Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Hallerbos Forest, Belgium

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As the situation rapidly devolved or rather evolved, Maria quickly got back to her feet, feeling the pain and feedback from using her own material in the process of Alchemy. It may have been a novice mistake, but the means justified the ends and it did allow her to connect with at least one doll. She just misjudged the effects of it and how seemingly powerful a regent her own blood was. Went to work using her magics, casting multiple spells back-to-back as her book glowed and speed about pages flickering and turning. She would endure the pain, right now if she allowed weakness to keep her down, she and her allies were dead.

Looking at the Monster she had become. There was an Irony here, one that she communicated. "...To destroy Witches, you would give up your humanity, and sought what? Perfection? What a pitiful fool you are. Truly. A patchwork zombie made of lizard bits. The Hoshi keeps his human essence and is all the more beautiful for it. Monster." With utter contempt, she stared at the woman, and watched as her next plans came about. If there came a chance she would tell this fool all about perfection, how it was a dead end, but for now she would settle for maiming her. That Eros fool deserved an even greater talking to, then a bullet to the head. Put first there was meeting the wind attack doing a number on them from a single slash.

With use of her Wind blast spell Maria was able to defend areas around the two meisters and herself, causing more bursting wind to counter or rip current what she did in vectors around them to split and drive the wind away. No matter the elementary nature that a weapon could produce, it was not as powerful as Magic could be, the fact a hunter had reduced to this. Ah, well... Reaching up for her communicator, Maria shouts into it. "Do not flee, nor fear the gas, so long as the five of us are fine we can do this, if we are separated, or I am brought down, then it is the end. I have a magic to beat this, be no more than 10 yards from my radius, Starting the spell now. I may be able to help you in other ways, but for now I must keep the toxin off you and cast it constantly, I'll be working on other ways to assist as well, please trust me." She said over the comms.

A transparent green shield descended across the three parties, the spell of Penultimate was hard at work beating her toxin's back, though Maria would likely have to keep recasting, all the while as she moved another hand, readying yet more spells. "I may have an idea to get through those scales. but what are the next orders?"

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Elly) Sir Les Paul (Midori, Enemy) The Regal Rper (Zosar) Haze- (Wren)

(edited as I made this post at 1:30 am and had typos everywhere.)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Katsushiro Hoshi | Daedelon Island
____________________________________________________________________________________________
​

"Huh," Was all the Hoshi said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he eyed the entrance to the mind. Clearly, he hadn't thought of the light situation either, more than likely believing torches would be sufficient. "Don't suppose werewolves have better night-vision than us?" He asked rhetorically, being sure that was something Astor would have slipped in a brag about had it been the case.

Being able to quickly cover the ground of the tunnels wasn't all that useful if he couldn't see. Even after his eyes adjusted, it'd still be problematic. Glancing around idly as he thought, the ants were gold hoarders, a fact the centaurs thought to use originally but couldn't as the creatures had acquired and stored all such materials. Letting them take some gold and following them in or riding along would be the easiest way to find their stash. However, if what the centaur's said was true, it meant there wasn't anything left on the island to lure them out.

As his eyes wandered, they settled on Astor. Or, more specifically, a distinct glint on his tail of a shiny, yellow piece of jewelry. Shiro stared for a moment at it before he spoke. "...Is that gold?" Knowing the werewolf's prissy ass, the Hoshi would be surprised were it fake.

Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Hallerbos Forest, Belgium

The precipice of success was a long climb away. Not out of sight but not in reach yet.

His tongue clicked in disappointment. That had been meant for her Weapon carrying arm. He didn't think form shifting would have been on the table, was it a normal trait of the demon Weapon or was this a greater ability that was connected to the sheer difference in power?

The tail, the scales, the sudden change in her eyes on a physical level-- Eros really did pull all the stops when he wanted to do something. Zosar found as much as he was disgusted by what he had done to all his targets, Midori clearly being one of them, the ingenuity he showed was frighteningly adept. R-Pain’s eyes as he kept Wren pressed in, looking for a opportunity, reminded him of Sara for a fraction of a second then Dianca with their slits glittering behind spiritual sparks with smug excitement just before her Fan partner opened, launching him backwards, would have been rolling him on the ground had he not assisted by a jump and sending himself sliding on his feet instead of tumbling as he kept his eyes on the mutated demihuman golem.

Sent skidding he had one thing to say as he slid to a stop too far away to even reach with Wren for a follow up.

“ Fuck.”

Yet even faster was his command to Elly and Midori given spiritual space treated time consistency like it's mule.

‘Brace or get near me’.

Because he knew what was about to come the second she pushed him back with that open fan. Knew it was either going to be a stronger wind scythe or a temporary breather to make a gap so she could have room for whatever new tricks she had up her sleeve. He didn't even fully acknowledge the transformation, just the fact that it was there.

There was a fraction of delay likely after she redirected the attack Elly made and countered Maria and him all at once. There was a brief window of opportunity, enough time perhaps for Elly to make it to his side before she could get the full wind up completely, with Chain empowering her, it was possible.

Whether she made it or not was fruitless though. Royal Pain still swung. And when she did, it was disastrous. There was only one thing he could do for Elly and Midori if they did reach him in time, but he didn't voice it-- couldn't because the moment the wind struck them all that Chain Resonance died like a line cuz off abruptly during a call.

The wind was deafening even before it hit. He had been to natural disaster sites before, at least as volunteer work providing some form of support after a flooding, a tornado. Had heard the audio of what it sounded like as a hurricane approached.

This was that. Maybe even worse. Zosar warned Wren by way of his emotion spiking with alarm and caution, but the alarm would have only been fast enough for her to be aware of what he predicted was coming. Fast enough for them to only do one thing. Not attack, not run, not dodge, but brace themselves for what would be deadly.

He focused what was powering their resonance move into his entire body, draining the neon blades of their light rapidly. Understanding of anatomy became heavily important as he kneaded wavelength into his muscle fibers, within his nervous system, pushing what the Chain provided to its max beyond that because if he was right they were about to lose all those buffs rapidly and if they were then he wanted to be as far away from their target as possible without being hundreds of feet in the air.

When it did hit, it was almost like being shoved violently, viciously backwards. Everything resisted the act of forward movement, a greater force pushed heavily and he would have faired better than even Elly or Maria, if she had been caught in the radius, both due to his weight and size, they hardly mattered overall though.

This was why he warned Elly to get closer to him. Unless she braced herself, unless Midori pulled another trick they would get thrown further than even he was.

It was like being at the bottom of a waterfall when it came, being pushed down by gravity and the volume of the current, or trying to move a boat by oar on a rushing downhill river channel that was conjoined with the open sea. The wind was like a trampling stampede of animals, pushing and shoving all around until one picked you up and tossed you with the flow of the herd. The psi alone would have killed a person, but they didn't need to worry about that. They needed to worry about avoiding the worst of the damage. It tore up the blue carpet of flowers, threw them aside far more than the wind scythes ever did. Ripping embedded stones right out of the ground, uprooting and toppling trees, severing their branches. Tossing up dirty. He could feel the power difference in this attack, physical and spiritual. A normal human being would have been sent sky high, dead under the force within seconds before they even made air, even a unprepared Meister wouldn't have been ready for this, he barely even made it in time, sinking Wren into the ground right as the wind met him--

--pushed along the ground like it was ice and his feet barely provided any resistance when he lost his own footing for a fraction of a second due to wind force and the pressure before he was taken up into the air a few feet off the ground.

There was a grim determination that Midori and Elly would have felt before the Chain was snapped. Bone chillingly firm that Wren felt through their link, in his wavelength, as makeshift projectiles were tossed all around them. Swirled, as the wind buffeted, then came rushing.

There was debris, branches sent flying with them after the group. Not planned but it played in perfectly. The wind made it hard to move, made it almost hard to catch your breath, it was wild, chaotic even if it was moving in one direction and this, Zosar thought with some amusement, is what his own wavelength was like.

Untamed. Chaotic. A force to be reckonened with.

He felt both pity for RPain. Pity and respect, mixed with his disgust of her praise. Even with Amplification, movements were slowed, not as fast as they should be. Snapped branches acting like knives, Chunks of tree bark shooting like razors from bent trees that were snapped in half, trees themselves that were twisted off and flew all around them, even downed dead logs rolled up towards them in mid air to meet, stumps that got pushed like tumbleweed in a western film came hurtling up if they hit something and curving down as the wind slowed, all of this followed them just as much as all blown far out behind them. There was no real way to resist the natural physics of this attack, and that was what they were laid bare to.

His focus wasn't just strength but durability. Wavelength to increase damage resistance to his muscles and skin. He knew how to apply it in the right way to minimize damage. Things like a log he swatted aside when it came to meet Wren and him as they were blown back; a stray tree that came hurtling towards them, he would push off, larger rocks he shattered with a hit, it didn't leave a bruise but did faintly sting. There were faint cuts on the cloth of his forearms, tiny lines along his pants, things stuck to him, dirt or broken leaves or petals of the blue carpet in his striped white hair mixing with the petals that settled on his darker black hair. He had avoided a majority of projectiles with Wren's blade, that was another reason he had wanted Midori and Elly nearby, so he could play defense.

Whether Elly reached him or not it was likely she would have seen further air time than he. The boon with Wren was her blade and teeth gave him some longer resistance before he couldn't delay any longer and let it carry him before any detrus could pose an actual threat.

Midori might have stalled with his blades but the force of wind would have been too much, even for Elly, they all would have seen air time on some level and with the Chain broken, it was a guarantee none of them could avoid it. The wind was just that strong. If he caught sight of her being blown back, which he would since he kept his senses honed on her signature, Royal Pain’s and Maria, then he would have angled himself to be taken by the wind, closer to her so that he could catch when they all got taken to the air, latch on to keep the group together or have her at least take the damn hint and grab him so he could play defense while they were buffeted in the air till it was done having fun.

Several feet in the air and descending, the ground was a mess. It was torn apart by tipped over trees, upturned roots, broken stumps, wood in some places stuck out like jagged spears. They hurtled out of the range of most of the uneven and dangerous footing, but didn't clear all of it.

If Elly needed an assist, Zosar would have done it immediately. He may have used Wren like a board, long ago would have given Wren the command to stop spinning her teeth, most of the projectiles that were large they had met, he swatted aside anyway like thrown balls knocked away with few needing him to use Wren to cut through.

So chucking Elly and Midori by having her use Wren as a jumping board-- ‘ Sorry about that’-- would have been easy to get her on stabler ground. Doing something else depending on Elly and her partner was in the options also.

Whatever the case was, they landed further away from Royal Pain then they had begun.

Maria’s voice sounded faintly far, even though she wasn't actually far off. His hearing, because of the wind, was temporarily impaired and it made him grimace.

Refocusing his wavelength into his eyes a bit, he made sure to check if she was about to do something else.

Right before she blew that kiss of miasmic death, he had a sudden thought as he observed her transformation for any possible ranged attacks. The thought unfortunately made it through the link because it was sudden and random, not something he consciously could have stopped like he filtered everything else.

As hypocritical as it was for Royal Pain to criticize mages despite undergoing transformations herself, he had to admit he hadn't expected the transformation in the slightest, hardly paid it mind. Now that he was, the thought hit him, and by extension was made clear to Wren.

Attraction, even if she was the enemy, it never did stop him from commenting on appearances.

It's just…he had never really had that many enemies, as a Enlightener, that were either monster or held monster traits. Certainly allies which were, but it was the complete suddenness of this thought that surprised him.

He blamed past experiences and decided not to dwell on it.

Wren might have felt a confusing sense of satisfaction after the surprise that followed the brief flare of interest, but that relief was because Elly and Midori couldn’t hear what just went through his head with the Chain broken. It likely would have been ignored given their situation, but Elly would never forget. She would bring it up later when they had a moment and she wasn't more worried about her own life.

She seemed like the type to hold that over someone's head anyway.

Wren however felt the briefest sense of curious interest in their enemy from Zosar, one sparked by what exactly she had become with these new traits and a sudden flare of what could only be called surprised attraction, that all vanished in an instant the moment he realized the thought had passed.

He would need to warn his werewolf partner to keep her mouth shut about this later. He had been ignoring her slight poking and mocking because he knew it was in good humor but he didn't want to give her ammo to use against him. It was one thing to poke fun, it was another when he gave someone ammo to use to poke fun.

Instead of saying anything about how ‘ Oddly appealing’ she looked, he listened to what Royal Pain explained she was resistant to.

"It's a beautiful body!" Self-appraisal radiating off the words.

There was that flare of interest returning, as if in hesitant agreement. Wren felt it spike and linger.

He did think she was beautiful but for an entirely different reason that she was praising Eros. He had already thought she was attractive, objective goals aside, even before the fight had started.

Was it disturbing as fuck she was just a magical concoction? Yes. Did it change his opinion? No.

