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Fantasy The King's Summoning (IC)

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”Let the summoning begin.”

A heavy voice boomed throughout the summoning area, echoing into the distance due to the lack of furniture and voices. Eyes went to each other hesitantly before footsteps could be heard scattering around, going to their respectful circle carefully engraved into the ground. Otherworldly symbols and inscriptions written down which no person would be able to read unless they studied the words of the gods diligently. The ones dressed in black cloaks finally got into position and so the chanting began, filling the ears by the few guardians of the King and the man himself, all their focus directed into one direction only: the royal wizards. There was a great sense of tension around as they didn’t know if their plan would succeed nor if they would be able to summon the right kind of people for this kind of job. Especially since their task was to protect this world from evil lurking around pretty much everywhere, waiting to strike in the right moment.

The chanting grew louder and so began the rumbling of the stones around them, the earth shook and some rubble even fell onto the ground without mercy. The guardians being practically forced to protect the wizards now from incoming damage which would most likely disrupt the summoning. Luckily enough, nobody “important” got hit and so they made it to the final sentence of the ritual: ”Come forth, thy otherworldly heroes.”

A flash resonated from within the circle, illuminating (almost blinding) everyone inside with the brightest of lights. A thundering sound was to be emitted from the skies and balls of fire were soon seen falling down at rapid speeds. The people ran outside to the courtyard where they had better vision of what was coming, seeing that they didn’t have any possibility to stop themselves from crashing down by the speed they were in, the wizards got together once more and formed something of a bouncy castle for when they came into landing. About two minutes later when everything was set, they braced for impact for whenever somebody would even miss the landing spot so they could react in time with water blobs that would catch them.

Once everyone had seemed to land in place, the King welcomed them in a form of relief and excitement: ”Welcome my heroes!”

---

Exhan POV

So, here he was standing in the middle of the summoning room which was barely used at all the last years with the perfect idea of summoning people from other worlds to join them in this ridiculous task. Hell, for as far as he knew, they probably wouldn’t even have much experience in the fields of combat, even the farmers would probably know more about it than them. That was him thinking in the worst-case scenario but when did it ever go right with their summonings in the first place? The last time before they stopped using this sort of magic, they called upon a freaking giant dog from hell instead of this so-called Pegasus from the heavens. Oh yeah, so much fun to get that thing out of the way before it could entirely destroy the city they had JUST REBUILT. It was too ridiculous for words especially since the King would just think of it as a minor mistake despite the lives that were lost during that week. Yes, it went on for a damn entire week...

His arms crossed over each other, he stayed nonetheless due to the bonus he received for accepting to go along with this crap, focusing his entire attention towards the circle just in case some monstrosity would come out of it. However, unlike previous summonings, the earth actually started rumbling. Having to scatter around to punch back bricks and stones from falling onto the wizards who couldn’t move from their spot or who knew what else would happen to them, to all of them. Swearing under his breath whenever he got rid of some rubbish, some of them being quite close as there was quite some falling down to the ground. After about a good five minutes, it stopped and then a light that was so bright, he had to close his eyes emanated from nowhere. Grunting as it actually hurt even with his eyes closed and then… nothing.

Just as he was about to say that they failed again, the King pointed towards the outside where fireballs were literally falling down from the skies… With humans in them? He cracked a smile with how ridiculous this all seemed before having to follow them to the courtyard. ”I wonder what we’ll do if we can’t catch one.” He commented, making a splat sound and motioning so with his hands which received some glares from other guards as he took this a bit too lightly. Merely shrugging it off as the less he had to care about, the faster this would go. Honestly, he wasn’t one to babysit newbies after all he had gotten through…

RageFactorXIII RageFactorXIII Uasal Uasal Pacificus Pacificus Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread Corrosion Corrosion sunnieside sunnieside eloise eloise Hexblood Bandit Hexblood Bandit Synthetic Synthetic















the halfling






Exhan.
















  • filler tab!










♡coded by uxie♡


”Let the summoning begin.”

A heavy voice boomed throughout the summoning area, echoing into the distance due to the lack of furniture and voices. Eyes went to each other hesitantly before footsteps could be heard scattering around, going to their respectful circle carefully engraved into the ground. Otherworldly symbols and inscriptions written down which no person would be able to read unless they studied the words of the gods diligently. The ones dressed in black cloaks finally got into position and so the chanting began, filling the ears by the few guardians of the King and the man himself, all their focus directed into one direction only: the royal wizards. There was a great sense of tension around as they didn’t know if their plan would succeed nor if they would be able to summon the right kind of people for this kind of job. Especially since their task was to protect this world from evil lurking around pretty much everywhere, waiting to strike in the right moment.

The chanting grew louder and so began the rumbling of the stones around them, the earth shook and some rubble even fell onto the ground without mercy. The guardians being practically forced to protect the wizards now from incoming damage which would most likely disrupt the summoning. Luckily enough, nobody “important” got hit and so they made it to the final sentence of the ritual: ”Come forth, thy otherworldly heroes.”

A flash resonated from within the circle, illuminating (almost blinding) everyone inside with the brightest of lights. A thundering sound was to be emitted from the skies and balls of fire were soon seen falling down at rapid speeds. The people ran outside to the courtyard where they had better vision of what was coming, seeing that they didn’t have any possibility to stop themselves from crashing down by the speed they were in, the wizards got together once more and formed something of a bouncy castle for when they came into landing. About two minutes later when everything was set, they braced for impact for whenever somebody would even miss the landing spot so they could react in time with water blobs that would catch them.

Once everyone had seemed to land in place, the King welcomed them in a form of relief and excitement: ”Welcome my heroes!”

---

Exhan POV

So, here he was standing in the middle of the summoning room which was barely used at all the last years with the perfect idea of summoning people from other worlds to join them in this ridiculous task. Hell, for as far as he knew, they probably wouldn’t even have much experience in the fields of combat, even the farmers would probably know more about it than them. That was him thinking in the worst-case scenario but when did it ever go right with their summonings in the first place? The last time before they stopped using this sort of magic, they called upon a freaking giant dog from hell instead of this so-called Pegasus from the heavens. Oh yeah, so much fun to get that thing out of the way before it could entirely destroy the city they had JUST REBUILT. It was too ridiculous for words especially since the King would just think of it as a minor mistake despite the lives that were lost during that week. Yes, it went on for a damn entire week...

His arms crossed over each other, he stayed nonetheless due to the bonus he received for accepting to go along with this crap, focusing his entire attention towards the circle just in case some monstrosity would come out of it. However, unlike previous summonings, the earth actually started rumbling. Having to scatter around to punch back bricks and stones from falling onto the wizards who couldn’t move from their spot or who knew what else would happen to them, to all of them. Swearing under his breath whenever he got rid of some rubbish, some of them being quite close as there was quite some falling down to the ground. After about a good five minutes, it stopped and then a light that was so bright, he had to close his eyes emanated from nowhere. Grunting as it actually hurt even with his eyes closed and then… nothing.

Just as he was about to say that they failed again, the King pointed towards the outside where fireballs were literally falling down from the skies… With humans in them? He cracked a smile with how ridiculous this all seemed before having to follow them to the courtyard. ”I wonder what we’ll do if we can’t catch one.” He commented, making a splat sound and motioning so with his hands which received some glares from other guards as he took this a bit too lightly. Merely shrugging it off as the less he had to care about, the faster this would go. Honestly, he wasn’t one to babysit newbies after all he had gotten through…
 
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  • filler

















The sensation of falling was strange to her, oh so very strange. She smelt fresh air. That crisp, clean smell you notice from a cool gust of a wind, or standing on top of a mountain? It's that. She heard the loud rush of wind. it sounded similar to static from blowing into a microphone, or the loud sound in your head the moment you splash into water. It is not harsh or painful, but it is too loud to carry on conversation. Perhaps she should be scared. After all she was quite literally enveloped in a ball of fire and was speeding towards the ground, speed only continuing to increase more but she wasn't. She didn't know what was happening but she wasn't scared. The harsh winds forced her to keep her eyes open and so she did. Through watered eyes she saw everything. The other fire balls around her racing towards the same destination to the specks of figures down below.

It was when the sight of the ground became closer that her mind really started to become clearer. Was this some sort of sick nightmare? Xiu's eyes widened at ornate symbols and inscriptions sprawled across the floor. However that's not what surprised her, it was how close she was to becoming paste! The only thing the young girl could do was close her eyes tightly and brace for impact. Yet the pain she was ever so expecting never came. Rather, it was something soft and bouncy that accompanied her fall. Xiu boldly peeked open one eye before finally opening them both. Her body looked completely fine and bore no injury. Bewildered would be an understatement to describe how she was feeling at the current moment.


"Welcome my heroes!"

​
A loud voice resonated throughout the courtyard. It was too loud for her taste. Her head lifted up and her eyes widened for a second time. This time from amazement. The man whom has spoke wore clothes befitting of a king, literally. The people beside the imposing man looked strong, mysterious and had a sense of power to them. There were even people dressed in black cloaks. These people were something straight out of those historical dramas she watched or the fantasy novels she read! Irrevocably her gaze came to fall upon a man staying center stage. His scarlet red eyes caught her off guard. The whole entire situation caught her off guard but those eyes.. they specially caught her off guard. Was he wearing colored contacts? Xiu shook her head. She needed to clear her thoughts and figure out what the hell was going on.


Slowly she stood up, smoothing down her dress of any acquired wrinkles during the fall. "Excuse me. May I ask what's happening?" Xiu had officially turned all the attention towards her. It was scary she had to admit. But she wasn't going to show that. Her mother had taught her never to show fear in the face of uncertainty. Though she pulled down her dress sleeve a little lower to hide a trembling hand.








yu xiu




the bearer of light











summoners, king, etc










Clouds Clouds [/USER]













♡coded by uxie♡
 
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Presently Unnamed, Mysterious Businessman

There was a muffled, faraway shout as he started to awaken. Numerous perplexing phenomena assailed his senses simultaneously, their salience progressively and uncomfortably increasing as the strange, inky blackness was replaced by light. The businessman’s full suit began to violently rustle as he began his descent towards his new home. Air rushed past him in an unbelievable gale. His carefully-organized and gelled hair immediately disheveled into a matted mess of oily collagen. He covered his face with both arms, trying to protect his eyes from the increasingly discomforting wind. He didn’t bother verbally expressing his surprise, as all he could hear was the incredibly distracting sound of air rushing by. He tried blinking open his eyes to catch a glimpse of what was happening to him, but all he noticed was that his sleeves were apparently on fire – not that he found that fact to be especially important at the moment.

Of course, the businessman didn’t bother opening his eyes. He considered what he could possibly do in the situation he was in, and came up with several possible outcomes.
1. Perhaps there is something I can reach out and grab onto to slow my descent?
A. I am probably in free-fall right now. Even glancing along a surface would probably turn me into mush. I would have to sacrifice at least a limb or two to even have a noticeable effect, and even that probably wouldn’t make the fall survivable. Might as well stay in one piece until I land.

2. What if I extend my arms and legs out? Surely increasing my surface area would slow me down?
A. But that would require effort, and it would be even more uncomfortable. Besides, it probably won’t slow me down that much, like in Q1. Besides, what If I land like that? Then I'm dead for sure!

3. Maybe I should just wait for my inevitable death and think about other things with my last moments?
A. Yeah, that sounds about right. Let’s do that.

Needless to say, the remainder of his fall was rather boring. He more-or-less ignored the remainder of his fall, opting to close his eyes tightly and consider his various thoughts. Of course, the impending doom awaiting him did distract him a few times during the two minutes in which he continued to descend. But he seemed to be really distracted with something as he finally smacked into a surface.

At first, it felt like he slammed into concrete. However, after floating about for a few seconds, he realized that he was not, in fact, submerged in wet concrete. The moment he seemed like he was about to start trying to swim upwards, the water around him wooshed away, leaving him lying on the ground in a heap. He quickly wiped the water out of his eyes and shot up. He blinked a few times to clear the residual water, and looked around.

The first thing he noticed was a guy in a black robe that seemed to be a few feet away, the likes of whom looked rather relieved. The second thing he noticed was the guy’s rather pointy ears. The businessman raised an eyebrow. He then looked down at himself. As if taking inventory, he patted himself down. Despite being utterly soaked, his suit was still, at least temporarily, correctly configured. He seemed surprised by this remarkable miracle, and shakily rose to his feet, noting the various other items that appeared to still be in the places about his person which he left them in.

He then continued to look around once more. The sight of a massive blob of gelatin and of several other blobs of water appearing and disappearing, as well as that of a few meteor-like objects slamming into these objects, certainly caught his attention. However, they only served as a momentary distraction. As he brushed his hair to the side and adjusted his suit back into place, he looked around at the remarkable variety of people around him. He raised an eyebrow once more, this time looking perplexed. The person who caught his attention most strongly was the fellow with white hair and body armor. Their eyes met for a brief moment, but the businessman’s eyes narrowed at the other fellow’s expression.

Once the guy welcomed the other meteor-people, the businessman sighed. The robed guy beside him seemed to urge him along, so he reluctantly started making his way over to the area where the giant gelatin blob was located not too long ago, to gather with the other meteor-people. He didn’t bother responding to the fellow’s warm welcome. Rather, he seemed to be inspecting the other meteor-people and trying to keep his composure. The sopping-wet suit certainly didn’t help, with respect to the later.
 
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Dalton Redcap l Skies over Avaria

"PANIC! PANIC! PANIC!" Dalton's mind screamed at him as he lost and then regained consciousness repeatedly. He was surrounded by an infinite black, unlike anything he had ever experienced. It felt deep and all encompassing, yet completely empty. His eyes strained to see in the dark. Then, he realized he was breathing. Was he still surrounded by water? He couldn't tell. Dalton's thoughts and feelings were intensified by the complete lack of sensory input from the black that surrounded him. He hadn't even been able to put a coherent thought together before a tiny mote of light appeared before him. Suddenly, he was falling.

