Fandom &nbsp; Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

Meredith

Sir Les Paul · Jan 21, 2023

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A Check-In from a Rockstar

Retro Post, March 28th

It was some time after the events at the Tanaka estate that a certain rockstar had deemed it appropriate to check on the beetle-donning belladonna he had bound himself to. It was her first mission of sorts with her new team, after all. She had a curious set of comrades he found himself interested in. A Bloodsucker and a tatted up punk resembling many of the punks he saw in his own crowds, a literal zombie, a kid that embodied rage against the machine, and her own partner with the blood fetish.

Out of context, it sounded like a party from a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons players bored of the ninth edition trying to squeeze what they could out of the campaign before the tenth was released.

The familiar pull of the scarab ring nipped away at the soul of one Eloise. It had become a painless sensation, not unlike a gentle pinch of the skin–except it was the soul. Perhaps a touch uncomfortable, but it made for an effective indicator of initiating communication. And, it was probably quite preferable to him being able to barge in whenever he wanted. Not that it took a lot of effort; contacting either of the other was as simple as channeling a touch of one’s wavelength into the ring.

’Oh Ellyyy, do pick up. I’m ever so curious to know what kind of show you put on today,’ he chimed, hoping he picked an opportune time for a conversation.

‘Ah, so we mustn't ‘ave had these long enough for you to have a front row seat. What a pity~.’ Returning his tone with a teasing one of her own, the day was thankfully done and salvaged. Having bid the others adieu, Elly had returned home to shower and change into her loungewear to recoup before they began Miko Boot Camp in the morning. ‘Aren’t you the one supposed to be performing out of the two of us?’

’It seems not, though I doubt that is to your chagrin. It does make one wonder how long it takes for two souls to share such a bond… though the five thousand some odd miles between us does perhaps complicate matters,’ Ulysses responded, musing still mostly over her first comment.

’Aren’t we all just performers on a grand stage, love? I may sing and play on stages made by man, but who is to say we all aren’t but mere puppets for the entertainment of others on some cosmic scale? Would it even be cruel gods that play us? Or, perhaps heathens pulling on the strings of their own creation to act out what they haven’t the power to do in their own existence?’ he continued on, twisting words and putting a new perspective on her comments.

’Even still, by far, I would say your performance is the more interesting one. You can hear my music on a dozen streaming platforms, but what you do can only be heard from those pretty lips of yours,’ he told her, redirecting to his inquiry as to her day.

‘That does mean I can’t peep on you either,’ Elly added to his assumption, though he wasn’t all that off. She let out a bemused hum as he went on. ‘Always the philosopher, aren’t you dear? Would we really be so amusing to some cosmic entities?’

Perhaps if such entities were like Eloise in nature. Most always presumed such beings to have a greater purpose of some kind, but who was to say they just didn’t like enjoying holding the reins?

‘Hm… but do I kiss and tell,’ Elly wondered in a light, uncertain tone. ‘Well, to be completely honest, I was prepared for a trainwreck. That seemed to be mostly avoided however. How much time do you have before a fan or your agent steals you away?’

’Love, have you seen the viewership ratings for Deathflix? If intelligent creatures such as ourselves can be entertained so easily, I wouldn’t put it beyond some cosmic entity to have blinked us into existence just to watch our struggles,’ he responded, answering her question.

’If I didn’t know better, I might think the jewelry left you a bit attached,’ he went on, teasing her about her inquiry as to time. ’My show is over and I have no engagements for the night, madam. And, just for the record, I am my own agent. I do have two assistants, but no one tells me what to do,’ he explained to her.

’So a trainwreck, you say? What might have caused that, and more so, how was it avoided? You my full and undivided attention,’ he asked.

‘I hope my life has good ratings then, at least,’ She remarked in response. Some higher beings. At least they had good taste.

Elly smirked a bit at his tease, wondering how to respond in kind. ‘And whom is contacting whom? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I left somewhat of an impression~’

Letting out a bemused huff at his assurance, Elly leaned back against the headboard of her bed. ‘Well, it started out fine. However one of the mentors has a pet bird that stole a cat from one of the other agents. This aggravated one of the other agents who looked like he was trying to square up with the bird handler. It seems my partner and I are the transfers and the other members all come from a prior unit, so it makes sense they have rapport. Still, I don’t believe that’s the wisest action to take.’

Sighing a bit at that, then there was the mission. ‘Then we were dropped in a beautiful forest and told to go hunt for items guarded by pairs, which went mostly fine except for the angry one from earlier snapping someone’s leg and getting zapped by the collar. Can’t deny his talent though; if he can handle that temper of his.’

However, Adrian wasn’t the only note of interest from that day. ‘Other than that, we have a sleepy Bloodsucker and his tattooed partner, both of which seem to be rather talented and polite. My Weapon is fairly easy to handle, and we have an autonomous weapon to partner with the angry boy, who is a bit old-fashioned you could say… Oh! One thing of note that may interest you is that the bird-handler had some sort of mask that completely hid his presence from me.’

’I do recall saying, miss, that I’d be be in touch. I would hate to break my promises,’ he responded.

’As for impressions, I can’t quite decide which was better. The one from across the table, or watching you walk away… that said, I’ll leave an impression of my own,’ he continued on.

’Rumor is that your whole program will be going into phase two here soon. Grapevine says that once the first few rounds of agents are out and they get an idea of who sinks and swims, good ole Cyrus wants you all to get used to dealing with different teams. Apparently, it’d be pointless if you all could only work with a handful of people. So if that’s that’s true, it may not matter who is assigned to what mentor,’ Ulysses explained, sharing some of the more sensitive information he had acquired through his sources.

He was a Stein. And, providing information like this seemed like a great way to establish trust.

’Now that mask… I have a few ideas for how they work. Could be magic, magitech, some unique item, probably isn’t a technique. Thing is, love, you have those superb eyes. It all should come easy to you, yeah? I doubt you even consider squinting to see something. Thing is, there are still a few skills beyond your talents. Or, actually… well, it’s two things. Frederick has the best Soul Perception in the DWMA, and I’ve picked up some things from him,” Ulysses went on to enlighten her.

’According to him, the first realization he made was that just because eyes see something doesn’t mean your brain understands it. Take a silencer, for instance. It may make a gun a bit more quiet, but it doesn’t actually eliminate sound. It changes it to something you don’t recognize or that blends into the background. I don’t know what that mentor was using, but I do know there are masks and cloaks out there that distort how we see a soul. We see something there, but it’s not what we’re used to seeing, so we don’t pick up on it. I always thought of it like how Clark Kent just puts on some glasses and changes his demeanor, and suddenly… we don’t know he’s Superman. Why would anyone suspect a mild-mannered reported to be the most powerful alien on the planet? If he has a mask that changes what his Soul Signature looks like, why would your brain ever even recognize it as a soul if it just looks like some weird energy in the background?’ he explained, doing his best to paraphrase the anecdotes he had been told by Fredrick.

’Thing is, most of those items work in just one way. It may differ item to item, but chances are, if you learned how they worked or at least figured out the mechanic, you could train your eyes to look for the patterns. And my experience with Fredrick is that he can see right through a pattern to the real thing as if it weren’t there. Of course, he is a Stein… but believe it or not, he doesn’t possess true Super Soul Perception. So if he can do that, chances are, you could, too,” Ulysses told her, again giving her more information regardless of how trivial.

’Then there’s magic. Whole different genre right there… what we see in a soul and wavelength is not magic or mana. But, we can see it. Two ways. The first is that all witches and whatnot, even creatures, make their own mana by converting what’s around it with their soul. Bits of themselves linger in it, and we can see that. But, that’s not super convenient or insightful. The real trick is to train your Perception to see mana. It’s not something you typically get taught in class… because it can take a lot of investment. Though, I have met some that can just do so almost naturally. It’s almost like changing the lens in your telescope to see a different kind of light. Once you can do it, you work at making it more clear. I did what Fredrick suggested; trained with a Witch until I could see her mana almost as clear as her soul. I don’t know if you can see mana now, but if you practiced at it, you should be good enough to even see through Soul Protect,’ Ulysses explained to her, though this time he wasn’t sure how useful the insight into magic was.

’I’m normally not one to practice skills like that, but living on the road, I found it best to know when magic was afoot,’ he told her, shifting back into his normal tone. ’If I’m going to be caught in a spell, I’d prefer one like yours as opposed to some little incantation,’ he added.

Elly let out a soft giggle at that. ‘Yes, I’m sure that did leave quite an impression,’ She replied with mild interest. ‘But yes, do tell.’

She listened on as he spoke of what rumors he had collected, humming in acknowledgement. ‘Well, that makes sense, though we haven’t even been on one mission together yet. A real one, that is. Switching it up now is a bit of a dice roll. My new team could be even easier to work with. Then again, they could be an even greater group of delinquents all the same.’

