Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: Under Venus Lounge, Malibu, California
Interactions: Noise, Sara
Mentions: Adrian, Nadia, Dani, Charles
Chibistaryuu RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

Raphael had wiped the sadistic grin off his face once Charles continued to speak, only for his expression to sour immediately when Charles brought up they had something akin to magic. Even before Charles said anything, Raphael knew it was blood magic. It made his own blood boil, his hand clenching his bag until his knuckles were white.

He looked over and watched as Sara got Nadia’s attention, and with a dismissal wave, Raphael bowed his head to Charles as thanks before heading towards the workshop, following Sara. As much as he wanted to stay for questioning, Raphael needed to make sure he had everything prepared for this fight with the blood magic users.

Once inside, he let out a squeal he tried desperately to stifle when he saw the technology. Yeah, it wasn’t magic, but it was impressive nonetheless. He immediately gave his blood for an antidote and gave Sara some advice as to what to wear. He asked for what would look like a turtle-neck sweater-like wear and pants to go over his own. He was going to look a little trashy, but he wanted to put these clothes over his other clothes to offer some more protection.

Immediately, Raphael went to receive some grenades and have a look at the bullets. He’s never fired a gun before, but better to test that now rather than later just in case.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long
Qena - Egypt
September - 20th​

With the actions of the group, the chained resonance, and the weakening of the anti-magic equipment, the group were able to reduce enemy numbers significantly, leaving only the two archers point of fact as Gauss rushed in, cleaving into the sandstone door that was already damaged from the gunfire from Feng, with mixed results, while it did indeed break the stone slab, the chunks remained in the door cutout. They would need to be moved, a tedious task, but one they could do with little issue. Not much note could be given to the archers, Ark used his earth magic to launch a spear through one, and Feng just repeatedly shot the other while moving forward. Within a few more minutes, with the help of all, the way was cleared and no further threats of note awaited them, as Feng collected a few photos of the magical contraption, the star map and the other sigils and hieroglyphs.

For his part Evans put Moreau to work at helping him carry Annika out, allowing Wes to help if he wished it, his instructions were simple, get her to Qena as fast as possible, and to the hospital of note. Having promised to stay with her, Gauss would have flexibility with his orders in regard to Wes, he could remove him for play or have Feng to be his partner for the time being, as it seemed to have worked out before. Strangely their vehicles were left untouched, though a check was carried out to be sure they were safe, though the supplies would be abandoned as they clearly had been gone through, there was no telling what actions could have been performed upon them, if any at all.

The trip to Qena proper was short, the vehicles would need to be abandoned at the outskirts of the small city because of barricades, oddities that were known to all in the party were on full display, for Gauss and Noah, the situation of Romania was on full display, windows were shuttered, a few barricades were thrown up, the people were in hiding. For Ark, the sure signs of conflict were on full display, burn marks from magic, a few human remains, and broken or shattered doors and overturned cars could be seen, and for Feng, stretching out with soul perception plus her battle sense honed from years in the triads, told her the obvious in that; "I got a bad feeling about this." She said aloud, voicing her concerns.

Edwards in turn nodded his head, as he and Moreau continued to carry Annika on a makeshift stretcher. "You can say that again, I smell death all around here..." He said grimly as they ventured deeper into the city. From the Meisters and Weapons soul perception, a good number of people seemed alive, though they were in hiding or held up in government buildings, chiefly the courthouse, police station, a mosque and the local hospital. Arriving at the later, Edwards would wait, seeing if Moreau would continue with the DWMA agents or not, he himself needed the hospital care, as did the three surviving workers, but one thing became clear, they were being watched, Staying towards the dark corners of the city and hospital proper, jackal headed men and women, with skin that was either brown like the local Egyptians, or black as their heads, stood about, with gold glinting time to time, and head dresses of a long time past did they watch.

Bit by bit, they grew in number, even curiously with undead propping up behind them as the passerby's continued onwards to the city outskirts, all in all at least twenty were watching them now. For a race that had been thought extinct, they seemed rather willing to face the Agents, and all of humanity as it stood, though humanity did not seem so keen to stand with them. Then suddenly one by one and even in the shadows around them, slight shimmers seemed to engulf the darkness, electricity in the area, what little was still active, bloomed, sparked, or flickered, going out as the influence of magic and mana could be felt by those with the sufficient checks. Far more than twenty had been here, and now they were gone. All save three.

Waiting in the shadow of a decorative obelisk, the trio seemed to be, not hostile, not really curious, but even from this distance the souls the showed sparked with irritation or disappointment when they focused on Moreau and Evans. A sort of iron resolve, that did not invite conversation, nor would turn it away seemed to hold sway with their body language as they stood there in a triangular formation, just waiting, hands resting on old staffs. Curiously the leader at the center had blue eyes, glowing brightly as his mouth seemed to be parted backwards in the same manner as when a dog would smile from being happy. A path stood before the team, of note for Gauss and for Wes.

"Err... They don't seem much afraid of us... Should we go talk to them?"

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

 

[Haze-]

Wren
Vale of Ffestiniog; Gwynned, Wales​

“Hmmm?” — A strained, croaky noise passed up her throat at the jab the Hoshi had added at the end of his explanation. Less of a hum, more of a grunt she’d forced herself to swallow. She narrowed her eyes at him, stood dead still, cracking a thin smile on her face as she dramatically swayed into Zosar’s hold, like the wiry limb of a tree flailing against the wind.

“Thank you, Kisei,” — Her face finally broke into a snarl the moment he patted her on a shoulder, wholly unamused — “Very insightful.”

“You also turn into a comedian once you go Death Scythe, I’m guessing. Can’t wait to become one.” — Wren shoved a hand into her pocket, huffing out of her nostrils, tail swaying one snappy, indignant arc. She kept an ominous hand hanging by her side as she walked up to Kisei’s side, genuinely mulling over how much strength she’d have to pull to smack him across the face without leaving a bruise. Her brow went up to the thought, a corner of her mouth twitching. He was made of clay; she figured he could eat a good punch without crying.

“I don’t know about dogs hating strays but you sure seem like you despise ‘em.” — She settled, instead, for shoving a knuckle into his shoulder and pushing hard. Not hard enough to not seem playful, but hard enough to sting.

“They never socialized you with cats either, huh, smart-ass?”— She’d tried to keep a frown on her face, look serious, but there was already a smile forming on her face without her permission. Wren sighed, putting the weighty expression back on before she turned on her heel to look at the graveyard. An eye drifted to Maria as she added, her eyebrows furrowed. Both at the mention of her exception and the idea of wandering aimless for another minute, let alone in the swamp of all places

“Let’s hope they know something, then…”

The closer they got to the cemetery, the more did her thoughts dragged and blurred to overlap the growing tenseness coming off her gut-feeling, her animal instinct forcing her rationale to turn to a stream of nonsense at the scent of the monster cat. The feeling was irrationally violent, loud. But compared to the hunger, it was just a senseless intrusion in the back of her mind. Nothing she didn’t know not to act upon.

She took it as a boon from being raised as a human more than anything else, Wren knew she had the option to simply quiet it down.

Wren stood watching the exchange from the sidelines, letting the translations ring out with a lag from their phones, only turning to flash a concerned look at Maria’s question. She could smell the sadness welling in his soul, see it in his eyes as he looked down at the headstone; there was no telling how he’d react when pushed by strangers on that personal of a matter.

Again, tact didn’t seem to be their witch’s forte. Not like she had it in her to bring out her phone and interject anyways. Just like she’d done with the rest of the exchanges with the locals, Wren simply crossed her arms, took a few steps back from the group and looked away. Listening in, apart.

EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Maentwrog, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

The group was about to encounter what might be the pinnacle of language barriers. It was likely something none of them had even considered up to this point. A thought they likely took for granted as it was, for the most part, a difference learned about Witch Culture at the DWMA fairly early on, especially with how well-integrated Witches now were in at the DWMA. True though it may be that there was resistance to them, there was also a greater understanding.

The Monster Cat took a moment to process what was translated to him in general. He hadn't experienced much of the world outside of Gwynedd. He knew very little English, hardly to speak it; just enough to recognize it. More so, he wasn't familiar with people using their phones to translate directly into Welsh. It was clumsy, slow, and the translations were somewhat off. For as far as technology had came, these digital translators missed the human element that made communication lacking. Also, it just came across as weird.

He might have found it curious if not for the subjects he was being asked about, and more so, how little they seemed to make sense. They asked about a hag, but it came across as a witch. They had a witch with them and it shouldn't be that hard for them to track magic if they could find him. Why would they want to barter? None of it precisely made a lot of sense. And, really, why would it? The context surrounding the situation was lost; the Monster Cat and the translators had no way of knowing Fae were involved and even if they were, it's a bold assumption to believe they would be able to differentiate the same way.

However, those were semantics. A more immediate fact was that the Monster Cat wasn't comfortable or appreciative of the question Maria asked. Truth was, some of the only people he cared about were here in this very cemetery, but he wasn't about to share that. He shot Maria a glare, but overall didn't react poorly to the interaction. He simply waited for things to play out before he provided any answer.

The translators on each of the phones would have came up with a rough translation for what he said next:

You have a witch [gwrach]. Why do you need my help? You are clearly death police [heddlu marwolaeth]. Finding witches is what you do and dangerous.​

What occurred here was that the Monster Cat felt that there might not have been a cat hunt, but that there had been a witch hunt. Maria had idea in claiming she was a daughter of magic, but that only confused the cat more. Worse, what had come to pass is that the translators chose the most common word for hag, gwrach. Other words, like ellylles or gwyllion might have had better results. None of this group, though, were prime to know that. The nuances in the English language between Witch and Sorcerer were common enough and overlooked; Maria could attest to how many people did not differentiate between the two. Imagine a language barrier and trying to overcome witch and hag, the two being wholly different species. That was the struggle.

If there was even a small victory here, it was in knowing that agents of the DWMA were apparently called Death Police in Wales. The more you know.

Fortunately, there was a solution here. Another tool the DWMA provided but was rarely used.

Kisei finally made his appearance, returning to the world of the seen by announcing his presence while sitting atop a tombstone some distance off. Once the Monster Cat made it clear he wasn't about to abscond, forcing them to chase, he relaxed and watched the events unfold. Luckily, his years of Monster Hunting in different countries had him stumble onto this problem before. Not quite ver batim, but obviously very similar in nature.

Kisei stood up off the tombstone and walked a little closer to his group of comrades, specifically Elly. Though, realistically, anyone could have done what he was about to suggest. "Call home office and ask for a Welsh translator," Kisei told her, his tone most akin to an instructor, very flat and matter-of-fact at the moment. "Clearly something is being lost in translation if he thinks we're looking for a Witch," he added, summarizing the exchange he saw fairly quickly.

Not unlike what the others were doing earlier, Kisei typed up a quick message on his phone to present the Monster Cat:

Arhoswch os gwelwch yn dda. Byddwn yn galw cyfieithydd. Diolch. (Please wait. We will call a translator. Thank you.)​

The Monster Cat stared at the screen a moment, but interpreted it much clearer. Shorter sentences, simpler meaning, but still confusing. It made sense to call a translator, but why not do that from the beginning? Or, more accurately, why was it necessary? Did he or they say something wrong? That must have been it, but what it could be in general only compounded on his confusion. At this point, the poor creature shifted in his soul from melancholy to a less depressed state of confusion. The gears in his head turned, trying to piece together what could have went wrong. It's not exactly like we wanted to help, but curiosity was in his nature. He was curious as to what the issue here was.

Meanwhile, Kisei finally found a chance to respond to one of the final comments Wren said when she decided to joking take a few shots at him. His eyes were still piercing, but a smirk did shoot across his face. "Wren, the problem was that they over-socialized me with them," he explained, "I said the aggression comes from poor socialization, and trust me, their social skills tend to be shit."

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Qena, Egypt
Mission TBD
Status Focused

​

Tags: Merciless Medic Peckinou EmperorsChosen Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

Alert. Alert is what Gauss was. With his Soul Perception, he peered around every corner. He saw out as far ahead as he could on the road. He took every minor detail about the environment he could and tried to remain vigilant for any type of attack. It's what he expected.

But, none came.

Qena itself was in a sorry state. He wasn't sure if it was an active battleground or if it was just genuinely his downtrodden from the last; either was believable. At the very least, Annika could be taken to a hospital and treated. Wes would be reassigned to Feng. The mission would go on. Plenty of fucky things were occurring around this central obelisk that didn't make a ton of sense to be where it was. Gauss in many ways wished he knew more about the mythology of the area so that he could draw upon it. Such a skill might have given him some level of expectation about what was going on. Alas, he knew little.

What he did know came from observation. He could observe that these dog-like humanoid creatures were not hostile. Also, that they were not undead. Their souls were some gray line between Magical Creature and Monster Soul. It was likely they were intelligent and sentient, though probably just one step under humans. This wasn't uncommon with Monsters. They had rituals, customs, a tight-knit community, and they learned so much information from it that what lacked in the variety of knowledge that humans had, they made up for in how well they utilized what they did know. It didn't necessarily make them lesser, it made them specialized. That is what Gauss expected of these creatures.

"Might as well," Gauss responded, answering Feng though lacking any kind of enthusiasm. "They're already more polite than our last surprise encounter," Gauss added, trying to throw on some dry humor to what likely was a mediocre success if any.

With Noah and Arky behind him, Gauss led the way forward to meet the blue-eyed leader of the group.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location Workshop, The Venus Lounge, Malibu, CA
Mission Return of the Stalker
Status Flustered, excited
​

Tags: Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Chibistaryuu

After his somewhat embarrassing encounter with Charles, Adrian elected to join the others in the the workshop. Despite his friendship with Maria, Adrian hadn't really spent any significant time in the Magitech laboratories back in the DWMA. What little time he might have been there surely wasn't spent focused on the incredible feats of magic integrated into science and science augmenting magic. All of which meant to him... the workshop here looked pretty normal.