The wind in his face didn't even register to him at first. The height. The falling. None of it. His senses came back to him steadily. He realized he was encapsulated in a fireball and free-falling. Then, he started to panic, again. He formed his first coherent thought since he died. "Am I going to hell?!" He wanted to start screaming, but kept his wits about him. It was a struggle. He was so disoriented, he wanted to throw up and blackout from the sheer amount of "Cannot be" that surrounded him. The first thing he noticed was that the flame seemed to be shielding him from the wind shear. He could open his eyes without being assaulted by the force. What he saw beneath him didn't look like Hell itself. In fact, it looked rather nice. He was taken aback. What he saw before him was a nice sprawling castle of stone construction, surrounded on all sides by sprawling green hills. But he didn't have time to take it all in. He was still falling at extreme speed towards this mysterious castle that was quickly getting closer.

Dalton braced for impact as the ground grew closer. He fully expected to die... again, in the next few seconds. Only, he didn't. There a sudden splash and a feeling of weightlessness. As he opened his eyes, he caught the last few seconds of himself being enveloped into some kind of floating puddle of water, that promptly spat him back out. He was deposited gently onto the stone ground. Quickly, he sat up and rubbed some residual water off his face. He wasn't as wet, he thought he would be. He looked around at everything. The courtyard, the runes, the cloaked individuals. He two that stood out. A very kingly looking man and another who seemed to really like the color red. He was immediately suspicious of both.

Dalton pushed himself off the ground and quickly triaged himself, amazed to find no burns or cuts to himself. Not even his clothes. His tools were gone though. He reached for his ankle, where his fish flayer was kept, only to find the useful blade was gone. Seeing that no one appeared to be immediately threatening him, he relaxed. He rotated his shoulders and neck and as he was doing so, saw that other people were falling around the courtyard. Most landed on a soft cushion, others landed in orbs of water. Someone, an Asian woman with brown hair, asked the big question on his and no doubt everyone else's mind: "What is happening?"

Dalton hadn't relaxed. Adrenaline was still coursing through him. He awaited an explanation.
 
swipe left on name tag to see extra stuff; click on lightning tab or wind tab to read both characters' posts










  • markus grant


    MOOD: cranky and confused
    location: the sky > summoning room
    mentions: Clouds Clouds (brief) eloise eloise (brief)
    OOTD: that ugly ass salmon polo and poop-colored
    slacks uniform from that electronics store



    /*bottom text*/


    To be honest, Markus thought he would end up in someplace like purgatory, but certainly not hell. Or was it even hell? Or maybe he was supposed to go to hell. He didn’t do anything remotely horrendous when he was alive. Now that Markus thought about it, he wondered if he was going to hell because he smoked the devil’s lettuce recreationally. He supposed that maybe there was a legitimate reason why many people gave that drug that nickname. Honestly, if Markus was going to hell because of that, then it was definitely worth it. But then again, he had this weird feeling in his chest that maybe he actually didn’t die. Instead, he was going somewhere else.

    For instance, he still had all his five senses. From the ghost adventure tv series he had sporadically watched in the last couple of years, he had learned that ghosts or souls lost their sense of touch and smell. The flames surrounding him were not hurting him, it just felt warm and comforting. If Markus was a ghost, he would not have felt the warmth from the flames nor the gushing winds blasting his face as he fell. That was when he registered he was indeed falling. The falling man quickly shut his eyes to avoid the wind making his eyes watery. Markus wondered if he should leave them open so he could see where he was going to land. Nah, too much work, he thought.

    As Markus continued to fall, he tried to recall what had happened before he ended up maybe dying. He remembered that he had overslept his alarm, so he ended up being late for work. Then Markus rushed himself to put on that godawful outfit. Oh god, did he die in his ugly ass work uniform? That would be the worst way to go out. Markus remembered he ran out of his apartment without his glasses. Next, he carelessly stepped on the crosswalk without paying attention to the stoplight. Suddenly, he felt himself getting hit by what felt like a train and felt himself flying in the air as he slowly lost consciousness.

    Macy.

    He left Macy all by herself.

    The only family she had left was him, and now he was gone.

    Markus immediately opened his eyes, and when he did, the ground seemed to be mere inches from his smashing his head in. Before he could even scream, he found himself being enveloped in something wet, cool… and airy? Markus held his breath and looked around to see that he was in some kind of liquid sphere that cushioned his fall. As quickly as he fell in the orb, it spat him out just as quickly.

    Markus let out a small grunt as he landed on his bottom. He stood up and started rubbing his tiny injury while scanning his surroundings. The scenery before him reminded him of those fantasy MMORPGs that he used to play when he was a kid. There was the stereotypical castle in the background with a clear sky and a couple of clouds. There were those random mages (he assumed they were with the black robes and all). This big ol’ guy dressed as if he was the king (what gave it away was that he was wearing that gigantic crown). A couple of random people dressed in fantasy clothes like they were a part of the cast of a fantasy movie. There was a man with white hair and scarlet eyes who looked like he would be the secret back-stabbing traitor plotting in secret. He also saw on the left side of this king character that there was a small, blonde woman who looked like she’d be the one to give him a bunch of useless side quests. A-Am I in a coma, and is this what I dreamt up?

    To confirm his hypothesis, he looked at what he was wearing and groaned. Of course, he was wearing that ugly salmon polo with the poop-colored pants for that awful electronics store. What’s worse was that he was slightly wet from being in that weird water sphere, which means he was walking around with slightly wet socks. Yep, this was indeed hell, and he woke up in a strange hellish MMORPG. Markus sighed in defeat and realized other various people looked like they were not part of this world. He noticed a slightly tall, disheveled yet dashing businessman, a frazzled fisherman, and more. Markus saw a very young girl who appeared to be of Asian descent speaking up to ask what was happening. Oh, that was a good question to ask, and here was another possibly good question.

    “Are we dead? If so, what is this place? Definitely doesn’t look like hell to me… unless Satan’s way of punishing people is to torture them with slightly annoying inconveniences such as wearing wet socks.”




/*do not remove credit*/
dead or alive.
coded by weldherwings
 
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ROOK

​
CNE Colony World Huygens-381d "Aeternitas"
May 3, 2219

A flare was dropped down a towering vertical shaft, hitting the ground far below with a muted thump that echoed throughout the odd cavernous space. It was burning bright, and illuminated the metallic surface of the surrounding surfaces with a fierce red glow, hissing and trailing black smoke from the intense exothermic reaction.

A few moments later a series of cables came dangling down, coiling slightly at the bottom as they met the ground, and soon, a figure clad in a full suit of gear came sliding down. Its feet touched the ground and it took a moment to look around, lights on its helmet panning across the area as he performed a sweep with his compact firearm. Once it was certain that there weren't any threats or hazards around, it turned away.

"Area's safe, guys," the figure spoke in a male voice. "You can come down here."

The other cables seemed to quiver slightly. Then five others joined the first at the bottom, all clad in similar gear. There was one more, this one clearly not humanoid at all, but resembling an odd robotic dog.

"What've we got, Rook?" One of the others asked, approaching the first.

Rook, as he was seemingly named, had his attention fixed on a point up ahead. "Got a door up front," he said. "Looks open."

"Well, thank God for that!" Another exclaimed in relief. "It was already a bitch to get into this place."

"Not exactly sure how I feel ripping open some ancient alien ruins..." Rook muttered.

A member of the team gave a rather exaggerated sigh. "If you wanna find another way in here, be my guest," she said. "It's how things work, rookie. Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. That's how it's always been, even with ruins back on Earth."

Rook bit his lip at that, but decided not to comment. "Right, right," he said. "We should get moving."

He led his team inwards, towards the opened door. In different circumstances it would have seemed like a trap, an invitation to their deaths. But these ruined had been abandoned for millions of years, by whatever alien species had come before them, so it was more likely that they had ceased functioning a long time ago, before man even walked on two feet.

It was fascinating, really. The Pathfinders of the Far Passage had merely been dispatched a few days ago to scout out the areas surrounding the fledgling colony, and to take samples of the soil and native life. Huygens-381d, or Aeternitas as it had been now named by the colonists, was already a fairly hostile world filled with numerous predatory creatures and irregular weather patterns. Perhaps its only saving grace was how resource-rich it was. Once they got past the initial colonisation stage it was sure to blossom into a thriving colony.

Discovering ancient alien ruins was something that nobody had expected. For centuries humanity had thought it was alone in the universe, so this discovery could perhaps be the greatest scientific breakthrough since the invention of the Torsion Drive.

And it was all because Rook had figured that a portion of the planet's geography had looked odd.

Lucky him. He'd graduated Pathfinder Academy a year early, been placed in charge of an expedition team, and was now likely going to be credited with the discovery. He was on a hot streak.

Take that, dad.

They entered through the door, ducking slightly to squeeze through some collapsed rubble. Inside, Rook scanned the area, and then paused in amazement. "Whoa, would you look at this?"

The room they had entered was massive, filled with alien consoles and other unidentified devices. They were all centred around a massive machine in the middle of the room. It looked like a series of rings surrounded by a trio of prong-like appendages.

"What do you think that is?" A Pathfinder asked.

Rook shrugged. "Don't know," he said. "It's nothing like I've ever seen."

The team fanned out to study the area, with Rook himself heading over to a console. He turned to the robotic dog by his side. "R3X, mind giving this a scan? Need to know how old this place is."

R3X gave a bark of affirmation. A beam of light suddenly shot out from his body, washing over the machine.

"According to radiocarbon dating, this device is approximately 7.83 million years old," the chipper but monotonous voice of CID (Colonial Intelligent Director), the colony's A.I., stated.

"That's even older than the ruins on the surface," Rook realised. "I wonder why."

He moved on, stopping in front of a large console directly in front of the massive machine. This one was larger and looked more complex. "Must be the master controls."

He wiped away a layer of dust on the pristine device, taking a closer look. He placed his gun on his back, where it attached, and placed both his hands on the controls.

Then, all of a sudden, it lit up, the screen coming to life and lighting up with all sorts of displays in the strange alien language he'd seen on the other ruins. This was followed by the other consoles coming to life, along the room lighting up from sources on the ceiling.

"What did you do?!" One of the Pathfinders demanded.

"I don't know!" Rook quickly replied. Now it seemed that the ruins were nowhere as nonfunctional as he had thought they were.

There was a whirring, humming noise, and the machine in the middle activated. One by one the rings began to spin, speeding up with each second. The prongs glowed, and then from each shot a bright beam of energy right into the middle. Rook could see that an odd, glowing sphere had appeared in the middle of the rings.

His helmet suddenly sounded a warning. "Cherenkov radiation just spiked," he told his team. "Getting anomalous energy signatures, too."

The rings were spinning even faster now, the sphere continuing to grow in size.

Rook decided that the best course of action was to leave. "Guys, we need to go."

"No shit," one of the other Pathfinders muttered. The team began to hastily exit the room, passing through the door. Rook was the last one still inside, making sure the rest of his team was out to safety before him. Before he exited, he decided to spare another look at the machine. The rings were spinning so rapidly now that they were just a flurry of movement, and the sphere inside was at least a dozen metres in diameter.

That last look would ultimately cost him dearly.

As he was preparing to turn and leave, the sphere suddenly flared, a wall of purple energy suddenly getting emitted and passing right by the young Pathfinder. All of a sudden, Rook found himself stuck to the ground.

"Rook, the hell are you waiting for, man?" A Pathfinder asked, motioning him forwards.

"I'm stuck!" Rook cried. He was trying to wrestle his legs free, but they felt like they had been completely molded into the ground. He checked his datalink, and was astonished to find that the gravity at his feet had been increased tenfold. He would certainly be crushed if it affected the rest of his body. "Get out of here!"

"We're not leaving you!" The Pathfinder cried.

Rook merely stared at her, resolute. "I'll be fine. Go, now!"

She seemed hesitant, but turned and left. R3X was the last one. The robotic dog whined, staying where he was.

Rook bit his lip. "R3X, buddy, go," he said. "Don't you worry about me."

R3X whined again, but followed his commands. Rook turned back to the machine. The sphere had doubled in size, and now it was emitting arcs of electricity. He tried again to free himself, but it was looking to be fruitless.

All of a sudden, the sphere pulsed, and then Rook could feel himself getting pulled towards it. The hold on his legs suddenly vanished, but now he could feel the tug on his entire body. He was getting pulled towards the machine.

Gritting his teeth, he aimed his left arm towards the exit. The Grapple deployed, and then he fired it. A hooked cable shot out, streaking towards the door. But before it could reach it, it faltered, the gravitational pull affecting it too. It retracted back into Rook's wrist.

"Dammit!" He cursed, trying again, and again, each time with the same result. He was still getting drawn to the machine, and by now he was halfway across the room. Now it was clear that there was no escape.

The sphere pulsed again, and Rook was suddenly lifted off his feet and sent tumbling towards the sphere. His vision was clearly on it, and despite his heads-up display blaring all sorts of warnings, he was oddly at peace. It was beautiful, and he knew the risks of becoming a Pathfinder.

So this is how it ends, he thought, by an ancient alien machine.

The last thoughts on Dylan Rooker's mind as he was drawn into the sphere and consumed by the void was that at least he'd leave a legacy even greater than is father.

