Fantasy Z O D I A C | Umbra [Currently CLOSED]

[Boss]

| Yue Chen |​

Afternoon
Ravenwood Academy
Campus
​

The academic jingle echoed throughout Ravenwood grounds as a signal for noon. Monday was Yue's easy day, as her classes were few and ended early that day. The campus was packed with eager-minded and bright-future'd individuals who lived on as if there wasn't a worry in the world. Every now and then, Yue would find a black sheep amongst the crowd. A youth affected by the great war in some way. The most common history they shared was their parents being killed in the aftermath, or perhaps they'd fallen prey to a stray hollow. The existence of the supernatural was no secret, especially in Brookfield. The public was keen of corrupted spirits that used to prowl the once surrounding woodlands - which they called 'hollows'. Rumors leaked that one of Ravenwood's professors was one of many causes for the great war. Despite the allegations, Ravenwood Academy was just as bustling with activity as Armstrong Academy was in the past.

One new development, however, was the growing presence of Dominion soldiers on campus. Rather than up the campus police count, more and more of Dominion's armed personnel began to manifest due to recent events. With one of the Dominion's holding cells destroyed roughly a week ago, hundreds, if not thousands of hosts had escaped onto the streets of Brookfield. Safety against the supernatural was once again a concern in Brookfield.

"Going home already, Yue?" called out Lee as he jogged to catch up to Yue. Lee was the newest addition to the Ravenwood basketball team, as apparent by the 'Ravens' uniform he was still wearing from practice. He considered himself to be the most approachable of the entire team.

 

[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari | Lucy Black​

Morning
Brookfield | Downtown
Lucy's Apartment​

"Is... That true?"

The fact that Camilla couldn't bring herself to look Lucy in the eye spoke volumes. There wasn't a way to explain what had happened without giving away the existence and possible location of the village she grew up in. Ultimately, she couldn't confirm Lucy's suspicion verbally. "Search every inch of this apartment. There's no telling what else may be hidden here." While a handful of soldiers rummaged through the apartment, Len personally saw to detaining Camilla, moving her out of the apartment and out of Lucy's sight.

"She's not just any host. She's the daughter of a very dangerous person, Lucy. You aided and abided this girl, and that's something we can't allow." Before she realized it, a pair of handcuffs were latched onto Lucy's wrists and magnetically pulled to one another, forcing her hands either in front of her body or behind. Suddenly, a black cloth was pulled over Lucy's face, robbing her of her sight.

...

Afternoon
???
Dark Cell
​

There must have been some kind of sleeping agent because the next thing Lucy knew was that she had awakened behind the bars of a dim-lit holding cell with her restraints still on her. Huddled in the back of the cell was Camilla, knees hugged. For a moment she exchanged gazes with Lucy before looking back down to the ground. "I guess you're afraid of me now, huh?"

 

[TerraBooma]

Sam Sarith and Cetus, Zodiac
​

As the first beast died and the others retreated, Cetus' siblings took up defensive positions with the rest of the crew. Jericho, ever vigil went up to the dilapidated crows' nest, continuing to research the foes they faced. Hopefully he'd have something more tangible by the time a second wave attacked. Oliver on the other hand went below decks, a grin on his face. He commandeered one of the bigger cannons and waited. Judging the distance and performing the calculations in his head. By the time the threats would come back, he'd be more than ready with a deadly and extremely accurate cannonball.

"Right lads! Get to repairs! I want her ready for another fight! On the double!" The crew scrambled to life as Cetus gave her orders, weapons were replaced for hammers, and the ship was reinforced. She then flew over to Sam and Colt, a grin on her face.

"Cetus, what the hell is going on!?" Sam shout out, confusion on his face. He'd been mostly surprised at the sight of the ship...and the lack of a soiree. What the hell was going on?" In response, the zodiac only grinned with sharky teeth, choosing to instead focus on Colt as she loaded her shotgun. She floated around the woman, as if examing her.

"You know, we've been wondering when you'd finally bring company over! There was a running total and everything...that would make Leo the winner of the betting pool! But...he vanished from exsistance, so..." She hummed as she pondered, before looking to the crew. "Someone get Smith! Tell him he won the betting pool! Sammy's finally brought company!" She laughed heartily and swam back around. "I like this one Sam! She's got spunk, even came ready for a party! She'll make a good partner for ya. Shame we can't celebrate with some drinks...bah! Whatever. We'll be partiying once we get through this minor inconvenience. Stupid beasts think they can take on my ship! So what's your name girlie? I'm Cetus, as you probably 'expected, I trust that Sam's told you everything great about me already, but if not we'll get to share dirt about the guy over a keg later. Did you know that until he was eighteen-

"Cetus! Take it b-back a step!" Sam's face burned a dull crimson and he shook his hands in protest. "We're not...she's a partner! But not like...she's a teammate okay!?" Seeing Sam flustered triggered another round of roaring laughter from Cetus, and she seemed to enjoy the moment. "Fine fine, questions for later!" She responded, giving Colt a conspiratory wink. "Cetus, where's the soiree? What the hell is going on?"

At that point, Cetus' mood shift, and she let out a sigh. She let herself touch the ground, and waved her hand. A crew member brought her a mug of ale, and she downed it in one go before launching into her story.

"Was a couple cycles ago now, some bastard attacked the soiree, powerful bugger too. Started corrupting half the residences of the place, killed one of the megladons, still pissed about that. We've got the rest of the animals in the hold until we can find somewhere with enough water. One of Jericho's little gadgets got em squared away. But point is, we're on the run now. Figured the soiree's nice, and I'll be back for it, mark my words I'll be back for it, but a party's no fun if all the guests are dead eh? So...started a bit of a party boat! Ain't that right lads!" She raised her mug, and the crew paused to cheer before getting to work. "To be honest? No clue where we're going. Just trying to find a place to regroup and rearm. Then we'll be back at it with a stratagem or...12. Not a fan of that guy for sure. But why're you two here? If you ain't bringing home a new gal- and just saying if she's up for it you should go for it, you'd make a cute couple.- then why stop by the soriee eh? We don't mind your visits Sammy, but normally their aint two of you.

Sam was...quiet for a moment, fighting frustration and anger. Cetus noticed the change in him and rose a brow. "Camilla's...she's on the run. Missing. We went looking for her, and some diviners told us we wouldn't be making the right move goin directly after her..." Sam then looked up to Cetus. "They said your death was imminent."

At that, Cetus broke into further laughter, but she sobered up once she realized Sam was being pretty serious. "Kill me? Well I'm already dead for one. Going to have a spot of bother there. And I've got the soiree! My crew! My family! And now your here, so we'll be right as rain! Especially with your companion here eh? As for the young speedster, she'll be right as rain. Samantha's out protecting her right? So she won't get into any trouble, if she did she'd have apperated back here by now and I'd be pestering you to go kick some tail." She flicked Colt a harpoon as she spoke, giving her an approving nod.