Again, he pretended like he didn't just put himself in a spot, and like before, the brief flicker of interest vanished.

Even more the second she brought Midori's name into the mix, he felt more annoyance.

Maria said this chick reminded her of Arky, was Arky this bad too? Hate witches this much but also had this other side that was full of nepotism that made them ignorant?

He couldn't entirely fault her. She was a slave to whatever it was Eros had done to her. If it was like Midori, freeing her of that kind of control wouldn't be easy, else it would already be on the table and Midori would have said something.

It ultimately didn't matter. Surviving did. That toxic air she breathed out no doubt either would kill or paralyzed and he had no interest in figuring out which. Maria’s use of comms stopped him short of using it himself.

It was good to know she had something up her sleeve for stopping the toxins, the distance note meant they would need to move up and keep covering her. She wouldn't let Maria interfere and with the added defense could afford some split attention.

“She's going to be aiming to keep us off our balance so we don't link up again. If Elly can use those arrows to our advantage, I say the second we have the chance we start the Chain back up as quickly as possible and stop her from breaking it again so we can get an attack in. Any tricks up the sleeve would be helpful."

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Interactions: Haze- Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location En route to new temple, Egypt
Mission TBD
Status Focused

​

Tags: Merciless Medic Peckinou Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

"I'm not convinced the Anpu are some antagonistic foe we need to kill on sight," Gauss told the group. He had assessed what he could of the situation, but thus far, there was no clear answer. What he was hellbent on, however, was not jumping to conclusions or making rash decisions. In his last mission, not thinking through even decisions he considered benign ultimately proved to be problematic.

He intended to learn from his mistakes.

"Just because some creatures or a faction don't align with the DWMA doesn't mean they are evil," he explained, "after my last conversation with Nadia, I took some time to read up on her philosophy. Acquaint myself with just how bad Russia was during the MIBVI outbreak. And, more so, learn about her Ice Blood heritage. Turns out... a young Lord Death basically commit genocide on the Jorguün to prevent their descendants from taking over most of Europe Viking-style.

Gauss exhaled deeply, knowing he was dropping a fair bit here, but trying to be emphatic with the point he was trying to make. "We're a new generation of the DWMA. We've made alliances our grandfathers and their fathers before them would never believe. Because in their time, war crimes against non-humans were the status quo. If some ancient tribe wants to judge us for the sins of the past, I hate to say it, but we probably deserve it," he announced.

"Let's not overlook technology, either," Gauss said, transitioning into the idea that Feng brought up. "We can take pictures of any imprints left in the crates and use our phones to translate any manifest related to missing items. Service out here means we won't get perfect translations, but even the offline apps might clue us in on something."

"By the looks of it, though, we're gonna end up in an ancient temple Indiana Jones style, except the zombies will be locals instead of Nazis. Back to the topic of the Anpu, I'd rather only fight one enemy--the undead--instead of two, if that turns out to be on the table," Gauss said, reiterating his point about not immediately attacking or pissing off these Anpu should they run into them.

"And, yes, Moreau, before we go blindly into the desert or poking around in ruins, do you have any input? I hate to admit it, but I'm not piecing together a coherent picture of what's going on here. To me, it just looks like the chaos of a raid with some oddly prioritized scavenging after--not unlike what we're doing now," Gauss asked, trying to get input from the local expert. That, and admitting his shortcomings in piecing together the narrative of what happened at this camp. There were a lot of layers to it. Clearly there was an attack, and that attack lead to a small siege of an impromptu fort within the camp, but figuring out the motives behind why was truly eluding him.

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Annika
Egypt
Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul Shotgunpenguin RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper Peckinou EmperorsChosen
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Listening to Gauss Annika made her way towards Wes. It wasn't long however before she went about the camp checking items for her group members. Nothing was found, atleast trap wise. The few undead that remained were quickly dispatched having her chainblade in hand, allowing Wes to continue searching for a short time.

Nodding to him as he walked off to check the sense she waited a short time before following behind him. The undead were of no consequence, her weapon being able to deal with any if they had come her way. But, this was an unknown area and she wanted to be sure Wes was nearby if things actually become dangerous.

Reconvening a short time later she listened as everyone spoke of their findings. “Early magic… ehhhhh interesting. I bet my mom would love this shitshow.” Annika mumbled out. Looking to Feng she nodded along “Ancient, angry magic. Zombies, and a possible angry god.” Annika listed off. “Did they go inside at all? Or were they destroyed before having a chance to launch an expedition inside? Do you think some of these people ran to the temple in fear? Maybe we will find someone alive nearby. They said they were clearing a portion.” Annika spoke up, thinking of how people could have fled.

“I agree with that.” Annika said in reference to not everything unalinged with the DWMA being evil. “Could this whole thing just be an alarm response? Instead of some malign judgement?” Annika asked the group. “It will be neat to run into Anpu, friendly I hope.”

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias
and a little bit of Sara​

Date: September 19, 2067
Location: South Central Avenue, Downtown Los Angeles, California
Interactions: Sara, Eva, Nadia, Dani, Adrian
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul Mook-LandStrider RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Raphael shadowed Sara from further back alongside Nadia and Adrian, trying to keep an eye on her. However, as soon as she started running, he had to bolt after her, not wanting to be left in the dust. It was then that he received her words in their comms when he finally got within sight of the mall and the man running across it.

He knew he didn’t have anything to enhance his speed, so he had to be close by when Sara ever made her discovery. Or else, he wouldn’t be any better. Thankfully, with his running around Death City like some bum trying out parkour, he wasn’t completely useless in catching up. He just couldn’t keep up with their enhanced states.

When Nadia reiterated what Sara said as a question, they got a focused “yes” from her.

When given directions to shadow, Sara would do just that with a compliant “on it”, continuing to follow the guy and even jump up to the mall’s roof in short order, using the roof’s utilities to hide and keep following the guy, shadowing him as Nadia commanded.

Raphael, in the meanwhile, found Nadia’s direction confusing. Were they to go to the source of the smell or keep following the guy? Given he can’t climb up to the mall’s roof, he looked at Adrian with a pleading ‘don’t hurt me’ gaze. “Ah-hah, I can run there myself, I’m no slouch. But I don’t think I can get up to the roof of the mall so easily, even with my chains. Wouldn’t it be better if I cut around the mall to the direction of where the guy is running towards? I can cut him off if he tries to leave the area.” He said rather confidently, despite never having done this before.

Still though, the likelihood of being manhandled by Adrian was far too high and he was dreading it.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Noah Wiley​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: The Eastern Shrine, Qena, Egypt
Interactions: Moreau, Gauss, Arkayis, Annika, Wes, Ark, Feng, Aki
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul Peckinou Mook-LandStrider Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

With Gauss’s instructions in hand, Noah did as he was told, revealing that body when near Gauss as he was unsure of what would jump out at him. Most of what Noah found in the campsite aside from the body was just random books and letters, of which he gladly skimmed through to get an idea of what was going on, if they weren’t in Arabic.

Noah was near enough to listen to Gauss talk to Arkayis, and he couldn’t help but wonder if talking to him about Ark was a good idea. Then, he apologized. Noah blinked.

Huh, he was turning around for the better. Good.

Arkayis, however, didn’t know how to take it and it made him chuckle. Always the bashful type. Although, that was short lived when he realized he called Ark a filthy magic user and he promptly wanted to slap him upside the head for that, but he didn’t.

Either way, looking through the site and over viewing the tracks Moreau found, Noah couldn’t help but wonder how they were so caught off guard. Didn’t they have more people than that to protect them?

The selective search was also odd, and the magic circle only made everything ten times more ominous.

Finding the dead body caused him to jolt back a bit, his memories making him go back to the April Fools’ event with the slaughter that happened before their eyes.

The look on this dead man’s face was of surprise. Shock. He was caught off guard. It scared him, in all honesty and he didn’t fully know why. He just kept close to Gauss after that.

Once everyone reconvened and Moreau helped translate the Arabic writing for the pieces of the journal and the PDA, Noah listened to all that was said, from Ark’s musings about the Anpu and the possibility of necromancy, to Feng wondering about the crates that were ordered and the history involved, to Gauss being unwilling to attack the Anpu because they might not actually be evil and were only likely attacking the humans because of what their race had done in the past to Annika wondering about if anyone was still alive and if they were in the temple.

Noah sighed. It was too much to think about all that right now. He was more concerned about this dead group's prior safety before they all perished or disappeared.

“The professor looked rather surprised and in shock when he died. Who was in charge of keeping this area safe? Didn’t they have anyone to protect them? Was it some kind of assassin?” Again, his thoughts went back to video games, specifically Assassin’s Creed.

He was starting to get paranoid again.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Michael M. Moreau​

---

Mission: Disturbance in Qena w/ RedArmyShogun

Sir Les Paul Peckinou Mook-LandStrider Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper

Date: September 20th, 2067
Location: Campsite near Eastern Shrine, Qena, Egypt

---

Moreau kept his distance from any dead bodies that were found, instead helping with translations and focusing more on these tracks and how the campsite was trashed but only in some areas. To his Monster Hunter training, it seemed to him there was a struggle, someone knew where the things they needed were, and given the shocked face of the professor…

Someone knew the campsite, someone who was likely trusted or wouldn’t have thought to appear attacked them… There were two fronts of attack, from the outside and from the relics station, and the damage leading to their quarters and the defenses.

Someone must have sabotaged this… Or maybe they were just that good at busting it down. They didn’t really have much to work with.

Moreau found Gauss’s leadership good. Very stiff, if that, but that was to be expected. It was almost as if he just left a classroom. But he did well, and he felt rather glad Gauss was open to all kinds of possibilities. From Gauss’s role delegation, he was able to figure out the capabilities of each person, taking a bit of interest in Annika’s dismantling of any traps.

She was going to love the trip into the shrine, as he was going to be teaching them all how to disarm or look out for traps.

Professor Mubarak would be missed. Though, Moreau wasn’t willing to drag the body out of the magic circle, unsure what that would do to the dead man or himself. There were no weapons, so there likely weren't many people who protected them… Just the actual dig team.

Why would they go without protection? Well, it was sadly common. The only dangers were other people or the animals so having guns and a few combat-effective attacks and moves were all they needed. Mainly because the area would have been cleared by Monster Hunters or the like before the archaeologists arrived. All they really needed was a good trap disarmer, as most of them - Moreau included - had some combat history. Some of these areas didn’t need clearing out until they were actually a problem. Why hire more men to deal with something when it wasn’t a problem in the first place? The government certainly wanted to save money.

Some of the dead that shambled about and got a little too close to the campsite were dealt by the others. Moreau kept his distance and stayed more so in the middle of the camp. It hurt, not being able to go in with his own machete and cleave them in two like he would with large magical beasts.

Sadly, that time was gone, and he was relegated to being protected by a bunch of kids while his shoulder or knee flared up from old age. Aside from not having a fun time being unable to attack, he was having a fun time collecting anything that was in Arabic writing and translating them.

Once everyone was together, he translated all he could from Mubarak’s journal and read aloud the PDA, thankful it was in English.

He was oddly silent afterwards, sponging everything everyone was saying, planning out answers to these questions. A morose expression shifted from his dead stare, and he let out a gruff sigh. “Threatening activity happened outside of the campsite and they asked for weapons, but obviously this manifest didn’t get sent back, so whatever they asked for likely didn’t arrive until much later…” He cleared his throat and continued, his gaze stern and harsh. “We only knew of the initial find. Then again, these three men are not anything I have heard about before. Though, early-time sorcerers, like Ark said, weren’t unheard of. From what we knew, there were no problems and basic formal reports were filed. It’s not unusual for artifacts to be reported until after the find. I’m in the dark about this as much as any of you. If we knew more, you likely wouldn’t be here at all.” He clicked his tongue, his face shifting to more irritation as he was unable to answer much needed questions. He continued. “The temple was likely walked through given the text, but not completely cleared, so I should be able to show you the traps and how to look for anything that would activate them, as well as show miss here how to disarm them.” He looked pointedly at Annika with a bit of a serious smile before going back to a neutral expression.

“The Anpu have attacked some of our people. In legend, they normally appear near sites of mass death or at burial sites and temples, but for only a brief moment. If the legends are true about the Anpu, they can judge the worth of a soul, so I hope none of you weigh more than a feather. Though, if you think they were being more protective than aggressive, you may go about how you wish, but I really don’t want to be near the Anpu. They aren’t known for being very talkative.” He held up his hands to show he would be hands-off in any future encounters, uncertainty in his tone despite his attempts at hiding it.