However, what she was more interested in was what he had to say about the mask. The woman brought a hand up to her chin and tapped her bottom lip idly with her index finger as he spoke, considering what he was saying. ‘Very good points all, dear. I’m somewhat learned; I thought it would be helpful hunting rogue Witches. I’ll have to train it further, as well as learn the patterns if it isn’t magic-based… hiding in plain sight, crafty little gremlins,’ She said before another bemused huff escaped her lips. ‘What, afraid of some magical roofies but ye aren’t afraid I have a real one?’

Elly chuckled softly. ‘Oh, the poor Witch fangirl out there vying for your attention and you dodge it to cheat with me. How cruel.’

’Afraid may not be the right word, but I have good reason to be leery. Don’t you? All your veiled words in this game of cat and mouse are really in the same vein, hm?’ he proposed, letting slip a slight amount of pride as he tried to turn the tables.

’And, cruel? I would never be such a thing, love,’ he responded musically. ’Consider this. Can you cheat a game with no rules? Even then, who creates the rules? Do we just assume what they are? Do we just assume everyone agrees?’ he posed, bringing up those important questions in that whimsical fashion of his. A light chortle rang through once he finished his query.

’I can’t imagine you’d ever need a little chemical assistance to sway someone to you,’ he added, backtracking to the question she asked earlier that he so intentionally glossed over to make a point.

‘Mmm… I don’t think for quite the same reasons, though,’ Elly replied a bit smugly. ‘And no rules? I hope you’re not giving cursed jewelry out to every girl you meet. Rules or not I may be a bit hurt by that.’

After teasing him, she shrugged slightly with a hum. ‘Is that first-hand testimony then or just flattery?’

’Talk about cutting words, love. Is it truly a curse to have a connection with me?’ he responded, teasing back at her own comment regarding the jewelry.

’But, no, I do not simply shower those I meet with gifts. I believe you girls would call that love bombing, and it’s supposedly a red flag anyway,’ he answered, this time more directly. ’Besides that, these scarabs cost a small fortune and smuggling them was hardly legal. You think I’d do all that for just anyone I met, hm?’ he went on, twisting those accusations back at her.

’Hmm… I wouldn’t call it flattery, either. It’s neither insincere or excessive, don’t you think?’ he asked.

“A curse can be a great many things and not necessarily a detriment,” Elly replied smoothly before chuckling. “Love bombing without love is it? And a pretty face can mask those red flags fairly well. Not to say that you are.” She was sure he did have his secrets to hide, though thus far he seemed to be honest.

Elly grasped the scarab in her fingers and eyed it as he posed that question, humming as she did so. “No, I suppose just one that checks the right boxes, hm?” She replied back.

’A curse that isn’t a detriment? What a confounding concept…’ he mused. He knew what she meant, but there was part of him that was mulling over that oxymoron. A curse, by nature, was meant to be a detriment. If it wasn’t, the caster of it most surely failed. ’’Wouldn’t a curse that only incurred good fortune be a blessing in disguise?’ he uttered, reflecting the thoughts that he was considering.

’Mm, and take this no wrong way, love, but your pretty face does not mask those red flags,’ he told her, being quite blunt this time without those normally soft words. ’You are… more like a butterfly. Those wings of warning spread, intimidating any with a lick of sense, yet still being quite beautiful nonetheless,’[/b] he explained.

’Though, the question I suppose is are you a monarch making her long journey, or a moth drawn to a flame?’[/b] he asked, posing another deep question. ’These long chats with me surely can’t be for my superficial goal of espionage, hm?[/b] he purposed.

“It need not only bring benefits. However, there’s an advantage you can find in most anything,” Elly clarified with a snicker to his second comment. “Very good ‘save’.”

To the actual question, however, Elly didn’t give a direct response. One or the other, a bit of both, perhaps. However, he knew by now she wasn’t the type to reveal her cards, even if she had been truthful when she said she wanted security. “The same could be turned on you, no? You were the one that knocked on my door first, after all.”

’”Ah yes,’[/b] he responded, fairly quickly despite her slight delay. ’But, my red flags are obvious and I own them thoroughly. I question the hierarchy of the establishment, detest our current over-use of violence in the global sphere, ignore the law for the sake of my own ethics, and make good use of my status to push my agenda, he told her. It was almost effortless what he did. Wash away his sins simply by accepting them.

’Or, do you mean about our long chats?’ he asked.

’Does it bother you? That you can’t confidently determine if I have any genuine interest in you, or if I’m merely keeping your interest up to further my own goals?’ he asked again.

’Is that your pride that wonders? Or, the faint glimmer of a heart hoping for something more than the cruel, cut-throat worlds you came from?’ he went on.

’Because if I hold substantial feelings or even just attraction towards you, the worst version of you could use me as a tool yourself–even easier than the worst version of myself,’ he told her, skipping over his own questions.
’The question is, are we the worst versions of ourselves–or the best?’ he proposed. ’Because no one–you nor I–are perfect.”

Elly giggled a bit at that. “I wouldn’t advise owning them to the authorities, dear. Less you wish to be shipped off somewhere,” She commented.

Listening to him go on and speak of inquiries regarding her feelings, she knew he didn’t expect a straightforward reply, nor would she surprise him by giving him one. Instead, she’d comment on his last question, first. “Be prepared for the worst and you’ll be rather stress free,” She said before addressing his first question. “Am I bothered? Not at all. Even relationships are give and take, some for more heartfelt reasons and others for more shallow. Some seek humor in a partner, or good looks. Security, power, comfort, money… A partner can bring any number of those things that you may be searching for.”

As for his second question, Elly let out a bemused scoff. “And the world is still here. The scenery’s just changed.” Yearning for something that isn’t would just invite needless stressors. The world was no different, she wasn’t so naive.

’The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,’ Ulysses responded. It was a simple, but perfectly applicable quote to the situation. Eloise knew how to dance with him, and it was most certainly interesting. He knew the dynamic from the beginning, however. Neither of them saw anything in the other beyond opportunity. She saw that security she sought after. A low-risk endeavor that increased her value to someone like him, with connections and an ambition to keep his investments–like her–afloat. And, with her, he saw someone with a keen eye, a sharp mind, and perfectly placed for his inquiring soul.

This dance only existed as it did because two beautiful people were bound to exhibit tension. It was as simple as that. Co-stars on a stage, and the stage lights were always hot.

’I could plan, like you said, but I prefer to be… adaptable. Quickly and accurately adjusting has always been far more important than carefully laid plans, in my experience,’ he explained, giving her insight as to his mindset for these undercover efforts.

’Besides that, it’s far more human. I would assume you plan for the worst, as you said. A day I don’t need a set of eyes in the DWMA, or I need to cut ties,’ Ulysses posed, humming after he did so just briefly. ’Yet, the human spirit wants to be that golden string the fates refuse to cut, he mused.

’I will let you in on the secret I live by, love,’ Ulysses told her, shifting gears as he got tired of the other. It was ground down and no longer turning the others in his whirring mind. ’I believe nothing in this world–even the most beautiful scenery–actually matters. What has value is what we allow to have value,’ he explained.

’Person to person, soul to soul, it’s all different. What we allow to have value,’ he went on. ’Yet, we make decisions based off that and push the envelope further and further because of what we care about, so the value we place into things–whether we know it or not–has power,’ he explained, ’power only only a fool would ignore.’

’The real question is what does a person actually value in this world where nothing has value unless we give it, he told her. His tone had picked up a fair bit. There was more energy in these thoughts transmitted to her. These thoughts were more core to who he really was, so this was a departure from the dance they were doing just a moment ago.

’”To the fairest one,” read the Apple of Discord. Eris created it, scorned for not being included. Three Goddesses desired it. Paris could have chosen power, wisdom, or the love of the most beautiful girl in the world–as they say. He chose the latter, and the entire Trojoan War–a myth that has inspired countless generations–was created,’ he went on.

’All because so many different people with power acted on their values,’ he told her, bridging the gap between his philosophy and mythology. ’If I didn’t have something you valued–or some type of influence you valued–would you even care about the words I say? If I valued you beyond your station, would that affect your opinion?’ he asked, this time it seemed less rhetorical than before.

’You come from a world of business where harsh decisions needed to be made and you couldn’t value the softer things in life, that I understand,’ Ulysses commented, ’I come from one not too dissimilar. The difference may simply be the time we’ve had to come to appreciate things we once considered trivial.”

“No plan survives first contact. However, to have a starting point, I find is just as important as remaining adaptable,” Elly added to his statement of preference. Surely he had to have some kind of plan prior to executing this little spy operation. One did not get as far as him by winging it, improv skills or no.

“I would be inclined to agree… However, I also do not believe that is such a bad thing,” She said to the lack of value on things. “We are our own protagonists, after all. We must determine what holds value to us and act to achieve or maintain them. As you say, we are both guilty of this.”

