[center][url=https://i.imgur.com/o4NLe3T.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/JO1abev.png[/img][/url][/center] Dorothy was absolutely about to dash off in whatever direction available to her, when Aurelio slammed his cane down and magical energy was spent, and- [color=657b9e]‘EEP!’[/color] Dorothy cried out, covering her head, totally thinking she was about to be struck… when instead the magic made a defensive barrier and shielded her from Kimble, instead. [color=657b9e]‘Eh?’[/color] Dorothy looked around in surprise, her eyes eventually settling on Aurelio as he calmed down Kimble and then once again started talking to her. The rabbit-girl blinked a bit at the mention that Kimble used to be a cat-girl… She also looked a bit confused by the multiple hims, but she’d seen Duplication powers before, so… [color=657b9e]‘Ah…!’[/color] Dorothy made a noise as Aurelio held up the White Coin, the rabbit-girl gasping a bit on the distance, feeling its power even from over here. [color=657b9e]‘It’s… it’s the real deal…’[/color] she muttered, breathing a bit in excitement as Aurelio finished her explanation. The rabbit swallowed. [color=657b9e]‘The quicker the better. I don’t like Beacon, but if it means losing my current form… er, I won’t have to hunt other Monster Girls, will I…?’[/color] Dorothy shook her head. [color=657b9e]‘N-nevermind that! I… I take the first option. Bring it to me… please,’[/color] Dorothy requested, sitting there all tense and ready to attempt to escape at any moment’s notice. With that, and with Kimble hopefully standing by, Dorothy waited with bated breath as Aurelio had his clone collect the coin and start moving over the short distance over towards the rabbit-girl… [color=657b9e]‘Oooh… It’s really happening…’[/color] Dorothy said, lifting her hand to accept the coin. [color=657b9e]‘I never thought… that just by asking… I could finally be free from-’[/color] The first warning Aurelio got was his Awareness picking up on something rumbling underground. His second warning was, perhaps, sensing the emotions of someone exceedingly, exceptionally [b]Excited[/b], coming from underground. A magical charge went off underground, and suddenly part of Penrose Garden was covered by an orange magical barrier, a dome showing up above the heads of Aurelio, Dorothy and Kimble, locking them in with decent room for them to be locked in even if they’d made a daring escape somehow. Then, suddenly vines shot out of the ground, each of the vines holding a rocky item of some sort. One was right by Dorothy and clone-Aurelio. Two was by Kimble (and other clone-Aurelio). Two was by real Aurelio. Five in total. Three went off, one at each area. They sent a dizzying pulse of energy that gripped at the conscience of those hit by it, magically inducing them to fall asleep, depending on their vitality and resistance to magic. Given ShineSpark, Aurelio and Kimble would [i]probably[/i] be moderately immune. However, Dorothy collapsed unconscious as soon as the wave hit her as the waves went through her mentally unshielded body, unless somehow protected. The two remaining by Aurelio and Kimble then went off. The wood carrying them shaped as to only blast the contents in the rough direction of the two. The contents were a large amount of grey, sticky half-fluid that were launched at respective individuals at the speed of a detonated grenade, seeking to impact or cover the individuals in question. The moment it hit something, it’d stick like a powerful adhesive, harden into rock at a blinding rate and become exceptionally heavy, intended to seal them in place and stop them from interfering. It wasn’t something they couldn’t break through eventually, but would they break through quick enough? If blocked by a magical wall, then the fluid would harden into an actual actual wall at the place it was blocked, which would also block their ability to interfere with what happened next. With a burst of earth flying out of the sites of their emergences, three individuals broke through the ground, propelled by wooden torpedoes that dug them out of it and promptly cracked open upon reaching the surface. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tAWs2bv.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/7XpumL5.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/6satgJf.png[/img][/center] They were but shades. Vague outlines of people that were disguised behind a dose of magic to avoid identification. Still, each of them had a very specific mission in mind. One of them had giant clawed hands and a shower of metal floating about her, she stopped between the action and Aurelio. She was going to keep a close eye on him, and fire metal shards if he tried to get close. The one with a mess of something sticking all over her stopped between Kimble and the action. She held forth her hand and a forest of vines sprung up from the ground to capture Kimble, or at the very least hold her on a range until they were done. The last was a blur, blasting off at ridiculous speed towards the Aurelio clone with the White Coin, wherever it was right now. She had but one goal; recover the White Coin. She’d unleash a Barrage of brutal, merciless punches if the clone still held it, and if it was otherwise dropped she’d bolt with immense speed to catch it, aided by Awareness. Outside the barrier, [i]things[/i] crawled out of the ground. Tree-monsters, growing to large sizes as the minions of the Wood-specialized girl set themselves up as a barricade facing outwards around the barrier placed themselves to be in the way in case of outside reinforcements. They were not as strong as their ogre-sizes would imply, but they were intimidating, and sure to cause any reinforcements to think twice. Not that it entirely mattered, because the timing of this assault meant there were few reinforcements to be had, everyone busy in other directions. What answer did Aurelio and Kimble have to this attack? [@Ariamis][@Shifter_Master] [hider=there’s a quick way to skip this whole scene in a single post][right][sup]If you’re willing to just let them go with the White Coin without struggle, that is.