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Extra Content: Court of the Serpent
[Off in a distant part of the Nexus, something is stirring.]
[There's been rumors of a so-called "magician" visiting a ruined courtyard. Some say he's practicing some kind of black magic, while others guess he's simply searching around.]
[Either way, nobody can explain the posters plastered all over random buildings, which boast of a performance in said court. The star themselves has deliberately scratched out their own name, probably as a last-minute measure.]
...............................
Kotori stares at the poster, trying to make heads or tails of it
What is this advertising?
........................................
Maybe I should learn to read......
Eito walks over to Kotori and the poster. He seems intrigued.
"A performance, huh?"
"Might go check it out..."
[The lucky person who can read finds that there are directions to the location of the event right on the poster. It seems like a bit of a walk, but it could be interesting.]
Turning to face Kotori, Eito raises one of his eyebrows.
"Uh, you need any help?"
"What's the performance gonna be about anyway?"
Jiyu was sitting on a bench while reading one of the posters that he ripped off one of the walls of a random building.
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
While still gripping the poster, Jiyu would stand up and start to walk to the location that's on the poster.
(edited by Jiyu-Hatanaka)
Performance? Is this a human thing? Hmm. Well, I am supposed to be blending in. Maybe that'll work.
*Latus begins moving to the Performance Venue.*
No!.
I don't need help!
I just.....
Uhh.....
She fiddles with her left ear
Lets just go, We're both interested in this....
Uhh.....
Lets just go.
"Uh huh..."
"Well, it's quite a walk but if you're interested then, by all means, come along."
Eito starts walking to the Location of the Performance.
[The group, set on their destination, follows Jiyu down a beaten side road.]
[Soon, they find themselves in front of a rusty gate. Vines wrap around the iron bars, and a stone wall towers over the area. With a click, the lock drops from the doors, and they open to reveal a courtyard that seems to have been left alone for years.]
[Wait... who even opened the gates?]
"Welp, i'm already regretting this."
Eito shrugs and walks into the courtyard, somewhat speeding up once reaching the gates.
"Time for a spooky show..."
Kotori walks into the courtyard, completely unperturbed by the self opening gates
Huh... Enchanted gates....
Someone must be rich....
A man with a baseball cap approaches the group, hearing about this magician it seemed... Suspicious, they may need to be purified
"This is the magician correct? I will join you. I am The Batter."
(edited by The_Batter)
*LAtus takes her hood down and enters the Courtyard*
Hmm. An atmospheric place for a show, I must say. How interesting.
"Wow, the gates of what looks to be like a haunted place just opened on their own... This doesn't seem like a cliche horror movie opeining at all."
Jiyu walks through the gates and looks around at the courtyard.
[The vegetation is so dense in some places that the once-open courtyard is restrained to more narrow "hallways," so to speak. Pathways branch to the left, right, and straight ahead.]
[In the center of this intersection is a small patch of red flowers. Flecks of red dot some of their leaves.]
From a distant place gleaming yellow feline eyes would be gazing towards the group. The eyes would especially be fixated on the batter himself. A light purring might be heard by anyone close enough but the purring was rough and fast as well as if fearful of something.
"Hmmm..."
Eito approaches the flowers and touches one.
"Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me..."
*Latus watches Eito*
I don't need to be a prophet to know that he'll be the first of us to die if this ends up being a trap.
"Hey, fuck you too pal."
"The truth hurts."
The Batter walks forward and inspects the flowers in the middle more carefully, using his keen eye to try to suss out anything suspicious about it.
However, when a pair of yellow eyes land on him he turns and shouts to the cat
The Judge. I have found you. I require your assistance in completing my mission. However, I fear that I cannot do so here. This is clearly not Zone 0.
Kotori looks cautiously at the flowers, Trying to see if she recognizes them from her own assortment of magical plants from her garden
Up to GM
[As Eito touches the flowers, he finds that they feel... soft at the petals, with a sturdy yet thorny stem. Their smell, however, is a different story. The slight disturbance brings a rotting, metallic odor from the flowers. Needless to say, the people examining them aren't not going to be feeling too well from smelling something so foul.]
(edited by Hundred-S)
"Oh, fuck me..."
Eito turns away from the flowers, coughing a bit.
"Why the fuck do those things smell like blood?"
The Judge being called out steps out from his hiding spot and stares at the Batter dis trustingly.
He's almost surprised that the Batter would ask for his help but perhaps this Batter was different from the one he encountered previously.
"You would require my aid? How curious...Very well but I have a few inquiries for you latter on. What is it that you would have me do here, Batter?"
*Latus walks cautiously over to Eito*
A-are you OK?
Jiyu tries to avoid the flowers because of their horrible smell. Upon hearing Eito's question, Jiyu tries to answer it.
"Maybe the flowers smell like blood because their red petals are covered in blood."
Kotori holds her nose in disgust
Ugh..... I'm calling this one Rotmug....
She begins a wind enchantment on herself, hopefully driving the smell away as she gather's their seeds
The Batter attempts to take the flowers and stuff it into his pocket as he speaks to seemingly himself?
I have taken the flowers. They smell of metal.
The Batter then turns his attention back to The Judge, swinging his Bat around before speaking again
Firstly I would ask you tell me where we are. It appears that the person behind the screen has knowledge of this place. But of course they cannot communicate to us.
The Batter then looks around. No use standing around like this, perhaps they should start moving
We should make haste. Let us continue.
[Kotori gets seeds, and Batter gets some pretty blood flowers.]
[Left, right, straight. Choices, choices...]
Turning to face Jiyu, Eito frowns more. His eyes turn crimson.
"You don't fuckin' say, Captain Dumbass."
Once his eyes go back to normal, Eito waves Latus away and stumbles away for a bit, almost puking.
"Fuckin' 'ell..."
Kotori watches the other's, She's learned not to take the lead, and to keep her mouth shut during these things
The judge would observe the group as they make their choices. He would return his gaze to the batter in response as he seems to almost need to ponder the question of where they are for a moment as if wondering if he should even answer the question at all.
"I only know that there is not much known about this world besides its name and nature. This is the Nexus from what I've heard. A world of many materials from across multiple planes of existence.
It is far different from the world you and I come from ,Batter, and far more dangerous but for someone like you, I doubt you'd have too many issues. Especially with that friend of yours guiding you along the way."
So, you're not OK then? That's unfortunate. I'm not a healer, so I can't help you. So sorry.
*Latus then looks around*
So. Which way are we supposed to be going again?
"Hmm, once his eyes turn red, he gets all edgy and shit... That's new."
Not knowing what to do now, Jiyu does the same as Kotori and watches the others.
"Just gimme a minute..."
"Bleh..."
Eito stops to breath heavily for a bit before shaking his head.
"Alright, i'm fine, no need to worry, not that you were worrying anyway."
Eito sighs and looks at their options.
"So, where are we going?"
The Batter then nods, taking this new information to heart before speaking to The Judge
Understood, then I shall continue my mission. A change in scenery makes no difference to me. If you wish to follow you are free to.
