Fantasy Beyond the Witch's Corridor [IC]

[Nano]

Beyond The Witch's Corridor

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  001

  Prelude

  Are dragons real? Do vampires walk among us?
  
  The catalogue of literature is crowded with fantastic tales of such magical creatures, some eerily realistic while others evidently spun on a drunken night for the sake of petty amusement. A handful of tales even make it into history books, whether it be in the form of a witch hunt or worshipping a dragon as a god. However, as widespread though varied as these tales might be, no conclusive evidence has ever been brought forth to validate their existence.
  
  As the world evolved into one of logic and science, the idea of cryptids gradually shifted from legends to mere fiction. The modern world had long proved that magic was a hoax and that so-called “mysterious sightings” were either a delusion or the machinations of a con artist hungry for attention. In a world where seeing is believing, each debunked myth brought humanity closer to the answer that a fantasy would, in the end, remain settled in the realm of dreams.
  
  However, a man once said that truth is stranger than fiction, an adage many would think of when the world itself began to reject its own laws.
  

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  002

  The First Cataclysm

  In the year 1999, as the clock approached the 24th hour of December 31st, skies all over the world grew dark, as if an omen of the events to come. The moment the minute hand announced the turn of the millennia, the earth unleashed a great tremor as the space within the small town of Albarn, California seemed to fracture. A dark haze seeped out from the widespread cracks, gradually shrouding the entire town within its ominous veil. However, none of the town’s inhabitants evacuated, or perhaps they were incapable of doing so. Not a single human or creature was seen leaving the dark shroud encasing Albarn, and those brave enough to venture into the unknown never returned. Any attempts to contact those trapped within the veil were met with no response.
  
  Two weeks had passed by the time the haze began to clear up, finally freeing Albarn from its mysterious prison. However, what the people saw—or didn’t see—shocked them to the core: in Albarn’s place was a completely barren expanse of dirt fields. It was as if the dark fog had swallowed the town whole, leaving not a single person or building behind.
  
  This event, later named The First Cataclysm, became the heated topic of countless debates and hypotheses. However, an answer as to where Albarn had gone and how it had happened wouldn’t surface for another 12 years.

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  003

  The Second Cataclysm

  Try as they may, research teams could neither make heads or tails of the situation nor detect any abnormalities present in the land where Albarn once stood. However, due to the enigmatic manner in which Albarn was devoured, the area was nonetheless deemed unsafe. Rather than open the area for rebuilding, the affected area was fenced off, allowing only observatories and research facilities to be built within.
  
  This period of stasis would last for 12 years, until a familiar quake shook the land once again. As the earth trembled, a great void appeared, this time producing not a black haze but a hoard of beasts resembling those only found in the worst of nightmares. The strongest of their kind possessed hide so thick that bullets bounced harmlessly off their bodies, overwhelming the emergency force that had been hurriedly mobilized in Albarn.
  
  Just as suddenly as the monsters had appeared, humanoid figures stumbled out of the void, seemingly surprised but nonetheless quick to assess the dangerous environment. With whatever superior “technology” they possessed, the foreign men made quick work of reorganizing themselves and dispatching the hoard. However, as soon as the last monster was slain, their hostility turned towards the military force situated on the other side.
  
  Fortunately, a human emerged from the side of the foreigners, offering to act as an interpreter and go-between for both sides. Upon accepting his proposal, the government found that the man was the mayor of the old Albarn, Günter Reinbach, who had disappeared alongside the entire town over a decade ago.

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  004

  Aftermath

  12 years ago, a great explosion caused a rift between the boundary that had once kept two worlds separate. While the strip of land caught in the explosion had been wiped off the face of the other world, Sinoa, the town of Albarn had been dragged through the rift to fill the void that had been left behind after the catastrophe. Suddenly cut off from the comfort that technology had once provided for them, many of the people in Albarn who found themselves thrusted into a lawless land where magic reigned supreme succumbed to the terrible beasts that would wander into their settlement in search of easy prey.
  
  Fortunately, a dispatch from the Kingdom of Rocheste had been sent far north to The Void Lands in search of Sinoa’s most powerful witch Selene. Though the elusive witch was nowhere to be found, the knights had come across what remained of Albarn, an unexpected discovery due to the uninhabitable nature of The Void Lands causing all races to avoid settling in the region. Upon confirming that neither side bore hostile intentions, a series of questioning and the invitation of Rocheste’s curious head librarian led to the knights escorting the remaining citizens of Albarn back to Rocheste.
  
  Once settled, the people of Albarn exchanged their knowledge of the other world and their circumstances in exchange for refuge. Their information combined with the residual magic present in the knights’ area of investigation led them to a peculiar conclusion. In her foolish pursuit of godhood, the old witch had caused a rapid collapse of the mana in the vicinity, violently tearing a hole into the boundary between Earth and Sinoa. As for Selene’s whereabouts, she was likely either dead or her body was forever lost in the void. Whatever the case, her actions would later prove to have caused a great instability in the boundary, partially restoring itself before collapsing once again in 12 year cycles.
  
  As for the individuals stranded on Sinoa or Earth resultant of these rifts, they could only hope that fortune landed them in a hospitable environment. Fortunately, the barren land that had once been Albarn, the epicenter of the majority of these incidents, would be rebuilt into Arcvine City, a hub welcoming Earthlings and Sinoans alike.

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  005

  Year 2047

  In the year 2014, the military academy of Pallas Institute, among many others of its kind, was established to specially train promising agents for the purpose of combating any monsters who happened to cross over to Earth. In turn, Kaye Osier, a top graduate who had enjoyed a particularly meteoric rise, petitioned the government for a more specialized force to be assembled, establishing the organization now known as Arcarum.
  
  Unlike the police force, Arcarum is specialized in dealings with the supernatural, protecting civilians against both monsters and people who use magic for malicious reasons. However, seeing Arcarum as an organization for humans by humans, many came to see the organization as anti-Sinoan, resulting in riots and the formation of various cults and underground organizations.
  
  Decades of work since Arcarum’s establishment in 2020 has greatly eased tensions between the Sinoans and natives of Earth. However, prejudice, in the end, is difficult to quash completely, and Arcarum continues to find enemies all around. The abrupt disappearance of Kaye Osier soon after he appointed Schneerose Reinbach as his successor further tipped the fragile equilibrium. And with the Third Cataclysm on the horizon, the influx of monsters and cultists continue to raise the incident count.
  
  As a means to prepare for the wave of monsters from the incoming Third Cataclysm, graduation requirements of the Military Academy of Arcvine City have become even more vigorous, with Arcarum’s standards of acceptance subsequently being driven even higher. The monsters trickling in prior to the first wave suggest that the Third Cataclysm may result in the largest rift yet, and only time can tell if Earth is prepared for the assault from The Void Lands.

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  001

  Chapter One

  

  Sudden Squall

  01. Monday, 4 March 2047 [11:17]
  02. Monday, 4 March 2047 [11:31]
  03. Monday, 4 March 2047 [12:14]

  45%

  Chapter Index...

