Graded [Alvheim Ruins] Dungeon Crawl Ho! - Remnant of Ancient Ambition

[EMIYAman]

Spoiler: Anima Drive

Interaction: Individual LadyOfStars lXlGamemaster Beetlebuggo


Ouro gazed at the crimson light of Achilles two emotions of joy and contempt seemed to war upon her expression for a moment. She blinked, then turned to regard Astrid. "A corridor? I see so you intend to escape Achilles and wait out the Soul Bursts limit. Very well then." She makes a sweeping gesture with her staff a blue holographic display mingled with magical circles appeared. She idly tapped upon it seemingly in no rush but her hand moved incredibly quick. "Thanatos has only one exit usable by humanoid life forms, but the current security levels have it sealed until the intruders within are destroyed. However this facility is complex, incredibly so, its modular state has changed a fair bit since The Master last was here." Off to the side of the main exit a thin staircase appeared going down the width of it was just barely enough to run but it would be uncomfortable. "That route leads straight to Ares where weapons manufactured here are stored. If you make your way there and use what you find within, when the Achilles eventually catches up you should be able to hold it off well enough for the Soul Burst to reach its operational capacity." Ahead of Ouro, Cephus and Astrid the Achilles was not remaining idle.

​

When Lothric moved to escape the Achilles in a surprisingly cruel display dashed over to Mitsunari hoisted him by his leg and threw him at incredible speed towards the retreating Lothric. Cephus stared mouth agape as the fox man sailed through the air and collided with the dragon. "Ouro is there anything you can do!? At this rate we won't even have the time to get away!" Ouro blinked. "If that is what my dear Guest desires." She stepped forward and pointed her staff the same holographic displays from before appeared but this time they circled around her rapidly as a purple light shone from the tip of her staff. With a swift movement she pointed her staff downwards and a square of deep purple appeared at Achilles' location. A pressure seemed to press down on the Achilles making it movements seem incredibly laborious. Despite this it still moved steadily towards the group. "You may now make your way to Ares. Achilles will be free from my magic in thirty seconds." Cephus blinked briefly in surprise but noticed the tenseness in Ouro's face as she maintained her spell. "Uh right. Lets go!" He did his best to help Mitsunari up and turned to the dragon. "You seem of the very intelligent variety of dragon so if you can understand me I suggest we hurry!" He ran for the staircase. The tunnel growing darker and darker in as it went down save for dim lights along the walls.

 

[Beetlebuggo]

[Tmk.EXE]
Interactive spectrum destination - { Mitsunari| LadyOfStars LadyOfStars } { Lothric| 123 123 } {Astrid | Individual Individual } {Cephus /Ouro| EMIYAman EMIYAman }
[Physical Display Apparatus - UPDATE No.3]

Text Direction -
[Bolded square brckts] Speaking to reader/RP’er]
[UnBolded square brackets] Talking in RP/ to other characters]
{Curved Brackets} NoteBook writing}
———

[You've
received my gratitude, Dragon. Make haste with the Kitsune, I will be following along with the non-combatants.]

TMK's message popped up to Lothric, as the Pink Orb now dusted themself off before quickly following after Cephus, Astrid and Ouro..

{Anima Drive - Apparent feature for Achilles Units grants mass boost in their combative and mobile ability, but for a limited time and causes backlash on unit's physical condition.}

Heading towards the stairs as well, they decided to get in some extra speed via going 2 steps at a time..

They made this suggestion to the others as well..

[I recommend we utilize going 2 stair steps at a time to increase our speed heading to the Ares area. Judging by the speed of an Anima Driven Achilles Unit, they would likely catch up to us at this current rate if we don't take this action.]




​

 

[LadyOfStars]

Seikatsu Mitsunari
Beetlebuggo EMIYAman Individual ​

Regret. Mitsunari was filled with an overwhelming amount of it as even greater pain surged through his body. He crashed to the ground, sliding across the. The friction ruined the perfect wrapping of his bandages, causing the ones that covered his mouth to fall, revealing the burnt skin that had been concealed underneath. His head throbbed, no, quaked as he laid on the floor writhing in pain. His hopes to avoid physical combat were dashed, apparently the robots had it out for him.

The attack left him feeling dizzy and groggy, wishing for a nap and he would have taken it had the sound of beating wings not made his head hurt even more. He let out a loud groan and pressed his palms against the floor, trying to get up. He wasn't sure what the others were doing, but he was certain that he could not take another hit like that. Leaning against the wall, he shakily pushed himself upward and tried to focus his bleeding eyes on the enemy.

The world was tinted red and that only made his vision even more poor. "Damn it." The fox straightened up, barely able to keep his balance, but determined all the same to prove that he would fight to the last breath. "Amaterasu's Wrath." One deep breath filled Mitsunari's chest, causing it to expand. The jewel around his neck glistened as his mana churned at changed. Upon exhaling, Mitsuanri breathed out a wave of fire that widened as as it raged towards the bot.

