Realistic or Modern Mission 3

[Thatguynameded]

"Ok, quick explanation is that Humans don't have a breeding/mating season. What you would normally feel during that time, we feel all the time. Because we feel it all the time we have to repress it, hold it back so we don't start causing trouble. We only indulge in it in certain circumstances, and even then we have to be careful. I can explain some of more in a moment, hold on."

Brass, sorry to be blunt, but you should consider yourself constantly in rut as a human. It's annoying, but you learn to control it."

It was obvious brass was confused by answers given by the blank look on his face trying to process the information. All the gears in his head began to turn and work overtime to image what this means now that brass is human. Can brass really mate when ever he wants? Can humans bare children off mating season? More questions began to build. He got an answer but it only caused him to questing more. He stayed silent and watched as the lights leave jaspers hands. He was thinking what next to ask till a ball of light returned. As they walked from portal to portal brass would ask Theo questions that plagued his mind, it would seem like a new question would come to him every 5 minutes.
"so brass can mate whenever he wants? Human females can bare young whenever they want? Can Half breeds mate whenever they want? Theo feels like mating all the time? Why repress when you can have strong young." He takes a quick glance at Elora while asking that question. "what kind of trouble? Can mates die if they mate at the wrong time? When is right time to mate? How long dose it take to control it?" Then it hit him, Do other races feel the same way? Brass wasnt sure who the ask, this time not the humans, Before he could weight his options he decided to ask Sang due to trusting her more than everyone else at the moment

Before he could ask her suddenly the ambassador began to speak. Brass did not know how they got to where they ended up at. He was very distracted on learning the new human methods of mating. What ever wise words his teammate gave him brass would no doubt have more questions for him once they leave the box. As they walk through the doors Brass bluntly asks sang "dose Sang need to mate?" Whether Sang was listening to the conversation or not, it sounded like Brass was making a pass at his red demon teammate. The group stops as Pandora speaks, for a long moment, brass forgot what he had been doing but his memories of the torturous event began to run in his mind again and he visibly had a face of pure anger looking into the eyes of Pandora.

Fable Xemanorth DapperCat Myriad Tarmagon June Verles Interaction - Hanarei baddervibes Morzone Noble Scion

 

[DapperCat]

location: The Labyrinth
addresses/mentions: Fable baddervibes Noble Scion
music: x

As the group walked towards what had to be yet another splendid experience, Qerres found comfort in Caddigan's rambling. Even Brass' questions were amusing, but she didn't have enough energy to laugh at them right now. She decided to do her best and entertain Caddigan though, considering his obvious bad state.

"Resident Evil? Oh tha's a game right? I heard of it since th' whole human world mingling but I haven't played games much. No coin for one of 'dem systems. Gamesquare? Uh. Playarea? Ya got one? If so, ya wouldn't mind me borrowin' it sometime right?"

She gave him a lopsided grin, keeping her pace quick and light as if nothing had ever happened. Picking herself up was easy. Well, looking like she picked herself up at least.

But all that was shattered when they once more found themselves in front of stairs. Her trembling clenched fists did nothing to steady her, her gaze dimly fixated on a random wall. Her mind zoned out from most of the chatter around her.

"...cold feet and slip. One foot in the wrong place..."

Q blinked, looking to the source of the more clear voice than those before, staring right into a set of void, angry eyes. She easily smirked. To be honest, it helped. Because she wasn't intimidated by speech or by people, but she was by those blasted stairs. But now she could focus on poor Red Red.

"Aw, ya angry sweetheart? It's okay. I still love ya."

She winked, before rolling her shoulders back. Even if the words didn't do much for her, they did make her just a little bit more stubborn. Showing weakness was never fun. And so she plastered a smirk on, following the group with steady footsteps as they set off after Jasper's orb had returned.

Though her feet obeyed for now, fueled by sheer bullheadedness and slight shame, her hands continued to show a fraction of her current fear. She willed her thoughts to stay on the simple things.

Her alcohol, Him, the friends she had to split up with. Qerres wasn't one for forming connections, but at the pure age of eight it was hard not to with the fellow slaves.

With every portal, a little more of her mind frayed with fear, clutching on for dear life but never letting out a single sound. Gritting her teeth until she felt a headache popping up.

When the group finally reached the top, she grabbed the last flask in her pocket and downed whatever was left in one quick go. Everything be damned if she'd run out now. She needed it.

Once more she relaxed bit by bit as they advanced through some kind of courtyard. The silence that wrapped them up was strangely comforting to the Demoness. It allowed her mind to think ahead with possibilities of their next challenge. Leaving other thoughts by the wayside.

She followed Tristan and Elora quietly and obediently, keeping her eyes peeled for if anything were to jump them. It was hard for Q to grow bored, luckily. Her tail swished slowly behind her, her hands slipped into the pockets on her rear.

"Welcome Agents of SMITED. You have reached Queen Pandora's throne. As by the agreement neither myself nor the Queen may directly harm you. While you may feel inclined to attack, should any of you do so we are within bounds of the agreement to defend ourselves. Also, as much as you may also feel a need to be rude, please remember you are in Queen Pandora's domain and to try and have some decorum."

Qerres' eyes flicked to the source of the voice, barely making out the silhouette of what had become known to them as the 'ambassador', amidst the dust and shadows. She remained silent, letting the team leaders handle everything unless she was ordered to do anything. She just couldn't muster the energy anymore to be as bubbly as her persona requested. So for now, she just had to lean on her phobia for her silence.

As they all stepped through the creaking wooden doors, Brass made a comment that would've made her show laughter. But now, instead, she just glanced at Red Red. Giving her a tiny wink if she were to spot her.

The ambassador stepped before them and towards a throne. Her eyes slid upward to the being for a short moment, before her arms stiffly lined to her sides- and she bowed. She didn't speak, she just made certain to show as much respect as possible. If slavery to nobility taught one anything, it was to be on one's best behavior from the outset.

-Zap-

As her eyes focused on her feet in the bow, she felt a rush course through her. As if strings curled around her limbs, a pull jerked her in multiple directions. Brass. Felicia. Caddigan. Jasper. Theo. Elora. She felt the need to tackle them. The gems. She felt like she needed them. She pressed her lips together so firmly, that all the blood drained from them.

She might have had a phobia of heights, she might have been mentally unstable ever since she had to murder her ex-lover, but there were some things she had a high resilience over. And impulse, oddly enough was one of them.

Qerres raised herself to full height once Pandora spoke to them, taking it as a permission to rise. She lined up with the rest of her group, remaining fully silent as she awaited the transferral of the gem. For now, she was blissfully unaware that there were more that gained these urges...

 

[Noble Scion]

The trip to what Sang hoped to be the end of the box was rather uneventful, aside from Q's retort at her own words, but they didn't particularly bother her. The intent was to disgruntle them, and disgruntled they did indeed appear to be as they traveled through the dizzying staircase. For the most part, all was quiet aside from Brass' continuous questions which she aptly ignored and left for someone else to deal with given their nature. It was something that would be better dealt with outside, if they did get outside, that was.

