So Familiar a Gleam: Finale

[voidtreckermods]

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YOU R̴̨̬̗̞̺̖̣̱͌̋̅͊͒̃͘Ų̴̨̨̦͎̭̥̰͍̞͙̲̰̞̭̎̆̓͂́͒̑͌̆̉̕͝Î̶̲͖͙͍̮̮̯̭͘͝N̵̡̢̢̛̛͔̳̲͚̙͕̘̠̞̈͊̂̋̆ͅÉ̸͖̟̻̯̪̭͉̭͖̱̙̠̺͎̥̿D̸̥́͒̈́̔̓̅̋͛̉̀͒̇̚̚ MY WORLD

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A TL;DR notes version of days/prompts: (click to show)

EVENT BASICS:

DAYS 8-9 (M11-M12):

• Buildings had begun to disappear during days 7&8, facilities and even whole streets begin vanishing. There are signs of crumbling infrastructure everywhere they look.
  
  
• In the early morning of Day 9 (M12), the cracks in the city - in this illusionary world - finally spread. The void sky above shines brightly in its colours. Chaos - also referred to as the Entity, or That Guy - is heard screaming of vengeance against the Voidtreckers, blaming all that has happened onto them. It shows what happened to the original Diagad: It was destroyed by blocky shapes in the sky that came down and destroyed it, while Chaos itself fell into the void.
  
  There is also some light mind torture, as a treat, to really wake people up. Memories, visions of their past assail them. This is the sort of stuff the voidtreckers have been training against and it's a good time for them to put all that work to the test.
  
  
• Anan's group then takes over any electrical device still left. She explains that they have a way to get the non voidtreckers (4th wall characters and npcs) home and also a way to temporarily seal the world. The entity takes offence at this and the screens smash. The entity appears as a cyclone of crackling colourful energy.
  
  
• Illusionary creatures are sent around to find and attack Voidtreckers, but they're also going after 4th wallers/NPCS. There's also monsters from other worlds leaking through, real monsters. People will have to move around more carefully, as going out on the streets is dangerous.
  
  
• However, there's word that buildings are disintegrating/disappearing farther out from the centre sector. People see where the city limits are as the illusion of there being more to the city has completely faded.
  
  
• Their SCA's begin to work fully, including comms. Of course not everyone was wearing their SCA when they got pulled and the 4th wallers don't have one so it will be up to those who do to make sure everyone is kept in the loop.
  
  
• The main tasks are as follows.
  1. Protecting people from attacks. Monsters have appeared, but people are also still brainwashed. Some even start to take on chaos features, streaks of colours dancing under the skin. These are so far gone it might be best to render them unconcious rather than trying to talk them round.
  
  2. The non-voidtravellers need to be evacuated. As Anan explains, the 'unhooking' must be done by those with an SCA. Those that are evacuating people from the city will not be able to take part in the boss fight. Please note that those unhooking will suffer some effects afterwards and it will take them a good week or so to recover their full strength.
  
  The city has many many people, so it is perfectly fine for the played 4th wallers to be the last to evacuate if they wish to take part in other things first!
  
  3. The evacuation area needs protecting. Though the entity will hopefully be occupied by the main battle there will still be monsters targeting the area. Anan will encourage those who can fight to guard and those who are not strong combatants to take the role of evacuating people.
  
  4. Getting people through the city- the city is unstable though there are strange creatures, almost children, partially animal who seem to be formed of the chaos all around them. However far from cruel they act as guides, mostly focusing on the children or those with pure hearts, helping them to safety.
  
  5. Taking on the entity. There are two boss battle threads! Here and Here

---

"YOU. YOU WISH TO RUIN MY WORLD. TO TEAR IT ASUNDER, BREAK AND CRUMBLE AND INCINERATE ITS EXISTENCE AGAIN. AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. I WATCHED IT. THE END OF DIAGAD, PURPLE SKIES, THE CHILDREN WHO LAUGHED IN JOY, THE SMILES I BROUGHT TO LIFE. THE REASON I WORKED AND WOKE AND WHAT KEPT ME GOING EACH AND EVERY DAY. MY EXISTENCE. MY BEING.

FALLING. FALLING. FALLING. I FELL AS IT CAME, BLACK TERROR WITH A HUNGER. HOW DID THE CHILDREN CRY? DID THEY SUFFER? I CAN HEAR THEM ALL, I CAN IMAGINE THEM. SEE IT. THE POSSIBILITIES, THE MAYBES, THE TRUTH. THE WORLD-- MY BEAUTIFUL DIAGAD, OH! THE VOID HAS BLESSED AND CURSED AND DAMNED AND DESTROYED AND BROUGHT TO ME A CHANCE TO SAVE IT THIS TIME, I WILL SAVE DIAGAD, I WILL HEAR THE CHILDREN LAUGH AGAIN, NO ONE WILL DESTROY MY CITY AGAIN. NO ONE, NO THING, IT WILL BE BEAUTIFUL AND SAVED AND IT WILL PROSPER FOREVER.

ALL WHO HARM US! ALL WHO STOP OUR RETURN! I WILL FIX WHAT HAS BEEN BROKEN. NEVER AGAIN SHALL YOU YOU VOIDTRECKERS HARM MY WORLD AGAIN. TWISTING AND RUINING OUR HOME NO MORE NO MORE I WILL END YOU."

The spiel comes in the early morning of Merriment 12, their ninth day on this strange world, though morning and night are indistinguishable now with the void-scarred sky burning above Jinnjar. Little exists of the sectors but the education and political district, and everyone has had to take shelter in its buildings, on cold tiled floors and with few blankets. There is no waking comfortable, feeling at ease. The city continues to crumble, and the citizens turned into the Entity's Heroes never quit their search and harassing of people who may be secret Voidtreckers, regardless of the ruinous world around them.

And then it speaks. The Entity's voices wakes everyone, enters into dreams, reality and the fake undefinable between one another. Scenes switch from one to another. A sky. Purple, serene and calm. A feeling of great contentment. But then come the shadows. Dark clouds filling the sky, blotting out that most perfect sky. A scream. No, a thousand screams. A world of screams echoes in every ear. A shadowed figure falling into the void. Pain erupts through the body, the mind, madness and grief suffocating every sense, every fibre of the being, and more attempts to fill and drown each and every person in Diagad. There is grief, there is love, there is despair. A longing and desperation that can never be fulfilled that cries out.

Once it's over, many have collapsed from the experience, and there are screams of those scared for their lives. Go out into the streets if you haven't already, and you will see the streets breaking, buildings being pulled like cubes, splitting people and trapping them. And there is a surge that hits people - Voidtreckers, others - with a brainwashing that makes them think of only one thing:

NO MORE. END. WE WILL END THE VOIDTRECKERS.


In amongst all of this chaos screens switch on. Any screens left working in buildings, on buildings, peoples phones. All show a young woman, a droid sat on her hair, metal legs curled around her head.