"Whatcha think Girlie, we got reason to be worried here?"

Cetus pic for reminder

 

[hwayi]

Yue Chen


​

She was trying her best to sort out her earphones that always seemed to get all tangled. She'd neatly fold them before putting them inside her pocket, but by the time she took them out, they were always filled with knots. After a few seconds of aggressive struggling and under-her-breath cursing, she managed to finally untangle them and put on some quality music. Yue scrolled through her myriad of playlists before finally finding something fitting. The music she listened to was much blander than her personality these days. She knew how music affected emotions, so she tried to pick something calming. Yue had to learn how to be more careful when it came to her behavior in the public. She didn't see herself as a celebrity, but occasionally someone would recognize her. Every time she misbehaved in the public, some asshole would post a negative article of her in some sports magazine, calling her out.


Thank God it's Monday.


Yue would have never guessed she'd catch herself thinking something like this. Monday was an easy day for her, and as much as she loved learning she loved a good break too. The young woman matched the pace of her steps with the subtle beat of the music. She was still staring at the screen of her phone, reading through the news. Something about hosts, nothing new, blah blah blah. She was just about to put her phone away and continue her way before she was stopped by someone. Yue slowly moved her eyes from the screen to look at who dared to approach her. She couldn't hear anything this guy was saying but could make a vague assumption by reading from his lips. What was the name of this person again? What did they want? She slowly tilted her head to the side and raised one of her brows. Oh, right. Basketball guy.



"Yeah, classes are over for me today," she lowered the volume of her music as she answered. Yue even tugged the corners of her mouth to a little smile for a split second before going ice cold again.

 

[Randomfella]

Lucy Black
Home?​

Deep blue eyes never left Camilla's visage as she was escorted away, the mind behind them still unsure of exactly how to take it all. It was almost as if they had swapped bodies, Camilla wouldn't even look Lucy in the eye, and it drove her speculation into overdrive. It soon changed track, however, as Ben spoke up once more. Lucy's eyes seemingly burst open at the cold steel slapping to her wrists, the darkness of the bag suddenly overwhelming her, the sheer force of their actions. "N-No! I didn't kn..." She began to plead, her voice seeming to shrink, as hard as it was to hear to begin with, as Lucy's entire body slipped into an unconscious state.

Dark Cell​

A soft groan escaped as Lucy awoke, her hand clenching her head as she looked around, her sight suddenly landing on Camilla, though not for long. "I... I don't know..." She finally answered after a long silence, her head facing down, the words barely escaping through strained breaths. "The man you killed when we met... You had to... To save me..." After another pause she continued, as if the girl was taking time to think over this whole ordeal. "But this one was different, wasn't it?" Lucy looked up for a short second at Camilla, before looking down again. Of course it was, the way she responded back home... Home. A place she would never see again, or anything outside of these bars, or... "How will I find them now..." She mumbled to herself, her head moving to face the bars that held her here with Camilla, a pathetically depressed expression plastering her face.

Boss

 

[Boss]

| Yue Chen |​

Afternoon
Ravenwood Academy
Campus
​

"Oh, right, so you aren't busy or anything?" Lee inquired when he caught up with Yue. He could already feel how bothersome he seemed to the girl, but that's how most people felt whenever they interacted with her. Yue was the ice heart of the class, not known for letting people in. Lee was persistent though. "Do you want to, maybe, grab a bite to eat? Soul food maybe? I'm taking a break from practice so my schedule's open."

 

[hwayi]

Yue Chen

​

Not busy? Not busy? He must have been an absolute nutcase to ask something like that from her. In fact, only nutcases seemed to talk to her these days. Yue had better things to do than play around with a kid whose name she could not even remember. She scanned him from head to toe, taking little details in and pushing them to the back of her mind. Her face revealed nothing, but the way she crossed her arms over her chest spoke more than a hundred words.


He was annoyingly persistent. It even creeped out Yue, the girl who was known to be oddly determined about everything too. Only to make the matters worse, he dared to ask her for her time. Time that she could use doing something far more useful. For instance, practicing her shooting. There were God knows how many guns out there that she had yet to play with. She sighed, taking a look at her phone. Granted, she had nothing to do today. Well, other than shooting. And she had no one cook for her. Yue decided that perhaps using this person as a way to get a free meal had more pros than cons. Shooters did not have the same strict diet like many other athletes. Of course, a healthy and nutritious diet was important, but they had more space and flexibility to move and play around with foods. After all, they only needed the strength to hold a gun for long times and absorb the recoil of shotguns.


She uncrossed her arms, looking mighty curious about this person and their motives. No one asked another person out to simply grab a bite if they didn't have some hidden agenda behind it. Maybe this person wanted something out of her. A deal? She blinked a few times, staring at his eyes with her own before announcing her opinion. "Very well. My treat, you pay." she sounded extremely formal, even if she was talking to a peer.


Soul food huh? I've never tried any...

 

[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari | Lucy Black​

Afternoon
???
Dark Cell
​

There really wasn't a point in lying. Camilla couldn't even convince herself that she killed Byakko out of self-defense. Back then, the collar she forced on Byakko could have easily allowed her to escape. However, it was his words that threw Camilla's mind into a strange state, like her actions were justified in the moment. There was a period where she actually believed murder was the appropiate response to his harrassment. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.

"How will I find them now..."

Just barely audble, Camilla caught Lucy's spoken thoughts. This was probably a good opportunity to change the subject. "Find who..?"

The barred cell door suddenly swung open by a Dominion agent who stood in the doorway. "Ferrari, you're with me." the man demanded. With a push of a button on a held device, a magnetic field pulled Camilla's restraints up onto her feet and towards the agent. A faint blue glow conntect her cuffs to a device the agent held, and using it, he directed Camilla out of the cell before closing it behind him to take Camilla elsewhere.

Afternoon
???
Interrogation Room
​

After two minutes of walking, Camilla found herself strapped down to a chair, facing a clear table with a chair on the other end. The room itself was dimmly lit, very disimilar to the Dominion's usual style. It was like a bad nightmare, but all Camilla could feel was.. emptiness?

Someone had finally entered the room after a few minutes.

"It's not a good day for you, Camilla."

The light revealed the figure as Len as she sat across from Camilla. In her hands was an assortment of documents - probably tools to usher guilt, Camilla figured. "But then again, it probably hasn't been a good week in general, has it?" Len glared into Camilla, who only offered silence in return. "First you get captured, then your brother dies," Camilla finally matched Len's glare. "..Then you disappear, only to resurface being chased by one of us a day later. You murder him in cold blood, and now you're trying to manipulate a sick girl into sheltering you? Your family sure loves to raise hell."