The ambassador made another appearance, leading the way into a new room. As they passed through the door to see a new individual, whom Sang could only hope was Pandora herself, she almost bit her tongue as her heart skipped a beat at the crude question posed by her wolf friend. She turned and glared at him, but before she could say anything, Pandora was introduced by the Ambassador, cutting her off into silence with her face glowing slightly as she was forced to face forward once more. It was strangely invigorating to experience an emotion other than rage or fear however, for once.

Pandora's appearance was nauseating to look at, but her stomach held still as the group made their way forward. She didn't feel compelled to break the silence, better to leave it to the leaders than cause a commotion, given that she didn't have any gems to offer. She remained on edge for any tricks, however, her eyes darting around between the members of the group and the surrounding area for any tricks.
Fable Thatguynameded

 

[Morzone]

Fable DapperCat Hanarei Tarmagon Thatguynameded Xemanorth Noble Scion
​

Jasper's spell was surprisingly successful, which only made Theo more wary of the confusing stair maze. Nothing else in this box had been convenient after all, there was no reason to expect it to start being so now. One stair or portal vanishes and suddenly they're all stuck in this crazy space with gravity making less sense for each person in there. The mage's suspicions did not materialize in the end, which he was thankful for but only built his paranoia. Even more-so as the group traversed their way through the empty castle.

Theo kept his silence as the ambassador appeared and introduced pandora. They had traveled all this way and finally they were here, with the master of the box right before them. Or... was she? They'd just gone through a room of illusions bent on forcing them to give up their seeds, what was to say this wasn't an illusion as well? It wasn't like any of them knew what Pandora really looked like after all.

Theo eyed the area, looking for clues. The palace had been a mess, broken glass and bits of stone everywhere. This hall wasn't as bad, but it still clearly had signs of long time wear and tear. Not to mention Pandora's own current state. Why was it like this? Couldn't Pandora control everything in the box as God-like being? It seemed ludicrous that she would allow herself and her castle to appear to them in such a shape. If she was losing her powers because she hadn't received a seed yet, how was she keeping monsters out of her home? The ambassador couldn't harm them directly, but did that include tricking them into giving up their seeds to a fake Pandora? Was it even in Pandora's interest for them to fail and give up the seeds to a fake?

Speaking of seeds, Theo suddenly had a very clear sense of who still had their seed. Elora, Brass, Felicia, caddigan, Jasper, and himself. He wasn't sure how he'd figured this out, but the mage was certain he wasn't mistaken. He needed to stop this trade before they were tricked, to say aloud his suspicions before a terrible mistake was made.

Who was most likely to try and make sure the trade happened? Elora. She was the leader, she would do anything to make sure the mission succeeded. Theo knew she would want to trade as quickly as possible before something could stop them completing the mission, so she was who he needed to talk to first.

One step.

What could he say though? Would Elora trust him after his appearance had changed?

Two steps.

Everything was slowing down, the seeds seemed to burn in his mind as if screaming for him to save them from being given to the being on the throne.

Three steps.

He was passing through the middle of the group now. Were any of them under the same suspicions? Would any of them support him in not handing over the seeds immediately?

Four steps.

Heat was emanating from his body, as though the metal had been sitting in the sun on a hot summers day for several hours. The air around his skin distorted in a haze.

Five steps.

He was just behind Elora now. He still hadn't made any noise, hadn't said a word. Now was the time, time to say something.
They couldn't give her the seeds! It could be a trap!
They couldn't... give her the... Seeds...
Couldn't... give... seeds...
Give... Seeds...

Theo's fingers sharpened into a single point, twisting around each other to form one sinister, deadly spike. In a sudden flourish of movement Theo took one final step and drove his blade into Elora's back, pushing forward with the intent of forcing his spike through her body and out of the front of her chest.

G̸̨̢͎̠͚͓̞̯̰͓͉̳̫͙̍͒͊ i̶̢̻̤͉̱̜̪̬̟͚̻͓͑̅̐ͅv̷̨͈̜͓̪͍͚̺͈̮͍̉̍ ȩ̸͈̞̳̜̠̯̮̹͕͈̑̆̌̄̈́͋̎̀̂͋̈͆́̐͜ ̵̧̺͕̺͚̲͕̜̤̻̯̦̱̎m̷̡̖̬̰̞͖͈̖͆e̶̢̨̖̲̣̣͙͇̗̜̥͖͛̄̌͜ ̸̨̢͓̙̙̱̬̟̥̜̯̊͌̑͐̀̈́̋̀̚͠ͅt̸̻̺̳̜͎̺̯̙̺́́̓̄̈́͘͠h̷̡̲͈̗̖͕͊̌͛̓̑̂̽̾̿̅͘̚͠ę̵̢̡͉͚̱̰͍̭̭̹̞̑͆̏́̓̔̀́͗̍̎͗̚ ̶͚͗͒͌͊̕̕͝s̵̝̳̪̈̋̈́̈́̒̿͐̿͐̃͘͘ë̵͕̭̱̲̩̺͕͚̝̈͋̾̑̾̕͝é̶̻̬̳̘͓̝̯̞̰̭̲̹̫̱̺̇͗̅̾̀̕d̷̨̞͍̪̘̗͕̗̣̰̥̥̥͙́͊̄͐͊̅ͅ!̴̧̢̢̧͖͖̦̻̗͕̬̲̦̬̄̇̑͒̇̀̇


Theo's words emerged from his mouth with the sound of Screeching metal, resembling nothing of his usual demeanor. His face was mad, his eyes burned. The metal across his body rippled as though alive. Should anyone attempt to grab, hit, or use some kind of physical attack on him they would find whatever body part was used suddenly enclosed in solid metal at a temperature that could sear away bone.

 

[Xemanorth]

Kirill remained in thought for once, specifically the half-demon was thinking about how wronged he still felt by the fact that his gem was simply taken from him and he was never informed of such a fact. What would have happened if he had ended up being the only one to arrive at the group's intended destination, for example? Or any number of other scenarios where that information might've benefitted him or possibly endangering the mission. Either way it didn't seem like talking to Elora would be of any use. He didn't really care for the heights, but didn't find himself worrying either. After all, he had wings, so what threat would falling off a height pose him?

He remained silent and before he knew it, he found himself in Pandora's throne room or whatever one might've called the area they entered. He recognized the Ambassador from before, but his words frankly went in one ear and then out the other. He simply followed and then proceeded to stand by as requested and then finally, Pandora revealed herself..! Something Kirill thought he would've found much more exciting, but somehow, like most times, reality found a way of sucking the fun out of things. "Disappointing..." He thought aloud to himself, Pandora may have controlled the pocket dimension they'd entered but the fact that half her guts were showing seemed pretty weak, all things considered. Even heart was just out there and plain to see so if one wanted to say, reach in and pull it out they wouldn't even have the satisfaction of crushing her ribcage beforehand.

