Graded [Clockhaven City] Blood and Steam

[Elvario]

This RP is part of the Isekai Hell setting. Check the links above to learn more about it.
Please let me know if you wish to join this RP, so that I can help your character get an interesting entrance into the story and make sure they've got a goal being there.

What to expect out of character:
The posting pace will stick to 48 hour cycles for as much as possible (unless my highly susceptible to change IRL situation might force me to go slower to 96 hour cycles). The RP is likely to last relatively long (50+ days) and will be a mixture of Adventure with bits of Slice of Life and Action. Depending on PC actions, either pacifist or combat outcomes will be possible in most scenario's. Character interactions (both among players and player-to-NPC), are what's most interesting to me as a narrator.

Combat, when and/or if happening, will be a relaxed interpretation of Effectiveness measures. Cooldowns will apply strictly, clever writing can help make an otherwise low graded skill more useful, teamwork makes the dream work. Characters not posted with will be deemed to stand by and watch and/or merely take defensive measure to the best of their extend when applicable. When relying on secondary skills such as to investigate something or to recall knowledge without actively using them in an ability, please mention them in your post. When using abilities, please put the ability in its full at the bottom of the post it's used in and keep track of Cooldowns.

Don't hesitate to ask me questions if you need more details or want to confirm things, regardless of whether that's for plot-reasons or OOC-reasons. (Sadly enough, I'm not flawless, so if I forget or miss stuff or get unclear about it, you're more than welcome to let me know as well.)

What to expect in character:
Widersia; a small country of humans and (small) Fae nestled between the warring East Empire and The See, with an advanced steampunk society on one hand and and a peaceful shire on the other. Widersia prides itself for being one of the most secure nations on the continent, but sometimes, that security is threatened. This is such a time.

A construct and baron going by the name Fromm has sent message to the Adventurer's Guild, for an extremely dangerous Vampire has been spotted in some of the outer districts of Clockhaven, the country's capital. It's feared that she'll actively recruit new vampires for her nefarious purposes, so stopping her as soon as possible is of the utmost importance. However, you are not the first ones asked to set out on this missions. Assassins, soldiers and even a group of Vampire Hunters have all been sent on this mission, yet all have failed to deliver. It'd be up to your group to find out what happened, possibly recruit the others as allies, or otherwise find out why they failed and how to avoid the same faith.

It takes place little over a week after A Tutoring Lesson in Hatred of Dead and more than a month after The Hag of the Overgrown Marshes.

Current cast:
The Last Curse - Cayde Whitinger
An alchemist of many talents, arriving to help out Kalina after receiving a letter requesting his aid. Also hopes to get noticed by the Adventurer's Guild, who requested aid in dealing with the Vampire.

TheTimePiece - Iberis
A young witch who's had her fair share of undead encounters, accompanying Kalina in the hopes of bolstering her power and becoming more knowledge-able.

Elvario - Kalina Chivernu
A vampire who aims to meet with the vampire hunters working in Widersia in order to learn more about her past and hopefully find a way to change her future by reconnecting with her non-monster half. [Dhampir intermediate racial evolution RP.]
(Dhampir - Abomination, Intermediate – Monster/Fae
Martial Skill [Fighting Style] C (28 points) | Deception F | Stealth F
Additional: Vampire Title = Feature [Blood Drinker], Resilient F [Ageing], Feature [Fangs] or Natural Weapons [Fangs]
Description; An intermediate vampire variant that's Half-Monster, Half-Fae tethering between both natures and using a combination of marital arts, deception and stealth to survive.)

RavenSong - Scylla
A cheerful girl with a bubbly personality, hoping to become an accomplished witch and build up enough reputation for her future grander goals of becoming the Ryken Academy's headmaster.

Sharena – Shion
A guardian of the forest, somehow ending up in a city without a tree in sight. Will she be able to make sense of these unnatural surroundings and successfully start her quest to regain some of her former powers, or will the new environment get the better of her?

Silent Angel - Sophia Smith
A highly talented artisan and marskwoman with a personal interest in making sure Kalina doesn't get herself killed by Vampire Hunters. Also has a vested interest in growing her reputation as an adventurer and head of the Crafting Guild among her fellow adventurers.

The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Widersia – Capital – Clockhaven – The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Time: 9:00 Weather Bright skies, warm breeze.

Mentions: Cayde The Last Curse | Iberis TheTimePiece | Scylla RavenSong | Sophia Silent Angel

Chandra Jarmil
​

It was odd, but she felt like she almost had a heart-beat right now. Mostly due to the feeling it was beating so loudly that she couldn't even properly breath. Even though the undead organ was barely doing a thing. Was this a case of mind over matter? Likely so. Either way, she was nervous. Very much so. After all, she'd finally gotten the courage to face things. Her past, the Vampire Hunters that might know about it... they were here, in this country. In this city, even. However, she knew she couldn't face such a thing alone. A vampire going to meet vampire hunters to politely ask them about her past? She grimaced at how foolish it sounded.

It's why she'd reached out to just about anyone she thought would be willing to help her. Sophia was the first she'd contacted. The Fae Artisan clearly wasn't worried about her being a vampire and if there was anyone she thought might support her through this, it was her. That said, she hadn't been able to contact her for a while now, so she honestly wasn't sure if her message would reach her and if she'd actually show up. It was putting her on edge.

The same applied to the next person she'd reached out too. The alchemist she'd met in the Overgrown Marshes. For someone who tasted plain as a potato, he'd made quite the impression on her as someone multi-talented, rational and all-out a good guy. She couldn't think of anyone better to deal with the type of task they were hired for, so if he were to show up, it'd be a huge help both for her personal goal and their overall mission. That was a big 'if' though, as she hadn't seen him after their brief adventure in the marshes. Perhaps he'd already forgotten about her, or changed his mind about accepting her as a monster. Perhaps he'd even rat her out to the vampire hunters... Still, it was a risk worth taking, as having him on her side would be worth all such risks.

Then there were her friends from the coven. Hope, the one who'd helped her from breaking apart after the tragic ending of her sister... that she... No. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. Sadly enough, Hope was also the one person she couldn't ask for aid. After all, she'd bitten her. If she'd lost herself to her instincts once, due to someone like hope, what was to say it wouldn't happen again? Hope was someone that she didn't deserve in her life, it was someone too good for her. At least right now. She'd perhaps reach out if she succeeded her, becoming a Dhampir. That'd show Hope that she was indeed capable of being more than a monster.

The other two, however, Scylla and Iberis, she had asked. Not because she valued them less, but because she trusted herself more around them. Whilst both had enough magic to make their blood of great quality, it wasn't as bad as with the Fae woman. Besides, one of them had already voluntarily given it before, whilst the other had already gone though those blasted marshes with her. She also knew they had her own goals, which loosely aligned with hers, or so she hoped. It'd make her feel less guilty about trying to drag them into this.

Either way, all of that was good and great, but right now, she'd have to see who'd show up. For all she knew, she could be left standing here alone. It was a thought far most terrifying and the reason for her current distress. At the very least, her currently Alternate Identity was 'shy' enough for her behaviour to fit it.

She tried to distract herself by looking around. This was where they were meant to meet-up, a hanger used to repair baron Fromm's personal airship. The baron would arrive later in the day, to discuss the details of their mission with them. Or well... in the worst case scenario, with just Kalina. Hopefully that wouldn't happen. Some constructs were going around working, sweeping floors, dragging bolts and nuts around, doing whatever they were doing. There was a constant noise of repairs going on. Every now and again a valve opened, releasing a loud stream of heated steam that you likely didn't want to get hit by.

This place was really different from anything she was used too. To a degree, it reminded her of the factory she got mangled in in her past life... more nightmares that kept trying to crawl their way up to her conscious thought, which she desperately tried to suppress. For as much as she felt like she was able to start conquering her [monster] nature, she equally felt like a mental wreck. Like a breakdown was looming just below the surface. No, she shouldn't think about such things. Instead, she should keep a look-out. The first of her friends should arrive any moment now, right? Besides, there might even be others that took the baron's quest. She'd need to keep up her alternate identity for them, if that was case.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia glanced down at the message in her claws, no small bit of annoyance on her face. The annoyance, however was not about the contents of the letter, nor about the sender, but more about herself. Her friend had left a while back, stating that she wanted to have some time to herself, and though she didn't want it, she let it happen as she continued working towards the guild. Seeing the letter, though, she wished she had left with her friend.

Once she read it, she had dropped everything, but even so she had felt like it wasn't enough. Her friend needed her, and apparently had for a while, but she hadn't known, she had been so caught up in her work. She slightly crumpled it in her annoyance before, slowly, she let out a breath. Getting more pissed than she was wouldn't help anything. The anger she felt right now would just have to be channeled into something better, especially after what she saw while working as the guild's blacksmith.

She remembered it almost as a passing remark about there being a vampire in Clockhaven that the people were afraid of. That she would be recruiting more vampires to her cause. Sophia shrugged it off, and even somewhat shrugged off the fact that quite a few groups had left to track her down but never came back. However, when the message came, everything clicked. She was an idiot. Well and truly moronic. However, she would make sure everything turned out alright. Her eyes scanned the area, remembering that her friend had quite a few disguises up her sleeves. As she wandered, her eyes caught something familiar. She focused, realizing exactly what it was. She moved quickly through the crowd, weaving through them before leaning forward, saying in a low voice to the black haired lady, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice how stunningly beautiful you were~ Almost like the lady of my dreams that I've missed for oh so long~ I don't suppose you would be that pinnacle of perfection, Miss Chandra~? Or," she dropped her voice even lower, until it was a whisper only the two of them could hear. "My beloved Miss Kalina?"​

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir
​

The Last Curse Elvario RavenSong Silent Angel

Of course Iberis wasn't about to leave Kalina hanging after asking her to come along. After all they had been through, it was only natural. Iberis didn't really have anyone outside of the coven at the moment, such a short lived one too. After seeing what happened to Renee, truthfully Iberis had been shaken. She still wanted power, but she now knew it had to become more sustainable lest she end up in a situation like Renee where her mind was clouded. Despite all of the horrible things Renee had said to them, she was still convinced that at one point Renee had been genuine, and it was the prospect of godhood which had corrupted her to the extent they had seen last. For now all of that was on the back of Iberis's mind.

It looked like she was getting to go somewhere exciting yet again with Kalina, as she made her way through Widersia. This was quite an active spot indeed, just taking in the vastness of it for a moment. She kept a hold of her staff and moved it with her sort like a walking stick, rhythmically tapping the ground as she put her legs forward. It wasn't lost on Iberis that there was bound to be some sort of magic of interest in a place like this, if not perhaps she could learn more about the technology. It was knowledge that drove Iberis too, and now that she found genuine people to care about rather than just power her perspective had shifted. The sound of steam being released was still unusual to her, and the sights and sounds were more engaging, as she looked around at it all, a bit visibly awed. It would have been pretty easy to tell that she wasn't actually from around there if you just gave her a look based on her attire and reactions.
The constructs were quite of interest to her too, particularly with how she had heard they tended to work, as they were a form of magic inbued with technology, the sort of thing she was hoping to find in a place like this, her eyes lingering on those that were visible. If anything the bags under her eyes had not gotten better, not from staying up because she was studying, but because she had been having a harder time sleeping than usual ever since the incident, plenty of bad dreams.

