Vault Hunters (OPEN)

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa was caught off guard when Moss asked the same question at the same time, giving the merman a moment to reply. He nodded, quietly fussing over his beau. “I-I’m okay.” He lied, his side flinched at the touch but he relax and breathed in the dusty air.

He looked up, staring at the crack that streamed moonlight. Then he looked over at the rest of what used to be the engine blade and sighed. “I believe the dome collapsed. Like a cave-in.” The redhead searched as well, hoping to find a way out without endangering their lives.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

​

• Story
• Level Up!

• 
  
  " Episode 5: Aftermath "
  
  
  
  - Fallen Gaius -​
  
  "Alright, darling, hold on." the tiefling quickly put his lantern down, then rushed over and gently helped Charon sit up against the side of the goliath's head. There was the chinking of golden ornaments on his horns. This close, the purple half-demon had pupil-less red eyes, and was decorated in tattoos of peacock feathers, plants, flowers, and vines, and a curling green snake.
  
  "You look . . . well . . . after all that . . . vomit and bleeding . . ." Charon can see the panic, as Leonid's eyes darted around his wounds, grabbed the trauma kit and kept on talking, but not really doing anything. "So --- so I think, yes, you have to take your clothes off, I can't see all the wounds, um . . ." He looked hesitant to touch the vomit and daintily pushed the tattered part of his clothes to see his wounds better. Yet despite his apparent squeamishness and panic, he managed to stop the bleeding and then give Charon a vial that dulled the pain.
  
  In the distant ruins of the shattered dome the number of twinkling torches grew, trickling down from the main city. Every now and then the eyes on the peacock feathers of Leonid's tattoos would flash red, and then he would talk to the air to different names, asking where they are, and to come to the fallen goliath if they could. The sound of his voice mixed with the faint cries of people looking for their loved ones or shouting for help in the distance. It was then joined by the rumble of engines minutes later, as silhouettes of sand surfers and sand boats, their headlights blaring in the darkness, rushed down the hilly dunes from the north side of Barad Eithel. Help had come.
  
  Soon a crowd gathered around the shattered dome. Braziers were lit, tents were being set up, as the survivors of Barad Eithel began to band together, rescuing people in earnest with the sand boats pulling away the heavy debris.
  
  Pet Panda
  
  
  
  
  
  - Moss Adamaris -​
  
  Moss' hand held his before he could search. "Wait, Isa, you're not okay." He frowned. "You're bleeding." he gently pressed his side. Slowly, Moss sat up. "Don't move, keep pressure here." he placed Isa's hand on his open stitches. "I'll look for a way out, okay? Don't push yourself now, we almost lost each other twice today." he added in a softer voice.
  
  Under the faint blue moonlight, his worried and annoyed teal eyes mirrored Isa's fear for a moment. "Please don't lie. Not with this." his voice became a soft plead. "Okay?"
  
  Katsuya
  
  
  
• 
  Congratulations everyone, ya'll gain the following perks:
  
  
  1. +4 Skill Points. Maximum skill level is now raised to 10.
  2. +1 Background Ability
  3. +1 New Spell for Divines. It'll be nerfed as necessary, but for now go wild in making it up, before tagging the GM.
  4. +1 Rp Point
  Spoiler: Spell Creation Guide

  - Spell Creation Guide -​

  
  

  1. Name your spell. This can be an incantation.
  2. Write a short description.
  3. See which spell tier level your spell belongs to. You can make spells of a higher tier level if your character level is equal or higher than the tier. Their manna cost is equal to their Tier.

  Spoiler: Things to Know

  1. Small Area = cottage size
  2. Large Area = football field size or 4 small areas.
  3. Concentration Spell = a longer lasting spell that continues to be active until you cast another spell, or your concentration is broken, or when the spell's duration ends.

  
  

  1. Tier I
     (Example: Level 1-2 D&D spells)
     Minor effects, touch range, only targets self, 1 minute non-combat duration, 2 rounds combat duration affliction, +1 Toughness, 1 attack with +1/-1 combat, or +1/-1 to a non-combat roll.
  2. Tier II
     (Example: Level 3-4 D&D spells)
     Moderate effect, stone's throw range, single target, 1 hour non-combat duration, 2 rounds combat duration affliction, +2 Toughness, 1 attack with +2/-2 combat, or +2/-2 to a non-combat roll.
  3. Tier III
     (Example: Level 5-6 D&D spells)
     Major effect, sight range, targets everyone in a small area, 8 hours non-combat duration, 3 round combat duration, +3 Toughness, 1 attack with +3/-3 combat, or +3/-3 to a non-combat roll.
  4. Tier IV:
     (Example: Level 7-8 D&D spells)
     Mighty effect, 10 mile range, targets a large area, 1 day non-combat duration, 3 round combat duration, +4 Toughness, 1 attack with +4/-4 combat, or +4/-4 to a non-combat roll.

  
  P.S. You can only create spells with effects not mentioned in the CS. The background abilities and starting spells are special to the characters who chose them. Also, because VH is a magical post-apocalyptic world, spells that heal people easily, create food, shelter, or makes traveling and the quality of life easier isn't allowed.
  
  

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Aftermath”​

Isa was about to stand up when he felt a hand on his hand, slightly pulling him back down. He whipped his head around, gazing at Moss with his mouth open; ready to ask again if something is wrong- He closed his mouth when he saw the frown, sitting back down—which now the he thought about it, why was he starting to feel dizzy? Everything is spinning slowly— and followed Moss’ orders. Pressing his bleeding side a bit, silently hissing as he listened to Moss’ gentle scolding.

He snapped his head up, again ready to fight back. They need to find a way out, more people the better—- however Isa wasn’t ready to see the same fear reflecting back. He gulped, remembering that he did promise to care about his life more. And right now, when his body is stinging and wreaked with pain, dizzy with any movement yet he still pushes himself to do something more. To the point where Moss had to use his pleading-

Gosh, he is restless.

With his lips pinched and slightly frowning, Isa took a deep breath and nodded. “O-Okay, but please be careful.” He reached out with his other hand and held Moss’ hand, squeezing it tenderly.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

"I will." The fear in Moss' eyes softened to a relieved smile. He pecked Isa's cheek. "Thank you, Isa." he squeezed his hand back. "And for protecting me too." he looked at his dark bleeding side, grateful and worried at the same time, but the next moment it gave way to determination and he began carefully shifting things around.

Pebbles clattered under his feet and searching hands, as he crawled around their cramped sloping corner. There was a grinding of stone, as he pushed and discovered the heavy pillar covering one side of the wall was loose and leaning away. He was glad for the moonlight, for through the tiny gaps above he saw that the slab didn't seem to be supporting anything that might fall down on them, and it seemed that beyond it was freedom. "Isa, I think I found a way! I'm going to push a big piece of wall. Stay back!"

When Isa was ready, Moss laid on his back, shielding his own head, and with his feet pushed.

Boom

A small puff of dust from the crash, and dust and pebbles showered him. Immediately, blue light and familiar arcane winds hit him. Moss peeked from behind his arms, waiting for something to fall. Nothing happened. The slab opened to the rest of the slanting ruined chamber, walls cracked open, twisted metal protruding from the shattered floor, and in the center was the tilted arcane machine, its glowing magical contents spilling and swirling, wildly transmuting stone to wood, wood to rubble, corpses decaying quickly, blooming fungi, mushrooms, and lichen. The magic had gone unstable and wild.

"Isa, we're out!" He crawled back to him. "But something's wrong with the machine. It's changing things. I'm going to go out first, okay?"

The magical influence of the machine seemed to be concentrated immediately around it and didn't affect Isa nor Moss, except swish their dusty hair with a breeze. Indeed the golden dome had fallen. Above them, through the twisted gold ceiling was the gaping wreckage of the east side of Barad Eithel, missing a colossal chunk.