Huh, that's kind of fucked up, the half-demon went onto think, this time in his head. It was a that moment that he realized that he'd gone from hateful to livid, specifically in regards to a certain scenario involving gems. Not only that, but the hallowed hall they were standing in reminded him of... something. He wasn't sure what exactly, but the fact that it added to the aforementioned feeling quickly confirmed that it couldn't have been anything good. Not only that but even as he closed his eyes he felt as if he could see the remaining gems the others around him were holding. He felt a heat wash over him and linger around his skull, followed by a peculiar pressure, as if a much larger creature had wrapped their palms around his head and was beginning to push inward in an attempt to crush it.

He felt a compulsion, that instilled unto him by the gems for certain but more-so to do what had to be done, to make the misdeeds against him right. Thankfully by this time Theo had seen it fit to walk up to Elora and attempt a shanking. A distraction, perfect. And as the eyes of the others were likely to turn toward the situation his own turned to Qerres and not at the part one might've expected knowing him, but rather the holstered gun at her hip. Moving quickly, the half-breed aimed to flip the holster open before pulling out the gun from within and if successful, he figured that he'd secured himself a plan B depending on how the following would go, regardless of the gun's current state.

With it in hand he aimed to close the distance between himself and the situation at hand, hoping that Elora was distracted dealing with Theo, should that be the case he'd check over for any containers she might wear on her person that seemed most likely to contain the gem before aiming to retrieve it by simply ripping them off her person! Should he succeed, well, then he'd gotten exactly what he'd wanted if not... then he still had plan B.
( Fable , June Verles , @k o r o l , Noble Scion , Tarmagon , Thatguynameded , DapperCat , Morzone , Hanarei , Myriad )

 

[baddervibes]

Location: Pandora's Throne Room | Interactions: Hanarei Morzone Fable
Mentions: DapperCat Noble Scion Thatguynameded Tarmagon Myriad June Verles Xemanorth
​

Caddy sighs in disappointment when only the familiar smell of his fellow teammates fell over him: well, there goes that plan. Then something rotten hits him: attacking from several different directions. He can't put a finger on the smell: like dead bodies, or hot garbage, or a sewer, or all of the above. Caddy stares at Qerres: it seemed to be coming from her. No, he turns to Felicia. Maybe her? No, no it has to be Theo? Jasper? Brass? Or...his brain pauses:
Fuck...maybe it's me.
That sends a shiver down his spine: a feeling that only subsides momentarily as the orb returns. Tristan announces that they should move on. Caddigan keeps his mouth shut: oddly quiet for the rest of the journey up and around the maze of stairs. He can't even bring himself to laugh at Brass' lewd questions. He lets go of Felicia's hand and holds his own instead.
-----
Caddy likes the way the glass crunches under his boots as they enter Pandora's throne room. Though as the group proceeds deeper, the moment the Ambassador and Pandora appear before them, something in the pit of Caddigan's stomach twitches. He was starving. There was some sort of vicious want stinging at his very core. His hand immediately went back to Felicia's; gripping at it a little more aggressively then he would have liked.
"Sorry," He mumbles to her, squeezes her hand and then slowly letting up.
"Nervous."

Then something grabs his attention. A glowing outline shining through Felicia's pocket: round in shape and pulsing ever so slightly. That deep twitch surfaced again: this time it was harder to ignore. Then a word slithers to the front of Caddy's mind as a wave of hunger washed over him:
Feast.
Caddy's other hand swings over and grips Felicia's wrist: even more aggressive this time. His body so desperately wants to reach in and grab the gem glowing at the bottom of Felicia's pocket. The blackened veins around his mouth ache and pulse.
Feast the words comes crashing into him again. Feast and be Satisfied. What the girl has is rightfully yours.
'I can't.' He tries to argue inside his own head. 'Felicia is a good person. She let me hold her hand. She's letting me hold her hand right now. She doesn't laugh at my jokes, but she doesn't tell me to shut up either. And she wants to fly me around like a balloon. And she-"
Then a scent hits him. Hot and burning: like a car in unbearable heat. Then that sick rotting smell comes back so suddenly. They mix and twist into one another and it makes Caddy's brain feel like it's going to burst. He stumbles back and lets go of Felicia's hand: almost tossing it away from himself. Turn around.

Caddy does. He turns to see more glowing gems hidden in pockets and stuffed into bags. That hunger hits again. His mouth burns. Caddy feels his own gem pulsing at the bottom of his backpack. The smell of burning metal begins to overwhelm him and his eyes scan the scene. They pass each person in the room until they finally land on...Theo? Is that Theo? He's twisting his body in such a way that Caddy couldn't even tell if it was him: his arms forming into a sharp point that aimed itself at-

"ELORA!"

Suddenly Caddigan is moving: sprinting full force towards his superior as Theo lurches towards her. He felt like he was going so fast...did frenzies always make him this fast? Caddy hasn't been in one for so long that he can't even remember.
This isn't a blood lust, idiot.
Right...
He keeps forgetting that.
Whatever this sensation is, Caddy is just running. His mind is completely blank. He has no plan or intention. It's just instinct: an all gut-reaction. Caddy can't even tell if he's running to take Elora's stone or to stop whatever madness was happening before them. He just keeps pushing his body forward.

Caddy, if he makes it in time, body checks Elora to the ground with his shoulder: leaving himself to be the target.

 

[Tarmagon]

Jasper didn't pay much attention to the climb, all of his focus going into maintaining the spell that was leading them through the insane maze. He didn't think anyone else could see them, but he could see the runes leaving his body in a steady stream to maintain the orb they were following. The stream faded to a trickle that stuttered in fits and starts, the orb dimming nearly to extinction when they emerged into the presence of the Ambassador . His eyes roved everywhere as they were led into the throne room, one eyebrow rising at the obvious decay Pandora was displaying. Apparently being an Evil Overlord carried certain health risks.

Before Jasper could fully register Pandora's visage completely, the universe became centered on the Offerings. He knew where they all were. Wanted them. Needed them. Consuming...

Jasper's thoughts slammed to a halt. No. Consuming the Offerings would end the mission in failure. He hadn't made the choices, agonizing choices, to fail. Gritting his teeth, Jasper forced the compulsion to take, to consume, out of his mind, the only outward sign of his internal struggle the sweat now streaming off his face and the rigid muscles of his body. It was Pandora herself who gave Jasper the final push to throw back the unholy desire.

"How amusing."

Those two words, delivered by that choral voice, cut through Jasper like a cold knife. They were playthings to Pandora. Maybe the Offerings were valid, but Jasper was willing to bet that the being calling itself Pandora wasn't anything more now than the sum of all the souls corrupted and imprisoned in the box, and they were its latest meal.

A flurry of motion, a horrid screeching, and a shout of 'Elora!' pulled Jasper back to the here and now, the lust for the gems stifled. Theo was attacking Elora, and Caddigan was trying to interfere. All the while, Pandora watched.