However, his next question brought on momentary silence. If he posed no advantage to her whatsoever, would she have entertained any of this? The answer was, perhaps surprisingly or unsurprisingly, no. Yet, it sounded as if he already predicted that. The same could be said of him, however.

“Mm? Is that a confession, dear?” Elly chimed regarding his supposed value of her. “What of you? Would you have chosen me if it weren’t for my soul and wavelength, or if I didn’t otherwise have the aptitude to conceal this? Would you have paid me time of day? Would my opinion of you change that?”

Elly, too, predicted the answer.

’I would wager you expect a straight-forward answer, much like your own,’ Ulysses responded whimsically, ’But, I’m afraid, I’ll have to disappoint.’

’You see, you are perfect for a specific task,’ Ulysses explained, ’but that does not mean I could never have other reasons to pay you attention or that even if you were touch less perfect you would be less than ideal.’

’There is a flaw in this way of thinking–these what if’s. It is that all the changes that we ask about–would I, would you, if this, then that–refer to people that we aren’t,’ he told her.

’Not just your abilities, mind you, but your values. There may perhaps be things I do wish you valued a touch more… but would you be the same Elly today if you did? Not to say you may not grow and develop into appreciating some things more, but that your past is what it is–set in stone–and you needed to be the woman that survived it,’ he elaborated.

’So, let us ask a different question. Would I have sought you out if you were a sweeter, more soft-hearted soul? Would I trust you with this task and adore you so–if you wore your heart on your sleeve and cared to protect more than yourself?’ he proposed.

’The answer to that question is yes,” Ulysses told her, answering his own proposition. ’So another question is, would you have risked yourself if you thought me some foolhardy idealist, or a man simply tempted by flesh? How much and what of me could you change before I would no longer interest you?” he asked, plainly outlining the actual point he was making.

’I believe at core, the answer to that question is what tells us the most about each other. Do you not agree?’ he asked. ’I think it works two-fold,’ he mused, ’It highlights what of this you value, then has you reflect on yourself for why you value what you do,’ he explained.

“A straightforward answer? Never,” Elly replied with a gasp of mock surprise. A poem, or a quote, or philosophy, yes. She expected that. Yet, a straightforward answer? She knew better. Still she listened, curious nonetheless of his answer.

A soft heart would’ve been less apt at such subterfuge needed for this, yet the most important factor was that of her soul and wavelength. Simple suppression did not suffice. His rhetorical was much the same. A fool or a glutton for lust. While his values and personality made things more or less easy to deal with, it was his aptitude and status that presented an advantage were she to entertain him. So, a yes as well, in that case.

“I do believe you are a tad more introspective than me, love,” Elly replied with a bemused huff. When dealing with others, the why was often as important as the is. The why said much about the person, after all, with far more clues typically than their simple actions. However, for herself, Elly never quite delved within herself to ask such questions. It didn’t serve much purpose to do so. She knew what she was, and why. “It does, though I find using it on others to be more helpful than on myself.”

A chuckle, playful and light, somehow echoed through their souls. It was an odd thing. A chuckle–that light laugh–was something we might consider a physical response. Something we not only heard, but saw–yet was not composed of words. Yet, here, it was clear as a bell and distinctive from anything he could have said.

’Alas, my Irish gem, I hit the road again in the morning… so I shall have to lay this weary head of mine down to rest soon,’ he told her. He was right, after all. Time could fly with good conversation in general, but losing track of it was so much easier when the conversation came from inside. When words echoed through a soul and there was no need to focus on anything else.

’I do believe I’ll be bold with this suggestion: perhaps you should question yourself more often,’ he told her. It was a twist on her own words, as most things he said were. ’We are creatures of habit, and to know what habits are slaves to can shed light on what mortal shackles we really bare,’ he explained to her.

’At times, though, we stray from the path we have paved in our lives,’ he continued on, ’and those deviations can incite feelings and thoughts that can lead to a potential version of ourselves greater than we knew existed.’

’Who knows, pay close enough attention and you may end up somewhere better than your imagination had ever considered,’ he added in his usual tantalizing way.

“Hm… I suppose I can let you go then,” Elly chimed back after a drawn-out hum. This was followed by another, exaggerated one after Ulysses posed his advice. She wasn’t the optimistic sort. That wasn’t to say she believed all the bad was coming her way, just that nothing good would without her working toward it. She didn’t plan to change, nor did she plan for the environment to change her either.

The DWMA was a different beast, but not without its own sin and internal dangers.

“I’ll keep that in mind, dear,” She finally replied, giving no guarantee of follow-through. It was important to evaluate biases and shortcomings. However, beyond that—Elly wasn’t holding her breath. “I do hope you’re right… Nighty-night. “

'Right or wrong, love, it can't hurt to try,' he responded to her, letting out a tired sigh. 'Rest well, and just remember this if nothing else: to err is human, to forgive is divine,' he told her.

Sir Les Paul · Jan 24, 2023

Adrian Hackney

"The Maiden"

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location Death City, Fool's Festival - Civilian Booths
MissionFool's Festival
Status Excited

Tags: Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Azurian Dream

The turnout this year was pretty impressive. Normally, the streets and pavilions of Death City were only this crowded on actual holidays. The Fourth of July was probably the biggest one, second only to the Death Festival. Ever since the advent of magitech, the fireworks display had became an international treat broadcast on some outlets worldwide due to the otherwise-impossible feats. Sure, there were some that probably wrote it off as a day of traitors for filthy colonials, but most countries had some form of independence day; seeing an incredible show of impossible fireworks from another country had somehow become iconic for their era.

But, that was a different day. This day was all about pranks and oddities.

Adrian opted to at least try to get into the spirit of the day. While he didn't go full harlequin-theme, his wardrobe was definitely unique compared to his usual. Wearing black loafers with a pair of red, plaid NYC Tripp pants below a loose fitting, off-white ruffled shirt and a black vest that opted to be held loosely together with dark brown cord, he blended in fairly well. Granted, he came off as some odd cross behind vintage punk and pirate, but on these streets on this day, that was hardly the weirdest thing there.

He had texted Ashi, Sara, and Dani that he had arrived when he did. It wasn't quite a group text, but it would be a lie to say he didn't just copy and paste the same message. He was there, he was in the civilian half of the festival, and he was at the boutique stalls. That's about all they needed to know; finding him was hardly ever difficult--if they wanted to.

The stall he was most interested in was hardly a stall and more of a large walk in tent. While it had a pretty big selection, it was mostly so that it could setup space for small barriers and an electrical fence that would detect if someone tried to walk out with something valuable. As profitable as these events were, petty theft was still pretty common. Despite that, the owner and his son knew Adrian quite well. He visited this stall every year since he learned about it and almost always left with one or ten things from it. The whole thing was called Games from the Grave and sported tons of vintage games, peripherals, even some associated memorabilia that went with them at the time.

Retro gaming had a huge market. Most new games today utilized VR. It was just the way the market went. Even handheld devices were capable of perfectly realistic VR. VR gaming, however, was not for everyone despite it being the largest majority of the gaming market in 2060. The counter culture for gaming was called "Peri-gaming", a shorthand of peripheral gaming. It represented good ole mouse and keyboard, controller layouts, and everything in between. Of course, most of these could be options for VR gaming, too, but they were a small subset. Peri-gaming was wholly dedicated to it. Vintage games effectively fell under that umbrella.

Adrian was a massive fan of peri-gaming. Not so much of VR. And, that's what this stall was all about. He loved it. Honestly, he loved any place like this, but this one was familiar to him. It's where he learned there was a whole assortment of people like him that preferred and even only played games like this. Until recently, he might have felt terribly alone in the DWMA, but he always had a place in the gaming community.

This year was one of something exciting.

"You have it?!"

"We do."

"Not a beta? The whole game, 100%, no glitches?"

"Nothing major. SQUIDROW finally cracked Unreal 7 and got it to work with x64 architecture.

"That... is fucking amazing. I've been waiting for this since I finished the Arkham remakes."

"Yeah, I haven't even got to finish it. We've been loading up the cartridges now for the emulators. Yours shou--"

"It absolutely should. It's the most expensive thing I own. I made sure it would run Quackers 3.0. Is it all DLC?

"Why waste time on anything else? Batman: NeoKnights brought back the entire franchise when it nearly died in the 40's. It picks up in 2039 Neo-Gotham where you play as Terry McGinnis."
"--Neo-Gotham where you play as Terry McGinnis! the two said in synchrony at the end.

"YESSSS!" Adrian shouted, holding the plastic-enclosed cartridge in his hand. He shook it almost violently with excitement. "And, and, you get to play through his whole classic storyline. Open world traversing like Spiderman with the combat of Batman and upgrades from the Cyberpunk franchise. It was like, the perfect game until the VR version came out and they stopped supporting it. Now those old consoles are worth like ten grand just to play it." Adrian continued on, still obviously excited. His inner nerd was showing more than ever at this stall.

