Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Daniella Ethalyn - LA - North Van Ness St, LA
​

With the events that came to pass, Nadia was focused purely on the battle before her, should the underling have burst into flames from the Venom or not was of little importance, Kris had taken care of the other with impressive physical force, though announcing her was a Bloodsucker all at once, Nadia scoffed a little and mouthed at “Impressive.” Before turning her full attention back to Cameron. With sudden and deft movements he seemed to enact a ritual to surround himself with a barrier, a strong one at that. Magic.

Though that didn’t seem quite right. Maria, or any of her classmates, or a witch might be able to answer just what this was and how it worked. Nadia had one goal and one only, as she heard the man speak up, “What the fuck is going on? Your capture. Surrender now, or hmm, we’ll see how strong this barrier of yours is. Your cult has crossed a line you should not have and we shall have answers.”

Dani was less focused on the visceral sight of Kris’s attack and more of her own. Cringing slightly as her scorpion tail embedded in the priest, Dani was quick to retract it as the body fell limp. Cultists and freaks or not, they were still Human, and Dani wasn’t quite pissed off enough nor her wavelength running rampant to gloss over that fact. After the last erected a barrier, the flames dissipated from her blade to conserve energy as she stared at the Bishop. “He can’t sit in there forever, even on the off chance we can’t break the barrier…” She mused.

“I think we can break it, but let's see what Mister Cameron wishes to do.” Nadia said, prodding the barrier with a few swings, not having Dani breakoff on the order to carry out a resonance between the pair, as she casually swiped the blade against the wall, flame and all, it was akin to watching an enforcer amusing themselves at the expense of a prisoner in what she deemed a hopeless situation.

“You’re uh… really enjoyin’ yourself there, aren’t ya’?” Dani murmured as Nadia seemed to circle the barrier like a lion.

“All I’m doing is waiting for Mister Cameron to decide if we get what we want the easy way, or the really easy if not time consuming way.” She said as she tapped the barrier again with the sword play. “One thing is clear looking at him though, whatever they have and you have, might have some sort of origin in common, but that's it, this is like the bargain bin brand.”

“Of course. From what the other guy said, they’re all junkies tryna get high,” Dani remarked, rolling her eyes a bit at Nadia’s eccentricities.

Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (NPCs)

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar & Wren | Wales | Duo Trouble

‘What's bothering you Wren?’ It was the exact moment the sound of their enemy reached their ears. Not a second after she had transformed into his grasp, maybe a few heartbeats after.

‘Don’t tell me there isn't anything, I can feel it in the link. Even if it weren't that, I could see your anxiousness when I called you. What is it?’ The tone wasn’t impatient, as blunt as it sounded he wasn't even angry or annoyed despite how he was actually a bit mad they were now being forced into a situation he had been trying to avoid.

As much as he hated this situation, complaining wouldn't get it over sooner.

If anything he was just trying to understand what was going on with his partner. The tone was patient if only quick due to how short of time they had.

Even with the appearance of monsters he was neither distracted or disturbed, he got into position before they even moved, listening to Elly as he slipped into form.

She took a moment to reply, her drifting focus going on waving the output of stored wavelength away from the chainblade and onto Zosar’s body. They were cornered in every forefront direction. Swinging the swipes of the ‘hounds’ away was out of the question. Dodging would’ve meant bumping into Elly and Kisei. Blocking meant finding out just how dangerous those tendrils could be, and she wasn’t feeling adventurous right now...It was…

“…” not the time for all this questioning. She felt the growing static between their link, as if he were on the other side of the line just holding up the phone to his face and waiting, waiting for her answer. What he got instead was something akin to a mental nudge, spoke more than any words could.

Now wasn’t the time, Zosar.

”You really want to know?” She addressed him clear, now, amidst the honking of the monsters ”I don’t think you’ll understand…I don’t even know how to explain it to you.” The chainblade blared a loud, full-powered roar, blades blurring in an attempt to scare off one of the creatures from getting too close to strike. There was a brief moment in their link where the silence grew, static splaying out and buzzing for a second too long. She was gauging how bat-shit insane she would sound saying it out loud.
”There’s something in here with me.” She started, chuckling, almost shameful ”It was there with the golems…and it was still here when I woke up after they checked me up. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know what it wants,” Wren lied to herself there, he’d told her that already ”I can barely get it to shut up.”

”You don’t hear him?”
He didn't dodge that or the tendrils. What he did was use the buzz of blades to bisect the tendrils clean through like a surgeon with a scalpel. Precise.

Sliced them right in half and used the drag of the teeth to pull each over to the side while keeping Wren's form in front of him like he was about to stab in when reality it was just to make the wrist movement limited in case he needed to shift his arm to slice any more attacks.

‘I don't’ he admitted honestly, knowing that was the last thing she needed to hear. Yet in the link she could tell he was slightly disturbed by the news. He had never heard a voice. Never. Not once. Not even in the fragments of memory he recalled on the day where he himself had slipped. He remembered being barred out of her Space but he couldn't recall if there had been another presence. The only presence he had sensed was the one chasing him down to get to the both of them and that had been his own Madness at his heels.

Was it a confirmation she was losing it? Zosar was quick to shut the thought down before it could take root as he doubled down in reality and dodged this time by moving forwards, towards the tendrils snapping at him and pulling a swipe with the left arm holding Wren. A short quick arc that kept her in front as his eyes and attention unconsciously absorbed everything happening around.

A talk in the middle of a fight wasn't foreign to him. As long as the conversation didn't absorb most of his attention he could do both. He couldn't think at the moment of what it meant right now, but he knew somewhere in the back of his head, he had heard this.

‘If the voice emerged after your episode, then it must be tied to your Madness. I can't hear him, but if it's anything like I know from experience with people in my old crew, my inability to hear him must be linked to your resistance.’

There were probably other ways he could hear this other side of Wren. Entering her soul space was the simplest. That was also the most dangerous. It would be giving himself wholly to a type of possession that could occur with Madness, that was a shortcut route to exciting your own.

Frankly what he knew of the ways Madness could affect someone were not that detailed despite it being part of the family trade. The standard methods were known to everyone in DWMA but the nuanced ones…He only knew what his father and seniors had warned him in all the ways, when partnering with Madness Sensitive. So that was all that he could apply. Aside from that, this other entity in Wren's soul space was a foreign concept to him. He had no idea what to truly make of it without interacting with it. And he doubted anything good would come of it anyway.

The last thing he needed was for her to use that as an excuse to further distance herself out of fear. So he didn't let any of how he was processing this slip through the link. What she did feel was his trust in her to be able to keep it handled. That echoed in the words he said through the link. There was a stubborn faith in her that even with recent events hadn't changed despite being disturbed with this news.
.
”Voice…?” Her voice dragged out on an exhale ”It’s not just a voice…” A faint smile worked its way onto her face, even as she was staring daggers at the dining table, as if a pair of invisible hands were pulling at the corners of her mouth— the taste of Zosar’s mortification was bitter in their link, whatever bit of it’d seeped through to her. Worse, she could already feel the room shifting. Something was happening.

The tip of tiny, linen socks kicked up the side of an old record player, vexed muttering echoing down the halls, far where the rows of seats turned to blurry figures lost to the endless halls— the candelabra shook, candlewick waved, fire flickered with it, until the entirety of the dining hall was covered in darkness.

At the same instant Maria took to the skies in her assault with her children as Zosar pulled back after his attack.

Wren sighed, a hand up to her head, the other tapping the edge of a black nail arrhythmically on the table. After the third, frustrated tap, a voice joined the silence.

”Shall I set the mood then…“

When the light came back to her eyes, she was wearing all black. Clad in pearls and a dress that looked like something she’d come to afford only after working her ass off for a lifetime.
The guests had found themselves to their seats— headless statues lined the dining table, all turned to her with open arms. Frozen, raising their forks, clinking their glasses, lively and dead at the same time. Bluesy hits filled the background from the distant gramophone, wordless hummings and static-y buzz working as fills to the song.

Her head was already spinning.
A tapping foot got her attention to drift from her headache and onto him, the jester spun with the fare a of a showman, hands thrown out in a grand, proud stance. The gesture hung there in the space between them. She looked on, unamused.

The sight of him made her nausea even worse, somehow.

”Much better, is it not!?“ The thing cackled, hot breath huffing out of the grin-hole of his white mask ”The party has been feeling lonesome without your qu—heeenly, royal, pristine presence, my liege…I’m glad you’ve bothered yourself with coming back!“

”These peons barely make up for decent conversation, I must admit. “ His voice lowered, dramatically leaning on one of the statues, holding a wiry hand up to his tiny chest like he’d been shot through the heart. Would’ve gotten a chuckle out of her, in another occasion.
”Beelzebub,” Wren snarled, pointing the horns of a fork at him, twirling it in her hand to gesture to herself. Her sudden change of clothing, more specifically ”What the fuck is all of this?”

He waddled over to her side, hands behind his back. Wheezing, sneering ”Oh, it is just stunning, isn’t it? I’ve had more time to prepare…Is it not impressing what your loyal, humble consort can accomplish?“

A hand reached up to rest on her shoulder; she watched him stand on his tippy-toes just to reach her, patience already running thin.
“I take it thou were deciding, correct? Thinking, picking, straining thine royal mind for your final answer, m—yes? Oh, but of course you were! My mistress is only but thoughtful…I am blessed to be given such kindness…To have the thoughts of my liege, all for myself.”

“My offer stands, for as long as you need it to…I will gladly await your answer.”

‘To walk the path,’ she remembered him telling her that.

Wren only grunted, rolling her eyes. Deep inside, she feared the implications of his words back then, but she couldn’t show it. She knew the jester wouldn’t do anything without her consent, she’d tested that the day before.

Still, it didn’t make her feel any form of relief. It only made her worry. She couldn’t trust herself around him.

“Although, the situation in the plebian, ugly, waking world is looking quite…chancy. Sure trouble for young master Zosar…”

“A premature answer isn’t always a terrible thing, no?”

She took a breath, steeling herself, trying not to let any of her anxiousness linger on their link. What she’d felt aside from Zosar’s worry, had been an uncompromising trust somewhere in there. He was pinning his hopes on her. Blind faith. Just as he had when they first met. She couldn’t betray that.

The chainsaw kicked up in Zosar’s hand, teeth whirring faster, loud enough to drown out the honking of the ‘hounds’. Where she, and maybe even him, would’ve expected the weight of their off-beat resonance to make it harder to hold the chainblade, there was instead…a familiar lightness.

It made the meister slightly grin at the realization.

It wasn’t normal, their resonance still felt disjointed, but it was just enough for now. They could work on getting back to form later.
”Don’t worry about it. Just focus on cutting down these damn strays. There’s more of them still on their way here…”
”Hmm? Should I put on some fighting music?“

Collabers: Haze-

Interactions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Moelwyn Bach Mountain Pass, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
GM Post​

In fleeting moments following the initial attack from the supposed Hellhounds, a several traits of the creatures became clear with one ability both incredibly unique, frustrating, and perhaps daunting being the greatest of them.

Maria was likely the first, if only by a few milliseconds, to notice this absurd ability of theirs. In part, because her fighting style made her somewhat of an observer of the battlefield while the others were more immediately-active participants. What was normally a detriment in that she couldn't see souls also likely assisted with picking up on this ability. It was one less field of view for her perspective to be skewed. It first occurred when Alicia attempted to intercept the beast only to encounter thin air. And, this would have continued to be the case for almost every direct counter-attack launched at the creatures.