"So, you delight in getting around your own rules I see," Jasper called loudly, the last of his new Power amplifying his voice to a roar. "Your Ambassador warns us to be polite, but you incite madness. You don't attack us directly, but your influence causes us to attack each other. Clever. You must have some Fae blood."

Using the dregs of his energy, Jasper raised his voice to sonic boom levels.

"Stop it you idiots! You're doing her work for her!"


Fable DapperCat Myriad Hanarei Morzone Xemanorth baddervibes Noble Scion Thatguynameded

 

[Fable]

Merged Group

Xemanorth Thatguynameded Noble Scion Tarmagon June Verles Hanarei Morzone DapperCat baddervibes Myriad
( Corrupted: Kirill, Theo, Caddigan, Jasper, Qerres. Stones Left: Brass, Felicia, Caddigan, Jasper, Theo, Elora. )

It was clear the team was on edge now that they were facing Queen Pandora. Tristan's body was so tense it hurt, ready for something - anything - that was going to stop them from finishing this mission. It wasn't going to be this easy. The trial had created a troublesome division, disorder, and distrust among them. The path from that point had been too easy. No monsters coming for them, just a mad stairwell and the ruins of the castle with no noticeable inhabitants except the Queen and her Ambassador.

Elora was tense as well, the fae parasite within her roiling within her, whispering about the dangerous situation, the dark influence of the box strongest here. It was hard to keep her focus of maintain control and also keeping mindful of what was going on around her. And that distraction was all it took to allow Theo to get so close that he was a threat to her life. Elora had been so focused on maintain control over herself she hadn't heard his movement, smelt the burning metal. Hell, even before reaching this point she hadn't even truly heard what Brass had been pestering about as they had made their way here.

Everything happened in mere seconds. Theo moved to attack her from behind, an attack aimed at being a fatal blow that would have gone right through her chest. Before Theo's hit landed she was shoved aside by Caddigan and Elora lost control and the fae parasite took over. Right before she landed on the hard stone floor it covered her body in that thick, black, shiny skin. She rolled and didn't even hit the floor and was instantly up on her feet growling at Theo viciously, even her head was covered much like a helmet of protection. The 'helmet' receded into her skin and revealed what seemed to be a different person entirely. "You should have let me out earlier," she said out loud, but a comment directed to Elora as she stared down Theo assessing.

During this commotion neither Pandora nor the Ambassador reacted. What caused the Queen to smirk was Jasper's shouting. "That strong desire to complete your mission, an interesting power of will indeed," she commented with amusement. "You still have choices to make, Jasper."

Her smiled faded then and the pulse, the desire and need for the gems in the corrupted agents increased even more to the point of pain; a maddening pain. Tristan already had his gun out and aimed at Kirill, swearing under his breath. Kirill wouldn't have a chance to lay a finger on 'Elora' for the moment he tried she would use some krav maga tactics to disarm him and try to break his wrist in the process.

"Jasper, get your ass moving and deliver the damn gem," Tristan shouted out as loudly as he could. "Felicia you need to subdue Theo before he barbecues us all. Aeval, do not kill anyone. Qerres, you need to get your gun back." 'Elora' made a tsk sound at the command. Tristan couldn't do much for Caddigan who had taken the spike in place of Elora, but he shifted towards the downed agent cautiously.

"And Kirill, back the fuck off. I don't want to shoot you. Rub some of those brain cells together and think, who benefits from you attacking Elora? The only person who is gaining anything is sitting on that fucked up throne. Are you really going to do exactly what she wants?"

 

[Thatguynameded]

It was a strange scene happening before Brass's eyes, Teammates turning against each other with Theo threatening to kill elora for her seed. Brass assumes he was talking about the stone. Caddigan shoved Elora out of the way just in time but she suddenly transformed into a new person. Brass didn't have enough time to question it because he had to think fast. Tristan pulling out a weapon on Kirill, which was a good call in Brass's opinion. Who was a potential attacker, definitely Kirill and Theo. Q, Caddigan, and now Elora are a huge maybe to attack. There was a small few that brass could actually trust currently, Brass moves in close to sang and whispers to her "Brass must do thing that can stop fighting, make sure no one get hurt".

Brass did not think it could work, but he had to stop the fighting some how, he was heavily under powered compared to the teammates that changed. Clumsily Brass took a step while everyone was distracted with each other and the tense situation. Each step heavier than the next, he began to pick up speed and if uninterrupted would break into a full sprint to the woman siting on her throne as she watched things unfold. Brass realizes this is one of his worst ideas hes had but something needed to be done. What exactly? Brass was unsure but the only thing he knew was that he needed to get this stone to the woman running this entire thing.

Brass is weak and an easy target to attack for his stone. If anyone were to attack brass they find the stone somewhere around his chest where his knife is and it could easily be assumed he ate his stone but for someone who is a little perceptive they would know the stone is under his knife sheath.

Fable Noble Scion baddervibes DapperCat Xemanorth Tarmagon Hanarei Morzone June Verles Myriad

 

[Hanarei]

Felicia nearly jumped back as it all happened so fast as what were suppose to be allies began to attack one another with Elora seemingly being the main target. She was left bewilder her eyes glancing over towards Pandora sitting upon the throne. Was she in some way causing this all to happen? The red glow formed around her body as she levitated herself a few inches from the group giving some relief to her legs while giving her more mobility. She wouldn't stand much a chance if it came to using her own physical reflexes to avoid anything. She was quite fortunate she hadn't been targetted by Theo, she wouldn't of stood a chance if he had attacked her like he did Elora by surprise.

Felicia snapped back into reality focusing on the situation at hand hearing Elora's words. She looked to Theo in his metal form a look of uneasy about her. The use of her power to try to subdue someone wasn't something she liked the idea of. Beyond the ability for them to resist it also made her feel a bit uneasy requiring a certain deal of focus to pull off. Someone willing and not struggling was easy to lift. One who resisted it would make her exert effort and apply more force... the same type of force that was used to crush things. Unlike an object it wasn't static making it that much difficult to control.

"Theo, you must stop this at once." She spoke plainly, her voice picking up in tone to sound more serious and authoritative though not quite putting enough life to perhaps completely pull it off. She lifted her hands both up focusing upon him. The red glow of light enveloped her seemingly enraged companion as she can to apply force to pull him back away from Elora attempting to force him down to his hands and knees. Her eyes were locked keeping completely focused on him as to not be careless needing all the effort she could to subdue him... and to make sure she didn't apply too much in some way to crush him. Her eyes kept locked as her right hand lightly began to tremble ever so slightly. Her focus on Theo didn't even give her the chance to register Brass venturing up towards Pandora from the corner of her eye.

