.

"He did say that he was the Reincarnation of a Deity after... A-after I said something, I shouldn't have.", regretful pause, that still felt terrible, "N-not that it was on purpose though! I really had no idea... But uhh- I do think I managed to put it together- Well, I'm unsure if that was even me...", honestly, that he had gotten to such a conclusion that fast was, eerie. Either he hadn't been giving himself enough credit which, could be true? Or... something else was at play here, something he hadn't quite realized yet, "Can someone really recall a past life? That's what's happening, isn't it? The line about 'remembering himself' kinda gave it away... Even if it still sounds surreal to even say it."

Lazarus had spoken next, a speech that seemed directed towards his direction. By now the temperature rising had settled, the encounter between his and the Kitsune's auras no longer fogging up the place. Apparently the soldier had really forgotten him entirely, haaa... The young man didn't think that he was, that forgettable, though the notion of multiversal relative times soothed the disappointment somewhat. It still hurt, not that he was going to let the other realize that much. The mention of a 'demon horde' did get him to glance at Fuma for a bit, as if asking her to clarify the sentence. If demons were anything like her, that shouldn't be a problem, right? ...Unless they were the kind of demons that Leo had experience with. Ho boy.

"Fuma, Maki, Laz...arus...", the familiarity of which he had used a shortened version of the name had slipped. There had been a grimace ever so slightly afterwards, but it was too late to take it back, "What's, uh. W-what's 'Hell'? I keep hearing it but I, don't know what it means.", his gaze had gone down as if in shame. It was always weird to be asking about concepts that everyone else seemed so accustomed with.

The question hadn't been directed to Leo despite him knowing the other would most likely know because... Leo didn't seem to like dwelling into these sort of things too much. Ideas referring back to his own world. They seemed to bring him more heartache than anything, which, given the apparent tragedy that permeated it all, was perfectly understandable. Instead, Sage had taken advantage of the fact the other teen had a hand against his back already to lean further, closer, putting his head over the other's shoulder, now trying to reassure him in return!

Of course, by irony of destiny, it hadn't been much later that Fuma and Mimaki would have their own intimate moment. It was impossible to not hear the 'I love you' words without hearing himself whisper them again. The Descendant didn't move from there, but suddenly he had been glancing away from Leo and blushing like crazy. Fires in the vicinity danced wildly as if also embarrassed, his temperature now standing somewhere between a pleasant warmth and the heater-like feeling. Did the other even know why he was so flustered? Proooobably not, given that he hadn't mentioned it yet. ...Unless he wasn't doing it out of respect or something. The uncertainty sucked.

In the background, Akari had told Kagutsuchi the same exact same things that he had been thinking. How weird it would be to address a Deity so casually. Though the group's healer seemed to be doing so coming from his own set of beliefs instead of some hierarchy like the young man was. Waaait, did this mean that Kyou world's Pantheon was the same as Akari's?! Sheesh, that definitely made it even more complicated. It's like, like if one day The Phoenix decided to break Closure and talk face-to-face to him. Just imagining it made him feel like his stomach was full of butterflies. All of the sympathies went out to the poor persona user... That was going to be tough.

 

[StaidFoal]

Corvo Attano and Ciri
Authors: StaidFoal TheElenaFisher ​

As Ciri went on, an unnatural chill abruptly waved throughout. The group fell to silence, entirely frozen in their tracks, and leaving Ciri essentially alone for whatever was happening. All was still, as if time abruptly paused. Everything was drained to monochrome; a daunting grey, dull and worn. As she had tried to wake Geralt up, everything around her just… froze. Time was stopped and everything became grey. Standing up, she looked around. “Geralt? Kassandra? Aloy? Cereza?” Unfortunately, she wouldn’t receive an answer from anyone. Well, anyone that she knew, that is.

“Hello, Cirilla.” The crisp, juvenile voice came from behind her. Its owner, a boy with a stature alike to that of a teenager. He levitated besides a yet-to-wake Corvo. “I hope now is not a bad time, I’ve been wanting to meet ever since you put your friends through an ‘out-of-body experience.’ And down here, the veil separating the Void and reality is thinner than ever.”