This was the power of the beasts. They were magical creatures that existed in two overlapping realms at once. They were not Fae by nature, only their beasts of burden. This fact alone carried a lot of weight, though none of which mattered on the battlefield. What did matter was that the creatures possessed the ability to immediately change their position in space to a nearby one. With so many of them in the dark all looking similar with incredibly similar souls and magic about them, it was easy to get the entire lot mixed up. Even for one with Soul Perception like Elly, the problem was not seeing them clearly or quickly, it was tracking the sheer number of them.

To those with Soul Perception, the souls and traces of magic around each beast disappeared exactly like the creature did. It was confusing, in fact, it was likely quite overwhelming on a spiritual level. In that way, Maria saw just as much as the others without the explosive sensory overload.

That said, Maria did have a different challenge. The magic these creatures used to displace themselves in spaced interfered somewhat with broom. The best description for it would akin to playing a video game with a controller where the layout occasionally inverted. It was not impossible to fly or draining to any greater degree, but the difficulty in controlling her broom was exponentially higher. The reality behind all of this had to deal with how the magic the creatures used to displace themselves and that of her broom was fundamentally the same and the overlapping swaps in space caused a cascading effect wherein she might want to fly up to a column of space that is being swapped by the beast.

Granted, that issue greatly lessened once Maria flew up higher, reaching closer to thirty feet. The greater distance caused far less distortions in space, which itself only gave a greater reason for her to remain at range.

On the other hand, her wind blasts proved incredibly effective. Their widespread area of effect impacted an area greater than the beasts could move to, meaning they couldn't dodge in the same way they did Zosar or Elly. As it would turn out, Zosar's initial success with a tendril was not so easy to replicate. The beast didn't expect him to stand still, and stupid beast it was, followed through with an attack that saw its tendril torn in twain. Once contact was made with the beast, it couldn't display itself to avoid harm. Attempting to land a strike more offensively would, much like Alicia the doll, be akin to hitting thin air.

Elly would soon learn of this exact, infuriating mechanic as well. Not only the ability, but the low intelligence of the creatures. Her attempted dodge of the very first hound she encountered only resulted in it displacing itself, but such displacement only put it in the way of Kisei once Elly commit to her horizontal slash. Her attack did land, but not in the target she wanted. There was no strategy to that success, either. Much like Zosar, the creature simply didn't correctly anticipate the incoming attack. The difference being that the body of the beast Kisei was now wedged in was not as easily returned from as it would have been had she only cut some tendrils. In turn, her movement was slowed and timing was off for a cranial cut.

All in all, these creatures weren't that fast, that strong, or that smart. What they possessed was numbers and an absurd ability to displace themselves. Not unlike the after images of the Hoshi, but those were mere feats of speed. These creatures leapt along the folds of time and space.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Paramount Theatre, Los Angeles, CA​

"Answers?" Cameron remarked, a low chuckle emanating from his dry voice as he enunciated the second syllable of the word.

His mind raced. The realization struck him that he couldn't escape. Even if he could somehow get past one of them, he doubted he could perform that same miracle with the other. Between Nadia and the Bloodsucker, all hope for escape was immediately lost. For a mind like his, twisted so far to become a Bishop of the Night, that did not mean all hope was lost. Just because the most certain outcome wasn't at all ideal didn't mean there wasn't an acceptable outcome that could still occur.

"You wouldn't understand if I tried to explain it to you. You're not capable of it," he told her, shifting gears from what humor he found in her words to a more radically serious tone.

Cameron had a plan. A desperate plan. A vile plan, even. His wavelength spiked wildly, but not in the way it would for a trained Meister. Nadia would recognize almost immediately. Her time with Starwulf taught her many things, but none probably more clear than the vast differences in quality between a talented user of the spiritual arts and a novice or instinctual user like this Cameron. The spikes in his wavelength were uneven, inconsistent, likely inefficient, and overall chaotic to the point that there was no discernable rhyme or reason for it, just a clear indication that the murderous madman wanted more power.

"Riddle me this: is there is such a thing as a bad seed when a baby is born? Or, is it the ground they grow in that taints their soul?" he asked, his voice cracking and peaking with up to this point uncharacteristic high pitch slipping loose. His wavelength began to shift, pouring out that vile energy with it, but more so, now spilling out a true Madness wavelength. Something Dani would be the most susceptible to, even more so while her concentration was split on her tail.

The Bishop revealed a wicked grin and let loose a curdling cackle, knowing full well what he was doing. His wavelength and its madness only doubled over, expanding out towards the theatre with full intentions on affecting every movie goer and staff member still there.

"Death always came with the territory," he said, staring directly at Nadia through his blood-wall barrier, taunting her with those wretched brown eyes of his.

Kris didn't waste any time once the Madness wavelength started. He knew exactly what it was. He knew the exact danger. He darted over to the barrier and started unleashing blast after blast into it, even pulling out a second gun to continue the barrage. Problem being, the shield only grew stronger in tandem with the more powerful wavelength that Cameron was exerting. His shots that could blow through the body of a priest were hardly denting the shield. They would break through it, but nowhere near soon enough to make it a safe call.

"Don't fucking kill him," Kris said, again barking orders. He didn't know Nadia. He didn't know how experienced she was or her thought process. He knew at least that Cameron seemed to believe she was in charge, likely because she was closer and more vocal. He was taunting her, not him. He didn't want her to fall into the trap Cameron had laid out. If he died, they lost their lead, and that had to be his plan; to martyr himself for the cult.

Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Daniella Ethalyn - LA - North Van Ness St, LA
​

Nadia was fully aware of what the man was doing, what he was attempting. What a shame, even their so-called Bishops were insane wretches. There was absolutely nothing to learn about these people, except how many there were, where they were, and how many coffins were needed. There was nothing more he deserved than contempt, and perhaps a few words, provided she could keep hold of Dani and provide enough time to even say such words.

The flame around the blade snarled as the madness hit, the fires igniting to reach out farther. They changed from calm dancing to violent rowing along the edge of the blade. She had made progress, that was probably the main reason why Dani hadn’t succumbed to that dark place immediately. However, she did feel its pull. The beast in the dark growled, the bloodlust seeping through her words and presence.

“Knock him out… burn him… I don’t fucking care...” Dani hissed through grit teeth as she struggled to keep a calm mind. “Stop him… or I’ll fucking melt him…!”

Unfortunately, there would be no time for a philosophical debate, at least not while this was all happening, she would personally take an interest in questioning him, if not in executing him. He was attempting a madness bomb, and he likely would soon as he became self-aware enough in questioning. Then there was the plea, no, the command of the mercenary. Nadia for her part briefly stared at him with a look that said she would have had him shot under any other circumstance.

Breathing for a few seconds, she holds the blade up high in one hand, and extends her free hand to blast the barrier with her resonated form, Icy Soul Force rips and pours into the barrier as Nadia speaks. “We are taking off his right arm. It offends me.”

“Good.” Dani echoed back, reverberated by a deep-rooted snarling. Anger and rage poured from the blade, her wavelength demanding more while her sanity argued that a limb was enough.

Pouring her energy into assaulting the barrier, Nadia takes a few heavy swings and unleashes a couple more Soul Force Icy blasts, till it cracks, shatters seemingly, overwhelmed by pure violence as Nadia looks upon Cameron with pure contempt. She would answer his question some other time, and soon. With the following blow of Dani she sweeps downwards, his magic seemed to be based upon both his blood and making needed signs, by taking his dominant arm she hoped to do three things. One to destroy the familiarity with his magic, two to calm Dani down even if a little, and three, to give him enough pain all at once to destroy his concentrate and consciousness. Though there was also a fourth reason…

”Yeah—Wanna keep fucking around with madness, you fucking twink? I’ll fucking gut you, bitch!” Dani seethed as if she spoke directly to the man himself. The taking of the arm did not, in fact, calm her. Though, given her past outbursts, the fact she was talking rather than deathly silent was probably a good sign.

“Burn the wound. Then…” Saying that mid swing as fire and steal cleaved through, the cauterizing effect of the flame without its venom painfully and violently took off the arm and the sizzling of flesh could be smelled, wafting in the air, as Nadia then delivered a violent and swift kick, holding back her power significantly, right into the gut of Cameron, turning her full attention to Kris, she locked eyes with him and spoke.

“... you should not presume me to be one of your lackeys. Mercenary. Now we do what we must, but to be clear, he dies. These cultists are too dangerous to leave alive, and it's clear to me the origin of what Dani has and what they have may have a common source, but by no means are the same. For now I’m getting my partner away from here and him.”

”Fucking freaks should all fucking burn…! Fucking… Prick—” Dani trailed off, the murderous intent still lacing her voice, but retaining some stoicism with the madness no longer pulsing from the man. “...Fuck him. Get me OUT!” She added in regard to the mercenary. “Too much talk. Too much fucking speeches—FUCK!”

Sighing a bit, it was clear she could not pass on those words, it would have to wait. Dani was angry, and it would take a bit to calm her, it honestly was a bit surprising the broach had not yet activated, and the last thing she wanted was to entrust herself to the tender mercies of a blood sucker that clearly saw himself as superior. Waving one hand dismissively, Nadia just walks away with sword form Dani in tow.

Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (NPCs)

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Kris Orksen​

"Red Fang"​

Species Bloodsucker
Location Paramount Theatre Parking Lot, Southern LA, California


​

Tags: EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun | Merciless Medic

In reality, there wasn't a lot that Kris could do in the given situation. He knew that. The problem was, he saw quite clearly the issue with the two in front of them. The weapon, the cursed sword, had a Murderous Wavelength. Her cursing and screaming to Nadia echoed out as screams and screeches to anyone sensitive to spiritual energy like himself. She was a loud and obnoxious cacophony that almost brought literal pain to his ears as he could in fact sense her through auditory means. It wasn't terrible up until the Madness poured out like a tsunami from Cameron. Which itself wasn't expected tactic, but probably should have been.

Rending his arm from his body wasn't expected, either.

Nadia might have remained relatively cool, but the contempt she had and her disdain for being given instructions was plain as day. What Kris saw in her was a liability. She was a loose canon with a deceiving large ego and an wildly unstable weapon. She was brought on the mission effectively out of necessity. Even if his partners could have handled the meeting alone, which he doubted they could, this specific situation would have turned out quite differently had he not had her additional firepower - no pun intended. Eliminating the priests would likely bought Cameron more time to flee and opened up more directions for him to flee in, not to mention the fact Kris didn't have an immediate means of breaking that barrier. Even the destructive power of Nadia and Dani was still augmented by his own blasts. Without one or the other, the whole tasks would have taken longer. Dani would have been in worse shape and then they would have had innocent bystanders to deal with.

In the eyes of the Bloodsucker, the DWMA duo were just a necessary evil. An undesirable liability. They may have been F.A.T.E. leaders, but in the grand scheme of the world, they still weren't ideal partners.

Not that a Bloodsucker like himself could judge, though.

"You need to take a chill pill--both of you actually," Kris responded with no lack of sarcasm carried in his tone. His bright eyes then darted down to Dani before back up to Nadia. "You also ought to work on a Calm Seal if you're gonna risk yourself with her Soul," he suggested, more flat and objective. Clearly, more serious.

---

Some time later...​

The six of them, seven counting Cameron, had regrouped. Now some ways Southwest at Page Private Academy, Cameron was still unconscious, chained via Raphael to a metallic post used for kids to push around as a form of play. A wildly less interesting form of a merry-go-round, but such was the way of the era. Mister Prey, Adrian, and Raphael had made it after some time to the academy. Noise, Rosé, and Sara had to off East to dodge the cops and were slowed fairly considerably due to Rosé getting herself shot. Or, more accurately, trying to play hero by saving the human sacrifices they learned were being held hostage. Successful, but stupid.