Location: The Throne Room
Mentioned:
Fable Morzone Thatguynameded

 

[Morzone]

Fable DapperCat Hanarei Tarmagon Thatguynameded Xemanorth Noble Scion
​

Theo had missed his target. The Dhamphir had pushed her out of the way and taken the blow himself. This was not entirely displeasing, as he also had one of the seeds Theo was now madly driven to collect. The mage felt his blade slip through the damphir's body until it punctured through again on the other side. The stab's placement was much less fatal however, thanks to the confusion of pushing and shoving that had put Caddigan in Elora's position. It was lower on his body, around the base of the rib-cage. Theo couldn't be sure if He'd hit a lung or not, but he knew he'd pushed past at least one rib bone. Still, his ultimate target lay beyond bodily harm. The bit of his hand that was protruding out the far side of the body separated and began extending itself along Caddigan's side like some horrible metallic spider legs. A moment later and a few quick slashes, Theo had taken the seed from Caddigan's pocket. With his target retrieved, Theo pulled his bladed arm back out of the Damphir's body, pushing it roughly aside as he turned his attention to the seed in his hand. Without thinking he raised it, ready to consume this seed and gain yet more power.

Suddenly, Theo found he couldn't move. It was as though some force were holding him down, restraining his movements. It was Felicia! She'd responded to Tristan's order and was using her power to hold him back. He struggled for a moment, but without success. He needed more power to push past her. More... Power... Theo's eyes returned to the seed in his hand. He couldn't finish bringing it to his mouth, but suddenly he knew he didn't need to. The metal rippled, and slowly the seed sunk into his palm. As it disappeared into his metal body, theo could feel a new level of power permeating through him, with a new level of control over his magic.

First thing first, he was going to need to do something about the psychic force holding him down. The remaining seeds would also be an issue, especially as one of them was already making their way toward Pandora. So he had four targets, that wouldn't be too unmanageable now he'd consumed the seed.

Theo's body began to liquefy, Metal pouring off of him like some kind of shiny sweat. In a second Theo was now about half his size, just over 3 feet tall. The rest of the metal however, collected itself in four masses that shot along the ground in 3 different directions. One shot after Brass, forming itself into a solid Metallic golem as it moved. With a whip like elongation, the golem swung its arm to take hold of Brass' ankles, attempting to yank him back and away from Pandora. The second golem formed itself in front of Felicia. With blades for hands, it attacked her outstretched arms. The third and last golem took aim at Jasper, going to work with its own blades in an attempt to steal his seed as well. As the other golems formed and attacked their targets, Theo raised a swath of flame to encircle his own body, a defensive measure hoping to hold back attackers long enough to alleviate some of Felicia's pressure.

 

[DapperCat]

location: The Labyrinth
addresses/mentions: Fable baddervibes Morzone Xemanorth Thatguynameded Hanarei
music:

Qerres' dimly-lit gaze shifted between Pandora and her team, on edge now that she felt unwanted urges swirling through her mind. And soon, it would be proven she wasn't the only one. Theo stepped toward Elora before attempting to... stab her?!

The demon shifted her stance as she got ready to run in and help, but she was slow- and Caddigan was much quicker.

Everything happened in a blur.

Caddigan dropped to the ground with a sickening smack. Theo's bladed hand retreated from the Dhampir's body. Felicia lifted the now crazed mage up. Elora seemed to just lose her mind. Her hand shifted to the pistol on her hip.

It wasn't there.

Her eyes snapped to Kirill, noting the vague glint of metal coming from his location. Her view seemed to blur. Every silhouette seemed to glow with a vibrant light, lines and shapes clouding her vision. With everything going on around her at once, it was impossible to keep full tabs on the urge threatening to spill. She was so very good at controlling herself. But even she had a limit. Her tail began to swish and flick aggressively behind her, the pointed tip opening up into three pointed black needles.

"Qerres, you need to get your gun back," she heard Tristan say from somewhere far away.

"It's not loaded.." she croaked out to the team leader.

"Not loaded... it's not loaded.."

Her voice repeated, mumbling to herself as if she was outing a mantra. A spell to keep herself grounded. Veins under her skin began to slither and crinkle with magic, white pupils glowing brightly as she tried to keep up with everything around her.

Brass ran to Pandora. Four entities appeared to form. Brass. Felicia. Jasper. Theo was small.

Seeds.

Her upper lip curled up to reveal slightly crooked and pointed teeth. Her fingers flexed and cracked, muscled pumped and her rage building.

"S...ir. I can't... keep.. foc..focus-" she wheezed out to Tristan, eyes crazed as she looked him over. "...shoot me."

For once, her expression looked to be genuinely insistent. The normally laid-back, jesting woman seemed to almost plead the sentence. She couldn't do this again. It reminded her of all the times her mind was taken. But at least, those times, it was for a greater good.

This would be meaningless slaughter.

"S..shoo-...t-," she snarled out before she seemed to fully lose control.

All that kept going through her mind were memories. Memories of killing. Men, women, children, did it matter? For the greater good. Wasn't it that bastard's fault? Maybe. He was dead now, so that was good. Fucking asshole. She wanted to kill him again. ASSHOLE.

Her thoughts were a scrambled flurry, barely connected. They didn't make sense in the same context, but to her, right now, they did. Automatically, her crazed mind took her to Elora. She was unbalanced already. No golem there. With a powerful press of her boot the woman took off.

Faster than normal, she appeared in front of Elora with a set of eyes displaying nothing but wrath. Her face was set so tight. She was almost beast-like. Her lips parted as sharp fangs glistened in the soft light, spittle slid between them as she charged. Like a bull, she aimed to slam the team leader to the ground.

She straddled what used to be Elora, tail pointed threateningly at the now-male-looking face. The hole formed from the now opened tip of her tail let out a small slither of green gas. Nothing that would reach her victim, but it would just take one blast. Luckily, Qerres was crazed and had no knowledge of the tail.

Instead her right hand aimed to curl around Elora's throat with a force that would normally snap her neck right in half. Normally. Luckily the armor stopped any of that. Her left hand lifted in a fist.

And then, unless stopped, the punches rained down. Harsh slams of Qerres' thick skin connected with the team leader's nose, skull, chin, eye. Over. And over. And over. Her lips pulled open to reveal her full rows of teeth, her tail behind her chittering in delight at the beating.

 

[Tarmagon]

Jasper watched as Brass started towards Pandora, moving at a glacial pace compared to what he had been capable of. Caddigan was down, Theo had punched a hole straight through him. Jasper hoped that the Damphir could shake off the physical damage. Theo seemed to be contained...

"Oh shit!" Jasper muttered as Theo seemed to melt down, shrinking and casting off metal before vanishing behind a wall of flame. One mass of metal formed itself into a humanoid shape with blades where its hands should be. Jasper skipped backwards, narrowly avoiding the sweep of the things blades. His personal Power was spent to the point that he couldn't effect the physical, but the changes to his body weren't affected. He swept his staff from his back in one smooth motion, the edge glittering as he swept it at the things body. Metal met metal with a resounding 'clang!' and Jasper cursed. Too tough. He didn't have the Power, but there was something he could do. He hoped this unnatural vitality would carry him through.

