I Was Translocated to a Parallel World and Now I Have to Fight Giants?! (Crescentia Route)

[VeraC]

September 18th, OE 102
Citadel City, Perindor
Perindor Citadel Square

It was a rather quiet day, though windy at the least. Dark clouds hung overhead, blocking out the sun from shining on the city. The white bricks that formed the entirety of the Citadel’s square looked gray in tone, with several, similarly-colored columns lining the circumference of the area. The city-workers had spent the past few months working on designing this area, for the idea Heidel had in methods to eliminate the Giants from Crescentia. It was something never done before, perhaps only talked about as if a rumor or legend, but such words were likely false; Heidel had lived long enough to know that.

And yet, perhaps she was crazy, but it seemed like it could work. With the power of SeiOhKi, such a technique maybe wasn’t that crazy to pull off. That said, there was only one way to find out.

Towering at one end of the square, SeiOhKi stood majestically, its arms placed on the grip of Colbrand, which was placed in the ground at its feet, the lengthy red cape flowing off its shoulders and cascading down to the ground. Its single, visible, green eye looked down upon the square, as if waiting. Lined behind each Pillar, the newest machines of the Crescentian Kingdom stood, their large and bulky forms hulking over the square, yet still dwarfed by SeiOhKi.

From between SeiOhKi's legs, Heidel walked forward, with her ten knights in tow, all walking in a v-formation. In Heidel’s arms, the Relic weapon Bahamut was gripped in her hands, a solemn look on her face. As they reached the perimeter of the square, the ten knights spread out, each standing in front of a column, and Heidel standing at the base of SeiOhKi.

“Let us begin.”

Heidel spoke.

“SeiOhKi! Heed my call! Lend me your strength! The strength to reach across the dimensions, across time and space and bring forth allies that will aid us in our plight!”

As if responding to her voice, the Green Gem in the torso of the machine began to glow faintly, as the Aquarius reactor woke from its slumber. Heidel's eyes grew dull, and her voice cold. The area began to glow, as golden particles seemingly began to rise from the ground, ascending higher and higher, up to the sky and into the clouds. Then as if an explosion in the atmosphere occured, the clouds were forcibly parted, allowing the sun to peer through directly overhead.

“To those who heed us, If it is within my power, I shall grant you the wish that you desire. For both yours and ours’, our worlds are in great peril, and only with our power combined do we dare stand a chance against the forces that are to come.”

The particles grew denser and denser, before forming an entire pillar of golden light that pierced the heavens and radiated the Citadel’s square.

“SeiOhKi! Bring forth our allies! Begin Translocation!”

 

[Tyran]

She liked to think that she had folded her arms somewhere during the insistent relocation, but be that as it may her arms certainly were folded when she could feel being in a physical setting again.

Even if it was blinded by light at the moment.

Thankfully that little nuisance didn't last for long after she arrived from the magical kidnapping. She had just gotten out of staring at the same walls and ceiling for far too long and she really didn't want to stare at blinding light for another eternity.

She had been dragged into a fantasy land, judging by the make of the buildings and wasn't that just interesting, but she could ponder more on that later. Instead her eyes scanned over the square, locking into each of the knights for a brief moment as she scanned it for likely sources of danger, before focusing on Heidel and SeiOhKi behind her. At least Vernie had been dragged with her she noted as she did a little spin around herself, and the demonic looking Autowarlock had even folded its arms. Wasn't that just precious.

She gave the apparent summoner - and really what magic had dragged her here? It hadn't felt like a Dogma so Prana based then? She didn't know that they could accomplish something like this but then again she really didn't know much about that side of what most people coined magic so that wasn't really all that surprising.

Hm, she was a bit too far for civilized shouting so Laura started skipping towards Heidel, ears erect and tail swaying, giving her a sharp grin. Though the amusement did not reach her eyes.

Because really, while this was definitely an interesting turn of events she had still been kidnapped out of the blue with magic, hadn't even so much as asked before yoinking her into whatever this place was! And kidnapping with magic was a terrible thing to think, much less to say so she'd need to think of something better. At least it was one way to kickstart her solo career.

"In case you weren't aware this counts as a kidnapping." Laura cheerfully informed her. "Well, kidnapping isn't really all that accurate of a term considering that I'm not a child and I certainly hope that anyone else you non-consensually yoinked weren't kids either. Foxnapping maybe? Adultnapping? ....Magicnapping?"

She skirted to a halt, and adopted an attempt at a heroic and serious pose that was rather laughable. "My name is Laura Woodweaver. Now how did you manage to fuck up so badly to be desperate enough to yank people you don't know across time and space in a desperate ploy to do something you'll need to tell us?"

Her eyes widened in clearly faked panic. "And please don't tell me it's just to be cannon fodder because then this was an embarrassing way to do it and I'd like to think better of my kidnappers - by the by is this an everyday occurrence here? The whole not asking for consent thing? I'd like to know for future reference."

 

[Franz_Korderos]

In the many many food stalls of Seoul, South Korea, there was a type of burger that was made with the local ingredients of the country. It wasn't big and it wasn't small. It was of perfect size, one that fits snugly between one's hands, and it had two patties stacked on top of each other with the usual melted cheese. However, on top of the topmost piece of delicious beef were a healthy dose of kimchi instead of the more traditional shredded cabbage and the even more traditional lettuce.

His South Korean employee swore by it, bragging its merits and describing it in detail as much as he can. The location was also described to him when he asked.

Asem has never eaten a burger before. His house's chef is someone from a five-star restaurant, with a Michigan star to boot.