​


---------------------------------
​
Skies over unknown world

When the dark cleared and he opened his eyes again, Rook did not expect to be in free fall. He was over five thousand feet in the air, clouds rapidly passing by. He also seemed to be on fire, so he was likely entering the atmosphere at Mach twenty-five. Which was a bad thing, given how his Rig was not designed to survive atmospheric entry at all. He wasn't even trained to perform an orbital drop.

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" He cried, flailing as he attempted to right himself. His training kicked in, and he immediately shifted his posture into a proper free fall stance. As he continued to fall, he realised that his suit wasn't actually suffering from any heat damage. Furthermore, the entry burn would have subsided by now, given how he was only around a kilometre in the air. The fire subsisted, however.

He took a breath to calm himself down, breathing in and out. The last thing a Pathfinder needed to be in this situation was to panic. He tapped into his training, scanning the ground beneath him for a landing spot. Of course, that was a tad bit easier said than done, given how he lacked a parachute and while his Rig had shock dampeners that enabled him to survive drops from a good height, they weren't built to withstand impacts at terminal velocity.

Still, it was better to do at least something.

The ground below was approaching rapidly, and oddly enough, it seemed to be the courtyard of a massive castle. Rook would have questioned the strangeness of the sight he he wasn't falling to his death.

Thinking fast, he decided to fall back on his Rig's microthrusters. They were designed for zero-G, but he didn't exactly have a whole lot of options. Taking a breath, he activated the thrusters to fire beneath him. Then he fired them at full power, and they ignited, tiny streams of monopropellant getting launched out.

But they didn't slow his momentum in the slightest.

Well, at least he tried.

He was getting even closer to the ground now, and according to his HUD, he'd impact it in five seconds. There was really no surviving this, so Rook decided to do the only logical thing he could think off: accept his fate. He prepared for the impact, and the release of death.

However, instead of smashing into the ground and getting turned into a red smear, he instead seemed to sink into a wet, liquidy substance, slowing his momentum and cushioning in fall.

What the fuck.

He was floating within a sphere of water (his sensors told him as much). Before he could even think of anything else, he was suddenly expelled out, landing on the ground proper. He was crouched over, trying to process what had happened. He was breathing deeply, and he hit the release mechanism of his helmet.

His helmet suddenly folded back, revealing his face to the world. He was surprisingly young, in his early twenties at most, with a head of short, black hair with streaks of brown, and emerald green eyes.

Eventually he came back to his senses, standing back up. "Alpha, this is Rook, do you copy?" He asked, only getting static in response. "Alpha, do you read? Laswell, Cunningham, anyone?"

He got no response. "Shit."

A booming voice startled him, and he drew his PDW on instinct. There was a man there, dressed in a strange, regal-looking outfit. He was surrounded by several cloaked figures. Rook glanced around, and noticed several other individuals, all in clothing that looked very different. They looked far more modern, from his own timeframe. Still, Rook himself looked even more out of placed in his Pathfinder Scout Rig. Rook had landed right behind a young woman of East Asian descent who seemed to be in her mid-teens at most.

He had no idea what was going on now. Nothing in his six years of training could have prepared him for this. This whole thing just looked like something out of a fantasy novel or vid.

And why had the man just referred to all of them as 'heroes'?
 
Anzu

Am I dead?? Anzu asked herself when she opened her eyes only to found herself freefalling towards the ground at high speed in a burning ball of fire. Even among her dreams this scenario was one of the weirdest. She curiously patted her side but there's no wound, blood or anything that indicated that she was just got hit by a truck, still she remembered the sensation vividly.

I AM dead. The girl finally reached her conclusion. She's dead, this absurd event she was experiencing was probably just her remembering her life in such a fast pace that she didn't even able to comprehend it. Anzu spead her arms wide and faced the scenery below, ready to be killed for real this time. Though the sight of a castle and prople scrambling to do something below made her raised her eyebrows in confusion.

She was heading towards the castle floor. Anzu noticed there's several other people wrapped in their own fireball descending towards the same area and the people below prepared several big blobs of water. Huh?? Realized came a bit late for her as she plunged into one of the water blob. Death by getting smashed on the ground was one thing, but death by drowning was one of her fear. She couldn't even swim so Anzu panickedly flailing her arms inside the blob until one of the mage dispel it, letting the girl collapsed onto the hard castle floor.

She coughed out the water out of her lungs and looked at the people around her. The people who came from the fireballs like her, seemed like they're as confused as she was but the people who were running on the castle before seemed to eager to welcome them as 'heroes'. Anzu could only stared in disbelief at these people, she had the same questions as everyone else there.
 
Clair had closed her eyes right before her swift demise and as a sudden and almost unimaginable amount of wind began to rush her by she held steadfast in her decision to leave all up to faith. With that in mind, she kept her mouth and eyes shut as her descent quickened. In fact, Clair didn't open her eyes right up until mere seconds before impact with the stone-cold ground or what would be her second impact of the evening. Fortunately, this time around the impact would be far less deadly than the first regardless of how frightening such an ordeal was. With her feet upon solid ground, Clair almost instantly fell to her knees, her legs giving out as the stress and mental strain of the situation swept over her in a tidal wave. Minutes ago she had been in her car, and on a collision course for a tree and now, now she was kneeling on cold stone in the middle of what seemed to be a rather fantastic courtyard.

Was this... the afterlife? A place of judgement? A courtyard for the recently departed, like a waiting room for those who needed judging before passing on to their next life? Was there a next life? At this point, Clair began to sweat profusely, had her abandonment of the Christian faith as a teen lead her to purgatory? Surely not right? Surely out of all the religions in the world, she hadn't managed to turn her back on... heroes?

Looking up at the king Clair's train of thought was immediately derailed and her focus honed on the man's words. Heroes as in marvel heroes? Superheros? Was this a joke? Looking around Clair came to find many of those around her seemed just as confused as she and that was just enough to calm her if even a little. Gripping her suit pants tightly Clair tried to slow her breathing and calm herself down as others began speaking out. Clair of course had many questions of her own but what was more important than that was calming herself and taking stock of her current situation. And so the woman quietly made attempts to soothe herself as she ran over her previous actions leading up to this point.
 
Tiberius Allaband

Blade-Master-Elsword-Raven-in-2019-Elsword-anime-Elsword-.jpg

Is this the Afterlife? If so, it is loud. The wind rustling through the raven haired male's ears helped to support his internal observation as it whipped his loose locks of hair around wildly. Tiberius could feel the invisible force throw the loose fabric of the hospital gown he wore about as well. Wait... why was he dressed in the hospital gown still? If Tiberius was dead, then why was he still clothed? Why could he feel the sharp rays of sunlight assaulting his closed eyelids? Why had it taken him until this very moment to realize that he was falling? These were all very important questions that caused a great deal of anxiety to well up inside of Tiberius's chest, rapidly accelerating his heart rate. Tiberius could swear that he could feel the blood pumping organ thumping against his ribcage as he proceeded to rapidly descend, which only served to further add to his steadily growing fear.

The raven haired man had briefly considered opening his eyes in order to confirm if he was indeed falling, but the sensation of his loose hospital gown being ripped off of his body gave Tiberius pause. I'm naked now, aren't I? Tiberius's most recent internal question was answered with the sensation of the wind surrounding him pushing forcefully against his exposed flesh. Considering his current predicament, Tiberius probably should not have been worrying about his state of dress since he was more than likely about to become red paste when he finally made contact with the ground, yet he could not help the feeling of embarrassment that washed over him. I really hope that I didn't need that gown.

The sudden halt to Tiberius's previously accelerated descent jostled the man from his thoughts and pushed the air from his lungs. The impact against the unknown object also caused Tiberius to open his eyes while he gasped for breath. Though, the raven haired male did not take notice of his immediate surroundings due to the lack of Oxygen in his lungs. Then, as if the universe decided to pile onto Tiberius's misfortune, the man did not inhale air after his relatively safe landing. No, instead, what entered Tiberius's windpipe was something squishy, something solid. The panic that had been previously abated now resurfaced with a vengeance as the raven haired man flailed about, trying to dislodge himself from his previously unnoticed sticky surroundings that clung to his form.

Tiberius's efforts eventually flung the man to the cool floor as he hacked and coughed, trying to expel the foreign substance clogging his airway. Thankfully, it did not take long to dislodge the mystery substance blocking his windpipe and Tiberius was able to gulp in some sweet, sweet air. The raven haired man was unaware of the others in the room with him or the conversation currently taking place as he continued to greedily take in air.


Location: The Summoning Area / Gelatin Cube Remnants
 
















The King’s gentle brown eyes switched over towards the ones with the questions, rubbing his beard as he thought about how to give the best possible answer to them. After all, it was not an everyday thing for people to come falling down the skies. They did have a point to be scared and confused about what was even happening to them, yet there was no real hostility around them, just very fascinated looks from the wizards and guards themselves. Yet, then again there was the whole thing about them being summoned to an entirely new world, just now the gravity of this whole ordeal seemed to dawn upon the King who had a more apologetic look in his eyes now. Scraping his throat before returning to his old self which was more of the leadership kind of feel. Overviewing each and every new hero, even the ones who were still on their way to the circle they were currently placed in somehow. ”Let me start from the beginning as to why you are here, that ought to explain the situation more than just vaguely giving answers.” The King stated, standing just a little more formal as he started the story and the why they were here.

”A year ago, the shadow realm had started to emerge from the depths of this planet. They were called the Fallen. Monsters lead by five demon lords into the open, having managed to escape from the lands that can’t be found on any map. It is said they were locked there by the first hero called Yrt. They have already started to take over cities spread across the world, these cities are called the ruined cities as most of what is left are ruins due to the ferocious stampede that went through it while they got taken over. Currently, each city has one demon lord watching over them, but it is spreading at a steady space…” He paused as he felt saddened by this fact, but also to measure the emotions the new heroes were experiencing now before he continued on. ”We, the Kingdom of Avaria, have called upon you to aid us in our forces to push back this evil. We did this through a holy summoning ritual, engraved by our ancestors, also called ancient magic. The summoning was done by my post powerful wizards which made it able to bring so many of you here.” He explained the best he could, hoping it was enough for them to understand, even if it was just a little bit. ”We cannot however return you to your home worlds, because this summoning was only for those who had just passed away. You could take this as a second chance in life. Now, I do leave you the choice to just start anew without becoming a hero, which is entirely up to you. However, if you do decide to proceed with this task of fighting evil, please do stay and we will do our utmost best to protect you from harm’s way.”

---

Exhan POV

Exhan listened in to the words of the King while also keeping an eye on those who literally came crashing down to the ground. It seemed like most of them were able to land into the blob and water bubbles, but there were still many coming down. Tightening his grip onto his katana as he started to have a bad feeling about this as the wizards were barely keeping up with the summoned ones, his focus increasing and slowly getting out of his position and walking towards where the blobs were situated. It seemed like the last batch of people had arrived as the balls of fire seemed to decrease by the second. There was one that did seem to go out of course. ”Shit!” He exclaimed, as it was indeed going out of its path. His walk quickly went into a sprint towards where the strayed fireball set its course. It was going way too fast for his liking as well, neither was he in any range to project his abilities. Gritting his teeth as he went even faster, but just as he cast his spell, he heard a devastating crack to the ground. His heart thumping fast as he knew what had happened and he couldn’t help but feel saddened by this as she didn’t even get a chance in this life.

A few of the other guards seemed to have followed him towards the beginning of the woods, all having a horrified look on their face at the sight of the broken woman. Exhan let out a shaky sigh from the effort he put into to just get there. Running a hand through his hair as he took in what had happened… Moving towards the woman who had passed away for a second time, crouching down in front of her as he said a little prayer so she could move on from this wicked place and find peace. Taking the necklace which was covered in the red liquid before moving back to the summoning grounds. It seemed like this was the only person who didn’t make it out of them all.

Once he got back into sight of the King, the man had already finished his “speech”. ”Not everyone is as lucky as you all, so we cannot promise you will survive.” Exhan exclaimed as he put up the bloodied necklace. He didn’t do this to scare them off, but just so they would know that the chance was very real if things went south. This earned him some shocked gasps from the summoned ones, who seriously started to doubt joining the army.

”I-I can’t do this…” One exclaimed on the verge of tears as the necklace was imprinted into her mind. ”Me neither! Why would I risk my life when I just gotten a second chance?!” Another said. And so it went on. The King nodded and explained that those who didn’t want to join, should follow one of the servants who had already prepared a sum of money for them to use on housing and food for the time being. Afterwards they were free to leave the castle grounds on their own or with some guidance of the maids.

Exhan clenched onto the piece of jewelry that was still in his hand, his face have a complicated expression as he didn’t know what to think of all of this. His suspicions were right! These people were never trained in the actual fields of true life and death situations, at least not all of them…

RageFactorXIII RageFactorXIII Uasal Uasal Pacificus Pacificus Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread Corrosion Corrosion sunnieside sunnieside eloise eloise Hexblood Bandit Hexblood Bandit Synthetic Synthetic Midrick Midrick















the halfling






Exhan.
















  • filler tab!










♡coded by uxie♡


The King’s gentle brown eyes switched over towards the ones with the questions, rubbing his beard as he thought about how to give the best possible answer to them. After all, it was not an everyday thing for people to come falling down the skies. They did have a point to be scared and confused about what was even happening to them, yet there was no real hostility around them, just very fascinated looks from the wizards and guards themselves. Yet, then again there was the whole thing about them being summoned to an entirely new world, just now the gravity of this whole ordeal seemed to dawn upon the King who had a more apologetic look in his eyes now. Scraping his throat before returning to his old self which was more of the leadership kind of feel. Overviewing each and every new hero, even the ones who were still on their way to the circle they were currently placed in somehow. ”Let me start from the beginning as to why you are here, that ought to explain the situation more than just vaguely giving answers.” The King stated, standing just a little more formal as he started the story and the why they were here.