The Runes on his body were gone thanks to the strange transformation he had undergone, but the Runes on his staff were unaffected. Jasper slid his palm down the edge of his blade, a thin line of blood welling up to coat the blade. The black blood flared into silver fire as it coated the Runes engraved on the blade, then the shaft itself lit, the fire travelling from the haft of the weapon to Jasper's arms. In moments his entire body had been engulfed, then the flames began to drift back from his body to the staff in a steady trickle. Immediately the edge of the blade took on a silvery shimmer, and Jasper swung the blade at the metallic construct that was flailing away at him. This time the blade sliced cleanly through the metal creature, separating it into two pieces at the hips. Jasper leapt over the body, rushing towards the creature that was trying to fasten itself onto Brass. Everyone else would have to fend for him or herself.

Fable DapperCat Myriad Hanarei Morzone Xemanorth baddervibes Noble Scion Thatguynameded

 

[Xemanorth]

Kirill distanced himself from the situation that had effectively gone tits up and found himself still without a gem. The half-demon's eyes bounced between the brewing and rapidly declining situation surrounding Elora with Qerres joining the fray and Tristan. He didn't know whether he'd heard her claim regarding the gun's current state of ammunition, and if he did, would he be willing to take that risk, just in case he, or Qerres had not counted the one bullet that might still remain in the chamber of the gun.


The half-breed had no intention of turning the gun toward Tristan, or any of his other teammates for that matter. Instead he leveled it directly at Pandora herself, hoping that she or her servant wouldn't take that as an attempted attack as he was only planning to use the situation as leverage. He wanted that gem, or any gem really, albeit for reasons entirely separate from what one might expect. Kirill extended an open palm toward Tristan after the fact. "You shoot and I shoot. You don't give me the gem and I shoot. Is that a chance you want to take, to put the mission at risk? Do you feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?".


Of course to Kirill there was far more at stake here than whether or not he'd get a gem, he had his own plans for the thing but that was something he could worry about after, or if he got one in the first place. Even as everything around him descended into complete and utter chaos, backstabbing and violent beatings included, he seemed strangely unshaken, perhaps comfortable even. After all, this was exactly the kind of environment he had to pull himself up from to begin with and stepping beyond his station on top of the backs of a person or two to elevate himself was not something he was a stranger to. It was in that moment that the wings that sprouted from his back and stretched into the air around him seemed all too fitting, despite his half-breed nature. Frankly he did not care, he simply wanted to put an end to all this. For everyone's sake.
( Fable , June Verles , @k o r o l , Noble Scion , Tarmagon , Thatguynameded , DapperCat , Morzone , Hanarei , Myriad )

 

[Fable]

Merged Group

Xemanorth Thatguynameded Noble Scion Tarmagon June Verles Hanarei Morzone DapperCat baddervibes Myriad
( Corrupted: Kirill, Theo, Caddigan, Jasper, Qerres. Stones Left: Brass, Felicia, Caddigan, Jasper, Theo, Elora. )

Avael didn't flick her attention over as Brass because to run as humanly possible for his current state; which is to say fairly slow when in comparison to being in a room full of preternatural beings. She didn't give him much of a chance in reaching his goal. Her mind raced and her predatory instincts were twitching to unleash themselves, but she resisted. One wrong move could cost her the loss of her host and being trapped in this hellhole dimension was an unpleasant thought.

While Feclia had managed to subdue Theo after his attack on Elora, it wasn't enough nor fast enough as he embraced the corrupting powers granted to him by the box... or perhaps Pandora herself. His metal body was more like liquid metal which allows him to split and change form and Avael growled deep in her throat as she waited for the attacks to come. She had intended to fight the golem going for Felicia, but before she could get close enough Qerres tackled her.

Tristan's eyes widened at the chaotic violence unfolding before him. He didn't know if he should shoot at the golems or not, seeing as they were made of metal that could be molded and split from itself made it seem like an unaffected tactic. Then there was the question of how would it actually harm Theo as they were part of him. Did one carry a heart that could kill Theo if struck? He had been too distracted to hear Qerres reply lowly that her gun wasn't loaded. Her struggled words were hard to hear over the violent chaos as well and so when Qerres leapt for Avael he swore loudly but still didn't shoot.

Jasper was busy fighting off a golem on his own and trying to assist in stopping the one going after Brass. Tristan's temporary distraction from Kirill was interrupted when the half-demon spoke to him. He wanted the gem Tristan still held onto, threatening to shoot if Tristan fired and to also shoot if he didn't hand over his gem. Tristan let out a frustrated shout and stopped aiming at Kirill, though Qerres had said it wasn't loaded, it's hard to trust anything anyone was saying right now.

As Tristan held up his hand that held his gun, his finger off the trigger, "I don't have a gem." It wasn't a lie and seeing as how earlier there were comments about those afflicted by this corruption of the box could sense them... he wasn't sure why Kirill was asking Tristan for one.

Avael during this exchange and as Qerres moved to punch Avael over and over had lifted her arms to deflect the blows meant for her face. Between a punch she allowed herself to take a hit to the eye as she wrapped her arms around Qerres's torso and pulled her down and twist herself so that Qerres was no longer atop her, her arms barked in pain from the assault and would likely be horribly bruised.

He would have helped Avael, but he knew better than to interfere with that fae-parasite's tussles. If Qerres was fighting Elora that was one more distraction to try and get someone else's gem to Pandora. But then another thought hit him and he called over to Felicia. "Levitate yours to her," he said with desperation in his voice. "I'll cover you as best as I can, keep it high and out of reach and move it fast, but get it to her."

Pandora still remained seated calming, smiling at the show before her, the Ambassador silently and neutrally standing by her side.

 

[Hanarei]

Felicia could feel Theo struggling at first against her power before seeming to somewhat stop. She seemed a bit puzzled by it but it didn't take long to realize what was happening as three metal golems formed. She watched as the one approached to strike at her alerting the esper very quickly to the danger. Fortunately for her she had been more proactive already encompassing herself in her own power to levitate able to float back quickly as to avoid the slash, something that would of ended horribly for her if she had to try and rely on actually dodging it physically herself. She kept her hand out focusing on Theo trying to keep his main body limited as much as possible, her grip only tightening around him being a bit less aware of the way she attempted to restrain him due to being distracted.

Felicia heard the voice picking her head up. Her hand kept outstretched keeping Theo's body limited as she kept herself floated quickly moving to evade the attacks of the golem figuring her focus on Theo's main body was much more important then attempting to stop just the single golem attacking her. So long as she could keep herself floating and evading it that meant there was less risk of Theo being capable of causing more trouble. She could see the others were relatively distracted and fortunately for her, moving a single gem would be far easier to slip by particularly if she could keep it high enough. She floated up evading the golem as her one hand lifted away, her grip upon Theo weakening by about half as she withdrew the gem she was hiding from her pocket.