"Malin?"

A woman's voice. "Yes, go Anan. Now."

"LISTEN UP!" Anan isn't as loud as the booming voice echoing through the city, but she makes herself clear. "We need to evacuate and seal this world. It is falling apart." Stating the obvious, perhaps.

"We can temporarily seal it and we think there is a way to get the others back to their worlds. I know you Voidtreckers have had no training and this is advanced and really dangerous but everyone who is not a void traveller is in a lot of danger."

In truth, even the void travellers were in danger, but she doesn't want morale to be too low.

"Anyone willing to help meet me in the big park. You'll know it, it's the only park left!"

'HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU THWART ME. NO. NO. YOU DON'T. THIS IS MY CITY. MINE NOT YOURS. NOT YOURS TO DESTROY.' There's a huge crack as the sky itself seems to crack apart as colours twist and turn, a cyclone that forms at the edgez of the city, slowly beginning to devour it.

Over the camera Anan looks visibly shocked, terrified even, lost for words. An older man with reddish greying hair steps towards her, putting a big hand on her shoulder.

"Focus Anan. Voidtreckers. We do not ask it lightly. Please those that can, fight. Buy us time to set the seals. Buy time for those with no void craft to evacuate."

The screens flicker in colour before it cracks into static.

'NONE OF YOU WILL SURVIVE.'

A DISJOINTED REALITY

---

[ FALLING CITY. ] The city has been torn apart, fragments of roads, buildings and structures floating in a horrible mess. Friends and comrades split apart, some trapped in rooms that once had exits, or with no way out than to fall to nowhere. Pieces may stitch back together again at random, but with the same unpredictably, tear apart.

And if it couldn't get any worse, those core lights buzz around the environment, searching for individuals. They will do anything to hinder our heroes: turn into monsters from their minds, attempt to encase them inside illusions of their fears; even try to make them see pathways that don't exist, to make them fall into nothingness.

But for those who honed their resistances against illusions, this time may be different from the last. And with some experimenting, or just some lucky wishful thinking at the right time - some will find they can bend the illusions to do as they want, if just for a while. Stitch back together pathways so they can be crossed over, or make a weapon appear where it's needed.

It requires concentration, will be exhausting with too much use, but still - when isn't an axe or road on call handy?

[ HINDRANCE OR HELP. ] But it isn't only the core lights and environment they need to worry about. There are monsters coming out of the void - monsters they may recognise, monsters they may not. But unlike those of illusions, these are real, monsters - mechanical, ghostly, flesh and blood, something else entirely - slipping through from other worlds to rampage here.

There are also civilians, those who remain brainwashed, going after the Voidtreckers with powers of their own: telekinesis, pyromancy, superstrength and endurance, and so forth. Their skill levels vary, but the strongest of all are those who features have become twisted, chaotic. Streaks of colours dance under the skin, and they listen to no reason but their own. The entity - no their god, Chaos, is remaking the world. Remaking it the way it should have always been.

Strangely, but luckily, not everyone is harmful. Amongst those out there are a peculiar sight: a short hybrid between child and woodland-creature. They're keen to help, particularly anyone young or good of heart. They will help to lead them to safe shelters - the safe-houses made by Voidtreckers, the protected rooms all that are left. They may even interrupt the core lights from harming youngsters, knocking and shattering them, and then staying close to the youngster.

[ THE EVACUATION. ] For those who manage to make their way to the park, Anan is there, looking grim. One good thing though, as voidtreckers rush towards the entity or get ready to protect those helping evacuate this world- those with SCA's will see them burst into life, comms online.

The evacuation area needs protecting. Those acting as beacons aren't able to fight for themselves and the evacuation process is intense, slow and there are many many people in this city. The main entity is distracted but the monsters are drawn towards this gathering of people. Holding them back is vital to this plan working.

It's going to take everything the voidtreckers and their new friends have, to pull this plan off.

Comments

Boss Battle 1

[voidtreckernpcs]

FACE ME. COWARDS AND FOOLS. I WILL BE YOUR DOOM

At the edge of what remains of the city there is almost a cyclone of energy, colourful crackling as whatever power they are dealing with here takes form.

(OOC: For this part please all reply in one single thread under either battle 1 or 2. Each round will be marked by an NPC tag and then each character may tag once before the next round begins. If you are late joining or miss a round don’t worry! Just tag into the most recent round and either assume your character was always there or got caught up with the many illusionary or even real monsters!

Important Note: The entity may directly attack characters with illusions or attempts at control- if you do not wish your character to be targeted with these please write 'opt out' in the subject line of your first tag in!)

[xue_yang]

Xue Yang is pissed. Pissed that everything has been a lie and the world he had been living is cracking around him and he is once again going to be unable to protect the one person he wants to. His swords crackle with electricity as he walks towards the edge of the city.

He wants to let lose the frustrations of the last month and he is going to do it on whatever creature decides to finally show itself. Illusions or whatever the hell it is going to attack with, Xue Yang plans to destroy it all.

"Let's get on with it. You're going to lose no matter what you do."

Boss Battle 2

[voidtreckernpcs]

FACE ME. COWARDS AND FOOLS. I WILL BE YOUR DOOM

At the edge of what remains of the city there is almost a cyclone of energy, colourful crackling as whatever power they are dealing with here takes form.

(OOC: For this part please all reply in one single thread under either battle 1 or 2. Each round will be marked by an NPC tag and then each character may tag once before the next round begins. If you are late joining or miss a round don’t worry! Just tag into the most recent round and either assume your character was always there or got caught up with the many illusionary or even real monsters!

Important Note: The entity may directly attack characters with illusions or attempts at control- if you do not wish your character to be targeted with these please write 'opt out' in the subject line of your first tag in!)

[unrecovered]

So this is the bastard behind it all.

Awesome. Wow.

Wash can't help but smirk a little. It's been nothing but running, shaking the cobwebs out of his brain and trying to hide people who only wanted to help, acting like he was still whammied, and it fucking sucked, but this? A huge fight, massively outgunned, against some bastard who thinks reality should bend to his will? This, he gets. This, he can handle.

He's found a length of pipe that feels solid enough - because Improvised Weapon is good for a lot of things - and he flips it over in one hand, the beginnings of a fireball spell gathering in the other. Now all he needs to do is draw aggro and give everyone else time to get their feet under them. He can be a damn good decoy, but how-

Oh. Right.

Wash is naturally loud, and running military training only helped with that, but when it comes to sheer vocal volume, nothing beats Thaumaturgy. He takes a deep breath, casts the spell, and-

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, THEATER KID!"

Come at him, asshole, he's ready.

Farewell New Friends

[voidtreckernpcs]

The park is large and mostly intact, even if the ground is cracked and there are gaps in the ground that require some jumping and scrambling.

More importantly there is one of the large bands of colours, curling over the park, almost like a very other-worldly rainbow. It is in front of this that Anan stands.