Thankfully Iberis's sense of direction did not betray her, she was used to the streets of Ryke, which was very busy in it's own right at the capital, so she headed to the hangar where she was supposed to meet up with Kalina, seeing Chandra knowing full well who that was at this point. She also gazed upon Sophia who was near Chandra. It looked like she was finally going to properly interact with Sophia maybe.

Iberis stopped in the hangar, allowing her some space from the pair before giving a bit of a wave. "Hey." She said with a bit of warmness in her tone with a bit of a smile.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: TheTimePiece Elvario Silent Angel ​

He got over it.

It wasn't easy, but now Cayde was sure. Everything that happened in those marshes was simply a thing of the past. Nothing more. Those outbursts, losing Kesh, and those hopeless nights spent trudging through fetid mud, searching for any sign of her? Nothing to worry about. Those dreadful thoughts of coming home, explaining to Uncle Zane how he couldn't keep his apprentice safe? Out of mind. The old him had those problems. The newer him didn't. He spent enough time recovering. Time took care of those wounds. It had to.

And besides, they probably were fine. Kesh is smart; she probably found a way back to the mainland. Maybe found some other alchemist to teach her, too. She would've forgotten all about him. And Uncle Zane probably found another pair of apprentices. He must be down in the lab now, teaching them about principles and Quintessence. He wasn't worrying about him or Kesh. Zane probably moved on.

So he should, too.

Plus, without them, there was so much free time now. Time to spend studying magic, learning a few new tricks, and improving one's already known. It was delightful. Even the downtime was great. Plenty of time to sit back and think about new recipes, new spells, and what to eat for dinner. And even more exhilarating things like where to go next, what to do next, thinking about what to do next, the future, the past, the present, people, friends, family...

And wondering if they had all forgotten about him.

Cayde shook his head. There it was again. Stupid old overthinking Cayde.

He peered down at the note in his hands and then up into the entrance of Wildersia. He smiled. In there was a new Cayde. One that wouldn't push away his friends, one that wouldn't run away from his problem, one that would know what to do, one that would become better.

Old him had to die, Cayde thought as he slipped the note into his pocket, advancing into Wildersia.

No one liked him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After a few twists, turns, and questions to the locals, Cayde finally found himself approaching the hangar. A sigh of relief escaped him. Cities were always the worst to navigate. Even more so with sudden geysers of face-melting steam and uncooperative constructs. Not what came to mind when he thought about recruiting vampires, either. Ryken's underbelly would've been a far better place to find fellow monsters. What was so different about the ones around here?

The thought hung in his head until he saw Kalina. A smile formed under his mask. Of course, she was disguised, but she hadn't changed a day! "Hey, Hey! Kali-" He paused. Was he supposed to say that name? "Uh, Kat-" Was he supposed to say that one too? "Um, never mind. It's good to see you again! How're you living?"

Only then did Cayde notice Sophia and Iberis standing close by. A child and a beast? Or a Fae? Hopefully, the latter. He'd never seen one in person before. "Oh! My bad, I didn't notice you brought company," He apologized, turning to face the two, "Hello! I'm Cayde Whitinger - an alchemist by trade," He pointed to his back, "And this is Kes-" Another pause, followed by the sound of him clearing his throat, "Oh, uh, forget that. All that walking made me a bit giddy, y'know?" He said, a small weak chuckle emerging from his throat, "So! How do you two know her? Hopefully, something more pleasant than a stinky swamp, eh?"

 

[RavenSong]

A strange portal seemed to begin to open near Kalina, fiery red as illusory lava dripped onto the ground. When it finally did open a fiery heat could be felt emanating from the seemingly demonic plane. A voice could be heard echoing, "Pfft! I might have opened the portal way up there, could you give me a boost? Whoa.. hey.. careful.. are you doing what I think- W-wait.. wait.. WAIIIIT!!" Scylla was catapulted through to the other side of the portal, landing on her butt then flipping and landing on her head before laying flat face down on the cobbled street. Her hat followed after, miraculously landing perfectly on her head. Three little birds would comically tweet above her head as she got up. Tweet tweet tweet! Then the portal suddenly closed.

The witch groaned, "uuuhhh.. that hurt.." Shaking her head she snapped out of it as Kalina came into focus. Well, Kalina in disguise that is, "Why.. aren't you a sight for sore eyes! You know, summoning me from the land of the dead isn't an easy feat. They must really like you down there. Wooooo.. how have you been?" She asked as she fanned her face, she had come from a very hot place. Then the others, notably Iberis to whom she suddenly ran up to and hugged very tightly. "EEEKK!! I was so depressed- I didn't- I was hoping- I mean.. I'm so happy you're alright kiddo! I.. thought I would never see you again." She squeezed even tighter, in fact she began to squeeze with all her might, which wasn't enough to hurt her in any way. "NNNNNGH!"

She knew there was much to explain, but Scylla thought it best to keep things to herself unless asked for now. It seemed the conversation could get immensely heavy super quickly, and she wasn't sure what context everyone here was gathered. Letting go of Iberis, Cayde caught her eye, "Heeeey.. I remember you!" She made a picture frame with her hands. "Yes, I do.. you're that guy with the potions! HA! How goes it?
She'd then notice Sophia, she was different, but not too different. Hanging around Eldritch in the underworld seemed to have desensitized her to eccentric bodies. "How do you do?" She greeted before taking her hat off, "The names Scylla, pleased to meet you!" She gave a wink and a welcoming smile. "Well then.." She looked to the others, "..so happy to see you all again!"

 

[Sharena]

​

A calm scene unfolded within the hangar as friends and associates reunited among the steam fueled streets of Widersia. Polite greetings were made, the only background noise was the going ons about the hangar.

Suddenly, the compatriots would hear the sound of a portal tear open nearby, and close just as soon as it happened. Unfortunately the moment after-

Clang, clang, Clang!

The echo of metal parts crashing carelessly to the floor filled the hangar, causing plenty of heads to turn in the direction of the disturbance.

"Ngh...hell..." A voice came from the small bit of junk now lying on the floor. Before too long some of it was brushed aside as a silver-haired woman with brown-furred ears emerged from it rubbing her neck. It was very quickly apparent she left nothing to the imagination, but she set her irritation aside momentarily as her hands emanated a soft glow before spinning the mana into a set of clothes for her to don, quickly relieving the issue beyond the initial shock value.

Her ears twitched as she sighed before she suddenly lost herself to her surroundings as she looked around very cautiously, not even noticing any people near her.

Why do my senses feel so dull? My mana, it's...different somehow...and there's so little of it. Is this a result of entering a new dimension?

Shion attempted to produce some kind of magical affect at the tips of her hands, but all that appeared was a dull sphere of swirling magical energy. She dispersed the mana, trying to piece things out to herself. Then she  finally took notice of the eyes on her. She didn't really seem bothered though, more intrigued if anything.

"..." Her eyes blinked a couple times as her ears twitched while she tried to process both her surroundings and the people in front of her. When I was told I would be entering a new world, this was not what I was expecting.

 

[Elvario]

The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Widersia – Capital – Clockhaven – The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Time: 9:15 Weather Bright skies, warm breeze.

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

Chandra Jarmil
​

She eased up instantly when she spotted a familiar face. In fact, she didn't wait for Sophia to come over to her. Instead, she rushed over to the Fae Artisan to pull her in for a tight hug. Sophia's teasing felt oddly nostalgic. Normally, she'd be at least a little embarrassed by it or she'd start drooling like a Pavlov'ed dog, but right now, it was fine. “I'm really glad you're here.” Her first words were exactly the same as her thoughts. “Renee... she's... dead...” She stammered, whispering. That was all she was able to share about those traumatic events from little more than a mere week ago. “I couldn't contact you, so I feared something bad might have happened to you as well.” She looked Sophia directly into her eyes. “I'm really glad I was wrong.”

Next to show up was Iberis. After having been to whatever traumatic dimension it was they'd been through together, she was really glad to see the witch had joined her again. In fact, she wouldn't just let her stand there in the distance. She'd break the hug with Sophia to pull Iberis in for the next one. “Thanks for being here.” She said, really meaning it. After how Iberis was betrayed by Renee, Kalina had been worried that the girl wouldn't trust anyone like that again. Especially not her, seeing how Kalina had attacked Hope... It's why it was all the more reassuring that Iberis arrived. It meant that Hope's words had been truthful, she still had friends.

The next person to show up didn't make her feel like her undead heart skipped a beat once, but twice. First, the fact that he actually showed up. She'd almost started to convince herself he wouldn't. After all, that'd be foolish of him, wouldn't it be? Joining teams with a vampire you barely knew to find an even more dangerous vampire sounded like a death wish the more she thought about it. Yet, here he was. He could still be planning to betray her, of course, but somehow, she was convinced he wouldn't. His awkward introduction made her worry for a bit, but after a quick look-around, it didn't seem like anyone that wasn't in-the-know was paying attention to them at the moment.

She'd put up a big smile, almost laughing when he asked how she was living, knowing full well that he knew that she wasn't exactly doing so. She figured it was just about safe enough to tease him a bit. “It's a shame you've already forgotten my name, mister Whitinger. I'm Chandra Jarmil, a humble adventurer. And as always, I'm living on the edge~” The last was a remark to both her hidden monstrous nature and the challenge of hiding it, as well as to her bordering on living and unliving vampiric nature.

She did feel a bit of his pain when he tried to introduce Kesh. Honestly, she hadn't liked the rat. However, she'd seen how close he'd been to it, so having to see him unable to cope with loosing it was making her feel bad in turn. She approach him for a handshake, but pulled him in a bit to whisper. “It's not much, but I'll be there if you want to talk about it.” She stated, as it was the least she could do in thanks for him coming all the way her at her selfish request.

The next arrival was spectacular to say the least. In fact, Kalina jumped back and drew her rapier on instinct. What the hell was going on? She was about to attack whatever came out of there, only to recognise the voice coming from there. “Scylla?!?” She called out in surprise. Still a bit baffled, she watched Scylla's attempt to squeeze the life out of Iberis. However, she too could play that game! She'd sneak up on Scylla with her Roguish skills and hug her from behind while she was hugging Iberis! Catching Scylla in a surprise hug, she'd speak up. “I'm really glad you're here, but you might want to give poor Iberis some breathing room.”

Having delivered her third hug in a row, she did question herself for a second. She had really started to like those a lot more, even though she knew being hugged by her cold dead body might not be the nicest for others. It might be due to her filling the void in her heart, one that was left by Renee. Perhaps it'd be healed by finding closeness with others, which she was faintly aware off was just a coping mechanism, but that didn't stop her from continuing to do so. After all, what else could she do? She felt like she'd just crash down and break or fall fully into her monstrous nature if she didn't manage to find others to fill that void.

With all (but Hope) of her favourite people here, she felt a lot more confident. However, there was one more arrival. She turned to the next portal tearing open. This one might not drop lava-looking stuff out of it, but it was equally eye-catching. The one that came rolling out was a little underdressed for the occasion, which made her wonder all the more what in the world was going on. Then again, looking around here, there were just the group of women that were with Kalina, some constructs that didn't seem to stop from their work regardless of what was going and... ah, right. Cayde was also there. The one man in the company.