The Batter then continues on straight. Pulling his cap over his eyes and motioning for people to follow
Kotori follows behind the Batter
[Up ahead, the left side of the path begins to become more damp and muddy, while the rest is still as dry as ever. A faint buzzing comes from somewhere, but that's not as notable as the hat and cloak in the center of a clearing. The clothing's owner is turned away, obscuring their appearance.]
"Curious."
"Well, I ain't gonna be the one to approach 'em."
Eito steps back.
The Judge would follow behind the Batter. He would keep his distance but seem to be keeping a close eye on them. They almost seemed unsure of something behind the usual large smile fixed to their face. Their eyes showed a certain amount of uncertainty as they watched the Better.
The Batter takes note of their wet surrounding by speaking it aloud. He does not comment further on The Judge however.
"Its a wet hallway. Up ahead is a cloaked figure. I shall approach."
The Batter then moves in close with his weapon of choice. Trying not to alert them before bashing the figure over the head as violently as he can
[Beginning Purification Process]
(edited by The_Batter)
Jiyu slowly follows the Kotori and the Batter, while being kind of cautious of what's going to be up ahead.
Is that the magician? He seems strange, but maybe that's his... magical energy?
*Latus seems cautious of the figure but is still surprised when Batter smacks them upside the hide.*
What the... Hey! That was uncalled for.
(edited by Latus)
Kotori draws her blade, enchanting it with fire
As Latus critiques The Batter, he shouts out behind him
"All evil must be purified. Spirits cannot be allowed to live. That goes for you too. If you are evil I will not hesitate to purify you."
"Goddamnit."
Eito's eyes turn crimson again.
"Go first, get fucked by flowers, let others go first, they start a fucking fight. Just bloody brilliant."
Eito draws his gun, loaded with normal ammo.
[The person doesn't move as the bat hits home, sending...]
[Only the cloak and hat to the ground, with no body?]
"Ah-ah-ah! That's rude, dear guest!"
[The voice comes from the back of the group, but its owner is gone in a blur of black.]
"How did you like this little act? Here is another little treat."
[In a burst of red petals, a trip of scaly humanoids surrounds everyone, one at the back and two at the front. Two are dressed as servants, while a third is wearing a fake white wig. All three have snake-like snouts and sharp fangs, although they carry themselves with an unexpected grace.]
"Let's see if you can handle this! The Great Batesian only deserves the most distinguished guests here, and this is the perfect test~"
(edited by Hundred-S)
A fight!
Cool!
Kotori starts by taking on the one in the back, Dashing towards the monster, slashing, then dashing back to a hopefully safe location
Grr. Now, look what you've done. What is it with you humans and needing to kill things, no matter how peaceful or innocent that thing may be. Now look at what you've got us in.
*Dust swirls around Latus as she takes up a combat stance.*
"Here we go!"
Eito turns to the back and shoots at the reptilian five times after Kotori's attack.
(edited by Eito)
Upon seeing the snake humanoids, Jiyu would just stand there with his arms crossed.
"Why should I even bother trying with this fight?"
The Judge would simply observe for the moment. His feline eyes watching the others as he stands near the back. He would fixate on Latus' comment as he felt it needed addressing.
"Dear lady, do you really believe that man is human? It seems you must redefine that term for yourself if so. How far do you think a man's drive can bring itself before one loses the ability to call themselves human?"
The Batter seems surprised nobody was in the cloak. However when the true culprit reveals himself The Batter speaks out again
"Your minions will not save you. I am The Batter. I assume you are the Overlord of this Zone. You shall be purified."
The Batter then strikes a post, before dashing a short distance to the one with the Wig, before striking with his fist being covered by metal
[Running With Courage]
When he finishes he parlays with Latus again. This one must be corrupted
"I am not human. Do not associate me with them. I am The Batter. My sole objective is to cleanse spectres. This one is a spectre. Which means they will be purified."
[Kotori's blade sinks into the wig-wearing reptile, and it hisses, clutching its wound and drawing its rapier. Eito's attack is just enough to finish it off. It falls to the ground lifelessly, earning a disappointed hum from the hidden magician.]
[The poor Batter is left with nothing to strike.]
[The servant duo nods to each other, and they act at exactly the same time. One travels at the other's side to protect it, while the other quickly sinks its short yet sharp fangs into the Batter's arm.]
Well your either a creature, a spirit from Hades, a guardian or a false god. No real in between there. Now then...
*Latus opens her hands and a glowing orb raises from it before detonating into burning hot air and dust particles that hurts everyone in the nearby area indiscriminately, be it attacking monsters or the people she found herself with to see this show that may not even exist*
Lets do this!
Kotori rushes quickly behind the attacking snek and stabs at the hiding one, If she strikes, her blade will break inside of the creature and the fire enchantment will break as well, causing a small explosion
"Aw screw it."
Jiyu reaches his right hand into his right pocket to put on one of his silver brass knuckles, rushes to the servant that's protecting the other servant, and tries to uppercut him in his jaw.
Eito, somewhat stung by the air steps back even more. His eyes are crimson again.
"What the fuck was that, you crazy bitch?"
His eyes turning back to normal, Eito shakes his head and sighs.
"I need to control myself..."
(The 7'3 man suddenly is there) how...WHA....ah whatever
The Judge would Jump up into the air as it's front left paw would begin to change in both color and texture. A black inky substance would overtake it as the Judge swings the paw forward causing the inky substance to shoot out towards the servant attacking that batter.
The ink would try to cover its eyes in order to blind it as well as burn as the skin for a small amount of damage.
[Untypical Sclerosis]
"I shall provide a small amount of aid as it seems you're having a bit of trouble, dear Batter."
Ah look, a fight...great
The Batter continues with his punch as he can't stop the momentum, however when the serpant bites into him he turns and shakes his arm while it is hopefully blinded, hopefully flinging it off before stomping on it with his foot. He is singed as well and when he finishes his strike he turns to Latus with disdain
"Foul Beast. As for what I am. I already told you. I am The Batter. Just like how The Judge is The Judge. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Thank you Judge. Your aid is appreciated and noted."
When Zane enters the area though the Batter tenses again.
Reinforcements?
"Another one. Stay on guard. That thing is not normal. No being should be that tall"
(edited by The_Batter)
[For some reason, the orb's blast is significantly mitigated. Anyone very intuned to magic would figure out that an outside force has weakened it.]
[The guarding servant is knocked back, stumbling as it clutches its face, then notices the Judge's attack. It shoves its ally out of the way and takes the inky strike. It screeches as the substance drips into its eyes and waves its serving tray wildly.]
[The attacking servant leaps out of the way. Blood drips from its fangs, and it twitches every few seconds. In this crazed state, it whips its head around, eventually settling its sights on Eito and slicing part of his chest with a kitchen knife- probably was used long ago, but for different reasons. The madness in the beast's eyes sends shivers down Eito's spine.]
[Kotori stabs some bushes. The Great Batesian's laugh comes from a bush to her left.]
