Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long
New York City - Car Rentals JFK Airport
September 26th​

For Feng, the observations, not even given voice by Korne was very much true. Given the partnership with Wes was likely set in stone by now, she would have to find a means to motivate him. She had noticed this on their first meeting. Wes was a man who lacked motivation, she would have to reread the sheet that came with him from the DWMA. The euphoria of the situation was not lost on Feng, in fact it was well known to her and locked away for a few years. IT was liberating but without the blinders she normally had on. It wasn't quite the Oneness she strived towards, but it worked out well enough. Things were fine like this... But it was work for tomorrow, to the future.

Feng wasn't quite ready for this, but it was not the first time she had to improvise, the first time a foe was beyond her. Many of her antics would be perfect for hollywood movies, leaping gunfights, fighting of Chinese sorcerers and Jiangshi in China town in Belgium. It was a case of do or die against a stronger appoint, and most of what she had kill wed humans, normally those that deserved it. She had one hope, one thought, to continue killing and leave the world a better place than she found it while Korne pulled at her, her experience and all that was happening, as if being directed by another will, she brough her blow towards the direction that Korne wished, for what his greater experiences were. Things would be taken from this, learned from, she was in a unique situation, but still. One final thing to do.

The battle senses the two shared would be not too unalike as she swung the blade in a sickening and dissecting manner before leveling Aki and what seemed to be the most intact brain part and pulled the trigger, before running once more, waiting to see how the others would react, more so the 2nd witch.


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

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location New York, New York City, Eastern Front
Mission Colossal Combat
Status Focused

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

There were few precious moments before the kaiju was upon them. Every roar it let out released enough pressure that Adrian could feel it in his chest. No video game, VR or otherwise, had prepared him for this. He wasn't exactly a Monster Hunter-type agent, either. Even if he was, kaiju-level threats were in a league entirely their own. Seeing the semi-aquatic, alien, reptilian-looking thing up close only invested him the reality of how powerless they really were fighting against it. Sure, he would help, but he wasn't about to throw his life away on a fool's errand.

Adrian was many things, but an egomaniac wasn't one of them. He knew his place. An Autonomous Weapon would always be inherent weaker than a proper duo. Apparently, Three-Star Duos aplenty had tried various techniques against the behemoth to no avail. Witches had bombarded the create with more magic than he knew existed and the military had used everything it could to dissuade the thing from attacking civilian-populated areas. The fact of the matter is that Adrian would have been absolutely stupid to think he could make much of a difference.

It wasn't cowardice. Adrian had just fought his own brother and won in a bluff where he effectively bet his life. Nadia and Dani hadn't seen it - probably for the better - but it was the simple truth. If he saw a path to victory, he would take it. Here, he didn't. He was yet again ancillary support. At best, his Pain Enhancement might help, but he wasn't even sure if it would work on something so huge and if so to what degree. He knew it worked on various creatures, even the giant desert scorpions, so it wasn't impossible, but surely there was an upper limit, he reasoned.

All things weighed out, he gave his simple input.

"I'll catch a strand, pump it full of my wavelength, but then I'm gonna fuck off," he told them, not bothering to hide his lack of enthusiasm in his tone. He was commit to this mission right up to the point of futility, and that's what this seemed like to him. Perhaps Fox Hunt or Nadia with Dani could do more damage, but he couldn't, and he just plain saw no reason for him to be here anymore. Not when he had already helped so much.

Time was of the essence. Nadia and Adrian had a minute, maybe more, before the creature was in range and the threads would start being accounted for. The time for discussing a plan was ending and the time for actually enacting it was on the horizon.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Atlanta | Rings: 0/1

Systematic execution was a time consuming process when faced with a swarm of stampeding creatures. Where Gauss, Noah and Arkayis could not reach in distance, Ark could.

The shift was when the voice of that witch boomed out. Doing enough to draw even his eyes away from his task momentarily where he would have merely listened and kept his eyes focused. Ark glimpsed, and who he glimpsed at struck a hazy memory in the back of his head from his history lessons in the Realm.

So when the scarecrow witch said: "It is no Devil that gives our strength—not Satan, some black sabbath, or other infernal stand-in, but our own blood"-- Ark felt his mind go correctly to where the topic was leading.

The Salem Witch Trials were famous. A man-made situation that was the place of many senseless slaughters that had been one of the many factors to Wiccan kind’s disdain for mortals on a whole. A friend of his aunts had said it once before, that as humanity advanced further, the lot of them seemed to get less smarter and if there had ever been an example, the Salem Witch Trials was just one of many.

"Our power was once so feared that we were hunted, so very feared that man would slaughter his kin and burn the innocent out of stupid superstition and unprovoked paranoia.”

Francoís Makandal was just one of those examples. Though sixty years apart in time, the same superstitions had been placed on his shoulders for justified execution.

Mercy’s effigy and the tendrils of Mana that reached out were not dodged. Ark was more fascinated by what he was witnessing at least until it did hit. Time slowed in a way that felt almost surreal. It was astounding for about a second, realizing that this must be what Resonance must be sort of like. The fact this was possible at all was something he found of great interest, but it all took a backseat when the feelings were shared. The images flashed through his mind.

His heart was racing. And the pain they shared reminded Ark of one other. His grandmother. How when he had returned, outside of his parents she had been the one to really cheer him on for all his efforts in the conflict that started in Congo and spread out like a fire. How she had listened to his concerns about this unknown half-sister that no one would speak of.

How she had shared, in a rare moment, a fraction of her life to show she could empathize. That she was a Sorcerer that grew up on Earth, in dark times, before modern technology. Had four siblings, one older Half-sister that was a Witch who became the mentor to her and her other siblings, two older brothers and her twin. And how she introduced the world of magic to them, but in the end they had all gone their own paths. Some, a route she couldn't follow that forced them to go out of touch.

In the moment of all this reflection, Ark wondered for the first time, just how old his grandmother truly was. And what she had meant by ‘dark times’ when she had been young.

If this message did anything though, it reinforced the understanding that the peace Kidd and Maba had created was to the benefit of all to prevent things like this from repeating. Just like his actions during the Congolese effort to stop Outlaws had been worth all the sweat, pain and mental scars. The message, much like the mana, had done something to restore what Ark hadn't realized, was a growing internal exhaustion with his own kind. A growing weariness in the behavior, attitude, and even culture, that Gavril had expressed feeling as a child that Ark had shared a frustration with.

He felt empowered.

It showed in the calm exhale that left his mouth even as his heart pumped. No episode this time. Pure focus.

His hands rose upwards slowly, his eyes closed. Dots followed the action, rising into the sky, much like they had done once when he had been under the effects of the Pull, this time though it was controlled. Tempered. The dots, in half a blink became rocks the size of basketballs, by a full blink they were flaming spots of magma hovering a hundred feet in the air. Ark’s stance remained firm and solid much like the martial arts his practice was based on, his arms came to his sides, the balls arranged with a movement as his stance shifted quickly, and then both hands struck out with his out but arms together.

There was a rumble as he sent magic out that was like a mini wave, nothing that would cause a shake but for a second it was audible as a hundred orbs of glowing red floated in the sky.

“Show them we shall, Lady Mercy.” His hands squeezed and the balls crumbles into thousands of burning hot lava pebbles.

“Show them we shall.”

Two fingers from each hand, pointed down at the charging masses.

One group of the miniature cloud of glowing red pebbles in the air above Ark, vanished. One creature went down. Several others followed a second after. Another group went, another array of bodies spasmed then collapsed into smoking chars, and when the ground was struck it glowed red, a red that became a thorn Ark rose out of the ground with the tip hot like a metal poker out of fire to spear the target and spread it's flame and heat into the body, burning inside as well as gouging the out.

Ark fired multiple shots, calculated carefully towards the ground creatures. The magma in these pebbles exploding and then being manipulated inside the body to completely burn the insides as it raced down from head to toe. This, unlike his first tirade, was more well handled than the wasteful throwing of magic like he had done in a frenzy. It was more calculated, more practiced, and with the surge of energy he felt, he continued to lay into the ground force, without mercy.

Mentions: Merciless Medic

Interactions: RedArmyShogun
Peckinou Sir Les Paul @Meredith

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
New York City - JFK Airport | Car Rentals
September 26th
Mentions: Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen
​

Wes heard the change before he felt it, the quality of Feng’s soul being sharpened, clearer and all the more encompassing. If the wavelength she was sending into him was around a seven on a scale of ten, Korne’s assistance bumped it up to an eleven. It was almost enough to overwhelm him for a second, as if someone suddenly cranked the volume to the max and blasted him with a spike of noise, but he quickly corrected course. He was at least able to shift and accommodate the sudden surge, even if the output was more than he was expecting to handle. He could feel both Korne and Feng’s souls shift, each thinking in their own ways that Wes could be doing more.

He wasn’t an idiot, and despite what everyone thought, he was more than aware of the fact that he wasn’t using his whole capabilities. As such, he *knew* that what Feng was feeling right now in this moment was past him as he was now. Maybe if he were a few years younger, back when he bothered to keep up with training, he might have had a shot. But those years were gone, and if losing Annika didn’t get his ass into gear, he doubted being shown up by a bloodthirsty sword was going to do the trick. Even if his words of using one's bloodlust, the desire for nothing but killing, stirred a sense of disgust within Wes’s currently non-existent guts as Feng shifted the course of her swing.

Korne sliced through the witch’s flesh in a gory shower, bisecting the woman before slicing into the ground itself. Blood, bile, and whatever the witch’s last meal was splattered onto the asphalt, the scent mingling with the already present scent of rot and decay. Wes would have stopped it there, but to his slight horror Feng didn’t stop at the bisection. She brought Aki to bare, pointed square at the witch’s right hand before pulling the trigger and unleashing a shot of soul energy straight into it.

The flesh bulged and writhed as the hand swelled to an almost impossible size for a mere moment, before bursting like an overripe watermelon. Actually, to compare it to a watermelon bursting would have been an insult to the watermelon. Unlike with a regular bullet, Aki’s soul projectile didn’t just punch through the hand and burst through the other side. The energy impacted and bored into the rapidly expanding flesh, before exploding in a grizzly spray of blood, grey matter, and bone fragments, the latter of which pinged off of Wes’s gong form with a sharp sound.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Daniella Ethalyn - North of JFK International Airport, New York
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Apologies were said and her and Adrian kept somewhat separate, something she wanted to complain about but knew she had no grounds to. She was relatively silent, just stewing. The healing wavelength had helped, but thinking back on it all just pissed her off more and also made her feel a bit sick. When in those moments, she never cared who was the target of her ire, she just wanted them dead. However, when the storm calmed, Dani wasn't someone who enjoyed or wanted to kill people. Corrupt Souls she could disassociate. Those pricks in robes--They attacked first and they were all dumber than rocks as far as she was concerned, but they were still people. She was strangely okay and not about tearing into them.

She did fucking hate them, though. Any good impressions those Paladins in LA seemed to have had been washed with this incident.

She was already preparing to be yelled at, for a number of things. For now, however, the creature took her attention as they grew close to it. Every time it roared and screeched it practically blew her eardrums. She could hardly hear what Nadia, Adrian, or anyone else was saying. "...That's a lot fucking bigger than the tree..." She remarked with doubt.

This would be a learning moment. Either Dani would get a pretty fucking big confidence boost, or what little morale she still had would slip away. She gave a nod to Adrian and Nadia, then looking between the lines and tracing them with her eyes. Eventually, she settled on one high in its chest. "This one looks like it goes closest to the heart..." Assuming that the thing's heart was around the same place as for a person.

The tail sprouted with a hiss that was drowned out by the creature's roars and she went to work injecting its venom into the makeshift IV. Dani wondered if whatever this material was would actually withstand the venom long enough to get it inside the creature.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Aki Kiyoko - North of JFK International Airport

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Aki was equally dense and sharp in different respects. When it came interpersonal relations and the like, she was quite dense, while with matters of battle and tactics she showed a bit more knowledge and experience. The difference between her and Korne, or even her and Wes weren't lost on her. Even with her poor ability to see social cues, she knew Wes didn't want to be here. Even if she couldn't see it, she could feel it. Despite that, even he was still better as a partner than she was.

She was told it was the nature of her soul, that Volatile Souls needed to work twice as hard and vice verse with their partners, but it still stirred a sense of inadequacy. The one thing Aki always feared was being useless or a burden. She typically did things, even if she didn't want to, in order to avoid that feeling. Here, even trying as hard as she could, she was less useful than someone whose heart wasn't in it. That was nothing against Wes. She liked Wes. However, it did resonate a thought that she had been thinking throughout the mission, that is that she wasn't all that useful.

Korne was that thought dialed up to 11. He was talking about killer instinct, but the advice was mostly lost on her. Aki wasn't like Dani in the sense that she struggled on giving into murderous intent or focusing it. Aki was, her eccentric personality aside, a professional. She didn't enjoy killing. It wasn't pleasurable. It was just--a thing. A chef didn't dwell on turning the stove on and off, a runner stretching. If you wanted to go outside you didn't think too much on the fact you need to open your front door. Sometimes killing people was the job, sometimes it was just a step to the job. Aki had little issues utilizing murderous intent without letting it rule her. It was more apt that her rules of engagement were in a process of updating now being in society.

It wasn't much, but Aki still did her job. She didn't let her feelings get in the way. If anything, focus on the bad guy and focus on your meister beating the bad guy. She always had a round in the chamber prepared and when she felt the go-ahead from Feng's wavelength, she let loose to tear into the flesh.

'At least I can still kill you,' She thought to herself without any real animosity.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

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

Eastern Front - Battle with KN9​

Adrian was off in a burst. There were many disadvantages to him, but no one—including Nadia—could deny he was good with his limited skillset. Given how he used his Self-Resonance to work out, lifting obscene weights via the magnetic gym equipment, there was a fair argument to be made that his skill in resonating with his soul alone exceeded both Nadia and Dani resonating together. Unfortunately, that skill difference paled in comparison to the raw difference in power that came from working together in a duo. Nadia and Dani would forever be stronger, such was just the nature of the game.

In this particular case, it meant Adrian was able to enter the battlefield just a fraction sooner than them. They might have been able to blaze past him shortly after, but there was something to seeing the blue-haired spike ball shoot through the battlefield. Reminiscent of a certain Sega mascot.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Adrian was able to slide into the battlefield, grabbing one of the threads that had itself embed into a leg of KN9, and test out his plan. As it would turn out, the immediate vicinity in front of KN9 was nowhere near as dangerous as one would initially except. The creature was slow and its tendrils weren't much faster. With all its raw strength, it could crush any one of them effortlessly, but catching them would be a different topic all together. Various Meisters had already tried to scale the creature, impale its eyes, cut its gumline, decapitate it by some meals - all had failed. Fighting it wasn't the problem, hurting it was.

This is where Adrian proved no different. For a brief while, his story was that of the Little Engine that Could. Except, his engine couldn't. His wavelength flared into a brilliant blue pyre of agony, pouring as much of his energy to KN9 as he could, but it seemed to have no effect. The creature continued on its parade forward. True though it was that he had been an invaluable asset against the Paladins, he was all but useless against KN9.

He continued to try, giving it some effort, thinking that if Dani and Nadia could land an attack in conjunction with his, there might be some synergistic effect. He expected them to go after another nearby thread, so he waited. But, he wouldn't wait long. He knew when he was on the losing end of a stupid fight.

---

Car Rentals JFK Airport​

The maelstrom of emotions that swirled within the quartet was pit up against a single one from the Witches: rage.

It would turn out that the Necromancer of a Witch they had just killed was a sore loser. She had one last trick in her sleeve. A dirty trick.

Her body was a living bomb and upon severing her heart and brain, her flesh was rigged to explode into a spray of corrosive nastiness that had no name. Aki could feel inadequate, Wes could have his disgust, but Feng did in fact give in to the fighting instincts of Korne. It gifted her his same shared insight. He sensed the trigger of mana inside her, and conveyed a simple thought: block it. Heave up Wes to cover as much of her body as possible. Survive the explosion. Something she didn't have the skill to sense given she didn't know how to perceive magic and mana, but something her newfound connection with Korne told her to do nonetheless.