The gamer side of Adrian jumped out at the moment to an impressive degree. The trope of an armory in video games was a common one. Reality was, this workshop was effectively an armory. It was a place where highly specific upgrades and equipment were just being handed out. What it really meant was that creativity was being rewarded. It was a situation where you got back what you put in. And, Adrian was a man that prescribed to the philosophy that no question was a stupid question. If he could dream it, he was gonna ask if they could make it. ...even if it wasn't for him.

Realistically speaking, he couldn't think of much that Demon Weapons would need or could use. They were invulnerable in their weapon forms and any equipment they had on them wouldn't really be accessible. That meant he was brainstorming for himself, Nadia, Sara, and Raphael. It wouldn't hurt for Dani and Noise to get fitted for this armor weave stuff, too, but coming up with more to give them was a bit of a challenge.

Nadia was easy. Knives. Adrian knew how her knives looked and what they weighed, roughly, after the last seven or so months of her carrying them around constantly. The workshop here did have a computer where one could begin making mock-ups of what they wanted to print out. The advantage being that the knives could be laced with the fibrin coagulant, which apparently could negate whatever magic these high-level cultists could use. In all reality, it probably wouldn't hurt for every one of them to have some type of back-up weapon laced with the stuff.

He would return to this later. It was his turn in the body scanner. Now this was a new experience. He had seen these before, but never actually been inside of one. It was a large cylindrical tube of sorts that closed an opened, ironic for him to step into given what he was. However, it did not close on hinges, instead its door slid open and closed. Instructions were to wear these itty bitty eye-covering glasses, similar to those one would wear in a tanning booth, close your eyes anyway, and then allow yourself to be scanned by what must have been at least twenty sensors from all angles and a few lasers shot out at different places. It didn't take long and in this case didn't require anyone strip down, though that was an option if anyone wanted their best fit. Adrian himself elected not to.

What came after was another panel not unlike the one Adrian was using to come up with first drafts for weapon designs. This one was solely dedicated to the design of the suit. The interface was pretty simple. It reminded him of how clothing could be designed in Sims games. In all reality, that was what was going on here. You could choose colors, designs, and logos; basically make this appear to be a zentai style suit if you wanted. Or, it could be a simple black. Could have some translucence and netting if for some reason you wanted to design it to be sexy. A lot of options for the sake appeal, but not much changed the function. It was highly cut and puncture resistant, and it covered the whole body for the most part. You could in fact make designs for a mask, hood, cheek covers, high collar, or helmet. The options were plentiful.

In terms of appearance, Adrian chose something simple. Black with some dark-grey contrast. It didn't matter too much because these suits were ultra-thin and light, intended to be worn under clothing. Thank Death for that, too, as it was doubtful anyone wanted to look like they had just hopped out of a Power Rangers crossover. What Adrian did take advantage of was a set of functions, much like how the machine could weave hoods or even print helmets. These were accessories. What Adrian realized is that he could become a beast a burden for the group, carrying around a backpack full of additional weapons and essentially have a utility belt full of anti-cultist equipment.

There did come an awkward problem of which he realized it might be best if he and Raphael helped each other with, though technically Dani likely wouldn't have minded. For all of the advantages of these pieces of clothing, they only stretched so much and did not fold well. Essentially, you slipped into them and had them zip up, not unlike a dress. Pants were somewhat easier, but those shirts were god-awful to get on. At some point, everyone getting into one of these that had full long sleeves or didn't otherwise shorten the wardrobe would need some help. Not a difficult thing, but there were only two men on this team.

In any case, this brought up another thought when it came to Sara. She had a tail. A fluffy tail. The thing about those tails is that they were vulnerable. The suit designer did have options for a tail slot. It's solution to it was either a hole or it would scan the tail to make a cover for it, accounting for fur. That might look weird... but said tail cover could then be decorated with pretty realistic looking fur. So, aside from the fact it probably got hot and wasn't super comfortable, it wouldn't look off. And, if Sara wanted, she could see what it was like to have a neon-pink tail for a while.

In any case, Adrian was still just going and going and going like a kid in a candy shop. It turned out that the fibrin grenades were not the only options they had. There were flashbangs, a sonic emitter, regular explosives, electric shocks, and some type of fire-retarded, quick-expanding foam. Adrian elected to get everything he could to toss on his utility belt and backpack. Which led him to his next brilliant idea... Raphael.

Adrian did his best to pull Raph over to the screen he was using to print out knives. Now sharing the idea of getting everyone one of those one-use fibrin knives was fine, but Adrian had a different idea. They could make weapon attachments for Raph and put them on the end of a chain. A laced Morningstar, for instance. Adapters for grenades so that Raphael could guide them to a location, or setup traps, or just fuck around with them once the mission was over. Really, this was a chance to exercise their creativity and Adrian was going hog-fucking-wild.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Egypt | Rings: 0/1

Out of the pyramid, the transition into Qena merely kept him tense and alert.

That conflict and meeting with Ismael had done a lot to sour the earth mage’s mood. Coupled with the explosions that were necessary in combat he was slightly on edge, not to a point of snapping at anyone or being overly aggressive, but certainly more irritated than he had been going into the dig site.

The lingering ambience of magic at Qena was a dead giveaway that perhaps, the mysterious extinct species had passed by or been here. The signs of conflict, and fellow outspoken thoughts of Feng and Edwards, were merely confirming tokens of certainty.

Eyes watched, and if it did anything, it merely made the presence of magic that he would use, slightly more potent. The runes of his gloves stayed glowing. His grimoire, strapped to his side, at the back, below the lower tattoo, gave a subtle red glow that brightened dark brown skin, highlighted the twinkling ball of heat that went up the lower back depicting in burning yellow and red ink, traveling slightly halfway up the spine with six other stars in a arch along with the first ball in formation.

He was silent for the most part. It wasn't until the actual shadow magic came to play, with a number in the twenties dwindling with a flicker of light to a number of three. Blue eyes, sturdy resolve- Feng pitched and Gauss replied.

Ark didn't follow immediately. He took up following a few moments after.

Mentions: Merciless Medic

Interactions: RedArmyShogun Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Gweynedd, Wales

Lots of watching. Lots of listening. He didn't really feel the need to say anything here. Mostly because it was all going through a translator anyway, and with Elly and Midori being the leads in charge, well…they had first rite to speak by default-- until he disagreed, that is.

From his stance, from moment of approach to moment the first words Elly addressed to their feline stranger, he was gauging to try and understand- see-- why here. There were various names on the tombs of the dead, unless in this case the names were nameless. The Cat was young but then again all Baka Neko- the stage name Blair of all people had taken and so felt right to attribute that Japanese nomer to their Welsh entertainer- carried that same essence of youth like every Witch.

So when Maria popped the question, trying (failing) to make some sort of connection, that was when the gauge had paid off.

Guarded annoyance, swapping out for caution. Irritation, clearly at the question. He was feeling it, on top of seeing it. The people buried here were most likely close to this guy. That ruled out the potential likelihood of them being a priest on call.

Kisei stepped in once they all got a good look at the translation. What gave Zosar pause was a key word, ‘witch’ and just as their Death Scythe companion suggested it, the same thought was passing over Zosar's own mind.

Translators were good, but they were hardly truly reliable. Lexical items changed when placed through a translator. A single word in their language could get translated into something that was different entirely. If the translator popped up Witch, and given the translation they were seeing here, the confusion their Feline friend was displaying might have corroborated what was being implied by Kisei.

Honestly, calling one sooner might have cut down a lot of the frustration.

Had it occurred to him sooner the area would be so devoid of English speakers or any language range that he could personally speak, it might have been an earlier suggestion.

With Kisei's quick thinking and the following reaction from their feline friend, Zosar hung back, waiting for the others' involvement.

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Interactions: Haze- Sir Les Paul

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
Quena, Egypt
September - 20th

mentions: Sir Les Paul (Gauss), Merciless Medic (Noah, Micheal), RedArmyShogun (Feng), EmperorsChosen (Aki), The Regal Rper (Ark), Peckinou (Arkayis)
​

As the last undead was felled, Wes was quick to break off from Feng and return to Annika. She was still suffering from the effects of the poison working it’s way through her system, and Evan’s was quick to inform the group that she would need to be taken to a hospital as quickly as possible. There was nothing that any of the group could do for her, other than making sure that their way forward was clear of danger.

Wes was practically attached to the side of the makeshift stretcher, the only thing stopping him from grabbing on and assisting was the repeated assurances by both Evans and their guide that they could handle her. Their return to the surface was unobstructed by any traps or surprises, whether they had just defeated the last of the ruin’s defenders or Ishmeal had taken the rest with him was up in the air.

Returning to the surface, it looked as though their transport was not only still there, but aside from the layer of sand caked onto the exterior it was completely untouched. Their supplies on the other hand had been ransacked, some of their supplies missing while some had simply been tossed to the side. Probably the work of Ishmeal, while his undead posse may not have needed it, he still had to eat and drink. especially if he was still being transported on top of that stupid throne he was on.

Still, whether it was his belief that those mummies would stop them, or arrogance that he was too good to use such transportation, it worked out in their favor. Quickly loading Annika into the back of one of the jeeps, the group set out to the city. The ride was a silent one, with little chatter between the vehicles as they drove, eventually coming to a stop a short distance from the city itself.

It looked like a ghost town, with hastily erected barriers sprung up to ward off would be attackers placed around the city. Wes could vaguely make out the souls of some of the city’s inhabitants, hunkered down in their homes or any building that looked sturdy enough. Equally present though, where barricades that had been demolished, doors and windows that were smashed in and the occasional grisly remains of those unlucky enough to be caught outside.

While he had no idea what had killed those few remains they had found, the presence of multiple distinctly non-human souls offered a possible explanation. They weren’t human, but they also weren’t undead either, or if they were they had retained much more of their soul than those the group had encountered before. They also outnumbered their group by a wide margin, with a good twenty to their seven, and those were just the ones that Wes could detect.

A sense of unease began to worm its way through his head as he imagined what their presence meant. Were they also under the command of Ishmeal? Or, were they an entirely separate group from the pseudo-Pharoh? He felt a slight sense of relief as Feng pointed out their seemingly non-combative nature, or at least their lack of fear at their group. If whatever these things are were hostile, they could have just attacked them the second they got into the city. But they hadn’t, instead observing the group as they made their way through the city, until the trio of jackal-headed creatures had stepped out to confront them. He wasn’t sure whether that was a good sign or not.

Wes stayed back as Gauss and his weapons approached the jackal-headed figure, with Ark soon following. If things went south and they had to fight, he wanted to be close to Annika and the men carrying her. He had no idea how strong these things were, but he was confident enough in his abilities to at least act as a distraction and let them slip away.

"How close are we to the hospital?" He asked both of the men besides him, keeping his voice low and glancing between his partner and the three creatures before them.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Michael M. Moreau​

---

Mission: Disturbance in Qena w/ RedArmyShogun

Sir Les Paul Peckinou Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper

Date: September 20th, 2067
Location: Eastern Shrine -> Qena, Egypt

---

These kids made quick work of these undead (the lid-shielders proved to be rather weak without their shields), and while Ishmael's apparent betrayal left Moreau feeling rather morose, he was also both proud and grateful of their abilities. They managed to keep their destruction down to a minimum, the only thing being destroyed was the door - which he didn't mind in the fullest considering they needed the way open anyway, else they would have perished there if they stayed any longer.

The fire and lava that Ark created did make the room a bit warmer than it should have been, but due to the sparing use and creating what was essentially smoldering, glowing rock coupled with the scythe's non-oxygenated flames, Moreau at least didn't feel like suffocating.

Making sure the three workers were close by and carrying Annika out on a stretcher with Evans. The trip out was quick and uneventful, their vehicle would have been untouched if it weren't for their stuff being ransacked. Though, that was the nature of Egypt, sometimes you did have robbers come by and steal your things if you left them alone for too long. Though, he did have a hunch that it was the zombies and Ishmael, as some of the supplies were not only taken, but possibly tainted and he didn't want to take that chance with one of the kids getting dysentery.

Of course, because apparently all that the light touched was his, that bastard.

As they made it to Qena, Moreau huffed as he heard Feng and Evans say their pieces about the place, chiming in, as well. “Yeah… People here are terrified, if there's any left. I'm not surprised, with Ishmael running amok now. Considering we did see recent dead within that shrine - with clothes and weapons matching more modern times - it's likely they were taken from Qena. If I were them, I'd be making my presence known as little as possible.”

When they made it to the hospital, Moreau felt his neck hairs stand on end. He could feel gazes upon himself and a cursory glance led to him seeing a few Anpu about. He clicked his tongue, looking at Gauss's team.

Evans gave him a decision: stay with the team, or go with them. Moreau wasn't as much of a fighter anymore, but he still had his translation skills. If the Anpu couldn't speak English nor the ability to translate, he should be there for the team to continue being a helpful guide. But he was sure the Anpu might have a rather negative outlook on him as a resident of Egypt.

He decided that - after trading places with one of the more able-bodied workers to help get Annika inside the hospital - he'd stay with the team. Patting a hand on Wes's shoulder, he nodded towards the rest of the team, voice low. “I know this may sound a little harsh given you're worried for her, but that redheaded Chinese girl and the rest need you more now. The hospital is close enough for me to feel comfortable with letting Evans and the three workers help her inside. Once inside the hospital, your partner would be taken care of, but it won't do anyone any good if you hide your usefulness away with someone who can't help the team. We can't afford to let anyone else go down, and in the event that happens, I don’t want you feeling even sorrier for yourself because you decided to stay back. Once your mission is done here, you can do all the processing and worrying you want over her condition.”