“I think I have an idea of what happened here at least. I don’t know which attack started first, but something came from the outside. The defenses were destroyed. Then, struggle happened from the relics site and came outward, as if meeting the attackers who came from the outside. Whatever happened was likely someone who knew the camp - so knew where to look which is why only some things are disheveled - and whoever it was likely didn’t mind the zombies. Though, this is just speculation.” He then looked at Noah, his questions making him slightly irritated but not because of Noah. “He was indeed. He wasn’t expecting this attack or the attacker, or was just in a perpetual state of fear and shock when it happened. His diary said they had been subject to attacks and that the others have disappeared, so he should be the only body of the group we should find here. To be honest, we don’t normally have issues with dangerous things when out at a dig. Trap disarmers who had some combat experience, like myself, were all that these groups needed to keep themselves safe, or their own weapons. I’m not going to get into why, but when they noticed a possible threat, all they could do was create defenses for themselves and hope the manifest for the weapons arrived soon.” He then looked on at the group before him, his weary eyes already having seen enough.

“I don’t know if anybody is even alive in that temple. Assume there might be, but I highly doubt anyone’s going to survive this. If these are indeed necromancy magic circles, then-...” He paused, looking back at Mubarak. “Should we move him off the circle? Or would that cause him to wake up?” He shook his head, then looked back at the group.

“We could either go to Qena and see reports of the dead being sighted in the city and more information they may have or see the dig to see traps and any possible survivors. Or split up and do both. You decide, team leader.” He looked at Gauss, hoping his suggestions helped give some kind of guide as to what to do.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Alek​

Date: January 15, 2067
Location: Myremeke Mines, Daedolon Island
Interactions: Shiro, Astor
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen

‘Not like those ants are gonna be a threat, either’...

Alek sighed. Why, oh why, was this dimwit constantly underestimating everything? Alek was starting to get weary. He was also quite reckless, but it was more in how he fought, his arrogant quips back then were to rile up the enemy to make them think he was underestimating them.

As they traveled to the mine, picking a path that wouldn’t end in death or even more trouble, Alek wondered to himself as he stared into the pitch darkness of the mine’s maw. Astor spoke, not considering that they needed a light source.

That was when Shiro asked if something was gold, and Alek looked at him, then at where his gaze landed. Astor’s tail ring. He raised an eyebrow. “Well, if that is a gold ring and if we did get inside by having them take us, how are we supposed to get out without any light? You think there’ll be a golden object that sheds light, or should we at least find a way to make light?” He asked, hoping that they could solve the light situation first before the ants came out.

This was surely going to be a headache, his hand massaging his forehead in slight irritation.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Yutu Tatigat​

"Astor"​

Species Meister (Werewolf)
Location Daedelon Island
Mission An Ancient Quarry


​

Tags: Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen

"It's not so simple as 'werewolves have better night vision', and what's this 'us' nonsense you're talking about?" Astor responded, his tone carrying a clearly define note of offense at the suggestion. It was perhaps a valid question, but Shiro referring to himself and what Astor assumed to be Alek as an 'us' drew a line between the three, as if Astor was some whole separate species. How ignorant.

"Werewolves are just humans that can transform. If you elected to educate yourself on history, you Eastern imbecile, you'd know that any division amongst humans just breeds hate," Astor continued, scolding him for the verbiage. "Let's not forget that the Japanese were put in interment camps after the last Great War; you may want to rethink your idea of 'us' and 'them'," Astor added, doubling down on his stance by referencing the abhorrent conditions Japanese immigrants were put into. Shiro was a Hoshi. He was Japanese. It fit.

"Any canine traits I have in this form are minimal. I might have slightly better vision, but even if I transformed, I can't magically see inside of cave darkness," Astor said, finally spewing a response that actually answered the question asked.

"Caves have no light--" Astor continued, fully intent on pompously educating his dimwitted partners.

A loud, inhuman shriek from the mines quickly cut his lesson short. Astor didn't get to answer the questions about his accessories or even address Alek. He was too heated by the word choice of Shiro.

It didn't matter. The time was wasted.

The gold Astor used to accent his white hair was in fact enough to cause a stir within the ant colony, awakening them from their otherwise peaceful slumber. Out from the cave emerged a small horde of ants marching in line, surprisingly quick for their size which varied from that of small dogs to black bears. Aside from the lighter, sierra brown bald spots on their heads, most of these ants were covered in a dark, rust-colored fur, specifically on their legs and antennae. As it turned out, the gold-seeking ants weren't very gold at all. Aside from some slight changes to their body segments and general shape to accommodate their size, they appeared to be ants sized up in large proportion.

Notably, too, each one of them had a spiritual signature. It was not a single soul, per se, but more like a spiritual network shared amongst all of them. This was an oddity as most insects didn't actually have any spiritual trace whatsoever, and those that did were often interpreted as having a faint life-energy via highly-skilled soul perception. A signature so fine most three-stars couldn't detect. These ants didn't share that general insect trait.

"Well, Alek, do you know to speak ant?" Astor remarked, still peeved and with that tone of condescension he seemed to persistently carry. In the mean time between his last question and his next comment, Astor drew two rapiers from his side sheathes. The Jorguün Needles. Weapons designed to conduct his wavelength naturally. If the centaurs insights as to their weakness to wavelength techniques was accurate, these two would be his best bet. "If you want to convince them to take us to their horde, now is the time," he told him.

The ants were still marching forward. Not a blitz or a blind rush. Instead, the smaller ones buzzing forward quickly, leaving a pheromone path to the gold they sensed ahead of them. Truth be told, they mow down and consume anything in their path to the gold they wanted, and following the smallest of them were the larger ones in a uniform march. It seemed a silent infiltration was no longer an option.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location Downtown LA, California
Mission Return of the Stalker
Status Alert

​

Tags: Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen

Perhaps it was his inclination to video games. Perhaps it was his more out of the box thinking. Might have also been his age showing. In any case, Adrian had an alternative idea the moment that he heard Nadia discussing the odd scent of pancakes. This was LA, after all. They had maps and GPS for real time observation. Amazing cell service, too. It wasn't as if they were in some remote location. Adrian went out on a limb in thinking the scent of pancakes probably wasn't spiritual, but literal, and if such was the case, figuring out any local eatery with pancakes--especially at this time of night--was just one search away.

It didn't even take long. Adrian had it pulled up on his phone before Nadia finished up all of her instructions. Of course, he didn't intend on breaking formation or leaving Raph behind, but he did find at least a relevant piece of information.

"Nadia, I don't mean to interrupt, but uh... on the far end of the mall, there's an all-night diner that serves breakfast. If she smells pancakes, maybe it's from there?" Adrian said, simply connecting the dots with what he had found. He didn't know how relevant it was, but any information was often better than no information.

He then darted his eyes back to Raph in confusion. "That building isn't that tall... probably forty feet, at best," Adrian said, having a puzzled expression on his face. He was genuinely thrown off by the comment. "Y-You really can't, uh... scale that?" he asked. It simply blew his mind that any of them would have been halted by something as simple as a moderately high wall.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Downtown LA​

Not all mysteries were really that mysterious.

The perp running across the roof of the mall was doing just that. Running across the roof of the mall. Functionally, this distanced himself from the crime scene pretty quickly. Even with the cops timely arrival, he was gone and out of sight before they could have tracked him via human means. The mall itself on that end didn't have any security or cameras. And, at night, the mall was closed down, so aside from a few bums inside, no one was there to notice the footsteps. Even if there were, they would need to be on its highest level.

Sara could pursue him quite easily. In fact, Sara could have caught up with some amount of boost had she chose to use it. Nadia could have as well. This individual didn't seem superhuman in the slightest, just fairly athletic.

Ultimately, if she kept her distanced and watched, Sara would have seen that Adrian was right on the money. The perp was on his way to an Asian-inspired breakfast house with fusion cuisine that served the nearby food court through the night. It wasn't fancy by any means. Originally, it was just on stall attached to a kitchen, but it had expanded. Irony of ironies, the place was actually a favorite of law enforcement, serving those on the night shift patrols through the night. A valid alternative to the doughnuts and Waffle Houses the police frequented otherwise.

In this case, however, the entire foot court wreaked of a blood and the sweet, fluffy scent of pancakes. That odd spiritual residue that was left at the crime scene and filled the air as the perp fled was ever present in the dozen or more people that were all sharing their sweet night time meals at the benches of this outside food court. Sesame or red bean style pancakes or bread bites wrapped in foil and paper, all sitting outside with coffee or whatever else, discussing their lives as if nothing in the world was off about the situation.

Except that each one carried that odor of murder and stolen iron from the veins of victims. The entire food court almost radiated a hint of madness and mischief of the worst variety.

Outside of police range and not tuned into their frequencies, the group couldn't hear that nearly twenty-five other murders had all been conducted at the same time in the general area.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Daniella Ethalyn - Streets of LA
​

With the group catching up to the idiot, they seemed rather brazen. With further reports from Sara, Nadia chimed over the comms. “Told you. “<Fuck’n Idiots>”. Never trust the mentally deranged and corrupt to keep a secret.” Reaching out with soul perception, the gaul of these people was something else entirely.

From atop the roof, she was careful to not be seen, provided any of the idiots even had soul perception. “They are eating where they shit, or so I’ve heard. Amazing. We must show them what happens when criminals and cultists are in the open.

We don’t need them all alive. Keep the ones most prone to showing pain, or the most cowardly, keep them from running. I shall handle the questioning, personally, the LAPD’s services come after… Ah, did I say that bit out loud? Still, if they do not resist we shall respect their rights… But they shall resist. But killers such as these, would not give up da?” A dismissive shrug. And her question was not so much as a question, but an explanation of how things were. This cult would be buried.

Dani paused at Nadia’s statement. It wasn’t the phrasing that got her, but rather the fact they had a direct link to the other’s soul, Dani absorbed Nadia’s meaning almost faster than she did the actual sentence. ‘You don’t mean…’ She murmured before expunging a groan of disgust. “Eugh… That’s fucking-Death fucking damn it…”

“As I said, even should they be ignorant of it, and I doubt they are, they are corrupted. So Demon I want us to give them a full display of the fear they gave to others. Sara, do as you see fit. Adrian, Raph, assist, be it in stopping them from escaping or in dealing with the enemy. Adrian you may come in handy after this. Do not allow a single one to escape.”

“Fucking freaks…” Dani grumbled, not having any qualms as to roughing up the cannibals. Though, she wasn’t looking forward to having to investigate the kitchen. “Fuck it, I’ll play demon.”

Waiting for the rest to get into position, Nadia couldn’t help but to do a little showmanship as she jumped from the roof, down in the midst of the others, Dani flaming in her hand. “Oh, how the hunter becomes the hunted. Where is your God now?" Waiting for the first to break or run, or attempt to fight back, she used her wavelength well past what was needed for this lot as they seemed. They were used to physically outmatching the LAPD and countless victims. Now in turn they were hopelessly outmatched and being hunted for their own deeds. And not all of them were needed alive.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (Adrian) Merciless Medic (Sara - Raph) Mook-LandStrider (Eva)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Aki Kiyoko - Egypt - Feng Long
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
​

Aki left the investigating more to the others. She was looking around, but more for anything interesting, at least until Gauss gave orders and Feng needed her in weapon form. Unsurprisingly, the zombies were shot on sight, though Aki did let out an audible “Huh.” when they didn’t try to attack unless they got too close.

Indicative of Aki’s upbringing, the corpses and display amongst the campsite didn’t seem to phase her. Rather, her concern was less on the fallen and more on the mysterious anpu. “So… We should or shouldn’t shoot them? I’m confused,” She admitted plainly from her weapon form. “I’m definitely heavier than a feather,” She added in a tone that made it difficult to determine if she interpreted that literally or not.

“Eh, up to Gauss, I got nothing to add in, though I’m curious for exploring both places. Though I would rather not just shoot them so much as try talking to em. Though, who knows if they want to talk and how much of this they did. Still, splitting up is how many horror movies start, but are we sure we want to use a Mage down in cramped tunnels? No offense but in narrow halls either Annika or I are best on point.” Added Feng, somewhat disinterested.

“The temple sounds cool! And if the anpu don’t attack, then they won’t be shot!” Aki replied cheerfuly before humming. “Eh… they never shoot the monster in those movies, though. Or use magic… or just punch.”

”Depends on the movie really, thought reminds me of the time in the triads when we went after this fellow named Han Lu, old mysterious fucker some agreement, anyways he had jiangshi. But yeah, I got nothing to add in. So what says the Fearless Leader? You, Aki?”

“Jiangshi, hm… Oh, yeah, guess it’s fine whatever Gauss says,” Aki remarked nonchalantly, “Though the temple sounds way more fun.”

RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul Shotgunpenguin Mook-LandStrider The Regal Rper Peckinou

 

[Haze-]

Wren
Hallerbos Forest, Belgium​

Just as they had shaped the twine of their new instrument, torque-tuned it to cut true, she felt the strings pulled on that arch-top they’d built snapping on the very first strum— shredding in on themselves, tearing. Useless — “Tsk...” — It was one hell of a whiff…no, they hadn’t messed it up. Rather, it just hadn’t been enough oomph behind it.

