Realistic or Modern [Closed] Magik Hero U In-Character

[Tiguidi]

SAMANTHA FORD​

Samantha generally wasn’t an expressive person so the morning news may have seemed like they didn’t affect her that much. But her mind had been, in fact, clouded all morning by the terrible news. A part of her had hoped that this ‘malfunction’ was referring to something else but the mention of the ‘mushroom hero’ solidified the fact that what happened the night before was anything but false. And that in turn meant that the missing people and the death of their fellow Magik Heroes was also true. ’Misaki and Vivian, huh…?’, Sam dryly thought to herself.

During lunch time, she quickly ate her meal, alone, and walked to Misaki’s locker, staring at the locker-turned-memorial from a short distance and performing a silent prayer. She didn’t know her all that much -maybe shared a class or two, but at the end of the day, she had still been an ally in her new ‘job’.

Well, paying homage to Misaki wasn’t the only reason why she so hurriedly finished her lunch.

---

Earlier that day, Samantha had been fiddling with the Magik Hero U app (she still liked the game, after all) and did a bit of research on the internet out of curiosity. What happened the night before awakened the occult enthusiast in her and she had been curious to see if mentions of ‘real Magik Heroes’ were on the web.

Unsurprisingly, there was almost nothing -Moki did mention that they would be hidden from the public’s eye through supernatural means. But there was one thing that piqued her curiosity: a post from KV_Acry warning people not to play the game and ignore anything related to it. ’Oof, how ominous.’

With that being said, however, she had read the post with much more focus than she’d put in any homework she’d done (and/or failed to do).

Please type your name in the chat.

Brows furrowed as Samantha’s eyes gazed at her screen. The admin knew what was going on and ‘name’ was strangely in bold italics.

Her lips curled into a smirk as she typed ‘Twilight’, proceeding into the next step of this puzzle. “Dude, creepy much…?”, she commented, seeing the images and handwritten notes appear on her screen. Still, she had an idea of what to type next.

‘Starponaria’

“EZ.”, Samantha voiced, letting go of the keyboard to stretch her arms.

---

And there she was, on the school’s rooftop, her hands in her jacket’s pockets as she glanced around in order to find Dopplewalker. The area seemed empty at first, though she did notice the drawing taped on the shed’s door. “Ayo, that’s kind of in bad taste, isn’t it…?”, Samantha deadpanned. She gave a knock to the doors, followed by trying to open them, with no luck due to them being locked.

It was when Samantha took a peek behind the shed that she finally saw the person she’s been looking for.

“... ‘Sup, Dopple.”

Cresion Breezes

 

[Nellancholy]

Callisto wasn't one to be distracted by other things while class was in session. Well, not always. And today was one of those days, especially after last night's events. She wanted to firmly insist on the fact that she wouldn't direct her investigation to the "game" side of things, after all, she knew better than to get caught up in something time-consuming like that. And besides, yesterday was just a trial run. Moki, that thing...it made clear the surviving Magik Heroes would be needed for what was to come. Her plan was to keep working with them, look at least somewhat favorable to them. Understand their personalities and talents...their Virtues, as Moki called them. And then together they could dig into the more...metaphysical side of things instead of getting tangled up in the game that the masterminds behind this used as a medium.

That didn't mean she didn't do some cursory searches online, however.

KV_Acry.

They seemed to be a person who was fairly...infamous in the community. Definitely recognized. And this morning they'd done a sudden about face and withdrawn their involvement with the game while setting up a little investigation of their own. This meant that either they knew the truth behind what happened somehow...or they were there. One of the survivors. One of her fellow...heroes.

Oh, she wouldn't bite. There had to be some kind of trick behind it. Not necessarily a harmful one, but maybe one that would restrict her freedom to investigate on her own terms. If only she was at home, at her own PC right now. She could dig into the hosts of KV's website, find the contact info linked to that account. Shoot them an email and open a channel for communication that they hadn't set up.

"Oh, so devious." The stuffed rabbit curled up on a bench next to Callisto. "Never one to take someone else's bait, are you? Just be sure you don't blunder into a trap all your own..." The other personality seemed dormant for now, in the absence of bloody battle and mortal peril.

"Well, I won't tell you not to worry, Sarasvati." Callisto replied, sotto voce. "But I'm not going to follow the path they've laid out just yet."

Of course, the announcement of the...untimely passing of some of her schoolmates was a lead all of its own.

"Rinya Mikiyōhen. Vivian Labelle. Misaki...uh, Misaki."

She tapped out a text to good old Mr. X.

"Look into them if you'd like."

"Thank you, Caliban. My employers will appreciate you helping us narrow down the leads. Autopsy information, background information...we'll find out who's behind Magik Hero U and what they want."

And with that done...Callisto leaned back on the bench to enjoy her break, Sarasvati sat next to her.

Maybe she could go back to the gardens and resume her analysis of footwear trends based on the footprints left in the dirt there. Or maybe she'd catch up with the astronomy club and update the meteorological forecast for the week...

( Solirus if you want Atrian to have a conversation with her as part of processing last night or whatever)

 

[Solirus]

The sun only now began to rise, the chill wind whistled across the forest. All Atrian could hear was the sound of crushing leaves, his heartbeat, and his own panting as he finally reached his limit, looking down at the path he'd ran so often. Now however it felt different, it didn't feel like always, his adrenaline had hardly risen and his heartbeat would only increase anytime he thought about the events of last night.

They were still unreal to him, it had felt like a bad and uncomfortable dream that only seemed to make sense in the moment, but Atrian couldn't lie to himself, it was all too real. Shaking his head Atrian resumed his morning sprint, finally arriving at his starting point where he'd left his bicycle alongside everything else he'd need for the entire day. Atop the bicycle was Pier and Cer chatting amongst each other, each with their professionally tailored uniforms. Upon his arrival, Pier straightened up, moving his claw next to his head, "Welcome back sir, has your exercise been stimulating and effective in it's purpose?"

"That's one weird way to say it" Cer commented on Piers seemingly odd antics.

"It went fine" Atrian grabbed a towel from his bag, swiping the sweat from his face, "The routine and consistency is what matters more in this case."

"I see, very commendable sir" Pier commented, trying to ignore Cer's offhand comment. "You still have some time before your scholarly activities commence, what shall you do until then?"

"...I've got time to work on some homework... but I'll probably bike around the city in the meantime..." Atrian hesitantly explained putting on his helmet and grabbing his bag as Pier and Cer hopped inside it. With a final breath Atrian made his way back into the city.

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

Location: School Cafeteria​

Atrian was sat on a table, tapping his fingers on its surface. The loud table he'd usually be a part of was all silent, even when ever seat was occupied with some even being dragged in from other tables, all the kids remained quiet from the news of the announcement. Those that were missing had to be from that night, it matched in number and in gender too. It felt even more surreal than the morning, those were people he'd known, even if some offhandedly, and now they were gone. Atrian kept pondering about the night, could he have done anything to help, could his powers have prevented the unnecessary deaths...

Atrian felt a small shove to his side, "Jeez Atrian, we know you'd be the one most worried about what happened, but mate you look like a ghost."

"Do I? Maybe I'm getting worked up too much"

"I bet he's worried cause now he has to worry about not having a Vice Prez help him with his work"

"You think? She always seemed wrong you know, like she wasn't ever there to begin with."

"I will admit, the Vice President always seemed, a bit intense to deal with" Atrian finally responded, as the table piled on until the usual chaos of words returned, in a way releasing a lot of the tension for Atrian at the current moment.

