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Post by Tokrochiru on Feb 18, 2014 5:43:21 GMT -5
It pleased Grant to see how capable Elizabeth was at standing up for herself against Shirotaro and her father. For a moment he wondered if she actually really needed any protection, but this trail of thought came to an end when he remembered how emotionally attached fathers naturally were. Well, most fathers anyway.
Selesterge, in the mean time, had finished his dessert.
"Well, now that you all seem to have come to a consensus, I think it's about time I left," he said. "I'd teleport you all to the facility myself, but I wouldn't want to trigger any magical alarms by doing so. Shirotaro knows the location, however."
At this, Shirotaro rolled his eyes. "I have a limousine that can take us close to where we need to go, but it'd be much better if we were to find a more efficient method of travel. Cars are loud and easily spotted. It would be better if we had a more discreet way of getting there."
Shirotaro spoke half-heartedly. Perhaps he wasn't keen on using discretion to accomplish his goals. Warriors like him, especially Shemhezai, preferred to proclaim their presence loudly.
As for potential transportation options, Grant knew that Elizabeth had a solution.
Karn nodded at Cathan. His offer was fair, and he was eager to assist the future liberators of Landiel.
"Tell us where to start looking and we'll find him. I may not look it, but I've got the nose of a bloodhound."
He was confident in his ability to locate the old man. Finding needles in haystacks was one of his more useful, albeit mundane talents. After all...
"One who can locate a stone pebble in a sea of sand can find any opponent's weakness."
...A warrior's ability to locate a single person or object swiftly was directly correlated to his performance in battle. Any warrior that lacked perception was liable to miss key, game-changing opportunities during a fight.
Karn relished the chance to test his own perception. At the very least, it would serve to distract him from how depressing the last few days had been...
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 18, 2014 14:40:13 GMT -5
Yet another hurdle was thrown at them. Apparently the Old Man, the leader of Gregor Samsa and Cathan's superior, was missing. Whatever aid the organization could give was blocked off by the fact their leader had vanished. It made sense that they'd need to find him first before getting any help. All Elaina could do was pray that Max was still alive when they eventually went after him.
"Alright. Give us any information that could help us find him. We gotta start somewhere."
Honestly, the angel was grateful for Karn's presence. He seemed to have a positive aura about him, and that would definitely help the rest of them during these dark times.
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Feb 26, 2014 11:19:53 GMT -5
Elizabeth came walking down the stairs at this time, with a man in his late 20s in front of her. He was rather tall, standing over six feet. His eyes were dull green, his black hair was short and unkempt, and he had light facial stubble. He wore a black long sleeve shirt under a black leather jacket with faded blue jeans, black boots, and black gloves with dark emerald palms. A silver chain was clipped to the left and right sides of his jacket, hanging in a deep arc across it. The young man had an obvious aura of confidence about him as he looked around the lab for a brief moment before stopping to look at Selesterge, then Shirotaro, and finally Grant.
"So, these guys are coming with us?"
The maiden nodded. "It's more like I'm going with them. I'm just a helpful little ally on this trip, not really leading it in any way."
She walked ahead of him, holding her arm out in his direction.
"Everyone, this is Vincent. He's a friend of my father's and volunteered to come with us."
The man narrowed his eyes at her, folding his arms and sighing. "That's not how I'd put it. You asked, I agreed. Plus, it's not like you wouldn't have gone if I said no, right?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "Details."
Vincent walked ahead of her and nodded at both the beastkin and mutant scientist. "Pleasure to meet you both. What kind of skills you guys got?" He smiled as he asked this, interested in what his allies could do.
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Post by Tokrochiru on Feb 27, 2014 0:12:29 GMT -5
Before answering, Grant looked back at the corpse. She remained still on top of the table. Had Selesterge not barged in, he would be examining her at the moment.
Max was lucky that preserving his life was the higher priority.
Grant looked back to Vincent, answering his question as frankly as possible while also being descriptive.
"I'm a combat-trained magiscientist and alchemist. I'm proficient with firearms and have a thorough understanding of battle tactics and warfare. I have extensive knowledge of all known types of magic, spell and potion crafting, and can examine and discern the nature of most magical energies. I am also fluent in a number of languages."
No doubt there were more skills that Grant possessed, but it would be a waste of time for him to list all of them. Content with his own answer, Grant looked to Shirotaro and awaited his.
The white tiger smirked at Vincent wryly. "If you knew who I was, then you'd already know what I'm best at." Shirotaro spoke as if Vincent should have already known what his skills were. Regardless, he continued to speak, if only to humor Elizabeth's guardian.
