Lugubrious

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Random question! How would your characters act if they accepted a love confession genuinely? o-o

@NarayanK

Prior to Abel genuinely accepting, he'd do his best to try and dissuade whoever it was, making sure to list out his various bad qualities. During this time, he'd probably look steely-faced and cold, arms crossed. If he realizes that the girl doesn't care or understands all his shortcomings and loves him anyway, he would be so incredibly touched. His stoic expression would give away to utter amazement, and all that repressed blood would surge into his face, turning him beet red. In fact, he's probably start weeping in sheer joy that something this marvelous could happen. As gingerly as he could, so as not to let his extreme elation overtake his senses, he would embrace the girl quickly and let go, not wanting to seem clingy. Then I image he and the girl would walk off together, trying to work out the right way to hold hands.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Funky Fistfight Freezers

Hesitation was something understandable and forgivable, but ten seconds had already passed since the silence between Rachel and Vinnie became awkward. The brown haired woman ignored his glove, said nothing, and didn’t even seem to really notice him at all. All desire to sustain a conversation with this person drained out of Vinnie as if someone had pulled the bath plug. Without a single word exchanged, the two people steered around one another and continued on with their lives as if the meeting had never occurred. Now wearing a frown, Vinnie pulled his glove back on. “Today’s just not my day…”

Had he assembled a list of different leads he could pursue, he might have been able to simply move on down to the next point of interest, but following the heartily disappointing ‘encounter’ with Rachel, Vinnie’s figurative to-do list lay blanker than a high school student’s expression on the first day of Calculus. In the spirit of trying to discover something new, however, he settled for walking downtown to an area of Angel Springs he practically never visited. Nothing in his heart set him against this zone, but other than driving past it on his way to work each morning he never found a reason to consider it. On the way, he suddenly gave a smile to the blue sky, thankful for the temperate weather today that meant he wouldn’t sully his suit jacket with perspiration.

In less than five minutes at a casually intent pace he arrived at the unfamiliar district, a more claustrophobic area of the town than the area containing the Golden Peking. Following a spur-of-the-moment gut feeling, he turned left down the mainstreet, and found himself surrounded by old, run-down buildings. Every structure here felt dingier yet more cultural than those of the pristine, very modern districts of Angel Springs. The people here, too, sported a somewhat distinct look from the typical town inhabitant. Poorer families and a more closely-knit community meant that new trends in fashion caught on like wildfire and mutated just as quickly to produce fashions that were paradoxically uniform and unique at the same time. Vinnie guessed that, even if gangs didn’t dominate this area of town, that sort of lifestyle held a substantial influence on the way people acted. Here, the restraint and niceties of the clean, organized parts of town dissolved. Everything, Vinnie thought, gave off the impression of emotion, vigor, rawness—in short, personality. The same sort of intimate local culture one might expect to find in a rural town that lived by its own rules seemed nestled here in the city’s heart. All this fascinated Vinnie, but as a definite oddball around here, he kept both eyes open.

In fact, to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb walking along the street, he detoured onto a sidestreet under construction to take a look around without scrutiny. Immediately he noticed that pretty much nobody inhabited this little avenue, and it outdid the rest of the district in grunginess. Interested in what might lead to such a distinction, he sauntered down the sidewalk with commendable posture and his hands in his pockets until he spotted two individuals leaning against a building comprised mostly of dark gray bricks. They were speaking freely to one another, and to Vinnie they seemed rather drunk for it being so early in the day. Their clothes, halfway between casual and formal, could have belonged to someone of pretty much any profession. Vinnie could imagine them behind the counter of a video shop, convenience store, pool hall, whatever. In short, they did not stand out in any respect except for their exuberant mannerisms, and Vinnie didn’t pay them much mind.

A noise drew his attention. Across the torn-up road, a door set in a building that Vinnie assumed to be closed had opened, and from it walked two women opposite him. Neither one appeared to notice him, which suited him just find, because for a moment he couldn’t stop staring. Accentuated by their similar choices of clothing the ladies’ ample chests bulged prominently and actually bounced with each step. After a brief moment, Vinnie noticed other things. Their hair, auburn with dyed green streaks, matched exactly, and their eyes shone the same color in the light of a sunny noon: acidic lime green. Had Vinnie not known better, in fact, he would have said that their eyes glowed with an almost radioactive luminescence. He watched them strut straight toward the two drunk-looking men, whom Vinnie suddenly noticed had sobered up. After a moment, the two pairs stood opposite one another, and the whole scene took on a menacing tone. This is too weird… the besuited onlooker thought worriedly, only realizing a moment later that he was looking for weird. Feeling the tension and wondering what might happen, he stowed himself out of sight to observe.

