Prelude to Singspiel (Endymion)

MKR

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#21
As the silence faded mad laughter filled her cockpit, a moment. Not filled with silence but sound. A glint in the woman's eye as the Weissritter sped forward, this was it- the attack that had decimated Belfast. Getting struck by this would be lethal to basically all involved here.
"Well done Archer!" She remarked towards the Chojin Zest as she engaged evasive action, the extra power putting into the thrusters as they pushed her forward, in turn pushing her into her seat, gently crushing her skin and muscles with the velocity she acquired. But she could feel it, feel the pain in spite of all that the grim specter before her had wanted she could feel, speak and... Communicate.

Not just with her fellow reactors, but with the Goat as well.

As she sped along, dark javelins falling besides her, behind her, in front of her. Johanna twisted the controls yet one of the many shotgun pellets struck, burning through the lower left wing as if it had never been there, the Rein with its immense speed veering off. She had to focus, flipping the controls over. The Weissritter tumbling around in mid air, using the direction it was being dragged to flip and face upwards as another javelin struck right in front of it, one which would have been certain death. Now the machine ascended. Levelling its guns forward as beams began to fire from both, aiming to carve through the flesh at its back, the tumorous growth being besieged.
"And I thought Gragios would be the mad one! That is wonderfully disgusting! For your reactor to be that?" She suddenly exclaimed, the Sphere had given her what she wanted. An eye tracing down to the location of the Genion, an essential component. She contained her excitement long enough to flip to a comms channel where the cultists couldn't just listen along.

"James, Archer- I know how we can kill this thing." Oh and there was also something about the beast not having used its full power yet but that was less important. "If we all synchronize and kill the reactor I am able to sever the two monsters." The finer details were left out, less important. What she needed from these two was their power she had to do the permanent killing. Seriously though, making a minor avatar of your evil god into a reactor? She hated how genius it was.
"Oh and Archer, if you look besides the railroad there's the remains of something you may be able to use in one of your lies."

The Abend even now could fulfill a use, just not for her. Now, right nearly forgot. "Oh yeah and something else is afoot." She swiftly slapped on at the end as a last second thought. As if that wasn't the most worrying thing of all. Now, she just had to kill the reactor, easier said then done but at least she didn't need to properly kill the machine. In its own way it still simplified matters. Better get started.
From her vantage point above the battlefield, even through the heavy fog the form of the Shiseiten was still clear as day, the three remaining wings spread wide. The energy, whose heat she could feel in this lapse of silence even inside the cockpit, was funneled into the weapons she held. Both weapons opened. The Howling Launcher sprouting two extra barrels as it grew and the Partizan Launcher releasing an extra pair from within its confines.

Two sets of beams fired down, three beams together from the Howling launcher, and three nicely spread apart from the Partizan. She just needed to carve a wound deep enough. Oh yes she remembered its ability to heal. And that was what she would use against it.
She just needed to carve a hole. Or her peers to succeed in doing so.
 

Hitura Rael

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#22
For a time all James could pick out of the golden fog was... well. Fog. But soon enough, all too soon to formulate a plan at all, shadows appeared ahead, resolving into the ring of observers and the pair of machines still fighting the horrible monstrosity. And James didn't need the sensors to catch that black flame burning the fog coming straight at him. The Genion lept to action, thrusters burning to propel the azure machine over the roiling torrent. Genion had no choice but to keep going up, dancing between the bursts of hailing fire. What she didn't dodge, the D-Fault barrier was able to take, thankfully.

"Wait, we can talk now?" James blinked, his voice cracking from the stunned excitement, "Fucking epic! I hate silence." He was giddy, glad to hear the sound of his own voice and the sound of others.

"FOCUS DIPSHIT OR ILL KICK YOU IN THE HEAD!" Merida snapped at him, her foot hitting his shoulder in a threatening reminder that she CAN reach his head quite easily.

"Right. Synch up... Uh... What do you mean exactly?" What was it about women being vague? This right here was why he was NEVER marrying one.
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#23
A team up it was then.

With more enemies targeting her, the alien found a rather difficult task ahead of herself. A crab and the Shiseiten, with overwhelming firepower coming down from above, Chojin Zest shrank back down, fragmented wings sprouting from their back while they shot themselves skyward once more. The sheer power that was coming from the maw of the Shiseiten was enough to make it feel like her legs were going to be singed off by the radiance alone- And as the Dimensional bolt was about to smash into the diminished Zest, it very well almost did.

The only saving grace was (seemingly) the streak of red and black that had smashed into the giantess, slamming back down to earth, but never stopping, blowing up a trail of dust and debris before pulling back off into the sky.

A maniacal laugh filled the air as wind swept away the dust from Zest, now supported aloft by an all too familiar mobile weapon to Johanna. With a voice that cracked like he had long succumb to the madness of his apparent death, the Ariestis held Zest aloft, a nasty looking burn on her side from the attack.

"Let's see if you can overcome us in time-"

Reeling their arms back, the pair flung themselves back into the fray, no other thoughts or words coming, besides, a ball of crackling energy being lobbed back at the Shimesou by the Zest as they flew on by.
 

GEAR

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#24
Everything was going according to plan.

A dry, wizened hand turned the page of an ancient spellbook within the heart of the monster, as Pallid Mask felt the spell grow stronger with each passing moment. Yes, it wouldn't be long soon. Already their acolytes had encircled the perimenter, and the trap had been sprung. All that was needed was to keep them occupied just a few moments longer. The Sphere of the Silent Crab was already once again starting to smother their voices, muffling the battlefield once again, muddling their ability to speak, to cry out.