  
  
  

Int. Check

Lore

Characters

code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Date

Monday, 4 March 2047

Time

11:17AM

Weather

Partly Cloudy (65°F)

Within the heart of the city, footfalls marched upon concrete barely warmed by the sun whose rays began peeking past tall buildings as the day approached noon. For most, it was business as usual: mill about during their lunch break before running along back to work. A curious few joined a small congregation of people assembled before a barricade guarded by police. Some, likely tourists, murmured in confusion, though a careful ear would pick up a handful of complaints mixed in. Others held up their phones in vain attempts to see past the barricades and heads of fellow onlookers.

A group of four wove past the group of bystanders, and the individual at the forefront lifted up their wrist. Upon studying the small projection depicting Arcarum’s insignia as well as the agent’s ID for a few seconds, the policewoman nodded and moved off to the side.

“Oak at 54th, by the Ritter Center,”

a voice, Lif, reminded the moment the squad had assembled on the other side of the wall.

“The rift is calculated to appear in seven minutes a meter’s distance from the theater, but the mayor requested that we do our best to keep the building undamaged.”

The Sylvan held herself back from placing emphasis on her last word, all too knowing of the destructive capabilities of higher ranked squads. In the first place, it was a mystery as to why they’d been ordered to reassign Tau-143’s mission to Omicron-6 over such an insignificant ripple in the dimensional veil.

Taking up a large corner of the specified intersection of their mission site was a large building colored with beige stone. Much of it, like most of the roads in the area, had already been covered by the barricades normally hidden under the city’s streets. As the squad waited by the deserted intersection, Lif announced the authorization of weapon deployment and began to count down,

“30 seconds…10…3…2…”

“1.”

Right on cue, the air wavered before a small fracture appeared, its cracks gradually spreading. The first minute was uneventful, with the hole in the veil spreading at a leisure pace. However, right as it appeared to begin to patch itself up, a pair of large, taloned feet pierced through the void. A horned, two-headed bird roughly twice the size of an adult man crashed through the rift, ripping a nearby fire hydrant clean off its foundation and slamming it roughly into the asphalt thrice. A confused, ear piercing shriek came from its left head as it stared at the offensive red and clearly inedible piece of metal currently cripped in its claws. Throwing the fire hydrant to the side, the bird shook the water it was being sprayed with off of its mix of white and yellow feathers and spread its great wings in preparation to take off, completely ignoring the squad either out of disinterest or the instinctual knowledge that it was disadvantaged.

ERode Cosmos Novelight Verite

 

[ERode]

There was nothing on the rooftops of the Oakridge Theater, a fifty-two year old structure with a storied history. Even if one had to question its authenticity ala Ship of Theseus after all the renovations it went through alongside the rest of Arcvine City’s major infrastructure, there was no doubting the history that the theater had, the number of firsts that the theater possessed. The first Sinoan movies were played here. The first performances of Yushan waterdancing. Multiple American presidents had visited to experience revues of interdimensional comedy and artistry, and so too had many a pro-Sinoa activist movement spawned from here, sparked by a realization that could come only from experiencing a new world’s cultures firsthand. It was a landmark destination, one precious to the vibrancy of the city…even though its entire interior had been photoscanned and every conceivable piece of media within it was digitally backed up, rendering any repairs and restorations of the Oakridge Theater wholly feasible, if not annoying expensive.

Tao-Yu was of the mind then, that it was silly to give a building preferential treatment.

But the pile of nothing sitting atop the Theater wasn’t going to just reject someone’s request either. He was B-rank, after all, and half of Omicron-6 were A-ranks with a litany of near-legendary achievements littering their dossiers. Would be a bad look if they weren’t able to fulfill side missions during an operation as routine as this. And now, Lif was counting down, space was rending, and a monstrosity was tearing its way out of the rift, like a child from its mother’s womb.

Beneath the cloak of invisibility that he had weaved himself, Fu let out a breath, finishing the last bite of a steamed bun. Two heads, each with a horn. Magical organs? Claws were deadly for sure though, capable as they were of rending through thick metal. Wings were obvious weak points. Would killing one head affect the remaining head negatively or positively? Were its innards mirrored as well? Questions unvoiced, replaced by a simple message through the micron device.

“Skadi, I’ll send spatial coordinates to Raikou now. Do we start with Cage Match formation?”

Without waiting for a response, Fu turned the palm of his left hand to face the avian below. Mundane words laced with supernatural power slipped between his teeth, arcane energies surging over imaginary veins to fire off a narrow beam of invisible energy. It was a Scan spell, its three-dimensional range reduced to a sliver in exchange for dramatically increased accuracy of location data. Not the spell of a tracker, but that of a spotter. Knowledge flooded the agent’s mind in that moment, and that same knowledge was compressed by the second spell he murmured. Telepathy, normally meant for the instant communication of thoughts between individuals, had been warped into the transference of short-term memory, with no response possible. A letter, for the old-fashioned. An e-mail, for the slightly-old-fashioned.

The Tenebria, from an unknown distance away, would in that moment know exactly how far away she was from the monster of the day, as well as the distances of her allies and the look of their surroundings, as seen from the perspective of one above the Theater.

Fu glanced at the weather report in the corner of his AR glasses. Partly cloudy, with 5/8ths coverage and only a 10% chance of sporadic precipitation.

No matter.

It was always good weather for a lightning storm.

 

[Novelight]

Absolute Force of Self-Idealism

Sovetskaya "Skadi" Dragnov

Female / Dragonborn / 30

Arcarum Agent | Omicron-6

Rank A / Ice Affinity / 164 cm

Ritter Center | Verite Cosmos ERode

Focused and on alert, Sovetskaya stood her ground and remained impassive before the shattering visuals of the rift gradually tearing through space, as if it was responding to the agents that had been deployed to tend to the ruckus. She stood silently, listening to the comms feed her information from above the towers and other positions, waiting for the monstrosity to appear to engage in combat. And without having to wait too long, her senses began to heighten at the sight of the creature exiting the rift with calamitious desires.

An avian type, she noted. Skadi responded to Fu's comms, "Await for my signal. We'll prioritize its wings to minimize its capabilities. Gradually weaken its frame before going for the lethal strike. Fu, you'll be in charge of supporting Raikou and DRG's efforts to wither the behemoth."

She then spoke towards Raikou's direction, who was currently stationed on the eastern side of the battlefield, awaiting orders to strike. "Raikou. Once I fire my weapon and gain its attention, advance from its behind and strike the spine." As they rehearsed the steps towards victory over the rift's creation, she spoke to DRG-05 who was stationed at east, "Force weight onto its wings once Raikou has its spine under her control, DRG-5. We'll attempt to make it fall on its own weight, rendering it incapable of flight."

Skadi sighed inaudibly, having been slightly exhausted since last night. Her thoughts had eaten her mental stamina away once again, albeit her best efforts to forget about her objective to close the rifts permanently. She was in an operation to save thousands from harm, after all. There was a time and place for her to study the rift without having to risk the lives of her comrades. But regardless, she knew that she was an impatient individual, no matter how hard she tried to fight that side of her.