”A year ago, the shadow realm had started to emerge from the depths of this planet. They were called the Fallen. Monsters lead by five demon lords into the open, having managed to escape from the lands that can’t be found on any map. It is said they were locked there by the first hero called Yrt. They have already started to take over cities spread across the world, these cities are called the ruined cities as most of what is left are ruins due to the ferocious stampede that went through it while they got taken over. Currently, each city has one demon lord watching over them, but it is spreading at a steady space…” He paused as he felt saddened by this fact, but also to measure the emotions the new heroes were experiencing now before he continued on. ”We, the Kingdom of Avaria, have called upon you to aid us in our forces to push back this evil. We did this through a holy summoning ritual, engraved by our ancestors, also called ancient magic. The summoning was done by my post powerful wizards which made it able to bring so many of you here.” He explained the best he could, hoping it was enough for them to understand, even if it was just a little bit. ”We cannot however return you to your home worlds, because this summoning was only for those who had just passed away. You could take this as a second chance in life. Now, I do leave you the choice to just start anew without becoming a hero, which is entirely up to you. However, if you do decide to proceed with this task of fighting evil, please do stay and we will do our utmost best to protect you from harm’s way.”

---

Exhan POV

Exhan listened in to the words of the King while also keeping an eye on those who literally came crashing down to the ground. It seemed like most of them were able to land into the blob and water bubbles, but there were still many coming down. Tightening his grip onto his katana as he started to have a bad feeling about this as the wizards were barely keeping up with the summoned ones, his focus increasing and slowly getting out of his position and walking towards where the blobs were situated. It seemed like the last batch of people had arrived as the balls of fire seemed to decrease by the second. There was one that did seem to go out of course. ”Shit!” He exclaimed, as it was indeed going out of its path. His walk quickly went into a sprint towards where the strayed fireball set its course. It was going way too fast for his liking as well, neither was he in any range to project his abilities. Gritting his teeth as he went even faster, but just as he cast his spell, he heard a devastating crack to the ground. His heart thumping fast as he knew what had happened and he couldn’t help but feel saddened by this as she didn’t even get a chance in this life.

A few of the other guards seemed to have followed him towards the beginning of the woods, all having a horrified look on their face at the sight of the broken woman. Exhan let out a shaky sigh from the effort he put into to just get there. Running a hand through his hair as he took in what had happened… Moving towards the woman who had passed away for a second time, crouching down in front of her as he said a little prayer so she could move on from this wicked place and find peace. Taking the necklace which was covered in the red liquid before moving back to the summoning grounds. It seemed like this was the only person who didn’t make it out of them all.

Once he got back into sight of the King, the man had already finished his “speech”. ”Not everyone is as lucky as you all, so we cannot promise you will survive.” Exhan exclaimed as he put up the bloodied necklace. He didn’t do this to scare them off, but just so they would know that the chance was very real if things went south. This earned him some shocked gasps from the summoned ones, who seriously started to doubt joining the army.

”I-I can’t do this…” One exclaimed on the verge of tears as the necklace was imprinted into her mind. ”Me neither! Why would I risk my life when I just gotten a second chance?!” Another said. And so it went on. The King nodded and explained that those who didn’t want to join, should follow one of the servants who had already prepared a sum of money for them to use on housing and food for the time being. Afterwards they were free to leave the castle grounds on their own or with some guidance of the maids.

Exhan clenched onto the piece of jewelry that was still in his hand, his face have a complicated expression as he didn’t know what to think of all of this. His suspicions were right! These people were never trained in the actual fields of true life and death situations, at least not all of them…
 
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Presently Unnamed, Mysterious Businessman

The businessman's quick glance about the courtyard that they were standing in revealed some interesting insights. In addition to the numerous robed fellows, the gold-haired guy in armor, and the Asian lady in the dress, there was a red-eyed guy with rather long fingernails, a brown-haired fellow in what looked like sailing gear, some sort of convenience-store clerk, a yellow-haired lady who seemed to be quite focused on writing something, some sort of HALO cosplayer, a high school girl with chess hair, a purple-haired lady in a suit, and...a naked guy? Evidently, there were a few more who had yet to 'arrive'.

Nonetheless, the ridiculous assortment of people made the businessman's head ache. He clenched his forehead and decided to try clarifying his thoughts anyway.
Let's start with the basics.

1. Everyone who fell seems to be unaware of what is happening.
2. These people in robes seem to have saved our lives under the assumption that we are 'heroes'.
3. We all seem to understand one another.
4. There are debris scattered about this place.
5. There is a strange symbol on the ground around us.
6. Those robed guys seem to be responsible for the appearance of the water globs.
7. There are a lot of falling people.
8. Huh? That one doesn't look like it's coming over this way.
9. Oh, red-eye is chasing after it. That's worrisome.

Hrm. That's enough to come to a few conclusions I guess.

1. I do not seem to be dead. Cogito ergo sum, or something like that. That and I seem to have a physical body that these people deem worthy of protection.
2. It would seem that somewhere along the line, I signed on to an insanely high-budget, live-action TV show. Maybe. Still not sure how these special effects work.
3. It's fantasy themed? Maybe lord of the rings? There are a few people with the classic knife-ears. The makeup is really good, too.
4. Oh, the blonde is about to start talking.

He paused his thoughts as the blonde in armor decided that it was time for some exposition. The businessman seemed to set aside his emotions for the moment and calmly listen to the blonde fellow, ignoring the red-eyed guy sprinting off into the distance. At the blonde guy's first pause, the businessman raised an eyebrow skeptically, but said nothing, merely waiting for the fellow to continue. Upon hearing the blonde fellow complete his monologue, he stroked his chin and returned to his thoughts momentarily.
Looks like I have a few more premises.

1 and 2 seem supported. 5 seems consistent with his comments about ancestors or whatever. It seems like 5 and 6 are related to their special effects.
10. Evidently, the blonde seems to think that we died. I suppose that complicates conclusion 1. If he's right, then there's no way back either.
11. Fallen. Sounds like a rather derogatory way to refer to other people. Aren't we 'fallen' in a way?
12. Further adding to the 'heroes' thing from 1, it seems that we are expected to fight the fallen to take back some cities in exchange for protection.

I also have another conclusion or two:
5. We are a valuable asset to these people.
6. Despite being a valuable asset, they do not appear to be utilizing coercion to acquire us.

Right as he finished another bit of thinking, he heard shouting from the direction that the red-eye fellow ran off in. When he turned to take a look, he saw the red-eye guy holding some sort of bloody necklace. After hearing the man's exclamation, he nodded, as if the statement had confirmed something. However, he looked perplexed as some of the meteor-people started expressing their doubts and fears. The businessman listened as the king explained the recourse for those who decided not to stay, but the businessman seemed angry. He cleared his throat and directed his booming, harsh voice to those who were walking over to accept the gold and leave. "Fools. Leaving at this time is completely irrational. You should humor these rather generous people and try to learn more about the situation before venturing into the unknown."

He then turned to the other meteor-people in the courtyard. "No matter how strange this setup is, the reality is that they appear to have saved our lives." He adjusted his sopping-wet suit, and moved his slick hair out of his face. "Unless you are fine with appearing unreasonably selfish, you should find a way to return the favor."

With his short speech done, he approached the blonde-haired fellow and reached out a hand. He grinned, still looking more than a little bit skeptical, and spoke with a softer, more elegant tone. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. I will be offering my assistance, for whatever that is worth." With his greeting concluded, he stood off to the side, near the king, to watch the others' reactions. He crossed his arms, his sleeves still dripping wet. He resisted the urge to shiver.
 
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Tiberius Allaband

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Tiberius remained face down on the cool ground for the remainder of his recovery. This was mostly done because the raven haired man did not yet feel strong enough to lift himself with his one arm, not because of the potential embarrassment at being seen naked. Still, he did silently wonder just why he had only one arm if he was indeed dead. Was this a cruel joke at Tiberius's expense? Did whatever Gods that exist decide to humiliate Tiberius for no other reason aside from their own amusement? The sound of other voices filtering into the unclothed male gradually dissuaded Tiberius of his thoughts.

I did not catch the start of the speech, but we were summoned? Amber eyes turned their focus from the splattered green gel on the stone floor, to instead set their gaze higher. And that man needs our help with the problems in this place? This all seemed admittedly, a little far fetched, yet Tiberius knew all too well that he had in fact, died. One did not simply walk away from a heart transplant and live to tell the tale. The now steady beating of the heart he should not have only reinforced the severity of Tiberius's situation. The raven haired male truly did not require the drenched businessman's rational interjection, or the white haired man's grim warning before making his decision. "You do not need to tell me anything more." Tiberius declared as he unwisely decided to rise to his feet. "I will help you as well, but there is something I need you to do for me first." The raven haired male did his best to hide his embarrassment behind a stoic expression that was all but useless with how red Tiberius's face had become. "Please get me some clothes."


Tags: Interacted Clouds Clouds (The King) Mentioned Synthetic Synthetic (Nestor)

Location: The Summoning Area
 
Anzu

Anzu listened carefully to what the king said about the kingdom they're in now, at least she tried to. However, somewhere along the way her mind drifted away and got distracted by something she deemed more important... there's a naked guy over there! I-it's not like she's curious or anything! She just couldn't help but to take a peek or two! I-it's completely normal! That's what she try to tell herself, fortunately the talk about their next step brought her back into the conversation.

So she's really dead, and now she's offered a work in a new world, or just set free. While freedom might sounds good Anzu was practically unprepared for real life, she hadn't even graduate from highschool. If she just run away without direction she would probably end up as a homeless here. The thought of those kind of uncertain future felts more terrifying for her than battling some evil things. Even when one of the mage showed them a bloody necklace Anzu simply raised her eyebrows. She didn't feels anything, just numbness. Getting hit by a truck may had unscrewed something inside her mind and the teenager didn't realize that yet.

"So we're going to battle subterranian aliens? Cool, I guess." She shrugged non-chalantly.
 












  • filler


















So she was dead.. ? Like actually dead? Xiu didn't believe it, or rather she didn't want to. How would the logistics of that even work? Was she only but a cold corpse back on Earth? How was her family dealing with the aftermath of her death? Gei Yue, Jingchang Ning, Shi Chao.. how were those three lovable idiots taking it? Would Shi Chao burst into tears upon hearing the news of her passing? No.. no, he wouldn't. That boy was always a tough one. But could she be wrong? Having someone close to you suddenly dying would cause a shock, surely it would. So many questions bubbled up inside, practically waiting to overflow. But there was solely one question on her mind that chilled her bones, seeping deep within. Had she been murdered? Xiu wasn't silly enough to think she died an accidental death. In all actuality, she could visibly recall the sweetness taste of that drink and even though she only had a couple of sips it was enough to kill her.



Within a few hours, she had dropped dead. Xiu didn't know how someone could have managed to slip her a poisoned drink if they were a stranger, especially in the Yu family estate where she was surrounded by those she loved. So there was no possible way it could have been of her family's enemies though the idea seemed spot on. The only achievable way to get close enough to her to the point of being able to kill her only meant one thing. Yu Xiu had been betrayed by someone she considered close to her. The mere thought of having been killed by the hands of her family or friends made her sick to her stomach. Who in her circle held such hatred against her that they would go so far as to remove her from the world? She was only pulled out of her thoughts by the King's voice. Luckily it seemed she hadn't missed most of the important information. Right now she need to focus on what was in front of her. Earth, China, Shanghai all those places, and the events that transpired in them needed to be behind her at the moment.



They were summoned heroes and were called upon to fight a dark evil for this world? What kind of isekai manga was this? And people from other worlds besides Earth were here? Xiu looked behind her, eyes locked on the man behind her. He was dressed in strange gear and held an even stranger thing in his hand. Could he be from another world? Just as she opened her mouth to speak to the man she caught a glimpse of something out from the corner of her eyes. A naked man!! "Eeek! My goodness!!" She hurriedly covered her eyes. What in the world was that?! There was no denying the man was handsome yet did he have no modesty to be so free like that? Her mother would have had a fit if she ever walked around like that and dragged her to Diyu herself! Xiu wisely decided to stop thinking about the indecorous man and turned towards another direction where she didn't have a view of.. that.



Then came the grimness of what the red-eyed man said. It was something that Xiu wasn't prepared for. Of course, she wasn't prepared to die and be transported off to another world but she wasn't expecting to hear that there was a chance of dying. Again. Luckily she had been still covering her eyes at the exact moment the woman diverted from the falling path for the summoned ones and plummeted to her unfortunate death. At least that was something she had been spared of. Tragic that was. Getting a second chance to live only to die before understanding you even got another chance at life. Silently Xiu hoped that if the afterlife did exist, that the woman would get reincarnated into a next life. A happy one. She heard some other summoned take the offer to leave. That was fine, really. At least to her, it was. Perhaps some might have the impression the ones who left were cowards but they weren't. Being scared for your life wasn't a cowardly thing to do. Humans cherished their lives, it was in their nature to do so.



"Mister, we'll be saving the world as heroes right?" Yu Xiu's hands lowered revealing her concealed face. In her eyes were many things. Sadness, anger, confusion. But most of all resolute. She walked. Each step filled with meaning. From the moment she died everything had changed. She lost everything. There was nothing more in the world she yearned for than her home. Home wasn't an option anymore. Here she didn't have anyone to rely on anymore. Her mother had once told her that there would come a day where no one would be there by her side to hold her hand and lead the way. She must have been a prophet. Finally, she stopped in front of the red-eyed man. His entire presence was overwhelming so much so that she wanted to run away but she didn't. Xiu knew her faults, she knew regarding combat she had absolutely no experience to account for but did that matter? She could grow. She could change.