Either way, Kalina herself wasn't one to get embarrassed easily, so she just stared at the new arrival in surprise. She did, however, note that this meant she'd need to be extra careful about keeping up her Alternate Identity from now on. It'd probably be best to let the others know that this person wasn't in-the-know about her nature as soon as possible, come to think of it. It's why she approached the woman and spoke up. “Ehm... Are you... eh... are you alright, ma'am? That was a rather... odd way to appear here. Are you also here for the... vampire hunt?” That'd both get her introduced and make it clear to everyone that this was a total stranger. It'd also allow her to get back into the [Shy] character she was playing as.

On the topic of strangers, she realised not everyone in their group knew one another all that well. Perhaps they might also want another refresher on the Alternate Identity she was using. Introductions were in order! That should allow her to set-up the excuses she could use to explain how she knew each of them in her current persona. “I'm Chandra Jarmil, a beginning adventure, here for the vampire hunt requested by baron Fromm.” She'd gesture towards Sophia next. “That's Sophia Smith, a master Artisan that made most of my gear and helped me out a lot back at the Adventurer's Guild.” She then motioned towards Cayde and Scylla. “These are my friends Cayde, a highly resourceful alchemist and Scylla, a powerful witch, whom I both met during a pretty dangerous mission in some Marshes on the first continent.” Then towards Iberis. “That's Iberis, I met her through Scylla. She's also a witch and also an amazing friend of mine.”

That should hopefully help everyone keep their stories straight on how they knew 'Chandra' rather than Kalina. After all, her alternate identity was as weak as the weakest link in their group. She glossed over at Cayde. Either way, her mood had quickly gone from a nervous wreck to excited optimism. Not just one or two of the people she'd asked had shown up, but every single one of them had. She truly counted herself blessed with such great people here to help her out. After all, it was a lifetime goal of her to become part of something bigger, her own faction or group or something, which these folk would definitely be part of, if she'd have a say in it.

She checked the time on a large clock hanging on one of the walls. Considering how everything in this city was functioning like a well-oiled machine, there was a surprising amount of clocks to keep everyone on time. She'd never seen a place keep such an accurate track of time as this City. “The Baron should be here in fifteen minutes, so we have a bit more time for further introductions...” She looked around to her group of friends (and the newcomer). “I'm hoping we'll be able to get along well.” She stated, generic as such a statement might be, it'd fit her current persona.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia giggled as she was hugged, all her arms going to wrap around the one she loved most in the whole world. She heard what her friend said, and she only hugged her tighter, whispering, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. And... I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Don't worry, from now on, I'll always be there when you need me, alright?" She lifted up her head from Kalina's shoulder, giving her cheek a small kiss. "I'll let you have a snack once we're at a safe place. I've been working to make sure you can have as much as you want without worrying about me~" She rubbed her cheek against the vampire as she continued to hug for what seemed to be an eternity, her body seeming like it was getting its warmth sucked out, but in a nice way. Like her being there was warming up her friend in return~

Finally the hug was released as she watched her friend greet the others, giving a small curtsey as she was introduced. "I'm the Adventurer Guild's Otherworldly Artisan, come from a different reality to this one to push my crafting skills to their limits. I am an expert Blacksmith, Seamstress, Artificer, Bowyer, and Enchanter, and am very competent at combining those if need be for special projects~ That type of thing was how I made this, my magnum opus." She lifted up her crossbow, a masterpiece of Four of the Five crafting skills she had trained up to the point of excellence. "I hope I don't have to use it too much, but if need be, I will use it to help anyone who needs it. I'm a crafter first, adventurer second, but for someone I love so dearly like Chandra, I was willing to come out to assist in any way I could." As she moved, her clothes moved strangely for simple clothes, and any closer inspection would show that instead of normal thread, it was made fully of metal woven and placed expertly to give the impression of simple clothing. While not as impressive as the crossbow, the way it was made was still a testament to her skills. She put her crossbow on her back once more before giving a curtsey. "It's nice to meet you all."​

 

[Sharena]

​

Shion scanned the area before her eyes settled on the timid woman introducing herself as Chandra. She stepped over the mess she'd made and approached the group of varying types of folk. All of them humanoid, one of them clearly not human. She composed herself, folding her arms and closing her eyes for a moment as she processed what Chandra said.

"Vampire hunt? Baron Fromm?" Shion discovered as she spoke that she was capable of speaking this language as well as understand it, even though it felt different to her home world. She wasn't complaining, that would make this easier. She shook her head and opened her eyes once she processed her thoughts, smiling warmly at Chandra to hopefully help ease her mind seeing as she could not use her words to do it for her.

"I am sorry, Chandra, but I believe this 'odd appearance' you speak of was my fresh arrival in this world. This is not my home world...although it is possible my own no longer exists to begin with." Shion thought to herself before continuing. That is rather pessimistic, I gave everything I could to ensure everyone's success before I passed...although my personal world there may as well be gone...I'm sorry I couldn't have done better, Olivia...

"As for this vampire hunt...is there some trouble they are causing? I fought alongside and against vampires in my world, I have no reason to believe they are strictly forces of evil. I even met a half-vampire named Adrian who had a very caring relationship with his foster siblings." Shion stated as one of her hands raised slightly in her explanation before falling back onto her other arm. At this point the strange mult-insectoid-armed woman next to Chandra gave her elaborate introduction as which point Shion recognized her rudeness.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm adjusting to this world's flow of mana still and I nearly forgot the first part of human interaction. My name is Shion, I was a spirit guardian back home. And I am sorry, Miss...Sophia, was it? May I ask what you are? I wish not to offend anyone going forward if I can." Shion asked before turning her gaze to the rest of the hangar in both bewilderment and mild disdain.

"And another thing...what is this place? I have never felt somewhere so...devoid of natural balance...although maybe that's my body's lack of adjustment to this world..."

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir
​

Elvario Silent Angel Sharena The Last Curse RavenSong

Naturally Iberis lit up when 'Chandra' came over and she swiftly reciprocated her hug, wrapping both arms around her, the gesture a bit tight, leaning her head against her a bit. "Of..course I couldn't imagine not being here with you.." She responded softly. A bit of a smile on her face now. It was Reassuring to see the likes of Sophia there since she seemed to be so friendly with Chandra. The more allies the better as far as Iberis was concerned. Losing Renee had been a big blow which still had it's lingering effects so she had a feeling that the more people 'Chandra' had with her there to support her moving forward the better.

Once the hug had broken off, To Iberis there were amany interesting figures gathering around. Cayde's choice of garb was different from what Iberis usually saw. However when he introduced himself she gave a small bow. Someone who sounded like they were a friend of Kalina, even if they weren't doing the best on the not blowing her disguise bit it was good enough for Iberis, given Kalina's response to him being overall positive.
During the slight bow toward Cayde Iberis spoke,
"I met her through a mutual friend I made at the academy entrance exams in Ryken" Iberis replied, all of this being true. If it wasn't for Renee she wouldn't have met Kalina. Also curious as to the context of his swamp comment and what had been transpiring with that. Truthfully Iberis's interest was further peeked when he mentioned that he was an alchemist, she didn't know to many of those, and that was a skill which sounded like it could certainly be useful moving forward.

Despite these two individuals who seemed nice enough and had useful skills suddenly Iberis looked even more surprised when a portal opened up that immediately reminded her of the coven's recent epic journey who she certainly was not expecting was Scylla of all people. Iberis's face became elated much more than she typically expressed at this realization. Ever since Scylla had gone through that portal she wasn't sure what had happened, but now this confirmed that she was alive and well arriving seemingly out of no where. Just hearing her voice made Iberis feel so much better...and before she knew it she was getting embraced by Scylla, tightly, Iberis could only respond by hugging Scylla back, with not as much oomph.
"I'm..really happy that you're okay, you'll stay right?" She responded simply and softly, feeling her eyes get a bit teary, but she couldn't really help it, she was just so happy to see Scylla again. She too wasn't sure if she would ever see her again. She reluctantly let go when Scylla broke off from the hug to look at Cayde. But she did giggle a bit at 'Chandra's' comment about giving her some breathing room, and coming over to make a layered hug of sorts.

Yet Suddenly Iberis heard a strange series of sounds and then suddenly yet another portal opened up, revealing someone who she was not familar with in the slightest.She looked toward them guarded at first, hand gripping her staff, since unlike Scylla who she knew wasn't a threat, this could be anyone or anything, and Iberis felt like she'd be none the wiser unless she exerted great caution. This only felt heightened to her when she heard Chandra approach and speak like she did not know this person which meant they were a complete outsider to the group. When Shion started talking about not being from this world, that really surprised Iberis. It wasn't so often you'd find someone who spoke so casually about a topic like that she felt, of course in this world many things were possible, but even so.

She became less guarded when it became more apparent that Shion did not seem to mean them any harm, until she was holding her staff normally again and was listening with genuine intrigue. She waited for Shion to introduce herself before she said.

" I'm Iberis, Iberis Ohdir, it's nice to meet all of you." She said as she also looked to Sophia, giving her a small bow of acknowledgment, before also looking to Shion and and Cayde to give them acknowledgement.

She also took notice of Sophia's impressive handiwork in the bow. Had Sophia mentioned that she was also an artificer and an enchanter? Those could certainly come in handy as well. "Wow, you weren't kidding Sophia that looks really cool.." The youth said her eyes alight with a bit of awe at the finely crafted crossbow she showed. She too didn't take much notice of Sophia's physical difference, after all Auldlich had many arms.

She then looked back to Shion, "A spirit guardian from another world you say? That's..pretty amazing actually, well welcome to this realm Shion, it's not very often I get to speak to offworlders.." Iberis said a with a more friendly tone now. It was pretty easy for her to accept Shion's word as fact when they lived in a world where you could travel across realms through magic, so why would another world be any different than that?

"And Uh, while I don't know why you're feeling that way for sure, well Widersia is a pretty built up urban place, particularly where we are right now in the capital, I don't think that there's too much nature around so..that might be why you're feeling that way." Iberis concluded with her educated guess.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: TheTimePiece Elvario RavenSong Sharena Silent Angel ​

A wide grin formed on Cayde's face as Kalina returned his jest. Still the same old Kalina, he thought. The swamps hadn't changed her at all. He wished he could say the same for himself. All that time alone left room for plenty of changes. It'd feel great showing her how much better the new him was. "Glad to see you're still yourself, Chandra," Cayde said, hand outstretched to accept Kalina's seemingly innocuous handshake. He wasn't expecting to be pulled in. Or for her to vaguely mention Kesh.

His grin quickly twisted into a conflicted frown. Of course, Kalina would've caught on. She hadn't changed, still as perceptive as ever. "I'm fine," Cayde whispered, hoping she ignored the quiver in his voice. His eyes drifted off to the side. Maybe he should tell her. The hopeless nights treading through those swamps, the empty days waking up with no one there, the anxiety... He shook the thoughts out of his head. Kalina didn't need to know. He couldn't bum her out with old Cayde's problems. He could solve them later - by himself. The newer him could do that easily. Surely. "You don't gotta worry about me, okay? I've gotten over it. Promise."

