Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[Merciless Medic]

Sara Middleton​

Date: September 27, 2067
Location: The Derelict Mansion, Liberec Region, Czech Republic
Interactions: Dante, Elly, Kisei, Zosar, Wren
Mentions: N/A
Pumpkid EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Haze- RedArmyShogun

It’s over…

It’s over…

And still, why did Sara feel so… off? Was killing him not enough?

She had landed on the other side of the jianghsi after her attack, her body slumped to her knees, hands clutching to Dante so hard her knuckles turned white and her nails threatened to break her skin, even through her gloves. With a shudder, she reluctantly relinquished Dante, setting his weapon form upright. She heard the words Kisei and Elly spoke, and since Dante was going to get the Baroness’s soul, she wanted him to get it.

“Go ahead… Just… give me a few…” She muttered breathlessly, letting Dante go to take the soul. “Hug it and absorb it into your body… That’s how you get the most amount of information.” She explained what little she knew of soul absorption from weapons she’s had in the past, before trying to take her reprieve. Fighting that madness took a lot out of her, and her soul shifted almost unpleasantly from the lack of its enticing stimulation.

With a deep and heavy breath, she got the strength to stand, scratching the back of her head and rubbing her temples as she began to speak. “I think it’s high time I learn calm sealing… But I dunno how to do that given my unique soul thing…” She said it to possibly spark conversation about it, but they also had a mission to do, hence her rather quiet voice. Granted, she also had to wait for Dante and Wren to get the souls and relay any possible information, so she thought they had time.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Czech Republic

‘ Talk about a close call.’

The jiangshi had been one second away from the next pulse that would have given birth to a true madness episode in everyone here. He could feel it, so it was good fortune that they'd all been able to land decisive blows that put an end to the fight before that pulse could happen.

Sara had been barely holding the reins back and Wren’s wavelength had a notable shift in pattern. Another pulse would have made real trouble. And they had come close, but Zosar let it pass, with more important things to consider like the next steps to take with this mission and the security of the others.

The decision that Dante and Wren would get the defeated souls, honestly satisfied Zosar. Though whatever Wren was to experience upon consuming the soul was going to be something else given she would also be getting the last vestiges of Brother Lee’s final moments facing them as well. Jarring, from his experience with partners but not something he felt a reason to worry about with Wren.

He was sure the young witch would make an appearance soon with Elly’s earlier call. Until then though he wanted to check up on the rest while there was time. It wasn't necessary, but it was ingrained behavior from mercenary days bygone. So when he checked on Elly briefly to see how she had fared, it was no surprise as she was feeling positive now that the enemy was gone, albeit with a degree of perkiness he found mildly peculiar but did not comment on. Instead turning his attention to Sara, observing her status as she slowly rose to her feet, reeling her emotions back in and pulling the bloodlust back in return.

Deciding to give her some space as she collected herself, Zosar turned inwards to Wren.

‘ You did good Wren, I'm proud of you. Now, go get that prize, you earned it. Along with that future meal once we get settled after the mission's over.’ The bit of encouragement here at least to help strengthen her mental state and help in its own way, get her to retain stability of that pattern he was feeling had been knocked slightly askew. ‘ Take a second before you go, to ease those nerves first’, he tacked on as minor advice, whether she realized it or not, having his soul perception active made him equally more sensitive to her emotional state. It wasn't hard for him to pick up any of the lingering jitters from that Madness pulse.

It was as he told Wren this in their link however he also tuned in to hear Sara speaking. Most of it didn't get any response out of him, given time fluctuated differently, whatever response Wren gave Zosar would have heard it and had time to reply equally back in turn before Sara finished addressing Dante about retrieving the Baroness' soul. What drew the ex-mercenary’s attention was really what Sara had said about her soul.

“Wait now hold on a second.” Wren might have mixed Zosar’s minor outburst for a demand from him that she pause her consumption, or perhaps even Dante may have mixed up his statement as a declaration he wait, but when the Meister had spoken it was while looking at Sara with perplexed curiosity. Lips pressed into a thin line, eyes squinting at her, brows adding to the expression of scrutiny. He was staring hard, right at her as if he was trying to figure out something beyond his comprehension. He leaned forward slightly, trying to see this ‘unique’ trait Sara spoke of and found all he saw of her soul was the state it always had presented itself as on first inspection by any Ocular user. It merely was the same green tint of werewolf ears sticking out and her general emotional state that caused the soul to pulse. There was nothing about her wavelength he detected like Elly’s or Gauss or Nadia or Annika that was unique.

Maybe it was the pattern? He gave it a few seconds of observation.

He couldn't see what she was saying, and given they were on a time limit before the young witch showed up and both Dante and Wren had souls to consume, Zosar considered dropping this whole topic till after the mission was over as he leaned back to stand straight once more.

Nah, he decided. This needed addressing now. If Sara had developed something related to her madness or discovered something about herself that could be important it was better he, and by extension, the team, knew about it sooner than later so if necessary it could be factored in as they progressed the mission. They still had people to retrieve and possibly, more powerful enemies.

“ Watchu mean bout this ‘unique soul thing’, baybe?” His whole tone becoming flat and even the accent slipping into a pinch of total slang. A touch of concern in the ‘baybe’, whether he realized it or not.

Then he spoke far lower as he leaned down to look Sara in the eye once close. “ Do I need to be worried about you and Dante right now? Seriously, be straight wif me gurl. The gem is on my list already,” and that was a strict reference to Wren, whether she realized it or not, “ and I know Elly and Kisei know shit I won't cus that's their job as the leads, but if there's something that will help me help you both, tell me if it's important. Unless you'd rather talk about this some other time and it's not as big a deal as my worrisome ass is thinking.” Putting it all out there that he was also giving her an out if she wanted it, if this was in fact no big deal.

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul Pumpkid Haze-

Interactions: Merciless Medic

 

[RedArmyShogun]

The Missing of the Giant Mountains
Investigative Mission
Date: 09/27/67
Location: The Derelict Mansion - Liberec Region - Czech Republic
​

As the headless corpses settled a loud crashing could be heard from the Kitchen as the two bloodsuckers recovered, with distant murmurs about how even they were almost lost to the madness pulses of Brother Lee, and upon being called for the young witch would be proceeded by an observation orb at the stairs, showing she indeed had been watching and would be there momentarily as the weapons after conversing with each meister would go off to claim the souls left for them by Elly. Calm came over the mansion, even as blood pooled at the body of the Baroness and a black ichor from beneath Brother Lee.

The stand-in for a haunted house was in bad need for a cleaning, and as she approached down the stairs the Witch winced slightly upon seeing the headless baroness and the landing being covered in blood, that she simply stood where she was on the steps, not wanting to walk through it and seemingly being a bit Squamish about the whole situation.

"I know well enough where he is, but time is of the essence, it is roughly twenty minutes by car, a castle of note, I know not much about the structure than the glimpses I caught in the brief visits I had there. I only know about his general plan. I doubt anyone alive here knew more than those two. Maybe a regional head would have more information?" The small witch offers up as she turned her attention to anywhere but the body below her. She could not complain about the mess they had left, but it was well enough they wanted to had her off to the witch realm, it would be some time till she would be comfortable sleeping in here again.

As Elly gave her instructions to Dante and Wren, there as a foreboding air about the corrupted souls, that of the Jiangshi was far more corrupted and monstrous, while the baroness stunk of desperation, provided a soul could even visualize a quality or smell. Both were far from innocent.

Following the instructions of Sara and Zosar the weapons would be met with what seemed to be an overwhelming number of memories, notions, ideals and key moments of their lives, which were far beyond those of any other in this Mansion. Fortunately, with the way a soul space worked and the process of the weapon's eating of the soul made the situation a flash allowing them to speed past.

For Wren ( Haze- ) the memories of Brother Lee were an exercise in brutality, one of the first weapons to come into existence over 800 years ago, a simple farmer hand who found his unique ability and deployed it ruthlessly, who had meisters but rarely and trained himself to the limits. Around the age of 50 and having become slower in his older years, the Weapon would take upon himself the curse of the Jiangshi, working for triads and forces far worse, he was an assassin that slew hundreds if not more over those years. Weapons, Meisters, Civilians, even wearing the Icon of Death upon his person. The memories were akin to a blur, so much death, so many innocents, so many boring jobs, but gradually the price of becoming this type of undead would plague him, the jobs less frequent, the hibernation periods longer as the seal on his forehead degraded.

Things would continue without any notable differences, so much as a feeling of hatred and annoyance, of an unending hunger would grip hold of the soul and memories, till one day a handsome man with slick blackish purple hair, grey skin and yellow eyes that burned like the sun made himself known to Brother Lee, showing him a hope for tomorrow and restoring his talisman with the help of Chinese Sorcerers in exchange for service. Over the course of this, it seemed not even Brother Lee had a full scope of what he was doing, but aid in the kidnapping of what seemed to be a witch or sorceress that had a heavy rebreather and an assortment of mechanical prosthetics, seemingly having survived something terrible, or to have imposed mechanization upon herself. Glimpses of a dungeon, like those of the Middle Ages would slip in, the woman would show up time to time, scientific equipment and arcane items dotted the halls, as did glass tubes that contained tissue samples or even bodies with a green fluid. And most importantly, prison cells in which the black-haired man would question or prepare different things in regard to turning some of them, and others, were not so fortunate. But it seemed Brother Lee does not have a deeper understanding of it, just a burning loyalty to the black-haired man. Then the Baroness entered his memories, having failed at the unknown task in Romania he would watch her like a hawk, always ready to kill her for the slightest slipup. It then turned to fighting the other team and besting them with the aid of the others, while the mountain climber male was a bit injured all four had been taken alive.

Then things came full circle here, though one thing also came clear in the imprint of the soul. He fully had some idea of what the witch had done here and had planned to kill her once the DWMA trash was handled. Betrayal of the Master was punishable by death, no matter her worth with her magics.

Spoiler: Those seen by Wren

Down the hall, or foyer and very much closer to the Witch, Dante ( Pumpkid ) would walk to the body whose head watched her body, a vacant stare that had a look of resignation, neither terror nor peace, just a simple acceptance that cursed all behind the clouded eyes of death. Upon doing much like Wren, Dante would be hit and hit hard by the sheer volume of memories. If Brother Lee was old, then Baroness Calinescu was ancient.

Her first memories were of being in the Aristocracy in what today is Moldova, then part of the holdings of Wallachia and The Dracula drabbed in armor with a regal crown the King of Vampires would set about turning the other nobles into the undead he would become, blessed to ride alongside him in his attempts to Destroy the Ottomans and Catholic Church and its Forces, as well as infamous vampire hunting families that stood up to stop him, as well as the damnable DWMA. Years would pass with the Dark Lord seemingly being defeated and the Baroness surviving with deception, traps or even fleeing. She was shown to be strong in the Bloodsucker arts of magic and in the mental domination that her undead form allowed her, but as a constant point of irritation and eventually depression she would never match any of her peers, the first foundlings in Romania, she as a High Vampire would never be as powerful as the rest, being called The Weakest of the High Vampires, point of fact as a title that would never leave her.

While it did not excuse her actions over the centuries it did serve as the fuel to her cruelty. What served as the trigger was the true and final death of Dracula, the one man she loyally served and respected as Sovereign by all measures of the word. The forces of Wallachia were smashed, scattered, the undead hunted, only the cleverest of their number surviving or the suavest of the lot would survive the failed war against mankind.

Devastated by this the mind of the Baroness would spend the next several centuries in a state of hibernation with awakenings to take blood from the living and to enjoy what she seen as her rightful place as the rightful ruler of the human cattle, curiously she never seemed to cope. Never seemed to learn, would be found out, kill or escape her way into hiding, lay low for a bit then repeat the same story over again, enjoying all manner of debaucherous pleasures and becoming akin to an immortal noble who had to up the bar or retreat into old cruelties and domination to briefly satisfy herself.

By all accounts little more than a despot who kept making the same mistakes and getting lucky, repeating this tale throughout history in Central and Eastern Europe, even brief glimpses of performing favors for the Secret Police of authoritarian regimes in exchange for a town or castle to rule over, and eventually needing to flee said governments eventual collapse. Till of course she wasn't lucky any longer, then the whole ride came to an abrupt and deadly end.

Finally reaching her most recent memories, there would be three segments that stuck out a lot. Having need of an overlord or security and funding to feed her habits, which at times would put even the Hedonist Gauss to shame, she would come upon another survivor from that time who at least superficially was bowing down to the Monster Accords with the DWMA, but in private was anything but. A man of black hair with a purple hue, grey skin and piercing yellow eyes, the name was never spoken by the figure but was said by her often in reverence born from desperation and true to the words of the Witch earlier that day; Duke Richter Von Kleist. There was a bit more detail but it was still limited. She would be tasked with enthralling large numbers of civilians in areas where they would not be missed and supplying them to the Duke and his Castle, a gothic-like structure that was old as he by any likely accounting.

Their were seemingly a number of places she did this, but Romania is where she went too far and ran across the team Elly was on, a distinct memory was there of using her body double for the last 100 years to cover for her after she shit talked said team and immediately fled while they were distracted, leaving her enthralled backwater villagers to dispose of the threat. A prospect she never considered to actually win. Next came the anger and ire of the Duke who berated her and set Brother Lee upon her, with the demand she cleans up the mess she stated as now the DWMA would be sure to arrive, that she was disrupting and putting at risk a plan 200 years in the making, one that promised to save their people. But even she knew little of it, other than it seemed the Baron had the blood supply to keep up the lesser bloodsuckers he had turned from her work over the past two or three years.

Then there was little else but terror, fear and wanting to escape the situation she was now in and knowing she did not have the strength to do so. A bit of confidence entered her after she got two of the DWMA agents to submit for the offer of power from the Duke, to how easily the mountain pair had stumbled and the machinations she used to trick another too nosey of a witch to the castle itself. Two white haired blood suckers featured promptly in this vision, both female with one always by the Duke and another at what had to be the dungeon entrance. Curiously more than a bit of the interior was a glossy black. Then came the memory of her death, which was internal hysterics, fear and finally resignation.

Spoiler: Images seen by Dante (duke in the above included)

Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Elly) Sir Les Paul (Kisei) Merciless Medic (Sara) Pumpkid (Dante) The Regal Rper (Zosar) Haze- (Wren)[/scroll]

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Kisei☆Hoshi​

Deadsoul​

Species Death Golem
Partner Eloise Keegan
Rank Two-Star

Location The derelict Mansion, Liberec Region, Czech Republic
Mission The Missing of the Giant Mountains
Status Focused, sympathetic

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Haze- Merciless Medic Pumpkid

At the gesture to transform, Kisei did. The situation seemed secure enough and the young Witch–a being foremost concerned about her own self-preservation–found it appropriate to step out. He didn't consider an urgent need to remain weaponized for the moment. Besides, the little Witch might just be open to discussion with Elly not wielding a blade in her hand.

His attention turned to his allies. Wren and Dante were assigned the souls. Not exactly meritocratic given Elly and Kisei essentially killed the Baroness by themselves, but his experience in the field made him well-aware of questioning the sharing of spoils. Especially given that they may have a whole second act to this mission. Besides those points, Kisei was already a Death Scythe. More souls would invariably make him stronger, but he had no new height to reach. They still did.

Kisei approached Sara and Zosar, the couple of the moment it seemed, and gently rested his hand on each of their respective shoulders. With this, he extended his Calm Seal onto each of them. A sensation Zosar knew of, but had yet to master. Kisei had started his training alongside Wren, but it took time. Normally, a lot of time. Still, the techniques for self-calming it taught could be useful. If Wren were wise, she would in fact try to silence her mind before consuming that soul. Kisei considered offering the advice, but hoped to perhaps save the sinking ship of his friend while calming the other. His application of a Calm Seal to Zosar did little to nothing, but for Sara, it nigh-instant relief. The small smudge of Madness on her soul and feral pull were washed away so long as he held contact. Of course, only because there was no longer an active instigator for either.

