Playground of the Omniverse IC

The Lows; Old Boar's Inn's Western Alley
[Missle/Chad M.F./Jeannot/Fitz]

The dust was clearing, so to speak.

The arrival of the boar set off a chain reaction of destruction, and yet resolve. The shapeshifting demon had fallen flat on its face, toppled by The Boar's furious onslaught of blows. It began to struggle upward as The Boar landed on the rooftop with a shingle shattering impact. As stones clattered down into alley, the creature slowly began to rise, a deep growl issuing from its mouths...

Meanwhile, Missle's panicked actions finally got a response from the barely alive waitress. The diclonius's worst fears would become reality once the blood from her oozing wrists fell onto the vampiress's tongue. Instantly, the pried jaws would bite down viciously, as Bess had been starving for years. Both fangs would piece straight through the wrist, Bess's irises becoming pure red as she gasped with a mouthful of wrist, breathing heavily and unevenly. Shock would be clearly on her face, but the blood continued to be drained from Missle - it would be rapidly disappearing and the vampiress would show no signs of stopping her feast. The more Bess fed, the more Missle would a numbing feeling issuing from her wrist and would find it slowly working up her arm. Whatever was happening, it was quickly causing Missle to lose connection from her brain to her arm.

Practically at the same instant, Chad's words of warning would only give a moment's notice. Unless Missle managed to use her strength to pull herself and/or Bess aside from whatever Chad had just done, the result would be the same: a messy, gory, fantastical display of bloody fireworks. amidst the fire and gore, Chad would stand almost majestically as the aftermath of the explosion would splatter against the walls and anyone who was standing. The immediate threat of the shapeshifter had been obliterated.

However, Round 2 was just about to begin.

Chad's transmission would be rudely interrupted immediately after he responded with, "I have a few minor injuries, but I took the pill already so I should be better soo--." The falling figure of Jeannot (controlled by Fitz) would pummel the futuristic man, causing both to collapse in a pile of pain (though the soul thief's body would be cushioned by the unfortunate Master Funk). To make matters worse, the ear piece that had been securely tucked into Chad's ear had most unfortunately popped out upon bodily collision, dropping just an arm's reach way - which was quickly (and tragically) crushed by a heavy hoof that fell from the sky seconds after Chad was smushed by Jeannot/Fitz.

A heavy snort issued from above Chad and Jeannot, the breeze ruffling hair as the heavy breathing ominously continued. One could literally hear the air whooshing in and out of a strong pair of lungs as the head of golden mace heavily dropped not inches from Jeannot's head, crunching stone and grit under its weight. A dangerously low rumble then spoke from above, the impossibly muscular frame of The Boar towering over the prone men.

"Soul Thief."

A terrible roar echoed through the alley as the mace swung from its standing position to overhead once more, attempting to crush the bodies below. If they both managed to dodge the devastating attack, the mace would smash a crater into the stony ground. Rubble ripped from the alley's floor as the The Boar completely ignored Chad, swinging the mace with one hand in an off hand chance to catch the possibly standing/crouching form of Jeannot, his words booming in the soul thief's ears, "No more, scum! You will pay the piper for what you've done!"

++++

The Highs; The Council Palace
[Marn]

Marn's reaction was satisfactory for red alien. As he continued to heal himself, the twi'lek would turn her attention back to her hostage. "Now where were we, M'lady?" A mock thought gesture pulled her black finger nailed hands gently stroked her heavily tattooed face. "Oh yes." A wicked smile played on her lips as lightning began to dance between finger and thumb.

The shrewd expression on the seated woman's face suddenly turned to that of fear as she began to beg for her life, "No, please! I-I know nothing! I-I had nothing to do with these matters! Please! You can't do this to me! I am the head mistress of the family! Think of what you are doing, assassin!" A mock look of surprise appeared on the Twi'lek's face as she moved in, lightning crackling and snapping as she began to put her hand around her victim's throat. "Assassin? No! I prefer... torturer..."

Missile looked over her shoulder not a second before Bess bit down, and the resulting agony of fangs in her wrist and realizing there was about to be a fucking explosion wasn't exactly the best feeling in the fucking world.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, let go! That's enough of me, Bess!" She wiggled her free hand's fingers between Bess's teeth and the inside of her cheek, trying to dislodge her without harming her any further (and damn her for having to be considerate of the bitch). "We need to fucking move!"

She wrapped her vectors around herself and the vampire, gore splashing on the invisible tendrils as she attempted to free herself; her arm felt at first cold, then fully numb, as Bess continued to feed. "God damn it bitch, I just saved you from the gut of a beast, give me some fucking breaks here!" Her heart pounded wildly, unevenly in her chest, sweat stung her eyes and the hair on the back of her neck stood on ends - she truly understood terror, and she hated it.

Not regretting what she had to do, she shoved one of her vectors under the flesh of her own arm and shoved against Bess's teeth from the inside, Missile's own skin ripping under the force and spraying more crimson against the pair. Her free hand pulling Bess away by the back of her trashed shirt and she made to stand, feet planted against the stones to give herself more leverage. Through the process of prying Bess away from her arteries and veins, she kept her hand and vectors away from any of the waitress's vital points, with the exception of the one trying to push her teeth out of her arm.

Missile heard the Boar shouting again, after a thunderous landing, but she didn't dare turn around to watch the new fight until she had a bearing over herself again. She hated this, hated being out of control, hated being scared. She didn't feel fear, she caused fear in all who watched her tear humans and monsters alike asunder, and she hated Bess even more for putting her in this position.

Marn relaxed as he felt the warm sensation of his healing magic on the back of his head. The sharp pain he felt receded into a dull throb and his headache was no longer so earsplitting. His work started slow, but was speeding up quickly as his mind was no longer clouded by pain and he could focus more on what he was doing. He was so focused on his work that he stopped paying attention to the situation at had, dire as it was.

A spark from the Red woman's hand brought him back to reality. It was another form of magic the woman wielded, and a much more deadly one at that. He watched and waited as he finished up his work, a clear mind making the rest of the healing go very quickly.

He was finished healing himself, but he couldn't attack the red creature while she was in contact with the woman. He continued charging his right hand with power as he thought of a plan, something which he was thankful he could now do without his head spinning. He had a thought, not a great plan, but the best he could think of at the moment.

In the same frightened voice he used before, he said "The Guards will come searching for us, they'll be here any moment." If the red woman let go of the other woman, to look at him or the door, he would fire a bolt of lightning directly at her.

"Oh God"

Tara gasped as she started to levitate.
"Okay. I can do this," she said, while breathing heavily. She approached the shutter and realized that it opened and closed at the speed of lightning. As she roamed around the room to find a way to open the shutter, the door opened miraculously, and the robot started to help her move out of the room.

Tara started to be shocked even more as they left the room. When more robots attached to the bed, she wondered how long she had been unconscious. For Tara, the latest technological advance in artificial intelligence development was a humanoid robot that barely functioned due to the unbalanced physiology. Because they were still in the developmental stage, robots only existed in the scientific research communities. The idea that her world may not be the same started to slowly sink in.

In addition to seeing more robots than humans, the military technology threw her off even more. Although the uniform of the soldiers were somewhat familiar, Tara was still used to machine guns and bullets. To see an organized group of soldiers was also new. In her world, soldiers worked individually as mercenaries to personally defend a city or hunt down the infected.

As Tara entered the ship, her eyes started to tear up. When they flew above the city, she covered her face with her hand as she could not stop sobbing.

It finally hit her. The world was not the same.

Tara tried hard to make sense of what was happening. She wanted to ask so many questions, and the pilot seemed to be open for questions. However, her ineffable emotional torment did not let her function in any ways. Before she could even try to form some questions, the ship started to shake out of control. Tara had no choice but to hold on to the platform and pray that she would not be hurt.

On the other hand, the imminent danger was not her major concern. Rather, she began to wish that she would die rather than suffer in agony and confusion. At the same time, she began to grow certain emotions. She felt a burning desire to destroy everything and everyone who destroyed her life: Piyavka, Casey, and the man with the amulet.