"Oh, it gets better. The dataminers patched in a lot of cut content, and the DLC's add over a hundred hours of gameplay. Once Bruce kicks the bucket, Terry gets full access to the batcave, and it turns out he had reconstructed a version of the Mobius Chair that let him go through time and they recrea--"

"No, no that's enough. Don't ruin it for me!" Adrian shouted, only getting obviously more excited as time went on. The guy he was discussing this with, Markus, was only a few years older than him and took over the family business from his father. Originally, they focused on what Adrian just mentioned: selling those retro consoles and games. As time went on, that market began to shrivel up. Markus pushed them in a new direction. In the 2030's, laws were passed that effectively allowed the piracy of games and gaming-related content if its original manufacturer no longer produced the equipment or maintained the means to play it. This legally opened up shops exactly like this one, and created a whole new array of legal products for emulation and gaming.

It changed the market nearly as much as the advent of hyper-realistic VR being easily and cheaply accessible.

Adrian pulled out his DWMA ID and held it to the card reader at the stall. With the right software, in another year, this game would be free to just download and play. But, getting that shit running consistently without framerate drops and crashes was beyond him. Purchasing this console variant of it was far easier, and if he had problems, he could just go to Markus. Though, it occurred to him in all his excitement he hadn't checked out anything else at the stall. So, he slowed down to look around.

Sir Les Paul · Jan 24, 2023

502-Best-anime-boy-images-in-2019-Anime,-Anime-guys,-Hot-.jpg

Thaddeus Thales

"Gauss"

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Death City, Fool's Festival - Apparel Booths
Mission Fool's Festival
Status Interested

Tags: Merciless Medic , Peckinou

It had been an interesting couple of days to say the least. The entire program was changing, new mentors after their failed mission, new partner just because. Of course, there was the highlight of one miss Ossana, but that much he kept to himself. Which was probably for the best. With how reserved his new partner seemed to be, over-sharing might be a quick way to sour things. Though, it seemed Noah was doing far better on that front than he was. Probably natural, though. Being that they both lived together and Noah was much, much more chill than Gauss.

But, like the saying goes, you got to watch the quiet ones. Arky there was a fucking beast. With Noah, their partnership often felt like a balancing act. Arky was a pure powerhouse if ever he knew one. He wasn't sure if they would need to work on training in some control to reign that in or if he himself would need to kick it into high gear to make it work. That all completely neglecting how to eventually get them both in sync.

But, those thoughts were for another time. They weren't here to train. This was a festival. It was for fun. Gauss even heard through the grapevine that the ice queen herself might make an appearance and he most certainly was curious as to if she'd get in the spirit of the day and wear the appropriate apparel. She seemed to hate this type of event regardless. If it wasn't rushing into battle or training like a beast, it wasn't her vibe.

Though, perhaps that might change if enough booze was involved, but it had been nearly a month and she hadn't opted to lift a bottle with him once.

Perhaps if she did show up, this would make a great time to work on that. Until then...

"So, guys, there's this stall called Tailor in Twenty," he said, now announcing his idea to Noah and Arky.

"You bring them whatever outfit you want, they get your measurements, and have it tailored to fit you perfect in twenty minutes. I'm pretty sure magitech or straight-up magic is involved, but I could care less about that," he explained to them. It was a fairly neat concept, especially given how intricate some of these costumes were.

"But I didn't bring you here for that," he told them. He then gestured his arms out towards the rows and rows--a veritable sea, really--of themed clothing for the day. Costumes of all kinds, materials and fabrics from everywhere, all sorts of themes from the overdone Harley Quinn knock offs to more traditional Jesters and even a few Guy Fawkes masks for whatever reason. Black and red were hardly the only colors; this spectrum held every color under the rainbow and even a few luminescent ones. "I decided I'd let you two pick out my outfit for the day," he went on.

"As long as it's not like an Extra Small or a triple X, I'm pretty sure the tailors can make it work, so plenty to choose from. In general, I'm a large. 36 inseam, 33 waist, 44 shoulder length if any of that matters," he said, giving them some of his general dimensions. He thought that Noah would at least have an absolute ball getting to pick any absurd outfit for him.

"Heh, and if you're brave, we can take turns," he added with a tone somewhere between playful and devilish.

Meredith · Jan 24, 2023

Chanterelle Fuir

Under Attack, interactions: mage group.[/B][/I]

The pair, creeping their way through the deadzone, was quieter than their surroundings: but Chanterelle wished that Raph would be silent. She nodded along to his statement of despair; she doubted, somehow, that the environment siphoned mana: it was more likely that there was nothing more to begin with. The energy of the world really liked refined mana, anyway; some attraction to it wasn’t unlikely. She was lost in her thoughts, but--

“Run.”

This was the kind of warning that Chanterelle was used to receiving. The witch moved to be shoulder-to-shoulder with Raphael, but she did not begin to run until he was done with the communicator, until his feet were several steps up. She left a moat of brambles behind them, in thin lines, but she was much slower than Raphael. Still- the approach of the wave, the cannibalistic and horrific wave, made her sick. She ran double-time, stumbling, after Raphael. Her chest heaved from the effort. Eyes narrowing, she realized that Ark and Maria were going to be facing a similar problem, but they hadn’t met the horizon… yet.
In the distance, Maria was holding her ground.
And they were surrounded.

There was no running in this sort of situation. The witch reached down to the ground. Her pounding footsteps slowed again to a halt. Raphael began to leave her behind, but the witch did not pay him any heed—instead, she made several of the puffballs like the ones made earlier, lining them up on the ground to be kicked or tossed. Before the line met her, she threw several- backing up as she did so. They were not enough to kill any of these things are their own, of course.
A pity she was with Raphael.

The witch dropped her backpack. It was cumbersome and impacted her casting; running, here, felt like a larger suicide than staying to fight. Some part of her expected that Raphael would want to yank her back, but she began to throw the artillery, covering the ground afore her in spores.
From a few feet afar, it didn’t look… breathable.

Do Not Touch!

RedArmyShogun · Jan 25, 2023

Reiko Tanaka
Death City - DWMA Briefing Room - Helipad

Listening to all that Cyrus had to say, Reiko remains silent. Once he was finished, Rieko exhales with a sigh. "So it's just names being figurative rather than literal." Following closely behind she chimes in when and where able. "Cyrus, I've been here just as long as you if not longer. Do you think I've not seen plenty die, that I have not had a hand in some of those? And he's not one of us. That changed when he went Rogue and no matter what you say, we both know the only reason he was here is the same as those young ones in F.A.T.E., because we need numbers anywhere we can get them. I just highly doubt this was the first instance of him being off. I think it's more of a case that the DWMA attracts people that often are flawed or unique. Me included, after all how many of you go as far as I with Training? Starwulf aside."

With that said she signs. "We tend to be so used to it all that we forget in the public eye, most of us are just monsters fighting even worse monsters. So I doubt one incident of him being demoted caused all of this, least he got his way throughout life without budging once. Either way it doesn't much matter. He must die. May the Ancestors and Death Guide his soul to a better life or to just judgement." With that she makes a prayer sign with her right hand and nods her head.

"You are sending us as we are the only thing that can remotely stop him. Should we fail then a new demon shall be unleashed upon the world in Vegas. The price is such that we cannot even humor a failure. And it is our Meisters who will be in direct physical danger. Least it becomes needed that we intervene. I hope you two have been listening." Rieko says of the two Meisters with them as she made way for the spooling chopper.

Interactions/mentions:

Merciless Medic · Jan 25, 2023

Raphael Valerias

March 26, 2067
Location: Dall Island, Forest near Dead Zone
Interactions: Chant, Maria, Ark, Rand
Mentions: N/A

The Regal Rper

Meredith

These brown fucks were starting to bother the chain sorcerer. The things were, thankfully, culling their own numbers as fast as more seemed to appear. But this mana was starting to be divided up by the smaller ones as they ate these bigger ones. It startled Raphael enough that he almost didn’t catch Chanterelle having paused. He had heard Maria lose her shit and laugh, and he can see a sandstorm picking up ahead, while giving Maria and her dolls some kind of sand armor. That’s cool. Oh, and the molten rocks that exploded around them. His eyes widened as he saw where they were coming from and he looked back at Chant to see he had run away from her. He couldn’t just leave her there, but he also wasn’t fast enough to run back and grab her. She was starting to cover the air in spores that made him wonder if throwing hot links in there would be a good idea.

Well, might as well sacrifice some energy. His mana surged and he grew the chain length more. They then turned red hot near the tip and - when he swung the chain towards the mass of spiders - the red hot links broke off and hopefully burned them, maybe even starting a fire that can be settled by Ark’s stone magic. With a now cool chain (and cursing himself for not wrapping Chanterelle with this thing earlier), he then swung it until it wrapped around Chanterelle’s waist, careful to not let it dig around her ribs as he had the tip turn into a hook and he used telekinesis to attach the hook to a loop of the chain.

