Sutoratosu

Lucy "What the hell is this?" She demanded as the mouse returned, dragging with him not a book, not a tomb or scroll or treatise... but a radiant, crystalline polyhedron that he lugged about with his stubby arms and legs, flinging it up towards the woman before scurrying up Bora's leg and back to her shoulder. She held it out in front of her, the power of sound illustrating the ornate, carved features in her mind. Des provided no answer, simply looked at her intently... and she knew not even he was entirely sure. "Of all the things you could've taken, you choose... this? Without even knowing what it does, why?" This time she got a single squeek... "What do you mean 'It called out to you?' It's an inanimate object, there's no sentience for it to call to y-" She soon found herself eating her own words as a strange wave passed through her mind, like something otherworldly probing through it with countless fingers... and then in as much clarity as Bora or the Mouse might show her something, there came the whisper and another, and another, until at long last they melded into some great cacophony of foreign sayings and arcane phrases. Through Des's eyes she could see the brightness intensifying by the second... and acting on pure instinct, she suppressed the fluster of confused thoughts and noises and stowed the thing in her vestments as fast as she could, giving Bora the go-ahead to move on and sending the beast down the way again, a far faster pace than his leisurely walk before. "He wasn't lying..." There was no telling what the strange artifact was. But it knew her, and it apparently knew Despereaux too, both their names had been among the echoing reverberation, just about the only parts of it she could understand. Through whatever means it could've known them, she had no idea, but any investigation would have to wait. Thievery wasn't exactly her forte, but even a wild beast such as herself had enough sense not to linger around a scavenged kill site once one was done- you never knew when the one who brought it down might be back for more. They had to find somewhere out of the way, somewhere would few would bother to venture or think twice of moving shadows in. An Alleyway... or some natural cave somewhere; as much as she hated the former, she knew she was far more likely to find it here than the latter, at least at the base levels of the city where everything was still glass and steel...

Sully- Teleportor Entry He sat there at the desk, eyes closed as he went over Revenant's battle for what had to have been the third time. They had been exactly right, it had all connected in the end- the Generator, the field, the cannon. Asmodeus had even managed to figure out the specifics of it by the end- the shield around her absorbed damage and turned it into power, that power went to the generator and was either used to boost her defenses or fighting power... or to power the big ass laser mounted on her back. A Clever strategy, Sully had to agree with the AI; try to withstand a withering onslaught, continuously boosting armor class, and once it was enough... Still, even with it, they managed to eventually break through... the recovery had simply come at the worst possible time. "Just out of curiosity, what were the odds of surviving a bloom from that thing?" "Well... setting the sabers into overdrive production and disabling the containment fields... it would've been possible... probably. Still fucked up a bit, but capable of enough basic operation to keep going. Not like he could've done it in that moment anyway though." "Yeah, well... maybe it's about time I actually install that specialty field like we were talking about-" "But, the spheres-" "I meant like an actual specialty field Asmo... we can only do so much against lasers and shit- bending the waves of the visible light spectrum is one thing, attempting to directly bend the focused photons of a high powered laser is another..." "I guess you have a point...there's someone at the Terminal." The AI was right, now that Solomon turned his attention to the teleporter in the corner, lights flashing yet no name displaying on the screen. He considered just telling them to buzzer off by hitting the red and be done with it, then recalled what the Idol mentioned about there being guest about... if it was one of them, someone of enough import to be able to mask their TP ID, it probably could've accounted for the lack of data. And that begged the question... what would some apparently high-ranking guest here want from him? After the spectacular fuck up of Revenant in the arena...alright, perhaps he was being a bit harsh on the Persona, he had followed the basic plan as Sully had laid out, it was simply a matter of timing when it came down to it... just another minute more in Overdrive, and that whole thing could've ended quite differently. "Why do I feel like I'm gonna regret this?" He muttered, getting up and hitting the Green Confirmation button before standing back and off to the side. He'd prefer to get a good look at whoever it was before they did him.