(edited by Hundred-S)
hm....so ya fighting a baseball batter?......that's sad......and weird
(edited by Reperzel)
Tch!
Missed!
Kotori swings around to behind the hiding ally and tries another stab, with the same effect
"Fuck that!"
Eito nervously steps back a couple more steps before aiming his pistol and unloading the 10 remaining bullets at the lizardman, shooting with more adrenaline than accuracy.
The Judge would look at Zane with his usual wide yellow eyes and toothy grin.
"I'd advise not getting onto the Batter's bad side. It wouldn't be beneficial to your health especially not for one who takes on such a strange appearance. Regardless, your own actions shall be the determining factor in your inevitable fate."
Alright mate, I get it...then again, I'm saying that ta a goddamn cat
(edited by Reperzel)
Hmm.... How very... interesting.
*Latus simply steps past one of the creatures, uninterested in fighting it, and starts searching the area.*
You guys do that thing you humans are good at and destroy. I'll do some more peaceful activities and search for suspicious things around here. You'll cover me, won't you? Thanks.
"I do not chatter with spirits."
The Batter whisks his attention away from Zane as he turns to meet the blinded servant. Spinning his bat around as he gets ready to go for a homerun. Then striking the back of its head with ferocity. However with such power leaves a possibility for a miss
[Furious Homerun]
"Heh, you're mine!"
Jiyu reaches into his black blazer with his left hand before pulling out a flintlock revolver and shooting the blinded snake twice in the head.
(He sits down on the ground and watches the fight)......feels like a need a girlfriend.... Wait why did I say that?...
(edited by Reperzel)
[The blinded servant has no defense against the headshot. Its body wobbles for a moment, and a decisive hit from the Batter sends its broken body tumbling into the bushes.]
[Some of the bullets are dodged, but the crazed serpent is still hit. It keeps moving despite the pain and, after taking a second to lick its bloody knife, stabs Eito's shoulder. Its eyes seem almost red at this point.]
[More bushes are set on fire. Someone yawns in the distance.]
"Nice shot, Hawkeye. Missed me by a mile."
"Ah!"
The knife penetrates through Eito's flesh cleanly. The teenager jumps back, clutching his wound, though apparently not especially affected.
"Bastard!"
(edited by Eito)
Oh...yeah that's outta hurt
*Latus continues searching around the area, trying to find something suspicious or out of place that would account for a power drain from her abilities.*
Hmm... Oh, I forgot Demon. The 5th entity that exists. That was foolish of me. I knew I was forgetting something. Ok. That helps. Now, where's this guy hiding?
.............
Kotori shakes her head, clearing it before just throwing the useless sword at the Attacking Snek,
again, if hits, breaks and fireball
[On Latus's end, the path continues ahead, although large footprints lead off the path and towards a swampy area of the courtyard.]
Strange. I wonder where these things lead.
*Latus begins following the large footprints.*
(He pulls out his banjo plays it) daaaaaaadadadadaa
(He jumps up, and follows latus, and keeps on playing his banjo) ay...
Jiyu turns over to Eito and the serpent attacking him.
*Sigh* "Someone needs to give you target practice or something."
Jiyu then aims his flintlock revolver at the serpent and fires two more musket balls, flying directly at its legs.
Seeing one of his companions get hurt, The Batter drops low into a running position and dashes over to Eito, sliding at the last second.
While running a strange magic emits from The Batter, and a healing aura encompasses Eito, equivalent to a dia spell
"You will not die here. Fight the spirit. Destroy it."
[Saving First Base]
Ooc: also here's the music he's playing: https://youtu.be/4G2CGZIWcco
[The wounds on Eito's shoulder and chest mostly close, although that seems to be the extent of the healing.]
[The servant tries to dodge the sword, but soon finds itself unable to move as the bullets hit its legs. The flying sword, by some miracle, skewers it through the chest, ending its life.]
---
[Some ripples come from the water of this marsh. Finding solid ground is slightly hard now, and there's a sense of apprehension. What appears to be a chest lies about thirty feet away.]
*Latus looks over at the chest then back to the footprints with a shrug*
I'll let the humans get tricked with that. With any luck, these footprints lead to a better truth than one greed can give me.
FINALLY!
Geeze!
I blame the shrubbery for being so distracting.
She pulls out a new, more durable sword
Stupid cheap swords....
Um....ya know what. No. (He also follows the footprints)
"Thanks."
Eito walks over to the dead reptile and kicks it's body.
"Seems i'm a tad too late to get revenge, but maybe we'll find another."
The teenager sighs once again, his hair seeming to shift in the light before going back to normal.
"Well that was easy."
Jiyu puts away his one silver brass knuckles and flintlock revolver.
Anyone hurt?
Kotori pulls a salve out of her pouch and looks at her allies for wounds
The Batter wipes any residue OFF his weapon and takes a look around, his job was done. OFF to the next challenge.
[Purification Complete]
"There are more spirits here. I will not stop until they are all destroyed."
The Judge would perk up again at the mention of moving on. He still had his own reasons to be suspicious of the Batter's activities but he would choose not to take any needless action yet.
"Wasn't there one more enemy in this area? The Magician, remember? Or have you forgotten, Batter?"
The Batter hears The Judge and adjusts his cap so that it falls over his eyes again before turning back to The Judge
"I have not forgotten. But it appears The Magician has retreated. For now the battle is over. But the war is not. The Magician is my target. He is not allowed to continue his evil."
Healing?
Anyone?
Going once!
Gooing twiiiice~
ooc: My deepest apologies. My phone somehow died at 3 percent, and it took much longer than expected to return home to charge it. I would have given a warning if I knew what would happen. Due to some business I must attend to in about 25 minutes, I feel it would be best to continue tomorrow, especially since some of the people here are approaching very late times due to timezones.
OOC: okee
(Understood. The person behind the screen has acknowledged that the purification will continue tomorrow.)
ooc: Tomorrow equals 5 days, apparently. Oops. I have some time, though, so let us make some progress.
[The footprints are gone at the water's edge. This is as far as one can go, unless they head towards the chest.]
---
[With the danger gone, a dark blur flies over the group.]
"Well done! But this is not the finale! You'll have to keep going to see the final act- and perhaps this show's sponsor!"
[It disappears, leaving only a white rose on the ground.]
ooc: Seeing as everyone was busy, I'll try reviving this tomorrow at 1:30 est-ish
OOC: If its gonna be that time, I'll probably not be able to make it, since I'm jsut getting to bed now. I'll probably woke at 3 est,
Sadface
OOC: Wow. I completely forgot I was a part of this. Oops.
OOC: So, I am interested in joining, but it seems to be a little late in. Still, with little else going on, I feel a need to ask and make sure
ooc: Feel free, Saya-chan.
And don't feel too bad, Latus. I'm the one who forgot for 5 days straight.
As Sayaka walks around town, making her deliveries, she can't help but notice all of the posters scattered about advertising a performance. Its been a while since she's seen any sort of show, so she figures it might be fun to look into. A ruined courtyard is certainly an odd place to perform, but all things considered it might simply be for the atmosphere. And so, the young girl follows the poster's directions to find the place
[Sayaka's short journey takes her to the entrance of an abandoned courtyard. The doors are partly open, as if someone had passed by recently. A single white rose sits right in the middle of the path.]