"Do you have an anchor setting on your SCA?" Is her first question, a strange one perhaps but if they check they will find that they do. It's new. But there is a small symbol, an anchor.

"I'm so sorry, this is so advanced, I barely understand it but we don't have time to call for any more backup even if we could get a message out." And bringing more people to this hellscape just sounded like a bad idea all round.

"The anchor will help keep your grounded, we need to hold onto them, as we unhook them from this world and send them back to their own. Help them hold onto who they are. It should... I've never done it but even though it's all metaphysical your minds should visualise it. Once you have hold of someone do not let go, not until they are home. You'll know what to do, once you step in. Just... It will be tough, it will hurt probably and your going to be feeling it for a while."

Light crackled around them through the sky as the battle in the distance commenced. "I wouldn't ask it of you, but there's too many for me to do on my own."

She will go first though, to demonstrate. It seems so simple, activate the anchor, step into the light. Arms outstretched as she seemed to enter a trance.

Any voidtreckers who follow will find themselves in a river of chaos. Colours yes but also voices, images, past, present, a million worlds, a million voices. The anchor helps, keeps their feet firmly on the bed of this river, keeps them upright and not drowning.

Those heading home step one by one, reaching out to grab their hands. Anan is right, their minds visualise it, giving a simple analogy. This river of chaos is a true river, the evacuee must hold on to their anchor and they must move across the river together to the far shore.

Images batter them, voices call like sirens. Those the guest has loved, those they have lost. Just let go, they call. Join the chaos. It is beautiful here. Fear and grief batter their minds but their anchor, holding tightly too them can guide them through.

They will find they can talk, move. The river crossing is perhaps the width of a swimming pool and it is tough going. Once they have crossed the guest can leave the light, stepping out into what they can only hope is their own world, their own place.

Perhaps luckily for the anchor they will find themselves back at the start of the river, without having to wade back on their own. Ready for the next evacuation.

((OOC: Any voidtrecker who has their SCA on them can be an anchor. Please top level here to do so. Due to the all encompassing nature of the task they won't be able to be in the boss battle if they take on this task.

4th Wall guests can tag to them if they wish to play out their crossing, feel free to play with memories, hopes and fears and have a nice and dramatic farewell. There are many 'npc' 4th wallers and so it can be assumed that the played 4th wallers are among the last to leave if you wish to play with the other parts of the finale first!))

Agent 8 | Purple | OTA

[consider8]

Considering how deep she has fallen into the illusion, she feels that this is the best way to make amends. The path forward was difficult, and many times she had thought she was going to be spotted by the spotlights.

Then, this. After healing the explanation she raised her phone above her head and address anyone near. "Hello. My name is Agent Eight of The Squidbeak Splatoon!! Please let me help you. I will not let you down!"

"We will get you through this!! Trust me!!"

Raven | Purple | OTA

[azrthmtrnznthos]

Escorting
She'd never fully gotten into her healing trance-sleep, but at least she's on her feet. Raven can still feel the strain, the mental wound in her head, but she's up and moving. Nowhere near access to her full powers, so hopefully levitation and dark-energy are enough.

She can be found helping escort evacuees to the park by shielding them from and distracting the monsters. She absolutely will need help from others.

[yondu]

Rather than fight the big bad this time, Yondu's out helping people get out. And honestly he'd almost rather Raven not be fighting, considering what kinda mental beating she took.

So when he finds her helping evacuees, he rushes over to check on her.

"You're gonna get knocked around if you ain't careful, girl. You're makin' sure to keep close to people, right?" He triple checks, and by 'people' he means 'crew'. This place is collapsing.

It's then that he considers and starts unwrapping the bracer on his arm. He removes it, places it on hers, and starts binding it up. "I traded for this. It's supposed to heal ya some an' provide a kind of protective field, alright?" His coat is plenty armored. She needs something extra right now.

[xue_yang]

Crumbling away
It is all crumbling away. Everything he had thought was real, been clinging onto desperately despite the fact that every day he became more and more aware that this wasn't actually his life. For once he had seen what it was like to have a family. To know what married life would have been like. To see the man he cared so much about without the scars that he caused.

And now it is all going away. Disappearing around him as he sits on a bench in a place that barely looks like much anymore. Wondering if maybe he can drag someone from this world back onto the train with him.

"Seems only fitting that everything is going to get taken away again." Not like he deserves the happiness he has felt over the past week.

Monsters
This is what Xue Yang does on missions. Kill, destroy and work out all the frustrations of being locked on a train for weeks. And so when monsters started showing up he knew that the end of their time on this world was coming. They had already been here too long and things were starting to break apart.

Jiangzai slices through a smaller monster with ease, not caring who or what sees him destroying the creatures. He desires violence and blood and death and he is going to make everything on this world understand just how bad a problem he is when he is angry.

He hears someone approaching, "Better just stay out of my way." He won't feel guilty if he cuts someone by accident.

MONSTERS

[philosopherspotato]

There has been a lot of running for Potato. On the one hand she's literally indestructible- nothing can actually take her apart, or cut her, or anything. Something could perhaps briefly impale her, but it would be as if it was never there at all once removed. Or even during the time it was there.

The trade off however, is that she can't really use any force herself- hence the running. For the indestructible, it's still not a very fun time to be chased down by monsters.

Which, speaking of, this guy seems pretty good at taking care of. "Woah..." She can't really feel bad about it. Everyone was saying they were like, fake right? Really, really good fakes, like a video game or...or something. "...you're really good at that..."

She finds herself thinking of Assassin. Assassin was pretty good at killing things. That was sort of his deal. Assassin and his Master also seemed to really, really like killing things, which feels like the case here. Or at least something similar.

At any rate there's only one thing to do when someone like that is going to town, as others put it- "Mhm! I'll do my best! No distracting!"

She's already distracting, isn't she.

Siebren de Kuiper (Sigma) | OTA

[namethattune]

We're not going down without a fight

Siebren reaches the evacuation zone, ushering a number of people who had needed help, and it is...well, chaos, both upper and lower case. He listens to Anan's briefing and turns away. Anchoring is for those with strong, stable minds; this mission has proven to him that his is neither.

His talents lie elsewhere.

He stands, for a moment, at the perimeter of the madness, and simply breathes. His objective, here and now, is to hold the line. The evacuation must proceed uninterrupted; he is here to prevent those who would interfere from doing so. This is the task best fitted to his skills; more importantly, this is his decision, free of illusion or doubt.

Siebren de Kuiper's role in this mission has ended. Sigma's is just beginning.

He rises from the ground, hovering a good six inches above the grass. His hyperspheres, bound to him as ever, come to his palm at a thought; his left hand flexes, ready, well aware of the dirt and debris available to him as weaponry if need be. His experimental barrier is missing, but no matter - he will do without it. He is capable, and there is a mission at hand.

"Stay behind me," he says, terribly calm in the face of everything. "I will protect you."