 

[seasonedcat]

for the first time in a long while, Ez slept really well, or rather he slept through the night; when he woke up, he felt as if he didn't sleep for a week. His head was throbbing like it had been hit with a sack of bricks, and his hands had a tremor in them he couldn't seem to quell. Not to mention this deep throbbing pain inside him that stirred every time he moved, not that it seemed to have a source. It must have come from his ego or something.

as much as Ez had wanted to skip the day, it was foiled when Marci came banging on his door in the early morning, insisting he eats this breakfast and walk with her. So to school, Ez went, after consuming the breakfast no matter how much he didn't want to. Throughout the day, Ez couldn't find it in himself to be his usual self, his school working being harder to focus on than usual; not a single joke broke the teaching part of the class as Ez gazed out the window with a tired look on his face.

thankfully, lunch came, and after a brief scolding from his teacher for not doing his homework, Ez found himself making his way to Marci and his usual lunch spot. Ez plotted himself down heavily as he gave Rex a pet on the head as he opened up his bag with his other hand and let the snoozing Beans get some light. His head still pounded despite the several meds he had taken to try and suppress it. The two sat in an unusual silence for a few moments before Ez produced his phone and loaded up the game that had gotten them into this mess, beginning to do his daily grinds to hold his placements.

"so how was Mrs. Hornn's class, still as boring as a remember?" he found himself producing without much heat as he offered Marci a brief glance before returning to his game.
Juju
---

TW: reckless use of prescribed drugs. (only in the last two sentences of the post, feel free to skip; nothing lethal or risk of OD)
Fabian did not fall asleep after walking home, spending the night on brinks of panic attacks at the thought of what had just happened. In the morning, he was a jittery mess, beyond exhausted, as he prayed for a sudden snowstorm to hit the school so he didn't have to go. Sadly none came, and without a parent to call him in sick, he made the trudge to school.

of course, it didn't take him long before he remembered a major assignment was due today, one he had forgotten to bring. So Fabian broke down in a gender-neutral bathroom for half of the second period and spent the rest of it too anxious to go into class late. It wasn't long until he found himself back in the same bathroom, this time to eat his lunch.

he could only suffer through a few bites before he had had enough of the leftover soggy ramen. He then found himself scrolling through different news outlets in the area as well as the chatrooms for his fellow magic heroes. A dead person and another one missing. Fabian had no doubt that these were his team's magic heroes, ones he had not seen when Moki took them all home. Fabian bit back, growing bile at this realization. They would still be alive if he had stayed with his team. Another two people died as a result of his existence. Ignoring the prescription, Fabian took a small handful of his pills, the overbearing calm settling in him as he let the tears fall down his face. If only he hadn't taken up the spot for someone more capiable.

 

[Juju]

seasonedcat ThatWhichShouldBe
Marce frowned down at the screen, lips pursed lightly. Sol’s response was more or less expected, so she wasn’t so much surprised as she was worried. Just what had happened? Not even Moki had said anything about it. As much as she wanted information on last night’s disaster, she wasn’t about to pry. Besides, it was not as if Sol was on her team, or even a friend for that matter. Aside from herself and Candace, it was possible that none of the heroes knew each other beyond their EGO. Despite what Moki may say, Sol didn’t owe her any trust.

Perturbed, Marce stared at the screen thoughtfully. Her response was short, yet delayed.

‘Thanks. You too.'

She turned off her phone and let out a long sigh. It was hard to work together as a team when the only interaction they shared was barely managing to kill a monster-fish. Just thinking back to it made the cafeteria seem a little too warm for her liking.

Without a doubt there were more monsters out there like Fishlegs, possibly much stronger. If they weren’t ready to face them then last night’s disappearances might only be the beginning.

Soon enough Ezekiel arrived, though without his usual spunk. With his EGO shattered, he was likely exhausted, but Marce couldn’t help but wonder if something else was bothering him. She watched him with uncertainty, not even realising she was drawing out the silence until he asked her about her classes.

“Finally, you’re here! I was starting to worry you passed out or something,” Marce said, wagging a finger in half-seriousness. She crossed her arms at the question about her class. “Hornn’s classes are as interesting as watching paint dry. I swear she talks in monotone on purpose.”

Her attempts at keeping the mood lighthearted did not seem to reach Ez, who despite sticking his head in a video game, looked unusually gloomy. She could hear the familiar sounds of MHU, recognizing the magic spells used by Candace… the video game version. Come to think of it, did their real EGO have any effect in the game? What would happen if you tried to change them?

Marce ended up opening the app to check on her own character. Prism stood idle in the character menu. She went to tap on the edit character button, but realised she couldn’t find it anymore. Guess that answered things.

While Ez worked away at his leaderboard, Marce eyed the empty chat. No word from Moki or any of the others. Were they just meant to sit here and wait until Moki sent them on another dangerous mission?

---

---

Solirus ThatWhichShouldBe seasonedcat jmann Cresion Breezes Nellancholy Tiguidi

An idea struck her then, one that she hoped would improve everyone’s moods. While Rex watched Ez play MHU, Marce got to work on a message addressed to all the heroes.

“Hello everyone, this is Prism. I will be hosting a training session tonight. We still haven’t gotten accustomed to our powers or each other yet, and I figured it will be to everyone’s benefit to prepare before our next mission.

This training is unofficial and optional. Moki hasn’t asked me to do this… I haven’t heard back from them either.

Training will be at the park tonight, same time as yesterday. See you there.”

 

[Juju]

That night, Prism set up the impromptu ‘training grounds’ in a quiet corner of the park. It was in one of the older sections, where the shape of an old parking lot could still be seen as an imprint in the grass. Despite the pavement having been torn up and the area seeded, the grass hadn’t grown in as well as it should have.

Using her crystals as training dummies, the night was spent honing magik skills and getting a better feel of their EGO forms. As much as Prism tried to keep the mood up with her hard-working spirit and encouragement, there was little she could do about the gloom that had settled over the heroes. While she might be keen on distracting herself with hard work, it was not something that could be shared by everyone.

Many of the members were exhausted from the previous night, and in a bout of remorse, Prism cut the training shorter than she had hoped. In the end, she spent more time talking with the heroes who showed up and trying to cheer them up.

---

* . °•★|The next day...|☆•° . *​

---

┌── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┐
seasonedcat
Solirus
ThatWhichShouldBe
Tiguidi
Cresion Breezes
jmann
Nellancholy
└── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┘
A day had come and gone and still there was no sign of Moki. That morning, the atmosphere at school had changed. All the nervous conversations and rumors that had been on every student's mind had come to a sudden end. The tragedy that would have been the talk of the school for the foreseeable future had all but evaporated in little less than a day. Not even the news was covering it anymore, including the public alerts for the active missing person’s case.

Misaki’s locker, which had been temporarily converted into a memorial for grieving and supportive students, had been cleared away of all flowers and thoughtful messages. It now stood empty and unused, not even garnering the sad looks of students passing by. For all anybody knew, it could have been an empty and unused locker for the entire school year.

It was only when either Misaki’s death or the disappearance of Vivian was directly brought up that people seemed to remember, though the conversations quickly turned away to other topics. By the time the conversation swapped away the unusual ‘normalcy’ returned as if nothing had happened. Even those who had been Misaki's close friends. In a matter of 24 hours it seemed that everyone had completely moved on and forgotten about the tragic events that just yesterday had put the entire school on halt.

One thing soon became clear after a few observations or frustrating conversations… only the Heroes seemed to truly remember the missing or dead.

Moki’s silence was broken after lunch, during the middle of afternoon classes. They all received the familiar alert, one that refused to be silenced even if the phone was supposed to be. Even if the phone was switched off, the app still rang out its alert.

“Hello Heroes! Moki would like to apologize for the delay! Moki ran into a few problems, but also has some very good news! Also bad news! There is apparently some debate between humans on whether good or bad news should come first, so Moki shall randomize its order!”