The Abend's Howling Launcher sliced down at the Shiseiten, scoring black marks across its back as it seared through flesh and bone, the stench of cooked meat like rank, burning corpses rising to meet Johanna's senses. Retaliation was immediate - another flurry of dark bolts, this time closer, growing ever more accurate as the beast adjusted its aim, guided by not eyes, but a far greater, more alien method of perception that none of them could even remotely fathom.

As the Genion burst into view, it was met by a terrible sight. One of the Shiseiten's jaws creaked open with a noise that was like the rusted hinges of Hell's own doors squealing in protest, a guttural torrent of black fire surging in the monster's gullet as it fixed the Genion directly in its sights. Was this the prize it had been seeking all along? Was it, somehow, aware of his nature as the nexus of the Spheres? A hundred and one questions might have occurred to the young Prince as time seemed to slow-

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Something dropped from the sky. Something heavy, clanging off the top of the beast's skull with such horrendous force that it left a deep, sharp crack across its surface, spinning to slam into the ground before James.

A giant... wrench?


It was only a moment longer until another plume of dust emerged, as a bulky, yet familair form slammed down from the skies, coming to a halt besides the Genion. The orange and white Super Robot flashed a thumbs up full of winning confidence, its eyes gleaming beneath its lion-like maw as it hefted the Riot Giawrench back over its shoulder.

"Didn't forget about me, did you James?" Laughed Adrian over the communications link, even muted as it was.

"Don't just stand there - let's kick his ass!"

Meanwhile, the Shimeisou was starting to fall back from the sudden appearance of the Arietis. Pontiff Cassilda could feel the cold sweat on the back of her neck as the Trikeras around them began to scatter in disarray. The Magic Circle had been disrupted. The transfer to Carcossa had failed.

She would be punished for her failure. Unless-

The black monster lurched to the front, propelled by the desperation and fury of its pilot. One arm swelled with unchecked Dimensional Power, growing larger with every passing second, until it was large enough to crush the Arietis - and then was swung forward, aiming to seize and crush the Lying Black Sheep's mobile weapon at any cost.
 

MKR

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#25
The stench of vile rot permeated through her senses but only for as long as her words permeated through the world regardless the fact that she could smell its decay meant her plan was working! She simply needed to keep up the pressure. An unexpected arrival as well which only improved their chances she could settle this. Here and now if James could figure out what to do- wait he didn't know.

If she could still speak she could explain some of it to him but it was too little too late for that now, she needed to focus on what was truly important. The fact that the new arrival and James were familiar would help with his side of things. As long as they all had the same goal in the here and now it would work it had to. Black bolts once more came in pursuit of her she dove forwards, flicking her rifle behind her as she moved downwards from her vantage point. However the improved accuracy was not something she had expected, much less was it something she was actually paying attention towards her state of fixation enabling the danger to creep up on her just as it had nearly with the ritual the woman herself still unaware of it at all.

Thus did two bolts strike the Rein Weissritter, one impaling the lower wing and one striking the machine in its head, tearing off half the carapace to reveal a writhing mass underneath. Flicking its head back one could almost swear the machine itself looked at the Shiseiten in contempt, or perhaps that was merely a trick of the light. As it momentarily entered free fall the tail of the gun loosened something on the back of the Weissritter, falling off as the machine itself took off after the volley had passed. Two split missile pods fell down into the hole Johanna had made moments prior.
The Rein quickly flicking over to fire a beam from its wrist at them. A cascade of detonations, to dig deeper into the flesh.

But- she was on borrowed time. Things needed to be resolved quickly lest the pearl which she took from herself come back to haunt her.
 

Hitura Rael

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#26
Between the three of them, they should have been able to keep up enough of an onslaught to catch this cthulian horror off guard somewhere. He didn't care which one of them killed it, so long as it died and stayed dead. What better way to kill it than to introduce it to Genion's fist? Yet as he approached, it felt like it took far too long to cover that distance. Everything around him moving too slow, and a gnawing sense of dread screamed in the back of his head. He knew it was too late to stop whatever that creature was doing. The maw slowly opened, a symphony of rust grinding and pain echoed from the beast. Fear threatened to drag him down, yet there was comfort and calm in knowing it was too late, far too late.

The Genion's approach halted, announced by the metallic clang metal accelerated by gravity. Part of James was utterly disappointed by the lack of a cartoonish emphasis on the impact and tweety birds or stars. He stared at the wrench, stunned with relief before he recognized it-

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Merida snapped, her voice shaking.

"Adrian I could kiss you you magnificent bastard!" James cheerily shouted, almost as if trying to shout OVER the silence. "Right let's finish this. Merida, time for the new toy!"

Merida gave a nod and set to work, tapping furiously at the screen to activate the invocation program.

Genion held her hand out, a red ball of light flashing from it before zipping away in a streak of crimson and emerald. From the sky, a massive piece of equipment fell into her hands. This was it, the big gun. James had no intention of letting that thing live. He didn't like the idea; life was precious and killing was a violation of that belief. Yet, if he didn't, this thing would kill them and who knew how many more. One life for many. The greater good. He needed to learn to live with that.

Genion Boosted from the ground to hang in the air. Through the Quarreling Twins, he could sense the life force that pushed that eldritch horror. She hung there for a moment, suspended by her thrusters. James didn't know that he would be firing at the cockpit, that this creature was a machine piloted by a person. How could such a thing be anything more than a monster? The Bifrost cannon let loose, unleashing the full volley to rain down upon the creature's heart. Verdant beams lit up the fog, followed by electric blue orbs. Following the payload, the Genion dove at full speed, Bifrost extended. Unless that hulking monstrosity could move faster than Genion, it would not escape full impact or the pneumatic payload that she unleashed shortly after.