As Cayde stepped away, he felt a warm sensation on his face. He turned, eyes widening as Scylla made quite the brilliant entrance. She still seemed just as carefree and bubbly from the time in the marshes. Good to see some things never changed. "Hey! Good to see you again, Scylla," Cayde said, "Well, I picked up a few new tricks, started sleeping more, found some new recipes... I'd say I'm doing alright," His gaze shifted to Iberis, his voice holding the same amiableness. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, too,"

Finally, there was Sophia, the pincered bug-woman. Or was she a pincered Fae? He still couldn't find out. "Ah, so you're a fellow crossbowman, too, eh?" Cayde said, studying her weapon. He wasn't sure how she could've wielded it with those claws. Or if he could wield it at all. The thing looked like it'd break his arms if he tried. "Mine's not as awesome as yours, but after this is all over, I'm thinkin' of making a little upgrade. Maybe you could-"

The sound of something crashing above the hangar made Cayde cut off his sentence. He watched as one big pile of person-shaped rubble dropped before him. He looked closer, quickly noticing that it was indeed a person. A woman. He noticed that quickly, too. "Oh!" Cayde muttered, quickly turning his head away. He could still hear Shion talking. Something about "Home-worlds" and "Spirit Guardians." It didn't make any sense. She must've been delirious, he thought. He should've been helping her.

Sucking air through his teeth, Cayde slowly looked back to the scene. Thankfully, Shion seemed relatively okay. "Relatively" wouldn't be good enough, though. "Ah! Sorry, ma'am, are you alright?" He said, reaching into his pack to retrieve his medical kit, "Did you hit anything on the way down?" He kept fishing through his bag for some gauze and splints, "You're in Wildersia, just between the See and The East Empire. And... what was that about being from a different world?"

Cayde stopped to look at Iberis, "You said something about an offworlder, too, yeah? What is that, exactly?"

 

[RavenSong]

As soon as the witch let go of her old coven friend, another suddenly grabbed hold of her before asking Scylla to ease her grip on her friend, "Oops! S-sorry! Heh!"

Upon hearing Iberis inquiry, and question about whether or not she'd stay she sighed with a bit of a shrug. "I really don't know. You see, I kind of sort of made a deal with the eldritch, I'm hoping I could become headmaster right away if I prove to myself formidable!" Putting her hands on her hip she shifted her weight to the side. "You know, things back there.. you know, in the underworld. Mhm, alot of things came into perspective, I want to be powerful yes, but also, I want to be good. I want to help people, and maybe show them that demons could be our besty best friends!" She giggled, holding back laughing out loud, "I've totally lost my marbles as you can tell!" looked up a bit, as if pulling answers from some kind of cloud in her mind. "Uhm, yeah I didn't explain that correctly." She closed an eye for a moment really thinking hard before turning to Iberis, then getting much closer while the others were distracted with introductions and generally catching up. The witch spoke softly, "I know it must be very hard to trust, you know? After everything." Fixing the rebellious streaks of hair on Iberis head she continued, "For what its worth, Madam Renee made her choice. That doesn't mean we should follow in her footsteps. Although, I miss her terribly when i'm alone." She puckered her lips a bit, thinking hard, squinting, "Yeah, this is getting too sad, sorry about that kiddo!" She'd take her hat and trade it with hers, "Hey, your hat is cozy! How do I look?" She made a bit of a pose, swaying her dress, winking, making funny arm gestures or faking a growl. "Pfft! Hey by the way, my hat is haunted. Soooo.. here, you can have yours back." She quickly traded once more.




"Eeek! Who's-" Her hand reached behind her and accidentally touched 'Chandra's' mouth. "Whoa!" She gasped, although Kalina felt a little cold, it wasn't that big of a deal. She turned around and hugged her back. "Nice to see ya too!" She exclaimed happily before letting her go. "We have quite a bit of catching up to do. But maybe some other time."

"Splendid! Just splendid!" Scylla replied to Cayde, with a highly approving nod as she held the rim of her hat.

Noticing the one named Shiron, especially her sudden entrance into this band of adventurers, she thought it prudent to introduce herself, "Hello, stranger! Names Scylla, I'm a witch.. but.. obviously not the kind that will fatten you up and cook you for dinner! Pfft! I'm also a student at the Ryken Academy, I'd say i'm on my last semester of the year. Anyway, I bake cookies and all kinds of pastries, lets have a tea party sometime!" She winked and went back to the others. She was a bit shy around newcomers, what she really wanted to say was that she was from another world as well. But, that would open all manner of sadness, too early for that!

"Ooooo.." She cooed as she brought her hands under her own chin, fluttering her eyelashes. At Sophie and Kalina (Chandra) "..can I have one of those.." She said as she pointed to her own cheek. "..right here." Public displays of affection weren't common in Scyllas life, plus, she'd never been in love. Having been locked up in arcane libraries since she was born kept her from experiencing much of her earlier years. She'd be out experimenting, helping her parents around the potion making business. Having realized that what she was asking was immensely strange, odd, and likely kind of rude. "Err! I'm sorry.." She shook her head, "..sometimes I just say things before I think of saying them." She lifted a finger however, "Question! Are you two lovers?" She frowned, then realizing that her question likely could be taken the same way as her previous strange request.

 

[Elvario]

The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Widersia – Captial – Clockhaven – The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Time: 9:20 Weather Bright skies, warm breeze.

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

Chandra Jarmil
​

Getting a four-armed hug was comforting, even if those four arms were rather buggy. Knowing who they belonged to easily made up for whatever bad connotations their shape might give them, at least to Kalina. Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she should believe Sophia's words. After all, such a promise was exactly what she'd thought her relation with Renee to have been like, which ended...

She didn't want to think about it.

The thought of a 'snack' was alluring, especially an unlimited one, but it was difficult to be as eager about it as she'd otherwise be, with many concerns still weighing down her mind. For one, whether they'd even find a safe place here. Even so; “Thank you.” She gave the heartfelt reply to all that'd been said, hoping her doubts were her own insecurities and nothing more. Sophia's introduction was rather grandiose, but she could be forgiven for it. Kalina, for one, didn't mind it.

The new person, on the other hand, was 'odd' to say the least. Mostly due to having no clue what they were here for and then straight up telling everyone she was from another world. She even went on a short 'rant' about vampires, which showed she truly had no clue about how 'this' world worked. That was probably something that could work to Kalina's advantage. Iberis already questioned and answered some of Shion's statements, so Kalina figured she'd focus on another aspect.

That said, she did have to prepare to be 'Chandra' whilst doing so. “Loosing an entire world... that must be difficult.” She started, somewhat wishing she didn't have to 'shy down' what she wanted to say for the sake of staying in character. Perhaps she should've picked a different identity for this mission. One that wasn't shy? It was too late now. “Y-y-you're mistaken.” She stammered at the vampire statement. “There's a r-rumour of some vampires that are... not monsters, yes. But this one is a [monster] vampire, which means it's g-guaranteed it's evil.” The irony of her statements probably wouldn't be lost on her friends. “After all, a m-monster nature makes one evil, wanting to hurt and destroy everything else, unable to love anything other than chaos and destruction.” That part was true. It was also exactly why she was hoping to get rid off her own, but that wasn't something for Shion to learn about.

As for Cayde, she doubted his words. Something about him felt a bit off. It made her feel a little mixed, as she didn't want to drag someone into her problems when they hadn't even properly dealt with their own. Or perhaps she was overthinking it? It made it difficult to know what to reply. “No, instead, promise me to tell me if you realise you might not be.” She ended up replying, not even sure what she meant with that herself, other than hoping to not make him feel on his own, perhaps.

The topic soon shifted to offworlders, mentioned by Sophia, Shion, Iberis... Kalina was one as well, but she truly didn't want to think about it for as much as a second. Awful as her life here had been at times, what she'd left behind had been even worse. After all, in here she at least had made some friends along the way. It's why she opted to stay silent on the topic.

On the topic of staying silent, another reason to do so was Scylla's hand somehow finding her way towards Kalina's mouth. For a moment she just wondered if her friend wanted her to shut up or bite down, then she recovered and realised it'd just been an accident. However, out of all what Scylla said, one thing hurt Kalina considerably. The fact that Scylla missed Renee. Kalina felt the same, but Kalina knew she wasn't allowed to feel that way, after all... “I'm sorry I... I...” had to do it. Those four words would've finished the sentence, but she couldn't utter them, as Scylla publicly confessing how much she missed Renee was making her doubt herself and her actions from back then. Had she made the wrong choice? No, she couldn't fall back into her confused and turmoil filled self. She was here to sort things out.

With some effort, she managed to pull herself back into the present, narrowly avoiding getting lost in the past. It was a little surprising when Scylla started asking for kisses. Then again, considering Kalina was barely any more well-versed in matters of love and affection, she didn't think much of it and would give Scylla a kiss on the cheek. That's when she realised she was meant to be shy in this persona. Time to get her deception to work. “T-t-there... as a t-t-thanks for c-c-oming to help me.” She stammered, however, midway through her act, she realised that she actually sort-off felt like that as well. Was this an odd thing to do?

To make matters worse, Scylla suddenly asked if she and Sophia were lovers. She looked into Sophia's eyes and immediately regretted doing so. What were they? The part [monster] in her knew very well what Sophia was to it, namely [a really fun source of food]. The left-over parts of her identity as a human in her previous life also had an answer [a close and trustworthy friend]. However, what was Sophia towards Kalina as a whole? What was Sophia to the person that Kalina had become in this world?

Sophia herself was fairly open about saying she loved Kalina, even in public. Kalina, on the other hand, couldn't really recall when she had admitted to something like that about anyone. Closest had been Renee and she... Again, her mind wandered back to that. If 'love' was what led to such scenes, then it was better not to love anyone, wasn't it? Should she deny it, or would that hurt Sophia? It's not like she didn't like Sophia a whole lot, but was that love? Maybe, but then, if it was love, did that mean she'd feel the same pain again as with Renee? In the end, she couldn't come up with an answer. She wanted desperately to be close to all her friends here, but the idea of 'loving' them meant that losing them would hurt as much as losing Renee had, which terrified her. She didn't even take into account the difference between 'loving' and 'being lovers' yet.

As Kalina was frying her brain over some things, one of the many constructs running around on its work stopped in its tracks in front of the group. It was pretty small, only coming to the height of the waist of most others.

As it stood in front of the group, it started making loud clicking noises in a certain pattern. Every 0 was a pause, every 1 a click. The pauses and clicks lasted exactly the same amount of times for each digit, yet they happened in such a rapid pace that it was often tough to fully distinguish between the clicks and the pauses.

01010000 01101100 01100101 01100001 01110011 01100101 00100000 01110010 01100101 01101100 01101111 01100011 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 01110011 01100101 01101100 01110110 01100101 01110011 00101110 00001010

However, none of them were able to understand it. (Nobody speaks Analog, which from now on is one of the few skills I'm not going to allow to be added later for plot-based reasons.) It repeated the clicking pattern a few times, but eventually seemed to be aware of the fact its 'words' weren't heard or went ignored. Seemingly oddly frustrated for a small construct, it turned around and started making clicking noises towards the other constructs in the distance.

01001000 01101111 01110111 00100000 01100100 01101111 00100000 01110111 01100101 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01101101 00111111

There was no reply from the other constructs, but it was clear that the group was slowly getting more and more of the attention of them now. As identical constructs started to observe them, as if debating something.