With a slightly condescending eye, Kisei looked to Zosar and commented, "you do lay it on a little thick, you know," he told him, more teasing than accusatory.

Then back to Sara, offering her a soft smile and a quick explanation. "I wouldn't think Calm training would be much different with your soul. Even if someday you are cured and must adjust your seal, the basic skills you learn would still be valuable," Kisei told her, offering his insight given his strength in the skill. "Once we return to the DWMA, you can have a full assessment by Agent Tanaka. I would suggest joining in on training sessions, but smaller groups are better. The fewer distractions, the better. If you can get carrot-top to agree, though, I wouldn't mind offering you training on separate days," he suggested, though more of an offer at the end.

"I won't be sharing your other situation, though; you can choose when and how to do that yourself," Kisei said, capping off his quick bit of input. He only knew of her spiritual situation from her dossier and his own speculation, not because she directly told him. Because of that, he didn't know her comfort with sharing it, thus wouldn't. Werewolves could be a proud bunch.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Sara Middleton​

Date: September 27, 2067
Location: The Derelict Mansion, Liberec Region, Czech Republic
Interactions: Zosar, Kisei, Elly, Wren, Dante, Witchling
Mentions: N/A
The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen Haze- Pumpkid RedArmyShogun

As Sara tried to take several breaths - a little too absorbed with calming herself to hear Zosar’s minor outburst, she looked up to see Zosar scrutinizing her. It made her cheeks warm. She then snorted and snickered at his accent, finding it adorable. However, the reality of her situation was still there, and it wiped the smile from her face.

While the two weapons went about their business and the Witch was trying to speak to their leader, Kisei came over and offered his Calm Seal. She immediately felt like she could breathe, her soul now calmer than it ever could’ve been. She gave a soft smile, then chuckled at Kisei’s teasing towards Zosar. She listened to Kisei, unsure if she would even be capable of it, but the offer to help with training was something she couldn’t pass up on. She smiled, looking up at him as her tail wagged slightly. “Thank you… I’ll keep that in mind.” She then looked back at Zosar, only for her eyes to suddenly go downcast.

“A werewolf’s soul when they are fully human can resonate fully with a weapon. A werewolf’s soul when fully transformed cannot, unless those weapons are also monster souls. I’m of a clan who don’t have a middle transformation like what clan Wren is from, so my soul is stuck in this half-human, half-werewolf state thanks to the MIBVI I was contracted with when I should have transformed naturally. I can only be fully human when I’m unconscious, and I can’t actively become a werewolf without killing everyone around me. Because of this, I have to use half of my soul to resonate with my partner, lest there be a chance of rejection. If I had gone fully mad, I would have transformed again and-...” She gulped, not wanting to go further than that.

“That’s the gist of it. I went to consult with Apex, but he said my situation wasn’t hopeful… I had to essentially do something else or work through it somehow if I want to be an agent and work on these kinds of missions, but he told me I would always be weaker than my peers.” She gave a melancholy sigh as she looked at Dante with a soft smile. “I don’t want to fail anyone, least of all him…” Her voice was soft, yet it held a quiet firmness that showed she wasn’t giving up yet, even if her situation seemed bleak.

 

[Meredith]

Chanterelle Dubois

Yesterday's Drawing Board

Emerging from the sea-spray and morning fog, with reports of its death all but certain, KN9s appearance had almost taken on the qualities of a dream. A haze of unreality seemed to linger about its frame, fuzzy and distorted. Perhaps it was the dread clawing within the witch's chest that made it feel that way. Maybe the influx of mana--although, Chanterelle would note, it was not of the same ferocity of the beached whale they had seen the day before--influenced her tired mind.

In any case, the kaiju snapped into sharp clarity with the broadcast announcing its direction towards the pier. She followed the group to their greater meeting location in silence.

----

The military presence around them was almost as stifling as the kaiju itself. Gunfire from the coast, shots from helicopters overhead, the resounding noise of a battle their group was only now preparing to join. The anxiety of getting hit with a wayward shell. There was only one thing to do about it, and that was to think about something else. Namely, their objective.

The mermonkeys that broached the shore, even from the distance still between them, were obviously weaker than they had been the previous day. Their bodies were already deformed, slow and lacking in the stronger magics that had harangued them all before. These fish were mostly hellbent on leaving the water--which was curious, seeing as they were more effective within it, at least from what Chanterelle could gather--even as they became more powerful in waves. They shielded the kaiju, which was rightly terrible, but did not yet impede agents on the shore.

Then, their orders. Ark on crowd control and Raphael focusing down magic-users. Maria was most effective as support, so that was where she placed herself. Although Gauss didn't know where to put Chanterelle, Raphael had a good point: she could certainly try to wrest control from the fungus.

"Isolated from the kaiju, these fish are not on par with the ones we fought yesterday. They are weaker in body and spirit. Perhaps that which animates them is fading, if some spell has been used to reawaken the kaiju--which is to say that Raphael has a point. I believe I should be able to exert some control over them, especially with some aid from Raphael--whether through chains, or a circle, or both." The witch moved to her friend's side at the edge of the group, nodding her head in acknowledgement to him along with her praise. Perhaps complimenting him in this way was dangerous. Perhaps her confidence in him was well-placed.

They simply could not afford to have another day like yesterday.

She could feel the kaiju's steps, now, as heavy as they were at a distance. Echoing through the ground, water cascading at the impact, a cacophony of mana and sound. So many kinds of loudness that individual sounds no longer mattered.

Her eyes fixed on Gauss. She forced a smile onto her tired face--eerie, all teeth, her eyes glinting with a threat of mania (although it was more likely stress)--and gestured toward the kaiju's head and back. "If we keep those things off of the shore--and KN9--you might actually get a chance to take it down."

The Garden Witch​

Species Witch​

Rank: Fate Agent​

​

Location: The Steel Pier, Atlantic City, NJ.​

Mission: Kaiju Cleanup​

Status: A Witch at Work​

​

Merciless Medic The Regal Rper
Peckinou RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul

 

[Pumpkid]

Dante Holiday


Location: Village of the Mountain Gnomes-Liberec Region, Czech Republic

Interactions: Haze- Merciless Medic The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun​

At last, the fight was over and dealt with, but as the Jiangshi perished, Dante could feel Sara's apprehension tightening around him physically and mentally. Her hold on him was a projection of what she was going through. Dante gritted his teeth, hands wrapped around his neck as if to pry the invisible noose around his neck. Something inside Sara felt dark—almost like madness in the most primal form. He gasped for air immediately after his release. He wondered what that sporadic moment was. He was more alerted if his life was in danger or if she needed help. What kind of therapy did she need that would cause her collar to beep when they were having a dispute?

Quickly, he transformed and took a few steps back from her. At first, he was a tad scared of her after what she did and what he felt, but seeing her out of breath as if she were having an asthma attack. Any moment she could break. It showed Dante how fragile she can be even in combat she was having trouble and this time, it wasn’t him. He guessed Sara was a tough agent, however, after the earlier events he wasn’t sure anymore. So far, Sara has shown Dante that she can be weak on the field even when he is trying to help for some reason that ticks him off. He needed a capable person, not a weak-minded pup. Dante felt himself reverting to his old self. His irritation probably stemmed from feeling helpless in assisting her to calm down.

Zosar was the one to intervene and check up on her. It was clear the two had chemistry by the way Zosar spoke to her. The “baybe” giving it away. It was weird for him to be around lovey-dovey couples. He would much rather read a book about it. He shook his head and let the two be. From the corner of his eye, he could see the little girl was safe and sound. What a relief, but for her to see death is a different story. He wanted to walk up and check on her, but he had to deal with the souls first.

As he approached the Baroness’ corpse, he was reminded of the old days. It’s been a while since he’s seen dead bodies, and no matter what it gave him goosebumps that reminded him of Rory’s death. He unconsciously wondered how mangled it was or if it was burned. Anything really. Dante clasps his necklace and shoots the hollow body a crestfallen gaze. She was killed, but her face held acceptance rather than peace or any other emotion. Somehow that was eerie.

His minty eye shifts to a stenchy soul, his back turned to the others, and hugs it as advised. Hesitant first then embraces it against his chest. He winced as it felt like a flash of light blinding him. It may have taken seven seconds to absorb the information, yet it felt like an everlasting migraine. He took his time to see what The Baroness had to offer. What he witnessed from his perspective was a brainwashed woman who became a bloodsucker by the original vampire, Dracula. Of course, being a bit of a meathead he wasn’t sure who that was, but the Baroness’ memories told him the name.

Her entire life was spent running, lying, and surviving much like his childhood. Dante related to doing what you need. That didn’t justify the horrible deaths and blood stains on her hands. They were done with the intention of killing. Dante squeezed harder as he felt like he was watching his own memories, sympathizing with the enemy. Kisei would scold him for thinking that. To think he considered Sara weak-minded when he was in the same boat. Karama, he supposed. Just as he thought it was over, the memories continued showing him a time when she bumped into Elly. That surprised him. He was told what she was like and this must be what the demon lady encountered. So the Baroness failed and had to make it up to the Duke. That’s how they got to where they are. Dante couldn’t make heads or tails, but certainly the others might.

Dante looks over at the Baroness once more feeling sorry for her. Would he end up the same way if he walked the same path? He wanted to change for the better and also held desperation in him. Would he be good enough if tried? His attention was drawn to Sara talking with the others about her condition. He heard every last word as to why she couldn’t resonate properly. It explained what was happening back then. The curse of being half-baked. On top of that, she was given terrible news about her future as an agent. Something snapped inside of Dante. He was stuck with someone weak. Great. Fantastic! In the back of his head, he knows Sara is trying her best. The way she looks at him as if to assure him they would be alright.

No, the look in her eyes seemed like concern, fear more than anything. Rather than give her the same sentiment and bite his tongue he glared at her, but it wasn’t out of annoyance or just being spiteful, they were stern like a father worried for his kid hoping that whatever came out of their mouth would not be something self-deprecating or at least doubting herself. ”You don’t want to fail me? Start by having some damn confidence. I don’t want a whiny pup as my partner. I don’t care how nice you are. That’s not gotta cut it. Especially like today in a life and death situation and what do you do? You overcompensated. I want someone who can hold their ground no matter the odds and not just wield me with skill. If you can’t at least stop letting your half-baked side be a sorry excuse then you can kiss our partnership goodbye. I plan to get better and I don’t want you holding me back because you can’t progress.”

He hoped it wouldn’t trigger Sara’s collar. He was being a jerk but also being transparent with her. Today was frustrating. It was partially due to him too, but he managed to snap out of it, and even as he tried to encourage her it was as if it didn’t matter. The bond wasn’t strong enough so the only thing he can ask for until then is for her to believe in herself. Whatever scolding the others were going to say he was ready. He couldn’t care less. He said his two cents he just prayed she got the memo. Is Dante smart? No, but he was caring in his own carrot-top way.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Czech Republic

A failed attempt at suppressing a small barely toothy smile was the immediate reaction to Kisei's comment.

Instead of replying to that admittedly amusing remark, outside of his minor smile of amusement and the slight shift of his head from side to side in what could've been construed as bashfulness, Zosar honed in on that minor disgust and instead winked at Dante.

Whatever he took from that, the ex Merc didn't care; it was just something he found as the perfect excuse to say nothing too and also prod at Dante slightly in the moment.

Though his attention on Dante didn't stay when Sara began speaking. Kisei's commentary merely only made it more clear that there was in fact something about this that did warrant attention. So when Sara went into the details of the topic, Zosar listened raptly to what was said. The fact Sara had any issues at all regarding her soul when he hadn't even been aware, was indeed something that took his interest immediately. Though with the details, that curiosity slipped into a sense of empathetic understanding. In Sara's case brought on by misfortunate situation.

The fact Apex himself and her had talked about this and the possibilities available to her didn't spell the greatest case here, which only had Zosar's expression turned into one of deep contemplation.

It was just another example of the relationships between mind, body, and soul and how one impacted the others. Things didn't look great. This wasn't something training or tutelage could fix, Sara had a medical situation impeding her, and that was the most difficult type of situation to overcome. Without a cure…

He wanted to ask more, maybe even see what exact things Apex had presented her, if her talks with anyone else had given her insight. If there was a way to cure her, give her back control of a natural talent that was robbed from her and help her and Dante reclaim their future in a more clear way, he would help.

There were three people linked to DWMA that he owed a lot to, another that was his saving grace, of these individuals, three were here. He'd finally found what he could pay Sara back for, and he wasn't about to let this go any time soon. What stopped him though from speaking up and inquiring more was Dante's voice.

The cocked brow the Meister had been giving him, went from an eye shift to Dante then to Sara as the AW spoke to his partner directly.

If calling Sara a whining pup was bad then the implied threat of ending the partnership only at had him let out a minor exhale of amusement, barely audible, head shaking.

Dante's ‘pep talk’ was downright atrocious.

He didn't need Soul Perception to see it in Wren's face; she was barely restraining herself from saying something. Perception just made it that much more clear how pissed she was becoming the more Dante talked. Not just her, it was pretty easy to see the impact his words was having in general, Sara didn't spike as being upset, annoyed or irritated, but honestly he had been waiting for some other outburst or exchange to occur to get a jump in, and that had just presented itself now.

There was a lot to unpack, and that was mainly with Dante's delivery. Poor as it was he hadn't been looking at the words but rather how the words complimented the Wavelength, specifically which emotions tied to how he spoke specifically. The way he spoke really undercut the concern underneath it all. It was becoming increasingly clear outside of issues with authority, a temper and blind stubbornness, Dante had a bluntness that rivaled Nadia’s, Maria’s social fumbles or even Aki's general ignorance to some social etiquette. It wasn't the almost patronizing way he spoke that Zosar really paid attention to, he ignored practically all of that, what he focused on was how the words matched the soul, or specifically the way his emotions and the wavelength played off each other as he was speaking.

“Your delivery needs work even as a Tsundere.” The line would have been delivered with only a minor chuckle and partial amusement. Flat and blunt, as Dante was being-- if it hadn't been for the touch.

Had Dante actually stuck to spite, what he would have said would have been a lot more scathing, with equal parts amusement on the side of disdain.

The touch however was what stopped him from saying anything at all.

At the end of the day, he was obedient to those that had any ounce of sway over him. He felt it just around the shoulder behind him and without looking, based on position, knew it wasn't Kisei but Sara stopping him.

To be cut off before he even got started, was annoying truthfully. The touch however got the message.

In his head though, Zosar didn't see himself staying quiet. Obedient as he could be, that wasn't a permanent state of being, else he wouldn't be here right now. There was after all, only so much he could take, that patience had been tested and wrung dry in EAT post bail. Even if it did dig under his skin to be cut off so swiftly now that he was gassed up, he let it go in the breath he let out.

Smoothly licking his lips in transition, his eyes turned near immediately from Dante to Wren.

The pat on Sara's lower back was the only signal he wasn't about to interrupt or say anymore. Didn't look Dante's way, didn't bother lingering on how he'd been cut off. He moved on. Specifically moved to Wren. Her ire his target.

“Oì mi joya!” The rather amused raise in his volume a dramatic shift to the blunt and almost stern way Dante had spoken. Steps already in her direction.

He doubted Wren would linger on this, maybe not with the mission still active but he certainly was going to momentarily shift her eyes off Dante at the very least. “Mi Pelusa take it easy eh? Carrot top’s cool, no worries!” words directed at his Weapon partner in a calming yet chipper and amused tone as he closed in on her location.

“As magnifique as you look when angered,” the words said in a volume too low for anyone save Sara’s sensitive ears to hear, arm launching, shoulder wrapping one armed hug engaged, “be cool, ja?”