The silence was broken by one of the women. “Last I checked, the boss doesn’t like losers hangin’ around his crib like TV gumshoes on stakeout. Think you boys oughta run home before things get messy?”

With a chuckle, the man in sunglasses replied, “If we didn’t want you to find us this time, we woulda tried a little harder to hide, doncha think? Maybe it’s time the four of us hit the town. How’s a double date sound?”

The other woman tossed her hair angrily and crossed her arms beneath her busom, turning sideways. Her companion turned the other way, putting both hands behind her head. “Big talker, huh? You won’t like getting smashed with us.” She breathed in deeply through her teeth and called, “「Bottoms Up」!”

“「Gin and Juice」!”

“「Capitol King」!”

“「Lynyrd Skynyrd」!”

Vinnie saw four distinct flashes, but afterward, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Not one but four ghostly things appeared, one for each person he saw. Two of them were strange; above the long-haired woman’s shoulders floated what looked like a teapot with four legs, four disturbingly human eyes, and a tongue coming from the spout, and the pigtailed woman now held a fancy serving dish with a strange champagne glass on it. The remaining two, however, nearly caused Vinnie’s eyes to bug out of his skull. The man with sunglasses stood side by side with an animatronic gladiator with dull grayish-brown armor and tomato-red flesh. A huge helmet not unlike a kettle with holes drilled in completely obscured the head. Meanwhile, the bespectacled man in a polo shirt stood above a crouching robotic butcher, complete with apron. Each of its hands exhibited only two fingers, albeit long, segmented, and thin enough to be razors, and instead of a head it appeared to sport a giant potato peeler with hammerhead-esque eyes on either end. As ludicrous as these things looked, these four looked intent on some kind of fight. Vinnie Pantera, meanwhile, dared not breathe. The reality of other spirits existing, and responding to their hosts by name, had just settled in, and he would rather die than miss what happened next.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Funky Fistfight Freezers

@BCTheEntity I was hoping for some kind of assistance in that regard. Could I be allowed creative liberty to make something up that I can involve myself with? Forgive me if this is an obvious question, but I want to make unequivocally sure to what extent I'm allowed to make scenarios in this RP.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Funky Fistfight Freezers

Would anyone be up for interacting with my Vinnie?

All In (Video Game Multiverse)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

I should note that the Big Sisters teleported to shore before they began talking. Not a huge thing, just so everyone knows they on shore now maybe fifty meters from the shack except for Five who is in front of the shack watching it burn.

@Prince of Seraphs

Did you edit that in? I could swear that they hadn't teleported last time I read it. Or did I just not notice...?

All In (Video Game Multiverse)

Henry

At first the conspiracy of ravens wheeled wildly around Henry, a tiny hurricane of black feathers. Before half a minute passed the ruckus died down and left the dark mage statuesque; the ebony birds perched all over him as if he were a garden sculpture. One look at Henry's face revealed how elated this made him feel. Nothing in the world made the day sunnier for this Plegian than goofing around with friends, with the possible exception of wanton slaughter. He attempted different poses, for which the ravens obligingly shifted themselves, and all the while he spoke with them like they were people. Indeed, his new friends came across as far more genial than most humans, as the recently-carved memories of suffering could readily attest. Because of this, even if Henry could have heard or witnessed the arrival and ominous discussion of the five Big Sisters atop their raft of ice in the lake, he did not.

Sudden and violent destruction, however, always caught his attention. The shockwave of blistering heat and kinetic force disturbed the inquisitive conspiracy, and as one the ravens took off and made a birdline toward the nearest stand of trees for shelter. Only the original raven, nestled in Henry's stylish and expansive collar, did not retreat. The joy ebbed from Henry's expression, his childlike happiness replaced by a more subtle, wry grin, as if to mock the sudden explosion for being presumptuous enough to ruin the idyllic scene. His gaze turned upward slightly as a slab of drywall comparable to a hubcab flew toward his head, and boredly Henry swiped his fingers to the side as if erasing a mistake on a chalkboard. The piece of debris took a sudden detour to the side and lodged, mostly broken, in the ground. Poking it with his foot, the dark mage stared at the shack. Though it contained no friend of his, he hoped that Denys and that other girl hadn't just bitten the dust in so unentertaining a manner.