"Prepare to attack, Omicron-6."

The Dragonborn elegantly disabled the safety gear installed on her plasma rifle with a swipe of her hand over the device, causing the weapon to become lethal with a single trigger and aimed the iron-sight towards the mainframe of the beast, shortly before it began to gain a height advantage. After a quick charge, she took a deep breath and froze her staggering movements, and fired the plasma round directly towards the center of the beast.

The round couldn't pierce through the bird like she had hoped, but it was a given. After all, if it was that easy, this task wouldn't have been transferred over to a staff of Rank A's and B's. As the sound of her impact echoed throughout the city, the others would begin their part in the operation.

With the attention of the beast now focusing on Skadi, it was going to be easier to ambush the bird from the other sides of the battlefield.

 

[Verite]

Veren | Raikou | Omicron-6 | A-Rank

"Raikou" was one of many names that the god of lightning was known by in the lands of the Far East of Earth.

Perhaps one might think it was arrogant of Veren to adopt his name, as though appropriating some of this foreign world's culture for her own amusement by way of comparing herself to one of its gods, but it could hardly be denied that in all of Earth or Sinoa, very few if any could match the Tenebria's mastery of the element. If there ever was a god of lightning incarnate, it surely must have been her, but that wasn't the only reason she had taken to that name, as opposed to "Raijin" or "Raiden," among others. Heavens forbid, especially with the latter. As Veren understood it, the name could also be alternatively read and understood as "child of lightning" as well. To be simultaneously a god of lightning, to hold dominion over it, to command it, and to be a child of lightning, born into it, nurtured by it, humbled by it. It was a duality that Veren found quaint yet relatable. She commanded lightning, yet she was one with it. Even someone like her knew she could not claim to be above nature itself, but as her namesake be her witness, the elements would be given life into the world by her.

As Fu sent the coordinates over to his fellow agent telepathically and Skadi sent her instruction, Veren's lips curled into an eager smile as she waited for the signal, perched atop the edge of a rooftop like a gargoyle. She lived for these moments. The anticipation, the thrill of the fight. To test her abilities and to become even stronger. Oh, right. And to protect the very fine people of the world. That too. It was clear that the theater nearby had much historical and cultural significance to its people, so that by itself was reason enough for Veren, and perhaps once this was all said and done, if nothing else, they might even be rewarded with a free film screening. It was only the least the mayor could do as a token of appreciation, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

"Your wish is my command, Skadi," she merely said to acknowledge the orders she received, continuing to hold the wry smile on her lips.

Raikou began to channel her magic in no time, electric energy surging around her as she drew her beloved blade, the Vajra, poised and ready to strike. And once she heard the heavy sound of Skadi's rifle, the Tenebria needed no more prompt to get moving, as the air itself suddenly began trembling around her, quaking before what was to come. A distant yet resonating boom was heard, felt, by those anticipating the source of the disturbance, and despite the lightly cloudy weather, the oppressive sound of thunder pierced through the air just as easily as Veren herself did, darting through space at Godspeed, leaving only a trail of light in her wake.

Just as the monstrous bird might have shifted its attention toward Sovetskaya, it was then that Raikou struck it from behind, crashing into it and sticking to its back like a lizard, while also using the momentum she had built up to allow her to stab the Vajra right into its back, hoping she'd be able to break through its defenses enough to reach its spine. All the while, Raikou continued discharging electricity from her body even after hitting her mark, intent on further debilitating the creature with a number of nasty shocks as well.

"Go in peace, beast, for you will find none in this realm," Veren spoke, her lips curling into a mad grin with an equally piercing gaze in her eyes to match as well.

---

Cosmos ERode Novelight

 

[Nano]

Monday, 4 March 2047

Rook

N8:Luke

A hollow squeal was swallowed by the harsh pop of ice cracking. Rook raised his sword from where he’d wedged it in between a large clay pot and the wall of a storefront. As he stared wearily at the frozen mass currently skewered on the blade’s tip, he lifted his other wrist towards his face.

“The eleventh is down. An estimated twenty-one remaining.”

God forbid there were more.

—

A mere few minutes prior, the Anima had been comfortably settled into his usual routine. Hours of greeting any civilians who paid him mind and keeping an overall watchful eye for anything amiss had passed in relative peace. At most, he’d happened to overhear a pair seated at an outdoor cafe dejectedly relaying news that one of the lady’s dogs had gone missing from their backyard that morning. However, soon after passing the cafe, he developed a niggling feeling that there was a vaguely familiar presence (or presences) in the area.

The squishy, black mass he spotted attempting to squeeze itself through the grate of a sewage drain wasn’t really something he usually considered to be a huge problem. Such simple monsters were weak enough to fall to the most basic of spells. No, the issue was the size of the creature. Acidic feasters, flesh-eating vermin who melted their prey before sucking up the remaining juices, were a notorious nuisance in the areas of Rocheste near bodies of water. Should an unknowing passerby cut it down in hopes of killing one, the creature would merely play dead before escaping as two independent entities. Blunt impacts similarly had little effect, though not completely ineffective with enough persistence. Worst of all, if even a single one were left alone long enough, there was bound to be an infestation.

A quick call to headquarters confirmed his fears: Tau-143 had been dispatched to clean up a rift that had dropped a particularly large acidic feaster the night prior. The squad had led an initial disorganized approach towards the monster but had managed to safely do away with the monster’s corpse by the end. Supposedly. Rough calculations showed that assuming one fragment of the feaster had slipped away, devoured the “missing” pets, and the time elapsed was 30 hours, there would be about thirty-one of its counterparts still wriggling their way through this area of the city.

“Water Satan,”

Rook called into comms,

“We have a feaster infestation. If you see any oversized slugs, fry them on the spot. If magic is too much trouble, get a large bag of salt.”

It was unfortunate that the other two in Nu-8 were either out-of-commission (supposedly) or still out of the city (also supposedly). Fortunately for the Anima, a quick glance at the street delivered him just the help he needed. Coincidence or not, convenient hands were convenient resources.

“Hey!”

He called out to the dragonborn and android. Upon catching up to the pair, he wore his best apologetic expression and began to explain the situation,

“Sorry for interrupting. Hunter and hmm…Mister Daruu’maka, right? It seems like you two are off duty today, but there’s a bit of an emergency,”

he paused to lift up the freeze dried feaster carcass in his hand.

“There are roughly thirty-one of these hiding around, and we need to dispose of them quickly before they multiply further or decide they want a taste of human flesh. Would you mind helping at least until backup arrives? I’ll make sure your contribution goes reported to headquarters.”

And thus, that brought them to their current situation of scouring the vicinity with the few hands they happened to have on board.

#nu-8

#kappa-101

#asa is a loser

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Daruu'maka

Day Off? Not really.