If combat befell them, it wasn't like he was useless and Ark's magic could actually work out here far better than in that shrine so Moreau was rather safe. After imparting a comforting squeeze on Wes's shoulder, he began catching up with the rest of the group, keeping close to Ark and Gauss in the event he needed protection.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Noah Wiley​

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

Finally, the fighting was done. It was rather impressive with how Arkayis was able to achieve a steady form like that without burning up all their oxygen in the room. Noah sent his proud sentiment to his partners via their soul connection, despite feeling a little tired from helping Gauss regulate.

He was a bit bummed their car got ransacked and had to leave what other supplies they had behind, but he was glad he brought most of his stuff with him. However, as they arrived in Qena, Noah's eyes narrowed at the state of the settlement before them. Romania came to mind, and he immediately felt a chill up his spine. Feng seemed concerned, too, with Evans and Moreau giving their pieces and Moreau giving more of an explanation as to why these people were terrified.

Made sense.

As they made it to the area near the hospital, Noah's eyes landed on an Anpu. He noticed the lights going out, and he couldn't tell if Moreau noticed or if he didn't seem to care. Given his outward hostility of Anpu earlier, it seemed like he was trying to keep himself from doing anything too rash.

Still, if the Anpu were really evil - and that obelisk did not help in the slightest - then they would have killed them or ambushed them instead of showing themselves and their numbers before allowing some kind of approach.

Noah looked on at the three dogs that stood there, watching them. Were they smiling? They were just staring daggers at Moreau and Evans earlier. Feng asked if they should go talk to them, and Gauss agreed. Noah stayed close, noticing Moreau giving Wes some kind of pep talk and joining the group despite his earlier issues with the Anpu. Before they even made it to the jackal-headed creatures, Noah tapped Gauss's arm to relay a soul message.

‘Moreau is joining us, likely to translate for us.’ He couldn't imagine Moreau having any other use anyway to assume anything else.

After taking a gander at everyone else's emotional states, Noah also noticed how uneasy Ark was. To make the mage feel better - and given his relative closeness - he outstretched his hand and gave Ark a little zap of his electrified healing wavelength, hoping it would be sufficient. He'd do the same to Wes too, but he didn't want to send an arc of electricity across the way. If Wes got close enough though, he was going to get a nice feel-good zap to hopefully cut the edge of his anxieties.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

Maria for her part in the exchange plays the part of devils advocate, speaking up at Midori, or rather Kisei as he now was called, stated his own opinion on the matter, telling Elly to request a translator, which was all well and good, but it was annoying how they were doing the work of a regional branch, that showed yet another case of staggering incompetence. "A translator should have been sent with us in the first place. The fact the Branch Office in the core of London does not know the geography of the people and place, that is only few short hours away from them is a very poor situation. While this experience has taught me to learn a few more languages, you humans simply have too many that are spoken by a small handful of people, this is one. At this point I am convinced that a lot of these languages are born of pride and stubbornness to stub the local dominate group...

That aside, are we absolutely sure it's a mistranslation, or are we unsure of the nature of our foe? I could search for traces of Mana I suppose, but it is searching the valley. Are we sure he will wait here?" With an exasperated sigh she takes another look at the Monster Cat and narrows her eyebrows, more so with Kisei had to say after the fact, in regards to the nature of Monster Cats. "I am not so sure of that with this one. Though, what are your orders Group Leader?"

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

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly noted the irritation welling up within the cat, an expected reaction and reason why Elly only briefly alluded to his purpose here without prodding. A minor sign of consideration without inviting explanation. She was sure their presence wasn't welcome, even if it wasn't despised either. She furrowed her brow a bit at the translation before ultimately sighing, ignoring Kisei and Wren's banter.

"I can also see traces of mana, however we will not be searching the entire valley like that," Elly stated, finding doing so to be a gigantic time-sink. "We need to narrow it down at least. If this gentleman doesn't know anything, that's all well and fine, but I'd prefer to be sure it isn't a translational error. The internet can't translate everything from a language aptly... Plus, if he hasn't panicked, he's probably older and may have been around for longer than anyone else here. That means he may know something no one else does."

She supposed relying on the phone translation to give something genuine they could rely on was too much to hope for. "Giving us a translator is the least those layabouts could do after sacking us with their chores," Elly commented before tapping her phone a few times to bring the home office's number up. "And I wouldn't pin all the blame on the cats, dear," She added briefly to Kisei's remarks about social skills.

Bringing the phone up to her ear and passing through the directories, she finally reached a person. She curtly explained who she was and that they needed a Welsh translator to help their search. After a brief wait, she was transferred to one and, after explaining the basics of what was going on, she held the phone out and placed it on speaker phone.

"Alright, let's try this again... Apologies for the poor translation before. We aren't looking for a witch, but a hag that we understand has resided in the area for a while. Our colleagues have interacted with her before and we require her assistance," Elly spoke simply. "We just want to know if you've heard or know anything that may help us contact her."

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul Haze- The Regal Rper

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Maentwrog, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

The back and forth over the phone became much more in-depth than expected. At one point, the Monster Cat simply took the phone from Elly and began having his own conversation with the translator. It did seem to go much faster that way as the pace between the translator and Monster Cat picked up considerably when the rest were taken out of the loop. Meanwhile, there was a brief lull for conversation amongst the group itself, of which Kisei was quick to fill in.

"Isn't a touch unfair to compare Human and With Culture?" Kisei proposed, challenging the statement Maria made about language. It held merit, but it also felt somewhat harsh given the natural advantages Witches had over humans. The explanation Kisei had in mind was pretty dark, too; it was based on war and the distribution of information and culture. Reality was, Witches were just... a lot better at war. They accomplished something no human dynasty had ever: total domination. A world government, effectively.

"I can't say I know your history to a tee, but I do recall Witch Script--your universal language--came about because a sovereign forced all other Witches to write their magical knowledge down for their family to absorb it," Kisei said, painting the imagery of tyranny that existed in the Witch Realm. Realistically, what he described did in fact happen. Baba Yaga, the predecessor to Maba, forced all Witches within her court which in effect was a court with no peers to learn Witch Script to create the foundations of their stolen library of knowledge. Maria might have known that if taught by Mirai, but that much detail was forgivable for Kisei to have missed.

"Besides... don't you Witches just learn human languages anyway? Like, isn't Witch Culture affected locally by their nearby portals?" Kisei asked, though this was half-question and half-point to be made. As ironic as it was, Witch Culture was in fact impacted to some degree by Human Culture. Witches did over the course of centuries go back and forth with knowledge, including language, they picked up from the Mortal Realm. This knowledge was often specific to their local portals. Those portals, before the alliance, were valuable and guarded resources for various reasons. This part was a more active piece of Witch Culture that Maria was a little less likely to know. It wasn't the type of history they taught. Witches with their pride didn't like to admit how much humans affected them.

Before Wren or Maria could get much of a reply into Kisei, the translator finished up with the Monster Cat. The explanation given would explain the lengthy exchange:

"It took a moment to get exactly what you requested and I needed to pull of the case file, but I do believe I have you a lead." Surprisingly, the translator was both competent and polite. A step above some front-line DWMA personnel. "Contacting the Hag directly isn't really an option. It seems either she contacts you or you go through a different spirit. Also, the word used for her was gwyll. It's a catch-all for magical creatures that don't use magic. Basically, their version of Fae... As to how to contact the Hag, he said there some water spirits... Gwyll of a lake nearby. To get their attention, you need to ring a bell made of iron, not brass. Then offer them something sweet. Problem is, they have a tendency to drown whoever disturbs them. Worse, they may just try and take the cake if you bring it anyway. That's all also congruent with reports in the area. Plenty of drownings on the south end of a nearby lake. That's also all I have for you, unless you have other questions."​

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

The Venus Lounge, Malibu, CA
Interview With a Cultist​

Charles let loose a haughty, but dry laugh at the comment Dani made about questioning the cultists. The humor wasn’t intended to be condescending, but it could have been easily interpreted as such. No, in truth, what Charles found funny is the disparity between what they likely did as ’questioning’ and various experiments and torture methods he had used before stumbling onto the effect of using other cultists.

It occurred by pure luck; a technique of torture wherein one would watch another be tortured. It was only serendipity that the ranks were correct for results to occur.

”We also ran into a few recent initiates with loose lips,” Charles said, stroking his chin with his hand, though more so trying to cover the smile painted on his face. ”Only briefly useful; they barely know anything,” he added.

Finally, he was washed of his smug attitude sufficiently to actually explain their method. ”With Viktor, we restrained him thoroughly. Covered his ears, his eyes, and his mouth… then loaded up with some cocaine to get the blood pumping. When we wanted to interrogate someone, he was too high on the coke to control his spiritual energy. So as long as the person we were interviewing didn’t see that Viktor was being forced, for some reason, they were compelled to spill the truth, which is how we’ve been furthering our investigation thus far,” Charles said, outlining the extremely questionable albeit undeniably effective methods used to extract information from these cultists.

”I suspect that if we blind Viktor and subject him to whatever aura you have that causes such a profound reaction in the cultist, he may also be compelled to answer our questions,” Charles told them, though mostly Dani as she was the one with said ‘aura’ he referred to. Given how little they knew about whatever force was active here, the terminology was loose at best.

Dani’s gaze narrowed slightly as the man chuckled and explained their process. Her eyes drifted back to the man in the chair before settling back on Charles. “...Subject, as in? Flare it?” She asked, finding the whole methodology to be a bit odd.

”Just… try not to kill him,” Charles responded vaguely, intentionally not answering the question. Of course, he didn’t want to explain that he didn’t know the answer.

Through the window, two individuals in black bodysuits entered, one carrying what looked like some type of blue, plastic helmet. The other grabbed Viktor by the hair of his head, lifting it up for the first to slip the helmet on. While it couldn’t be seen from the front, there was a cerebral stabilizer in the back that connected the helmet to a metal rod on a chest piece running up the spine. Little did they know, Viktor already suffered from a partially broken neck.

After the helmet was secured, a few final fittings were secured into place. The helmet was in a natural position for his neck, his eyes were completely covered, seals placed around areas where his hair was unkempt and matted with blood. After those final touches, those two black-clad goons left, but the door remained open.

”The helmet will distort your voice to be unrecognizable,” Charles told the two, ”in our testing, it didn’t matter if the voice was from Viktor or garbled, so long as the other cultists couldn’t confirm who it was.” A simple explanation. The reasoning behind what likely seemed like contrived rules was fundamentally simple: the cultists were controlled by the primal feeling of fear. Afraid of those above them, simple as that. If they couldn’t confirm it truly wasn’t their superior, then the doubt in their minds was all the fear they needed to comply.

”Out the door, first right down the hallway. The door to that room is the only one on the right, about twenty feet from the turn. Just press the door handle to let yourself in,” Charles added, giving them the simple instructions of how to get to the nearby interrogation room.

“I wasn’t planning to…” Dani remarked with a hint of exasperation, giving a brief glance at Nadia. “So just flare it and they think they’re being questioned by a superior, more or less…” With a sigh, there wasn’t a point in being reserved since they obviously knew about it anyway. With a crackle akin to cinders and sparks combusting, light formed from her back towards the base of her spine and erupted in the form of the fiery scorpion tail. The flames skittered across it and hissed as she flared its energy. “Alright… wakey, wakey, guy.”


Listening to what all was said, it was a little unusual seeing Dani taking charge in such a manner. Though if she chose to do this… Well, all Nadia could do is support her, though there were a few things to get out of the way as her Icy glare fixed in on Charle’s own eyes.

“I’m unsure where you learned that little bit in regard to my partner, likely the police not keeping their mouths shut, but to be clear, our Knight friends, if this spreads around more, will likely come to kill her, but in their eyes not a single person on my team can even be considered human, saved from their righteous fire. That being said, you are to forget what you see here, just as we will to your own request. What power their leaders give is real and not always with fervent insanity, I wish to find out why.

Do as you wish Dani, I’ll be close as always.” She said, before following Dani to the interrogation, though she had wished the other had consulted her, the less people who knew this secret, the better… Though if there was a cult doing the same thing, well that secret wouldn’t be one for long anyways.

Groggy and blinded, the only immediate response from Viktor was a guttural groan followed by a few brief, wet coughs.

“I’m not gonna think on it too much… fuckin’ dandies,” Dani murmured in brief response to what Nadia said. As their guest awoke, the Demon Weapon considered what to ask, or how. She figured it would be a little suspicious if she were to ask what should be basic questions. “You able to talk there?”

The groans shifted from deep and guttural to the lingering vocalization some odd drunks have upon a few too many drinks. Viktor was in pain. He was also confused. Deprived of his senses. Numb on one half of his body. His skull was like an undersized washing machine trying its damnedest to swirl around an oversized comforter. And, that was all before he could feel the energy radiating off of Dani.

But, he did. As he progressively came to, what he felt off her was comparable to a Bishop, perhaps. Someone far above him. Maybe even above some Bishops. He couldn’t tell. She had the exquisite aroma of the Black Flames that brought him to ecstasy, yet felt different than his superiors. She felt more pure. Her fire was more clear. Her spark not dampened by the mortal shell she wore.

”Th-The fuck..k.. Is going on…” he spat out, stumbling over his words. Even with his twisted form, he still felt pain. He still felt that his body was broken.

“Hmm… Calm yourself brother.” Nadia said, as she circled the now helmeted man. ”You were badly wounded by the unwashed masses, we are trying now to get you to ones that can help… Tell me brother, who was last to tend you with the sacraments, where praytell?” She could just order him, but she hoped playing around like this would produce better results or corrections.