Yup. Fitz thought as he felt the mace crash down towards his head. Called it. Fitz looked down at Chad who was still struggling underneath him. Following the mace, came the Boar. Fitz felt him breathe heavily on Jeannot’s back. ”Soul Thief.” He growled. Thank the Gods your a gaudy killer… That was the downfall of a lot of people Fitz had faced. Too much explaining or brooding, acting all menacing. With a roar, Fitz understood it was time to go. Fitz grabbed Chad by the collar with his left hand and held on to his uniform tightly. “You better thank the Godessess that I’m here.” He muttered.

Fitz thrust his right hand towards his feet and let out a blast of Light Aura so powerful that it propelled Fitz, followed suit by Chad Master Funk being pulled by his collar across the alleyway and out of the way of the Boar’s golden mace. Whether or not the blast hit the Boar was indifferent to Fitz; he merely wanted to get out of the way of the glinting weapon.

As they shot across the alley, Fitz released Chad and watched him tumble towards the end of the alley. Fitz then stopped the continuous flow of power from his hand and skidded to a halt. He stood up and dusted off Jeannots clothes.

Well done… But you needn't save the body... A group of voices called out to Fitz in thought-speak. Stupid conscious scarf. Fitz thought spoke back. I try to save your asses and all I get is criticism! Like hell I’m going to let myself get killed! Fitz begin to flood Jeannots body with power.  The body began to rise and fall, with heavy breaths. Light aura raged around them. Fitz looked to the sky and screamed, putting as much power into the body as he could. The alley shook, bits of the broken walls falling towards the earth. The ground shook and shattered underneath Fitz’s growing mass. Suddenly, things went wrong.

The Soul Thief’s body thrashed about, various parts bulging or recessing. His eyes rolled back into his skull. Gods… Ahhh… Dammit… Fitz thought as the body flailed. Finally, the being swell up to massive size and stood still. Then, compressed to its normal size and fell to it’s knees. “Too… Much… Power…” Fitz thought panting. “Damn… Mortal body…” He looked to his left hand. Like ash in the wind, it was beginning to fall apart and blow away. Shit… Fitz thought. The body does not matter. The voices rang out again. Give the scarf to the Funk Master. Fitz rolled his eyes and tore the scarf off with his right hand. He enveloped it in light aura then tossed it to the traveler. “Chad! Keep it safe. I’ll find you!” Fitz looked down. A good half of his body was gone now. “Ganti! Gaudete!” Fitz shouted, in desperation, “Stay safe!” As he looked down, all that remained to go was his torso. “And all of you! Beware Halcyon! He is-” And with that, Jeannot's body was gone.





There was a flash of light. Fitz heard the clinking of a chain. “What the…”

Chad's eyes widen in horror as the only communication he had to his world was was shattered under a muddy hoof. "NO!!" Chad shouted in disbelief. Before he had time to react to anything, the boar swung his mace at his head with the mysterious man on top of him. He had no time to get up. "I have to warp out of here fast!" Chad thought. As Chad was about to make his move, light radiated over him and he felt the his collar being pulled. "You better thank the goddesses later", the mysterious man said as he grabbed Chad. "Wait I know that voice..." Chad thought, but was abruptly propelled into the alley. As Chad landed he was able to complete his thought "Its Fitz! He is still alive!"

Before Chad could get up and talk with Fitz, Fitz was already disappearing and he threw a scarf at him enveloped with light and he left Chad with a warning, "Keep it safe, I'll find you". Those were Fitz final words before vanishing into the void. "Keep it safe?..." Chad thought, "What is this?..." Chad looked at the strange glowing scarf. "Out of all the things he could have given me, he gives me this? It must be important, and it is probably related to that powerful dark man that took over Fitz body." Chad neatly folds the scarf and keeps it safely in his coat. He looked at the boar facing him across the alley, "Hey you!" Chad points at him, "There are some things we need to talk about."

The Lows; Old Boar's Inn Western Alley
[Missle/Chad M.F/Jeannot/Fitz]

Time held still for The Boar. The chaos, the evil, the pure injustice that came with The Lows' culture - it always circulated outside of his reach, and he knew that it was impossible to stop. However, when it hit close to home, his home, he must react. Evil must be punished. The breaker of laws, his laws, must be brought to justice.

But he evaded The Boar. The Soul Thief moved with incredible speed, using the stolen soul to avoid his attacks and move to the end of the alley. The world before The Boar was red and redder shadows as he turned completely, once more ignoring Chad - whoever the futuristic man was, he was of no concern to the innkeeper. All the mattered was ending this imbecile once and for all - too long had The Boar heard the whispers and idle gossip of The Soul Thief's works. It ended - here, now. But then, the soul thief just broke away, and of all those who would prevent justice, Death cheated The Boar. His body, turned to ashe, something just purifying him to dust. But a relic, something of great value to the soul thief was passed on. The Master Funk had the full attention of The Boar as the man called out, "Hey you! There are some things we need to talk about."

"Yes, yes there are."

The Boar treaded heavily towards Chad, the crumpled cobble and grit from the fight's aftermath crunching his massive hooves. With a gesture, his reddened eye pouring into Chad, his gaze intense and maddening as he commanded Chad, as the dimension traveler tucked the piece of glowing cloth into his jacket, "The scarf. Give it to me."

Meanwhile, Missle's gruesome actions saved her own life - while the amount of blood that gushed from her arm would be highly concerning, the halfelf's lover managed to pry Bess's teeth from her arm, the vampire falling to the ground once more as a limp figure as Missle was left standing over her, her job complete - she had saved the vampiress, however, she would soon realize the danger was far from over.. Bess muttered something from her position, but it would be impossible to hear. If Missle cared to lean in closer, Bess would say it again, in a very weak and hoarse voice. "Stahp 'im, hun. Yew gotta stahp 'im..."

If Chad refused to immediately give Jeannot's possession over to The Boar, the animal humanoid would continue to approach Chad, his eye furrowing in a deep setting anger, his voice growling more and more as he spoke. "You don't understand - the owner of that scarf. He is a monster, a devil - he must be punished. He must be eradicated. Give me. The scarf". If Chad made any motion towards his weapon or took any aggressive stance, The Boar would immediately swing his golden headed mace overhead and slam it with an intimidating force, the weapon puncturing the ground next to the man's left foot with an audible crack, growling as he did, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, mere man. Last chance - give me. The scarf."

However, If Chad was convinced, or very close to being convinced, The Boar's aggressiveness would be noticeably fading. His eye would become less clouded, his shoulders would sag as if he were loosening a heavy load from his shoulders. If the scarf eventually ended up in his gnarly hands, the fight would be driven out of him. He would look ancient, looking about in a lost manner. His eye would catch the fallen figure of Bess and the bloodied Missle, where he would trudge over and shoulder the vampiress like a sack of potatoes. A snort of thanks would given to Missle in gruff thanks as he called over his shoulder, continuing to walk down the alley and towards the entrance the inn, calling over his shoulder as he did, "Come. I believe it's time for a round of hard liquor. Maybe a bottle." Sooner before later, all of them would be sitting around the glassy dark surface of the Old Boar Inn, passerby's giving the small battle worn group a wide berth as The Boar poured drinks in silence, a series of six shot glasses lined up for each survivor.

But then again - either path was to be decided by Chad...

====

The Lows; Umbra District
[Halecyon]

Halecyon would have picked a place that seemed like home - a crumbling home, the roof pitted and a survivor of some series of extreme explosions. The walls were in no greater condition - mold was evident, cracks in the brick wall. Everything was damp to the touch, and the entire space had been ruined one way another - smashed chairs, rickety tables, broken windows, vandalism painted on the walls, the ceiling, the floor, and all sorts of mannerism of trash strewed across the living area. The sight would be odd - a god sleeping in the midst the aftermath of Tutmose's underbelly. And yet, Halcyon had landed here and slept in his "new" body, content in the chaos and the filth.

However, as odd and similar as it may be, what would follow his events of the chaotic god's arrival would much more strange.