Katsuya

 

[Pet Panda]

Health: Bruised
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (4) [0/8]
Condition: 0 | Roleplay Points: 0

Χάρων ​

"Mmhhhhhhh" Charon released a long sigh of relief when he gulped down the vial but reached down gently -- more, weakly to stop Leonid's work around the two deep gunshot wounds on his left. Swallowing a few times and getting his breath to speak, he curled his other fingers into the sand and sighed. Lifting his other hand from the sand, grains streaming off of it from the action and depositing on the bloody, vomit covered garments, he roughly finished the work that the tiefling began, ripping the filthy the tunic off with a disdainful grunt, and in a supremely disgusted manner, threw the garment away from him with surprising vigor.

Now almost entirely uncovered, the patches of scales seemed to cover his entire body. A huge expanse of flesh over his right hip and extending halfway up the right side of his rib-cage. A sheen of sweat covered his entire body and he seemed to be perspiring constantly in this state. At this point, pain dulled mildly by the vial, his breaths huffed through the gritted, pointed teeth and his emerald eyes staring in an anguished manner at the two seeping bullet wounds. Out of the storm now, the events of the past few hours. Many deaths, and, he looked up at the scene of the city's destruction, many more. He fell silent and still for a moment, a shuddering sigh escaping his teeth, a misty look in his stare. Effectively comfortable compared to the past few minutes as a result of the vial, he even had time to experience a pang of regret for giving his nurse a nasty look earlier.

"Hhhey," he growled out, sending a relaxed look toward Leonid, "yyyou're -- khh -- heeeelpfful, thhannk," he assured him, turning his attention toward the city and the tower again. Gently, he pulled his knees up to his face and wrapped his arms around them, using them as a place to rest his face. A dry grating sound emanated from behind him when his dark green tail came sliding over the sand and wrapped around the base of his form. His eyes began glistening pitifully while he stared over the scene. The stillness of the gaze suggested he was looking more within at that time.

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa sighed, cheeks dusted pink as Moss pecked one side. He leaned up to brush his lips on the merman’s retreating face and bashfully smiled. ”Anytime, Beautiful.” He purred and settled down as he watched his beau do his best. His heart wouldn’t stop racing, gazing at the merman as the moonlight highlighted his tanned high cheek bones and strands of creamy white hair.

It . . . It felt good to be cared for. He is still amazed at how wonderful it feels to be cared for after years of being alone.

The redhead only moved when Moss was sure that the spot was safe before settling down again and then, he moved to what he felt was a secured spot to hide in case of another cave-in. Watching the merman lay on his back and pushed the slab with his feet. He heard a few rubble fall and the puff of dust obscured his vision. Isa coughed before speaking up, worry flood through his tone. “Moss?”

Then he heard Moss’ voice, he sighed in relief. He blinked owlishly at what Moss said to him. “Oh? Okay. I’ll follow behind ya.” Follow, he did. By the time he popped his redhead out of the rubble, Isa quickly looked around before seeing the broken machine and- he sputtered. Surprised to see the changes from the wild magic and yet . . . An idea popped in Isa’s head. He didn’t know if it’s a good one though. Can they use this bit of magic to change a part of the world? Make some of the frozen places to actual green areas with grass and trees. . . Is this part of Titan’s essence or something?

He is pretty sure that Therias, Penny, and their friends would like that...if they found Titan’s essence.

Isa stood close to the edge of the magically affected area, feeling the odd wind that’s coming from the machine. He watched the corpses decay faster before shuffling back from the slow influence. “That’s unusual.” He tried to figure out what the magic was, but he couldn’t. He is hesitating to go near the wild manna, thinking it might affect him badly. He wondered if maybe he used Shadow claw to fly over the ground but then it might not be a safe idea either. Indigo eyes peeked over to gaze at Moss’ dusty face. Yeah, for now it’s not a good idea to poke a sleeping dragon. Thing is, this manna might affect the people around the dome too, eventually. If only there was a way to contain the place somehow . . .

A wave of dizziness bombarded the redhead, causing him to stumble back some more. Catching himself in time. “It’s best that no one touches this stuff. Whatever it is.“ Perhaps something else might help him. He asked Moss if he could help him find something or someone to inform them more about the magic and how to contain it if possible.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

Despite everything, a smile hitched up Moss' face, as he looked away, blushing. "Let me --- let me focus on . . . getting us out, Isa." he rubbed the back of his neck and then cleared his throat. That smile stayed on his face.

Now out of the debris, Isa would hear the tearing of cloth behind him. Moss had torn his sleeves and was ripping them into strips with his teeth. "It makes me think of the Badlands." he crouched next to him, glancing at the unstable magic as well. Suddenly he stood up arms outstretched when Isa stumbled, but his beau had caught himself in time. "Yeah, we should stay away, I don't fancy being turned into fertilizer." He kept his arms close to him in case he needed support. "Though the mushrooms growing out of those corpses are surprisingly varied: chanterelles --- you usually find those back home in Cascata. Amanita and split gills those grow in The Highlands." He looked at the decaying corpses curiously. Then his expression became one of despondency. He wished there was a way to retrieve the bodies. These people helped them, they should have a proper burial.

The roots from the stone were slowly growing thicker, gradually pushing away the fallen pillars of stone, and splitting cracks wider as they curled out of nooks and crannies.

When Isa asked him for help looking for a way to contain it, Moss made a frown of worry again, then glanced at the wild machine, then back at Isa. The struggle between Isa's health and the safety of others crossed his face. His jaw stiffened. "Alright, but let me bandage you first."

Minutes later, Moss was following Isa, as they carefully climbed up and down the hills of debris covering the sloping dome. The dais, half buried under a blue banner and what seemed to be an exploded spider machine, broken barricades, and a few katulu bodies, wasn't working. But nearby, through the cracked floor where a giant gear had pierced through from below, they discovered a dark hallway underneath and were able to squeeze through into what seemed to be the wrecked inner workings of the engine blade.

"ISAAAAA! MOSSS!"

Liliana's colorful lizard form came swooping down from the night sky.

"Over here!" waved Moss, peeping out. "Don't go near the engine blade, it might make you rot!"

She floated down gently beside them. "Let's go --- er, what are you two doing?"

"Looking for a way to possibly stop that thing." Moss nodded at the wild machine.

"Right now?" she looked at them incredulously. "You guys didn't get hurt from the collapse, did you?"

"Isa's bleeding, my back just feels sore."

Liliana looked at them, annoyed and disapproving. She sighed. And then seemed to just give up. "Okay." she took a deep breath. "If you guys die, I'm going to revive you both so that I can kill you again. You two should be resting." She looked back towards the way she came. "But if that thing is dangerous . . . like, if it will explode like what happened to Ester and wipe people's memories, then, okay, I won't stop you. Just please be careful, okay?"

Moss nodded. "I'll message you if something happens or if we need a pick up." Liliana insisted on treating Isa's bleeding side, and with that she flew away to help the more critically injured survivors.

The two men went down. Through the beams of moonlight above, they saw oil dripping down, and steam hissing from leaking pipes. There was strained grinding and irregular clanking from mismatched gears. It seemed that some parts of the machinery was still being powered, while the others were off. There were stairs here, and they led deeper down, some leading to dead ends, some to burning rooms that they avoided, and very long drops that they were able to safely climb down, but eventually they came upon a grand room.

One side of the broken wall half open into the night sky. Debris littered the open side, along with hundreds of books. This place seemed to be a library. The opposite wall, was literally a wall of book shelves, and in the center was a giant clock. It was odd, in that its center showed a map of Leor, and circles that moved along with a golden metal sun. The map seemed to be a map of the old age, in both design and the absence of the boundaries of the badlands. There were also two doors in the opposite end of the room, one on each side of the giant clock.

As for the rest of the library, there was a bed, an empty brass bathtub leaning on its side, chests, an enchanting table with advanced looking tools, bottles of spell components, powders, potions, and through one of the holes in the wall next to the bed, the two men could see that some of the belongings had scattered down into the desert. They could vaguely make out an ornate chest in the sand next to . . . next to Smoky? No, the motor bike wasn't Smoky, but it was definitely a motorbike. There was a person near it too, familiar. Looked like one of Leonid's friends they had met earlier, but it was too far and too dark down there to be sure.