Sayaka picks up the rose, perhaps a part of the show? Flowers like this are often used as a symbol of love, or simply thrown by stage magicians. Probably the latter here. She looks at it closely, careful not to prick herself on its thorns
Looks like I might be a bit late to the show. Oh well, that's what he gets for not including a time on this thing
With a sigh, Sayaka places the rose in her schoolbag, careful not to break it. Who knows when such a thing could come in handy, maybe she'll give it a vase back home. Without further ado, the young schoolgirl opens the courtyard door and walks in
OOC: I think Eito and Latus are waiting on you to give them an update to work with, rather than justs going with post 100
ooc: I see. I posted an update earlier, but I guess it got buried. I'll just paste it here.
[The footprints are gone at the water's edge. This is as far as one can go, unless they head towards the chest.]
---
[With the danger gone, a dark blur flies over the group.]
"Well done! But this is not the finale! You'll have to keep going to see the final act- and perhaps this show's sponsor!"
[It disappears, leaving only a white rose on the ground.]
---
[The courtyard's path splits into three at an intersection: left, right, and straight. Some red, rose-like flowers are in a patch of soil in the center. A few fallen petals are in the grass near these plants.]
Eito sighs and yawns.
"So, what now?"
He leans down and picks up the rose carefully.
OOC: Actually, I had to do chores. Sorry for not saying anything.
*With a heavy sigh, Latus turns around and starts walking back. She stops, looking once again to the chest. Feeling an end to a battle, Latus lets herself relax*
W-well, I suppose theres no harm in checking it.
*Latus heads towards the chest*
Sayaka, already somewhat interested in roses, decides to take a closer look at the flowers in the center path. She walks over to them and, careful not to touch them yet, instead looks at them closely
Didn't expect to see somethin' blooming so... Deliberately. I mean, this is an abandoned place.
They young girl grins, confident in her guess
Must be the work of that magician. Maybe he's leaving these as a little path to the show. After all, he barely gave any directions in the poster, must have been planning on guiding us somehow
[The rose looks like the strange-smelling flowers, but no scent comes from its white petals.]
---
[As Latus approaches the chest, she notices some large ripples in the water...]
---
[A slight breeze drifts the flowers' scent towards Sayaka. It's a rotting, metallic smell, rather than the expected pleasant scent. Sayaka isn't going to be feeling too cheerful after that...]
[...For the purposes of Sayaka's Soul Gem, I'll add that this raised her Stress by 15 (out of 100).]
(edited by Hundred-S)
"Hmmm...."
Eito shrugs, take the flower and puts it into the same coat pocket as the one he put Rose's...Rose into.
"Now I have a black and white one."
"Nice."
*Latus looks at the ripples, being surprised at their appearance.*
W-what?! What's going on?
*Latus investigates the ripples*
Getting an accidental whiff of what must be some kinda rafflesia, those giant, corpse-scented flowers found in rainforests, Sayaka covers her nose and does her best to ignore the smell, paying the flowers no more heed and instead walking further down the center path
What kinda sick joke is that anyways? Ugh... No accounting for taste I guess.
Shaking her head to clear away the scent, Sayaka keeps a careful eye out for anything similar as she proceeds down the middle path, slightly disgusted with her first impression
OOC: Good thing you mentioned that, otherwise I likely never would have thought about it. Since Soul Gem corruption is related to their mental state, it makes sense for it to increase at some rate with stress. 1 for 1 is obviously too much, so I figure 3 stress = 1 percentage. In addition,
she'll gain stress/percentage with some attacks and abilities. reaching 200% is probably nothing to worry about, but at that point rather than getting a heart attack, she simply receives larger Percentage hits. With all that explaining done
Soul Gem: 5%
[The path continues ahead for Eito and the group. However, muddy footprints, some human and some beast, lead off towards a more swampy area.]
---
[This, as it turns out, is a terrible idea.]
[Latus is knocked down as strong jaws clamp down on her arm, followed by a scaly body slamming the rest of itself onto her. The crocodile monster attacking her begins to pull back, tugging her towards the water.]
---
Seems fair to me.
[Sayaka is soon forced to step around the bodies of three reptilian humanoids. Their clothes are incredibly fancy, like what servants would wear in a mansion. Up ahead is a fairly sizable crowd.]
"Well, time to move on."
Eito continues walking forward.
Sayaka glances at the corpses with disgust. She didn't get to see the creatures, hopefully they were the mindless kind she's used to fighting, but she's seen plenty of other humanoids here.... Best not to think about it. Either way, it looks like Sayaka is far from the only one to go this route. She looks up at the crowd, before steeling her nerves to approach them.
Soul Gem 6%, so add another 3 on the stress
*Latus screams in surprise before her demeanour becomes more serious. Her arm turns to dust allowing Latus to step back. When her arm reforms, it is holding a jewelled rapier*
Disgusting Beast. In the Lord's name, I command you. Perish.
*Particles of dust appear over the crocodile and the water before unleashing bolts of electricity, hitting both the monster and the water it came from*
The Batter keeps to himself as he holds onto his hat, however when he notices the steps he kneels down next to them,
Tracks. An assortment of footprints.
Seeing that something is probably up ahead he prepares himself for the next battle as he trudges forth
Shh, the identity of the puppeteer is unimportant to this mission
*Latus spins her rapier around and rests it on one of her shoulders.*
Well. Seems the tracks I was following were just a violent purse. I hate how humans do that to the Lord's creatures.
*Latus eyes glow as she glares at the crocodile*
Stay!
Kotori wokes from her slep, and seeing Sayaka pass her, She catches up to her
Hey! Wait!
It's dangerous to go alone!
Take me with you!
Their previous fight is the last thing on her mind as the stress of being by herself pushes her to mentally cling to Sayaka as a source of security
The sounds of battle nearby.
The Batter approaches the vase and investigates it. Trying to look underneath it, or on the bottom. Searching for a potential button, or anything that looks off
A puzzle. Let us begin.
Eito follows the Batter and approaches the vase.
"I mean, it could just be a vase."
[The crocodile obliges. It lunges forward, raking its teeth against Latus's leg before returning to the water. The wound is deep and bleeding rather badly.]
---
[There is no button, but there are some carvings under the strange symbols. The image of a blooming flower in a vase with petals spread wide. The vase itself has an inside that has a dry brownish bottom. Out of place, considering its vibrant blue color.]
[Alternatively, everyone can keep going along the path.]
Sayaka catches sight of the batter... Finally someone kinda normal.... Except he seems obsessed with some kinda boring vase. Oh we.... And there's Kotori too. Not someone she wants to deal with right now, Sayaka keeps her reply short and to the point
Yeah, sure. Just be careful ok? You get in trouble and I can't be expected to bail you out.