"I feel her too..." Lucille might've craned her neck if she had the vision to make it matter, try to peer over the crowd... but it didn't matter, as faint as it was, she probably wouldn't have found the one in possession of it anyway. This time it has been Bora who pointed it out, much to Despereaux's chagrin. She knew not what to think of the one calling herself Bom. Never before had her instincts been so conflicted, one half ringing the typical alarm of something beyond the bounds of her own realm, just as it did for all beast when encountered with the supernatural, yet the other doing the exact opposite, telling her to disregard it, that she did not have to act so defensively... that she could trust her. But trust was hard to give when another being could see through you so easily, and yet offered so little answers as to their own selves. In truth, Bora killing that little rat-hund was a blessing in disguise, she didn't know how she would've gotten away otherwise... She had even asked the old spirits of Sanctuary about the encounter... for there were no Written records in Sanctuary, there was no need of them- everything that was crucial, everything that mattered to their existence, it was all kept and passed down from one Keeper to the next, the spirits of those masters long since departed inhabiting the very grove dominating the territories center... an inner council of sorts, only accessible by the current Master, encase they ever need guidance... the very same council that Old Fox had consulted when Vongth arrived at their doorstep, and had told him to evacuate and burn the forest all around the elves... But alas, not even the ghost of Old Fox himself could give her answers, and whatever masters had lived far back enough to know anything of the one called Bom, their trees had long since died and rejoined the earth, their souls moved on to whatever after realm awaited, and whatever relevant lore they carried lost somewhere among the passing of ages. All she knew was, whatever Bom was, her age surpassed the very holdings of Sanctuary itself. Possibly even most parts of the natural world, she had no real way of telling either way... It was only Des's fidgeting that broke her out of her thoughts, Bora still meandering through the crowd, giving a snarl here and there whenever a angel wandered too close... quite the effective method for parting a crowd. The mouse had his eyes fixed on a parked merchant's wagon across the way, tombs upon copious tombs and scrolls spilling out of it's back... infact, it wasn't parked, the spoke of the back wheel had snapped and sent the thing lopsided. Books meant terribly little to Lucille and the bear, but at least placed a value on written text... probably because he was the only one literate. "They want refined and processed metal for their wares" Lucille said, not bothering to stop Bora. "don't you remember the ship? Gods that awful captain..." Despereaux gave her a sideways look. Who the hell mentioned anything about needing money? She pursed her lips, letting him show her the scene. The actual merchant in command of the wares seemed nowhere near- probably off finding aid. And well... the last time the mouse had acquired any reading material was while looting the corpses of the fallen in Vongth's War... "Fine," she finally sighed in his mind. "If it's that important to you, go ahead and try it. Just don't get trample-" He was already leaping off her shoulder and to the ground, a fall that should've killed most of his race, yet Des took it in stride and scurried off at top speed while dodging boots and shoes, a fleeting blur of gray and pink and white. Bora grunted in annoyance, sending even more around him as he came to a stop. "What? you have your honey, he has his books. Neither one of you can say much about the other's obsession..." ((and no, I do not intend to have him come back with very conveniently acquired lore on Bom... cause c'mon, that takes all the fun out of shit...no, I got something else for him to find...))