"I've defeated many opponents in my life, many of which proclaimed themselves as champions of one sort or another. Droves of combatants that carried themselves as if they epitomized what it meant to be a warrior. Many of them were worthy adversaries. That doesn't change the fact that I can count the times I've lost on one hand."
Grant figured as much. The beastkin's ego was large, but he could also tell that his bite was stronger than his bark. His narcissism, while ugly, was built on a strong foundation. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he was so popular amongst fans of competitive fighting. Still, there was one thing he left out.
"He's also good with ice magic," Grant added with a hint of irritation in his voice.
With their skillsets presented before Vincent, Grant took charge of the conversation. There were a few things that Elizabeth needed to be informed of.
"Shirotaro knows where we need to go, but we need a quick and discreet way to get there. Elizabeth, can your floating disc carry four people?"
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Mar 25, 2014 22:20:14 GMT -5
The rapidly changing pupils of Inner's eyes were perplexing to Levent, to say the least. It was not enough to rile the old chronomancer in his efforts to kindle the spirit that resided in his former friend's host body. The two entities had entirely different perspectives to the discourse. Levent was of the side of the oppressed, his demands inimical to that of the spirit who threatened to destroy his entire organization. Inner was the oppressor - the one claiming to destroy the folds of the entire Order. The one whose existence as a spirit was a blight upon the mortal plane the longer he lingered.
The Argent Cross probed his glasses up with his middle finger and looked towards Inner with a hesitant gaze. Was there an inherent purpose to housing this spirit in Maxwell's body? Or did he delude himself into thinking he was some sort of guardian to the winnowing health of the priest? Either way, there was a reason that the ghosts did not continue to haunt the living: To ensure that they could not play with the fragile bonds of human life to what they were not meant to do.
"I only know what it is like to live, spirit," Levent responded with the callousness of his own frown. "Do not taunt me with petty squabbles. I have been threatened by stronger men with a more venerable cause than yours..."
It was unfortunate to hear the march of steps in his direction, only to find out he had been ordered to standby. This was an unusual order by the archbishop. Normally Levent would be taking on a lot of the legwork that the other elite members of the Order were unable to accomplish on their own. Was Maxwell Aene a special case that Levent should back away from? Or did the archbishop know something the Argent Cross did not?
Regardless, Levent was of no temperament to disobey his superior. He silently nodded and turned his back on the priest, walking away into his quarters.
What was the start of all this?
Veronica awoke in a sightly chamber that should have been all too familiar to her. But it was also strangely different at the same time. Crags and spires lined the walls in contrast to the industrialized flooring that lined the hallways. The temperature in the room would've roasted any ordinary human being who found his physical being wound up in this hallway, but Veronica was luckily no ordinary human and could resist the inferno that befell the atmosphere. Through the hatch that opened, Veronica found herself lost in the manifold shadows that lurked throughout the labyrinth ahead.
A cast iron pair of eyes, piercing red sclera and a moist growl that must have been foaming at the mouth, crowded what appeared to be the other end of the long hallway. Audible growling not only emerged from that end, but from surrounding sides. Whatever Veronica was treading in, she was not the only demon to make her appearance known in this hellish expanse. She was under watch throughout the area, just as every poor soul was when they awoke in this place.
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Post by Jisui on Mar 27, 2014 18:21:28 GMT -5
"Do not taunt me with petty squabbles. I have been threatened by stronger men with a more venerable cause than yours..."
The bloodlust and tension that had seemingly faded away from the room suddenly came back in heavy waves, so much so that the Erlosung guards who were stationed were visibly uncomfortable despite not being able to see the cause of it.
Petty.
Like a crushed flower, laying by the wayside. That was what this man had equated Max's life to...!
As if sensing his partner's inner turmoil, Max's body began to stir to the surprise of the priestess near him. Because of the extent of his injuries in the battle with Levent, he shouldn't have been able to move. A few of his ribs had been broken, and severe burns lined his entire body. Yet, despite this, the priest opened his eyes, turning a shade of sapphire blue upwards to the white marble of the ceiling.
"...Inner." He muttered, gaining the attention of the spirit, who's attention darted towards him instantly. Slowly, Inner's anger filled gaze softened into near worry and a slight tinge of guilt upon realizing that his emotions had been strong enough to affect Max as well. Taking a deep breath, Inner attempted to calm himself before he caused his partner anymore turmoil, emptying out his current anger and contempt towards the man who was retreating away from the room.