A little harsh maybe, but they've had a rough enough time as is. Rather than check out the Batter, Sayaka leaves him to his business and proceeds down the pathway, towards the sounds of the splashing
[Sayaka is soon greeted with the sight of a crocodile, which seems to be attacking a girl. It's waiting to strike in the water.]
*Latus winces in pain. With a growl, she electrocutes the water and the crocodile with more power than before. She then turns back to the chest, her injured leg collapsing into dust before reforming completely healed.*
Like something like that could hurt an angel like me.
The Batter thinks about the vase about the strange cravings as he takes the vase with him, sticking it into his pants as he continues
This might be useful later. In purification or perhaps a possible button.
"Dude, what the fuck?"
"Put it back,I have an idea!"
Eito stares at The Batter.
Catching sight of the crocodile and injured girl, Sayaka wastes no time removing the silver ring from her left hand. The ring turns into a small, blue, gem in the palm of her hand. Sayaka tosses the gem into the air, jumping up to catch it and
<insert transformation sequence here>
her outfit changed, the young girl dashes to Latus's side
Don't worry, I'm here now. You alright? Get somewhere safe, I can handle some dumb lizard.
Without further ado, she rushes past Latus and slashes her sword in a downward arc towards the crocodile, both hands on its hilt to give her full force into it
Now that just won't do.
[The ground shifts slightly under Latus, and a hint of yellow can be seen through the cracks.]
I thought I perfected this, but the curse has some... bugs, so to speak. I might as well try a little conversion for balance. Time to store that damage somewhere else...
[As the cracks close, Latus feels a heavy weight on her mind.]
[The crocodile takes the blow. Its hard scales mitigate some of the damage, although it still decides to shrink back into the water.]
---
[A little vase argument here. How the Batter fit that in his pants, we may never know.]
Wow...
Rude much...
You could at least stand to TRY to be polite?
She catches up to Sayaka and draws her blade upon seeing the crocodile
I'd suggest that we should be careful, but you don't seem like the person who cares.
Just don't be an overconfident ass.
This place isn't the kind of place where that aggressive "Don't get in my way, be a good normie and leave the fighting to us 'heroes'" is an acceptable frame of mind.
She closes her eyes attempting to calm herself down a bit
But your rotten elitist attitude isn't the problem here, so I'll just pretend you're being courteous for my own sanity.
Kotori rushes to the Croc as well and infuses her blade with lightning, giving it a shock and a chance to stun before swinging at it
(edited by Kotori_K)
It is far too late to calm down the situation after that. After all, she's never said NOT to try. Sayaka sighs and snaps back at Kotori
IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANNA DO RIGHT NOW? Are you TRYING to get me to hate you? Because its sure working.
Sayaka turns back to the crocodile, of course Kotori, the person without super healing powers immediately rushes into what she claims was a trap. Because that makes sense. Sayaka closes her eyes, two swords dropping out from underneath her cape and into her waiting hands. Sayaka catches these weapons and spins, tossing them both into the water at the crocodile
All I've EVER tried to do was get you to take this stuff seriously. Unlike SOME PEOPLE, I don't think its my place to judge your wishes or your desire to help.
But that doesn't change my job. My job is to make sure everyone, other heroes, "normies", even enemies if I can help it, are safe. But if you're SO against that, then fine, get yourself hurt. I can't possibly save everyone, I just won't be there all the time.
*Latus winces, grabbing her head.*
W-what sort of demonic magic is this? Grr.
*Before Latus can try anything else, she notices Kotori and Sayaka attacking and forces herself to calm down.*
Huh? Oh, are you here to help? T-thank you.
[The crocodile is momentarily dazed. It huffs and shakes its head, with Sayaka's blades slashing its sides. Its thick hide is giving it a lot of protection...]
No, No I'm not, but I at least TRIED to be polite to you.
As for taking things seriously, I always do, I don't know where you got the notion I didn't.
And if its your job to protect EVERYONE,
Even the ones who can obviously protect themselves and have told you they don't want your protection,
You're the one "Getting in the way"
Kotori takes another deep breath, doing her best to keep as calm as possible.
But again, that's not the issue right now.
The issue is survival in this place.
So at least try to not be so condescending for a little bit.
I know it's a struggle for you, but put some effort into it, yeah?
Kotori changes the charges into earth, and brings the now MUCH heavier blade down on the croc's head
Sayaka sighs, this is definitely not what she was wanting to do today. Rather than bother arguing with the other girl, Sayaka simply runs back the way she came, waving to the others as she goes
Hey, don't worry girl, I'm sure Kotori here can handle herself JUST FINE. I'll just look for another way around. Have fun with the monster!!!
Her snark done, Sayaka decides pursuing this further is a bad idea, cue running off, into the sunset.... That is, back the way she came to check out one of the two other routes.
After all that pointless arguing, and since I forgot to add in the sword creation, Soul Gem: 10%
W-what... was that all about?
[With that wonderful betrayal, Kotori's not exactly feeling that happy. Her rage, though, is effective at slamming a heavy sword into a crocodile, which begins to sink into the water, dazed(?)]
---
[Sayaka feels some guilt at leaving the others behind, giving her a solid 12 Stress. I'd say higher, but they weren't on great terms either way. Going down a side path leads her towards a chest like that in the swamp, although some replilian humanoids are chattering around it.]
Ugh!
What part of "Its dangerous to go alone" does she not get?
Kotori uses her wind enchantment to chase Sayaka at a distance, attempting to not be noticed and kicking herself for being an ass
*Latus watches the two go, really confused.*
O...K... That was... weird...
*With a shake of her head, which causes a slight pain in her head due to her newly acquired headache, Latus moves towards the chest*
Having successfully escaped that nightmare, Sayaka catches sight of some of the reptiliane humanoids whose bodies she'd seen earlier. Guess now is as good a time as any to learn if they're sentient or not. Sayaka keeps a safe distance, roughly ten feet between her and the creatures, and shouts to get their attention
Hey!! I take it you live here? I seem to be a bit lost. Just trying to get to some magician's show, hello?
Just in case, Sayaka keeps one hand on the sword at her hip, if something happened she'd be ready to take it out in a flash to defend herself. Of course, she should be fine at this distance, but better safe than sorry.
OOC: IN that case, Soul Gem at 14%, and I get the feeling its about to go up
[Unfortunately, the crocodile was not as dead as expected. As soon as Latus touches the chest, strong jaws grab one of her legs and pull. Hard.]
---
[In unison, the four reptiles turn towards the strange voice. Two are shorter, appearing to be servants, while the other two are the size of a human. One of the larger beasts stops playing its lute. The other stares directly at Kotori from behind its bird-like mask.]
[The two servants step forward, muttering to themselves as they examine Sayaka and the trailing Kotori.]
*Latus isn't even surprised at this point. She simply disperses into dust. The dust creates a small twister that picks up the chest and proceeds to repeatedly bash the crocodile with it before reforming into Latus, the chest falling on top of the Crocodile, at the very least spinning the damn thing's jaw to the ground or crushing it at worst*
Stop! Trying! To! Kill! Me!