He didn't make burgers and thus his employer hasn't eaten a burger at home either.

And, from the looks of things, Asem still could not eat a burger either.

There were people looking at him, until one shouted and they scattered away from him. Even to the mundane people, it was quite clear that something was happening. Asem frowned, green hair whipping back and forth as whatever force has got his very being in its firm grasp was starting to ... pull.

He blinked.

This wasn't an attack.

Before the world in front of him vanished, he tugged on that simple and well-maintained spell that was always active inside his brain.

Deenbell, his thoughts burned like words of power, come to me.

In the blink of an eye, the world vanished like a painting in reverse.

Then it was painted again, but with different colors and possibly even a different paintbrush.

Asem was inside the control hub of his powerful autowarlock.

Shouldn't he be vomiting? That was how these stories should go, right? Strange. That "light novel" his personal assistant allowed him to borrow was apparently mistaken.

Before his shocked calmness could turn into an outright panic, something caught his highly attuned senses. The Warth Deenbell turned and both it and Asem's eyes beheld another Autowarlock, intimidating in appearance, brimming with power and ... piloted by a chatty woman who was talking to someone--

Are those his summoners?

"Greetings ..." He called out lackadaisically. "Why have you people summoned me here?"

 

[Lukas]

September 18th, OE 102
Earth Lagrange Point Two.

It wouldn't sit still.

Liana had been tinkering with her new machine for days, but the steel giant was deeply flawed in some way she couldn't quite understand. Some crucial part missing, or some bug in the hastily installed combat OS that meant the machine would never truly respond to the controls. It was a failure. A mistake. A piece missing pieces.

Most importantly, it was a tank. Not a mobile weapon. Barely spaceworthy, and they'd dumped it on her doorstep on the edge of the earth sphere.

There was still no explanation as to how or why the machine had ended up in her hands. Throwing away a flawed machine? Disguised assassination attempt? Her mind was swimming with questions, but there had to be a purpose hiding within somewhere.

And when SeiOhKi called, something answered for it. Taking the pilot along for the trip.

---

It must have been quite a sight. An armoured vehicle among a crowd of mobile weapons. Liana's mind was racing inside, assessing the situation as she braced for an attack that wasn't ever going to come. But even with that, she didn't want to classify the newcomers as friendly. Not yet.

Eleven hostiles. One mobile weapon. Chance of escape: Zero. Potential allies...

The Ranbu seemed to crane its neck, looking over the other assorted volunteers and their machines. None stood out immediately, beyond one which seemed.. faintly familiar. A familiarity only reinforced when she saw its pilot lambasting another woman. Laura? Here?

Potential allies: Zero. I doubt she wants to work with me again. She must have left for a reason...

I should talk to her. Later. When it's less liable to get me publicly mocked.

There was a bitter taste in her mouth as she saw the fox again. On the one hand their seperation had been anything but nice, and her 'goodbye present' mocking the death of her former commander certainly didn't help matters. But she did miss the woman in some ways. She'd been reliable in her own warped way, and frankly?

Laura was the closest thing she had to a friend.

While the pilot showed no signs of exiting immediately, the weapon systems on the Ranbu did deactivate as a show of good faith - the top cannon was mostly retracted into the armoured shell, and the turrets on the side pointed towards the ground. No words had been said, but their actions spoke well enough of their intent.

 

[Kujo]

"Hmm... Nope, still didn't work."

Malan M. Arslin, dressed down in his uppity Lunarian robe, was lying beneath the black Masouki, his treasured Zelvoid. Over his face was what he referred to as his "lounge hat", a decidedly floppy and wide brimmed pointed hat; it was almost the exact opposite of the exactly angled and stiff hat of his "official" uniform as Luna's Grand Archmagus. Indeed, at the moment he very much looked the part of the fabled wizard from which he drew his nickname, "Merlin".

"I guess being in darkness, underneath Zelvoid or not, isn't going to let me see through that void prana... Maybe I'm just doing it wro... No, no, let's just try something else."

Lifting the large hat off his face, Malan sighed; researching magic can be quite a challenge to approach scientifically. The Grand Archmagus squinted as light hit his face once more, however this seemed different from the stark white light of his tower complex's hangar lights. Sitting up, he looked around. still through half lidded eyes, and saw that he was surrounded by mobile weapons and sitting in the middle of some setting out of a picture book. Malan slowly replaced the hat on his head and stood up before instantly scrambling his way up Zelvoid and throwing himself in the cockpit.

The ancient Masouki stirred, but it did not move. Its blue eyes stared plainly across its surroundings while its pilot somewhat shakily put its hands on the controls just in case any of the mobile weapons wasn't just here to meet up.

 

[MKR]

A crack in space, a cry for help. It was like the rumble of thunder that echoed through the air in one of the yet to be filled locations. A warning perhaps? Or perhaps there truly was a thunderstorm within the light. All it all it mattered not, for once the light faded towering over the city of Perindor and its square stood a black machine, though compared to the gigantic frame of the SeiOhKi it still paled in height. To those aware of its existence the machine would be instantly recognizable, its almost obsidian body reflecting the world around it in the dim light.

An angel had answered the prayers, though in contrast to the benevolent angels from religion and folklore this one was more in line with the likes of Apollyon, a bottomless pit reigning over destruction and death. The Black Angel of the Moon, Astranagant. Its judging gaze fell over the crowd which had gathered so far. Lingering on the Deenbell a moment longer then the rest in recognition for the ties the machine usually held. Still it did not take long for the cockpit to open up, a black and purple pilot suit worn underneath a coat.