‘She got this, no worries.’ Came through the link with a friendly pat on her shoulder.

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul Pumpkid Haze-

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[Haze-]

Wren
The Derelict Mansion; Czech Republic​

‘Talk about a close call.’ — Wren sat there feeling her binds cool down in real time, huffing and puffing like she’d ran a marathon once the gripping pressure around her neck subsided. The waves of madness had stopped, the Jiangshi’s body crumbled to ash and his head rolled aflame on the floor. They’d done it.

‘Nah, could’ve been far worse…that was lightwork,’ — She chuckled, wiping the nervous flash-sweat off her brow — ‘Piece a’ cake, really.’ — Elly were already splitting that same cake in equal charts, matter of factly. She didn’t really know how to feel about the distribution of the corrupted souls, seeing her blades had only cut the chimeras down more than anything. She’d dealt with the side dishes; and as odd as it was, she was getting a piece of the main course.

Funny.

‘Yeah,’ — She hissed in a breath, huffed it out. Not knowing if that warmth in her chest was out of excitement or out of the pure dread that’d been bunching up between her ribs — ‘I’ll be careful, don’t worry. Have to take a breather anyways, I’m all worked up…’ — The chainsaw flashed red, and Wren came back to her human form, took a sit cross-legged across the pile of ashes in front of her. Taking a deep breath before glaring back at the Jianshi’s soul.

She stared back at it, then reached out—

.

.

.

.

.



Mid-way through shoving the wriggling soul into her mouth, turning to look at Sara as she gave her words of advice to Dante.

“G—Uhg it?” — She choked out through a mouthful of soul, bug-eyed at the revelation. She spat out Lee’s soul, wiped off some saliva off the hitodama and pretended like she hadn’t just tried to sink her fang into it. Wren gawked at the soul in her hand, head lolling to the side — “Huh…didn’t know you could hug them…”

“Last thing you’d want is a hug, eh? Last thing your soul deserves too…”

“Didn’t strike me as the type to care much for respect anyways…” — She cupped brother Lee’s soul in her hand, tightening her claws around it, and squeezing it like a balloon, evening out the pressure to make sure it wouldn’t pop. His soul bulged between her fingers, the hitodama waved against her wrist; she felt his soul shrink in her palm like a dwindling fire, felt it begin to be absorbed.

She was only half-listening to the banter between Sara and the rest at that point.

Wren shut her eyes, a passive, almost receptive expression on her face. As if she were listening for the soul to begin telling her a story. A couple of seconds of reaching out with her wavelength, and it did. The better part of 800 years flashed before her eyes in the span of a few seconds. Even excluding the mundane parts of Lee’s life, the process of flipping through the pages of his story was nauseatingly long— but she was thorough nonetheless. Was she saw in Lee’s memories was nothing but a senseless cycle of violence and death, perpetuated through him by the curse that was immortality. He embodied death more than Lord Kidd did so himself, in the most primal way, the fear of it— cruel, brutal, death without prejudice. Whenever he woke, the axe fell upon whoever he was sicced to.

She couldn’t get a read on why he did the things he did, kill the people he killed without the slightest sign of remorse. Wren didn’t understand his reasons for loyalty or even taking up the curse whatsoever. Maybe he didn’t know why he was doing everything in the first place. A hound sent out to hunt, a weapon never to be put on display, he was all those, through and through.

The cycle wrapped back around here, his very last job. In his final moments there was only violence and pain, as it’d always been for him. Not a shred of fear, though. Fear must’ve been a foreign concept to him, same way it is to some animals up there in the food chain. She didn’t feel anything but the will to keep fighting, to keep killing, even after they’d removed his head from his shoulders— pure, unresting dissatisfaction.

Disappointment.

She could respect the fighting spirit, in some odd, twisted way that made her feel all nasty on the inside. Finding a spiritual link with a deranged serial killer wasn’t on her bingo list, but here we are.

'Y’had your fun in the end, didn’t ya?' — Finally, brother Lee’s soul disappeared into her hand.

It was the deepest form of connection for her in a way, had been since she joined the DWMA and took in her first soul. A portion of the souls she ate became ingrained with her very being, lived through her. Worrisome, considering she could only devour the corrupted souls of psychopaths and dangers to society, but poetic nonetheless. It was a chance for growth through the very thing she hated about herself.

Her endless hunger for souls.

She came out of her focus, only a handful of seconds had passed, just in time to hear Zosar’s accent break into something she hadn’t heard before. Her shoulder’s jumped, face twisting; she was trying her hardest not to snort out that laugh she was holding in — “Layin’ it on a little too thick, maybe.” — She added teasingly after Kisei, clearing her throat and getting up with a big idiot smile on her face.

It was then that she caught onto the conversation. Sara explained her condition, and her smile immediately dropped, her eyes went downcast, topped with a frown. The situation was a mix of emotions, on one hand she wanted to raise her sympathies to Sara, give her some reassurance that she’d been doing good so far— on the other hand, Dante just had to go on ahead and open his mouth.

Whatever she was about to say to Sara blanked out of her mind. She stood there drawing blood instinctively from her palm, sinking her thumb into it— pretending to be gouging out Dante’s eyes, in a dreamy world where she was allowed to do so without more drama stirring up. But that world didn’t exist. She just stood there with her arms folded. Grinning wide, pushing her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

She had plenty of things to say; many of them involving Dante’s mother and one too many expletives; but now wasn’t the time for in-fighting. They were still plenty of people suffering out there while they were sitting here with the info they’d gathered, playing out their melodrama.

Zosar came up to her, one of her eyes ticked as his arm wrapped around her — “Ahh, mio gioielliere!” — She parroted right back at him, mimicking both the cheery tone and the lingo flip with her own twist. Making herself sound like an Italian auntie, kicking up her feet and leaning into Zosar. She still didn’t know how to feel about him calling her a hairball every now and then.

It was a cute nickname, at least.

“Angered?” — She scoffed — “Nah, this here’s my happy face, Z. I’m just glad we came out on top in that battle.”

It wasn’t until the link was established that the happy-go-lucky timbre in her voice dropped — ‘Honestly, I’ve had enough of him already…I’m fed up. But I’ll let things slide. We can’t be wastin’ our time arguing over shit like this— job ain’t over yet.’

She stepped away from Zosar, walking up to Sara and Dante with her hands dug in her pockets. Only stopping to share glances between the two of them. She sighed — “Can we leave all of this for later? You’ve both been doing well enough so far, for your first mission together, y’have— there’s no reason to spit on all that progress by overthinking things.”

“We should be talkin’ about what we saw, more importantly,” — She turned a chin up to Dante, quirked a brow — “The black-haired man— boy-band-looking motherfucker— did the Baroness have any info on ‘im?”

“Lee served him like a loyal dog, but I couldn’t really get a read on what exactly his blueprints were…He just did things blindly, didn’t know shit. There was this witch too, with the mechanical parts…and a lab…or a dungeon. All these mad-scientist props. They were experimenting on somethin’— or someone.”

Interactions: The Regal Rper
Tags: RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul Pumpkid

 

[The Regal Rper]

Paladin & Nadia | JFK Airport, NY

So much happened at once, and it was starting to become frustrating the consistent changes in battle.

Facing Nadia and Dani, was in a morbid way, facing his past now that he actually was giving them the attention they deserved in the closed, walled off space the Witches had created. He didn't quite like the surprise, but he wasn't about to complain at that moment. The rising of earthen walls had forced a bit of distance between their colliding blades.

Yeong could not help but frown as he studied the two in front of him for the first time since his arrival. Madness radiated from Dani like a furnace radiated heat. If it were an odor the particles might have clung to his clothes. As she was now, the solution was simple: stop the resonance between them and take her out. If he could force her to change back to her human form, Nadia would be helpless. And ultimately no longer his problem.

He didn't understand how her partner just tolerated the most vile thing in existence, and didn't just do something herself about the one she allowed to taint her with the influence of madness. Seven years ago he would have been in their shoes with his own partner back in the Eastern Asia branch but life had ways of taking each on a different path, and that had brought him to the now.

Blades in each hand, and he could feel the sudden presence of priests and knights flicker, and in that moment it dawned on him that perhaps the stunt the witches had pulled without warning, had also cost him some of his allies.

An irritated expression crossed the more restrained neutral features of the paladin, and his nostrils flared slightly with the exhale of his sigh.

“Let's get this over with quickly. I have new bodies to recover once all this shit is over.”

The drastic restructuring of the environment was yet another event that splintered Dani’s attention. ‘...What the fuck…!’ She breathed out, the rumbling and separation only serving to piss her off further. ‘...Death-fucking-damn it…’ She growled before setting her sights on the paladin. Just as her focus leered at him, her wavelength pulsed accordingly before she tried to reel it back in. ‘...Bastard’s already trying to pick a fight again…’

Given all that had happened and the truth to his words on the likely dead allies he had, the witches had proven they were allies of convenience rather than truly on the same side. And yet, the fools of the Church still wished to fight, even if they had it all coming from their earlier actions and their current refusal to even ask questions. It honestly wouldn’t surprise her if they had orders from some shadowy figure that seemed to know all of this. And then there was the madness, eventually she may have to break her connection with Dani and put her out. But the bigger problem right now was Adrian who was well beyond reach.

Whatever manner of debriefing they had, Nadia would lobby against this partnership again, as while he and Dani may have been sought out like this for what they could do for one another, that did not change the fact when it resonated the madness just bounced from one to the other, and Adrian had shown no ability to rein his in. It was ridiculous that they even had to do all of this, they should have dropped closer to the monster and just carried out the operation. Meanwhile she had a very broken team that was split up because of these situations and no pre op planning.

And then this Zasranec wanted to start shit. Sure she killed some of them, but it wasn’t like they didn’t try the same… Which all together put Nadia in a foul mood. ”One should not try and kill others unless they are ready to be killed in turn.” Nadia said as she redirected heat into Dani via her touch.

”You bastards attacked the wrong side, but fine, armor boy, I wish to climb the wall, I have two weapons to deal with. But if you wish to stop me, then what is worsening relations with a debil like you some more? So do we dance, tovarish?” She was already circulating her wavelength and resonance, the only other alternative was to surrender and put her and her teammates at the mercy of a group that didn’t consider any of the trio human. She was sure some armchair reviewer would judge her current decision, going “Well ackchyually…”, but it didn’t matter.

Now it was back to him. Nadia had yet to even see the reason why she was here and those traitorous Witches needed to be liquidated. And yet another surprise distraction.

It would have been perfect to identify herself as anything but a rogue or mercenary for hire, given the limited info he had and the fact he had let her speak, Yeong decided there was nothing more to hear. He blitzed, a second after it became clear that this was indeed going to be a fight, and planned on doing exactly what he had been planning on doing to Adrian with the pair.

When he moved forward with his blades he struck with the leading one, the movement swift but also designed to force Nadia into a guarded position, where at the same time the contact with his weapons could be used to offset the current state of their resonance if only a little should Dani lose focus enough. Soul Conduction wouldn't create Forced Rejection, but spiritual channeled attacks had the ability to offset resonance when two clashed in a way that could lead to a natural rejection from the disruption. His goal was to neutralize Dani, not kill the pair, but it was hard to tell this when he was releasing a sense of hostility that was in reaction and resistance to Dani’s own madness that he could sense in such close proximity.

Dani felt it on impact. It wasn’t like the blue-haired piece of shit. It wasn’t immediately. It was more like she was being chipped at and prodded. Dani growled, but quickly directed her attention to the connection and its maintenance. It shook and spiked with each clash of weapons. ‘...That’s what the prick is doing…!’ She grumbled, taking a long pause as she tried to put aside her anger and carefully restabilize the pair’s connection.

’Da. And he is trying to pinprick to force you out, like what the blue haired did but slower. I cannot keep the defense up here, we will surely lose, then we depend on the kindness of their Order to see if we live or die… I still don’t know what to do with Adrian.’ She admitted, with a slight hesitation as nanoseconds formed in the outer world. ’Like the Soviet Army many years ago, I am going to go from a desperate defense to a full on offense. I will likely be hurt doing this, do not help me till it is done or I cannot move. With luck he’ll be first to be unable to move.’

Two full length swords versus her one was not good odds, but Nadia did have two things that could help, her two DWMA issued knives of the 12 inch variant. Pulling one in her left hand Nadia would channel her heat absorption through the blade meeting his offense with her own counter attack brandishing Dani against him with swipes akin to Darth Vader, making use of her natural features, physical power and resonance in an attempt to batter him down with heavy swings, while her left hand used the DWMA issued blade in a reverse grip to meet his second sword when able an allowed. A bit of a reckless move but a defense would just end her sooner. With this, there was a slim chance. That chance she took proved a worthy one. The moment she took the offense it became clear that while not totally her physical match, Yeong was certainly capable of deflecting the heavy slashes with one hand and the knife work in the other.

Every strike that came in he either deflected by using his sword to slide it off or directed her blade away while sidestepping. There was no one time where he tried to physically stop her- but then again, Nadia towered over Yeong. At most he came up to her neck at his full height, just slightly above her collar bone. That advantage in height and reach gave her something of an edge here. Yet it wasn't quite enough as they dueled. Purely on defense, Yeong was pushed back only slightly.

Any attempt to close the small distance and land an actual strike on Nadia physically being barred. That was until he took the risk, and in her next move, used the blade against her knife to not only take advantage of the katana’s length to force her to lose grip of the weapon entirely if possible, but used the other hand carrying her weapon to push with Amplification and spread her swing wide out so she would more or less have both arms open for him to slip in and make an attempt at an attack.

With the offensive being met with mutually unconventional tactics, Nadia reacts to the blade parry with something that was also fit to her form and simple in its attempt, while open as he saw it, she quickly brought up her right knee, aiming for his gut. It would be a test of reflexes and speed.

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[Sir Les Paul]

North of Steel Pier, Atlantic City Beach, New Jersey
GM Post​

​

The war in the waters was only one of two. The ground did shake as KN9 approached the coast and now even its waters whirled, whooshing forwarding with its of its lumbering steps. Still, it was not present on the beach yet. It was all but a forlorn hope that the leviathan could be dissuaded from making landfall at all and time was fleeting before it did. All their efforts, alongside the military, had done was change its path from the Steel Pier to just North of it.

Even that was at no small cost. Moments prior, the military had in fact made attempts to halt the kaiju. Nothing they hadn't tried back in New York, but this iteration of the creature was obviously worse-for-wear. Attack Helicopters, models based on the ancestral CH-53K, were the first to meet it directly. These aircraft were specialized, magitech-equipped, and outfit with unconventional weaponry intended to halt other aircraft. In total, there were eight of these craft. Dozens more, many of which were being used to transport goods or help clear what they could. These eight weren't for utility.

They put the "attack" in Attack Helicopter, and their attack just so happened to magical. On either end of the frame of these copters were extended arms with what looked like sparking metallic orbs. Each sparked to life until a massive arc was connected between them and over the front of the craft. What it created was a beam of plasma that shot forth like a slice, intended to be attracted to anything like metal, effectively looking for the first target it could amidst the air. Had this been even the most reinforced aircraft known or even one magically reinforced, a single one of these blasts would have done significant damage. They never quite cut a target in half with their sheer heat as they didn't maintain their form, but they didn't need to. Total destruction wasn't necessary to carve something out of the sky.

These magical blasts of super-heated plasma did provide some effect, carving into the softer portions of flesh where KN9 had already been damage. Moments later, however, those same cuts only began to crust over with what appeared to be a gray-white scab. Worse, the shambling stumps that were once the four tentacles of KN9 raised up out up from the water and did something unthinkable. They replicated, at least in part, the magic the helicopters had used to on KN9 and used it to begin slashing through the aircraft. Needless to say, the kaiju won. A dozen good airmen lost their lives in the first few cuts, others survived if only for another moment by leaping into the water. Whether or not that was a worse fate was currently unknown.