They don't seem to be hostile yet, and none of the people she met on the middle route seemed that stable, so there's no need to attack the things yet. Instead, she simply takes a few steps back to remain a little bit away from the servants, hand still on her sword
Don't talk much do ya? Well, if you wouldn't mind showing me the way. To the magician guy. That would be great. Can you hear me? Nod if its a yes.
Sayaka doesn't pay much attention to the larger two, instead focusing on the servants before her. The others seemed like aristocrats of sorts in their weird society, so they might not deign to talk to some random girl. The servants on the other hand are more likely to respond
[The crocodile sinks back into the water, although it takes the chest with it. This food is too troublesome to eat. Too much fiber.]
[The only choice is to go back along the path. The headache intensifies.]
---
[The servants' muttering becomes more angered. One of them steps forward and says something in an unknown language. Realizing Sayaka doesn't understand, it coughs and tries again.]
"You... Master's... master's..."
[It looks at its companion, searching for the word. They're happy to help.]
"Invitation!"
"Yes. White invitation."
(edited by Hundred-S)
*Latus starts walking back along the path.*
Stupid freaking crocodile.
*Latus lets herself relax*
I-I hope it isn't hurt too much. I was just trying to scare it off. O-oh well. Maybe I'll find out where the other two went.
Ok, that confirms it, these things are sentient. Best not think about the corpses along the earlier path. Some sort of white invitation? Well, the poster from earlier had very little white on it, so its unlikely to have been that.... She does remember finding something earlier along the path, so she searches her schoolbag for a white rose to show to the creatures
Do you mean this? Some guy did give it to me, but I never thought it was important.
Sorry for the inconvenience, I... Uh, don't really speak your language
Kotori watches, far enough to not be noticed, but close enough to join should a scuffle happen, she needs to apologize, but interrupting now is a bad idea, instead, Kotori does her best to calm her nerves, pulling out some Melodia seeds and taking in their scent
[The servants nod excitedly.]
"Yes. Invitation."
[With a sudden cheerfulness, they each grab one of Sayaka's arms and forcefully tug her towards a path hidden in the dense bushes. The other two reptiles step out of the way to let them pass.]
[Such a calming scent for Kotori.]
---
[Latus can either head left where the group went or right towards the entrance.]
(edited by Hundred-S)
Hey, Watch it!
Sayaka tugs her right arm in an attempt to escape the servant's grasp. Regardless of how that works, she would keep her hands off of her sword and walk with the creatures
You know, its rude to just grab a lady like that. I would have thought you knew better.
Sayaka tries not to pay much attention to the two taller reptiles, they seem satisfied keeping their distance, and she appreciates that, much nicer than being grabbed by scaly little....
The Batter seems to turn on again. Where was he again? It appears that without instructions from the Player he sat idly staring into the wall
Ah yes. The Vase.
The Batter then checks his pockets again and feels the vase. Noting its still there
*Latus looks towards the right, thinking how she should probably go back now and leave the idiots to their own devices. Then she looks left, hearing noises before sighing*
I don't think I can let them die. As much as it would be good, they might be useful in my debt.
*With a slight nod, Latus heads left.*
Shit! I forgot about those!
Kotori quickly rushes back, grabs a rose, then returns to her location before calmly walking to the servants, holding her rose for visibility as she approaches.
Slightly frustrated at the larger distance between the two now
[The servants look confused for a moment, but decide it's best to keep their hands to themselves.]
[Unfortunately, the only roses Kotori can find are red ones. One of the servants approaches her and holds its hand out.]
"Invitation."
[He snatches up the red rose, then throws it off to the side.]
"Not invitation."
---
[Latus soon joins the others in the productive activity of staring at a stone altar.]
Satsified, Sayaka briefly turns around to look at the creatures. Of course she catches sight of Kotori in the meanwhile.... Hopefully the girl doesn't do something silly, but for now its not really worth worrying about..... *sigh* Knowing her there's not much of a choice, is there? She speaks up to the creatures
Its ok, she's with me. I hope you don't want to keep the master waiting worrying about my entourage, do you? He might be preeeetty upset to learn you've been keeping his guests waiting.
Sayaka would cautiously step off to the entrance of the hidden path, if they didn't take it well she might have to be ready to run, but she may as well do her best to keep Kotori out of trouble while they're all there
*As Latus starts to look around, A white hooded man places a hand on her shoulder*
Latus: H-huh?!
Relax. It's just me.
Latus: Eis. What-
I heard there was a magic show here, but it seems something else is happening, yes?
*Latus explains everything that has happened to Eis, including almost getting eaten by a crocodile.*
I see. How strange. Well, anyway, let's look around, shall we?
*Latus nods and the two begin to look around. Latus: Player 2. The Prophet: In.*
Kotori waits and sees if Sayaka's word is enough to let her through, if not, THEN she heads down the third pathway. If it is, she follows Sayaka.
[They only find the altar with strange writing and the path continuing ahead.]
---
[The servants look at each other and shrug.]
"Invitation."
[They wave for Kotori to come with them too, then head into the side path...]
ooc: I'm going to work on something, so I'll stop here for today.
OOC: ooky, sorry for being a dumb and taking 4 turns doing nothing.
OOC: I don't think "That Fuck" will be around for a few more hours. Not sure about Kotori either. But as for me
With Kotori getting the go ahead, Sayaka doesn't feel any need to wait on her further, at least she was able to keep the other girl out of trouble.... Unless they were simply heading out of the frying pan and into the fire. In which case, it would be best for Sayaka to go ahead and get started before Kotori shows up and risks herself. So, the young girl continues along the path, following the two reptilliane servants to... Wherever they plan on taking her. She makes a kinda lame attempt at small talk with the things, in hopes of making the walk a little less awkward
So... What's this master of yours like? Some kinda showman? I haven't actually met him before, so I was wonderin' what you thought
"Snake. Speaks tongue of human well."
[The other servant nods in agreement, taking a sharp right.]
"Yes. Very magic too. Creates... scar... dangerous..."
"Nightmares?"
"Nightmares. That is it."
Sayaka blinks and continues follow the creatures, turning right. Well, they are reptiles, and they speak her language, so it makes sense their master would be similar.
What are these "Nightmares" you're talkin' about? That usually requires someone to be asleep, but you make it sound like the stuff's very real.
There's little to do but continue following them at the moment, so she may as well keep up as much conversation as she can
"Real!"
"But magic!"
[The creatures seem to understand it, but it's... hard for them to convey it.]
"Very scary magic."
"Can do nice magic too!"
(edited by Hundred-S)
Well of course Magic's real, you think I dress like this for fun?
Sayaka gestures to her rather impractical Magical Girl outfit, between the revealing chest, overly long cape, two sets of gloves... But its all magic so its fine
Anyways, how much further do we have to go? All this walkin's starting to kill me
Sayaka sighs and puts both arms behind her head. Maybe she shouldn't have went on without Kotori. At the very least its never dull with her around
"Soon."
[That's Sayaka's only answer.]