A hand went through the man's hair as he was lowered to the ground, eyes passing over the people on the ground. The arrival didn't feel like a threat, not enough gunfire for a trap also no one is dumb enough to make a trap that involves themselves being out in the open to be fired upon by nearly half a dozen machines. So his eyes kind of stared in the distance before he looked at the twelve people below... What in the fresh hell had he arrived to. A fox? girl, actually no a whole assortment of fantasy races it seemed. A soft sigh as he touched the ground and moved up to the assortment of once more abnormal people. Everything had to be weird or strange again- not since six months ago could he have a 'normal' day and that proved to be true even now. Not exactly like he could blame anyone, well bar his 'boss' probably.

Greetings were exchanged as the man shook the coat he wore to sit right instead of half falling, taking steps closer as he put his hands in the pockets. Eyes moving up the the ridiculously regal mech above, that one looked even more gaudy than Luna's assortment of decorative machines.
"What's going on and how is it going to be the end of all of us." He replied in deadpan, because of course it could never be anything less. Most of all he hated that he had gotten used to it all, that he was expecting another end of the world peeking around every corner.

As the coat once more began to drag down he shook it up once more with his shoulders. A sight of annoyance coming with.

 

[VeraC]

Oda Compound
Kyoto, Japan

Within the depths of the compound, hidden beyond groves of bamboo and ponds of Koi fish, a lone woman remained motionless, sitting in seiza, her hands in the Shuni Mudra. She sat on a small rock, dressed in a white and red shrine garb. Her body remained motionless, yet her face had a hard time staying still, switching between ones of concentration and focus, to ones of displeasure and frowns. It was an effort to remove all worldly desires from within, to achieve the bliss and euphoria from complete enlightenment, nirvana. She tried to focus her energies and empty her mind, yet ill-thoughts plagued her mind to no end.

Was she really good enough?

Was she strong enough?

That damned Baron…

Those damned Knights…

Her muscles tensed as memories returned, but she quickly shook her head and cleared away the thoughts.

No… No. It’s simply my inability to deal with them all.

She broke meditation and gave a sigh, shifting to sitting on her butt instead, kicking out her legs and looking upward.

Where did I go wrong? What could I have done better? Did I simply make the wrong decision for choosing to ally myself with Ashford? No… surely there was a method to win that encounter.

She mulled over the scenario in her head, trying to run simulations of different situations and approaches, trying to figure out if there was a win condition at that time. She grumbled to herself as she tried to think, yet couldn’t come up with any reasonable answer. She gave another sigh and collapsed onto her back, spent and worn out. Her technique had probably gotten rusty these past few months, having not picked up her sword in quite some time. She didn’t feel worthy of using it. That said, she kept it attached to her hip, though the blade was sealed within the sheath.

She took another deep sigh, but as she did, a blinding flash of light overcame her, and the next thing she knew, she had fallen into a different place. Standing up and looking around her, she saw mobile weapons, five machines within this massive plaza, and twelve more along the perimeter. Instinctually she placed her hand on her sword, as if to draw it, but after several seconds of trying to process the situation she reset her position and looked around once more. Six people were brought here, and along with them, mobile weapons for their use. Well, all except Mumyo. Perhaps an even greater sinking feeling weighed on her mind and soul; she wasn’t worthy enough for neither sword, nor mobile weapon. She clenched her fists and bit her lip, feeling nothing but discomfort at this situation.

---

crack...

Heidel looked at the new arrivals, and gave a breath of satisfaction at the results of the ritual. She folded her arms and looked down at the fox-girl, giving the woman? Girl? A rather unamused expression. While they all seemed to have potential, she couldn’t shake a feeling in the back of her head that they might be… dysfunctional. Not that she was really sure what to expect when she did this ritual in the first place. It called upon those from the Earth-side of the world, but in terms of criteria of being summoned, Heidel herself was unaware of the peculiarities.

Nonetheless, she ignored Laura for the moment and instead turned to the greater whole of those summoned, and gave a courteous smile.

“Greetings, those from Earth. I am Heidel Vaan Ariandel, Grand Reine of this land of Crescentia. Pray, hast thou ever heard of the name ‘Kadum Hakam’?”

Perhaps it was best to cut right to the chase in this situation, and grab their attention before they grew disinterested.

“For a long two-thousand years Kadum Hakam and his compatriots have been sealed in our land, biding their time for when the seal that binds them weakens and they can once again return and attempt to enslave mankind whole.”

She paused for a moment, paying special attention to the man who piloted the black machine.

“Put simply, that time is approaching us. In order to prevent a repeat of the events that nearly brought this world to the brink of devastation, I have called upon great warriors from Earth in order to assuredly wipe out this threat once and for all.”

It was the shortest and most concise version she could give, and now waited for the responses from her summoned warriors.

Great warriors? Surely she made some kind of mistake…

Mumyo thought to herself as she gave a frown. She hardly thought she was supposed to be along with these others, she who lacked both motivation and a mobile weapon to fight with. Just what could she do on her own?

 

[Tyran]

In the face of the unamused expression granted to her Laura merely winked and took a step back, unbothered by and accustomed to being ignored. It was always interesting to see what people's first reactions to her were. She was nice enough to not interrupt Heidel's little speech, she even went as far as to gag herself with her own tail, idly caressing it as she listened. Though it was to muffle her snickering at the thought of what a glorious tale it would have been if she had just been killed by one of the guards or squashed by one of the arrivals who were hiding in their cockpits.