Something she might just be suffering severe chemical burns for if she didn't.

Meanwhile, the Patchwork Witch was completely distraught. The magic circle around her failed. Every single zombie around her failed, now no more than rotting flesh being held together by her magical threads. She went from controlling the battlefield to an immediate and admittedly stark disadvantage.

In all reality, she would have fled if she could have. But, she couldn't. Her screams in rage and cursing stopped abruptly. The group couldn't see it, but her eyes flashed a quick white, her pupils glazed over, and her entire personality became void. As if she was entirely overwritten by some other force. While this was occurring, the quartet was being exploded by the corpse of the first dead Witch, giving them at least some time to react between attacks. Not that being sent flying backwards by an exploding corpse gave then many options.

Still, it was better than the attacks being so well orchestrated that ten thousand needles flew their way while they were being thrust back by an explosion. No, instead, they would only have to continue to deal with the reign of hair needles a second or two after they recovered from the explosion. Much needed time, almost like a vacation to Hawai'i.

RedArmyShogun Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov
New York City - Eastern Front - NYC
September 26th​

Watching as Adrian went off on his own with something amounting to impressive speed and skill. While his lack of communication was problematic, the results could be respected. Gazing up at the giant monster, Nadia studied his movements while motioning to Dani to switch into her bladed form, looking at the lines and the distance, Nadia scoffs. "Yeah, there is no way we are getting your acid poison up there. Not from this far away, time to get closer." Nadia said, knowing what she did of how Dani's new powers worked. Waiting for the other to be in hand, Nadia would turn to communications within their joint soul space.

'We shall follow near him on another line, from there we shall see what happens. I will make use of my wavelength to get us in resonance, be ready to switch to yours when I give the word. We'll make use of this situation...'

It was amusing in a way to watch his frustration at his pain searing wavelength not working on the beast. Not as in that she was happy that he had failed. More of that he even thought it would work. The beast likely knew pain they could not phantom. It has been chewed up by artillery, magic, airstrikes, naval gunfire, the depths of the ocean that would crush most submarines. Pain was but a minor irritant to such a beast, else it would have long ago learned to not poke humans... Unless something else was at work here. The involvement of the witches pulled at her paranoia, making her wonder if they had some hand in what was happening. Jumping up she started scaling one of the threads by doing a fast rope climb, using her legs and feet to push and her left hand to pull, scaling the beast.

'We shall make use of Adrian. We'll go for about the same area he is acting upon, first I shall hit it with my heat absorption, might as well see what it can do, then I shall hit the same spot with soul Force Icy. From there you will switch over, use your dear tail and venom, aim to inject it into whatever this bastard has for blood vessels... Then we see what happens. I'm sure he'll understand what I'm doing rather quickly. Then we get off, continue to follow it, see if our work, well, works.'

It was simple as plans went and Nadia was already inacting it. Her left hand absorbing heat before almost as soon unleashing her elemental soul force upon the kaiju's entangled portion, then with her right, sending the heat into Dani. "Dani! <We shall bring down the beast as if we were Byzantines!>"


Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (Adrian)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Daniella Ethalyn - North of JFK International Airport, New York
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Dani clicked her tongue in frustration. She wasn't expecting much, but still. She hoped. "Fan-fuckin'-tastic," She grumbled before shifting into her weapon form, the light that was her body shooting into Nadia's outstretched hand before expanding into the bastard sword she took on.

Adrian's pain wavelength wasn't doing a damn thing, neither was her acid through the use of the tubes. Her venom was basically magma, but what the hell did that matter when an artillery barrage, gunships, and magic had already slammed the thing and it hardly seemed to care. Maybe if she stabbed it in its big, freaky, eye, something would happen. Nadia's plan was sound, or as sound as one could be in this situation. 'I feel like a fuckin' mosquito.' For all intents and purposes, she was one to this thing. She melted a big tree and caved in a giant bone monster, but those were basically dolls to this thing.

As Nadia fed off the heat from her weapon form and fed it back into her, Dani could feel the same sensation as during testing at Davis's lab. She took it in and gradually dialed back regulation of Nadia's wavelength while increasing the use of her own. A focused anger took over her, and she was no longer interested in casual remarks or pep talks. She was unconcerned with morale or probability of success. Now, she just wanted to hit the damn thing as hard as they could.

Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun

 

[RedArmyShogun]

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

For Feng, this whole matter was impersonal, but it had been dealt with justice, or rather, delivered justice. Those tormented souls should have been freed now, or at the very least no longer enslaved. Still, it was no time to give a pat on the back, and there would be some aftermath to this. Feng knew that there was some sort of issues with Wes, to why he was limited, which would be a challenge to deal with, but having blood and bits thrown on him would leave a bad few nights with him she figured.

She had killed so many and for so long, that she couldn’t even remember the first. A series of thoughts she did her best to internalize, to hide from the rest as she found the Witch was a sore loser.

’...what a bitch.’ It wasn’t enough that she did what she had, but even in the end she would try to take her out. Feng doubted Wes’s Gong form would stop all of the acid, she would likely need chemical burn treatment, wouldn’t be the first, likely not the last. Needless to say, she acted in concert with the warning Korne had given.

And there was the sensation that yet more danger was to arrive. ’Amatures. Do not kill others unless you are willing to walk the line yourself.’ she spat out internally as she tried to regain her footing, bursting off year again before the needles could arrive, but one thing was clear…

’She’s pissed.’ Ignoring the pain or dealing with it as best as she could, Feng stayed in the fight. There was little choice, no matter how painful it might be.

Wes listened as the witch’s soul reacted to her imminent demise, the only remaining way for her thoughts to be heard. There was no fear of her death, no regret to be found as she approached oblivion. No, the last echoes of her soul were filled with screeching rage, a garbled promise that even with her final breaths she would try and drag them all down with her. And then, just as suddenly as it flared up, it was quickly silenced as the witch exploded, sending out a spray of vile smelling mucus and pus that rapidly shot towards them.

Feng braced herself behind him, covering as much of herself as she could to try and avoid the witch’s final post-mortem suicide bomb. Like a sore loser who flipped the board when they lost, for nothing else than to spite the winner.

The acid splashed against his form, sizzling against the metal as it washed away the bits of grey matter still stuck to his shield. Or rather, it quickly ate away at the flesh as it slid down, the scent of rapid decay joining the already nausea-inducing stench of rot as it sloughed off of his form. Fortunately, being in his weapon form meant that the threat to him was Leaving him slightly disgusted, but physically unharmed.

The same couldn’t be said for Feng. She tried her best to cover herself, but the fact was there was simply too little of him to fully cover herself. He braced himself for the pain she would feel, concentrating on keeping the resonance stable enough for her to ride it out.

‘I don’t think that’s it, something’s off.’ Wes spoke, straining to try and decipher the sound of the needle witch’s soul. It was cold, uncaring, as if her very person had suddenly been removed. ‘Her soul, it’s like there’s just… nothing.’

In a way, Wes was right: there was nothing. At least, nothing that made her who she once was. Such didn’t matter at the time given the sheer volume of hair-needles flying in their direction, attempting to make use of the opening that the death of the necromantic Witch created. Cold though it was, the attempt to steal their lives following the loss of another was an effective tactic. Feng had but a moment to figure out how to balance herself from the impact of the acidic explosion and deal with the incoming flurry of potentially-deadly projectiles.

‘How does a Witch go from throwing a tantrum to nothing?’ Aki pondered. She didn't specialize in dealing with witches. She didn't understand a lot of how their world worked. While she wouldn't have been surprised to see one use their Ally's death as an opening, the sudden switch in attitude and on a spiritual level according to Wes, was unnatural.

’They don’t,’ Korne injected, sparing no time to answer the question.

’Witches are prideful by nature–rarely know when to shut up even when their life’s on the line,’ Korne explained, keeping it short and to the point.

’Well, I mean even from here, her eyes are just blank saucers, I need to get up with Nadia about all this, but I keep getting interference. On the plus side all of Sam’s friends ought to be dead again, if we can stay alive he might deal with her. But I don’t want to just depend on that, the plan stays unchanged. We lure her inside. Or… We could gamble on whatever that is and rush her and hope she doesn’t figure out to shoot in front of me.’ Waiting for any input that Korne of note would have, Feng continues to rush forward, making her way as fast as possible for the car rental’s main building, but not in such a way that she could not make a slight adjustment to head at the witch.

These sorts of threats were a whole other world that seldom crossed into her circles. If the witch bitch was being controlled, well, that threw everything out the window on how to disrupt her. Though she had to at least try and live and go off of whatever Korne would share via his instincts, she also had hers to rely on, and an explosion of needles forming at her front, this made reaching the building problematic, at least for now. Desperate measures would be required.

Running towards the right, she would hold her makeshift shield to the front, while holding Aki pointing in the general direction of the blast, before pointing it back at Wes, while she switched hands, putting Korne into the left, and Aki to the right, quickly enough and constantly so that the connection would not break.

’Wes, this is going to hu…well no, you guys don’t exactly feel pain, I want you to deal with any disharmony for now, I’m going to fire Aki into you, use our trickshot ability to bounce our shots into those needles, while you can use, well, I don’t know, does your Gong form allow you to make concussive waves? If not then just play as a shield. Korne, keep me going, might take you for a twirl. We’ll try getting closer for now.’

With that said Feng enacted the just said plan, feinting to the right, firing bounce shots off of Wes into the needles in the hopes of deflecting most, coupled with using the shield and the twirl of the blade. If she couldn’t make it to the Rental’s base building, then there was no other choice, and the cars had already proved to be insufficient cover.

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

 

[Sir Les Paul]

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

Eastern Front - Battle with KN9​

Nadia would find that her heat absorption, though feasible to carry through the line, simply didn't have a large sum of heat to steal from it. The creature not only was fairly cool, but her ability worked far more effectively in stealing the heat of extremely hot substances. In fact, history proved it worked best on solid materials followed by liquids and lastly air. Radiant heat or types of heat from radiation, like sunlight, were hard to pull off and netted very little. Stealing heat from hot metal in particular gave her a substantial amount of pyrokinetic potential to worth with. Alas, this creature simply didn't have the energy to give to her.

She would soon face the same fate as Adrian. Unlike her pyrokinetic ability which at least showed some potential despite the lack of heal, her Soul Force Icy simply had too much mass of flesh to contend with. Cooling KN9 was like pissing in the ocean. A feeling both she and Adrian would understand and share at this point. There were some situations where their spiritual capabilities were simply overwhelmed by sheer size. Not unlike trying to duel the Shinigami.

What was left was the Scorpion Tail from Dani. Still a wildcard. Nadia now knew firsthand pyrokinetic abilities would work, hers was just ill-suited for this particular enemy.

---

Car Rentals JFK Airport​

The tactic of firing ricocheting shots into Wes proved only mildly useful. It had some effect in destroying needles in a linear path, but those paths were only so wide and so many. Moreover, overcoming that initial blast force from the exploding Witch was simply too much of an ask for them at the time. Her death resulted in the leg calf of Feng being impaled by a dozen or more of those hair needles. Oddly, it actually wasn't that painful. Thinner than real needles and clearly sharper, it felt more like a weird tingling sensation than a stab. Blood barely trickled out, making this particular choice of attack an odd choice if it did so little damage.

A switch up on the patchwork witch explained the strategy. With her left hand, she gestured her fingers up like a concerto conductor, shooting several hundred upwards. These then began to grow, changing from the tiny needles of hair into what would eventually look like hundreds of sharpened, steel rebar above. Not that Feng was near it, but she wouldn't have to be. With her right hand, the Witch yanked backwards. This was when the trap became obvious. Feng felt the tug, far stronger than it had any right to be, yanking her in the direction of the death field that was the floating needles.

This Witch was now quiet, without pride, personality, or their trademark sarcasm, but she was far more dangerous. Her moves were less telegraphed, there was less delay between them, and her ability to control the field had improved. Truth be told, had she fought like this from the beginning, they might have died before breaking that barrier. A thought too worrisome to consider given the current situation, but true nonetheless.

RedArmyShogun Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen​

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
New York City - JFK Airport | Car Rentals
September 26th
Mentions: Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen
​

Wes nodded his head within his soul space, already preparing for the sudden shift in Feng’s soul that would result from the pain. He might not have been able to share the feeling, but he could more than hear how much it would hurt when her soul reacted. Even if a person was great at hiding something, only those with the greatest of control over their own soul could hide it completely. Be it a sudden hitch, a low groan, or a sharp uptick in pace of their soul signature, small signs that most weren’t aware of.

‘I can. But the range isn’t going to be great if you want to cover yourself from all sides.’ He answered her question, even if he wasn’t sure if it’d be enough for what she may have wanted it for. If Feng was intending to use him as a sort of barrier from the oncoming needles, he’d need to build up enough pressure to blow away the needles. While the weight wouldn’t be a problem, the near constant, bullet-hell like rain meant that there would be delays between his waves. Delays that, in-between, she would have to rely on her own abilities to avoid the onslaught. Regardless, he concentrated, pulling together a burst of sound towards the center of the gong.

He compressed it, further and further until it thrummed against his control, just waiting to be unleashed. It wouldn’t cover much, maybe a foot wide circle around her on all ends, but it was better than her only relying on his weapon form for cover. Once she gave a signal, he would unleash it, before moving to gather enough pressure once again. As he did so, Feng rushed forward, using Wes as a shield to try and weather the onslaught of needles from the front. They couldn’t get close before, with the necromancer witch and their magical circle, but now it was a different story. At least, it should have been.

Suddenly, her leg was jerked to the side by some invisible force, like a doll being tugged by a toddler and thrashed around. It was drawing her into the path of an oncoming wave of needles, ones that she might have been able to dodge before. Something was different, both about the needles, and the witch that was controlling them with a newfound precision and skill. Gone was the cocky and mouthy woman she was before, and gone was the witch overcome with rage at the death of her companion. It didn’t take someone gifted in auditory perception to figure out what her soul was screaming out. She wanted them dead, but unlike the bloodthirsty disposition Korne imparted onto the group, there were no feelings behind the act. It was as if she were simply snuffing out a candle, the act so casual that her movements bordered on disinterest.

‘What the fuck?’ He couldn’t wait for her signal, a part of his mind screamed at him to act, to release the stored sound. What would emanate from Wes was a low drone, akin to a church bell more than anything else, that rushed out from his center. The cold air would allow a better visual as the air around Feng seemed to shimmer and vibrate as his wavelength pushed out, creating a circular barrier in the space around her to ward off the incoming needles.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

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

Eastern Front - Battle with KN9​

CODENAME: Sasori

That is what Davis dubbed the ability Dani was gifted. The flaming scorpion tail she could manifest was very clearly inspired by the predatory arachnid. From its structure to its function, what Dani could do mirrored that of the venomous duelist. Davis hadn't yet showed the duo their file, so it wad doubtful Dani or Nadia knew the name. Regardless, the girls were about to live up to the title bestowed upon them as a creature of stinging venom.

As her focused rage coursed through her soul and into her weapon form, it manifested more in the flaming tail she manifested. While she could normally control its length, it was normally capped out at a eight or so feet when fully stretched out and at best a foot and a half wide. Now, whether it was the fact she had previously been touched by Madness or that she was controlling her own anger, the tail grew in direct relation to her emotional status. Every other time she manifested it, it was an orange core of flame with a black tip only at the stinger. Now, flames of a nearly complete yellow poured off of it, widening it all around. There was no increase to weight, but the size of the tail grew all around, as of fire itself had switched to a bold font. The air around her tail boiled, bending the atmosphere around it in waves of radiating heat. Something Nadia was only immune to due to their connection.

The orange core it normally took darkened, turning into a segmented black vein that pulsed inside of the compartments of the more well-defined tail, all leading to a stinger that had doubled over in size with a black center. Whereas in the past the tail of fire only resembled that of a scorpion, now it was more well-defined. Now, there was no denying it.

Rage, frustration, madness, hatred—that is what coursed through her tail. The ultimate venom was the one that ate from within. There were few substances more corrosive than anger and fury. Yet, this is what Dani carried. A weaponized version of her most dangerous trait.