In mere moments, there was veritable rollercoaster of emotions. Hope from the successful attacks followed by the dread of watching the creature recreate them. There was no news of this in either of its other two attacks. While some Kaiju were known for having projectiles and beams, KN9 was not. Not until now.

"If you're going to run, do it now and tell me; I at least want to know who I can rely on," Gauss said, cold. He had already decided. Steeled himself, even. He would stay and fight until he literally could not. A former version of himself, lesser, younger, more immature, more self-centered, he would have taken this time to run. No point in fighting a battle he had no hopes in winning. No point in risking becoming another name on a memorial. This version of himself was not so easily disenchanted. He wasn't a suicidal, but he had no intention on backing down while there was still a difference to be made.

'That includes either of you,' Gauss thought, internally giving either of his partners the same free choice he would the Witches.

"I'm going to stay until the situation shifts from stupid to outright suicidal. I'll be the stupid human,' Gauss added, shifting his attention back to his four mage teammates. His emphasis on his humanity was almost a challenge. A contest between the integrity of their races.

What came next would have entirely relied on whether or not his teammates stayed, but it was the best course of action he could think of. Most of the mages wanted to play support. Gauss figured it was better they at least support a man they knew instead of a random face. He reached his soul out to his teammates, pouring it into them, and spawning those flaming arms of his to hold each of his partners. This time, he managed to spin both of them simultaneously, though this held little advantage for Arkayis. Noah used the motion to generate more electricity and Noah was the one to be receiving the brunt of the power they were making, but Gauss regardless treated both of them equally in the situation.

"Noah will unleash lightning into the water and I will try to make it leap to as many of their casters I can. Raphael will follow with chains to suppress them, Chanterelle will then work her magic while they are weakest," Gauss instructed, giving everyone involved clear and succinct instructions. He had a plan. No one else seemed to be working together, acting in unison, so he would bring them together if they couldn't on their own.

"Ark, make a line of lava in the sand. Letting them on land might weaken them, but I'm betting that making a chokepoint will buy more time," Gauss added, explaining why he was providing instructions that directly countered the common advice of letting them come further on land. He would, if he had to, but it put everyone else at a higher risk and made the military reinforcement less effective.

"I don't expect you to fly into danger, Maria, but can you help those helicopters get out of range?" Gauss asked, knowing that currently, she was the only one worth a damn to targets over ten foot in the air. If he was pressed, he had no immediate idea how she could help them, but he wasn't the one with the Magic. He didn't know her full repertoire of spells nor how they could creatively be used. All he could do, realistically, is make the request of her.

RedArmyShogun Meredith Merciless Medic Peckinou The Regal Rper

 

[Sir Les Paul]

North of JFK Airport, New York City, New York
GM Post​

en route to Eastern front​

Given the walls that surrounded them, Nadia, Dani, and Yeong had only incomplete glances of the outside world. This, alongside their fervent battle, would give incomplete pictures of the events unfolding. On one hand, the Madness that once emanated from Adrian and was now back by the trucks had entirely vanished. The Madness they could sense, but the distance between them was too great to get a ready on any soul. Without the Madness acting as a trigger, it simply seemed like Adrian had vanished off the face of the Earth. Which couldn't have came at a more inopportune time. Resonance from Renard and his companions came to an end, but so did the the prayers to Sonetta. Much like that of Simon, a sudden shift in power could only mean that another Paladin was either dead or unconscious.

It seemed both Adrian and Sonetta were gone. Nadia had Yeong on the backfoot. Yeong was more skilled in pure swordsmanship, but Nadia was a craftier fighter with a physical advantage. That latter fact had just changed as Yeong was pushed to the limits of what he could handle spiritually. Another tier in speed and strength, not like resonance as a multiplier, but a smaller factor of perhaps fifty-percent. As close as he and Nadia were, that type of increase would still turn the tides of battle. Of course, it changed far more than just his immediate capabilities. Yeong was a new Paladin that could only handle so much; this type of power put an undue stress on his body. It put him on a timer. It was also safe to assume Sonetta had been eliminated.

Nadia might have landed her knee squarely into the abdomen of Yeong just a half-second prior. As stood now, Yeong could get out of range for the brunt of it, or worse, take it and try to counter-attack.

---

Car Rentals JFK Airport​

Feng received no answer from Sam. It wasn't exactly clear if he even heard her. If he hadn't, that might have been for the better. Asking about Korne, the only reason he elected to bring her, might have came across as an insult. Or, forsaking her singular duty of wielding the weapon.

No, no, Sam was just gone. By the time Feng had dodged the incoming truck, he was entirely gone from her line of sight. Waiting on him at this point would be futile.

Besides, she was soon to have greater concerns. Or, perhaps compounding concerns given for the moment, it seemed she was left alone. A magic circle lit up beneath her feet, quickly illuminating the ground until it had covered nearly the entire parking lot. Soon would be revealed why necromancy was such a frowned upon magic. The resurrection of bodies was one thing, but any magic that interfered with the soul was strictly forbidden. Magic of the Death domain often could do exactly that. In this case, all four of those trapped within the circle would soon find their spiritual senses dulled and their connection weakened. Furthermore, any attempt to resonate would only result in failure. This magic was directly interfering with the connection between their souls.

A Witch with this magic, even one of Mabian blood, would be put to death to ensure the alliance. This was a problem.

Whatever projectiles Aki would fire from within this circle, they would lesser for it. If anything, impacting with the force of a standard firearm as opposed to their nigh-explosive force.

Wes would feel himself almost deaf. For the first time in years not hearing the intense and overlapping sounds of souls, but also no longer able to assist them as easily.

And, Feng would feel herself all the weaker due to the lost regulation.

Their saving grace was Korne. While his oscillations would slow, his was still a Three Star Death Scythe. He didn't rely on some gifted nature to regulate a soul, like Wes. He did so through sheer skill. This magic could interrupt their natural traits and connection, but it couldn't overcome raw skill. Feng, Aki, and Wes would soon feel an odd buzz, almost like a hive of bees, spur climb up within them. It would energize them. Less spiked and more reliable than what Aki was used to, but similar enough. Entirely new sensations to Feng and Wes, but still better than nothing. It wasn't clear if he could have done this at any time or if this was the result of their weakened status, but it at least offset what they lost.

"You are being far too rough with my darling creations," announced a voice, feminine and sarcastic. It emanated from a Witch approaching the circle, magical threads connecting her fingertips to what looked like a hulking abomination. It was humanoid, at least, but stood seven, nearly eight foot tall, and had hundreds if not thousands of what looked like suture lines with her magical thread holding it together. The patchworking was perfect and even, making this behemoth appear as if it were just a truly giant of a man, but it was in fact far more than that. It was the best of several met put together, then animated. Meanwhile, threads from her feet and remaining hand were seeping out and into the battlefield, reaching out to connect the centipede creatures that were blasted asunder. She could not repair their damaged flesh, but she could sew them back together.

Meanwhile, Sam finally made his appearance. Nowhere fucking near Feng. He was off in the distance battling what had to be another ten Witches. Admittedly, he was doing incredibly well. Perfect dodges and parries, his sword work looked more like a dance, and his ability to read movements and react bordered on precognition. Feng might have thought she was initially correct, though, in that the Meister seemed to be on the backfoot. But then, all it took was a moment. A change in stance, an elevated blade now high above his head, then a sudden surge of what would have been wildly overwhelming spiritual pressure had her senses not been dulled due to the magical circle.

"Infinite Single-Slash technique: October Culling."

The original Sam was gone, replaced with an after-image. Eerily reminiscent of the techniques the Hoshi used, but distinctively applicative to the situation. Sam appeared in what seemed like ten places simultaneously all making the same downward slashing movement. Six Witches were cut in half, only four could dodge. Feng was right, the Witches needed blitzed. Sam just had a different idea of how. He took out half of his lot in one go, leaving Feng with what appeared to be a singular Witch. At the very least, the cold seemed to stop worsening; Sam might have killed the actual caster of the spell. Again, it wasn't clear. If Feng knew of the legendary Samurai Mifune, however, what was clear was the inspiration for Sam. Infinite-Single Slash seemed awfully close to Infinite One-Sword, after all.

The Witch seemed to have no fear or sense of self-preservation. She remained fixated on Feng.

"You have no idea just how much went into making them..." she added, a clear double-entendre. Then a wicked grin. Her massive hulk of a creation lunged forward, but only as a feint. She had already made a pull with razor-enhanced thread from behind, having already set the entire battlefield under her control.

Such was the magic of the Patchwork Witch.

RedArmyShogun @Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen

 

[Merciless Medic]

Sara Middleton​

Date: September 27, 2067
Location: The Derelict Mansion, Liberec Region, Czech Republic
Interactions: Dante, Zosar, Wren, Kisei, Elly, Witchling
Mentions: N/A
Pumpkid The Regal Rper Haze- Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun

It was great that she got support from the two people she cared about - Zosar and Kisei. Even if Dante hated Kisei because of what he was, it didn’t stop her from caring about the golem. All three of them have been through rough things, but so did Dante.

So, when Dante came over to her and spouted some concern wrapped in atrocious word choices, it took her back to EAT. And even before that, when she would hop around the DWMA, trying to make friends with all sorts of stubborn jerks. One of whom was Noah.

In fact… Those words were very similar to the words Noah gave to her when she was doubting herself.

It honestly made her smile.

Patting Zosar on the shoulder to prevent him from speaking - practically patting his shoulder as he was mid-breath from his first sound - she walked forward. Zosar tried to intercept Wren, who went past him anyway and tried to talk sense into both Dante and herself. Her eyes were downcast - a ruse.

She took a deep breath, but then when she looked up at Dante, she had a gleeful smile. With her fast werewolf reflexes, she snatched up Dante by the collar and yanked him down so that he was eye level with her. Her voice came out in a growl-like roar with still her original voice.

“You know, beggars can’t be choosers in a program like Fate! You think you can find anyone who can tolerate that horrendous tsundere-ass talk better than me? You’re lucky you have someone like me cuz you’d be thrown to the curb otherwise cuz no one can handle your atrocious word choices and behavior. You want me to regress to who I was when I was back in EAT? Then so be it!” She glared intensely into those mint eyes with her amber ones, eyes wide, her tail wagging.

“In my biome, there’s a pecking order. I didn’t want to have to instill one because we’re both in Fate. We both have issues, and we’re overcoming them. If you didn’t want to be with a fucked up partner, you shouldn’t have joined Fate to begin with! No sane person with minimal baggage is going to tolerate your shit, so why do you think they threw you with me, huh? Because I used to deal with people like you for my entire time when I was a DWMA student!” She then gave a grin. “I was overthinking because if I had transformed, I would have killed you, but I’m pretty sure Kisei would have saved your ass by making sure I wouldn’t do that, so you better start thinking of me like a firecracker in disguise, or else I’m going to chase you around Death City so much, you will know all the alleyways by heart!” She then pushed him away, a strange triumphant gleam in her eyes.

“I’m no pup, I’m a werewolf, and I’m proud to be one, no matter my medical issue! I may stumble and fall, but so will you. Don’t be a hypocrite because I’m all you have left, and if you can’t succeed with me, then you might as well not be an agent either.” She gave a grin, voicing the very opinion Apex had for her about her own limited success. “Don’t you ever think for a second I’ll make you weak or fail the program. Resonance is a two-way street. If I’m slacking spiritually, you shoulder the weight. If you don't know how, figure it out or learn from someone.”

She ended it there, then nodded her head towards Elly, her gaze stern but with a renewed fire she hadn’t had since she was back in EAT. He better tell the ‘demon lady’ what he saw.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Noah Wiley​

Date: September 27, 2067
Location: North of Steel Pier, Atlantic City Beach, New Jersey
Interactions: Gauss, Arkayis, Chanterelle, Maria, Ark, Raphael
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul Peckinou Meredith RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper

Watching this kaiju react and attack was terrifying as it was awe-striking. After all that had happened - and having to revisit his unfortunate trauma from back at the April Fools’ Festival - Noah sort of forgot what this thing was supposed to do. But using magic - or at least something from the magitech - back at the helicopters firing back at it?

His eyes widened from within his weapon form as he watched helicopters go into either a death spiral or were sliced into pieces… They didn’t even have a chance…

Gauss’s words cut through the one-track concern Noah was experiencing. He felt Gauss’s determination, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. With a deep breath, Noah gave a reply. ‘Me? Leave? Nah. Ship hasn’t sunk yet, ‘n’ I go where the captain goes.’

He channeled the wavelength Gauss gave to him, his weapon form crackling alive with enough lightning to dim the light around him if someone were to look at him directly.

‘Primed ‘n’ ready.’ He spoke within their bond after Gauss gave his instructions. He had enough power to cause his lightning to chain across the water and over to these soon-to-be fried chum. He waited for Gauss’s signal to start shooting the lightning.

Once allowed to, lightning erupted from the staff, the crooked bolt heading straight for the water. With Gauss’s wavelength, they were able to spread the lightning like crackling spider fingers, shocking all who were unfortunate to be touched by its reaching grasp.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: September 27, 2067
Location: North of Steel Pier, Atlantic City Beach, New Jersey
Interactions: Chanterelle, Maria, Ark, Gauss, Arkayis, Noah
Mentions: N/A
Meredith RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul Peckinou

That kaiju thing was a death-damn menace. If Raphael were still green in Fate, he would have ran off, but today? No, especially not since Chanterelle is here. He couldn’t look like a coward in front of his only best friend.

He gave Chanterelle a nod, giving her a determined expression, as if saying ‘we can do this’.

Instead of making a Magic Circle, he was ordered to suppress them with chains after the lightning struck. To prevent himself from wasting mana by accounting for too much distance, he ran ahead close enough to be behind the line of fire. He slid to a stop and slammed his hands on the ground, his grimoire flying open as if alive and his Demon Tool glowing. Magic Circles were placed along the beach’s edge away from the water - just as the lightning hit the encroaching apefish - where chains shot out and quickly wrapped around the enemies.

The suppressing magic within the chains themselves weakened the apefish’s connection with their magic, creating a veritable wall of struggling fish and rot. Raphael winced, but he still had a grin on his face - even if it was slowly turning into a grimace. “Alright, Chant!” He gave her the go ahead, hoping he could hold out long enough.

 

[Pumpkid]

Dante Holiday


Location: The Derelict Mansion-Liberec Region, Czech Republic

Interactions: Haze- Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun​

Dante scrunched his face over Zosar’s wink while he waited for Sara’s response. It was no surprise that he spoke up, but what did throw him back was how calm his reply was. He assumed the guy would punch him or chew him out. Strange. In the time Dante has been around these people, Zosar was by far a mystery. Dante could admit to giving the guy some respect for keeping his head instead of fighting back. It proved that he might get along with Zosar if he could better himself. Kisei may be a walking contradiction to Dante's thought, but that was a different story. His hate for the Hoshi blinded the man. Part of it was he didn’t want to be anything like him due to his past. Kisei was still an annoyance to Dante throughout the whole mission. Of course, he omitted his insufferable behavior to justify his.

When Zosar gave his criticism over his speech, Dante gave him a perplexed expression. ”A what now? That better not be a slur.” He warned.

Dante was interrupted by Sara. Her smile was unusual. Did she get the memo? Did it actually work? Dante’s breath hitched as he was suddenly pulled by the collar with great strength from such a petite werewolf. Then came her ranting like some sort of drill sergeant that had Dante wince. Again she used the word tsundere like he was supposed to know what that means. If anything he was more confused about what was happening. According to Sara, her being aggressive used to be a common thing. That’s a shocker.