If she wanted to be brave she needed to stop hiding behind others and expecting them to do all the work for her. The day she was poisoned, the old Yu Xiu died along with her. In this new world, she had the chance to be reborn anew. And so she was going to take that chance and use it to its full potential. "So I'll become a hero no matter the cost. I know you must think I'm a foolish little girl but I'm not! You brought us into this world to help you so help you I will do!" Xiu could feel a blush overtaking her cheeks at her loud voice. In the beginning, she had criticized the King for his voice and yet here she was doing the exact same thing. With her embarrassing speech over she then turned to the King. "I am Yu-" She paused in the middle of her introduction. Since this was a different world and seemed to hold principles of medieval Europe would formal titles be better to understand? "I am Yu Xiu of China. It's a pleasure to be in your presence, Your Majesty." Along with it was a simple curtsy that involved her pinching the ends of her dress and crossing her knees. Her mother had drilled etiquette into her memory since childhood. Maybe not royal etiquette but enough that'd she know how to perfectly greet a monarch.








yu xiu




the bearer of light











other summoners, king, etc










Clouds Clouds @RageFactorXIII (Mentioned) Corrosion Corrosion (Mentioned)













♡coded by uxie♡
 
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ROOK
Rookie Pathfinder
​
Rook had thought that discovering the first ever signs of alien life in the universe was the craziest thing he'd seen in a while. After all, humanity had thought that it was either alone in the universe or not, and had spent years trying to find intelligent extraterrestrial life without much success. The millions year-old ruins on Aeternitas was the final proof that humanity was not so alone after all. While all the evidence that remained of the seemingly long-dead aliens that existed was the inactive ruins (well, until the whole incident earlier), it was just the start of a greater search for life, a renewed hope.

But this? This was a whole new level of crazy.

He'd been trained and taught to expect anything when he graduated the Academy, finding alien ruins was just one of them. Not something he'd truly expected, mind you, but it clearly fell under the unexpected. Perhaps it was even an eventuality, in fact, with how fast humanity had been expanding into the stars recently.

And now he was being told that he had been summoned to... wherever this place was to fight demons and prevent them from destroying the world.

Or something like that.

None of this truly made sense to the young Pathfinder. Then again, perhaps things had already stopped making sense the very moment he brushed off that layer of dirt atop the ruins. Maybe they never did make sense in the first place, maybe he had an accident during training and this was all just a dream, and he was merely in a comatose state in a hospital on Earth, or on Providence. That thought just led him to another, and now he was thinking about his mother. What would she say? What would she do? He hated the thought of distracting her from her work. And his father... would he even make the trip back home just to see him?

Rook shook his head. Now was not the time to be getting distracted, sentimental. He needed to focus on the now, and now meaning his current situation of being in an unknown place surrounded by unknown people who may or not be threats, while being told to fight a bunch of unknowns by the apparent leader of this unknown place.

He gripped his PDW in both hands and glanced around him. There were quite a few other individuals, most notably the teenager in front of him, a white-and-black-haired girl who looked only slightly older, a blonde man in a suit and tie, a man in sailor's wear, a purple-haired woman, a man in a polo shirt and a frankly awful colour combination, and a... naked man, to which he very quickly averted his eyes. There were more, too, but these were the ones closest to him. None of them looked like threats, but he had to be cautious. It was what he'd been taught.

"So what you're saying is that you want us... to fight... demons?" Rook sounded more and more incredulous with each word. "And that we were summoned here by... wizards using... magic?"

Now he wondered if he should laugh, or cry. Thing was, he was dead, apparently, so maybe this was just a lucid dream formed by his dying mind as he was in the process of getting spaghettified into nonexistence back on Aeternitas. There was no way any sane mind would think of this.

But a sharp pain in his side suddenly gained his attention. He grunted, putting a hand to it. He brought up his vitals on his HUD, and saw that they reported that he was indeed still alive. However, it seemed that he also had several bruised ribs. Nothing serious, but that was the thing.

He felt pain. If this was a dream he wouldn't have felt anything. Sure, perhaps it would feel a cramp or two if his limbic centres flared and triggered the pain reflexes in his brain, but this simply felt too real.

"No, that can't be. If I'm dead, I shouldn't even be here. Unless..." he paused and placed a hand on his chin as his analytical mind kicked into full gear. "That energy sphere created by the device wasn't actually a gravitational singularity but an Einstein–Rosen bridge of sorts. It's possible, given the radiation and the tearing of spacetime around it. That could have somehow transported me to this alternate dimension. These aliens were thousands of years more advanced than us, maybe it could even be..."

A commotion shook him from his musing, and he had just enough time to watch as a stray fireball slammed into the woods behind the courtyard, and the man in red made a dash for it. The camera mounted to his shoulder zoomed in and now he could see the details clearly. It was now obvious that one of the 'summoned' had missed the landing zone and had impacted the ground at terminal velocity, and now Rook could see the effects in full. The woman had been pulped, mangled beyond recognition with a circle of bright red blood around her corpse.

Rook felt like he was going to vomit. He'd never actually seen someone die in person before.

He bit his lip and steadied his breathing, calming himself as he had been trained to do.

The man in red returned a few moments later, holding a bloodstained necklace.

Evidently, that was enough for some of the summoned to have second thoughts. For the briefest of moments Rook himself considered simply bailing, but the pledge he made when he was officially commissioned as a Pathfinder came back to him. The businessman, the two teens, and the naked man also seemed to stick to the mission they'd been given.

Rook stood, resolute, and as the sun shined down on his Pathfinder Rig and highlighted the hexagonal sigil of the Pathfinders that had emblazoned into the right shoulder of his Rig, he looked like a stalwart knight of old.

r1bMZXJ.png
"When I enrolled in the Academy one of the first things I was told was that I had a duty to humanity, to protect it from any possible threats and to further its advancement for a better tomorrow," he said. "That's what I was told, and that's what my father taught me. I've spent years training so that I'd be one of the lucky few to chart out the stars and set foot on new worlds ahead of the rest of humanity. I guess this is just one of the ways to do the same."

He stood tall, bright green eyes burning with both determination and hope and stepped forwards. "My name is Rook, and I'm a Pathfinder."
 
Dalton Redcap

Dalton's tensions did not ease as the King spoke. His thoughts fired away inside his head as he came to comprehend his situation. He remembered his last moments; the cold, salty grip of the ocean as it pulled him down. Certainly, he had died. This was no illusion or some king of dream. He was being given a second chance, one with more purpose than merely fishing. Dalton found it very easy, in his mind, to justify fighting demons and killing monsters. The path of the hero had just been laid out before him like a chart of the entire ocean. He looked around at everyone else; the new arrivals, the guards and the wizards. This world needed heroes and they had asked him, a lowly fisherman. His heart pounded in his chest, despite the ebb of the adrenaline. This would be a task of epic proportions, no doubt rife with danger.

Then, the red man returned from the forest and held out a bloodied necklace. He realized how lucky he had been just to make it to the ground. Already, there were people around him that were rejecting the Kings call for help. He didn't blame them but, what in his life was worth dying for? And what, after death, was worth living for? The freedom of mankind. Dalton was about to raise his hand and commit himself to this path, but he found himself hesitating.
"Hmph, what kind of man would I be if I rejected a call to adventure after I'm already dead."

He smirked, then immediately raised his hand to join the intrepid few who had accepted the challenge. "Dalton Redcap. Captain of the Tide Rider. Count me in, or as we say where I'm from: 'Yee-fuckin'-Haw!" He said in his usual southern drawl with just a touch of bravado. "Fitting firsts words," he thought. "Now where's the part where I get a sword?" Suddenly, he has looking forward to this new life. He cracked his knuckles.
 
Clair for the most part remained silent throughout the king's speech and although she was attentively listening to his every word her eyes did not fall on him. No instead Clair's eyes wandered around the area she now found herself in. The courtyard was extravagant to say the least, her initial impression of it being fantastical remained but on closer inspection, she began to notice some rather interesting things of note. Firstly the construction of such a courtyard was most certainly not a small undertaking considering the guards surrounding the place had weapons of steel and iron. Swords, bows, maple staffs... the technology of this 'world' if one were to believe this was a new world, was akin to the late medieval era yet this courtyard was immaculately designed and built with uncanny precision. It didn't make sense. Marble was hard to work with yet there were almost no imperfections one could notice at a glance, even in modern times water cutting equipment had a rough time rendering such fine and sharp edges. The foliage too was in full bloom, every flower, tree and plant was in the springtime of its life. Clair had no idea what season it currently was but the likelihood of so many different plants being in bloom at once was abysmal. This 'world' was already showing rather alarming changes to that of her own. Judging by the hooded figures in robes Clair was already mentally preparing herself to come to terms with the fact 'magic' may exist. Although that would be a rather simple explanation for what she was seeing it would line up with novels of this kind right.

As it would soon turn out via the king's explanation, magic did exist in this world. Summoning magic at the very least. It was almost comical. Despite having repaired to be told such a thing it still seemed absolutely insane, but then again it was hard to argue with what one had experienced as fact. At least this wasn't some religious purgatory. One thing did however almost make Clair chuckle and that was mention of this so-called shadow realm. If memory served her that was something yogioh related too and most certainly something she hadn't expected to hear. With the kings speech progressing smoothly Clair returned her gaze to those around her for the first time with the intent to observe. The group that had been summoned was a rather colourful bunch to be sure. From the looks of things, there was a corporate man, an Asian teen with a high fashion sense, a store clerk, a sailor or navy officer, a schoolgirl, a soldier of some kind, a blonde woman who was steel-willed enough to write in such a situation and a...naked man. Interesting.

As the king finished his speech others began to respond to his offer and naturally enough others came to respond to the realisation there was a soaking wet naked man in their close proximity. The responses were all interesting in their own right but what impressed Clair the most was perhaps the response of the Asian teen from before. The child seemed to have been raised by a very strict and reasonably high-classed family judging by her mannerism and how she responded. Given she was so eager to help this world with it's problems Clair surmised that although she certainly had guts and prestige she may be somewhat naive in terms of real-world situations. In other words, to Clair, it became obvious that such a child had lived a sheltered life and was in way too over their head right from the get-go. Whether or not that changed through experience was yet to be seen but Clair wished her the best nonetheless.

Moving to a stand Clair noticed a sudden weight to her suit and upon looking down realised for the first time she too was soaking wet, not just the naked man. In fact everyone was, how had she missed such an obvious thing? Perhaps she was still in shock. Regardless Clair removed her suit jacket and folded it neatly across her arm before moving forward to address the king, her eyes unashamedly gazing right at the naked man and his hidden blade. "You want us to aid you in defeating this demonic force right. Am I then to assume you have repaired adequate housing as well as training for us all? I'll be the first to admit I've no experience in fighting let alone taking lives, If this really is another world then I think it would be wise to say where I come from Very few have ever taken a life." Clair's eyes never once met the kings and her expression never changed despite the embarrassing situation she found herself gazing upon "Also before I decide to join you or not I want to know if all heroes need necessarily fight on the front lines. Also, I'd like access to your castle historic records as well as a map outlining important resources, strategic positions as well as trade routes both to and from the capital. That and I'd like to see what you have by way of domestic affairs. Oh, and could I please get a dry outfit to wear. I don't mean to rush you but I'm afraid a white blouse can only hold out for so long"
 
swipe left on name tag to see extra stuff; click on lightning tab or wind tab to read both characters' posts










  • markus grant


    MOOD: regretful then motivated
    location: summoning room
    mentions: everyone briefly but Clouds Clouds the king
    OOTD: that ugly ass salmon polo and poop-colored
    slacks uniform from that electronics store



    /*bottom text*/


    Markus almost believed in this so-called “King of Avaria” if it weren’t for a naked man popping out of the liquid orb flashing everyone everything he had. This would have to be the type of dream where he was under the influence of some unique substance. Probably alcohol. He usually dreamt something strange like this if he drank a little too much. Markus gave himself a quick pinch to the arm to test out his idea and then he winced. Of course, this wasn’t a dream and everything that goddamn king said was true. Markus is dead. All of these people falling in fireballs are dead. Magic was real. Markus wasted his last several years fucking around and left nothing to be proud of on earth. He died wearing this godawful electronics store uniform (he realized he never bothered to learn the name of his workplace). Markus ran his hand through his damp hair, At least I didn’t die stark naked as that other guy.

    Regret grew heavier in his chest as the king began explaining the purpose of why he and all the others were given a second life. During this time, Markus couldn’t help but think about his sister, Macy. He knew she can fend for herself. His sister had always and will continue to be the toughest person he had ever known. It was the fact that he left her by herself, with no family to be close to. He laughed to himself thinking of what she would say when she finds his body wearing his work uniform. He imagined she would say something along the lines of, “Only a loser dies by getting hit by a truck and even worse in that ugly uniform. You should’ve died wearing something prettier.”

    Markus sighed and shook his head to focus on the king’s speech. He wasn’t sure whether or not he wanted to fight for this bizarre world. Markus didn’t have the skills or talent to fight these monsters. Suddenly, the possibly backstabbing traitor with the scarlet eyes raced out of the woods shouting that possibility of survival wasn’t high while waving a necklace covered in a red liquid in the air. His heart dropped. Was…was that blood?

    Markus’ eyes widened in uncertainty. He saw several other summoned people walk away shouting that they did not want to protect the world they were forced to live in. Markus agreed. Why would he risk his life for a world that he was forced into? Also, what was in it for him? What will he get out of this? Sure, there might be honor and glory for being some kind of hero. However, that wasn’t what Markus was interested in. He wanted to go back home and redeem himself. He wanted to apologize to his sister for being a bum brother. He wanted to talk to Macy once more.