• Amaterasu's Wrath - Magic Affinity D, Fire Affinity F, Wind Affinity F, Magic Area Of Affect F, Spell Duration F, Magic range F, Magic Targets F -The caster's chest swells with air and upon exhaling a torrent of fire is released that is enhanced by wind. The flames spread out in a cone shape and up to a maximum distance of 10ft. - Grade D - 2 Post Cooldown

Cooldowns:
Screeching Bolt (1/2)
Screeching Barrage (2/2)

 

[lXlGamemaster]

Lothric

Lothric wasn't able to fly that far in search of the fox man, for as soon as he turned around the man seemed to fly towards him. Both crashed to the ground and Lothric lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to remeber how this all had started. Looking up he now saw the chimera lady actually doing something: with a wave of her staff she must have cast a spell on the knight, for its movements slowed enough so that it had to strut menacingly towards you now.

Everyone had started to run for the exit, and Lothric was about to join them, when two hands slapped on the ground next to him. He turned to see the fox man, blood streaking down his face and the bangages that bound him unravelling to reveal burns. Lothric thought for a moment that it was ironic that someone who used fire magic would be burned this badly, but then he remembered that his past self's over use of his power was what led him to banishment, so he remained silent. The dragon turned to the exit again, then back to the fox man. "We need to leave." He said, but the fox didn't seem to hear him. With enraged eyes and gritted teeth, the man released a blast of flame that would make any dragon proud against the knight.

While impressed, Lothric knew that wouldn't hold the knight. Placing his claw around the fox's shoulder and his wing around his back the dragon began to usher the mage towards the exit. "You got him good. Now let's leave to fight another day."

 

[EMIYAman]

Interaction: LadyOfStars

---

As the expedition team began their escape the Achilles took notice and pushed itself to leave Ouros restraint field. Its power and speed once again grew. It took another shuddering step yet this one was easier than the last, while this increase in power had shaved off another minute on its time limit it would also escape within ten seconds more than enough time to kill the team. From his pained prone position Mitsunari raised himself from the ground the attacks from the Achilles having damaged his bandages till they were loose and hanging revealing the raw burned flesh underneath. With a deep painful breath he expelled a torrent of flame at the Achilles. While the fire was not enough to damage it as the Soul Bursts crimson light seemed to shield it the ground it walked on heated rapidly and melted. In mere moments it solidified once the fire spell ceased revealing the robot had it's feet partially welded to the floor once again slowing it's advance, but not for long...

Mitsunari Suffers From Concussion: All abilities not on cooldown now are, abilities already on cooldown are unaffected.

 

[Individual]

Astrid Naréssyr​

The Achilles units were more trouble than they looked, and Astrid found their mechanical visage to be a sight for sore eyes. Their artificial intelligence was rudimentary at best and a disappointment at worst, grappling at their enemies like mindless brutes that lacked any form of restraint. This "Soul Burst" system implanted in them was also an incredibly inefficient system, wasting valuable souls for a temporary rise in performance that destroys the inner frames. As bad as she was, Astrid didn't take the souls of living things lightly; and to use the very life force of other beings to fuel an unrefined magitech system was a poor excuse at unsolicited murder.


The elf dashed up the stairs behind Cephus, sparing a moment to be surprised by the dragon. It was quite agile despite its size, and appeared to be quite intelligent with its display of language as well as the capacity to properly articulate words for verbal communication. Dragons in mythology were either untamed beasts with a temper to match their size, or the wise types that project their thoughts and feelings telepathically as a form of communication. Regardless, if it was down here; it shouldn't have been locked inside for very long if it still had its soul fully intact.


Astrid glanced at Ouro next, studying the chimera's face with a reserved but wary gaze. There were plenty of red flags regarding its purpose heren and none of them bode well for the group. Too many logical fallacies were present in the autonomous defense and management systems of this facility, and there were many things that were left unanswered by this so-called administrator that so far could not do any administrating. If it was left up to her, they should leave right now and come back with a bigger force….but it was too late for that, isn't it? Due to the circumstances and the inadequate party, Astrid could not think of any alternatives but to continue seeking guidance from Ouro; and she HATED it when there wete no alternatives.

 

[EMIYAman]

Spoiler: Ares

Interactions: Individual LadyOfStars Beetlebuggo lXlGamemaster

---

The expedition team makes their way down the stairs, with Cephus surprisingly enough taking point doing his best to support Mitsunari. As they leave Thanatos the narrow corridor they had entered from shuts behind them. The stairway is cast into darkness, shortly after dim lights turn on lighting up the path ahead. They run as fast as they can the norrow passageway leading to being arranged in a line. After almost a minute of running and not sure if they are any closer to their goal. They hear a band sound out behind them. Then another and another the sound of metal impacting against metal. Cephus doesn't speak but his breath hitches in his throat as he realize the Achilles was trying break its way through the shut passage to get to them. At this point there was still 4 minutes on the clock. More than enough time for it to kill them. After a few more moments of loud banging in the distance, it goes quiet. Then a screeching sound rings out, followed by the laborious sound of metal groaning. It was bending the metal apart. Cephus in grim curiosity looks behind his shoulder past the group following behind.

​

Its there, with its glowing green eyes blazing in the dark it sees them. Cephus quickly turns his head back around and speed ups as much as he can muster. They have to make distance between them and it, they just have to keep going Ares was surely close! These thoughts raced through his head. As he pushed himself more than he had ever done before, he raised and then brought his foot down and on the next step only met empty space. Before he realized what was going on he already fell through the hole followed by the rest of the group not seeing it in the near perfect dark. Some took it better than others.