Not ten minutes after Halcyon had closed his eyes and blocked the light from the outside, a noise would occur the blocked door - a scuffling, and then a soft grunt. Whatever it was, it was attempting to enter the filthy place. After a few weak blows against the heavily blocked barrier (a desk and an unknown metallic object had somehow managed to find their way against the door), the break in had stopped. But then, a man would fall from the heavens, from a hole in which had been plugged by shadow. A beam of light would shed into the room as the man plummeted to trash riddled floor, landing in a pile trash with a crunch of glass, tin cans, and crumpled paper. Clumsily, he would rise to his feet unsteadily, twirling in a circle as he readjusted his oversized top hat, his scarf whirling around him as he turned, as if to find his bearings. Purple eyes would squint as semi-gloved hand placed over his eyes, obviously trying to adjust darkness that was present in the room (and that had been so rudely interrupted by his entrance) as he tried to peer into the the darkness.

With a soft, "Ah!" the oddly dressed man would gingerly step through the maze of garbage - he had found what he was looking for. Assuming that Halceyon had not awoken (by some great miracle), the top hatted man would softly poke the sleeping form of the chaotic god. If not woken by the first poke, the intruding man would poke harder, twice, and clear his throat. If this failed, he would go into a full routine, poking numerous times and shouting, "Oi! Wake up!"

If Halcyon finally woke up (or before the man had shouted), a goofy grin would appear on his face, "Allo, chum!" Before Halcyon could blink, the man would grab the god and Halcyon would find himself pulled through a blur - shadows would whirl around him, while flashes of white would rapidly appear and disappear simultaneously. Just as fast as he had been grabbed, he would be let go, falling onto solid... wooden floorboards?

While he would not have time to take in his surroundings, Halcyon would be in a well furbished room - rustic, rough, but very homey. Stone would be all around, in circular room of a large cot with heavy blankets placed on it, a sturdy oaken table with two beautifully crafted chairs on either side of the circular piece of furniture. This room could be the home of a lord. But why wouldn't Halcyon have time to see? Unless he had experience rapid teleportation before, Halycon would be expelling the insides of his stomach on to floor as the man dusted off his coat, calling over his shoulder (and Halycon's retching) as he walked to a stone counter, pumping water from a steel pump, speaking in a rather cheerful voice, "Tea, old chap?"  

++++

The Lows; Western Airspace
[Tara]

The tension was so thick, one could cut it with a butter knife. The sounds of cutting metal stopped, the rough shape of a circle now melted into the side of the carrier. The ship itself seemed to be regaining stabilization, but -- suddenly the circle was kicked in, a hunk of metal flying through the air and smashing into one of the nurse bots. Without more than a short circuited beep, it clanged to the ground as the attackers moved in. They had bat-like wings, goats legs, and were - women? The moved in swiftly, coat tails of their clothing, hands already aflame in a shadowy substance, darkly glowing and filling the room with a strange darkness that glowed and swelled as they threw bolts of flame at the defending nurse bots.

The remaining nurses raised a blue hued force field as the pilot shot in a frantic fashion, sending a barrage of energy blasts in the direction of the invaders, desperation in his voice as he quickly looked back to Tara, "Just stay down! We'll get you out of here, just stay--!!" The intruders had penetrated the energy shield, punching through the robot's frame and effectively ripping out their computerized innards, motherboards and wires spilling from their metal bodies as they shut down. The pilot's weapon transformed into a telescopic staff, swinging in an offensive arc towards one of the women. However, she quickly grabbed it and ripped it from Tara's defender, tossing it to the side as another ax kicked him to the ground, sending the pilot into a state of unconsciousness.

The battle had ended as soon as it had begun. All three stood around Tara, panting at their efforts as the final woman slowly started towards Tara, and began to undo her seat belt, speaking hastily as she did, "Quickly, girl - we don't have much time. They'll be sending reinforcement soon, and besides," She looked up to the cockpit as she continued, "We're going down." If Tara struggled (with little energy she had), she would find a soothing feeling come over her, one of the succubus's eyes catching a prolonged gaze. From the hole they came, they exited, two of them holding Tara under either armpit and the third in front, whispering something that would be impossible for Tara to hear. Suddenly, Tara would find herself entering a fiery portal that suddenly appeared before the flying troupe, opening with a harsh scream that seemed to rip the air. The fire, however, would not burn, as they passed through.

Tara would then find herself in a different world, but similar. Shadows whirled by with a terrifyingly speed, white glares mixing with the black of space. It would all be too fast to capture with the naked eye, sounds and image melting together as they spun and spun and spun and spun and...

Torchlight?

It was torchlight - a giant cauldron of fire, easily the size of a king bed. It would be there shedding light into a black space all around Tara and the three women that stood in a triangle formation behind Tara. Before her, there would only be the light of the fire, and the never ending darkness around the visible platform - it was gleaming, a polish black stone that reflected the fire's tinges of orange, yellow and blue. That's all there was - light, dark, and silence.

At least at first.

Suddenly, a man in a dark coat would materialize from the darkness, speaking as he raised in hand in a greeting, supposedly towards the succubuses, "For the shadow ever grows." In unison, the women would instantly respond, "For the shadow ever grows." With a wave of his pale hand, two of them would disappear into the black, only the final woman remaining.

He would stand there for a moment, gazing at Tara as she stood, supported by the succubus. Gradually, he would make his way over to her, as if eyeing her up and down, evaluating her. Finally, once within handshake distance, the horned man would speak, "Hello child. Tell me, have you ever wanted to have a wish granted."

Before she could say anything, he continued, interrupting her if he had to, "A wish for control, power, riches? To hold the ability to make your enemies disappear and to make your loved ones safe?" Now he would pause, looking into her pale blue eyes, speaking slower as he did, "Of course you have. And I, I can give you this, child." A gentle hand would reach to her chin, making her look into his eyes. "Would you like this?"

====

Tutmose; ???
[TSM]

"Is he awake?"
"He's coming to, sir!"

The Story Master had passed into oblivion - whether it was the stress of the moment or something else, the officer wouldn't know why, but it wouldn't have prevented him from ordering the removal of the Highsborn man from the interrogation room to a medical bay, or at least said white walls, counter tops and white marble floor. He would find himself in a plush white armchair, being monitored by a nurse bot.

"Vitals: Normal, sir."

"Thank you," the officer would answer gruffly, waving the bot away in a distracted manner, banishing it from the room. Silence would again reign, allowing Tyros to gather himself and realize any injuries. However, he wouldn't have much time, because the officer would be puffing at a cigar, this time not offering one to Tyros, and would interrupt any thoughts of his prisoner, "Some information came to me as we were moving you to here." He would lean towards The Story Master, his eyes furrowed and his mouth a serious line. "The girl you under your..." An eyebrow would raise as he paused to find a word, "protection, was mid-transport when her shuttle was attacked - we lost contact with the pilot only moments ago."

++++

The Highs; The Council Palace
[Marn]

The dialogue between both women was interrupted by Marn. In the most irritated voice, the Twi'lek turned on Marn, spitting in his direction, Her attention refocused on Marn, eyes filled with a hating malice. Without a word, she lifted her hand upward towards man. Immediately, he would feel an invisible hand starting to close around his throat as she continued towards him, ignoring the woman behind her as she hissed in his direction, "Fool," her eyes seemed to spew fire as she continued to walk towards him, eventually getting close enough to touch him. "Do you think I care for guards, or the law, or anyone? I laugh at them - I challenge them to come for me." The hand would tighten around Marn's throat as the electricity crackled in her other hand, a string of energy dancing over the bridge of his nose in front of Marn's eyes. "What do you have to say to that, little man?"

Lighting flashes. An ominous dark figure with fiery hair and massive sword cackling over a kingdom. A flash of light. A warrior clad in white, his sword equally as large. The sword enters the body. Pain.



“Oi! Wake up!”

Halcyon slowly opened his eyes. Thank me that’s over… I hate flashbacks… A oddly dressed man was crouching in front of him, wearing an absurd smile. “Allo, chum!” The figure spoke, grabbing Halcyon. “Wha-” All of a sudden the world began to spin while light flashed in and out of sight. Without warning, Halcyon dropped and hit the ground, knees still crossed and arms still folded in his sleeping position.

The man walked over to a counter and, while dusting himself off, looked over his shoulder and shouted “Tea, old chap?”