"You know nothing about my family." Camilla fired back, illicting a scoff from Len. "I know your father. I know what he's done, and I also know that he'll sacrifice anyone to protect himself. I want to know if the apple's fallen far from the tree or not. Does the negative tendacies run in the family?" Camilla lifted her arms in front of her. "Take these off and I'll show you."

Len nodded, having gotten her answer. She opened the folder she carried and plucked through photos. Grabbing a particular set, she slid them across the table for Camilla to see. They were various autopsy pictures of Byakko - chest completely ripped open with a missing heart and rearranged organs. Len gave Camilla a chance to fully process what she was seeing before she spoke. "You don't kill someone like that unless you hold a deep, personal grudge. I understand that Byakko was a host, so why kill one of your own?"

Camilla shrugged her shoulders, eyes fixated on the pictures. "An eye for an eye, perhaps? It was one of yours that killed my brother in front of me. He hadn't done anything wrong to you people." "Maybe he didn't, but violence isn't remdied with more violence." "You.. of all people, are telling me that? The Dominion?! What would you do if someone from your family was wrongfully killed? There's no justice for hosts. Nobody wants to help our kind, so we have to take matters into our own hands!" "What would you expect the Dominion to do? People are powerless in the face of hosts. Someone has to protect the populace from a being capable of killing like it was second nature."

Visabilly bothered, Len took a moment to recollect herself and focus on the goal of the interrogation. "What you've done up up to this point would have earned you an execution, but I'm going to offer you a second chance, for a favor." Camilla didn't respond. "Tell us the location of Dominic Ferrari's establishment, and not only will we allow you to go free, but we'll clear your friend Lucy of any charges as well."

Afternoon
???
Hidden Room
​

Shortly after Camilla had been taken away for interrogation, Lucy was then approached by another guard, who escorted her to a hidden room beside the interrogation room Camilla had been held in. Waiting inside the hidden room was Ben, along with a handful of guards. "Lucy," He greeted her. "This might your opportunity to see your friend's true face, assuming you didn't know already."

Lucy would have been able to witness the entire conversation behind a one-way mirror.

 

[Depresso Espresso]

Diana Young
( Boss )
Diana tensed up at the fact the girl had snuck up on her, the amount of energy that rolled of her in waves sent a chill down her spine but she kept a cool face, also a bit pissed at herself for not feeling it before, and letting her get so close. Watching the exchange between the two Diana let out a sigh, clapping her hands together looking at Axel, "Here." Saying that she chucked Axel her dagger back before she pointed her arm at the girl, "You're the type of person that seriously pisses me off." Saying that she made the cannon appear, the thing as giant as it was before as she pointed it at her firing.

"You know what they sigh, fire the big guns first if you want to know how to kill the thing." Saying that Diana retracted the gun to see if she did anything at all.​

 

[Randomfella]

Lucy Black
Hidden Room​

Before Lucy could even respond to the girl, she was taken away, though she continued to stare at the bars which held them here. As a guard came to take her, she offered little response, following with a subtle nervousness. As she noticed Ben, her gaze moved downward shamefully, though not a single word escaped her ears.

Staring through the glass, Lucy watched with intrigue, though her mind cursed exactly what she might hear. She didn't want to be here, to find what terrible things the girl had done, and yet she couldn't look away. "Her brother?" The thought shot through Lucy's mind like a bullet. She had never had a sibling herself, but if it was anything like the loss she felt now...

Lucy continued to watch on, as the images of Camilla's victim were slid across the table. From her angle, Lucy could barely see them, and yet even the awkward sideways glances of them caused the girl to physically jerk backwards with a deep gagging sound, placing her fist to her mouth as she looked away. It looked like something that creature in her nightmares would have done, a monstrous act... Perhaps her parents truly were right about Zodiacs. Did that mean she was capable of the same? Still, the thought of the girl's brother stuck in her mind, even as her next realisation hit her.

"Ferrari?... Camilla Ferrari?" Her brain suddenly kicked into gear, though the dominion agents had called out the name when they took her before, hearing who her father was forced the realisation. "How could I be so stupid..." Lucy mumbled to herself in-front of Ben, glancing back up to witness Len's offer. On the one hand, she wanted to be free, of what little good she was she couldn't help anyone within these walls, and she still had no idea what had happened to Samantha... Yet on the other... Would the girl really betray her father? Even if he was the monster she had only heard of their family to be.

Boss

 

[Sinny The Fool]

"Clown & Tom B. Stone"

Clown may have found it a little hard to work under his current conditions, feeling amputated without his own equipment and the feeling of Tom’s eyes directed to his back at all times gave Clown the constant paranoia of a freaky tentacle wrapping around his neck. However, a little more security footage analysis and running facial recognition, Clown began to find interesting results, as he ran numerous excuses through his head to use in bargaining for his life ‘Maybe I could blame all of this on Angel? Or I could bargain others belongings for my life, that wouldn’t work...Offer my eternal services for free? No, that is a last resort...God knows I don’t want to spend the rest of my life at the whim of creepified Tom….AAAHHH WHAT DO I SAY!!!’ while Clown was panicking in his mind, he went spinning around in his computer chair, facing back to Tom and doing his best to hide his quivering tone as he spoke.

“Lorenzo Albeck, he has involvement but there were others. Lucky for us, it won’t take much time to find him since he should be working at the law firm ‘Prime Defense’ right this moment, he also has a personal hit-squad of Hosts...”

Tom watched Clown thinking of numerous ways he could use his new abilities to slaughter his way to the top. “Ok, so I have monster tentacles, healing capabilities, and I can absorb people's memories..all that comes in handy. But what else are you capable of doing I wonder?” He mumbled to himself, believing that his new ally possessed more to him than Tom had seen. This was all so new and exciting. He couldn't help but feel it was fate. The gods were blessing him or cursing him depending on your point of view. With Clown finally giving Tom his requested info he was now once again in the hot seat “Sooo, Clown. Tell me, why exactly were you giving Diana’s goons orders, and lounging about her HQ like you own the place? Oh, and do be careful the wrong answer could cost you a limb.” He said pointing a thumb to Spike who was just floating behind him as usual.

Clown sat petrified in movement, his mask gazing silently back at Tom as the thoughts rushed through his mind ‘Shit, shit, SHIIT!’ gulping as he spoke “About that…” Clown started looking around the room, particularly somewhere for Clown to escape, but with the exception of a single window, which only led down Clown knew he was stuck “After Diana was kidnapped, and you...Uhh, well I was found on the roof of a neighbor building, and I was left to explain everything that happened…” quickly ducking behind the back of his computer chair in a fools attempt to hide from Tom “Angel placed all of Diana’s assets in my possession...BUUUUT, BUT! I didn't steal it, and it was made clear to me that once I found either you or Diana - that one of you would take over! Which means, it’s all yours~ All yours and nothing mine.”