”Owe.” He said as if his ear drums were ruptured just from that part alone. Dante’s teeth lay bare as if challenged just by her response alone. He didn’t doubt that people would probably abandon him because of his attitude. That’s why he was there, to change himself. He was used to being shit talked given how he was in the past. ”If it will get you out of your self-loathing, self-pity bubble? Sure. Why the hell not? At the end of the day it still stands that I need someone who can carry themselves.” He scowls right back giving her the same energy, but inside he was terrified ready to crap his pants. Totally paralyzed by this weird confrontation. His tail is tucked between his legs using his anger as a coping mechanism.

Sara could most definitely smell the fear coming from him and the bead of sweat from his temple. It was obvious to everyone really given they are veterans and he was merely a newbie who thought he was a hot shot. The problem is that no one in F.A.T.E is trying to be the best. They were all in rehab trying to conform to society one day. His eyes drop to her tail wagging. Either there was a mistake and she was confused or he was seeing things. ”Hah! I’m pretty sure there is a difference between messed up and lacking confidence. There are strong folks that can handle situations despite how crazy they are then there are those that are scared or overthink like you.”

Rather than feel embarrassed, Dante had mixed emotions. One was the fact that he had no idea Sara was dealing with something worse than what he expected. She was an open book, but he didn’t want to pry. Maybe he should read her soul every once and a while just to get the whole story if she will let him, but their connection wasn’t as strong and they were both getting to know each other. The other was dark thought. At least he would be set free and did what he wanted to do. Die in the line of duty. He knew walking this path would one day lead him the say route Rory went. It was only a matter of when. He wanted to mumble under his breath:

”At least it would be over”

But he couldn’t. He knew he would get an earful and he was already over this topic. She said what she wanted and he said his. The rest of what Sara said, Dante bit his tongue and kept it his mouth shut. Whatever she wanted, or they thought was fine. At least Sara bounced back. That was the end goal. ”Sure.” Is all he said clicking his tongue afterward. The tone of his voice losing interest. Thank goodness Wren came over. Right, the mission. The details of the souls.

Dante removed himself from Sara’s hold by standing up and now focused on her. What she described was pretty accurate and knew who she was talking about. ”I know who you mean. I think his name was Duke Richter Von Kleist.” Dante had trouble pronouncing the name as best as he could, but he hoped they knew of the person. He shoves his hands in his hoodie pockets. ”The Baroness didn’t know much about him, unfortunately. Just that she took orders from him. I’m guessing the guy is the boss in all this. She enthralled a bunch of people and provided The Duke with what he needed in a gothic castle. I saw the demon lady too.” He pointed to Elly. ”A recent mission where she tricked you with a double while she fled.” He glanced over at Sara. He understood why she was a little shaken over The Baroness.

Wren mentioned some lady he didn’t recognize. ”That’s different. I didn’t see her but The Baroness bribed two agents with what the Duke had to offer, power. One of the witches we are looking for was lured to the castle too. Then there were two white-haired bloodsuckers. One of them was always at The Duke’s side. The other was a bit of a mystery but she was near a dungeon. Overall, The Baroness manipulated the CIA agent.” Whatever that meant, it now depended on Elly and Kisei to decide.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Atlantic City - New Jersey​

In the moments up to the present, Maria barely had time to do more than fly in something akin to a forward recon, while going back to her doll cluster to issue new orders time to time as the situation unfolded all around them, till the USMC, or so she assumed, not yet bothering to pay attention to the roundels, and logos just yet.

It was a scene of absurdity, that was the only way Maria knew how to put it. Helicopters specialized in heavy lift operations and in transporting up to 38 Marines at a time had been modified and crammed full of some sort of magiteck device, that was then converted into prongs of something that would come from the mind of Nikola Tesla. It was a curious application of sorcery and technology, but it had one unfortunate fact to it all as the plasma solidified and fired...

It was too little and by all means too late. Maria wondered what sort of force had brought this beast upon them a second time. Like a lighter to skin. Plasma lanced but did so little. But that did not bother her so much as her other faults. It was too uniformed to her that it would come to the same spot twice when it had very little contact with humans till now. And now with more surprises. Not normally at least and the beast showed as much when it torn into a number of the aircraft with its survivors now desperately trying to escape. While others had hope, and prayers that this would work, it was upon the initial impacts that she knew it would not be enough and quickly abandoned any notion of hope. She had not however predicted it would then recreate the same attack and shred the choppers.

Before she could do much else Gauss contacted her with a request as annoying as any other asked by Rand, Death protect his soul while he was still in that coma, she couldn't just let go of the ire those projects had presented, but in true Maria fashion she would bitch about it to a great deal and mumble and curse, yet do it all the same, adding in;

"You do realize how unreasonable that is and the threat it poses to the helicopters frame in general, yes?" As she redirected her dolls to hold position on the shore she was a bit irked as she continued towards them.

"If I die, I will haunt you, if they die, it was your orders. There is but so much I can do without getting closer. You men and your unreasonable requests..."

Then off handedly she adds, "It would be better if they used penetrating munitions, or force fed it an explosive somehow. Microwaving the outside will do very little, but something exploding from the inside? Ah, forgive my mumblings."

Maria wasn't even paying much attention to if she had broadcasted to Gauss alone or to the team as a whole if not more. If she had voice communications with the helicopter crews, it would have made matters much simpler to communicate a plan to them. In place she would have to get within a few dozen meters of the machines at least, while avoiding the Kaiju, and then safely and quickly working some Magecraft to attempt saving the remaining heavy lift choppers. For one so young as far as her species went, this was equivalent to asking a child to man the switchboard at a gas station.

Rapidly displacing herself across the sky to a distance she found suitable as she hand signaled with her right hand at the rear ramp gunner, hoping they got the message to the even now turning aircraft and pilots. Provided the choppers had one, and if not them maybe the briefest of glances by the flight crew. A signal to brace, turbulence and ready for autorotation. There was no simple spell to move several objects the size of a bus across a given space. And there was absolutely nothing she could do for the crewmen in the water without taking significant risk.

She didn't even know what the range of the plasma spell from the Kaiju was. Maybe it was scant meters, maybe it could blast something 100's of meters away like Godzilla. If it could the latter, then she and the crews of the surviving choppers were good as dead. Infact, they may be the same here and now as she formed an array of wind blasts to knock the choppers higher and then forwards, all the while retreating herself, the movements were unlikely to damage such a heavily armored helicopter, but the risk of a loss of control by the sudden gain in altitude was a clear and present danger. She aimed to get them to shore, the Marines would either regain or maintain control and make it safely some distance away, or they would crash-land, hopefully not a fiery one, but be on land and out of harms reach.

Maria having no illusions about her ability to defend against the plasma fire, physical force of the beast, or in her ability to hurt it would only briefly stop to buffet the air to keep the surviving choppers on the way out, as she flew as quickly as she could to get out of there, as she called back over the communicator.

"I very well may take you up on that offer of running. I rather not as that is my reason for being here... but, I won't die to this thing." Self-preservation held more importance to the Witch than being heroic in the face of a monster that had survived everything thrown at it, but one thing did cause her to pause and speak yet again;

"Are we sure KN9 can't reflect or learn magic?"

Interactions: Merciless Medic (Raph-Noah) Meredith (Chanterelle) Sir Les Paul (Gauss) Peckinou (Arkayis) The Regal Rper (Ark)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Zelezny Brod, Czech Republic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly waited for the little which who seemed perturbed by the aftermath of the battle. Despite being a witch, she did appear to be a child and it didn't seem as though she was particularly desensitized. Regardless, Elly's eyes turned to the rest of the team as the girl spoke. At first there were comforting words said. Then some less so courtesy of Dante. He really was absolutely abysmal with words. So terrible that Elly wondered if it was intentional. She let out a soft sigh at the sight as Sara was quick to retort to him.

That was good, it saved Elly from having to have another soul session with him. Nonetheless, she stared at them all with a deadpan. For as much as he called her a 'Demon Lady', he didn't realize that Sara and Zosar both were the more physically powerful meisters. He truly was lucky Sara was so nice. Hopefully given that she was less so just now would save Kisei from insisting on what was likely his preferred manner of cooperation inducement.

"My, my. It must be some power to be worth ticking off Death," Elly remarked sarcastically. "And I find myself increasingly disappointed with the CIA..."

The baroness was truly a pawn in all this, a runt trying to play smart to survive. Were Elly more empathetic, she may have felt for the little Bloodsucker. Then again, she did waste all their time and give them a big mess to clean up. According to Dante's information, the Duke was planning something big and he was strong enough that she was scared of him. Then again, she was also scared of the Jiangshi and her and Kisei, so that wasn't a good measurement of power. A two-hundred-year-old plan, was another concern. Was it some kind of ritual, she wondered? Too bad she wasn't the most familiar with such things.

Pulling out her phone, she began dialing for Wallner to report and see what he knew of this castle and duke. "Now please don't embarrass me by killing each other while I'm on the phone with Wallner, if you would... Oh, no wait--" Elly said, pausing before she lightly tapped the edge of the phone against her chin in thought. "See if either of them had anything on them, first. That or check the woman's quarters... She was a conniving one, after all." Elly didn't believe that either would have something on them that revealed exactly what they were up against, but the Baroness was a plotter. Maybe there would be something of use.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Haze- Pumpkid

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Atlanta | Rings: 0/1

Leaving wasn't necessarily an option he had entertained in his head. Gauss' line didn't quite sit well with him personally but Ark didn't make a point of speaking, he just provided a minor assist to Chant’s efforts then began preparing himself for what Gauss had suggested. Even feeling the approaching vibrations more keenly from the lumbering beast did not shake him. The concept of fleeing a fight until it has truly become foolish to stay, was also probably something that played a part in his own Pull being so deeply rooted to survival. The fact Raphael had vocally pointed out his decisions to stick it through, did Ark some reassurance that the team wasn't about to totally scatter without trying. The information Chant had provided about potentially usurping control of some of their enemy made the idea of just up and bailing more of a display of cowardice than he was wanting to present.

Of course if the team did scatter, it was highly unlikely Ark would stick around.

After all, if his team scattered, there was no way his aunt's would blame him for fleeing. House Astraeus couldn't fault him for the actions of his whole team when he was not the leader and hadn't been the source of why the team fell apart like what got him into this program. Arrogance was the death of many Witches and Sorceress, he wasn't about to follow that same trend, at the same time he wasn't going to just run away when he didn't abandon the war effort in Central Africa.

Though Maria's reply didn't get a verbal response from him the statement of her interest in leaving wasn't something to ignore over comms. With what she was being tasked to do he couldn't quite blame her all the same or call it cowardice. Instead he merely took a moment to funnel his magic into the earth and begin the steps for what he was about to do.

A flare of his magic output turned the sand burning hot then sweeping arms out that heat extended in a line turning the ground into molten ground and burning sand that bubbled with the temperature. He spread this out extending the line into a full cut off point that turned into jutting teeth of molten rock and bubbling ground in a semi circle that went around the entire front line of the approaching foot Necro soldiers, mindful of Raphael.

Mentions: Merciless Medic

Interactions: RedArmyShogun
Peckinou Sir Les Paul Meredith

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Death City, various locations
Collab Post: Secret Sharing​

11:32 | September 24th, 2067​

There was… a lot of information to share.

Gauss intended on sharing the knowledge of his recessive weapon gene with both of them, but it turned out that he was being tasked with an even more volatile piece of information. Cyrus had called Gauss and Noah in to discuss the subject beforehand. It was rare these days to get a meeting with Cyrus directly, but apparently, this specific topic was a sensitive one he wanted to try a novel approach with. Not necessarily relevant to Gauss being a team leader, but more so that Gauss and Noah were the teammates of Arkayis.

As it turned out, their fellow Fate cohorts of Elly, now-Kisei, Zosar, Wren, and Maria had encountered a golem of Arkayis’ sister. She was under Eros control. She may have looked slightly different, but the information from the other group and the composite of their description was too close a match. Beyond that, her history with Eros only made this outcome logical.

The problem was that this was the exact type of situation Eros would abuse if he could. If possible, Cyrus wanted to nip that in the bud. To get ahead of the curve before it threw them for a loop. He wanted Arkayis to know instead of potentially being surprised by it later. Especially given that whether she wanted to or not, she would kill Arkayis if Eros gave the order. He wasn’t safe and neither was anyone around him.

After a lot of deliberation and consultation with his therapists, it was decided that Gauss and Noah, particularly Noah with his Healing Wavelength, would be the ones to explain the situation. They would be provided some amount of data and composites on a secured flash drive to be returned later. More so, Gauss would be authorized to perform a one-time activation of Arkayis’ incapacitator collar should it come to that.

The timing couldn’t be better as Gauss had intended to talk to the two about his recessive weapon gene, so a conversation of sorts was on its way, but this elevated the importance and intensity to a whole new level. Worse, there unfortunately were not a lot of places in the DWMA that Gauss could just request on short notice and could withstand the fury of Arkayis.

In the end, it was decided that they would go back to where it all started: Lot C. If Arkayis burnt that to the ground, no one would miss it. More so, it wasn’t scheduled for use today. It was a little odd to go there given they virtually never went to the Lots to train, but hopefully under the guise of his new flaming arms, this would not ultimately be an issue. Before they went to pick up Arkayis, the two did stop at a store to pick up a sacrificial tablet for Arkayis to view the data on. They didn’t want to upload to his phone for obvious reasons, but they were pretty sure anything they put in his hands would be a puddle by the time he was done.

With the tree finally making their way through the beaten, dirt trail that led to the Lot they intended on using, the trio were set up for their exchange of volatile information. One piece for Gauss, one piece for Arkayis. Unless Noah was somehow having Gav’s baby, at least he didn’t have anything to cause too much chaos.

”So, uh… Noah…” Gauss said, his tone somewhat dull despite the fact he was somewhat anxious about the moment. He was emotionally drained, it was bound to happen.

”Think we should start my thing or… the other thing..?” Gauss asked, genuinely looking for input from Noah. He had told Noah there was more news, but of lesser importance. He hadn’t shared it yet, claiming that what would go on with Arkayis was easily the bigger issue.

“Yer thing.” He patted Gauss's shoulder, establishing a brief connection to give him thought so Arkayis wouldn't get suspicious. ‘If ya tell us after, Arkayis won't be of mind to listen ‘r the chance'll be ruined in favor of stoppin’ him.’

As much as Noah would love to tell Arkayis the information right now, there was no telling what he'd do. Even though Noah had a Healing Wavelength, there was no telling what was possible with the fury Arkayis will have. Noah wasn't a miracle worker. He might be able to prevent a Madness spike, but he won't be able to prevent the anger from burning down the lot.

”Well…” Gauss replied, his eyes darting over in a sideways glance. He knew this piece of information absolutely paled in comparison to the next and in all reality it didn’t affect his partners whatsoever. The only reason it was being brought up alongside it was timing.

Gauss sighed, half-defeated over the topic. Not that there was any shame in it, just that nothing had been done with the information yet.

”So, Professor Davis, uh… ran some pretty intensive blood tests on Nadia and I…” Gauss said, trailing off, still delaying the inevitable release of information. The hesitance bordered on a petulance at this point as he tried to fight it.

The fight could go on so long, though: ”turns out, I have what they call a recessive weapon gene. It’s been double-verified already.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “Oh, that's neat. Does that have anythin’ to do with bein’ a utility meister or…? Wait…” He then chuckled. “Yer gonna transform on us now?” He teased.

When Arkayis heard the news that Gauss had a recessive weapon gene he was a bit surprised, but mind that information all too much. It seemed like a neat bit of information to know though and when Noah opted to tease Gauss on it Arkayis couldn’t help but add in to it. “Does make me curious on what type of weapon Gauss would transform into now.” the tame bit of information so far has left Arkayis a bit at ease and he couldn’t help but smile a bit when it came to messing around with Gauss.