    Honestly, he wished he died instead of being saved to avoid having such thoughts.

    The king gave two choices to each person that was summoned. Both choices provided the summoned people with some kind of stability. So it made sense to choose the path of not becoming a hero. Markus was tempted to shout out that he had also wanted to choose the unheroic path, but then some of the summoned people spoke up.

    The businessman yelled at the others who were walking away and called them selfish for not wanting to fight for this unknown country. The naked man, albeit embarrassed thanks to his red face, agreed to be a hero. What shocked Markus the most were the teenaged girls that agreed to fight against the monsters. He wondered if they actually knew what they were getting themselves into. This situation seemed deadly since any one of them could die due to some gruesome death. Did those girls understand that? The futuristic cosplayer piped up that he would fight to protect the country because he was a Pathfinder… whatever that was. Then the Southern fisherman also exclaimed he wanted to help fight. Probably the most realistic person out of that group was the businesswoman. At least she admitted the assumption that none of the summoned group had ever fought or taken a life before. Yet, she still agreed to help the cause.

    He wondered what gave them the confidence to agree to this possibly gruesome death sentence. What did they want from this exchange? Yes, they were all given a second chance at life but was that all they possibly wanted?

    With the amount of summoned people leaving and the lack of people wanting to stay and fight, it seemed that the king needed them more than they needed him. Maybe, Markus could haggle some type of deal. Maybe, there was a way to communicate those from another dimension. If these magicians summoned him here through magic, then surely they can use magic to communicate between dimensions.

    With a toothy grin and a motivation in his eyes that had not been there for such a long time, Markus shouted, “I’d love to fight for you, but what’s in it for us? Yes, we have a second chance at life and possibly a place to stay. But what else? What else do we get, hmm?”

    He put his arms behind his head and yawned, “It’s just that the honor and prestige of being a hero don’t seem enough for me. It also sounds like with the amount of the people summoned willing to help fight the cause, you need us more than we need you.”




/*do not remove credit*/
dead or alive.
coded by weldherwings
 
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The King’s eyes lightened up as he noticed that people did have questions instead of just walking away from this sudden situation. Stroking his beard as he thought about how to answer the young man in odd clothes, but then again everyone was dressed in an odd way. Truly otherworldly heroes as described in the inscriptions! Oh how fortune was smiling upon him this day! ”A way to return the favour?” He repeated and let the question sink in as he thought about what he had to offer to these people that could be to their liking. Not everyone was possibly satisfied with what he could give, so there were some choices to choose from, it was only a matter of perspective. Though there was one thing that people liked most of the time: fame and money. However, this was not always true shown by the first king who was called Yrt. A man kings looked up for the longest of times, yet no one was able to surpass his legacy.

But before he could answer the question, other people started to join the hero group he had hoped to create while summoning them. It was one of the best-case scenarios that this many actually agreed on going with the task to defeat this evil in the world. It made him feel warm inside that there was still this sense of justice in these youngsters which couldn’t be said about everyone in this day and age. Nodding to each and every one of them in respect. Once everyone settled on their decision, the King turned to Gracie Fey with a gentle, almost fatherly smile upon his lips. ”Order the maids to get some clothes in presentation so the heroes could choose their outfit to their liking. And get the hot springs ready for both men and women so they can heat up.” After giving his order, he turned towards his crowd once more: ”For the favour in return… I will grant you all one wish in return within my power. Your weapons will be given to your later when you’re ready. As for fighting in the front lines, that depends on your abilities and the way you move in combat, I can’t predict how you will be there as I have never seen you fight before.” It was short but he meant what he said which was clear to the ears, even for the servants and guards waiting around to guide the people to the according rooms. ”I will have to excuse myself as a meeting is waiting for me. I bit you farewell for now.” Leaving after he had said what he had to, patting the guards and Gracie on the shoulder as that was the sign for them to take over from this point on.

---

Exhan POV

Exhan let out a deep sigh as he gave the necklace to one of the clerics present, who quickly went away with it to get it cleaned up and stored into the relics room of heroes. Yes, even if the woman didn’t have a second chance in life, her summoning wouldn’t be at least forgotten this way, a warning of what could happen if things didn’t go right. Rubbing the back of his pale neck as he eyed the King with his absolutely idiotic grin that he desperately tried to hide due to the clueless volunteers. Honestly, he didn’t get why they didn’t run away at once as this wasn’t exactly child’s play. This was life or death, kill or be killed. He could feel a headache coming up his way which he hoped wouldn’t come as it would practically ruin his entire day… Eyeing Gracie from the corners of his eyes, seeing that she was busy scribbling things down as always. Being the good girl that she was, was an absolute 180 degrees of how Exhan was built. Yet there was this faint connection due to some previous missions they had gone on together, even if it wasn’t too much.

The very moment he felt the pat on his back by Draco (aka the King), he switched on his guard mode as that was his occupation. ”Alright everyone, this way please.” He stated in a rather loud voice which was different from the King. He had a cooler voice, slightly to the lower side of the spectrum. With this, he started moving with some other guards into the directions of the baths where the new heroes could plunge into for some time. At least until they got their thoughts straight about what to do. The hallways were mainly decorated in marble floors, walls painted in white and beautiful golden decorations which represented the flora of the Kingdom. Most was known on earth, but there were some odd ones found in between as well which were to be discovered.

It took about ten minutes of walking before they arrived at the bath house which was at the very east of the castle. Situated close to a waterfall which one could hear with the opened windows. If one would get past the small garden, they would immediately see the beautiful scenery in front of them which was of course fenced off for wanderers as it was a steep fall down. This was done for a reason which one could guess…

”The men go to the left, the women to the right as displayed by these symbols. We will be waiting outside for when you are done or when you have more questions after. It’s better to ask than to live in doubt like some of you probably do.” He said as he gestured towards the two doors.

RageFactorXIII RageFactorXIII Uasal Uasal Pacificus Pacificus Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread Corrosion Corrosion sunnieside sunnieside eloise eloise Hexblood Bandit Hexblood Bandit Synthetic Synthetic Midrick Midrick sxperhuman sxperhuman seasonedcat seasonedcat















the halfling






Exhan.
















  • filler tab!










♡coded by uxie♡


The King’s eyes lightened up as he noticed that people did have questions instead of just walking away from this sudden situation. Stroking his beard as he thought about how to answer the young man in odd clothes, but then again everyone was dressed in an odd way. Truly otherworldly heroes as described in the inscriptions! Oh how fortune was smiling upon him this day! ”A way to return the favour?” He repeated and let the question sink in as he thought about what he had to offer to these people that could be to their liking. Not everyone was possibly satisfied with what he could give, so there were some choices to choose from, it was only a matter of perspective. Though there was one thing that people liked most of the time: fame and money. However, this was not always true shown by the first king who was called Yrt. A man kings looked up for the longest of times, yet no one was able to surpass his legacy.

But before he could answer the question, other people started to join the hero group he had hoped to create while summoning them. It was one of the best-case scenarios that this many actually agreed on going with the task to defeat this evil in the world. It made him feel warm inside that there was still this sense of justice in these youngsters which couldn’t be said about everyone in this day and age. Nodding to each and every one of them in respect. Once everyone settled on their decision, the King turned to Gracie Fey with a gentle, almost fatherly smile upon his lips. ”Order the maids to get some clothes in presentation so the heroes could choose their outfit to their liking. And get the hot springs ready for both men and women so they can heat up.” After giving his order, he turned towards his crowd once more: ”For the favour in return… I will grant you all one wish in return within my power. Your weapons will be given to your later when you’re ready. As for fighting in the front lines, that depends on your abilities and the way you move in combat, I can’t predict how you will be there as I have never seen you fight before.” It was short but he meant what he said which was clear to the ears, even for the servants and guards waiting around to guide the people to the according rooms. ”I will have to excuse myself as a meeting is waiting for me. I bit you farewell for now.” Leaving after he had said what he had to, patting the guards and Gracie on the shoulder as that was the sign for them to take over from this point on.

---

Exhan POV

Exhan let out a deep sigh as he gave the necklace to one of the clerics present, who quickly went away with it to get it cleaned up and stored into the relics room of heroes. Yes, even if the woman didn’t have a second chance in life, her summoning wouldn’t be at least forgotten this way, a warning of what could happen if things didn’t go right. Rubbing the back of his pale neck as he eyed the King with his absolutely idiotic grin that he desperately tried to hide due to the clueless volunteers. Honestly, he didn’t get why they didn’t run away at once as this wasn’t exactly child’s play. This was life or death, kill or be killed. He could feel a headache coming up his way which he hoped wouldn’t come as it would practically ruin his entire day… Eyeing Gracie from the corners of his eyes, seeing that she was busy scribbling things down as always. Being the good girl that she was, was an absolute 180 degrees of how Exhan was built. Yet there was this faint connection due to some previous missions they had gone on together, even if it wasn’t too much.

The very moment he felt the pat on his back by Draco (aka the King), he switched on his guard mode as that was his occupation. ”Alright everyone, this way please.” He stated in a rather loud voice which was different from the King. He had a cooler voice, slightly to the lower side of the spectrum. With this, he started moving with some other guards into the directions of the baths where the new heroes could plunge into for some time. At least until they got their thoughts straight about what to do. The hallways were mainly decorated in marble floors, walls painted in white and beautiful golden decorations which represented the flora of the Kingdom. Most was known on earth, but there were some odd ones found in between as well which were to be discovered.

It took about ten minutes of walking before they arrived at the bath house which was at the very east of the castle. Situated close to a waterfall which one could hear with the opened windows. If one would get past the small garden, they would immediately see the beautiful scenery in front of them which was of course fenced off for wanderers as it was a steep fall down. This was done for a reason which one could guess…

”The men go to the left, the women to the right as displayed by these symbols. We will be waiting outside for when you are done or when you have more questions after. It’s better to ask than to live in doubt like some of you probably do.” He said as he gestured towards the two doors.
 
Presently Unnamed, Thoughtful Businessman

As the meteor people started to descend, the businessman paid minimal attention to them. He caught the broad details of what was happening, such as the names and circumstances of the people who approached the king. However, rather than focusing on these details, passively taking them in and setting them aside for later as he massaged his temples and thought deeply about his circumstances.
(Note: He does not actually think linguistically, as written. This entire thought process is carried out within around a minute or two. If you feel like it, here’s an appropriate theme to play while following along with his thoughts.)

Alright, I need to collect my thoughts before I forget them.

The last thing I can remember after landing following the ‘detour’ from my flight was fainting while being held at gunpoint in front of a camera.

Following this, I distinctly remember the sensation of floating in a void as I awoke. I was still capable of feeling, seeing, tasting, and moving in this state. I know for a fact that no anesthetics are capable of replicating a floating sensation, breathing sensation, and full motor sensation simultaneously, nor am I aware of any that immediately wear off the moment consciousness is regained. The transition between those two awakened states is inexplicable. I will call this confusing circumstance the “void”.

Although my temporal perception in that state may have been faulty, I remember almost immediately perceiving a ‘light’ approach. The light then overwhelmed the ‘void’, resulting in a transition into a falling state. While in this state, despite reaching terminal velocity and seemingly being surrounded by fire, my suit did not sustain any significant damage whatsoever. In fact, even now, my suit is fine, if not soaked. The lack of friction burning is inexplicable given the speed at which I must have been falling. I will call this confusing circumstance the “fall flame”.

Then, there is obviously the perplexing landing which I underwent. Based on my perception of the other falling people, it would seem that the water spheres which caught us are, at maximum 20’ in length. However, despite landing in these spheres of water, I did not feel the usual percussion of a high-dive. This is especially relevant since I undertook no precautions to break the surface of the water. Considering how much faster I was moving, hitting the water should have resulted in trauma of some sort. However, I am completely unharmed. Further, even if I body-slammed into the water at full force, it should not have been capable of decelerating me slowly enough to prevent trauma. The fact that neither the impact against the water blob nor the deceleration which I underwent within it caused me damage is inexplicable. I will call this confusing circumstance the “water sphere”.

Lastly, considering the details that were provided to me by the people who appear to be responsible for my survival from this series of inexplicable circumstances, I now know the following:
1. They claim responsibility for all of the above confusing circumstances.
2. They claim that the impetus of the “void” circumstance is our deaths.
3. They claim that their rationale is that creatures known as the “fallen” are successfully invading their cities, so they needed additional aid in order to stop or repel the invasion.
4. They claim that the methodology they used to bring us here is “ancient magic”, which required the use of the most capable “wizards” that are available.
5. They claim that we come from “other worlds”. Of note, they pluralized “worlds”.
6. They claim that the “ancient magic” is irreversible.
7. They claim that we will be provided with recourse if we choose to not “fight evil” for them.

Time to rule out explanations. I’ll go one by one, I guess:

A simple solution, to be sure. However, it is contradicted by two points.
1. I have full and varied sensation. If I was currently sleeping and I had this level of sensory experience, I would be able to discern discrepancies between my actual body and my perceived dream state. It is implausible that the dream coincides with reality perfectly in the manner I perceive.
2. I have a standard perception of time, and can act with proper timing. Time perception in a dreaming state is slowed immensely, which would contradict my current experience.