The Esper focused on the gem a glow forming around it as she lifted it up using her one hand to guide it as the other kept locked on Theo, at this point only applying half her strength upon him due to her focus on the gem. She floated the gem up moving as high as she could possibly bring it. The glowing gem began to fly forward shooting it forward her attention focusing primarily towards it keeping herself constantly moving back at least aware of the golem as best she could. Her attention locked upon it ready to move it around a bit to avoid someone attempting to stop it as best as she could as she quickly shot the gem towards Pandora.

Location: The Throne Room
Mentioned:
Fable Morzone

 

[Morzone]

Fable Hanarei Thatguynameded Tarmagon Xemanorth DapperCat baddervibes Noble Scion
​

The golem that stood before brass continued its assault, positioning itself to stand between the beastman-turned-human and Pandora. It rushed with its blades mercilessly, apparently attempting to do enough damage to incapacitate its target as quickly as possible. Whether that was a swift slice of a limb, or a solid stab through the gut, would depend on where and when Brass' defense would break down first. Among the strikes, the occasional lunge would be pinpointed at the gem's location on Brass' body. Theo needed merely to get his metal around the seed for a second or two to absorb it into his body, thanks to his now liquid-esque attribute. If he could steal it with a well placed strike, all the better. It would make the other fights all the easier.

As Jasper's golem hit the floor, sliced in two by the scythe, its upper body immediately deformed into a puddle of silvery metal. In an instant it began feeding itself back into its lower half, so in mere seconds it had rebuilt itself in full. Still, seconds were long enough for Jasper to have escaped the range of the golem's blade arms. So instead, with fast swishing movement, the golem lashed its arm forward, the metal limb elongating into something resembling a steel whip which coiled itself around the running Jasper's ankles. With a hard pull, The golem yanked Jasper's feet out from under him, dragging him backward. At the same moment the Golem leaped forward, its other arm morphing into a weapon resembling a heavy war-axe. The blade came falling down Toward Jasper's upper arm, clearly hoping to sever the limb holding the Jasper's scythe.

The attention of Theo's main body had become diverted. Qerres had suddenly jumped at Other-Elora and while the demon's rush hadn't resulted in much more than some bruising, but it meant Theo's original target was now preoccupied with holding down Qerres. Perhaps this was the moment to strike her? No, he'd attempted a sneak attack on her for a reason. Even with Caddigan's seed he wasn't strong enough to go one on one with her. Hence his defensive circle of flame around his main body. He still had his own seed he could absorb, but- Theo suddenly felt the weight of Felicia's pressure lighten. She'd diverted some of her strength to moving her seed overhead to Pandora! To think she was holding him down and transporting the seed while dodging his golem's attacks. Clearly it wasn't just Elora he needed to watch out for, Theo would need to up his game.

If Other-Elora was busy holding Qerres down, then Theo could double his attention on Felicia. The golem's attacks began to adjust for the Esper's dodging style, as it stabbed at her the its blades would stretch out to a length more than twice its usual before retracting back again. With the extra range he could put extra pressure on her, hopefully her power would wane enough for Theo's main body to succeed in its own endeavor. For while it was now high over head, Felicia seed had no immediate physical protection. Theo still couldn't move perfectly, but the lightened pressure was enough to make a move. Lifting his arms over his head, his fingers stretched skyward overlapping each other to form a large, silvery net which filled the air around Felicia's seed. The seed only had a little left over heat it had picked up from Felicia's body heat, so exact targeting with a heat signature was difficult, but the seed was within sight. The net closed in to wrap around the seed, if he missed he could simply fold over and try again, but he wouldn't have too much time before either his main body was attacked or the seed made it out of his reach and to Pandora. If he could just grab hold for a moment he could pull it into his body and absorb it!

 

[Thatguynameded]

He could hear the chaos behind him but brass knew he needed to get this stone to Pandora as fast as possible. He was at a full sprint after slowly gaining speed. It was a very awkward run, his legs are starting to hurt a little and his body was getting hot, and he began to sweat. This must be how humans feel when they are tired brass assumed. His run looked liked it was the result of a previous injury but it was just exhaustion and not knowing the proper way to run as a human. Rapidly panting like the animal he was, he realized it wasn't helping him cool down in the slightest. Just when he thought his only problem was his body a figure appeared right in front of him. It looked like Theo but not exactly like him, it was silver looking and it looked like it formed from liquid. Brass would have thought Theo was coming to help him but the arm moved in a way like he was about to be attacked.

Out of brass's experience from the slight movement of the figure, he knew the intent was malicious. whether it was his old beastial instincts kicking in or his new human nature, his adrenaline caused him to forget about his exhaustion. The movement of the metal thing seemed to move like a person but his strikes were predictable, like a puppet being moved by its master. This made it easy for brass to avoid the attacks but it was keeping brass from ending the mission. It attempted a few jabs at his chest where the stone sit hidden. Brass took this opportunity to dodge in a way that his back was now to Pandora, if this thing attacking brass was smart it would realize Brass is trying to make his way to Pandora by trying to dodge the attacks.

Fable Morzone

 

[Tarmagon]

Jasper grunted as he was brought up short of the embattled Brass by a sudden jerk that left him on the ground. He rolled over to see the golem thing leaping into the air, one arm formed into an axe that was descending towards his arm. Jasper managed to shift his staff in front of his body, taking the blow meant for him on the haft of the staff. As the axe hit the wooden handle, there was a massive concussion and flash of light, then there was a tremendous jerk at his ankle at the things coil unwound, largely due to its being flung nearly fifty feet away by the force that erupted from Jasper's staff at the point of contact. Jasper pulled himself to his feet, gasping as his ankle protested, but then starting to limp towards Pandora's throne.

Jasper kept flicking glances over his shoulder, his jaw tightening as the team of operatives descended into nothing more than a mad melee. He felt the waves of need that Pandora's presence was evoking, the desire to take, to consume the Offerings. The one still tucked deep inside his armor was like an ember, slowly searing its way into his mind and body, demanding that it be used. He glanced back at the throne, and his expression froze at the bemused little smile turning up the corners of Pandora's lips. They could all die here, and it would be nothing more than a moments amusement for her

Jasper continued to limp towards the throne, even as the situation behind him grew more desperate. People were going to start dying while the being ahead just sat there and smirked.

"You still have choices to make, Jasper."

Pandora's words echoed through his mind, and Jasper found himself slowing, stopping, turning to the madness that engulfed his fellow agents, his staff held across his body, still covered in the blazing runes that were being powered from his very life-force. He could sense the Offerings, feel the pull, feel the madness clawing at his mind.

"No," he said simply to the air in general. Taking his staff in both hands, he raised it high overhead, then brought it down on the ground in a massive blow. The blade struck the stone, and the entire weapon, from blade to the end of the shaft, flared bright enough to temporarily blind anyone looking directly at it, then shattered as though it had been dipped in liquid nitrogen. A tremendous wave of force blasted out, fit to hurl anyone from their feet, tumble anyone or anything in the air like a feather in a hurricane, and Jasper's body flew through the air like a rag doll, landing with a sodden thud at the base of Pandora's throne.