Katsuya

Spoiler: Loot

• 1,424 Alchemical, 486 Metal
• 4 Chests
  Locked
• Books
  Literature, journals, and collection of research papers enough to fill 6 wagons. Allows you to create a library in the caravan or somewhere that gives +4 to knowledge rolls. Also, you may ask the GM for any specific books you are looking for such as Translator's Notes that gives +2 to interpreting Arcana Runes, or books on Barad Eithel.
• 16 unidentified items
  magical artifacts, devices, weapons, armor, potions, and powders
• Enchanter's Workshop
  Composed of an enchanter's table with advanced tools, work benches with clockwork machines, and a table of alchemy apparatuses. Some parts are heavy and require some muscle or more people to move. But this allows you to create a workshop in the caravan or somewhere that gives +4 to artisan rolls, reduces crafting time by half, and allows you to create more complex magical items.
• Scattered Loot
  Make a knowledge roll to find as many scattered loot in the rubble. Yields alchemical, metal, and more items.

- Fallen Gaius -​

"You're welcome, dear." grinned the purple tiefling. "I was quite helpful wasn't I?"

His gaze followed Charon's, and his smile became melancholic. And for the first time he stopped talking, and just sat beside him, washing his hands of blood with a canteen. The night was chilly, as they sat there in silence. Leonid really didn't know what to say.

Eventually, he climbed back up the goliath's head and then came down with two bags and offered Charon a shirt . . . that had his grinning face on it with the words, Leonid's Exotic Eccentricities, emblazoned in gold on the back. "Extra shirt for you, dear. I'll make a fire for us."

Pet Panda

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

The redhead chuckled, adoring Moss’ reaction, and happy to relieve his worry a bit. “Of course, my heart~”

Outside of the debris, Isa groaned, trying snap out of the dizzy spell and barely heard the ripping sound. He peeked through his lashes to see Moss suddenly in front of him with a ripped piece of cloth- it came from his shirt. The redhead couldn’t help but chuckle at the comparison and nodded in agreement. “I doubt anybody does, Love.” He tilted his head, curious now that Moss pointed out the different mushrooms that’s growing on the corpses.

”Think they are from there? For those different mushrooms to grow on them like that . . .” Isa looked at Moss and became silently alarmed. A hand tenderly placed on his shoulder and squeezed. Hoping to reassure him. “Hey now, I’m sure we’ll find a way to get to them. If not, I can always sing for their souls to rest.” He cooed, knowing that Moss wants to help the bodies somehow and he agreed to that thought.

He could see Moss’ worry coming back again when he asked to help, knowing why. However as Moss agreed to help him, he asked to bandage the redhead. Isa immediately lifted his arms up with a reassuring smile. “Bandage away, nurse Moss~” He teased.

Minutes later, they climbed over the rubble with Isa leading the way. They did find a spider machine with kutulu bodies around however it didn’t seem like it would help. Sure, Isa could talk to them...if he had manna. His stomach growled, but he ignored it, used to being hungry for using too much spells in a day. Then there’s the machine but it’s broken. So no. They continued on. Soon enough, they found something odd. Through the cracked floor where a giant gear had pierced through from below, there was a dark hallway underneath. If they squeezed through, they would be able to see the inner workings of the engine blade-!

Isa’s head perked up at the sound of L’s voice and hit an intrusive rock with his head. “Ow . . .” He peeked out as well, giving L a wave. He raised a brow when she looked at them with disapproval and he grinned impishly after her reply. “That’s such a waste~ reviving us only to kill us again~ honestly, it wasn’t as if we caused the ceiling to collapse on us~” He teased then nodded. Then sighed and nodded again, like before, raised his arms up.

”Yes, mother~” He teased playfully. He kind of deserved the extra squeeze from the bandage wrappings.

Once she was done and flew away, Isa sighed in relief. “I really thought she was gonna kill us for messing with my stitches this time.” He squeezed through the entrance, waiting on Moss to squeeze through as well and reached to hold his hand. “Just in case.” He mumbled and they walked on, sometimes with Isa squeezing his hand tenderly.

He expected the gears, steaming pipes, and machinery as they walked on. What he hadn’t expected was stairs leading to a library! Isa’s eyes shined brightly, excited as he walked with a slight bounce in his step. He hadn’t let go of Moss’ hand yet, not willing to, but he was staring at a few titles on the shelves. Then he looked at the work table and got more excited. The research! The potential history hidden within his dastardly uncle’s head, all written out with the help of an unfortunate crazy lady that lived through the ancient times-

Isa wouldn’t be surprised if there was foam in his mouth...or drool.

His starry indigo eyes stared at Moss, silently asking if he could go and read through some of the titles. “I promise to burn the more dangerous ones~” Should Moss let him go, Isa instantly dived into the books, flipping through the books to find a solution to their problem first, of course...but he doesn’t mind reading a few things here or there. Ohhhh, how he wished to take all these notes and put them to good use— there might be something for Moss or L or Vidya’s predicaments! Or perhaps something for Sassy and Wild!

With that in mind, Isa flipped through the books and notes slightly faster.

Though he noticed that a few notes were scattered about, Isa picked them up quickly. Scanning through them like the nerd he is as he walked closer to the edge where the moonlight shined the brightest. He gazed past the notes and spotted . . . Another bike below. With a chest. Someone was there too, she seemed familiar. Isa thought for a moment and hummed. “Probably one of Leonid’s friends . . . Maybe.” It’s far away to be sure and yet- “There’s people trap down there, mi Tesoro~“ He told Moss, grinning as cogs rolled in his head. Perhaps he should ready a trap in case of something bad, he looked around the place to see if there was something to work with.

“Think there’s a way to help ’em? I doubt they could hear us from all the way up here.”

Zer0

 

[Pet Panda]

Health: Bruised
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (4) [0/8]
Condition: 0 | Roleplay Points: 0

Χάρων ​

Tickling played across his forehead when a soft and warm wind wound around the gargantuan machine to his left and back to soothe his aching skin. Nonetheless, its comfort was far behind the dreadful weight of guilt crushing his chest. Perhaps it was those wounds, one of them seemed to clip his lungs, he reasoned, finding resistance in his chest when he attempted to breathe. At the back of his throat, a squeezing feeling pulled on his larynx and a burning started up just at the base of his jaw. Old yet familiar; a decade had passed since last he felt this sensation, and there was something off about the it, probably on account of the horrible wounds on his body sending only dull tides of pain ebbing and waxing through his body, or the invading flesh.

That wind hardly touched him. A cow chews grass, then vomits it, then chews it some more, only to swallow it again. Charon tried over and over again to bury his involvement with this calamity. Logic sets in: this was all completely out of your hands, it wasn't even as a result of your leadership; if you had succeeded, the city would have probably been better of in spite of the horrid creatures' machinations, as vague as they are, this destruction is the better outcome in the larger picture. Grief bites back: but you could have done better. Done it faster, sooner, more carefully, more efficiently. It is no excuse to be dragged in suddenly, as you were, life prepares us in this way just so that when an opportunity winks at you and then blows past at a full sprint you are able to both catch up and pass the challenge. Make no mistake, you are no murderer, but you were complicit in their failure and a lot of people died because of your one mistake, many more for your inability to act after making it. Blood and blood on your hands, and in the streets, such that they are now, back there you should have --.

A decade passed since he last felt this sensation and the cold night air, his own panacea laced with moonlight, starlight, wood smoke and lonesomeness, the breeze of repose striking lulling chords on the ridges and valleys of sand all around, blazing silver to match the sky. He tried to lift his eyes to something else, but they were too heavy. Movement from Leonid's slinking form drew his gaze and he looked up at him, in his eyes. The expression on his face was something pitiful and childish indeed. Age was difficult to estimate, Charon's skin was so broken by the scales pushing up from underneath or pressing down upon it from above that there were wrinkles and folds placed haphazardly, scrambling any features significant of age, but expression alone was enough to submit Charon's youth. His eyes were wide and watery, his bottom lip, forced shut over the big teeth like a lid, quivered wretchedly. Every feature of it indicated an infantile regret, like a child who had first happened upon the discovery of remorse.