Tom narrowed his eyes at Clown. Scratching his chin in contemplation as he decided whether to believe Clown or not. "Alright clown...say you're telling the truth...then why didn't you just say so from the beginning, so I wouldn't have to waste my time questioning you? Eh, nevermind. We have work to do...Angel...Angel...oh yeah, one of Dominic's guys, right? A host I think.” Tom paced in circles not really paying Clown much attention as he thought more on his next action "I assume that this Angel person gave you the means to contact them. So you do that, inform them of what we've discovered about Diana's kidnapping. Then let them know we’re going to drop by Lorenzo's place of work for a….’visit’.” Tom ordered before heading to the intercom to make an announcement. “Hello, this is your acting leader speaking. It seems we have a lead on Diana’s location. So we're going to make a move. Our target apparently has a hit squad of Host at his disposal. So I want our men split into several groups. With at least one Host in each group just in case, we face resistance. Arm yourselves and prepare to head out.” With that, Tom turned off the mic and headed to the door.

”Ok Clown, come with me while you’re working on making that call. It's about time I gave you a proper means of defense. Wouldn't want anyone killing you before I was done with you.” He joked, well...kind of. Before exiting the room, and heading to his own little section of the HQ. Where he stashed several items for when he was there and needed them. He unlocked a door that appeared to be nothing more than an old closet, Clown’s jaw gaping wide as he muttered to himself “Soo cooool~” taking out his phone to begin making the call, then both stepped inside. The room was much larger than a closet, and after Tom hit a spot on the wall it revealed an entire armory of varying weapons. From higher tech stuff to basic knives, and guns. ”Ok Clown, once you're done with that call pick one out. Then meet me downstairs, I'll be taking one of their rides since mines been tottled.” Just saying this made Tom scowl. The very thought of his car, one of the things he put so much time, and effort into being destroyed in an instant pissed him off. But he would get his revenge later. For now, he had better things to do. So he left Clown to make the call, and pick his new toy. Only grabbing two shiny silver revolvers for himself before leaving.

Clown was left with his jaw-dropping, going into total nerd mode “OH MYY GOOD THIS IS AWESOME!” rushing over to all the different displays of weapons arraying across the room. “Maybe I should go with these?” he muttered to himself with a pondering finger on his chin over one of the weapons, on a pair of giant silver axes “Hrmm, no...Maybe not a good idea, maybe this one?” jumping over to another weapon display, this time looking at a sniper rifle “Hrmmm, well at least I’d have an excuse to stay far from the real shooting” attempting to pick it up, he quickly put it back down at the weight “Okay, maybe not..” he took a step back to take a good scan around the different options he had ‘There is so much cool stuff I just might burst from excitement! ~ But what do I choose??’ scanning the choices just one more time, his eyes landed on something perfect as he approached a high-powered 10 million volt hand-taser. Picking it up from it’s display, holding it up fairly close his face *BRRZT* the flashing electric lighting reflecting off Clowns mask, a malicious smile hidden underneath “Third time's the charm, I can’t wait to try this out~” he said as he slipped the hand taser in his suit, the excitement of the whole thing making him almost forget he had a call to make, trotting off downstairs where Tom was heading as he took out his phone and messaged Angels number and getting shotgun in the car with Tom.

My Angel

me

I found Tom, and we have a lead on Diana; Lorenzo Albeck, Tom is gathering everyone to move in on Prime Defense now.

(This was a collaboration post done by Solemn Jester & Sinny The Fool )
(Mentions - Boss )
(Color Code - Tom B. Stone & Clown)

 

[Boss]

| Yue Chen |​

Afternoon
Ravenwood Academy
Campus
​

Lee hung on every second of Yue's silence, which ate away at him gradually as she scanned him up and down. Finally,

"Very well. My treat, you pay."

Lee's face lit with an explosion of excitement and relief. "R-really? Great! - Just lemme change, okay?" Lee was already pacing back towards the gym for his clothes. "Just 5 minutes!" He assured her as he took off towards the indoor court. It left Yue some time to reflect, but ultimately the boy had made good on his word, arriving just minute sooner than expected in his casual wear. A moment with Yue was one not to pass up. He didn't let the girl's icy exterior deter him from his personal victory of a brunch date. "All set, let's roll~" He announced with positivity.

Yue and Lee were only two of the many students that flowed back and forth through Ravenwood's front gates. On either side of the entrance, Dominion staff were stationed to guard over the area. On one hand, it offered a blanket of security that the public could hide under, but on the contrary, Dominion security meant a potential supernatural danger. "You think they'd shoot a student if they were one of those haunted?" It was an unfiltered question that rolled out of Lee's mouth as they passed, his words mixed with worry and genuine curiosity. "It's kind of scary to think that something bad could happen here."

Afternoon
Brookfield | Downtown
Soul Food | Lounge
​

15 minutes of scenic walking later, and the two finally made it to Soul Food, but not without walking through a cloud of Nikky's smoke on the way in. "Man, is it that hard to move a few yards away from the front door?" Lee complained after they had passed her and James.

Lee ordered the usual lunch that he and his team were recommended to have, which was 3/4th green in it's serving. Looking over to Yue, he could tell it was her first time in Soul Food judging by how long it took her to pick something out. Eventually, they picked a seat by the front windows as their order was being made. There was a stupid smile Lee failed to get rid of with Yue sitting in the same booth. In all honesty, he hadn't expected to make it this far with a girl like that. "So uhh, what is it you do? Or-.. going to school to do."

​

 

[Boss]

| Sam Sarith |​

???
Limbo | Soulless Sea
Cetus' Ship
​

Colt could feel the odd air around Cetus as she prepped her weapon for the inevitable fight to come. Part of her wished Cetus would say something to break the odd tension that was created.

"I like this one Sam! She's got spunk, even came ready for a party! She'll make a good partner for ya."

"What?"

So much for focusing. While Cetus rambled on based off of assumptions, Colt hid her reddening expression behind a hand. Is that what it looked like? Colt had always seen their partnership as just that - a partnership. Putting their cooperative nature in a different light in such a way almost made her feel like an idiot for being so blind to it.

"Cetus! Take it b-back a step! We're not...she's a partner! But not like...she's a teammate okay!?"

