[IC] TotMV:G2: The Battered Hero

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari blinked herself awake. Where was she?

She jumped up, patting down her body to make sure that she'd kept her shape. It wasn't all that uncommon for her to accidentally revert, after all. Thankfully, her body seemed to be in one complete piece. As a plus, she even had her favorite swimsuit on. Which was odd, she was sure she'd gone to sleep naked.

She looked around, surveying her surroundings. Strange place, this. She stuck out her tongue to taste the air.

((How are the moisture levels?))

She glanced at the people standing around, trying to decide who looked friendliest. The woman in the armor was a definite no. Speaking of which, what was with their clothes? They were weird and uncoordinated, a cesspool of fashion styles across time. She hadn't seen seen anyone actually wearing plate armor since she was no larger than an apple. And that was a long time ago. As she scanned, the person in the large black cloak with the robotic mask caught her eye for some inexplicable reason. Perhaps it was curiosity at her clothing choices. She walked over to that group.

"Hello! I'm Kagari. Koizumi Kagari. Who are you guys? I would ask where we are, but from the looks of it, you don't know."

[Shamitako]

Katsuo

More and more people. It was starting to get rather crowded. He had to agree with the armored woman, there wasn't much reason to sit around. So then why was he still sitting? He stood up and dusted himself. Gwaedu whirled cheerfully.

"No, I'm not going to socialize. Don't be so giddy."

It seemed the consensus was to follow the path, but nobody had followed it yet. A pain, that's what it was, this crowd and all their talk.

"Damn it, if you're gonna send me to a mysterious place to 'help' at least make it clear how I'm helping." He grumbled.

For once Gwaedu didn't have any snark for him. He wasn't quite at the point of walking out, so he just decided to place himself next to the path and wait for the group to stop running around like headless chickens as more and more woke up clueless.

[Yours Truly]

The grey cloaked man quietly slips on a ring, and aims it down the chasm; summoning a single levitating book near him; "Theodore it's not currently raining is it? And do you know if anyone here is carrying any water?"

Edited November 13, 2016 by Cronos5010

[S34N1C]

"Uum, have you ever even seen the rain? Of course it's not raining right now. "

[Sutoratosu]

Aurora awoke without a sound. Almost immediately, the change in ambient air quality and the hard ground told her that, where this place was, it wasn't the same as where she'd been. Nor was the Owlbear she'd been about to finish anywhere to be seen, or any of the dense underbrush she had used for cover in her ambush. She could sense them though, other beings... talking, walking. Every vibration they made, carried through the air and earth right to her. It was just the same as an insect struggling in a web. The motions may have seemed harmless enough to their maker, but they gave the lurking threat far more information than their victim would have ever wanted them to know.

For example, two of them, at least, were not living. Or just not the type of "Living" that especially held her interest, given the lack of heartbeats from them, when nearly all the others gave a steady rhythm without fail. Not only that, but she picked up no scent trace of perspiration or other homeostatic or bodily processes from them either... which meant, going for them was likely a massive waste of time with no reward at the end. And as for the others besides them, not a single one of them smelled anything like she'd encountered before... the closest she had ever known was that of the young-ling who was so insistent on taking Aurora with her party. The one who always put so much effort into getting her to talk, who gave her food without much thought about it.

Hmmmm... maybe they would give her food as well, if most of them smelled so similar?

"......................" She lifted her head, ever so slightly and glanced at each of those assembled over yonder. And like that, her hope they'd feed her diminished greatly. Not a single one looked like they had anything edible on them... except of course, their flesh. But would attacking be the most fruitful route here, with so many in so close a space? What might they do in retaliation, before she'd be able to strike the killing blow? None of them looked even remotely injured or sickly, though a few did look... easy nonetheless.

But easy or no, it did not change the fact that numbers put her at a disadvantage. Hence, the spider resigned herself to merely watching... waiting. Just encase. Numbers could always diminish, after all...

[Chevaleresse]

((The moisture levels are actually fairly high; it seems to have rained recently, and places like this are often among the last to dry out.))

"As I said earlier, I am the Hellfire Knight. Fourthmost favored of the seven planes and favored of the Fourth God. . . wait." Their head shakes rather abruptly and then angles straight toward Kagari. "なに!? What?! But how are you here? And why are you in a swimsuit?!?"

As Katsuo moves toward the path, he's interrupted. Strange, twisted-looking pillars of rock, almost looking like nails carved all over with symbols and terminating a head above eye level for most, fall from the sky, one landing in the center of each opening and the others sidling up alongside the walls. A translucent, red barrier consisting of similar symbols forms up as he approaches, sparking if touched.

The area seems to darken, and an ominous air descends... The Hellfire Knight is still freaking out about the swimsuit, though.