Man, he was starting to get tired.

He then yelled “HOP” and yanked on her, hoping to pull her back to him so they could run back to the other two. “Safety in numbers, we gotta get back to the others and assist there!” And with that, if she was alright, he’d start running.

If not, well, he just hoped they didn’t become spider food.

Merciless Medic · Jan 25, 2023

Fia Moretti

April 1, 2067
Location: DWMA Helipad
Interactions: Asmund, Reika, Cyrus, Starwulf
Mentions: Dane

Well, at least she wasn’t completely wrong.

She wondered what she missed or what he disagreed with, but Fia figured he’d explain that as they followed him to the helipad. Ah, Lightning Rope really was just Mjolnir’s ability from years ago. Which made sense considering his enhanced reactionary speed, especially if he’s using Self-Resonance in conjunction with it, which meant he might be a bit more efficient than she had previously thought. Either way, it was still incredibly taxing.

Although, while her comment about assassins worked two-ways - about how Dane’s skillset was similar to an assassin’s and assassins were likely not a good idea against Dane - she meant it more as the first point, but now realized he was talking about something else she hadn’t realized. The traps were interesting. Invisible cages by sending them underground sounded like a pain. Couldn’t they feel the energy though, or at least see them? They’ll just have to play it by ear when they get there. A hundred feet around him sounded… Terrifying, honestly. At least they’ll be backing each other up.

Then he started talking about outreach and mental help. Fia had filled out quite the referrals for student outreach, so she was more than aware of the rules regulating mental health care and what she should do if she felt like the person she was talking to was a danger to themselves or others. But his idea of letting them just walk away and let him go to kill others in Vegas had her brow furrowing. At least he was being conscientious about their own mental health, but she just shook her head. She’s been used to taking the lives of others to preserve innocent lives for a long time. It’s likely she won’t stop now.

Rieko spoke then. She really has been here for that long? Though, what she was saying was true, at least with what Fia had seen working in the exchange student biz of the Western European Branch.

Fia shrugged, looking up at Cyrus with a fire in her eyes. “I agree with her. I’ve been used to kill others for the sake of preserving innocent lives, and preventing those people from becoming even worse monsters than what they are now. I’m used to that. If we stop now, then our inaction will only cause me more mental strife than if we failed or killed him. We have to do this for the others, and we cannot let Vegas fall because we didn’t do what we can to protect, which is very the foundation of the DWMA's reason for existing in the first place. I’ve seen how spread thin our numbers were in MIBVI, and I’d rather not see the abject horror in the faces of their loved ones and be blamed for the pain I indirectly caused by not being there to help - especially if I was capable of helping in the first place. We're simply doing our jobs being guardians to those we said we'd protect. Nothing more, nothing less, and if others see it as anything else, then I can see why they'd crumble mentally, as blunt as that is.” She looked back at Starwulf and nodded, eyes filled with steely determination. “I'm ready.”

With that, she followed Reika into the helicopter, hoping they can get the show on the road quickly.

Merciless Medic · Jan 25, 2023

Noah Wiley

April 1, 2067
Location: Fool's Festival, Apparel Booths
Interactions: Gauss, Arkayis
Mentions: Dani

Peckinou

Noah had woken up rather early. After throwing Dani an invite by not-so-gentlemanly banging on her door yesterday, he wanted to at least get up early and get ready for the day. He had done everything, even helped Arkayis make breakfast without burning down the suite, and now he was in front of Gauss as he was… Giving them a once in a lifetime chance.

“You’d be fucked up if ya think I wouldn’t take this chance.” Noah said with a twisted, gleeful smirk. The Tailor in Twenty sounded like fun, and he wouldn’t mind doing something like that. Of course, there were a lot of clothing options to choose from for Gauss. The Guy Fawkes masks looked hilarious and he picked one up to set on top of his head. “I know we dressin’ ya first, but I’m callin’ dibs on this. I’ll play this game, too.” He stared challengingly at Gauss’s mischievous words, grabbing something yellow. “But I ain’t gonna go to the tailor. I gotta get Dani ‘n’ the more ridiculous I look, the better.” He looked at the yellow thing he was holding and it looked like an XL rubber ducky hoodie with an orange bill for a hood. He giggled and held it up for Gauss to see. “‘Ey, this looks cute.” He laughed.

He looked at wherever Arkayis was, grinning at him. “Pick somethin’ out for ‘im, too. Like the most absurd pants that definitely won’t fit this hoodie.”

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Sir Les Paul · Jan 26, 2023

Rand Mabason

"Soundwave Sorcerer"

Species Witch
Partner N/A
Rank Two Star

Location Dall Island, Western Forest of Death
Mission Return to Dall Island
Status Alert, concerned

Mentions: Merciless Medic The Regal Rper Meredith RedArmyShogun

CRAAAAAAAK!

Thunder echoed through the tree line. Rand had arrived further out, if only by a few feet, than Raph and Chant during their escape. It was rare to see the man use any type of destructive or high-end ability, but if ever there was a time, this was it. The little brown bastards were encroaching. While the spiderlings were feasting on some of their brethren, the largest of them were still in a stampede en route to Chant, Raph, then Maria and Ark, all towards the base. And, there number was ever-growing.

Then Rand made a mistake.

Rand had drawn his magitech sword and imbued it heavily, far beyond it's default inscriptions. He was outright enchanting it for his next spell. With it echoed another thunderous blast as he slashed through the air and subsequently through a dozen or so nearby trees... alongside the first wave of spiders. Each cloven in twain with their entrails spread in gushes of putrid green backsplash. The problem was, this spell should have extended much further. Much, much further. It did not. That first wave of spiders absorbed it entirely, even as they died, greatly dampening its destructive force. It was almost certain what the cause of the absolute lack of ambient mana was; these spiders absorbed it almost passively. And, as evidence by the cannibalism, actively, too, if given the chance.

That waste of mana wasn't his mistake, though. The widespread usage of it was. This swarm of spiders was the result of Chanterelle and Raphael simply existing in their territory. His use of a spell was nothing less than an alarm clock for the dormant spiders and even nests of spiderlings. What was once a swarm of no more than two hundred combined soon exploded into upwards of a thousand, and still climbing.

In short, Rand had fucked up.

"By Maba herself..." he muttered, realizing his colossal error.

No further instructions were needed. Chant and Raph were running, and now Rand did his best to follow while keeping an eye on the incoming army of brown spiders. This time, however, even the large brown spiders were quick to consume the mana-infused flesh of their fallen brethren, buying some amount of time for the escape. Though, with the swarms of spiderlings, many of those that stopped for the flesh soon became meals themselves in a vicious cycle.

Back at the impromptu base, the stand-off with the spiders effectively continued until the first crack that bellowed through the trees. Then and only then did a handful of the braver, black spiders descended onto Ark and Maria. Many were temporarily halted by a barrage of hardened stone, but these creatures were quite durable. Dents in their exoskeleton impeded only a few, and even if a fraction of them were wounded enough to retreat, they were replaced in rank with others.

Unlike the hoard coming from the East, these black spiders attacks were not en masse. More like pokes and prods, and Maria with the new equipment from her dolls would prove to have an exceptionally easy time slashing through them--far easier than the stones launched by Ark. This clash, while gaining some traction, changed entirely once Rand unleashed his attack and awoke a massive swarm of spiders. With that new army incoming, the black spiders finally made their move.

Only, it wasn't aimed at Ark and Maria.

Droves of these black spiders, numbering well over a hundred, flew past them like draft horses on race day. Most of them ignored the two entirely with the few that did attack still doing so cautiously. While none that surrounded them forfeit their claim, they were outnumbered by those that simply ran eastward.

Soon enough, Chant and Raph followed closely by Rand returned to this base, also undisturbed by the rows of black spiders.

The massacre that followed revealed the true nature of what was ongoing. It was true that the five were surrounded on all sides, and still a target for any of the arachnids around them, but the true war was between the different species. The black spiders were stronger, faster, and larger than the brown ones. While the largest of each species could tussle with each other, the smaller brown ones were easily impaled by the legs of the black ones, eviscerated by their fangs, and devoured with easy. Even the smallest of the spiderlings showed great difficulty in this war as, unlike their brown brethren, the chitinous armor of the black species was much more difficult to penetrate.

The numbers were in the favor of the eastern brown spiders, but the black ones they had such ease killing previously had the advantage in raw power. Outnumbered in some cases fifteen to one, the black spiders showed no signs of retreat. They were the predators here. If anything, the five mages were their bait. Whether they were intelligent enough to plan this out or it was some amount of serendipity in that they were aware they could not survive the magical onslaught from the mages, the results were the same: a feast on their corpses of their neighboring cousins.