The gods head faced the floor as he felt vomit begin to travel up his throat. Pathetic reflex... Halcyon thought, as he stopped the retch in his mouth. He ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth. Jager and Bile. Halcyon thought, Delicious. He threw his head back and swallowed the vomit. He looked back down towards the man with a devilish smile, licking his lips. “Tea,” Halcyon said, standing up and wiping a bit of spittle from the side of his mouth, “Would be excellent.” Halcyon walked towards a pair of finely crafted chairs and gazed around the room. It was rather rustic, and well made. Highfalutin enough to belong to nobility. His eyes then fell upon the man, and what a sight he was. From what Halcyon saw, the man was wearing a long, orange trench coat and dress pants. He was also wearing a top hat, something Halcyon was very fond of.

“I am a fan of your dress.” Halcyon said, comparing his leather trench coat to the mans orange one. “And a top hat suits you well. I am a fan of them myself; A dear friend of mine wears one… I’m sorry, I don’t believe I caught your name?”

"Yes, yes there are." The Boar spoke in his thunderous deep voice as he approached Chad. "The scarf, give it to me" The Boar demanded from Chad stretching out his hand to claim it. Chad took a step back guarding the scarf in his coat with his hand. "You don't understand," the Boar insisted "the owner of that scarf. He is a monster, a devil - he must be punished. He must be eradicated. Give me. The scarf". After a moment of reflection, Chad let down his guard and pulled the Scarf out of his coat. Chad appeared to be slightly nervous and he struggled to pull out the scarf, but he managed to pull it out like a string undoing the neat fold he made earlier. "He told me to keep it safe" Chad replies folding the scarf again, but this time a bit messier than before. "You probably understand the situation better than I do. I don't even know what to do with it." Chad looks up and hands the Scarf to the Boar, "Its better for you to have it".

The Boar's tense body began to relax and sag. He was calm and his face loosened. His eye caught the fallen figure of Bess and the bloodied Missle. He trudged over and shouldered the vampiress with a snort of thanks to Missle. He called over his shoulder as he walked down the alley and towards the entrance the Inn, "Come. I believe it's time for a round of hard liquor. Maybe a bottle." Chad picked up his broken communicator on the ground before following the Boar. Sooner before later, all of them were sitting around the glassy dark surface of the Old Boar Inn, passerby's giving the small battle worn group a wide berth as The Boar poured drinks in silence, a series of six shot glasses lined up for each survivor.

Chad, unable to deal with the long awkward silence, looked to his side to find the Missle sitting at his side. "So, uh... I'm sorry for the bomb thing earlier." Chad says to her with a quirky smile and slight laughter. "I'm Chad by the way" he follows up with an extended hand to her.

Missile clamped her hand over her bleeding wrist, eyes widening at the sight of her own blood coursing down her fingertips, and she stared down at Bess. Well, shit. She knelt down and checked to make sure she was alive, and she certainly seemed to be recover-

^"mumbling"

"What?" Missile leaned in, more than hesitantly; she didn't want to get chomped on again, and to be frank, she was starting to feel a little more than dizzy.

"Stahp 'im, hun. Yew gotta stahp 'im..." What? Stop who-

The sound of the hammer crashing the ground behind her caught her attention and she scooted backward a bit, tucking her bleeding arm against her gut as she stared at the Boar. Oh, holy balls, holy fucking balls, this was bad. She chewed her lip, eyes wide as she tried to think of a way out of the situation, out of keeping yet another idiot out of harm's way. Fucker had almost blown her and Bess up, what the fuck was he doing now!?

However, whatever was being said, the man named Chad seemed to renege and handed over a scrap of cloth - a scarf, she realized. She shot backward against the alley wall when the Boar stomped his way over, but as he picked Bess up and a gratitude snuffed in her direction, she slowly inched her way up the wall and walked after him. "Sounds like a damn plan to me." She tore off the bottom half of her shirt, ignoring the bloodstains as she used her vectors to wrap the greivous bite wound, and she realized she still had (one of?) the dead shapeshifter's hearts stuffed in her bra. Huh. That'd be a good gift for Pullo once she'd cleaned herself up.
She slouched at the counter and immediately knocked back the first shot after it was poured, hissing as the alcohol burned her throat. "Fuck!" She coughed, eyes watering as she turned her head to Chad as he spoke.

"So, uh... I'm sorry for the bomb thing earlier." His smile annoyed her, but his laugh triggered some memory - kids Nikita had known when they were young - and her scowl faded slightly. "I'm Chad by the way," he continued, offering his hand. She shook it, a firm, hard squeeze before she realized she still had blood all over her limbs.

"... Sorry about the blood." She pulled her hand away and returned to her drinks. "I'm Missile. Missile Sterling." She picked up the next shot and was a little more conservative with it, sipping at it instead of pulling it down. "So uh, what uh. Where are you from?" She ran a messy hand through her equally messy hair, feeling exhausted. "... maybe all this alcohol's gonna be a bad idea, lost too much blood," she mumbled under her breath.

She straightened up and pulled her wallet out of her pocket, tugging a twenty dollar bill out of it and putting it on the counter before changing it out for a fifty instead. "I think we could all use some food to eat, Boar. I don't think anybody'll mind what it is. My treat and you better eat too." Her head hit the counter, too tired to hold her skull up. "...mmmfffuuck, is there a healer in here."

Old Boar's Inn; Bar
[Missle/Chad M.F.]

As Missle and Chad made their introductions, The Boar would begin to pour himself a tankard of a foul smelling brew - so strong the scent would be, that it would easily be noticed by his patrons across the bar. There he stood, listening to the conversation, cradling the pewter instrument. However, as soon as Missle shoved a twenty dollar bill his way, the bartender was on the move. He would disappear behind swinging doors only to immediately emerge with a meat filled sub for either Missle or Chad. He would continue to use the twenty dollars, throwing a rack of bacon and four eggs onto the grill behind the bar, the meat sizzling and giving off mouth watering aromas.

At the mention of a healer, The Boar turned, his deep bass voice rumbling as he answered, "Many are, but few are willing to provide a service without time or favor." He began to fill Missle's empty shot glasses as he continued, "And my healer is caring for Bess." However, as if by magic, a kitsune appeared from behind the scenes, almost gliding behind The Boar and whispering something his ear. He nodded, giving a snort of approval, before updating Missle and Chad, "Looks like you're in luck - she's done with Bess." Giving a single nod of farewell, heavy hooves clomping away and behind the kitchen's swinging doors.

Meanwhile, the kitsune looked Missle up and down before commenting with a very, barely audible voice, "Healing, you need, yes?"

++++


The Crossroads; ???
[Halcyon/Gerald]

Gerald's smile would become broader as he dipped an entire teapot into a stream of water, filling it to the brim as he replied to Halcyon's compliment, "Thank you, old chap. It seems that good friends think a like." An eyebrow quirked as he continued, "At least I like to think that we're friends." A gloved hand motioned to the table, before picking up the teapot by its handle with one hand and placing another hand under bottom of the china. "As we will be friends, at least in the sense that we will be… business partners." Suddenly his hand below the china caught fire, practically sending the water inside to point of its boiling point. "You see, old chap, I have a proposition for you."

The water was poured into some fine china teacups as the odd man gave a slight bow to the chaotic god as a twirl of his hand, "Enjoy." He quickly sat in the opposite chair, practically flopping into its wooden arms as he pulled two teabags from his coat, expertly slinging the bags into either cup. "What was I saying? Oh yes!" He began to vigorously dunk his teabag, the water slopping over the sides of the teacup as he continued to practically babble. "I am a procurer of objects and have a few employers from time to time that enjoy a rare artifact - this, in turn, requires some help from those who have excellent abilities of throwing power about with authority."

The dunking stopped to glance seriously at Halycon, "This is where you come in, old chap." The dunking continued as his mouth ran like a river, "You will protect and otherwise obligate anyone who comes to harm me, and in return…" A smile came upon his face as he removed his teabag, spinning the cup's handle towards himself as looked up from his cup to Halycon, "…Well, let's just say you will be a very rich man, for a very long time." With that, the boiling liquid was shot to the back of the odd man's throat, gulping it all in one swig.

Wiping his mouth with a satisfied smack, Gerald wiped his mouth with the back of his glove and tipped his top hat to the chaotic god, "Are you interested?"