Daru was out an about with one of his squadmates, Hunter. The android was of interest to the Dragonborn, mostly for their construction but also as part of the team. They worked together, it was best to get an accurate idea of how they were off work as much as on. Unfortunately, being on work was more common, as their current predicament would suggest. Being caught by another member of the Arcarum and brought into active duty happened often. Sometimes they were in just the right place. It was only right to do something.

Daru was also very right for this particular job. His sense of smell was excellent and one strong whiff of the corpse had him tracking the living ones like a Barakesh. The wily sand worms could track prey up to seven miles from a single drop of blood.

He naturally needed more than that. Fortunately, he never traveled anywhere without his sword strapped to his back. It fit snuggly right between his wings where it wouldn't interfere if he had to take flight.

"Perhaps we should check the local butchery?" he asked into his comms, using rather outdated terms at that, "Feasters are drawn to large concentrations of organic matter. If one hasn't already switched to the flesh of much bigger creatures, I'd imagine much of them would be attracted to easily accessible, and less aggressive meat."

Honestly, the feaster problem was something that popped up once or twice a month. He'd been working on a fairy script design that would attract the creatures to a specified location but hadn't quite figured out the right design structure. He always ended up somehow calling butterflies to him. The Red Dragonborn shook his head "If we can force them into close quarters, I can burn them away quickly" he wasn't certain, but Daru could figure that the Feasters wouldn't immediately begin dividing unless acted upon by an outside force. They were a bit like the cells of the body, first they'd get big, then split and repeat. Hopefully they could catch them in the growing phase.

​

​

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[Nessi]

» Kim Yukhin

『 TAGGED 』 Nano

Kim groaned as she heard her comm system come to life. Normally, she'd just break it and go back to sleep, but when she heard rook's voice, she groaned ever harder before actually listening to her squad-member. "Alright, I'll look out for slugs...But we should totally get something to eat later today." Kim suggested with a grin on her face. She knew her chances of Rook accepting were little to none, but it couldn't hurt her to at least try.

Kim slid out of bed, and went into the bathroom to relive herself, and then she found it. The acid slugs that Rook told her about, in it's squishy, slimy glory, right in her toilet. "Ya know, from an angle, you look kinda cute, in a weird, acid way." Kim said gently as she approached the critter. She placed both of her hands together, and rubbed them together furiously. She then tapped the slug with her finger, and it went pop.

The slug that was once in her toilet, was now not only all over her toilet, but on her hand, and ceiling. Kim stood in silence before flushing the remnants of the slug down the toilet, and washing her hand off. A gentle spritz of water on the ceiling got the remaining gunk off, and Kim could finally use the bathroom in peace.

As the Sylvian sat on her porcelain throne, she thought of all the things she could do on her day off, all the food she could eat, the mischief she could probably get away with. "Maybe I can just spend the day with rook...The beach sounds nice..." Kim muttered to herself.

code by Nano

 

[Cosmos]

Indrys / 'Rye'|| Omicron-6|| B-Rank ||Dragonborn


Rye shifted her weight from one foot to another with a large grin on her face, eager for the upcoming battle. Stretching each arm and unfurling her scale-covered wings into a prepared position to jump into action. Awaiting word from their leader from her position, about two buildings away but with a clear view of the battlefield, should the creature veer east after entry. The slight crackle as the comm system burst to life with their leaders words always brought her excitement, "Force weight onto its wings once Raikou has its spine under her control, DRG-5. We'll attempt to make it fall on its own weight, rendering it incapable of flight." The dragonborn gave a small nod to herself, "Copy that. DRG-05 in position and ready to punch this thing a new one!" She replied energetically.

As Lif began the countdown she arched a foot behind her, getting ready to take off. The air around the area startled to ripple, an effect she could clearly see even from the distance. All of a sudden the creature burst through. "I-Is that a giant.... fricken chicken!?" Rye blinked a few times in bewilderment before bringing herself back to the moment, this was serious. This creature although not huge was still clearly capable of some serious damage to the surroundings. And although she wasn't the best at keeping damage under control, she took to heart the order to protect the theater, after all. She'd watched a couple movies there herself... even if she generally passed out halfway through unless it was an action based film.

Awaiting Skadi's shotgun signal she calmed her breaths, eyes narrowing before the loud blast of the plasma rifle sounded out. Immediately she sprinted into action, taking a few quick steps before leaping up into flight, easily shooting over the two buildings and over the two-headed beast. Spotting Raikou already in position she made an careful effort that her strike wouldn't hit the other lining up as best she could whilst summoning her gauntlets, all of which took only a few moments before Rye plunged herself down toward the monsters left wing.

Landing the strike right at the monsters shoulder, Rye slid off the injured wing and back to solid ground. Her gauntlets began to glow a soft red hue as the heat of her fire began to flow through them, igniting much like her excitement for a new battle. "Take that you oversized poultry!" she cheered, readying herself to dodge should she need.
__

Verite Novelight ERode Nano ​

 

[AreSneksSly]

System Overview
Energy Level: 97%
Exoskeleton: 100%
Internal Wiring: Normal

Loaded Spells
Produce Flame
Acid Shot
Freeze
Hold Creature

Hunter | Kappa-101 | B-rank
Current Date: Monday, 4 March 2047
Nano [Rook] Seraph Darkfire [Daru]

It'd be wrong to think Hunter disliked being off-duty. Despite their often workaholic nature, Hunter was perfectly capable of enjoying their days off. After all, free time meant more hours to put into training and studying, both of which were vital to the android's personal mission of integrating themselves into Arcarum.

Alright, so maybe Hunter didn't necessarily think of being off-duty as 'a break' like some of their fellow agents may have. But what exactly were you expecting? The android was programmed for learning and combat, so learning and combat was exactly what they did, whether they were on a mission or off it. So when Daruu'maka approached them, inviting the non-organic to a 'hang-out' as squadmates, they assumed, of course, that the dragonborn wished to discuss team tactics. Perfectly logical and a good use of time.

Interrupted mid-sentence by the call of Agent Luke, Hunter was in the middle of proposing a few spells loadouts they could use when the Nu-8 squad member approached them with a request, to which Hunter simply nodded along to.

Objective updated. Find approximately 31 feasters, prevent further outbreak.

"Very well. We will make sure to find and dispose of these feasters," Hunter responded, curt and to the point as ever. Beside them, their squadmate was already suggesting a location to check. Daruu'maka's reasoning was sound, and his idea of gathering the creatures into one, tightly knit group so he could burn them quickly was not bad. Even if Hunter was unaware of what a 'butchery' was, the dragonborn was likely correct in thinking that the feasters would be attracted to easier pickings rather than live, aggressive meat sources. "I do have a simple freeze spell, as well as a spell that should allow me to hold up to 5 of these creatures at once. However, the hold spell requires my concentration as well as a light amount of power per creature held, so I suggest we find a container capable to keeping these things trapped if you wish to get rid of them all at once. I could also freeze them as a form of incapacitation, then bring them back to you."