Kalina was starting to feel a little nervous from it. “Ehm... does anyone have an idea what they might want..?” She asked, looking around a little nervously.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

(I just remembered Sophia spoke in brown, so I'll use that from here on.)

Sophia glanced towards Shion, thinking he was taking things surprisingly well. When she heard the question asked towards her, she gave a small shrug. "Spider gal. I'm a fae but for the most part I think of myself as human. After all, until a year ago, that's what I was. And kindly don't call me by my race, if you can help it. If I hear someone call me the spider or anything like that, I'm gonna blow a fuse." She grinned, showing she was joking, if only partially.

Her eyes moved to the other two, thanking them for their compliments on her craftsmanship before glancing to specifically Cayde, filling in what had been interrupted. She nodded, stating, "Sure, I can help upgrade your crossbow. Shouldn't be too difficult. After all, you're talking to one of the best crafters around. If I couldn't do that, I couldn't really say anything of the sort about myself, could I?"

Finally, smirked at Scylla's question. "Sadly, I must say, these lips are only for Chandra~ Though, I can offer you this as a simple consolation prize~" She blew a kiss towards the witch as she continued to ramble, eventually dropping a bombshell. Sophia's eyes widened at the query, her eyes looking over to Kalina. She noted how nervous the other girl was, and when she didn't answer, Sophia took it upon herself to respond. "To be honest, there's nothing in the world I want more. I've been working on improving myself for her, and hell, one of the reasons I wanted to create the guild I'm building up back home is so people like my lovely Chandra can be safe and always have a place to go where they know they won't be ripped off or sent away. I love her, but I would never try to push her to go at my pace. Until she makes a decision, though, I will worship my darling all the same~" She smiled, leaning on Kalina, gripping her arm at the same time. "But even outside of that, she gives me purpose outside of work, so that's another reason I will always love her~"

As the robot walked up to her, she frowned at the language that came out of his mouth, tilting her head as she thought it over before she stated, "Sounds like some sort of binary way of talking. Ones and Zeroes. Sadly, when I was in a place where that type of this was around, I was more old fashioned and did stuff like working in a forge or on bows. I mean, it turned out alright when I came here, but it doesn't help me too much at this point in time. I know how to count in binary, not talk in it." Her claws slowly trailed to her crossbow, the craftswoman not liking how many of them seemed to be focusing in on their band of merry women and singular merry man.​

 

[Sharena]

(If using colored text will help see her speech lines better, I'll do it too. )
​

Shion's eyes continued to look around the hangar as Iberis introduced herself to her. Once she took an interest in her status as a spirit guardian, she finally returned her eyes to the young woman. Once she was done explaining that this place was a capital city called Widersia, Shion folded her arms as she processed everything before her ears depressed against her head as her mood visibly followed suit. "I see...so much life removed from this place...even more so then the civilizations of man from my home."

She shook her head the next moment, her visage becoming more positive as she smiled at Iberis. "Thank you for your explanation, it is very nice to meet you Iberis Ohdir. I am afraid I lack a surname as I do not share an upbringing similar to most people. If you wish to ask me more about my status and my home world later, I would love to share my stories. I have...some amount of centuries worth to share, I lost track after I hit one hundred years."

She then turned her head as Cayde hurriedly tried to assist her after her fall. She looked over herself before noticing a scrape on her leg. She smiled to him. "No need, I can handle it." She adjusted herself as her hand laid over the scrape, but as magical energy faintly began to glow from her hand, it soon faded with the mild injury remaining. With a frustrated sigh, she looked back to Cayde.

"My apologies, seems I'm still not accustom to the flow of this world's mana entirely. Thank you...Cayde, yes?" She took the medical supplies from him, knelt down and began tending herself. She decided to address his questions while she was treating the scrape on her leg.

"This is not my home world, exactly as it sounds. My home was ravaged by an ever stretching abyss that threatened to swallow it up, demons known as Abyssians were the perpetrators of the carnage. Many of us stood against the tide; heroes, villains, rivals, allies, friends, lovers, all walks of life took up arms to fight them back. We were making strong progress, but at the zenith of the conflict...I received a mortal wound taking out one of the demonic generals. Instead of dying though...I was offered a life in another world. The meeting in the afterlife is somewhat fuzzy to me, but if there was another world's balance I could prevent from entering such a dire state, I had to take it. Unfortunately, a new world means the mana flows and functions differently to mine, and it seems my hands have mastered little more than altering the clothes upon my form as it stands." She fully explained to Cayde without wavering, with full honesty, and only a couple pauses as memories flashed through her mind of the intensity of the conflict. She left out Olivia for now, there was no reason to make the story more tragic right now. She handed back the remainder of the supplies she didn't use now that her leg was bandaged properly.

Then Scylla introduced herself, and Shion couldn't help but smile at her. "That sounds lovely, I would love to accept your generosity Scylla. Such a practiced student for your age. I am impressed."

Then Chandra began to speak to her again. Shion turned and intently listened to her. "I am hopeful those I left behind will emerge victorious. Either way...I have no reason to go back..." Shion's mood depressed for a moment, then Chandra explained the way vampires and 'monsters' worked in this world. Her eyes dimmed with a tinge of sadness.

"I see...such a shame there is no hope to sway their hearts. Consider myself at your disposal until I gather my bearings more, if they truly are evil, I cannot let them harm those that do not deserve it." Shion said to Chandra, and everyone present for that fact. Her brow raised afterwards however at Chandra's sudden confidence when confronting Cayde about whatever personal matter they were discussing before she showed up and was fully cognizant. Sophia gave her a concise answer on her origin soon after so Shion put that thought to one side for now.

"Thank you, I shall keep that in mind Sophia." She smiled at her. And then Scylla's request for kisses came. Chandra took one cheek, and then Sophia began this spiel about her love for this woman. While Shion's ears stayed tuned to that, a smirk spread across her face. She approached the girl while Sophia spoke.

"If she won't, then I'll take the other, Young One." She said as she bent over to bring herself down to Scylla's level and proceeded to kiss the cheek Chandra had not. She giggled to herself when she was done. "Was that satisfactory, Scylla?" She didn't settle down for another moment or two, but she couldn't help herself with how flustered the witch was after her rapid fire awkward inquiries. Something had caught her attention from Sophia's speech while she was busy teasing the girl in front of her though. Chandra was a tougher fighter than she seemed if Sophia wanted to grant her a safe place. Good to know, in fact she probably shouldn't underestimate anyone here. Doubly so, she was probably the weak link given how much her body felt so sluggish here right now.

Then the binary came from behind her. As soon as the sounds began coming from the nearby construct, Shion spun around and nearly slung whatever magic she could at the noise as it startled her. She stopped herself quickly though when she felt the construct wasn't hostile, and merely looked at it with confusion before Chandra and Sophia commented on it.

"Binary...speech? You mean this thing is alive? How?" Shion asked with a bit of distress in her tone as one of her hands still looked primed to sling some kind of magic even if she herself was unsure what would come out.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mention: Elvario RavenSong Sharena Silent Angel TheTimePiece ​

Cayde slowly nodded as Shion spoke, her predicament beginning to sound oddly familiar. Yet, underneath his mask, his eyes narrowed. Didn't he read about this before? Somewhere in the grimoire, past all the cantrips, channeling techniques, and confusing banishing rituals, wasn't there something about these 'otherworldly' visitors? Only one thing came to mind. A tiny excerpt detailing the spontaneous appearances of certain peculiar individuals. Folk with knowledge beyond this existence, eyes that could scan like appraisal orbs, appearances nearly impossible to differentiate from a native. And all supposedly originating from completely different worlds.

He tried to scoff at the thought. It all had to be magical mumbo-jumbo. Something some batty wizards came up with in their spare time. But Shion's story lined up well. Too well. Maybe Shion wasn't delirious at all. Maybe Iberis was right. "Offworlder..." Cayde thought, his eyes scrutinizing Shion. She seemed pretty reasonable so far. But perhaps it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her. Or ask a few questions. Or take some notes...

Shion concluding her story and handing back his supplies made him snap back to reality. A tinge of guilt bubbled in his gut. All this time reminiscing, he'd forgotten to be a decent human being. "Thank you, and... I'm sorry. Didn't want you to relive something that horrible," He said, slightly bowing his head, "But you're in good hands now. Trust me." With that, Cayde set off to fit the med kit into his pack, subconsciously listening to the conversation behind him. Nothing too out of the ordinary. More explanations, more lovey-dovey stuff, kisses for Scylla...

Cayde paused. Did he hear that right?

He shifted a bit, looking over his shoulder. No, he heard right. There were indeed kisses for Scylla. And it was just as hilarious as it sounded. A playful smile came onto Cayde's face. He knew just what to say. He turned, and nothing came to mind. Odd, Cayde thought, shifting attention to his smile. It didn't feel right. Not enough teeth. Lips barely spread. No laughter hidden behind them. Just blank.

What was going on? Cayde told himself. There wasn't anything to be sad about. This was great. Everyone was getting along just fine - messing with each other like long-lasted buddies. He should be there with them. Any sociable person would. God knows Kesh would have, too.

The thought stirs a familiar feeling inside him. He notices the space between him and the others. Suddenly, the hangar doesn't feel as crowded anymore.

Cayde heard something moving. His eyes landed on a construct, clicking some strange code he couldn't understand. Binary, he'd hear Sophia and Shion say. Another thing that sounded completely otherworldly. Cayde shook the thought out of his head, as well as whatever remained of that feeling. No time for thinking about theories or the past. Everyone else was already wary of the construct. He should have been the same.

He cleared his throat, "Well, Shion, usually, these things are animated through magic," He carefully walked up to the construct, "And uh, I'm guessing this one's trying to lead us somewhere?" He said, shrugging his shoulders, "You said the baron was supposed to meet us here, right, Chandra? Maybe he couldn't make it? Sent one of these guys to come and escort us?"

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir

Elvario RavenSong Sharena Silent Angel The Last Curse​

She looked to Cayde, in thought only for a moment, before replying,

"I dunno too much about them, I guess there are people who arrive from other worlds, I don't think there's exactly a one size fits all definition for their reasons for coming or location from where they come from." Iberis tried to answer to the best of her ability there with such little information. Unaware that she herself was technically an offworlder, she just didn't remember clearly.

Then her attention was quickly back to Scylla. While that wasn't the most reassuring response to Iberis's question at the very least it didn't sound like Scylla was going to go back into any strange realm any time soon. She really didn't want to see her go yet again for so long. Iberis was glad to hear that it sounded like Scylla had some nobile goals to achieve there in terms of working with things that were typically associated with being bad.Iberis knew from experience that working with Auldlich that he had not been evil as everyone would have assumed so there had to be some merit there to what Scylla was saying since she had come from whatever realm those undead royals had invited her too.

Iberis smiled some at the lighter mood Scylla was in, particularly at the in her opinion hyperbolic statement about her losing her marbles, Iberis had seen plenty of awful things from the book and she managed to recover reasonably well, she was just glad that Scylla was okay, despite whatever she encountered there. Naturally she let Scylla touch her hair and get up close. She then gave Scylla a bit of a bitter sweet nod upon hearing her tell her that Renee made her choice. Yes she ahd made her choice that was one way of putting it, and she could empathize with Scylla feeling lonely as a result.