"Thank you, old chap. It seems that good friends think a like. At least I like to think that we're friends." Friends. Halcyon smiled politely, I’ll be the one that decides if your even worthy to live in my presence. Gerald grabbed a teapot from the table and held one hand underneath “As we will be friends, at least in the sense that we will be… business partners." The hand erupted and fire and boiled the water in the kettle.

Pouring some hot water in teacups, Gerald passed a saucer and cup to Halcyon, with a flamboyant spin of the hand and slight bow. Halcyon took the cup and nodded to the man. He sat down, took a sip of tea, and rubbed his chest as he felt the steaming liquid go down his throat. “Heh heh. Hotter than I thought.” Halcyon muttered, smiling. He looked up at the man who’s mouth was going a mile a minute. "I am a procurer of objects and have a few employers from time to time that enjoy a rare artifact - this, in turn, requires some help from those who have excellent abilities of throwing power about with authority." The man spoke rapidly; it seemed like he didn't even breath between sentences. Throwing about power… Came to the right person… Halcyon thought as he sipped his tea and listened to the man.  "This is where you come in, old chap. You will protect and otherwise obligate anyone who comes to harm me, and in return… Well, let's just say you will be a very rich man, for a very long time.”

Halcyon looked the man over once again, as he downed his tea. His movement seemed erratic, like gears were constantly turning in his body. “Well,”Halcyon replied to the man, “You are excellent at sizing a man up by his appearances. And your offer is interesting.” Halcyon set his tea down. “However,  earthly possessions are trifles to me.” Halcyon muttered, putting one leg over the other. “Now, I will present my offer.” He said smiling “I have 3 requests as opposed to your payment.

1. That you do not question my judgement,
2. If I ask a question, I expect a full answer, pertinent to the question,”

“And three,” Halcyon grinned devilishly, “You present me with a challenge.”

"... Sorry about the blood." The girl said as she shook Chad's hand. She pulled her hand away and returned to her drinks. Chad, not being much of a drinking, refused the drink that was offered to him. "I never really liked alcohol to begin with," Chad thought, "Its especially dangerous for me to get drunk in a place like this. Who knows what could happen". "I'm Missile. Missile Sterling." The girl introduced herself."So uh, what uh. Where are you from?" She ran a messy hand through her equally messy hair. "Well... I guess you can say I'm from the future." Chad responded noticing her exhaustion. "She had it a lot worse than me." Chad thought to himself "She needs medical attention soon."

Chad stares off into space in deep thought as Missile gulps down another drink. "I can't stop thinking about that Scarf." Chad thought. "There is something eerie about it." Chad rest his chin on his hand. "What could be so important about it that Fitz gave it to me before disappearing? Luckily I was able to plant a stun bomb on it when I gave it to the Boar in case something happens to it. I am not crazy enough to destroy something as important as that, but it will run a powerful stream of electricity through it once it is detonated, paralyzing who ever tries to steal it from the Boar or anything like that. Unfortunately nothing is safe around here, anything can happen..."

Missile mumbled something under her breath but interrupting Chad's thoughts. She straightened up and pulled her wallet out of her pocket, tugging a twenty dollar bill out of it and putting it on the counter. "I think we could all use some food to eat, Boar. I don't think anybody'll mind what it is. My treat and you better eat too." Her head hit the counter "...mmmfffuuck, is there a healer in here."

At the mention of a healer, The Boar turned, his deep bass voice rumbling as he answered, "Many are, but few are willing to provide a service without time or favor." He began to fill Missle's empty shot glasses as he continued, "And my healer is caring for Bess." However, as if by magic, a kitsune appeared from behind the scenes, almost gliding behind The Boar and whispering something in his ear. He nodded, giving a snort of approval, before updating Missle and Chad, "Looks like you're in luck - she's done with Bess." Giving a single nod of farewell. Meanwhile, the kitsune looked Missle up and down before commenting with a very, barely audible voice, "Healing, you need, yes?"

"I need some healing as well." Chad requested politely ",but she needs it more than I do." Chad says turning to Missile.

Even without pretending to be a coward, Marn jumped slightly at the sudden intensity of the red creature's glare. It held a hatred he had never seen before, a fiery hate as if Marn himself had personally destroyed everything she loved. For a brief moment, the mage considered if he had made a mistake in turning her attention to him, but the plan was already in motion, so he could only go through with it.

Suddenly, the woman lifted her hand and Marn felt a powerful force push against his throat, choking him as if a giant of a man was attempting to strangle him. He tried to focus on keeping the power in his hand in check, and used that focus to distract himself from the pain coming from his throat, thinking on the energy pulsing out from the crystal in his hand, making his entire arm tingle slightly.

The creature approached him, the anger and malice in her voice matching her eyes. "Do you think I care for guards, or the law, or anyone? I laugh at them - I challenge them to come for me." She moved close enough for him to grab, before threatening him with the same lightening she was using on the other woman. "What do you have to say to that, little man?"

Marn forced a smile on his face at the woman, moving his left hand and placing it flat on her stomach. As he did, he managed to choke out "Challenge Accepted." before letting all the electrical energy stored in his hand loose directly into the woman.

The diclonius kept her head on the counter when the sandwich came out, just content to smell its deliciousness for a moment before raising her head to start eating. She was a chomp or two into it when she realized Chad had answered her question - he was from the future? ... what future, exactly? She glanced at him, vision slightly blurry, but she decided to ask him later.

Her stomach was growling quite ferociously.

She lifted her head when the Boar said there was a healer nearby, and she just shrugged and said, after swallowing another mouthful of sandwich, "Boar, after all that, I can wait awhile to get gawked at-" A motion caught her attention and her jaw dropped when she saw something straight out of myth - a kitsune?! Granted, not the kind she was familiar with; most had the forms of women except for their tails and feet, but there was a sort of unique beauty she couldn't help but admire.

And god, it made her miss home.

Missile set the sandwich down and turned to the healer, holding her arm up. "Yeah, um." She paused and carefully selected her next words, hoping the kitsune spoke Japanese and that this wouldn't end poorly, "I was chewed on for a little bit, and I've lost a decent amount of blood. I would very much like to stop bleeding, please?"

She looked at Chad for a moment as he spoke, and she mumbled under her breath, "Most of this blood isn't even mine, to be honest, that shape-shifter took a damn beating."

Old Boar's Inn; Bar
[Missle/Chad M.F.]

Chad's request of the kitsune would be met with slightest of gestures, a barely noticeable tilt of the head as she looked at him. A quick glance of up and down, she seemed to take notice of any injuries, though for Chad, it would be nothing of great peril - after all he had only been in the outskirts of the fight and had miraculously managed to avoid all major attacks against his person. She was about to reach out for Chad's hand, for a reason unknown, until something made her stop in her tracks - Missle's voice.

The japanese flowed over the counter, fluid like water, and pleasing to the ear. While Chad would most likely be unable to understand what Missle had said, the kitsune's face would be instant surprise and then one great concern as she quickly moved out from behind the counter, walking quickly towards Missle and spinning her stool-chair to examine her full sitting body. As she did so, the fox humanoid spoke back to Missle in her native tongue, "It has been many years since I have heard someone speak my native tongue." A rare smile would appear on her face - one that was completely genuine and full of appreciation. However, it would fade away as she began to closely carefully examine her arms, lifting it up and turning it that way. Missle could possibly feel new discomfort, but then again, her advancement in human evolution could have also prevented the deceased shapeshifter's bone to cause much damage to Missle's body. Regardless, one thing was clear.

"I can't tell the extent of your injuries with all of this blood. You'll have to clean up." The kitsune slowly began to guide Missle off her stool-chair, gesturing the diclonius to follow her. "Don't worry, my dear. Kuroda Riko (black field, jasmine child) will take care of you." A gentle smile came across her face as she turned to Chad, the smile fading once more as if she had thought of something. "He will have to come to... though I could treat you separately as you clean up. My facility has a bath inside, but it isn't very... concealing." She looked nervously from Chad to Missle. "It is up to you, dear."

++++

The Highs; Council Palace
[Marn]

"Challenge accepted."