(...It's fine. Just go back to sleep.) The spirit softly replied, watching Max's head nod almost imperceptively before his eyes slowly closed once again. Almost on cue, the priestess near him began to heal Max's injuries so that the priest would not die overnight. As she did so, a silent breath of relief washed over the priest as the healing magic washed over his body. Inner turned his gaze back to the doorway, catching a fleeting glimpse of silver robes fluttering through before they turned away.
(...Tch.)
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Apr 6, 2014 21:41:24 GMT -5
Vincent nodded at Grant as he listed off his skills. He was rather impressed and could see why the doctor respected him so much. The mutant was a jack-of-all-trades, which also meant he was likely to be their best asset on this little venture. The other man, the beastkin, seemed to have quite an ego. But if what he said was true...then Vincent may have actually heard of this man.
"Shirotaro knows where we need to go, but we need a quick and discreet way to get there. Elizabeth, can your floating disc carry four people?"
He looked towards Elizabeth, raising an eyebrow.
"You're kidding me. Liz, you're friends with Shirotaro? The White Tiger? How the hell did you meet up with him?"
She narrowed her eyes at the man, possibly annoyed at the thought of being close to the white tiger.
"We're not friends. In fact, we just met a little while ago. Why do you care so much anyways?"
"Eh, well, you know how I am about my fighting and stuff. Wouldn't be able to call myself a fan if I didn't know about this guy." He then looked back at Shirotaro. "When we get back from this little journey, you mind if I get a match with you? Would be great to test myself against someone like you."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and took all her attention away from her bodyguard, placing it on Grant instead.
"Yeah, I should be able to carry all of us. So long as one of you keeps me going in the right direction. Although I'm not sure if a big green disc would be any less conspicuous than Shiro's limo."
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Veronica continued walking forward, constantly opening and closing her left hand, trying to get used to the feeling of the hellish appendage while gradually growing accustomed to the cold feeling upon her face. She heard the growling and saw the crimson eyes ahead. The sound came from all around her as she went and she knew she was not alone. However, despite the fact she was in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar body, she would not show weakness. She refused. The maiden knew what happened to her. The truth was tucked in the back of her mind while her heart did its best to ignore it. Her innate stubbornness and pride compelled her to move forward, glaring ahead at the crimson eyes and growling. She responded to the sounds by snarling, as if daring whatever creatures observed her to attack.
Veronica needed to find out where she was and how to escape. She still had things to do and would not succumb to the heat of this realm nor its monstrous abominations of inhabitants.
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Apr 16, 2014 1:01:27 GMT -5
"She's alive?"
The whispers of two men were the only lights in the otherwise pitch black chambers,concealed in what appeared to be grids of solid pierglass that were obtusely shaped in ways only the executor of the room could navigate. There was a single flickering candle ember that soon withered away in the unusually cold draft of the room, his face no longer being visible to anyone nearby. It was a concrete realization that the voice in question was, no doubt, a elder one that demanded full authority of the chamber when he spoke.
As the man tried to clamber around the mongrel architecture he came to a realization. The snap of a finger curled its way towards the sight of the demon in front of him and he began to second-guess himself when his eyes lurked towards his companion.
"I take back what I said earlier," he said with an endearing sigh. "I forgot that the doctor was experimenting with on her. This is really her natural habitat."
The demon prince alongside him laughed. The sound of doubt lingered in his words and were otherwise vetted by his pompous reverberation. "Hold your tongue. I would be insulted to include her in my domain..." The words resonated strongly with the man in front of him, who softly shook his head in some strange reaffirmation of his reckless behavior.
"We'll let the fiends here decide where she belongs," he concluded.
The eyes in the hallway multiplied into many more as the paths began to split into a duplicitous labyrinth that spread its arms every which way around Veronica's line of sight. The guardians of this hellish realm came in droves as they slowly awaited their time to respond to her. Veronica insisted on proceeding forward. The dilapidated metal floors began to give way to the sound of cascading mountains of water in the far distance, if only slightly with regard to Veronica's attention.
The temperature in the air was overly interfering with the faint glint of dimmed light miles away from where Veronica pursued. One could see further into the labyrinth and discover that the demons seemed to move with her in some rhythmic motion like a stampede of wild horses trailing the lurid expanse in front of them.
It was at this moment where hope presented itself that it would be hushed by the emergence of these demons from behind and within a few feet of the forward distance she ran in. Their appearance was relatively identical to one another. Their demonic white flesh stretched tautly across a six foot tall hominid body frame with a ribcage that protruded in front resembling blades at each rib. They were without heads and instead, a giant conical head crowned their shoulders with a fanged jawline that ranged across the bottom half. The moment their jaws began to gape, a bloodshot red eye with a yellow sclera pierced the veil of shadow from the dark holes of their throats. Across each of their bony arms extended a curved, bladed appendage attached to the forearms. Each one shrieked and led a vicious cacophony of other demons that began to scream in unison.