Lucille arrived in the city as she did most places, a good seven feet up in the air, on the back of Bora as the beast meandered through the gate in leisurely stroll. Even from down here at the base of it all, she had to admit, already this place seemed far better than the shit hole that was The Thousand. It still had the stench of artificial structuring, that much was undeniable, but at least the angels had better taste and greater respect for the world than common men, they'd kept their meddling to a far more moderated level and hollowed out whatever they needed from the mountainside instead... if only they'd do the same for those construction sites they'd passed. Despereaux was practically beside himself in awe of the view that extended for miles upon the land. "There. We're here." She said roughly, knowing full well the wolf was right behind as they entered. The pale blonde, one-eyed hund had been with them practically since the whole way, from port to mountainside. Turns out it wasn't easy to book passage when you gave no damns of the value of currency in the... artificially-developed parts of the world. Like it or not, without him she probably wouldn't have gotten past the sea. "Indeed we are. It's been interesting... I'm curious though, were you really going to take on the captain and his entire crew? 20 men at once, by yourself? I mean... even with a dire bear, that's quite the number..." "You know nothing of dire bears if you think that... and yes, I would've. And I would've won too... bastard thinking I'm some whore lacking dignity and self-respect, he's damn lucky you intervened when you did..." "Well, what can I say? I see a fair lady in a dicey spot, I can't help but intervene... plus, if you did kill him, the legal ramifications... they wouldn't have been good at all. Not to mention the deaths of him and his crew would've denied me the last ship heading out this way, so... you can say I had vested interest. Kill two birds with one stone. And come on, I wanted to at least get to know the Hero of Sanctuary a bit before I killed her." That stopped the bear dead in his tracks, he knew it would. By the time the massive paw came swinging and cleaving the stone where he stood in twain, he had already leapt a good few meters back. She had already dismounted... "A bit touchy about it I see, relax, relax, it's was a joke." She was far from convinced. The blade of pure, condensed sound the sheared a few locks of fur from his ear was testament enough. "Wait, really, I'm kidding! Think about it, even if what I said about wanting to know you before I killed you was true, why the hell would I wait so long to do it? Why would I let us get to the city where there's bound to be witnesses everywhere, potential prying eyes I have no way of knowing if they're there?" "You've got a strange sense of humor if you think threatening to kill someone is a joke." "Yeah... I've gotten that before. Force of habit, really, black humor helps the coping mechanism and all... but no, really, I wanted to see what you were like... the girl who killed the Vongth the Butcher, he had been commanding armies for generations, they say you weren't even old enough to drink by most standards, and yet... who's the one that came out of that fight alive? I even heard from the elves that his body was missing one of his eyes..." He gave a wolfish grin, eyes lighting up in what seemed like pure satisfaction... "Did you do that? If so, I gotta thank ya, fucker deserved it." Bora remain on guard, muscles tensed to pounce at the drop of a hat, Despereaux only glared at the Were who, up until now, hadn't proven much trouble. But Lucille could tell he hadn't meant it, now that she actually took the time to sense his heartbeat, the miniscule vibrations transferring through the air and earth. And he definitely seemed genuinely interested... "I did, why?" She sighed. "Did he take yours? Did he burn your village, kill your family, rape your sister, desecrate your holy grounds... honestly, I've heard so many things attributed to him since that day that I'm not surprised anymore." "No, no... I lack my eye because of my own decision, but he owed something, yeah, let's say that... but damn if you didn't beat me to the punch, though I can't say I'm too mad..." A laugh, something strange coming from a wolf. Not that Lucille hadn't heard it before. "Hells, not at all, I probably would've gotten myself killed so many times over! I'm just glad someone put a stop to the Beast from Eringrad... but anyways... that's enough chatting, I got my shit to do, and I'm sure you have your own reasons for coming here, even if you refuse to tell me." With that, he began his departure, changing back into human form as he waltzed past Bora and patted the bear on the snout, just narrowly pulling away in time to avoid losing that hand. His glacial eyes met the bear's crimson orbs from behind that loose sheet of platinum blonde hair, face refined and regal enough to have easily passed for elven if not for the lack of pointed eyes. The black coat he had when they'd first met seemed to materialize from thin air around him, along with his entire loadout. "Yeah, I'm sad to leave you too, Big Bear. Anyway, I'm sure we'll meet again, Lucy, It's been a fun ride...but uh, it's time for me to make some money." A merchant's wagon passed between them, and like that, he was gone with the wind. Despereaux gave a quiet squeak as he tried sniffing around, unable to pick up any trace of the man now. "I don't know, Desp... and I don't care either. I'm just glad to be rid of him." With that said she went about her own way, Bora following behind after lingering on where the Were had been for a few seconds longer. She wasn't too concerned with trying to find the others, they'd doubtless be wherever the congregation was held in a few days...