As it turned out, the chain magic Raphael could use to suppress the abilities of others did in fact work on Cameron. What it meant is that despite all of his increases to endurance and stamina, he was heavily weakened and unable to recover nearly as quickly so long as he was bound. Had his arm not been cauterized, he'd likely have died due to blood loss from just how much Raphael was able to suppress his physical enhancements.

There was a bit of friction amongst the group as Kris and Mister Prey both carried the same opinion of the agents and similarly the agents didn't take kindly to such judgement. As it turned out, Mister Prey was quite complimentary of the magic Raph could use, but was coarse and overly serious, making any enjoyment either Raph or Adrian would have had from the encounter dwindle quite quickly. Regardless, there was a mutual agreement at the moment to wait for the remaining three to return before the entire lot decided how to proceed. Ironically, Sara and her group got along splendidly, not at all matching the heated vibe of the others.

While the last remaining trio was dodging their way around cops and incoming Paladins, taking the extreme long way around and now coming up from the south, the others used that time to cool down. Now without Madness and Adrian present, Dani was more able to compose herself. That spark between them had some uses, after all. Raphael was proving to be the current MVP as his specific spells bought them time they hadn't considered before. Which really just left Nadia to mull over what she intended to do.

Which all would have been fine and dandy had not the entire tentative silence been broken by Kris repeating over what he heard on his earpiece which was tuned into police scanners.

"We have a problem," he said, doing so loud enough to make sure both Mister Prey and all four agents in the nearby vicinity of the playground could hear him.

"A hoard of cultists is moving Eastward down Melrose avenue. They've killed a few cops and apparently hurt one of those Paladins," he explained, dryly not unlike he did when he mentioned the Calm Seal. He normally had an energetic look on his face, as if nothing could quite through him off kilter. That was gone. His face was stark, shadowed, bleak in the darkness of the night.

"If they were strong enough to hurt a Paladin, they have to at least be more Bishops," he commented, "and, I'm sure they're looking for their friend here."

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Paramount Theatre Parking Lot, Southern LA
​

The parting words with Kris were not ones Nadia took no offense in. Partnering with Dani was fraught with many risks, and it was in part because of her own egotistical sense of self, drowned in certainty that had given Nadia a means to stand before the beast that slumbered with in Dani, and allowed her time and time again to pull back, even from the hold of the other. There was no reason to discuss such a fact with a Mercenary. No matter how skilled he may have been. Mercenaries were loyal to coin and nothing else. They had no ideals, honor, nor purpose. Nadia was not against taking ideas that were not her own, but the partnership between them, and with the Family he worked for, well it was all an alliance of convivence. Calm Seal was something she had assumed the program would have taught her, sooner or later, but things had become more hectic and demanding than she had expected. That one mentor, the one in the Priestess robes, that took over from Zelda and Emmet, Reiko? Yes, that was it, she would be useful in this, if not Starwulf, though with the difference in personality, well, one problem at a time.

Before the interrogation could produce much of any use, Kris would return, or rather, he would speak up, so all could hear. It seemed the enemy was intent on taking their ally. While Kris seen this as dangerous, Nadia seen it as an opportunity. Such an Assault may not be limited to mere bishops. Or if it were, then maybe some of them were more willing to talk. Still, it did give Nadia an idea and point of view of her own.

"Indeed. They very likely are. However, there is another consideration for why they are pushing forward so much. The leader him or herself may have came out to play. Either way, the Church and the LAPD likely want a little revenge. We very well could go out into the street, face the enemy, batter them down with force of arms, or we could inform the other two parties of exactly why they are here and where they are going. We simply need to get information out of him before either party can challenge our claim to him.

The English much did not like working with my countrymen during the last truly great war, but we had a common enemy. The Church I am sure would like revenge for its own, as to the LAPD, provided I speak to who was my contact prior, I'm sure he would have the presence of mind to send a SWAT Team or two. We've no reason to let the balance of power and numbers to tip in their favor. We simply need to beat what news we need out of him or the rest that are about to arrive. Just enough truth need be shared to get allies to this cause. These men always stir up Madness, a prolonged conflict is not in our interests. It is better to grab the curs by the throat and crush them under heel than to give them a chance of reenacting those old days. And we can select what information to give them."

She was sure Kris would likely not go along with this plan, or some to even be against it, but she also expected some would support it. It was all now left to others to decide.

Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (NPCs) Merciless Medic (Sara, Raph)

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
Malta, Egypt - September 22nd

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

“My vote’s for picking off the duo first.” Wes responded to Gauss, raising two fingers and casting his vote. It wasn’t hard to figure why, considering his previous suggestion of only engaging the sibling duo and ignoring the others. Despite his rather pointed comment about their mission, Wes really wanted to avoid having to fight against all of the targets. Hell, he didn’t even want to have to fight against any of them. This extra mission was just dropped on their laps right after they got done with their original, with the only break between being their transit to the town.

Of course, him being tired wasn’t going to give the idea of ambushing the siblings any weight. At the absolute best everyone would think he was just being lazy, and the mission would go on anyway. If he wanted to avoid participating in a potentially drawn out fight against multiple targets, he’d have to put in some effort in pleading his case.

“How about we just use bait? If they’re going to sense us, we might as well use it against them.” He suggested to the group, eyes darting over to look at Gauss before continuing. “The bait lures them out, plays the part of the scared victim, and the rest jump them before they can even think of resonating.”

Of course, it was an incredibly risky strategy. The person who would act as bait would have to not only expose themselves to danger, but also be able to hold their attention for long enough for the others to move in. Soul perception was useful, but he doubted that most would keep it active during active combat against a single target. If they could get them to focus on a visibly weaker target, it may let them close in without the duo noticing.

“It’d have to be someone with a good range of perception, to detect them before they get into range, which means walking around with soul perception constantly on.” Wes held his hand out, extending a finger and pointing at it with his other hand.

“But the bait can’t be too strong, or else they may get spooked and just meet up with the other three.” He continued, holding up a second finger and pointing at it. “If the brother is as crazy as the report makes him sound, he’d be the easiest to draw in. His sister would probably follow, even if it’s only to make sure her brother wasn’t in danger.”

“That’s what a good partner would do.” The thought came quickly, a brief flash of Annika and his first partner Rebecca dredging up a sharp tinge in his heart.

His face fell briefly, but he quickly pushed the thought away, grabbing onto his two fingers and mimicking a breaking motion. “They’re out of the fight, we can possibly learn what their plan is and where they were supposed to meet the others, and it makes it easier on us if we have to fight the other duo or the witch.” He finished with a shrug of his shoulders, hands returning to his sides before being stuffed into his sweatshirt pockets.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Steel Depot, Malta
Mission TBD
Status Focused

​

Tags: Merciless Medic Peckinou EmperorsChosen Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

Their deliberation decided on jumping the sibling duo. After that came some discussions of how to combat each target, but the Witch was the only real wild card. In the end, the preparations worked themselves out, the area was scouted, and their targets were coming just in range of the ambush location. It was tough to setup an ambush given neither Gauss or Feng were superbly talented with Soul Suppression, but they could make due. Especially given the some of the resources in the general area.

It seemed the hub of these activities was an abandoned steel depot. Not entirely abandoned, exactly. It had been sold a few times and started out as steel manufacturing company, but shut down after the death of its owner. Since then, it hadn't exactly remained stable. MIBVI didn't help that, either. According to records, it was last sold two years ago. Since then, nothing. That's as far back as the public records showed, anyway.

The reality of the situation was that part of the factory had been repurposed to create obsidian impregnated glass and containers, all of which was sold to the Soul Markets. Even the trucks in the truckyard had their interiors coated in a type of obsidian flake paint, a tactic seen in the transport of these souls if ever done en masse. This story unfortunately wasn't uncommon. After MIBVI, there were plenty of places like this that were left unclaimed or destitute, though more often they were just sold or forfeit as the local economy or the owners never got back around to using them.

The truckyard was a fairly good size, capable of housing two dozen or so semis. It also was en route to the factory where the duo was intended to meet-up. The current plan was for Gauss to hidden in the half-overrun office building just west of the truckyard, watching for the duo to slip by. This would need to be done visually given to stay out their range, he was also out of his own. Luckily, he had the advantage of height and the greenery that blocked a lot of line of sight from all but the desired paths. Ark, Feng, Aki, and Wes, annoying through it may be, thus got to hide in one of the obsidian-lined trucks. It made for a good ambush. Given that Gauss couldn't see through it, like lead to superman, it was rational to believe the duo couldn't either.

The times aligned and the duo was in fact making their way to the meet-up point at the converted factory. It was now or never. Gauss, Noah, and Arkayis were trying an experimental technique. A type of resonance which would give their position away pretty quickly once it was fired, but ultimately, would launch a ball of electricity that bounced within confines of plasma. It did very little in terms of combat unless you came into contact with it, making its danger-level low. What did do was create a short-wave of electromagnetic pulses that messed with pretty much all sensitive electronics in the area, ranging from pacemakers to cell phones. The goal was to give the trio and Ark a chance to jump the duo before they had a chance to send out a distress or warning.

The battle then commenced with ball of purple-pink plasma floating over the truckyard, acting as an indicator to the duo that something was clearly fucking going down and the rest of the team to attack immediately.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Jessie - Jansen - ???
Malta - September 22nd
​

With the ambush put in motion or, the events leading up to it, the twins in cloaks with one in full and the other in partial red and white face masks would enter the scheduled meet up place. This was nothing they were strangers to, it was familiar, it was a place that trafficked souls passed through, or at least the equipment to move them about. It was a bit odd that the black site was so empty, but in light of present circumstances, it wasn't so strange. Places like this were active when need be, abandoned when not, and covertly operated to keep local noses out. This too may have played a role in the Inspector asking for help. In all likelihood the police didn't want to deal with Soul related crimes and black market trade and the rich and powerful kept them away from this warehouse.