[Strider]

Edmond noticing this abrupt change in atmosphere, hurries over to get a closer look at the path.

[Hal Henderics]

"Huh!" Pluck offers helpfully. He backs up.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Snow, The Lady Ashford

"The fourth god? You don't look like the Crimson Knight to me." Snow said out loud. She hadn't meant to, but she certainly didn't care either. It was then she noticed the presence looming.

"But, think you'll have to cut those introductions short. I think we have company. Which is great, cause now you'll all shut up for a bit, and I can see you really talk. How a warrior talks."

Snow draws forth both of her longswords, the Twin Fangs of Winter, and holds them at the ready. A pale frost shimmers on their surface.

[Shamitako]

Katsuo

Gwaedu whirled in surprise and warning.

"No duh we're in danger, I'm not blind." Katsuo answered.

He reached up and took Gwaedu off of his ear and held her in front of him.

"Set up." He said rather flippantly.

Gwaedu did nothing. Katsuo let a little rage slip into his voice.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn!" He scolded, "Set up."

There was a pause as Katsuo's temperamental partner let out one last gasp of stubbornness. She then emitted a flash of light, engulfing Katsuo for an instant. Katsuo emerged wearing his Barrier Jacket and holding Gwaedu in mace form.

(OOC: K, that's out of the way, let me know when to have him start hitting things)

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari blinked as the armored person turned to her while speaking in a sharp voice. Confused, she tilted her head to the side.

"Sorry, do I know you from somewhere?"

She'd certainly never met anyone like this person, not in her 700 years of life. Yet somehow she felt a sense of strange familiarity. Odd.

"Oh, and of course I'm in a swimsuit. I am an S-rank Keijo player, you know. My chest is a bit lacking, sadly, but my butt is the fastest in Japan!"

Her brag was sadly interrupted by the armored woman's snark.

"Wha- Fighting? Already? But we just got here!"

Kagari hated fighting. And she hated people in armor. Some of her earliest memories were of people in armor hunting down her family in the name of the greater good or some nonsense. Barbarians. Here she thought people had become more civilised, or at least civilised enough to avoid hunting down innocent slimes.

Oh well, at least she was in her swimsuit, so she would be ready for combat. Or maybe her other form would be better?

...Nah. She'd wait to see what they were up against before deciding.

[Yours Truly]

The grey cloaked man constructs a small levitating platform out of summoned books. "So Theodore; tell me are you afraid of heights? I'm going to try and follow that walking suit of armor and that... woman wearing a swimsuit?, do you want to come with me?".

Edited November 13, 2016 by Cronos5010

[Sutoratosu]

The silver gleam of her eyes fixated on the pillars. Perhaps the act of waiting in and of itself would have to wait... ironic as such an idea was. Whatever the barrier that had been erected meant, it was surely anything but good. Aurora recognized a trap in the making when she saw one, the very tactic of it was one of the best means she had of staying alive afterall.

This was at it's core though, a turn in the favor of her, all things considered. If an even bigger fish was coming for the group, and they somehow managed to kill it... well, there was honestly little to stop her from claiming the carcass as her own. And even if they all died, she merely had to wait and hide till the thing was gone. And hopefully it would leave something more of their bodies than a few smears of blood across the stone, if she were lucky. It was a tough decision in the end however. On the one hand, they had, at least for now, numbers. On the other, not even her senses could pick up who or what might be coming to check this little snare soon. And if whatever it was truly proved powerful enough to slaughter the lot of them... there a chance that despite her best stealth, she'd be found as well. And being found meant she might not be able to eat at all, if she were forced to retreat and the thing took their corpses for itself. Not being able to eat would lead to hunger.... and hunger would just lead to that same type of hollow pain she was so used to.

"...." She said not a word as she finally rose. The odds were uncertain either way, but her decision was more or less made. It was better to perhaps fight with them and potentially kill the big fish, then take both it's body and any who fell bringing it down as well, then to bank all her hopes on being able to evade and outcon something potentially of much greater hunting ability than even she was used to. Besides... perhaps some of them did have food, and merely hid it from each other. The Girl had always been more than willing to give her something after she'd brought down an assailant or saved one of them at the last moment, so too had the Squidman, though he always seemed more... reclused about it. Like he expected her to do that type of thing all the time for them without even thinking about a reward...

Now, just what the hell type of spider ever did that? Risking her neck for another being, and not expecting at least some type of recompense for it later on...certainly not her, regardless what the squid might've thought. To hell with how he'd looked at her as if he'd made some horrible, horrible mistake or the pity she could sense rolling off him whenever she got close, what mattered to her was naught of what he expected.