Colt could only manage to nod along with Sam's words. Now that the curtain had been pulled, her mind struggled to deviate from the possibility. She couldn't date Sam. Sam was.. Sam, after all. His work in changing the topic helped alleviate the shock of the moment, bringing her back down to earth, or Limbo. She listened to Cetus' explanation as to why the soiree was gone. The mention of a 'powerful bugger', as Cetus put it, reminded Colt of Fushensetsu. The description was similar. Fushensetsu was partly hollow, almost akin to Camilla being half Zodiac. She withheld her allegations for now while the others spoke.

"Whatcha think Girlie, we got reason to be worried here?"

"According to 'fate'," Colt started, marking air quotations on the word 'fate'. "it isn't the right time for us to find Camilla. I just want to make sure she's safe. Like Sam had mentioned, you're supposed to be in great danger. If not now, then soon." Colt rested her shotgun against the wood railing of the ship and turned to face Sam and his Zodiac. "It worries me, but I agree with you. Camilla's a speedster, she can take care of herself for the most part. I don't mind sticking around to make sure you and your crew are safe too. The name is Colt, by the way."

 

[hwayi]

Yue Chen
Location: Soul Food
Interacting: Lee Boss James Solemn Jester ​

She didn't answer to him, he just wasn't worth wasting her breath on. Instead, she pulled her phone out again. She was very active on her social media, always having her phone in her hand. Eternally scrolling for something interesting. She was keeping her eye on the clock. If he'd come even one minute late, she'd be already busy hitching a ride or something. Luckily, he came one minute before he was supposed to. She was wondering if this had been the right choice. 'Ugh, he didn't even shower after that,' was her first thought. Yue lifted her gaze to look at him, once again evaluating if this was worth it. Heck yeah it was, free food! Basketball guy yelled something about rolling, receiving a bland look from Yue before they started moving.


She was a bit surprised at the question he posed. Not because of the reason you think. She was surprised that he asked a question he knew an answer to already. It made him look stupid. "What's stopping them. Shooting something-" she made sure that she used 'something' instead of 'someone'. Hosts were not humans, not anymore. "-is not as hard as you think it is." She lifted her arms, holding her imaginary gun. Yue closed her nondominant eye and pretended to pull the trigger, she even went as far as to fake the recoil. After that, she let her arms slide back to her side like nothing just happened. It was everyday life for her, it didn't shock her. She grew up with this. It was stupid to be afraid of guns, the gunners were the scarier ones.


Once they arrived, Lee made it his job to complain in the first few seconds. 'Whiny? Check.' she had an imaginary checklist in her head, entertaining herself while stuck with this guy. She just passed a big, pretty buff man and looked in his eyes. He looked very familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on who it was. By the time she started thinking more, they were already inside. Yue was distracted by the man as she was trying to order. In the end, she gave up and ordered what the guy next to her ordered.

He started asking irrelevant questions about her personal life. Oh, how badly she wanted to hack that stupid grin from his face, preferably with a pickaxe. But for now, she had to take it. "Sports science. That is...if you know what it is," judging from her tone, she totally expected him not to know. She did not ask the question from him, not really interested in a conversation. Who knows, if he said something wrong, she'd probably lose it. Lunch was served soon, and Yue was looking at a pulled pork dish. "I accidentally ordered type 2 diabetes," she muttered under her breath. Just as she was about to take a bite, her eyes shot open and she almost choked on her own spit.

She put down her food, slamming the table and standing up before grabbing Lee's collar and pulling him close. "It was James Lane! James Mac niadh Lane, ex-champion, got his ass kicked real good and then retired!" She attracted quite the attention of the people inside, and she acknowledged that. After an awkward moment, she let Lee go and sat back down, clearly in shock. She closed Lee out from her sight, squeezing her chest with one arm and scratching the back of her ear nervously with another one. After a few seconds of silence, she took her bite and swallowed loudly. Unable to stop fidgeting, she started putting her denim jacket on that she had just taken off. "I can't miss this," she said as she was about to bolt out of the restaurant, before taking a few steps back and looking at Lee.

"Thanks." Yue offered him a genuine smile before holding the famous peace sign up and walking out. It took her little to no time to spot her victim. She inhaled and exhaled loudly before walking behind him. Yue was so short, no, more like James was so tall that she had to tiptoe to be able to tap his shoulder.

"Mister Lane?" Her eyes were glimmering, determined, as she waited for a response.

 

[Boss]

| Diana Young |​

Daylight
Limbo | Tundra
Base of the mountain
​

[IMG='width:596px;']https://i.imgur.com/Xg28Chm.jpg[/IMG]

Count, The Blood Maiden

Rather than take up a defensive position or dodge out of harm's way, Count leaned forward, staring down into the cannon as it charged and illuminated with a bright yellow light. "Oh, pretty!" Gone was her hostile demeanor, and so was her entire being as it was suddenly washed away by the sheer power of Diana's fully charged shot. The beam angled upwards, barely missing the top of the manor at the peak of the mountain. As Diana's charged shot fizzled away, there was nothing left of Count except for an impressive blood splatter scattered forward. Axel knew it wasn't that easy. The blood began to slide along the mounds of snow on its own, accumulating into a single point where it began to build onto itself to reshape and rebuilt the Count in her entirety.

"This is going to be a great party! I know the perfect playmate for you, miss!" The Count laughed, completely unaffected by Diana's blast. "She must have formed her body into blood just before the attack."

"Right again, big sis! You're on a roll today!" The Count threw her hands in the air like a contestant that won a million dollars. "I have plenty of other tricks too, let me show you!" The girl poked out her arms. Blooderflies began to gently escape from the long, hanging opening in her sleeves. Nearly 30 of her little spawns began to fill the air. One lightly brushed Axel's back, and it was all it took before that blooderfly violently exploded. The force wasn't much - Axel remained on her two feet, but suddenly, the blood that had spread along Axel's back began to sizzle like acid and melt away the back of Axel's maid outfit. "Oops, look out for those!" The Count giggled as Axel gritted her teeth to bare the pain. With a flick of a wrist, the blooderflies shot towards Axel and Diana like homing missiles.

 

[Azukai]

TerraBooma

"Of course," Willow announced as he began undoing the wraps that bound Samantha to the chair. "As for their location, I'll defer to Ecstasy..." Having heard his name, the laughter came to a sudden stop, and soon, he began hobbling over to the wall of monitors--one of which, he pointed to with sudden enthusiasm. On its screen was a simple view of grassy field that was centered within ambiguous wood lands. "Sneaky...the...Dominion...is. Think...Ecstasy...can't...see." With his declaration, he pulled himself up and into the swivel chair and spun it around to watch Samantha's reaction. He expected to see urgency and enthusiasm on her face, to which he was not disappointed. "Tch," he exclaimed while wagging his finger as if to say no to the thoughts that were in Samantha's head. "You...are...not...ready. I...feel...much...distress...within...you." He gave Willow a sudden nod, who gave a subsequent one in response. Walking over, Willow gave Samantha a reassured smile before placing a hand upon her head--an act that sent her vision plummeting into darkness as her newfound body crumpled onto the ground.