That was until their summoner called them 'great warriors from Earth', at which point the tail hastily made way from under the widening grin. Her gaze swept across the ragtag group, passing over Mumyo, Deenbell and Zelvoid without halting - wasn't enough to judge them on - but pausing over Astranagant, which received an inclination of her head - that thing was menacing and likely packed a punch despite its frankly ridiculous look. Her own ride, Ganonia Vernie also received a dubious look, she was not playing favorites here and while the new Vernie was much closer to her preferences than the old one had been it still hadn't seen any live combat.

Of course, the turtle tank, where had their summoner and the pilot even found something so silly - received a longer look as well. Because it was just so ridiculous. Maybe it was part of a clever design choice to make others underestimate the mighty turtle tank?

Laura's grin widened ever so slightly, the look and particular brand of amusement inside her eyes would've been very familiar to Liana - she had seen it often on her after all whenever she was amused by something at someone's - usually Liana's - expense.

And finally, she examined herself, the examination the most doubtful as she snickered. The snickering soon turned into semi hysterical giggling as the 'evaluation' was finished.

"Oh wow." She breathed out admiringly. "Heidel my possible new boss, I'm pretty sure that you got scammed. While I'm sure we are all very competent at what we do-" Even if some of them had worse rides than others - or no ride at all in one particular case, and for her sake Laura hoped that they would not be treated like cannon fodder and the poor girl would be given a new ride. Certainly looked like she needed some nice gift. "-I doubt that any of us qualify for anywhere close to Earth's mightiest warriors."

"I kinda feel bad that this is your haul." Yet despite the words she still snickered for a moment. "Heidel - I should address you as Lady Heidel shouldn't I? - Heidel you should assume that we don't know anything about an entity from two thousand years ago in your world considering that, well, none of us are from here. Much like names and places like Ende, Maake and Iriverin won't mean a thing to you your history likely won't ring a single bell for us."

She shrugged, and continued her attempt at giving advice. If she was one of their oh so 'mighty warriors' surely they wouldn't be able to ignore her forever? Though that would be pretty interesting to see how long it could be kept up. And funny.

"We're going to need a thorough explanation of this Kadum Hakam, its goons and the history of this quaint place. And as there probably isn't an immediate meat grinder to throw us into we're going to also need to be taught about the cultures of this world, the nations, customs - like the whole consent thing, that's important - so that we can actually do something here and not be a detriment when we aren't fighting against the presumed end of the world."

 

[Franz_Korderos]

'Grand Reine, huh.' The effeminate man inside what passes for a cockpit of the dandy autowarlock mused. It was an unfamiliar title, the cherry on top to everything, proving without a doubt that he and the others were truly in another world. Or at least some other more magical dimension.

The name ...

"Crescentia, hm?" He muttered loudly. "There are myths about such a place. Not very well known, but I've read some passages. Granted they're lacking and confusing but the name itself comes up a lot ..."

He blinked and the autowarlock's intricate head moved minutely to the left and to the right, a very human gesture. None of the machines looked the same and even the Deenbell's fellow autowarlock was just as alien to it as it is to the others. They were all men and women taken from various circumstances, from various factions, from various walks of life.

A smile tentatively spread across Asem's face. Once again, he has arrived in a situation where heroism is needed--expected even.

"Well, if we are to be working together as the Grand Reine has said." Asem began, his cockpit alighting with his sorcery.

Cynicism was telling him that he was needlessly and recklessly exposing himself to relative unknowns that are these Crescentians and his compatriots-to-be. However, the side of him that vividly remembers the nightmare in China, reminds him of the goodness and the heroism of his fellow man ... Asem loves to believe in the latter.

In a minute flash of light and the sudden presence of Od, the man piloting one of the two autowarlocks appeared in front of the Grand Reine. Unusual green hair flutters on an unfelt wind and greener eyes opened as the teleportation sorcery ended. Somewhat unfortunately, the man really wasn't dressed for the circumstance. He was wearing a tan, fur-lined jacket overa black shirt that was actually a Stardust merch, the faces of each of the pretty idol members printed on the front and their group symbol was on the back. He also wore pale blue jeans and red sneakers.

"Greetings." He flashed a friendly smile to the Grand Reine and the foxgirl. "I am called Asem, a Sorcerer. It will be my pleasure to aid you in this endeavor."

 

[Lukas]

One point in this mysterious woman's favour for now - she was at least handling Laura without too much trouble. It was anyone's guess just how long that would last of course. Every other summoned individual had shown themselves for now, but Liana saw no reason to leave just yet. She could hear Heidel perfectly fine from inside, and maybe get some information while she was at it. Stories like these would have some reference back at home, and the Ranbu's computer system held a variety of information on even the most esoteric of topics...

[PROGRAM START]
Search archive online. Please enter terms.

Search text: "Crescentia"

<3> Results found - "Crescentia - Fact or Fiction?", "Comparative Mythology and the 'sealed realm'", "The Sights of the World"
0 articles found in records. Beginning download...
ERROR - unable to download articles due to lack of satellite connection. Please contact your provider.

Search text: "Kadum Hakham"

No results found.

Search text: "Heidal Vaan Ariandel"

No results found.

Search text: "HEIDEL VAAN ARIANDEL"

<2> Results found - "Second round table? British archaeological find implies second generation of ancient heroes", "Comparative Mythology - The Argonauts and other Mythological Bands"
0 articles found in records. Beginning download...
ERROR - unable to download articles due to lack of
[PROGRAM ENDED]

Not esoteric enough, apparently. No data, no answers, and apparently no connection to.. well, anything. She'd have to investiagte later if they can finangle some sort of connection. But for now her only real option was to talk. Bah. At the push of a button the Ranbu's sides cracked open, two of the plate sheets that made up the 'shell' retracting upwards to reveal a pair of doors. One was sized for cargo, but the other looked almost like a bulkhead - cracking open with a loud hiss to reveal the wolf inside.