One might think a backwards-facing scorpion tail to be an awkward weapon to wield, but it was surprisingly intuitive. The tail itself faced the correct position to be prepared for attack so long as Nadia held it on the backswing. All it took was her natural combat intuition to know to follow through. The tail would do the rest.

In all honesty, Resonance between them wasn't the strongest at the moment. Not due to a lack of skill, but due to the damage they sustained. It didn't matter in this case; all that mattered was that their souls were connected. Nadia could see it unfold just as clearly as Dani. A wide slash forward turned the blade end towards the remaining rope KN9 was attached to. That allowed the tail to unfurl. Jets of screaming hot yellow flame shot out at each segment, the speed was increased dramatically for the single linear attack, and while it was only heat, space itself felt like it warped. This single attack was the fastest Nadia or Dani had ever hit anything, and the trail of heat it left behind made the air sweltering in the fractional seconds it was there.

There was no impact, not like it had been in testing. No, without even knowing how she did it, the stinger of her scorpion shot into the thread and pumped it full of the black, corrosive venom she contained. It was as if the thread somehow absorbed her fire for a moment, but that moment was telling. Fire shot like lightning down the threadwork and into the kaiju. As it did, Dani could literally feel the rage and frustration pour out of her. In the same annoying way an inhibitor collar could forcibly calm someone down, her emotions were being dampened. Nadia could feel this as well, in fact, her own frustrations were leaving with Dani. Ill-will she felt towards the Church members or how Adrian had spoken to her, for the moment, was vanishing. Even if it returned in time (and it would), in the moment, it was being used to fuel what Dani was pumping into KN9.

Still, it only lasted a few seconds. Once the black, corrosive substance was shot out of her tail, it reverted back into its normal, more wispy state with an orange core before eventually fading entirely. This ability left Dani drained. Not fatigued to the point of passing out, but as if she tried to keep up with Adrian during his workout routine—something even Nadia would find challenging given how stupidly hard he pushed himself to keep up. Dani wasn't built for that, not yet. Clearly, the studies where her own oxygen levels and bodily fatigue from Davis held true as right now, she was hit with exhaustion of running a marathon twice over.

That exhaustion would prove worth it, at least. Once the venom was inside of KN9, it spreads to the immediate area around its outer thigh. In moments, skin and scales began to burn. Char away, revealing the softer, blue-tinted tone of its aquatic fascia. The nigh-impenetrable hide of the creature had been truly pierced in a way unlike virtually any weapon used on it prior. It wasn't a killing blow, but considering a car-sized portion of its skin was sloughing off bit by bit in burning pieces that smelled of overcooked poultry, the two had scored a victory above virtually everyone else on the battlefield that day.

The creature roared out, more deafening than anything that preceded it. This was the first time it felt anything other than annoyance. This was the first time it felt pain.

Most of Fox Hunt was still on its mission with only few left in reserve, so none had the opportunity to truly acknowledge what Nadia and Dani did. The one that saw it all, though, was Mister Prey. Still wounded and fatigued from his fight, he had hung back to watch from a distance. He wondered, if anything, why the two held back such an ability. Were they truly so noble as to refuse to use such on the Paladins? Thoughts for another time. Right now, they had to decide what to do given most of them had been spent. Adrian was still all but useless and Dani plainly didn't possess the oomph to do that again.

RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen​

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

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

As Raphael was aiding Maria in the fight, what would come next would shock him to his core. He felt a strange power from above, then all around. He took a moment to look up, to see a Witch truly floating in the air with nothing but her own magical power. He focused his eyes ahead, to keep up the use of his chains, whipping away enemies or funneling them into the death grinder that was Maria’s dolls.

What came next sounded like something Raphael would hear from a preacher. She sounded old, if the raspiness was anything to go by. However, he couldn’t help but find himself listening in as he aided Maria. He felt roused by her speech. Of course, their magic didn’t come from Satan or any demonic ancestry. That’s when he realized…

She was one of the Witches from long ago. Barely anyone believed that their magic came from any infernal sources unless they were from the church. Widespread belief of such idea was centuries ago, which meant she was a relic of the Witch times.

Hecate… This would be the first time Raphael ever heard of such a name. He’ll have to do research later.

He watched as a giant Magic Circle was created of such complexity that it made Raphael’s head spin. As she continued her speech, he felt something pour out from behind him. Turning his head, he witnessed a huge obelisk standing tall and firm, granting all of Witchkind ahead of it with power and energy. His eyes widened, mouth open.

“Holy shit…” He gasped, only to remember he was in combat and he had to gather himself. However, he felt a strand attach to him, and from that strand he felt his mana was being replenished; he didn’t feel like he was on the cusp of becoming a raisin.

Then, he saw it. The memories of 1692, of the destruction of Witchkind from humans. The Salem Witch Trials. About the Witches who fled from their homeland to be with humans, only to be killed out of fear of the unknown. He felt his mind buzz with anger and sorrow, his heart break from emotional turmoil and wrath.

Mercy Good…

He’ll remember that name.

Maria went ahead, and he let her. Ark was turning into an incarnation of a lava god. And then Gauss’s words rang in his head. Confusion and frustration in his tone.

He smirked a little as he relayed to the best of his ability what he saw. “That Witch is Mercy Good, and she just gave every Witch and Sorcerer a mana boost. She shared with us the Salem Witch Trials in memory.” He gave a sigh. “Such powerful spells like these tend to have rules, but I also question why this wasn’t used before. Hopefully it's a good reason.”

He sighed, talking to Gauss helping to piece together what was happening in his own head, his own heart. With a deep inhale, he created one anchor point and fizzled out everything else. He created it ahead of himself, utter focus as he created a long chain, then it was enlarged. It then whipped down as it electrified the air, slapping where the ground met water, crushing anything in its path. From some of the links, chains that would taper off to become smaller would swarm out and grip any monster it could, crushing them or throwing them at the killbox of any Witch or Sorcerer in range.

This power felt amazing. Unfortunately, he knew it wouldn’t last.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

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

GM Post

"You can transform..." Gauss said, defeated. He was talking to both his weapon partners. By this time, he had loosened his grip.

He, much like the military and other Meisters were no longer needed. It was folly for a Meister to ever unhand their weapon partners during combat, but this was no longer combat. This was unfettered slaughter and they could do naught but watch.

Maria and her wind magic were generally forces to be reckoned with. Power that one should think twice about underestimating. In general, the girl was someone one should not underestimate. He would know that all too well; he and Noah felt the force of her exploding doll in the tournament all those months ago. Still, what she was then paled in comparison to what was occurring now. Maria was a terror in the skies. Not only was she capable of unleashing her power without fear of exhausting her mana, she could do so at its fullest of power each and every time. She needed not to to implement restraint.

That was still not the most terrifying thing unfolding in front of them. What was worse was how quickly these Witches began working together. Maria began with absurdly powerful vacuums that crushed these creatures into bloody, grotesque mounds of flesh and mycelium, but that wasn't where it ended. The other Witches, a good half dozen of them now, were creating a maelstrom of destruction with their magic. Vicious waterspouts launching blades of wind and frigid ice around them, slashing through thousands of the flying targets at a time while incapacitating others. Maria could easily take part in this. With the power she gained from the effigy, she could connect her dolls to each of a dozen or more magic circles and channel through each one to help. For a brief moment, she was godlike in power, channeling more mana that she ever knew existed.

Alone or working in unison, with her wind magic or with the assistance of her dolls, she could be an agent of execution from far longer ranges than she had any right to normally. Right now, she could be a harbinger of death and destruction in ways she hadn't yet imagined. Ways that before now, only a handful of Witches ever knew.

Ark and Raphael were in a similar situation, just with less range. The beach itself would soon become a hellzone of magma and flame, not only due to Ark, but at least in large majority. With the mana he had access to, the cost of converting sand into magma was negligible. He could drop balls of molten earth only dozens of enemies at a time and roll it through the field as if it were a ball of death, only growing in destruction as it gained more mass from the sand. Soon, silica was so blended with bodies that these massive balls of magma made it impossible to differentiate their composition. After some time, it all was either ash or a flaked glass.

Whatever his imagination came up with, he could kill with. Spears of fire and flame could be hurled. Hands of stone from deeper in the ground--places he couldn't normally reach--could be used to crush waves of enemies. The boost to his power that he gained was more than just pure mana, it was an increase to skills he didn't know he would be able to achieve in this lifetime. While the sea was being torn asunder with wind and ice, the beach was being cleansed by flame with vile blood and putrid fluids poured into the sand for the brief while it was left undisturbed.

Raphael had a unique interaction with the mana. Because his chains were magical constructs, the raw amount of mana he had meant he could use more of them than he had ever considered. Hundreds of chains flailing and flying, impaling foes and burning them alive. Irony of irony being that Ark normally had more battlefield control, but given how many chains Raphael could create, he took the edge here. When mana was no longer a problem, he had more individual attacks at his disposal than even Maria with all of her dolls.

More so, it allowed for larger, more complex constructs. Nets of chains that boiled the water near the shores, ripping up the vile creatures from the sea water as if a fisherman straight from hell. Even if they survived, it was with burns so severe they were barely more than targets for another attack. In single droves of these nets, he could rake in thousands of bodies at ones, all for other mages to destroy with their magic or even consume with their summons.

If this is what Mercy meant by the true power of Witchcraft, it was a horrendous thing. Even if it was just to eliminate the infant offspring of that massive creature, the slaughter and gravity of the Pull was beyond immediate measure. In just minutes, hundreds of thousands of these creatures were being killed all at once. Even the corpse of this creature was not left to slumber as it was being fished out by some of the Witches atop their broomsticks, though they were off avoiding the bulk of the fight. Not that they were needed; the slaughter would end soon if only because there would be nothing left to kill.

"I guess they'll just report to us when they're, uh..." he paused, not knowing the correct word to really describe the situation. "Finished." Gauss had no polite words for this. The power these three were demonstrating was an alarming surprise. It may be exactly what the situation called for, but seeing it all in front him like this was... something else. It was like watching a war crime unfold.

Little did anyone know what effect this was having on Chanterelle who was still at least partially connected to the colony.

RedArmyShogun @Meredith Merciless Medic Peckinou The Regal Rper​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov
New York City - Eastern Front - NYC
September 26th​

It was interesting, seeing all of this unfold, Nadia would think to herself. No matter what she had been told, what she had seen. This was something else, as the familiar hatred of Dani's will plucked and pulled as Dani's own wavelength was put into the attack. The end results were surprising, but not exactly what she pictured as she made use of the weapon being faced the way it would more naturally have been. Yet, it wasn't much of an issue for Nadia, who had a self-taught fighting style that often depended on improvisation and physical power. What was more of an issue was the physical change it displayed.

The reason for this could be very important, depending on what it was, how it affected Dani and herself, and what form of power it offered.

And it seemed to offer very much, as the black venom injected itself into the line and where Nadia had attempted to weaken and break the outer skin, failure that had been aside, this was something else altogether. Burning away a chunk of the armor like skin, it seemed in time that the poison would spread elsewhere. Or maybe it would not. Nadia was not an expert at these kinds of things; however, a more pressing matter was on hand. As momentarily as Dani, literally, if not temporarily was completely free of her hatred and the madness that brought about, leaking through to Nadia who for the time being was equally affected.

And with how this ability worked, Dani would need to be brought out of her weapon form and soon. And so, that would be her focus as the beast let out a mighty cry. Waving her had at Adrian and hoping he got the message, Nadia would drop down, or rather, would ride the line she was on with her left gloved hand making way for any form of cover as she spoke into her communicator; "This is Agent Nadia Semyonov of the DWMA, we have breached the skin of the beast..." Relaying the finer details of where to aim and what they had done, Nadia finally finished up and turned her attention to Dani;

"Nicely done. We shall rest if able, we've done our job."

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (Adrian)

 

[Merciless Medic]

Blood Hunt
Elimination and Recover
Date: 09/27/2067
Location: Castle Kleist - Liberec Region - Czech Republic
Characters: Sara, Dante, Zosar, Wren, Cabal, Machine Witch/Lady in Red, Vampire Meister, Vampire Demon Weapon, CIA Witch Agent
Mentions: Elly, Kisei
Merciless Medic Pumpkid The Regal Rper Haze- RedArmyShogun ( EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul )​

---

The Walk Down
As Sara traveled down the hidden corridor with Zosar, she was acutely aware of Cabal following them, keeping away from them and yet it still proved to unnerve her. As they traveled through, they saw cells of people trapped - awake and scared, lethargic, or in the midst of turning - yet the scent she smelled from Zosar helped calm her down a little. This gave her time to ponder what she could do with Dante's and her resonance, make it better.

'Hey, Dante? I got an idea. While we jog to our destination, and so we can have a distraction because good lord these poor people, how about we work on amplifying each other at the same time? I give you some of my wavelength, and you amplify to give back to me, while I get some of your wavelength, amplify it, and send it back. Hell, you can even map out my body's energy so you can send the energy back to the appropriate places so I don't have to do it myself. Less delay, more efficiency.'

'I'm not an idiot! I know how to amplify shit.' Dante felt offended that Sara sees him as clueless. Truth be told, he is. She was being insightful and helpful, though he didn't want to admit it. 'Though, th-that's not a bad idea.' Sara can probably imagine his pout and rosy cheeks from his reply. A typical tsundere response.

It's amazing how Sara is still on her mentoring game in the middle of a mission. It helps a person learn on the go while passing the time. The small seconds could make a difference in their connection. Still, Dante had a job to do as well. To focus on magic signatures. Not even the half-dead folks could distract them, though he can feel Sara's disturbance. He wished he could do something about it too. All they can do is prevent a disaster from happening to the rest of the world.

Dante closed his eyes and kept his attention split. One monitoring magic and the other attempting to connect to Sara. Right now, they need to speed their way through. A boost would be a welcome. Much like before during the fight with the Baroness, he took some of her wavelength and did the best he could to amplify it, generating this wavelength over to Sara's legs.

Sara smiled, giggling in her soul space. 'I know you aren't. But I know it's been a while, so it's good to have a refresher. I heard you were an autonomous weapon for a time, so I know those skills would come in handy, regardless of how long it's been.'

She felt his wavelength and took it while letting the amped up wavelength go to her legs. She amplified his wavelength and gave it back, trickling his own wavelength back at him as it surged through his weapon form. Empowering his anti-magic wavelength could also make his sense to magic a bit clearer, stronger even, but they weren't completely at that stage yet. Still, Dante could feel a slight change in his ability to perceive magic.

She felt her legs get antsy with the energy given, already wanting to move faster. 'Good, and we keep doing that. Over and over until we can do it continuously like it's as easy as breathing. The better we are at it and the stronger our connection, the more our senses will be amplified along with our bodies.'

Dante simply listened. He was fully absorbed in multi-tasking. To his surprise, this felt natural. Their bond complimented each other which helped amplify more and more to what Sara needed. He knew he couldn't give too much, but in doing so he felt his instincts come back to him. The way he used to self resonate and keep himself moving on the field. It was all muscle memory. His body never forgot all the hardships he endured. The one difference is the easy balance between him and his meister.

Once again, Kisei was somehow right to pair them up and it irritated him. The guy was so authoritative as though he had a stick up his ass. The ego oozing off of him. On top of that, his mind was as sharp as any agent. Being correct would probably feed his ego. The thought alone had Dante nearly mess their wavelength. 'Asshole.' He grumbled.

Sara felt their wavelength destabilize briefly, but she managed to rein it as Dante also fixed it. She just chuckled within the soul space. She could tell he wasn't targeting it towards her, because finally she could see an inkling - or at least sense - what he was largely thinking about. 'A giant one.' She quipped, smirking.

The energy in this part of the castle was, in a word, grating. Zosar lacked the senses of the werewolves here, but it wasn't hard for him to see just how bad this place was from feeling alone. He'd been in similar places. The stench was strong, anger, fear, apprehension, turmoil hung in the air palpable to the spiritual senses. It was bad. Spine tingling bad.