Lucille couldn't help but involuntarily back away, as the presence changed face as easily as the seasons shifted. The claws had faded back into human nails, and She could detect well enough the motions of the rat through sound, despereaux telling her it had begun to fidget and stroke it's face like some great thinker like the little captain obvious he was. She didn't like it, having another be able to glean so much about her like it was utterly nothing- most her entire life had been spent either being underestimated or on the receiving end of death wishes from those who loathed her existence, granted those had only been the early years, and most of them had since taken course to apologize and bury whatever hatchet they'd been carrying, she still recalled it all too vividly. And as ironic as it might seem, to be met in an alley by some rat so easily capable of understanding her... was none too comforting either... though that was likely the inhuman tinge she still felt despite the oppression lifting... actually no, not even the inhuman tinge was enough, inhuman wouldn't have bothered her at all, her entire affairs dealt with those quite decidedly among the inhuman, no... what filled her with unease still was the sense of vulnerability, the feeling of so easily being stripped and laid bare before some being who was so obviously far from being trifled with. Not even Old Fox had so nonchalantly picked her apart verbally- she had no doubt that he could've, if he had ever wanted, but he had simply had the kindness to refrain... "I....I-" She didn't have to bother answering. Bora's hulking form emerging through the opposite end of the alley said it all, several tons of toned, rippling ursine muscle and fur rounding the corner like a dark brown blur of death, eyes streaking with their hellish red as they burned in their sockets, jaws stretched wide to reveal countless vorpal fangs the size of a daggers as his massive claws cleaved into the stone with his very weight, steps thundering throughout the earth like a train. Lucille turned at once, eyes again flaring as he approached; within mere moments, he was skidding himself to a halt just inches before her and the Rat, nostrils flaring and eyes still alight as he glared at the smaller creature. A snarl escaped his curled lips... "Stop that...it's fine," Lucille called in his mind. Another snarl came from him. "Yes, I did, but you can calm yourself now, turns out there's no one to maul..." He finally dropped his aggression, eyes losing their burning glow and breath escaping in a dissatisfied snort. He turned heel as easily as he'd come and paced the small space. Lucille took note of the blood glistening his claws. She let out a sigh of agitation- of course, Bora wasn't exactly the one to blame here... she had been the one to sound the false alarm and bring him charging to begin with, whatever unnecessary collateral incurred was her own responsibility. "Who was it? Show me." He did, quite readily as the vision of the bugger-eyed, rat faced chihuahua who'd dare barked and charged at his approaching form being trampled and torn apart by his furious paws filled her mind. So much for any first aid, she already knew exactly what condition she'd find the foolish hound in by the time she'd arrive. As much as she disdained killing without valid reason... Bora had technically had just that in the moment, or thought he had... and there wasn't much she could do to rectify it anyway- healing was one thing, resurrecting the dead and toying with the bounds of life and death was entirely a different, something she was neither sure sound could do, nor was all that eager to even attempt. There were certain natural laws for reasons afterall... those who willfully abused and violated them would only find disaster in the end. Like that lich... She turned back to the rat, her discomfort with the whole situation and readiness to escape painfully obvious by now. "I think it's about time I take my leave of this damn city...I've tarried too long as it is, any longer and we might have more...unfortunate incidents with my companion here..." She was already making way for Bora, Des gazing over her shoulder and back at the other rodent.

"...This voice... it belongs to that woman he instigated..." "I'm no Druid, if that's what you're insinuating," she said, letting her jaw and teeth return to normal but noticeably keeping the claws present. Bora started charging just a bit slower as he closed the distance... "And I need no one's eyes in battle, not even his. There are other ways to orient oneself, predict a strike or sense a movement before it is even made... ways vastly taken for granted by those who don't have to use them but either way it works out all the better for me... and we both sensed you, he just pieced together what I was too distracted to." With that said, she turned to face the sleek rat, the green in her eyes fading but still plain as day. "What even are you anyway? You looked like any other woman earlier, and try as I might, I can find nothing but a common rat now, but... no natural being should ever have this type of presence...I feel like I'm suffocating just by standing here."