Nadia was not aware of how the cultists spoke to each other. Granted, no one but a cultist would be aware of how they spoke to each other. Still, she couldn’t have known that they rarely referred to each other as brother or sister or that they did not consider themselves clean or washed compared to the masses. No, they embraced their sin. In fact, cultists were not above or beyond indulging in each other in better circumstances.

At the moment, what this meant was that Viktor was above all… confused. He felt the incredible pressure that radiated from Dani, that pure heat, that same familiar feeling, but the words that came alongside it were just… odd. Distrust did not occur to him, more so he lacked the ability to answer the question.

”The.. Fuck.. are you tahlk-eeng… ah-bout…” Viktor replied, his words sluggish and drug out, but only due to the soreness of his jaw and overall damage dealt to him.

”Your words are too fancy,” Dani remarked, trying to follow the more casual manner of speaking the man did. ”You got pretty beat-up, but I don’t need to tell you that… We need to figure out how they caught you and how much they might know… It seems like we may be compromised,” Dani added, insinuating that there was a leak of information somewhere within the cult. “Before you were caught, who’re the last people you met? And where?”

Silence hung in the air for a moment. It might have even been frustrating for Dani as at first glance it could have easily appeared to be a refusal of her request or some type of insubordination. To Nadia and a lesser extent Charles, it would have been much more clear. His soul flared up slightly and became rife with inner turmoil. There was resistance, reluctance, even doubt, but it all began to bow down… to fear.

It was no doubt that Viktor had an element of Madness to him. Nadia likely could have seen it since the moment she entered the room, though before now, it was faint. Not much different than Adrian was right after his first outbreak or Dani if she gave into her rage. But, now? Now it was as if her Madness has taken form. As if it had become an entity all its own. It was a force that drowned Viktor’s Soul in overwhelming fear.

He couldn’t resist.

”I was… with Cam’ren… in Koreah..town,” he said, his words slurred, and oddly enough still somewhat forced to spit out these words. ”He made me meet’m at’eh photo-bitch on Irving,” Viktor explained, complying with the command, ”it wazza fuckin’ bummer…”

“Is photo-bitch’er real name?” Dani remarked back sarcastically. At least they were getting somewhere. “Bummer how?”

Deciding to let Dani handle the talking, Nadia would reserve herself for beatings if needed, or the assault later on when it was for sure.

”W-Well… I was with mi vieja ‘fore he called…” Viktor explained, not sure if that would give them sufficient insight or if they intended to demand a play-by-play. ”’N photo-bitch goes by Erica… it’s her building, uh… eh… su… negocio,” he answered, faltering somewhat and defaulting back to his other language.

Making a mental note of what information the man had to give, Nadia didn’t see any reason to speak up just yet, well, maybe not totally so, as she tried to think back to those Central American fucks she beat half to death. “Her business I see, and you were with your woman. I take it you didn’t picture your day going like this.” Not really asking so much as commenting, she had little issue with letting Dani do most of the talking, as she provided a brief translation from her limited understanding of Spanish.


Letting Nadia say her piece, Dani spoke up again. “And why’d he need to see you?” She questioned.

This was another moment marked mostly by silence, but painted with a completely different spiritual picture. Another battle of will, another bit of turmoil. What will there was left inside of Viktor shouted that this didn’t make sense. The blinding, the helmet, the chair, it all told him he was still a captive. It fought against that maddened fear, that subservient nature, and as of now, was winning. He remained silent for the moment, hesitating to answer further questions.

“What, you shy now?” Dani growled, flaring her wavelength again, the fires of the tail hissing and skittering as she did so. “How the hell did you get to where you are being so fuckin’ disobedient? Even if you can’t see, I know you can feel. You can tell what I am, so answer my fuckin’ question.”

”Th-They had Cam’ren kill Min-ho… ‘e did it with Sofia from th’Watts,” Viktor spat out almost immediately. He nearly choked saying it, an instinctive response from Dani flaring that tail of hers. Of course, he couldn’t see it. He couldn’t feel the heat. What he felt was the flow of familiar energy in her spike, and that caused a cascade of spikes until fear pumped through him like adrenaline.

”Wan’ed me to ‘ide the body, th-th’t’s all” he added quickly, pain seething between the words of his panic voiced.

”Cam’ren, who, or what is that?”

”And Min-ho. ‘N why kill’em?” Dani piggy-backed off Nadia’s question.

That same hesitation and inner struggle existed, but resistance Viktor might have tried to mount against that fear was quashed before it even had legs to stand on. The fear that coursed through him was primal. Not that of a predator and prey, but more like a pup being put in its place. Nowhere near large enough to run with its elders even if it had outgrown its litter.

”They’re all Bishops…” Viktor released, still trying and inevitably failing to withhold this information. He hadn’t shared any of it until now. And, like a busted pipe, once it began flowing through, it didn’t just stop.

”Cam’ren use’t ta run Compton.. But now he keeps the others in line,” Viktor explained, ”Min-ho, uh… I don’ really fuckin’ know what ‘is deal was. ‘E was smart. Prolly too smart… ‘e didn’ ‘ave the same bloodlust e’ryone else does.”

“Hmm…” Nadia said, non committedly. Gesturing with her head towards the door, Nadia felt they had enough information, asking for more details would likely give them up, though she let a glance fall on Dani, as she turned to look at the man, in case she had more questions to ask, or things to say. If they could remove his ability, he could go home eventually, but no, his fate was sealed, Death. Though not by DWMA hands.

Dani looked at Nadia, meeting her gaze before turning it back onto the cultist. ”...One more question… Curiosity, you could say. What do you think I am?” She asked, figuring that bishop was some kind of rank, and if rank had anything to do with the black flames like what she had, it’d be nice to know how they compared.

Dani and Nadia had experienced Madness outbreaks before. Dani had the potential to be the source of one herself, but girls had been on the receiving end of Adrian during his outbreak. What they experienced now was precisely that: a Madness Outbreak. The Madness of Fear. It shot through them, causing an immediate and powerful backlash on a visceral level of what fear really was in the human mind. All creatures, including Nadia, feared something. It was a shared, universal experience.

”Y-You are…” Viktor responded, stumbling over his words, looking for the right answer but failing to produce it. In part because whatever Dani truly was, Viktor had never experienced it before. She was somehow greater. ”...like a torch. You… carry the black fire… mos’ ‘re jus’... burnt by them,” he explained, or at least tried to.

It was truly a difficult thing to put into words. The world of black flames was the dark one, so it was difficult to explain how this fire burned brighter than the others yet was actually darker. It was so contrary. It was an experience words did no justice.

As fear washed over her, Nadia stood her ground, instinctively going for fight, her heart racing as she recalled a quote from and old book I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

An interesting, if not valid quote. ”Times up.” They needed to get out, it was simply not wise to leave Dani around any of these cultists.

Dani stared the man down until the outbreak shot through her. She froze, stepping back a bit as her arms crossed to grip the opposing bicep and the flames of her tail suddenly shrunk in response. It was unclear if she even listened to his answer or if she was overcome with fright.

“Yeah…” Dani agreed quietly, hesitating before backing away and turning to leave.

As Nadia and Dani now had the opportunity to return to the room with Charles, there was finally a chance to discuss the information they had gathered from Viktor. Of note, Adrian had finally left. He hadn’t done so with the others, which meant he and Charles were alone in the room together for some time. Perhaps his absence was for the better given the intensity of that last spike in Madness.

Charles mentioned nothing of Adrian or his absence. Instead, he only paid attention to Nadia and Dani.

”That is easily the most profound reaction any of these cultists has had,” Charles commented, his tone still carrying his same spirit but somewhat more dry than it had been in the previous discussions. It rang through as more serious than his other discussions.

“Yeah… same with us… Whatever a fuckin’ bishop is it doesn't seem they have something like this at least…” Dani replied absentmindedly, still rubbing her own biceps in an attempt to console herself. She noted Adrian's absence, which was probably for the better but still. “...Where's the blue-haired guy?”

”He went to the workshop,” Charles answered, with a guilty grin across his face.

”I did ask why he stuck around when the rest left,” he explained, ”didn’t give much of an answer, but when I told him it might be wise to start prepping things for you two… he made this off-handed comment that knew your sizes.”

Charles chuckled dryly, shaking his head and looking down at the ground for a moment, the humor the man felt being quite obvious. ”Now, mind you, we have a body scanner, so normal body sizing doesn’t matter… but I did ask him just why he would know the sizes of his teammates. He turned red and ran off without answering,” Charles continued, elaborating on what had transpired on his side of the window during their interrogation.

“Too smart for his own good. Still, what is this equipment you have for us?” Nadia asked, brief and to the point.

Dani for her part just raised a brow at first. However, as he spoke on her face turned pink as well, though rather than run off she just tilted her head a bit to the side to hide it somewhat, allowing Nadia's question to be answered.

”The same equipment my men have been using,” Charles said, believing Nadia to be the more militant type and thus respect the notion of it being the same gear they would use. Of course, his enforcers were far from the skill level of DWMA Agents, but there were other means of achieving a goal–means the group would soon learn.

”The means most cultists use to fight are firearms and blades. If it doesn’t kill you, you’ll bleed and the Priests will gladly use your own blood against you. We outfit everyone with ultra-light aramid-based, micro-woven undergarments,” Charles explained, ”My men can’t quite dodge bullets like you, so we do go to additional lengths for firearms. If you would like, I can outfit you with bullet-proof vests. I don’t offer anymore because in the twenty some-odd years of doing this, almost every agent sings me the same song: it’s more dangerous to be slowed down.”

Charles sighed a moment, a bit theatrical, though only because of the repetition that came with the topic of armament.

”We can also fabricate carbon-ceramic weapons in next to no time, plenty of the fibrin solution that shuts down this blood magic. It’s actually quite ingenious. I have no idea if it would work on a proper Witch, but these cultists can’t get any power from the blood after it coagulates. Can’t control it, either. Even if they can’t cut you, they’ll have no problem slitting the throat of their own to get blood on the ground,” he explained, going on about just what these cultists would do and how they worked to combat them.

”We also have plenty of grenades and ammunition that aren’t exactly… above-table,” he admitted, ”though, those offers typically fall on deaf ears.”

”How very interesting, I will of course forget some of this, as to Armor, I do not believe in just dodging, my suit is reinforced, while we are superior combatants, an asshole with a 100 dollar gun, hiding in a crowd or attacking you randomly, can be a rather nasty happening. Though Bishops… Cannot say I am overly surprised. It is a cult with a chain of command, the question is how many of them are around, and if anyone is above them, but for now we have named locations to hit. The question is now if we should share this information, let the Paladins bloody themselves in the first wave as example.”

”From what we gathered prior to your interrogation,” Charles responded, cutting into the commentary made by Nadia, ”Bishops are the last rung of the ladder before whoever or whatever leads them. Unfortunately, most of what we’ve gathered about their actual leader is their rambling, which is hard to take seriously.”

Charles opened a drawer on the desk at the base of the window. Inside it was a series of good ole fashion manilla envelopes. There was plenty to read, but most of it was the nonsensical mutters that these cultists came up with when they began to break. At this point, Charles could quote much of it verbatim:

”They are beyond good and evil. They serve someone who has met lord Lucifer in Hell and returned to sing his praises. That evil has always existed and that the perfect world we all want will never happen,” Charles said, almost rambling on in a sing-song tune, half-mocking the comments made by the cultists. ”Some of what they say isn’t too off the wall, like rejecting the moralistic dogma of society. Then in the same breath, they’ll explain that murdering for fun is no different than doing so out of duty or defense,” Charles continued, simply sharing the contrived conflicts of their broken minds.

”They can’t even agree on a name. Some call themselves the night breed, a few of them called themselves legion.. Some are just straight forward and claim to be Satanists,” Charles told them.

”Anyway,” he said, quickly transitioning from the last point onto the next, ”you got us two names and a location. That’s more than we had. My informants are telling me that the Paladins just kill or torture anyone they find, so there only chance of figuring this out are either a complete purge or sheer luck.”

“So they’re just nuts,” Dani simplified with a sigh.They just sounded like a typical cult, except these people knew about Adolla, which was concerning considering she only found out about it by a random portal that showed up. Then again, if something like that happened to her, maybe it happened to this leader too. “Maybe if we get one of those bishops, we can do the same thing we did here and get more info about the head… Either way, maybe we shouldn’t get involved with the paladins unless we have to. It’s one thing if it’s a huge raid, but if we’re still trying to dig stuff up, I don’t think they’ll be very helpful…”

”Interesting, maybe I’ll make use of this equipment you mentioned before, though with what you said, I guess we won’t use our Knights to take the first hit, I rather have answers before we kill these bishops. At least we have a plan, though I admit I’m interested to a degree in why you all have the things you do, and do the rest, that is not of vital knowledge to the DWMA… As to the prisoner. I’m sure you had something in mind.” She said of Charles before motioning for Dani to follow, so pointedly they would not see what happened to the cultist. ”Still it is a matter of concern that should the Bishops be in number, I will also consult the DWMA Command to make sure these sorts of killings are here and here alone.”

”You could consult the DWMA…” Charles said, picking up right off some of the last few words Nadia said. He had listened to both partners, but wasn’t keen on bouncing between them for his answers. Besides that, there was only so much that needed to be said.

”But, we work on a don’t ask, don’t tell basis,” Charles told them, ”which leads me to my next point. You could ask for back-up, or… I could have your team meet up with someone I have on the ground. You don’t ask them who they are or what they do, and you won’t tell the DWMA you ever met them.”