He prayed it was enough. Please, let it be enough.
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#27
"If what *we* have, is what you desire-"

The pair only seemed to pick up speed as the Shimesou’s claw grew and grew, ready to crush the Arietis it’s it’s vice grip. Faster and faster as the world seemed to get blurry as she tried to focus on crushing them-

But she wasn’t facing just the Ariestis.

While the red mobile weapon disappeared between its claws, the faint, cruel laughter the Ariestis faded away. The lie that disguised Chojin Zest fell away. The ball of energy that they had lobbed before had been none other than the alien themselves, now actively shouting at the silence as much as they could.

Rapidly growing beneath the Shitseiten, Zest was ready to do her part to try and kill this god, as light seemed to gather around her upturned fist.

“Suffer! Spectrum Blade!”

The titan would just shout as she aimed the massive blade of energy towards the gap in the beast’s “ribs-“ praying to skewer the whole thing through.
 

GEAR

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#28
Fire rained down on the Shiseiten, the abomination that loomed over the battlefield, between life and death, a testament to the horrors that lay between life and death. The defenders gave as good as they took, both sides hammering the other - and something had to give.

Johanna's gunfire and missiles bore bloody holes in the creature's surface, tearing gashes in its musculature where fountains of unnatural-looking, clear blood-like substance began to congeal. Yet, in a surprising turn of events... the Dimensional Power, the Origin Law that once again surged forth to flow over the wounds, attempting to mend them, seemed... slower. Weaker.

Something tugged at the back of her mind. The Sphere, the Truthful Goat, doing its best to draw her attention, even as she drank ever deeper of its power. That was the danger, of course - with every passing second, the risk to her grew, but without its power she was as good as dead. How much longer could she hold out for?

The mighty Bifrost cannon opened up at full bore, a blitz of power that seemed to catch the nightmare by surprise. Particle beams and photon missiles blasted apart teeth and chiton, and James' heavy hammer strike came down hard on the creature's surface with such earth-shattering force that it rocked perilously, thick, bloody cracks spreading across its surface. Once again, the Dimensional Power rippled - it trembled at James' feet, and the sensation as it washed over him, briefly touching the heart of the Genion itself, was... electrifying.

Time seemed to slow, and his eyes were drawn to the mound on the monster's back, not far from him. There was the prize he sought, the Sphere seemed to be saying to him, pushing him forward.

His destiny awaited.

As James flying hammer smashed into the beast's exterior, so too did the giant come from underneath. The Shiseiten's flesh broke - mended - and broke again as two wills clashed, Lasfitot itself flowing forth to renew its champion's strength as Chojin Zest's blade pushed up, perilously close to the beast's heart. And yet-

No counter-strike seemed to be forthcoming. Perhaps it was simply too dazed to respond, too shocked by the sudden counterattack at its neck - but even as this realization emerged, a Magic Circle pulsed into being at Zest's feet beneath the Shiseiten, and the Dimensional Boundaries again began to shiver and quake-




Within the depths of the creature, Pallid Mask lifted its shaking fingers from the creature's throne of bone. Rivulets of blood ran between his fingers. He could feel it cascading down his face, his body, pooling about his feet. The pain had long since been silenced - he felt nothing, same as ever - but that did not mean he did not recognize the damage that was being transferred to him.

Something was wrong.

The Sphere's power was fading. There was something here it couldn't silence, like the insistent pounding of a hammer on an anvil, echoing through the back of his mind. Without woe, without panic, he patiently followed his thoughts back into the past - to the sequence of events that had led them here. Of the information they had received pertaining to the location of the Gemini Sphere, and the trap they would spring.

No, he realized.

The truth was far worse than he had imagined.

They had been overconfident.

A wave of a hand, and Cassilda's visage materialized before him, her expression rigid with concern.

"We have been led into a trap." He said, flatly.

A gasp escaped the Pontiff's lips, her features turning bleach white as the Reactor of the Silent Crab spoke his first words in what must have been a millennia of silence.

"Prepare to return to Carcossa immediately."




Cassilda closed the communication link - and her Shimeisou went full tilt at the exposed back of Chojin Zest. No matter what, she thought - No matter what, they can't be allowed to take the Sphere-

"Get AWAY from-!"

There was a sudden, horrible GA-CHUNK noise, and the air in her lungs vanished. The Gunleon's wrench, swung with deceptive speed, was affixed tightly about the Shimeisou's body. How? How? That was all she could think. How could such a clumsy looking-

"Hey, lady."

A friendly-sounding voice crackled to life over the intercom. The Shimeisou's eye rolled about crazily in its carapace, focusing on the Gunelon's face. One of its legs pinned the fiddler-like oversized claw to the ground, leaving the other to flail ineffectually, wriggling against the air.

"Heretics!" She spat, "You who defy the true God...! You, ALL of you will be punished-!"

The young man's eyes rolled, and she shook his head in faux-dismay. He was taking his time, watching as the others unleashed their fury upon the Shiseiten, as if enjoying the spectacle.

"Yeah..." He said airily.

"Nah."

Adrian smiled, coldly. It was accompanied by a metallic cracking and crumpling that was almost deafening in volume as the gigantic wrench's claw began to contract, with the Shimeisou's body held firmly in its grasp.

"...I've dealt with enough phony Gods for one lifetime."

As everything went dark, as the walls closed in, pressing firmer, sharper with every passing second, crushing her, the Pontiff only barely managed to cry out a final, anguished scream:

"L-Lord Lasfitot!"

The black Shimeisou's body detonated in a blast of explosive fury, scattering viscera all over the Gunleon. Unperturbed, Adrian turned his attention back to the Crab, and its reactor, eyeing the magic circle beneath it. Now that the Sphere's power was weakening, they should all be able to hear him properly:

"Let's hit it with everything we've got!" He yelled, as the Gunleon moved into position, foot-mounted tracks sending it hurtling across the ground in pursuit of Chojin Zest.