“The good news is that Moki has found Pandora and Potentia thanks to the core you obtained from Fishlegs. Bad news is that they are being contained in a Lair. Supplemental good news; they are still alive! Unfortunately this is an emergency, and Moki insists that all heroes depart from their daily activities at once! Please find a suitably private area to assume your EGO form and Moki shall do the rest~.”

Upon following Moki’s orders and finding a place free from prying eyes, each Hero would once again see Moki appear from their screen and whisk them away into the starry void. Despite being teleported by Moki at presumably different times, all heroes arrived at their destination at the exact same time.

The group of heroes found themselves on a grassy, well maintained lawn in front of a large building. There were two floors accommodating many windows and a large set of doors for an entrance. The rolling hills surrounding the building created a natural overlook at the city below, as well as the distant patch of burnt forest that the heroes would surely recognize.

The sign in front of the building read Gentle Breeze Nursing Home. There were cars in the parking lot and occasionally people could be seen passing by the glass windows of the entrance. A lawnmower hummed somewhere behind the building.

Moki sat between the group of heroes and the nursing home, pawing at Fishleg's Core like a cat with a shiny black ball. "Welcome heroes to your first real mission! This here is a monster's Lair, the aftermath of a Heart's creation. Moki will try to explain it as quickly as possible. It is a place where the world of monsters has broken the barrier and now overlaps with your own. Through the power of a Heart, monsters are capable of physically manifesting and afflicting the surrounding areas and humans with their darkness. In turn, Hearts feed off of this suffering and grow in strength. If left alone they can become a very serious problem. Not only will the original Heart swell, but it will start creating new hearts... something that Fishlegs tried to do."

The sun was warm and so was the breeze, and yet there was a slight eeriness hanging overhead. It felt similar to the night they first fought against the monsters

"The Lair's entrance cannot be seen, but as Magik Heroes you should sense it. Sometimes its a bad smell. Sometimes its an uneasy feeling." Standing up, Moki pawed the ball towards the heroes. Despite having a glossy surface, it did not reflect the sunlight, “Seasoned Magik Heroes can easily cut through the veil and enter the lair, but freshly turned Magik Heroes such as yourself will need a bit of help. Think of it like a key! Fishlegs was born of this Heart, so its core should be suitable."

Moki swished their tail from side to side, long ears flicking in anticipation. "Can you please use your weapons to strike at this core? Breaking it will open the way!"

 

[jmann]

EARTHQUAKE | Hector

Earthquake didn't go to school the second day either. He wasn't ready to go back to such a boring life after discovering so much more he could achieve. Earthquake was mid-run when he heard the buzz of the Magik Hero app. He had been awaiting another notification ever since Prism's training day. Earthquake could not have been more ready.

The thought of the others being alive sent shivers down his spine. He didn't care if they were in a monster Lair, likely filled with many different Fishlegs. He needed to redeem himself in his own eyes. Prove he was the hero he thought he could be. When Moki whisked him away, the ethereal coolness of the starry void brought only excitement for the mission to come.
It appeared as if they had all been summoned at once. Every hero from the fight now stood on a grassy knoll overlooking the forest they once faced Fishlegs in. Not far stood an elderly home. Could this place really be a lair of evil monsters they were meant to defeat? When presented with Fishleg's core, Earthquake pulled Pogo from a little pouch on his belt and transformed them in a flash into the glistening shield he was used to. While he wasn't built for damage output, he figured it would be a good moment to let the other heroes shine. They were all better at direct damage than him, but he would be there the moment the core broke, just in case.

 

[Nellancholy]

"An excellent preposition! Despite her frailty she intends to hone her martial strength!"

"Her crystals are resilient, but her heart wavers..."

And so it was. Having worked pretty closely with Prism on the night of the fire, Gleam figured she had a pretty good grasp on Prism's abilities as they were now. Still, she showed up anyway, keeping her eyes open and taking in the more spectacular displays of her peers' powers. Damn, this would make a pretty good game.

Still, the group weren't quite in step with each other yet. Their first victory was decisive, but perhaps left a bit too much to chance. Hopefully, they'd have a chance to learn more before attrition took more of them away...

---

The day after, Moki's message interrupted Callisto's analysis of the material composition of school lunch, carrying her and the rest of the group to their next mission.

All had assembled, at least the ones that remained. Gleam couldn't help but frown at Moki's explanation, and the mundanity of their surroundings.

"And here I thought I'd get to do some detective work..." She muttered under her breath.

The plug at the back of her neck wasn't exactly the most exciting power if she didn't get to use it.

But Earthquake went on to brace himself, seemingly prepared to let the other members take the lead on this new endeavor.

Just like the night that Gleam first chose to step out on the water, she went first here as well.

"Alright, here goes!"

Winding up like a baseball pitcher, she drew her chakram into her hand, and flung it.

A resounding CLANG rang out from the heart.

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Sol Invictus

He couldn't help but notice it. The deadening, the silencing of memories. Like the lost were just... wiped away from the world. Rage tickled his heart at the very thought, though he tamped it down and smothered it. That whatever force had chosen them, given them power, asked them to fight - It wasn't enough that they gave their lives doing the right thing. They had to give up their legacy too. Every tie they had to the world, lost to some... veil. It rankled. It taunted him. But Sol keeps his attention on his work and on his phone. Which is why he was staring at it when the alert pops up and- they were alive. And more than that. They could be found. They could be brought back.

He forgot his Rage. He forgot everything but those words, dropping everything as he stormed out of class with the briefest of excuses to don his EGO. Hope pounding his heart like a War-Drum.

Sol barely listens to Moki's explanations on what a 'Lair' was, only noting that he'd probably have to fight his way through any number of creatures. Fine by him. He could feel it in the air, like a... tint of shadow over the world, muting colors and deepening shadows. This was where they had to do, this was what they had to breach. Callisto throws her chakram at the heart with a claang, while Sol takes a deep breath. He had to center himself. Turn all these churning feelings into a single focus, rather than let them run wild. And as Callisto catches her Chakram, Sol explodes forward, his heart brandishing its Hope like a drawn sword, roaring out loud.

Pandora... Potentia... they were just out of reach. All he had to do was break this little, tiny thing. His gauntlets light up with flame, his blow infused with explosive force. Sol put, his all his strength and weight behind the blow, his face beading with sweat...

And so his fists slam together down upon the Core with the weight of a falling star.

 

[Solirus]

Atrian had chosen not to present himself to the training session proposed by Prism, instead attending the plans he had those days and testing the limitations and capabilities of his own power with his familiars on his spare time, even when Cer partially protested. On the following day, he felt awkward as the sentiment towards the disappeared had vanished like smoke. The thing that was the center topic in most conversations he was in had suddenly become null, this sort of behavior was unnatural for his friends. Was this part of Moki's abilities, was this something done by Moki's supervisors or higher ups, had they done this before with disappearances? Atrian stopped himself when he started thinking of his parents, had their disappearance been a part of this too?

He seized the thought when he received the announcement from Moki. The news were conflicting, but Atrian did not hesitate, leaving the classroom after making up an excuse to the teacher and immediately allowing himself to be transported to the location, saving people was the right thing to do in the end.

As all the heroes arrived, Nexus maintained a cold and stoic face as he had done the last time they had all gathered. Nexus listened carefully to Moki but also scanned the area, looking at any doors and windows that could be used to enter or leave, considering the weight of people and safe locations where his shapes could be placed. His full attention returned to Moki as they presented the team with a core to break. Nexus hesitated seeing Callisto attack it first and later Sol seemingly placing too much energy into their first strike. "Sol, don't put so much effort into attacking that core, you'll exhaust and hurt yourself before we start fighting the actual problems" Nexus didn't want to show genuine worry, but he was planning on being more careful in this mission once the danger had been seared into his memory from the first encounter they had with the monsters.