Rand took all of this in and realized it could easily be to their advantage. The brown spiders due to their sheer numbers and magical-nullification--or consumption, whatever it was--were a far greater threat, but the black ones were easy enough to kill. Even in these numbers, the five of them could have probably fought this entire swarm of the black arachnids with no casualties. Those brown ones, however, now numbering in the thousands were a death sentence.

"I saw we hunker down and fight whatever is left," Rand told them all, making a quick decision as to what to do. "That, or if we do fight, we need to be extremely cautious. Direct magical attacks on the brown ones just get absorbed, but Area of Effect spells might wipe out the black spiders that are doing most of the killing," he explained.

"Whatever we do, we need to keep all fronts covered. We're surrounded from all sides with no easy escape, unless Ark has a tunneling spell I don't know about," he added. For the first time, there was an ounce of concern and even the slightest bit of desperation in his voice.

Sir Les Paul · Jan 26, 2023

Cyrus Kallis

"Blue Reaper"

Species Human (Weapon)
Partner Lord Kidd
Rank Three-Star

Location DWMA, Lord Kidd's Helipad --> NV, Desert between Death City and Las Vegas.
Mission Coils of Depair
Status Focused

Tags: RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic The Regal Rper EmperorsChosen

April 1st

"Hmm..." Cyrus mused as they answered his callout about mental health.

Starwulf and Az both seemed to have little to respond with here; this was definitely a case of headstrong weapons voicing their opinions, not the Meisters.

"We're the only ones even remotely capable... our inaction would only cause more strife..." he said, paraphrasing some of the comments they made.

"Remember those words when you're considering these agents. Corrupted Souls, former comrades. Most of them probably thought the same damn thing," he told them as they boarded the helicopter. Followed by the much more silent pair of Meisters, both probably not wanting to step on the toes of their weapon. Though, for different reasons. Az being significantly junior to Reiko and Fia being an international diplomat.

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions," he added before banging the side of the helicopter and stepping back. With that notion, they were off.

Getting ahead of Dane was not easy. Even in the helicopter, catching up to him was no small task. He had a pretty big lead and wasn't exactly going slow. Getting to the point where they could cut him off took two and a half hours alone, given they needed enough time to stay over him and get to a height they could safely jump out of the helicopter. He was also in an entirely different vehicle than the one Cyrus had noted earlier. It seemed at some point he stole a sandrail, and it didn't look like it was DWMA. Speculation was he killed some civilians along the way and stole it. Equally important, it explained why he was going so much faster in the terrain.

Starwulf nodded to Fia, beckoning her to transform. Now a hammer in his hand, he looked over to Az and Reiko. They had previously discussed keeping some distance between them to avoid being caged in. The problem is that if the range of the cages truly was a hundred foot, there was virtually no way to have them both on the battlefield. Chances are, there was some type of limit to the caging. If it was anything like other Autonomous Weapons, he could only make one cage at once within that range and it could only be a set size. Had they more time, they could have hashed out that difference. In any case, the plan was simple. Starwulf would leap out first then approximately twenty feet behind him, Az would follow with Reiko in weapon form. There was no point in wasting time transforming on the field.

First was Starwulf to the ground. Then behind him at the marked distance was Az. Dane on that sandrail was just a minute out and the helicopter was flying away as fast as it could to avoid the electrical interference. Back-up was on the way. The fight? It was about to begin.

Starwulf pointed with two fingers on his right hand to Az, indicating for him to head forward to the right. He started pouring his wavelength into Fia and spaced himself out slightly to the left. The trail of sand from the sandrail started kicking up and Dane was now visible in front of them. Az and Reiko were the ones who needed to stop him, then Starwulf would dive in with the first attack. It was time to put this soul to rest.

The Regal Rper · Jan 29, 2023

Az | Death City - Vegas | Helicopter

So Lightning Rope was just a form of amplifying the nervous system to boost one's reaction time capabilities. It made sense, if unique or elemental wavelengths had a variety of applications that took experimentation to understand how to execute like how me wavelength could be applied, it was only sensible that Dane would figure something out also.

Though that did mean this would be The conversation had taken a path he hadn't quite expected. Though he understood and agreed with Reiko on the nature of Dane's unceremonious fall from grace, in his experience, this was one of the repeated instances, where an Agent went rogue- lost touch with DWMA's fundamental principle values, or fell into the path of Corruption. Between Fia and Reiko's back and forth- though brief, it made Az think more about how crucial a program like FATE was.

How many students would fall from grace if Kidd hadn't pushed for the establishment of this program despite the push-back he got for the idea? But at the same time FATE was only functional because students chose to attend- and if Dane had refused what services could provide him support in his time of need, then he had merely allowed himself to fall on his own terms. At least, that was how Az saw it.

Bull-headed stubbornness could be worse than struck with sudden blindness. Though this thought swam through his head as Cyrus explained the fact Dane had avoided such opportunities to achieve aid, Az himself did not make voice of his personal opinion.

"Thank you" however was given in appreciation for the offer or rather, the reminder, that if they needed they could always opt out. "I would however prefer to see this through."

After all, not only would it be a waste of precious time- but it wasn't like he had his experiences of aiding in the execution or removal of former agents before. And if he could power through the pain of being an accomplice in what led to his deceased sister's end, along with the few he led in those years of youth- then he could handle the execution of someone that had fallen too far down a path to be saved.

It was, of course, what his father would have wanted. Dedication to the task...till the very end.

With Reiko transformed through their link he told her: We should alter between the War God and Chime of Harmony. Without Umbra, it won't be incredibly loud when we use the Chime, but it should be enough to at least cover Starwulf and Electra from a decent distance once CQC begins.

Listening for his soul would at least give him the opportunity to know when he'd opt for an attack also in the case he ended up getting into a up-close and personal dance with Markovic.

On top of that, we'll use War God the moment he's on us. Cyrus mentioned he'd be locked in a stationary position if he sets up traps- we can use that to our advantage when he's not aiming for us. That was of course, provided they could get close to do the damage. Faster reflexes meant a greater advantage for dodging and heightened agility. Any infliction needed to be lethal.

The second he landed twenty feet away from his colleagues he had the Chime active. Amplifying the sound instantly, as soon as the helicopter was far enough, magnifying it from the normal low tune to a higher volume that could be heard from a significant distance was not easy without Umbra- but it would have to do. Even if he only needed to maintain it for a few minutes.

Then he heard it- faint at first. The aggressive sawing of cellos and then tap of piano keys, then as it grew closer, his ears picked up the rhythmic pounding of war drums to accompany it. He heard the force of the former number 9, minutes before that trail even showed up.

Chances were he knew they were present already and was standing on top of the ride waiting for an attack or prepping to attack them. He kept his Auditory Perception open, filtered out the sounds of his colleagues focusing only on Dane's sounds, knowing full well that when he made a move to strike, the change in pitch, speed of sound and atmosphere it gave off would shift.

"Vale anima perdita", Asmund whispered, in honor of a former comrade. And like that his relaxed quiet demeanor shifted. His footing shifted as he took Reiko's pole in both hands, pointing the blade downwards in front of him as if he were about to charge. "Reiko, War God Discord." It was his only signal to her that they attack now.

The second it was active, he concentrated his, telling Reiko through their link to channel the energy along the very tip of her blade so with one a swift step forward and a thrust- thundercrack, a burst of air jostling his hair from the attack- a concussive blast of concentrated air went shooting like a bullet forward towards the approaching vehicle, where the second it collided- it missed, the vehicle didn't flip or twist, it went flying upwards, as if a ramp had been made to send it airborne: Three, two, four, eight, ten feet into the air- where at that height the hydraulics would certainly be destroyed when it hit the ground and the vehicle's forward movement would grind to a halt. Just as Az had wanted.

An attempt to force Dane to abandon it

And in the same instant- his song, Dane's soul, rapidly picked up in its ominous song.

Mentions:

EmperorsChosen

Interactions:

RedArmyShogun · Jan 30, 2023

Maria Mayer - Dall Island

With the new position and the few stragglers that came at them, Maria was easily able to hold the upper hand, using her smaller dolls to set up a kill box, as she felt out to the area around her and with what she could see, striking in a well coordinate drill, the few black spiders, while impressive in size were not much of a problem, but it did not change the reality of the situation. They were surrounded, though Maria seemed to be back to her normal self as she made use of the spells enacted by Ark, providing a defensive shield from which to conduct her own counter attack. It was not long after that the Trio had joined up with them, bringing even more creatures, these were brown and for the most part smaller.

"Hmm... Ah, Welcome, though I cannot say the same to what you've brought with you..." Watching as the black spiders charged them, only to leap around or even over in a few cases, she could only look on as they fell upon the brown spiders, impaling or ripping them to shreds for the most part. If they were predators and the others prey, then just what were the crabs? What else laid in wait for them on this accursed island?