[irrationally]

Something about this situation is familiar.

Maybe it's seeing the man float like that, considering the powers she's seen him use before, back in that other illusion. Or maybe it's those words he's saying, with the same attitude he displayed back then as well. That he'd protect her.

And in a way, they're nice to hear right now. Because Alice isn't sure what to do after her mind feels like it has been scrambled over and over during this whole thing. Because the only reason she's out here is because she couldn't just sit around by herself after that awful, awful feeling that went through her before.

But at the same time-- it doesn't feel right either.

"I can fight," Alice says. Though in the face of his calm voice, her own voice falters with unsteady emotion.

Murphy | Red Team | OTA

[zombiemessiah]

FALLING CITY

Murphy's having one of those 'He's had it with these motherfuckin' snakes on this motherfuckin' plane' moments. Just replace 'plane' with plane of existance there and replace snakes with just eat his whole ass. Every last bit of it.

He notices early on that finally he can do something. He can imagine his sword back. He can imagine up a wall where he needs to. And that's when he's finally really ready to fight himself, and not just piggyback off enhancing others.

Someone's about to fall into one of those tricky sinkholes when he holds out a hand and weaves a bridge under them. "I don't feel stoned enough for this, but I guess we're goin' anyway."

HINDRANCE OR HELP

Murphy doesn't care all that much about civilians. Maybe. Probably. Okay, he cares more than he used to, and that's a small little something. But he's out there actually swinging for once, ready to move in and get someone's back. Now, he's not going to mess with any big monsters. Not unless he's dragged into it. No thank you, someone else can handle that. But he'll be here picking off little guys.

Okay, maybe not guys that are too little. He winces as he watches a little... what is that? What the fuck is that? They're helping, not like some of the other things, but what in this fake-ass world are even those?

"Are those Nymph Oompaloompas?" He asks the person next to him.

You know what? He's just... gonna go back to stabbing. There's too much happening.

Hindrance

[mustknow]

Murphy has company! And depending on if the illusory memories linger, it might be a rather familiar presence, but for the fact that usually that presence didn't come armed with a baseball bat.

He remembered though. Even if it faded like dreams in the morning, rendered nothing more than things he'd observed as if it had happened to someone else ... he remembered. Twenty years. Twenty years of having something he couldn't remember existing otherwise--

"I don't think so." What were they then?? "...Are you alright?"

Did it matter? This wasn't his father, and he knows it. Murphy seems perfectly capable of taking care of himself. And yet, and yet in the chaos of monsters and little strange helpers, he can't help but stop and ask.

Son Goku | Red Team | OTA

[4starlowclasshero]

Falling City

"I want you to GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Stupid core lights. It took Goku a while to get back into fighting shape, but once he was, he was mad. This being made him forget his family. How dare it!

Thus, as Goku decided to make his way towards where Chaos was, he decided to take care of the core lights trying to force him and others into returning into their little illusions.

"I won't let you control any more of us!"

Hinderance or Help

"Well... it's not him, but if you want a fight, I'll gladly give it to you!"

Goku was now staring down a few creatures ready to tear through anything and anyone in their path. Too easy for the Saiyan, honestly, but he needs to keep it on the down low just a bit, especially with the citizens still brainwashed.

Thus, even when not any higher than his base form, he's able to hold his own with no problems at all.

Wildcard

(OoC: You know the drill!)

[blue_ice]

frayed reality

Seto had responded to Chaos's assault with a string of colorful insults. Turns out talking back may have been a mistake, because Seto's trip to the park is far from a walk in said park. No...he'd rather drive. So he's just going to casually look for a bike to take, flexes his fingers...

---at least until a monster jumps in his path and blasts him, sending him flying into a brick wall. He crashes painfully, head still spinning when a fist of fire is thrown at him. Seto decides in that moment that this is a terrible way to die, and summoning the last of his strange power, straight up spits lightning in the dude's face. The burn damage is kept minimal, but that throw...ow....

No time to wallow in pain. On his feet, gotta run, or...painfully jump out of the way of another fire punch. He swivels and kicks back, but probably can't hold him off too much longer.

"What, was that your bike? Look, can't we suspend the law for an emergency escape clause?"

a rescue

Bike-jacking is totally the way to go here, though. Later on the roads, your character might be backed into a corner, only to be thrown on the back of a motorcycle zipping by. No time for safety checks, unfortunately.

"Hang on! And yell out if you see a hole."

Monsters are still coming at them, so...that's not great news either. Hope your character can help with that.

frayed reality

[bakegarasu]

A knife punches through the creature’s back, followed by another slash that sends it to the ground. Otoha kicks it away before kneeling in front of Seto.

“Any nausea? Ringing in the ears?” Concussions can be rough, he knows that from a lot of experience.

Agent 3 & Little Ghost | Protect the VoidTreckers!

[woomy]

[[ ooc: Please chose if you want to thread with Agent 3 or Little Ghost in your reply. I'm combining what would be two very similar top levels into one. ]]

Both Nory... no Agent 3 and the nameless vessel since called Little Ghost are armed and protecting the VoidTreckers acting as anchors. As much as both of them would like to tackle the big bad, neither of them have their usual weapons handy. Agent 3 is armed with a mop and what looks to be an empty water cooler jug. She zips around splattering bright green ink everywhere to increase her agility and act as bait for the monsters to attack.

"Hey! I betcha can't splat me! C'mon and try!" she taunts, flinging ink into the eye of the nearest monster.

Little Ghost has found a butter knife, but even if they had found something sharper, they wouldn't have better odds with it. They are much smaller than they were under the illusion. (And it's a wonder they aren't actually the size of an insect.) However, Little Ghost has powers of soul and void to aid them. The spells are powerful blasts which knock around the monsters. They fight with silent determination and purpose.

Agent 3

[consider8]

Eight is tired... exhausted, even. She had been serving as an anchor for two people and was looking more than a bit dishevled. But there was two goals to come here. The first was to provide support to the Voidtrekkers, the second...

The best thing of having another person from her world was she had someone to superjump to. In a moment the tell-tale circle indicating her arrival comes near. And there she stands, bucket and improvised ink container (a repurposed fire hydrant). She was preferred chargers, but what are yah gonna do?

"BOOYAH!" She shouts, sloshing the green-tinted ink next to the wave of foes Nory was rushing.

Freeza | Purple Team | OTA

[hoardsrealestate]

[Falling City]

Freeza may be seen, powered up, and zipping to and from different platforms as they fall, grabbing (whether by hand, tail, or ki) anyone who doesn't seem to have the power of flight. He might catch you (and several others) and shove you to safety before carrying on elsewhere. Blasts of ki blasts -- bright rose lasers cut through attacking illusions and other enemies, systemic and fast as he moves on to each new task.

When he is satisfied with any headway he has made, mainly getting people headed toward the evacuation, he will fly off to deal with bigger fish.