It could have been worse though. Zosar's present state of indifferent calm and focus, had some impact on the aroma and flavor of his soul to Sara and Wren, the two people that needed to stay on their game the most.

The one benefit he provided was being an anchor, at least in this type of environment of choking negativity. The double edge was he could be their safety net or the thing that dragged them deeper. Right now, as they moved deeper, he upped the Resonance he was doing with Wren, not to perform any technique but simply to have Wren prepared for any sudden movements as they passed by cells. The preparation would have him ready to move at a drop of a hat to intercept or react fast enough to at least provide proper support. All of this in turn had an impact on the scent that Sara could pick up, making the aroma of his soul stronger, offsetting the various other smells that might have caused Sara some level of disgust, discomfort, or forced her werewolf side to be slightly more on edge and aggressive in the same way it would have touched at Wren's soul to be a bit more ravenous, it kept them both slightly more at ease than they would have been had he not been with them.

As they traveled through and worked on playing with each other’s wavelengths, they finally found machinery. All kinds of machinery.

Having had to be careful of Noah's computer and their technology, there was an odd sense of freedom. She could destroy everything here, just as long as she made sure the hard drives didn't get damaged in the process. Still, it concerned her greatly. She had already picked out what they needed to do, which she relayed. 'We got a Sorcerer shackled but doing the ritual, CIA Agent on the chair with glowing thingies, that big guy coming at us. I don't look as impressive as Zosar. If I were him, I'd pick me too.' She tried to be quick, as the guy ran straight for them.

'Shit this isn't good.' Dante glanced at each one but one of them he recognized. Suddenly, the room too was familiar to him. 'That chic in all white was in the Baroness' memories. This must be what she saw last.' His attention immediately is drawn to the hostage Sara mentioned then to the red knight aiming right at them. Why? They were not as close as Zosar and Wren. Dante growled, baring his teeth as if he were some dog on the defense. 'Don't be so modest. You have the strength of a million men. You can pummel this guy with ease. You are the definition of looks can be deceiving.'

At the same time, he glanced back over to the hostage. 'We don't have time to deal with this guy. We're the only ones who can break that magic glyph.' The girl in red did not go unnoticed by Dante. She stood out the most just from spell casting alone. Though she was much different than a witch. He couldn't put his finger on it. The amount of magic filling the room had Dante all over the place. He could see the threads of magic flowing from one point to another.

'The girl cloaked in red. She's the one responsible for siphoning magic from that agent. Something seems off about her. She doesn't exactly feel like a witch.'

Sara huffed, suddenly ducking to avoid the swing, crouching low with her legs spread and slightly bent, her hand on the ground with Dante angled behind her. ‘I figured we’ll just have to cripple him and get past him. That girl smells like a Sorcerer.’ She mused, though she was honestly really happy getting praise from Dante like that.

This guy was fast, but that swing was telegraphed. She could be just as fast.

She lurched up with surprising speed thanks to all that built up wavelength energy Dante and her had been bouncing to each other back and forth, using the pointy end of Dante’s halberd form to try and skewer the man’s right shoulder, right towards the armpit. The force she used to lurch forward made her fly forwards with surprising speed.

The ebb and flow of Wren’s wavelength, the feeling, in Zosar’s case, was always fluctuating between zero and a hundred, at random intervals. She was easy to predict in a sense, her heart was an open book. There were things that made her soul flare up, caused her wavelength spike, triggered a response from her madness. Minor distractions that nagged her attention away, turned her eyes from the situation like it were a siren’s call. A distant, far-away smell that Zosar’s nose wouldn’t even begin to register. Her sharp eyes flinched at the glint of the sun caught on a metal surface. A rustling noise that made her twist atop her head.

She was a radar, throwing out blips for Zosar to catch whenever she was in weapon form in his trusty hands.

Up until now, ever since the galloping (or walking?) abomination approached her, Wren’s radar had been dead silent throughout their entire descent to the castle’s ‘catacombs’. Even as the strong, thick scent of decay started to set into her nostrils, or when her eyes caught the sorry sight of the condemned souls clinging to life behind those iron bars, Wren’s soul seemed to have no spike, no reaction.

Her usually wobbly wavelength was now akin to what one was to expect coming from someone with a Tuned wavelength like hers: stable, dead still; the up-and-down spikes of her soul were now the rhythmic beat of a heart.

Wren was too into it by then, too focused. Reality had stepped out of frame a while ago, fading from focus by degrees in her mind— she was method acting in a way, getting herself psyched into character.

It wasn’t a side of hers she’d kept secret from Zosar. No, she just hadn’t caught the feeling again. That rush of adrenaline, the anxiety in the air, coming back to her like an old friend, something she hadn’t felt since her outbreak back in the desert. Reminded her of why she loved her job so much. Working for the DWMA was her dream come true when she first started; she got to beat up monsters, feel alive doing it, and get a good meal afterwards.

It's not like she enjoyed the adrenaline pumping through her veins, it was just intoxicating— she was drunk on it — “We gotta stop that witch before she completes the ritual. You two’re the only ones who can cut that magic in two.” — Her voice came through the comms right as Sara ducked the attack, a redundancy and an urgent reminder in the same breath.

The engine stalled, killing the roar of the chainsaw to make them less predictable, Wren started amplifying and sending the wavelength through Zosar’s legs, a spiritual nudge for them to join in on the party. ‘Mm…’ Mumblings and idle musings came through their link, a sudden scoff breaking apart her stoic, thoughtful act. ‘That thing coulda just been leadin’ us all to a death trap this whole time now that I think about it. Maybe it’s a real good actor…’

‘Meh,’ She audibly shrugged through the spiritual link, her dress rustling as her shoulders rose. ‘I’ll keep one eye on it just in case, you focus on the fight.’

‘What’re we doing? Sending Sara off to try and stop the witch or going two on one with this guy?’

With the counterstrike from Sara, the Bloodsucker, though seemingly outmatched in the situation, proved rather skilled at hand to hand combat, though given his preference in garb and armor it should have come as little surprise. But it was not easy as the mace was swung up and the bloodsucker tilted his body towards the left to escape the initial thrust, his mace lancing forward with a mighty clang as something very curious happened; The DWMA meister and weapon’s mighty blow was met with an equally powerful one, causing the meister to be pushed back as the Bloodsucker recovered from the deceptively powerful counter bash to secure his footing, covering any openings before the werewolf could make another move to follow.

Meanwhile the chimerical monster simply watched events unfolding from behind, some of its hands collapsed into one another rubbing them as it did so. What it’s purpose or intention was, seemed to be what it said.

At the same time the force behind the counter that knocked Zosar away made his brows shift slightly. Then again, he wasn't experienced fighting undead, especially ones that could resonate.

Four against two wasn't favorable odds, but that didn't always matter in a fight where the advantages varied. Vampires and werewolves were evenly matched in agility. Resonance just pushed that further. A vampiric pair like this could easily take on one pair without immediate concerns even if they weren't exactly on the same level, those physical buffs of being a Monster helped.

“Here I was hoping to convince you to switch sides.” He stated to their enemy. Eyeing them, much like Sara and Dante were, searching for openings. When their stances shifted, so did their opponents, just barely subtle.

These two were good. He could see their resonance was strong. The mistake Zosar realized they had made was really just how he was now picking up on what he believed might be a unique wavelength between the Vampiric partners. Unique wavelengths were easy to spot but weren't that easy to figure out. Analyzing it mid battle wasn't a simple feat, especially with uncommon ones. Right now he could see the Vampiric Weapon was the source. He made Wren aware of that so Sara and Dante could be informed. All while keeping an ear out for Sara and Dante's decision.

Sara kept her distance from the duo after their initial bout. She wanted to make herself look like she was on equal footing with Zosar. A manic smile formed as she gave a soft giggle. “Maybe you can convince him more personally, Zosar~.” She then charged, only for it to be a feint. She went to make a slash, but retracted Dante in time and slipped on purpose, sliding across the ground to get behind the duo and smoothly getting back up on her feet in one motion. It seemed she was answering Wren’s question without knowing the question was asked, one of her ears swiveled back briefly to listen in on the sorcerer behind her, her front still facing the duo as she watched closely.

Maddeningly it seemed matters would not be resolved so swiftly, though yet another thing had been learned, in the sudden swift movement, the vampire was quick to move and spoke, maybe giving away a little too much information as he positioned himself in what amounted to the tip of a triangle vs the other pairs, speaking as he did so. “And for what reason would I surrender to dead men? Your presence here assures the victory of the Lord. I need only keep you here for a bit longer.”

For Sara, there wasn’t much difference in the Sorcerer from before, she was continuing the ritual and seemed uninterested in all else, yet her motivation was lacking.

So while Sara went for a feint, Zosar slipped in immediately to keep the Vamps focused on him. A quick thrust with Wren's blade was the only move he made to test out the attack, now paying close attention to how the duo’s resonance moved and their individual wavelengths as he attacked, ready for a counter or follow up.

The Vampire had made his attention clear earlier and while not powerful enough to beat them both without great risk, he assumed by the earlier reports that only two more had ventured in. Both sides had a two on one. Once more the attack pattern repeated as the massive warmace was swung with little effort but knocked the chainsword away as a probing attack was carried out, swiping back at Zosar at the longest range of impact. A move he dodged. As to what he could sense, the two were boosting one another’s wavelengths but the deflection seemed to be more powerful than the strike.

That difference was reflected in how the wavelength fluctuated strangely on the deflect impact. This fight was clearly going to be a cumbersome one. As Zosar re-engaged to deflect that swipe it became quite clear that whatever the pair’s hack was focused around kinetic energy. Maybe it was somewhat akin to Wren’s where they stored energy over the fight and released it, but from how he could see the behavior of theirs versus the intimate understanding he had been gaining with Wren's, that couldn't be right. There was no swell or influx of power he could see that was noticeable in their movements.

What he did see was how the wavelength of the vampires reacted any time a strike was made. Their resonance always reacted whenever a hit landed. It wasn't the same as Wren's either, where the Tuning wavelength would bounce against supernatural energy like rubber, resisting attempts at distortion. The way they reacted was more like they were doing something on every hit. He just hadn't pieced together what exactly that special wavelength was doing yet.

‘Let's up the power here and see how far we can push this.’ That was Wren’s sign. Even as he was doing this though, he kept himself moving forward to keep the Mace user focused. He knew they hadn't gotten serious yet. There was realistically nothing he could do if they had a Wavelength that had a special function in using kinetic energy to their advantage. Their options were to out speed these vampires, and leave Sara and Dante to focus on the Sorceress.

The issue was to do that they'd need to double the effort. Half of the energy that Zosar sent wouldn't even reach Wren as it should have, and none of it would in their current state. That was a problem that neither of them would notice immediately because Wren's Tuning Wavelength automatically did this, an effect triggered more by Zosar's own error. Though the energy spike they gave off was felt, for as much energy as he was sending the result wasn't going to be exactly like they thought. What should have had a significant kick, felt barely like anything. It wasn't as impactful, realistically, as all the others had been. Which was odd but it could have also been interpreted as her merely getting good at managing his output.

She had mentally— spiritually, in a way— braced herself at the cue, waited for that familiar feeling to make her brain waves spike, an overkill gut punch from Zosar’s wavelength to kick her engine into motion. Instead, all she got was a little pinprick of wavelength. More than manageable. ‘Why is it so small?’ Disappointed, a disembodied voice rang out in her head. One quick intrusive thought that she had to physically push down by smacking herself like a mosquito had landed on her forehead.

An intrusive thought he still managed to hear. Something that caught Zosar off guard.

She didn’t know if he had thrown her less energy on purpose, or if she had just gotten that good at filtering it by now, watering it down. Now, was that good or bad in this situation in particular?

Wren cleared her throat. This wasn’t the time for asking such questions. The output came with a delay, the amplified wavelength moving both through Zosar’s body and switching the chainblade’s teeth on a full, roaring whirr. ‘I think we can push it further.’ If the blows they traded were going to be swatted away so easily, then they would just have to start hitting harder, have the chainsaw kick back their strikes instead.

It still wasn't enough though, and Zosar didn't immediately notice it. He was still trying to process Wren's comment, but with the vampire duo focused on Zosar and Wren, Sara pivoted on her toes and lunged at the sorcerer, spinning Dante around so it was the flat of his halberd, aiming to hit the side of the sorcerer. Having already given Dante enough of his own wavelength she amplified for him, the anti-magic wavelength would hopefully do its trick.

As the Chainsaw slapped home the Vampire would swing his mace right into its path, their wavelength flaring, between Meister and Weapon at the moment of impact being met by the DWMA pair, a feedback loop would seem to play out as the blow that was matched equaled their own strength fully, shoving the pair back with an equal impact as the chain teeth skidded, skipped and deflected from the Vampire’s mace. However unlike the previous time he was not so keen to remain on the defensive, ducking in low, retracting the mace and swinging it upwards with full bloodsucker might. A smile crept across his face as the Werewolf went in to disrupt the ritual. While it may be short lived, the odds were suddenly, even yet again…

Suddenly akin to the beast it was, Cabal let out a horrible distorted scream that would send a shiver up the spines of most, born of hatred and vitriol as it threw itself upon the ground low, lopping like an animal as it springboarded right into the fray, taking the brunt of the impact, eyes flashing red as the chorus of voices sung out. It blitzed past Zosar and Wren who were now pushed into defense. Lunging straight for the werewolf girl.

“You shall not harm the creator!” The hooked lower pair of crab-like arms snipped and snapped, stabbing and clawing at Sara, the other arms engaged in fisticuffs, and yet a couple seemed to be doing yet something else as magical energy built up within it. The Chimeric beast had dissolved their agreement, or rather their own actions had done as much. The Sorceress in red simply stared at the pair that had come in close to hit her, no emotion could be found in those eyes save one.

Annoyance.

Either way the spell did seem to be disrupted for now, yet remained active, the woman in red had been speeding it along, but was not the key to enacting the ancient plan. What she would do from this point onwards remained to be seen. But the battle was now two combatants vs two.

Dante was spooked by the sudden screech causing him to momentarily stop the amplification. The noise disturbed him like a cry of desperation or nails on a chalkboard that could make his ears bleed. He wasn't used to all the wild sounds of battle. He had forgotten how to concentrate and continue the connection with his meister. All of these mistakes in the battle will have to be corrected in the future. Right now he feels like a liability in the most important fight since he was kicked out of DWMA.

Dante snaps in retaliation to the Cabal's whining, ”Then tell your creator to back off and let the hostage go!” He should have guessed everything in the castle was out to get them. The residents were only defending themselves against the intruders, but they were no saints. ”Sorry, pup, I was thrown off by this creep in front of us.” Dante apologized to Sara realizing he had diminished their connection. He returned his focus on their wavelength and gave the werewolf the boost she needed to take on the Cabal.

For its part, Cabal sneered at the words of Dante. As the Red cloaked mage said something that was hard to decipher, a blast of static that arced and bounced across the room as the mechanical breathing device would later speak up; “And I am not one of these hostages?” She said with a scoff given her own leg being connected to a chain mount into the floor.

Sara winced and stuttered in her movements as Cabal screeched and their amplification stopped. Her ears started to ring, making it hard to determine her balance or hear beyond a certain small range of distance. She jumped and flipped over the Sorcerer to correct her balance, keeping her back to the wall and away from Cabal, avoiding its wrathful arms. She gritted her teeth as Dante apologized to her and brought back their connection. Using the boost to her arms, she swung them down, smashing the halberd’s edge on the thick chain that held the Sorcerer in place, swinging enough times to break if her boosted half-werewolf strength wasn’t enough. “I did that to get Cabal over here so you’d be safer, now either disrupt this side of the ritual or go!” She roared, her golden eyes holding a strange feral glint.

---

Zosar & Wren VS Vampire Meister & Vampire Demon Weapon
Even the whirring of the blades did little in the next clash with the vampires. For the moment all he could do was guard as the opposing pair moved in with heavy strikes.

As soon as he could drop his guard Zosar moved with an attack of his own. He struck with a reverse slash then without hesitation moved into a forward horizontal slash where he would follow up with his own defense and offensive maneuvers. As he moved in he poured more energy to Wren to send back to him. The only thing he could do was cross blades and make sure he landed a strike in the exchange.