--------------------------

Water surrounded Samantha--gone were her new, potential companions, replaced by an endless, murky sea that was dimly lit by a gentle blue glow. Noteworthy was the fact that her strewn body was not floating upon the surface of the water, but rather, laying on the rocky bottom which was mere inches away. In the distance, the blue light was stronger through a circular opening that alluded to the fact she was currently within the mouth of a cave. From the outside, the sounds of a battle were raging with high intensity--loud shouts and panicked cries echoing into the cavern, amongst the sounds of wood being shattered by an unknown source.

"The darkness....it doesn't stop...." One of the shouts cried, right before his words were replaced by screams of pain that fell silent soon after.

The area outside of the cave was defined by three things--an open ocean, the wreckage of a ship and its crew, and a mass of kraken-like tentacles that were generated from hollow energy and were busy causing the destruction at hand. There was seemingly no source to their existence as they sprouted from the water; each kill generating another tentacle that soon continued along the path of destruction that its brethren were on.

Back inside the cave, there was a sudden wave of silence that befell Samantha's ears. The sounds of death and destruction faded from the area, soon replaced by a low whisper that began to speak into her ear. "You are a guardian who can protect nothing, not the soiree, not your companions...nothing. You are destined to be alone..."

 

[TerraBooma]

Samantha, ???​

Samantha focused on stretching at first, pushing herself unsteadily to her feet. Being free of the bonds was one thing, but now they needed to take action. She gazed into the monitor, trying to place it with her minimal knowledge of the real world as urgency and fear mixed on her face. Before she could comment however, Ecstasy seemed to comment on her demeanor. She paused, confused that she was so easily read, and looked between the two as Ecstasy nodded. "Wait, what're you-" Was all Samantha could say as Willow placed his hand on her head, and darkness overtook her vision.

-----

Samantha opened her eyes and stared up out of the water for a few moments. A new place. A...cave? She frowned at the craggy cave roof above her, where...was she? Screams in the distance? Confusion paralyzed her for a few seconds, before an aching feeling building up in her chest forced her to take notice of a growing urgency. A...need she wasn't quite used to. Right. She thought to herself. I need to breathe now. Is this...suffocation? She inhaled, and water filled her mouth and into her lungs, for a second, pain racked her chest, and she started to cough, but as if a latent power switched on, it quickly faded. She knew that Cetus and Sam never had trouble breathing underwater, maybe it was an extension of that? Regardless, she sat up, holding her chest until the aching pain faded. Now free of the shallows, she spat salt water out of her mouth. It was...strange. The texture. More screams pulled her attention out of the cave towards the open ocean. A ship being attacked by some shadowy kraken monster. It was a..pitiful sight, and given how it was going, not going to end well for the wrecked crew. Before she could consider how best to enter the fray, the wave of eerie silence washed over her, causing her to look around alarmed at her surroundings. A voice from nowhere and everywhere all at once she swatted it away and forced herself to her feet, eyes wildly scanning to find the source.

"No! Shut up!" She cried out in defiance, her prior gusto in fights taken away by the cutting remark. She reached to her neck, searching for the white gem as a point of comfort. Deep down, the idea of being alone terrified her: She had spent an eternity at the soiree, partying and having grand adventures with Cetus and her siblings. She barely remembered the life the family lead before they had all died. Cetus had given them nourishment, more than any soul at the soiree. Thanks to her, they thrived together. The isolation from Cetus' energy had been eating away at her in the back of her mind. She didn't know what was going to happen anymore, her foundations shattered. The last connections that she'd made. Cetus. Camilla. They'd all shattered in one way or another, out of her control. She'd failed her duty as a protective spirit. Was she even a protective spirit anymore? Her breath became raggedy, this new phenomenon simply causing faster breathing. What even was she anymore? Not a mere spirit, that's for sure. And this thing was saying she was no longer a protector either.

"You don't know what your talking about!" She screamed into the cavern. Pulling water into the space around her right arm. When the voice went to speak again, she blasted a stream of water at it, shooting out at jetlike speeds. "The soiree is fine, I'll find my way back. The girls...they're strong. I'll save them! I won't be alone...I'll find them!" Her voice broke slightly at the them, but defiance broke into her speech instead of despair. This...voice, it ate at her, and that was making her angry. Water became to whip around the cave, in tune with her emotions, swirling and crashing against the walls, filling from the ocean outside. It pooled again into her arms.

"You don't know anything about me! Your just some...accursed voice! Shut up...shut up!"

 

[Depresso Espresso]

Diana Young
( Boss )
Diana grit her teeth, she knew it wasn't going to be that easy and that made her all the more pissed at the fact this child seemed to be immortal. But her powers still gave Diana a bit of a scare. Watching the butterflies fly towards her Diana turned her arm into a normal cannon but fired blasts around at groups of them, "THIS IS REALLY FUN! CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME SOMETHING EASIER!?" Yelling that over the fire of her gun towards the child she put on a forced smile while still firing her gun away missing a lot of the shots.

Looking over at Axel she let out a groan, "Axel kill the things already!" She yelled at her in an annoyed voice.​

 

[Solemn Jester]

James Mac niadh Lane

James was sitting around with Nikky. Just smoking and thinking about what he could be getting himself into. He figured it was somewhat like the old day. Before he became a boxer. He tended to get into a lot of trouble. Hell even after he became one he was trouble. Always being sneak attacked, luckily he learned quickly. It was hard to sneak up on him in his prime. Now his guard had dropped ever so slightly. At least enough for a tiny girl to sneak up on him. Before he knew it, it was too late. He turned right as a hand reached up to tap him. Staring down menacingly at...nothing? It took a second, but James lowered his eyes just enough to spot a small girl. He scratched his head, rather confused as to what such a petite girl wanted from him. But a shiver went down his spine as she said his name. His mind raced to think of any possibilities. "Maybe she was a member of the church? No, even as small as she was he'd been at the church long enough to meet everyone. Well, he thought so, " Uhh, no kid. You got the wrong guy." He lied, not exactly worried about sinning at this moment. He could repent later. Besides he really didn't feel like dealing with a fan. He had more important things on his mind. Like the stuff him, and Nikky had going on."Sorry lassie, but I'm busy. If that was all you should head off. Im not whoever it is you're looking for." James turned around back towards Nikky, with a grumpy frown on his face. He really hoped she didn't say his name."So, when we moving out again? I'd really rather not be here at this moment." He told her, crossing his massive arms, and trying to give her big puppy dog eyes to convince her to leave. Sure he could have left on his own. But he really hated the idea of leaving in the middle of their conversation.