The teeth on her chainblade got caught on an easy block, scissored between the folds of Roya’s fan. Immovable object against another; no matter how hard Zosar pushed, the other simply wouldn’t budge.

Indeed, the apex of success was one long haul away— they’d barely caught the sight of its outline blurred on the horizon just now.

The sheer difference in power level between them was made damn near palpable once her fan had pushed them back. The razor fan flared; spread wide like the tail of the most pretentious peacock she’d ever seen. It wasn’t subtle whatsoever; they were downright announcing that one big swing was coming up.

That’s when she felt sharp gusts of wind blowing on the underbelly of her blade. Strong, like a tornado had just flashed by— as if it could pull hair and peel faces. Her eyes were pinballing around, watching the wind bend and hack up half the treeline already — “Oh sh…—” — It wasn’t long before it hit them, the words drooled out of her mouth in their link.

Zosar’s feet were yanked off the ground, dragged back when he landed. The chain snapped; Wren couldn’t feel Midori and Elly anymore. The strength was gone. The ground was overhead, the skies at her feet.

Her eyes struggled back into focus once Zosar speared the ground, the teeth on the chainblade attempting to find some anchor, dig in. She felt a stoic determination bubbling in Zosar, shared on their link— too damn stubborn to topple and get ragdolled by the storm. Seeing Zosar so dogged not to fall just reminded her of just how death-awfully headstrong he was deep inside— something she felt the first time they met, not giving up on her when he should’ve.

He reminded her of the lone wolf she used to be, fighting for scraps in the slums. Too stubborn to know when to quit, determined; that’s what she liked about him, above every other prospect.

Even as his feet got uprooted from the ground again, he was still a reminder to Wren— ‘Hesitance’ and ‘Uncertainty’, the things that filled an agent's final thoughts before their world went dark. ‘An unfocused mind’s as good as dead’, it wasn’t that hard of a concept to grasp. Maybe the violent winds had snatched that thought out of her hands.

“Fuck you Eros…” — The were-weapon grumbled; eyes pinned on the incoming pile of rubble. Wren would have the teeth on her chainblade flash a snappy spin on every swing from Zosar, burning a fraction of her reserves to use Rev-Up on and off, killing the engine completely when he went to smack away something with the flat end of her blade.

Complete focus, only letting out a mindless, monotone — “Ow.” — when she felt Elly hopping on top of her blade.

Once their feet reunited with solid ground, as the bluebell petals drifted back down, Wren sighed. Her eyes trailed the flesh wounds lining Zosar’s shape first before coming back on the black fog creeping in. He would’ve felt a spike of amusement from her then, almost self-satisfied — “T—heh. We’ve got her playin’ serious now…that’s a start.”

Though, regaining her focus, letting her survival instincts kick in as she was — “Huh?” — Wren immediately snapped out of reverie once she felt something…odd get relayed on their link. An awkward feeling, one that had her dumbstruck, croaking out a still vowel that Zosar might’ve picked up as background noise.

After a beat of confusion, she processed it fully— looking up and down where Zosar’s eyes were fixated upon, the giant lizard standing on two legs in front of them — “Is there something you, uhh…” — Wren paused — “Y’know, wanna get off your chest before we die a horrible death?”

That’s when her stoic act broke, snorting out a laughing fit. She would’ve been rolling on the floor in their soul space be it not for need to keep the tense, high-stake situation in mind, have a sense of tact. Ironically enough — “I gotta know, though…is it golems in general or is it the tail that’s doing it for ya’?”

For a split second, as Wren was cackling in Zosar’s mind, he would’ve felt something akin to his own feeling as his partner looked on. It was the same admiration, the same level of attraction— twisted and spun on an entirely different light. It wouldn’t have been something unfamiliar to him. It was ravenous, starved.

From that initial, sharp clang of blades she’d had with Roya’s weapon, up to the moment Wren stared wide-eyed as the woman transformed— hell, even now that the toxic fumes surrounded them — all she’d felt was a loud pang of excitement trying to claw its way out of the pit of her stomach.

Perhaps it was the flowery smell of the blues scattered around the forest, but there was something wrapped on her palate. A clear scent, she was sicced on it. Something that Wren herself wasn’t even conscious of, not a full-on spike, but an ugliness rearing its head.

She only had a slow, subconscious regard for it — “You might not be wrong…I can see the appeal.”

Only when the smog parted, Wren’s mind trailed back to the ‘Now’. She spoke up on their link soon after Zosar closed his comms — “Tricks up the sleeve…” — She had an old reliable she'd picked up from the streets. Even if this wasn't necessarily a street fight, it was still worth putting the thought in Zosar's mind.

“I know you’ve noticed, but we’re too slow to even graze this damn broad… Even with the chain running, we’re still slow. That might be on me— I’m no Mr. Hoshi — but I think we can compensate by baiting her to attack first.”

“She’s skilled, she’s strong— but she’s stupid. Stupid enough to get comfortable in a five vers one. Stupid enough to prattle on about her strengths right off the bat. If you can get on her nerves, I figure she’ll bite easy. Looks impulsive enough to me.”

“Call her names, tell her that her mom’s a witch. Something, anything…I dunno.”

Mentions: RedArmyShogun
Interactions: The Regal Rper EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Hallerbos Forest, Belgium
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

At first, their coordination seemed to be working. Elly could see the shock and panic, the hitch in her soul that spoke as to the golem's sudden realization that they were threats. However, Elly's wish to end this in a quick, decisive blow was thwarted. The golem's weapon grew in size, deflecting Zosar and Wren's attack with surprising ease. Then, she went through a transformation, gaining scales, claws, and a tail that allowed Midori to skid along her arm.

Elly heard the warning from Zosar, yet flicked her wrist, turning the normal grip of the shortsword into a reverse grip which she sought follow-up with a stab. Unfortunately, the lizard was quick to react, lashing out with a burst of wind. Elly felt an impact in her gut from the force of the wind and braced as best she could, though was still sent flying back with the uprooted flora. She felt herself tumbling through the air as she flailed to stabilize herself, stabbing Midori's blade into the ground to slow her push. The sword left a trail in the dirt from where she continued to be pushed back until she skidded to a halt as the gust dissipated.

As Elly looked on, the lizard began to ramble, a sign the meister took to mean that they were really starting to get to the golem mentally. Then there was miasma being spat out, though Maria seemed to be dealing with that. The mage asked for their trust, though it wasn't a matter of trust. From what Elly experienced of the dollmaker, she didn't overstep herself. If something was impossible, she had no issues saying it. The fact the mage was so confident that she could deal with the miasma told Elly that she knew of a counter.

"All of the above... First thing's first, stay in Maria's proximity and resume chain resonance," Elly commanded, focusing on syncing her wavelength with Midori, followed by the other pair. Once a link was established, she continued. 'Rev up and be ready to follow-up with me. I'm still faster than her. This time when I go in, I'll aim for the weapon. You, Midori, will then adopt your golem form to incapacitate it. That will give you two an opening and stop her from relying on the weapon to save herself.'

It was less of a suggestion and more of a statement. Elly knew Midori didn't particularly like his golem form, however she wouldn't be accepting any arguments regarding this.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Midori☆Hoshi​

"Dark Star"​

Species Death Golem
Partner Eloise Keegan
Rank Two-Star

Location Hallerbos Forest, Belgium
Mission Belgium Blues
Status Focused, intense

​

Tags: The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

For Midori, the moment Elly neared Roya enough to get a glimpse of her, the world seemed to stand still. He knew that wasn't her true golem form. He didn't know how he knew. Intuition or instinct, maybe. He felt a familiarity in her soul that he couldn't make heads or tails of, either. His soul was, at one point, virtually indistinguishable from the soul of the original Midori☆Hoshi. His clan, for all of their elite skill, couldn't even tell a difference. With such a perfect recreation of a soul, there shouldn't have been a pattern between himself and this new golem to create that sense of familiarity.

That is what gave this moment such great pause for him. Was this kindred feeling completely within his head? He had never met another golem of Eros. Not like this, at least. Could there have been some unique pattern no one had ever perceived before? Some odd remnant of the process Eros used to imbue a statue with a soul? It didn't make sense. His partner possessed Super Soul Perception. If there was even the slightest difference, she could have seen it. The only rational explanation is that this familiarity was born completely from his emotions. The sympathy he had for her.

He struggled with his own identity so much. What he was. Who he was. If he was really still Midori☆Hoshi, of he was someone else. Even with his ultimate decision that he was both yet neither, he wondered how she rationalized it. Did she even care? She didn't seem the type to.

He had so many questions for her. Neglecting her psychotic outbursts and alliance with Eros, what welled up inside of him was an existential curiosity. He felt a familiarity, but she was one the few that could truly understand his feelings. He yearned to have answers.

And, knew there would be no way to attain them. He processed a dozen different ways to try and get answers from her. To stall out the fight or take her alive, to do whatever he could to put her in a position to talk. In those patterns, he realized the danger of those scenarios. Their risks. He was doubtful he could even convince the others to risk anymore than they had to. This train of thought brought is what brought him to final conclusion: he could not allow any more risk to his companions for his selfish desire to know more.

He returned to reality.

Elly was more skilled than she let on. Dodging through the rain of literal trees and the pressures of the wind, stepping in tandem with the setup from Zosar. She rarely displayed such agility or quick thinking, but then she made it a habit to never display her full capabilities if she didn't have to.

Maria was a saving grace here with her magic. She went from target to guardian in less than a full minute of combat. He didn't miss what she said, either. If he was in a different mood or less focused on the fight, he might have made a mental note about how she decided to praise his form.

But, that only created another distraction. Eros had obviously put more work into creating the body Roya was in. He could afford to. She wasn't meant to be a perfect recreation. She was intended to be a new being with a new purpose. Reflecting on the question he pondered earlier, he could see how she didn't have to struggle as he did. She was never meant to be a replacement for whoever she was before. She was a tool. She might have even liked it, if their ambitions aligned. Maria might have thought the effort to recreate the original was a thing of beauty, but she had no way of knowing how much of a condemnation it was.

She didn't know the Hell it put him through.

Rage is what pulsed through him. A rage that Elly could feel. A shift from his questions and unsteady nature to anger and hatred. He did so despise Eros. For all that he done. He hurt and killed so many. He stole souls and forced them to do his bidding. There so many reasons to hate Eros. This hate was selfish. Eros recreated Midori in a way far worse than he did this girl. His purpose was to be something he could never be: the original. He forced Midori to have fight his own instincts and find a new purpose in life. All after losing everything the old Midori held near and loved.

Eros probably never even considered the outcome Midori would become independent. More than pawn in his mad game of chess. That lack of forethought, whether it made sense or not, put Midori through years of strife and created the identity crisis he still struggled with.

Midori hated that man.

'We can't waste time. She's going to know Maria is casting spells. The window we have to resonate is small,' Midori told her, the rage and now intense sense of urgency bleeding over into Elly as he spoke within their soul space.

'I won't distract myself with Zosar and Wren like last time. The chain won't be as strong, but I need to focus on you,' Midori told her.

Midori at this point was bringing in as much wavelength from Elly as he could, his soul itself urging her to pour more energy into him. 'Give me all you can and I will amplify it, then feed back into you. Your body won't like it; it's not used to that much power," he told her, already churning the wavelength inside him time and time again to continuously refine it, amplifying it as far as he could with his current skill level and still maintain stability. In the last round, he opened up her spiritual pathways with regulation, made her body extremely susceptible to amplification. Now, he intended to flood her with an unreasonable amount of energy to make this blitz work.

'The second you get chain resonance stable, rush her. Zose is gonna need the biggest handicap we can give him, he told her, though his instructions aligned with her plan regardless. In part, he speaking to speak. A touch of redundancy. In all reality, he was venting his anger. Voicing the hatred that welled inside him. He was full murderous intent, and Roya was the target of that.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Amelia Misonuka​

"Royal-Pain"​

Species Human (Golem)
Partner Nikka (Razor Fan)
Rank Three Star-Star

Location Hallerbos Forest, Belgium
Mission ???
Status Excited

​

Tags: The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

The witch was casting spells. Of that much, Roya was certain. She could see the flares of mana within the area in front of her and even the widespread coverage of the spell. Some type of area of effect, likely to prevent her petrification toxins from reaching the group. Smart, but annoying. Infuriating, even.

This was an important crossroads for the fight. A pivotal moment where if Roya were alone, she might have done something impulsive and self-destructive. She would have allowed anger to dictate her actions and ultimately created even more openings for the group in front of her. Fortunately, Roya was not alone. Her Death Scythe partner, Nikka, was a voice of reason within her mind. Calming her down. Placating her. She knew Roya well. She knew just how to redirect that rage into a more productive outlet.