The shard embedded in the chitin of her right palm meanwhile, began to pulsate, it's light hidden beneath the wide sleeves of her silken robes...

[Rec4lls]

Heo rubs his head, shaking out the last vestiges of grogginess. Sauntering barefooted towards the group of people that seem to be moving, he stops behind one of them. "Huh... Well wouldn't you know, that's some freaky shit," he mutters under his breath, staring at the pillars, swinging his massive sword around almost carelessly despite its size.

"You guys're like, a bunch of cosplayers or something? Some pretty fancy-lookin' outfits ya got." He grins despite the situation he seems to be in.

[Hal Henderics]

"I'm a mercenary who owes billions of dollars to a person who will literally eat me if I don't work for him!"

"I'm a magic gold bird!"

[Rec4lls]

"Huh."

[Hal Henderics]

"There are scary things happening over there with the nails, and I can't do anything without some info, you have anything super neat you can do?"

Pluck asks, slowly backing away from the nails.

[Chevaleresse]

The cloaked figure looks somewhat frantically between the large man and Kagari. "I-I'm not a cosplayer, I'm the Hellfire Knight! And you're the Seventh Favored, LOLI_HUNTER! We met during the tournament, you told me. . . Nevermind, why are you wearing that?"

[Yours Truly]

"Are you some sort of martial artist? Or do you just like going around shirtless? I'm not judging or anything; I'd just like to know" said the grey cloaked man to the man in orange.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Snow, The Lady Ashford

"Cosplayer? I do not know the meaning of this term. Is it a type of great warrior? I also do not know the meaning of this... Loli Hunter title either. Is this another term for warriors here? If there's an entire clan of warriors devoted to killing these Lolis... they must be a great and powerful evil. They must be even more of a threat then Dragons that were once corrupted by the Faceless One. Is that the threat we were brought here to stop?" Snow said, confused. These were strange folk. And quite a few of the things they were saying didn't make much sense to her.

"Luckily I do know the meaning of Mercenary. I despise your kind. What could bring one who doesn't even have the gall to fight for their cause here? Did you boss instruct you to destroy these lolis as well?"

[rustytengo]

Bridgett sighed with relief after no one responded to her she spoke up. Not sure what to do since everything going on was confusing she started to fallow the lady in armor as she walked towards a path.

She stopped as the boy who was ahead of everyone was cloaked in a light and everyone seemed to get ready for a fight. "That's definitely a setup. So there's another mage here that's good." She thought as she moved her hand down to her pendant. "Wake up Mornings Arrow" she said quietly "Yes My Lady. What is you need?" a voice responded to her "Setup" She said back as she was covered in light blue light equipping her barrier jacket and changing Mornings Arrow to weapon and pointing it towards the front. To Befriendblast anything that attacked.

[Hal Henderics]

"I have no clue, The Dragon did not send me here, if he did not send me here, something beyond his power must be at work, considering he can just keep bringing me to life and teleporting me all over god's green earth, and there is no treasure to be had, ergo, this is a much more intriguing adventure. I can't wait to puzzle my way out of this one."

"I am an adventurer of finesse, I fight battles of the mind while my companion handles the heavy lifting to purchase our lives from an immortal dragon!"

"Purchasing ones own life from debt is the most Honorable of causes to fight for my dear lady!"

"I can Fuse and Separate things with my power!"

[Rec4lls]

The cloaked figure looks somewhat frantically between the large man and Kagari. "I-I'm not a cosplayer, I'm the Hellfire Knight! And you're the Seventh Favored, LOLI_HUNTER! We met during the tournament, you told me. . . Nevermind, why are you wearing that?"

"Aiight. Want me to call you Mister Knight? Or just Hellfire?" He laughs at his joke.

"There are scary things happening over there with the nails, and I can't do anything without some info, you have anything super neat you can do?"

Pluck asks, slowly backing away from the nails.

"I've got a good right hook, a good left hook, and this hugeass sword." He keeps twirling it around as he talks.

"Are you some sort of martial artist? Or do you just like going around shirtless? I'm not judging or anything; I'd just like to know" said the grey cloaked man to the man in orange.

"Does blitzball count as a martial art?" Edited November 13, 2016 by Rec4lls

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Snow, The Lady Ashford.

"In debt to a Dragon? How? They're all dead as far as I am aware. I'm not buyin' it, but it's too dangerous here to doubt any of you cause I'd rather not make more enemies. I'll save that until after the danger clears and I know which of your are dead weight. Learning about this new threat... these creatures known as Lolis... it concerns me. What are they? Are they demons?"

[Yours Truly]

The grey cloaked man lands next to the monotone armored lady, and says "So do you know what's going on here miss? Because I just woke up in the middle of nowhere, and the lady next to you is only wearing a swimsuit"