"Well at least..the rest of us have each other now that you're back.." she responded softly,

before nodding once more, it was okay that Scylla was covering the heavier topic to her.

Upon the hat swap and Scylla's wide gesture's Iberis couldn't help but giggle some "You look great as ever" She then raised an inquisitive brow wondering if Scylla was serious about the haunted hat, but before she could ask properly Scylla was off to exchanging words and actions with other people there. Eitherway Iberis felt a deal better than she had prior.

Iberis then watched 'Chandra' put on excellent acting once again, she really wondered how Kalina did it, before thinking back to how Kalina certainly had many years to perfect her different faces so to speak. Even though Iberis had heard many times that's what being a monster meant, she found it hard to believe with Kalina..someone who had to deal with something like that she just didn't strike Iberis that way what so ever..but she knew that for the vast majority of monsters what Chandra said was true.

Iberis found the romantic questioning to be quite interesting a bit of a smile forming, as she looked over with her semi perpetual tired gaze, seeing quickly that Scylla was stirring up some 'trouble' there, as she couldn't help but wonder about Sophia too, she seemed awfully close with Kalina, was there something going on there? All these adult problems, she thought to herself, as if she would have the time getting caught up in such trivial things when there was a world of magic to explore, she thought to herself.

Then of course Sophia provided the answer to the mystery, that she was in fact not lovers with Kalina, even though she made it abundantly clear that she was interested in doing so.

Iberis perked up some at hearing Shion so willingly to talk to her more about her world. Of course Iberis was interested new world meant new magical knowledge to be discovered potentially, and she was very much in favor of that. "I would..really like that a lot Shion." she replied with a smile a hint of excitement in her eyes at the prospect of getting to talk to someone who proclaimed to be an offworlder so freely. In the back of Iberis's mind she hoped that wouldn't cause Shion any trouble down the line, while she didn't mind she knew that didn't necessarily mean that the local populace wouldn't be bothered by this sort of thing. She then listened to the back story which Shion had to share and it was all quite intense, and left her unable to help but feel bad for her.

But then she witnessed Shion joining in on whatever was going on there, Shion placing a kiss on Scylla's cheek, this was at the point Iberis started to feel a bit of second hand embarrassment for Chandra with so much attention on her and all this going on around her. While she knew that Kalina was more outgoing Chandra wasn't supposed to be but even then she doubted that Kalina would be used to this sort of attention like this from this many people.

At the very least it seemed to Iberis that Cayde was taking well to Shion. But suddenly there was that sound of analog being spoken that Iberis really had no idea what to make of. as she turned rapidly to face the construct. "Sorry I don't speak that.." she said softly to no one in particular after Chandra's comment. She hoped that they weren't in trouble or doing something wrong, even then Iberis held onto her staff tightly and looked skeptically at the constructs, she then heard Cayde's explanation which sounded reasonable enough perhaps.

"Yeah maybe that's what's going on, it's as good an explanation as any, I can't say.I know that much about constructs other then yeah, they're usually powered by magic and can do all sorts of neat stuff." she said a bit more positively toward the end, as long as that neat stuff didn't end up hurting the group while this was somewhat uncomfortable, she hoped they were going to find out soon and that it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Elvario]

The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Widersia – Captial – Clockhaven – The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Time: 9:30 Weather Bright skies, warm breeze.

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

Chandra Jarmil
​

The world was a strange place. Had Kalina possessed any more fresh blood in her veins, Sophia's words would've likely made her blush by now. However, it also made her feel bad. What had she even done to deserve such a loyalty? For Sophia to even mention 'worship' so casually was making her uncomfortable, as it was too much of a contrast to all her flaws. Luckily, her desired reaction was fitting the persona she'd taken on. “I-I don't... deserve such a thing.” She said, shaking her head. As glad as she was to have Sophia here, to hear her say such things only made her more concerned she'd inevitably end up hurting again when she ended up betrayed or when she ended up loosing another loved one. She was glad with the distraction that the small construct provided, as it allowed her to focus on something else for a while.

Another welcome distraction was Shion, who sided on the anti-monster side, as she should. The irony of making such a promise was once again something only those in the know would realise. However, there was one thing that bugged Kalina, which directly tied back to her feeling unworthy of Sophia. It's why she figured she'd add the part for all to hear, but in particular for Sophia. “T-they say that... if m-monsters love something deeply... they'll eventually want to destroy it. Their hearts are that d-deeply... corrupted.” Considering what Kalina had done to Hope, she knew she wasn't as in-control of her monstrous side as she wanted to be. How could she expect someone to love her when she might end up being unable to resist hurting or even killing them? No. She needed these people and she cared for them, Sophia perhaps even more so, but that meant all the more she should play it safe and stay far enough away from them.

She moved to the next topic at hand. The little construct that'd been making noises at them. Sophia was on guard against it. Shion mostly seemed confused. Then Cayde suggested it wanted to lead them somewhere, backed up by Iberis. Kalina had her doubts, but she didn't have another explanation, so she nodded. “Alright, let's try that.”

The construct kept standing still for a bit when they approached, 'staring' at each of them for a bit, if it could even be called that with whatever it used to take note of its surroundings. Now that they were closer, some things stood out. There were lots of gears spinning and every now and again, small bits of steam released from its joints. This thing wasn't as much 'magic' as it was some brilliant piece of Tinkering ingenuity fuelled by some mysterious fuel source. The most magical part about it was it's intelligence, which didn't seem to be akin to that of a full-fledged person's, but still enough for it to 'talk' and try to get its objective fulfilled.

As for that objective, once it realised they were coming towards it, it stepped back a bit. Then another bit. It started making clicking noises at them again.

01011001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110110 01100101 01101101 01100101 01101110 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01110010 01100101 01100011 01101001 01100001 01110100 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01010010 01100101 01101100 01101111 01100011 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110000 01110010 01101111 01100111 01110010 01100101 01110011 01110011 00101110 00100000

It didn't seem like it was really trying to lead them somewhere, as it was just getting them to move elsewhere from where they'd been standing. As the group made way, the reason for it became clear. The noise of something approaching fast could be heard, steam, tires, gears. This thing was rather noisy and approach quickly.

It only started to slow down at the last possible moment, with loud hisses of steam escaping from the large tank on its back. It stopped exactly where they'd been standing previously and might've needed to get a far less ideal entrance should anyone have remained there... It seemed like timing in this city was important. Being where you needed to be on time was one thing, but even being out of the way on time was of importance. Amidst the steam coming out of the vehicle, two individuals could be spotted seated in the car.

???

​

Spoiler: Full Image

The first was a woman, behind the wheel. She was heavily modified, but seemed to be mostly Human. The next, sitting beside her, did not have any non-construct-like features visible. If he/she/it even possessed them at all.

???

​

Spoiler: Full Image

The two of them had barely left the car before the smaller constructs had already started working on it. Filling up the water tank, cranking some gears, inspecting some valves... They'd likely been waiting for this vehicle to arrive to start their maintenance routine on it.

Rather than introducing themselves, they seemed to opt to observe those that had gathered carefully. In particular the woman was practically acting as if she was looking at every inch of everyone's being with her mildly creepy, glazed-out eyes.

 

[RavenSong]

Looking at Kalina she smiled softly, knowing that whatever loss the witch felt was likely many many times worse for her. She had taken it upon herself to commit the final blow to their corrupted coven leader. “There’s no need to apologize to me. If there’s anything i can do to help you in any way, please let me know.” She looked down, “Although our loss is ginormous, we cannot falter in our convictions and let ourselves get sad. But.. if you ever want to know more about her story, she’s in my book.” She sighed with a shrug, as if shaking off her own melancholy even though she knew that looking through such pages in her book would only make things worse, “I’m glad you summoned me. Heh, it was getting hot down there.” She said finally with a bit more confidence.

As Scylla continued to speak, absentmindedly fixing Iberis’s hair, the witch snapped out of it when her bestest friend and colleague brought up the friendship they all shared. Had she been so oblivious to her own emotional disconnection? Perhaps it was an attempt to keep her sugary heart safe from further harm that she simply didn’t see the fact that everyone here was in some way shape or form ones to be trusted. Of course, Sophia and Shion were still very much strangers to a degree. The witch gave Iberis’ a confused look for a moment, “Eh? We.. have.. eachother?” she repeated before looking to the others. “Hm, yeah i guess you’re right.” Somehow Iberis’ knew what to say, even after everything that has happened and quite frankly the sheer amount of violence that took place. The vision she was thrown into threatened to come back up in her mind like a crocodile in a pond, rearing its head ever so slightly above the water of her psyche. That’s when she decided to lighten things up and trade hats! “Why thank you, kiddo! I certainly feel as great as ever!” She giggled before giving her a quick hug and moving on to the others.

A bit later, Scylla found herself in quite the predicament after asking for affection and inquiring about Sophias associations with Kalina. However, before she could comment or mention anything Kalina herself pressed her cold lips against her rosy cheek. Scylla gasped, blushing deeply, “Whoa.. so shy, so coy, thank you!” she replied as her world seemed to go blurry with bashfulness. It didn’t help that another, the stranger she had introduced herself to only moments ago, noticing her ears and mature features made her pulse quicken. Little did she know only a second later she’d feel another kiss on her other cheek this one sending her further into her blushing spiral. Her pupils turning into hearts as her jaw dropped a bit. She’d take a few steps back, seemingly drunk or blissfully intoxicated by whatever emotions were taking over her. The witch would tippy toe dance briefly as she put her hands over her heart. “Like.. wow!” she exclaimed blissfully. Then replying to her question, “Yes, absolutely satisfactory! I shall put it in the vault of the castle of my heart and treasure it for ever and ever and ever!” Then the final affection attack came from Sophia as by now Scylla was seemingly in a whole other universe. Given to the illusion, her mind would animate the kiss leaving the fae’s lips, turning into a arrow tipped with a heart striking her right in the feelings! “AWW!! So faithful, so loyal, so precious, i’m.. i’m..” She’d then suddenly faint dramatically, placing the back of her hand on her forehead. “..consoled.”

Laying there for a few moments, still under the trance and dizziness of such an affectionate attack! “I’m.. going to just.. lay here for a bit.”


—


Once the effects of the daze wore off however, a strange clicky mechanical sound could be heard. It certainly was a foreign sound, so she sat up, “Hmm.. hello there!” She waved, then shrugged and looked at the others. “What do you suppose this little guy is saying?” She asked without really expecting an answer or anything more than what she knew herself. Some would approach it, yet it stepped back appearing a bit uncomfortable at what could seem like towering fleshy beings to the mechanical little droid like being. “Hey, it’s kinda cute isn’t it?” She asked the wind as she held an index finger to her chin in thought. It was here she was wishing she’d make a stop at the library to understand the principles of ‘mind control’ how fun would it be to make this little droid her pet? Alas, her chaotic train of thought would cease as a motor car speed closer and closer. Feeling the ground beneath her shake at its approch she got up frantically. “Eek! Something is coming!” She called before standing behind Kalina, peeking at the car through the gaps. “Who.. do you suppose they are? They’re certainly not very friendly looking are they?” She stated, “I know, I’ll just.. go say hello.” The woman in the car already had her eyes fixed upon the party, but Scylla didn't hesitate to call out, “Hey there!” She waved, “Is that little steam construct yours?” She asked, pointing at the code emitting baby construct. Scylla would also use, [Appraisal]. Hopefully they we’re friendly, there had to be some kind of authority here to keep things under control right? Such a ‘well oiled’ system had to have its failsafes!