 

[Cresion Breezes]

#776598 #c6b5c9
Interactions: Moki ( Juju )
​

"Crystal density at location B-34-a falling, I'll rate it a 7.8/10 in terms of resilience."

Perhaps it was rather surprising for someone with her reputation to show up at what amounts to a group training session, but Kiva had her reasons. She haven't gone to school much, and even if she were to be found on school grounds it was not for any purpose related to school anyways. For the most part, Kiva has been experimenting with these abilities herself, she had noticed that her proficiency with observation and analysis has grown, but that was limited to tests using objects in the normal world. Clearly what they were dealing with were supernatural entities that may not translate one to one. She has also found that her main body was essentially a weakness for her, as for most of the training session she did not even show her real face, only ghostly images made in her form stood by and zipped around the crystals. Kiva herself, in a distance, had a rather intricate map drawn out of the coordinates of the area, the crystals dummies that were generated, and a small comment on the nature of those crystals she identified using her abilities.

"Perfect, perfect. What a perfect ability for a coward like me." She mumbled rather dryly alone.

---

When Moki summoned the group again, it was less distressing. Kiva had this strange adaptability sowed deep within her, like no matter how bizarre or brutal something is, she could simply get used to it as a fact of life in a mere few attempts. It was a double-edged sword, it kept her head cool yet complacent.

"I really should try to sow more connections with the mortuaries, you'd never know when the ability to confirm the last moments of a corpse could come in handy." Another rather tasteless joke, but it was true nonetheless, as Kiva has attempted to search through the records of funeral services and mortuaries in the area for information on the missing student heroes, although coming up empty-handed. "Last moments...last moments..." She said to herself while thinking. It was rather strange that all this information was provided by Moki wasn't it. Dopplewalker didn't trust the strange animal in the first place, and none of this was making it any better. She tried to recall what happened in regards to Starponia and Potentia, she was the only witness at their ends...other than...

The snake-like familiar transformed into the floating lenses that hovered near the hero as she walked towards Moki while the others were trying to break the core, her "weapons" were rather useless in that regard. Dopplewalker squatted down and looked at Moki, with a rather fake-ish yet jovial smile.

"Ah, it's rather unfortunate that my weapons and magic are pretty useless for this type of stuff, as you said, only if I were to be more experienced, I'd find that entrance in an instant." Her cheery tone was a contrast with the self-deprecating words, but after she leaned a bit closer to Moki, "but it's quite amazing that you've found where our missing friends are, I wish I could've done it, I'd be dead weight otherwise!" It was a rather over-dramatic tone of voice, veering into theatrical lamentations. "Say buddy, you think I could learn how you do that? I mean, finding missing heroes like that. I saw you were with Star and Potentia in their last moments - oh no, I'm not blaming you for what happened, I doubt I could fight off captors better than you, I'm just a little...curious, it's a very normal thing for humans to be." Dopplewalker smiled at Moki, she seem casual, maybe a bit too casual for the situation.

 

[Tiguidi]

SAMANTHA FORD​

Samantha decided not to go to the training session Prism organized. She had sent a message to the group chat, saying that she (Twilight) couldn’t be present because of real life matters.

… She was just lazy and didn’t feel like it but the others didn’t need to know that part specifically. But the evening was still rather awkward as Samantha’s simian familiar looked like he didn’t agree at all with her decision.

“Such nonchalance will prove to be a detriment in the far run, Twilight…”, he scolded.

“Oh, zip it, it’s fine.”, Samantha brushed off. “It’s only an optional training session, doubt it’ll change much.”, she said, popping a candy in her mouth. The show she was currently watching was much more interesting right now.

—

While she didn’t let it show much, Samantha was surprised at how quickly the death of her teammate dissipated from everyone’s mind. ’Just like how we Magik Heroes fade away from everyone’s minds after exposure, it’s weird…’

And of course, Moki’s alert occurred during the afternoon class but Samantha viewed this as an absolute win. Time for a long, long bathroom breaks. She could easily secure her grades if absence could prove troublesome, so… whatever!

Waiiiit, hold up. ’They’re alive…?’ Looked like they’ll need to clear a dungeon of sorts in order to get them back, though. That was mildly worrying because only a few monsters caused a lot of damage within the party so going straight into a lair would genuinely be extremely dangerous. Funny how Moki picked super hard quests for them to do right off the bat, huh…

---

TWILIGHT​

“Hello everyone.”, Twilight smiled when she and the other Heroes appeared in the grassy lawn. “Let’s hope this mission goes well!”

As Twilight’s own weapon was a staff used for casting magic, she opted to stay out of the way of those actively trying to break Fishlegs’ Heart. She instead joined Moki and Dopplewalker. She tried not to react too much at her ally’s comments and questions toward the totally-not-suspicious mascot-like character, but decided to chime in with a much easier-to-answer question.

“Hehe, even though I possess destructive Magik, I don’t think blasting away at this small orb might be a good idea.”, she gave off a light laugh. “Say, Moki. Since we’ll be heading off into a Lair, should we be expecting many monsters? I… kind of expect it to be the case, but considering our last mission was, err, rough, are we ready to undertake such a task…?”

 

[seasonedcat]

Candace looked himself over a few times in his phone, double-checking to verify that his ego didn't look as dead as it had felt the last few days. Ez was lagging behind the group, the extroverted man arriving last; he offered the group a sheepish smile. It had taken him forever to convince the teacher to let him leave the class after the notification had scared him so bad while he was dozing off that he had yelped in the middle of calc.

"Sorry, friends, didn't mean to be late; I was walking my fish." Candace rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced at Mok, "Sorry, Momo, can I get a brief explanation of why we are beating up this ball? I feel like I missed an episode." Candace chuckled lightly as he picked up the small creature without much thought and rested his head on top of the other, "oh, how I missed my little Momo.~" he chimed lightly as he listened to whoever ended up explaining the situation to him.

"Oh, Moki, I was playing the game earlier, and I was wondering, does this side gig give us any in-game buffs? I need to beat 'I miss her' in ranking if it kills me," Candace laughed as he snuggled his face into Moki's fluff without much thought. He let the others handle the ball, more focused on cuddling Moki than whatever it was that they were doing. He also didn't want to disturb Beans, who was still mad at him, and also was sleeping in his school bag that he had to bring with him(Beans refused to wake up and leave the bag before he left). His poorly maintained bag hung from his back, pictures depicting a popular child show that he had never watched himself(it was cheap and funny). With one last snuggle of Moki, Candace continued to watch the team from the creatures fluff, ready to provide comic relief if needed.
Juju jmann Solirus Tiguidi Cresion Breezes ThatWhichShouldBe Nellancholy

 

[Juju]

╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗
Solirus ThatWhichShouldBe seasonedcat
Tiguidi Cresion Breezes jmann Nellancholy
╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝​

---

Moki sat in front of Fishleg’s core, their fluffy tail slowly swinging from side to side. They hummed a little tune to themself and bobbed their head lightly in self-amusement. When Dopplewalker approached, Moki didn’t seem to pay her any mind, not even when she knelt down and loomed over the tiny creature. It was only when she started talking did the little creature paid her any mind. They tilted their head up and joyfully greeted her.

“Ah, hello Dopplewalker! Do not worry, most humans take a while to adapt to Magik! Someday Dopplewalker will be able to locate lairs very well, almost as good as Moki!” Whatever sarcasm the hero was using went straight over the little creature's head, who looked to be quite enjoying the supposedly pleasant conversation. They tilted their head at the question about being able to locate missing heroes. "Hmmm... Moki and humans are very different. What Moki finds natural takes great effort for humans, even Magik Heroes. That said, Moki does know that Magik Heroes who have grown very attached to their friends have been able to sense their location, even in Lairs! That being said, Moki thinks that Dopplewalker will face great difficulty learning this!"