Dani turned to follow with Nadia before pausing to look back at Charles, scoffing a bit as she did so. “I’m not sure you could’ve made that sound sketchier if you tried…” She commented before looking to Nadia for some kind of opinion. “Though what benefit would this ally of yours give us over just getting backup from the DWMA?”

”Well, firstly, they’ve been capturing priests for weeks while your agents come here and pretend to be superheroes fighting crime, lucky to find even a handful of cultists,” Charles answered, pointing out a very real difficulty of this mission. There was a learning curve. This was all local to the fairly large Los Angeles area and hunting these cultists wasn’t anything like a single Corrupted Soul or a big ole Monster.

”Secondly, they’re paid more,” he told them, pointing out a simple but fundamental truth. ”Nothing gets results quite like proper funding,” he said, painting over his point with the cold reality of this greedy world.

He then sighed and rolled his head over slightly, flinging his hand in the same direction, followed by a roll of the eyes. ”I forget, you’re the troubled ones… most agents know not to report our mercenaries. You’re not gonna be doing anything a dozen agents before you haven’t before,” he outlined, realizing and trying to clear up what he perceived as their concern.

”Oh, I’ve no intentions on reporting you. As concerning as it may be. Still, I am with the DWMA for other things than Pay. As to investigations, I was the wrong one to send regardless. I see a maze, I break through the walls like they were never even there.” Nadia said flatly before motioning towards the door and hall to leave the area.

“I have the full presence of mind to contact the DWMA with what we learned, your methods left out of course, or restricted to the high command to know about. However, I do not expect any reinforcements. If the DWMA could afford a large presence here, they would have done so already, but I guess I can ask.”

”You are somewhat mistaken,” Charles responded, having listened to her commentary over the matter. Either she had forgotten the situation or wasn’t adequately briefed on it to begin with. In either case, Charles had no qualms correcting her. In the moment, though, he had pulled out his phone and drew up a quick message for one of his subordinates as the situation was drawing to a close.

”The DWMA has sent countless agents over. Small three star cells and at a point, a much larger party between forty and fifty all paired up and patrolling the streets,” Charles told her, mostly to explain this wasn’t about manpower. It was something else entirely. Something he felt she should have been aware was quite unique to her, given it was something that as of now only her partner made a breakthrough with.

”That was just treating a symptom of the disease,” he explained, ”when what we need is a cure.”

Following those words, one of the guards from earlier popped back into the room, nearly face to face with Nadia as she had just been preparing to leave. He presented her with a cell phone inside of a clear plastic case, as if it had just come off the rack from a store. A prepaid burner. He didn’t need instructions nor did he wait for her to be receptive.

”If I might make a suggestion, wait until the end of your mission to report back so that you don’t need to… worry about inconsistencies,” he told her, as he knew full well that reporting incomplete information was a good way to get questions asked. Beyond that, he knew her program. His cousin had pulled a few strings to make this look like a remedial mission instead of one specifically about this odd new phenomenon. She could get away with a little less contact this go around.

”That phone will only have one contact saved. No name. Random number,” Charles told her, ”we’ll get you a meetup at Hancock Park. This will be your only means of communication. No text, only calls. The codename for the… specialist on the ground is Cornelius. Once you’ve completed the mission or within forty-eight hours, dispose of the phone. Electronics recycling is fine, if you’re the recycling-type.”

There was little point in telling him the fate agents were expendable, or that if the DWMA wanted this solved, truly solved, they would have tasked a team suited to investigations to the job. While Dani’s situation was a special consideration, it was precisely because it was that this all was so dangerous, there was little telling what would result. “Let’s get to this Armory of yours, though I might as well go along with this business on contacting them.”


Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Chibistaryuu

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

With all said and done, Maria was not content to just remain silent, as this man, made assumption upon assumption, detailing a rough version of their history and his own concept of time in which witches can learn, which honestly did irk the workaholic. She had spent more and more of her time to useful to the people around her, and now seemingly, that was not enough. Then there was what the interpreter had to say, she was well versed to a point in mythological matters. "My bet would be its a Kelpie. However, I will not say silent on your words from before."

Staring directly at the Mentor, Maria scoffed. "Though gifted, I'm still considered a child or teenager of my race. The reason we have one language is not so clear cut and one sided as you would suggest. It has more akin to how hundreds of variations of Chinese have been forged and ironed out. There are practical and educational reasons to condense. The most diverse Empire in living memory was the Empire of Austria-Hungary, it was a mess that collapsed upon itself and had a myriad of people in its borders that held no loyalty to it. They continue to fragment or have people in other nations that don't wish to be there. That is diversity at work when it comes to your languages. Never mind that I've spoken to you and all the rest in your current lingua de franca, English. When as you said, I could use the Witch language."

Then raising a finger, she pointed up to the sky. "There is another assumption you made without thinking. While I indeed live longer than you do, I still am bound to the rules of twenty-four hours a day. Many witches will indeed pick up several languages, but this happens over a long course of time, not in one year. I have my spells to study, I have my combat to train, I have my creations to mend, I have time for my friends, I have work to do for Davis, flight lessons be they with broom or machine, and of course I have to sleep. Since our return on April the second and third, I have been working continuously and surviving off of meals brought to me by others or what I can find in a vending machine.

Frankly speaking even if I had the time to make for studying another language, it will be those with speakers numbering in the millions, Russian, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, or Hindi are all valid with practical real-world use. Welsh is only spoken by 200 to 500 thousand people, and only seen a resurgence, purely to spite the English and show regional autonomy. The Welsh language is not worthy of my time, nor consideration. Only 16 languages on this planet are spoken to degrees of commonality I would consider worth the effort. One of which I've picked up from my time around a fellow agent."

With that out of the way, she would fine one last thing, for her position of a Fate Agent, Maria never held back with her superiors once they managed to irritate her. "Do not mistake my helpfulness with being subservient. I am your ally, not your slave. Though we do have a mission to do."


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

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Letting Kisei and Maria go back and forth, Elly was satisfied to focus on the information at hand. Taking the phone back from the cat-boy, Elly gave a brief nod towards him with a thank you, which she presumed even if he didn't know English, he could appreciate the intent and, more likely, the fact it meant they were leaving. The meister was quite pleased that they had a lead now, however, the mention of more Fae made her frown slightly. They were always problematic, it seemed, and this was no exception.

With a sigh, she briefly combed her bangs with her hand. "No, though we will likely need you to order us sweets or a cake... and potentially once we locate the Fae. Here's hoping the Gwyll know English," She stated before beckoning the group. "We have our lead. One iron bell and some sweets... Let's get on with it."

Elly was about as much of a taskmaster as one could be ordering confections and obtaining the bell. Ultimately, they settled on a variety of welsh cakes, tea bread and pastries which Elly had delegated to Kisei on account of his speed. Ever the doubtful of the character of others, Elly didn't merely heed the translator's warning about the Fae, but rather she expected it, the drowning, thievery, or both. While she would prefer this to be a quick and mutually beneficial exchange, she was prepared for the Gwyll to be difficult.

"...Must dealing with Fae always be a trek into Narnia and back..." She complained under her breath before speaking louder for the group. "Okay, to reiterate, Kisei will hold onto the bribe as I fully expect them to try to take it, especially considering they will, if they're smart, take a look at us and discern that the drowning route won't hold a high success rate. If my opinion of them proves to be too high, Zosar, Wren, feel free rev up and reinforce how poor of an idea that is. Maria, same thing with your darling."

As they grew closer to the lakeside cliff, Elly paused. She took a moment to glance past the overhang to the lake at large, presuming they were up 30 feet give or take over the water. Looking back toward the group, she took out the iron bell before giving it a ring, and at the same time, adopting a smile on her face that reveal how little she wanted to be here.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Haze-

 

[Merciless Medic]

Sara & Raphael​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: Under Venus Lounge, Malibu, California
Interactions: Noise, Adrian
Mentions: Nadia, Dani
Chibistaryuu Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Pulling these clothes on was very difficult, even with help. Raphael needed help from either Adrian or Sara to get his clothes on, and Sara needed help from either Noise or Raphael to put hers on - at least for those that were a bit tight.

Sara had noticed she could create a sleeve for her tail, and even add tufts to it to make it look realistic. Sara obviously said yes to that, wanting a different colored tail, as well but not wanting any color that was too bright lest she’d end up losing out on the ability to sneak around.

But, Sara did get a deep purple tail, giggling at the absurdity of its look and keeping it regardless.

Raphael had noticed Adrian’s enthusiasm for the creation process of this entire thing, noticing all the knives that he had created - likely for Nadia. Raphael also noticed Adrian was making and grabbing so much that he’d need a bag for all of that, and he was starting to worry that Adrian would encumber himself, even if his utility belt helped with that.

But when Raphael was asked to help Adrian out, he did so with glee. And Raphael was absolutely amazed at Adrian’s creativity. “Daaaaamn, dude. This is awesome stuff!” Raphael chuckled, wanting to go with what Adrian suggested and maybe add a few more. He called Sara over, wanting to give her little shields that could attach to her forearms for added protection - especially since she was going to be wielding a mostly two-handed weapon despite Noise being practically weightless.

At the end of it, Raphael had adapters for his grenades to magically set them or guide them in areas with his chains, as well as allow for remote detonation and chain detonation when its chain link that’s attached breaks off, a laced morningstar, and a sword that could break off into segmented links when the sword blade has his chains attached. He also had a small shield on his forearm.

While Sara had a two bucklers - one on each forearm - she also had little spikes attached to her tail so her tail could be a weapon if brushed up against, and she created thigh pads that attached to the sides of her thighs, greaves, a backplate, and small pads for pauldrons that had spikes attached to make her more of a threat in close combat, trading only a little mobility for better defense. She also got a neck wrap to cover the bottom half of her face to help with the stench of maddening blood that made her anxious.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Spoiler: Meetings

Staring at the humans as they came all the more closer, the Jackal headed man continued to bare his teeth, in what could be said to be that of a smiling dog, or a predator showing his fangs for the more cynical minded, the two like beastmen to his side seemed a mixed to be guarded, alerted and watchful, staffs forward and at the ready as the group was led by Gauss, eying Moreau, one of them snarled and growled, but remained firmly at his post, his monster soul flaring akin to an angered human, as he voiced the cause for this reaction in the ancient egyptian language; “<Defiler! Have you no more tombs to rob?!>”

Causing a rebuke from the blue eyed one at the center, as the other looks directly at Ark and says in perfect Egyptian Arabic;

“<This one has a smidge of being from these lands, though he holds magic, Arbiter should we really be here? The humans have lied time and time again.>”

The smiling Anpu raised a hand as blue fire and the swirls of shadow aspect magic swirled around them, not burning, nor harming anyone as a feather appeared in his hand, taking in all of those in turn, the feather shifted upwards and downwards several times before stopping as the Anpu spoke up in perfect and one dare would say a British Accent from the 19th and early 20th Century spoke to the group as a whole.

“What a curious collection. Some of your Souls are heavy, some of you are as light as a feather. It is a good thing I am not here to carry out the charge of my great Ancestor. Our scouts reported that your party was in the ruins of our sacred charge. I would know what you all were doing and how far you got before the false pharaoh showed. In term I shall answer questions you may have.”

There was something Gauss found interesting about the atmosphere and presence of these creatures. The media, movies, games, from classics to the modern era, tried to recreate what the Egyptians were or would be. The Anpu were likely the only thing that existed which could even begin to provide an accurate insight of what their culture was like. Granted, Gauss didn’t immediately recognize just how drastically the culture and leadership of Egypt actually changed during the different eras it existed.

He did, much like Steve Rogers, finally get a fucking reference. Even he knew the mythology behind weighing a soul. Though, he was pretty sure it was actually weighing a heart, but perhaps that was lost in translation. Words had a funny way of meaning multiple things.

”We are the souls of those seeking redemption in this life,” Gauss responded to the being, ”I would be surprised if any of us had a soul light as a feather.”

Then came the actual question. Well, it wasn’t really a question. It was more of a statement. This creature wanted to know precisely what their intentions were. If they are guardians, such made sense.

”I am the leader of this group. I am best known as Gauss. Our goal was simply to find any survivors that may have been present,” he explained, also trying to introduce himself and present some sense of formality. ”The bigger picture of our purpose here is to investigate the undead and provide any relief we can to the locals from these… supernatural sources,” Gauss told the creature, being quite honest in his release of information. He figured if this thing could read his soul, it would likely know he was lying even if he tried.

As fuckin’ bad as Elly.

”I cannot speak for every group of humans that have entered that tomb, but I can assure you that my group sought no relics, treasures, or to defile the grounds,” he added, trying to explain that–at least for himself and his team–their ambitions were not greed or discovery.

Moreau’s words were right, as harsh as they were. If Wes accompanied Annika to the hospital all he’d end up doing is dragging down the rest of the team, reducing their fighting force when they would likely need every advantage they could get.

He stared at his partner, face falling as the sight of her sent a fresh wave of guilt through his heart, before turning away to face the assembled group. “I’m sorry.” With a silent apology, he made his way over to the rest of the team, and the three jackal-men.

He arrived just as Gauss finished his explanation, Wes giving a nod as his leader spoke to the Anpu. The feather floating in what he assumed to be the leader’s hand drew his attention, it having a sound that was almost incomprehensible. It was as if it were sampling the souls of everyone in their group, small bits that mingled and clashed against each other as the creature looked on. A small part of him wondered whose souls were heavier and lighter, more morbid curiosity than anything else, but he kept that thought to himself.

It was like Gauss said, everyone who was in the program was working towards some form of redemption. Wouldn’t be right for him to pry into everyone else’s problems, and especially not out in the open like this.