She'd been taken from space, and was still wearing a pilot suit - without the helmet, of course. Laura and the others were breathing fine, but changing fully to something more appropriate to the situation was a waste of time. For now all it did was constrain her fluffy tail and show off her body. Alongside the array of weapons strapped to her body. She'd added a rifle to the usual array of pistols and knives, the entire ensemble looking a little silly when not concealed under a cloak.

"So. You've abducted us from our homes and workplaces. With no warning. To fight some ancient... legendary monster."

Her tone was aggressive, bordering on hostile. After a second Liana stopped herself, forcing a slightly unnatural smile. Once she continued she sounded rather different, playful but also slightly.. wrong. Almost like an imitation of the fox that had been bugging Heidel before, but with more of an edge to it.

"Without even discussing compensation? What's in it for us if we kill your god for you? Besides a pat on the head and a 'good job', I mean."

 

[Kujo]

Still in the safe feeling confines of Zelvoid, Malan sat in the wrinkled heap of his flowing robes and listened to the strange woman and the oddly enough stranger men and women who had appeared alongside him. The blonde wizard sneered somewhat at the stereotypically grandiose situation he found himself in, and from the sound of it he wasn't alone in this sentiment ; the six gathered here were far from the standard, picturesque circle of heroes you'd expect in such scenarios. Malan put a hand to his chin for a moment before crawling forward and engaging Zelvoid's cockpit hatch.

Still somewhat sheepish, Malan peered over the orihalconium plates of the black masouki. "Yes," he called out simply, before shaking his head, which resulted in a somewhat comical flapping of his large hat, and straightened up as he cleared his throat.

"I am Malan M. Arslin, Grand Archmagus of Luna," he began, introducing himself as the one in the autowarlock had done. "I understand this means little here, but in the same vein your words mean very little to us; as has been said." Malan stood up properly now with confidence. "What is the meaning of pulling us here? Us specifically? What are we supposed to do in this foreign world about your foreign sealed destruction? Are there no higher powers left in this land, no native heroes to call upon? What could make us special enough to divert this ancient disaster and why should we care?"

 

[MKR]

The man shook his head, taking a few steps back as the speech began.

Speeches speeches, everybody loved their grand old speeches about why their cause was the most important one.
His gaze moved over the other machines as she spoke, letting all the extra blabbing go from one ear out the other until she got to the important parts. People were poring out of their machines now, wait was that the... What was the whole title again.
Ah, he didn't even need to overly dig into his memories. Grand Archmagus of Luna yeah.

For this ensemble of Earth's mightiest heroes there were a lot of Lunarians. Amusing.

And then- a phrase resonated.
'Kadum Hakam', a chill down his spine. So that was why he was dragged into this mess. It all tied back to that. He whipped himself around, draping one hand over his head as he dragged an eyelid down with it. Great, great great.
His eyes passed over those present here more frantically pupil bouncing around in his eyeball, thoughts, ideas.

A method of operation.

The man sat down on the foot of the Astranagant, in contemplation. It wasn't here yet, eliminate the small ones lure out the big ones and then erase them for good. Wait- a seal?
"So you're telling me that you summoned us here to wait?" His tone turned from deadpan into offended, he had better things to do. "If that seal is still holding then other matters have my priority. This is far from the only thing wanting to do horrible things to humanity."
At least he'd been summoned for an actual thing that required his attention instead of pest control. The coat slouched ever so slightly more. He noticed Heidel's gaze upon him. And he wasn't exactly bothering to hide his annoyance.

Part of him felt everyone here somehow got dragged along when the Astranagant arrived here, or was called here. Just like with Gail. But this time he was later so was he dragged along. Frankly he didn't care, nor did it matter. When Laura mentioned the presumed end of the world he shook his head.

"A end, not even one in destruction unlike the other dozen or so which lurk back on Earth." He stood up again, facing the Black Angel.

"Let me guess, plan is to kill whatever goons they got kicking around still while waiting for Kadum to kick open their coffin and then murk them on the doorstep out. If so, I'm only interested in dealing with the big guy at the end of this. Between a sorceror, a magus a fox and... a turtle I'm sure you'll be fine until then I guess." He pulled up the coat again in frustration.

"Unless you're actually going to deal with any major threats right away I'll be there if the world ending threat that will enslave us all shows up."

 

[VeraC]

It was naive to think that those she summoned would be immediately compliant to her wishes; from her past experience with those from earth, they were quite… stubborn in their own way. It was also naive to think that they knew of Kadum Hakam, as it was likely knowledge of the war was only spread amongst those few who made their exodus to earth. It seemed a more thorough explanation was in order to satiate the minds of those summoned. Heidel looked among the crowd, though paid particular attention to Derrick; while he may have been from ‘earth’, there was something about the air around him, something that made him seem not quite like the rest present. What exactly that was, she knew not though, though the black machine brought with him had a somewhat ominous aura to it.

“None of you are subjects of this realm, as such, simply Heidel will be fine.”

She turned to Laura before returning to the group.

“Kadum Hakam, along with the other Giants, were created by Aberon, the creator god of this planet and as a whole, L’Isola. He created the Giants as observers of humanity, though they turned against him and sought to enslave mankind. Kadum Hakam is the leader of those Giants.”

Heidel went on to give an overview of the Giant War, the five Heroes, the counteroffensive and the war’s resultant outcome, the splitting of the planets and the subsequent creation of earth.