What Roya wanted to do was begin unleashing a barrage of incredibly destructive gusts of wind at the five, pelting them with a tempest that would not only sweep away their magic, but potentially blow them back hundreds of yards. She wanted to unleash her self-righteous fury with all the power she had. There was a problem with that strategy, though. A problem Nikka pointed out.

That tactic didn't assure a kill on any single one of them and even Roya, with her huge reserves of wavelength, would drain herself entirely if she continued with gusts of wind like the last. If she allowed herself to be drained without securing at least a handful of kills, there was a solid chance the tables would turn and the predator might just become the prey.

Wind was deadly. As slashes, it could rend people apart. It could carry debris that could pelt and impale with lethal force. An absence of it would suffocate. But, as a blunt force with those sweeps, all it amounted to was a high school shoving contest. Roya needed to make it deadly. Nikka assured that would happen.

The assumption that Roya would immediately attempt to dispel the magic from Maria proved incorrect, if only because the group did not account for the logician of a weapon she had for a partner. Instead, that absurdly powerful spike in wavelength returned, meaning only one thing: the two were resonating. This resonance was shocking in volume, comparing to the tornado that had trapped Maria from earlier, but was on a larger scale and in a different shape entirely. The wind itself began to howl moments before they actually began their technique, as if a prelude to the chorus of destruction.

"Alright, you little fuckers... it's time you die," she announced, though her tone was less excited. She actually wasn't terribly happy about utilizing a technique like this. It wasn't fun or exciting. It wasn't really even hers. This technique was more of Nikka than herself. It relied entirely on her Wind Elemental Affinity and more so on the raw power she had as a Death Scythe. It was a combination of traits that came from Nikka, not Roya. It made the kills so much less personal. Less thrilling.

The wind did pick up. Quickly. It swirled around at a rapid, clockwise rate towards an epicenter; Roya herself. With Nikka now split into six pieces, leaving Roya with only the two outer fan edges, the other five were free to fly through the air like arrows, albeit the size of swords. Worse was that this new vortex created a potent suction affect, pulling everything into Roya herself. Not that a target was ever intended to actually reach her; they would have contend with five flying blades of death from Nikka before they could. And, even if they reached her, they would still have to fight Roya, whom had the natural advantage of not being affected by the turbulence of the storm, and an open fan with no blades, effectively making it a bladed staff.

This technique truly was more Nikka than Roya. It was only her status of Death Scythe that allowed her fan blades to part from her main body. This massive vortex of wind? Only really possible because she evolved. There wasn't a trace of anti-magic around. This wasn't even a Wavelength-Enhanced Resonance technique. This was purely betting everything on Nikka, and that looked like it might just be a safe bet. The suction of the storm only continued to grow every moment it continued. Soon enough, even Maria wouldn't have a spell that could halt it. It would continue to grow until even Chain Resonance wouldn't allow the two Meisters to escape. There was an ever-shortening time limit on the group.

All Roya and Nikka waited on now was the first one to falter from the suction. Once they were pulled in by the storm, it wouldn't be but a moment later that Nikka intended to impale them on one of her flying blades.

"It may not be fun, but the Compass Rose Vortex is pretty fuckin' foolproof..." Roya grumbled, discontent with the direction this fight took. For all the ironic and even hypocritical comments she made earlier, it was pretty apparent that even she drew a line between cheap tricks like these and actual combat.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location En route to new temple, Egypt
Mission TBD
Status Focused

​

Tags: Merciless Medic Peckinou Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

"This isn't Scooby Doo and the Curse of the Lost Relics," Gauss finally chimed in, responding primarily to Moreau and the point he made about splitting up. "We're not gonna split up and look for clues. I get the feeling we're not going to unmask any of the Anpu to find out they're a shady real estate developer, either," he continued on, adding some context to his otherwise sarcastic explanation.

"Alright, so some clarification. If the Anpu attack us or pose a threat, you are free to defend yourselves and others with up to lethal force if necessary. I would prefer to avoid leaping directly into confrontation--especially of the lethal variety--if possible," Gauss told the group, clarifying his stance on how to approach the Anpu. "If they're gonna judge us, chances are, we're all burnin' together anyway," he commented, pointing out the futility of anyone present trying to be lighter than a feather.

"Executive decision time, I guess," Gauss said aloud, sighing before he did so. There pros and cons to each. He ran his hand through his dark brown hair, now coarse due to the heat and sand. It would need conditioned upon their return. Death City was one thing, but this desert seemed far hotter and drier. Or, perhaps, Death City itself just had enough water due to its manufactured river that the humidity made it less harsh. Either way, there was a definite difference between the two regions.

"As a full group, I say we visit the temple strictly to search for survivors. If anyone is on a time limit, they are. If we reach a point where there are traps or we don't think anyone could feasibly survive, we can turn around to Qena. As it stands, the only time-sensitive objective would be saving any survivors," Gauss answered, making his judgement call on how to proceed. Had it not been for the prospect of survivors or anyone being captured, he would have preferred to investigate Qena. Granted, helping out survivors wasn't strictly outlined in their objectives, but it would have felt neglectful not to at least try.

"Ark will lead the group with Moreau. That seismic sense of yours has proven useful thus far and Moreau knows the area best," Gauss instructed, "unless we're driving, in which case, this only applies to once we've reached our destination."

"We'll form a diamond. I will be the left flank, Annika will take the right flank, and Feng will be our rear guard. If there's any chance of a trap, Annika can move forward. Being ranged, Feng can fight from both behind and in front. If we are attacked, we're to group around to protect Moreau and Wes--unless he's so gracious to actually fight with Annika. If for any reason, we need to form a line such as in a tight corridor, the order will shift to Annika and Wes being between Ark and Moreau and myself. Feng will always take rear," Gauss said, further providing instructions on formations.

"If there any objections or comments, make them now. I'm not gonna be a dickhead and shut you down, but at least be quick about it," Gauss said, offering a final point of discussion if anyone wanted to comment.

He had thought through the options, though. Part of his layout was to get as much distance between Arky and Ark as possible without making it overly obvious. Feng had the greatest range. He would have preferred giving her a center position. However, Moreau mentioning traps made the prospect of Annika being more flexible in her placement seem better. He also wanted to make sure he could help out any position quickly if possible. Between his magnetic fields that could block arms fire and his preference to mid-range combat, he wanted to remain fluid in positioning. Annika with her chainblades only really had short-range. Feng had more flexibility, but Annika had the utility. Gauss put an inherently higher value on that. Ark and Moreau leading the pack should have made clear sense.

But, of course, he was open to suggestions...

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Hallerbos Forest, Belgium

​

Watching the events playing out, Maria could only shake her head, though the woman seemed to ignore her words or at least didn't see fit to acknowledge her as being a living being. Maria could only put this Fanaticism to something involving rouge witches. She and those who left with Eros were never loyal to the DWMA or had any presence of mind to make peace, just like some of the witches that left the Realm to become a blight upon the land. The short-sighted emotions of both would only condemn another eon of conflict, for as so long there was a Witch Realm and a Human Realm, the former side could simply slam the door shut and rebuild.

Looking at the landscape around her magic was truly a powerful thing. The witches that preyed upon this world however were not the be all end all. Most of them were simply destructive and did not see humans as living things, just toys to smash and torture, giving into the pull, the Destruction wrought here was of little consequence to the Witch Realm. And then there was the fact a lot of them were as her Master put it, Cowards who feared testing their power against something that could fight back. Were they Evil? Of course. But these people, Maria voiced her thoughts aloud in the immediate build up happening here now. "You are truly lost and to be pitied. You surrendered your humanity to become little more than what you sought to destroy. You have no Pull or Cowardice to offer as an excuse, you fully embraced this path and now would kill those once your allies. Fellow Humans. I am.... sorry for whatever was done to you."

As the other began to speak more, Maria started to hover off her feet, broom behind her as several spell circles formed in unison, dark red and black engulfing from her book as she put her sudden plan into action, taunting the Meister once more. "I'm sorry truly, but your request is denied, and no matter how impressive your terror, you have left us no choice but to fight to live." Maria was a mouse before this storm, but even a cornered rat would fight like a savage lion when backed into a corner. Pages flipped through her book as Maria worked hard and expanded mana to do four spells sets back-to-back in rapid order, she could not telepathically speak with her allies, but it mattered not if her enemy heard her plan. Mostly as to interfere with it would mean a disruption towards it.

Still, it was interesting that a Demon Weapon could do this, what did it do to the soul she wondered. First, she used anchor runes and Pull magic to connect her Alicia and the two caster dolls closest to her before they were picked up, keeping the broom wedged against her, Maria also fed just enough Mana to keep its effect running, akin to her previous resistance to the funnel with her second action she commanded Alicia to advance and ground the other two smaller caster dolls, using it's swords to implant its self and its heavy weight into the ground, spool wires from Maria linked to the two smaller creations then lifted them into the sky partially with its own powers and partially with those of the enemy as spell circles former under the Meister Pair, and the central Glyph shined a red glow beneath Maria. A green flash encased the bodies of the four forms, it was unclear by looks along what had happened, though the wind seemed a lot less Harsh.

"Wind Resistance, I know not how long it shall last, nor the protection offered, but I shall open the door, I cannot match the power thrown at me, but I shall do what I can and must." She said to the pair out loud and over her communicator. She wasn't sure how many spells she could get from her creations, but Wind blade was sit to cast at the bottom center of the twister, aiming for the woman that was now not even a shard of human. Then on the outside the other spell circles were throwing out casts of of two spells at a smaller and then a larger scale, she could not stop the maelstrom, but she could cause it to collapse upon itself or at least blast open an entrance. Or so was her intent.

First Wind Blast would be set off along the axis of the Weapon, or in other parts with placements spaced out in matching increments to surround the tornado, seven in all as just as quickly Wind Explosion would form in these seven gaps and indentations, these circles of Air. BOOOOM. Rocking and shaking what was around them, Maria had done all she could, ripping into the tornado, causing gaps to form, or at least areas of weakness, maybe even blowing some of those weapon shards off course or ideally away and inwards. The Demon Scythe may have a higher command of the Wind, but her understanding of it was elementary at best. "Now go, I have done what I can. I'll have Alicia assist as soon as possible..."

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Elly) Sir Les Paul (Midori, Enemy) The Regal Rper (Zosar) Haze- (Wren)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Hallerbos Forest, Belgium
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Midori gave her a further boost, focusing more of his amplification on her than the others this time. Elly could feel the surge of wavelength and the difference from before. They way her muscles tensed and flexed carried a strength she didn't have before, more so in the way it felt than how she appeared to others. She also knew that this would be it. When the resonance let up, Elly would be in a world of hurt.

Elly hated this. These do-or-die strategems, if you could even call them that. It was a gamble, and a gambler Elly was not. If Elly's blitz worked and she was able to lock down the witch-hunter's weapon, even part of it, and Zosar and Wren capitalized on that, then they could win. Not would, but could. On the other hand, if this failed, Elly in body became a liability, Midori would be pretty spent as well, not that he'd be able to keep up with the enemy team even if he wasn't, and Maria was also likely draining her reserves. That left Zosar and Wren and, despite any Volatile Soul nonsense he might be able to pull, it still probably wasn't enough. However, the alternative, playing it safe, playing defensive, wasn't applicable here with this kind of enemy.

The storm of wind was problematic. Elly could resist it for now, but it disrupted her movements and made it so she would have to focus even more on the split blades. However, Maria came in and provided with some support in the form of wind resistance, a blessing. Elly let out a soft sigh, relieved that was one less thing to worry about.

"Much appreciated Maria," She replied on the communicator. "Have your doll follow-up on me when you can. I'm going to immobilize her and incapacitate that weapon for Zosar and Wren."

And with that, Elly set off, kicking off the ground with force to crack it. The witch-hunter seemed to have calmed herself, taking comfort in the windstorm and protection granted by that Death Scythe, but that was preferred. If she let her guard down again, that was her own idiocy and Elly would capitalize on it. She blitzed through the windstorm, not giving the witch any time to relax. If the blades chose to focus on her, that was fine, she believed she could evade or bat them off course if need. Elly began with a stab, but continued her assault without break, slashing, swiping, and stabbing at the woman, looking for opportunity to have Midori transform. If she could gather all the blades together first, that was preferable, but at the very least Elly wanted to lock down Royal Pain and the weapon still in her hand.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Haze-

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Qena Dig Site, Egypt
September - 20th
​

With no further arguments to be offered, debate or suggestion, and Feng finding no support to her own qualms with the plan, had little choice but to go along with it. First the team made it away from the camp and down the ramp of sand and rocky dunes to the worksite proper, a wooden lift crane and a number of relics, though of minor importance were dug out or in the process of it, littering a road that was traveled by foot and the tracks and treads of excavators and other heavy equipment. There were the disturbances from the main camp, signs of struggle littering the place and tracks that did not belong through the parted sand and rocky mounds, but short of a few undead stragglers, these seemingly in traditional Egyptian clothing and even some, according to their Guide, low caste mummies, no incident of note was met.