These are glaring contradictions. As such, the “dreaming” explanation is implausible. More likely is

A more complex explanation, but it dovetails off of the same assumptions as 1, but gets around the prior two facts. However, it is still contradicted by 3 other facts.
1. It is impossible for said technology to exist at present. Even military products have not advanced to the point where the production of a full neurological interface is possible. Further, if such an interface existed, there would be a maladaptation or discrepancy. Yet I have noticed none, despite having already spent several minutes with a full sensory experience, the likes of which perfectly coincides with all of my capabilities prior to my loss of consciousness.
2. Memory-reading technology is implausible due to the hard problem of neuronal tracking. If academic papers and hundreds of trillions of dollars of investment were outright abandoned on the topic over a decade ago, it would be outright irrational for me to take it as a conspiracy. And even if it was,
3. Even if I was subjected to a simulation, no one has anything to gain from doing so. If neuronal tracking was possible, my memories would already be available for reading, so simulating this experience would be entirely useless. Rather, they would just run a calculation to determine any decisions I would make. Simulating my consciousness is entirely superfluous, and would demand far more resources than I could even conceivably be worth. If someone were instead undergoing this simulation for my exclusive benefit, they would have known that merely simulating my life as-is continuing on from the flight would have been far more enjoyable to me than whatever the hell this current circumstance is. The same is true for if they desired to make me suffer, since my memories would easily reveal a more substantive ‘hell’ circumstance. It is implausible to sustain a heavily resource-intensive simulation performed by a group with no motive.

So it doesn’t seem like I’m in the equivalent of the “matrix”. While it pains me to say this, there is another possibility that technically avoids the contradictions above:

This explanation is completely impossible for many reasons, but primary is the following:
1. Multimodal hallucinations cannot target all of the senses simultaneously and completely, and they do not maintain consistency.

So a hallucination doesn’t cut it either. Since I want to avoid the final explanation as a last-resort, that leaves me two final alternative explanations to consider:

Obviously, this possibility is entirely arbitrary. I have no reason to accept any of the premises of this explanation. It does avoid any of the contradictions that I have currently raised, since my company can afford to have me cryogenically preserved, and I could conceivably be preserved indefinitely until requisite technology is developed. However, there is a critical contradiction for this explanation:
1. If I have been awakened following cryogenic preservation, then the death of one of the cryogenically-preserved people should be impossible. If said person were to die, ejecting them with whatever method prevented friction burns during descent would be deemed a waste of resources. Further, if we have come to the future, there is no reason to presume that person’s cryogenic preservation could not have been extended until they could be safely sent down. No matter what, this explanation fails to account for the death of one of the targets, so it is not internally consistent, and therefore has to be rejected.

It is possible to adjust this explanation to resolve this contradiction by changing it into the penultimate remaining explanation as follows:

“I have been cryogenically frozen, taken to the future, and then incorporated into a simulation”

I cannot think of any inconsistencies between my current situation and this explanation. However, there is a final explanation which is similarly consistent with my current circumstances:

“I have been transported to an alternate reality, specifically one with different physical principles”

I suppose I’ll call these two candidate explanations “CryoSim” and “Transpo”. I’ll compare the premises that I’ll have to accept on each, to see which one is more plausible.
1. Not only would I need to have been cryogenically preserved for some unknown length of time, I would have to be preserved without significant neuronal damage. If I experienced any significant neuronal damage whatsoever prior to being ‘scanned’ or whatever, I would immediately notice a maladaptation or recall adjustment upon being entered into the simulation due to the loss, even if the lost information was accounted for.
2. The simulation would need to be designed with these entirely arbitrary circumstances. I cannot conceive of a society with such ridiculous technological capabilities utilizing its resources to enter one such as I into a simulation like this. While it is possible, their motive for selecting me and for selecting the specific details of the simulation are too inexplicable for me to readily accept.
1. I have to accept that there exists some sort of alternate reality which is capable of interacting with some sort of intermediary reality, which itself serves as a bridge between my reality and at least this reality.
2. I have to accept that the reality that I am currently in is distinct from the reality that I was previously in.
3. I have to accept that my entire being was capable of being transported from my former reality to this new, different reality.

Weighing the two, there is a noticeable discrepancy. CryoSim could theoretically be explained without jumps in metaphysical principles, but it is so implausible that I find it difficult to accept. Transpo requires that I accept metaphysical premises that are inconsistent with materialism, but is otherwise entirely plausible.

I have absolutely no idea how to falsify either CryoSim or Transpo. However, I will tentatively be going with Transpo, because it seems more plausible on the surface. As such, I have several conclusions that I need to keep in mind:
1. I have definitely “died” in some capacity. Everything I earned and worked for, aside from my memories, the possessions on my person, and my physique, are now inaccessible.
2. Since I have “died” once, I can “die” in the same way again. Everything aside from my memories, the possessions on my person, and my physique can be rendered inaccessible once again.
3. If I “die” once again, I have no idea whether I will end up in a parallel or alternate situation. Retaining my current life is the most logical decision since it will prevent me from arriving in a worse situation, so I will do so until I can confirm whether or not “dying” again will lead to a better outcome, or until I can identify which factors will influence that determination.
4. Other people appear to have “died” like me, whereas others appear to have not “died” yet. The best way to gather more information on the situation would be to establish good terms with both parties.

With these conclusions, logically, my current priority is to gather as much information about the differences between reality and my previous reality as I can in the shortest possible timespan that I can afford. Distinguishing the subjective from the objective is looking like it’s going to be one hell of a task, but these non-dead people seem eager to assist me in that endeavor. It is also hard to feel motivated to pursue that priority with the whiplash my brain is going through after reconciling all of these facts.

Also…I’m freaking cold!

He shivered again. With his extensive thought-break over, he looked around at those who were gathered beside the king.

Firstly was the scrawny, black-haired naked fellow next to him. The businessman glanced over at the fellow without any hint of shame or embarrassment. The businessman took careful note of the numerous scars across the fellow’s body, as well as his missing arm. After his rather brief-but-thorough glance, he focused in on the fellow’s face. The businessman smirked a little after a few moments of inspecting the fellow’s expression and blush, but he quickly suppressed the motion, attempting to
He looks athletic, if a bit thin. He looks like he’s been in at least a few fights in his life. And he’s the only naked guy here. Now that I look at him a bit closer, he has a pretty good-natured expression. He’ll make a good co-worker or manager.

His eyes wandered over to the chess-haired teenaged girl next. He quickly glanced over her body quickly, only pausing briefly on her calves and her neck, as well as some of the more noticeable features of her clothing. As her comment came to his mind, he raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat intrigued, but he moved on to the person beside her without further reaction.
She’s got some musculature, but she looks emotionally unstable right now. I’d wager she’s immature and self-centered, based on those clothing choices. Definitely won’t put her in any managerial positions if I can help it. She’d be a better subordinate than anything else.

The next person was “Yu Xiu of China”, as she so eloquently put it. He looked a bit surprised as he recalled what she did a few seconds ago, and inspected her dress with interest, pausing his brief, swooping glance only after spotting the definition of her arm musculature. He seemed to fixate on her arms for an uncomfortably long second, then looked up to her hair, and furrowed his brows before moving on to the next person, as if still thinking about something.
Good physique, probably an amateur athlete or dancer. She looks professional, respectful, and self-aware…and, curiously, Chinese. That statement makes me wonder how she knows English, or if we’re even speaking English at all right now. She’d make a good manager, she definitely has the composure for it.

The next person, “Rook”, pulled him out of his thoughts rather swiftly. The businessman took several seconds to fully take in the ridiculously complicated sight that this fellow imposed on his eyes. He stared at the fellow’s gun for more than a few seconds, especially at the reflex sight. His eyes continued shifting between the man’s different pieces of equipment, and eventually moved up to the guy’s open helmet, and over to his face. He looked puzzled, and raised an eyebrow, but moved on to the next person after another second of hesitation and thought.
That skeletal rigging has fully-functional joints and is certifiably made of metal. Further, that extension from the back of the suit moves autonomously, and has a lens that moves in and out. He’s either an ETMO agent, or he’s from a different reality, and I’d wager it’s the later. He mentioned an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, which sounds like something an ETMO agent would bring up if he happened to be in space when he “died” and experienced all of this…but, I haven’t heard of “Pathfinders” in ETMO. Maybe he means “Rangers”? No, he couldn’t get something so basic wrong.

Anyway, more importantly, this guy’s emotions are all over the place. He went from confusion to fear, and now he looks ready to die for a cause. Hard to get a read, but I love that current expression. He’d probably make a decent co-worker or subordinate.

The next fellow, “Dalton Redcap,” really caught the businessman’s eye. He inspected the fellow’s clothes and musculature with interest, especially focusing on his neck muscles and forearms. The businessman grinned a little as he saw the fellow’s expression, then moved on to looking at the next person.
This guy looks really well-built, and that expression of his is perfect. I want that guy in a leadership position. He looks ready to get stuff done. He sounds like a sailor of some sort, and he seems to be using a southern United States of America accent. I suppose the “Tide Rider” is the name of his ship. I’ll have to keep that in mind.

Thereafter, he gazed over at the lady in the soaking wet blouse. His eyes focused in on her folded-up jacket for a bit, then moved along, inspecting the rest of her frail, smooth limbs quickly, and then travelling up to her face. She was still talking as he inspected her, although she finished her comments as he watched her, thinking all the while. He took a few seconds before moving on to the last of the fellows that decided to help in the fight against the Fallen, for now at least.
She’s cold, analytical, and mature. Further, she sounds like she has some relevant experience. She mentioned logistics and policy right away, so it sounds like she’s used to managerial positions. That said, that lack of self-awareness and consideration for her circumstances is really perplexing. It’d be a waste to leave her below a managerial position, but she’s too guarded for me to get a good read on her leadership potential, so managerial it is, for now.

The last “dead” fellow that the businessman focused his gaze on was the guy in the pink polo shirt and brown trousers. The businessman’s interest immediately faded as he saw the fellow’s grin. Once the guy spoke up and started gesturing and yawning, the businessman furrowed his brow. He barely kept himself from frowning, but shot the guy an intense, focused stare. After a little bit more thought, he moved on to look at the creatures who were still dry, and who did not seem to have just “died”.
I’ve seen that expression many times before. That’s the face and mentality of a selfish prick, right there. He’s non-athletic, but he doesn’t look especially out of shape. Definitely a subordinate. With a mentality like that, entrusting anything important to him would be a mistake.

With that, he heard the blonde-haired frail lady whistle, and looked her way. He seemed to focus in on her writing implements and on her dress before his eyes wandered up to her face. He seemed surprised and interested, much like how he looked after inspecting the business lady. However, once the polo-shirt guy stopped talking and the king responded, he turned his attention over to the king.
She’s easy to read, and looks bookish. I’d wager she’d make a decent subordinate, but not much else. She certainly seems driven and focused, but those facial expressions she just made say everything – she’s probably impulsive and dependent. Remove the structure of a superior’s orders and she’ll fall apart. It’s best to be careful around her.

As he looked to the king, he saw the fellow posit a rhetorical question and think. The businessman’s expression shifted back to a neutral, calm, and professional look as he eyed the fellow up and down for a few seconds. He watched the king and thought as the guy gave his rather eloquent response, then looked around at the numerous other people and objects in the surroundings as the king headed off to his ‘meeting’.
He looks even more mature than that lady in the blouse. He’s got a real nice expression there. Definitely ambitious. He’d easily fit into a leadership position, so it’s no wonder the others respect him and follow his orders.

His eyes focused in on a few details of their surroundings, but his attention was drawn back over to the red-eyed fellow only a few seconds later. Evidently, the red-eyed fellow was now starting to pull people along to the ‘hot springs’, just like the king had mentioned. As the businessman looked over the guy’s form, he looked impressed once again, and grinned a bit, especially when he saw the fellow’s expression.
Now this guy’s a soldier, if I’ve ever seen one. That look of incredulity says it all. He thinks we’re all trainees. Definitely a co-worker. He’d probably miss talent if he was put in a leadership position, and he wouldn’t tolerate an incompetent superior.

The businessman’s expression shifted from an impressed state to a sort of general amusement as he followed the red-eyed fellow. He looked around at the marble and gold decorating the building. He didn’t pay any individual feature too much heed though, he just glanced this way and that, focusing in on especially notable features in his surroundings every now and then. He didn’t stay silent for the full ten minutes over which they walked along. He tried to strike up conversation with everyone there for at least enough time to introduce himself(although he notably avoided mentioning his name to anyone). He focused in on a few of the people who were walking along with him, especially including the mature lady, Yu Xiu of China, and Rook.
…

He directed his attention to Yu Xiu with a warm smile and bowed his head slightly as he commented, ”I was surprised to see how respectably you presented yourself back there. You should be proud of your professionalism, miss!” After a brief exchange of compliments, he gradually changed the topic to her origin, then remarked, ”You know, now that I think about it, I was quite curious. If you’re from China, you should be fluent in Chinese. But you seemed to know that we would all speak English once you stood up. And you speak it quite well, too. Is there a reason for that?”

…

Eventually, he wandered his way over to Rook. After a brief exchange of greetings, notably while avoiding the topic of his own name, the businessman commented, ”You look like you were geared up for some sort of hazardous environment mission, or some sort of military trek. However, I don’t recognize this ‘Pathfinder’ organization. What country is it affiliated with, or is it some sort of international joint commission? Oh, or maybe it’s an independent business?”

…

Once he happened upon the mature lady, he offered his hand in greeting, notably avoiding the topic of his own name. After a few complimentary remarks on how astute and quick-witted she was, and after several comments asking about her interest in the kingdom’s logistics, he finally got around to the question he seemed to be working his way towards. ”You also seemed quite unphased by the whole situation back there. Are you, perhaps, used to such situations?” He grinned and chuckled a little, as if his comment were a joke, but his eyes betrayed his genuine interest.

…

Once they finally arrived at the bath and the guard fellow with red eyes gestured to the two baths, the businessman’s brows furrowed. He quickly looked to the other “dead” people to assess their expressions. Thereafter, he smiled and casually walked over to the room on the left. He entered inside, disrobed, secured a towel along his waist, and headed into the bathing area beyond to clean himself off and to take a soak in the bath. He wasn’t really rushing through, and he exchanged small-talk with the others as he started to relax for a bit.