”It’s unlikely I’ll ever transform,” Gauss answered flatly, but did proceed with an explanation based on what the specialists told him, ”the older you are with a recessive weapon gene, the less likely it is to be forced to manifest. In most cases, like Maka Albarn, it happened because of their age. Chances are, I’ll never know what my weapon form is or even would be.”

He then shrugged and added, ”though, given that V’ is a dagger and Thea is a sword, I would probably be some form of bladed weapon.”

Gauss then gave out a shrug, moving on to the other question Noah had. ”They didn’t say much about me being a Utility Meister. I kind’a doubt it has anything to do with that. However, I did learn that Meisters with a recessive weapon gene are at a higher chance for unique wavelengths or even elemental affinities. My magnetic wavelength is likely a result of the gene.”

Arkayis shrugged at the information before commenting. “Guess that does explain your Magnetic wavelength I suppose, some would say you really lucked out in the genetics pool with the whole Unique wavelength and being a utility meister and all.” Arkayis could've probably added more genetic advantages he has but he really didn’t feel like listing more at the moment.

Noah, despite the smug grin on his face from teasing Gauss, nodded with interest. “That's pretty interestin’. Though, uh… did they figure out anythin’ about them extra arms?” It was a huge question. While it was helpful, Noah was a bit concerned it could be used against them somehow. Or, at the very least, cause unnecessary trouble if they didn't at least try and understand it.

Gauss somewhat reeled back from that question, recalling how he essentially stormed out of the laboratory upon learning of his new family dynamic. ”No… we decided it was best I go in for a full assessment another time,” he commented, which while vague, wasn’t technically a lie.

He then squinted his eyes briefly and decided to bite the bullet. He hadn’t explained exactly why him having this gene was an issue at all, but he decided it would defeat the point if he left that unmentioned. ”The thing about me having the gene is that the only way for it to be possible is if my father also had it…” he threw out, hoping one of them would pick up on the bait.

“Oh.” That was Noah's only answer to that. The dots clicked, and then he sighed, scoff-chuckling wryly. There was no humor to his defeated-sounding laugh, it sounded more like he was in pain. “That… that’d make sense. I doubt he knows.” To learn that all the blame of making demon weapon children was on the father - who has cut them out of his life because they weren't a meister - must have been a huge slap in the face. But, while the actions of his father weren't that great, his ignorance might save him. The problem would be what he would react with if he knew it was all his fault for passing down the weapon gene.

“You… alright?” He asked hesitantly. Gauss seemed pretty on edge with even saying that information.

”Not… really,” Gauss answered, distant. A touch cold, even. ”But, there are bigger issues out there than my family drama,” he added, letting his distaste of the topic seethe through. His self-loathing wasn’t as obvious, but it was there, too. Venomous.

Arkayis really didn’t know how to react to the information though he knew that it was pretty important to Gauss and he was going to want them to be tight lipped on it. But he wasn’t going to ask that considering that was obvious and the revelation wasn’t something that put Gauss in the best of moods. So instead he opted to ask about the bigger issues he mentioned. ”What sort of bigger issues then?” Arkayis voice had a neutral tone as he said that not really sure what or which sorta issues Gauss was mentioning.

Noah’s eyes looked between Arkayis and Gauss. He took his spot off to the side of both Gauss and Arkayis, keeping close to Gauss just in case he needed him, and keeping close to Arkayis for a quick shock. He gave Arkayis a small smile, and then looked at Gauss. His soul was readying to use his healing wavelength just in case. Not that it was really needed now, but Noah wanted to see just how strong his healing wavelength was. Would it prevent Arkayis from burning a crater into the Lot? Probably, but he didn’t put a lot of hope in it.

Would it prevent him from going mad? Yes, and that was something he was more concerned with.

Gauss inhaled deeply, making a slight sucking motion through his teeth as he did. Biding his time wouldn’t help in the slightest, but as he stood there rubbing the back of his neck in preparation, he wished he could buy more time. Especially since he knew Amelia before he even knew Arkayis, apparently, but that was a whole different topic. One he didn’t intend on sharing just yet–if at all.

He finally exhaled. Out from under his arm, he shifted the tablet they picked up earlier and inserted the data drive. Inside it was the full file on Amelia Misonuka. It included performance evaluations and all sorts of trivial information from her time as an agent. None of that mattered. What mattered was the newer, updated version of the portfolio that included the artist rendering of her as well as various photos taken from around the world that were a partial or even complete match. Now that they knew who and what she was, identifying her and putting together a case report was far easier. She lost her anonymity.

Gauss pulled up to the most recent, accurate pictures of her, then handed the entire tablet to Arkayis… pretty sure he wouldn’t receive it back intact.

”Amelia is alive… sort’ve,” Gauss said, just breaking the news outright. He waited at least until Arkayis could take the tablet and see her. The new her. With golems like these, it was apparently hard to tell how true-to-the-original they were. At least with Midori, they were designed to be perfect replicates.

”She is a type of golem. Her body is long gone, probably, but her soul is inside magical clay. It’s a powerful, forbidden magic… used exclusively by a criminal named Eros,” Gauss explained, giving some context as to what all this meant and how it could be possible. ”He’s probably the only man in the world that hates Witches more than you,” Gauss added, doing anything he could to pre-emptively limit the rage.

Arkayis had been quick to notice Noah's change in position when he asked his question, Arkayis knew from the change of attitude and the deep breath Gauss was taking that he wasn’t going to like what was coming next. Arkayis came to a complete halt as he turned towards both Noah and Gauss with a questioning and curious gaze. He grew a bit nervous about what they were going to say next, when he saw the tablet being pulled out he was hoping that it didn’t involve some more news about the DWMA closing bonds with Witches or something like that.

But instead he was hit with something different, something that made his blood run cold and completely freeze in his tracks. When he had taken the tablet from Gauss and explained the situation, Arkayis felt like his heart had stopped as he continued to process the information he had taken in from the tablet. He gave no reaction to the information Gauss provided them, only twitching slightly when he mentioned Eros. Many questions flooded to his mind, none that he had any answer to and the person that had the answers to them wasn’t there right now. The more Arkayis read the more dull his eyes became, when he was finished reading he continued to stare at the tablet, not uttering a single word.

Time had slowly ticked by without any movement from Arkayis, he had yearned for his sister ever since she was taken from him and now she was back albeit not in the same way she used to be. Without even looking from the tablet he asked a simple question, the tone of his voice was almost lifeless as he asked. ”Is the DWMA hunting her?” it was a dangerous question to answer though one that he wanted to hear the answer to.

Gauss had to think that question through. Not only because of how potentially volatile it was, but because he didn’t rightfully know the extent by which the entire DWMA hunted down individual golems. Eros was in the DWMA top ten and Astila used to be, but how would it work now that Eros had control over Astila? Not only that, apparently, he had a golem that killed Astila alone. He didn’t know the nuances of that situation, either, but it did pose a lot of important questions. In short, Arkayis asked an incredibly good question that Gauss had no immediate answer for.

”I’m not sure… she is considered an enemy of the DWMA, but she’s a small fish in a big pond. I don’t think there’s an active hunt, but, uhm,” Gauss explained, trying to remain calm and neutral with a flat tone, but the next bit of information he had, even he was unsure of how to deliver with tact. With the singular exception of Kisei, all golems had a kill order due to their affiliation with Eros.

He sighed.

”So, they studied Midori a lot,” Gauss said, reframing this story. News of the name-change had yet to hit his ears. He had been quite busy. ”The type of magic behind this is entirely banned. Maba does not allow any Witch to study it and no registered Hedge Witches do… which means Eros is the only one that uses it. So, we don’t have a way to fix it or reverse it. We don’t even know how he did it despite her having an Anti-Magic Wavelength,” Gauss explained, all trying to build up for the next point.

”I don’t think there’s a hunt for her, but if she crosses an agent or group of them strong enough, the orders are to uh… eliminate the threat,” Gauss told him, finally breaking it to him.

Noah was oddly calm. Someone had to be. While his soul was tense with a preemptive charge, he felt sympathy for Arkayis. Noah didn’t know what would happen if he saw his father - still madness-crazed and becoming a full on AW as a golem. He chewed his lip, waiting for Arkayis’s reaction, not wanting to take the explanation away from Gauss.

Arkayis’s eye twitched when Gauss mentioned how she was considered an enemy to the DWMA, he had barely gotten over the first time they took her from him and they wanted to do it again. He didn’t want to lose his sister again, though with her as a Golem he didn’t know how much of her would have stayed the same or changed, or if it would really be her if they crossed paths again. Gauss mentioned that if any team were to encounter her, they would try to kill her, but Arkayis knew that she was more likely going to go on to target and kill witches rather than DWMA personnel unless they got in her way.

But if she was out there, and considered an enemy of the DWMA, he wondered why she wouldn’t have made any attempts to retrieve them. He had always been loyal to her first and foremost he would of burned the DWMA to the ground if she asked him to, the only time he ever hesitated to do anything she said was the last time he ever saw her, and he would of let the madness take over if he knew that it would of saved her. He didn’t know who their enemy was in this case, the DWMA or Eros–maybe even both. Only Amelia knew the answer to that question and she wasn’t here, and even if she was, the DWMA would have tried to take her out. It was infuriating and he wanted to destroy both the DWMA and Eros, he wanted all his problems to burn away, but instead they were just being thrown towards them. The tablet began to melt in his hands as he eyes turned to Noah and Gauss there was a dark look in his eyes, as the thought of burning them both to ashes settled into his mind for a split second before being thrown out. He looked away from them before taking a deep breath in and out, his eyes closed as he retreated into his thoughts.

Called it–a thought rang out in his head as he noticed the tablet start to melt away. With the world powered by magitech, at the very least, Arkayis wasn’t about to cause an explosion of lithium from the battery. Still, watching it spark and crack was somewhat unsightly.

Gauss didn’t really breathe there for a moment. He watched as waves of feelings poured over Arkayis. There was a somber sadness, true, but there was also a darkness. Something sinister and cold–opposite to his normal raging hatred. It was a troubling series of sensations he felt from his partner. Of course, knowing what he knew about Arkayis in general in conjunction with his own troubled family history, Gauss was pretty damn sure that Arky was having some real dark, borderline stupid thoughts.

He finally exhaled.

”Arky, bud… there is someone that you could talk to. He just happens to be busy training others today,” Gauss said, trying to both show some compassion and transition beyond this specific roadbump. For his sake, and Arkayis’s.

”Midori is a golem, too. You might remember him from Hawaii; he’s the Japanese guy with two different colored eyes,” Gauss went on, trying to explain why this could even potentially matter. ”He knows Eros and the golems best. It was his team that ran into your sister in the first place… rumor is, he met his ex and she literally ran her arm through his chest,” Gauss told him, only sharing that final rumor in the event it would trigger some type of sympathetic response or even humor.

Noah watched with some apprehension as the tablet melted. As Arkayis stared at the two of them with that cold look, burning wrath in his eyes, Noah was ready for the worst. Then… Nothing.

Well, almost nothing. But that look was something Noah not only expected, but knew what it was like. Being a very angry kid, he had a very enthusiastic want to hurt people if they pissed him off, and it usually came out in this cold, wrathful silence. Noah looked at Gauss as he spoke of Midori and Noah nodded. “It’s very likely that the reason she’s an enemy’s ‘cause she’s been attackin’ DWMA agents, helpin’ a man who’s wanted by the DWMA and a mage she’d normally kill. Ah, I also heard from Sara.” He looked between Gauss and Arkayis. “Midori’s new name is Kisei. Apparently, he went through a bit of an identity crisis from said ex. But that’s not too important. What’s important’s that we help ya through this, okay, Arky?” He hoped his reassurances helped or cleared things up. Arkayis didn’t need to process the words now, but he knew he’d be processing them later. Hopefully.

Arkayis half listened to what Gauss was saying, his attention was only fully grabbed when he mentioned that Midori was the one that found her. Arkayis opened his eyes and looked towards Gauss when he mentioned that, his look soon turning into a glare when he mentioned the supposed rumor of how Midori's meeting with his ex went. With Noah speaking up next his eyes went towards him, he honestly didn’t care for the reason why the DWMA considered her a enemy he had always sided with his sister first and foremost. What was surprising though was that she was helping Eros and siding with a mage, something entirely out of character of her. It was something that shocked Arkayis a bit, causing him to raise one of his eyebrows as if he didn’t believe it.

When Noah mentioned that the meeting between Midori and his Ex has caused an identity crisis, he thought it over for a moment before his gaze softened a bit. It was like putting together the pieces to a puzzle. He didn't know what would happen if he did encounter his sister or if the same sort of identity crisis that happened to Midori would also happen to her. Arkayis originally didn’t have too much interest in Midori but that has now changed a bit, still though he wasn’t fond of the idea of interacting with him. They barely knew a thing about him and he didn’t seem like the all too friendly sort, add that to the fact he was going through his own identity crisis it seemed like any interaction with him would be a real hassle. With a deep breath in and out, his gaze shifted from Noah to Gauss as he asked. ”Why is Midori with the DWMA?” Arkayis was now mostly curious on what made Midori so special. He was able to keep his emotions from bursting for now but it was clear he was in no mode for any jokes or games. His urge to burn the entire place down was being held back only by his need for answers and the logical part of him barely taming the fury of emotions being held within him.

Admittedly, Arkayis was reacting considerably better to the news than Gauss had anticipated. Noah hadn’t even needed to use his abilities yet, which was astonishing. Not that Gauss believed Arkayis was truly outwardly destructive. The weapon historically had only really caused accidental destruction with the release of his wavelength which was ironically something Gauss used to struggle with as well; magnetic fields fried electronics. In that way, Gauss could sympathize with Arkayis. He probably didn’t know it, but Gauss struggled with quite a few of the same issues as Arkayis.

The issue here was, Gauss only knew the details that they would officially release to him. He was a team leader within the F.A.T.E. Program which put him in an odd state of clearance. Ultimately, what he was allowed to learn was effectively dictated by Cyrus and his secretaries. In this case, he was only given half-facts and the suggestion to redirect Arkayis to Midori.

”I actually asked that same question… and so have hundreds of others,” Gauss replied, his tone still neutral but at least somewhat more lively as this was a rabbit hole he at least tried to explore.

”I’ll tell what I know, but only, uh… Kisei, I guess, is gonna have specific details,” Gauss continued on, making sure to adjust for the new name, ”so, let’s start with Eros. The DWMA doesn’t like to release a whole lot about him. His soul isn’t just corrupted, it’s an Infernal Soul. He’s just one step away from becoming a Kishin by all accounts. His history and dossier are kept under wraps. What little I could pry from people was that he used to be a Demon Weapon and he has consumed hundreds of Witch Souls. Outside of that, what we know is he wants to start a war between the Witches and DWMA again. I paid people for secrets and even the secrets are just that he’s a terrorist and uses Madness-Magic.”

Gauss then gestured with his hands, making them do a hopping motion. What he was meaning to point out was that they were going from topic A to topic B.

”This was a while ago. We all were probably still just opening up Soul Studies books in EAT classes. But, Midori was part of a duo that were considered the Rising Stars of their class. Somehow, they got ambushed on a mission. It was thought Ao was killed and Midori survived in his weapon form. Turns out, both of them were killed by Eros and turned into golems. Ao was kept by Eros and Midori was sent back to the DWMA as a spy. This new golem Midori was under the control of Eros the entire time. He became an autonomous weapon and got a bad attitude. That landed him in the Paean Program–the precursor to the F.A.T.E. Program. At one point, Eros saw an opportunity to spark a fight between the Witches by having Midori assassinate a young Witch on a mission. He failed to kill her, but he killed and maimed some other agents in the meantime. Midori was gonna die and Kidd saved him. No one really knows how. Point is, after that, no one trusted Midori. They worried that if he was an Eros sleeper agent once, he could be activated again. Plenty of the higher ups would have preferred him imprisoned or executed,” Gauss explained, doing his best to try and provide Arkayis the patchwork information he had picked up over his time looking into the topic.