Moki seemed quite content with their answer, unaware or perhaps coy about their comment on Dopplewalker's social tendencies. That was when Twilight approached with a question of their own. Ever eager to talk human ears off, Moki was delighted to answer.

"Yes of course! Lairs are sites where powerful Hearts can produce lesser monsters to spread their influence and feed off the suffering of humans. Creatures like Fishlegs! Additionally, Lairs are often the homes of powerful monsters!" Moki responded cheerfully and nodded their head, "Since you heroes have successfully defeated a premature Heart, all heroes present are now qualified to enter Lairs!"

The last to arrive was Candace, who out of habit scooped up Moki like a house cat and snuggled the fuzzy creature. Moki purred in delight, tail swishing from side to side. They were just gobbling up the attention and affection from Candace and almost forgot to address the request.

"[This Ball] is known as a Core! It is made from strong negative memories and emotions the monster manifested from! Monsters often fight over hosts that are capable of creating a core, as you saw near the factory. A Core allows a monster to physically interact with the physical world and if it grows enough, it can develop its host into a Heart!"

Moki opened their eyes and made a small, contemplative chirp. "Your progress as Magic Heroes should sync with your in-game avatar! Moki will make sure it is up to date!"

Winding up like a baseball pitcher, she drew her chakram into her hand, and flung it.

A resounding CLANG rang out from the heart.

The first hero to strike the orb was Gleam, her chakram smashing into the droplet of black on the grass. It left a clear crack on the surface of the gem, and strangely all heroes present could smell the distinct stench of cigarette smoke and booze.

And so his fists slam together down upon the Core with the weight of a falling star.

The second to damage the heart was Sol Invictus, who struck at it with all of his being. It was so much effort, that Nexus had to warn him to reserve his energy. Luckily the effort was not for nothing, the crack now cut through the diameter of the orb, which vibrated as if in an effort to hold itself together. The stench from it was stronger now, and the heroes could feel the air around them increase in pressure. Within the back of their minds they could hear the echo of a man's voice.

“...Overworked, underpaid, may as well go back to the [gap in memory]. Maybe that’s what this place is. Fresh starts are bullshit [gap in memory]. No escape [gap in memory]. I hate them. [gap in memory].The whole world deserves to burn. If I had the chance, I’d strike the match myself…”​

With a crisp crack, the orb shattered into countless fractures. It sent out a visible ripple through the air, making the world shiver and warp as if being viewed beneath the surface of water.

The blue skies sloughed away into an inky lagoon that spread across the heavens as sluggishly as paint poured into water. Oily clouds condensed together, coating the world above in a thick, dark, puffy blanket. A stiff wind whipped up, cold and biting, and thunder rumbled distantly. Drops of black rain spattered lightly on the ground and heroes.

What was once a quaint nursing home now loomed over the heroes as an overly grand gothic castle; cryptic, bleak and brooding in neglect. Its high towers reached up to the sky like sharp, greedy fingers. Wrought iron bars were bolted over each and every dark window, as if to trap the shadowy void behind the glassy panes. The front entrance was composed of two thick oaken doors bordered by a stained glass relief, though the lack of any light from within made the ornate panels look more like goopy scabs of grey and black.

A deep ravine separated the heroes and the castle. The only thing that connected the castle to where the heroes stood was a rickety old bridge that was rotting in several places, leaving gaps of broken and soggy wood.

​

The parking lot and green lawn had been replaced with an uneven path of crackled cobblestone overgrown with dead grass and moss. Instead of gentle slopes of grassy meadow and forest, the landscape had become jagged cliffs and foggy ravines. Just like the illusion produced by Fishleg’s germinating heart, there was nothing but ashy soil broken up by dead trees and rubble. In the distance you could see the burnt remains of The Factory and Neighbourhood, and farther along the horizon Northside City stood as a broken and abandoned husk.

“Well done heroes! This will be your first expedition into a Lair. Things work a bit differently here than the real world, as you can probably tell by the change in environment! This is all a product of the Heart’s Delusion and a sign of its horrible influence!” Moki said from Candace's arms, squirming away to hop up on top of his head as what had become standard for their group announcements. "Your objective is to destroy the Heart hidden somewhere inside and rescue Pandora and Potentia. Lairs are home to more powerful monsters than you have faced before and are often filled with strange anomalies. Moki has identified this Lair as belonging to a monster feeding off the human emotion of [Loneliness]. Moki hopes this information may help in some way!"

Proceeding across the bridge would be a delicate task for some of the heavier heroes, though perhaps there were better methods than blindly crossing the unsteady terrain. The wind blew harshly across the isolated bridge, blowing in irregular gusts that made the old wood creak and groan.

Far on the other side of the bridge, the door to the castle was closed. There was a crackled silver bell fastened to the side of the entrance.

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Sol Invictus
The muscular young man pants for a moment after smashing the orb, gathering his energy once again as the world warps and shifts around him. Black clouds and rain. A castle of cruel ominousness, harsh jagged cliffs, a twisted reflection of the living world. Would the whole world look like this, if the monsters were given half a chance? Broken and flawed? He shakes it off, keeping himself focused on his task. He looks to the other heroes, gritting his teeth, after listening to Moki's words. This... was a reflection of their Sin, then, wasn't it? The way heroes drew from their Virtues. So, the one thing they absolutely had to do....

"No splitting up!" Sol declares, clenching his hands, "Absolutely fucking not! This place works off of Loneliness, so we need the absolute opposite of that. Safety in numbers. The bridge wants us to cross it alone to avoid falling, so we gotta find another way through it that lets us stick together.

He looks at the bridge for a moment, pausing.

"Anyone got any... platform-creating abilities that can extend that far? Or I guess if we create a platform and then move it, that'd work."

 

[Juju]

Prism & Rex
ThatWhichShouldBe Solirus Tiguidi Cresion Breezes jmann Nellancholy
​

Prism hadn't spoken much since the group arrived, even after the veil was lifted and they came face to face with the rotten interior of a Lair. She stood quietly to the side of the group, her eyes cast in the shadows of her thoughts. Normally she would pitch in ideas or try to keep up morale, but it would seem that the events of the previous night was affecting her just as much as Candace.

Only two people had shown up to her training, but it was to be expected. She didn't really know anyone other than Candace and furthermore she hadn't really done much in the ways of fighting. She had protected the guard, or at least that's what she told herself. The others had done the real fighting while she could only supply a few last-ditch crystal platforms to evade the lava. While she was sitting on the sidelines her allies had gotten hurt. If she had done more she might have been able to prevent it. If she didn't do more in the future worse things may happen.

Moki congratulated them all on defeating the monster, but Prism didn't really feel like she should share in it. She had to be careful or else she would begin to drag down her team.

Prism didn't hear Sol's suggestion, but Rex did. The fluffy critter hopped over to the edge of the bridge and proudly puffed up his chest. After binge-watching almost a whole season of Game of Dragons he had absorbed a bit of dramatism. "What an excellent idea! Cooperation as a team will surely bring us victory! Prism's crystals will do the trick, right Prism?"

She looked up at the sound of her name, face blank with confusion as she tried to jog her memory on everything she had ignored. "Sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Why of course! Sol Invictus is suggesting we use platforms to cross over this bridge!" Rex said, pawing excitedly at the ground. "It's our time to shine!"