Luciile The rush of open albeit still tainted air, the ambient temperature... The alley was still abysmal just like the rest of the city, but it was at least a modicum better than confinement. She didn't bother closing the door behind her- she could've easily silenced the latch to make both is' opening and closing inaudible, but... there was no point, she cared nothing for being discrete about exit, only the act of exiting. Of course there had been creatures down there aside from just them as well, she found it no surprise, there had to been at least a dozen rats scurrying about in the walls, their very presence unnoticeable to all but her. Hell, even now she sensed the teeming myriad of tiny beasts calling the waste and refuge their home- she held no disgusts for them, disgusts was something she had never felt within the bounds of natural law... but at the same time she had no use for them either. There were only so many situations an army of rats could prove handy, this wasn't one of them. She was barely a few feet out of the door before Desp mentally screeched in her mind, leaping from hiding and back onto her shoulder and stamping his foot in persistent fashion. "What are you talking about, there's rats everywhere around des, so what if one followed us from the-" She stopped dead in her tracks. She sensed it too, now that he brought it to focus. She had fooled herself into feeling relief at being out of that box, but the oppressive air coiling through that place hadn't only persisted in it's degree, no, in defiance of all reason, it had grown even worse out here.. "Nevermind...I see your point." She knew not what it meant, but she realized the significance of the presence. Whatever the cause of this oppression, it existed outside the bounds of nature... it existed in the basement and had only grew more powerful here in the open, and the only thing connecting the two was the sole rat that had seen fit to follow her out all those others content to stay in the wall. She had touched the minds of none of those rodents, none of them should've had reason to follow. So... this the true skill level of what they were up against... A single, low snarl emanated from her, and with it, Bora's immense roar sounded in the distance as her nails lengthened and hardened to their talon like points, the dull platinum of her worthless eyes fading to Draconic verdance. "So..." she said, not bothering to turn to face the assailant she knew to be there. "is this really how futile it is then, trying to stop you? Let me guess, there's a little bird somewhere, telling you all you need to know to be here for this and scout whatever the Alliance is planning. You wait till the briefing is over, and begin to calculate what to do next, but oh, you notice an opportunity you can't pass up- the oh so poor and vulnerable blind girl is leaving with no one to accompany her, surely, if you're fast enough, you can catch her in this alley and silence her before anyone notices. One less threat to be present later on, correct? And from there, you don't even have to stop, you can scurry back into the basement in your little rat form and figure out how best to kill the others while your at it, completely undetected. Why_not seal the door and gas the room, perhaps set fire to the house above? No point fighting everyone when you can use sabotage to get it done. And that's it, the Alliance's little strike team is all dead, and you're free to wreak whatever havoc you want" Bora had stopped his roaring, but she still sensed him in the distance, charging at full speed and giving positively no fucks who dared to stand in his way as he bowled down streets and backways... despite the unease and raw hostility, she still managed a sarcastic excuse for a laugh, her teeth already razored into fangs. "Fine, if that's how it's going to be... go on then, do what you came out here to do, before my friend arrives and has his way with you. But I assure you, I'm not the delicate little damsel you seem so arrogant to presume... and my death will most certainly be anything but... quiet."

"Of course, of all the places, it's another gods forsaken city...I don't know what I was expecting." Lucille sighed beneath her breath... more of a mix between a growl and a sharp exhale. To hell with it, she hated it enough just having spent a few minutes down here, she wasn't going to box herself into another one of these enclosed cells, and she wasn't about to subjugate Bora to it either; the others could handle whatever attempt happened within the meeting, she was fine just guarding the entry ways, corner and maul the whoever or whatever that ran past looking even moderately suspicious... or had the scent of blood on them, either one worked equally well. The mouse gave a squeak of disapproval from her vestments, head again emerging into the dim light and gazing right at her. Unlike others she had bound, the mouse had thus far proven the only one able to sense idle thought from her, regardless whether she wanted it or not. "Be quiet about that- it's not like we'll go tearing through people indiscriminately..." Another squeak- this one far more accusatory. The rodent had more than his share of doubts: indiscriminate slaughter was just about exactly what she'd done for the entirety of the war. A predator stopped once it was sated or the threat was neutralized, but a verifiable force of nature did not. She gave him no reply, whatever he might think, he still ultimately wasn't the one in charge. It was time she got out anyway, open sky and sprawling field, stone and forest, the dark reaches of primordial caves and peaks of the highest summits, the roaring fervor and smoke of the killing field, all these, she could deal with, all these, she was familiar with. But not this, this little wooden box dug into the the ground and covered with even more wood and artificial edifice on top. There was no sense of open air here, no resounding, ambient noise of life that continued on for miles and up into the vast reaches of the skies beyond, no sensation of sun, rain, wind, anything. No, quite the opposite, by all accounts the only thing she felt here was the crushing oppression of a stagnant air, some creeping forebodence just waiting for the moment it could manifest itself. Despereaux had to have felt it too at some point, even if he made no comment, it had been this way since the moment they'd stepped through the door. Hells, in fact, it had been that way ever since she left the forests and fields behind for this jungle of stone and concrete and glass- the basement for whatever reason just seemed to amplify the feeling. As always, the others seemed intent on idle discussion. She got up, doubtful any of them would notice as she made for the stairs, stride full of all the intent and purpose as any perfectly sighted woman desperate to leave.