[Sure enough, the three emerge into an open area. A fountain sits in the center of a circular floor of stones. It's not flowing, though, which saves the caped serpent coiled around the top from getting wet...]
"Come on! We wouldn't be doing this if you had chosen crimson as I asked!"
[The snake, with its white, red, and black-banded body wrapped tightly around the mossy fountain, yells at some servants. His top hat nearly flies off as he whips his head towards a reptile with a paintbrush.]
"As circular as possible, remember! The red circle around the fountain must be PERFECT!"
Sayaka just watches the.... Preparation, she supposes. This all looks rather fake to her, but, well,
Homura has a teleporting demon, so apparently anything goes. The girl confidently steps towards the snake, snickering to herself before remarking
Am I a little early to the performance? You should have given us a time. And better directions than this. Sheesh, an alligator almost bit me on the way here
[The snake nearly falls off the fountain in surprise.]
"Oh, here already? Sorry about the mess. The Great Batesian really needs to hire workers that can paint a decent circle the correct color."
[He points his tail at the red circle enclosing most of the area.]
"The Great Batesian must have the correct color circle, after all. Every aesthetic choice is important to a performance! But at least the vase the Great Batesian's sponsor put out is keeping the others busy."
(edited by Hundred-S)
Forcibly grabbing the vase from the black hole in The Batter's pants and putting it back onto the altar, Eito smiles.
"Finally..."
He takes out the white rose he found and places it inside.
"There we go."
(edited by Eito)
[Nothing happens. The rose just sits there. Its white petals stand out, especially since there's so many red roses scattered in the soil off the path.]
"Well, doesn't do what I thought it would but at least it's pretty."
Eito shrugs, grabs a couple red roses, covering his nose in the meanwhile and puts them next ot the white one.
"I feel like some entity just gave me a hint..."
[All Eito gets is a nice little bouquet. Granted, it smells like blood and decay, but it looks pretty.]
[He can move onwards even if he gives up.]
"Problematic..."
Eito shrugs and grabs the vase, dropping it on the floor.
"Meh."
He then walks ahead.
[Eito soon is at a stone "floor" out in this lovely garden. It's a perfect circle, with wet red paint around the outside. There's even a servant going over it with a slightly different coat. In the center is a red, black, and white-banded snake in a cloak and top hat. It seems to be talking to Sayaka from its perch on the fountain.]
"Uh..."
Eito steps forward with his head tilted to the side.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Kotori follows Sayaka, Silently thanking her for helping her out, then listening to the snake who refers to himself in third person
"One... Two... Three... Bah, the Great Batesian has enough of an audience! Are you ready for a show?"
[He slithers down onto the stones, zipping behind Kotori.]
"Hold on, you have something behind your ear..."
[He tries to nudge her ear with his scaly snout.]
Sayaka looks around and catches a glimpse of Eito emerging into the area. Great, two people she very much didn’t want to see today. No matter, the show seems to be starting. Sayaka leans back a little and watched the snake, considering she’s friends with a Harpy a snake magician isn’t all that odd anymore.
Kotori doesn't move, Tense, yes, but this thing isn't a mindless monster. It hasn't shown any signs of hostility yet.
[The Great Batesian pulls his head back, now with the gleam of a golden coin in his mouth. He tosses it into the air.]
"That was quite a find! But now..."
[He takes off his hat, then catches the coin in it. He shows the empty hat to everyone, passing them by as he slithers with the hat in his jaws.]
"I swear I caught it... do you know where it went?"
[Eito hears something clink in the vase.]
Kotori, who was completely still, didn't see the trick and begins looking at the floor, looking for the coin
I didn't hear it drop.....
Sayaka kept a careful eye on the serpent, looking into his hat, she's heard of this kinda trick of course, so, Sayaka smugle grins and points to the bottom of the hat
Obviously there's a little slot in the fabric where you can catch and hide coins. Oldest trick in the book.
Confident in her guess, Sayaka leans back a little and scratches the back of her head with her left hand
Eito blinks rapidly as he stares into the vase, pushing aside the flowers to look for the coin.
"Bloody magic snake..."
"Nice try, miss, but..."
[The Great Batesian grins as Eito fishes out a golden coin.]
"The Great Batesian is twice as clever as that! His illusion magic is superb! And-"
[The ground shakes a little.]
"It seems the host of this event is getting impatient. Shall we move on to the main act?"
[As if on cue, the red circle surrounding everyone glows.]
"This stage shall change to whatever battlefield you wish! Any suggestions?"
Kotori fiddles with her ear before coming up with an idea
A flaming arena!
Battlefield?
Sayaka pauses for a moment and sighs, she was hoping not to end up fighting, but if that's what's happening, she may as well try to have fun with it. So sayaka thinks, before coming up with a grin and excitedly shouting
We should totally do one of those ancient temple rooftop scenes, where we're all running on the roof and clashing like ninjas!!! Hey, if we're gonna fight for no reason, may as well look great doing it right?
.... Long as we're careful not to actually hurt anyone
Sayaka casts a sideways glare at Kotori, after all, she's the one who needs the reminder the most
"I support Sayaka's idea, even though it's the most likely to get me killed."
Eito shrugs in indifference.
"Hm... yes, yes, that will work."
[With a wave of the snake's tail, the world becomes black. Slowly, torches are lit one by one under a starry night sky. Gone is the courtyard, and here is the top of a high tower. Something rubs against the sides of the stone pillar.]
"Nice view, isn't it? The Great Batesian's sponsor said you'd get something out of this if you get ol' Devourer to go away. Good luck!"
[The Great Batesian leaps off the building and out of sight. Golden scales gleam in the firelight as the massive head of a serpent comes into view. Its hide resembles armor, with its scales in large plates rather than small... well, scales.]
"Guess that's Devourer."
Eito stares at the massive serpent before loading his gun with Fire Dust and shooting it 5 times, aiming for the eyes.
"I'm not waiting for that fucking thing to eat us!"
Sayaka watches the serpent emerge.... Guess it makes sense for snakes to be working for snakes, size thing too... Not sure why its LOOKING for a fight, but she'll be sure to give it one.
Ready? OK, here we go everyone. Just make sure to leave it up afterwards, alright?
After giving her companions a quick glance around, Sayaka dashes off towards the snake, its scales are large plates, which means there're probably points between them. Sayaka dodges to the serpent's left, making sure to be out of the line of fire, and then lunges, aiming to thrust her sword between two of its scales
Time to fight!
Kotori draws her blade and leaps at the Snek, propelling herself at its face from above, looking to latch onto the top of its head and stab it's right eye out
Current enchantments.
Earth/Wind body
[The Devourer closes its eyes, although this only mitigates the damage. It snarls and whips its head around, causing Kotori to only hit its scales. Sayaka's strike is the last straw for this serpent. It roars, slamming its body into the ground to trap the magical girl underneath- and, with such a powerful blow, stun her.]
(edited by Hundred-S)
Fine! Gonna be like that!