Hearing someone behind her, she spun around to see a man standing next to an unconscious Corvo. He looked to be around the same age as her, if not slightly younger. Apparently the man knew her by her full first name which begged the question of who exactly was this and how he knew her since she would’ve remembered if she met someone like him. “It’s not a bad time at all considering we’re all, well, dead now. Since you seem to know me, who are you? And how do you know me?”

He chuckled before being enshrouded in a black substance, vanishing as it dissipated. “I am the Outsider, an old friend of Corvo and the many others who came before him. I have been watching it all unravel for a long, long time.” The Outsider had reappeared beside one of their allies, namely Kassandra, as he spoke. “These little ventures have never ceased to intrigue me. These people shine brightly.” He knelt down to the Spartan, removing a small piece of rubble in her hair and tossing it aside. Then he glared back at Ciri with the pitch black emptiness that was his eyes. “But you, my friend, shine brighter than most. Much like Corvo, here.”

He then disappeared, but she could still hear his voice. The man called himself The Outsider and said that he knew Corvo, having watched everything unravel for a very long time. Her emerald green eyes found the man when she saw him reappear besides Kassandra, watching him pick a piece of rubble out of her hair. According to him, everyone in their group shone brightly, but she was someone like Corvo who shined brighter than the others.

What did it mean exactly? What did it mean to shine brighter like Corvo did? Could it be the potential or her powers? Only he could provide the answer. But it wasn’t the first time people saw something in her.

Looking at his eyes, she saw that there weren’t any pupils; it was just… nothing. Pitch black nothingness and for a second, she felt cold just by looking into it. Then again, looking into pitch black nothingness wouldn’t exactly make someone feel warm, now would it? “Isn’t the first time someone has seen something in me… what exactly do you mean by that? What makes one shine brighter than most?”

The Outsider stood back up, walking around Kassandra with his hands behind his back. “In only 20 years, you’ve faced so much turmoil, despair, despondency… You even tried drowning yourself in Skellige, and yet here you are, at the crossroads of history—fighting within the center of the disasters in store for the multiverse. Unlike the many others here who only sat around to be drawn into this mess.” The Outsider vanished once again, this time appearing beside Geralt. He took the old man’s sword out of its scabbard, wielding it like a curious child. “If I meddled in your world before everything transpired to where it is now, I would have given you my Mark over a decade ago.”

He continued while waving the blade around. “Your life has taken many sharp turns, constantly shifting grounds like my home in the Void. In the days that follow, your trials will be great, Cirilla.” He slid the sword back into Geralt’s scabbard, teleporting to a seated position on a rock. “By the way, you should restrain yourself just a little less; your outbursts are considerably exciting to witness.”

Listening to The Outsider, she could only stay silent until he was done. When he was finished, she looked at him as he reappeared besides Geralt. Apparently he would’ve given her the same mark Corvo had if he chose to meddle in the affairs of her world a decade ago, which certainly would’ve added to the powers she already had and made her something more. It would also make her an even bigger target with powers that didn’t exist in her world, others wanting it for various reasons.

“If you had a choice, would you even consider giving me the Mark a decade later? Then again, it would add to the myriad of powers that I have and make me a bigger target back home… about I can tell you like chaos, right?” Ciri then looked at him again once he appeared on the rock, listening to what he said about her outbursts. Scoffing a bit, she crossed her arms and looked at him. “I don’t wish to put those around me and those I care about in danger, but if an outburst were to happen… I’m not sure how long I could keep it at bay.”

Something he had said however had surprised her. Her outbursts were exciting? It was the first she had heard anyone say that about them, which surprised her. Was that another thing about her that intrigued him, her powers going out of control when she had an outburst? It very much seemed like it.

The Outsider smirked. “Not necessarily chaos. It’s more so the path you lead yourself down with every action you take. If you follow the river’s currents, or swim against it.” When Ciri asked if he’d still grant her the Mark, he raised a brow, almost amused. “What would be the point in giving you my Mark now? You’ve already done so much in your world. The forces of the Void would just be tacked on; an addendum to someone who’s already left a mark of her own. Besides, I already have one of my own here.” He motioned his hand towards Corvo. “And speaking of which...”

Corvo gently raised his head off the floor with a groan. Where…? The unending cold. The desolateness in the stale air. He was here again.