 

[Sharena]

​

"Scylla!" Shion reacted instinctively at Scylla losing her ability to stand, completely forgetting about the construct. She closed what little distance there was after her applied kiss to the woman's cheek and gently managed to catch her in her arms while kneeling down to support her fall. She held Scylla in a way the woman would be comfortable until she awoke.

Shion looked over to Cayde once the minor crisis was averted, and she couldn't help but smile at his kindness as he apologized for making her relive her past while also offering her protection. Her tail wagged back and forth once as she adjusted her hold on Scylla so she could better look at the plague doctor. "It is alright, Cayde, I've lost a lot in my lifetime, that's what happens when you live a life as long as mine...time passes you by whether you want it to or not. It is why I strive to make the best memories I can with the people I meet. Humans like to test my desire on such things at times, but...meeting the true end of my life with bitterness in my heart will only make it sting harder. I shall accept your offer for protection, someday I hope to be able to pay back such kindness."

She felt a small amount of pity for him. Here she was, an outsider telling him this story that must sound ludicrous if offworlders sounded like such a strange concept here, and she also wasn't able to tell him a happy one. Perhaps later, she'd like to have a moment to breathe...where there wasn't so much of this "steam" structure around.

She then caught Iberis' joy and excitement out of the corner of her eye and turned her attention to her. She felt surprisingly welcome around the first humans she met here. It was...a very welcome happenstance. She actually giggled as she realized something and looked Iberis in the eyes. "You know, I know someone that just invited me to take tea and pastries with her." She glanced to the momentarily unconscious witch. "Perchance we could find somewhere...less urbanized after and share some stories?"

It was clear whenever Shion looked around before and just now during her suggestion that the state of this city dampened her mood, but she at least seemed to return to the warm, kind woman when she was actually addressing those around her welcoming her to this world. It was then she processed what Cayde and Iberis said about the construct.

"Animated through magic...I don't know whether to be amazed or fearful of such ingenuity..." She said as she looked back at the construct with mixed emotions. Humans mixing magic into the civilizations? Could that...could that be the answer to bringing the balance of the spirits into such a place? It both made her curious, but at the same time she knew the equally good and bad measures humans might use such discoveries on, and that frightened her more than the hope of being able to actually find comfort in urban establishments.

Then Chandra spoke about how monsters view their love in this world. Shion was unsure how to answer that. She closed her eyes, weeding through her thoughts as she thought back to her home and the people she had fought alongside. Did she really want to return to her old self and allow her mind to accept all prejudices just because it was easier? No...she refused. Otherwise she'd have just walked away from everyone in this hangar, or worse, ran away in fear. What would that have gained her other than potentially making the situation worse for herself and possibly them? The answer was nothing. She shook her head once her resolve was clear.

​

"I don't agree with you, Chandra." She stated calmly to the woman who stood above Shion even if she wasn't holding an unconscious witch in her arms right now. "Maybe you're right about monsters being evil here, I'm not going to doubt your advice on that. But the very notion that their love is so tainted too...I don't know if I can prescribe to that notion. I fought alongside some people in my world that I truly detested, and if the threat didn't face our entire world, we wouldn't have been on the same side. Even in that contempt, I saw glimmers of humanity in them. Something that shone through that vileness within their hearts. A Captain of the Knights from an empire with questionable ethics nearly met his end by my spear on many occasions for trying to consort with the Abyssians multiple times to spare his own hide. And yet, something always came up every time he tried it. He wanted a very specific village exempt from their destruction too. I eventually eavesdropped on one of his later thrashings from his Commander and learned he had a son he would do anything to keep from getting swept up in the chaos......" Shion fell silent for a moment as she closed her eyes, her grip on Scylla tightening briefly before she caught herself before she hurt her, as if her bile for the man was starting to surface. She shook her head and looked at Chandra. She had to be open, she had to be honest, she had to share because if she didn't then it would just leave a rift between them.

"Even a man that nearly cost us our lives several times, a man I wanted to skewer with my spear as an example to all the despicable humans what awaited them should they keep stooping to such depths, a sliver of his heart remained." Shion went silent for several moments, she didn't like showing that side of her. The side that resented the humans she'd killed for threatening the forests she called home, the side that wanted to stay in the forests and never leave to try and make happier memories with others, the side that wanted to agree with her kin that humans weren't worth it. She fought it down, her teeth grit as she slowly calmed herself. Eventually, she had the control to speak again.

"After all...there was a time when I would've said the same about all humans...so I can't accept that...I can't allow my darkest thoughts to win so easily. I am...sorry you had to see that..." Shion said to everyone present, still calming down as she tried to forget that man again lest she get excessively irrational. Luckily her mind would have a viable (even if a rather unwelcome) distraction momentarily.

The construct managed to finally get them to move out of the way just in time for some mechanical contraption sending Shion's ears into an existential crisis to swerve near where they had just been. It made her recoil enough that she didn't notice Scylla's sudden awakening and darting behind Chandra. As the two humanoid figures stepped out of the car, Shion looked at both of them and felt...uneasy. She didn't like how readily the woman seemed to appreciate the parts on her form disrupting her natural characteristics, meanwhile the other figure...seemed entirely mechanical. She could hear Scylla make some mildly frightened comments to Chandra before stepping out and boldly trying to establish a rapport between them. She envied the young woman, able to accept such new things so readily she wondered just how much of this world was like this. It did give her some pause for her concern for the spirits she hoped to meet someday, but for now she tried to put that out of her mind as she stood to her feet, folded her arms, and remained silent as her tail randomly moved about as she watched with a keen eye. Suddenly, she could feel the flow of Mana enter her mind, and she could feel this strange new sensation in her eyes. As if through some kind of mystical divination, her eyes began to picture some kind of information being displayed next to the mysterious woman as her eyes attempted to use Appraisal [E] on her. She tried to keep cool and play it off like nothing was happening, but even her eyes were giving off a faint blue glow as she did so, but she didn't know that.

Appraisal [E] on the mystery woman too far away from her.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia listened to Kalina put herself down, the Fae giving a small shake of her head. "You deserve it and more, even if you don't think you do." At the statement about destroying things they love, that didn't seem to do a single thing to her personally. She wasn't sure if it was true or the vampire trying to convince the newcomer, but she decided to step in and assist. "The issue with monsters isn't just that they are evil for the sake of being evil. If you are not a monster, and sometimes even if you are, a monster has it ingrained in them to destroy you. Some very specific ones are special in the way that they can push past that instinct, but that is literally one in a million, and even if you don't want to harm them willy nilly, it's a good idea to avoid them, then. For vampires, they're capable of speech, so I don't want you to get murdered because you believe you can fix them." She hoped she didn't hurt her friend's feelings, but she had a nagging feeling that if this lady went out into the world with this way of thinking, she would get tricked and backstabbed by some particularly cunning monster. She glanced apologetically at Kalina before turning to view the newcomers.

Her eyes moved from her witchy friend leaping to speak with the two steampunk-esque characters to the lady who seemed to be examining every inch of her with her eyes, a small frown passing over her face. Something about that definitely put her on edge... As she walked forwards, moving closer towards the lady, her eyes weakly flashed white as she began to appraise the lady, trying to figure out what her deal was, but even before she started, the crafter was already guessing her own was too low to be able to tell anything, like with when she appraised the noble woman. "Excuse me, miss. May we help you?" Her head tilted to the side as she got a closer look at the two of them, her eyes falling to the lady's arm. "Cool prosthetic, though if you want I could design one that's a bit closer to human. I could even enchant it for you, if you'd be willing to pay. The last person I made one for told me that it felt like he never lost his. Of course, that's assuming you would prefer that type of arm." Her eyes went back to the lady's face, the artisan letting her interest show while she kept attempting to find out more about the lady. (Appraisal D)​

 

[Sharena]

(Small picture, smaller post. )
​

"You misunderstand me, Sophia." Shion gently placed a hand on the insectoid woman's shoulder before she walked away. "Perhaps my attempts to quell my contempt failed to explain properly." Shion explained in a lower voice so the group could hear her.

"I have no desire to allow anything that could threaten the people and things I care about to stay alive. I wanted that man dead even after I found out where his heart truly lay. I merely...wish to sympathize, I don't think any creature's love is worthless, misguided as it may be." She let go of Sophia and let her approach the two figures before them, keeping her distance as she proceeded to deal with this new magical sensation flowing through her as best as she could.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario TheTimePiece Sharena RavenSong Silent Angel ​

Following the clicking construct, Cayde couldn't help but overhear Sophia's conversation with Shion. Nothing she said was incorrect. Most monsters were backstabbing, selfish, untrustworthy fiends. But there were exceptions. Kalina wasn't like that. Malerie wasn't either. Kalina had been too selfless in those marshes, Malerie too considerate in Vegard. And both trusted him. Those weren't the qualities of a monster. They had to be something else entirely.

It still didn't make sense, Cayde thought as he peeked at Kalina from the corner of his eye. Why was she like this? What made her so friendly? It would've been so much easier to just kill him, never let him interfere with her undeath. So why hadn't she done it? Maybe Sophia was right. Maybe she was one of the one-in-a-million chances of a "good" monster, and he'd got lucky twice. Or maybe her friendship was a ruse, some charade to make him feel special, so she could exploit him later? Or perhaps it was one of old him's thoughts. That a caring, funny human was beneath all that undead skin.

Probably wishful thinking, he told himself. That optimism wouldn't help with getting over anything. But it felt good to think about it. Reminded him of the good times. Back with Ceylan and Kesh. Back when everything didn't seem so bad. "Yeah, I doubt you'll find a monster worth sympathizing for, Shion," He said, giving her a slow nod, "But... in the odd chance you do find one, I bet it'll change your life."

Now, Cayde noticed the large, rumbling contraption slowing ahead of him. Must've been the baron, he thought, trying to peer through the steam. Sure looked like something a noble construct would pull up in. Cayde watched as two figures emerged from the vehicle, eyes narrowing as they came into view. Scylla was right. Neither of them looked friendly. Especially the woman with the metallic arm. That gaze of hers was unsettling. Made him feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. Just what was she looking for?

Cayde let the thought drift into the back of his mind. It didn't matter how creepy they looked. Or how quiet they were. They still deserved a good first impression. Old him wasn't bad at that. "Good morning! Have you two been sent by the baron?" He said, taking a few steps closer, "We're here regarding the problem with the vampire. Said you could use a few more hands, yeah?" He gestured to each party member, "These are my comrades Chandra, Sophia, Shion, Iberis, and Scylla. And I'm Cayde. A pleasure to meet you!"

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir

Elvario The Last Curse Sharena RavenSong Silent Angel ​

Iberis felt quite pleased to be reaffirmed Scylla that she had said the right thing then and there. Giving her a smile. Even more so when she said that they did have one another. Iberis really didn't want to see Scylla go yet again, the longer she was able to stay by her side the better off they'd all be, Iberis thought to herself. "I'm..really happy you agree Scylla." She said sounding a bit more content now and at ease, the grip lessening on her staff some. Before being a bit alarmed by Scylla's fainting, even if it didn't seem she was harmed.