One moment passed where the watery eyes and unstable face stared at Leonid and grabbed the shirt. Glee might have erupted in his chest at the sheer absurdity of it but something arrested his acknowledgement of the designs. He nuzzled his head into the open bottom and pulled it over his torso and legs, turning himself into a distended bell-shaped sack of "Leonid's Exotic Eccentricities," the stitched or dyed relief of Leonid stretched horribly with the fabric. Atop his enlarged perch, he peered down toward the mangled lizard feet inhabiting the bottom of his shins and pulled them in, his eyes narrowing. By the moment, his resolve waned, his composure began dissolving, and his face turned downward so that only the dark hair on the back of his head was visible to the moon. Burning warmth covered the front of his face when the microscopic catharsis of sniffling out loud offered a moment of abatement.

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
​

"Well, no, not if the mushrooms are growing from here right now, but yes, those mushrooms are usually found there in spring time. I guess that's old magic for you, it can make a garden of all seasons out of corpses and stone" Moss said in curious wonderment.

When Isa placed a hand on his shoulder he sighed. "I know, I'm just thinking about what their loved ones would want." He placed a hand over his and squeezed. "They wouldn't want to see them like that. I think we should try to get their bodies, Isa, or at least let someone know there are corpses here and get some help. Their loved ones may want to see the bodies before you sing their souls to rest." He didn't know which one of these fallen heroes made the golden dome sink into Barad Eithel and stop the beam of light, but he was happy Isa wanted to help him make sure they are honored when they return.

Then his mood lightened when Isa teased. He didn't know if he was allowed to be happy with all the dead surrounding them, he thought, as he carefully stopped the bleeding on Isa's side, but he was glad neither Isa, Liliana, Leonid, Vidya, Okami, and Pluplu were among those who will be mourned and missing for the days to come. Suddenly that realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

There was a long pause when he was tying the bandage wrap --- Moss was suddenly overcome with the need to embrace Isa as tightly as he could, burry his head into his back, and just smell his scent --- but then he finished tying the knot, just staring at the blood stains that ran like ribbons down his pale skin, --- he wanted to tell Isa he was happy he's alive and was who he was --- but glancing again at the dead bodies, Moss knew that delaying here would make it less likely he can honor the fallen around them. So instead he controlled his need, and arranged his face to that of light hearted amusement from Isa's teasing mood. "After this I'm going to nurse you so much and so sweetly, you're going to melt like butter." But honestly, honestly, he just really wanted to hug Isa right now and just be glad he's alive.

When Liliana arrived, her worry abated when she saw Isa was well enough to tease. "Even then, no crazy stuff, doctor's orders!" she jutted her chin at him, just as her lizard form jutted its mask chin at him, and then Liliana was off.

"She knew it wasn't your fault they came undone." said Moss bracingly, immediately holding Isa's hand too, and squeezing it, betraying his need to just hug him, as they went down. "I think it's not the things you can't control that will make her kill us, rather if we do something unecessary and then get hurt." he added thoughtfully.

Making their way through the wrecked machinations, Moss kept protectively close to Isa, squeezing his hand back more affectionately than usual, ignoring the soreness of his healed arm that got crushed by Avion, before being distracted by just keeping watch and listening, his flintlock pistol in his other good hand.

When they came upon the library, Moss stared. "That's a tall shelf of books! Much bigger than the Snowy Owl's!" Then his heart lightened at the brightness of Isa's eyes, how he was suddenly alive with excitement, complete with drool. There were stars in his eyes. Moss chuckled. "Alright, Isa, whatever you know is best, and go ahead, " said Moss letting go immediately, "don't let me stop you." he took a step back, grinning.

And off flew his beau. It was nice seeing him enjoy himself. Moss went over to the opposite shelf of books, not trusting to touch the odd artifacts, but quickly looking from book cover to book cover for something to help them.

The two quickly found books on Barad Eithel. They were scattered around the enchanting area where the wall was plastered with recognizable designs of the engine blade with notes in Manuel' hand writing. From Isa's quick skimming, he learned that there was much study to be had before he totally understood how it worked, but the gist of it was:

A shard of Titan's soul stone encased in an elixer of thousands of soul stones transmuted and refined with alkahest and then grown inside anthroparions, before harvested to make the Breath of Uroburos was the arcane force that allowed the Engine Blade to command the goliaths. The Breath of Uroburos was contained in the Well of Urd, that can turn the Breath of Uroburos into the dragon's tail and mouth that once joined around Loki will seal him. It was powered by bhrumstones, magnified by engines.​

​

It was revealed that Manuel was trying to make calculations to better distribute the power of four bhrumstones and the one they found with a girl trapped inside it around the engine blade, the portals, the flying mechanisms, and the rest of the smaller machines in the flying city, and maintain that flow without one shutting down due to insufficient power. He didn't want what happened before, the explosion of the Well of Urd, to happen again.

There was a schematic of the flying dome, with the locations of the bhrumstone engines. There were four of them, gargantuan machines that needed tons of water to prevent them from overheating. There was also a drawing of the dais in the golden dome, powered by a brhumstone in the north and how it was linked to the engines and all important machines in the flying city. Something about improving the dais and adding fail safes in case things went wrong, preparations for a defense against Loki's magic, or if the portal was damaged, or if the Well of Urd threatened to explode again. Manuel was to discharge all its energy to Loki if came down to it, or discharge it into the sky until it was spent. There was a lot of theories as to what was going to happen if he did that, such as the possibility of creating another Badlands. Titan's power was wild, and he didn't know what will happen if he discharged it into the sky. That part of his research was incomplete.

For a moment, Moss was diverted from his reading. "Do you want to help them first before we deal with the Engine Blade?"

Katsuya

- Fallen Gaius -​

Warmth washed over Charon after Leonid came back from the gathering of folks in the distance with coals, a bucket, and a piece of wooden beam, and started a bucket fire.

There was silence after that sniff, then Charon would feel a tentative hand touch his shoulder. "There, there, dear. . . Did --- did you lose someone?" he asked kindly. "I have friends making their way here, we're planning to search, maybe we can look for your people too? There's still hope if we try."

Pet Panda

 

[Pet Panda]

Health: Bruised
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (4) [0/8]
Condition: 0 | Roleplay Points: 1

Χάρων ​

Charon's face shot up when the hand brushed his shoulder, his watery eyes wide, as though it were a surprise that Leonid came over. After a moment of trepidation, he looked down toward the city for a moment, then back to Leonid. A weakness touched his eyes, his mouth fell open, then closed and he exhaled through his nose. What, talk about it with a stranger? Another moment of thought passed and he realized with a loud gulp that everyone he has access to in this entire world is a stranger to him. Friendless and lonely. He winced visibly at the realization and turned back to Leonid. Unfortunately, the comically bad social situation he was in did little to extract him from his previous emotional state and he was quite ready to gush over it.