[/sup][/right] After the center physical combatant had collected the White Coin while any attackers were held off, she’d turn and poke at metal-powers, who’d nod and look at Aurelio. [color=4C7D1B]‘Don’t be too hard on Dorothy, she didn’t know~!’[/color] she said with what definitely wasn’t her real voice. Then, what could be easily recognized as Overcity Shift happened on a short-range basis, sending the three shades into the Overcity. They left an Overcity Entrance behind, but you can bet they were bolting on the other side. Shortly after, the barrier surrounding them faded out of existence, as it was a strong short-time-period barrier only, and the wooden minions broke apart and vanished as their jobs had been accomplished. The artifacts they used crumbled to sand, leaving little trace of that they’d existed. With that, the attackers were gone. … [right][sub]Just a suggestion, really. XD[/sub][/right][/hider] [hr] [i]From the other perspective…[/i] [i][color=657b9e]‘It’s… it’s the real deal…’[/color][/i] [i][color=A2DFF6]‘That’s the signal! And he’s bringing the coin over with a clone! This almost literally couldn’t go better! Get ready!’[/color][/i] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/MkfZ90q.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/MtFj7xz.png[/img][/url] [url=https://i.imgur.com/5o9ObXJ.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/Ih8oH7W.png[/img][/url] [url=https://i.imgur.com/PYJSxqe.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/KkciWNJ.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=C5DBE7]‘Alright,’[/color] Freya said, looking towards the two others in their dug-out underground cavern. The furred lamia with red eyes looked at the eyepatched girl with metal limbs and her wooden, tree-monster companion. [color=C5DBE7]‘You know what to do,’[/color] she said. [color=a699ad]‘We blow up bombs, then I keep my Third Eye on Aurelio, Esther holds off Kimble, and you obtain the White Coin, then I Overcity Shift us for the getaway. Deal!’[/color] Jelena summarized happily. They’d previously been told it was just Aurelio and Kimble. [color=B2A667]‘…’[/color] Esther merely looked on silently, the tree-monster’s gaze practically dead. [color=C5DBE7]‘Just don’t hurt Dorothy,’[/color] Freya said. [color=C5DBE7]‘She’s played her role well since Ronja collected her, no need to aggravate her fate further with injuries. Mistress Mariette likes rabbits, after all, so better not draw her ire.’[/color] [color=a699ad]‘Will avoid, ma’am!’[/color] Jelena called happily, saluting with giant metal hand. [color=B2A667]‘…’[/color] Esther did not. Regardless, Freya took it as acknowledgement. [color=C5DBE7]‘Alright, gems first!’[/color] Freya said, and the three of them picked their gems. It was the same gems Mariette had obtained from the trade with Shion prior, able to be filled with magic of other specializations and then used. And so, the three of them clasped their hands on the gems and activated their Illusion-magic. Their forms changed, disguised, dark. Now, one could still see the magic they used, but their forms themselves were secluded. [color=C5DBE7]‘Esther, barrier and bombs!’[/color] Freya then commanded of Esther, and… Esther had numerous of her wooden vines enclosed on rocky objects. They were traps created by their resident trap-master, the “Artificer”, Taihei. First, Esther shot up the barrier-artifact with her vines, which activated below ground, sealing the area around both the individuals on the ground and those hiding beneath it. Then, she shot up the Sleep Pulse Grenades and the sticky grenades with no better name. They did have more of them, but it turned out only two potential threats appeared. With Absolute Direction and guidance from the cyan voice, Esther knew exactly where to make the bombs break out to then detonate. [color=C5DBE7]‘And now, [i]US[/i]!’[/color] Freya called, preparing her claws. [color=a699ad]‘Let’s gooooooooooooooo~!’[/color] Jelena called, so excessively excited. [color=B2A667]‘…’[/color] Esther wordlessly obliged, sealing the three of them inside wooden torpedoes that launched up to the surface. She sent Freya directly at the White Coin, she sent herself between the White Coin and Kimble, and she sent Jelena between the White Coin and Aurelio. Then, it was simply a matter of breaching the surface while Esther called out her minions to surround the barrier, and the event was underway. In a room with computers somewhere, a girl tapped a specific button. [i][color=A2DFF6]‘The operation is underway, Mariette. So far so good.’[/color][/i] … And that’s when she got word from a different audio-speaker that something else was off. [i][color=A2DFF6]‘… Also, Eli’s in trouble! Vi started singing, and-’[/color][/i] [hr] [color=077ae6][i]Grrr.