Her focus then shifted when Shion spoke to her and she lit up a bit once more, giving her a smile.

"Oh, uh yeah, there's still a great deal of wilderness in this world actually! One place you might like to check out is the See, they have very striking nature I've heard, or another option would be some of the more outer areas of the suburbs of Ryke, some of those small towns probably have what you're looking for, just thought I should let you know that not everyone is necessarily going to be as friendly if they hear you're from another world, people aren't always comfortable with what's different."

She figured she should try to get the message to Shion before she ventured too far off assuming a uniform non-hostile reaction, since she figured it would only be to Shion's benefit that she should probably be selective with those who she told. She replied to the best of her ability.

She had also passively listened to the discourse about monsters and other topics with interest, they were certainly debates to be had, but she didn't much feel like throwing her hat in the ring on the issues so to speak.
---
Truthfully Iberis thought constructs were quite neat assuming that they weren't trying to give you trouble, so she found this one ot be equally interesting as she took in the details, wishing she could understand the language which it was speaking. For now she looked back trying to not do anything htat could upset the machine. When she heard 'Chandra' reaffirm the thoughts of Cayde and the idea that Iberis latched onto as a possibility that was as good as any, Iberis moved out the way of the group, unknowing that's why the constructs were trying to warn them since they didn't want them. She was glad to see that Scylla was back up again.

Iberis was equally surprised when the machine came traveling through carrying even more unique looking figures, feeling her heart race, as she gripped her staff yet again turning around quickly to face it not long after the construct expressed it was pleased that they had moved, even if she didn't understand it. Iberis's immediate thought on seeing the vehicle and the people who got out was what sort of knowledge they held. She also found herself watch the constructs work on the car like vehicle as if they were on a clockwork schedule, it was all very impressive to her.

Once again much like Scylla Iberis had seen many unique bodies in the undead in her time in that world so she felt less creeped out and even more intrigued, taking an equal look back at the pair. She heard Cayde's introduction of the group which she appreciated as it was to the point. She gave the pair a bit of a small wave. Hearing Sophia mention her ability with prosthetics only made Iberis think about the strange condition that had befallen her leg. But that wasn't terribly important to think about right now unless it became an issue, she had to focus.

"Right, looking forward to help in whatever way I can." before attempting to give a small bow of respect uncertain of who they were but if they were able to ride in something like that they must have been wealthy and by extension important somehow.

 

[Elvario]

The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Widersia – Captial – Clockhaven – The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Time: 9:35 Weather Bright skies, warm breeze.

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

Chandra Jarmil
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Scylla's words, regarding what happened with Renee, provided some relief. “You're already helping a lot by being here.” She replied, although upon the next statement, she raised an eyebrow. “In your book..? You'll have to get back to me on that.” She questioned, having no clue what Scylla was on about. However, she'd have to get her answer later, as this morning's events kept following up on each-other at a rapid pace. It was tough not to laugh at Scylla's reaction to the sudden attention she'd drawn towards herself, as the girl was being pretty fun to play around with. However, her current persona wouldn't feel as unrestricted in doing so as her actual self would, so she forced herself to hold back. Still, it felt like such a waste.

Another waste was how her plans regarding Shion were backfiring. You see, her plan had been simple. She just wanted to test Shion a little and estimate the likelihood of being stabbed in the back by Shion the moment the latter found out about Kalina's true nature. It's why she'd been pressing the [monster] part to get to the truth of how aggressive Shion was likely to be towards her and/or if she was a little more open-minded. That part had been a flawless success. After all, Shion openly disagreed. Despite coming to a new world where she knew next to nothing, she wasn't accepting such information, which meant she was the type to want to see the best in others, which in turn meant a back-stab was less likely.

That would've been enough, but Shion made it into an entire argument. Technically, she mixed up cause and causation. Having such corrupted love was what made you a monster, not the other way around. Kalina, were she to give in to her nature, knew that she'd be killing everyone here with pleasure, not due to wanting to murder them, but due to loving them. Wait... she just admitted it, did she? The thing she was scared off doing. Not only that, she even directly acknowledged the ugliness that her monster side awoke as the result of such feelings. She gritted her teeth. Get out of your head, this isn't the time to be overthinking things. She told herself, as she listened to the words that got her plan backfiring, coming from the voices of her friends.

For one, Sophia was backing her up. Whilst that was normally appreciated and whilst it would certainly ensure that Shion wasn't going to make mistakes in targetting their real enemy, it might also make her more likely to attack Kalina herself. Although she was hopefully considered the one in a million by Sophia (assuming the Fae's masochistic streaks didn't run deep enough to consider otherwise), she did almost flinch at the mention of being tricked by vampires. That bit could really come back to hurt her in the long run.

Trying to play it off, she'd instead react to Sophia's former statement. “I-I don't even know what... I did to earn it.” About half of that was the Chandra act, the other half was genuine curiosity. Besides, she figured she'd push the issue a little more. “I'm not even the... faith..full.. type.” After all, she'd gotten her fix of blood from many other people, despite Sophia going as far as trying to alter herself to be a supplier. The worst part, perhaps something monstrous within Kalina, wanted to continue doing that even if she wouldn't be forced to rely on others. Such a desire to have a diverse diet was surely unfaithful, right? Not that she would explain that way of thinking to anyone. They were free to reach their own conclusions.

Cayde's words were even more peculiar. Finding a monster worth sympathizing with, changing your life? Was he talking about their meeting? Had she really made such a big impact on him? She doubted it. She badly wished to question him, but alas, she couldn't. She had appearances to keep up. Even if she could pretend to just be curious, she doubted Chandra was open enough to do so. She was 'shy' right now, after all, and she'd already been pushing some of those limits.

???

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Spoiler: Full Image

The woman, after staring at them, found the favour to be returned. First of all by Scylla, who approached the two of them closely enough to appraise (E) them. She'd realise that both of them were beyond the full scope of her ability to read others, but even so, a few things were revealed. For one, the woman was [Blood-lusted] yet also had a [Servant] title. Stat-wise, her intelligence was measurable by Scylla's appraisal (E-grade), although none of the other stats were. Thanks to the woman's higher character-grade, none of her skills showed up. However, one of the things she was wearing did show up. In particular, [Maid's Battle Dress E] showed up.

Considering Shion wasn't closing in, her Appraisal failed to provide any information.

Sophia's appraise (D) attempt revealed the same as Scylla's, plus some additional titles. Namely [Forgiven Murderer], [Forgiven Abuser] and [Forgiven Vandal]. She too, however, wasn't able to see the full extend of the woman's titles. She did see one more stat, namely precision D. Thanks to her artisan background, she also managed to make more sense of the woman's items, despite them being of a higher grade than her appraisal. All of the items not seen before were B-grade. The left forearm and hand were just [Mechanical Forearm and Hand], the same applied to both kneecaps with [Mechanical Knee] showing up for both of them. However, the far more dangerous looking right arm was showing up as [Combat Arm] and seemed to include a build-in item called [Venom Container], although that was the extend at which she was able to analyse it. Lastly, an item called [Respiratory Mask] was engrained onto her face. None of these items were Mithril or Enchanted, but they did seem to have some tricks to them. In the end, these [Tinkerer]-based items were among the few that the master artisan Fae hadn't yet mastered making of her own.

Before the woman replied to any of them, a clicking sound could be heard from behind the mask.

01010100 01101000 01100101 01111001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01101111 01101011 00100000 01110101 01101110 01110100 01110010 01110101 01110011 01110100 01110111 01101111 01110010 01110100 01101000 01111001 00101110

Baron Fromm

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Spoiler: Full Image

The attempts at appraising the construct had only resulted in two things. The name [Fromm] and the title [Baron]. However, the failure to see more of him wasn't necessarily the result of a higher character grade, but rather it seemed to stem from the person having some sort of ability to disturb attempts at appraisal used on him. Whilst such things weren't uncommon in places like the See, where Fae were continuously trying to trick others and see through tricks used on them, it was a bit more rare for a Construct in Widersia to have such a feature.

After the clicking noises made by the woman, he remained silent for a bit, carefully observing the others. Once he ensured himself that they had no clue what was being said, he finally replied.

01000001 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100101 01100100 00101100 00100000 01111001 01100101 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01110000 01101001 01100011 01101011 01111001 00101110 00100000 01010111 01100101 00100000 01110000 01110010 01101111 01100011 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110101 01110011 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01101101 00101110

After a bit of silence, the woman replied.

01010000 01100101 01110010 01101101 01101001 01110011 01110011 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101011 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101111 01101110 01100101 00100000 01101001 01100110 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 01100101 01100100 00111111

Another long pause. Then the baron 'clicked' his reply.

01000111 01110010 01100001 01101110 01110100 01100101 01100100 00101100 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01101111 01101110 01101100 01111001 00100000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100001 00100000 01101100 01100001 01110011 01110100 00100000 01110010 01100101 01110011 01101111 01110010 01110100 00101110

Finally, one of them spoke up in a language they could all speak. “My apologies for the late introduction, the gears needed some additional spinning.” He stated, using a construct proverb that might be lost on most of them. He turned towards Cayde. “One might say I'm sent by the Baron, perhaps, for I am the Baron.” He replied, a metallic voice coming from a speaker that would normally be someone's mouth. “Your acquaintanceship is mutually agreeable.” He replied to Cayde's introduction, whatever that was supposed to mean, before looking back at him. “I take it you are designated as this group's leader, then? If not, please tell me who is.”

He then turned towards Scylla. “These constructs are mine, yes.” He stated, continuing after a short pause. “They are merely designed for maintenance tasks, so I cannot have you enlist their services.” He concluded, likely after incorrectly assuming some things about her question.

???

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Spoiler: Full Image

The woman's head turned towards Sophia upon the mention of prosthetics. With her eyes being as hazy as they were and her mouth covered by a mask, there was little to no emotion visible on her features. Her somewhat metallic voice (perhaps due to the mask) didn't suggest a particular emotion either. “It does what it needs to do.” Was all she said, seemingly trying to brush it off. However, a somewhat surprisingly follow-up sentence followed. “Nice outfit, by the way.” With the voice being void of emotion, it was unclear what was meant with the comment, be it compliment, joke or insult.

Baron Fromm

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Spoiler: Full Image

After a bit, the Baron spoke up again. “Well then, now that we are all acquainted, let us not waste time.” He looked around again, eyes scanning each member of the group once more. “I'm assuming you're all up-to-date with the task at hand, but should there be any last-moment questions, now would be the time to ask them. My latest information is that the Vampire Hunters I hired are on standby in The Rusted Booze, whilst Sverre, one of the local law-officers on the case, is still missing. We found the corpses of the assassins we hired, all of their bodies are accounted for, so they are out of the picture. One of my informants, Chima, claims to have new information, but was unwilling to deliver it. A meeting can be arranged at Railworker's Crossing. That concludes all the latest news.” He stated in order, as if mechanically rolling through a script. Despite somehow managing to become a Baron, this man was still very much a [Construct] in both appearance and thought process.