The Enemy, provided there was an enemy either did no notice them, was preoccupied, or just did not care. Upon reaching the eastern shrine it became rather obvious why it was heavily insisted upon that this was a Temple to Anubis, while not large as many such complexes, this was still ornate, with a central Oblisk, too the sides were two massive statues of Jackals, easily the size of a bus, well not as tall outside of the head and ears, oddly there was next to no paint chipping on it, remarkably preserved, according to Ark, if he investigated the matter this was due to the presence of Magic, some form of incantation. Then there were statues behind them of Anubis himself, while weathered, the two were in remarkable condition as a central entrance awaited them, a large open space, cracked with time and the harshness of sand, it had what was best described as the damage wall carvings that only provided information they already had. Before them were two main paths that split into dozens of smaller chambers, hallways and rooms, paths leading down into the sands more often than not, well preserved with LED lamps placed every so few feet for lighting, to the immediate left was the area in the notes that was no doubt clear, and to the immediate right were scattered drops of blood, and opened door and tunnels that went off from the central one in various parts.

Being no doubt curious about this, various attempts could be made, but the following was clear, via magic, there were areas that held the equivalent of magical runes carved into the stone in places to protect it against all but the most powerful magics, and likely to contain and preserve a number of traps. By soul Perception, the area was much too large to be covered by any of the team members, but the presences of souls or fragments of souls could be felt several levels below them and out towards portions of the halls, it would take a considerable amount of time to reach them all, provided they were still human. And for the weapon Wes and his unique abilities, he could hear the shuffling of feet, the turning of cogs, the sprinkling of sand, it was a maze of sounds and directions. But most curious of all were two items of interest, or three, though the third was only of interest to the Tomb Raider.

First, a note was found with blood on it, written in English and pinned in place with a jackboot knife between two stone bricks, which was another account of what happened. "If you can read it, I have no idea how many days its been, well... You know what, fuck it that doesn't matter! The damn tomb Honor Guard came to life after the shift on 5th day here. Hacked the shit out of everyone or held them down, I don't know what for, came back to life in the middle of the damn camp, armored bastards... What was creepy was one of em could talk, I know how to read hieroglyphics, not how to speak fucking Ancient Egyptian. I say it's the work of those Anpu freaks and cosplayers we seen in the sands and off the worksites... Dammit, I'm getting carried away, look if you can read this, find some of the staff or that creepy son of a bitch Ismael, with his book and knowing where all of this was... Look, just get help, I've been fighting these things now, day six, and I can't keep it up, I'm going deeper into the Tomb, leaving the traps on when and where I can, going as deep and as far as I can, I got enough supplies for three or four days, leave any notes, I abandoned the gauntlets, bastards kept going for them. Get help, get the DWMA or the Army, not all of the dead are from our camp... I'm hurt'n pretty bad... Name's Evans. Good luck."

Ahead of them were some open passageways, stone slabs risen up and what seemed to be brute forcing methods to force the traps with undead, some of which had soul fragments and others did not, with damage ranging from spear pits to what seemed to have been something had eaten them alive... well, unalive.

And the third, which was useless to them all, was a scattered and more preserved collection of Hieroglyphics that contained more information on the site and its purpose, though it seemed to be worn or damaged in places as well, leaving a spotted message, that one could draw to their own conclusions on, as correct or wrong as they could and would be... But now was likely the time to reflect on the findings, explore their options, and if wanted get a translation from their guide.

EmperorsChosen (Aki) Sir Les Paul (Gauss) The Regal Rper (Ark) Merciless Medic (Moreau - Noah) Shotgunpenguin (Wes) Peckinou (Arky) Mook-LandStrider (Annika)

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Hallerbos Forest, Belgium​

Roya, Nikka, & Midori​

"Witches killed my parents... my first partner... they ruined my life..." Roya muttered, gritting her teeth through a snarl. Her eyes burned, a passion fueled primarily by hate and rage.

"I hated your kind and slaughtered them long before Eros showed me the way," she went on, letting her emotions overcome her and flow out into the Resonance that she and Nikka performed. She was full of them. Her damaged ego, her heart completely consumed by hate, her drive for vengeance... her lust for slaughter.

Her desire to hurt, maim, and cull as many filthy witches as she could for what they had done.

Maria and her banter had a profound, but ultimately less than ideal effect on the situation. Distracting Roya might have been a useful tactic had it not been for the fact Nikka was the one maintaining their current technique. Instead, stirring up the powerful emotions inside of Roya only resulted in strengthening the resolve of her soul. And, worse, sparking to life that madness of hers. The Madness of Desire. Her core desire being that of vengeance. For a brief moment, a Madness Wavelength emanated from her, and with time, it would seep into all those around her.

Worse was that the surge in her wavelength served to empower the vortex. Maria with her cascade of spells was still able to weaken its outer edges and her spell that imbued her allies with a brief negation of wind resistance would still useful in their current endeavor. While the net positives still outweighed the negatives, it did still present other problems. Her dolls soon after their attacks would be incapable of keeping themselves anchored, ultimately being swept into the air by the swirling typhoon of rage and hate.

"You don't know a damn thing about me--about us," she shouted, now holding onto Nikka with both hands. Squeezing her for dear life, not only to continue pouring her raging, maddened wavelength inside her partner, but also to maintain composure. She had to resist the urge to break formation, to act on her impulses. Else, she would ruin this technique her partner was working so hard to maintain. Given that the wind explosions the Witch tried to use to create some opening or throw the technique off balanced proved mild at best and entirely incapable of causing some type of catastrophic failure, the technique itself seemed to be working. It would only be moments before they would all be swept into the vortex and flayed alive by the blades of Nikka.

"I'm not sorry for a fuckin' thing!" she continued to shout, venting her rage now verbally, "not for the Witches I've killed or the dead agents that got in my way."

"I don't need an excuse. I don't need your pity. And, I sure as fuck ain't lost. I know exactly what I want: I want to ki--" she continued on her rant, but was finally interrupted.

While she was having her monologue, Elly was preparing her attack. Zosar would be close behind her, but still required more time between himself and Wren to be ready.

What Eloise Keegan realized in this brief time was that sacrifice her body took with its tensed and now-damaged muscles was well-worth it. With Chain Resonance active and Midori no longer holding back how much raw, amplified wavelength Elly was receiving, the difference was notable. For a moment, she might have even mistaken herself for a Hoshi. The world slowed around her, if only because she wasn't accustomed to traveling at that speed. Her gifted eyes could see that two of the five blades were targeting the dolls swept into the vortex. Their goal was to rend them to pieces, if only to remove more complications from the battlefield.

Even still, she could see that in this storm, she was out speeding them. They had at best cut off the arm off one doll cleanly and sliced into another, but by the time they turned on her, she had already closed half the gap.

Those other three blades that were once zooming at nigh-incomprehensible speeds were far more realistic to react to. Dodging their incoming attacks was relatively easy. This in no small part was due to the fact Maria had mitigated the effects of the vortex with her spell. Wind Resistance and all the imbalances that came with fighting in this storm were moot for the moment--likely a surprise to Nikka. It didn't matter.

By the time either Roya or Nikka could even contemplate a response, Elly was well within striking range and was swooping in with killing intent. The exact type of intend Midori thrived in. There was no holding back. Elly might have had a distaste for these do or die moments, but when these windows to kill opened, it lit a fire inside of Midori that satiated his black, Hoshi heart.

Maria might have incited a flare up of Madness from within Roya, but there was hardly enough time for it to even affect the group. A low level Madness Wavelength like this one took time, and that was not a luxury the golem could afford. While the intensifying vortex was problematic, it seemed whatever distraction Maria might have caused was ultimately worth it.

Twice now risk were proven worth it. Hardly a safe way of fighting, but such was the curse of living in interesting times.

Elly started with a jab. Roya had to respond. The speed that Elly currently had actually exceeded that of Roya, putting her on the backfoot. In a one on one melee, Elly might have one. The problem at hand was that those flying blades were swooping in ready to strike from behind. It became a deadly dance of Elly on the offense, forcing Roya into multiple steps back and dodges with Nikka now acting as a staff more than a complex fan and just barely being able to block the onslaught of slashes and stabs from Midori.

That killer instinct inside of Midori combined with the sheer determination of Elly to live created a synergistic effect between them: their mind was focused on killing to live. It wasn't something that apart, either of them would have considered ideal. Elly would never subject herself to that type of risk just to kill something and Midori found survival to be of the least important reasons to take a life. In this moment, though, their souls were dancing like fire between them. That cool stillness from Midori was gone, replaced with a burning crescendo of malice. That reserved, hidden side of Elly now laid bare like a lantern in the night, burning for all to see. Together, their flames burned even hotter and brighter. Their souls reached a mutual understanding.

Their power grew and that growth stemmed from a simple mantra: kill to survive.

In the background, another raging wavelength was coming into the fray. Zosar and Wren seemed ready.

It was now or never, and Elly with her sharp, brilliant mind saw an opening that Roya likely hadn't considered. Until now, the only time in their blade waltz that Roya could even try to attack was when Elly had to dodge a slash from the other blades. She had only one window for offense. Like true thug Elly was, it was time she stole that window Roya so incorrectly thought was hers and hers alone.

With another blade slashing at her, Elly with her newfound speed and agility kicked off the ground and timed her food to land on the flat of the edge blade, using it as a point to kick off at inopportune time for Roya as she was mounting a swirling slash with Nikka at the time. This brief window gave Elly a change to dive in, in doing so, releasing one her her blades to grab the wrist of Roya and redirect her moment to parry the other incoming blades. Meanwhile, Midori made this his opportunity.

Midori did as planned. He reverted back to his human form, getting directly in between Roya and Nikka. He was able to peel back her extended hand from Nikka, then wrap his arm around her primary hand that wielded the fan. A moment of surprise and the martial arts of the Old Ways using the surprise created by Elly. In this brief opening, raw skill outplayed Roya.

Midori did not grin or smirk. His killing intent coursed through his entire being as that black star in his left eye emerged. He offered Roya only one line. "How's this for obsolete?" he asked. Not that time was given for an answer. He shifted to golem form, and in doing so, became a muddy mess of pearlescent, amorphous marble. With that, he was able to entirely snake his way up the arm that Roya held Nikka with, locking it into place, all while this sentient goop form covered over the openings Elly had after she lost her weapon, thus all the benefits of resonance.

The three blades that Nikka still had open around Elly attempted to strike, only to be caught inside of the marblesque form Midori now took. Struggle though they may, they wouldn't escape of their own volition or reach his partner.

The other two blades were off trying to slow down Zosar and Wren with their own slashes and stabs. They were the ones initially trying to attack Maria's dolls, thus had to turn around to intercept. They never had the chance to reach Elly at her speed. Zosar was the next best target.

This was the opening the five had fought so hard to create. Roya was locked down by one arm, over half her blades were immobilized. She had fallen for a taunt from Maria, given into her Madness, and been outperformed in hand to hand combat by Elly. In every way feasible, her ego had taken a beating. The witch bitch had gotten under her skin, she lost in a fair close range fight, and now she even saw that the tricks of the antiquated golem weren't so irrelevant after all.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-​

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar & Wren | Belgium | Duo Trouble

“Is there something you, uhh…” — She paused — “Y’know, wanna get off your chest before we die a horrible death?”​

There was nothing he said in response. He waited instead for what he felt was under the surface that she was failing miserably at to hide from him. The bubbling sensation of amusement-- her snort and fit of laughter.


The verbal assault on his eardrums did nothing to change his outward expression.


He liked what he liked, if it was possible, he would have made an attempt to have what he liked too.


Instead of being defensive, Zosar let Wren have her fun in the moment, seeing his moment of surprise, however it could be framed, as a moment for her own reprieve.


In stress induced situations like this, a laugh, an out of the blue surprise that didn't entirely distract but did also put one in a state of renewed vigor, was good.


What changed the patient mature calmness carrying Wren as she rolled with laughter in their voidless soul space, was--

‘…is it golems in general or is it the tail that’s doing it for ya’?”​

A minor flare of displeasure rose. The sudden spike however, wasn’t strong enough to shake Wren, it didn’t hit with a sudden force like his bloodlust had, nor did it interrupt as her chortling began anew. It was there, but it may as well have been a minor thing to have taken note of at all.


Personally, he had nothing against Wren for the comment, that was why the feeling of his irritation was so weak. It was what the comment dug up that awoke his displeasure.