Ares Armament Storage

​

Landing in a heap they found themselves in a storage area for mechs. They had fell in from a square hole in the ceiling which closed itself upon their arrival. Cephus looked around from his position on the floor. What did Ouro have in mind when she sent them here, she said there would be things they could use to fight off the Achilles but where? "So this is why Hestia bade me to allow a path from Thanatos to my domain?" A voice sounded out all around them echoing throughout the area. Then cubes of light coalesced in front of them forming a shape. A man appeared before them, with long flowing hair emerging from a fierce helmet with a red plume coming out of the top. He was clad in gold armor an a flowing cape of crimson. His arms were crossed as he regarded them all with uncaring gaze. Cephus merely gaped in surprise unsure what they were dealing with, and why Ouro had sent them to a place that contained this man within it. And, who was Hestia? "Listen well intruders. I am Ares, The Masters 'Sovereign Of War' I possess the supreme duty of overseeing all weapons and armaments within this facility some of which could annihilate whole cities in moments. From the smallest blade to the apocalypse makers I hold dominion over them all." From above them a loud bang echoes out followed by more, the Achilles had caught up. The ceiling soon give way and the robot was standing among them, it immediately moved to attack and came within an inch of caving in Astrid's skull. Then the being that had called itself "Ares" raised a hand as if issuing a command. The Achilles stops on a dime and goes stiff the lights of its eyes going out and the crimson glow of the Soul Burst disappearing entirely. "That will only last a few minutes, not even I Ares have control over the constructs of this facility. That power solely belongs to The Master. Now, convince me I should honor Hestia's wish rather than just kill you now."

 

[lXlGamemaster]

Lothric

Lothric made his way aiding the fox man down the path. Metal surrounded all of them and the layout became more and more alien the more Lothric looked. However, between the face pummeling and other damage he had received from their knightly adversary, Lothric was half supporting the fox man and half using him for support. Being towards the back of the group he was able to see the drop as everyone else fell into it, but even still he was barely able to use his wings to dampen the fall.

As the group surveyed their new surroundings a man made from light appeared in front of them; his visage and physique reminiscent of the other cosmic entities that Lothric had shared existence with. It spoke of another being and proclaimed itself as the Sovereign of War, to which Lothric felt enraged by. In his past life he had been the one the other gods called to end conflicts, and now the gods had already replaced him?! This being lacked any of the power or presence his previous body had; he could destroy galaxies with the swipe of his claw, and this "god" barely looked like he could take on an army!

Listening further to the phoney war god, and watching him stop the knight in its tracks, Lothric heard him speak of a "Master". That was when the dragon let out a breath of relief: this wasn't anything more than another caretaker of this strange place like the chimera.

"Heed me, 'Sovereign of War'", he started, emphasizing the title. "You should pay more attention to who you call intruders and where your subjects are! I was spirited here without my permission and these fair folk helped me escape death. I don't know about them, but they looked like guests." He gestured to the fox man. "Is this any way to treat guests?!"

 

[Beetlebuggo]

[Tmk.EXE]
Interactive spectrum destination - { Mitsunari| LadyOfStars LadyOfStars LadyOfStars LadyOfStars } { Lothric| @

123 } {Astrid | Individual Individual Individual Individual } {Cephus /Ouro/Ares| EMIYAman EMIYAman EMIYAman EMIYAman }
[Physical Display Apparatus - UPDATE No.3]

Text Direction -
[Bolded square brckts] Speaking to reader/RP’er]
[UnBolded square brackets] Talking in RP/ to other characters]
{Curved Brackets} NoteBook writing}
———

Getting up from the fall, TMK dusted themself off and stared at the new voice that emanated throughout the armory.

They listened in on Ares' words, and thought deeply on how they were going to answer..
And it appeared Lothric had a similar thought.

[I would have to agree with the dragon, Sovereign Ares. The group here are Historical researchers, and were being guided by Ouro. As the Dragon also brought up, however, He had awoken in the Thanatos chamber, and Ouro gave us an all clear to assist in defending it from soul extraction. Just after, the Achilles units had sprung into action. 2 were compromised, while the one before us went into it's Anima Drive state, which is the reason we were guided here. It would be assumed we were sent here to acquire means of defending ourselves long enough for the Anima drive's timer to run out, and as such, We request your assistance in letting us acquire these means of self defense.]

One giant text bubble appeared above TMK's body as they kept their eyes locked on Ares, the natural flow of Code Essence giving the text a smooth colorful visage.

​

 

[LadyOfStars]

Seikatsu Mitsunari​

Mitsunari would have to find some way to thank the dragon for his rescue, but right now all he could manage was to breathe. His body was overwhelmed with pain and his head throbbed so bad he thought of giving up. If this was what his life would be like going forward then there was no point in continuing. He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments and like a message from the gods, he saw a flash of his past life. A memory of his sick brother. Even on his worst days his brother never quit and even when he could not care for himself, he continued to dream of the day when he could. "Damn..." Mitsunari gritted his teeth and opened his eyes, making up his mind that he would not let his current state be the end of him.