Regardless, If the group had to back up Gauss’s claims, there were the three survivors that they had found in the ruins. He would have also suggested asking Evans and Moreau, but that might not have been the best idea. Whether they were in the wrong or not, they still disturbed the ruins and removed artifacts from it. Not to mention most of those artifacts were now in the hands of one of their group, who was now going around and declaring himself the new Pharaoh and defiling the dead.

Not a great look by any means.

“No. Two of you are burdened with tremendous weight, and two of you are without any at all. As to your stated purpose…” The eyes on the head Jackal glowed as did the feather, as he looked at Gauss, a sudden spike in magical energy would be picked up by Ark, and with those with good soul perception, the Sons and Daughters of Anubis were not without something in this regard that tugged at the rest.

“You mix truths with admissions of… What I wonder? Very well, there is some truth in this, and for that I shall volunteer truths to you. I am the Arbiter of my people, the 47th to hold such a seat. You may call me Seth.” Looking pointedly at the Tomb Raider, he continued, not missing a beat as he scathed the other. “We are here to protect the resting place of comrades long betrayed, exalted in deeds, of souls common and grand, of years long before me, when yet our father walked this world, the Lord Anubis, Guide of Souls, keeper of the Dead in the lands of Egypt.” The two men to the sides flash a sign of prayer and bow their heads letting out a cry that hinted at their bestial nature as it was picked up from points unseen, the echos of Jackals giving voice could be heard throughout the city.

“Only when the dead are being robbed or in instances of mass death and chaos have we made ourselves known to the world. And this, young Human, is a threat, should our final wards fail, that will burn far more than Egypt, A legend of History, a story of Myth. Mayhap you rather I speak with you in my glamor form.

Regardless, we are here to safeguard our allies, to guide the souls across the Styx, and to lay the dead to rest once more… Regardless of how deserving man has been for this aid, we remember our Oaths to Kings whose names you do not yet recall.”

Gauss took a moment to analyze what this leader-priest-figure was claiming. The Arbiter, he called himself–amongst other titles. None truly mattered at the moment. What did was the gravity of his claims. If this species here apparently showed themselves during major threats involving the dead and had been thought extinct prior, that likely meant the importance of this mission skyrocketed significantly..

Gauss knew the DWMA was working at giving the F.A.T.E. Program more legitimate missions, but failing to report developments like this could be tantamount to neglect.

”Arbiter, I can request more reinforcements,” Gauss offered, not knowing if there would actually be time even if he did make that call. The African Branch was unique amongst the branches that didn’t quite align with the Main Branch in that it was mostly independent, meaning cooperation especially on its territory had a fair chance. ”And, I don’t particularly care what form you choose to speak in,” Gauss said after, providing an answer to the point the Arbiter had mused over. Besides, it made no sense to waste magic better used for fighting.

”It seems you know far more about the situation and the threat than any intelligence I’ve surmised or been given,” Gauss admitted, granted his team hadn’t been there long, had only investigated one camp, and had focused on saving survivors over finding information. His ignorance was understandable and far from regrettable; he was sure Evans and the others appreciated the assist.

”What would you have me and my team do to prevent this undead incursion and the failure of your wards?” Gauss asked, effectively deferring to the Arbiter for guidance, though in guise of requesting input.

For his part, Seth smiled as he had been doing, as it slowly faded away, he decided to add in a dismissive tone, as if it were a small matter. “Taking on a human form is of little consequence to my magic, it is how my people have survived, though I rather not fight in it. It is very detrimental.” The Anpu continued, taking on a more harsher appearance.

“Unfortunately this event has robbed us of that secrecy. Your technology and phones no doubt have confirmed our existence all across the world… But ah, yes, as to what you can do. Speak truthfully and I shall tell you all there is to know of this threat, what was passed on to me at least, but tell me this… Is the Map room still sealed?”

”If that is the room where we fought the greater undead… then no. In fact, that door is, uh.. In need of repair,” Gauss answered, simply trying to provide the information despite his obvious guilt.

“<Inform the rest at once, go now.>” Seth said, dismissing his ancient language speaking friend with a wave of his left hand, leaving only one guard in attendance. “Then that fool has gotten what he needs, or will in short order. I shall tell you all the story of the lost temple and what it is we are meant to protect, one of a number of Oaths we have kept.”
“What’s so important about that room?” Wes interrupted, crossing his arms and cocking his head slightly. His tone was slightly dismissive, despite the weight of the creatures’ words.

“Evans said something similar when we found him. Acted like we just gave the prick everything he needed.” The obvious answer was access to that strange map that was present, but if Ishmeal was as powerful as he hyped himself up to be, why did he have to wait for them to open the room?

With the questions from Wes and the admission of Gauss, plus battling the undead, those undead… Well, that was a problem. One which his bestial face could not communicate towards the party. With that in mind, he sighed, taking upon himself the form of human, a glamor, a real human was not there, with blue eyes and an unnaturally lithe, and white hair, in the garb of an orator, he would not be out of place in a period drama, tourist trap, or playwright, point of fact, the old man of the group would have known of him as a performer in the ancient and dead city of Thebes.

​

“It is indeed a bad thing, for he spurned our words and engaged in conflict, we have been busy ever since, attempting to undo his damage, he operates on the Hubris of Ignorance, so to you I will share this tale, but I warn you, getting help from anywhere is not an option, for we must react quickly to settle this matter, though I have you not go in ignorance or alone. It is a shame you destroyed the Royal Guard, they were sworn to this same duty.” A wide range of emotions seemed to play out across his face, depicting worry, agency, disappointment and sincerity.

"In ages gone past, when my forefathers were akin to gods and walked the Nile, when heroes of myth and legend sprang to being, from Thebes to Babylon, when the world was young and magical terrors the like you have never imagined roamed the darkest corners of Africa, when the Kings of old were covered in Gold, and so much from then has been lost. However, there are those which have not been so....

Meskhenet was a Sphinx, they are no longer a presence in Egypt, many things saw to that, or they have left for a realm for magical beings like they, it matters not, they were wise beings that taught man much and walked alongside other ancient beings. However, Meskhenet was as twisted as she was cunning, seeing man and other beings beneath her as little more than amusements to be killed when that amusement was at an end. With her divinity she became a terror upon the land, using her connection with the sun to bring draughts to the land, her wings with wind to crash ships into the banks of the Nile, and her claws to rip man and beast asunder. Truly her magic and power would be a problem, even for your modern DWMA, should she Awaken."

"As I said this was a time when we Anpu and our grand progenitor Anubis joined hands with those of humans to put an end to her nightmare. Three peerless members of the Aristocracy, gifted in the arts of Magic, Sorcery I believe you call it. All three were gifted with unique magics and had tools that were as powerful as they were dangerous. The eldest of the three, High Priest of Set, Thoth-hotep, had a cane that could imbue and enhance the magics of others, or the effects of...hmm... Sacred Relics... Demon Tools you call them?

Then there was High Priest of the dual god Aker, Seker, he was known beyond peerage for his assistance and construction of great works. His Gauntlets were blessed with the power of earth, able to move and reshape and till the lands, it demands much in the way of attention and affinity with the Earth Elements.

And lastly was the Sorceress of Rah, Nofret-Kau. She was a Priestess of Ra, having killed a great magical beast in the depths of the Nile, her necklace was able to absorb and store sunlight, turning it into mana that she could call upon by command, allowing her great use of magical power.

And there was a Fourth Relic. A book of the Dead. Entrusted to us, the Anpu. It contained means of banishing and moving souls, to form...hmm... contract. To shepard a soul to the afterlife, or to bind it in service for punishments for crimes, or for the needs of the Pharaoh. A True book of the dead. What he has is indeed a portion of it, but he lacks one final piece, sealed within the Tomb we have built for Meskhenet.

The battle was long and difficult, but with some sacrifices and the Tomb Guardians we recruited explicitly for this purpose, we were able to split her essence into three parts, a mound of stone for her body, a great flaming eye held within a golden harness, her Magic, and lastly her spirit did we bind split between the two and its open air, in sigils and hieroglyphics within her prison, within her tomb.

With her sealed it was agreed that the four relics would be sealed when each Priest left this world in a different location, lost to time. An event that would likely not come to pass for a thousand years. However, mortals, as plotting, short lived and cruel as you can be, were not happy with this arrangement and a great tyrant betrayed our pact. A Pharaoh, one whose name was removed from history, and his reign ended at the hands of invaders and rebellion, after he sowed Chaos upon the lands of Egypt and the deaths of many people and many beings such as ourselves..

We were forced to put all three relics in here, sealing them behind traps, and we buried the Temple and went into hiding, our numbers reduced. Unfortunately in this conflict we lost our book... And it seems your people rediscovered it. Now that all the relics have been rejoined and the Star Map solved, we have no choice but to reenact the wards or to destroy the beast, provided the false Pharaoh. Yet here I am, in a position where I must extend my hand, like my fathers before. When all of this is said and done, we shall have words to the final arrangements. That is the story as I have understood it and how it has been passed down to me.”

For her part Feng who was mostly content with staying shut up, squinted her eyes and blinked a few times, as if processing all that was said.

“Wait a second, how bad of news is she, how long will it take to undo this body, soul, magic shit and what of Ishmael and this other temple?”

“He is a powerful mage because of the items he holds, before this he was little more than an everyman. Someone set him upon this path and I know not who, nor how or why he had the book. As to that, a matter of minutes, fortunately the temple is not so easy to enter. We have time, but she must not be allowed to reach full power. She was akin to a god as you would put it, cost the union of man and the arcane, hundreds of lives, with the collateral in the thousands. It may be possible to defeat her with conventional means, but the act of sealing, or an act of banishment may be our only recourse.”

Gauss listened to this story, but his interpretation soured his perspective of these Anpu. Sure, humanity had betrayed them. Power corrupts, so it was no doubt of his that the power they held corrupted. In fact, Gauss wouldn’t have even defended humanity. The mistake here was that the Anpu didn’t just hand these objects over to the Lord Death.

Regardless of which Shinigami it was, each of them tended to collect powerful artifacts like this. Not for the sake of power, but for the sake of preventing them from falling into the hands of humanity. The Death Vault had gone through several iterations over the countless thousands of years, expanding in size and scope for this very reason. In fact, it wasn’t just a concern that these items would fall into the hands of men, but they’d probably be just as dangerous for Witches, too.

Really, it was all just plain dangerous. No one should have had it. Including the Anpu, even if they were sworn to guard it.

That opinion didn’t matter at the moment, though. In fact, it didn’t matter at all. Gauss didn’t intend on voicing it. No, instead, there was a real threat to deal with. Even without a threat, it was of no real benefit to make his argument anyway.

”It sounds like our best bet is to intercept as soon as possible,” Gauss replied, his tone resolute and straight-forward. ”I don’t doubt the DWMA or some government has some big-ass weapon that could kill this would-be God, but I’d rather solve the problem before it gets there,” Gauss added, having thought through the reality that a huge bomb or some nuke equivalent would be an option. Something he wasn’t sure if the Anpu were aware of; that type of destructive power must have far exceeded anything in their era.

”Which means this: lethal force is on the table, no hesitation,” Gauss said, though he doubted it would matter much for Feng or Aki. Wes, Noah, and Arky, though… that might be a problem. He considered, too, what it might do to Ark. Granted, even he hadn’t had to kill a human himself yet. ”I wouldn’t worry about collateral damage at this point; anything we do surely won’t compare to the bombs they’ll drop if we fail,” he added, though at this point, he cared much less about that. He only brought it up given how strict Moreau was with it earlier.

”...We weren’t going for that before?” Aki blurted out callously, having been silent for the most part throughout the entire exchange. She wasn’t good with these sorts of things, lots of details and context to keep track of. Rather, she absorbed only the highlights and simple points. Namely, a guy was stealing artifacts to bring back a sphinx. The sphinx was bad news. And this, a manhunt, she could and without the qualms that some of the others may hold in regard to slaying a man.

Her response did get a curious glance from the silent Earth mage.

As Gauss and the Anpu leader spoke, Wes listened, his expression growing more and more sour as the conversation continued. Not only because of the tale of this mad deity that Ishmeal was trying to free, but also at the declaration that they would be moving on with the intent to kill.
Wes didn’t share Aki’s opinion on taking the life of another person, as dangerous as they might have been. He didn’t know what kind of life she had led to speak so frankly on taking the life of another person, but it certainly wasn’t one he would wish for. It would have been easier for him had the source been some sort of monster, some corrupted soul that had grown too powerful and was causing havoc. He expected that going in, and the presence of the undead only made him more comfortable with the thought. That was familiar, it was what he and everyone in the DWMA learned and trained for. This was different.

Egotistical and cruel as he may have been, he was still just a regular human, those artifacts being the only reason he was any sort of threat. Knowing that, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to take the man’s life.

“Actually, I don’t have to do anything.” The thought came quickly, an ugly feeling welling up in his chest as his eyes roamed over the assembled group. “I could just stay back with Annika and let everyone else deal with this.”

He could, couldn’t he? As much as it would let down the rest of the group, he could claim that he wouldn’t be in the right mind to help. “I could just say that I can’t resonate with anyone, not with the way my head is now. I should just-“ A sharp stinging sensation broke him out of his thoughts, glancing down he found hands clenched, fingernails digging hard enough into his palms to draw a thin line of blood.

His partner was wounded, lives had been lost and the fate of thousands were at stake. The ugly feeling remained in his chest, but he quickly smothered it underneath a thick layer of disgust in himself.

“You said he was just a normal guy before this.” Wes asked the leader, before turning to Moreau, his face drawn downward in a deep scowl as he spoke.

“You knew him more than any of us. Did he seem the type of person who’d do something so cruel and dangerous?” There was a decent part of Wes that wanted for the man to deny the accusation, to tell the group that there was no way the man would have done this normally. Maybe even suggest that someone or something was messing with his head, and that he was being manipulated. At least then he’d be able to suggest taking Ishmael down without killing him.