“In a way those of you who come from ‘earth’ all have origins here, in Crescentia.”

She nodded to Asem’s rather quick agreement, giving a somewhat hollow smile to the man. She then turned to Liana, giving a stern look on her face.

“Your reward is your guaranteed freedom from the giants. If you think the Giants will be content enough to finish their ‘conquest’ at the Crescentians only, I believe you’re naive; they will make their way to Earth, and won’t stop until they’ve enslaved your kind as well. I’d like to deal with this situation before it snowballs out of control, hence why I have called forth you to aid us in dealing with this.”

She next turned to Arslin.

“The last heroes of this realm were two-thousand years ago, myself included. Such heroes who are capable of standing against the Giants are not so easily found or forged in this land. With Aberon’s fall from grace so to speak, such blessings are impossible to obtain now. Those affiliated with the Giants are in larger numbers than expected, as shameful as it is to admit, there is only so much my eleven knights and I can do.”

She gave a downcast look.

“With the splitting of the world and birth of the Time Anomaly beyond the World’s Edge, Crescentia has been ‘cursed’ with stagnation, perhaps though a blessing in some way, this world has hardly advanced the past millennia. Nature is still abundant, and the prana dormant in the land is bountiful.”

Perhaps it was strange to those present, the architecture and technology, save for the mobile weapons, were like that out of a fantasy novel, electricity and the like nowhere to be found.

She then turned to Derrick, perhaps the most unsettled of all. She was about to say her piece, but from behind one of the legs of SeiOhKi, Kusanagi stepped out and moved to Heidel’s side. His piercing gaze looking into the hearts and minds of all present, though his eyes seemingly lingered on Mumyo, for one reason or another.

“My name is Kusanagi, the seal-bearer of Crescentia; and the Giants within.”

He held his arms outward, exposing his chest for all to see, the fractured-like skin glowing with a dim blue glow, a sign of the seal that was still present on him.

Kusanagi?

Mumyo snapped out of her daze and her eyes darted to the man who introduced himself. Could it be just a coincidence? Or was there something more to it?

Kusanagi shifted his eyes to Derrick, and gave a serious look to the man who piloted the Black Angel. He could measure the man’s strength at a glance, and could give a rough guess of just what the man was capable of. Perhaps a warrior’s instinct to some extent, perhaps he was the most ‘competent’ out of all present.

“If you think you’re strong enough to take on the Giants right now, I can break this seal at this moment and we’ll deal with them right here and now. If not, perhaps you’d like to stick around and aid us in weakening the Giants as much as possible before this seal breaks on its own.”

Heidel took a deep breath and tried to smile best as she could.

“We can continue these discussions after having had a meal, at the moment providing a feast is the least we can do to welcome you all to our realm.”

She turned to face SeiOhKi, and took a few steps, before Kusanagi returned his gaze to Mumyo, who could feel the pressure his eyes gave her. Both alike a predator sizing up its prey, but also alike a mentor measuring their student. The Katanas Mumyo had were also something of a dead giveaway to him, but either way the woman had caught her interest.

“U-Uh…”

Mumyo murmured as the man looked at her.

“...”

There was a brief look of disappointment on the man’s face before he turned around and followed suit with Heidel.

 

[Tyran]

Liana was here too, and of course she was the one with the ridiculous turtle tank, so both of them had managed to lose their rides. A glorious victory for Deucalion Duet by all accounts. But there was time to have a very touching and joyous reunion later. For now there was a child of a sorcerer next to her.

"Oh Greenie." Laura sighed at the both literally and figuratively painfully green sorcerer. "You should do something about your habit of offering your life for causes you know nothing about. Make such choices when well-informed so you know what you're risking your life for."

She planted herself to the ground for Heidel's lengthier explanation, legs crossed, swaying from one leg to another as she ran her hands through her tail, on the surface, seemingly not paying any attention to her words. "You thought you had won, so you neglected your security for two thousand years until something made you wake up to the issue and are now scrambling on how to respond to the issue that exists because of your negligence." She summarized blandly.

She met Kusanagi's gaze unflinchingly, and gave the man a sharp grin. "I lived through an end of the world once, and the next person who tries to touch my mind with their grubby little hands is going to be blown apart whether they are defect toys of your creator god, a collective of spirits or ancient heroes." And there was fire within those eyes, and an edge to the smile. And the voice that had been so full of life and energy and joy had dulled into the cold certainty of tempered steel.

"But luckily we are the bosomest of buddies here to save the world from those who would harm it! So sure, I'll give ya a hand when the end comes knocking!" And then that moment was gone like it had never been there to begin with. And the exuberant, childish girl leapt to her feet in a smooth motion, skipping after Heidel and Kusanagi.

"I am gonna need to be paid for any actions before that though, but don't worry it is not expensive at all." She chattered away, tail swinging wildly. "All I need is information on this world and spirits, and that consent thing, food and maintenance on my cute little Autowarlock. We all benefit." Yet her voice softened as she talked on, until it was almost purring by the end.

"Besides, it's not like lil' ol' me could ever be a threat to anyone."

 

[Franz_Korderos]

Asem can't help but frown and be annoyed at being called a 'Greenie', instinctually reaching for his lime green locks. It didn't help that the androgynous man was already steadily growing more and more disheartened at how each and everyone of his compatriots-to-be, the members of his 'party, were all a bunch of pessimists and distrustful people.

He let out a sigh, though. Most of them have a point. They really do need details on what obstacles and enemies aside from their, well, their history and mythic signifance to this land.