A question for another time, or several. With no real way of knowing when the other two were there, it would come as a bit of surprise when communications and other electronics became hampered, being the signal for the four to attack, with one thing being noticed by Wes alone, more so than the rest as Feng kicked open the truck's cargo container's doors. Their was something very akin to his own wavelength feature playing out across Jessie, who was already shifting into weapon form, having not left her brother's side at all. "Heheheh! Who the fuck are you?" Jansen asked as he readied the Scythe. "Well, I guess it doesn't much matter. You'll die here, though whatever you did is annoying... Ah well, the Mercs may turn up, and there is only two of you I need to kill."

~~~

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Gauss's technique with Arky and Noah produced an unexpected result, an unexpected outcome, and maybe the most dangerous of them all. A single thick slab of high-pressured water sliced into the walls of the office building the group was using for cover and to hide as they carried out their interference. She must have been close, or no, she moved close, had she some way to detect the technique? Or the presence of the Meisters? At least as ruble and dust fell and cleared, the figure of the witch observed them with narrowed violet eyes, a spout of water, mighty and strong provided left and speed, as her hair flexed and flayed, the tendrils and pointed hooks seemed akin to living Daggers as she smiled.

"My, my, so curious. It has been my lucky day. So close to the shore, or so I can make it. Electromagnetism showing suddenly and moving. You would have been better served doing this stationarily. You are part of the new arrivals that those fools brought in. Aren't you? That makes you DWMA. All the better to drown you and to hear your cries of despair."

Group 1 EmperorsChosen (Aki) (Gauss) The Regal Rper (Ark) Shotgunpenguin (Wes)

Group 2 Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic (Noah) Peckinou (Arky)​

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Moelwyn Bach Mountain Pass, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
Collab Post​

Kisei had seen similar abilities before–all in his homeland. He didn’t know if they were magical or Fae in nature, but this type of immediate displacement or teleportation was something he was familiar with. This type of magic was incredibly difficult for Witches to wield, but creatures like these had it baked into their DNA. They used it on instinct.

It seemed like generations of captivity and potential inbreeding from the Fae dulled those instincts. That, or they were just never that sharp to begin with. In either case, Kisei wasn’t impressed. It also didn’t surprise him that they were called Hellhounds or associated with dogs, but clearly weren’t. His time as a Monster Hunter gave him experience after experience with misleading names.

That’s why Monster Hunters at the DWMA started an effort to give magical and previously-mythological creatures new taxonomic names. Shuumie, for example, was a Felis Milagua with a long list of other latin names categorizing her. The problem with that plan is that, much like Witches, magical creatures varied greatly even within their own species, making defining them difficult. With thousands of years of mythology and an extreme difficulty in finding specimens, the process of labeling these creatures was agonizingly slow.

Maria might have been onto something with linking these creatures to other Hellhounds or black dogs of Europe. That made logical sense. But, these things probably got their names and myths started thousands of years ago in an era where humanity was still heavily influenced by the church. The few recorded counts of them likely didn’t care to accurately describe them as canines or dogs, but more so creatures from the bowels of Hell.

In any case, none of that immediately mattered. These creatures thus far weren’t a huge threat, but their ability to instantly displace themselves was absurdly annoying. It bypassed speed as a requirement to dodge. Creating a strategy to cleave through them would be necessary, ideally without using a ton of energy to do so. That might involve testing the limits on their displacement or specifically how fast a single one of them actually was.

There happened to be a more pressing matter. One that Kisei was sure Elly picked up on as well. Madness was yet again stirring inside of Wren and now it seemed Zosar wanted to resonate. Not only would that burn through his energy much faster, it yet again put Zosar at danger of Madness. Zosar would need to learn, and Wren would need to have her Madness dealt with in full.

’We’re gonna need to deal with that,’ Kisei told Elly, bringing her attention to the flare up of Madness in their teammates.


’That’s probably more dangerous than the Hellhounds,’ he added, both giving his opinion on the relatively low threat level of the current enemies and his focus on the Madness.

’It's hard not to notice,’ Elly replied tiredly as she drew the weapon back from the cadaver of the beast it embedded. Trying to track the beasts as they teleported about frustrated her, with their souls popping in and out appearing to Elly more like a rave in the night than anything else. “Zosar, Wren, no resonance. Stick to amplification,” Elly called out flatly. Maria was practically untouchable and even without resonance, they were more than a match for the beasts. A mad duo on the other hand…

He didn't question that, something he wasn't seeing likely so just went with it anyway. Communicated that to Wren they should avoid using her chompers again for now, stick to boosting.
A dull buzz pinged in the back of her head, like a radio tuning inside her skull, it was the annoying wigwag of Zosar’s voice in their link. Wren made a face, ugly, banging a fist on her head— the static turned legible, not a mess of foreign words anymore. She’d blacked out.
”Oh, the Irish just ruin everything, don’t they?“ She frowned, glaring at her hands like they weren’t hers. And for a moment there, they hadn’t been. She was holding up a fork and a knife, already moving to cut open the royal fare her Jester had been so kind to serve her.
She was losing her grip on things. Again.
”Be quiet, will you…?” She snarled, her silverware clattering on the table as she tossed it. He would get bored if she didn’t acknowledge him, at some point, that’s the only thing she could hope for.
”Me and my dreaded, vulgar tongue…“ He wheezed, bowing, overly dignified for a court jester of his ilk. She only grunted at the sight of him stepping back into the shadowy corners of the halls, knowing he hadn’t left at all.
’Sorry.’ Zosar’s part of the link shook with Wren’s shame seeping through to it, even as she’d tried to mouth that as nonchalantly as she could. The chainblade’s engine died down, the meister was left with an oversized, awkward to use hatchet.
There was a weak, defeated chuckle punched into their link as she willed herself to amp and regulate Zosar’s wavelength. Pathetic didn’t serve to describe how she was feeling at that point.

‘It’s fine,’ was the immediate reply. And he swung without hesitation at the next list of suckers that went his way, severing them with ease. ‘Don't blame you.’
What likely appeared to be some semblance of stability to Zosar from the inside was clear as day to Elly and Kisei. Wren was still teetering on the edge of Madness, flirting with corruption at each beck and call of her wavelength was used to guide that of Zosar. The two could not see it, but so long as that voice–that vile entity–sat at her table in her mind and in her soul, they were closer to Madness than they ever ought to be.
Madness was insidious like that and what Wren had was new, or at least, newly manifested. If her Madness developed so far that it had a will of its own, it also had a leash on her. One it could tug at any time to draw her in closer. To bring her to the precipice of hunger where her starving, raving mind would make a glutton for destruction willing to consume anything, friend or foe, to satiate that growing abyss inside her.
’It’s not enough,’ Kisei said, sharing his internal opinion with Elly.

From the moment he uttered those words to her, Kisei brought up his Calm Seal and tried his best to extend it to Elly. He had done something like this once before. Extended his Seal to someone else. A bittersweet moment now long and honestly better forgotten. Nonetheless, it was the perfect feat for the moment. Shielding Elly if only a little would offer her clarity and silence from the Madness that periodically peaked from their allies.

’Elly, stop using your Soul Perception. Trust your eyes and treat it like whack-a-mole,’ Kisei told her, offering his advice on how to deal with targets. It made sense given that at the rate they were going, tracking them off visuals alone would be nearly the same, less strenuous, and would avoid splitting focus between two different forms of perception.

Then his wavelength regulation kicked in. Like a guiding hand during a familiar dance, he only made the motions easier. Wavelength Amplification coming more naturally, less resistance, more cooperation even within her body. The same thing Wren was trying to do for Zosar all while wrestling with that little devil of a voice. It wasn’t necessarily a true boost to her abilities, only easier and more efficient to maintain. Still, it would prove enough to her slice through the beasts with raw agility if she could tell which ones were displacing themselves. They had a limited range and a timer on the ability.

’You need to tell Wren not to use her wavelength at all,’ Kisei said, though this came out more like a barked order or instruction. Irony of the irony being that he was showing some level of leadership and rationality now. ’One big spike and her collar will knock her out of weapon form then knock her out entirely,’ he explained, ’and, we can’t have a sicking duck on the battlefield.

“Any of your wavelength…!” Elly added sharply, the madness feeding into her anxieties briefly before she stopped using her soul perception and the calm seal was placed. She inhaled and exhaled, recollecting herself briefly. “Stick with Zosar's for now… It'll be okay,” She said, more calmly than before.

Elly did feel a slight weight taken off as Kisei began to take over regulation, allowing her to swipe and spin the weapon in a near continuous motion. As one attack landed, inertia built for the next and so on. “Did the legend mention how many of these things Matilda had?” She questioned to no one in particular. ’Too bad Maria can't simply fly us all away…’

Fine cutlery and equally pretentious porcelain wobbled and clattered as Wren brought a fist down on the table, letting out a snarky laugh, her heated temper finally hitting the roof. She banged on the table, once, and again— until the polished wood splintered— throwing herself forward before she spat out.

“And why the fuck would I do that, huh, Eloise!? He’d be better off picking a damn stick from the ground and swinging it around then!” Wren’s flaring soul choked the air, made it heavy, and for that singular moment of hot-headed release, it’d teetered on what the madness inhibitor would’ve gone off on. It hadn’t spiked yet, but it was looking to.
And that reaction really just made his brows twitch in reply a few ticks after Elly’s remark in real time.

Like a stern hand on her shoulder, a tug on her chain, that burning sensation on Wren’s neck and wrists reminded her to breathe, let go of her anger. A rising heat that made her wince.
Zosar in turn could only push his own desire for her to take it easy, breathe, as he cut through another firing of tentacles leeches.
As shameful, pathetic, and disgusted with herself as she felt. Wren took a deep breath through gritted teeth, internalized it. She’d let Zosar handle the rest, right now she had to focus on her CALM mind training.

She hadn’t questioned it before for the sake of just following orders, but now she understood why Elly and Kisei were telling her to shut off completely. They could feel him. He was getting to them through her. She was right under the jester’s thumb, dancing like a spun-up doll at his whims.

“Oh, you’ll end up ruining your dress with those temper tantrums, my dear!” An eyebrow twitched at the sound of his voice, but she remained with her eyes shut, focusing. Trying to shut him off, one sentence stayed on loop in her mind, like a spiteful mantra.

‘It’s your fucking fault…’

“Maria, you got any moves we can piggyback off of?” Went through the comms. While through his spiritual comm, the loud thump of a wave struck the doors, caused the fine cutlery and strewn plates on the dining table to jump, lights flicker, the shake was felt more than the sound was heard and so when it vanished. Zosar's voice emanated stronger through the link, in space from behind the massive doors, he sounded like he was just right in front. Much clearer than before. ‘Comparing yourself to a stick is a bit too harsh don't you think Silver? Don't let the twerp make you think some pinata stick would be better than you.’

Having watched matters from up above, and the subtle tell-tell that the Meisters, weapons and dou’s were not getting along so well, for the Marionette, it was a rather subtle thing, and akin to the disappointment she had been feeling for a while now. They had not yet asked for her own input or gave instructions, not that it mattered much, this was an enemy that was not so simple to beat. Mostly as it both existed and did not when it saw fit.

“The enemy can phase into and out of the physical realm, only delayed attacks or ones with long duration seem to do anything, for those forms are not forever. I can continue this if you wish or try to formulate a strategy. Do you have any delayed attacks or sustainment?” She said back across her own communicator.

Like it or not, Zosar and Wren were only a step above dead weight. That was, at least until Wren got ahold of herself. Zosar was strong and his Volatile Soul gave him plenty of extra resources to work with, but all of that fell short of a proper partnership. Even the likes of Samuel Smith needed a Demon Weapon sometimes. There was a reason Mifune lost to Black☆Star, after all.

That didn’t mean this was doomed or that they would need to exhaust an absolute ton of energy. Maria was in a prime position and her observations were valid, but somewhat incomplete. There was more to their patterns Kisei had picked up on down on the ground, likely due to his additional experience hunting monsters just like this.

”Maria is right; we need a plan,” Kisei said, chiming in over the comms. Ironically, just another way Elly was stuck hearing his voice.

”There’s more to it, too. There seems to be a range and delay on them. The few we’ve killed were ones that had just phased,” Kisei explained, pointing out the pattern he noticed in just about all but perhaps one dead Hellhound.