"It's now or never!"
 

Hitura Rael

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#29
The sphere called to him.

It was there, before him, ripples cascading from it's epicenter in discordant waves. He did not notice the silence broken around him, the death of the Pontiff, there was only one thing on his mind now. If he could pull that sphere loose, this monster would lose all power, no longer a threat. Yet even with that tunnel vision, something stood out at the back of his mind.


Discord all around him, as if hovering below the surface of a still pond, each sphere giving off it's own rippling pulse. Each pulse flowed out of synch with one another, yet his subconsciousness could pick out each distinct note within the song pattered out on the surface, drummed out by unseen water droplets. The Silencing pulse grew weaker, the rest thrummed, ready to strike. Yet... there was a danger in this simultaneous strike. His desire to protect his allies and put an end to the threat embraced that electrical thrum of Gemini's resonation, and like an invisible hand reached out to each impact point of the ripples, willing the sphere's energy into them and resetting the drops to cascade in a harmonious flow, to play a cascading melody upon the surface of that pond in the harmonious melody of battle.

Such discord... he couldn't allow them to harm each other on accident. Genion's hands glowed with verdant energy, streaming off the surface in gentle wisps. James' conscious thoughts shifted subtly, heart beating to the tempo of unified efforts. Genion leapt up and hung in the air until her time came in the symphony of destruction to bear down on the giant crab one final time.

Johanna, Zest, and Adrian's blows would come, sundering the crab further and then...

Genion dove to land once more upon the back of the beast, hands plunging into flesh and gore to pull the source of it's power free, hopefully in time to halt this creature from further devastation.
 

MKR

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#30
This was it, the moment she had told James to perform. It couldn't be anything else with the Shiseiten trying to scurry away like a pest caught by the flashlight of an exterminator. This was the moment, the moment where she could convey every second of anguish, every moment where her eyes were closed and she saw it looming over Belfast. This- this was where she could exact her vengeance.

The tail of her rifle was slung over her shoulder, latching on to prevent it from falling as the hands of the Rein Weissritter went forwards. A deep inhale, this was the perfect moment to use that power on loan from herself. Directing it with the guidance of the seeker of truth to bring about a change. The two become one, a balanced whole. She grinned as her red eyes stared down at the carnage James was wreaking. This answer, exsanguinated from the break in silence before. By harmonizing the spheres, and striking at the reactor. The one of two can be divided.

She laughed, the hollow sound feeling like it came from outside with the muffler over existence being weakened but still there. She let the power of the integrated pearl flow through her machine, towards the sphere of the Goat, glowing radiantly with power as she set her focus on the beast below. The wonderful part was that a clean divide wasn't even required, she just needed to separate them into two piles. Not to have those two piles make sense.
The Rein Weissritter began pulling at the air, exerting a herculean effort to seemingly move only a few particles of air.

But the true occurrence was much grander. A change in fate, undoing what had been done in this moment of weakness. She pulled and she pulled, aiming to tear the evil god from the creature's carapace. There was a danger, she felt ringing in her head. It could wait until later. She was busy.
She pulled and she tugged, and then. Ripped through the air.. That should do it, if all the requirements had been met.

She breathed, slow and methodical.

Why wasn't she happy?

She blinked.

Why could she still see the beast in that darkness...

It was beaten, running and dying. Being divided at its very core by her herself. Why was she still afraid of it! She had power, purpose and more now. So. Why. Was. IT NOT ENOUGH. She wasn't the same scared girl at the battle of Belfast anymore, now she was the Reactor of the Curious Goat but still she could smell the damp rot of that prison where she was taken only to be found by her saviors.

Tears welled up at her eyes, it wasn't fair. It should fear her as much as she feared it but even as it had limped away for its life it was a hollow joy. She laughed but for who... She slammed her hand into the controls in frustration.
"How dare you!" She sputtered half heartedly. In defiance of her own fears and frustrations. This beast of numbness was not allowed to make her feel!

Finally her frustration and fixation aimed at the Shiseiten faded, whether or not she had been successful being pushed out of the way by a distraction.
Right, that danger. Wet eyes looked around, trying to find what and why. Wait who was that new arrival even. It wasn't grave danger anymore but her eyes settled on the Gunleon as she wiped them dry and sniffed through her nose.
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#31
As the battle seemed to be reaching its climax, the wave of influence coming off of “James” or whatever their name is was… Helpful.

Chojin Zest spun themselves on their heels, blade still shoved into the guts of the monster, and then the magic circle forming beneath them. That could only be bad, so the titan took their actions as quickly as they could. Stomping into the landscape and dragging themselves through and out from under the titan, the glowing, fantastical blade would travel as far through the bastard as they could, dropping it as soon as the resistance became too great.

And as soon as that happened, Zest quickly jumped out of the way of his allies, tumbling out of the magic circle. Looking back over their shoulder with one last potential lie in an attempt to boost their own resolves.

“I believe in you, Goat!”
 
Last edited:

GEAR

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#32

Fire consumed the Shiseiten. The very judgment of the righteous Heavens was at hand. Try as it might, the monster was unable to remove itself from the maelstrom of pain that consumed it. The Sphere of the Curious Goat supernova'd in the skies above it, its Reactor pushing it to lengths that it never even knew it had - and even Pallid mask, framed below in its neon-verdant light, seemed to tremble in fear as the power of Truth asserted itself over the silence.

As if in slow motion, the light that shrouded the Shiseiten seemed to congeal and amass, as though it were being violently dragged into reality. A visage - a pair of scales, framed in the most desolate, flickering light. The face of Rasumno Lasfitot, Evil God of Balance, stared straight at Johanna, its face seemingly emerging from the flesh mound atop Shiseiten's back in a silent scream.