((Psst, he like, literally hyper linked it in the post. hover your mouse on the "Here." at the end of the very first sentence.))

An audible snarl escaped the blind girl's lips at the mere mention of a lich, canines prominent as she ground her teeth. As much as she had to say about those who willingly toyed with and disregarded the natural laws of life and death, there was a time and place for disdain, and it wasn't here... "So that's what they dribbled on about so cryptically in the note... why couldn't those fools just have outright said that to begin with, instead of making me come all the way to this gods forsaken place to hear it? Their damn pride probably...too ashamed to admit vulnerability or failure. I guess that's part of the reason Old Fox always dreaded hearing from them..." "Fine..." She said aloud, finally catching herself and attempting a more... civil tone. "You've given me a valid reason... my claws are yours, but I'm gone the moment this is all over." Of course though, the only reason she agreed to stay at all was because she'd rather be proactive about stopping another bastard like Vongth from happening. The work wasn't even that different than the war- the targets were less, but the general game stayed the same. But alas, Despereaux in all his infinite wisdom, decided it was best to show her a captured scene or two from that very fight years ago, just as a subtle reminder that Old Fox wouldn't be around to save her this time... a draconic glare from her was enough to shut him up and send him back into hiding. She was ready, both to get out of this glorified closet and get this mess over with...but of course the rest of them wanted to ask their questions. The why of it should've been painfully obvious; to find and eliminate highly skilled killers, one needed highly skilled killers. It was the natural order of things- Gazelles don't take down lions. Other lions take down lions. It shouldn't matter if the bastards start hiding, it was their job to hunt them down in the first place. Furthermore the issue was larger than just something threatening the Angelic races, the metal fool was so daft he hadn't even considered the fact that the one standing before them wasn't just some lackey or pawn sent by higher ups, sent with instructions to sabotage things for the furtherance of some grand scheme... he was one of the founders of the damn Alliance to begin with; Yes, even in her forest territory, so far from here, she still heard most of the important things in the world... just as the demon had said, this sudden age of peace hadn't been pulled out of some giant's ass. And even if the one before them hadn't of been such rank and standing, what sense would it make for the demons to have sole input on this- by all the bloody odds, this very group was more likely formed as a collaborated agreement by all sides...it defeated the one of the very basic points of an alliance otherwise. But she voiced nothing to them beyond that initial agreement of aid, just sat there in all her silence waiting for this charade to finally be over with...and by the gods, did she hope it would be soon, for she envied Bora's freedom far too much...

It's honestly more up to hukuna, but given what he's already said and folks have ignored, I think it be safe to just have Bargus notice something a bit off about her but not enough to instantly id her as anything non-human. maybe like a weird vibe a girl at a party might get from a creeper, idk, it was just...really getting ridiculous and all.