Kiosk Boss hwayi

 

[Azukai]

Boss TerraBooma

The excitement and revelry was cut short by a voice which suddenly spoke from the center of the ship. Tendrils of black goop began to rise from the cracks, all together forming a small ball that was more eyeball than anything else. "Hello..." it began to say from a mouth-like slit that formed at its base, yet before it could say more, a loud bang sent a round of shells hurtling through its body, which was exploded into a small shower of goop. Smoke began to rise from the gun at Colt's side--a preemptive strike that had left no room for negotiations. Regardless, it didn't seem to matter as each pile of goop began to collect in the center where its spherical shape reformed, and it began floating once more.

"Woman, has anyone ever told you that you are straight rude. Like, I mean, who just shoots someone out of the blue." In addition to its sarcastic tone, a thin arm-like appendage erupted from the right side of its body and began wagging one of its fingers at Colt. "Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just a guide." Another arm grew from its left, and together, it performed a shrug that felt all too nonchalant, given the gravity of the situation. "Aaaaaaand we're off." Out of the blue, a tumultuous breeze swept across the deck with enough intensity to send unharnessed individuals flying to the opposite end of the ship. Overall, it was a violent transition that corrected the ship away from its wayward course and along a direct path towards the island with the mansion.

"If I do say so myself, it has been a while since we had any visitors. It's the Gate Keeper's job to decide your inevitable fate, but you made it this far! I have faith that you might last a few seconds at least. Also please refrain from attacking me any further...I am quite fragile, and I hope you understand." The floating eyeball with arms was no longer in the center of the ship, but rather atop the bowsprit where one of its arms was pointing forward as if it were guiding the ship. It's eye and mouth remained on its body rear, as to continue the conversation that it had started with the crew.

 

[Azukai]

TerraBooma

Laughter began to echo throughout the cavern; its volume growing in intensity for every jet of water that pierced into the surrounding walls. Fragments of rock began to split from the cavern, crashing into the shallow pool and raising the water level at an slight rate. "You can save them, Samantha, you have the power. But would they still accept your help in light of your failures..." The whisper continued to dance around her ears, taunting her with the weakness that she had begun to show. As it spoke, an eerie, turquoise haze began to spill into the interior of the cave--riding just above the growing surface of water and carrying the voices and cries that were all too familiar for Samantha's conscious. For every inch the mist approached, the silhouettes of human-figures became apparent in the murk; their bodies and shapes resembling memories from the soiree and her most recent adventures. "You promised to protect me..." Directly under Samantha's feet, Camilla's soul began to cry; its teenage sized hands desperately reaching for Samantha's body, only to be whisked away by the current of the haze. She was soon replaced by Lucy who gazed at Samantha with disappointment and sorrow, right before vanishing like the girl before her. "...would they still accept you for who you are..?"

Purple tentacles began to rise from the water. At first, there was only a couple; however, soon, there was dozens, up until the majority of the cavern floor was occupied with the writhing appendages. Amidst them and floating directly in front of Samantha was an entity--one that was bound by a leather straight jacket and hidden behind a mask that covered its face. Chilling, crimson eyes glowed from the slits of its narrow sockets, while an inhuman grin revealed the darkness that was hidden behind the mask. "Your failures...your insecurities...all of the darkness within your heart...has given birth to me...I am who you truly are, Samantha. I am you...just as you are I..."

Laughter began to fill Samantha's head--the voice no longer dancing around her ears; instead having become one with her very conscious. One by one, tentacles began to rush forward, wrapping themselves around her arms and legs and forcing her into the position of a crucifixion. Snap...Snap...Snap...Each buckle on the arms of the creature's jacket began to undo themselves, and from the sleeves emerged a darkened hand that emanated the intensity of a hollow, far beyond the expectations of the norm. Slowly, the hand grew closer to Samantha's face with an extended finger that pressed up against her forehead. From its finger exploded a thick substance that engulfed her face behind a rapidly solidifying mask.

"See. We even look alike now." The creature announced as the grin on its face grew in both size and intensity. "The power which surrounds you...it is yours. Let loose and embrace who you are, Saman...no, Leviathan."

 

[TerraBooma]

Samantha, Leviathan
​

Samantha had continued her frenzied defense as the voices continued to whisper around her, though it had little effect. The walls of the cave became plastered with indents as jets of water slammed into the stone, the taunting angered her further, until the sudden appearance of the shadowy protectors of her past. She looked down at them with horror mixing with frustration. At Camilla's visage she reached out, trying to grab the speedster she'd been told to protect. Her despair rose as she faded away, and she looked up only to find Lucy's visage staring at her with...disappointment. She let out a roar of frustration as the haze descended into the cave. Eventually, she was forced to her knees by the noise, only to be pulled up and restrained by the straight jacketed figure.

The whole time it was talking and approaching her, she was struggling against it. Her teeth gnashed out with razor sharpness, Droplets of water coalesced on the end of fingertips as she pulled them into fists. Trying to will the water to move, but without full motion of her arms, she was stuck. She stared in horror as it approached her, and as blackness and the mask overtook her, she, for a few moments, had broken silent. Hanging there as the figure spoke, declaring who it was...how it was a part of her. Maybe it was right? After a few seconds, a voice echoed in the back of her mind. It was...cetus, warm. Repeating a mantra. She couldn't place it. But it was...reassuring. The looked back up, back at this figure which had invaded her, restrained her...gave her orders.

"It might be true...that we're on and the same. In a way." She growled. "But if your everything I don't like, that's a small damn part of me. You here me! I'm still here, and I'm still in charge, so why don't you shut the hell up!" With a roar of defiance, Samantha summoned all of her strength and pulled free of the restraints. It was...almost too easy, like simply willing them to release her had done so. She clutched her right fist after falling to her feet, feeling a tentacle respond in kind, but stopped.

She wasn't going to do things the way this...thing wanted. Switching to her left, she extended it quickly outward, and a powerful blast of water slammed into the masked figure, pinning it to the cave wall.

"You hear me!? I'm in control here, not you. Which means we'll do things my way...and I don't need whatever it is your trying to do to me. So just...SHUT UP! I can save them...I'll rescue her, I'll rescue them both. And I don't need you to do it! I will not give in to you!"