The crack of lightning that boomed in the room was instantly accompanied by the gutteral, yet ear piercing scream of the twi'lek. Both she and Marn would go flying across the room - she into a thick, sturdy bookcase and Marn into the wall, his body ripping through the sofa he had been seated on, cushions scorched and smouldering. Between the pair, however, Marn would find himself in a much better state of recovery - the cushions would have absorbed most of the impact and would allow the mage to a faster recovery time than his opponent.

Though he would more than likely have an upper hand anyway - one does not take a lightning bolt to the gut and recover quickly.

But recover she did, hand clasped to her stomach, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air with its disgusting stentch. "You bitch!" She would gasp, her voice hoarse, her eyes spewing more hate than before. "You little bitch!" So slow was her recovery that Marn would have time to launch another attack, or even run across the room and put the boot to his opponent's face, sending her sprawling once more in sheer agony or hurt, depending on the mage's attack.

Whatever he did, however, the Twi'lek would quickly recover, much faster than before, spitting at Marn with terrible words, "A challenge you will have then--" A pair of bookcases would slide across the floor, threatening to sandwich the mage between them, the Sith laughing as she pulled the towering pieces of wood together, "--little man!"

++++



The Crossroads; ???
[Halcyon/Gerald]

Another teabag of miraculously appeared from his jacket, which was instantly dunked into a somehow already full teacup as Gerald responded to Halycon's listed requests. "Well, old chap, I won't be judging your judgement about judgmental things, but my employer," A slurp of tea was shifted down his mustached mouth in almost cartoon fashion, "Might not agree with.... loud methods. At least not all the time." Another sip. "But I'll leave you two to deal with that." At that moment, a glint came into his eye, with an quirky smile and a raised eyebrow.

It disappeared however, as he slurped the rest of tea, spun upward and somehow ended next to Halycon, bouncing his eyebrows up and down as he ended his thought, "But a challenge I can give you and for earthly possession..." Gerald suddenly grabbed Halycon by the collar and whirled him back into a vortex, black and white zooming by as the crash-landed on top of a roof of building, the entirety of The Lows before them in all directions.

"Not all riches are money, old chap." He suddenly fell to push up position, twisting his head towards Halycon, flamboyantly kicking his legs up and over the the edge of the circular roof with a push of his legs as he did, disappearing into the space that was six stories tall. "Shall we?" If Halcyon looked over the edge, he would see the top hatted man laughing madly before completely disappearing all together. And if he decided to follow down, the chaotic god would find a window was opening, with Gerald's head cheerfully popping out, "Coming, old chap?" The room, if it could be called that, was a grand storage place - boxes, open shelves with crates and all manner of storage were present. "Careful now," Gerald would whisper, already tiptoeing down a aisle, "Wouldn't want to wake Missy."

Missile slumped against the counter a bit as the kitsune turned to observe Chad, grateful for the lack of attention for the moment. Maybe I can just slip upstairs and go take a nap, she thought blearily.

"It has been many years since I have heard someone speak my native tongue." Missile lifted her head and couldn't help but smile back. She herself missed speaking her first language and was relieved that she could technically have a private conversation with somebody for the first time in months.

She let the healer take her arm and kept her unhurt one on the counter, as it wasn't bothering her much, but she did cringe as fresh pain soared from the bite and gashes.

"I can't tell the extent of your injuries with all of this blood. You'll have to clean up." Missile took her arm back from the kitsune and slid off the bar stool, shrugging her off politely.

"I can walk myself, just a flesh wound or two, I promise!" She smiled back mildly and didn't turn back to Chad quite yet. Her own smile faded as well. "To be honest, the only things that hurt are my leg where the thing bit me and my arm where I've wrapped up. Much of this blood isn't mine, you see; we were fighting off the thing that tried to eat Bess and I..." She paused and scratched at her neck before adding, "I'll tell you the entire story if you like, but now that I think about it, I'd really like a bath, please." The blood had begun to dry on her skin, and it itched and made her skin crawl. She then added, in English for Chad's somewhat benefit (as she wasn't entirely sure if he was human), "He should get to eat dinner first, he's the one that killed the shapeshifter."

She also pulled the at-last still heart of the shapeshifter out of her shirt, asking Kuroda, "Additionally, I've got this, and I would very much like to preserve it as a trophy of sorts. Would you know where I could do that?"

"Well, old chap,” The man said, “I won't be judging your judgement about judgmental things, but my employer, might not agree with.... loud methods. At least not all the time." The man sipped is tea. "But I'll leave you two to deal with that."

Halcyon nodded his head. Hmph. I can deal with your employer if need be… “But a challenge I can give you and for earthly possession..." Halcyon smiled. That was exactly what he was looking for. The man suddenly leapt up and grabbed Halcyon's collar. Halcyon felt the room spin, and flashes of black and white flew across the sky, and dropped them on top of a building, overlooking the expanse of the strange city he was previously in. Halcyon landed on his feet this time, arms crossed with a scowl on his face. He didn't like being touched. It made him feel he was equal to the person touching him, when he obviously wasn't. He was on a higher being plane than any of these stupid mortals. Not all riches are money, old chap." The man shouted as he went into a handstand at the edge of the building and swung himself over the edge. Riches, money, it’s all the same to me. All I desire is power. Halcyon thought as he hovered off the ground, arms still crossed, and floated down to the area where the man dissapeared. There was a window with the man poking his head out. "Coming, old chap?" the man asked. Halcyon took a look at the window; it was too small. He could barely fit his chest through. Halcyon held out his hand and began to charge a ball of Shadow Aura to blast through the wall.

"Careful now, wouldn't want to wake Missy." He heard the man whisper, as he was tiptoeing through the room. Halcyon rolled his eyes, grabbed the window, and ripped it off, as opposed to blowing it to smithereens. Floating in, Halcyon placed the window back into the gaping hole he had made. Dropping to the floor and looking around, he saw that it was a large storage room. Boxes were everywhere. “Who’s Missy?” Halcyon muttered back the man, following from a short distance away.

A gentle smile came across the kitsune face as she turned to Chad, the smile fading once more as if she had thought of something. "He will have to come too," she said in Japanese "though I could treat you separately as you clean up. My facility has a bath inside, but it isn't very... concealing." She looked nervously from Chad to Missle. "It is up to you, dear."

Chad, being fluent in 5 different languages could understand Japanese and blushed at the proposal the kitsune made. With rosy cheeks and widened eyes, he turned to Missile. Before Chad could say anything, Missile stole the words out of his mouth.

"I can walk myself, just a flesh wound or two, I promise!" She smiled back mildly and didn't turn back to Chad quite yet. Her own smile faded as well. "To be honest, the only things that hurt are my leg where the thing bit me and my arm where I've wrapped up. Much of this blood isn't mine, you see; we were fighting off the thing that tried to eat Bess and I..." She paused and scratched at her neck, "I'll tell you the entire story if you like, but now that I think about it, I'd really like a bath, please." She then added, in English for Chad's somewhat benefit. "He should get to eat dinner first, he's the one that killed the shapeshifter." She also pulled the at-last still heart of the shapeshifter out of her shirt, asking Kuroda, "I've got this, and I would very much like to preserve it as a trophy of sorts. Would you know where I could do that?"

Before the kitsune could answer Missiles question, Chad interjects with his Japanese. "Miss Kuroda was it?" Chad straightens himself in his seat. "Forgive me for not properly introducing myself, but my name is Chad and I would also like to know where I could get this fixed." As he says this Chad pulls out his broken ear piece and presents it to Kuroda.

"Vitals: Normal, sir."

The Story Master heard this from an electronic voice the moment his head throbbed back to consciousness. The room felt as though it were spinning but it began to recede slowly after he opened his eyes. They burned white. He seemed to be in some medical treatment facility. Once his eyes adjusted he saw an artificial being was responsible for the noise he heard.

The officer from before stood proud and tall in his sight again. He dismissed the being of artificial animation and it hovered off out of the white room.

His head was in a dull and persistent pain. He spoke,

"Antony Savant is a hero and..." but he was interrupted by the interrogator after a puff of his cigar.

"Some information came to me as we were moving you to here." Leaning in closer the interrogator took a serious demeanor and continued, "The girl you under your... protection, was mid-transport when her shuttle was attacked - we lost contact with the pilot only moments ago."