So uh, yeah, don't want to really have to do this, but since it seems I kinda have to... just as a general note, can we all like, maybe tone it down a bit with the being overly suspicious of Bom. Like seriously, god damn, once is excusable as a learning curve for new folks, but for it to keep happening. For reals, she's basically done fuck all to warrant this level of attention thus far, aside from obviously being the most socially adept given how she deflected dem questions... but yeah, seriously. starting to get a bit ridiculous with the metaing, and look at from the perspective of the person going through it; how much fun do you think it is to play a character when people begin to put words in her mouth and make up body language and such every like freaking ten seconds? I mean, it's like Hukuna already said multiple times folks, the only ones present who have any justification to sense the slightest thing "Different" about Bom are a very small group comprised of those who are either of Demonic kin (or are vampires apparently), have done a fuck ton of research into ancient demonic lore (ala Murdoc's pc) or have some innate tie to animals and access to their natural senses (Lucille)... and even then, whatever slight "offness" they sense should be nowhere near enough to instantly know "Oh yeah, she's a primordial being, just like the types feared in legend and song, yup, definitely, no doubt about it..." I mean, both me and murdoc had ours notice only because they fell into that tight category, and even then, Lucille didn't bother paying much attention to the sensation and Murdoc didn't immediately go "She's an ancient demon of untold power!" no, he essentially went "Huh... wtf would anyone name themselves after some demon god, what is this, some edgy cult?" (OK, paraphrasing the hell out of it, but...) I mean, for christs sakes, the man obviously wants to have something to reveal at some point in time, given he had her say "It would be easier to show you, but not now..." and the constant metaing kinda shits all over that. One of the most basic rules around here is respect... how respectful do you all think it is to repeatedly brush the man off when he asks to cut the bs? how much would you all like it if another person here did that to ya? I know you wouldn't, you'd go to the host, and if the host did nothing and it escalated, guess who you'd be whinning to then? that's right, Hukuna... so yeah... please, let's cut the crap. The amount of people who could justifiably sense anything "different" about bom is so small here that it's nigh laughable how many outside of them have already done it. and this same principle can easily apply to future situations and npcs and such brought in by notus- Metaing is frowned on for a reason... a reason dobby already explained... I mean, I can expand if you guys want, but... he already explained it well enough. seriously though, please tone it down. Everyone's supposed to be able to have a good time here, kinda hard for him to do that when everyone's got homing demon sense or some crap... not trying to sound mean here, but... god damn, it's gotten to the point where even I'm annoyed.

It is often said animals can sense evil the supernatural...

Lucille could not have helped but instinctively tense as things seemed to grow more questionable. Perhaps the others didn't think much or even notice the subtle undertones in Vermillio's voice, but it was plain as day to her that the demon'd been trying to instigate something despite the overly friendly gesture... and she had the feeling she was right, given not one of them rose to the bait. Hell, the exact opposite in fact, they seemed to eat it right up at face value, except for the youngest...or at least, youngest in appearance. She had seen and killed more than enough elves and humans to know their scent by heart; all of them had slightly differing ones, of course, though most of the time said differences were too subtle for anything but an animal to pick up, but generally all fell within the same basic olfactory range. The boy smelled like a mingled union of both races... but she knew something was off, almost stale... like his scent had lingered in the world far longer than any normal one of it's kind should've... whatever he was, he was probably far older than he looked, hell, the boy even went so far as to confirm it himself. Regardless though, that was all trivial to her. All of this "shooting the breeze" crap was trivial to her, and she made a point to stay silent through the remaining introductions just to help the waste of time pass faster- the less she spent sitting in this glorified cage, the better. But of course, the rest of them were intent on socializing, and the demon's next instigatation was bounced like glue off rubber. She might've taken note of the fact that the raven haired woman had an off-scent just as the psuedo-child had, but at that point, she was done waiting for everyone to finish their diarrhea of the mouth... "You know," she began, voice projecting loud and clear to all those in the space despite how softly she seemed to speak... agitated though she was, she kept it out of the mix- the point was to try to stop this nonsense and get to what mattered, not add to it. "Shooting the breeze and getting to know each is nice and all, but didn't you mention there being a reason we were all gathered here, aside from having a glorified house party in some dark basement?"