 

[Boss]

| Diana Young |​

Daylight
Limbo | Tundra
Base of the mountain
​

[IMG='width:596px;']https://i.imgur.com/Xg28Chm.jpg[/IMG]

Count, The Blood Maiden

The acid blood was a real problem. Axel wasn't familiar with the Count's combative specialties, being as the latter was always locked in the basement of the manor and rarely saw daylight. Hopping from point to point, Axel had to keep on the move from the pursuing blooderflies that could nearly match her dodging speed. She focused on looping them around the fight while Diana shot at her own swarm from a stationary position. It would have been fine and dandy if the flies dived at Diana in a straight line, but the reality of the situation was that the flight of flies were mixing up their attack angles, keeping Diana's head on a swivel to make sure that one didn't sneak up on her. Another problem was that the flies were explosive. When shot, they exploded the same acidic blood as if they came in contact with their target, and with Diana unmoving, it wasn't hard to get within a few feet of Diana, and within splash range too. The last blooderfly exploded too close for comfort. It's crimson make-up splattering drops of blood over one side of Diana's side, and like Axel, began to burn through cloth and flesh with haste.

All the while, the Count had been watching the battle half-heartedly while most of her attention was focused on building a small snowman family on the side of the path. Her tip of her ears wiggled as the last fly had brought harm to Diana. "Huh? Did you really get hit by that?" The Count asked with genuine confusion. "You weren't supposed to lose to that!" the Zodiac blurted out in a childish fit, waving her robed arms in the air while her vanguard silently hovered behind her.

Meanwhile, Axel was growing tired of being chased around by one of Count's minions. Her own obsidian-clad vanguard dropped down just as Axel leapt back, acting as a defensive wall that the blooderflies crashed into. The acidic properties of the blood didn't affect Axel's guardian in the slightest. The obsidian beast turned to the Count, who stared at it from a distance like a deer caught in headlights. The rock vanguard charged through the snow towards the Count, only to be tackled by the feathery guardian that had previously stayed close to the girl. What the Count's vanguard lacked in arms and legs, it made up for in quad-winged speed and vision. Every haymaker the large rock threw at the flying guardian was like a slow-moving object to it. Count's vanguard was able to use a wing to slap the obsidian beast around while they distracted each other.

The Count was too focused on the battle of the vanguards to notice Axel stab through her back with her dagger. Confused, the Count blinked at the bloody dagger protruding from her stomach, then looked straight up to stare at Axel face-to-face. "That's cheating you know." Her tone bored and lacking of excitement. Even despite her nonchalant attitude, Axel knew she had done damage. She could feel the initial resistance a body would have as it were stabbed.

 

[Boss]

Tom B. Stone | The Clown​

Afternoon
Brookfield | Downtown
Prime Defense | Streets
​

To absolutely nobody's surprise, the address of Prime Defense didn't belong to a fortress or your typical goon-guarded estate. Prime Defense was one of many businesses that owned the 5-floor buildings packed into one city block. The only peculiar thing was the sudden amass of vehicles from Tom's fleet surrounding the civilian building. There was no security to speak of, and plenty of things to hack into. Nearly every room was surveyed by a camera. A brutish voice scratched through the radio on the car's dash. "How do you wanna do this, boss?"

Going loud was a tempting option, perhaps even the only one at this point considering the army Tom had brought. The biggest problem would be the city's law enforcement. With Prime Defense being so close to the much bigger buildings of Brookfield, the police department's response time would be within a minute. If any host in Tom's ranks were to use their abilities openly, the Dominion would come running instead.

Silence was the harder option. With the sheer amount of people on Tom's side, complete stealth would be nearly impossible to pull off. On the other hand, going in silent would imply going in ill-equipped, and there was no telling if Lorenzo had a member of his hit squad with him already.

 

[Azukai]

TerraBooma

"Ecstasy, I don't think its going well." There was noticeable concern on Willow's voice as he gazed upon the field of tentacles that had formed within the lab. "She's losing control." One of the tentacles took the initiative of surprise and suddenly struck at Willow's face. Unable to dodge, he used his staff as a means of deflecting the oncoming attack. In doing so, the tentacle was set ablaze by a trickle of his soul flame and subsequently converted into a writhing pyre of blue flame. Two more tentacles shot at Willow from opposing directions, to which he responded with a quick backflip and a frontal cone of fire. "Some help here, maybe?" he shouted with strained annoyance. On the other side of the room, Ecstasy was watching the mayhem unfold, with curious amusement, as his own hollow nature left him unnoticed by the tentacles. "She...is...fighting...against...it. This...is...not...good..." he muttered to himself, seemingly ignorant to the pleas of his companion. "We...must...pull...her...out." He scampered over to the nearest wall where he began rummaging through a pile of junk that had been stuffed within. Eventually, he found what he was searching for--a circular device that was fitted with several of the milky gems. "We...will...force...the...hollow...asleep." he explained as he began hobbling towards Samantha, yet two steps in, he found himself unable to move from a pair of blackened hands that had wrapped around his ankles.

"Quit coddling the child; if she's weak, she's lost. Simple as that." A cold, yet bored voice spoke from the entryway to the room, where a teen girl was now standing with her hands on her hips. She was a stunning figure, not from the perspective of beauty, but rather, from the aura of sheer pressure that she exerted onto the room. Her glowing, crimson eyes were focused on Samantha--a sneer forming on her face as she noticed the collection of tentacles that were still combating Willow. "Know your place, girl..." She spat with disgust. Black blood splattered around her immediate area, from her right hand nails which dug into the skin of the left arm. "Go," she muttered, which caused the blood to suddenly expand; right before it shot forward and split into several colossal hands that smashed each of the tentacles onto the ground.

"You're...awake...Lilith...thank...you" Willow said, in between attempts to catch his breath. He had been fighting non-stop for several minutes, and was very much thankful for the sudden intervention. Nonetheless, his words were ignored as Lilith strut forward and placed her hand on Samantha's forehead. Within seconds, she was within the realm of the nightmare and observing the insanity that had befallen the girl.

You hear me!? I'm in control here, not you. Which means we'll do things my way...and I don't need whatever it is your trying to do to me. So just...SHUT UP! I can save them...I'll rescue her, I'll rescue them both. And I don't need you to do it! I will not give in to you!

"Grow up, you whining child." Lilith muttered with blatant annoyance on her tone. Although her arm was mostly healed from her latent regeneration, there was a trickle of blood that remained on the surface of her skin. She reached for the drop and forced it to expand into the shape of a human--into the shape of Camilla from Samantha's most recent memory of her capture. Without hesitation, Lilith reached down and grabbed the restrained girl by the nape of her neck. In doing so, she dug her nails deep into the skin and caused blood to well around the forced wounds. Cries of pain escaped Camilla's lips, desperation screaming in her eyes, as she was drug across the ground; inch by inch as Lilith began to slowly walk forward. "Go on then, save her. You said you could do it." Lilith taunted with a couple tuts of laughter. "Kill me and take back what you've lost."