"Oh right... yes I think I can do that." Prism said sheepishly. She walked closer to the bridge, glancing down at the precarious drop. Although she couldn't say she had any irrational fears of heights, there was no stopping the primal instinct to flee. Now that she thought about it, wasn't the fear of heights a good thing. Her gut felt like it flipped and her head was getting dizzy, but she focused on the bridge and in doing her job. At the very least she may be able to make up for her uselessness the previous night.

With a bright glow at her fingertips, she summoned a crystal from the ground beside the bridge. It grew a few meters, but no matter how much Prism strained she could not extend her crystals beyond that. Panting, she frowned down at her work, "I... let me try again. Maybe I can... or...?"

Desperately, she attempted to form a crystal on the bridge rather than the ground. Instead of forming on the bridge, the crystals burst from the side of the cliff and struck into the bridge, knocking out a chunk of the old wood and sending rotten planks flying in a long arc down to the bottom of the cliff. The bridge shook and groaned as one of its two supports was damaged. It looked even more unstable now.

"Oh no!" Rex squeaked, his tail puffed up. "This is bad!"

Prism's chest tightened as she stared in horror at the new issue she just caused. "No no no... I didn't mean. I'm so sorry! I-I can fix this... I just need to think."

She clutched her head in a panic and paced back and forth, too afraid to test her powers again but still desperately needing to fix her mistake. Meanwhile her crystals were developing a bright glow, as they typically did before they exploded. As stressed out as she was, Prism didn't seem to notice.

Rex trotted after her in a hurry, yipping in concern, "Prism wait! Calm down!"

 

[Nellancholy]

Frankly, Gleam wasn't awfully sure what to do in this moment. They could take turns crossing, but it might be dangerous for them to split up in this realm. She did a quick runthrough of her knowledge of construction materials and architectural styles, see if she could narrow down the spots least likely to collapse. But did this dimension even adhere to things like "physics" and "engineering"?

Prism tried to focus her abilities to create a more solid platform, using the decrepit bridge as only a foundation for her own construction. But it didn't come out right, splintering and fracturing, turning volatile and about to...explode?

"Whoa, get down!"

Grabbing Prism's shoulder, Gleam turned and crouched down, the ear-splitting sound of crystals grinding together and blasting into shards washing over them. Well, that was a wash.

"Ah, such tragedy. Doubt is truly the greatest obstacle to someone of such talent..." Sarasvati murmured dramatically. "How shall we direct such ability towards our end? It won't do for us to be trapped here."

"Right." Gleam helped Prism to her feet. "How about..."

With a twirl, Gleam called her chakram back to her hand. "Let's try again." She spun, throwing her weapon flat like a discus and letting it skim the ground, clattering to a stop about ten feet or so onto the fragile surface of the bridge. "Try growing those crystals flat on my tray. Think you can do that? Don't focus on making a whole shape, just a nice round disk. Then maybe you can grow it out slowly..."

Juju

 

[Juju]

╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗
Solirus ThatWhichShouldBe Tiguidi Cresion Breezes jmann Nellancholy
╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝​

The crystal exploded into a blast of brilliant shrapnel and dust, showering both Prism and Gleam with glittering debris that dissipated slowly around them. Thanks to Gleam's quick actions, nobody seemed to be hurt, though Rex was nowhere to be seen in the explosion's aftermath.

Prism shakily got to her feet, her eyes glazed with shock. "I... I'm sorry."

In a moment of panic, she realized that her familiar was gone, but a stray gust of wind revealed him in due time. A crystal-encrusted spear was stuck into the ground where Prism's last crystal had been moments before. There were spikes of shattered crystals arranged in a half-circle, as if part of the explosion had been frozen. Most of all, the new crystals had grown around the section of the bridge, keeping it from falling apart into splinters. Prism sighed with relief, though her shoulders remained tense and her ears drooped.

Moki watched the events unfurl without saying much. Their beady eyes followed the action and meandered from the shattered crystal, Prism, and then across the rickety bridge. Tail swishing from their perch atop Candace's head, they piped up with a purr. "That isn't a good sign, Prism! Perhaps it would be best to let another Hero handle things!"

The words just about made Prism flinch. She actually looked ready to give up until Gleam suggested they work together. There was a flash of hesitant hope on her face as she listened to Gleam's plan and she nodded her head. "Good idea. I'll give it a shot."

Once more, she walked up to the bridge and extended a hand, summoning her power. With great effort, she did actually manage to make a small crystal on Gleam's disk, but it was more akin to a jagged lump. Instead of forming outwards into a flat disk, the crystal only seemed to grow upwards and jagged. Defeated, Prism backed away from the bridge and the terrible ravine below.

"Moki is right, I'm not sure this is going to work. Maybe there's another way?" She walked towards her spear, and reunited with Rex's voice once she touched it.

"Oh finally! I've been trying to say; look across the bridge! There's something there!"

Prism squinted across the bridge and noticed what Rex was mentioning.

Far on the other side of the bridge, there was another gleaming chunk of crystal in the exact same shape as Prism's current crystal remnant. There was also a smaller one just in front of it, mirroring the one that had been created on top of Gleam's weapon. Although Prism and Gleam wouldn't have noticed it (perhaps some others) there had also been an explosion over on the other side of the bridge at the same time as the one on the Hero's side of the bridge [any of the heroes would be capable of noticing this even before Rex mentions it!!].

"Does anyone else see that?" Prism said, turning back at her team with a confused look.

"Puzzling indeed!" Moki chimed in with their usual up-beat voice.

 

[Tiguidi]

TWILIGHT​

“Ahah, great, so it surely won’t get any easier than fighting Fishlegs…”, Twilight commented with a dry laugh, keeping a fake smile.

She almost jumped at the loud noises that resonated when her teammates attacked the Heart, though her brows furrowed in concentration when the smell of booze and cigarette reached her nose. “Whoa…”, she let out once the gothic building came into view. She tried to suppress the excitement she felt at the sight of the castle-like structure. “Looks like this’ll be our first actual dungeon, huh?” Sparks of lightning were already crackling from the staff she held in her hand as she stood ready.

“Good call, Sol!”, Twilight clapped her hands once. “I didn’t think that just crossing the bridge could separate us. As for crossing the bridge all at once, err…”, her voice trailed off as she had nothing that could help with that.

Twilight remembered Prism having created crystal structures during the prior fight so her gaze naturally turned to her expectantly. A small amount of confusion instead appeared in her features as Prism executed herself, accidentally making the situation worse with her crystal platforms. “Yikes-!”, she let out, taking a step back to distance herself from the shrapnel. “Um… that happened… ahem I-It’s okay, Prism! I guess accidents are bound to happen, with us being new to this!” Fortunately, Gleam jumped to the occasion to help, directing Prism with her chakrams.

The pink-haired Hero’s gaze drifted off to the other side of the bridge, having noticed something peculiar on the other side. “Huh? There's something on the other side... Crystals, exactly like what Prism is doing…”, she voiced. “It’s like a mirror or something… Oh, hold on, I may have an idea! It may be a bit loud, but any enemies probably already know we’re here after that explosion…”

She carefully approached the edge of the area, making sure not to go too far. Pointing her staff towards the chasm, she channeled her Magik, aiming downwards and unleashing it as a lightning bolt. She’d make sure to aim at a low angle for the cliff on the other side of the ravine, not hitting the bridge itself or the castle.

Juju ThatWhichShouldBe

 

[Juju]

TWILIGHT​

View attachment 1099226“Ahah, great, so it surely won’t get any easier than fighting Fishlegs…”, Twilight commented with a dry laugh, keeping a fake smile.

She almost jumped at the loud noises that resonated when her teammates attacked the Heart, though her brows furrowed in concentration when the smell of booze and cigarette reached her nose. “Whoa…”, she let out once the gothic building came into view. She tried to suppress the excitement she felt at the sight of the castle-like structure. “Looks like this’ll be our first actual dungeon, huh?” Sparks of lightning were already crackling from the staff she held in her hand as she stood ready.