[/i][/color] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/Y8OSnvr.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/OPMf9l2.png[/img][/url][/center] Mariette had previously accepted a snack from Amaryllis after having looked curiously at the magic that she’d prepared on the east side of the warehouse before closing said portal. She tasted the thing while watching Fabio traverse the insides of the warehouse, hearing some valuable intel, and then triggering a trap. This, almost simultaneously as Mariette got a very irritating report through the tiny communicator she’d put in her ear previously today, perhaps should have mentioned that in case Nuncio has super-cat-hearing or something. She threw a portal open, a gate for Nuncio and Amaryllis to head through to rescue Fabio and attack if they so decided. [color=077ae6]‘Go! I’ll be right behind!’[/color] Mariette spun towards the party warehouse, grabbing her hand-mirror weapon and directing it towards it. [color=077ae6]‘I just need to save Eli first…!’[/color] She had got the report that Justine was there before, but it hadn’t sounded like she needed to save her quite yet. Now, however, when Eli would be on the brink of going insane? A completely different story…! [@BrokenPromise][@ERode] [hr] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/iLfQK1p.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/2C1b19j.png[/img][/url][/center] Eli frowned at Justine’s demand. [color=57a345]‘Hmpf. Such a meeting can be easily arranged. Go stand still on a rooftop somewhere, we’ll see you,’[/color] Eli replied, a bit more confident now with a guard. Then Dolly showed up out of nowhere. Huh. Eli didn’t know what to make of it. Then… Veronica enacted her plan, however that went, but Eli staggered back. No time to remain, she had to get out of here…! … Then Vi showed up, and Eli had to turn to look for at least a bit. Was the war starting? Where they announcing their crusade on Beacon? What would happen? Eli was somewhat excited to find out, it’s what she was there for, after all… She didn’t predict that. She didn’t predict that at all. Listening to Vi’s music… it wasn’t even to her taste, and yet… [color=57a345]‘Urk,’[/color] Eli fell onto her knees, which were partially dissolving. She was shaking so hard, tiny form on the floor. So… so hungry. Anyone touched by her slime-body would feel the fluid cells she was composed of trying to digest them at this point. Everyone looked so delicious… Eli dissolved her eyes, not wanting to be tempted. Yet, her body sensed them… basically walking pieces of nutrients… It was usually kept at bay by Mariette feeding her regularly, yet… Why was this? Numerous brawls were heard, darkness covered the room, she felt the scent of fire… H-hadn’t Cindy said they’d declare war? Why was this descending into a mad party were allies were going to die, then? Was this a trap? Was this actually done by someone who wanted monsters to kill one another, or was this actually Vi’s idea of a good time? So… hungry… it was all Eli could do to just remain in place and have the overall shape of a human body slowly break apart as her monster-instincts were trying to take over… And then, unless someone else had interrupted or there’s some magic-repelling that she didn’t know about, Mariette located Eli using Absolute Direction and a portal opened beneath her, intent on swiftly letting Eli fall through the portal to right in front of Mariette before closing it again in a hurry, which would be quickly followed up with retrieving meat from her Hammerspace Handbag to feed to Eli with. [@Ariamis][@BrokenPromise][@ERode] [hr] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/gmRTrWA.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/5ZqyPyV.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=9b83de]‘Okay! Let’s go!’[/color] Ronin called as it seemed they were going. She hurried after Cindy through the secret passage towards Penrose Park, enhancing her body to run faster with Reinforcement magic and keeping an eye on her companions. That’s all I got for her. [@Ariamis][@AtomicNut][@BrokenPromise] [hr] Somewhere else. In a completely different world, unconcerned with what was happening at the rave, a woman was alone with her boredom… … … Oh? Something was going on outside. Someone… was visiting. A… spirit mage? … Interesting… … … Let’s tease her a bit… [hr] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/NyW3sR1.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/PFwYZKO.png[/img][/url][/center] Poly waddled through the vent without issue, waddling forward and dropping down the vent with no traps going off. The ball then waddled left towards the back of the painting that blocked the entrance to the room. Since nothing else was happening, the corpse-doll reached to grab the painting- A powerful magical energy suddenly swept the area, pouring out from the mirror and reaching beyond the room itself all the way off to where Myria herself was standing. There was a very sudden change in what the spirits told her, their movements suddenly more erratic and what they told more focused. In the room, there was an obsidian mirror, a portal to another world… and magical energy was slowly flowing into it, so slowly that it wasn’t even noticeable. Energy being gently guided through, and also