He quickly reconsidered that as the group fell into a new room and he was reminded of his physical limitations. He opened his eyes agauin and could barely focus on what was going on around them. "Thank you." He mumbled to the dragon. Whatever was going on, he only hoped that the idiot who got them into this mess could see them out of it.

lXlGamemaster EMIYAman Beetlebuggo Individual

 

[EMIYAman]

Spoiler: Ares

Interactions: Individual LadyOfStars Beetlebuggo lXlGamemaster

---

Ares looked down upon them his arrogance palpable. His eyes narrowed as he heard Lothrics words. From the side of him Cephus audibly gulped a bead of sweat running down his face, clearly stressed. Ares unfurled his arms and stepped forward a couple paces closer to the dragon. For a moment he said nothing merely looked down upon him. Then he raised his hand, a red holographic screen appearing in front of it similar to Ouros. He tapped upon it while placing a hand upon the chin of his helmet. Seemingly deliberating something before coming to a realization. "You, are not from this realm are you dragon?" He gazed upon a series of gauges and data upon the screen. "These magical readings are only found in meteorites and Astrologists, but not at this purity. Its faint, weak even but this can't possible come from this planet." With a wave of his hand the screen disappeared and Ares seemed to regard Lothric with new eyes. Though he certainly wasn't any less arrogant his gaze was at least less outright dismissive.

"To answer your question, foreign dragon. Make no mistake, you were taken to this facility as fuel your permission was irrelevant. And if Thanatos had its way your soul would be powering this facility at full operational capacity for over three decades. Though Thanatos is not like me or Hestia I am sure it feels remorse at losing such high quality energy." Ares seemed amused with himself over that. He then splayed his arms out gesturing to the entire group. "In regards to these 'guests' I know not of such things. My direct authority is of War and War alone. What Hestia does with the rest of the facility and her 'guests' are her duty not mine. After all you think The Master would allow just any investor or Council member to wander into here? Of course not, that's why when The Master is not here its my judgment which allows anyone to enter my domain. So in essence I am treating you lot with the respect you deserve..." He once again raised a hand issuing an unheard command. Turrets came out from all along the walls and ceiling. "Try again."

Soon after TMK in all his eldritch roundness spoke up. Ares regarded him in a similar manner to Lothric. In a similar motion to before he pulled up a holographic screen in an attempt to gather data on the strange being but a mote of Code Essence flickered over and destabilized it forcing Ares to dematerialize it early. His eyes snapped to TMK and narrowed dangerously. "You. You are not meant to be. Those readings are comparable to one other being in this facilities archives and you are not it. You call them researchers? How ridiculous this facility would not allow you in for such trivial reasons how did you even get in here, and who is this 'Ouro'? There is no one with that name in this facility." Ares was growing more aggressive and frustrated. Just when it seemed like he would kill them all and be done with it Mitsunari roused in his debilitated state causing Ares to pause as he looked upon his pathetic form. With as sigh he brought his arm down slowly and the turrets retreated back into their spaces. He looked to Cephus who flinched at his gaze. "Boy, who are you and what is your purpose within this group?" Cephus gaped a bit but took a few deep breaths before meeting Ares eyes albeit with slightly shaking knees. "I am Cephus, an Archeologist tasked with exploring this facility for historical posterity and documenting what I can of Alvian society and culture from this place." As he spoke he seemed to gain more confidence most likely because he was speaking of something close to home. Ares looked down upon him as he has since the beginning but he didn't seem overtly hostile. "You are weak boy pathetically so, but at least you had the gall to look me in the eye. Alright then, I will make an exception for now. You will all tell me of your personal reason for being here and what you hope to gain from this facility, as well as who this 'Ouro' is then I will consider aiding you. Worry not we have time until Achilles reactivates."

 

[lXlGamemaster]

Lothric

Lothric said nothing but glared daggers at the being called Ares as he spoke to him. To his surprise he was able to divine the dragon's origins, but clearly not enough, for this conversation wouldn't be happening if anyone in this room knew about Lothric's former self. With a raised hand more cylindrical objects appeared from the walls and ceiling, aiming tubes of metal similar to the floating orbs from the room prior so Lothric could only assume that they also shot bolts of condensed magic... or something worse. He didn't want to loose face in front of this fake war god, but also didn't want to bow down to him either.

From under his wing the fox man managed to thank Lothric for helping him. The dragon looked down and showed a slight smile, then turned back to Ares. "Being prideful won't solve anything" he thought. "Right now we need to focus on getting out of this crazy place in once piece." With a begruding sigh Lothric answered the question that was asked generally to the group: "All I want is to leave this place. The longer we tresspass here the more people are going to get hurt, or worse..."

 

[LadyOfStars]

Seikatsu Mitsunari​

The continued talking rattled Mitsunari's head, but his curious and willful nature demanded that he pay attention and participate in the conversation. Raising his head up, he looked to the large figure that stood before them, trying to intimidate them. While he couldn't follow along with the conversation properly, he was able to pick up on a few key points, like this Hestia person being someone who played a key role in their making it this far. "Knowledge..." Mitsunari declared as he mustered the strength to raise his head and look to the overseer of war. "I...aim to better understand the world...through its past and the people who...came before us."

The fox placed his hands on his thighs and used all his strength to push upwards, straightening himself up with a loud exhale. "I believe Ouro is Hestia." Mitsunari added. "She is the only other person we have met since entering this facility..." He paused a moment, Grabbing his bandaged face and wincing softly. "She greeted us as guests and permitted us access to this laboratory."

He couldn't speak for the others and honestly he didn't care to. The kitsune had come to learn and he couldn't do that while the facility's operators were standing in his way struggling to communicate with one another.