"I -ghh- leeed ssssoldiersss, brokhhe innnto thhe tooower," he suggested through trembling mouth, shaking his head and baring his bladelike teeth while his eyes lowered to the ground, "eeeveryone diiied, I mmmmade ooone misssstake," he sighed, gulping, "everyooone buuut mmmeee," he coughed, a sardonic laugh pulling downward on the corners of his mouth. "weee werre, khh, clooose, sssaw rrrritual, nooow eeveryoone is deaad buut mmm-hh" his breath wouldn't stop coming, preventing him from finishing the word. His mouth was moving as he tried to say more but there was a great deal of interference in his neck and instead muffled sob-like and raspy squeaks escaped his throat. Instantly his face was buried back into the stretched neck of the shirt and his shoulders began leaping, though little sound escaped until he inhaled some time later and moaned, "ssssooo maaany fffamiliesss - hic - godsssss," he sighed, "poooissonnned," he shuddered, sobbing loudly, "thhey mmmmmurdered ffffriends, aaaaallies, poooisonn" he was openly shedding tears and snot when he turned his head back out of the shirt, "ssssoo mmmmuch bloooood -- ghuh -- eeevery wherrre, all overrr, guh," he shook his head and dragged his face over the hem of the shirt to leave a snail trail of mucous on it. He started gently bumping his head into his knees while his breath was pushed out of him a long wheezing inhale producing, "loosssst eeeveryoone, friendsss losst, fffamilyy," he cried, "mmmy ffffault-ghh," pitifully, a following cry, "trrried k-kill myssselffff, thhhe pooison," he sobbed again, shaking his head into his knees. Somehow he compressed himself into an even tighter ball and the tops of his knees were visible down in the neck of the shirt, "wisssh I diiiied, donnn't deeserve, kh," he sighed, laying his head on his knees and falling over away from Leonid, a little lizard ball wrapped in his shirt. The tiefling's distended face wrapped over the front had an odd presence in the scene. The side of Charon's face became covered in sand but not as many tears were produced as one might expect, and the overall intensity of the state was rather low, probably on account of the wounds. His scaly hands reached up and clutched the sides of his head.

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Outside as the merman finished bandaging his side, Isa chuckled and hugged Moss close, shoving his face into Moss’ neck, and hummed. “Then we should finish this soon and go home.” He whispered in his ear before leaning back a bit with a smile.

Noticing how Moss became protective in their walk through the gears and pipes, the redhead stayed close. Squeezing his hand back with reassurances as he randomly talked about how some of the gears looked new compared to the old ones. Hoping to calm his boyfriend’s nerves while still keeping a close eye of their surroundings. He won’t lie, that fluttering feeling of being cared for came back tenfold, and he felt warm and bubbly.

Since he has Moss’ permission to geek out without qualms, Isa did so. Running his mouth out loud as he found something that could help inform them more later. “Considering that he was planning to put fail safes, perhaps there is a way to contain the affect area and prevent an explosion by using the Dias. . .” He pondered before sighing. “Seems like he hasn’t tested of what would happen would they shoot Titan’s power in the sky— though it’s pretty evident that it has to do with Titan’s strongest element based on what we saw outside.” He muttered under his breath.

Why does it seem easier to just pray? Maybe that piece of Titan’s soul and the thousand soul shards will react to his prayers? But what happens if it fails? He needs to research some more, leave warnings around the area to make sure no one goes near it as they try to collect the bodies that’s outside the perimeter.

After hearing Moss’ question, Isa thought about it and nodded. “It’s easier if they leave this way. We just gotta warn them about the engine blade leaking out and not touch it.” He looked at Moss with an impish grin, curious. “Think it would be too long or too much of a burden? I do have Shadow claw with me to help.”

Spoiler: Stuff

Isa gave half of their findings, alchemicals, and metals to Moss.

So 712 alchemicals each and 243 metals each.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
" Shattered Dome, Underground Library "​

"I think it's worth the long work and burden helping them out." Moss' face suddenly changed as though he was surprised to catching himself saying something he shouldn't. Guilt momentarily passed his face, as he looked at the people down below, before it settled to acceptance and somber resolution. He shook his head. "Also, the dais wasn't responding to us at all." He looked back at Isa. "Maybe one of the engines is damaged . . . and under the rubble from the looks of this schematic . . . I think it'll take as long helping people as fixing the dais . . . People are more important. I don't --- I don't really know much to decide which one we should do first, but . . ." he looked down at the recent blood stains at the side of Isa's shirt. And though he did not say it, it was obvious that Isa was more important to him, " shouldn't we rest first?"

Katsuya

Spoiler: Loot

Received leh 712 alchemicals and 243 metals.

- Fallen Gaius -​

Shocked, Leonid kept his hand on Charon's shoulder, even when he turned into a lizard ball, staying right beside him. He didn't know what to say. And so he just listened and let him say it all out.

Quick shuffling footsteps in the sand approached, relieved voices calling Leonid's name, but he shushed them, as he began to gently pat Charon's shoulder. There were hushed conversations around him, apparently they seemed to be the friends he was talking about earlier, talking about where they last saw their other friends before everything became this chaotic aftermath, and what to do now. It was a numb blur.

Eventually a familiar voice came back.

"Hi, Leonid --- oh, hush. Okay." L's voice quieted. "I came to check up on you guys. I have food, they're moving the sick and wounded further north in case something will fall from above. Hello!" her greeted and conversed with the other people in their camp. The smell of a strong, fragrant, savory spice wafted in the air. Someone came close to Charon, momentarily blocking the light of the bucket fire. A small hand comfortingly ruffled his hair. "How is he?" said L's voice.

Leonid was silent save for the chinking of ornaments.

"Hello." she said softly to Charon. "If ever you get hungry, there is food for you." she moved away.

"How's Moss and Isa? Judging from your look, dear, I wager they are alright?"

"Yeah, trying to stop the engine blade, it's still working, making plants out of stone and melting the bodies, rotting them and making all sorts of mushrooms grow. Don't go near that place."

More chinking of ornaments. "Are you sure there aren't any more survivors there? Could you please check again? He . . . he really thinks it's all his fault."

There was silence for a while. "I'll check again." said L. Her hand patted Charon's shoulder. "Mister? Mister? Could you tell me what your friends look like?"

Pet Panda

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Moss could hear a few rustles of clothing and steps echoing towards him as a familiar pale warm hand reached out to his none hurting tanned one— he took off his glove to hold his hand. Isa gazed at him with silent understanding and nodded. He squeezed his hand tenderly, hoping it’ll comfort the merman’s anxiety. “Forgive me for rushing through like that, you’re right. We should rest first before helping. Can’t exactly do things when we’re both dead tired and could barely move. Which means~”

Isa got that starry-eyed look of his as he stared back at the books. “I can read more in peace~ Where do ya wanna sit?” As much the redhead would like to do everything and push through his limits, he won’t. Because he is not alone anymore. Moss is here with him and he alone is enough for Isa to stay still to reconsider his methods. Yes, helping others is important but it’ll be all for naught if the helping party could not be steady on their feet.

Besides . . . Moss is anxious and Isa is going to sooth those dark thoughts away in whatever means possible.

”Should probably read the mechanics of the Dias first and then read on the engines.” Isa mumbled then he peeked at Moss’ sling where his arm held a gun before looking at the merman’s oceanic teal eyes. He pulled up Moss’ hand to adoringly kiss his knuckles like a prince, slightly bowing a bit with his other arm behind his back. He peeked at the merman with a rakishly charming smile, warm and loving towards the one who holds his heart dearly. “Would ya like to rest your head on my shoulder or lap, Beautiful?“

Zer0

 

[Pet Panda]

Health: Bruised
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (4) [0/8]
Condition: 0 | Roleplay Points: 0

Χάρων ​

Some sand scattered from his lengthy tail sweeping through it when she shook him. It seems her earlier words were lost on him. After his admission of guilt, the pitiful sobbing which for a short while filled the area quietened. There was only the dull sniffing in response to her touch which stirred him from his fetal position to unroll and look at her with a tortured expression, an anger in the turn of his lips and the furrowing of his brow, the skin above the bridge of his nose wrinkled. Hesitance was there also; he did not lash out at her but sniffed aggressively to clear his nose and stated in an even, respectful tone though it came out battered and guttural by his mangled anatomy, "ghhh, nooot all mmmy fffault," he corrected morosely, a softness crossing over his face as a few more tears fell and he simply wiped them away. Dark eyes drifted to the fire and back to Lilliana, "wweeee sssstoopped thhhhem ffrom daaamaaging thhhat titaan-birrrd, ssssome trr-ghhh-iangle" he enunciated carefully, digging his weak arm from under his body and wormed it out of the shirt to touch himself on the forehead, on the spot the crest would occupy if the bird's head were anthropomorphic. Charon breathed evenly and seemed less hysterical at this point thus readily accommodated his own impediments. When his hand crossed his field of vision, he glared at its rough, scaly form and scoffed, pushing it behind him again while bouncing his disgusted from the immense stone head behind him to his saviors.