Sara, Wes and Gauss's experience in Hawaii was one, mainly for the behaviors of Sara's would-be suitors and how her description of their desire to pet her and touch her, even with her enjoyment of it, conflicted with what he understood of werewolf culture from friends he had of the Lunari clan like Dianca or associations he had from members of the Ungu Clan in Brazil; second, was how the harmless comment about being fascinated by Pain’s tail reminded him of a mission as an Enlightener where he and others had crossed paths with a nefarious gang that highly valued individuals with unique capabilities, Meisters or Weapons with unique wavelengths, mages of a caliber or bloodline, and monsters especially and held an almost worshipful ranking system from it.


The displeasure he felt however was refocused at the feeling of her own similar attraction, the sensation it gave him however instead of leaving him an avenue to prod at her, left him more wary than it did amused.


He wasn't ignorant to the fact her Madness, like Adra and Becky, influenced their behaviors. Even as she pitched her idea and the feeling lingered a moment longer it gave him pause to consider the fact that he would need to make sure if Wren started feeling that way he force her to remember her training before that sensation struck when she least expected it, screwing them both.


Still the question lingered: did she really see the appeal or was anything appealing to her just going to translate into how her Madness affected her?


‘Not against smack talk but her partner may not be so keen to let her get them killed’ was his remark. It made sense, despite all the taunting he doubted her Weapon partner was about to jump in with Pain’s ego.


‘Hm…’ She merely hummed in response; her head was still going round over that feeling he’d flashed at her just now, almost slipped her when it passed. As if a child tapping at the glass of an aquarium to see the fish tip at the vibrations— gauging it, was it distaste? Was he uncomfortable? Did she end up pushing the wrong button by accident?


Time was practically in a bottle whenever they spoke like this, in their link, she had a few slivers of a second to think about it.


She had no idea what that constant edge Zosar carried on him meant. She knew he’d seen his handful of fucked up shit in the past, a past he had yet to share with her. She knew he was easing the hurt of that edge on her. They weren’t on the ‘silent confidante’ playing field after all, not after the two short weeks they’d been together. It was a step-length distance between them— maybe one only shortened by a morning talk over coffee— sure, but still a distance she felt.


Wren felt it sobering, she’d learned a new boundary not to overstep with Zosar.


He was an old, timeless sonnet; a cliché she’d heard before. Young man with an indifferent world tethered, wreathed on his chest. Sullen. Voices tore through him like stitches snapping. The stars taunt him and he feels thorns on the palms of his hands; aches to ball a fist. Her uncle Luca had probably blabbered on about a similar poem he had. Just sat there, picking up the dust drifting in his apartment.


A boring, predictable sob-story, really. You get a lot of those when you grow up in the city of romance. But she wanted to hear it again, maybe a different version of it, from Zosar this time.


The were-weapon sighed after a beat or two, she was looking on at the trees flattened and the sun trying to push into the smog. Her head was clear, she wasn’t smiling anymore, everything was sharp— that death-awful, delightful taste was out of her tongue. And for a moment of calm awareness, Wren snapped the silence with a chuckle. Almost self-aware.


Her Mind was Calm now, as they say. Go figure if thinking about Zosar’s feelings helped in any way.


‘I guess that’d make sense, Eros likely paired this crazy bitch with her complete opposite...’ Zosar’s remark did make sense, if they were both loose cannons then they wouldn’t have gotten as far. You don’t match your right shoe with another right shoe, unless you’re out of your mind.


After another thoughtful pause, she spoke.


‘In that case,’ Wren chuckled ‘We’ll just have to go with Elly’s plan. We know her scales can’t stop my chainblade when we’re doing that thing we did just a moment ago. If Midori’s blade already chipped off a few, then I’m probably going right through.’


‘Got enough fuel in the tank for another one? ‘Cause I sure as hell do. Let’s get that chain goi…—’ Just as she was about to start amplifying and spreading the wavelength she’d stored through Zosar’s body, she felt the wind stir alive again.


She felt his alertness rise almost instantly the moment they all felt Royal Pain's wavelength and her Weapon partner flare, not like some kindling fire but like a sudden inferno, very much like when they had used those unison Resonance techniques before, but stronger, practically lingered in the air given the distance like unnecessarily strong cologne.


Without any warning, he threw his wavelength at her, the same intoxicating, mouthwatering, nerve tingling amount as before, but at a stable controlled volume that was enough for her to handle without causing any pain, like a dessert that hit with an overpowering sense and brought a tingle from head to toe, and what’s more he did it with the same strong pace. It sent her a message, one he wasn't even thinking about, that reminded her clearly, he wasn't like any of her last partners. Where what they had done may have eaten into their reserves, hell, it wasn't even feasible without adapting over more than near two weeks, Midori's assistance had spared the divided attention, reduced the cost and more importantly, showed how much more he still had in the tank to spare before the concept of exhaustion even reached him.


If his hunch was right though, this last pinch in the fight as the pull of wind turbulence became stronger, was going to have them push hard. It wouldn't drain him, that was something he absolutely had to avoid. A slip up like that would cost them dearly if he pushed himself to exhaustion for one simple attack and it didn't work out immediately like they gambled on that unison attack before. Reserving some of that energy was absolute, but if it came down to it he could go for a risky move.


This however only brought to question what the hell was Lady Piper going to be like or whoever else was hunting Astila down, and could they get her to momentarily side with them to get the upper hand on her attackers?


It was something to keep in mind.


He flared his wavelength again, sending a slightly higher dose for Wren to use for Rev Up, stable and within the sane boundaries as before but only a touch higher.


‘Hope that answers your question. Let's try to get you in there so you can give her a bite, Silver.’

With Midori’s prior intervention through their chain, everything felt streamlined— their resonance was a frame flowing easy into the next, as if it were natural. They were past that slip up they’d had before, found a clean boundary where it wouldn’t overload her. The sheer amount Zosar threw didn’t feel like a scathing heat scratching the walls of her soul, rather, it was devouring the whole bulk of it in one greedy bite.

Wren gave none of her usual remarks to the taste, her Calm Mind was keeping her from focusing on it— instead, she was tunnel visioned on Roya’s shade showing through the violent winds. The only real acknowledgement from her came as a beastly, guttural grumble sounding off in Zosar’s mind.

’Don’t get too eager now, big guy.’ She hummed, pouring out amplified wavelength and broadening it over Zosar’s body. She wasn’t holding onto her reserves anymore. They had a metric ton of wavelength to burn through, and not enough options to fully leverage its amount.

So, she figured she’d just put all of it on the one option they did have. Offense. She tore a large chunk of wavelength out of her storage and funneled it straight into Zosar’s body, not enough for it to be a painful crash of lightning arcing throughout him, but enough to make it feel like he’d caught a ghost’s right hand square on the jaw— the type of hit you don’t really feel in the moment, but the type that wakes you up.

’Can’t take a bite until you’re through.’

ガガガー ガガガー ガガガー ​

Just as airy, invisible hands began to pull at them, the chainblade immediately roared alive in Zosar’s hands. Wren watched on in plain amusement as an outer shell of magic cocooned them, the raging tornado picking size right in front of them felt more akin to a storm all of a sudden. Still harsh, but manageable. Her eyes shifted to the magic circle glimmering at Zosar’s feet, fading after-cast, then Maria’s voice rang out through comms.

Wind resistance. Magic sure is convenient, huh? ’I might need to invite this girl out for b-fast…she’s a life savior.’ And the witch wasn’t done either. The maelstrom shook with another spell cast, wind on wind causing an ear-ringing boom, as if a cannon punching a hole through a puff of cloud.

This time she couldn’t feign being stoic, let alone Calm in the Mind. She was filled with animalistic anticipation, knowing full well that those openings Maria had made for them were sure to close once the tornado reformed ’Heh, there’s your cue.’

His response to that was to channel the wavelength she pushed into him through his body.

The ‘kick’, took effect as he felt what could only be called an energetic jolt running through his nerves as he reached out to Elly instantaneously with his wavelength. The second they stabilized and Wren roared to life, he was off after Elly had spoken her piece.

Tapping into comms he called out to their mage.

“Anyone ever tell you how great you are, Maria?” the question rhetorical. The magic enveloping them was more than just an assist it was literally saving them so much more work that Zosar took note of as surrounding damage was pulled and whirled around them.

He could feel the force of the pull less than he had a second ago but he could also see the impact of that swirling wind around all the other things Maria's magic hadn't affected. Whatever her set up to distort the source had been with those cacophony of booms, he hoped it did the job. Even with the rush of the Chain further fueling them he knew now factually that he was still too slow to match Elly and Midori's speed, and from the flare in their Resonance and the fact he didn't sense Midori the same way he had before, he knew what had happened last wouldn't be happening again. They were likely going to set things up, and with Maria's assistance here, far easier.

Things whirled by behind them up to the source of the pull and was flicked aside or askew. This was no joke, he could faintly feel the pressure and the fact it bet on them remaining in Maria's range made Zosar also wary of keeping in mind Maria's own protection.

‘Keep your eyes out for the Fan, pretty sure she's a Death scythe’ he spoke into the link of the Chain, which wasn't something he had known before but upon seeing her split off from her original form, he was now certain of as they closed in with every passing second.

The opportunity hadn't risen yet as they closed in to the source of the pull. Ducking and dodging incoming shrapnel in the form of trees, logs, snapped branches the size of a leg or arm, pushing through with wind speeds like this, it took skill keeping balance alone, never mind the fact he wasn't as fast as either a maxed out Elly or their excitable opponent.

The buzz of comms came to life, following after Elly’s word of thanks.

“FYI Mari, I think you're pretty cute. Just in case I don't make it.”

Then the comms died with a click, and Zosar let some of what he had kept locked up out, matching Wren’s animalistic frenzy.

That's when he sensed it. The ominous spike in her soul, the tentative pulse of Madness. It was more due to his sensitivity to emotion and perhaps how the emotional state was directly tied to how Madness could spike for different people, but Maria's words held their weight in the reaction they brought out from Royal Pain and he could feel that in the resonance as if the winds had grown stronger themselves.

That was all the sign he needed that it was time to put this to an end. If that flicker of Madness was something he could sense, then if it hit Wren or affected the others the Chain would come apart immediately.

With the Madness, danger, and situation at its peak, Zosar threw what he had before at Wren, and just like before, her bladed teeth came to life with spiritual light, far faster than they had the first time, this time without Midori's help.

Time was of the essence, every second, every millisecond mattered. Elly was barely visible to his eyes, moving at speeds he knew he could have if only he could maximize the full effect of his power, but in the moment he didn't let those thoughts distract, didn't let the whizzing movement of Nikka make him hesitate, where Elly would never have gambled her life, he had spent his life growing up doing that over and over again for the causes he saw were right, in this moment, sensing the flare of Madness in Royal, feeling the intensity of both Elly and Midori's emotions for survival, feeling the intense furious craving within his partner, knowing the sacrifice Maria was making as her dolls were sliced or damaged, he put aside the concept he was an outsider to DWMA, that his life after FATE would be agony with his reputation ruined didn't matter, he focused on his one goal as he felt the intensity in Royal rise as she and Elly traded moves and Midori made his--

If there was anything he wanted more in the moment it was to ensure Wren didn't feel a thing from the lyncher’s madness, and make sure the team made it back alive. That alone was his greatest desire. He wanted it badly. So badly that Royal’s flare of defiance, the act of her Madness even spiking and her sickening words of apathy towards every victim in her selfish vengeance was taken as an insult and personal move to get in their way-- HIS way--

--the light of Wren’s blades burned a bit brighter, her engine hummed and the saw moved far faster. Spiritual energy wouldn't come off in sparks when it made contact, as he allowed his emotions to kick in just a little, it would feed the blades and make contact with them crackle. In turn his Amplification felt stronger.

Nikka came in with stabs and slices aiming at Zosar, each deflected, the first attempt with Wren, and the second, channeling Wavelength through the backup combat knife he drew out in his other. Wavelength burned in his muscles like fire and his heart pounded with a eery calm as Midori, before his very eyes became something he had never seen before but had always known he had something wacky he could pull, and seeing the moment in reach, the eery, chill hostility shared with Wren, exploded into a near endless overwhelming sensation as he closed in, fending off Nikka’s attacks to cut him off, telling Wren, encouraging her to remain focused for his own awareness as they neared the source of imperceptible Madness that this was their shot. This was their moment. He glided Wren’s blade off one speeding fan piece, felt the hiss of a slash of air behind him but felt no sting or pain, and with sheer focus lasered in now as Royal was caught in Midori's hold.

She focused on fueling the teeth with her wavelength, molding, driving it over just as Zosar had— she pictured a lump of clay spun on pottery wheel, with both their hands shaping this messy, half-hewn child of theirs. Yet— as it had before— once it was stable, this thing still felt like Zosar could drop the chainblade and it’d chew at the earth all the way through. Split it in half.

The overflowing power came as fast as a match to gas.