catching some spirits that were wandering too closely. Through the portal, was… darkness. An unimaginable darkness, undescribable by the words of the spirits, their voices fearful. And, in front of said darkness stood a woman, idling, humming. She turned her head, looking curiously out through the mirror, and Myria somehow felt herself being watched, despite hearing all this only through the voices of the spirits. The woman smiled, a sweet little motherly smile, and reached forward with her right hand- and Myria felt a chilling, ice-cold hand gently caress her left cheek from far too far away. After having caressed a bit, she reached forward her left hand and gave something back to Myria. It was the spirit hand she’d put in Poly… and all the fingers on the hand were broken. [i][b]d[/b] o [sub]n[/sub] o [b]t[/b] [sup]v[/sup] i [b]s[/b] i t [sub]u[/sub] s a [b]g[/b] a [sup]i[/sup] n [sub]o[/sub] [b]r[/b] y o [sup]u[/sup] [b]w[/b] [sub]i[/sub] [b]l[/b] [sup]l[/sup] b e [sub]d[/sub] e s [b]t[/b] r [sup]o[/sup] y [b]e[/b] [sub]d[/sub][/i] And with that, the figure smiled so kindly at her before she faded away. [@ERode] [hr] [hider=the lost intro post][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4725665]Remember when Ari posted these posts last season?[/url] - Lea [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4733080]Things I wrote to introduce my characters?[/url] - Josefin and Taihei [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4738787]They were intended to introduce the would-be villains of the season.[/url] - Victoria and Tullia [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4744600]Well, one of these intros never got posted, for some reason.[/url] - Freya, Mayra and Jelena [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4755832]Which is why Esther up there probably came as a total surprise.[/url] - Suzette and Ronja [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4924657]She actually did show up in the bottom of this post in the Beach Dimension, but I never used it…[/url] So, I present to you, the lost intro post. [hider=Wood]It was a nice day in the Penrose city park, middle of the day. Trees stood around, birds chirped and people went on their way. A gentle breeze blew past, pulling at the long brown hair of the young girl sitting at the bench. The girl was eleven years old, [url=https://i.imgur.com/Xd0l3Gc.png]wearing glasses, a blue shirt and white skirt[/url], and held a peaceful expression sitting on the chair. Numerous birds landed near her, and she calmly strew some seeds for them to eat. A stray cat had jumped up on the bench and sat down in contact with her side. Yeah. Like this… like this it was peaceful, a gentle day in nature, as she liked it. She liked this place. Esther Lassen decided this park belonged to her. … A relatively loud machine buzzed somewhere to her left, disturbing her peace. Esther turned her head to look in the direction. Someone in yellow with a tiny saw-machine was trimming the hedges of the park, to make them look nice. It was his job. Esther only saw someone harming the plants that she had taken under her protection. She gently stood, to not disturb the cat which had lied down next to her. Vines had overtaken the bench where she sat. Esther wandered with calm yet firm steps along the road that would take her next to the man with the machine, leaving the birds behind. Seen by no audience, flowers and vines sprouted beneath where her feet had placed themselves, spreading to overtake the road which man had spent effort to make comfortable for humans to wander. She passed behind him. He didn’t notice. His time was up. Esther gathered her power, and- [color=57a345]‘Esther! Stop!’[/color] The javelin of wood in her hand did not launch. The man with the saw had not heard due to the earmuffs he wore as he operated the saw. Esther dropped the javelin, knowing how being seen with it would not be optimal, and some vines dragged it into the foliage beside the road. She turned to look at the one who spoke. A [url=https://i.imgur.com/R5H2HU4.png]short, seven-and-a-half year old black haired girl, in school uniform and wearing glasses[/url], looking at Esther with a determined but alarmed expression. Elizabeth Walton. The surviving “Darkness Harpy”. Eli. [color=57a345]‘Don’t kill. We don’t need an incident. Stay calm. We will contact you when we need your help. Until then, manage. You don’t need Asengav punishing you.’[/color] That would indeed be troublesome. Esther stood still, resigning herself to being unhappy, unable to protect her park. [color=57a345]‘C’mon, we need you at the meeting. Even if you’re not going to say anything, it’s still good that you have at least heard what we’ve said. Because you ARE listening. … Right?’[/color] Talking was unnecessary. Esther had understood. She remembered the place of the meeting, and turned to walk, a bird landing on her shoulder as she walked and the cat trailed after her as well. Esther walked on, leaving Eli behind. Eli breathed out, a potential crisis averted. [color=57a345]‘I’ll… take that as a “yes”?’[/color] she tried, letting herself have a little smile at her own joke. But honestly, talking to Esther was awfully similar to talking to a tree. You’re not going to get a reply. Eli took out a phone and called the relevant number. [color=57a345]‘The “Wilted Wandered” will be joining us… … I think.’[/color][/hider][/hider]