“Good call, Sol!”, Twilight clapped her hands once. “I didn’t think that just crossing the bridge could separate us. As for crossing the bridge all at once, err…”, her voice trailed off as she had nothing that could help with that.

Twilight remembered Prism having created crystal structures during the prior fight so her gaze naturally turned to her expectantly. A small amount of confusion instead appeared in her features as Prism executed herself, accidentally making the situation worse with her crystal platforms. “Yikes-!”, she let out, taking a step back to distance herself from the shrapnel. “Um… that happened… ahem I-It’s okay, Prism! I guess accidents are bound to happen, with us being new to this!” Fortunately, Gleam jumped to the occasion to help, directing Prism with her chakrams.

The pink-haired Hero’s gaze drifted off to the other side of the bridge, following Rex’s words. “Yeah, I think I see it. Crystal, exactly like what Prism is doing…”, she voiced. “It’s like a mirror or something… Oh, hold on, I may have an idea! It may be a bit loud, but any enemies probably already know we’re here after that explosion…”

She carefully approached the edge of the area, making sure not to go too far. Pointing her staff towards the chasm, she channeled her Magik, aiming downwards and unleashing it as a lightning bolt. She’d make sure to aim at a low angle for the cliff on the other side of the ravine, not hitting the bridge itself or the castle.

Juju ThatWhichShouldBe

Prism still looked upset, but she nodded her head stiffly at Twilight's reassurances.

Twilight's bolt of lightning crackled through the misty air, shooting off towards the other side of the ravine. Meanwhile, another lightning bolt charged up on the opposing side and shot forward at the same speed and angle as Twilight's.

The two bolts intercepted somewhere about midway across the chasm, but instead of colliding into eachother they seemed to phase through another and continue on their crash course.

Twilight's bolt hit its mark at about the same time as the opposite bolt smashed into the rocks below the heroes. It was slight, but the energy from this mirrored attack was just a shade darker than Twilight's usual attacks. It was difficult to see, but for those with a sharp eye or more artistic talents they may spot the difference.

 

[Cresion Breezes]

#776598 #c6b5c9
​

Moki, like usual, was really of no help. Kiva, as Dopplewalker sighed and straightened herself up. A bit counterintuitively, she didn't like the sound of "becoming more adapted to magicks", it felt like a metaphor for some addictive substance, and Moki felt like one of those people who only dealt and never dabbled. "Still leaving the worst of it to us huh...not surprised-“

Her half-hearted muttering to herself was cut off the a sudden explosion, it appears whoever was trying to attack that core went a bit overboard and overclocked some of their attacks. It was a bit concerning, seeing the others so eager with this entire thing, maybe Kiva was just jaded. Despite not showing such signs, the fact that she was the last witness of almost every casualty from their last operation made her on edge, really the only reason she was here was that whatever might happen to her if she doesn't show up was still so much in the air that she rather take her chances. This was certainly no ordinary hustle, doesn't even pay either.

"Hmphh...Heroism be damned." Doppelwalker whispered as she watched a few others trying to blast the ravine or make a platform, completely ignoring the bridge that is already present. Sure, that bridge didn't look great, and the ravine did look rather deep, but Kiva remembered the lava that was summoned in their last mission. Although the blistering heat can be felt, nothing really caught on fire, whatever this realm creates might not act in accordance to their world's rules.

"Maybe we shouldn't waste our energy so hastily. " Slowly walking towards the bridge, a ghostly translucent figure that resembled Doppelwalker's form appeared beside the hero. With a wave of her hand the created construct stepped on to the bridge itself and walked forward. Its creator stood by and watched rather detactedly at what will happen, gazing across the ravine. However, soon Doppelwalker caught something on the other side, it was a crystal that resembled one of the other heros' constructs. The strange phenomenon repeated when a bolt of lighting was launched at the other side.

Doppelwalker turned their gaze back to the clone that was traversing the bridge and tried to look ahead to see if there was anything unusual on the other side, but the rather dim lighting and foggy environment did no favours to this endeavor.

"Hey, snake thing."

"What? And my name is-"

"Do your thing."

"Ughh- Fine! If you implode from doing this, that's on you!"

The snake like familiar snarked, before curling up and transforming into the lenses that Doppelwalker previously used. Peering into the lenses, the unlikely hero took a deep breath.

"Link me up with the construct on the bridge."

 

[Juju]

┌── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┐
Cresion Breezes
Nellancholy
ThatWhichShouldBe
Tiguidi
Solirus
jmann
└── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┘
"Moki is very certain that this is not 'the worst'." Moki said with a cheery tone, swaying from side to side happily, "Moki is here to oversee the training of the New Heroes! A large portion of humans learn best from doing new actions and embedding it into their memory, so Moki believes that too many suggestions will inhibit this important part of training!"

Moki watched Kiva walk towards the bridge and summon her clone, their starry eyes unwavering in its intensity. Just as they had mentioned, they kept their comments and suggestions to a minimum.

The Clone walked across the rickety bridge, stepping over the crystal projections that had been made without much issue. Old wooden boards groaned and creaked dangerously with each step, and one rotten board actually snapped and gave way after one of the Clone's steps. It did not cause the Clone to fall, but the broken board's pieces fell in a downward spiral into the chasm, falling farther and farther away until it could only be seen as a distant speck. It hit some rocks below and grew still.

On the other side of the bridge, an identical copy of Kiva's clone had manifested and followed her same path and actions. Even the process of it stepping through a broken board had been perfectly mirrored, though there was no piece of wood that fell from the opposite side of the bridge. From afar the clone looked to be the same, but as it grew closer it became very clear that it did not have a face.

---

---

┌── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┐
ave goin insane
mytho
galvanismgal
x_Tasia_X
Elisa
└── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┘
After Moki's abrupt departure, the newest generation of heroes were left with a whirlwind of questions, a fancy EGO (which they had no information on how to deactivate*) and a strange new companion known as a familiar. Moki had briefly mentioned that they did not have a name, so it was up to the heroes to give them one. Whether that be some mild joke, a reference to a game, or just a pretty sounding pet-name, the newly manifested familiars would officially have something to be known by.
*heroes can find info on how to deactivate their EGO in the MHU app's info that Moki gave or their familiar could point out some tips. It will deactivate automatically when they fall asleep. For now its easiest for new heroes to activate/deactivate their EGO by interacting with the MHU app.

Other than a change of fate, the night passed on rather uneventfully. How that time was spent was ultimately up to the heroes. Perhaps they could have spent this time brushing up on the information updated in their MHU app? Perhaps they got to know their familiar better? Maybe they even stepped out to try out their powers once more? Even better, perhaps they caught up on some much needed rest, as Moki had suggested. Regardless of how they spent their evening, the moon continued on its celestial path until the sun broke over the horizon with its soft and gentle rays. A new day had begun.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡The Next Day ☁︎ ﾟ｡ ⋆
(Time synced up with the first heroes)​

It was during the middle of afternoon classes when the new heroes heard the familiar 8-bit jingle of the MHU app's notification system. Unfortunately, this also meant that other people in the class might have heard as well. If the notification was ignored, it would repeat until the phone was picked up and the message read. Even if the phone was turned off or silenced, the notifications would continue. Once read, the notification would contain the following message from Moki.

Good afternoon, New Heroes! The time has come for your first mission! Please find a suitably private area to assume your EGO form and Moki shall do the rest~

After slinking off to a secluded area and transforming into their EGO, Moki would appear before the heroes via a burst of light from their phone screen. The fluffy creature landed gracefully on the nearest flat surface, or wherever else they could comfortably perch. For some, that may just be on the top of their head.