The attack came swiftly, but again the boost here was only half of what it could have been. Something he was starting to notice the longer this went on, they hadn't moved up that quickly. The vamps were still easily deflecting them. When he attacked after his last one was deflected, he made sure to time it in a manner that would get him closer to a strike.

The bloodsucker smirked slightly as he met the blows when and where able, his armor making up for more than a few of the strikes that he missed, the returns were seemingly more equivalent as the high vampire flicked his thick and heavy cloak up towards the eyes of Zosar.

Which was where locking into their signature already allowed him to track their movement even if his eyes couldn't totally follow. The emotional signature they gave off was good enough to keep a sense. The cloak fluttered out like a screen blocking his view as he shifted backwards on a foot and their signature vanished in front of him and for a second circled before materializing-- his eyes shifted onto the exact spot as Zosar span on that back foot towards the forming humanoid mass of bats that had returned into the Meister vampire and his Weapon counterpart. Before they could even get momentum in their movement, Wren’s Weapon form was slashed cleanly upwards.

Getting caught partially on the blade the Vampire hops back once and readies the mace for a flurry of blows, akin to a power stance as he bled across the right shoulder, his eyes took on a hateful glare as his cloak landed on the ground.

‘Any kinetic energy we send comes back to us, that's what's making them so difficult whenever we clash.’ His voice informed Wren.

And she was well aware of the fact. Even when accounting the friction of the revolving blades on her end, with every push and clash, every meeting of their weapon forms, Zosar and her were the ones who would end up getting shoved back the farthest. It was like that mace was made out of rubber. Of course, the one advantage of bringing a chainsaw to a sword fight was still glaring, even a slight touch from Wren’s blade would tear through if it caught skin. They’d still managed to cut the bloodsucker, snip a couple of red lines across him, but it wouldn’t be anything that killed.

Too superficial, too weak — ‘Fuckin’ pain in the ass… They talk a lot of shit too, tch…’ — She sighed, not letting much of her irritation carry out through the link. They didn’t need distractions right now.

“You’re going to die the truest of deaths down here, human vermin.” The vampire hissed, using his impressive Bloodsucker enhanced speed and strength to stop the reverse attack Zosar was making, and then immediately following through with a swipe like Sauron battering aside his enemies, though fortunately for himself, Zosar would not be so easily dispatched, he took that hit merely was knocked backwards. Though now that the vampires had gotten serious, or at least the unknown Bloodsucker was enraged, there was an immediate difference in the speed of their reaction time.

They clashed blades and the effect of the Vampire weapon knocked them both back again, and that few feet of space provided a window for Wren to process the energy Zosar was pushing her way.

The sensation was different when it hit her this time though. Even at half, that halved bit had a kick this time now that Zosar was making up for the strange effect. The issue was he was starting to feel the exhaustion creep up slowly in his muscles. Lights in her soul room burned bright in a distracting way, something they never had done before. The room felt nice but not quite as comfy, like she was bubbling with untapped energy. The electric wave that hit her brain raced down her spine, through her tail, to her clawed fingers and toes and brought the sensation with a satisfying shock-- but in a way that made her heart race. Breath catched, ears twitched, tail flicked. Made her pupils dilate, teeth more feral, claws sharpen.

‘We need to end this, Wren. Cut off the saw for now. We’ll have to do something else, they'll just bounce that back at us.’

His irritation was present in that, though she could tell it wasn't aimed at her. More just their situation.

For every new bruise he got, the Vampire Meister had suffered several new slashes in return but the killing blow needed to come soon because she could probably vaguely tell that Zosar was starting to ache more from how much energy he was sending her to make up for this weird hiccup in their Resonance. He still had more to give, but that subtle sense of frustration and growing weariness was a warning sign that they couldn't keep this up forever like the Undead could.

‘We need to cut off his head or slice through them.’ Though whatever else he might have been about to say got interrupted as they clashed with the vampires again, at least until they repeated the cycle of getting thrown back.

Even if they limited their attacks in power, the vampires didn't have to. So holding back or pulling feints was off the table. Brute strength wasn't working as effectively either with whatever was impeding the flow of energy. It was just the same thing repeating, with the vampires now more on the offense.

The mace came down and Zosar blocked it with Wren's whirling blades, that sent sparks flying on impact and the immediate impact would have knocked them back if Zosar didn't use the push to flip and dodge the next power swing from the vampires aimed at his legs where he landed opposite some distance.

The two circled, and as they did Zosar said to Wren, ‘This is the last push I'm willing to send, anymore than that and I’ll be putting us both in a bad spot. We'll have to work out a way to work with this.’

The moment that new rush of energy hit her, was the same moment the vampires blitzed them and Zosar took up his guard again.

She had already begun thinking about doing their only resonance technique, hoping that, maybe, the kick back from all that energy swirling through the blade could knock the hammer right out of the bloodsucker’s hand. But alas, that was just wishful thinking. They had no idea whether or not enough brute force would do the trick.

It was a battle of attrition; they were both wearing each other down. But in the end Wren knew that no matter how much of a handsome healthy young man Zosar was, a vampire that could live for centuries would still have the biological advantage over him. She could already feel Zosar’s exhaustion start to build up, his limbs were weighing him down. With a low whistle of steam, the chainblade’s engine died out suddenly, the chains yanked back and held the teeth still.

Wren only grunted in approval, crossing her arms and fixing her gaze on the bloodsucker. Cabal’s unexpected betrayal had fled her mind as suddenly as it came, even after she’d already prepared a quip and a ‘told you so’ to bark out over comms. Again, no time for distractions ’We’ll make it work. Let’s show ‘em that ‘truest death’ they were talking about. I’ll pump you full of energy, try to find an opening n’ I’ll turn the chainsaw on right before you strike.’

Most of the amplification she sent back was focused on Zosar’s mobility, gathering at his legs and enhancing his senses. They couldn’t overpower them with strength. Might as well try speed, then. Bringing them above the vampires in speed just enough to get an advantage in their next moves.

With the melee intensifying the Vampire bends more into his superior strength, bleeding from some of the so far minor wounds he grits his teeth and takes a step back before using both hands on the mace sweeping it upwards and diagonally at the pair starting from the ground and to the left.

Zosar pulled back, and with the dodge slashed at the midsection with Wren horizontally. Then followed through with a reverse of the previous slash.
Deflecting the first hit and being battered by the second the Vampire gets a bit of a glint to his eye, watching the situation behind him, just briefly. Saying something in old German, the man dematerialized, the maul floating within his vicinity, or rather that of a swarm of bats, the question was if he was attempting the same trick or if he had something else in mind. Regardless Zosar didn't move, he stayed still, shifting just barely as he continued monitoring any changes in the two’s spiritual state that would be a sign.

Releasing the Mace from his corporal grip the mace takes on the form of the woman that was the undead demon weapon, partially transformed into her mace form via her right hand, her left darts for her jacket pocket as the bloodsucker gave in to his own physical powers, reforming as with lightning speed he dives his clawed gauntlet at the DWMA agent from behind.

That was probably the biggest mistake the two could have made.

He met the charging vampire with passing ease, severing his head off then dodging his corpse and didn't even slow down as he moved to finish off the Weapon. By the time she could even withdraw the gun fully out of her pocket Zosar had slashed her with Wren before the vampire could even point at any target. And even if she found some strength to do so, he was already in front of her. Wren’s blade is still ready.

While his speed was impressive and the attack from behind was dealt with, he could not fully stop the woman in white, aiming her sidearm, her target was a curious one, none of those around her, though she did at first seem to eye up the woman in red, but rather at what seemed to be at a central computer, sparking as the single shot hit out at the center of the large machine, what happened thereafter would depend on the movements of Zosar. Already the Bloodsucker was bleeding from the preemptive slash.

That bullet was cleanly deflected by Zosar stepping roughly within its perimeter and using the flat of Wren’s blade to tap and deflect the bullet away. The move was immediately followed by him swatting the weapon with the flat side of Wren’s blade, utilizing the top of her blade to both bend the barrel and try to strike it out of the vampire’s hand.

The chainblade’s engine billowed out a whistling beam of steam from within, as if huffing out an indignant sigh, the chains yanking back to a full stop, teeth red-hot with cooling energy. The bloodsucker was missing a head atop his shoulders, and the other one was knocked out cold drooling on the floor. Wren’d call that a job well done, satisfactory. She would be overjoyed, if only they hadn’t spent as much time as they did fighting the duo. They were still on the clock, and the ticking hands of time were loud at the back of her ears. Lives were still on the line.

Not a full satisfactory win, not yet.

She stepped out of the shimmering white light of her dissolving weapon form, swatting her hair out of her face before shooting a glare at the dead bloodsucker on the ground. It was the second time she stood above a headless corpse tonight. There was little emotion behind her face as she went to scoop up his soul, only flashing her eyebrows and lowering to snatch it by the hitodama.

A bitter, spiteful thought crossed her head for a moment as she held the soul in her hand.

‘How’s that for a ‘true death’.’ Wren grit her teeth, squeezed the soul until it was completely absorbed, unceremoniously, without much theatrics to it. Didn’t even bother to stop and rummage through his memories like she’d done with the Jiangshi. She knew she would only find more rotten flashbacks and death; and she’d had her fill of that by now.

She flicked nothingness off her hand, like if she’d just squished a bug in her palm, before returning to weapon form and into Zosar’s hands — ‘Alright, we’re all wrapped up here. Let’s go save the Irishwoman.’

---

Sara & Dante VS(?) Lady in Red & Cabal
As battle continued between Zosar, Wren and the unnamed vampire pair, Sara’s actions would have an unexpected effect, or rather it would have the one she expected, desired, wanted. The woman’s dead eye gaze narrowed on Sara’s as she felt her leg being free, Cabal itself also seemed unsure of what to do in the given situation as the beast turned, its three faces turning to stare at the broken chain.

“I could have just now aimed to kill you or press Cabal to finish what they started.” The electronically assisted voice said, turning her attention to the Vampire guard who was already bleeding, it seemed this nightmare was at last over. Though she did have things to answer for, she could not, would not just leave.

“I am not the one who began this spell, I merely accelerated it, though I can at least end its current progression. If you would kindly…” She said with a hit of sarcasm to her voice as she motioned to the Witch strapped down to the table, she was exhausted, seemingly in pain, but alive. “Help me loosen these bindings around her arms and legs. Or help your friend with his work… I shall not leave here till I have spoken with your leaders. DWMA.”

”Well this is a turn of events. Guess she must have gotten scared knowing I was coming.” He boasted. Dante had expected to show off his incredible skills when it came to magic, but he couldn't complain. As long as no one is harmed, and compromises could be made without violence, he was fine by it. Still, there was a nagging feeling like the worst has yet to come. Hopefully he was just paranoid and did not come to fruition.

Sara looked beyond the sorcerer and Cabal towards the vampire meister/weapon duo, then back at the sorcerer. There was no reason for her to stay, but it’s strange that she said she wanted to. Regardless, she went to the straps and undid all of them with Dante in one hand and resting on a shoulder, moving the CIA agent’s arms over her stomach once she was fully free. “Thank you for not trying to kill me. I’m aware my actions weren’t going to be well-received, for nearly hurting you and freaking out your-... child. For that, I apologize.” She didn’t hold disdain when she considered Cabal the sorcerer’s child, just some slight confusion, even though her voice is gentle, yet firm.

This was a first for Dante, hearing Sara speak formally. He was used to her acting like a brute. It was only the beginning, but it felt like Sara had a bunch of cards up her sleeve. To him, it means she is entertaining. His eyes did glance over to Cabal. Now that Dante's head was clear, the sorcerer was someone the Cabal asked for assistance. The question was, is the Sorceress even a good person to make a disgusting, immoral creature? It reminded him of human flesh clumped up together.

Sara then set aside Dante, voicing a command before she let go: ‘stay’. Keeping her eyes on the sorcerer and Cabal, she hooked her arms under the agent and set her aside, having her sit against a wall and keeping away from the magical array before grabbing Dante hastily, reestablishing their connection.

Dante furrowed his brows, offended that Sara would treat him like a dog. ’Oi! I am not a mutt. You don't need to command me.’ He huffed. It seems after their previous argument, Sara started treating him accordingly, which Dante disliked wishing he would have kept his mouth shut and retained some of his dignity. It was clear everyone can see right through him, and if that is the case, he would be better off not making the mistake of acting like a fool.

There was a shift of sorts in the eyes of the other, something hard and unspoken. “I see.” She said simply in reply as they got the agent released and moved up against a wall, the scientific witch did not voice whatever her thoughts might have been, only watching what was happening with the battle, taking note of the Meister werewolf, she continued to emit only the sound that her breathing did through its respirator.

---

Delegation
With the sudden commotion brought to an end, the unknown woman with mechanical bits, dressed in red, would look at the computer terminal, then the woman on the ground. After a few breaths she spoke aloud.

“What is it you all will do?”

“I'm going to go assist Elly and Kisei.” Was Zosar's input, now that the danger here was done with. He had knocked the female Weapon out cold after disarming her and had dragged her body within a distance to where Sara and Dante would be able to keep an eye on her before unceremoniously dropping her like dead weight to the ground.

“Sara, D, if you guys can figure out something with all these prisoners, and the Sorceress, I'd appreciate it. Only reason that one is still alive is because she's not a threat anymore.” Waiting a moment for any input from their end. He had left Wren near the Meister vampire’s soul, before going back to reunite with her.

”D?” Is all Dante said, perplexed by the initial. It was only used by those who have earned their respect or friends. Whatever the reason, Dante wasn't used to it. He would have expected the group to call him something insulting like Carrot-top, tsunami…tuna…whatever the word was to describe a person in denial of their feelings.

Sara hummed, taking in Zosar’s plan of action. “Alright then. I don’t mind staying. Sorceress, we are going to be stopping this ritual. I’d rather we do not turn millions of innocents into Bloodsuckers for the sake of one vampire’s petty need for domination. Please tell me why you have to stay.”

As the sorceress watched Zosar and his weapon depart, she turned her attention towards the werewolf and paused for a bit, her breathing and the confusion and cries from the others in the cells being the only sound asides from the venting of steam and whirls of mechanical fans.

As if considering the words, she continued. “We can leave here, but I myself cannot just leave the area altogether, duress aside, my actions will be judged, much has happened here. I also would like to see my research and magics used to a good ending of all of this.

As to breaking this ritual… I’m afraid it’s more complex than that, I have simply shut off the source. You need not fear millions being changed, but at least thousands will be, have been, shall be.” The biorhythmic sound of her voice modulator carried her voice across the room as Cabal stood uneasily, its multiple limbs curling and moving, here and there.

“We, Cabal, wonder if it is time to release the prisoners… Or if they would be in the way. The battle on the surface is still raging.”

Dante drew a blanket on what the sorceress was implying. It sounded like she was willing to fall with the castle as a last ditch effort to save herself rather than have DWMA decide her fate. It wouldn't make sense as he thought about it when they were asking for a truce.

Sara hummed, tapping her finger on her chin. “I see. Then I won’t force you to leave. I’m glad you’re willing to help. As for the other prisoners...” Trailing off, she took a big whiff, bringing in all the fear and pain and confusion through her nostrils as well as the stench of bodily fluids and body odor and blood. She could also tell some were turning just from standing here and looking at some of the ones within her range of sight. She shook her head.

“We can’t let them leave this area, not yet anyway. There’ll be unnecessary collateral damage if they leave this dungeon. They can leave their cells, but we’ll need to go through each one to determine each person’s severity of damage. Those who are able-bodied still are in one group. Those who are not able-bodied will be in a second group. Any children here who are not able-bodied, if there are any, shall stay with their parents and I’ll see about fashioning some rags or something into sitting slings to hold the children to their able-bodied parent’s bodies. Those who are in the midst of transforming will be in a third group, and those who are already deceased will be set in an orderly fashion away from the three groups and hidden, so further trauma will not be placed upon those still living and cognizant. Of course, if they still need to say goodbye to their loved ones, I won’t stop them.” She was reminded of the Fool’s Parade, a sudden memory flashing before her eyes from all the bodies of the dead she had to remove from the rubble of her dear Death City…

And the young woman from the Cafe of Skulls, red curly hair matted with blood, those green eyes staring coldly into the sky, the temporary tattoo of a dog paw and ‘bestest of friends’ written on her forearm…

Tears threatened to spill.