For long moments Jasper lay still, then he began to move, raising himself up on one elbow. Dark blood flowed freely from his mouth, eyes, and ears, one arm hanging loosely by his side as he struggled to one knee. There was a ringing in his ears that drowned out all other sounds, and his ribs grated in his chest as he moved, tried to breathe. His right leg was twisted unnaturally below the knee, but it didn't matter, he wasn't going to stand. Using his left arm, he managed to drag himself to within arms reach of Pandora, staring up into those cold eyes as his hand fumbled at his armor, finally exposing the pocket holding his Offering despite the agony the movements caused his broken body. The second the Offering was in his hand, the siren call redoubled, smashing at his mind. It would heal him, empower him, make it oh so easy to claim the few Offerings still nearby. He could take them all, become the equal of Pandora herself, assume her throne. The agony would end...

Xaira's face filled his vision, her eyes full of tears as she knelt before his throne. He could have anything here, be anything here, but he couldn't have, himself. Jasper would be no more, the world would be no more as the Box opened, spilling its contents onto the unsuspecting world. A world he could rule. A world of death and ashes, devoid of the love and hope that made the horrors mankind could inflict upon itself bearable. He could have the body of any of his beloved ones, but their hearts would remain forever beyond his reach, beyond his understanding.

"You said.... I had... choices to make," Jasper gasped out, raising the hand with the Offering. "I want... to live... I have so much... to live for."

He thought he saw triumph in Pandora's eyes as he spoke, as he desperately wanted to see Xaira once more, wanted to see the sun. He could. He did have so much to live for.

"But," he said, his voice firm. "I have more... to die for. I choose, them."

Jasper's hand opened, the Offering glittering as it fell towards Pandora's hand. As the Offering fell, so too did Jasper, his vision greying as he toppled sideways, collapsing into a bloody, broken heap at Pandora's feet.

 

[Fable]

Merged Group

Xemanorth Thatguynameded Noble Scion Tarmagon June Verles Hanarei Morzone DapperCat baddervibes Myriad
( Corrupted: Kirill, Theo, Caddigan, Jasper, Qerres. Stones Left: Brass, Felicia, Caddigan, Jasper, Theo, Elora. )

(Long Ass GM Note: Severe apologies for the massive delay. I know many of you know between personal health issues and current events in the world my time has been shot. If you missed the tag in Discord, I inquired about either letting an NPC finish this mission or have a PC volunteer for it. Tarmagon was the only user to PM me on this matter hence why his character will be completing this mission. In order to close this and move onto SLICE this will be ending in a 'storymode' where it's basically me being the narrator of events. Because it's been forever if I neglect something it's a simple slip of my mind not remembering everything, so if I miss/forget something sorry in advance and poke me about it.)

The agents were attacking each other and Pandora sat upon her throne watching and waiting to see how events would proceed. She had 1,000 years to plot and bide her time and had learned from each encounter since she had been trapped in this box. One part of her screamed internally to stop the madness while the other enjoyed their suffering because she was stuck here suffering for as long as this prison existed. The box ate away at her body and soul, why should she be the only one to suffer; the box would whisper these thoughts to her. It's malignant suggestions never-ending.

She continued to sit and watch wondering if the time would finally come where the box would unleash all its trapped horrors. How long had she been in this place? When had she stopped counting?

Her smile faded as she watched Felicia try to move the gem towards her with Theo throwing a metal net to try and capture it before it could reach her. It did not reach her, but not because Theo had captured it. No, Jasper's forceful blow of power that had crashed through the room had blasted everyone and everything away from the impact of his staff into the ground, even sending him flying violently to her feet.

Her cold eyes bore down on him as he struggled to speak and for a moment the box looked down upon him in triumph... until he lifted his hand and offered the gemstone. He had managed to resist the allure of power and the corrupting whisper of the box.

"The offering has been made," Pandora said stoically as she took it from Jasper. The moment the gem touch her flesh the box trembled violently, clearly angered it had failed yet again. The stones of the throne room cracked and dust and debris fell, but the building didn't collapse even though it threatened to. The denizens of the box roared and bellowed at another 1,000 years they would be trapped within.

Pandora lifted the gem towards her exposed heart which hadn't been beating. Upon closer inspection, one could see that her heart seemed to be entirely made of the gemstone itself, but cracked and weak. Once the offered gem touched the crystal heart it absorbs it wholly and shudders after the cracks heal and begins to pulse.

As her heart beats Pandora's body begins to heal. The rot giving way to renewed life and as Pandora is restored so too is the realm of the box itself. Pandora closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as color returns to her cheeks. The weakening seal of the box restored as well giving another 1,000 years before the cycle would repeat and the crystallized heart would weaken once more. Pandora's heart served as the seal of the box which came with perks but also a price of the power. She was tied to the box, both prisoner and warden until a solution was found to destroy the box or keep it closed forever.

"The game has ended," Pandora announces with authority. "All outsiders are to be ejected."

The Ambassador bows to the renewed Queen and snaps their fingers. The next moment the agents are pushed out of the box, a feeling as though one was swimming against a strong current of water and equally as suffocating. It would be enough to panic some, though the feeling only last for a few seconds before unceremoniously dropping from about three feet in the air and onto the ground in an open field.

Medics who were on constant standby and rotating shifts waiting for agents to released from the box don't waste time rushing to assist those who need medical attention. Stretchers are rushed and agents carried away, others are tended to immediately before being moved. All those who had entered the box had all been released within the same area and that is where our agents now find themselves as well. The perimeter is secured as though expecting all hell to break loose, appearing prepared for the box to open with armed agents, tanks, and looking ready for a war.

With the mission successfully completed the armed personnel were now tasked with dealing with the corrupted agents. While all the afflicted agents have been restored to their former selves that didn't mean they would go back to being who they were before they entered the box. The corruption was like an addictive drug and there would be symptoms of withdrawal in those who had been afflicted. It affected everyone differently, but those first few moments of being out of the box were especially jarring and some reacted violently, attacking other or even themselves. Those who reacted in this manner were subdued; usually with sedatives or worst case tranquilizers. Then they would be taken to the temporary medical buildings to be treated and monitored for a week's time; enough time for the effect of the box to have fully worn off.

Those who were injured but not corrupted were taken to a different medical wing and the severe cases directly transported to the clinic and temporary field hospital buildings. This was no different for our group of agents who are treated and tended to no differently than all the rest and leftover gemstones were quickly collected (using special equipment to detect the power signature lest someone try to keep one) to keep corrupted agents from being provoked into harming others.

(And it is here I will end the mission. So no more replies here! All replies shall now need to occur in SMITED Slice which will have the prompt. Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding.)