Beetlebuggo lXlGamemaster EMIYAman

 

[Individual]

Astrid Narrésyr​

A curse nearly left Astrid's mouth as the Achilles unit almost carved a hole into her skull. The machine had caught her by surprise with its sudden burst of speed, and considering she was probably the physically weakest member besides Cephus; a single blow would've probably killed her. Thankfully though, the machine suddenly froze just before it landed its punch and the elf allowed a light breath to escape her lips. Though she held no real fear of death, it hadn't been too long since she got this body and parting with life again so soon would be less than ideal.


Unfortunately, a bigger problem was at hand. The armored warrior calling itself "Ares" had appeared, this room apparently sharing his namesake. His appearance was that of a large, intimidating man full of unbridled rage and probably testosterone; which in itself was not that surprising given what he was a god of. And befitting of a god of war but mostly bloodshed, the digital being was ready and willing to just kill everything in his way. Like, wouldn't Athena be a better choice? At least she was depicted to be a reasonable person that they could have an intellectual conversation with, instead of just a hot-headed brute that Ares was. Or maybe she should just stop dwelling on the subject.


"I came here because this place was of interest, and had been invited to survey the location; Lord Ares."


When dealing with someone like Ares, one had to A) Show respect and B) Show courage. If this artificial intelligence was created with the mythological text of the God of War in mind, then it would be quite obvious how Astrid should address him. If that wasn't the case, well, no harm done. After all, who would derive frustration from being given respect. As for courage, the elf wouldn't consider herself as a person that is full of bravery or courage, and would disregard everything just to thrust herself into the battlefield. However, she did have a severe lack of self-preservation, and her eyes definitely showed it. She had the gaze of someone that had nothing to lose, as living was just an added luxury at this point. Ares' armored visage sparked no fear in her heart, nor did the rows of wall mounted turrets ready to shred all of them to pieces.


As for Hestia and Ouro, the fox man made a good point in relating the two together. From the little that could be discerned by Ares's words on Hestia, it did fit with what Ouro had done for them. And like Ouro, Ares had also claimed he did not have full control over the automated defenses which placed them somewhere around equal authority; if equal authority meant no authority that is. The question now was, why did Hestia introduce herself with a fake name? And if Hestia was Ouro, why did she appear to be different from Ares? Ares' form appeared to be a hologram judging from the cubes of light. Ouro on the other hand had a physical body, which was rather odd. Furthermore, Thanatos was also hinted by Ares to be another A.I like him; and his physical absence could be attributed to him just not wishing to show his holographic form. If that was the case, why was Ouro/Hestia given special treatment?

 

[Beetlebuggo]

TMK - EMIYAman Individual LadyOfStars (Unfortunately GameMaster's mention wasn't working)

TMK listened intently as Ares went on and on, their voided eyes not losing their focus, albeit a few quick blinks covered up by Code Essence's flowing pattern. They stood still as Ares had now looked to them, the male presumably non-organic life form's eyes having sharpened his gaze upon the pink construct of code.​

"You. You are not meant to be. Those readings are comparable to one other being in this facilities archives and you are not it. You call them researchers? How ridiculous this facility would not allow you in for such trivial reasons how did you even get in here, and who is this 'Ouro'? There is no one with that name in this facility."

They kept silent, heeding Ares' direct words with little to no reaction. They would then take the time to answer.
[Ouro, is highly likely to be the one you regard as 'Hestia'. She had been the one to authorize and guide us in exploration of this facility. Last we had met her was in the Thanatos chamber when she granted us passage here. Personal motive was to examine organic lifeforms' behavior. Said OL have happened to come into contact with my interactivity spectrum. ]

Once again did their code essence text form as they replied, although this time it was accompanied by a tiny frown. And after listening in further on the Kitsune's and Cephus's explanations, TMK's best course of action was to clarify on their own answer as well upon Ares’ request.​

Alright then, I will make an exception for now. You will all tell me of your personal reason for being here and what you hope to gain from this facility, as well as who this 'Ouro' is then I will consider aiding you. Worry not we have time until Achilles reactivates."

[Personal motive of my presence in this facility pertains to the biological, behavioral, and interactive study of humanoid organic subjects. Sufficient amounts of data have been gathered on them at this point of their expedition on historical analysis of this area. But snippets of information of this facility has also piqued interest. Please note I hold no motive to used these notes for malice against any of those of this facility, for it is a fools gambit. Use of notes is only privately held knowledge, and all pages pertaining to it shall be disposed of to your bidding if needed, Sovereign.]

The pink orb stood firm, pitch-black ovals staring hard into Ares’ visage.

[Not meant to be, you say. Self’s full motive pertains to identifying the reasoning of my spawn, along with driving nature of my existence. Only piece of information regarding it is the suicide case of a child.]
​

​

 

[EMIYAman]