”Which means if Elly targets a hound you make phase, Maria, we should be able to secure clean kills,” Kisei told them, though he didn’t fail to tack on, ”which is about all we can do until Zosar gets Wren under control.”[/b]

’Which means we can’t feed the beast,’[/b] Kisei told Elly, this time solely over their shared link, ’no matter what stupid shit gets said.’

“And pray tell how do we determine where they're going to phase to?” Elly replied pointedly. ’And I do not have any plans to be mauled. She'll get over this. I don’t think she's more of a lost cause than Sara, or the sadomasochist sorcerer, or the murder sword,’ She commented in an irksome internal tone.

”We don’t,” Kisei answered sharply, ”we just attack faster than they can phase back-to-back.”

’So… flail in the exact manner I have been,’ Elly replied with a brief pause.
’I get it,’ Wren grunted out in reply, holding the words through a squared jaw, nodding to no-one in particular, one finger tapping at the table out of rhythm. The words were more directed to herself rather than Zosar. She breathed in, ’I get it…’ then out.

As it stood, she couldn’t do anything to make the situation any better, not by herself.

Funny thing is, the best thing she could do right now was that— absolutely nothing.

That was the one thing in her mind that held together some bits and pieces of her already shattered ego, gave her a sense of purpose in all of this. And she held onto that with claws and teeth, dearly.

“Surely,” He started, dropping the accent, the elderly voice “Without your help— and with that horrid Gwyll lurking out there— everyone will be in trouble, no? Ah, but you’re of no use holding yourself back like that…So, why don’t you just let go? Are you afraid of what they’ll think of you, of us?”
The fire’s above flickered, and the room grumbled like a beast half-starved to death, with pure, predatory anticipation. She felt the jester’s tiny, shaky hands crawl onto her shoulders, something warm breathing down her neck as he wheezed out a laugh.

“But does that really matter? You could have your life back. You could have more.” Hands hooked around her neck, and even as they moved to pull at empty air, it was as if she could feel them tugging at the collar they’d put on her.

It’s as simple as—”

It took a moment for Beelzebub to realize there hadn’t been a single reaction to his whole spiel. The jester swiveled his head around, his perpetual smile almost turning upside down. The lights stopped flickering.

She had two index fingers shoved into her eardrums, a serene expression that didn’t fit her at all plastered over her face. She had been listening to him, he had been drawing her in, for a moment, at least, he had— but it was something he said that’d kicked her self-conscious into overdrive. It reminded her of something she’d heard from one of those meathead martial artists back in the Amazing Star Dojo.

’No shortcuts…’

Wren muttered under a sigh, finally opening one eye to glare at the jester’s confused look. She knew it wasn’t as simple as pretending not to listen, or keeping her wits to herself. No, he would still try, he would push her— and at some point, she’d buckle under the pressure.

But if he wasn’t leaving, the only thing she could do was...Nothing. She only had to focus on putting up her seals, bear with him until the others were through with the hounds. Keep the both of them locked in the unending emptiness of those dining halls.

She was fine with a game of endurance.

Emptiness replaced with amused laughter, not within, but outside. ‘Atta girl.’

In real time he was still processing the fact these things could phase at will, not that it bothered him that much, it just wasn't what he was expecting with these things
Then again a lot had been unexpected so far anyway.

“We're ready, let's cut these guys down quick.”

Listening to the spatter of communications, and what was a rather naive view of the situation and how to counter it, made her squint a bit from up above.”I could indeed blanket the area in my wind magic to an extent, or coordinate my barrages with my darlings. You all however, I have no such connection with, nor a rapport on a personal level for that sort of trust and cooperation…”

Still, it had to be done, Maria didn’t have the mana to kill them all, though she would share what she learned of them, and try and set a plan in motion. ”I should also mention, these creatures are created by Magic. Not of the Fae sort in origin, but of ours. The Fae likely cast it, or had a hand in it, as a means to circumvent the rules, or laws, that limit the actions of a Fae. If any of you are hurt, I will not take the blame. The best way to deal with this may be to attack the ring that goes to shut us out and then to flee. I can fire my wind blasts ahead of you or use my dolls to trigger the first phase outs, but you must be right behind to exploit it. I cannot do this but for so long, my Mana is still not fully recovered from before, so if I kill most of these and allow you to fight, I cannot help you all take out another Fae. More so the lady of the hunt that we have angered…” there was a curious hardening to the we in her speech. She had made no secret of disapproving of what the Hoshi had done, and now they were being dragged into dangerous waters because of it.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location Page Private Academy, Southern LA, California
Mission Return of the Stalker
Status Irritated
​

Tags: Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Something inside Adrian stirred. There was some type of tension between Nadia and Kris. Not that he could blame her. Mister Prey was a hardass. An ancient man and a perfectionist. He always seemed to have an answer and an opinion that was better. Annoying though it may be, his apparent wealth of knowledge ranging from magic to strategy made it pointless for someone like Adrian to try and argue with him. If Kris was the leader of that man, then Adrian could only sympathize with any frustration she had.

That tension, while annoying, is not what caused a stir within Adrian. It was far more simple than that.

"There are innocent people out there getting hurt," Adrian said. His tone carried an almost desperate wobble and as any that knew him would come to expect, he wore his heart on his sleeve in that he couldn't hide how he cared about the actual damage being done.

"I don't care what the church wants. Their wannabes knights couldn't handle it--clearly the cops can't. We can call in reinforcements, but right now, we're probably the best shot at keeping people alive," Adrian continued, explaining his perspective on the matter. He had a one-track minded, but at the very least, his one track was an admirable one.

"I say we don't even bother waking him up. I say we take him to the gym we came from and use him as bait to lure in the cultists. We know the gym didn't have any bystanders left since Sara got them out. I say we stop wasting time piecing together some complex plan and just get on our way. We can send an S.O.S. to cops, DWMA, and church fuckers for any help we can get," Adrian explained, giving his suggestion for how to proceed with the upcoming fight. Which, in essence, Adrian was willing to make the fitness center a final stand at the Alamo type situation.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Moelwyn Bach Mountain Pass, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
GM Post​

With the strategy formed and implemented, these misnamed Hellhounds proved of little difficulty. It was as suggested, their ability to displace themselves had both a limitation in distance and time. Once the first round of barrages came from Maria, Elly was able to kill not just one, but three beasts in one linear attack. With the initial chaos of the battle gone, it became fairly evident that the method of attack these beasts used was to swarm in number and confuse the enemy. When their numbers didn't work and their targets remained coordinated, their abilities shifted from an impossible to monotonous.

As it turned out, Maria would in fact not have to expend much of her mana for this type of attack. She needn't use the full power of her wind magic or even interweave her dolls into the fray, lest she simply desired to. Her complaints of not having trust or cooperation fell to the side as the coordination between them came easily. That misjudgement was easily forgivable given that encounter drastically lowered in difficulty and danger after the first volley of wind and slaughter of the beasts.

The shift in atmosphere was significant enough that even Wren would notice it, albeit indirectly. Madness could be a fickle thing. It spiked worst when the situation seemed most dire, but now that it had some semblance of stability, that little voice inside her had possessed so much less potential to encumber her. Quieter and quieter it grew while subsequently her focus and control grew in proportion.

While that didn't result in Zosar and Wren being at their full capacity, it did mean Wren was regulating his wavelength much more and her capacitor soul was now making him that wonderful tuned wavelength to use, which was so much easier to handle than his Volatile one. Not only that, but the weight from Wren returned to normal. This resulted in Zosar now being able to zip across the battlefield with little detriment to his speed. He might not have been quite as fast as Elly, but he still slashing through the beasts with easy.

Between the two of them and Maria with her wind, the beasts lost at least two dozen of their number in a mere minute or two. It was, by definition, a slaughter. These creates were intelligent enough to know when they weren't just at a disadvantage, but in fact were in danger. They began to flee, retreating into southern forest line from whence they came. Most of which didn't even try to dodge of phase on their way out, instead just frantically sprinting for their lives.

The fleeing beasts did not unfortunately mark the end of the battle. Sitting still as his brethren ran past him, he calmly waited for the situation to... resolve. He was much unlike the other creatures, though. Whereas they had odd tendrils and facial structures that could not be clearly identified as a cat, bat, fox, or any other animal directly, this one stood shaggy with pure mana radiating from its chest cavity and face, of which the mana poured out through the bone as if a thin wisp of a flame. Maria could see this pretty clearly as uniquely intense mana. She may be able to create fire or spin threads of mana, but to condense mana down into a visible, flame-like form was well outside of her raw skill. It was something even Mirai might struggle with in a creature as large as the one just south of them, which was also notable as this thing sat on its haunches but easily comparable to a grizzly bear in stature.

Not unlike the lynx from their encounter with the Leshy, this creature also spoke in an ominous, disembodied voice.

"I would congratulate you on your victory, but all you did was cull the young and those too weak to serve our mistress..." it told them, eerily unconcerned with the dead hounds that lay in front of it.

"I come with a message. Should you leave what you stole, our mistress will let you leave. If you refuse, my brother and I are to kill you. And, should you kill us instead, you shall inherit the curse of the night mother," it told them, speaking matter-of-factly. Fairly refined for a creature like itself, but also somewhat robotic. This meant it was likely long lived and well-trained more so than outright intelligent.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

 

[EmperorsChosen]

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

As the creatures began to run, Elly let a soft huff escape her. Even with the way her soul was, it was evident this was an exhale of relief. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as a new creature made itself known, sitting there as the others fled past it. Elly narrowed her eyes, just slightly, as she examined it. It carried itself different, signifying it was more intelligent even before it spoke to them. Then it did, and Elly looked at it with her soul suppression briefly before subtly scanning the surroundings with it. His words referring to his "brother" were not lost on her. That meant there was another that had not yet revealed itself. Best to be prepared, though Elly would nonetheless attempt to dispute. Avoiding a fight would be preferable in and of itself, threat of a curse aside.

"And pray tell, how would such curse apply to us?" Elly inquired rather civilly given the past occurrences. However, her form remained stern and ready. "Though, I must admit, I am somewhat glad you chose to make yourself known. You and your mistress ascribe to reason, I'm sure," She spoke, a tone similar to that of what she possessed at the beginning of their journey. "I do understand how this appear and feel to your mistress and Carys, however the fact remains that this relic is the original property of Death, and he wants it back. Fair? Perhaps not, after all it was neither your mistress nor Carys who orchestrated its theft, I'm sure. Nonetheless, it is his will and there is very little in this world that is fair."

Pausing a bit as she spoke, Elly once again scanned the surroundings, looking for a sign of ambush from the supposed brother. Her eyes briefly met Zosar's and then Maria, as if communicating to remain ready. "Let's say for instance that you slew us all and reclaimed the item... You would have successfully killed a meister with Super Soul Perception, a Death Scythe, sorceress apprentice of the witch of the Black Workshop, a Volatile Soul, and a Capacitor Soul Werewolf... which would paint quite the target on your mistress's back. Powerful as she is, do you or she or Carys honestly believe they can contend with Death?" She asked, baring a small, polite smile, as if it were a friendly warning. "Or, the alternative, your mistress could use this to her advantage. She and Carys both. After all, I'm more than sure Lord Kidd and DWMA would be ever so grateful for both's courteousness in returning the relic."

It was clear what Elly was insinuating. They were going to lose the relic either way and, even if they didn't, they would be declaring war. While this situation was a hit to the pride, it was not without its potential benefit. There had to be something both Fae wanted or would want outside of sending travelers down rabbit holes for shits and giggles, and the DWMA and Kidd had much reach and many resources. If the Fae truly were smart, they would exploit this as an opportunity.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Haze-

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: Page Private Academy, Southern LA, California
Interactions: Mister Prey, Kris, Adrian, Nadia, Dani
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Setting up the academy as their building of traps would have been a fun time if Mister Prey didn't keep setting off Raph's pride. The only saving graces from having a blown out problem was who Mister Prey worked for and his advice, which there was a lot of invaluable advice to be shared. Even if he did bark or snap because they had the wrong idea, that didn't diminish the value of his advice.