"I ... look forward to this feast, then, milady." He awkwardly said, giving meaningful looks to the machines of the people summoned with him. Surely they wouldn't say no to this invitation won't they or would they even argue even something as grand as a feast?

It's times like this that he wished that he had more experience in life.

He grimaced, this people made him think of his inadequacies, too, and he had to reevaluate his expectations for this people based on the reality inferred by their words and actions.

 

[Lukas]

"Well, I guess that settles it. We fight or we die. And then we get a pat on the head and go home to fight there instead?"

Liana's smile only faltered for a second, her ears twitching throughout the explanation. She was being talked down to, and that didn't improve her mood one bit. Kusanagi's gaze would see... contradiction. Two opposing views within the wolf, barely managing to reconcile themselves in a way that wouldn't rip her apart. The constant internal conflict did much to shield her thoughts, but it was clear there was some goal she was forcing herself towards - at the expense of everything else.

"Fine. No payment in advance. But once we're done here? I'm taking some of your equipment home with me. Mobile weapons, personal equipment... plus a few miscellaneous things I can sell for capital. Winning your war down here won't magically fix my trouble on the surface, and if you've been preparing for war there's got to be a surplus somewhere."

The wolf would still follow afterwards, her tail shifting around with visible discomfort. There was going to be conflict here, one way or another. And not just against these.. 'Giants'. With a merry and dysfunctional band like this, someone was going to snap sooner or later - hopefully not her, but Laura was already on edge. Odds are she'd be responsible, or at least somewhere in the vicinity, whenever shit hit the fan for good. But that was for later. For now, there was a promise of food.

Even if it was terrible, ancient magical silverware would probably be worth something.

 

[Kujo]

Malan eyed Derrick warily. There was hardly a Lunarian who hadn't at least heard of the Black Angel, but the mysterious machine had continually caught the Grand Archmagus' eye, and often ire, due to its alien nature. And now, having somewhat properly met the pilot himself, Malan could see the pilot was no less mysterious and brutalist than the jagged black weapon he controlled. Blunt as he was, Malan couldn't exactly contest Derrick for his apparent hubris after what happened above Luna all those months ago. If he and the Black Angel hadn't been there, who knows how things would have turned out

Turning his attention back to their "host", Malan took in her words and looked back around as she spoke now that he had calmed himself. The prana in this land was surely dense; to the Archmagus' eyes, where Earth had simple streams and plumes in certain areas, the entire landscape here was awash with the vibrant mixing of pranas. Misty clouds of color rode across the sky, but Malan's eyes searched for what wasn't there: void prana. While invisible even to his special sight, its presence was evident not by any color but by the negative space where other pranas aren't.

The other pilots here were still less than amicable, but at least nobody had done anything drastic. Yet.

"If indeed we have the time then I believe we ought to sequester and deliberate further. While some of us might be more than capable, Derrick, it would do all of us good to hear more about the situation before taking up arms against an ancient evil.

 

[MKR]

The Grand Reine's words caused a reaction, the reward being freedom. That reminded him of how he got himself in this situation to begin with on that fateful meeting. This time humans were doing it to themselves however instead of being inflicted upon them by some 'god'. A glare went Heidel's way for that remark. Derrick stepped back to the group as Kusanagi addressed him, his gaze measuring the age old swordsman as much as the man did to him. He pushed his coat up again, putting his hands in his pockets as the seal-bearer put forth his 'challenge'. One to which there was an immediate retort. The scientist was not in the business of letting some man in a bathrobe get the last word.

"I've had this song and dance before. And the answer to your question is not strength 'seal bearer'." A step forward, towards the man who contained the giants, he could imagine one solution depending on how literal he was being. If all the Giants were within him simply erasing him would take the giants with. In all likelihood however the man was being metaphorical.

"So don't twist my words. If they are busy busting out then they can wait to die until they get out. The likes of Lasfitot and the one who ate Gragios are more immediate threats. So as I said- Go ahead and weaken the Giants. I'll be back when they need to be fought. Until then this place isn't the only one being threatened so thanks for letting me know but you won't get a chunk of my time until it matters."

He straightened himself a bit once Malan called him out, a sideways glance to the archmagus. In their own right everyone brought up notable things, preparation for war, facing the end of the world. Actually that was the most amusing one- Trying to almost guilt trip people into helping because this place 'was' theirs before to get someone from another world entirely. The man with the Autowarlock either was putting up a good act or not related to Gragios somehow. Then again a hope against a coming tide of dark, that was right up that alleyway if there was a twist to it.

Then the man returned his gaze to Heidel, how long had it been since he had eaten? He wasn't certain at this point.
"I'll remain for the meal, afterwards I'll be departing back to Earth. If you intend to convince me otherwise you have until then."

 

[VeraC]

With the frontal introductions over, perhaps Heidel could take a momentary breath of relief as the exhaustion seemed to sweep over her body, the usage of SeiOhKi, frankly something she wasn’t fully used to yet. It was a feeling she had no prior experience with before, and at the least it was unsettling to her. Perhaps an ill-omen towards the future.

Would this be the beginning of the end for her?

With any luck though, in bringing these earthlings to their land to help, she could at least stave off the inevitable self-destruction for some period of time. At least until she could confirm the Giants were no more, she wouldn’t fall.

She began to slouch in her throne, resting her eyes and placing her head on her fist, almost as if she were to fall asleep.

“It is quite the motley bunch we’ve managed to summon.”

Kusanagi mentioned as he stood beside Heidel’s throne.