[renegadeprince]

"Give them here!" Vegeta barks out towards Freeza and the new set of people he's carried to the evacuation site. It's less about who has brought them and more towards spotting the injuries on them. This whole thing, how it messed with them, rewrote their memories and made them believe they had new lives... for all of it Vegeta has gained at least something currently helpful for their situation; that power this world gave him to heal others.

Reaching out a hand for the closest one Freeza was bringing in, Vegeta held them for a moment, checking over how they had been harmed. He would rather be out fighting, to get back at what had done this to him, but he knows right now he can help out those who needed it. There would be time for battle later.

Conan Edogawa | Team Orange | OTA

[deductiongeek]

Conan knew his own skills, and he knew that he would be no help in a fight. What he did have was a a SCA and plenty of experience moving quickly around buildings in ruin.

So he heads out on his skateboard, using every skill he has to navigate the broken landscape.

Falling City
Conan throws all of his weight to the side of his board, causing it to screech to a halt just before going over the edge of a missing bridge. On the far side he can see a small group of civilians.

A quick glance around shows that there was no easy way to get to them. Conan considers the situation, then picks up his board and backtracks far enough to give himself enough space. He steps back onto the board, and holds down both the brake and the engine until he judges enough power has built up. Then he is speeding off, using the broken bridge as a ramp to leap across the missing space.

Hindrance or Help
The monsters were a challenge. Conan couldn't fight them. But he could avoid them. Barreling forward towards a monster on his skateboard, he throws his weight to the side at the last minute and goes sliding underneath its attack.

Hindrance or Help

[lightthedark]

The last week -has it been a week?- feels like it's been a blur for Amy, and all she knows at the end of the day is what her life -her real one, the one she's lived for at least eight years on Arkea- has taught her is this: Monsters attacking people means she has to act.

She has Smiley with her. She'll be fine, more so if she doesn't think about what the monster looks like. She doesn't even have to voice the thought. Perks on being a Golden Eyed Child- Smiley knows when she wants a Shadow Sneak. Of course, it might be kind of eerie to witness a monster literally attacked from behind by its own shadow by a rather sinister looking purple-green mist.

Only after that does Amy get her first look at Conan. Her eyes widen. "Conan?! Y-You're here too?! Do you have Mycroft???"

Even as she says it, she's prepped for it not being the Conan she knows. This world is just like that.

Smiley, meanwhile, returns to returns to hovering over the Keystone.

Lea | Blue Team | OTA

[hotheadwarmheart]

Holding the Line

Lea knew he wasn't stable enough to be anyone's anchor. And as much as he wanted to join in the fight against the entity directly, there were others who were better suited for that too. But one thing he could do? Was hold back the various monsters that had been drawn by the gathered people in the park.

He couldn't be the big hero. Couldn't strike the final blow against the crazed entity that had done this to all of them. But he could wield his Keyblade, chakrams, and fire magic to keep the creatures the entity had summoned from hurting anyone while they got everyone out. With the help of those around him, he could hold the line. And he would do exactly that, for as long as necessary.

Hera Syndulla| Purple Team| OTA

[averyusefultray]

Escort Mission

One day, there will be a mission where they need someone to fly a craft. This is not that day. But Hera has plenty of other talents and a lot of them have to do with getting groups of people moving in the right direction.

She knows she doesn't have the skills needed to confront the entity directly. It's not something she can just shoot. But there are a lot of people who need help, so she sets about getting people where they need to be.

She looks people over as she encounters them. To her fellow Voidtreckers she says "If you're not able to take that on, we need to keep these people moving."

And if they won't be joining them back on the train? "We can get you to safety."

Later, she'll join the actual evacuation proceedings, but just moving everyone to the site where it's possible is a task in itself.

[cureofmanyworlds]

"I... I agree..." Nozomi said, panting as she joined Hera. She's running low - the city falling apart and trying to rally everyone to keep going is taking its toll on her.

But, she needs to keep going. This is a fight she can't take on directly, but she can do the best she can here.

"Where... where do you need me?"

Bucky/Soldat | MCU | Purple Team | OTA

[worthallthis]

I. Falling City

Back when they were just James, Soldat promised Kitty they'd get to her no matter what, if there was a big attack. Well, time to make good on that promise. Soldat is getting to their illusion-family and getting them out, Misty and Steve and even Natasha. Through a combination of James' metal-manipulation, lots of dodging, and literally punching through illusions, they plow through the splintering city to try and round people up.

They might intervene in fights along the way. Find yourself cornered by a wolfbear or a goon with a gun? They'll dive in to help. Find yourself stuck on a piece of sidewalk hovering in midair, unable to get to the next chunk of safety? They'll make their superhuman leap to scoop you off and dump you on solid ground. Trapped in an illusion? Well-- they won't try to talk you out of it, there's not time for that, they might just grab you around the waist and carry you bodily off until you snap out of it.


II. Evac Duty

Guns and super strength is not going to be of much use against whatever makes these illusions. The creature, the-- child? young being?-- who is screaming at them. They've gone up against the wielders of illusions before, and they know their own weaknesses. They can't risk being turned off, or worse, turned on their team.

So instead they start herding people to the park, their own former-and-present family included. "Come on. We've got back-up. We can get you home." They might not be able to help with the actual evacuation (well, yes they will, once they get there) but they can at least protect people en route.

II

[punched_hitler]

Steve isn't quite sure how long they've been at this, but it feels like a long time. They've finally made their way through the crumbling, shifting city, and maybe there was a close call or two - and that one time he'd come to with a firm metal grip around his waist, blinking away what must have been an illusion that had seemed a little too real.

He's glad that only happened once, at least. So far.

Now they can see the park a few blocks ahead, and getting there is their top priority, guiding a group of people they've run into along the way. Steve doesn't exactly want to get too far from Soldat, even if it makes tactical sense, mostly because if one of them gets stuck in another illusion... well. They'll need extraction. So he sticks close to the other, letting him lead the way, because he's still got James in there, and James knows the city, such as it is, better than what Steve can remember, no matter how vivid his life as James' brother might be. He doesn't want to rely too heavily on those memories, just in case.

"Keep an eye on those buildings," he says, pointing to the block up ahead. "I don't want them coming down on anyone."

Thanatos | Red Team | Evacuation, De-anchoring help

[controlsthedie]

Chaotic Visions: Than can never catch a break

Regardless of who he's with or how much he's regained of himself, Percival "Theater Kid, not Grandparent" Chaos's intense vision flooding his mind stops Thanatos where he is. He doubles over, grasps his forearms, and begins to tremble with pure terror in his eyes. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he repeats, and one could think he's trying to apologize to Chaos.

However, he's not. Thanatos is viscerally reminded of what he felt towards the end of his month imprisonment and the state of the should-be-dead. The pain, the voices, the suffering, the desire to help but being unable to because he's trapped, cannot do what he's responsible for, and has stopped death completely.