His sour expression withstood even the intense wince and flinch he squeezed out when he pushed himself gently off of the sand, sweeping his long scaly tail behind him and stretching his bruised legs out toward his side, away from Leonid. A fond expression crossed his face, on every part of it other than his eyebrows when he turned to Leonid and look at him intently from top to bottom. An odd display of color and trinkets but to Charon, he could have been a skunk with the head of a vulture and he would have found art in it. The same went for Lilliana and only a fraction of the sickly warm feeling of gratitude could be portrayed on his half-scaled visage when he squeezed out, "sssthank youuu," earnestly, looking between them a few times before, only then his eyebrows melting into a more relaxed slant. He paid little attention to the crust of sand coating his face on the right side. He just stuck his other arm through the shirt and drew his slender legs up to his face, wrapped his arms around them and stared into the fire, breathing heavily. When the intense sadness released and his gratitude made known, he sighed deeply. Of course, this drew a horrible and mounting cough which ended in him expelling a little saliva coated in blood onto the sand behind him, but the expression on his face eventually trended back to one of idle anguish and after looking toward the moon for a short time, his lucid emerald eyes grew a dull, jade-colored glow around the pupils, like fireflies in fog.

"Whhhat dooo thhey loook lll-hh-ike?" he repeated, a short 'humph' rasping from the back of his throat, "mmmake nnno misstake, I hhhave nno ffffriends, kh," he continued, "I sssimply aideed Sssshaaara, thhhey hhhad nno mm-mmaagic wwwwithoout mmme, toooo mmy knnowled-dge. I mmmade themm a plaaan to... rrrr-rap.. ghh, kw, hhh, wwwin thhhe grround baaaattle fffasst, annnd ssso weeee diiid. But Iiiii aaam n-nnnothinnng buut a mm-mmurrrderrrer. Uvvvvvvv (of) sssslavesss aaaand connn-nnntrrooolled hhuumannnsss. Ooonce thooooose fffflying creeeaaturessss werrre," he inhaled, in retrospect unsure of what took place, "dissssabled, wwwwwe sssstormed thhhe dome," he sighed, releasing one arm from his knees and lifting a scaly hand to shakily create a circle with his fingers. He raised his eye to the moonlight and placed the circle where the dome once rose over the city and would have glistened. A pang of dejection tore through him again. Truly, he had never seen such a beautiful place, though perhaps its beauty in his memory was magnified by its current state. Everything outside of that circle blurred and he almost imagined the dome itself back into view, the ruined blobs seemed to take on the sheen and marvel it had just hours before. Its absence prolonged his pause and eventually his other eye opened, the horrifying rubble and collapsed buildings came back into focus.

"Oone sssside wasss emmm-mmbattled alllreaadyy, tthhe ooo-other, oourssss, wass trapped. Ssssome gaaas whhhich cauuused mmy alliesss tooo turrn oon eaach ooother..." he paused, swallowing and looking down. His throat visibly constricted and he closed his eyes to squeeze out yet more water. No more crying took place, he might not have it in him at this point, "aaaannnd I beeelieeved, trrruly, fffor sssome ffffew minutesss, thhhat thhe besst cooursse of aaaction wasss t-to crrrushh mm-mmy hhhead againssst a ssstone pillarrr," he chuckled a little hissing, growling chuckle which snarled in the end as a pissed sob. Tears came some more and his husky voice expressed further, "thhey rrripped eaach oother aaaapart a-aand ssshhot mmme," he laughed with considerable squeaking, covering his face with his hands, "wwwwe wwerre wwwelll a-aaand trrruly crrrushhhed," he laughed roughly and then suddenly stopped to hiss deeply, a truly reptilian noise, and press his right hand against his fresh wounds. A few moments of silence from him passed while he used Leonid's right eyebrow to dry his face.

"Whhhaat aaare yyyyour nnnaaames?" he asked finally in a weak tone.

 

[Zer0]

- Fallen Gaius -​

Charon was met with the big taken aback blue eyes, wide floppy ears, and tangled messy blonde hair of the small gnome's ordinary self.

"Ah!" said Leonid, apologetically. "Not all your your fault." he said immediately, removing his hand, horrified he had gotten that wrong after what the man had just gone through. "Sorry, sorry about that, dear."

The tiefling and the gnome, whose expression had become contemplative for just a moment after hearing about the triangle, looked at each other, thinking they had greatly offended Charon, but relaxed when his expression became that of fondness.

"You're welcome, dearie, it's what anyone would do." said Leonid.

"Happy to help!" smiled L cheerfully. She became contemplative again, looking towards the north west. "We saw Avion fly out of the dome before it fell. It flew around then struck the dome. The link it had with the big beam of light earlier broke, and then it headed north east." she pointed. " . . . That triangle mechanism was what allowed the ones using the engine blade to control the goliaths." she said quietly.

There were ten other Purrsians, dark-skinned humans, an elf, and a pair of trolls in the camp, all in different states of injury, some marveling at the fallen goliath, most talking quietly or listening in on the conversation while drinking soup from make-shift bowls or tin mugs around the bucket fire. A couple nodded at Charon in greeting. There were three small chipped pots of soup beside him where the flavorful aroma had been coming from.

As Leonid listened, familiarity crossed his face at the mention of the gas. "I saw that potion. Vinegar brown and bubbling? The inside of old Gaius here had been trapped with those." he shuddered. "But Moss and Isa took them down alright." Then he smiled at Charon. "I am Leonid, proud owner of Leonid's Exotic Eccentricities !" he waved his hand with a flair and a bow.

"I am L." said the gnome simply, sitting down to wolf down her soup. "I'm a healer! What's your name?"

Pet Panda

- Moss Adamaris -
" Shattered Dome, Underground Library "​

Moss couldn't help but smile and laugh, red. "I was thinking to have you rest on me." He caressed his hair. "Maybe in our caravan?" he looked back up to the direction of the shattered dome, uneasily. "Maybe that thing's influence will reach us while we rest here, but we can bring all the books we need with us." His gaze shifted to the vast shadow above them which was the rest of Barad Eithel. "Maybe even move the caravan to where Leonid and the others are so that they'll have a place to rest too?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Shattered Dome, Underground Library“​

Isa chuckled, happy to see Moss relax. He hummed, leaning his head towards Moss’ hand, and enjoyed the sweet caresses. Fluttering his eyes lazily and half-lidded as he listened to the merman’s words. “That, I would enjoy immensely~“ Then he sighed longingly as he stood straight. Leaning his head away from the calming touches so he could think clearly. Squeezing Moss’ hand once more.

”In that case, we should ask L if she could fly the people down the cliff up here. That way, the both of us don’t have to strain ourselves and we could all leave before the. . . . Odd influence spreads to here. Could have sworn I saw Leonid’s friend.” Isa started to pack the books he believes they needed and items that he found interesting to study later. They could probably sell these. Maybe. Something Moss mention made Isa feel sluggish, the adrenaline he had before became null, and he started to feel the aches.

Resting in their traveling home sounds so good right now~ with Moss’ food~

“Mind calling her now, Angel? I would do it myself but...I-I kind of ran out of manna.” Isa mumbled the last part, somewhat embarrassed that he hadn’t saved a bit of his manna in case of emergencies.