“Their potential is present. I can tell they are strong. Their personalities are… rather unique, to say the least. I worry about their ability to bond and work as a team. It took five of us working together last time, so it's likely we’ll at least need that much this time around to wipe them out for good.”

She spoke with a frown.

“I hope tonight will give them the time they need to bond. If we cannot rally our forces, we won’t stand a chance.”

“Of the one without a mobile weapon…”

“Yes… She seemed oddly familiar to you.”

“Perhaps my sword technique has lived on to the present day. I am curious of her…”

“She who appears like that of a broken glass mirror. A woman who has fallen to the darkest depths and lost her way.”

“Grant me the evening with her.”

“What are you thinking?”

“A test.”

“Can you do that? In your condition?”

“Sparking a broken flame is probably the easiest of tasks I can do presently. It's simply a question of if those sparks can ignite into flame.”

“...Very well, just don’t push yourself too hard. Frankly things will be all for naught should the Giants decide to emerge tonight.”

“You needn’t tell me twice.”

With a smile and a bow, Kusanagi left the throne room, proceeding down to the ground.

Heidel took another sigh and slouched further into her chair. Perhaps a short rest before she joined the festivities downstairs. She could offer herself that much at least. Right?

Those who were transferred here were given the royal treatment, first escorted to a private room. Offered a bath and the chance to freshen up, before where they were given formal clothes, should they have desired to wear them.

As the evening began to settle in, the new arrivals would be greeted in the banquet hall with what seemed like a mile-long feast of Crescentia cuisine. Perhaps appearing like something out of a fantasy book, a long obsidian table adorned with a vibrant red and gold-embroidered cloth that was simply full of various foods of the realm. The meats of beef, chicken, pork, wild game, among others were spread across; various vegetable dishes and side menu options scattered about inbetween. Though their worlds were different, Crescentia did have knowledge of the cuisines of Earth and were able to present their foods in a way that would appeal to both the eyes and palettes of those present. Perhaps alike a Michigan 3-star restaurant, the banquet table provided an almost endless supply of food for the ‘heroes’ who had arrived from earth; perhaps something akin to a banquet of hope for a world that teetered on the edge of demise.

The guests would be free to eat, converse, and otherwise enjoy their evening as they saw fit. At the very least a tough road awaited them; this may be their last chance to enjoy themselves, for tomorrow, war would begin.

There was, though, one girl who remained absent from the welcoming feast. Mumyo found herself wandering through the citadel gardens, moving step-by-step along the pathways, giving a contemplative gaze at the flowers that filled the gardens. The angst that filled her body was a troublesome emotion, and one she was unable to shake for the past several months. Exilement and the loss of her Identity had thrown herself into a dire crisis that stuck with her, and remained an ever-present reminder of her failures back on luna.

Was she angry? Was she depressed? Angst? She couldn’t tell.

All she could feel was emptiness. Though one would say that standing at the top was something of a lonely experience, perhaps in the depths of the bottom, a similar, yet different loneliness filled her mind. Though while she walked through the gardens, that feeling would soon be overcome by an overwhelming presence.

One of death.

One of demise.

A killing intent that threatened her life.

She quickly turned around and instinctually placed her hand on the handle of her blade, gazing across the way at a singular man, one with a sword in hand.

 

[Tyran]

It was with dark amusement that Laura took in luxury after luxury that her and no doubt her fellow otherworlders were being subjected to. They seriously were desperate indeed to get help if they treated the people they had kidnapped this lavishly. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth unless it was really funny or interesting, Laura took full use of the treatment.

Which led to her entering the feast in a blue - blue! - dress with a slit on it instead of her normal clothes, and makeup slightly more pronounced than usual. The color itself was hardly her favorite, but the dress was great, and made with tails in mind. Though how they had the perfect size for her ready she did not know, but that could come later. First there was food! Drinks and food of another world to gawk at and taste!

...So the sight that awaited her was equal parts disappointing and nostalgic in its own way despite all its resplendent glory. It was the second one of its kind she was attending, but the lack of anything new looking was a disappointment. There still was a distinct spring in her steps as she approached the feast. Common plebeians with cheapskate superiors hardly got to enjoy luxuries meant for royalty.

It was time to enjoy the festivities.

---

"You're not very used to being a warrior, or high stake situations where your life is at stake in general, are you?" Laura cheerfully opened a conversation with Derrick as she slid into a vacant seat next to him, tearing onto the roasted leg of a chicken she had grabbed just now. Excellent. "Seriously, you're practically radiating doom and gloom everywhere around you to the point where I'm surprised that a storm cloud didn't follow you inside to pour water over you." To accentuate her point Laura lazily swung her arm few times over Derrick's head while biting again into her food, as if to chase away the aforementioned clouds.

"See, the funny thing about what you're doing - which is letting things that aren't relevant right now or things that you can't do anything about right this moment crush your spirit- is that stressing over things like that just burns you out instead of making you more prepared for them when the time comes. Which is obviously just the silliest thing to do. The future hasn't happened yet, it isn't the present and certainly not the past so it doesn't actually have any power of its own. The only way for it to bother you and weaken and restrict you are situations like this where you let it." Laura shrugged casually, before grinning wildly at Derrick, her tail just as animated. "So don't let it. Kick the future in the balls and enjoy the present moment to its fullest."

"Which in this case is listening to the advice of the beautiful Elaima in front of you and stuffing your face full of free food and drinks and enjoying all the lavish luxuries they're dropping at our faces out of desperation. Then sleeping for however long you need before taking the nice clothes our kidnappers who have a problem with asking for consent gave us and fucking off. Why let things that aren't relevant yet dictate how you look at things right now?"