‘Allie…’

She shook her head, not wishing to cry right now or for Dante to have to see that but he might now. She successfully fought back her tears, her voice still even and behavior almost unnaturally composed if anyone knew her. “At least this way, those who come in to help get the prisoners out of here, they’ll already have some care given to them and are in different groups based on the level of severity of their status. The question is, where would I be able to get food, water, and basic medical kits? Dante and I only have enough for ourselves for a short skirmish.” She asked, looking between the sorceress and Cabal to see if they had any idea if there was anything here.

Dante was impressed with Sara's quick thinking as though she had already determined to do the moment she set foot and witnessed the prisoners. As rough as it was, it showed that he didn't need to concern himself over his meister. She is a veteran after all and she spoke for herself. To think, he was worried about being paired with someone weak. That all fell apart when he sensed her wavering. A feeling of remorse and despair. Something had triggered her.

Just like that, it was gone at the snap of a finger, but the name did not go unnoticed. Someone dear to them had popped up. A similar situation related to what's going on perhaps? Dante may be a meathead, but he wasn't a total idiot. The issue with pairings is the fact that both of them could read each other's past or emotions like an open book. Zero privacy in the partnership.

What could he possibly say to the werewolf in their current state? In truth, he knows nothing about her and while she is willing to share, Dante feels some parts are better kept quiet for another time. So while Sara picked herself back into focus, Dante kept quiet, searching for any residual magic that might be an obstacle.

Looking at her, the lady in red gives a shrug at the question. “I’m afraid I’ve been chained here for quite some time. And this place is inhabited mostly by Bloodsuckers, principally Vampires. If any of those things you seek were here, I have not had run of the place to tell where. Cabal may know more, or shall help you search. Till then I would wait to see if your friends outside survive with what supplies they brought in.”

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael & Noah​

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

It was... Terrifying, to behold. At least, in the eyes of a non-mage.

Noah witnessed that effigy rise high from the very earth itself, and strings flew to each mage to bolster their abilities. With the succinct reply from Raphael as to what was going on, Noah relaxed. Unlike Gauss, he felt a bit better knowing that the mages got this. He transformed back, eyes wearily half-lidded and arms folded across his chest as he stared up at the effigy, and then to the mages wreaking havoc. They were all working together, which...

Honestly, it reminded him of something. "Y'know... With how they're fightin'... Kinda looks like a chain resonance..." He's only really seen chain resonance be used a couple times, and unfortunately he never had the pleasure to be a part of one. But, if he could make a guess as to what he was seeing in front of him, it would be that.

Meanwhile, Raphael was on the field, really getting used to this mana surge and what he could do with it, making constructs with his chains he never knew he could do before. He'd have to make a chain net spell one of these days.

But for now, he was raking in any one of those critters that tried to fall back into the sea or were flown back. The net that he cannibalized his earlier mega chain for became electrified as he pulled it towards the beach, meanwhile he put forth many chain anchors to create a field of impaling red-hot chains. It was fun, it was wonderful!

He was starting to feel like a ravenous piranha and a sea of other piranha, tearing apart and pooling their prey for the others of the group to tear apart and rend until their oblivion.

Back to Noah, he looked back at Gauss, who seemed more than perturbed by all of this. He shrugged. "Well, regardless of when it would've been nice to have this, 'r whatevs, we now know it exists, 'n' it's on our side... Maybe we can look into this later? See if it's got limits so we can understand it?"

While Noah wasn't exactly a fan of being put on the sidelines, he was pretty tired. The only thing that perturbed Noah about this was how... gruesome it felt. He felt like he walked into a butcher shop mass murdering piggies for the busy season.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Czechia, Throne Room Battle

The trek to the throne was annoying to say the least. It wasn’t particularly troublesome. Kisei and Elly were perhaps the best suited for it, in fact, as it was mostly a test of agility laced with Undead. Still, it was an inconvenience, akin to the internet going out.

Once within the room, Elly stepped forward with Kisei in tow, holding him in staff form as she had taken to absorbing the energy of those minions on the way. With Soul Perception, she saw that the woman was the Weapon mentioned beforehand. The dapper pale man was, as his soul matched his appearance, the Bloodsucker duke. Elly could tell from the nature of his soul that he was a powerful foe. Ideally, she would have preferred a full team against him, but they were on a time-crunch with multiple targets to eliminate and she had already been getting buzzed off Kisei’s absorption ability, so here they were.

He was still an Undead. If they leeched his power, the longer the battle went on the easier it would be for them.

‘Resonance, please,’ Elly chimed internally to Kisei before remarking to the Duke.

“Well I’m terribly sorry, dear. Would you stop if we asked kindly?” Elly chimed haughtily. Of course he wouldn’t. Killing him was the only option.

Tapping the end of the staff against the floor as the Duke took arms and minions arose within the throne, a sign to start the absorption effect, Elly gave a smirk. The absorption would crumble the skeletons shortly after their summoning, or so Elly predicted based on the prior minions’ response, allowing them to focus on the Bloodsucker.

“Preaching to the choir, love. My partner’s an assassin and I–Well, I’m just terrible person. Perhaps that was the problem with all the prior attempts~! All those better men were just too good,” Elly remarked smugly, clashing the staff with the greatsword before weaving to allow the blade to skitter down it and away. Twirling the staff with the inertia of the Duke’s swing, she brought the other end back in retaliation while circling him to make it more difficult for any skeletons that didn’t quickly fall apart to hit her.

While Elly was talk and bravado, Kisei was keen and cutting focus. Elly had a precarious wavelength. That soul of hers emit static for a wavelength, at least to the naked eye. Truth was, it was a facade. There in fact was rhyme and reason to her wavelength once one took the time to truly feel it and understand it, not simply give into the immediate confusion of its odd distortion. In their time as partners, Kisei had become intimately aware of her soul.

When it came time to amplify it, there were no issues. Her wavelength poured into him like a river into a delta and the Hoshi was apt to empower it. Five, six, sevenfold stronger before he sent it back to her, achieving Basic Resonance and amplifying every single feat she could perform by that same sevenfold amount. As a veteran Demon Weapon, his efforts didn’t end there.

He would guide that same empowered wavelength through her body, going through her spiritual network to optimize the flow of this energy. The less she had to concentrate on, the faster her reaction times. The less delay there would be in their actions. That millisecond that occurred between talking in a Soul Space and acting would vanish. That was the true support of partnership.

Kisei could walk through her conduits, those spiritual pathways within her, and make sure she was ready to dodge, attack, parry, block, jump, or whatever was on her mind. She had his full support without hesitation to kill or transform. The only downside at present as that what he absorbed from the conjured and now lifeless skeletons and any lesser undead was mostly useless to them.

That which was magically animated didn’t have much life force for him to pass into Elly. He also had no inherent magical attack. Meaning that without a magic user there, as he did with Maria, all this energy was useless to him. It worked to pester the Duke, but not enhance the two of them. That would take more time and ideally closer proximity.

'Just say the word when it’s time to transform,’ he replied. Not an instruction, just an acknowledgement of his readiness.

“Impudent Wench! Know your place!” Is all the Duke would say in response to Elly as a look of pure hatred swept over his features, greatsword in hand he automatically rolled and pressed in with the initial parry, working his way to her left side as he quickly threw himself back into the attack, his power flaring from self enhancement as another hoard of skeletons would spawn and just as quickly fall apart, as a sinister smile crept across the Duke’s features. “If you kindly would please.”

It was then the distant presence became clear and well defined to Elly, not only that, but from the roof, no, the ceiling, the traitorous agent was there, with his weapon, taking up a shooter's stance as he aimed directly for her and just past the Duke’s left shoulder. The objective had changed and the balance of power shifted, the objective now was to survive. Unless the pair had a novel plan at least as the trigger was squeezed.

Elly didn’t push against the Duke’s attacks, but rather moved along with him. He rolled to her left and she to the right. The skeletons rose again and would fall in similar fashion, but the bigger issue became evident as Elly noted a spark within the obsidian throne room. That was, the spark of a complex resonance as the traitor pair made themselves known.

‘Are they a bloody spider?’ Elly grumbled with distaste. This was a problem. They now would have to either eliminate both the duo and the Duke somehow or hold off and hope the other four killed their target in quick-enough fashion to circle over and help. ‘This is about the point where I would be shooting him in the back if I were them,’ She added.

Elly could understand feigning allegiance for survival, but that moment had long since passed. ‘Alright, switch,” She gave the order and the subsequent transformation was nigh-immediate; taking the form of the two sickles she seemed to have a preference for. Without the staff so quickly siphoning their power, the skeletons would rise again, but that was part of the plan. Elly rolled again, letting the blade glide into one sickle while she dipped down, hooking onto the blade to swing herself in between his legs and out behind him as the bullet whizzed over his shoulder. Then Elly darted forward and into the rising skeletons, aiming to use them as cover in her advance whilst zipping between them as she encroached on the side of the room where the sniper remained perched on the ceiling.

As Elly began her movements, the Duke would take another swipe at her, barely missing as she made her way up and over with her parkour, the Duke’s summons being little more than an annoyance it seemed. Though they proved useful by there own right, the Sniper would just have to bide his time, as the Duke saw it, before using his own impressive speed and power to launch himself into the air and bring the broadsword into a horizontal cleave to take Elly out, or at least driver her to the ground.

They would need to find a way to delay the Duke, to bring his attention elsewhere, or to outperform him if they wished to deal with the ceiling walking Sniper pair. “I did not give you permission to leave.” He said with a hint of arrogance found among the Nobility of old Europe. “I still demand your attention.”

The sniper for his part repositioned, waiting for the next chance to fire.

“So bloody clingy, is that woman in your hands not enough for you?” Elly remarked back with exaggerated annoyance from within the crowd of skeletons. Feigned wasn’t entirely the right word as this would be far more palatable if Kisei still had his bow form. She was beginning to grow attached to it just as it went away.

Continuing to cleave through the skeletons, Elly noticed the Duke not giving chase, which meant he was waiting, likely for her to use up all her energy or to try to go for the pair just to pincer them with the sniper duo. If they had any sense of coordination, the sniper was sitting around to prepare for a shot with that in mind.

As Elly reached the wall, she leapt up and used the inertia and momentum to keep running up it. She gave her partner the internal nod to transform, and he complied by taking on his larger form. She expected the Duke would try to intercept an attack on the duo, but when he did it wouldn’t be the duo they would be targeting. Elly would throw the blades at the duo on the ceiling. Such things were more dangerous to them anyway. Even if the duo weren’t harmed, they would have to reposition, allowing Elly to turn her attention back to the Duke who would be lacking in maneuverability while Elly and Kisei would have the grounding of the wall.

Sliding to a stop along the wall, Elly crouched and kicked off the wall, turning her body horizontally in an attempt to vault over the horizontal swing as she brought the scythe down in a vertical crescent over the top of him.

Kisei found himself with a tinge of distaste for the current fight. It was, all things considered, slow in pace. In theory, that was for the better. With undead enemies, one normally wanted to eliminate them as soon as possible due to their increased stamina, but his ability to drain their life force made this battle of attrition turn to their favor. Theory didn’t displace the fact he disliked the fighting style.

He was an assassin at heart. A hunter second. In both cases, he preferred a quick, clean kill. This was proving anything but that.

’I say we stay on the Duke,’ Kisei commented, providing his insight, ’With your eyes, we always know where a spiritual bullet is going to land. They don’t know that, so the only risk here is to the Duke.’

Curiously and noticed or not by the two agents the sigil of the throne would dim from its current glow for as yet unknown reason as the Duke visibly took on a scowl to his face, staring at the pair with contempt and what could be best described as simmering disgust. Like a man looking at a roach on the wall.

Which was a bit fitting given the pair’s actions on the wall. And the words Elly had spoken previously likely played a role in that as well. As the sniper pair acted true to expectations and left their current position, the Duke moved in. Not to help the pair but to scrape and drag his sword along the ground as the High Vampire bloodsucker unleashed what amounted to a slicing blade of energy that was made by ancient magic. Well, bloodsucker magic, as the Duke followed on the heels of the projectile it seemed his own conclusion was much the same as that of Kisei as for the brief moment the summoning of further skeletons ceased.

“Charming. I’ll be sure to remember those words once I’ve broken you.”

As the Duke seemed intent on clashing with them, Elly internally told Kisei to once again shift into two sickles, releasing the one at the end which would have collided with the Duke’s blade and hugging her body tight as she twisted herself to spin over the swing. The unheld sickle would then whip at the Duke and threaten to gash him while Elly toggled the tangibility of the link between the two sickles so that the Bloodsucker’s swing would phase right through.

Meeting the clash head on the Duke did take some damage but seemed to ignore it at first, then reflecting on the gash he realized it would not be so simple to defeat them as he withdrew the blade, pondering how her weapon was able to split like that, even in all his centuries of life, or undeath, he had never seen such a thing, which the implications of caused him to pause briefly as he lashed out with a kick and made to hop back, the spiritual presence of the sniper pair was also making itself known, another shot was coming right above the Duke’s shoulder.

Elly tugged the flying sickle back to her, bracing both against the kick which still caused her to be sent reeling back with a grunt. That was confirmation if she ever needed it. A contest of strength was not what she wanted.

Elly leaned back with the inertia, letting it carry her as her eyes shot to the opposing pair as she felt the buildup. She waited, letting it build before having Kisei take on the scythe form and using it as a vaulting pole to push her out of the trajectory as the bullet was fired. She spun, reorienting herself in the air and hitched one end of the scythe against the stone flooring, skidding against it and causing her to brake. Feet planted on the floor, she sped forward, vying to clear the distance between them and the Duke as quickly as possible while spinning the scythe in hand. Then, just as before, she had it shift back to the two sickles, one remaining in Elly’s hand while the other shot out toward the Duke’s leg.

While bleeding and having his strength sapped the Duke threw himself into a clockwise twirl of his blade to protect against the leg assault when suddenly all hell seemed to have broken loose;

Nothing too special had happened, merely that the once partially dimming sigils were now basically losing light all together as a font of ether sprouted up from the throne, visible to any with a naked eye as the energy was spent. Snarling at this the Duke ignored Elly for the time and simply let out an angered snarl.

“AAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHH!” From where he was the Duke slammed a fist into the flooring beneath him, causing it to crater and crack as his attention focused on Elly, he looked murderously furious.

“Hundreds of years of plotting will not be beaten so easily! There is another way! I’ll first kill you, then kill your friends in the dungeon! NOW DIE!”

With that the Duke Lunged forward his speed of movement climbing a great deal higher than before, desperation to end the situation as quickly as possible, to undo what Elly would have no idea as to what as he engaged with a flurry of slashes and side steps, aiming to overwhelm and bring the situation to a quick end. On the plus side, this would make the jobs of the sniper pair a bit more difficult for the time being.

Elly paused, yanking the thrown sickle back and spinning it in circular motions to her right akin to a lasso. She caught sight of the feigning sigil and expulsion of ether from the throne and her lips twisted into a smirk. “Ah, but evidently, it is~” She taunted smugly, goading him before his increase in speed.

‘Ah, shite…’ She murmured internally, the circular swinging halted and Elly took the sickle in hand by its hilt again. Elly bounced backwards on her heel as the Duke charged, trying to put some distance between them, however he was on them within seconds. Elly bobbed, weaved, and clashed the sickles against the Duke’s blade, however only to help deflect the attacks It did naught to completely mitigate the attacks, however Elly kept them restricted to simple cuts. Mimicking the Duke’s early maneuver to dodge her attack to his legs, Elly allowed him to make a swing before spinning in a clockwise motion whilst dropping to a crouch. Then, she carried one of the sickles by its chain in an ark, seeking to attack the vampire’s legs again.