And then Thanatos just... stills. Like on Kamakan, it's too much. He's pulled too taut and snaps. Emotions and feeling can wait. He stands and shifts into action. Death Incarnate has a duty to fulfill.

Falling City: Grim Reapers Airlines

Jinnjar is falling apart. The lights are blinding, painful, and Thanatos's hood and shades can only do so much. Still, he tries to rescue anyone falling into nothingness or blocked by the lack of passage. (Worse comes to worse, Thanatos keeps his eyes close and lets Mort guide him.)

His midnight sky wings are out, and he physically grabs, catches, or carries people to the evacuation site. Flight lets him rescue more without the risk of separating soul from body. He'll shift locations with bell tolling only when alone.

"I've got you. Is there anyone else nearby?"

Post 4th Wall Evacuation: These Rivers Need to Stop

At the end of the evacuation, it's time for the VoidTreckers to stop acting as anchors for the others in Jinnjar and leave themselves. No one else needs to cross the river; in fact, those remain need to leave it.

"Everyone's returned. It's time to go back," he says firmly. The VoidTrecker will have one chance to stop being an anchor before he does so with more force. Death waits for no one; don't give him more work to do.

Wildcard

[[ ooc: idk just like leaving this as an option ]]

chaotic visions

[irrationally]

"Thanatos!"

Honestly, in the middle of all this chaos, of everything that's going on, it's good to see at least one familiar face. Especially since Alice's newly regained memories of her life on the train - and her life before that, even - still feel so weird in her mind. But seeing one of the people she remembers from that place reminds her of the fact that it all really was real - that it is real.

And when she sees him doubled over, she quickly runs over in his direction..

.. only to see him standing back up once she's made it to his side.

"Is.. everything alright?" Because it sure didn't seem that way. Which wouldn't be too weird, considering all of this.

Lapis Lazuli | Steven Universe (CRAU) | Blue Team

[oceantier]

Falling City - Once again she's in the middle of a chaos she doesn't want to be in.

If Lapis had her choice, she'd be far away from any of this -- off among the stars, maybe, somewhere under water . . . anywhere far away from brainwashing and screams and pain that isn't her own.

Instead, there aren't any stars . . . and even worse, she's found herself without water.

She'd prepared for this possibility on the train. Sought out others who could help, gotten access to a "ghost pouch" that could carry what she needed.

However, brainwashing didn't exactly allow for planning ahead or grabbing what was needed, and she finds herself without any of those carefully-laid plans. There's not even a backup in this world; it's not a real city. Any water is an illusion.

She has nothing. Jasper is still here and a very real threat. And with the city crumbling around them . . . so is everything else, for that matter. She needs water.

She lands on the rim of the roof of an apartment building that has partially crumbled -- that looks very much like something has taken a bite from it. She'll rest a moment, take in the surroundings from 360 degrees rather than the limitations she has even in the air.

So she resolves. But as she perches, a couple of powered civilians find her, and as quietly as they can manage, start to close in.

Evacuation - Water has been found.

Her own needs attended to, defenses recovered, Lapis could easily have carved out her own niche, waited for the fighting to fade. But she can't disregard the other passengers of the train as readily as she used to. They are prisoners, victims as she is, and a number have been kind.

She owes something.

Find her at the evacuation site, plying water against the monsters coming to attack you -- whether you're an anchor or fellow protector. If you're in trouble, she'll come . . . probably with an attack with too much power behind it.

You may get soaked.

Falling City

[woomy]

"Lapis!" Agent 3 yells when she sees the familiar face and the people sneaking up on her. She jumps from her crumbling perch and flings bright green ink from her mop. This is just like in Vista City. The people are likely not going to be hurt by her ink; they aren't ink-based beings. However, the ink can still blind them and draw their attention away from Lapis.

And Agent 3 makes sure to fling some towards Lapis too. This is just another rescue mission. They can do this!

Closed to Anan

[yondu]

He has the option to help people cross or to fight. And he could fight, but his team nature is showing. He wants to get people the hell out of here more. Of course, some more than others, because he's not that reformed (is that the proper term) in his ways, but he's here and ready and willing.

Before Anan can give her speech he approaches her, because he knows this was hell on her and her group. But they came. They can do something.

He puts his hand on her shoulder and says, "Darlin' I am real glad you came." There's a tiredness to his expression but it's at least a smile. He hopes it turns out worth it for her.

Re: Closed to Anan

[voidtreckernpcs]

There was a beep of greeting as he approached and Anan turned to give him a very tired smile, raising her hand to touch the one on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

"So am I." She looked around at the people, voidtreckers and otherwise, beginning to fill the park.

"I'm glad you lot weren't on your own for this. And I'm glad me and my team weren't alone either."

[firewalled]

Falling down on all that I've ever known

The world is falling apart. Rich's home... what he thought had been his home, is crumbling down around him, and the civilians in it are turning against them all.

It's disappointing, but Rich doesn't have a lot of time to mourn that. He needs to do what he can to help. Fighting whoever arranged this illusion seems like it would be a tad too dangerous, but he's willing to try to help rescue those who are still intact.

He rushes through the city, possessed with determination. He doesn't even pause when he hits a barrier, his superpowered shout still breaking down rubble and knocking over trees to use as pathways over gaps.

He's looking for anyone from the train he recognizes, but also one other person in particular.

"Jeremy! Jeremy, where are you?" He wasn't just an illusion, was he? Can he make it out of here with the rest of them?

[subcircuits]

He may not be Jeremy, but that doesn't keep him from responding when he hears the familiar voice. Devero scales a crazily tilted slab of buckled roadway and cups his hands around his mouth to bellow, "Rich! Rich, is that you?!"

Little One/Buttercup | OC | Red Team

[knifewithnoname]

Falling City

"I hate you so much!" Perhaps they were trying to get people to safety, or battling one of the monsters but now there is a very angry little girl in front of them. No, three angry little girls, identical in their fury.

One of them has a knife, she might have never fought outside of her martial arts lessons but it seems she's pretty good at it. Which is good because she's just a child and what is a child to do against a whole city that were slowly being twisted, being forced to turn on their friends and family? Everything was crumbling. Soon the city would be gone and what would she do then? She's long lost track of her dad, her brother. Her brother had held on so long, but it might be that he was twisted now. Believing the lies. Talking about how this world wasn't real.

It was. It was real. She was real. She had a family, friends and now it was vanishing before her very eyes. These voidtreckers would pay for what they had done to the world.

All she could hope was that a better one be born from the ashes. "Stop it. Stop this foolishness. You've been brainwashed by those stupid voidtreckers."

Or they were a voidtrecker, in which case they would feel her knife.

[irrationally]

Today has already been so much.

Alice only barely recovered from having her original memories restored, only to then be hit by that terrible scene that snuck into everyone's minds, and now this. This chaos everywhere. It's all a little too overwhelming.