His heart stopped and doubled its pace. Before his eyes flashed images of Alcmene and then the crimson haired girl. Both limp in his arms, one in an aspen grove covered by spotless snow, the other at the gates of Tutmose, fire raining in the sky. He could not protect anything that fell into his hands. Tears made murky his sight and he did not reserve or withhold any emotion. His soul was wretched in despair. Light powdery snow fell about him from just above his top-hat and onto his long maroon coat. His tears would not be consoled. His hands formed tight fists and his countenance fell heavy in misery.

"DAMN YOU!" He screamed... "DAMN YOU TYROS!" His own words bit into him with a cold and heavy burden, throes consumed him from his sobbing, he was broken.

"Why..." He wispered, "Why?!" Why did the amulet torment him so. When he saw the girl nearly lifeless in her cell he thought the artifact had brought him there to aid her even liberate her only to lead him to her demise. And how insufferable a fate to have done so to him now a second time. It felt as though her fire-like hair was the mark of his second chance, a heralding of some way to pay his debt to Alcmene and undo what he had done. But the girl of fire red hair was lost to him...
...and he mourned her...

Marn gasped as he tried to breath, the sudden hit to the wall taking the breath from his lungs. He smelled something burning but it didn't appear to be him, so he wasn't too concerned for now. He had never charged up that much electrical energy, and the backlash was fairly surprising. Still, it seemed to have done that job.
At least, it seemed so until the woman's body began moving. How someone could survive a shot like that he didn't know, but that was something to worry about later. It seemed this battle would take longer than he expected.
Using the brief reprieve he had, Marn reached into his bag and switched the healing stone in his hand with an ice stone, icy blue and cold to the touch. The earth or water stones would generally be better for battle, but with no stone or water in the room, they were less than useful, and fire was far too dangerous in a confined space with a civilian in it. With the little time he had left, Marn launched a quick bolt of lightning at the woman, who seemed to take it much better than the last one.
With a wave from the woman, the bookshelves on either side of him began moving towards him at a worrying rate. Channeling into his feet, he leapt up to the roof just as the bookcases collided where he was standing. He landed with a foot on each shelf, a confident grin on his face. “Not little my dear, compact.” He said, before launching another long string of lighting towards the red woman.

The Old Boar's Inn; Bar
[Missle/Chad M.F.]

Kurado would make to open her mouth in response to Missle, but Chad's question would cause her to slowly shut her snout, a glimmer coming into her eye as her gaze quickly checked over the item that Chad held. Her answer would be soft and curt, "No - no, I do not." Tugging at Missle's arm, she would quickly lead her around the counter and through the kitchen swinging doors, leaving Chad to ponder his next move.


For all of her time spent in the Old Boar's Inn, Missle would have never been behind the bar - the sight before her might be slightly disappointing or expected, depending on what she had always pictured what happened behind the scenes of the bar.

As the doors gave way to fox and freak, the scent of thousand foods hit the senses - a counter full of every type of knife, container, and cooking device was sprawled across the counter - it was a diner kitchen on steroids. However, Missle would have little time to notice anything else, as she was rushed past cramped, savory place and into a more dusty place.

Long, hand crafted shelves towered from the ground, holding all sorts of food supplies. Barrels of all sorts of ale, beer, and other booze lay dormant on the polished wood as the kitsune continued to lead Missle without a word. Quickly brushing past both wood and burlap sack, Missle would find herself deeper into the back rooms of the Old Boar's Inn. A hall of doors was before her, as well as a grand sliding door (stylized in a japanese style) at the end of the hall. Three doors later to the left, and Kurado pulled Missle inside of a room, brushing past a smaller sliding door covered in a intricate painting of a cherry tree in full blossom.

"Welcome to my home, dear." It was a sight to behold - the entire room was a cherry tree forest, many things hidden in the white pink flowers of the tree - it was as if the scenary was one giant, living curtain, moving and swaying in some mysterious breeze.  "Please, make yourself at home - I will draw some water." The air was filled with fresh water and a multitude of herbs as the kitsune made her way to a stone slab, an antique pump standing tall in the earthy substance. If Missle decided to move about, she would quickly discover that the floor was made of grass. A small, short table would in the corner (that was able to comfortably seat four or five guests), a pair of mats, and a brass bathtub with a screen behind it would eventually make themselves known if the evolved human chose to move about.

"As for your... trophy." The kitsune's voice would emerge from the depths of the garden, "I myself do not know about such things." Suddenly, the kitsune would appear at her side, a giant teapot steaming in both hands, "But I do know someone who does." A tilt of her head motioned to the bath. "Come - let us get you cleaned up."


Chad would be left to his own devices at the bar, the hustle and bustle of the room filling the air as the food in front of him steamed and gave the pleasant smell of a classic diner breakfast. It would look delicious and filling - possibly what Chad needed most in this world right now. Or not - after all, communication from his world was so close, and yet so far. After all, the kitsune had left Chad sitting, his crushed device still in hand as he decided his next move.

All around Chad, the constant heartbeat of the inn thumped. The sounds of hundreds talking, the ever moving bodies going this way and that, and the faint musical voice of a piano or some other instrument filled the air. To the future man's left, two stools over, sat another rat humanoid, a hood over his head, a bag almost as big as him (and filled with all manner of weapon and scrap metal) on his back as it cradled a large glass of a green brew. In front of him, in the absense of The Boar and Kurado, a waitress appeared. She was a snake from the waist down, her green black scales glistening in the dull light of the inn. However, her human top was beautiful. Jer "hair" drooping occasionally over her face, but was quickly brushed aside to regain full vision. Yellow eyes turned to Chad as she gave him a friendly smile, adjusting her shirt as she asked, "Need anything else, hun?"


Tutmose; ???
[TSM]

The Story Master's reaction was only natural, even if had only known the flame haired girl for a short while. After all, heroes always feel the guilt for those that have fallen for those they deemed under their care. However, he would not have much time to feel sorry for himself, or even to weep.

A sharp, stinging pain whacked across Tyro's face. If he continued to weep, or give an over-the-top response to the pain, he would receive another slap from the officer's gloved hand, a stern look across the mustached man's face. "Pull yourself together, man." He would demand gruffly, straightening the collar of his armor, and taking another long puff of his cigar. "I did not say all was lost - we know who kidnapped your girl." Another puff of the sweet smelling cigar as the officer began to pace. "However, we will not be able to pursue her until we deal with other... matters."



The Highs; Council Palace
[Marn]

A thunderous boom filled the air as both bookshelves collided, Marn on top of them like a hero of story, his skill in his magic saving his life. However, this would not be the end of the fight, as the Twi'lek's mouth twisted into one of hateful frustration, "Compact, you say?" The bookcases beneath him suddenly began to flip upward, attempting to slam together once more like a closing book. If Marn did not manage to avoid the attack, he would find himself in a tight squeeze. Somehow, she had managed to box him into a small wooden box, either half of the bookcase trapping him in a cramping, bruising space. "Seem like you have quite the package." She would laugh maliciously as the sound of a laser activated weapon ignited in her hand.

However, if Marn managed to avoid the table turning bookcases, the twi'lek would frown and then activate her blood red lightsaber, whirling it in a figure eight, the blade humming dangerously as she smirked suddenly, a blood thirsty glint in her eye. "You've got style, little man." She would then viciously throw her weapon at him, the laser blade violently hurtling towards Marn's torso as she lunged forward at the speed of a god, "Pity it won't save you from your demise."



The Lows; ???
[Halcyon]

Gerald, who was in mid-tip-toe, would visibly wince as Halcyon ripped his way into the room, stone crumbling as his huge frame made his way through the tight space and into the room. The odd man would almost instantly appear in front of the chaotic god, uncomfortably close to the shadowy chest of Halycon as Gerald whispered with a deep urgency and in a highly nervous fashion, "I-I really wish you hadn't done that, old chap." A noise came from the distance, beyond the visible boxes and in the dark. Gerald groaned quietly before he suddenly vanished into thin, "You've woken her."

Halcyon would be left alone, the dark before him, and the noise coming forth from the dark once more.