It reached, as though attempting to tear the woman's soul free for her insolence, a phantom hand gliding through space towards her chest-

But she was saved, because she was not alone.

James surged forward, Genion's arms glowing, pulverizing apart the layers of chiton that separated him from his prize with flowing, flawless strikes that would have made his tutors on Luna weep with pride. A hand plunged down, deep into the depths of the creature - and grasped its heart, its very essence, the Sphere that it contained.

At the same time, the giant's fist rose up from below - and dealt the final, fatal blow. Perhaps Zest would even have felt the creature's heartbeat grow still about her outstretched arm, for it was no more.

A bright light pulsated out of the Sphere of the Silent Crab, grasped in James' hand as he tore it free in a spray of viscera, blood and bone. From below, the Pallid Mask could only watch... and bow his head.

For how many years had they waited for this day? When emotion, raw and pure, coursed through his body once more. It reminded him of fairer times, when he had a name, a face, and a plan for the world. How had they fallen prey to such a terrible fate? It mattered not.

Now, the denizens of Carcossa would be truly free.

His voice echoed in James' head - the first to hear it in over a thousand years of silence.

"Very well. This victory is yours." - It said, aged and fait, like the rustling of old parchment, barley more than a whisper.

"Death... The final mercy.. The greatest responsibility... Now it too, will rest on your shoulders, son of the Moon. We... shall never forget your kindness."

...And with that, Pallid mask's robes fell to the floor, as though they were never occupied to begin with. Unable, or perhaps unwilling to accept that it had been defeated, Lasfitot's astral form elicited a final shriek of hatred and fury, before it too vanished in a massive explosion as the Shiseiten was finally, finally, vanquished.

1637823021306.png

Yet, as the moment of triumph was near-

The fiend, the one who had orchestrated the entire series of events, made their move.



Gunleon's Cockpit

"Nrrrghhh...!"

His head pounded, like a pair of sledgehammers were going to work on the inside of his skull.

"Adrian"... Or rather, Ze'ev wanted to vomit from the sheer force exerting itself upon him. That god-damn Crab had fought him all the way to the end - as soon as the Reactor had realized his invitation was nothing more than a trap. Still, it didn't matter - not even as the taste of his own blood dripping from his eyes, his mouth, his ears, mingled with his senses. It almost blocked out the bitter taste of the thirty or fortieth pain-pill he had gnashed down. Keeping his own three from joining the chorus was taking everything he had, and then some.

He hadn't spent months training just to let this moment slip by. The Dreaming Twin Fishes had been clear as to who his target was, the opportunity that would reveal itself to him, if he followed its dictates carefully. The next step towards his dream, his future, was before him now.

The time had come.

The Swaying Scales... Attuning himself to them had been no small feat, even considering its compatibility with the "Fishes". It was something that would have been better served in the hands of a sniper, rather than a jack-of-all-trades such as himself... But he'd found a way to make it work.

James Steelheart was not his quarry today.

(Adnachiel the General...! Today, you will fall before me!)

As the hero's body twisted away from Shiseiten, rolling across the floor to safer ground, the moment the Sphere had shown him arrived. The Gunelon, already moving within Chojin Zest's shadow, changed its approach ever-so-slightly - and rose into the air, its intent masked by the Silent Crab. At the precise moment that the final blow was truck, that Zest's focus was directed towards Shiseiten-

pngegg.png
Gathering all of his focus, all of his Determination, the Maou-Ken dropped into his waiting hand, hidden behind the machine's back. The blade was ripped forward, imbued with the single-minded focus of the Swaying Scales, into the heart of Chojin Zest - with such force that it would protrude through the great galactic hero's chest, punching all the way through.

Were it to land, the Shurouga, now shed of its disguise, would plant its foot upon the giant's back, and tear its blade free - along with the prize it sought,
 

Hitura Rael

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#33
Genion plunged her hand deep into the monstrosity and pulled out the heart of the beast. Verdant energy shined through the slimey streaks of clouded, yellow stkreaed mucosal blood. James flinched at the sight, a shudder ran down his spine. Thank the pale lady he did NOT have to smell this. The orb sank down into Genion's hand, disappearing from sight. The voice drifted through his head, a light touch soon lost upon the wind. He really should get used to those. They seem to come a lot more lately.

"Rest well, lost souls." He muttered, before getting a kick to the back of the head from his partner.




Merida did not watch the violence rained down on the crab. Since the arrival of her brother things felt... off. Adrian was not a fighter, why was he here? He hated fighting, he hated to even THINK of being used for battle. She knew... after he murdered that person, whoever she was. She knew it was not him. Questions flooded her through out the fight, but one outed him entirely. How did he know where they were? Neither told him. James had fought hard to keep Adrian from becoming a member of the fighting forces and had won. Selene would not betray that so easily lest she risked James fucking off again, the flighty bastard.

And so she kept an eye on him the fight, from the moment she figured it out- the moment he murdered in cold blood. And true to thought, he moved when everyone was distracted. He could well be going to help the Zest, yes... that could be apologized for later if that was the case. "Zest, look out! Gunleon approaching from your six!"



Genion turned, forced to watch the Gunleon- no... the crow make a go at the Zest.
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#34
Heavy breaths followed, the pained visage of the evil god drawing itself in her mind like they were being etched into stone, a slab to be preserved for ages to come. The remains of a dead thing, yet still still it gave her chills. Even knowing she was safe from it forever was not enough to put her at ease. The cracks on the Weissritter's face growing worse suddenly.