”Ahh…It’s been a while since I’ve been able to go to a bath house.” He glanced to the others, gauging their responses. After a lull in the conversation, he commented, ”So then. Anyone curious about what the hell is going on here?” He smirked as he saw their responses, then let out a long, casual sigh as he sunk a few inches deeper into the hot springs. Once they responded, he added, ”Sorry, dumb question. I meant, ‘who here wants to help me investigate something’…yeah, something like that.”
 
Anzu

"One wish, hehh..." Anzu murmured to herself when she heard the king's reply. Did she have any wish? Land? Money? Title? She wasn't sure. In her previous life she simply wants to live in peace. The thought of her wish filled her head even as they walk through the corridor to go to the bath house. She simply stared blankly at the various decorations lining on the walls. Still, when they finally arrived at the bathhouse she could hold back her Japanese soul to scream in joy inside her mind.

"Onsen!"

As if waiting for this moment, Anzu quickly entered the woman section, undressed herself and jumped into the bathing area. Her head can be seen bobbing up and down on the water surface as she tried to wash all part of her body, including the head. Speaking of washing, she forgot the hair coloring that she use to die her hair white can be washed away in hot water. She shouldn't be doing that in a bath but it's too late now. The coloring would come off anytime soon and dirtying the water a bit.

Yeah, anytime. Probably right now...

The coloring didn't shows any sign of fading and the water stayed crystal clear even though Anzu had been in the bath for a few minutes. Curious, the girl started to roughly rubs her hair so the white part would come off. Nothing happened. It seems the die had becomes one with her real hair, or whoever handle the reconstruction of her body in this world mistook her hair color for the real one... If she knew a glitch like this would happen she would have colored her hair red.
 
Fortunately for Clair and her sense of dignity, the blonde woman was quick to act in response to her request for dry clothing, sending a plain and simple but heavy dress her way which could easily be thrown on atop her current clothing for the time being at least. And that it was, with not an abundant amount of time to be spared in terms of the integrity of her white blouse, for now at least Clair could find comfort in knowing what was said about their needs being met was at least somewhat true. Could the kingdom be simply leading them on with acts of kindness and splendour? That was still to be determined but for now at least... for now at least Clair found the kingdom's words to have a little more weight than before.

The blonde-haired woman would go on to inform Clair that she would be granted access to the kingdom's records once the current situation had calmed and this was something Clair couldn't have been happier to hear. In a world where the very laws by which she had been going about her life had drastically been changed gaining as much knowledge about how the world around her worked was paramount to her survival. Not knowing the written laws for the land you lived in was a recipe for disaster especially given that a 'hero' was someone always in the public view going by book and movie knowledge. That and Clair wasn't all too fond of fighting in the first place, fighting a war without knowing the countries current situation, economical status and logistical power was something she liked the thought of even less. Reading straight from the kingdom's records would present her with the information she desperately needed and with it being right from the castle there was likely no higher form of legitimacy the kingdom over.

As time went by the king made an offer to the group, a single wish within his power to grant would be given to each 'Hero'. As far as compensation went this was very high up there on the list of best outcomes. It was no three wish magic lamp and Clair highly doubted the 'infinite wishes' workaround would be accepted but even just the one was something extremely useful. But as to what she would wish for? That was something she'd save until after she had at least finished reading the records she had requested to see and given some thought to the subject.

Following the king's words, the group was led by an escort of guards through the castle corridors to a large bathhouse. The journey took quite some time and spoke of the castle's majesty and size. With marble and gold littered around like cobbled stone or paint it was safe to say the kingdom was certainly not lacking skilled specialists when it came to sculpting and masonry. The paintings too were masterfully arranged to lead Clair to the conclusion that with such a strong focus on artwork the kingdom was certainly economically stable for the most part, even if focused primarily at the top. Artists tended to be plenty only when a country had reached a stage where money, time and safety were of no large concern. There were exceptions but this was a telltale sign of a first world country in modern times.

As the group ventured through the halls Clair was approached by the businessman from before, who like her had yet to give a name. The man had a firm handshake and was no stranger to sweet-talking and buttering others up before hitting them with a question. A standard tactic but something Clair was all too familiar with. Offering the man a smile Clair withdrew her hand and chuckled softly to herself, eyes wandering back to the Chinese girl from before "Am I used to such situations? If I have to be brutally honest I was once reincarnated as a slime in a fantasy world much like this one." Pausing for a second Clair shifted her view back to the man "Of course not, panicking and losing myself to the shock will do me no favours right now. I might even go and think everyone here is speaking English in a world where England never colonised half the known world.". Speaking softly Clair spoke to herself just loud enough for the man to hear "Oh wait, I said that in Irish... how could he possibly understand".

Pushing forward Clair gave the man a soft smile "I'm only taunting you for fun. Don't take it to heart, your public speaking skills are rather impressive. I look forward to seeing what else you're capable of in the future Mr Corporate." And with that Clair moved into the women bathhouse, noting the symbol on the door with a soft chuckle to herself. Not everything had changed it would seem.

Once in the bathhouse Clair removed her soaking wet clothes and made her way into the warm waters where she sat near the edge soaking as she thought deeply on the events thus far and planned how she would continue. As others joined the bath Clair paid little to no attention but upon being called out to she would respond.
Synthetic Synthetic sunnieside sunnieside
 
Azad cursed under his breath as he paced in his personal study(more of a library if you were to look at it) for the hundredth time. He had of course been ordered away from the greeting of the summoned as his father didn't want him to say anything that would drive the summoned away, after all, they 'needed' them. Azad of course wanted nothing more than to disobey, but a part of him also found it better for his father to receive defeat without his meddling, after all what person would decide to save a random world they had been stripped from their own to do. Most of them would only do it for rewards if they did, far greater rewards than his father would be able to supply.

He let out another sigh, closing the book in his hands that he hadn't read since he opened it, tossing it carelessly onto his desk. Little would come from waiting, and the ceremony would be over by now. Azad gracefully moved through the castle, sleepy guards jolting to attention as they saw him walk past. Snickering in his head and the nervousness of the guard he asked directions to before continuing on his way.

He easily came to the destination, smiling to himself as he approached a familiar face. "well if it isn't my favorite royal knight, how do you do?" he hummed innocently, his hungry gaze taking in the new faces of the summoned, his signature fan covering the lower half of his face, hiding his mouth which had tilted into a slight frown at the sight of them, "here to take a bath? It would always be a pleasure to join you~" he added, winking playfully at the guard as he spoke, ignoring the fact that the summoned nearby could most likely hear him. He also ignored the fact that both of them knew exactly why Exhan was here.
Clouds Clouds
 
ROOK
Rookie Pathfinder
Synthetic Synthetic sunnieside sunnieside Pacificus Pacificus RageFactorXIII RageFactorXIII every other naked dude in the bathhouse
​
Several more followed after Rook had stated his intentions to defend the nation from the apparent demon threat, namely the sailor, businesswoman, and store clerk, and that seemed to be enough to convince most of the others. Rook realised that it was probably quite brash of him to declare his allegiance to a nation he had hardly enough intel about, against a threat he had hardly any intel about, in a world he had seemingly arrived in by getting summoned.

He kicked himself inwardly. He should've known better than to get into a situation without knowing the full thing. Knowledge was power, as they said, and the only knowledge he had right now was that he and a bunch of other people who had been summoned here to a nation with apparent medieval-levels of technology and seemingly esoteric laws of physics to fight some demons.

Rook was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around all this. He wondered why he even decided to just join the others before him in pledging his allegiance. Maybe he wanted to go along, maybe it was him being duty-bound to humanity as he'd been taught so many times in the Academy, maybe it was just his innermost desire to prove himself and get out of his father's shadow.

The young Pathfinder honestly didn't know. Here he was, someone considered a prodigy by many, having just made what could possibly be an irrevocably stupid decision that could potentially have consequences.

The white-haired man opened his mouth, and he seemed to be particularly important. A royal guard of some kind, it seemed. Now they were being ushered into the main castle building itself. They were guided through the hallways, which were painted a beautiful white with golden highlights, marble flooring below.

Rook's eyes were wide with wonder, the servomotors of his Rig whirring as he moved. This was like stepping through a time machine, to ancient Roman times or to the Renaissance. Sure, there were accurate recreations, both physical and virtual, but this was as close as he could get. The camera on his back was recording everything, now zoomed in on a set of paintings depicting some form of fauna that was foreign to him. This place was just so rich with intel. He was cataloguing just about everything, from the ceilings to the floors, and with all this ripe information, he couldn't wait to show it to his team, to Alpha, to his father, to—

Then it all came crashing back down on him. The whole debacle in the ancient ruins of Aeternitas, and ending up here. He didn't truly believe he was dead, but either way, it was painfully obvious that he was going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future.

He deactivated his camera, and he sighed as it folded back into its standby position on his shoulder. He knew the risks that came with being a Pathfinder. It was a tough and dangerous job, with many Pathfinders either getting killed or injured during their service.

But Pathfinders were meant to explore new worlds. And this just so happened to be one of them, full of potentially unknown species just waiting to be discovered. This was just the start of a new mission.

Rook embraced that idea, that he had been brought here for a reason. Hell, he'd spent five years in Pathfinder Academy, and he didn't get that far just to die on his first mission.

He was so lost in thought that he almost hadn't noticed that the businessman was speaking to him. "Huh? Oh, uh, right," Rook mumbled a little awkwardly and placed his PDW on his back. Still, confusion registered on his face. The man didn't seem to know what the Pathfinders were, and he seemed to be under the impression that Earth was still comprised of fragmented nation-states. "What? No, I operate under the flag of the CNE, the Consolidated Nations of Earth. All Pathfinders do, as does every registered citizen."

Still, as the man turned his attention over to the businesswoman, the gears began to turn in Rook's head. The spark of realisation began to form, and now a hypothesis came to mind, one that'd he'd put to the test soon enough.

They eventually ended up at their destination after a good ten minutes or so of straight walking (the castle was really, really big), which was at the very end of the castle. Rook paused as he saw the symbols by the doors.

A bathroom. They'd walked through the entire castle just to end up at a bathroom.

Figured, though. The others were still soaking wet, given how most of them had landed in those strange spheres of water. Well, unlike that one particularly unlucky woman who smashed face-first into solid ground.

The group entered the room, with Rook going in with the men. Once inside, it became apparent that this place was a bathhouse, given by the whole steaming hot bath in the middle of the room.

The men removed their clothes and made their way into the water, and relaxed. While it did seem tempting, there was just no way Rook was getting out of his Rig, especially in a situation like this. So he just ended up awkwardly standing around in his full Pathfinder Scout Rig, which was just a tad bit visually absurd to see him being surrounded by a dozen half-naked men.

"Yeah, me," Rook said at the businessman's question. "Less than an hour ago I was in some ancient alien ruins on an exoplanet three hundred light years away from Earth, and now I'm here. If that hasn't gotten me curious I don't know what will."

He crouched down and placed a hand into the water's surface. His HUD lit up, quickly informing him that there were trace amounts of calcium and magnesium. Pretty standard composition for geothermal hot springs. There weren't any contaminants in it, which was a good sign.

Satisfied, Rook stood back to his full height, looking over the room. None of the people here had any implants, which was frankly quite uncommon for 2219. That only strengthened his theory.

Time to put his hypothesis to the test.

He cleared his throat and spoke. "There's something I want to say," he began. "From what I've gathered, it seems like not all of us are from the same time periods, or realities. I've made some observations, and it seems like most of you come from what would be considered the past for me."

He turned to the businessman. "You told me you don't know what Pathfinders are. Everyone knows who we are from where I'm from," he said, before turning back to the rest. "So, I want to confirm suspicion of mine."

"I'm from the year 2219," he stated. "Where do the rest of you come from?"


​
 
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Dalton Redcap l castle bathhouse.

Dalton walked with the rest towards the bathhouse. The people he had landed here with seemed very capable. He had accepted the "Call to Adventure" but he doubted how useful he could be. This was a medieval society, and he was a fisherman from the 21st century. There were no motors, RADARs, nylon nets or aluminum hulls here. At best, his fishing skill was his most useful attribute. Dalton made sure to keep his head up and give off an air of confidence, however. As underprepared as he was, he wasn't about to let himself fall behind. He studied the other adventurers, the men anyway; the women were taken to a separate bathhouse. He also tried to compare the marble architecture to any of the historic kingdoms of Earth. Perhaps to draw some conclusions about this places past. But he couldn't quite match it. "Greek?" The smooth and curved marble seemed Greek, he thought.

The hot steam and clear water of the bathhouse looked extremely inviting. Dalton stopped at the edge of the pool of water and stared in. Uncertain feelings stirred within him as stared at the water with a blank expression. He felt like he couldn't breath, just from staring at the water. Like, he was drowning all over again.

The Businessman's question and the spaceman-Rook, broke Dalton's trance. He stepped away from the water with his hands in his pockets. He would remain quite comfortable in his coveralls. He answered Rook's question first. "You think we might be all from different timelines? Maybe even realities?" Dalton questioned, then shrugged. "It was 2021. I was on Earth, 13 miles off the coast of Florida. I was in a storm." The existence of different timelines didn't surprise Dalton. They were, essentially, in a different dimension right now. He ran his hand through his hair. It was still alot to take in, though.

Then, he turned to the rather mysterious Businessman, "I am also curious. Call me paranoid, but I don't take any authority at its word. Ever. I'm not sayin' we're being lied to. But a little investigation seems... warranted." Dalton stated. "A little verification. N'ah I mean?"
 
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