However, that also didn't stop Raph in his want to get back at him for bruising and stirring his pride, but he never told Mister Prey of his problem, nor did he want to mention it. It would have been seen as weak, and his pride surely would not take kindly to being ousted.

He was just glad Adrian was there, so it didn't feel like he was alone.

After chaining up the bishop guy Raph learned had the name of Cameron, he wondered just why he lacked an arm. Well, Nadia to be precise.

And speaking of her, he noted a strain between Nadia and Kris. They were both leaders it seemed, so they were going to naturally butt heads. With a flat expression, he was gladly going to sit around and wait until Kris got an important call.

A hoard of cultists heading their way from the… west? He was always confused by the eastward-westward movements. If it had something to do with toward, then they were heading toward the eastern direction, which means they came from the west.

At least, he wasn't so sure but it made sense. Granted, he was no leader, but having his own sense of direction would help grant him better bearings on what he needed to do.

Anyway, he was already aware that the cops couldn't do a thing to these guys, but a Paladin getting hurt? Those rust buckets of tin?

Having heard what they were capable of, he was surprised. Kris had a right to sound as concerned as he did.

Nadia took this as an advantage and seemed to think the leader was amongst them if a Paladin got hurt. They had them where they wanted them. He was a bit confused though, why bring the LAPD or the Church into this? Especially the Church?

Fuck the honor system, they chose to work for the Morningstars - or adjacent - to avoid working with the Church in the first place. He scowled. And their info piece wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, but they certainly didn't want prolonged conflict.

Adrian had the right idea, his emotions ever so passionate. He huffed appreciatively and patted the guy on the shoulder with a disarming smile, then spoke to Nadia directly. “He's got a point. This place is rigged with traps to high hell thanks to Mister Prey's guidance and advice, this is our home turf so we should use it. We can carve through them with our traps and tactics and separate the horde to offload the brunt of their attack, so those who deal the most damage can have an easier time dwindling their numbers without being overwhelmed. However, I'm not too keen on the Church getting involved. We chose to work with Charles and his men because they are exactly who we need and the Church would treat the rest of us - including these two fine gentlemen here - as if we're nothing better than the scum we're defending ourselves and this city from.” His pride stirred, a growl escaping him as he rubbed his chest.

“If the cops can't do shit, I doubt the SWAT can help, but they are much better than getting helped by the Church. I have a feeling they'll arrive anyway, but our last encounter with them nearly went to shit. Let's see what we can do in handling the horde that comes ourselves, ask for backup from reputable sources as necessary. Keep Cameron alive and move him if we must, considering we might not be able to capture the other bishops as easily as you did Cameron and his information is invaluable for any future reference. If the Church comes, we can take a step back, recuperate, and let them deal with the horde, so they are both weaker when we come back to the fray and can deal with the rest, and the Church if they get too rowdy with us, something I would prefer we don't have happen anyway but I feel given our team composition would be inevitable.”

His traps were rigged to activate on demand, something he was definitely going to use to his advantage of ensnare enough to act as a wall and make them head towards other directions if need be. If he's there, he can keep the chains from breaking by constantly mending them. He was a bit spent, but he can continue if need be.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Malta- Sept 22 | Rings: 0/1

All he did was flex a finger and four thorns of earth molded magic shot up from four different directions and trajectories, not even waiting to let the siblings speak. Ark didn't give a warning or even hesitate; he just swiped up and the attack immediately happened.

“Follow through however you see fit“ he informed Aki, Wes and Feng without looking their way.

Mentions: Merciless Medic

Interactions: RedArmyShogun Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Moelwyn Bach Mountain Pass, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
GM Post​

The creature cocked its head. Thin wisps of the key lime mana poured from the protrusions as its head moved, but without a face, it was nigh-impossible to discern the actual reaction of the beast.

It allowed Elly to finish her rant, but her words would truly fall on deaf ears. Even if the creature thought her words had reason greater than that of its master, it could by nature only listen to the orders given to it. Equally, it was limited by its intelligence; it inherently was simply unable to actually weigh the information in front of it.

"Our blood is cursed so that any mortal that should spill it shall thus be barren and bare no seed," the beast replied, answering her first question. Blunt, dry, and again, flat as if rehearsed a thousand times over. With it being so well-recited, it came with the side-effect of being quite matter-of-fact.

"Your haggling hath no weight here. We shall either slay you, curse you, or receive the mirror from you willfully," it went on, equally matter-of-fact, but less mechanic in how it came across as rehearsed. The head of the beast straightened and the atmosphere began to shift. Wren might be the most in tune with this type of bestial, spiritual shift, but eventually, even Maria as dull to the soul as she was could feel how eyes pressed upon her from the shadows.

The air also grew foul. Not poisoned, as it was with the Leshy. Instead, it literally became wretched with a fetid and putrid stench. A foul odor that permeated the air and once inhaled even slightly felt akin to breathing particles of dust as hung thick in the air. No single corpse could have recreated the intensity of the stench in a thousand years of rot and decay. No bacteria or fungi of this world could make flesh turn to such rancid, vile filth. Even Chanterelle, had she been present, would have found herself challenged to match the odious imposition of the air with her strongest of magics and most niche of knowledge.

Emerging from the North, thus from behind the group where many of the bodies of fallen hellhounds lay, another beast presented itself. Larger, more muscular, less refined, but in no way less intimidating. Like the other, condensed mana radiated from its eyes and mouth, though unlike the other it was of a red-orange color and had less of its skull and none of ribcage made translucent from the light. What lacked in magical intensity, it made up for in spiritual. Much like Zosar with his Volatile Soul, the spiritual pressure from this creature was in a tier all its own compared to the others, even the that spoke.

Between its soul and it being nearly double the size of the first, the threats made by the two might have managed to suddenly carry more weight.

"That is my brother: a Gwyllgi. Of the Hounds of Annwn, his kind is the most rare and powerful. Born from the same litter, but I am but a mere Barghest..." the first beast announced, a tinge of jealousy coming through his voice. The first real sign of emotion from it at all. It spoke as if the group should have known what a Gwyllgi and Barghest were, itself not being aware that all none within the group save Maria with some fringe information knew of any differentiation between these terms. All that might have been connected was that it self-identified them as Hounds of Annwn, which matched them being called Hellhounds before. Taxonomy in their era was clearly much more loose.

"As I doubt you have ever seen a Gwyllgi before, you shall be forgiven if you choose to forfeit the mirror and leave now. There is no shame in knowing you are bested," the beast told them, his tone so dry that it hardly came off as an insult. "Especially when it should serve to save your life," it added.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze- Meredith

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Daniella Ethalyn - Los Angeles, California
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

"...They must be desperate as shit, either to get him back or shut him up," Dani murmured after Kris spoke and Nadia. After having had some time to step away and compose herself, she was now back to her moody yet more polite and rational personality. She stood with folded arm, an index finger tapping somewhat anxiously against her bicep as everyone said their piece.

Nadia wanted to use the police and paladins. Adrian wanted to use the guy as bait and let whoever showed up do so. Raph seemed averse to dealing with the church as well. It wasn't as if Dani wanted to, though she was more concerned with the madness than anything else. Most of the team was sensitive to that kind of attack, which made just rushing in blindly problematic. Though, now that they knew about that, perhaps it would be different as they would know not to waste time and immediately incapacitate the bishops.

"I'm less worried about the other cult than I am the madness. I haven't felt a spike as strong as that before," Dani stated with a grumble. "We need to take the bishops out immediately. We bulldozed this dipshit because we ambushed him and it was three on three. Even if the bishop's surrounded by wimps, the numbers themselves could be enough to keep us from taking'em down quick enough..."

With a soft sigh, Dani hated this. It had been so long, she felt like she finally had a handle on it, only for that bishop to ignite her wavelength full throttle. She understood Adrian's point, but the madness spike truly worried her. Death forbid they both go off the rail and Sara too. Even if they didn't cause damage, the broaches would knock them out and make them dead weight.

Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Page Private Academy, Southern LA
​

With each and every one of them, minus Kris for a second round giving their opinions, it seemed at least in general none of them wanted to leave any of the areas they already had planted traps in. Adrian wanted to battle them and call for help, Raph seemed to believe they would easily blow them all over, and Dani brought up the fact up till now, they all bled madness, that was the main problem. Half of her team was just not reliable, and the broaches would put them out the longer this took. The mercenary had yet to voice his thoughts, and Nadia did want them, given as it currently stood he and the old man were an important part of their combat potential.

"The Gym may not be a bad idea, or making use of traps, but need I remind you, this enemy has time, time, and time again, made use of Madness when they were pressed or when they got near Dani, or learned of her. If we sit this out, your chances are not good, but this is not an ambush, they know to expect us. It is only in faith in our own battle abilities that we can deal with them, before one of them gets so thick in madness, that it feeds back and the collars, or ah, broaches, and leaves us at the mercy of the enemy." In the later regard, it was a big part of why Nadia did not like them, even the last legends of the DWMA gave in to madness partially to beat their foes, to stop Medusa and what she had unleashed.

Yet if they even stepped a toe into it, then they were put out of action. It was annoying, that throttle. "We also need to account for the fact the leader may be with them, though we should not forget what our mission was originally. I am also not expecting the friendship of the knights, nor asking for it. However, they are also here to destroy the enemy. What is your take on this, Kris? You are a mercenary and may have a bit more experience in having the door kicked in than being the one kicking it, plus it is not like you aren't unlike us in regard to the Church."

Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (NPCs) Merciless Medic (Sara, Raph)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

With all that had happened, and the response of Elly, the counter response, and the pure stench of the area, the weight of eyes upon her, the mist, realization of what was what, and her recollection of these figures based upon English and Scottish lore, would have Maria do one of the most human things imaginable, if not disgusting, or off putting to all the rest, she was a workshop witch and normally clean with her kills. She had even seen and smelled the dead and the dying, but this? Well, this was something else altogether, it lined up with the corruption and rot... The corruption and rot that Nadia and Dani had mentioned... Were these two black dogs corrupted with their master, or was this how they looked?

As her mind tried to settle those problems, the blonde-haired witch vomited, the stench, pressure and realization of what could be going on here was a bit too much. Getting it out of her system rather quickly, she covers her mouth and nose, leaving just enough space for her words to not be too muffled, fortunately enough time had passed since she last ate, for anything much aside from bile to come up. Then she did what Kisei didn't overly like, nor did she care if he didn't, she spoke and directly to Elly;

"T-this, the stench, how they look, they may have the same corruption of Fae that another team ran into not so long ago... That aside, given I know a little, these beasts have a hierarchy, and even intelligence, but as minions there are limits to what and how. But that said... that said this could be natural. The larger one is a black dog akin to those that defend the supposed otherworld, akin to the legend of the Cerberus in power and responsibility, while the other, though weaker is still much stronger than the others and better crafted in mind.

The curse, well he said what it was, lesser than being condemned to following the path of his master, but you should give up on trying to work out a deal with him, a minion formed by a mage cannot act outside of the role it was given, nor can it act against its master. They exist only because of the essence and will of said master. We should have done what Cary's requested. You may have not asked for it, but the laws of Magic and Fae are rather unknown to you all. Curses from a Fae are indeed real, nor easily broken, the same can be said of any curse. Ritual Magic is the only sure counter outside of having the one who made the curse to dismiss it.