Spoiler: Ares

Interactions: Individual LadyOfStars Beetlebuggo lXlGamemaster

---

Ares listened to them with surprising patience. He was a man of his word and as such would give them the respect necessary. He gave each a penetrating stare as they gave their motivations. Each different from the last. Ares once again crossed his arms in the haughty fashion he had from the moment they met. But, the dismissive disdain he had shown for their very presence was gone. Replaced by an almost sagely countenance. "Foreign dragon, if you continue to struggle alongside these mortals you are sure to find your way to safety. But, take heed this place has changed drastically in these last centuries if you would survive you must steel yourself." Then at the stirrings of Mitsunari he inclined his head to look upon him and spoke to him as well. "Fox of the east, I see you are not yet a corpse. If you seek it you are sure to find the knowledge you seek here. However, those eyes of yours are ones I know well, I've seen mortals much like you before. You see all this, and even the world as something you can beat. Even now in this pathetic and feeble state you believe you can win." Ares chuckled lightly. "Perhaps you can, that will of yours is certainly one of your strongest weapons. But I'm sure that stubborn foolishness has laid you low before. I suggest you learn the lesson that pain is trying to teach you." Upon hearing his words pertaining to Ouro he only let out a grunt, which was quite difficult to gauge the meaning of. He turned to Astrid, scrutinizing the woman. "Elf, it seems you are wise enough to give me the proper respect even if your words are empty. If The Master were to see you in this place he would certainly be bragging about it for decades." Ares seemed to look through her as if he was seeing something far away. "The Alvians were cousins of the Elves so to speak, they were both quite close in genetic makeup. The Elves stuck to their ancestral homes and traditions unlike the Alvians however, and they had always been looked down upon for that. They were judged to be a lesser species. But The Master always thought the Elves could bring unique perspective to his research if they ever chose too." He seemed wistful as he spoke. "I can see the same desire for knowledge that The Master once had. Those like you search for the truth for the sake of it alone, right and wrong are nonfactors. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this facility by the time you leave." Finally he turned to TMK glaring down at the creature, but in the way one might consider a particularly difficult math problem. "Void spawn, I know not where you come from only what you bear a likeness too, and that being is one you would not ever hope to meet. This is a place of research and learning. While The Master considered it his personal workshop; 'the truth must not exist within a vacuum' he believed in that. So take your writings if you deign to it matters not, so long as you do not take what does not belong to you. If you too are searching for knowledge, then you must have some value."

With that he addressed that which had bothered him since they had brought it to his attentions. "This being, 'Ouro'. You claim in your limited understanding that you believe her to be Hestia my fellow Sovereign. Maybe to you this would be the logical conclusion, but you do not know Hestia Sovereign of Hearth. She would never take a different name her love and pride for The Master is too great. Her name is one she was granted, for her to claim another may as well be to deny her very being." He said this like it was an immutable fact. "However while you were speaking I ran a diagnostic, while my dominion lies in this place alone I have access to some basic systems and besides yourselves there is only one other living being within the facility though I have no visual on them. That can only be Hestia she would not leave not of her own free will, and killing her is more difficult that most would think..." He grew silent for a moment seeming almost disturbed. "There is something amiss a variable I am not aware of."

At this Cephus speaks up, a bit nervous but with surprising force. "I'm not sure about Hestia I can't tell you for certain whether who we met was her or not only what we know. But, Ouro did seem... off at times. Her emotions seemed inconsistent as well as her words. I don't have any proof just a hunch. But assume Ouro is Hestia for a moment. Do you have any idea why she may be like that?"

Ares pondered his words. "No, nothing I am aware of could point to this behavior from her. But while she was my fellow Sovereign our contact was limited. It is the reason I was prepared to kill you. The Hestia I knew would never contact me if she could help it, for her to do so must mean the situation was abnormal. But this being was able to copy her IFF Code that should be impossible..."

 

[lXlGamemaster]

Lothric

Lothric was surprised at how the false god of war handled himself; showing just as much courtesy to everyone present despite his title. The dragon thought back to his time as a celestial and could only recall two individuals by name: the one who banished him to this realm and the one who had interacted with him the most. Looking back, the latter celestial was the closest thing to a friend his former self had. Despite being a slumbering being of destruction, most of his awake time was spent with this lone celesital that tried to make peace with him. They had a sort of cat and mouse dynamic, but it was never out of malice. He wondered how it felt for the celesital to force Lothric out of the pantheon after he had declared war on them. He essentially betrayed everyone just for the sake of keeping his title as god of war, and that was what lead him into the mortal realm. Feeling guilt for his past actions, he started to realize that maybe this fake god was (possibly) better than he was. The guilt gave way to anger and stuborne pride as Lothric vowed to become a better god than even he.

The final interaction the false god had prodded the most curiosity out of Lothric. According to the two accounts, another false god "Hestia" had gone missing, and the chimera that they had met prior held the keys that the other should have. It sounded to him like Hestia had crossed into the mortal realm like he had, but perhapse the new goddess had lost her former memories and taken up a new name. "It seems you have awakened something that could throw this entire castle out of order." He addressed the human named Cephus. "If Hestia has become the chimera from before, maybe she has access to things her former form couldn't." He turned to look at the frozen knight at the entrance to the room. "Perhapse she didn't help us on purpose..."

 

[Individual]

Astrid Narrésyr​

Oh? It would appear that the god known for festering bloodlust could actually be rather eloquent if he wanted to be. A surprising change of pace to be sure,and Asteid had to give credit where credit is due. Besides, an interesting piece of information was dropped straight out of his mouth and onto their laps. The Alvians were related to the elves in some way and shared similar genetic makeup. It was like the relationship between lizards and dinosaurs…or monkeys and humans, etc. This revelation would certainly explain this particular Alvian's talent for magitech, as the elves were renowned to be masters of the arcane, and the blend between technology and magic could be a speciality of the Alvians. Shoot, perhaps she should have been reincarnated as an Alvian instead.