But of course that isn't enough. Oh no, of course she has to run into this girl of all people. Of course she's still under the influence of the illusion. Of course Alice's day isn't complete without somehow adding stabby child wrangling on top of it all.

She's pretty sure the girl won't recognize her like this, and is most likely to attack anyone running around with a weapon right now. And while Alice's hobby horse technically doesn't look like a weapon, it's a little too metal to be a toy.

"Don't do this," she says when she spots the girl - girls - and the knife. Alice mostly sounds really Tired. Which is why she's saying this, even though she knows it won't stop the girl.

Romeo | Blue

[myblueskies]

Falling City

Everything had gotten very scary. But Romeo was used to scary now and he ran around, trying to help all the people he could. "This way! Come on! That way's blocked!"

Or he threw borderlines between those evacuating and the monsters, holding them off as long as he could. If he saw anyone injured he rushed up to them, using the powers this world had given him to take their damage on himself.

It was harder than when he believed he was really from this place. But he could still help!

Hindrance or Help

Soon he was joined by one of the woodland-children, who he had quickly made friends with and they were looking in all the hiding places. Lots of kids might hide rather than getting to the park, it had to be scary if they found themselves in a strange place. So it was them they were looking for.

But that doesn't mean they would leave any grown ups who looked lost!

"Do you need help getting to the park?"

For Madoka

He spotted some familiar pink hair and waved, calling out. "Madoka!" He hadn't seen her since he had remembered being a voidtrecker, so he was very glad to see her now.

"Madoka are you okay?"

[happyends]

Okay is a wild word to use in this situation. Madoka doesn't know if anyone is fully okay, even all the adults around. After all, pretty much everyone had their memories all scrambled for at least some time. Then something happened where apparently a lot of people died, and she got into danger and would have gotten hurt really badly if not for some of her friends helping her, then that was that vision earlier, and now everything is so dangerous.

But this is Romeo. Even though he's one of her closest friends, he's still younger than her. Madoka still feels a near obligation to at least be slightly dependable, especially in a situation like this. So even though she feels so conflicted, she nods as she runs over to Romeo, her bow tightly clutched in her hands.

"I think I should be asking you that, actually.."

wen ning | blue | ota

[deadwenwalking]

i. cracks in the sky.

[Were the Voidtreckers really responsible for this? It seems hard to believe. Wen Ning knows that he's never been here before, at least. There are many things in this world and his own that he's willing to take the blame for, but this isn't one of them. He has enough to feel guilty for without adding on issues to which he had no connection.

He stares upward with a frown even as he slowly wraps a length of chain around one wrist. With all the destruction going on around them, it had been easy enough to get hold of this. There's nothing special about it, not yet. It's just a chain. But it will serve him better than a single dagger will.]

What's each team doing? [He finally pulls himself away from the sight long enough to question the first familiar face he sees.]

ii. the lights.

[One of the core lights Wen Ning has been trying to ignore finally catches his attention. Before he can look away, it's taken the form of a large dancing fairy statue.

He stares, knowing it isn't really there. This isn't the statue from his world. It isn't going to take what's left of his soul.

There had been something cathartic about what little he could remember of destroying the statue after he'd been reawakened. Part of him looks forward to doing that again. Whatever this is, whether it can drain the souls of his friends or not, it can't be allowed to cause anyone harm.

The man's eyes turn a deep black, dark lines crawling further up his face. For as creepy as this makes him look, he's reached a point where his mind can actually clear up somewhat this way.]

If I'm about to destroy something important [he says calmly to whatever allies are around] please let me know.

iii. evacuation.

Don't follow me! Get behind me, others will lead you out!

[With his chain wrapped partially around each hand, Wen Ning is currently choking a particularly thick-skinned looking monster. For all its flailing, it's hard to tell if this is working at first.

He's always taken the role of fighter, and though he regrets having to leave the actual escort duty to others, this is what he's best at. If he can protect those who can't fight then it's enough.]

iv. wildcard.

(Anything else!)

wildcard

[jingyeets]

( Lan Jingyi steps out of the anchor light once more, tail lashing behind him. He's tired, growing more so, but it's a necessity to get everyone off world, and so he's looking for the next person who he has to escort across a river of void and chaos.

What he sees instead is Wen Ning, carting over someone who looks the worse for wear. With a quick bow, fist against his open palm, he then holds out his arms, like he's ready to take on this burden. He is, but he outright frowns. )

Wen-qianbei, what happened?

Tidus ; OTA

[blitzcheer]

[ 1: FALLING CITY ]

( a: navigating ) It wouldn't be the first time Tidus has been in a mess of a city, but he wasn't eager for it to happen a third time. There's floating scraps of a highway, and up ahead - up, up - is the box of a building where three people stand, calling for help. He and your character are trying to make their way there, when-

"--Shit!"

The ground in front of them not only splits, but glows the colour of a core light, reshaping into a rock golem merging together from the street. It startles Tidus backwards as he gets out of the way of the giant fists forming, that 'climb up' onto the rest of the street it hasn't consumed. Not yet all the way up, Tidus starts up a spell, summoning a sphere of water to coalesce as he shouts:

"You keep going! I'll deal with this!"

Listen? Or fight?

( b: rescue ) Eventually though, a rescue needs to happen. They can jump and hop all they like, but it's not going to help the people trapped. Some have figured they can bring the illusion back together if they concentrate, but if it'll work...

"We're not going to leave you, alright!?" It's a reassurance shouted to the trapped individuals, while he turns to whoever he's with, steadying his voice. "Okay, how we wanna do this? One of us focuses on making the path, the other looks out for trouble? Unless you've got a better way of getting us back."

Back to where they need to take everyone, that is.

[ 2: HINDRANCE ]

( a: chaos-fuelled ) 'BOW BEFORE HIS MAJESTY. CRY BEFORE HIS AWE. HE IS BEAUTY! HE IS GRACE!'

Behold, a fate worse than possibly falling from a forever splitting-and-crumbling landscape: getting the attention of one of the chaos-consumed people. They fly, whipping around rainbow-coloured tendrils. Tidus backflips out of the way of one, the ground where it smacks shooting up a column of stone.

"Ugh, shut up! I'm over this guy!"

Join in the fight if you like - knocking them to the ground would be handy, especially before they can start talking (oh no, they're already starting-!).

( b: father and son ) 'Out here playin' hero, are ya? Can't stop yourself from gettin' used - and now it's a train pullin' your strings!'

But the obstacles in the way aren't just the environment, or Chaos's unwitting minions. Something happens during the attacks on Chaos, and illusions start appearing for many, of people's loved ones coming to attack, provoke and distract them.

And for Tidus, he gets distracted by a man with a sword that Tidus shouldn't have blocked with his own. But it's a distraction that's working on him, and he tumbles back, near the edge of a crumbling road.

'Pathetic! Is that all you've got? You know what you've gotta do, kid. Stop holding back!'

Tidus picks himself up onto a knee, grabbing his sword again, and through gritted teeth- "Can it!"