Having said their piece, Hunter turned their attention to the Nu-8 member who approached them. They tilted their head slightly at the other agent, a minute movement signifying that they were processing something in their mind, before they addressed the third agent directly. "If you have a suggestion Agent Luke, feel free to say it out loud. Otherwise, Agent Hephaestus and I are most likely going to proceed with our own plan."

 

[Nano]

Date

Monday, 4 March 2047

Time

11:31AM

Weather

Partly Cloudy (65°F)

The sting of a plasma round interrupted the large avian’s path of flight. However, before it could even give Skadi’s direction an angry snap of its beak, a heavy impact from behind caused it to plummet back down to the ground, its surprised screech rumbling loud enough to cause the pebbles on the pavement to tremble. Though the sparks of electricity traveled down the feathers of its back harmlessly, the sheer force of the impact on its back stunned it long enough to give DRG-05 a clear opening to assault the shoulder of its right wing. The hollow crack that echoed through the empty streets and the wild flapping of the avian’s wings were proof enough that the dragonborn had successfully disabled its ability to fly.

Strong volts of electricity discharged from its body as it thrashed wildly to throw off the entity still lodged onto its spine. When it heard the dragonborn’s taunting cheer, the avian flipped its singed wing away from the girl and swept its uninjured wing and tail in her direction. With an additional stomp of its claws against concrete, it amplified the gust created by its movement with electricity sparking along the path that the blast of wind took.

ERode Cosmos Novelight Verite

 

[ERode]

A behemoth may have been overselling it. Certainly, compared to the towering monstrosities that A-rank squads faced, a monster twice the size of a human was a bit on the small side. But that was beside the point. Fu simply continued to monitor the situation, content to allow others to engage. With one wing crippled and the ability to fly lost, the fight itself became a foregone conclusion. Now, it was just a matter of how much damage they could prevent before the two-headed griffin was slain. And for that…

The creature reared its left leg up, prepared to amplify its attack with the inertia of its entire body.

…Fu remained uncommonly reactive.

“Pick a head,” were his only words through intercoms, before his magical heritage blossomed, the cloak of invisibility around him dissolving as he put all his attention into activating a new magical program. His two hands splayed open as translucent hexagrams traced out from his palms, every property and quality of the spells he wove being detailed in real time from the incantations that seeped out of his mouth. A translucent shield, pulsating with green energy, manifested right as the giant bird stomped its foot down. Not to block the foot, but to guide it instead, the arcane construction creating a diagonal slope that redirected the monster’s foot…right into the side of its other. Its talons did nothing to slow its descent; the shield’s friction coefficient was set by Fu to zero.

With one wing broken, both legs tripping up, and the other wing raised for a swing, there was nothing to stop the bird from falling upon its side.

The sharp-eyed agent breathed out and visualized his next moves.

 

[Nano]

Monday, 4 March 2047

Rook

N8:Luke

Agents with a strong sense of smell were a dime-a-dozen within Arcarum, with one such individual having been in his own squad for seven years and counting. However, watching Daruu'maka commit the scent of the feaster to memory still invoked that helpless feeling of wishing that his creator (praise be his name, pah) had installed more useful functions. Tracking down smaller creatures such as these were never his forte. As an Anima, he could only simulate the act of breathing at best and his tracking magic was of too short range to be of any use in this situation.

Rook nodded in agreement at the Kappa-101 members’ suggestions as he shoved the corpse back into an insulating bag that the cafe nearby had been kind enough to provide for him.

“The butcher’s is a good place to start. The scent of their acid decomposing flesh is fairly distinct, so it won’t be too difficult to find them.”

When prompted by the android for any suggestions of his own, Rook was quick to announce his own thoughts on how to proceed.

“Their natural habitats tend to be poorly lit and damp, so I suspect there are a few that have already fed and are hiding away in the sewer systems.”

With the two parties’ investigative destinations decided, the Anima set off with a brief reminder to report back their feaster count and to keep an ear open for any rumors on the streets of foul smells or odd-tasting water.

#hephaestus

#hunter

 

[Verite]

Veren | Raikou | Omicron-6 | A-Rank

"Oh, I am allowed to pick? How generous of you, dearest Fu!" Raikou responded through the comm channel, maintaining a wide grin on her face as she did her best to cling onto the beast even as it thrashed about in the face of the flurry of attacks that came its way. Like a persistent flea, holding onto the hilt of her blade, which was embedded deep enough within the creature just enough that it would have a hard time shaking the sword out, though it wouldn't be a safe haven for the woman forever.

Veren gritted her teeth as she bided her time, waiting for the prime opportunity to make her next move. She remained steadfast as the avian thrashed about, as well as when it promptly reacted to Rye's movement, but once Tao-Yu summoned a magical barrier in a precision spot to trip up the creature, that was when the Tenebria made her move.

"Give my regards to the angel of death, beast."

Just as it seemed the creature was about to topple over, Raikou pulled her blade out of its skin with a labored grunt before employing another burst of Godspeed, another wave of electricity enveloping her as she sped all the way up into the air, several feet above where the bird-like creature stood, and let herself drop, blade pointed downward as she intended on dropping onto the monster's left head to stab right into it, and put an end to its life before it could cause any true harm.

---

Nano Cosmos ERode Novelight

 

[Firelie]

scroll

Eclipse

location

interactions

tags

"...and thus my master plan shall be complete, and the bloodletting shall begin!"

Eclipse spun around in the air, letting loose her best evil cackle. "Hear me, Dark Admiral Blobumus Maximus III!" She announced dramatically, pointing a glowing finger at the slimy acid slug about five meters away and in the process of trying to make a painfully slow escape. "Hey!" The phantasma whined, flicking her finger. The slime was lifted off the floor through telekinesis and brought back to Eclipse. She released the poor creature, letting it fall to the ground with a slimy PLAP. The girl sighed and crossed her arms. "Foolish, foolish Dark Admiral Blobumus Maximus III. To think you would even consider avoiding my great masterful plans!" Eclipse glared at the blob through her skull mask, lowering the pitch of her voice the best she could. "The punishment for such a transgression is..." Eclipse paused, letting a dramatic silence hang in the air.

"Listening to my plan again! Hardly a punishment really. I really am so kind. Now listen closely this time, Dark Admiral Blobumus Maximus III, for what I am about to say to you shall change your puny mortal life forever! Each word that spills from my tongue shall rearrange the way you perceive everything you have ever known! I would say you ready yourself, but no amount of preparation would be enough for my horrible horrible machinations." Eclipse laughed manically, spinning away from the blob, moving her hand to cover her head as she threw it back in 'terrible' laughter. "Anyways, step o-"

She stopped herself as she watched two figures turn the corner to the street her alley was on. No normal person would be able to see someone from the street ahead of her alley, but Eclipse held a natural ability to see what was around corners. "Hold it, Dark Admiral Blobumus Maximus III. My demon's chakra has picked up something most interesting." She chuckled to herself then telepathically picked the acidic slime once again. She floated out of the alley and headed over to her two compatriots, Admiral in tow. The phantasma, shrouded in a mysterious black mist as she approached, called out to her co workers. "Greetings, mortal minions of mine!" She called, despite the fact that one of them was in fact not mortal. A fact she very much knew and chose to ignore. "The whims of fate brings us together once more." She posed dramatically, the stylish chains on her eccentrically dark and edgy clothing jangling as she did so. "For I have something most ominous and terrible to bestow upon you!" She covered her face with a fingerless gloved hand in a dramatic gesture and flicked her other hand towards the group.