”Yet, here he is, a mentor in the F.A.T.E. Program. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, honestly, but that’s the trend with Eros: nothing makes sense. He pulls strings to make events happen all the time. He plays every side, has his finger in every pie; he’s like the boogeyman of the DWMA,” Gauss continued, though his momentum was slowing down. He was coming to an end for this speech. ”Thing about the boogeyman is that it’s hard to discern between the myths and the threats. Maybe that’s intentional, too… might be that the DWMA keeps information to themselves to prevent the spread of misinformation–I don’t know,” he added, exasperated somewhat by the lack of direct information.

Arkayis listened to Gauss but their eyes have drifted elsewhere, making more eye contact with the ground than he was with Gauss and Noah. He tensed up a bit when Gauss mentioned Eros and his ambitions, it honestly sounded like something he and his sister would be more than willing to get behind. The alliance between DWMA and Witches has severely limited the witches he was able to hunt, and he wanted nothing more than to burn every witch off the face of the earth, it was what his sister would have wanted. But instead he was being forced to work with them, something they absolutely hated. If he was allowed to burn the magic wielder he was forced to work with last mission he would have happily done so. Sadly that wasn’t the case, heck even the witch he was allowed to burn they had failed to do so, something that was stupidly rare when he was with his sister. His eyes twitched with hate at the thought, he began to wonder if he was losing his touch, but instead of dwelling on that failure there were more vital things that were being brought to their attention at the moment.

Arkayis listened intently as Gauss explained Midori's story or Kisei’s story for that matter, he was a bit surprised by the fact that Kidd saved him. But any spark of hope he had was stomped out as he figured that whatever Kidd must of done to him, more than likely had some sort of catch and it seemed like it might just be like going from one evil to another, plus he wasn’t even for sure if Kidd would be willing to do that again anyways. Taking a deep breath in and out, he couldn’t help but respect Eros a little as he did seem crafty at the very least. Though Arkayis still wasn’t exactly fond of him, especially with the situation that has happened with his sister. He wasn’t exactly sure how exactly to feel with all this information, even if he still had his doubts. He honestly would have never expected Gauss and Noah to give him information like this, it would have been more in line for them to remain tight lipped about it and hope he would never find out. Though that would have definitely damaged any trust they would have had between each other, which could have honestly been the intention behind it. He couldn’t help but ask ”Does the DWMA know you're telling me this? Doubt they would of wanted me to know, what made you opt to even tell me?” Arkayis was wary he was expecting maybe a lie or half truth would work turn up, at the end of the day both Noah and Gauss were members of the DWMA and he wasn’t sure how loyal they were to the group, but he was sure that they only cared for him to a extent and he doubted the length of the extent.

”The DWMA is aware. In fact, they wanted Noah and I to tell you instead of it coming from some inhuman email or cold secretary from Intel,” Gauss answered, being quite truthful with that specific piece of information.

”Eros and his golems are unpredictable. There is a chance at any given time that we may run into one, including your sister. It’s best you know,” Gauss explained, ”and, it’s best you understand this next part: that golem isn’t really your sister. It will kill you. This isn’t some movie or anime where you can try to convince it to come back or make it hesitate so you can escape.”

”--And beyond that,” Gauss added, having remembered an important detail and wanting to inject it quickly, ”not all golems are made the same. If you hadn’t melted the tablet, you could have seen her alternate form. Your sister apparently can transform into some humanoid reptile with venom. Kisei was made to be a perfect replica of Midori, unnoticeable to even the elite.They are literally built different.”

Arkayis tensed when Gauss said that the DWMA was aware of this, and figured there must be some sort of agenda if that is the case. Something that Gauss soon explained, as they said that he wanted him to be prepared for the possibility of having to kill his sister. Though Gauss didn’t use the word he knew what they wanted, it was a thought that caused him to freeze in his tracks. He would have killed anyone for his sister if she was really sure about it, died for her if the situation demanded it and now they wanted him to be ready for the possibility of killing her.

Arkayis couldn’t help but clench his fist, he wanted to burn this place, no, he was going to burn this entire place down to the ground. His madness had spiked as his hand took on a partial transformation, flames strong enough to melt steel began to appear. Though his back was turned to Noah and Gauss he knew they were behind him and he didn’t care, he wanted to burn everything around him to the ground and was fully prepared to do just that. In a fit of rage along with a string of curses in German, it was clear that his madness was only going to rise from here.

Gauss saw the reaction. This is what he feared. He knew the collar on Arkayis could withstand the heat and Noah could help out in the interim. That wasn’t necessarily the issue. What mattered is precisely what would come to follow. Why was Arkayis doing this? He hadn’t said a word. He hadn’t explained his thought process. He hadn’t shared anything. It was impossible to make a judgment as is. It was impossible not only for him, but for the DWMA.

”If you keep this bullshit up, Arkayis, you will be the reason someone loses their sister,” Gauss said, picking out a series of words he was almost sure would land a surgical blow onto Arkayis.

”The kid gloves are off, Arky; I’m genuinely tired of dealing with this. I’m exhausted by having to explain your frankly embarrassing bigotry. You need to look at yourself right now. If you explode into a fireball and we have to put you out, you are the problem. Not Witchkind, not some vendetta over your parents–you and your behavior. I’ll prove it: tell me what you want to do right now and think about how many sisters you’re willing to burn in your tantrum. Tell me–directly–how many random, innocent girls are gonna get consumed by your blue flames because you can’t control yourself,” Gauss continued, only adding to the intentional instigation of his partner. A line needed to be drawn.

Gauss was drawing it. Plain as day, someone with as much power as Arkayis could not be allowed to just roam freely if he couldn’t control himself. His hatred of Witches was one thing, but if he could not remain in control, then he was in no shape for field duty. Gauss was fairly certain that between his arms and his skill, he could dodge any attempt Arkayis would make to lash out at him. The same could not be said if he tried it on some random Witch or civilian. It was better done here than out there.

Noah’s eyes widened and he bent his knees as the heat of the flames stung the front of his body, his wavelength finally able to escape his body as it went to zap Arkayis with a healing shock. His eyes darted to Gauss, raising an eyebrow at the instigating language but not saying anything about it. Arkayis needed to hear the truth of his behavior and if he couldn’t handle it, then he wouldn’t mind transforming for Gauss right now. As is, Arkayis was not an Autonomous Weapon. Even if he had some training in it, a resonated pair would absolutely clobber Arkayis. But for right now, he just needed to make sure Arkayis was even cognitively aware of the information so he could process it. “Ya keep this up, ‘n’ you’ll be pulled from the team, too. Frankly, I don’t wanna stop workin’ with ya, but yer making it a tough choice, Arky.”

Arkayis was taken a bit by surprise from the zap Noah gave to them, turning to the both with annoyance. Though that quickly faded when Gauss began chastising him for his behavior and Arkayis’s eyes began drifting towards the ground. His hands fidgeted a bit as he listened, before soon curling into a fist, his head twisting slightly to the side as he continued to look towards the ground before he eventually closed them. With a breath in through his nose and out, he didn’t utter a single word before turning to storm out of the place, for the first time in a long while he actually wanted to be completely secluded and have a bit of time to himself.

”You can chase him if you want,” Gauss commented, ”but, I’m not.”

If Gauss was anything, it was drained. Defeated, almost. When he looked at Arkayis, what he saw was months or even years more of this nonsense. It wasn’t something one just got over. Unless Kisei could work some magic or Arkayis went rogue, this is what Gauss had to look forward to. Gauss didn’t share this part, but Arkayis had a long string of partner rejections and the only type of Meister they believed had a shot at wielding him was a Genius Meister, a Utility Meister, or one inherently unhinged with the same desire to just blatantly murder witches.

What it meant was that pairing Arkayis again would be a potentially insurmountable task, removing him from the only sense of familiarity he had was high-risk to him, and if he failed in this pairing, another Utility Meister–especially in the program–likely would have even lower chances, especially of Arkayis caught on to the fact they were pairing him with Meisters that bypassed his… difficult requirements.

”Not gonna lie, Noah… I had a call with my dad, still don’t know what to do about my siblings, Bella dropped the l-bomb, and I fucked Arky’s sister years back… I am in no condition or position to be dealing with this bullshit right now,” Gauss admitted, spilling the facts out right in front of Noah as if forfeiting a bad hand at poker.

Noah watched as Arkayis ran off. He still had the mental maturity of a child, even if Arkayis was supposed to be a year or two older than himself. Sighing, tension left his shoulders as he looked back at Gauss, shaking his head. “He needs some time to cool off.” He shrugged. He then listened to Gauss’s busy day, and he huffed. “Huh… Sounds exhaustin’. Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt too much if we left ‘em alone, let ‘em stew in it. Let’s go find some relaxation, hm? Seems like ya need it.” He patted Gauss on the shoulder, looking back to where Arkayis ran towards before looking back at Gauss.

Honestly, Noah considered Arkayis as a lost cause if he couldn’t get his shit together. He wasn’t going to be kind to a child if he continued.



Peckinou Merciless Medic

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long - Aki Kiyoko - Wes Carpenter - Korne
New York City - Car Rentals JFK Airport
September 26th​

Processing all that was unfolding around them, it seemed Sam was the talk he said, though she still found him too cocky with his fighting style, she would leave it be for now as he went about on a one man army killing spree. Then a magic circle, the villain makes herself known, then a giant patchwork of a man, soul magic fuckery, and her taunting them all a bit. The former Triad was not amused, but would shit talk the witch nonetheless as Korne used his own special feature to empower them, though she was unsure how her two other partners would hold up, waiting for a status report as she rolled her shoulders and popped her neck a little bit with a crack and a pop.

The witch was insufferable. At least the quirky doll maker would make useful stuff and could be spoken to. This one was just something that needed killing. It was a shame she couldn’t go all out. It was also worth noting the woman had come here to them, rather than the man that actually was ripping them apart.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, how about I make it up to you? When I'm done you can join your collection." she said, already taking up a fighting stance as simultaneously she waited for answers or reactions from Wes and Aki in the joint soul space that now included Korne.

Unfortunately, Feng did not know the story of the Samurai, so much as her own legends as Sam went to work. He would make a fitting one of the three brothers, maybe a Lu Bu, but she would not inflate his ego with that. And this bitch didn’t fear her, she would learn quickly that would cost her. But first was dealing with the human science project. Provided she didn’t see an opening to just kill the Witch and end this quickly.

Wes for his part, was having a rather jarring experience from the effects of the witch’s magic.
For the first time in forever, he heard the world around him as clear as day. There wasn’t any background noise to filter out, no unique soul signatures that would catch his attention and constantly needle at his ear drums. A variety of emotions ran through him, of which both Feng, Aki and even Korne would be able to easily pick up on. Shock, relief, curiosity, all of which were clear to be seen. But surprisingly, there was also an inkling of fear that tinted his soul. Hearing the souls of those around him was a part of his life, something that he always had to deal with, for better or for worse. Having that suddenly stripped away from him…

It scared him.

‘...What’s the plan?’ The sensation that worked its way through him was slightly strange, like he had just taken an entire coffee cup full of straight caffeine to his system. His weapon form vibrated slightly against Feng’s arm, causing the outside edges of the gong to shake in small and jerky motions. He attempted to feel for Feng’s soul signature to attempt regulation once again, but it was difficult without being able to hear her soul. Like he was searching through a thick fog that blocked everything except the space directly in front of him.

’Could blow her to pieces. These things don’t absorb my shots like those dog-things, so maybe she won’t either?’ Aki spoke up, pitches noticeable in her soul. She wasn’t as sensitive as Wes, but she was still unnerved by the effect of the wailing spirits, more so than the revolting cadavers or smell.

’A suggestion: walk and talk. Moments may be a hundred to one in here, but a sitting duck is a sitting duck regardless,’ Korne chimed in, harping on the fact they hadn’t moved from their spot despite the undead hulk that was incoming. He surmised that they were relying on the dilation effect of Soul Space, but that was somewhat of a rookie move. Enemies experienced in fighting DWMA Agents knew of that advantage and accounted for it. Even only for a few milliseconds, the delay was notable. Barring gimmick abilities or overwhelming power like Sam, it was best to always be on the move.

’On the topic of plans, are you intending on fighting her in this circle? I see no barrier preventing us from leaving the parking lot, though I doubt it’ll be so easy,’ Korne added, pointing out the fundamental prospect of changing venues. He didn’t actually want to retreat–for various reasons. In fact, he was probably the most rearing to go of the four present. It was his experience, and their relative lack thereof, that made him think prioritizing their full strength would be wise.

‘Well, I wasn’t just going to stand here.’ She said with a huff. There was also the issue of the barrier and Korne, Aki’s opinions and the questions from Wes. She honestly didn’t know what to do, short of destroying what was in front of her. She had spent too many years sidelined. More than she would like in all honesty. Should have just gone rogue. Shaking her head it was a bit too late for that now.

’I don’t know.’ she said of Wes’s question and Korne’s about fighting in the circle. ’Typically I’m just stronger than what I’m thrown against or have information from someone on what it is I’m dealing with. If I can’t do those, I test the waters and decide as I go.’ Taking time to move, she would not run from the giant, so much as parallel to it, studying the spell circle as best as she could.

’I don’t know anything about magic, other than its bad news and it's a good idea to kill the caster. And eh, I don’t know if leaving the circle is a good idea, we’ll just see what happens, till then… Let’s see if we get lucky or just how protective the brute is.’ with that in mind and said, Feng levels the gun form Aki at the witch and pulls the trigger when the zombie warrior was not in the direct line of sight.

’We’re at a bit of a disadvantage maybe. Wes, I want to see if we can get any good soundwaves out of you, distract her concentration. Korne, I’m going to take a slash for his right arm if he takes the bait, if he doesn’t then the left leg when I loop around, we’ll see what sort of damage and speed we can keep up.’ saying all of this, her actions would flow in form to how the giant reacted. After the test fire and still keeping her movement up, Feng would flick her rest to bang the gun form of Aki into the gong form of Wes to produce the sound wave.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (NPC's) @Shotgunpenguin (Wes)

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Czech Republic

Couldn't fault his gem for being done with Dante's manner of speaking on a whole. Kisei had looked ready to take off the belt, African American style and whoop the AW’s ass. Which he couldn't say he would have stopped if he hadn't read between the lines of what Dante actually meant by his brusqueness.

At least with how Sara replied only found some amusement in Dante's predictability. At the very least her fiery reply put to rest any concern he'd need to prod her about this later once the mission was over.

At Elly’s request to search the body Zosar was already on the move towards it. Perhaps, strangely, without hesitation too as if they had shared the same thought at the same time.

Between the Baroness and Brother Lee, the executed vampire royal had higher priority and from what Wren had shared there might have been nothing there at all on her jailer. Regardless he decided to start with Lee just to get it done since he was the closest.With Lee it took him only about a minute to search him completely. All he found in his search for value was a locked pager. He took that with him, leaving whatever minor items that were of little value, moving towards the Baroness.

The baroness was decked out in armor and in the fight that armor hadn't been torn apart like Lee. As a result he would need to take off all the armor before getting into anything else.

When he knelt down next to the corpse he didn't even hesitate, save for pulling a cover over his combat gloves. At the very least they would protect from the blood, and were designed to be resistant to any corrosive or poisonous elements. It'd be embarrassing to scratch his cheek or brow and transfer something lethal like an idiot.

Removing the Baroness’ armor took a bit due to finding the buckles. The cuirass opened with buckles located on the shoulder, a movement that required him to position her in a sitting position that brought the spot of where her head had once been, uncomfortably close. The sight, if not smell alone should have made an average person gag or wince or flinch, but Zosar merely frowned moreso at the buckles. No sign of disgust or even discomfort, he just carried on with stoicism like it was business as usual.