'Then come and make me,' the man taunts. 'You did it once - now's the time to do it again!'

chaos-fueled

[mustknow]

Tidus makes a wonderful distraction!

As the chaos-tainted person begins a second tirade about the wonderfulness of the being that had trapped them in this illusion, focus entirely on Tidus, a short distance away, Xehanort picks up a crumbled chunk of architecture; it seems solid, feels like stone, and is fairly heavy to most, but he never really lacked for strength. Just knowledge of how to put it to use.

'Behold the wonders of His-'

Anything else that would have been added to the beginning of this new rant is cut short by the sudden impact of rock to the back, knocking them out of the sky with what looks to be practiced, precise ease.

It's dumb luck, by the surprise on Xehanort's face. ..Wait, no, he meant to do that! Planned and accurate, totally the intended outcome!

Warning for spoilers, CW all. Kaylin OTA

[kaylinneya]

((Kaylin's updated appearance can be found in this post. TL:DNR, she is now in a tabard over chain and leather, her sleeves are up to show odd markings on her arms, and her cat is now a small dragon.)

Conflicting announcements

Kaylin grew paler and paler as she listened and more and more ****ed off. She had gathered some small amount of background intel abut the Voidtrekers. But this...

"Children...?" she asked, her voice grim.

"***** it!" she swore. Then she continued swearing. She ran through about a dozen different languages as she went, some of which did NOT sound like they were designed for human throats. She went hunting for the nearest person she could find with one of those SCA things, a voidtrekker. She needed more information and she needed it the ****s yesterday. She also needed to find a mirror to contact Leia.

Falling City

Kaylin probably looked pretty **** weird with one of Hope's wings plastered over one of her eyes, the dragon sitting up on her shoulder and seeming alert. But Kaylin would take looking ***** weird. Because she could see a different veiw through each eye. At least that was how it seemed to her. To everyone else? She might occasionally seem to vanish when taking a path she can only see in winged veiw, to reappear when she rejoined this layer of reality.

The other weird looking thing? Her marks were glowing. Not the one on her face, but all the others. The ones exposed on her arms and the ones still hidden by her shirt sleeves, the ones creeping up the back of her neck. There were others, glowing, but her heavier clothes over her torso and legs muted their glow. At least for the moment...

Hinderance - OTA Cw: violence and body horror and gore.

(Feel free to poke me to plot OOC if you want Kaylin to snap your character out of lingering mind control. She actually has an ability for that, but can't use it often.)

Kaylin was mostly avoiding the ones that seemed to be actual people. Because **** it, she had seen some people possessed by Shadows that were worse than death to touch. But then there was also Gilbert. Spike. The creature at the base of the High Halls. Maggeron. ***** it all. Marai an Oogrim. Too **** many different kinds of enslavement, and none of them she knew enough of to break. At least, none yet.

None of her marks offered themselves, she didn't know what the stories were, here.

But monsters that were trying to attack people? That she could do something against. And she did.

Her bracer was off, though she didn't seem to be using any magic. She was... surprisingly effective even without powers. "Watch out for the eyes!" she shouted as she faced off against a one-off. The thing had sixteen eyes and three mouths. Sadly, not three heads or 8. Either of those would have been logical. No. The mouths were on the torso. The "head" had the eyes in a ring that aimed in all directions in a flat plane, making her advice almost impossible to follow. It had fifteen oddly jointed legs. What looked like beams shot from the eyes, destroying the ground and anything it hit on its way to said ground.

Kaylin was... shockingly good at getting the *****s out of the way. Also at timing her throw so that her throwing daggers - not her main three - scored when the eyes weren't shooting beams. She had taken out nearly a half dozen eyes already, but she was running out of daggers.

Still, the thing was at least half again as tall as she was and she was holding her own. It was more wounded than she was, though she was tiring faster, it seemed.

"This **** close to letting you breathe on it," she said to Hope as she did a backflip to get away from an eye beam. The dragon managed not to lose his perch on her shoulders as she did so, one wing plastered over half of her face. He made angry squawking sounds at her.

She swore again and grabbed a stone from the ground, She threw it as another eye-beam lanced towards her, but she was already in motion to the side.

Evacuation - OTA

Kaylin sure as *****s wasn't leaving until the last **** minute. Probably not even then, she was late for everything after all. But she could help defend those who were leaving, and those who were supporting them. she wanted to go fight in the big fight, maybe even figure out how to ix things for everyone. But she was small, squishy, and probably mortal.

Hope could have solved all of this. At the cost of half of the people dragged here against their will. A cost he knew she would never **** well pay. That was always the way with him. He wouldn't do for her anything she couldn't do for herself without a cost she couldn't live with.

So the short scrap of a woman was at the edge of the park, patrolling. She helped people trying to get in to escape get in, and tried to keep those who wanted to hurt the fleeing folks out.

She was tiring, but she didn't have the leisure of sleep now. Her leg hurt, and was bleeding a bit, she had a thin gash on her unmarked cheek. Her marks were glowing an even gold and all of her skin felt like it was trying to burn its way free of her, but she kept up her patrols, kept fighting. Kept cursing....

Kyoko - ota - wherever there is fighting

[souls_of_roles]

Kyoko was gone for the moment. The soul that lived in her now was not a modern-ish teenaged girl with anger issues.

No.

though the body looked much the same, her hair was jet black. Unlike Mio, though, there was no scar on her pale face. A long string of white ribbon pulled back her hair, further changing how she looked, since Kyoko's hair was usually worn in an easy style around her face. It was amazing how such small changes could make such a big difference for Kyoko.

But more than her hair it was how she moved, her expressions.... Kyoko always walked perfectly straight, and her resting expression was a soft one, a kind smile.

But the soul in the body now was Momiji. Momiji kept her body low and compact, shoulders squared and pointed ahead. She had a sword on either hip, or when she was fighting in either hand, and she clearly knew how to use them.

The only way to be sure this actually was Kyoko, really, was that hot pink uniform. Because who else wore something that garish?

But Momiji's eyes and face were hard and when it was time to move...

Momiji seemed to almost float over the ground for how little sound she made when she moved, and her speed was shocking to anyone who had watched Kyoko and thought her just another teen girl. She hardly stirred the grass she ran over, and moved like she was gliding, but she was fast. And when she fought? She was a whirlwind of motion. She mostly spun, sometimes upright, sometimes she spun through and over her foes.

She looked like a deadly moving work of art. Her forms were beautiful to watch. But someone might notice something odd, watching her long enough...

Most monsters and people were smart enough to be spooked by this and leave her alone, backing off. But the few who persisted...? Her blades met other weapons solidly, but her blades stopped short of actually drawing blood. Oh sure, she looked impressive! It did!

But all her training, as intense as it was, as wonderful as she seemed to be now...? It was for acting. She was fully in Momiji's mind right now, but her training was such that she never actually hurt anyone....