Holding on to the scales to keep on the snek, she crawls closer to the nose, infuses her sword with fire and shoves the flaming sword inside it's nose, discharging the sword in an explosion
As Sayaka is off to the snake's side, she has the chance to backstep, avoiding the worst of the blow, instead getting knocked back and off her feet. Sayaka slowly gets back up (stunned), a little worse for wear, but her injuries begin healing almost immediately
"Goddamnit!"
Eito replaces the gun's clip with another one holding Water and Wind Dust, creating Ice Dust. He empties the 15 bullet clip all over the snake's body, hopefully freezing it.
"Man, it sucks being normal."
[The snake gets to experience the wonderful sensation of a burning nose and a frozen body all at once. It makes a choking/hissing sound as it rears up, its head and front of its body freezing up. More of its body coils onto the top of the tower.]
[Aside from its scale-plates sticking up like golden thorns, it doesn't do much. The ice begins to crack as those scales rise as well.]
"Fuck that."
Eito once again replaces the clip with a normal one. He aims straight for the beast's mouth and shoots. Many, many times.
"Please stay away from me!"
Heh.
Kotori infuses 2 knives with earth and shove each down a different nostril, then ducks as the knives explode in a burst of shrapnel inside the monsters head
Now that the scale-plates are open, the snake's actual skin would be pretty easy to hit
Maybe you shouldn't leave yourself so open like that?
Off to the snake's left side, Sayaka spins around, giving 6 swords the chance to drop into the ground around her from beneath her cape. With a grin, Sayaka grabs two of these weapons, and tosses them into the snake's side, before spinning around to throw a third
You're pretty much asking for trouble!!
[Two, four, six... the hits just keep adding up. The knives exploding in its nostrils create a stream of blood that it nearly chokes on.]
"But he's not finished yet."
[At the Great Batesian's words, the Devourer glows with a white light. Its scales shatter and burst outwards, inflicting heavy cuts and stabs as well as some nasty bleeding.]
[Once the light clears, a serpent of pulsing black and purple energy coils up before everyone.]
Gha!
Kotori is knocked off, landing on the rooftop as she pulls a healing salve out of her pouch and begins treating her wounds
"Hng!"
Eito struggles to escape the serpent with all his power.
Sayaka conjures a circle of music notes between the two, forming a magic barrier that would reduce the amount of scales that struck her, looks like some kinda form shift? Well, like this its probably vulnerable
Hope you're ready snake!! Here I go.
Already on the snake's left side, Sayaka conjures another circle beneath her and leaps towards the snake's back, slashing her sword along the creature as she passes
Ein!!
now behind it, Sayaka would create another circle to change her momentum, now launching down the snake's right side, slashing at it again as she passes
Zwei!!
Finally, Sayaka creates one final circle to use to launch herself at the serpent's head, hoping to slash its now scaleless throat
Drei!!!
[Kotori gets some healing, but is still bleeding.]
[The serpent weaves along with Sayaka at a newfound speed. With its heavy scales gone, the Devourer evades some of the strikes, but Sayaka still lands some rather decent blows.]
[Its counterattack, just as Sayaka slashes the lower part of its neck, is a powerful snap of its jaws. Sayaka is accidentally dropped moments later once her strike's pain sets it, but that brief moment alone felt wrong... As if she had narrowly escaped the pull of a powerful force... In other words, an additional 40 Stress ]
[Its body then weaves down towards Eito and slams into the ground, hitting him and Kotori with the rubble. The sound of crunched(?) stone can be heard.]
"AGH! You big fucking thing!"
Eito continues insulting the beast despite being very obviously in pain and being stuck under the rubble. Both of these are solved as the teenager's eyes turn crimson and he manages to raise himself up with more power than one like himself should be able to use.
"Get fucked!"
He then uses up one of his last healing capsule that he bought from Kotori a while back.
Sayaka drops to the ground, for the brief moment she was inside the thing’s mouth she realizes “that was almost exactly how her teacher died, being eaten like thatâ€. Shaken, the girl takes a few steps away from the snake and takes a deep breath. A trio of magic circles appear underneath her as she actively channels her magic into self-healing. She would likely be finished recovering in mere moments
Gh.... gotta stop the bleeding....
Kotori pulls her shirt off and rips it, making bandages for herself and treating the wounds
Shoving the rest of the shirt scraps for later use
[Whatever was mitigating Sayaka's healing seems to have relaxed, allowing for her to be fully healed.]
[Kotori stops the bleeding, and the narrator is both glad and disappointed that this isn't a visual medium.]
[Eito gets some healing as well.]
[The munching works its way to under Eito, and a sharp fang pierces his arm. Probably on accident, but still hurts either way as the snake eats its way out onto the tower roof.]
Ok....
Now....
Kotori begins following the snek, infusing her sword with lightning and attempts to leap onto its head from behind again, stabbing her sword into the softest spot she can find for grip
(edited by Kotori_K)
Sayaka's eyes open wide as she looks at Eito's arm, if it had been a few inches closer.... Don't worry about that. The girl takes a deep berath, focus on what you can do, before bringing back her confident grin and charging the snake again
Lets see how you like this!!
Lunar Crescendo!!
Sayaka imbues her blade with a blue light and leaps in front of the serpent, kicking off of the creature into a backflip and aiming to slash her sword through it while she rises. If this motion succeeds she would conjure a magic circle beneath her feet in order to push off that and repeat the motion in reverse, ending by backing away from the creature to get a managable distance
Lunar Decrescendo!!
[Eito's quite dazed. I guess we'll skip his turn.]
[The snake's body stiffens, becoming stunned from the electric shock.]
[That's just enough for Sayaka to land the final blow, shattering both the snake and the tower into a million pieces...]
[...]
[Suddenly, the stone plaza is back, with the Great Batesian coiled around the fountain. A yellow eye stares out from a large crack, and a cold voice speaks.]
Better than expected. I should have not underestimated the power of a Magical Girl. But even though the illusion only gave the illusion of wounds, you still suffered. That Soul Gem doesn't look as bright.
[Now that he mentioned it, the group's wounds from the fight were nowhere to be seen...]
Wow!
Kotori gets all giddy, still on an Adrenaline Rush
Oooh! Man!
That's awesome!
That's SO AWESOME!
Sayaka looks down at her Gem, it is looking fairly blackened, but its been worse. Still, she had probably better find a Witch pretty soon, best to keep it as clean as possible after all. But that does beg the question
How do you know about these Soul Gems anyways? I haven't said a word about it since I entered here
[A scaly black tail pushes the Great Batesian aside, and the voice speaks again.]
I have more knowledge than you'd expect. I can see things in the Nexus from my realm. Bits and pieces, but nothing I can't put together. I also have a few eyes around... But I digress. I must thank you for this test.
No problem!
It was Hella fun!
Now... I apologize, but I must depart. Here.
[Three white roses are laid out on the ground.]
It's not much, but a souvenir for your travels. These turn bright red with blood, but they're likely able to gain other colors depending on what they're submerged in... as well as gain its scent. Farewell.
[The crack vanishes, along with the Great Batesian (who probably slipped away).]
Oooh!
Kotori takes her rose and waits outside of the gate for Sayaka