Astrid's eyes scanned her surroundings, this time with mechanical zeal rather than cautious surveillance. This was a storage area for mechs, as was stated and seen, and the elf wondered if she could pick one apart to examine its structure. These giants of steel seemed to differ from the Mech Golems used by the outside world, placing more emphasis on the technological aspect rather than the magical side. As she was currently defenseless, being able to borrow one would be of great help as well; but Astrid did not think the A.I would like his prized possessions to be tinkered with. Nor would he be happy with them being ridden by some unknown person. They had spent a great deal of effort to appease Ares, and Astrid was not going to sour the mood again with such questions.


The topic would shift back to the Ouro and Hestia controversy. With Ares giving his insight on the matter, it would be safe to assume that Hestia wasn't Ouro based on his account of her. Of course, jumping to conclusions here would be a naive mistake in one's deduction. It was easy to see patterns in various occurrences and even more tempting to follow them; but in a world where lies and deceit run rampant, one must consider their informants carefully. It is doubtful that everything Ares said would be 100% accurate, as most things in creation aren't, and none of them should take his words as facts. Even if he was the most knowledgeable entity in this room. Astrid had a theory or two regarding Ouro's identity; but not enough substantial evidence to validate any claim. Hell, they knew so little about this place that it was impossible to fully prove anything; not to mention the only possible leads are locked behind digital copies of mythological gods. Oh thank god these mythological gods were famed for their temper tantrums and family feuds, it totally makes it easy to talk to them without the fear of being smited.


She really needs a holiday after this.

 

[Beetlebuggo]

TMK - EMIYAman Individual LadyOfStars lXlGamemaster

The pink orb tilted slightly at Ares' designation to them, Void Spawn.. A ​

peculiar one at that, but no bother, for the pressing matter on hand was of more essence. Standing frozen as Ares continued his words addressed to them.

"Void spawn, I know not where you come from only what you bear a likeness too, and that being is one you would not ever hope to meet. This is a place of research and learning. While The Master considered it his personal workshop; 'the truth must not exist within a vacuum' he believed in that. So take your writings if you deign to it matters not, so long as you do not take what does not belong to you. If you too are searching for knowledge, then you must have some value."

[ This being I bear a likeness too, I shall not question anything in regards to it if it satisfies you. As I am in search of knowledge, I have an inquiry to make. This 'Chimera' That has taken Hestia's place and regards herself as Ouro. We had met her when she had emerged from a cylindrical chamber when we had first arrived to the area. Does this pique any significance?]
]
TMK took a seat on the floor for a bit, going naturally speechless as everyone else continued speaking. Taking into account of Lothric and Ares' inquiries, they felt it was best to jot these conclusions down in their notebook.
Thinking back, Ouro, or rather as she was originally known as, Hestia, her supposed disappearance with this 'Chimera' having taken her place made slight sense, but not enough for a clear picture. More investigation was required, and they felt it would be optimal for Ares to assist with this.

But something didn't add up.

[ I have a question, Sovereign of War. Wouldn't the 'Master' of this facility as a whole have been notified if something had happened to a Sovereign? If not, then are there other Sovereigns who are more closely associated with Hestia?] ​

 

[LadyOfStars]

"Hmph." Mitsunari scoffed at the response he received from, Ares. His criticism didn't fall on deaf ears however as this was not the first time that he had such words used towards him. His mind went back to the Goddess of the mountain and her ruling of his character as well as the result of that encounter. He had assumed that this laboratory would not be so treacherous, but he was wrong and was paying the price.

He had nothing more to say to anyone, least of all Ares. Silently he watched the others interact with the overseer of this facility and hoped they would be on their way soon enough.

EMIYAman Beetlebuggo Individual lXlGamemaster

 

[EMIYAman]

Spoiler: To Seek The Truth Through Force

Interactions: Individual LadyOfStars Beetlebuggo lXlGamemaster

---

Ares appeared lost in thought as if he was battling some unseen enemy which existed only in his mind. The matter of Ouro and Hestia truly perturbed the being. Cephus too was at a loss, he hadn't known what to fully expect upon entering the this place but it has quickly become something which boggled the mind utterly in its complexity. He heard the dragon speak to him and while somewhat frightened of the creature he returned its words. "Thats my guess too, for whatever reason Ares doesn't think it possible but its the only explanation based on what he's told us right? Someway somehow Hestia must have changed or been replaced with someone else. Though I can't help but wonder who is correct? Do we believe that everything Ares thinks is correct or only what little Ouro has told us?" It was confusing to be sure and far more than he had bargained for, but Cephus would be lying if he didn't find some grim excitement from all this as despite the dangers this place was truly awe inspiring. Then the Achilles twitched the lights upon it growing in intensity as it powered back up.

​

Ares raised its head from it deep thought. "If this is the case, then I have no need of threats." He made a gesture of him sweeping his hand to the side and a large mechanical fist appeared from a portal grabbing the Achilles in its crushing grip before retreating back. Cephus stared wide eyed at what had just happened. Ares addressed this shock. "Achilles was a way to invigorate you to give me the information I seek; the threat of impending death is a strong incentive." With the same gesture as before Ares materialized his crimson screens and input commands into them. The sound of servos whirring to life reached the expedition team to their side they would see a compartment open with various weapons imbedded within. "I see no reason to kill you now, and as I am ill equipped to deal with the matter I shall leave it to you as you see fit. Take what you desire from this weapons locker but no more than three. Know that this is a great exception for me to grant the weapons I hold dominion over. I only ask that you seek the truth as to this Ouro and Hestia matter as I believe you will find it tied to your own survival within this facility. Walk south of this position..." as he said this a set of lights lit up along the ceiling to guide them. "And you shall find yourselves in the Atria, I know not how but you may find clues as to the truth there. I may be an Artificial Intelligence granted the flame of life by The Master but my nature does not allow me to leave this place of my own power. May you be swift of foot and your battles bring you only glory, this is all Ares may grant." With that he disappeared into motes of crimson light leaving the team alone.