"Corvo!" The Outsider sounded almost delighted that he’d awoken. "Need I say it again? You've come teetering ever closer—beyond, even—the borders of death. Your soul is as close as it can be to becoming part of the Void—part of me. Yet, here you are."

The Lord Protector silently sighed, pushing himself up. Upon looking at his surroundings, a cavern-like area, he realized it wasn’t exactly the Void, but more like Aramis Stilton’s home. Wherever they now were, the Void was seeping through the barrier. And he was using this as a perfect opportunity to meet with him. But when he turned to face the Outsider, he noticed that someone else was here with him. Someone not affected by the pause in time, and definitely looking at the Outsider. “Ciri…?”

His explanation of it not being necessarily chaos made her look at him with one eyebrow slightly raised. That was certainly one way to explain it. She saw his reaction when she asked about the Mark and couldn’t help but notice he almost showed amusement. At least, it looked like amusement to her. “And what if I wanted to leave even more marks?” A slight smile appeared on her face before shaking her head. “But I don’t think I need it anyways, I can do just fine with my own powers.”

Looking over at Corvo, she saw that he began to wake up. It took him a bit but he then noticed her there in the Void. “Yes, it’s me, Corvo. Lets just say that our mutual friend here brought me in here to talk with me. According to him, I interest him enough for him to bring me here to speak with him. Isn’t that right, Outsider?”

“People tend to look at another’s first achievements more than anything. But for the sake of everything happening right now… I’ll put it into consideration,” he answered, then looking back at Corvo. “It’s as she says, old friend. Turns out, in the multiverse, there are many others as competent and fascinating as you.”

A scowl of disbelief flashed across Corvo, particularly towards the Outsider. “What are you playing at? Dragging others into this place?” he interrogated.

The Outsider merely smiled at him. “The black-eyed bastard seldom pulls people to meet with them. That’s what you’re thinking, is it not? If you had bothered to ask me earlier, you would’ve known that Gretar was here two universes ago.”

Corvo gritted his teeth, unsettled that the Outsider has already dragged two of his comrades to the cold depths of the Void for the sake of talking. He never found the black-eyed bastard trustworthy, and their little meetings always made it sound like the god was constantly awaiting “exciting” things in the world. Namely disasters that spin life around in a complete 180, cascading to the very bottom. “He and I aren’t friends by any means,” he muttered through his teeth. “Try not to get roped into his words.”

The Outsider teleported to the edge, looking out at the distant raging blaze. “This ‘Hell’ is just a shoddy version of my home. A picture of what humans think they fear. Though I am curious as to what you all will do when faced with its inhabitant… But either way, I know one thing’s for certain: You’re getting ever closer to Ganondorf, and all this trip is, is just a stick in the mud.”

Hearing that he was now considering gifting the Mark, she didn’t really care either way. If he gave her it, sure she’d have more powers but she’d also become a bigger target due to having powers that never existed in her world. And if he didn’t, that was fine too. What surprised her a little bit was when The Outsider had said that Gretar was here two universes back which answered the question of who Corvo switched with back at the voodoo shop.

Ciri looked at Corvo when she heard what he had muttered before looking back at The Outsider. So Corvo didn’t consider the two of them friends, which would make her wonder if acquaintances was the correct word to describe their relationship? She continued to listen to The Outsider, letting him finish. “Then you’ll just have to wait and see what happens when we get there. After all, it isn’t fun to spoil future events. I have a feeling you share the same sentiment, Outsider?”

The Outsider only smirked at her words, sharing the glance to Corvo who glared daggers at the juvenile god. He walked over to the two. “Know that I will be watching,” he said, clasping his hands in front of his chest, “with great interest.” With that, the Outsider dissipated, and the two’s vision descended to a blinding white…

And then the stale cold in the air was gone. Color had seeped back into the world, and everyone was moving and talking like nothing had happened at all. Entirely oblivious to the Outsider’s visit. If anyone had cared to notice, Ciri might’ve been standing in a different place, and Corvo was now on his feet compared to his previous face-down, unconscious state, and now wore a distasteful scowl. Every time he came face-to-face with the black-eyed bastard, he was hit with a grim reminder: This is your gift. Your gift and your curse. As long as you bear the Mark, you are never truly human.