Out came Blobumus, trapped in a telepathic hold and held helplessly in front of the two trained warriors. "My own Dark Admiral Blobumus Maximus III, nefarious general of my equally nefarious council!" She announced dramatically. "This one holds great potential, I can tell. Unlike his father, grandfather. and grand-grandfather before him, who failed my trials of the doomed! The rage of losing his family must be the evil aura that emanates from his dark core, I am sure of it!" Then Eclipse let go of her telepathic hold on the blob, allowing it to fall to the floor once more, and addressed the three directly. "So, what plebian activity occupies your souls currently? I am most curious."

AreSneksSly Seraph Darkfire

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Nano]

Date

Monday, 4 March 2047

Time

12:14PM

Weather

Partly Cloudy (67°F)

As Raikou’s blade tore into the avian’s left cranial cavity, any signs of further struggle were promptly cut short by DRG-05 brutally crushing the lesser thunderbird’s other head. A quick scan of the beast’s vitals confirmed it as successfully slain. Though avian species weren’t known for playing dead, Agent Raikou was instructed to remain by the carcass until logistics arrived to transport the body as per protocol. Omicron-6’s leader was sent off to relay the mission’s completion to the police and instruct them to lower the barricades and disperse the crowds. The other two within the squad were left to inspect the vicinity for any signs of dimensional instability or critters that had escaped their attention during the chaos of the bird’s landing.

In the meantime, Agents Hephaestus, Hunter, Luke, and Water Satan’s operation proceeded smoothly, with the sole mishap being the latter’s disposal of a feaster. However, when the 31st critter was reported, the mission’s progress came to a sudden halt. Regardless of where the two pairs searched, they failed to find even a glimpse of the slug-like creature’s tail. The mystery was shortly resolved through the ever-so dramatic introduction of Eclipse Demon’s newest companion: Dark Admiral Blobumus Maximus III. An unexpected find, if anything, but the critter’s status was immediately reported to headquarters nonetheless.

Unfortunately for the Phantasma and her peculiar taste in pets, the Fae who’d happened to answer the communications request was familiar with acidic feaster’s skill as escape artists. Combined with their volatile nature, it was a quick call for the critter to be disposed of immediately.

Before the two sides could be commended for a job well done and ordered to return to the Arcarum base, both the lines of contact for Omicron-6 as well as the temporary feaster alliance were cut silent. A brief, four minute wait provided them with a single order from Lif and Instructor Askr: head to the Arcvine Shopping Mall.

—

Prior to the First Cataclysm, the area had been home to the relatively quiet town’s sole department store. When plans for reconstruction were underway during 2015, Arcvine City’s mayor proposed for a shopping mall to be made in its place. Due to the space allocated on the block being too small, the now four-story shopping mall was divided into an East and West Shopping center on opposite sides of the street, with a bridge connecting the two buildings from the second and fourth floors. Much like the long, dome-shaped ceilings of the buildings, the bridges were made of fortified glass panes supported by steel beams hidden away beneath grey cultured marble.

Several agents had already been dispatched to the site and were leading the evacuation effort. Due to the focus on filing the massive and panicked crowd out of the shopping mall, all agents had been instructed to defend and ward off any monsters rather than confront them directly. Though survey work had yet to be done amidst the chaos, the agents on scene had managed to report sightings of a pack of six to eight Voidland Wolves crossing the 4th floor bridge from the East towards the West side. In addition, a rift was spotted on the 1st floor leaking water near the self-checkout stations at Bullseye, and an explosion had thrown about the furniture in the center of the West Shopping Center’s 2nd floor food court where escaping civilians had reported a monstrous armored spider and snake fighting and wreaking havoc.

“Squad Omicron-6, survey the area around the rift in Bullseye and freeze the water leaking from the rift.”

Instructor Askr commanded,

“Kappa-101, head to the second floor. If you deem it unsafe to engage both monsters at once, keep watch until they wear each other down. Your lives are worth more than mere furniture. Nu-8 should move to the 4th floor to track down the wolves. Agent Water Satan, take care to stay away from their claws and teeth. Lastly, remember to report any civilians still inside and changes to the current situation.”

ERode Cosmos Novelight Verite / nios You Know Rebel Nessi / Seraph Darkfire AreSneksSly smolfluffball Firelie

 

[Novelight]

Absolute Force of Self-Idealism

Sovetskaya "Skadi" Dragnov

Female / Dragonborn / 30

Arcarum Agent | Omicron-6

Rank A / Ice Affinity / 164 cm

Ritter Center | Verite Cosmos ERode

Another monstrosity had met its fate before her eyes, earning nothing more than a bothersome sigh.

"Excellent work, Omicron-6. Let's get a move on. Don't expect a break until the evenings at the very least, understood?" Her cold, impassive tone was considered normal. It was simply the type of person she was, having been part of the Arcanum for nearly a decade. Some would reason that she had changed over the time she had been active on duty, but most would argue that her personality had been ironclad, forever unchanging. Regardless, she cared not for the opinions of others that weren't situational. As long as she took care of her squad and earned their trust in leadership, that's all that mattered for her.

Shortly before the rush of orders had entered her comms and attention, Skadi made certain of the beast's death and buried it within her frozen spells, encapturing its soulless body inside the ice sarcophagus. She was a glaring perfectionist who preferred to finish the job even when it was done by the standards. Surely, no one could blame her for not wanting disaster to occur? Regardless, she gathered the team after her superior's command and relayed their new set of orders, leading them to their next destination.

•••

"Skadi of Omicron-6 reporting presence in Bullseye, over." Sovetskaya took the honors of informing headquarters about her team's attendance in the shopping mall center, where evacuation was still ongoing much to her discontent. Loud noises of panicking pedestrians were her least favorite noises to hear and that was exactly what was occurring. How chaotic and disorganized, she thought. At least this would be a joint effort between several squads performing different duties. She was never adequate with crowd control.

Sovetskaya turned around and faced her squad, standing before the entrance of the 1st floor. "Leave the main object to me. I want you all to be on high alert and scout for an incoming ambush that would make our primary objective difficult. You're to not engage unless authorized or aggravated, including civilians that had missed the prior evacuation. Is that understood, Omicron-6?"

 

[ERode]

“Roger Wilco,” Fu replied, sharp as always.