“Human vermin!” He glared, taking some satisfaction as his blade would strike home every now and then. As she used his own movements against him, hampering the movement of his right leg, the yellow eyed Duke glared and snarled. “Damnable Mortal! I offer the gift of my Lord to all of Humanity! You would Deny it!?” Taking a fixed position in his stance, the bloodsucker took a guarding stance as he regained his posture. “WHAT AM I PAYING YOU FOR!?” With that another shot signaled off, there was still another enemy here.

Elly sustained a few cuts, but had hindered the Duke by going for the joints in his right leg. Hearing his complaint and sensing the build-up of spirit, Elly feigned a movement toward the Duke’s right before diving to his left. She let handles of the sickles fall out of her grasp, instead holding them by the chains that connected them. She began to circle the Duke, using the sickles like whips at various parts of his body whilst trying to maneuver to put him in between them and the sniper duo.

Standing his ground, for there was very little alternative, the Duke would swing his greatsword overhead, aiming to lop off Elly’s head or other body parts when she got too close, using the wide arc of his blade to catch and deflect the chains every so often. For their part as Elly tried to play keep away with the sniper pair, they did what was within their abilities and simply walked along the ceiling into a better, almost top down firing position, the black haired male smiled thinly as he went to shoulder the rifle in short order.

It was at that exact moment a new pair of souls entered the fray.

Zosar came in skidding with his sword weapon partner, having completed the last obstacle in his path, eyes immediately going to Elly and the Duke’s match, before his eyes shifted to the sniper’s location,to which he immediately began moving in the sniper's direction.

Elly could see Zosar and Wren’s souls upon their entry to the room. With the nature of Zosar’s soul, it was akin to someone lighting a flare. “If you wouldn't mind killing the bloody traitors, that would be lovely!” Elly remarked, stepping to the side as the blade came down at her. At the same time, she whipped another sickle at the Duke while tugging back the other one into her hand.

Getting another cut from behind the Duke springs off on one leg, back towards his throne, though his mobility was hindered and his strength being sapped, was still surprisingly strong, enduring. As he shot back, yellow eyes glowing in the darkness of the throne room.

“Do you really think it will be so easy? That I have not been attacked with the manner of beings like you and your cursed weapon?” With his open wounds, the Duke would stretch out his left hand, akin to watching some sort of telekinesis supported by thin tendrils of blood would spourt from within and without his wounds.

It would not be so easy, the cheat not so clean, if he was to fight for survival then so be it. Everything would go into this offensive and only one of the two would go on living.

Or rather, the three. He could not resonate with his partner, and what was provided by the wavelength enhancement was not beyond his own physical prowess. So, it was time to make her more directly useful. The woman with grey hair and torn shorts would form in quick order with a cocky grin and smile beside her partner as the man’s blood seemed to act akin to needles, tearing into his own wounds and gelling in the effects of whatever it was the Vampire’s magic could do.

He then stepped off on one foot, his fingernails becoming much longer, sharper, his qualities in that regard akin to the nosferatu. Cracking and breaking the stonework beneath his feet, he quickly shot out, aiming to reach in and grab Elly by the throat as his partner formed a portion of her blade from her left hand and darted in from the left, low, aiming for the woman’s midsection.

Meanwhile on the ceiling, the sniper took immediate interest in the new target, aimed and fired within seconds, the wavelength shot sparking with energy as it went in lightning fast towards the midsection of Zosar. The question now became not only how he would avoid the shot, but rather how he would get to them, or get them down from the ceiling.

That shot was immediately blocked by Wren. Knowing he already lacked the speed to dodge spiritual fire, he didn't even try to, and Wren was aware of his next move, something he told her to directly brace herself against as he used the flat of her blade to take the hit and keep on pushing forward.

One of the many advantages of, quite literally, being the biggest weapon in the room, was the fact that you could moonlight into a shield when the situation called for it. The fact that the traitors were trying to gun them down from a higher vantage point only made it easier for Zosar to angle her in the right way to cover his whole body behind her blade, the spiritual barrage of bullets only tapped and bounced off the flat of the chainblade, like raindrops on an umbrella.

Her soul completely muffled whatever disruption the hit from the bullets might’ve caused on her. She was barely feeling it. Still, a lingering annoyance stood between Zosar and Wren’s link. A question. How the hell would they get them down from there?
‘Huh…’ She was in her soul room looking straight up, cutting her eyes at the sniper, like she were in Zosar’s shoes. Wren was drawing blanks, still she shut the chainblade off and focused on pumping amplified wavelength through Zosar’s body. A chainsaw wouldn’t get them up there, sadly.

With Zosar and Wren joining the battle, it immediately changed the landscape. Previously, Kisei knew that so long as neither the sniper or the Duke had some absurdly powerful ace up their sleeve, he and Elly would win the war of attrition simply by absorbing the power of the Duke over time. With Zosar and Wren present, stamina was now a factor. Not only that, the power dynamic shifted. While the duo wasn’t quite as prepared as himself and Elly, what they brought to the table was nothing to scoff at. Much more than a mere distraction. The strategy changed.

Kisei took it upon himself now to outstretch the resonance he shared with Elly outward to Zosar and Wren. He could do plenty to make it match. He had already spent time in both their souls, witnessed both of them go soul searching, spent hours supervising Calm Mind Training. He was familiar enough with the ins and outs of their souls that setting up Chain Resonance was even easier than before. All they had to do was commit to the final link. Essentially, to pick up the phone and join the call.

Not that it was all he was doing. He wanted Chain Resonance so that he could push their power to the absolute maximum. Any benefit one duo would receive, so would the other. This would make Elly stronger and faster, sure, but it was time to unveil the fruits of their current labor and training.

Their WAR form. Weapon Amplification Resonance. Under normal circumstances, spiritual energy was invisible to the naked eye. Seen or felt only through Soul Perception as a wavelength. Weapon Amplification Resonance changed this, making their spiritual energy powerful enough to take a true physical form. The black sleeves that trickled down from his scythe hands now covered her arms up to her shoulders, an important facet for the unique way this form worked.

Unlike the typical WAR form that would grow in size and power, Kisei adopted traits from Elly and her soul. Her Distorted Wavelength manifested as visual distortions around her arms, making it appear like her arms were glitching rapidly, making wild and random movements that nearly impossible to differentiate either spiritually or visually. The scythe heads were coated in spiritual energy, emulating the gray static from old CRT televisions, and while they did grow, more importantly, they created a field of static around Elly. These effects combined to create a cloud of uncertainty around her, nearly impossible to see or predict the direction of an incoming attack.

Perfect for an Assassin. A beautiful evolution of the concepts taught by the Old Ways. Forgo power to land the perfect strike.

'New plan… Blitzkrieg,’ Kisei told them, sharing it through what ideally was their spiritual connection in the form of Chain Resonance. In all reality, Wren was probably the more powerful weapon, but they didn’t necessarily need power to kill the Duke. Death by a thousand cuts he couldn’t heal from was just as effective – so long as they didn’t let him escape.

‘On it.’ Was Zosar's response back through the newly established link. Wren butted in through the link ’Save the cool one-liners for after we win, big guy. We ain’t done yet.’

With that boost in power from the Chain Resonance, Zosar ran behind the rows of pillars, smashing through one with Wren to hack out a piece that he then caught in the same moment to throw at the sniper on the ceiling, all in one smooth quick motion. The second he did that he was moving again, had leapt onto a stable vantage point above the pillars and was blitzing his way up a path towards the sniper. Smashing things with Wren along his way and using those as projectiles he threw at the duo. Within a few short seconds, Wren would be in cutting range with the speed he was moving at.
They were like night animals giving chase, rushing in for the defenseless fawn’s jugular in the deep of the woods.

For a moment, something permeated between the chain links of their shared resonance. A disconcerting and loud sensation, a feeling— not unsettling enough to throw anyone off, but still noticeable for the small blip of existence it had among their link. Like a shiver, the cold limbs of a dozen spiders running down the spine. It was child-like excitement, greedy hunger.

Wren was high off both the energy spike from the corrupted soul she’d just gulped down and the confidence boost from Chain Resonance. Those two feelings were felt. Even as she was putting in the active effort to block out her madness’ voice, muffle the sound of her soul, she could still feel the Jester’s influence like an irresistible compulsion, a natural impulse, an urge.
It was the moment she realized she was sitting in her blank soul room, raking a tongue across her lips, a hint of a smile flickering at the corners of her mouth, wondering if she could taste the sniper’s blood through the teeth of her chainsaw form, that the feeling dissipated entirely across the link. It was pushed back until only her focus remained, and she used all of that concentration to drive spiritual energy across the chainblade.
Both hers and Zosar’s, burning bright across the blade as they neared their target, she pumped all the energy she could into amping Zosar’s speed for that one lunge.
Was it overkill? Absolutely. But Wren felt as if her cravings would kick back up again if she didn’t let all of the pent-up energy out somehow, some way. Besides, she figured the sight of a maniac wielding a burning chainsaw running at her at breakneck speeds would be enough to at least throw off the sniper.
Scare them for one second, just enough for them to land the decisive strike.

That last chunk of decor he threw was when he made his leap. Muscles in his legs tensed for a brief second and then he launched off like a pouncing jaguar. The leap sent Zosar soaring towards a chandelier that he used to swing straight towards the duo as he bounced off it like a kangaroo off the ground. Zosar shifted his grip on Wren as they closed in, he bounced off another chandelier, a little over ten feet away now from the duo, then made that decisive move to end this. He cleared the remaining fifteen feet with an arcing jump. Angled himself, and slashed as he completed the bypass of the duo, aiming directly for the Meister as he made his killing move.

Elly didn’t need an invitation. With Zosar and Wren taking the attention of the sniper, all she had to focus on was the Duke. No longer would she be stalled by needing to dodge the sniper’s shots. She dashed forward, spurred on by the increase in power from the chain resonance, attaching with a mixture of swings of by the chain and normal slashes, creating even more lack of consistency to the already confusing manner of attacks. They lagged, skipped, and blurred, the only real consistency being the shit-eating grin on Elly’s face.

Up above, the sniper pair really had no response for the high speed assault, having dodged the airborne obstacles would unironically narrow their points of movement up top as Zosar slammed into them with his chainsword, regardless of if the cutting blade made contact with the chain running or it being stopped, the damage would prove lethal, and yet, one important warning from Wallner would ring true, forgotten over the course of the mission…

Transforming as she fell, the weapon dived straight down, turning as she went part of the thirty feet to the ground, a curious mix of emotions would blaze over her face, rage, fear, and then something far more primal, something unique to humans and those who once were. Spite.

She had decided to take him out with herself. She had no future, the DWMA would do terrible things for her betrayal, and her “eternal” life was now an opening to hell that the woman simply did not want. Her right hand turned into the muzzle of her rifle, but then enlarged, stretching out across her own arm and becoming a bit larger as she gathered her wavelength in totality to one point, still close to the two, the dim warning of Wallner would come back to remind them in a grim fashion if not a bit too late.

“...the weapon partner of that pair had an explosive wavelength, and can convert her shots into an explosive blast…” -- and now she was dumping everything into it and setting it off in an attempt to take Zosar and Wren with her. Time would seem to slow down at this point, but it was a critical situation.

For Elly and Kisei, things were not nearly as grim, if anything the Duke was on the back foot, but the pair had ignored his partner. However it was unlikely she could do too much, but doing enough to be of use? Well, that would come to play, as the Duke used his own self to take one blade hit, misjudging it, the scythe planted firmly into his mid section, but he grabbed hold all the same, to keep the blade from moving away, to keep the Meister in place. Following up with her attack, the other weapon swung wide waiting for a clash of steel or flesh. Waiting for anything at all, locking blades so to speak, or against the chain, of that she was not sure, the Duke, no, Richter Von Kleist would reach in with his left free Vampiric left hand, fingernails akin to steel till he just brushed something, sure that was where the girl’s face would be, he then withdrew his hand and gave one hell of a backhand, sending elly flying with her partner, short of their chain purchasing a hold, the blade inside of him ripped free. Coupled with Kisei still being operational, his anti-undead wavelength running true, the Duke could not, would not bounce back from this.

However rather than pushing his luck with Elly, he simply turned and for a twice now dead man, walked with something akin to grace, with his weapon partner supporting his movements, he was set upon his throne, only a few short meters away, where he gazed at what few banners remained, and explosion illuminating the ceiling of his throne room, the set his eyes upon the static, speaking with his last bit of strength.

“Dark Lord… your dream…remains…a dream… Human, welp, wench… You have won… Now my directionless children…just how many will you kill? Anna… Do… what you think is best…” Those yellow eyes would remain yellow, but lost their shine, as blood pooled rapidly from the huge open wound, minus the one bodyguard, everything else had been beaten as she turned and made her way to a rearward tunnel, running as she did so. There would be no escape if the agents wished to chase her, but, as Kisei had said, who they needed to kill had been killed and the strange glowing glyphs had lost all shine, all purpose. There was also the small issue of Zosar being caught in a self destructive blast, the end results of that remained to be seen as smoke and a bright light would go as quickly as it came.

By the time it had, the Meister had been blitzing diagonally across a wall as the Weapon was charging up, trying to put as much distance from the desperate Weapon as possible. With Chain Resonance covering up the resonance errors, Zosar told Wren to stay in her Weapon form no matter what as he sensed the climax of wavelength building behind them. All of this transpired in milliseconds. What he did manage to cover was enough to keep the worst of the blast radius from reaching him but wasn't enough to stop the shockwave from tripping him up.

That flash also signified the sudden end of their Chain Resonance as Zosar's effort in maintaining it suddenly and abruptly ended when the explosion went off in full. The force of it tripped him up, Amplification focusing on durability prevented broken bones, fractures, internal bleeding, and even more damage but the second the explosion sent him skipping like a stone three times over is where their Chain Resonance died with Kisei and Elly in a abrupt severing. The force of the blast ultimately separates them. Wren bounced in Weapon form and came to a slide closer to Elly and Kisei, while Zosar was thrown a different direction into a blindspot where he remained motionless, for the moment as he came to a grinding stop that ate the ground and went still.

It was going so well. Elly landed hit after hit whilst evading counters, it only becoming easier to do so as she chipped away at the Duke. She saw an opening and embedded one of the sickles in his gut. However, she wasn’t expecting him to grab the weapon and hold it firm. Next came the backhand, sending her tumbling away. Her body rolled before recovering and skidding to a halt. The grin was gone now, replaced with a scowl that looked more like it belonged on Dani’s face. She had been punched, kicked and slashed. Backhanded like an alleyway prostitute, she had not been.

She was ready to blitz him again before she realized that Zosar’s soul was practically null. Internally cursing, her eyes turned to the Duke who was succumbing to his wounds. The traitor duo had effectively tried to suicide bomb Zosar in a last ditch effort, or possibly even succeeded. The fight was over. There was just the Bloodsucker’s partner, but she couldn’t do a damn thing on her own. With that in mind, Elly made her way over to where it looked like Zosar had landed.

As she did, her eyes searched for Wren and she saw the girl was still in weapon form. That was good. That meant she would be unscathed. Then the only question was, was Zosar still breathing? She found him laid out on a cracked portion of obsidian from the impact, her eyes searching to make sure his soul hadn’t sputtered out. It was concerning for a volatile soul to be so quiet, but it was still there, so that was something. “He’s not dead, though I’ve no idea if he’s bloody conscious from that,” She said. Walking past pieces of his gear that had broken off apparently on each impact from the dots of chipped wall and material, the suit he had been wearing certainly looked far worse. Taking a knee, she knelt down next to him to check.

He was stirring by the time she had started her inspection. Zosar shifted only once and the glance was merely passing, pain written all over his face clearly. Elly saw no pool of blood, aside from several fresh cuts visible but at least none of his limbs looked bent at horrific angles either. The slow movement could have just been the pain or it could have been something else.