The 'tears' painted over the machine's face becoming suddenly a lot clearer. Johanna suddenly perking up, how? She wondered, after all her own attempts why had this worked. A mix of emotions entered her, flowing and intermingling from one to another. The sight of the Genion below however provided a clarity, a unification of the spheres. An unintended but far from unwelcome side effect of this battle.

And then further there was the Gunleon, suddenly making its move.
"Watch out- Archer!" She called out, though she was not exactly in a condition to help. Not that the Weissritter wasn't combat able anymore no. The silence passing away had unearthed the feelings it had coated.

It was as if she was boiling.

The energy that was coursing through the pure white knight, that borrowed power. The time had come to pay that debt, it was too much to handle anymore. She- she herself much too exhausted from stress and effort to keep it in line for long either. The green vines across the machine began to show technicolor lights, as if pure neon had been poured into its veins.

Mere moments until detonation. If it blew here everyone here was dead, but she wouldn't allow herself to die either. Her gaze passed to the fading horizon, the echo of the mirage still painted across the Siberian skyline.
"I'll be back- stay alive. All of you!"
With the one threat disposed she wasn't about to allow any more of her test subjects to kill one another for a while. A black void erupted from behind the Rein Weissritter, blue flames encircling it. The machine retreating into it as it closed behind her. She knew exactly where to leave the gift from the Abend the route had been shown to her.




In the putrid yellow sky, filled with the fog so dreaded moments before, a black portal appeared. Blue lights dangled in sight, reflecting off of the nearby buildings bathing it in an unusual hue. Through it, almost majestically in its stillness moved a white knight. A trait beloved by the denizens of this realm but moments prior. But, with their hearts freed from the shackles of stillness who knew how they could feel.

The green vines which constituted most of its form were beginning to snap, like they were being turned dry. Every trace of wet life being boiled within, as such when it arrived a cloud of smoke began to follow. White smoke intermingling with the golden mist causing the foreign colors to grow worse with every moment.
There was however, no time to rejoice or cower in the presence of this foreign entity, this intruder in the once sacred land.

There was a crack like a dead branch breaking in twain, the machine leaning forward almost lazily. A piece of plating suddenly began to melt. Dripping white hot 'metal' onto any unfortunate passerby below. Though, that was far from the worst of it. As the source of why the hole in the plating was perfectly circular as a light much more intense than the warm blue glow or the reddened veins suddenly cast down through the fog.

The pearl, sliding through the carapace of the machine. Melting anything that barred its path during its descent fell down out of the hole and into the fog. Simultaneously and much more hastened then before the white knight retreated through its portal. The black void vanishing with it, leaving only the miniature sun plummeting through the realm of Lasfitot illuminating all before it.

Until without further warning- Supernova.
 
Nov 12, 2018
135
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#35
They had done it- They had eviscerated the eldritch creature in a glorious display of viscera and gore- The feeling of watching Shiseiten was cathartic, even. For the first time in forever, Zest felt like they finally felt like they deserved their power. That they finally understood what they were on this planet to do. To protect. To fight alongside these humans properly... Even the Goat...

"Millicent, meet me at these coordinates, I want to rendevous wi-"

And in fractions of a second, the world turned against Indigo. Sudden cries of panic over the comms, their body starting to tense up as they started to turn around-

The sickening feeling of a cold blade piercing through her chest, and the numbing of her body...

Time seemed to slow down as Zest began to fall, blacking out...

..................

...........................

............................................................

She was back home. Just another warrior, fueled by the light of a dimming star, a piece of which was placed into the heart of every being and hero on Ura Tora. She was Ao, nothing special. Just another Minor soldier, staring at the Hall of the Archers...

Then came the end. Countless "Heros" throwing themselves at the ES Wave, attempting to stall it through their sheer power- All failed, earning naught but seconds against the calamity. Ao, desperate to buy any time for her people, committed high treason- Stealing her wave into the Hall of the Archer and stealing the relic within- Flying into the ES wave screaming, terrified, and alone, haphazardly shoving the sphere into their chest and-

......................................

Now he was alone again. After everything tbey had gone through, in the end he was alone... Feeling the blade of the monster being pulled from their chest, no chances of survival...

They were not going to die here...

There was no escape for us them.

They hoped that Millicent would wouldn't mind the mess wouldn't cry too-

"Who the hell is-?"

"I'm the big lie, obviously. And I'm what's going to keep you going. You aren't just going to give up like that, are you? Or are you just as much of a coward as you claimed you weren't?"

"What?! N-No! I'm not-"

"Then enough with the oxcrap you moron. Are you really going to let everything stop now? What about Kenneth? What about Milli??"

"But I'm dying, yeah?"

"You don't decide when you die. I get to decide when you die. Now don't let them down yet, you moron."

............................

The body of Chojin Zest seemed to seize up as the blade was drawn from it's temporary sheathe, fluids pouring out from their body as Ze'ev waited for his prizes... But the bastard would find himself waiting. Without the influence of the Gemini, the single minded determination of the Swaying Scales would have claimed the Archer today. But his cut was not as clean as he wished- And Zest would not let him stand in their way- Their battle was not over. Not until she had found the reactor of the Maiden- Not until the Goat explained herself- And not until she could fight no longer-

With a roar of anger, the titan threw itself upswards, shooting dramatically in size as they struggled against their own body- Throwing the Shurouga off of their back, as the Crow would meet a hundred meter tall people’s elbow coming for them, fueled with rage and righteous indignation-
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#36
What the last thoughts of the Carcossans were will never be known. All that was certain was that as the Weissritter disgorged its hellish prize, shivering and distorting, a drop of dissent in a sea of calm, it fell towards the city below in the characteristic silence of the place. And then-

An explosion. No, it would be more akin to a shockwave of pure Dimensional Power that punched out from the generator, swallowing everything in its path. Reality itself was swept aside, bending and rippling, as the mother of all Dimensional Quakes unfolded before the Curious Goat's very eyes - along with its precious stores of irreplaceable magic tomes, never to be known to mankind again.