Spoiler: Weapons Locker

Magitech Knife


Magitech Rifle


Magitech Chakram


Magitech Sword


Magitech Handcannon(Not explosive sorry)


Magitech Gunblade

 

[lXlGamemaster]

Lothric

Lothric's entire body other than his head dropped to the floor in disbeleif. They had been beaten nearly to death just so we would tell the truth? The dragon grit his teeth and the jewel on his head sparked with crimson cosmic energy. He wanted to swipe his claws at the air where the fake god had been, but knew that it would do nothing for his pride or satisfaction. With a snort Lothric ended his tyrade and curled up in a ball in the center of the room, not even wanting to look at the weapons that were given as compensation. He doubted there would be anything in those crates that he could use anyway.

With the threat level dropped substancially Lothric began to tend to his wounds. The blood from his mouth came from a tooth that had been knocked out by the knight. He didn't see it anywhere near him, so he must have left it in the room with the chimera, or worse, swallowed it while escaping. He sat curled up on the floor, licking any access blood from his mouth and looking around the room bitterly. He decided to turn his attention to the only thing in the room that didn't annoy him: the group of adventurers that he found himself with for the past hour. Each of them had something unique to them, similarly to the last group he had encountered, as though they all came from different parts of the world. Despite his bandages, Fox Man dressed in a fashion Lothric had never witnessed before, in this life or the one before. The smart human with pointed ears and piercing eyes held herself with such confidence dispite wearing such form-fitting clothes. The pink ball... was an anomaly, like the false god had said.

The main thing Lothric tried to figure out was what they must have thought about him. They were forced into an alliance since the dragon had awoken, but now that the danger had passed would they be so cooperative? He had spoken to them a couple of times, so they knew he was intelligent, but would they want to continue traveling with him? Did any of them have the gall to ask for his aid? He pondered and waited to see.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Seikatsu Mitsunari ​

This entire facility was a game and they were the players, Mitsunari could see and understand that now after watching the Ares figure snatch the Achilles drone away. "This place is starting to seem like more work than it is worth." Mitsunari declared after Ares had departed. His eyes followed the lights as they illuminated their path forward, although it did not seem that the dragon planned to make any movements right away. He couldn't blame him, they had been through quite a bit in a short amount of time and some rest might be the best remedy for their pain and suffering.

While he wasn't afraid of Lothric, Mitsunari did approach the dragon with a bit of caution. He knew little of how such creatures thought and he would be an easy snack if the beast chose to restore its energy with a fox meal.

"Ares referred to you as foreign and called us mortals while he conversed with you." The kitsune secured his bandages, tightening them around his head and arms. "And I get the feeling there is more to my hero than just some captive beast. Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?" He stopped his approach a few feet from Lothric and stared between his bandages to watch the reptile.

lXlGamemaster

 

[lXlGamemaster]

Lothric

Lothric was surprised by the fox man's boldness, not only for approaching him but speaking with him and calling him his hero. He himself didn't feel like a hero: the reasoning he saved the fox man was because he could do powerful magic, and his odds of escaping this castle increased if he was alive. At least, he told himself that, but something in him told him otherwise. Putting these feelings aside Lothric spoke. "I suppose you can call me and the false god distant relatives. Since the dawn of time I had been the celestial god of destruction: slumbering in the nebulous void until called upon by other gods to end their wars." He looked down at his claw and flexed it, as though clenching his fist. "Yes, I was once all powerful, but I was also naïve and ungrateful, and abused my powers all for the sake of keeping my title as 'war god'. I chose to fight my allies, and suffered the consequences..."

Folding his claws underneath him and wrapping his tail around his body, Lothric looked to the fox with interest. "You also appear more than what can be seen. You appear human, but your tail and natural knack for magic suggests otherwise? Were you also exiled like me?"

 

[LadyOfStars]

Seiaktsu Mitsunari ​

Lothric's tale was not what Mitsunari had expected at all, but he found the truth to be far more interesting than whatever story he could have conjured. Lothric was a deity, stripped of his powers and exiled to the mortal plane. It was a unique story for sure and got the gears in his mind turning. He was impressed though that the dragon had made the same assumption about him. He was apprehensive to share such information, but the beast had trusted him.

"I am not from this world." The fox whispered. "I had nothing, but upon coming here I have become a kitsune and my talent for magic has..." Mitsunari's gaze wandered down to his bandaged limbs and he let out a heavy sigh. "I have seen much and even encountered a goddess or two of my own. came to this...hell in the hopes that I would learn something to help me further my knowledge of magic, but so far we have been pawns in someone else's game."

Mitsunari turned to look at the other members of their group and shook his head at the thought of the two defenseless participants making it this far without a single scratch. "Now I only wish to leave and continue to search elsewhere."

lXlGamemaster