Again, it shreds.

The neon string of blurred spiritual gleam whistled under the winds, Wren let out a hollow breath, she felt their matching animosity swell the more they neared the eye of the storm— blades clanked against hers, sharp airs flew and gnawed at the flat of her blade. And she gloated in the feeling, spiraled into it, the adrenaline had her blind to the sudden increase in wind strength.

That slight flick of madness carried in the air wasn’t something she’d even picked up on.

Once they were through, once she caught sight of Roya tangled up in Midori’s grasp, another set of thoughts pooled into Wren’s mind. Unfurled, the type of sensation that crawls up from your beating heart and has your eyebrows crease— Royal looked fucking miserable.

After all, she wouldn’t be all human there if she didn’t feel anything when a life was practically held in her hand. Wren couldn’t stomach the thought of peering into Royal’s eyes, pinned in place for the axe to come down on her, and feel…absolutely nothing. To watch her dangle by a thread, desperately.

So, she didn’t look at all.

Her partner however did. Like a butcher about to end the life of an animal. Didn't block out of his mind or convince himself of any delusion. This was necessary.

The part he always kept bottled up. Chained. Locked down. It thirsted for this in the same way Adrian when given into his darker aspects revelled in inflicting pain, felt at ease in the way Adra did when she got high off that rush of victory. The only difference was, Zosar had spent his whole life keeping himself bottled up, locked down.

It was only in rare moments like this, a kindred understanding with Adrian, he could allow himself to embrace the side of him that took joy in the chaos of battle. That felt a powerful pleasure at ruining anything in his way. That took pride in diminishing what was below him. Even now, the spark grew; he was eager to do it here, but it tempered with a cause, an objective beyond hedonistic enjoyment.

Protect the team from what he could sense would be a greater nightmare than this fight.

She knew what entailed when taking up this job, living this life. To be judges and executioners; she pulled cards, scratched names; another’s life was just that, a target, a contract going palm to palm until it’s seen through. ‘Rabid dogs get put down’, and for their own sake, she hoped.

There was no point in feeling pity, let alone sadness.

’If there’s an afterlife, you can call me an asshole when I get there.’

For the witch hunter, these Belgium blues would be good burial grounds. Better than what someone like her deserved, she figured.

’Put your back into it.’ Her tone was deadpan on their link. Once again it was another redundancy, Zosar already knew they needed to end this fast before she slipped Midori’s hold. Worse, the blades came hurling behind them.

He put more than just his back into it. He moved like any second would be his last because if he didn't, it would all be for waste.

And he would never waste a good turn of the cards if it could be helped.

Nikka's blades, if they did come, in a twist of movement as he blitzed, knocked astray her attempt to stop him. For a fraction of a nanosecond, there was a flicker in his soul, an appeased satisfaction at what he was about to do, a feeling he was familiar with, a feeling that always sparked every single time he was about to kill. As he took a life that deserved it for getting in his way or being on the chopping block that put them in the path where they needed to meet their end by his hand. It was a flicker that he knew well. Had grappled with in the early days, made peace with by holding it down, reigning it back. It was quick enough that neither Midori or even Elly would feel it but Wren felt it, the vastness of primal, chaotic viciousness that had never existed in the earlier chain or even in their shared bloodlust but for the fraction of a moment as Zosar felt the weight of everything-- their lives, Royal’s spite, Wren's possible sanity slipping IF that foul Madness touched her--

The theory was under pressure he might not do well. That he could snap, like a twig, would lash out explosively like a dropped bomb, but that theory was wrong. He thrived in it, when pushed.

One handed he swung, brought her beautiful glittering whistling blades down on Royal-- they both saw, Target and Weapon, they both saw in his mismatched eyes that flicker of various emotions in his grim austere expression. Just as Midori felt conflicted at first, he had pieces and was able to understand like Maria what ending Royal meant too.

It's just he didn't care anymore. Not after feeling that Madness spike so clearly. Elly never had, all she wanted was to survive, that's what they all wanted. He was going to make sure they got that. The look was cold, disconnected. Like he wasn't even seeing her anymore. Like removing her was just like stepping on to a side walk. Or stepping on a bug. Whoever she had been, she was a slave to Eros now, she needed to die. His gaze was controlled yet his eyes were intense, time had slowed for Elly in her moment of peak speed, they slowed here as Zosar moved to finish what Royal Pain had started. His eyes filled with emotion yet somehow chillingly empty- it was the side not even Midori saw the day they had fought when he had mistaken him for his executioner. That day his expressions had been controlled even in his presumed end, just as they were now but unlike how they had regarded Midori with understanding, spite, and fury they looked at Royal with a disturbing emotion.

Satisfaction. Grim satisfaction at what was to come. It reached a crescendo. Peaking, as he brought Wren down upon her. Knowing that when he ended her, Royal’s Madness would be no threat any longer to anyone in His team.

Collabers: Haze-

Interactions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Amelia Misonuka​

"Royal-Pain"​

Species Human (Golem)
Partner Nikka (Razor Fan)
Rank Three Star-Star

Location Hallerbos Forest, Belgium
Mission ???
Status Paniced

​

Tags: The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

This was a genuine, grade-a, preemo, fuckin' problem.

Roya could not conceive of a world where Nikka could not have handled these five alone. Nikka was in fact the more skilled of the duo. She was more intelligent. More tactical. Calm, cool, and reserved. Her skillset and raw power were nothing to be scoffed at. She had nearly twenty different, highly-diverse Resonance techniques that she could use with nearly any sufficiently powerful Meister. That multiplicatively more than most other Death Scythes at her skill level. Nikka was recruited--or perhaps stolen--by Eros for a reason.

She had a gift.

Yet, the situation painted here proved her gift wasn't powerful enough to push them through this situation. Not that is was unwinnable. Far from it. There existed a world where Roya and Nikka stood above the bodies of these duos and got to see the life snuffed out of that cocky little Witch. There was a universe out there, somewhere, where that scaly hand got to see the life leave from Maria's eyes as she was powerless to use her magic while the very air was being ripped from her lungs.

This was not that world or that universe. Roya and Nikka went into this fight arrogant and without assessing the abilities of their opponents. They had not prepared for a Witch whose magic provided resistance to their element. They had not prepared for Chain Resonance, or the raw skill of Midori in setting it up. They had considered what Midori could do, but only scoffed at this possibilities as they were so mundane compared to those of Roya. They had not tested the speed or agility of Elly, nor had they considered the ferocious, destructive power of Wren. They still had to even realize Zosar was a wellspring of spiritual energy.

Their arrogance and subsequent ignorance created this scenario.

Roya never imagined a world where Elly could have matched her in martial prowess, but there Roya was on the backfoot. Still gritting her teeth, dodging stab after stab knowing that she was at the edge of her skill and prowess just to avoid a blow. Infuriated even more by the fact this fair-haired bitch could remain on the offense while dodging three blades from Nikka; that was the salt in the wound. Truth was, the fact Roya was caught off guard shouldn't have a been a surprise. She was waist deep in a world she never imagined whereas Elly was taking and creating opportunities where she saw them.

Midori being able to restrain her was something she had considered prior. She knew how his golem form worked; it was the same as every other infiltration golem. That much, she had a contingency for. What she lacked at the moment was any type of answer for the incoming Zosar and Wren. Sure, Nikka could have attacked them, but not before Roya was cut in half, and if she died, then the Resonance ended there. That was the problem she was in. Half her solutions would have brought an end to the Resonance, and Resonance was the prerequisite for her survival.

This was a powerful, pivotal moment for Roya. Time seemed to slow down. She saw her life in front her eyes, passing by in vivid detail. The sparks and gnarling from Wren couldn't overcome the voices and sounds of her memories.

She was the middle child. For a while, the youngest. She could get anything she wanted from her dad with a sweet smile and a "bitte papa", much to the chagrin of her older brother. That was the way of life right up until she wasn't the youngest anymore. Though, somehow being the only girl afforded a few opportunities. A lot of these old memories were fuzzy. Times when the fresh morning mist in Germany was cool and magical as a child. Times when her older brother picked on her, or she did the same to her younger. Times being picked up and flown around by her father, though it only really felt like flying in his arms.

It didn't stay that way.

MIBVI hit. Her older brother died. Her younger brother went to the DWMA. He was a Demon Weapon. It was easier. She didn't get try out for the DWMA until years later when she moved to America. She made it, though. She even excelled. She made it two-star pretty damn quick, and her studies landed her in the top ten percent of her classes. She was competitive. She remembered that. She always wanted to win.

Tragedy after tragedy.

Finding time to visit family when both siblings were in the DWMA was difficult, but they did. A trip to Yosemite National Park... that's where this story really started. When her parents and her partner were killed by rogue Witches. When she found out that she and her brother had an absurd level of power together. Her Anti-Magic and his blue flames synergizing to burn away the Witch scum, and be far more efficient together than apart. It was a bond.

A bond that was eventually broken...

But, Roya rejected these memories after a moment. Feeling them play through. Remembering who she used to be. What she would do to get what she wanted. The hunts and pursuit of becoming a Spellbreaker. A desire so strong she made a deal with a Devil named Eros. She used to be talented. She might not have been a once-in-a-class prodigy like Lady Crimson, but she wasn't that far behind. Not really. She wouldn't go out like this. She wouldn't let her whole life play before her while Wren came down to cleave her in twain.

With greed and determination, Roya stole all of the amplified Wavelength that Nikka was using in her blades, halting the vortex in its entirety, for the soul purpose of amplifying her free arm. She did not back away or dodge the oncoming attack from Wren, instead, she leaned into it, trying to catch the sparking chains and neon glow with her bare hand. Not that could stop it. Quite the opposite. The moment those indestructible chains met the palm of her hand between her index finger and thumb, it bite into her skin. There scales on her palm were less durable anyway, thin and like the belly of a snake--sensitive. It didn't matter. That chain would cut through it all.

First, flesh-colored bits of her epidermis were ripped right off the muscle, then came the stretching of those fibers that held her hand together. As one tooth dug in, on the opposite side, another ended through, causing skin, and flesh, and ultimately blood and bone to spew out the back in. Wren was completely capable of tearing right through the arm of Roya and would have continued to had nothing stopped her.

Roya didn't intend on stopping her. She intended on redirecting the attack in the same way she did the slash from Midori earlier. Despite the pain and mutilations, Roya was able to preserve her determination. Her own will to survive. She lost her arm up to her elbow, but as Wren came down, Roya jerked her arm with all the force her body and that remaining Resonance could muster, solely to throw it off course. What remained was a slash that had cut straight down her arm and veered off to her elbow, causing half her arm, her hand, and two intact fingers to slough off to hit the ground.

She had one final trick. One escape route, not unlike what Midori could do. With the danger of Wren averted, she shed through her clothes and her skin, leaving behind her entire set of scales. This mostly allowed her to bypass the stranglehold Midori had on her. She erupted out of her own back, rolling to the ground and making an immediate run in the opposite direction. Her left arm was still in tatters, flesh dangling from the elbow and none of it regrown in this forfeit of her old body. Nikka took this as a queue and followed up with an escape technique of her own. The transformation of a Demon Weapon with its typical red energy reforming, shifting out her oversized fan and reabsorbing her five blades to return to her smaller form, which itself landed inside of the wet, gloopy hair that Roya had upon emerging from her scales.

She was nude, sure, but she was a blur. With the two disconnected for a moment, they were unable to resonate for that time. It could have allowed an opening for Zosar and Wren at the least, but this was where the sacrifice of her arm truly began to matter. Her blood and flesh were as toxic as her attitude. The teeth of Wren could chew through them fine, but the blood splattered that landed on Zosar threatened to eat and chew away his flesh if not immediately dealt with. Midori would take time to revert from his golem form. Elly was not sufficiently fast without resonance. The gap between her and Maria was sufficient that she should be able to resume Resonance by the time she might have neared.

Like the snakes she was modeled after, Roya intended to stay low and make her exit through the wake of destruction their fight had created in the forest. Pursuit was an option, of course.

As it stood, Maria was actually in the best shape of the team. She had taken little damage beyond some feedback. Meanwhile, Elly and Zosar could already feel their muscles screaming at them. Lactic acid and torn muscle fibers were present in both of them. For Elly, her legs and thighs had it worst. For Zosar, his arms and lower back from wielding Wren were in twisted shape. It was not an impossible pain to deal with, but it was impeding. Worse, their Chain Resonance had ended. For Midori and Elly, there was resonance at all. The use of strong, spiritual abilities had already begun eating into the reserves of everyone present, aside from Zosar with his substantial pools still intact. Even Wren with her insatiable appetite could feel the fatigue.

While Roya and Nikka were already rushing their way out of combat, each individual member of this would need to determine if pursuit was right option. Surely, none expected her to shed her skin and streak through the Hallerbos Forest.