Still, the here and now was more important as she listened to the words of Rand, "We should obviously allow the black spiders to win, but not decisively so. The brown ones are a threat to you all asides from me. Mostly as I have actual weapons and my beloved dolls to fight with physical power. Though if we do split up duties, I can cover one front on my own."

EmperorsChosen · Jan 31, 2023

__gojou_satoru_jujutsu_kaisen_drawn_by_nori20170709__33450474af069815dd67d0a8aa410fd5.jpg

Dane Markovic
Desert between Death City and Las Vegas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah... So now I have their attention..." He murmured from his position in the sandrail, one hand on the steering wheel while the other propped his head up.

The helicopter in the desert was a giveaway in visual and sound as well. It was expected, honestly. Only when he became a threat was he taken seriously. All the work, the struggles, the tribulations to reach where he did, for naught. A tool and nothing but, in an armory of other tools. He served his purpose, and only to be unappreciated and demoted despite all his attempts to better himself for the "cause".

As the figures became more clear, a smile appeared on his face. "My, my, my. How many pairs... for little ol' me? ...Too little, too late."

As the air current travelled toward the vehicle and launched it up, Deathcoil zipped from the driver's seat onto the sand bed. Eyeing each of them, the smile on his face almost appeared pleased as he stood to full height from the crouched landing position. Flattered, almost, by the agents sent after him. However, as he muttered, it wasn't enough. It wouldn't be, even if they begged him to retain his 9th seat. No, he would settle for nothing less than Number 1, and he'd eat and eat until he reached that point.

He dug his heels into the sand whilst opening his arms to them, prompting them to attack. Dane would waste as little time as possible, however he needed to deal with them first. A trap would be enough to hold them, then he could continue on his merry way. Snaking its way beneath the sands, his bottom limb laid in wait to spring up an electric wall for whomever began, while the other remained de-transformed to better react should multiple blitz him.

The Regal Rper

Peckinou · Feb 1, 2023

Arkayis Misonuka

Arkayis was honestly half asleep at the moment, having stayed up half the night, spending most of their night toying with some of their electronics, not really the best thing to do when they were going to be doing something in the morning. Though despite their unwise decisions, their half closed eyes, they were still listening intently and heard Gauss speak about a Tailor shop. Arkayis honestly wasn't much of a fan of clothes shopping, most of the clothes they owned, their sister forced them to get. But now that she was gone, he hadn't went clothes shopping since, after all it wasn't like he needed new outfits anyways since he had plenty of clothes that suited them just fine already. It really didn't excite Arkayis in the slightest, when he spoke about the place, that was until he gave them the real reason as to why they brought him here. The chance to dress him up? It sounds like a bit of a fun activity, enough fun for Arkayis to open his eyes fully for just a moment, giving Gauss a devilish smirk before it quickly disappeared.

They figured Noah was going to take full advantage of this situation, which was all but confirmed when he said as much. Arkayis knew that this little challenge was going to be a bit of fun to say the least, amusing enough for them to rub and open both their eyes for. When looking at Noahs gleeful expression they it all but confirmed their suspicions as they said as much, though they were a bit surprised that Noah was going to join in. Though they honestly should of expected as much since Noah didn't seem like the type of guy who would back away from a challenge such as this one. Arkayis couldn't help but smile a bit as they saw the duck hoodie Noah picked out, electing a short-lived chuckle from Arkayis, before Noah gave them their attention, and asked them to pick out a pair of pants. Between the two of them Arkayis felt closer to Noah, likely cause they shared the same living space, but either way, Arkayis was quick to follow Noahs directive. Going around the store pondering on what type of pants to retrieve, before their eyes landed on a pair that had just about every color on the rainbow, a colorful sight to say the least. Their was also one that looked to be a long skirt version of it, though Arkayis didn't really know where to draw the line for what Noah was thinking, he decided to just take them both.

Heading back to Noah they presented their gift to them with a smug grin showing that he was somewhat entertained by this entire thing, "I got these two pairs of pants, though i guess this is more so a long skirt." They brough up the more dress like rainbow colored skirt in order to indicate what they were talking about. "Think these or good or should i get a different one?"

Sir Les Paul · Feb 1, 2023

Thaddeus Thales

"Gauss"

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Death City, Fool's Festival - Apparel Booths
Mission Fool's Festival
Status Interested

Tags: Merciless Medic , Peckinou

Gauss was elated. It seemed both of his partners took to his idea of picking outfits and didn't seem either were really hesitant about the idea of having one picked out for themselves, either. This might not seem like something such a haughty guy would have taken such an interest in, but his interest was truly piqued. Perhaps it was growing up being told "clothes maketh the man" or just the idea of these pieces of fabric stitched and sewn together being a reflection of their inner selves--and he was all about self. Or, it could have been a touch of mindless fun. Maybe it just fell in between.

Either way, there was one thing of note that caught his eye even more. Something that Noah picked up and even commented on. Something that sparked yet another idea inside of him.

"Yo guys, I got an idea," Gauss told them while he waltzed beside Noah where the masks were.

"I got no problem pretending to be a kilt-wearing water-fowl, but how about we all get matching masks," he suggested, picking up another set of them, then turning back around to his companions.

"I don't know about you two, but making the others remember who we are by our ludicrous outfits sounds absolutely hilarious," he explained, painting a picture for the shenanigans he intended to create with these outfits.

Then a wicked grin crept across his face and he darted over to some other stalls to grab a costume, returning pretty quickly to avoid delaying any input they had on his idea. He then showed a pre-packaged outfit to Arky, keeping it a bit covered so Noah couldn't immediately see it. Inside was a series of accessories and a golden dress that formed the shape of a lamp skirt, alongside a blonde wig, fishnets, and some high heels all thrown together. The package label read Leg Lamp Dress and Gauss couldn't even begin to hide the shit-eating look on his face.

"Whatcha think, Arky? Put'm in the wig and mask, find some brazier stuffing, and I'm sure it'll get Dani a shock when she sees it," he asked in a slight whisper, with a half-giggle, half-chuckle contorting his tone.

Sir Les Paul · Feb 1, 2023

Francis Flynn

"Starwulf"

Species Human
Partner Fia
Rank Three-Star

Location Nevada Desert between Death City and Las Vegas
Mission Coils of Despair
Status Focused and excited

Tags: Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper

Dane was already on the ground. Az had done his job and sent him flying, meaning the first step in their plan was complete. Even if they failed here, it would take him drastically longer to reach Las Vegas.

Though, now he realized why so few people liked to work with with Az despite his utility. The fucker was loud. Nothing that amplifying his own ears couldn't counteract in terms of volume, but it didn't make it less obtrusive. Sound-based abilities, while common, tended to be incredibly annoying. Granted, there were plenty of things about Starwulf that annoyed his fellow agents as well, like his code. Which was about to come into play.

Rule #1 Announce yourself. Take your stance. The element of surprise ruins the element of honor.

"Dane Markovic," Starwulf shouted, "I am Starwulf of the DWMA. We have met and dueled as allies, so it saddens me to say this...

... you are hereby sentenced to death by the creed of the Shinigami."

Rule #2 Tune into your target. Predict their thoughts and actions.

Even as he spoke, Starwulf was already honing in on Dane. His Soul Perception was clear and precise. While it lacked the range of others around his rank, it gave him the insight he needed. Trace amounts of what was most definitely the mad weapon's wavelength were coursing in front of him and soon enough even beneath him. Perceiving these things through the solid ground was not actually an area he had honed his perception, so he was essentially no more aware of these traps than he would be if Cyrus had merely told them of their existence. He couldn't reliably predict what they would do, or what Dane would do with them. That was a problem.

What he could conclude is that Dane intended to either set some type of trap or separate them. He racked his brain trying to devise what the weapon might be doing. Separating his targets might make sense if one of them were a significantly easier target. Granted Starwulf was rank four and Az was none of the three above him, it was a safe bet to assume he was the easier target. With Reiko at his side, though, that wasn't necessarily true. There wasn't enough information here to make Starwulf believe that Dane already had an offensive plan here.

That made it most logical that Dane was intended to set a trap reactively. Something to either punish or capture anyone that tried to attack him. If that was the case, it meant that he and Az needed to remain too far separate for Dane to trap together. And, in that case, his best bet was to force his hand and ideally keep him mobile so he couldn't utilize those traps.

Rule #3 Strike hard. And, don't stop striking until you win.

'Fia, we're going in hot,' he warned her from their Soul Space. With that, he poured his wavelength into her. She was accustomed to it. The slow steady trickle, then the follow up with a powerful burst. He had no intention on starting this fight out slow and ramping it up. This fight wasn't about fun or proving himself. This fight wasn't between two warriors. This fight, ultimately, was about saving lives. Holding back wasn't just pointless, it was irresponsible. And, beyond that, even if he could have somehow defeated Dane without giving it his all, what little honor the mad man had left as a former comrade would have been sullied by that action. Starwulf wasn't about that.