Before his eyes, a three-dimensional model of the Arcvine Shopping Mall rotated slowly, generated from blueprints and supplementary data he had pulled out from the city’s regulatory database. It wasn’t particularly common that Omicron-6 mustered this often around civilization, not when there were hundreds of squads established by the Arcvine branch every year, but perhaps the uptick in rift-based activity suggested something about the interdimensional instability of the area. Regardless of his personal hypotheses, however, the work itself appeared so simple that it was almost pedestrian.

With a flick of his fingers, he expanded the model of the shopping mall until it contained only Bullseye and the surrounding area, before lifting his palm up to the ceiling and murmuring a few choice words. Moments later, mana wove itself into a glowing sphere, one that emanated an echo of magical energy every five seconds. A low-frequency Scan spell pinged through the interior of the shopping mall, covering a range of three hundred meters around Tao-Yu as he nodded towards DRG-05 and Raikou.

“Keep alert on comms,” he said, eyes flicking to the right and left to indicate how they would be splitting. “Update me if there’s any interior destruction. Either of you want to go in cloaked?”

Fu could multi-task spells as necessary, after all. And though his Scan spell should be able to pick up any magical signals, there was always the off-chance that a mundane threat may have slipped in through the waterfall rift instead.

 

[Verite]

Veren | Raikou | Omicron-6 | A-Rank

After they had initially taken down the first threat of the two-headed bird, Veren hopped off the creature's body almost daintily before listening to what Sovetskaya had to say, prompting the Tenebria to purse her lips briefly.

"Dear me, no breaks at all, Skadi? With the way you work yourself so ragged, is it really any wonder why your hair has already greyed?" She teased their leader without missing a beat, though this sort of response was to be expected at this point. With the kind of personality she had, one might have assumed Veren preferred people who were able to keep up with her quips and her mannerisms, but truthfully, she had just as much fun trying to elicit reactions out of more serious-minded people like Skadi and Fu, even if her efforts more often than not availed to little in the end.

Still, despite her words, after all this time the team had been together, there was an unspoken understanding that Veren was capable of being a diligent worker, and if Skadi decreed they would work into the late hours of the night, the Tenebria would oblige without complaint. Well, not too much, at least.

And then, once the order from Askr came, directing them immediately to their next destination as a new emergency appeared to replace the one that was just resolved, Veren let out a wide shrug. "Well, it is just as well. No time for a break," she mused.

An agent's work was never done, after all.

---

Once they had all reached the shopping mall, the Tenebria let out a mildly exasperated breath. "First a theater, and next, a shopping mall. It is a shame we are only here for work," Raikou sighed, before hopping onto a nearby railing, perched on it like a cat or a gargoyle, her long tail idling beneath her position. "Understood, Skadi. Do us proud, won't you?"

To Fu, she shook her head in response to his offer. "My thanks, though I do not imagine that shall be necessary, at least for the time being," she spoke, partially in the interest of not wanting him to expend even just a little more energy on anything other than himself, just in case he might need that extra tidbit of magic in case of an emergency.

Humans broke so easily, after all.

"Now, then. Shall we proceed?"

With that said, Raikou began to move forward, getting to work on scouting the radius for anyone or anything out of place, keeping to any other railings or high-up platforms like an acrobat on a stage, keeping a watchful eye.

---

Nano ERode Novelight Cosmos

 

[Nano]

Monday, 4 March 2047

Rook

N8:Luke

It was one incident after another. Nothing dire—at least he hoped—though both assignments he’d been handed were rather tedious in nature. He’d heard that incidents, both big and small, cropped up with heightened frequency during the months leading up to a Cataclysm, but he couldn’t help but wonder if there was a specific reason why Arcarum seemed intent on keeping certain squads based firmly in the city. Nonetheless, it wasn’t his job to question the orders agents were given.

Just focus on the current task

, he chided himself.

“I have a rough plan, if you will,”

Rook said, turning to search their squad leader’s face for the signal to continue,

“Voidland Wolves are vicious predators but quick to turn tail the moment they’re at a disadvantage. It’s best if we cage them in an enclosed space.”

The Anima paused the moment he announced the bare minimum of his proposal, instead gazing up at where he assumed the fourth floor of the shopping mall was.

“As for the details, we should discuss that on the way. We have four stories to climb.”

—

With a final stroke of a gloved finger, the large array of frosted patterns drawn upon the marbled surface dimly flashed once before disappearing as if someone hadn’t just doodled graffiti on the once again pristine tiles. Rook shook his head.

“Can’t say I enjoy making these, but it’s finished.”

However, when it came to activating spells that required a large burst of mana in a short and strict time frame, there was no better method available.

After signaling towards Water Satan to give the floor a good dousing, Rook spoke into the comms,

“Ready to head to Haze's position, Captain.”

#kim

#asanah

#heathcliff

 

[Nessi]

» Kim Yukhin

『 TAGGED 』 Nano nios You Know Rebel

Kim was angry. Today she was expecting a nice day off, maybe force Rook to take her somewhere, Visit the beach, just relax really. But of course she wouldn't get a full day off, things were never nice and calm on land, somewhere always had some monsters that needed a beat down.
"I better be getting paid extra for this bullshit." Kim grumbled to herself as she swiped her bracelet from off the kitchen table.

Seeing Nu-8 in person made Kim feel better, especially seeing rook, whom she restrained from hugging to death. Ever since she got to earth, Nu-8 was the closest thing she had to family, and in some aspects they were better than her blood-relatives. Kim smiled dumbly and followed Rook and Heath, not really listening to what they were talking about, more just happy to be along for the ride. Eventually, they'd reach the designated area for Rook's plan, and Kim would only really know the bare basics of the plan. They were going to freeze the wolves in place, that much she picked up.

Rook signaled for her to begin dousing the area in water, and Kim frowned. It would be easier if she was in her ancestral form, but she hadn't been given permission to tranform. At the same time, they also didn't tell her that she couldn't transform into her ancestral form. Kim smirked as she took the jacket she had on, "Everyone stand back, I'm transforming." Kim announced. She got on all fours, and shut her eyes and begun to transform. She felt her bones rearrange themselves, and her skin stretch and turn black and bumpy. The mantle on the top of her head moved, and turned into large black wings that flashed all different bright colors under them. Kim blew steam from her nose, and held back the urge to let out a mighty roar to signify her complete transformation.

Kim opened her mouth, and water begun to flood out of her mouth, dousing the area in water until it was up to Rook's ankles. She then lowered one of her wings for rook, gesturing for him to climb unto her back to avoid standing in water.

code by Nano

 

[You Know Rebel]

Asanah | Nu-8 | Code: Skull
A furred creature prowled along the vacant mall. Only a short period had produced some rubble, broken lights, and exposed wires, sporadically discharging sparks that seemed to follow. Stains hinted the chaos that took the scene prior. The animal came and inspected the work done. Turning the corner, it faced another sniffing the air, rows of sharp teeth bared under its snout. Its large, lean body was testament to its agile and explosive strength. The wolf stopped and looked over, its probing gaze now one of warm familiarity, that of a predator from another world finding again a taste of home. Its tongue wagged out playfully, one could say.