Tail swishing side to side, Moki purred in greeting to the Hero, "Hello! Please excuse Moki for a moment as Moki transports you to the training area! Moki is told that this sensation can be unpleasant or disorientating for the first time."

Before they could ask any questions they were enveloped in a bright glow and whisked away in a swirl of starry energy. Their surroundings were replaced by an endless starry void full of twinkling motes of white light and puffy cosmos of different shades of purple and pink. Just like riding a roller coaster that reached the top of its climb, the heroes gained a sense of weightlessness while in this strange realm. Then, just as quickly as the realm had appeared, it disappeared in the same fashion. Their eyes would have to adjust to the change of light and their stomach would feel mildly queasy from the disorientating movement.

After recovering, the new heroes found themselves standing on a well maintained lawn just a few meters away from a parking lot filled with cars. A concrete path lead towards a large and quaint looking building with a sign in front of it that read "Gentle Breeze Nursing Home." Far off in the distance the heroes could see Northside City gleaming past the fields of rolling hills and trees. Old white smoke drifted off in the air somewhere to the West, where they could see a burnt patch of forest. Had any of them paid attention to the recent news, they could easily tell that it was the location of the factory fire that had occurred just a few days ago.

One by one the new heroes were deposited in front Gentle Breeze. They were all within their EGO form, as Moki had instructed, but it didn't seem to matter much as there didn't seem to be a lot of people coming and going into the nursing home or its parking lot. It did seem to have activity within it, however, judging by the people passing by the windows and the sound of a distant lawnmower behind the building.

Strangely, Moki was nowhere to be seen, but the Heroes could now see an assembly of others like them. Since Moki was not around for questions, perhaps it would be a great time for interactions. The MHU app simply stated "Please Stand By..." so for the time being it seemed there was a need to wait for further instruction.

 

[jmann]

Hector | EARTHQUAKE

Earthquake watched the experiments with the bridge, thinking back to the video games he loved. In many of them, enemies could reflect your own spells back at you; an Attack Reflector. The castle must have worked the same way, reflecting not only magic damage but also magical clones. However there was one more experiment left.

Earthquake set Pogo down to wander, and picked up a hefty rock and took a few steps back and readied his arm. Earthquake jolted forward and threw the rock with all his strength, aiming for the castle wall.

The only other hypothetical that worried him were Nexus’ buffs. Would another super-powered leap get him across the chasm? Or would something more sinister happen once it passed the barrier and got reflected?

The whole place upset his stomach. But he would need to press forth regardless for the good of the group. They needed him, or at least he told himself that. He didn’t want to know what would happen if he was obsolete.

A happy chirp broke his concentration. Earthquake looked over to see Pogo crunching on a pile of pebbles they had collected, chirping after every few bites.

 

[galvanismgal]

Clair

It had started out as a normal day for Clair. She got up, went for her jog, went to school to both learn and be annoyed by her fellow students, and returned home the same as always to clean. Straightening the straight books and wiping the pristine countertops changed little but with every small swipe something within Clair herself was being tidied up as well. The troubles of the day, no week, seemed to slowly pack themselves into a tiny little box for her to pick through and process later once she was in bed with only them for company.

With both the room and herself feeling refreshed Clair sat down to her piano practice but just as her fingers brushed the keys an alert went off. With more haste than she would care to admit Clair crossed over to her bedroom and checked the Magik Hero program on her computer.

0/1 friends online it read.

Huh? Since it wasn’t a message from her friend why did the alert go off when she swore she had silenced them. Grabbing her phone nearby Clair read the cheery messages

Congratulations! You've been chosen to become a Magik Hero! Accept?

Given that Clair wouldn’t have read some forum post on some site and the fact there was a chance her friend could also be clicking the new event to join it just made sense to click accept it. Plus, odds were without her involvement the other players would create a mess Clair did not want to deal with.

One simple touch and Clair’s day went from normal to abnormal as a small critter of some sort came out of her phone with a small jingle and spouted their little spiel.

“Ah, I see,” she said in response as Clair scrolled through the information Moki had updated on the app. Her nonchalant attitude came from years of being shown magical girl media and from being in the cult at an early age. They always had said something supernatural was afoot, mostly to con people out of money, but who knew it would be something cute like Moki.

Then came a moment of suspended time. The only feeling was something stirring in Clair’s chest that she didn’t fight as it engulfed her. Closing her eyes to fully live in the moment it was swiftly over like a soap bubble popping leaving her changed. Glancing in the mirror, a familiar outfit from Magik Hero U adorned her. If she would have known that was going to be the basis for her hero form, she would have changed it to something…something not this.

Clair had little time to dwell on it as Moki proceeded, the strange feeling returning to her chest. Her pose was picturesque as the familiar was ripped from her chest. They looked like a rock so Clair decided to call it Lapis giving her familiar no choice in the matter. Quickly as they came Moki vanished again leaving Clair with questions and still in that outfit. Maybe the app had information about how to change out of this ego form?

Placing Lapis on her desk next to her the two enjoyed a comfortable silence as Clair reviewed all of the information given to her. It was pointless for them to chat since Lapis was a part of Clair. Instead, she spent the time before bed practicing her telekinesis. Up, Down, Up, down her phone floated mimicking her still pounding heart from the night's events until it was finally time to go to bed. Undoing the transformation and placing her phone back on the charger she went through her routine with the small extra step of putting lapis beside her softly stroking the familiar’s surface until sleep took her.

---

It was a good thing she had practiced and researched the day before since halfway through the day Moki sent out an alert. Excusing herself quietly from class by claiming it was an emergency at home, Clair was able to leave without much fuss and calmly made her way to a secluded area to transform both herself and Lapis.

Clair put her phone on a rock just in time for Moki to perch on it before being whisked away to a new location. Giving her stomach some time to settle from the travel she took a moment to look around.The gentle and pristine place seemed juxtaposed from the disaster that lied to the west. Clair recalled the disaster she had seen covered in the news. Maybe the factory burning down had something to do with this call to action?

Unfortunately, it seemed that Moki had vanished again, rude if you asked her, with the app just having a standard waiting message. Clair left with nothing to do could only ponder as she waited for the next step. It would have been nice to practice her powers some more but you could never be too careful since evil could always be lurking around the corner, watching, waiting…or maybe a fellow hero would show up, always a toss up in these sorts of situations.

 

[Juju]

Hector | EARTHQUAKE

Earthquake watched the experiments with the bridge, thinking back to the video games he loved. In many of them, enemies could reflect your own spells back at you; an Attack Reflector. The castle must have worked the same way, reflecting not only magic damage but also magical clones. However there was one more experiment left.

Earthquake set Pogo down to wander, and picked up a hefty rock and took a few steps back and readied his arm. Earthquake jolted forward and threw the rock with all his strength, aiming for the castle wall.

The only other hypothetical that worried him were Nexus’ buffs. Would another super-powered leap get him across the chasm? Or would something more sinister happen once it passed the barrier and got reflected?

The whole place upset his stomach. But he would need to press forth regardless for the good of the group. They needed him, or at least he told himself that. He didn’t want to know what would happen if he was obsolete.

A happy chirp broke his concentration. Earthquake looked over to see Pogo crunching on a pile of pebbles they had collected, chirping after every few bites.

While Doppleganger's clone investigated the bridge a boulder was tossed through the air by Earthquake. Loose dirt and ash fell from its flight, leaving behind a stream of debris in its arc. The boulder flew about halfway across the bridge before disappearing. Unlike the attacks made by Prism and Twilight, or even Dopplewalker's clone, there was no mirrored rock tossed from the other side.