“He does not believe that Meskhenet will mean as much harm, that he can harness her power himself. Someone filled his head with ideas on this place and cut him loose.” Seth says plainly with an indignant look to his face. “As to what he was before, your human friend may indeed know more. But now he is driven mad with power and glory, blind to any reality that he does not abide by. He conversed with us as much, then we spent this time fighting and putting to rest his undead horde, but could not challenge him directly, unless we abandoned all other missions.”

“Then we kill him if capture is not an option,” Ark stated grimly, having noted Wes’ general hesitancy and finally speaking up after being silent for so long.

Understanding the sentiment Wes held, he couldn't fault the Weapon. Aki's clear mindset that they were always going to kill Ishmael certainly wasn't something he had expected, but then again perhaps Hawaii had made him forget that the Asian duo were both the gray sides of life. “Seeing what he could do, I doubt I will be able to land anything truly effective with my magic. At best I will have to counter everything he does or can do with those gauntlets. You've seen what I can do with my gloves, if the necklace and cane are further boosting him” the mage made an expression as if it pained him to even consider it.

“Getting rid of Demon Tools is no easy task either,” he sighed, muttering more to himself.

Moreau had been silent, only whispering to Gauss to aid in translation the few times the Anpu didn’t speak English. However, he didn’t say anything. He knew the Anpu hated him. He was a tomb raider, why wouldn’t they hate him? He’s helped many archaeologists - in the eyes of the Anpu - defile their places of worship. While he didn’t like the Anpu either, his opinion of the jackal-headed bastards weren’t as negative as it was at the start of this mission. He looked at Wes when he asked about Ishmael, waiting for Seth and Ark to finish speaking before doing so himself.

“Look, I’m just the guy who protects the overly curious from getting killed from their curiosity. I didn’t know Ismael very well. He was a prodigy and an aspiring archaeologist under his professor, and had a thing for the occult. I wish I could say he’s a good guy, and he probably could have been, but humans can be easily corrupted, even if their souls don’t actually become corrupted in the way you agents are familiar with. Their morals can change in a matter of days under any number of circumstances. As for Ismael, he wanted to revive traditional Egyptian practices and magic and was in some circles that pursued that. Before all this, he was far more subdued in behavior and he was probably a lot more noble in intentions back then.” He paused, his lips pressing thinly.

“A man’s previous actions and behavior does not prevent them from receiving consequences due to the danger they pose now and the sins they’ve gathered recently. I don’t feel good about it either. He might think he can control the sphinx, but I’d rather not let others die because of a man’s blind ignorance. There is a saying: “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. In this case, it’s more of his ignorance and hubris that was conscientious to begin with before it evolved into something else. That man I saw on that throne was not the Ismael I saw back then, but a power-hungry monster in human skin willing to do anything and everything to gain more power and reclaim his birthright for being of distant Egyptian nobility. He won’t stop since he’s started, and a man with nothing to lose, especially after being locked away, is even more dangerous than a stupid one.” The last sentences had a touch of a growl to them, his face hardening.

Noah didn’t like having to kill a man either, but if it meant preventing the death of hundreds, he’d do it. He’d wish there would be some way to just lock the guy up forever, but men like him shouldn’t live, lest they just harmed more people to get back at the ones who took away their chance. Noah agreed with Moreau, though really wished Aki kept herself silent. Her opinions grated on his nerves and he didn’t want to be reminded how morally grey she and her partner were. But after this was all said and done, he wondered how the Anpu would take to the DWMA needing to take these artifacts… He hoped it wasn’t going to start something, but if the Anpu say their numbers are rather limited, he was sure they wouldn’t want to upset anyone who was stronger than them, but that also put them in a rather unfavorable position if there ever was a deal.

Still, he remained silent, wondering if he should help Wes by zapping him again. However, he didn’t want to prevent the poor guy from being able to process his emotions. The last thing he needed was for Wes to break down when he needed him most. So instead, he walked up to him. “Hey, we’re all in this together, right? I don’t like it either ‘n’ I know we’re in an even tougher spot cuz we’re weapons. But it’s not just yer burden ya ‘ave to shoulder on yer own, it’s the team’s burden, too, give or take a third.” He wryly smiled as he joked about Aki’s and Feng’s ability to kill a human. “If it helps, he’s like the Sorcerer version of a rogue Witch. Not a corrupted soul, but still just as dangerous as one ‘n’ will become an even greater threat if left to his own devices. So, ya with us?” Noah held out his hand for Wes to take. While Noah didn’t know Wes very well - only really meeting him on occasion when he and Gauss met Annika - Noah did feel like he understood Wes pretty well as they were both pretty similar.

For her part, Feng didn't say much for a long while before she patted Aki on the back and smiled. How they all were acting, had they never killed anyone before? Surely that Mage had, what with his background, but the idea of it seemed uncomfortable with the rest, even with Ark. What had happened to him? Or rather what happened to herself and Aki. Likely a part of her thought, they might have been the ones with the lightest souls, because the idea of killing Ismael didn't phase them at all. Was that how it worked? Still... "Hey! Don't worry about it, just leave the final bit to me and Aki. Anyways, we are going now, yeah?"

Feng Long - Seth
The Great Tomb of Meskhenet - Egypt
September - 20th​

Turning back to his natural form, the trip to the hidden temple was accomplished in short area, and surprisingly was hidden in the wastes north and east of Karnak, which incidentally was rather close to Qena. Though non-the-less well hidden. Under Mounds of sand and craigs of rock, the burial complex had remained hidden, long forgotten with not a clue it existed, short of it accidentally turning up on Radar or Thermals in the near or far future, provided one looked at the area by chance. And even if you found it the excavation effort would be immense.

Impossible to conceal, as the group traveled with the vehicles they had with them or acquired from Qena proper, Seth assured the group that the Anpu would be there, though it seemed that Gauss wished to consult with the DWMA and Magic Guild for a more long-term solution in dealing with these absurdly powerful and dangerous magic items and for the sealing if not destruction of Meskhenet. Which in turn was something Seth and his guard did not care to speak of in the here and now, more so with someone who's own measure of power and promises, was of a failed foot soldier being given another chance. In fact, Seth would have rather those more powerful potential reinforcements, but right now, short of putting faith in arial bombardments or nuclear weapons, the situation demanded an immediate reaction with what was on hand, for if they failed, it would lead to even greater tragedy than they knew.

All other problems could be delt with, if and when they won. Though from here own, Seth only had folklore to go off of, he had never seen the structure, no one had point of fact. Not in millennia. And now, well, as the arrived, it was open to all to see, partially at least, a pair of massive stairs leaning to a tunnel down below, with a step pyramid up above, obelisks ringed the site, though either partially buried, knocked over or standing proudly, a hoard of undead stood between them and the stairs, which glowed an aethereal blue, a number of statues stood, depicting the battle and a warning that was universal in its meaning, a skull marked and barred the way via the entryway.

Though, that would likely only encourage the cult of death. How ironic, Seth thought, that now, the forces of Death would work together, so that life and light could be preserved. "Keep moving! My people shall deal with this, breakthrough! I will come with you, I ask that no matter what, you keep your mage alive, we may have use of his services, depending on how far the False Pharoah has gotten! The question of what comes later can wait till later has arrived!"


Breaking through the enemy lines was a rather simple task as Gauss was not chained in here, and the structure they were heading into had plenty of space, it was akin to a football field sized dome, which he clarified even then would be a tight space should the Sphinx awaken. With most traps either set off beforehand or disarmed by the old man in the team, it all went quickly. Perhaps too quickly. And while they were making great time, Seth found his thoughts shifting back to his people, as the Green dressed woman gave him a smile and a thumbs up. "Relax! We got this! A few corpses won't stop you and DWMA help will be on the way!" Feng said with a smile as she looked down at Feng and Wes, holding them, or in the later, strapping them to her arms.

'We got this, also sorry Wes, you can disconnect when me and Aki go to do the deed. Don't feel bad about it.'

It was then that they finally reached the end and seen a giant statue that only Seth expected to find, this was no Sphinx of Giza, not a lion with a human head, it was akin to a centaur. With the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk and the upper portions of a woman, with arms of feather and fur, she held a mighty staff with a trident style head, washed out in grey, she stood at least twenty feet into the sky, to say she was massive would be an understatement, equal to a modern tank, helicopter or fighter aircraft, but more importantly was the overwhelmingly dominate spiritual presence which lingered in the air, and the ball of Mana was oppressive, the fiery mass of fury and anger was about three times her own size, kissing the roof of the dome almost as various glyphs and enchantments warded her in place. To say it was akin to a nuclear reactor in some regards would not be an understatement, though maybe only known to Gauss, there was an oddity in the ball of fire, a dark tinge, it was what Dani had seen, provided he was even included on those details.

​

The statue was stuck in what seemed to be in the middle of combat, as it looked down upon the entrance with an arrogant air, meanwhile the target they were here for was busy within a bubble of energy as he shouted back with an angry scowl to his face, "I've no time for the likes of you! Pathetic insects!" A pause followed as he narrowed his sight upon Seth, before running a hand under his chin. "..."

​

"You, now, you I have use for, its so tiring breaking these wards one by one, share with me the secrets of breaking this so I may hold that power and I'll allow your people to serve at my right hand. We are a generous God. The DWMA will only invite more betrayal and death upon your people."

"I think not. Though the later may be true, you know not what you do. I will attempt to mend the wards, you must deal with him, be careful, all of the relics were never meant to be in the hands of one, yet..." As Seth's vision darted about, it seemed that one part of the puzzle was still missing. Or was it? Feng for her part waited for orders from Gauss as she smiled thinly, she would kill the bastard this time.

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

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - LA - Venus Lounge
​

With the interrogation out of the way, Nadia went to the armory where the rest were getting ready. This was a gift that would likely have a price later, she did not want to borrow more from these people as needed. For now both sides were conducting a transaction towards both of their benefits, but that could easily get out of hand. Fundamentally it was this or risk running into those Templars for answers, Knights, Order, whatever moniker they wished to use. And it was a case-by-case process on how they woul react to her team, which by their own dogma seen not a single one of them as human. Or it was trusting a bunch of corrupt businessmen, who clearly were running a criminal enterprise in the dark. The later however had a working relationship with the DWMA and their actions could be somewhat predicted, based on the fact their situation was born from profit margins rather than ideology.

Looking at the equipment on hand and the expectations of what they had to do, she openly remarks. "Better the devil you know, than the one you don't... Don't be too greedy with these gifts." Looking at what all Adrian had collected for herself and Dani, she gives an appreciative nod towards him and speaks. "Hmm, you did well Adrian, though there are a few more things I, or rather we must do." Waving Dani over once she collected what was of interest to her, Nadia started selecting a bodysuit for herself, a problem given her height, but she was able to segment it with mesh material at her articulation points, and armor over the important ones, largely blue in color, she also grabbed some straps to secure the knives to her thighs and nodded Dani over to help fit her and to undress in semi privacy, Dani would get the same attention of course, had she picked a suit. With tightness around her assets, the ice giant descendant, was not too thrilled about this. "We'll return these when we are done, unless it really proves itself, I don't much like the fit. Going to wear my clothes over it too. Double up the protection as we'll be in the vanguard."

With that said and waiting on a reply from Dani, she started strapping on the other knives and putting her clothing on over it, before stepping out and saying. "As soon as you are done we head out, take what you need, we aren't coming back unless we must. I aim to carry out a continuous assault based off what we learn, we shall not give this cult a single break to cope with our and the Order's actions."

Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (Adrian) Merciless Medic (Sara - Raph) The Regal Rper Chibistaryuu (Noise)

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Maentwrog, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

A new lesson was about to be learned in the long line of lessons being taught in this unorthodox mission. Between the language barriers and bickering between Maria and Kisei, these lessons were merely another source of potential frustration. It was possible to see the interactions with the remnants of the Fae world to be a glimpse into the past. Magic itself was once viewed in a similar muddled, confusing light as the Fae. Then again, jumping through these seemingly senseless hoops could grate on anyone, and the group had only started.

Worse was that even if one wanted to side with Kisei or Maria, neither of them were really right and no one had any way to know that. Maria likely knew more about the human world than she did her own and Kisei only knew generalities. Worse, the Hoshi tended to use very charged statements that only made the discussion worse at times. While there was truth to what he said, they were true oversimplifications. For example, the fact that humanity only recently gained truly destructive power in the last century or two. Witches had it through magic for thousands of years. Or, oddly, the fact that the vast majority of the Witch version of the African continent was primarily taken over by insectoid Witches. A testament to how effective the system of an authoritarian matriarchal rule was; not only did it technically describe all of Witchkind, there was a damn isolated continent that essentially evolved that way.

The problem became that the discussion was one of two-sided ignorance. Neither of them were really historians of the Witch Realm and fundamentally it was a pointless series of smaller arguments going over arbitrary topics that were only related indirectly. The ideas of tyranny, mutually assured destruction, a global culture and government, so on and so forth, those were the real topics.

In the end, the bickering didn't matter and the instructions given didn't lead to the summoning of these water spirits. Not by any fault from the Monster Cat that gave them, but more so the practicality of the requirements. A bell made of iron to ring would need to be huge, for one. It was far more likely that the group would find a salesmen willing to sell a dull or plated brass bell, then pass it off. Had they a magnet or equally frustrating Meister with the magnetic wavelength, they could have easily determined this was in fact not true iron. It did not ring out like iron. It was wholly different. And, for that reason, it did not cause the jarring, painful sensation that would get the attention of the water spirits they needed.

It did, however, get the attention of another inhabitant of the forest.