Perhaps some things were best left to the abyss.




To say that Ze'ev was taken aback was an understatement. As Zest reared up before him, his eyes were as wide as saucers, and as the titan came crashing down, he was almost rooted to the spot with fear from the sheer power the Sphere was exuding. Or, was it perhaps something else that caused his feet to tarry, not to dart away to safety as he would have otherwise?

No, Zest's outstretched elbow came crashing down with the force of of a collapsing skyscraper on the Shurouga's head, compacting it instantly into its body, carrying the both of them to the earth below, where its body smashed deep into rock in a cloud of dust, arms outstretched, frozen in defiant claws that grasped at the skies, twitching like insects. For a moment, it seemed as if it was over - as if a single, mighty blow had felled the Dimensional Reaper, that justice had triumphed over the back-stabber, the murderer-

"Paaaaiiin..."​

With a crunch, the black crow's head uncompressed itself in a horrible, unnatural way, looking to an observer as though time itself were rewinding - but there was a terrible, neon green glow in its eyes, on spreading all across its entire body, as it channeled its newfound power in the most raw and potent way imaginable, Ze'ev's voice rising in volume until it was almost deafening.

"SHOUUUTEEEEEEERRR!!!"
The light in the Reaper's body exploded in the most literal of senses. The Wounded Lion, repaying the pain it was given a hundred thousand fold, in the form of a cataclysmic explosion that tore out from the Shurouga, ripping at the world around it, a pillar of blinding energy that swallowed the two combatants, stretching up into the sky itself, shredding and clawing at Zest's body with enough force to rend it apart wholesale.

A battle of the juggernauts, the two most physically powerful Spheres brought into conflict with one another in a conflict of strength. One, or the other, would bend - but which?
 

Hitura Rael

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Sep 29, 2018
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#37
James stared, frozen by the scene unfolding before him in slow motion. The Shurouga at the Giant's back, blade plunged into their back. The Zest turned to fight back. This bastard had disguised himself as Gunleon- as Adrian- and lured them into a sense of security. He could do nothing, frozen, torn between the rage that ate at his very soul, the anger that threatened to consume all if not kept in check. It tore at the back of his mind, a caged beast thrashing and pounding against it's restraints and cage, against those who dared to hold it there against it's will.

Merida's hands came to rest on the console of the GAI. There was nothing she could do to help the Zest at the moment. It was down to them. Grief snapped at the corners of her mind, but this wasn't the first time she went through this. No... Not close to the first time. How many times had she lost Adrian? To his injury, to his hospitalization, to his addiction, to his withdrawal? Yes. She'd done this before... and she knew how to cope. Emotion was a burden on the job. She could grieve later. Her voice became a pale shadow of itself, as if all life had been drained from her and left a robot in her place. "Get back, if he has the sphere my brother carried it has a powerful blast that will wipe you out!" Her glance turned down to James, "Are you going to sit there or are you going to help?" No response came, and the power began to flicker before fading.

James' hands gripped the controls tightly, his breaths coming in short sharp bursts. His chest felt tight in the silence broken only by the ringing screaming in his ears. Rage slammed against it's cage, screaming defiance into the silence. His throat felt tight, a child desperately trying to prevent disaster.

Let me out!

A whimper escaped his lips.

Free me child! I will have his blood! I will tear him apart and feed him his own limbs one by one- I will drink his blood and paint the ground with his corpse-

The beast loomed over the boy, massive wings stretched to beat at the cage containing it, cracks splitting across the sphere of it's prison. The beast's narrow slited eyes trained on him, bloodthirsty, ready to consume all. Fangs glinted in it's beaked maw, another hellish screech piercing the silence of his mind. The boy flinched, balance waivered.

I will have his head! All who oppose me shall perish!

He faltered, and stumbled back to his knees, the cracks worstened. Around him shards of pale green crashed to the floor, throwing shards of burning white light into the air before winking out into darkness. The monster reached with it's claws, digging it's talons into the holes of the failing prison.

Merida frowned, aware of the din around her in the darkness, the pain shouter audible even through the powered down state of Genion. With a faint flicker of annoyance, she climbed over her seat to stand by James. Her hands lightly laid on his. Her head pressed against his to whisper softly in his ear.


A voice crashed over the child and the monster like a gentle wave lapping at the beach; calm and clarion. "You do not get to fall apart right now. You are needed." A large talon clutched around the pearl of the cage, compressing it in the claws. Above him, a large tawny bird stared down with beady eyes. The voice resonated again. "I will not allow you to lose yourself. This loss is NOT yours to grieve. Now- Wake up James Steelheart, the battle is not yet over."

The fleeting feeling of being a child, paralyzed by fear and hate was gone. The beast could scream and roar all it wanted, but the cage would not falter, not again. He would NOT lose himself to that part of him again. He could not be that tyrant, that monster who would burn the world to spite one man. James' hands eased on the controls as he closed his eyes and drew in slow deep breaths. The tightness in his chest eased, his throat loosened. With one final exhale, Genion's eyes flickered brightly as power flowed once more from the sphere.

His cheeks burned now that he was back to reality and found Merida in such close proximity. "Thank you," he exhaled, then turned his hand to grip hers. "Back me up, and forgive me for everything I'm about to say."
 