Revenant v Strider The machinery darkened around the beast, red emergency lights flooding his helm as the glare of emerald blazed across the field. The blazing cloak of scarlet that had covered them up until that point fading back to black. The accenting died with it's illustrious glow, Ragnorok dropping to the side and embedding herself in the earth like a knife through hot butter, singing as she cut through the air; the only piece of gear still running at full capacity, more thanks to the extensive backups the beast' master had installed than anything else. Revenant ground his teeth like a rabid wolf, a feral snarl of frustration filling the enclosed space. He'd given Everything. And it wasn't- A massive plume of green and flame erupted in the distance, as soon as the arcing beam of decimation had started heading for them. The beast couldn't but let his jaw hang...the slightest chuckle escaping after a moment. he'd actually done it... He had destroyed the Generator, just like he'd been told... Master Sully wouldn't punish him now, he didn't need the excuse of going balls to the walls after- Or... perhaps he did, in those fleeting moments as the beam sped towards him. He went to ask Asmo what the odds of surviving an induced Bloom would- got the answer of "fuck all" and then realized those weren't the odds the AI was quoting- it was the fact that the Mech was in recovery mode and couldn't do fuck all...he'd forgotten all about that little issue in his brief moment of celebration. "Well...shit... 1 outta 2 objectives is good, right? 50%? I mean, I did what he ordered.... not my fault if I couldn't bring the ride home in one piece" Whether or not Sully would have the same feelings though... remained to be seen. That and the fact that... well, they had no idea the fate of the opponent, even if that explosion looked pretty nasty. In all honesty, this whole thing was up in the air as far as Asmo could tell. But either way, he had the sneaking suspicion that he was gonna have to deal with serious shit back on the train... oh the joys of being an Artificial Manservant... "So, this is how it ends..." The AI sighed, the beam nearly upon them now. "A very interesting ability though... I can see how she got so far, even if she is only in the third seat. So simple in basic concept, yet so ingenious in applied strategy..." And with that... it was over. The islands, the water, the crowd... it all went away. The whole world faded around them, replaced by the searing, burning light of emerald-tinted Death. ~Fin~

Well, guess this is it. The big bang, the last pull to the finish. I had to pull out a few things I was planning to keep on the down low till later, but... eh, not much harm done Just wanna say Komodo, however this ends, it was fun fighting you

Revenant vs Strider The manic Battle Persona snarled as the girl increased her defenses and attempted to block his path to the target. Even if he couldn't be bothered to do it himself, Asmodeus fed him the direct analysis with each and every strike from the barrage; the fool was redirecting the shield every time he landed a blow... the results were plain as day from what the AI had concluded from enemy damage assessment. His snarl only grew deeper, but then he saw it. There, yes, right there, the avenue to destruction... all he needed to do... "Fuck it then, we'll do it live!" Whatever the hell the Persona even meant by that, there was no time to ponder as he seamlessly transitioned the furious barrage into a single, one-handed chop from Ragonorak bearing down directly into the joint of the Girl's arm with as much might as if it had been made with both hands. It didn't simply stop on contact either, as Revenant gave a single command and the fields redistributed themselves and put greater focus on pressing the blow, at the same time Ragonorok's Oscillation localising itself, the raw vibration and cutting force grinding against the EAS like a constant chain saw, sparks and flares of green energy flying through the air... The beast smiled as Asmo sent the readouts to him, watching the shield do exactly as it had been all along. Without hesitation, barely a fraction of a second after the strike even hit home, the beast did the unthinkable... flattened his palm like a knife-hand strike and shot it forward and around the girl's arm into the largest of the gashes Ragonorok had made in the generator, just barely agape enough for the slimed palm to reach past. He couldn't see the core, but damn it, this one had seemed to at least make it past the armor, and it was a good a chance as he was going to get... even if there was no guarantee to what he was doing, At best, he'd probably end up short of a hand if the theory proved correct and at worse... well at worse, he wasn't entirely sure what would go down. His plan banked on Ragnorok's immense assault being enough to distract the girl... and the field working as he'd observed thus far... Either way, there was no time like the present. the moment the hand had just barely glided past the torn metal housing, Revenant activated the laser cutter with a flick of his wrist, sending countless volts of electric current through the aparati just nano seconds afterwards, the dual forces of lightning and condensed, bundled light mingling to create an electrolaser that targeted the very innards of the Generator... even if he didn't use them often, the cutters in his palms were still a violent force to be reckoned with, and even more destructive a threat when used at point blank range... combined with the force of his electricity riding the Plasma Channel induced by the weapons raw heat output to essentially combine the effects of both into one, and well... Now was the time for the million dollar question. The girl's ability was good at protecting her from external damage; things that had to make contact with her armor... but just how much was it worth... on the inside? Past the armor and metal and right down in those precious internal components that made everything run? Everything he had, banking on one theory, and one theory alone. This was it. this was the end... whatever happened next. Asmodeus was still there, nagging him about how the spheres were nearing the point of mandatory recovery... if this didn't work, they were screwed. But damn it, by the seven sins of Tempest, if he had to go back to the Dream Space and tell Solomon he lost, he was at least going to say he went balls to the wall and gave it everything...

Holy shit, UtH tie-in Confirmed! XD