"What," it asked in a high pitch, annoyed tone, "in the seven Hells are you doing?"

It was an ugly little creature. Black, coarse fur with an unequal sheen to it. Long ears, bright yellow eyes, whiskers protruding from under its triangular nose. It appeared like some type of odd mix of elder rabbit, small money, and decrepit feline. Hunched over in one of the thin, half-mature trees behind them, the creature could have only been two foot tall, give or take. Double, perhaps if it stood. It was hard to make out any more of details given that it remained in the shadows.

It was clearly not there before.

Worse, much like the Monster Cat, this creature would entice those feral instincts inside of Wren. If it were a beast, its role would have been prey and she the predator.

It's tone, however, demonstrated it didn't give a damn about the natural order.

It's soul was confusing, somehow obfuscated. Realistically, it was more like Stein had told Elly; if you didn't train your eyes to look at the right thing, it wouldn't see them as well. Elly might have been able to slowly tune her eyes from magic to the weird Fae energy known as the Green and eventually the soul of a Fae creature, but the others would have taken more time and training to make this out. Wren might not have seen that soul clearly, but she could certainly feel the aura coming off of it. Kisei and Zosar were truly the ones hampered most by their lack of an ability to clearly see a Fae Soul. As for Maria, all she might determine is that it had no mana like hers, yet some energy that also wasn't spiritual.

Crazy little creatures that defied all logic.

"Why in the name of Oberon would you ring that foul bell near the home of the Ceffyl Dŵr?" it asked, scrutinizing them further. It's demeanor in how it spoke and carried itself resembled closest a school teacher scolding them with its high pitch and sharp tongue, long arm swinging at them and through the air as if it were painting this entire event a display of stupidity.

"You should count yourself lucky that it of mixed metals," it told them, though its own frustration and disgust prevented it from going on. It sentence stopped somewhat incomplete, as if there were more, but it did not continue to berate them. Instead, it bit its tongue and challenged its temper. It had to remember, after all, that humans who knew to ring an iron bell near where the few Fae in this world remained could be quite dangerous.

Or, just... quite stupid. It was hard to tell over the last century with the invention of the internet.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location The Great Tomb of Meskhenet, Egypt
Mission TBD
Status Focused

​

Tags: Merciless Medic Peckinou EmperorsChosen Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

"Ark, confine that annoying fuck," Gauss commanded, giving a simple yet important set of instructions to the mage. The strategy the Meister had in mind was simple, and if it didn't work, it would at least make for an effective opening scene to the fight.

As Gauss saw it, finishing this fight as fast as possible was the actual objective. They needed lethality and they needed it quick. Ark could either restrain or slow down the cocky prick. Gauss had no idea what Seth could do, but he assumed he would do what he could. In reality, it came down to himself and Feng. Gauss had Noah and Arky. Lightning and fire. In this situation, fire might have been more destructive, but it could become a double-edged sword and it was far slower. Feng had Aki with powerful ranged attacks and Wes that provided a significant boost in power no matter what. The strategy coming together was simple indeed...

Blitzkrieg.

"Feng, unload after my attack hits assuming it does. The goal is to rain down death--plain and simple," he told her, leaving the instructions intentionally vague. How she chose to attack was up to her. If she wanted to use Chain Resonance with Wes, up to her. If she wanted to try an amplify a single powerful shot through Aki, up to her. Ordering out structured attacks here would only slow down their execution. Attacking in tandem and relying on their individual skills to weave together was a risk, but the payoff was worth it in his mind.

Gauss extended out his hand and two fingers, using them to twirl Noah just once before he began to spin at the tip of the extended fingers. It was a smooth transition at this point that had been practiced time and time again until it looked natural, despite how truly unnatural it actually was. Arkayis was extended out to the side behind him, held in his left hand with his blade facing outward and towards the ground, the shaft of his scythe form running up Gauss' bicep and forward, just out of the way enough it wouldn't clash with Noah while spinning.

The wavelength Gauss poured into Noah was unreasonably strong. Far greater than what was normally provided, more than they could normally keep stable. There was a reason for that.

'Arkayis... I don't know if Noah has told you this story...'

'...but we once had a small tournament where we fought Witches and Sorcerers in the program.'​

'We hadn't perfected resonance by that time, yet we tried it anyway.'

'...you see, Arkayis. I have a sister. We used to be close, and I miss her...'​

'...but she hates me. No matter what I do, I can't earn her forgiveness.'​

'In that tournament, I asked Noah to do something stupid and reckless so we could beat this annoying little Witch-bitch.'

'I thought if I could do just one thing right, it would help.'​

'It backfired. I was electrocuted.'​

'And, now I'm going to ask you to do something reckless. I think we have the skill, we just need to want it bad enough.'

'I am giving Noah twice the amount of energy I know we can use, even at our best.'​

'I want you to amplify the half he can't and give it to him right before we unleash our attack.'​

There was truth in every word Gauss offered his partner and Noah could have heard it, too. It was the same type of conversation the Meister had when Prudence was still in their trio. It was the same tone. It was the same type of request. Stupid, sure. Something they hadn't succeeded with before? Certainly. In many ways, this request echoed that exact event from their past. That magnetic pull, that charisma Gauss had, his odd ability to pull things together in a clutch moment like this. It was all here.

More so, it was possible. In a trio like theirs, one Demon Weapon could help amplify the wavelength of the Meister. More volume, more intensity, more power. It was obvious what Gauss was after. And, at the very least, he wasn't asking for something completely ridiculous. Masters of this fighting style, like the Rungs or even a Stein, could have one weapon amplify a wavelength then another amplify it again. That was far more powerful. Gauss had taught them about just how powerful trios and Utility Meisters could become. In fact, Feng had all that same potential.

Thing was, Feng wasn't asking her partner to try something new. She wasn't asking for some skill they hadn't tested. Even if she was, Wes was gifted with this sort've thing. Arkayis, due years as a Bond duo, was stunted with this skill. There was a lot on the line with this request.

All that radiated from Gauss through his words and with this request was a nearly-blind faith. He believed Arkayis had came far enough he could manage to help Noah. He and Arkayis could after all resonate fine and go as far as a Weapon Amplification form. It wasn't as if they were new to this, like Gauss and Noah were back then... it wasn't entirely crazy to believe they could do it. Gauss didn't make an argument to Noah about it. He didn't try to convince his partner. Gauss was certain Arkayis could in fact do this, and he hoped Noah could see that certainty, too.

What Noah would need to do is focus on harnessing that much power.


*Note: Dialogue with " are out loud. Dialogue with ' are in the soul space.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Hancock Park, Koreatown, Los Angeles, CA​

As Nadia would soon learn, her contact Cornelius was both incredibly professional and incredibly demanding. Charles made it sound like they would have some inconspicuous meet-up in this Hancock Park. That was fairly far from the truth. Hancock Park wasn't the type of location denizens of the city would visit to jog, let their children play, walk their dog, or taste nature. No, it was instead a testament to the arrogance of man: a massive piece of the city carved out and over-developed so that the affluent could feel slightly more in touch with nature, or just flaunt their wealth. What the group would be doing instead was meeting in highly specific locations just east of Hancock Park.

Nadia and Dani would be meeting Cornelius directly in a health food shop that specialized in fancy lemonades just on North Larchmont Boulevard.

Raphael and Adrian would be a fair ways south on the corner of that same street and Beverly Boulevard, taking up space at ice cream shop.

Sara and Noise would be just slightly Northeast at a small burger joint on North Gower and Melrose Avenue.

And, why must the group be separated out? Well, it was actually fairly forward. The group had made their faces known to the cultists and those few that escaped had a few blurry snapped pictures. This type of information sharing was part of what apparently made the cultists so hard to track. The three locations that Cornelius chose had been scouted already, confirmed not to be converts of the cultists. They could at least be on standby at them. More so, Cornelius had his own team, and his currently-unidentified teammates would be at each location ready to meet with the other pairs.

On one hand, separating out the team was dangerous and in the wrong circumstance could easily be a trap. On the other hand, every bit of logic Cornelius had provided via text made perfect sense. Not only was logical, it was well beyond the competency displayed by the DWMA, let alone the F.A.T.E. Program. Each location had been cased, chances of being spotted were low, intel on how the target operated was present, and the team at least was only minimally split. There were six of them and it wasn't as if the six of them were inconspicuous to begin with. Worse, even if the group utilized some form of Soul Suppression, none were talented enough at it not to be caught. Six souls like theirs--especially that of Dani--were a dead giveaway. Splitting them up made their spiritual pressure dramatically lower.

Should Nadia have allowed the duos to split up and them to go to the locations provided, they would at least found the exact establishments promised by Cornelius and their smartphones:

The ice cream shop was one of those extremely vintage-themed shops. It did in fact appear like a parlor right out of the fifties. It would have a half-decent place to take Dani out on a date had Adrian not been paired with Raphael. That all said, this particular type of aesthetic was extremely clean and well done. Most of the surfaces and walls coated with bright pastel colors, leather-cushioned stools and seats of sparking red, tables of dense hardwood, the black and white checkboard floor, and of course, the red race car accents around the ice cream bar. The only real downside to this place was that it was quite true to the vintage vibe... it only had a small selection of flavors, though it did have old-fashioned floats and sodas made at the counter.

As for Sara and Noise, their location was less thematic, but what it lacked in the realm of a strong image, it made up for in the amazing scents that permeated the air. High quality beef, eggs, cheese of all sorts, various types of breads some of which were made by local bakeries, all cooked on screaming hot griddles that gave a perfect sear to the hamburgers. All of it with an assortment of high quality toppings and sauces, a whole menu of unique items that all sounded delicious. The booths and tables weren't as fancy, it only had Pepsi products alongside the basic amenities, and sides were pretty limited, but those burgers and the scene of the eating area alone might have made the trip worth it for a proper gourmand.

Of course, whoever was intended to meet them from Cornelius would have been hidden in the crowd, not an off soul in site.

The same would have went for Nadia and Dani. The difference being that their lemonade shop had numbered tables and Cornelius instructed them to sit at table six, which itself was a large booth more than a table along the wall with the light coming right in... on someone already sitting.

"Hmm, I'm curious," said the man sitting at the table, "I can run from Malibu to LA in less than hour... can you?" He sat down his phone, face down, and let his eyes dart over to Nadia and Dani as they entered. Cold and grey-blue, almost. Steeled, much Nadia's, though by his somewhat boastful inquiry, he didn't seem quite as harsh. His soul was bright and blue, completely human, though it seemed more the strength of a civilian than an agent like them. It was an easy thing to tell, lest he was suppressing it. Either way, it was safe to assume this was their Cornelius.

Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Chibistaryuu

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Gweynedd, Wales

The bickering was starting to become slightly annoying, and the realization that Gauss might have been useful here occured only as they were making headway to retrieve the bell.

He wasn't entirely sure how his power worked, would need more time to properly analyze it outside of one short fight, but he was pretty sure the guy could have been extremely useful with his abilities in this exact moment.

So the ringing happened and it was not doing a thing and just as he was about to make a comment, they all got interrupted by the new additional voice.

For his part, Zosar tried to see through the shadows at the talking tiny creature as he took caution of Wren's once again, subtle mental irritation.

The bonus having resonated with her so successfully also made it far easier in the now to pick up the slight shifts in her mood.

"If I may," before the others could really speak, "apologize for that. No idea that was more discomforting for you than it was us.

"Zosar," he provided after only a second of pause, "and I'm sorry but did you...say" it was a faint little laugh, "going to butcher this, pardon, but did you say Ceffyl Dŵr?" And then he pressed further, speaking only a little bit faster. "And that we are near this person's home?"

"It just so happens we actually are looking for someone, perhaps you could aid us and give us lost travellers the directions as to where exactly, unless that name is neutral-- her, home is?"

Moving slightly away from the Bell as he spoke but not leaving the vicinity of the others either.

The thought occured to him to hit the bell again, if their new associate tried to make a run for it or do anything that might deprive them of this chance.

He wouldn't of course. Not yet at least. It was a wait to see if their new friend would speak or the others might add in.

Mentioning the Hag itself might be the wrong move. With how the creature spoke, it sounded almost like a warning to them about using that bell. Wren hadn't seemed bothered by it, and given he was still a novice to magic to some degree, enough to sense it, but not able to sense whatever this being was it was safe to say they knew more about things around here, like how that bell might actually work for instance. It might not also be for the case of the Hag, this new acquaintance could have been some entirely different kind of Monster or Magical Creature but first it required seeing how they responded to the question of the aforementioned name. After all even if it was unrelated, there could be a possibility they might get answers from whoever lived around here. Better than the bickering and running around trying to get clear answers.

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Interactions: Haze- Sir Les Paul

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

Listening to her teammates and the curious creature, Maria mostly keeps silent till Zosar spoke up. Studying the monkey, or lemur like creature, the man was dropping to little in the ways of details, the Ceffyl Dŵr she assumed to be a beast in the area, if not what, ah, it was that. Holding a hand up she spoke, "The Ceffyl Dŵr is what I theorized to be a Kelpie. I know enough of the regional folklore to answer this." Turning her attention in kind to the stare at the Fae, it held power, magic of a sort but unlike her own.

"We wished to parlay with the Ceffyl Dŵr for information, having brought an offering, mayhap you hold the answers we seek and would do a trade with us in kind? We seek the Hag of this Valley in hopes of striking a barter to reclaim an item that was stolen from the people who we represent, said theif then traded it off to the Hag. Might you give us your name or hers at least? A Monster Cat provided us the information to come here, though I well know the dangers of the Ceffyl Dŵr, the simple fact is we have no other leads to follow up on."

Giving this was of explanation, Maria waited to see if there would be an answer or others adding their own words to the present happenings.

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