The full figure of the dark-furred, fluffy creature before it, with its plump butt, beady eyes, and round ears, was undeniably a tasty earthbandit mouse. For a while the two watched each other gingerly before there was sudden chittering from the smaller of them. Fearlessly, or a little confused with the right spirit, the rodent rose on its hind legs to the height of a tall human and glanced about with its nose. The Voidland wolf, opportunists by nature, struck.

It moved in a blur, its prey seemingly yet to react, but somehow it misjudged the distance and bumped against the tubby body with the top of its muzzle, making an incredible jiggle. Then a bounce, as the earthbandit mouse was sent flying afar, a dramatic screech of mortal woes, boinging some more until landing onto its four legs as it scurried away right after. Glad none of its packmates were there to witness, the wolf broke its daze and soon chased after the escaping morsel, unbeknownst to its imminent misery.

Somehow, it keeps slipping away, this damn rat. Transit across rifts was too disorienting, it was hungry, and its leg was also feeling a bit sore since Monday morning from sleeping wrong. A surge of attacks came down on the mouse once more, but the fangs and claws only appeared in the furball's wake. Not once had either party stopped the offensive during the pursuit, but then someone broke the rules. A flash whipped the wolf in its face, not enough to hurt but enough to sting with humiliation. Shame added onto frustration and became anger, growing with every interruption of the mouse's long scaly tail that nicked as its patience.

Oh my mother, I have not even cornered you yet and you're really attacking me! Ahhh, don't make me or I'll call my big brothers and sisters!

On Rook's side, minutes after his call, Asa response came through. The colorful, and in his imagination maybe rather mournful, snarls and whimpers of the wolf could be heard, followed by others, telling plenty. And soon enough a pack of wolves rushing a black mouse arrived into view. Now stepping on the first sign of water, the mouse stopped in its track, felt the air split to the vicious bite diving in towards it, and spun around. Blood jetted in the air as the head of the wolf produced a loud scrunch upon hitting the ground. The shrinking shadow flew back in the collision through the coverage of smoke, coming down onto the rapidly expanding ice. The gap between her and the startled wolves grew as she gracefully slid on her heels like skates, stopping by Nu-8's position with a step.

"Alright, you guys take it from here," Asa stretched with a relaxed groan, then gesturing at her trusted team by patting Kim's wings, "Go wild." Civilians cleared.

Nano Nessi nios

 

[Nano]

Date

Monday, 4 March 2047

Time

12:46PM

Weather

Partly Cloudy (67°F)

A steady stream of frigid seawater flooded the grit-covered floor of Bullseye’s self-checkout center. The deflated body of a strange undersea creature wriggled pathetically in the shallow waters near the mouth of the rift. On occasion, a sudden surge of water would slosh out of the rift and another fish would skip out of the twisted fissure into a useless, flopping mess on the floor. Though the scene set the stage for a colorful but nonetheless dreary graveyard of an aquarium, nothing in particular seemed amiss, leaving the eerie chill in the area unexplained.

“Uuuugh.”

As soon as the echo of two weak magical signatures were fed back to Agent Fu’s scanner spell, a pained moan came from the source of one of the pings: a nearby makeup aisle. Several palettes and compact mirrors were strewn about the collapsed figure, having been displaced much like various other items during the crowd’s panicked evacuation a few minutes prior. The Aegir, presumably based on the head fins as well as the scaled, webbed feet and tail peeking out from a lengthy cream-colored skirt, was sprawled face-down on the floor. A trail of an inky black viscous substance under the woman led deeper into the department store, towards where the other presence detected by the scanner spell was likely hiding.

ERode Cosmos Novelight Verite

 

[ERode]

Remaining in the rear, Fu's shoes were still dry when his Scan spell began picking up signatures that were beyond the general yield that Sinoa’s fish would display. Two signatures of note, separate from each other, neither of them powerful enough to be considered a true threat but still something worth investigating. Turning on hand-tracking with a tap on the side of his lens, he marked the location of the two pings on the AR map, before flicking on his comms.

"Two signatures picked up. Should be able to see the first at the makeup aisle seventeen meters off your 11, Skadi. Raikou, DRG-05, that's on your 3 and your 9 respectively. Second signature is further up, past the men's attire department. Neither are mobile" His free hand reached for his gun, unholstering it but not flicking off the safety yet. "What's the visual?"

Neither signature gave off the sense that they were a threat, but considering how the squad was currently split up, there was still the possibility of the situation turning south quickly. None of them, after all, were Anima, and flesh still parted when encountering a sharpened piece of metal. His legs tensed slightly, preparations for a sprint.

 

[AreSneksSly]

System Overview
Energy Level: 91%
Exoskeleton: 100%
Internal Wiring: Normal

Loaded Spells
Produce Flame
Acid Shot
Freeze
Hold Creature

Hunter | Kappa-101 | B-rank
Current Date: Monday, 4 March 2047
Firelie [Eclipse] Seraph Darkfire [Daru]

Hunter didn't flinch at the sudden appearance of their teammate, nor did they respond to her overdramatic monologue or her choice of clothing. Instead, they simply recorded the slug, ticking the known number of feasters down to zero.

"Greetings, Agent Reaper," Hunter spoke flatly, plucking the creature from the air. "Thank you for your assistance."

The mission's success was no surprise to the android. After all, this was merely a simple search and clear. The sudden call from Instructors Lif and Askr was, however, less expected.

---

There was a crash, the sound of shattering glass alongside cracking plastic echoing throughout the second floor. The snake hissed in pain, slithering through the remains of the food stand's display cases. Wood pieces were scattered everywhere, with occasional smudges of red splattered against the walls and floor. The armored arachnid responded in kind, chittering at the reptile with its fangs spread and pedipalp open, seeming to invite further retaliation. Despite the spider's confidence, however, it wasn't fairing much better, with one of its back legs appearing to drip a blue liquid. The space was dominated by the two fighting, with many tables and stands having already been destroyed in the tussle.

As the snake lunged forward, jaw unhinged and fangs at the ready, the Kappa-101 members were watching from afar, just around the corner. The group, currently down one member, was certainly not equipped to handle two large creatures at once, at least in Hunter's eyes. With gloves firmly attached to them, their spell loadout was woefully unprepared for battle. Without magic, Hunter could, at best, keep one of the creatures busy, and while both Agents Reaper and Hephaestus seemed quite capable of handling combat by themselves, the chance of success appeared dim.

So, with combat out of the question, the focus turned to evacuation.

"Agent Reaper, search for any remaining civilians in the East wing. If there are any civilians you cannot reach or convince to leave through normal means, make sure to inform us through the comms, following a description of your location. I will navigate to you and try to help to the best of my abilities. Meanwhile, Agent Hephaestus and I shall remain on standby here, ensuring the beasts do not escape the mall."

Snappy, quick, and leaving no room to argue, Hunter's eyes were rapidly shuttering open and shut in quick succession. You could almost hear the whirr as their processor tried to devise a plan while working with the inadequate resources at their disposal.