The memory of Wallner’s entire spiel, the speech she’d barely bothered paying attention to, came back to her in dizzying waves. Like a slap to the face, mockingly returning to her now that it was one flash of light and a bang too late. Wren didn’t see any of it coming, even when she was warned about it.
After the daze from the explosion flitted from her eyes, the first thing Wren did, unsurprisingly, was exit out of her weapon form and rush to Zosar’s side. Panicked, stumbling over herself, jabbing sharp bits of debris and loose chunks of wall into her hands as she went. She was running out of adrenaline, impulse the only thing racing through her mind were manic pleas ‘Please be okay. Please be okay—’


She slid next to Elly, still frantic, sweating bullets. It wasn’t necessary for her to take a peek at Wren’s soul to know what she was feeling. The girl was horrified, it was written on her face. Her shaky hands hovered over Zosar for a moment, not knowing if he had any broken bones, not knowing whether or not her touching him would worsen it, so she tried shifting him to his back, as carefully as she could, holding his head.

The words stammered out of her mouth, as if trying to convince herself “H—Hey, hey. Y…You’re fine. You’re fine…” Her face was glazed over with thoughtlessness as she looked on at the cuts, the wounds. She came back to the world of the living for a brief moment, only to scowl, grind her teeth “Shit…!”

Wren took a deep breath, passed a clammy hand through the sheen of sweat on her forehead, her face still scrunched up ugly “Alright…Alright— fuck.”She turned to Elly and Kisei, still shaking, pupils cut into trembling slits “D…Do I carry him outta here? I-Is it gonna hurt ‘im if I put my hands on ‘im…? What the fuck do I do?”

The grunt cut through any immediate response. The “I'm…fine,” was laced with more pain as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Argh”, he groaned.

Pumping his own wavelength through his body reduced only half the pain he was feeling but that was better than feeling sore everywhere likely from all the new bruises that would likely form after this. “Fuck, it's been a while since I had my shit rocked that bad.” Frankly glad there wasn't anyone else to fight.

With assistance, he managed to get on his feet. No immediate pain struck him as he stood but the soreness still lingered, a small headache was there too but with Wren's clear distress, even in his state his priorities shifted to focus on her. Though when glancing at Elly and signalling to what was on her cheek and seeing her scowl, he couldn't help but briefly think of Dani before brushing aside the whole topic of how she got that mark to focus on them just getting out of here entirely.

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul Haze-

Outside Charas: Dante/ Pumpkid
Sara/ Merciless Medic

 

[Sir Les Paul]

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

Car Rentals JFK Airport - Cutting Down the Seamstress ​

Wes was more than right. At least, about the Patchwork Witch. All that was left within her, body and soul, was a quiet bloodlust. To his ears, it might have been loud, but compared to the arrogance and mixed emotions that would have been present in seeing her partner cut down, it was nearly mute. As if all of her personality had been stripped away and she was truly now but a tool for killing.

Feng and Aki hadn’t the type of practiced Soul Perception to pick up on it, but they didn’t necessarily need to. This shift bled into all of her behavior. Korne recognized it, too, and with it, his approach to the situation shifted. The best way to kill a Witch was always to utilize their greater speed and end the fight as soon as possible.

The same approach would have likely worked on any of their allies as well. Maria might have had the close range magic to briefly delay her death, but a sufficiently fast duo during Resonance would simply overwhelm her. Ark would be cut down just as quickly, if they could reach him. Chanterelle might have been toxic at a close range, but so long as she could be cut down and left behind before her body caused any auxiliary damage, it would be a safe kill as well. Raph would probably fair the worst, his chains being nowhere near fast enough to defend him.

In short, speed killed. It was just the way of the world. It was why Medusa, a Witch that used Vectors to enhance her speed, was once so dangerous. She had the perfect means to counter the fighting style used so commonly against Witches.

’She is pulling those threads,’ Korne told them, ’and she pulled them backwards. To her.’

’Use the momentum and cut her down. The trap she laid can become her deathbed,’ he instructed, allowing his own bloodlusted nature to seethe into every word he said. Hyper aggression was his fighting style and what he saw in the cloud of floating needles was a direct path to their target. He didn’t even come across as condescending as much as it was hyperfixation. A clear goal, a straight line, all they needed was a blade or bullet to make it.

As the protective attempts of Wes encompassed her whole body, as the line between life and death grew ever closer, as the incessant pressure of Korne pushed at her edges, as Aki’s eager nature to kill the witch played out across the joint soul space, Feng would enter a curious state, all of their words would ring hollow, dull, a sense of time dilation born from her long history of fighting humans, more so those armed with firearms would play out as she heaved a great breath of air, emptying her lungs in totality as she gave in to her own instincts, her sense of oneness born from Shaolin discipline and Chinese philosophy. At odds with how the Berserker DWMA went about while tipping into that state, Feng radiated an intense rhythmic beat from what Wes could sense.

Like a Lunar New Years festival it sounded off with martial drums and a solid foundation, one that reached out and encompassed her partners, a strong will, that voiced only one line of
thought, of song one could say, a burning will, one that would not yield.

Getting faster and faster, she used up her power and even risked the collar going off, throwing it all into one last offensive as she took hold of what power her three weapons would offer, could offer, feeding it back as blades closed in behind the charging woman, stepping off upon one leg she yelled verbally, fueled by her current state;

“Time to end this!

My power is growing now! Can you see just how much I have!?

Come on! Can you hear me now?!

Not even the gods can win now!”

With enough strength to crater the ground partially where she last stepped, needles followed in her wake, just missing, just being out of range of the lethal attacks.

‘One hit! One kill! Maximum will!’ Throwing everything she had into it, Aki would be discharged as many times as possible, while Korne would be kept at the ready as speed and momentum carried the three forward, what hits that would have struck for sure were deflected by Wes and his sonic shield.

Her left arm would rise, angling back, the Meister would dive the sword forward in a lethal stab, to finish off whatever the gunfire had left. If there was anything left. If this failed, then at the very least she would be dead.

Except it didn’t fail. The hyper aggression of the Witch was met with the hyper aggression Korne poured into the quartet—and the quartet won. The Witch tried at the last minute to cover herself, but it was for naught. The shield of patchwork fibers she created to protect herself–not unlike the one Maria could make–was blasted away entirely by Aki. Her volatile wavelength simply too much to block.

The stab Korne made into her pierced right through, but it didn’t end. This was the moment that Feng would learn the true nature of Korne and why he was wielded by such a reserved Meister like Samuel. His bloodlust, his killer instinct, if just for a moment, flooded into her and infiltrated her sense of oneness. Somewhere in the fine line of the self control created by her Shaolin training and the Berserker nature of her genetics, he danced, and that dance resulted in a dozen slashes far faster than even Feng knew she could perform, not only slicing the Witch apart, but dicing her into pieces.

Before she knew it, Wes and Aki were briefly in on it, too. Once the dicing was complete, Aki was filled with a rapturous chorus of Wes’ wavelength being amplified by the oscillating nature of Korne and all at once a blast fired out from her barrel that effectively disintegrated the remains of the Witch.

All that stood was her floating soul, purple with drapes of broken thread falling off it. The battle was over. The rotted soul of the necromancer was floating some ways off. They had won. Korne had won.

There was a reason his moniker was Mazuko Muramasa. While not evil, he was an insidious force that somewhat tainted the minds and souls of those that used him. Even Aki and Wes could feel it at this point.

RedArmyShogun Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen​

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Atlanta | Rings: 0/1

Balls of molten rock hit the ground and rolled into masses of bodies. Spears of rock or fire landed direct hits on bodies. Hands of sand were shaped and grabbed undead from below, crushing them or turning into a horrific array of thorns.

Ark was far more fascinated by how easy it was to do some things over the actual destruction he was creating. There wasn't a crazy gleam in his eye or anything overdramatic, but there was a glint of wonder, a sense of amazement or surprise at how easy manipulating the sand was. How quickly he was able to manipulate multiple balls of magma that grew along with the same it rolled along. How he could extend his reach further without having to put so much more mana into it.

If this was what he could do without the Pull driving the vehicle, then no wonder Witches and Sorceress gave into it to get a taste of what their raw talent could unleash. It was phenomenal. At the same time, the experience was sobering to show what he still had to accomplish.

Given how rare an opportunity this was, he tested out all sorts of combinations of things he could do while experiencing this. It might have seemed overkill, but the undead here were merely undead, nothing more. He didn't give the other mages working much mind outside of just being mindful of their presence and ensuring he didn't commit friendly fire. Everything he did was really just a way to test how far this enhancement to his abilities could be. It might have been morbid in a way for the outsider to watch, with how gruesome it could get and on some level Ark was aware of that, it was partly why his expressions were more reigned in. For him, this was a study as much as it was the duty of getting rid of this threat. An experiment, an opportunity to cut loose fully, and see just what he was capable of with all this mana pumping through his system.

To say he wasn't bothered much by how gruesome it became, said something as he rose hands out of the ground to grab at undead bodies that pulled their targets apart or dragged the bodies into waiting lava pools.

At the same time part of his focus and concentration, was to also resist the way his nerves lit up at every explosion Maria and others created. Keeping himself focused more on the task than allowing himself to get swept up in the moment.

Mentions: Merciless Medic

Interactions: RedArmyShogun
Peckinou Sir Les Paul @Meredith

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Atlantic City - New Jersey​

Feeling the mana surging through her, Maria would become a whirlwind of destruction, rather than increasing her distance from her spells or overly relying on a set of them, Maria would keep her normal distance, she now had power beyond what she normally had, and while the Pull tore at her, actually overcame her, she still possessed enough battle sense to not directly abuse it, to not get used to what would not be there later...

Abusing it, however, was not the same as not making use of it at all, nor in liberally becoming a solo team via her own tactics and spellcraft. Like a whirlwind of destruction, Maria commanded her spells expertly, pulling, drawing in, smashing, dicing, with machine like proficiency. Slaughter was left in her wake and that of her creations. Even had Maria the presence of mind to ask, and these creatures the presence of mind to reply, she would ask for nor offer any quarter. Her dress in parts, and her creations in general would stop every so often to flick blood from the blades or to use her other spells to purify.

In co-operation with some of the witches, Maria would form her wind explosion attacks on a larger scale, and in using the fires of another to spark massive torrents, even for a brief while, and though small relatively speaking, she had formed a twister of wind and fire, as a rather interesting highlight. As her dolls worked among her or with the spell circles of others to cause a wave of attacks, till eventually, well, there was nothing to attack. Minus what bits of the kaiju body were left.

As the pull would wear off her psyche, given her own being fueled by creation rather than destruction, she still remained committed to performing this grim task, for those who were dead and for those who yet live. Such grim and dirty work. Till it was done. Maria wasn't sure what she thought, what she felt. The feelings, memories and sights of all this left her looking less than happy about it all as she approached with her creations, lazily hovering close to the ground as she flew closer, to relay the obvious conclusion of the mission.

"Team leader Gauss... the situation is, hmm, finished."

Interactions: Merciless Medic (Raph-Noah) @Meredith (Chanterelle) Sir Les Paul (Gauss)

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

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

That... was epic.

The Pull wanted to continue, wanted him to maim and rend all those who stood in his way, but when he got a good look at what was in front of them... There weren't a whole lot left. He pulled in one last group he could find with his net and zapped them before relinquishing control of the battlefield.

In front of him laid carnage, magekind scooping up and tearing the last bit of enemy that was left. This reanimating fungal colony was no more.

And yet, he held mixed feelings about what was in front of him. He loved tearing everything apart and taking control of the battlefield, but there was the bittersweet realization he won't be able to do that anymore, not without heavy training.

But this carnage... He didn't know why he held mixed feelings about it all. It was necessary, it was fun, but he felt strange for it. Was it really that fun being a little magical gremlin? Tearing enemies to shreds as he did so?

He just shook his head, leisurely walking back to where Gauss and his weapons stood. While held a concerned and pensive expression on his way back, it melted as he approached Gauss, even bowing with a flourish. "Yes, the rest of the mages will search and destroy what's leftover." He looked up at the effigy, a wince momentarily making its way on his expression. "Being able to see the memories of another, feeling like everything around you is in some sort of slow motion, empowering others through this link... Is that what resonance feels like?" He asked, for he had a minor understanding of how it worked, but he didn't fully understand the feelings that came from it.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Mission Debrief - Location: Castle Kleist - Liberec Region - Czech Republic
~~Jurgen Wallner~~
​

As the mission came to a close the team would not have to wait long till they were gathered outside, a number of Vampire Slayers, true to form had arrived in the area, more importantly from a point of view, if not unexpectedly for a suit, was also there. Armed with what looked to be a lance, he had arrived with the latest bit of reinforcements as more hunters went off into the mountains and gullies of the area, searching for the surviving remnants of the undead. The surviving Commando's assisted in getting all of the prisoners, including the group's two prisoners out of the holding cells in the base.

With a through debrief from Elly, Sara and whoever else wished to add in, on the current situation while Zosar and Wren were kept off to the side for the former's treatment. Fortunately, it seemed the agent only suffered some bruised bones, what amounted to a light fracture on a couple of ribs and a nasty concussion. Lucky as all things went and it should not keep him out of action long, what with the current state of medicine being what it was.

However, not everything went so smoothly as the castle seemed to self-destruct, falling to ruble and imploding upon itself, putting a damper for the time being on the full extent on what the Duke had been up to. Once the danger had passed, Wallner seemed to be, satisfied with the conclusion.

"You've all done well. What happens from here is a political question. In regard to the Witch, Sorceress, the CIA, and with my own branch office, among others. Losses in the city were within acceptable ratios and my two agents, though coping with injuries are alive. The Duke is dead, the traitors as well, and the plot stopped. Though, he managed to bury the proof, or rather his weapon did, in all likelihood. It will only slow us, not stop us.

Given the situation, you all have performed admirably. Regardless of what some may say of the FATE program, you have done a great deed and a great service. Return home with some pride. Some, we cannot have you slipping up in being conceited. Auf wiedersehen and good luck. The helicopter will take you back to the airport, where a plane is waiting. My work is not yet done." And with that the man turned in a clipped military fashion and spoke at length with a bloodsucker hunter and an officer of the Czech army judging by the looks of him, leaving the group to return in a simple fashion.


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

 

[Peckinou]

Arkayis Misonuka - Atlantic City - New Jersey
Mentions: Gauss Sir Les Paul , Noah/ Raph Merciless Medic ,Chanterelle @Meredith The Regal Rper , Maria RedArmyShogun
​

Dealing with so many targets is exhausting work, never had Akayis actually had to deal with a scenario such as this, and with so many witches in the area he only grew more anxious. However with the sudden power up that the Witches had achieved managed to achieve had left Arkayis completely speechless, of course he had seen witches get suddenly stronger when their lives were on the line, but never to such a degree. To Gauss it may be a relief, but to Arkayis it made him shudder, fear wasn't an emotion that Arkayis had experienced too often especially when it came to witches. But witnessing a scene like this made him feel helpless, if the witches decided to turn towards them, he doubted they would be able to put up any proper resistance and having his life in the hands of witches was a worst-case scenario for him. Arkayis didn't know what caused the sudden power shift from the witches, but he was sure it must of taken some sort of prep or something, if not then they would have done this from the start. Whatever it was, it was entirely new to him, and the idea of witches having new tricks up their sleeves especially ones like this didn't sit well with him at all, the only thing he could hope for was that it was a one time thing, but Arkayis was more pessimistic than optimistic when it came to that train of thought.

Meanwhile it seemed that Gauss had all but given up on even trying to assist in the clean-up effort, which is quite understandable, even going on to say that they can transform back, a opportunity that Noah was glad to take. Arkayis however remained in his weapon form, not wanting to feel even more vulnerable that he already was, there was complete silence from his end as he was internally panicking, the slaughter of all hostile entities didn't bother him in the least, but at the rate that the witches were able to do it was what caused concern. Despite the witches supposably being on their side, this event is in it's own way traumatic, it was only when Noah transformed and began to speak that Arkayis calmed down somewhat. Though he was still unsettled he was a bit relieved when he heard about Noahs plans to understand it, but then again Arkayis doubts began to reappear. As if a filthy witch would be forthcoming. the thought may have only been said in his head, but it still brought a wave of nausea on himself, which only grew as the pestering witches returned to report back to Gauss.