MKR

Moderator
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Aug 19, 2018
626
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#38
Moments after the black void in the sky had vanished a blue flame lit up high in the air. Followed by another, and another more followed until a perfect circle stood in the air. Darkness materialized between the fragments of blue, a portal to the vastness of nothing. Now however, it also came from nothing as Carcossa was reduced to naught. Many, but not all, would say it was a deserved fate. An echo, karma even, from Belfast now returned to the spiraling city of yellow. Corrupted by the god of balance to a place of stillness.

In a similar vein, did the Rein Weissritter return. Dangling in the sky above the tracks, bent over and still emitting steam from every available orifice. It was true, her intentions on returning had been considerably noble all in all. She had promised she would return after all, but without the continued unifying presence of the Gemini and with the sight of that black machine fresh in her mind.

Suffice to say, she was returning but not quite for the same reasons anymore.

The bent over remains of the Rein Weissritter peered down on the battlefield, the brilliant gem on its face giving a dim red hue. It wouldn't be wrong to say it was observing. Within its cockpit Johanna was essentially plastered onto the screen peering down as life returned to the machine itself, dried up limbs regaining their luscious green hues, the newly formed perfect circle in the chest plating slowly but surely patching itself up as the alien biology of the machine got to work, she had her attention elsewhere.

"The Lion, when did...." She muttered to herself, it must have happened while she was away from the Weissritter, it was a pity to never get to see the Lion act on its own but that thought was driven away by the immensity the black machine represented. Her fingertips ran over the heated display, scorching themselves. She wanted it, to put it in a cage and just.. Watch.

When she was young she had this little bird, a gift of her fathers to keep her busy while he was away. She could sit there and watch it for hours, this was bringing back memories of that simpler time when the worst she had to worry about was scoring low on a Dutch test. Of course things were different, and this bird did more than just sing. It roared like a lion.

"What else can you do." It was like this thing existed purely to occupy her, like that little bird had. How many tricks, how many secrets. "Show me it, all of it."
 
Nov 12, 2018
135
0
6
#39
The feeling of having your skin slowing torn off cell by cell was, to no real surprise, agonizing. Lost in a field of blighting light, Chojin Zest felt themselves be deafened. The feeling of helplessness that had filled them as they faced the death of their planet… But this was more important.



All that was standing between this marauder and their “allies” was… Themself. Filled with agony and pain…



“It’s a shame… I never got to realize it’s true potentially….”



Suddenly, the light would seemingly cease in it’s entirety- revealing Zest standing with their palms pressed to the chest of the Shuroga. Their eyes and the crystal on their chest were glowing with the same painful green that had filled area moments before.



“But neither will you. You’ll never be worthy of the Archer. You stand against nothing.”



There was a sickening crack- no movement from Zest, no attack- but a fracture appeared on her face, a crack running down her cheek.



“You’re a coward. And I will haunt you. For the rest of your days. The same way that he haunts me.”



Chojin zest would pull back her hand, a beam of orange light forming between the two, thrumming with energy-



“I’m going to protect these people to my dying breath. And you’re going to leave us. Now.”





“Spectrum Finale- EMPTY QUIVER-!”



The crystal timer imbedded in Chojin Zest’s chest shattered. Every ounce of the Pain Shouter she could redirect through herself, and every ounce of light from her own Sphere engulfed the Shuroga.



An Ultimate Act of Defiance. Never truely succumbing to fear… And that would seal her fate.



Chojin Zest would not could not falter.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#40
"WHAT?"

1638203067071.png

Zest's hands grasped its foe in a death grip. Both of them were in too deep now. There was no turning back. Even so, Ze'ev still believed. He knew the path that fate had laid out to him. The path to his dream. He would not falter, he would not give a single inch, for the greatest power of all was at its back. So... How?

How could this be happening to him?


Bolts of Dimensional Power lashed the two combatants together, their eyes locked in a kaleidoscopic Hell that was shaking the very foundations of L'Isola - a swaying pendulum of ultimate power that had to, at some point, cut one way or the other. The light was blinding now, the pain was near omnipresent, but he clung on doggedly, even as it ravaged his body, even as bone and sinew knit itself back together as quickly as it was blistered away, his eyes practically boiling in their sockets, his bones and teeth being clawed at by forces beyond his comprehension.

And the god damn thing was talking to him, its voice reverberating all through his body as the Shurouga broke apart. The power was too much! It was swallowing both of them up, dragging them towards the Causal Horizon - and nothing awaited him there that he ever needed to see again. He'd glimpsed it once - the ultimate end of infinity, from whence nothing could return - and he felt its presence nearing them once again.

"T-This is impossible!" He said, voice reverberating across time and space to Zest;

"How can this be!?"

Something had to give - and he could already sense the ground giving way beneath him. Everything was going white. Even so, he refused to let go - one hand reaching defiantly toward the light, towards possibility, even as a hundred million futures flickered before him, doors shutting in all directions. Had he been wrong? Had he finally pushed past the breaking point?

1638203274382.png

He could feel it now. He was so close to the source of all truth. To the Akashic Record. To destiny itself. If he merely reached out, if he could just extend his fingers the tiniest bit more, he could touch it-

Or... was he just a stepping stone for them to fulfill his dream?

In spite of himself, his features forced themselves up into a mad, bloody grin.

"This power is-! Aaah, AAAAAAAAGH-!"

1638203556237.png

An earth-shattering explosion ripped across the battlefield as the built up Dimensional Power between the two combatants was finally discharged. A pillar of power that arced towards the skies, twisting left and right, devouring and warping everything it touched. Reality shivered and shook, as though all that is, was, and ever was sensed the impact of the two infinite forces colliding. Nothing like it had ever been seen before, a contest of unbreakable wills manifesting - but only one could stand tall.

When it receded... There was no trace of the Shurouga. Nothing but blistering chunks of black debris nailed into the earth below seemed to remain of the man who had challenged destiny.