Zer0

 

[Pet Panda]

Health: Bruised
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (4) [0/8]
Condition: 0 | Roleplay Points: 1

Χάρων ​

Charon's dully glowing eyes glanced uneasily at the few strangers standing around and he folded his hands to place them between his legs. The back of the shirt stretched a little while his shoulders pressed forward around his ears and his head bowed between his knees a little to shield his scaly face from view. Continuing with only a minor halt in speech, he replied, quieter, "I-I'mmmm caaallled Chharooon, boooatmmman" with a nervous glance around, voice muffled by the cavern formed by his legs. Much quicker than usual, he added "mmmiight I buyy-hhh a cloooak," he asked, his voice cracking into a reptilian hiss intermittently. A scaly hand reached up and massaged his throat while his eyebrows wrinkled with discomfort. Momentarily, his mind went back to that place, where probably his cloak lay still in the wreckage stained by his sin. It would be better to leave it no matter how fond he is of the color. Slowly, his hand fell away and grief returned to his face. Accompanying it, a dull ache in his chest. The lights and shouts became so much louder in those moments. Comfort fled from him and he did not wish it to return.

Squeezed by guilt and preservation, his soul shuddered in strain and wracked his body with an ache. Brought upon his chest with a weight unlike anything he felt before, the equal need to destroy himself and simply go to bed. On the riverways where he spent so much time, the morning came with serenity, the afternoon passed quietly, and the evening draped a lukewarm blanket over it all to begin anew. Perhaps the seasons brought a paler or more vivid light and longer or shorter days, but the fish always splashed and the crickets always chirped along. Tasting peace, his upbringing felt so far from him and almost, nearly, he became content with his problem, thought about abandoning the search. Who wouldn't when a smooth tan mountain of rock loomed humbly behind a long stretch of dark and steady green and floated on an ardent, cerulean mirror which playfully mimicked the wispy white clouds and sky above, all beckoning his stay. And in the evening, when tiny specks of light danced for miles around to marry the air right beside him with the infinite stars that suddenly shone through after the sun bade farewell with orange fire then cool purple, that stillness settled in him. But he had to give it up to search farther afield, following rumors of a magical city in the desert where you can find anything. Here it is, an oasis of commerce. A lump formed on the outer corners of his jaw as he ground his teeth together in something. Maybe anger, shame, the need to be sick, to crush his head on a rock again, for the shame of it all. Regret burned through his core and ate him whole. Cold logic rolled its eyes in the flame, like a separate voice of thought in his head speaking at the same time. Blood trickled down the side of his leg when the clawed hand which remained clutching his knees began clenching. One might imagine under the bulk of disorganized and craggy foreign scales that veins were standing out and muscles were straining. The fire near them danced in Charon's eyes like mirrors since he removed his gaze from the moonlight and the dull light which kindles there every time he peers up at that alabaster orb faded.

Rousing from his trance just a moment before it would be inappropriate to continue speaking, he tacked on another question "aaaannd... whiich oone of youuu fff-gh-foound mme?"

 

[Ian Temero]

Health: Bloodied (1/3) | Toughness: 12 | Spell Power: 12 |Manna: 0/5
Condition: 0
Speed: 5

Artisan | 2
Combat | 4
Charm | 1
Knowledge | 2
Larceny | 4 (16 Stealth)
Survival | 3

Lilith Falciani

'Lilith, darling, if you are alright, please reply to this message. If you can, come to Gaius, it's safe here. If you can't, tell me where you are.'

Lilith groaned as the voice echoed in her head. Did she not even get a moment to rest? No. No. Rest could wait till after she got paid. With a grunt she sat up. 'I'll survive. Be there soon." She thought back before looking around, examining the destruction around her for only a moment. She climbed to her feet and picked Nyx up, ignoring the cries for for help. She couldn't help them all. It was a city wide disaster. It was a pointless task to attempt. She pushed her bike through the rubble, past the searching couple, the trapped coyote, looking for an open road out of town. Call her heartless, but she had her own problems and sticking around to help would not solve them. Besides there would be plenty of people to help them. What was one less set of hands?

She stopped for a moment by the ornate box and picked it up, taking the time to secure it to the back of Nyx. Was it in poor taste to just take something while the city was in turmoil? Probably, but she was given looting rights and she considered this box her loot. It would take a while to break it open, but hopefully it would be worth the effort. Finally finding an open road she climbed on her machine and drove off, leaving the chaos behind as she rode for the fallen giant.

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

Moss smiled, entwining Isa's fingers with his. He leaned his head on his shoulder, nuzzling for a little while longer, before giving him space. He breathed, he couldn't wait to be in his arms and just fall asleep dead to the world. It had been a long day.

"Hey, don't worry about it, you just relax." he reassuringly patted Isa's shoulder after his request, but he gave him a curious tilt of the head, which turned into oh-no, when he felt around his belt and looked down to find his spell component pouch missing. "O thee mou! Did it fall upstairs? --- Isa, have you seen my spell pouch?"

Unfortunately it wasn't in the library, but fortunately, there was a lot of alchemy ingedients here, and Moss was able to find some fish scales. After a brief white glow of his hands, scales dissolving into frost, blue atlantean runes swirling up his arms, and then a quick talking into the air, Moss turned and told Isa Liiana was still eating, but said she will be here in ten minutes.

"By the way, Isa, you've been so affectionate since we came here, calling me new endearing names." He had the curious tilt again, as he helped pick up research papers on the floor. "What happened? Apart from us almost dying and all."

Moss used the bed sheets and blankets as make shift bags, and insisted in moving the chests for Isa. "You'll bleed again if your stitches reopen." he persisted.

Later, Liliana arrived and her eyes brightened at their discovery. She had the eager look of renewed hope, and became more bubbly, more like her cheerful self again, as she flew down the shelf of books. She was going to haul all these to the caravan, sleep be darned! "Maybe I won't need a skull from Theosebia, guys, maybe what I'm looking for is here!"

She was the work horse, flying tirelessly to and fro, carrying bags of books from from the library and then back to the goliath. She brought big blue banners from the shattered dome for more makeshift bags, and even flew in some of Leonid's friends to help retrieve the decayed bodies of the fallen heroes after Moss asked her for help from some folks.

At the end of almost two hours, Isa and Moss packed the last bag, and though he didn't want to give Liliana more work, Moss asked if she could fly them to Leonid's tent to check on Vidya and the caravan. Liliana agreed immediately. They hadn't had word from their friend since the dome fell. They had forgotten to ask, and were now worried.

Now floating up in Liliana's colorful claws, he cast the message spell and talked into the air. Moss expression instantly became relieved, but then the next moment his face fell. "What?" He stared at Isa, crestfallen. " . . . Isa . . . the caravan got crushed."

* * * *​

Moss stared at what was left of their home.

Vidya couldn't pull the caravan away with her own strength when the tremor started. She and her mother Tova managed to get out with Magni before the floor above them gave way, raining wood, an actual sandboat from the workshops above, screaming people, dust, sand and debris. Her family were safe in a camp of survivors just north outside of Barad Eithel now.

When she went back to see if Manuel escaped, a giant ancient gold archway had already smashed straight through Leonid's large tent and the two caravans. Manuel was dead.

She had managed to slash most of the tent off, clear some of the debris away from Smoky that laid dented at the top of the wreckage with a handle missing, and break a window to get in a part of Isa and Moss' bedroom and push out their chests. The water barrels from the small bathroom above had spilled down their mattress, and cold water from the ice room was leaking down the lower floors; the small orange sapling that had been growing in the tower laid squished between a wheel and a piece of the roof.

All in all Moss was pretty glum when they returned to the goliath with all that they managed to scavenge, including the wet and torn pieces of Isa's hook poem, and a jar with the orange sapling inside.

Katsuya

- Fallen Gaius -​

"You may, dear, though I'll have to fetch my wares first." Leonid stared up at all the ruins he has to climb through. " . . . Probably in the morning." He stretched his legs out towards the fire.

L became busy with talking to the air, something about still eating and being somewhere in a couple of minutes. With a long gulp she downed the last of her soup and excused herself. Shadows lengthening and becoming colorful, she left the camp, shapeshifting into that large floating salamander and was once more off towards the dome.