If the god decided to press forward into the pitch black, he would have a hard time moving about without a light. The walls of boxes and hand crafted shelves would prove to be a nuisance, causing the muscled hulk to fumble and crash to the ground more than once  (providing that he would have not light source). With every crash, fumble, or any other noise, the threat in the dark would be getting closer, or so said the strange "growl." The sound itself would be weird, and more than likely anything unlike Halcyon had heard before. It was a mixture of beasts and impossible to tell which beasts it sound like. But its breathing could be heard.

It would be a growling groan, but it would not be. It would be rattly like a bad cough, guttural like a beast of epic proportion, and hissed like high pressured helium. It would be to the left, to the right, above Halycon, below him, all around him. There was no escape, it was becoming clear that he, the god of chaos, was being stalked by something. It was not afraid of him.

Suddenly, a roar of all three voices pounced upon his frame, knocking him clean off his feat, all three faces staring into his eyes, nothing but burning hate in its eyes as heat from its mouth began to intensify in a orange glow...

Hearing Chad speak in Japanese made Missile cringe and feel absolutely terrible - dammit, no, why couldn't she just speak to someone in peace?! Ugh!

However, the kitsune seemed to think the same, as she swept Missile out of the room and behind the bar. Missile had never (at least, not herself) been in any sort of kitchen, but Nikita's memories of time spent as a dishwasher brought her nothing but gentle nostalgia - and maybe, just a little, a slight pang of anxiety. The mixed aroma of hot oil, burnt butter, the sight of infitessimal amounts of pots and pans and the strangely homesick hint of blood (not human blood, but not beef or pork or chicken or critter of the sea), it gave her some weird sense of I feel home. However, this reverie was broken as Kurado whisked her (haha, whisked, it was kitchen humor,) into what she quickly realized was the massive pantry.

Dust tickled her nose as she and the kitsune strode through the shelves, and she tried to count how many barrels she saw before giving up and noticing the hallway they entered. Her jaw dropped a bit when she recognized the design of the door, and as she stepped inside, she felt overwhelmed by a powerful kick of homesickness. Well, that's what she thought it was as she took a step farther inside, inhaling the sweet, wonderful smell of the trees - a strange pit in her chest, a longing sort of feeling that made her eyes water uncomfortably. That... may have also been a combination of blood and dust though, she rationalized. She didn't miss her home world that much.

Not even seeing this made her miss it, she swore. As the kitsune told her to make herself at home, she walked closer to one of the trees, resting a hand on its bark and just smiling a bit as a memory from Nikita's childhood surfaced...

"Mom! Lookie, it's pretty!" A younger Nikita - at the time free of Missile's influence, age four - held up a tangled wreath of pretty, pink flowers to a tall woman whose face she didn't remember. But she remembered a smile - a warm grin as strong arms picked up the child and hugged her close.

"It's perfect, Nikita. Can I wear it?"

"Yes!" Her small hands plunked the mess on top of brilliant blond hair and wrapped her tiny arms around her mother's neck as she began walking back to their small house.

Missile shook out of the memory, a shadow falling over her face as she walked away from one tree and to the next. She disliked thinking of the childhood she hadn't really had; a few short years spent in the loving embrace of scientists who'd tried to keep her safe before they'd died miserable, painful deaths and she'd been locked away. Dammit, maybe this had been a bad idea... With a sigh, she ran her hands through her hair and started looking for a bath.

After spotting it through the trees, she walked over to the bathtub, wanting very badly to take her shoes off and revel in the feel of grass between her toes but deciding to wait a minute. Leaning against the brass, Missile started scrubbing at the dried mess on her arms while avoiding the bite. Once her hands were mostly clean, if a bit stained, she pulled her ruined shirt over her head and wrapped the shapeshifter heart within it to keep it safe. Her bra was mostly untouched but for the stain left by the heart and so she kept it on and started scrubbing at her shoulders and upper arms. Mostly she just wanted to peel away what was sticking and dry; she knew she'd never be able to just dry wash the rest off.

"As for your... trophy, I myself do not know about such things." Missile jolted a bit when she realized Kurado had appeared next to her and she grabbed onto the edge of the tub, staring at her. "But I do know someone who does. Come - let us get you cleaned up." She eyed the teapot nervously.

"Uh... How hot is the water?" she asked before shaking her head, "Nevermind, it doesn't matter." She turned around and leaned against the tub, starting to gingerly unwrap her arm. So far, it seemed to have stopped bleeding and she stared at the rent, chewed flesh as the last of the shirt fell away from her wrist. "... wow, I really did a number on that," she mumbled to herself as she ran a finger across the gash above the teeth marks. She glanced up at Kuroda again. "Where are you from? I've never seen one of your kind in my world, but kitsunes were part of myth."

Kurado examined the item in Chad's hand. As Kurado looked closely, Chad's face became more happy and gradually opened to a smile. But to Chad's disappointment, Kuroda shut him down with a soft "No - no, I do not". Chad's face immediately turned to a comical despair.

The fox woman left Chad in that state pulling Missile along with her."Ouch..." Chad thought to himself. "She could have at least told me if there was anybody that could help me." Chad sat back at his chair rubbing his chin with his hand. "She was kinda mean too. I was just trying to be nice and social..." Chad's face then started shifting according to his thoughts. "But that's okay, I like it when they are hard to get."

Suddenly Chad's thoughts was interrupted with a seductive feminine voice, "Need anything else, hun?" Chad turns to the source of the voice, still having that stupid expression on his face, but snapped out of it as he he saw a beautiful woman before him adjusting her shirt. The bottom half of her body appeared to be a snake, but Chad doesn't seem to mind that. He encountered hot alien chicks before so this is no different for him. "Mama mia..." Chad hummed aloud, but soon shook his head as he noticed he was making a fool out of himself. Chad looked to his side and noticed a hooded rat-man with a huge bag loaded with weapons, equipments and scrap metal. But Chad soon shifted his attention back at the snake-woman "I actually need help with something." Chad cleared his throat. "By any chance you know someone who could help me fix this?" Chad holds out his broken ear piece.

“I-I really wish you hadn’t done that, old chap.” The odd man appeared in front of Halcyon, visibly agitated. There was a noise from the dark, and the man moaned. “You’ve woken her.” He said, disappearing. “Woken who??? Damn it, I want to know who I’m about to kill!!” Halcyon groaned, exasperated with his employer. He continued on through the darkness. It was handy to have hair made of fire, as it could provide light when he really needed it. Ironic though, how the god of darkness would have an eternal light connected to his head. He looked around; boxes and shelves, all finely crafted, lined the strip that he trod slowly through. The growling slowly got louder as he walked towards the other end of the circular room.  It was all around him. Halcyon had not heard this tone before; no foolish being had ever tried to stalk him, nonetheless attack him. Well, excepting Alexander, his idiotic (now deceased; that’s a fun story) brother-in-law, and Fitz and his friends Broakes, Mikey P, and E.D. the first time he took control of the body again. But now, a strange growl gave off the vibe that he was about to add one more attacker to his count. The noise was all around him; it was trying to instill fear by giving the illusion that it was everywhere. Suddenly, the beast revealed itself by launching itself towards Halcyon, knocking him off of his feet. Halcyon landed on the ground, face up, and found himself staring into the 3 faces of the Chimera. Their eyes burned with hate as the heads looked down on the god. And Halcyon, with his empty, dark eyes returned the hate right back. Chimera. Greek? I guess. Breathes fire. Bellerophon and Pegasus slayed one of these. Halcyon thought. It was handy that Fitz went through high school taking pointless classes like Greek Mythology. “Silly beast.” Halcyon spoke to the monster, smiling. Halcyon flared his hair; if the beast could unleash the blast before Halcyon completed his next move, Halcyon reasoned, the fire would just be added to his hair. Lying underneath the beast gave Halcyon nice view of the beasts underbelly. It was also convenient that all of the heads were looking into Halcyon's eyes, as opposed having one watch for a counterattack. Beasts made mistakes like this; thinking if they are bigger, they have no need to stay cautious of an enemy the know nothing about. ESPECIALLY when the enemy is Halcyon. Instantly, a Shaed sword was in his right hand and using Extreme Speed, He drove the point of the 3 ft katana towards the belly of the beast.