Starwulf dashed forward at Dane, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust as he did and once Fia began amplifying his wavelength, he immediately took it as resonance, enhancing his entire body to only speed himself up further. He did not focus entirely on offense, though. He was well aware he was probably running into a trap, so he dedicated a large majority of this power into enhancing the durability of his body.

Not to say that there was no focus on Fia. Once their resonance had stabilized, he pushed her into activating the first stage of her amplified form. Wavelength surrounded her, shifting her relatively simplistic hammer head into a glowing beacon of energy that soon doubled in size as it surrounded her. He had full intention of bashing the flat end of his weapon into and right through Dane if he could, and he was headed at him like a freight train with no signs of stopping.

Merciless Medic · Feb 2, 2023

Noah Wiley

April 1, 2067
Location: Death City, Fool’s Festival, Apparel Booths
Interactions: Gauss, Arkayis
Mentions: N/A

Peckinou

Noah had to hold in a snicker seeing the rainbow skirt, pointing to that one immediately. “That one’s better.” Noah looked back at Gauss upon hearing the idea, smiling even wider when he pitched the idea for matching masks. “Hell yeah. The Guy Fools gang.” The mere idea of calling themselves the ‘Guy Fools’ had him trying to hold back laughter because of how grammatically incorrect it sounded. It wasn’t funny enough for him to be belting.

That was… Until Gauss went to grab something. Something that had Noah double over and quietly laugh to himself. “Okay, okay, hold on, wh-” He had to contain himself yet again. “Dressin’ me up like a girl?” He thought that was hilarious. Oh, and if Sara saw? Oh well, he didn’t care if she took pictures of him. They were supposed to be ridiculous.

He looked at Arkayis with a challenging smirk. “Well, if y’all’re doin’ that, make it clash to make it even more ridiculous.”

Ohhh, this was going to be fun.

Merciless Medic · Feb 2, 2023

Sara Middleton

April 1, 2067
Location: Death City, Apartments
Interactions: Eva, Adrian (Text)
Mentions: N/A

Mook-LandStrider

Today was the DAYYYYY!!

Oh man, this day was going to be a blast!!

Sara had been busy making a lot of things. And by that, her clothing options and making food. Because of course. She knew Adrian and Eva ate like horses, and she wanted to give Adrian something as thanks and a symbol of her seeing him as a friend. Well… Okay, friend might be too much for him, but oh well.

Whatever.

Sara made breakfast for herself and Eva rather quickly as soon as she got back from fighting Adrian, and then got to work on making bentos. Nicely seasoned teriyaki chicken with fried rice. Her staple. She even had made the teriyaki sauce from scratch a day or two ago and put the little lidded sauce cups in each bento box, then put them in a bag. She left one on the counter for Eva. “This is all yours~!”

She felt a buzz on her phone and checked, reading that Adrian was there. OH YES! She texted him back, saying she’ll be there in a minute with probably wayyyy too many excited emojis. She nearly bolted out of the door, only to realize she forgot the clothes she was supposed to wear.

Dropping her bag of food on the counter, she dove into her room and shut it, needing to get dressed quickly. In a matter of minutes, she was already zooming out of her room and stood there with her arms out in front of Eva, a huge grin on her face and her yellow eyes practically glowing with excitement.

Sara was wearing what every pastel goth should avoid wearing. While her leggings were black, nothing else was. She had a pastel pink, chartreuse, and brown digital camouflage skirt, and the belt itself was wavy and had an odd buckle that said ‘BAMF’ - a character she mained in the latest installment of Overwatch. Her boots reached up to the bottom of her knees, and they had all kinds of wacky designs and colors, and none of them fit. In fact, it looked like a Splatoon war was going on. With a dark red tank top that had dulled silver spikes around the chest area, she wore a black jacket with pastel blue and orange stars, with random pictures of Kirby thrown around. She was really showing off her nerdism. Her blue hair was done up in a ponytail, with extensions placed absolutely horrendously - as in placed in the middle of her hair, it was obvious, and they were a hot pink with magenta tips that sparkled. She even had a tongue emoji sticker placed directly in the middle of her forehead.

“How do I look? Ridiculous? I hope so!” She even twirled for her.

Merciless Medic · Feb 2, 2023

Fia Moretti

April 1, 2067
Location: Nevada Desert
Interactions: Starwulf, Deathcoil, Az, Reiko
Mentions: Cyrus

Cyrus’s words sank in as they traveled to the drop point. Fia wondered why he thought the need to repeat them. Did he mean that these could be twisted? Was Deathcoil doing this for good intentions? Preposterous. It was stupid.

No, if Deathcoil was doing this for some Death-divine intention, then he was delusional.

The drop point soon came, and Fia immediately transformed for Starwulf to wield as they fell out of the helicopter. Soon landing, Fia realized how loud Az’s soul was. Good Death. Tuning it out, she expended some of her own energy to strengthen herself as she waited to take some of Starwulf’s energy after his speech she had to sit through. But it wasn’t annoying. No, she was definitely lying to herself that it wasn’t annoying, but she oddly found it endearing that he never shirked his principles.

Man, that wife of his was a lucky gal.

Getting her mind back on track, she focused in on Dane and saw the same wavelength pouring into the ground. But how far was it going down or was it already around them? It was almost like clockwork with how well she knew Starwulf’s next course of action and when it was going to happen. The poor guy was a bit too predictable. She took in the slow trickle, and adjusted herself enough to take the wallop soon after, her capacitor soul storing some of his energy while also using the other bit of it to strengthen the connection they had even further. Starwulf’s righteous soul only compounded the sense of duty she held, and she found herself melding. With her tuning wavelength, she amplified his wavelength and stabilized their resonance quickly. Once she was done storing his energy, she allowed herself to amplify her weapon form.

The surge of energy felt amazing - always did. She certainly felt like a gavel being swung down like so. However, she was still Starwulf’s second pair of eyes. While she was amplifying Starwulf, taking in Starwulf’s energy for her own amplification, and holding in Starwulf’s wavelength from before, she focused on Dane, letting Starwulf know of any changes he would make that she knew Starwulf would be too busy to notice. Not that he didn’t, but it was always handy not having to focus on everything else while also having to have quick reflexes.

RedArmyShogun · Feb 2, 2023

Reiko Tanaka
Near Outskirts of Vegas

With all in agreement that they had no choice but to go, Reiko made use of the flight to begin a prayer, chanting in an almost silent fashion, the words of Cyrus clear to her and yet also distant, with a hum and a clap of her hands, it seemed she had finished whatever it was she had set out to do so. At least in part, the hostile glare as always was stuck to her face, making it hard to tell if she was pleased or angry. Still, she didn't talk outside of this on the ride, as they got closer, she shifted into her weapon form for Az to take hold of her as she grabbed hold of his wavelength and boosted her own.

Very well, I stand ready... Though, not incredibly loud is it? Are you sure you are a DWMA Meister and not a Comedian? Heh, War God is ready. She said in response to Az's comments and orders, watching as they took the vehicle out of play, unsurprisingly number 9 wasn't hurt in the least and unfortunately seemed to have some of his mental facilities intact.

I don't like this, he's baiting us in, leaving one limb ready for use. We can't rush in but in a strictly one on one we don't stand a chance. I can try linking us to the other team via my soul wavelength, though it's not the same as just talking.

Interactions/mentions:

Peckinou · Feb 6, 2023

Arkayis Misonuka

Arkayis gave a lopsided grin when Noah, picked out the skirt instead of the pants, and quickly complied returning the pants in favor of the rainbow colored skirt. When Gauss pitched the idea of getting matching masks, Arkayis was a bit unsure at first, until Noah expressed interest in the idea, in which case, they pretty much fell behind with Noah. Though when Gauss mentioned them being remembered for wearing ludicrous outfits, Arkayis couldn't help but turn red in embarrassment for a moment, realizing that they would likely be going out in public wearing these outfits, for people they knew and were likely going to know for a while to see. It was both embarrassing and entertaining at the same time, though the prospect didn't seem to sway Noah in the least.

Arkayis was smart enough to know the whatever outfit Gauss picked for them, would be pretty embarrassing to wear, to what extent they didn't know for sure. That was until Gauss decided to give them a glimpse of what type of outfit they had picked out for Noah. When Arkayis saw it, they stared at the outfit in question, listening in as Gauss explained that it was going to come with a wig and mask, before Arkayis ultimately moved on to cover their mouth and start chuckling to themselves. "You seem to really be wanting to dress him up all pretty, and if you include the wig then i doubt anyone would recognize him, but perhaps you already knew that though, are you perhaps trying to go meet with a girl you like later on?" Arkayis couldn't help but give Gauss a knowing smirk as they said the last part, knowing full well that type of implications they were implying.