We either leave the Mirror, we break the Black Dogs without killing them, or we pick one or more of our number to do the dirty work and become sterile. Bear in mind the phasing ability likely holds true with them. I need time to recollect the other properties for what we can expect, at the least they are harbingers of death and misfortune. We have just made an enemy out of this whole valley in all likelihood. It..."

It was tantamount to cowardice, in fact it was, but being a coward in the here and now may be the only option to save them all from misfortune. "...It is likely best that we leave the Mirror and return to London, they should send an offering and a druid to attempt to undo the damage that has been done. I have no wish to combat these things, the master will turn up sooner or later, and I am unsure if this stench is from the same sort of corruption or just these twisted forms. I can tell you this is unusual from the other cases I know of with the rotting faces.

It's that or a couple of you do most of the work and enact the sundering of your lines. The mirror that they casually lost and do not understand is better left here."

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

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Page Private Academy, Los Angeles, CA
GM Post (includes Kris & Adrian)​

Several simultaneous issues suddenly arose, causing an assault on the senses and reason the group--though primarily Nadia--had of the situation.

The DWMA comm link that was present, or which ought to be present, in the ear of every agent present shot them the same message:

"Attention all agents within the vicinity of Southern Los Angeles and its surrounding counties: two nearby MIBVI response teams are en route to provide support. ETA is approximately fifteen minutes. An Anti-Madness Task Force is en route from Death City, headed by agents Sunder and Miko. ETA is projected to be over three hours. Act accordingly and attempt to coordinate with local law enforcement."

Exactly as those words were being announced by the female voice over the communicator, Kris began to pour out more information of his own. He held his own earpiece closer to his ear, as if that tiny gesture gained him some type of increased clarity, but it also gestured to the group where he was getting his information from.

"The estimate is over a hundred in the horde. They're currently ransacking the Paramount Pictures Gate house. They were able to push back the remaining Paladin, killed two dozen or more knights, and all LAPD intervention is being withdrawn. They've killed security at the gate and civilians. Apparently, they're calling in reinforcements from the DWMA," Kris said, going over developments being fed in live from his police feed. The final portion of his speech did align with the report given via the communicator, even if it was annoyingly concurrent with it. More importantly, it painted a picture of just how bold these cultists were. They were on a warpath headed East and it appeared nothing was stopping them.

Right after announcing this information, Kris turned his attention more directly to Nadia. He intended on answering her question. There may have been friction between them, but an open line of communication was better than either one going off to do their own thing--and being killed for it. There still wasn't mention of if the leader was in this horde, but again, the horde did clearly demonstrate the ability to hurt one Paladin and push the other back. If each Paladin was, as suggested, on or above the relative level of Kris or Nadia, then that was no small feat. The Bishop they just fought had been taken out fairly easily, so either they grew considerably more powerful in number or their leader was in fact present.

Kris nor any of this deliberation got to see the light of day.

"No", Adrian announced. His tone was dry and flat, carrying a sense of finality with just that one word.

"I will not just sit here talking while people are dying," he told them. He was uncharacteristically calm. Or, perhaps, what was characteristic of him had changed over the last few months.

Which was doubtful given what he was about to do.

"I'm going to stop that horde head-on. Even if I broke out of this collar, they put a subdermal Madness Inhibitor under my shoulder blade. If I go mad, it'll knock me out. But I won't go Mad. Not while there is anyone I can save," Adrian said, explaining his rationale to the group. And, with it, was a fiery conviction. The young man, bold and idiotic as he may be, was being incredibly idealistic. In fact, his morale compass was demanding he play hero.

"And: it's not insubordination if you don't waste your time telling me not to," Adrian said, quite pointedly at Nadia. He knew her values. He knew just how pissed she would be that he was going to go off and do his own thing. He at least acknowledged it.

With a surge of his wavelength coursing through him, he darted off, headed straight North in the direction of the horde. Or, as best as his directionally-challenged self could. It was a horde. It couldn't be that hard to find. All the while, Kris saw this, cocked his head, and let a grin creep across his face. Absolutely this was a liability. It was a problem. It was a risk. It was stupid. It was ignoring all the risks, going in with no plan, headstrong and full of will.

He wanted to judge it, and truthfully, he still was on some level. But, he was plenty forgiving. Only because it was exactly what Rosé would do. In fact, it's likely exactly what she did do when she learned there were captives in the Fitness Center to be sacrificed. Kris and his lot had their Rosé, Nadia and her lot had their Adrian. Apparently, two sides of the same coin.

Mister Prey almost snarled, just barely withholding his disapproval before it became audible. Kris didn't offer that consideration; he instead gave a light chuckle. Humorous in part, yes, but there was a hint of condescension.

"I guess that's the fuckin' plan, then," he remarked, offering no resistance or argument about what just occurred in front of him. Clearly, he was not happy, but he was far less coarse and hostile than one might have expected given that Adrian just ran off on his own.

"Unless you want him to die alone, that is," Kris said, doubling back slightly upon the realization he had yet to receive any input from Nadia or the others. "I'm pretty confident we can kill anything that horde throws at us if we hit it hard enough together, but if you're not so sure of your own skills, I guess Mister Prey and me can try to save the little numbskull," Kris suggested.

Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

 

[Merciless Medic]

Malta, Mediterranean Sea

Dance With The Water Witch​

Gauss elected to continue channeling the ball of plasma that was generating the electromagnetic pulse. The lack of a direct attack meant that there would likely be some dialogue beforehand. Lo and behold, there was. The Witch and her monologue created a wonderful opening for him to continue interfering with communications for as long as possible. Even after he stopped, it would take some time for devices to return to normal. Many might require a restart, older systems may have been fried. If they had military-grade equipment, though, it would likely be fine and on a fifteen second timer.

At best, he might have bought thirty more seconds.

Gauss looked over to the Witch. She was a bit more daunting than the insect Witches from the Fool’s Festival. He couldn’t exactly perceive mana as Elly now could, but he could feel a certain type of presence that came from her. It was just more intense. Whether it was just her being battle worthy, or more royal, or her element, it was hard to tell, but he was fairly certain that her danger level was well above that Ant Witch he killed half a year ago.

”Now with all due respect, miss,” Gauss replied, turning his attention over to her as best he could, ”our only goal is to kill those two masked fucks. That’s why I’m trying to knock out comms.”

Internally, Gauss had to reassure his weapons, especially Arkayis in this scenario, believing that if he didn’t, what he had to say next might just cause a failure in their resonance, ’The plan is still to kill her, but we’re gonna try and lower her guard.’

Directly after, he shot a toothy smile to the Witch, trying to act as polite and suave as ever. ”They call me Gauss, I’m the leader, and I can assure you that once they’re dealt with, we’ll gladly be on our way,” he told her, nodding his head over to the side as if gesturing to leave.

”Unless you’d prefer some company. I haven’t ever seen purple eyes like yours before, but you’re pretty far away so I can barely make them out…”’ Gauss suggested, doing his best to lay down the game while also focusing on the complex resonance between his weapons.

Noah was glad they went with trying to subdue or kill off the bond duo, but now that there was a Witch here, he was less than enthused. She felt different than the other Witch they killed, not like that he could remember that time because everything felt so surreal when his nose and mind were supped up on snow. He knew what Gauss was trying to do, disarming the Witch and giving themselves more time, but he hardly figured it was a good idea to be so forthright with her. What if she told anyone else with some kind of magic fuckery? Groaning in their headspace, he just waited for the inevitable attack, focusing on their resonance and preparing for when there was a change in tactics. He spoke in their soul space, musing. ‘Be careful, she might ‘ave other comm abilities. If she’s usin’ water, we can shock ‘er into submission ‘n’ use fire to create a shower of mist ‘n’ steam to cover our movements. Plus, we got plenty of metal to use around ‘ere. At least, I think that’s magnetic. I hope that hair of ‘ers isn’t insulated…’

Arkayis wasn’t thrilled with the fact that the witch was now making her appearance of course he would love nothing more than to burn her until she was nothing more than an unrecognizable pile of ashes burnt to the ground with no evidence of her existence being known to the world. But Arkayis was also smart enough to know a bad matchup when he saw one and with the witch coming to them he wasn’t exactly thrilled in the least. While Arkayis was annoyed with the entire ordeal with Gauss adding to it with his typical flirtatious behavior whenever he saw a breathing woman. He was able to keep calm for the most part as they listened to Gauss explain things in their soul space. The witch was arrogant to say the least, that was something they could perhaps use to their advantage, so Arkayis was sorta fine with Gauss’s plan. ”Whatever it takes to kill her, do it, as long as she burns by the end of this, I really HATE smug water witches.” he said that in the soul space to make his intentions clear as he then started focusing on their resonance.

Listening to his words, the woman was unamused, no, she was disgusted by it in part. “Do not take me so lightly, Monkey. I have little and less to say to your revolting offer, and we both know you can’t just let me go.” Gliding mid air atop a water sprout she swung a single tendril out at the pair, as if to be probing them rather than sticking to the offensive.

A twinge of disappointment. They had come so far with their unorthodox strategy, but this Witch was not having it. Or, perhaps she had no reason to humor the attempt Gauss was making. If she were this powerful and likely this old, she was a relic of a different era. She might have just had hate or superiority in her veins instead of the impulses of other Witches who preferred to play with their food.

Her attack meant an end for his resonance. It meant that, at best, there was a minute of that EMP field, plus whatever extra time devices needed to reboot. That was what he gave Ark, Feng, Aki, and Wes to work with. He had no idea if it was enough, but then again, Noah brought up a valid point: even if he did shut down their comms, they may have already had other means to begin with.

”First and foremost,” Gauss shouted, hopping back and turning himself as he did so he may face this Witch instead of focusing on the battlefield that was no longer his. He poured his wavelength down the length of Arkayis, providing the scythe plenty of energy to work with. His goal was to keep as much of his hand from being revealed as he could. The Witch surely knew he had fire based on the ball of plasma, but magnetism and electricity might have alluded her.

”I can do whatever the fuck I want,” he continued, an emphatic and fairly obstinate response to her notion that he couldn’t just let her go. That same attitude of pure resistance poured over into his strategy for dealing with the aqueous tendril created by the Witch. If this Witch were to step back, Gauss would step forward, and that same forward movement would bring down a jet of Arkayis’ blue flames.

What in this world made people think water just immediately countered fire. Enough flames and water would explode into steam, just as this tendril did. This Witch bitch would need a lot more water than just one tendril to overpower Arkayis’ stupidly hot fire.

”And, just for the record, lady, a dozen Witches before you didn’t find that offer revolting; nor, did they regret it after,” Gauss added, intentionally allowing his arrogance to paint his words. True, there was a chance that confidence would be endearing, but the young Meister was now actively trying to taunt the Witch. If her attention was on him, it wasn’t on Feng and the others.

Only then did Gauss turn inward for some internal instruction, ’we’re gonna dance with this Witch. Buy as much time for Ark and the others to take out their targets so they can help us. If we get the upper hand, she’ll try to head to the coast. If she does, we’re gonna disengage. Four out of five is a win and we can hunt her down later for Arky.’
Gauss smirked.

’But, don’t get me wrong, fellas. If she slips up, it’s off with ‘er head and back to ashes,’ he added.

As much as Arkayis hated this witch, Arkayis was a bit satisfied that someone finally had enough sense to not entertain Gauss's antics, even if it didn’t play to their advantage. Arkayis was originally nervous when it came to dealing with this witch, but after seeing her in action his confidence grew a bit. He was honestly expecting a lot more water to begin with or at least some sort of underhanded tactic that she would have employed. But seeing her in action and Gauss saying that he would be able to take her soul if they are able to take her down, he felt way more motivation to burn the witch to dust. 'Sounds just perfect.' Even with his sister gone Arkayis still wanted to take as many Witch’s souls as he could, and her last goal for him when it came to Witch soul gathering has still been on his mind for quite some time.

Noah found it very amusing that the Witch didn’t care for Gauss’s attempts at flirtations. He stowed away his electrical capabilities, not wanting the Witch to find out he can manipulate lightning until it’s needed. While Gauss sent energy to Arkayis, Noah helped regulate Gauss’s wavelength because they’ll need a stupid amount of high heat to flash evaporate that water.

RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen @TheRegalRper Shotgunpenguin Peckinou Sir Les Paul

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: Page Private Academy, Southern LA, California
Interactions: Mister Prey, Kris, Adrian, Nadia, Dani
Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Ah, right, the madness. Raphael almost forgot about that. His broach should help, but he also doubted it. He nearly got affected in that prison. That slip scared the bejeezus out of him. Nadia was worried that the madness would make the traps moot. Granted, they may know to expect them, but they didn’t know what kind of tactics they’d employ.

The haunting sound of the woman detailing that the MIBVI response teams would arrive soon echoed in his mind and he gulped. He remembered those teams, although very vaguely. He remembered that they would kill anyone who was affected by madness, but that was during the time of MIBVI. This was a small event - one that could easily escalate - but hopefully, if one of them were to go mad, the response team wouldn't try and kill them first.

That is, if they don’t get this handled within fifteen minutes.

Kris gave his own input on the situation outside. People were dying, the horde had over a hundred members, twelve or so knights were killed, and the LAPD definitely weren’t going to get involved. It was getting worse, the attempt at trying to control the situation was slipping from their fingers, only for Adrian to run off.

Oh, sweet summer child… But he couldn’t fault him for it. Raphael was also willing to run into the fray, leave this all behind and destroy them. Adrian’s words at Nadia were humorous, given that’s not how she worked, but he watched him run off. Shaking his head, he looked at Nadia, then at Kris and Mister Prey. He saw Mister Prey’s face contort to one of disapproval, with Kris finding some reminiscence from it all. Interesting.

Before Nadia could give the order, Raphael shouldered his bag a bit more securely and huffed. “Well, I’m sure as hell not letting Adrian die out there alone. Let’s make the most out of these fifteen minutes before the MIBVI response unit gets here. I don’t want that kid’s death on my conscience.” And given how his pride would take a hit if one of his team members died or gets affected by madness and he could’ve done something about it, he’d be in an even worse state if he didn’t help. He even glanced at Dani before looking back at Nadia, as if expressing this same sentiment to her weapon partner. Resonance would become nigh impossible if Dani lost Adrian, or couldn’t be out there to help him.

With that, he also ran off to catch up to Adrian, wanting to support him with whatever he had on hand. He even dismantled some more physical traps on his way out, making sure to collect some of the grenades and whatever would be good use against that weird blood of theirs.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Kisei☆Hoshi​

Deadsoul​

Species Death Golem
Partner Eloise Keegan
Rank Two-Star

Location Moelwyn Bach Mountain Pass, Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
Mission A Reflection of Question
Status Excited

​

Tags: The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

While Maria spewed information she had stitched together from her time researching mythology, the Barghest used said time to begin demonstrating its unique ability. One that would immediately increase the intimidating from the hound, if its size and faceless nature were not enough.

It did not move from its place. Instead, it belched out its own breath attack. It was not the rotting stench of corpses long decayed of the Gwyllgi. No, it was a magical, blue-green mist that simply poured over the ground, hardly an inch or two above the ground. It didn’t need to fill the air quite the same way that the stench did.

Instead, what it did was draw back the souls of its fallen brethren and begin to stitch their corpses back together with haphazard seams of glowing green light that matched that which emanated from the faceless crater that was the head of the barghest. The once living souls now embed themselves in these patched together bodies with the simple caveat they were now undead souls, zombies in the truest form.

A twinkle of excitement came from the soul of Kisei.

’I didn’t bring this up yet, but…’ Kisei said, specifically to Elly from within their shared connection, ’I did use the mirror when I had the chance.

With the inference that he now knew his Death Scythe abilities in full, or at least what their full extent was for now without training, he began to utilize one of them. It was another form, but in the way of a shift weapon. No, this was a whole new, more magically-inclined capability that came with the territory of his weapon evolution.

The curved nature of the spine that was his polearm shaft straightened and the blades that once came from skulls on the end of each head liquefied, returning to the shaft. This in effect left the double-headed scythe as more of a staff, which only became more apparent when the skull head on his top most end grew larger, emerging out from its metallic base as a true white skull, as if it were always present there, only hidden by layers of steel.

’Slam me into the ground and feed me your wavelength,’ Kisei instructed, bordering on jubilant to show just what he could do here.

Elly let out a soft sigh at the remark of the creature. While she didn’t expect them to just go for it, it was still disappointing. It explained why magical creatures and beings so often were felled by mere mortals centuries their junior. The greatest concern here was the curse rather than the power of the beasts, yet she was sure the Fae considered them inferior still.

‘...That may have been nice to know,’ Elly replied somewhat tiredly, but didn’t build off that comment. He was excited, that much she could tell, and he did say earlier that he had some trick that made it so even Ao was no threat, which provided some comfort.

She watched as his form shifted into a staff, though she presumed it wasn’t just the bluntness that he was thrilled about. Eyeing its form for a moment, she raised the staff overhead. “I’m trying… something…” She gave warning to the others. ‘I’m going to assume you aren’t going to get me cursed,’ She added internally before slamming the staff down, pouring her wavelength into the weapon.

’I’m not killing anything that wasn’t already dead,’ Kisei responded, his tone half-sarcastic.

He could feel her wavelength doing exactly what he needed it to. Empowering his form and unlocking the new abilities he possessed. Abilities that belonged neither to Meister or Demon Weapon… but instead, Shinigami.

’Besides, these are magical beasts–not Fae. They don’t have some Fae curse and any curse these weaklings would put on us could easily be dispelled back at HQ,’ he pointed out, more dryly and matter-of-fact, as if this should have been clear from the beginning. But then, he was the veteran Monster Hunter after all. Fae could be tricky, too, and he could easily be underestimating them.

The jaw of the skull atop the staff cracked wide open and with it created a vortex, sucking in and consuming the Undead Souls around them. Two. Four. Six. Eight. All up until every single soul the Barghest brought back had been sucked into the mouth of the skull and quite literally being consumed. This was indeed a unique effect as normally only Human Souls, corrupted or otherwise, could be consumed by a Demon Weapon. A Shinigami was the master of souls and had no such limitation.

Kisei had apparently picked up that same trait.

The sheer boost in power from consuming twenty-some-odd souls at once, bestial or not, was not something that could be ignored. For both Elly and Kisei, it would be nothing short of snorting cocaine. It would fill them to the brim with energy and drive, alleviating the problem of conserving their wavelength for the long night. At least, for now.

More importantly, it created an abundance of leftover mana. Each soul was the soul of a magical creature and thus had some form of inert mana inside of it. Elly nor Kisei could make any real use of this, but someone on their team could. Someone that Kisei could give it to, so long as Elly pointed him in the right direction.

’Aim me at Maria and pour wavelength into me as if you were going to shoot an arrow,’ he instructed further, ’and, don’t worry, I’m helping, not hurting.’

‘That also would’ve been nice to know…’ Elly remarked blankly, though the lack of a curse removed one such issue to worry about. However, the burst of energy from the income of souls perked her up instantly. ‘...Did you just fucking eat them all?’ She asked with clear surprise but didn’t dwell on it.

As he gave his next instruction, it took her a moment but Elly followed his logic, or what she presumed he had in mind. She pulled the staff from the ground and aimed it almost akin to a rifle at Maria. “I’m giving you the leftovers,” She said, warning Maria on the off chance the sorceress thought she had spontaneously decided to attack. “Also, apparently the curse is bullshit, or at least the hounds are incapable of such a feat.”

’Sure did. I’ll explain later,” he told her, realizing they didn’t exactly have the time for a full debrief of his new traits. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure what all of them meant to begin with.

Kisei remained focused right up until the point where Elly elected to hold him like a rifle. It would work, but look ridiculous… he was clearly a staff. Oh, this sweet Irish child. If he could have snorted inside his own soul, he would have.

What came next after the warning Elly provided was a burst of mana straight out of the mouth of the skull. Crackling like electricity and flying nearly as fast, it hit Maria on her broom with next to no force. As menacing as it looked, it had little physical effect. However, what was truly going on what remarkable. It was a feat that even a regular Demon Weapon shouldn’t be capable of performing. The mana that hit Maria was being converted into her personal mana, something that should only be possible either by her own soul or a Witch the likes of Maba herself.

…or someone gifted with the spiritual talents of a Shinigami.

The implication of this feat was something Maria would be able to mull on later. In this exact moment, she would find herself even more profoundly empowered than Elly. For the Meister, it was a side-effect of what happened to her partner. For Maria, this was direct. The amount of personal mana she received was even greater than her own natural stores. Arguably, it would be a waste if it was not spent as she couldn’t conceivably maintain that volume.

More so, that much raw power was invigorating. The body of the sorceress might not have been as in tune as a proper Witch, but every fiber in her body was still in fact designed on a genetic level to work with mana, specifically her own. To call it a second wind would be an understatement. This was more like giving her with a typhoon.

’Also, Elly, my beautiful rose, that is not how you hold me in this form… ‘ Kisei remarked, doing his best to hold back internal laughter at her misuse of his form.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Vale of Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales​

Airborne and out of the way of everything, Maria could hear the words that Kisei had to say, or rather, the words that Elly had to say, as a strange ritual of power being gathered and summoned was playing out. Could the curse be fake? No, it likely was. If the dogs were cursed, then the curse would carry across them all. Though the notion of, it being specific to if the blood touched her, that was a new thing. Or rather a specific, and one, that unless they got their blood on them... One was fourteen feet tall, the other around eight. Blood did not shoot like a rocket didn't it? And was it rebuilding its comrades? Just what were Kisei and Elly doing?

It was clear these were impowered by another, they weren't actual Fae, she could not do a curse upon her own summoned creature, most couldn't, only those who were experts in curse magi could do that. As she wiped her mouth clean and her thoughts processed, she fell back on a chat she had said before. "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me...." Though made up by a human and long ago, she found its words were true and of value.

It was then that Kisei seemed intent on blasting her in his new form, steeling herself, she remained stationary some thirty feet in the sky.

With only the visual to serve as a warning, she wanted to wince as the blast hit her dead center, ingulfing her form. But it didn't hurt, as her eyes turned red, as was the case when she allowed her mana to flow through her, when she used it to the fullest extent, this was that and even beyond, in a manner it actually hurt to attempt keeping this power in. It wasn't malicious on his part however, but from her earlier theorizing, she was the most adapt at hitting them and escaping any effects should the dog not be a liar, even as it tried to frighten them more.

"Keep Clear. Move in once the dust settles if you must." The Sorceress said across the team comms, firstly she sent in her Alicia to hold the smaller of the hounds in place, the red line strand disconnecting soon thereafter as a green sheen overtook her doll, sending it to rush in and grapple the smaller of the two with all of its might and weight, with this enhancement she could brute force her spells, the range and the multiple castings needed in a short order, as she vocalized her spells, for the sake of the rest more than for herself... She would need to apologize for her earlier behavior... Provided this worked and her gamble on the curse was true.

"Penultimate!" Casting the spell a green wisp of wind passed over them all, a veil of aether descended upon the meisters, weapons and herself, as with the earlier battles, this should protect them from contamination to an extent. Next a number of spell circles appeared in the air above and around the two enemies, 4 per each, though the circles around the bigger one were large in size and complexity. Around the smaller one who was kept in place, orbs of wind gathered at each point along the sides, a pale visible green as it suddenly exploded, the wind blasts from before, but of a weaker strength while the middle one became a wind explosion bearing down atop the talkative Barghest. "Wind Explosion!"

On the other side however, all four circles became the much larger Wind Explosion, sucking in air the igniting with a spark at super close range of the Gqyllgi. On both targets massive amounts of Mana was expelled to create her magic crafted Fuel-Air bomb. As debris and dust settled, the outcome of the strike was yet to be seen as Maria stayed up with what mana she had left, up in the sky to wait and watch.

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