It was Leonid who answered Charon's question. "Probably L, Moss, and Isa, though it was L who carried you here." He and a couple of his friends suddenly perked up at a single beam of light heading their way; the rumble of an approaching engine grew. Leonid waved. "Welcome back, Lilith, dear! Glad to see you still walking."

Lilith would notice that most of the people Leonid had gathered in the tent before they started the mission were huddled around a bucket fire in varying states of injury, though his foreigners friends from the west weren't around. "Oh, and we have a new friend, this is Charon. Charon, this is Lilith."

Pet Panda Ian Temero

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Ashes brings new beginnings”​

The redhead hummed when Moss held his hand, tilting his head to nuzzle back gently onto Moss’ creamy white locks. He pecked his tan cheek, appreciating the sense of comfort as his embarrassment was washed away with adoration and love. Isa smiled warmly, gazing at Moss for a silent moment.

”Alright, alright. I’ll relax-“ Isa owlishly blinked as the merman exclaimed about his loss before he shook his head. He smiled warmly again, amusement twinkled in his eyes. “Here, I’ll help ya look for it while ya talk to L and no, I won’t strain myself. Promise. I’ll even stay within yur vision too.“ He teased at the end. And so, the redhead went to look for Moss’ pouch.

As he heard L’s response from L and collecting a few more books to carry, Isa perked up from his search. He was behind a pillar of books that Moss was before with a book in hand. “Oh . . .” His cheeks dusted pink and he bashfully smiled. “Ya look happy when I called ya affectionate names and I love seeing ya happy. So I just decided to keep calling ya endearing names, Love.” Then he slight hid behind the book pillar, unable to fight off the bashfulness anymore as his face turned steaming red. “I-if that’s okay?”

When it came to the chest, Isa huffed and chuckled. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes playfully. “But you’ll pull a muscle if ya do it alone.“ He insisted to help the merman to, at least, carry the chests over the blankets with him. That way, neither would pull a muscle or brake a stitch. Besides, it’ll be faster if Isa helped.

When L came by and saw all the books, she brightened up. Infecting Isa’s mood a bit as he bounced in his step. “Yeah! That’s what I thought too! I can’t wait to read all these~” His eyes went starry eyed in excitement as she proposed to carry all the books. “What juicy wander do these pages hold? Though I’m burning the ones that might cause a problem like how to use soul shards or souls. Just letting ya know now, L.”

In those two hours, Isa helped packed the books and items, even the desk. It would be good to have a specific station to create potions and such at their home. Especially with the enlarging room spell. However just as the couple sat on L’s claws and got the reply from Vidya (Isa had thought of Vidya and wondered why she didn’t message any of them, so he was concerned.), the redhead stayed quiet. Shocked at the news.

—-​

Isa stared at the crushed caravan and took a deep breath to calm down. His eyes slightly burned. Their home. He was relieved to hear that Vidya managed to get to her mother in time before the floor crushed them too. The redhead checked the smaller caravan first, going through the small opening from the crunched door. He couldn’t believe that Manuel died unless he sees it. The corpse. The evidence of his unmoving body. It hung over his head, the possibility that Manuel escaped and used illusions to trick Vidya. He knew it was asinine that Vidya would be tricked, however . . . He just couldn’t believe her words . . . That is, until he saw the blood that splattered on the remaining standing walls and floor. Half of the smaller caravan had been crushed under the same pillar and Isa can see Manuel’s arm sticking out for under it. He shuddered and finally released a nauseous sigh.

He really is gone . . .

He spotted a weapon floating nearby and he walked closer to it. Recognizing the weapon immediately. His uncle’s precious dagger. The same one that decorated Manuel’s grimore cover. Isa reached out to touch it only to feel something wrap around his wrist. It wasn’t visible! He jumped, alarmed as a voice echoed in his head. A contract? It spoke of needing a new owner and found it ironic that it’s this man’s nephew that found him first. This thing knew him since he was a child and even watched him grow up until his teens. The redhead sighed and closed his eyes, agreeing that this is ironic to the core.

”I accept.” He mumbled.

His shadow darkened as a transparent fluid figure slithered down, entering in his shadow. He watched it become lighter.

”You’re a strange human.” Isa sighed and rolled his head to the side to see a white dog that’s the size of Okami. He had a dark patch of fur on his chest. Intense red eyes stared back into indigo blues as the redhead took in the large dog . . . Spirit. There was this soft luminescent glow from his feather-like fur, dark grey goat horns stood proudly on his head. He came closer, eagle talons barely made a noise with each step. His ears were floppy and bounced from his movements.

”You do know that you just agreed to host an Arigami, right? An Arigami that was hosted by your so called uncle.” The dog mumbled quietly. Isa nodded, taking notice how calm he felt when a few moments ago he felt disbelief. He wondered if it was the dog’s influence, just like how Ixazaluoh’s intimidation affected others.

“Yeah. And?”

”Are you not feeling bitter about using it? The Arigami?”

”No. Not if it means that I get to keep my precious people safe in a better method.”

”. . .” The dog stared at him, sitting next to him for a good minute before he sagely nodded. “Very well. My name is Yaxkin, Ixazalouh’s partner and opposite. Pleasure to finally meet the one she yaks about.”

”My name is Isa Bianchi. Nice to meet ya too, Yaxkin.” The white dog nodded sagely. “Now I shall get going before your friend’s crazy mate finds me again. I had enough of them screaming ’White puppers! Wait for me’ for a while.” Isa raised a brow again. ”Um-“

”My job is to help others from harm.” Yaxkin explained before he howled, his figure dispersed in tiny orbs of light that floated away. Leaving a befuddled Isa. He did recall Vidya talking about how her partner found this white dog as they made their escape . . . He wondered if that white dog was Yaxkin doing his job. Isa snorted and squeezed out. Wanting to see the rest of the damage.

——​

By the end of their search, Isa managed to save a few items. Including his photos, their ruffled books and written notes, and Moss’ personalized cooking utensils. A jar of orange berry jam is sticking out of his pocket. He stored the more dangerous stuff like Manuel’s grimore inside his bike’s storage compartment before pulling it out from the debris. He was bummed out to see Smoky dented but when he saw how sad Moss was, the redhead took a deep breath and grinned impishly. Time to cheer Moss up! As they were going back to the goliath, Isa reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. He nuzzled their cheeks together as he whispered comforting words.

“Hey, now~ I know we lost our home, but who said we can’t rebuild it? We can make our new home bigger from the inside and redesign the rooms too.” Isa kissed his cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear before wrapping his arm around him again.

”We can look for a new home together~” Isa whispered in his ear before nuzzling Moss’ shoulder. Hoping it’ll comfort the merman. “Have a bigger kitchen too?”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Fallen Gaius, Hours later past midnight"​

"But that was our caravan." said Moss sadly, resting his head on Isa's. He gave the folks still awake around the bucket fire a glum wave, before putting the rest of their things on the small hill of books and chests and scavenged caravan belongings at the side of the goliath's head. Liliana had told Leonid about the unfortunate state of his tent, and he, alarmed, went back with her minutes ago to see what he could scrounge out.

Now, arm in arm around Isa, Moss sleepily looked at the pile for something they could use as a make-shift tent. But at Isa's mention of a bigger kitchen, he smiled a little, looking more awake, and nuzzled his head. "Maybe a kitchen with a window that's got a long sill on the outside where I can put pots and bowls, but its covered by a wall that we can prop open? Maybe roll out some blue and summer canvas hooked to the edge --- oh, with some lanterns, and herbs in pots hanging, to make a small pavilion where we can set up some rugs for people to sit?" Moss' mood slowly lightened. "And then in the inside of the window, the oven can be there," he gestured with his hands, "next to a table, and grill, where people can see me cook, like a caravan food shop? Where I can slide a wooden menu sign in chalk on the propped wall?" He looked at Isa excitedly. "Can we have that, Isa?"

Katsuya

Spoiler: Isa's gift

Accepts +18 alchemical from Isa, after seeing his sad puppy face when Moss refused to take half of the other alchemicals he found earlier.