With how quick he moved, perhaps at one point, it had been.

The vambraces, gauntlets and sheathed dagger were removed. In about fifty seconds he had removed almost all half her top armor. Protected fingers searched the interior of each removed armor in various spots, looking for hidden pockets or compartments.

In a way how calm and collected he was doing all of this and how quickly he worked said something about his past experience.

The first of the spoils was placed to the ground with a metallic clink. Hidden throwing knives were deposited one by one. Once he finished checking the armor he moved back to the body. Next, wooden totems- small ones, each one holding different symbols or carvings that had a similar theme. Dark red crystals were the most flashy. When Zosar took out the last one he found on her person he held it up in the air to examine it for a second, pausing. “Pretty sure these aren’t normal, not sure if she used it in your fight or if they carry any significance.”

In the current dim light of the mansion, the blood crystals sparkled with a dark maroon glint. Regardless he set it aside.

Even if they were real he wasn't about to suggest looting, even as a joke. For one thing, he wasn't about to create a poor impression on dark humor. It was poor taste even if he didn't particularly care in this case given who was dead, but by EAT standards, you didn't just loot your target because you could. It was a policy in practically every mission just as his superiors in the Enlighteners would have chastised field agents for attempting to do the same thing, and punished the few that did. There were only a few select reasons he had ever learned it would be perfectly reasonable to rob the dead or recently killed and this wasn't one of them.

With all the armor off that left the natural long regal dress the baroness had worn with a cloth like belt and buckle. Two items akin to an expensive purse were found and removed. Inside one he found a phone that came out as useless, destroyed in the fight. An orb was pulled out next from the other and Zosar set it aside with the rest. Once he had searched both purses he moved back to the body. Seconds of frisking went by with nothing before he paused for a moment and he pulled out…a key. Hidden in the bra. Something small that looked like it would go to a tiny lock. “Could be to a personal lock. Doesn't look like the sort that belongs to a door at least with this size, could be wrong.” He commented.

The last thing he recovered took a bit more searching and prodding. When the front came empty he flipped the body over steadily. From top to bottom he went, then stopped, pulling out the skeleton key, found, carefully hidden, tucked away in the belt of her dress at the waist within the lining behind the cloth like buckle only noticeable by a slight small odd formation he felt while feeling through. After this, Zosar did a few more seconds of searching, and once he was done, pulled back on his knees when he found nothing else, pulling the covers off his hands. In total it took about two minutes roughly but that was fast considering he had been doing it alone.

“That's it. The small key and the skeleton key seem like the most obvious things to figure out what it gives us access to.”

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[Sir Les Paul]

North of Steel Pier, Atlantic City Beach, New Jersey
GM Post​

​

At least some plans seemed to be coming together. Maria voiced many entirely valid complaints about the request. Gauss was ignorant to the problems. He would have admitted such if pressed. Luckily for both of them, some engineer somewhere had thought ahead in the design of these crafts. The plasma weapon they carried was not the only magitech onboard. While the exact means were unclear, the propellers and rotors were most definitely reinforced and more importantly, there seemed to be a cushion of air around each one of them that made the efforts of Maria not only far more successful, but much safer in general. She was likely the hero of the moment for those pilots as her blasts of wind were enough to narrowly dodge the follow up rope of plasma KN9 released.

No one could have saved those first few victims, but some of the questions posed seemed to be answered. The plasma rope it created didn't seem to have a terribly long range, though it did superheat the air around it. Even at the range Maria was in, the atmosphere was becoming sweltering. Some small time before she could voice her opinion on fleeing, she had succeeded in bringing the remaining helicopters back to shore.

Meanwhile, the efforts of the rest of the team were coming to fruition. The lightning bolt from Noah did its job exactly. Reanimated or not, the flesh of those apefish was still that: flesh. It reacted as any muscle and nerve would be while being struck by lightning. It caused immediate tonic stiffening and perhaps to the surprise of Noah, the raw voltage of their resonance had grown since their first attempts at chain lightning. The electricity he launched and Gauss helped guide almost-instantly created a network of millions of little charges that went through every conductive thing in the water, including the very salt and ions that comprised it, reaching out even further than the initial walls Ark had conjured earlier. Whether this was just from practice or the new blazing arms of Gauss, it wasn't terribly clear.

It didn't matter.

Ark was also successful in creating his river of lava, not that it was much needed. Raphael was able to sent his chains forward to lock down the majority of the various undead fish in front of them and it did in fact suppress them. To an overwhelmingly positive effect, in fact. While suppressed, the creatures were virtually blank slates. They lost whatever will or mind they initially possessed. Some of them in the worst of shape even began to fall apart as the fungal animation simply wasn't sufficient to keep them together. The magical suppression effect from Raphael was not something to be scoffed at, especially given he could choose what effects were and were not suppressed. His chain magic might have been a long-running joke at one point, but this unique magical trait was some type of redemption.

Furthermore, there came an immediate reminder that they in fact were not alone. A handful of other spellcasters, all women of course, made themselves known beside Raphael. Each of them began casting their own magical circles. Facsimiles of what Raphael used, but that was the nature of creating new runes for circles on the fly. Not everyone was so gifted as Rand apparently was. What this ultimately allowed was for the Witches to directly supported Raphael by replicating his spell. They could not copy it, per se, but they could lend their support in the same way additional channellers might enhance a ritual. The difference would have been astounding; the strain on Raphael dissolved until it was barely but mundane concentration.

In fact, the entire situation became somewhat taken over by the Witches. After their lightning bolt and the subsequent seizure of the undead, the Meisters that were once assaulting the shores decimated the few stragglers that Ark hadn't caught in his first trap. Gauss called for them to stop, and most did. In part because there was a certain level of futility in going up against the kaiju anyway, in part because Gauss was a Meister with flaming fucking arms and two weapons, and in part because it seemed the mages for the moment had it under control. Most importantly, it meant no one was in their way.

Gauss did finally answer Maria, though he had to get confirmation from the scene commander beforehand. 'That is apparently the first time KN9 has been witnessed using magic—or any projectile. The general consensus of our leaders is that this version of the kaiju is different somehow," Gauss explained, trying to be as calm and informative as he could. It was shared line, after all.

No one would have harped on Maria for leaving, but it did seem she was no longer the only Witch on a broom. Much like how Raphael was now receiving help from other Witches, the skies were going to be given greater support. It was only three of them and their brooms far inferior to what Maria had, but their magic was definitely more suitable. One of them, the fastest, flew circles around the kaiju, able to dodge the plasma, but more so able to begin creating a whirlpool. Another tried freezing the base of KN9 from a lower vantage, avoiding the plasma all together since the creature couldn't shoot itself. It wasn't clear yet what the third was doing.

Ark and Raphael were met by an entirely different type of Witch. A girl of blond hair and avian eyes, short and spiked, and a peppy attitude. Her Witches robes were shorter and more revealing than most, but her tan skin made it seem like that was because she was accustomed to a more tropical or warmer climate. Not that she had a form as robust as that of Blair, just that she didn't hide it. She also didn't hide the fact she was apparently a summoner. And her summon? A massive pelican with its long, stretchy neck replaced with a type of cage platform. It was a weird site, actually, even for mages. Pelicans had beaks that could stretch and contort, even be flexed inside out to cool themselves. This was donned copper armor and its beak was a similar metallic hue with its lower half appearing to be a type of net-like cage. A carrier platform, if it were to scoop up allies. A prison for others.

"I will take you in the sky if you want to fight," she said, specifically addressing Raphael and Ark. She paid no attention to Gauss or the others. "I can tell you aren't Witches, but no magic should be bound to the Earth," she added, all but confirming her focus on the mages in the area. It wasn't uncommon for this type preferential treatment to occur, but it was the first time in a long time both Raphael and Ark were given it; being Sorcerers, men, and Fate Agents hadn't historically earned them a lot of respect.

RedArmyShogun Meredith Merciless Medic Peckinou The Regal Rper

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Kisei☆Hoshi​

Deadsoul​

Species Death Golem
Partner Eloise Keegan
Rank Two-Star

Location The derelict Mansion, Liberec Region, Czech Republic
Mission The Missing of the Giant Mountains
Status Miffed

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Haze- Merciless Medic Pumpkid

Oh, Dante, Dante, Dante... if Kisei was still the man he was just two years ago, he would have shaved every orange hair off of the carrot top and made the remainder of the team call him Q-ball every time they saw him.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Kisei was a reformed man. He was in a better place and the program was far better at rehabilitating its agents so that they rarely lashed out at their peers. In fact, had Kisei started in F.A.T.E. instead of Paean, he might even be a be in a better place than he was now. Alas, not the time or place for such hypotheticals.

Not that Kisei didn't still want to torture Dante, just that he would do in different ways later. For the moment, he would just have to distract himself so he could tame his rage.

"Oi, Zose, how come it sounds spicy when Wren does the Latin thing, but cringe when you do?" Kisei asked, teasingly, accusingly almost–trying to change the subject.

His attention was on Wren, though she had left the side of Zosar and approached Sara and Dante. It seemed Zosar had fucked off to go search, too. For the moment, then, Kisei turned his attention to the remaining wolves and Dante. He approached knowing he was still walking on thin ice. In fact, he approached with an entirely separate topic in mind, at least verbally.

"Perhaps, Silver, you ought to teach the man how to speak the language proper," Kisei suggested, having walked over to Wren and now beside her, barely behind her as she faced their other two teammates. Then, in his trademark fashion, he planted his hand on her shoulder, his body language sending the friendly message that conveyed his verbal request for help. However, what he told her between their souls was a different story.

'You two may be the wolves of this group, but Dante is the bitch. I'm not even sure he could beat you if you used your werewolf form. Whatever dumb shit he says, remember he's little more than a pup barking at the bigger dogs. You, unlike him, having nothing to be insecure about.'

Done with Wren, his attention turned over to Sara.

"If we're searching, you should use your more keen senses. Anything that might have a stronger scent from the Baroness might be a place she visited often, might have more clues," Kisei instructed, providing advice he was sure Sara would think of but would more distinctively give her and thus Dante a more specific objective. He nodded over to Zosar to acknowledge his findings. "A keyhole for a key, for instance. People rarely use journals anymore, but the Baroness was old as fuck, so maybe she had something written. If she has anything digital, I have no qualms popping out her eye or cutting off her thumb. An actual password, however, might be tough." he went on, pointing out the options for searching.

Finally, he left that interaction. A gentle squeeze on the shoulder of Wren. No more words, just reassurance. Then, a delightful return to his mistress, Elly.

"I assume you're already scanning the place over top to bottom looking for any traces of her wavelength or magic?" Kisei asked, though it was more a suggestion really. Given how Elly wasn't exactly in the most clear headspace, a gentle reminder might prove useful.

"I also wonder if she's got any gold laying around... Bloodsuckers normally keep precious metals or jewels for money, not dollar bills or digital coins," Kisei added, effectively suggesting they rob the house. A side-eye over to Zosar, the thief, then back to Elly, the mobster. "A gold bar or two sure would get some nice Wagyu steaks..."

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Atlanta | Rings: 0/1

KN9 releasing a death beam of plasma got the comment, “Oh great” from the Earth mage, soaked in sarcasm.

This mission was just stuffed with surprises. At the very least, Maria was safe and so were the air support. If KN9 really hadn't possessed this ability before then whatever was the true source of all this necromantic magic had to be more than just a single Witch or Sorceress, especially if they were creating such fundamental biological changes to so many creatures and entities. One as big as this even more so had to require an absurd level on the scale of some insane ritual.

Raphael's magic had certainly grown though and for that he was proud of his friend, at the same time it once again made him consider what additions he could be adding to his own set. In a fight against other mages, his suppressive magical feats that he knew in their talks had once been the butt of many jokes, was now going to be the definite talk down the road at how useful it truly was with how it had helped weaken so many of these walking undead soldiers. With many of the seamonkey enemies out of the picture and the new allies coming in to provide additional support with KN9, Ark decided to shift his attention fully on the giant beast but doing so he didn't immediately attack.

With lava and magma he could form stronger attacks and target the titan in areas that weren't presently being used to slow it down, the issue was that he had to move quickly and keep himself a shifting target. There was no way he could just stay in one spot and launch attacks like that when that thing was releasing a death beam. Last thing he wanted to do was turn the friendlies around him into targets also.

Being on a broom required some experience and he had only ever had nerve-wracking experience on one as a child, never as a teen or adult. There was no way he would ask Maria, especially if she was planning to leave, and he certainly wasn't about to trust the patience of the new additions. It was by chance he saw the approaching creature and the summoner nearing before she had even gotten too close.

Seeing who the summoner was though, Ark’s expression shifted from serious observation to a sense of piqued interest in the female mage’s choice of clothing and summon. He only had experience with a few Summoners, and most always tended to possess some sort of stronger animal traits like the blonde mystery here, some with far more obvious ones that influenced their whole appearance. Houses like that in his experience, tended to always favor the ones with the more unique features than the more human. Eureka Frog of the Anura House was a perfect example of that.

But Clothes after all, said a lot about you, in Wiccan Society, it also was about status. Though with modern influence from earth it became slightly harder to tell what mages had links to the realm and who didn't. Having experience in the Realm, being of a High Court bloodline, and having been to many social event gatherings related to his House for his entire life, Ark came with a background of understanding of how Earth clothing styles influenced the Wiccan attire across its social classes. Considering up until fifty plus years ago Witches were enemies there had always been a necessity for Witches, especially Hedge Witches, to be up to date with the times to blend in.

It was why seeing Maria, who usually dressed so formally, in a more cutesy swimwear and not something more formal or tame but rather outside her usual zone had him briefly interested in tossing a few compliments her way on how it suited her at Hawaii, though she barely seemed to pay those compliments any mind out of bashfulness or inexperience.

Ark didn't spend too much time staring at the tanned blond Witch as she neared like a stricken fool captured by beauty, his initial glance had only lasted a few seconds extra to gauge her before he turned his attention back to the environment around him. His moment of staring might have been construed as attraction or interest but in all honesty he was looking at her closely to see if he recognized her from anywhere in his past interactions.

The skin-to-cloth ratio did favor exposed skin a bit more even if she was from a more tropical environment. Even if she wasn't sporting a rocking body like Blair who had made literal magazine status, or Elizabeth Thompson or Tsubaki in their primes as adults he couldn't deny the fit the mystery blond wore, she wore quite well. Knowing Rand’s cousin Iris who had an entire punk aesthetic and having met others with their own variations to the more modern takes on the fashion culture of witches, he made it a point not to embarrass himself by staring at her and only really returned his attention when she was close.

From her appearance alone, she clearly wasn't one of the avian affiliated Houses he knew off the top of his head in the moment. Definitely wasn't a Peacock member, who were allies to his House and overall pretty flashy individuals.

When she did address them Ark didn't miss how she didn't glance much at anyone else, that didn't stop him from considering the option laid out to him. Being in the air was honestly better than remaining grounded. Mainly this would provide him greater mobility and allow him some greater field manipulation. With his attacks he could probably chain a few in. Informing Gauss he would take the option she was presenting, Ark approached, first observing the summon more closely then his attention went back to the blonde spiky haired mage. “Thank you, your timing was honestly impeccable. With your assistance I should be able to use my magic more effectively. My lava magic should be more useful with a bird's eye view.” At the very least showing his appreciation for the offer. “Might I know your name? You may call me Ark.” He supplied in exchange, leaving the House affiliate name off. This wasn't a formal meeting so there was no need to supply the name of his House ergo his status, and frankly there wasn't time to waste on those meaningless exchanges in a situation like this. The Earth mage approached her summon, at least in preparation or for a signal for him to board the platform.

The second they were off he could focus his magic into some long ranged heavy hitting projectiles.

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Peckinou Sir Les Paul Meredith