Cathan slapped himself in the face as almost a knee-jerk reaction. He himself realized he had boxed himself into a corner with that request. He had no way of signaling where the old man had went, because when he wasn't in the office for business matters, finding him was a whole other ordeal. The old man was a chameleon with the way he communicated with his staff, hiding in the background while they learn to manage themselves. It was kind of ingenious in a way, but it was also very frustrating at times. Especially during times like this when the old man is expected to herald all of the answers.
"You know, man, you got me there," the boy began to scratch his afro, hesitant to draw breath judging from his lack of an educated response. "Dude has to be hiding somewhere we can't track him in. I swear the old man hides himself away at times. It's a pain in the butt." Cathan clearly grimaced with each word he spoke, out of a rational insecurity that he was not answering his allies adequately. His guess was as good as anyone else's.
"I bet ya his room will have something," Cathan suggested as he tried to recollect his facial expression with a more relaxed poise. "He usually leaves a note or something if he's out in the boonies." The boy shrugged his shoulders and decided it was worth trying to knock on his door as he sauntered to the other end of the hall, grunts beginning to clear the path that had once surrounded the group earlier.
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Post by Tokrochiru on Apr 20, 2014 1:08:54 GMT -5
"It will be less noisy at least. So long as we stay out of the clergy's eyesight, we'll be fine."
Grant could safely say that they were as prepared as they were ever going to be for the infiltration.
Shirotaro apparently agreed, since he was already on his way out of the lab.
"Let's get this show on the road. The quicker we rescue this Max person, the better."
Grant followed him outside, assuming that the other two would follow him. Once he was out in the open, he waited Elizabeth to create her disk.
"Lead the way. If there are any clues there, we'll find them."
Karn said without any hesitation or second thoughts. It was a certainty. He doubted that the others thought so, but if that was indeed the case, he would simply have to prove them wrong. Besides, completing any sort of task successfully would probably provide the group with a much needed boost in morale. Elaina in particular could have used some encouragement, at least from where Karn was standing.
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Jun 12, 2014 2:22:13 GMT -5
[[For the record, you can start Scenario B whenever you all want. My character is independent of yours.]]
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Jun 12, 2014 12:02:30 GMT -5
Veronica narrowed her eyes in aggravation as more and more paths came into view. This was truly a labyrinth of some kind, and to be in one when in an area filled with such hostile creatures was a tight situation indeed. But she was not weak. She was not cowardly. She was strong and full of courage; she would not be intimidated by these creatures nor the twisting paths of this place.
It was at this point that the hellish creatures appeared before her, with their white skin that seemed too small for their bodies, and their grotesque eyes within their gaping maws. Veronice mentally admitted that these beings were the pure definition of demons. Her large eyes were focused on them as she looked back, continuing forward meanwhile. She silently took note of the blades upon their arms and grimaced when they began to screech and make a unified racket. Did they intend to attack her or simply intimidate her into continuing forward? Perhaps they were there to show that she could not turn back.
Regardless, Veronica spoke to them as she continued forward.
"If you wish to attack me, then I accept the challenge. If not, then I shall simply continue on my way."
She clenched both hands, preparing for a battle. She was hoping they would choose not to engage her, since she was not exactly in top condition within this heat and the unfamiliarity of her twisted left arm was a hindrance.
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Elizabeth and Vincent followed both Grant and Shirotaro outside, standing with them in a small circle. Emerald energy poured off the white maiden's body like water, turning into a large disc beneath them and ascending the group into the air.
"Alright. Which way?"
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[[ I actually want to start Scenario B now since I really want to use Sojourner and change it up for a bit. However, I would prefer if I was not doing three scenes at once. Will Scenario A be continuing alongside B or will A be put on hold meanwhile? ]]
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Post by Tokrochiru on Jun 12, 2014 18:22:44 GMT -5
((My understanding was that scenario A would be put on hold while B is in progress))
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Jun 13, 2014 0:00:46 GMT -5
[[They can occur concurrently. Will edit this post in a bit with a response]]
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Post by Tokrochiru on Jun 13, 2014 0:31:30 GMT -5
((I think both myself and Val would prefer it if we took a break from Scenario A while Scenario B is in progress. Like Val said, it allows us to switch things up.))
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