”Ooh.”

He found himself staring at the perpetrator of the blast, a bizarre, faceless creature that instantly fascinated him. Its rather monstrous bearing reminded him of an Entombed, with which he maintained a morbid curiosity ever since he first encountered one. The large, brutish undead fought with talons not unlike this firespitter's giant needle, and they always wore masks or bags over their heads to signify -or perhaps hide- their inhumanity. The prospect of creating Risen, and especially Entombed, always filled Henry with exhilaration. This one in particular outshone every undead he'd encountered, though. Obviously, this specimen could use magic. Perhaps it had something to do with its skintight garb, typically characteristic of dark mages?

Henry rested his chin on his hand, watching closely. The raven hopped up onto his head, peering at Five as well. Maybe it, like the Plegian, just needed to know more. More than anything else he wanted it to attack him so he could get an idea of abilities.

Birdie

Birdie was unabashedly pleased of himself when he figured it out: the lumbering zombie-like creatures that initially capitalized on his terror of horror movies could not actually leave the areas of the town that appeared ruined. With this in mind, the large man set to having his fun with them. Tossing chunks of stone from outside their range to watch them plunk off their noggins and get them nodding like bobbleheads...jumping into a ruined zone to watch all of them become sentient and suddenly lunge for him only to forget all about him as soon as he hopped back out...snaring one with a chain from a pristine zone and throwing them into the scenery...all of it made Birdie bellow with laughter. One could say that he was having a whale of a good time getting over his fears of cinema's undead.

Since he began this exercise already tired, though, and it wore him out quickly, it only lasted a few minutes. He then casually sauntered off, making sure to stick to the less weird parts of Castle Town and feeling like a very big man indeed. The thought drifted through his head about how the ladies he met with might be getting on, but he figured anyone who could lift a giant sword or use guns for heels could handle themselves. Meanwhile, a new task awaited him, courtesy of his rumbling stomach: he needed food. Where could he find a snack in this place? Since the chances of running into a Ye Olde Burger Joint looked to be woefully abysmal, he figured that he'd have to look for an alternative. ”Blimey, wot's the medieval name fer a pub...? An inn, maybe? Wonder if this dump's got one.” He kept a sharp eye out despite the dark of night, not quite aware enough to be thankful for the moon's illumination.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

Two Souls' Spiral

Starring
Poog the Pig as Lifprasil
Lugubrious as Allure

Tucked away in a corner of that city of wonders and legends, there lay a reflective pool. From a channel above the water tumbled down into it in a cataract, and from there the current became a swirl in the circular basin. Flowering vines and questing roots from the foliage that lined this pool's edges streamed like hair seized by wind, while a thick grove of leafy bamboo encapsulated the area totally. Their great stalks reached skyward, though sunlight still filtered in through the top, as might a light of hope shining down into the depths of a pit in the earth. Beneath this golden radiance the inches-deep water swirled, a strangely tranquil whirlpool, and its soft vortex gave the impression of a locus of natural power.

Allure certainly felt that way as he danced, moving back and forth with rhythm and elegance with the water nipping at his heels. Without pause he performed his eccentric tango, handling his dance partner as if it were an extension of his body. In his fingers the long handle of the polearm he'd created -the naginata- seemed weightless, and its every move echoed the beauty and deadliness of its wielder. A legion of invisible foes attacking at every angle fell like wheat at harvest when faced with this gorgeous onslaught, but still this dance never ceased. The perfection of this spot, and the graceful samba within, seemed to be the very essence of dreams. Perhaps in a trance, beauty's arbiter span and span, probing every angle with the curved blade and serenely brutalizing imaginary enemies with the long handle, faster and faster until the current caused him to slip. Allure then fell onto his back in the rushing water, and the coolness combined with the impact washed away his focus. He stared up at the sky, feeling dampness soaking through his hair and clothes, and wondered.

Many thoughts circled through his head, turning and turning just like the watery whorl that surrounded him. For all his power, intellect, and beauty, he felt wasted. He could not begin to imagine the machinations of the gods, but he knew that as long as they lived and acted in the world there could be no true peace. Mortals could only ever be grains of sand in such a world. The beauty of Lifprasil's hidden city stood as a monument to the capability of those not expressly divine, but what was the use, really? In less than a second, any god could wipe it all away. A fit of rage might do it, or sheer apathy, or perhaps just a lust for undoing. It wasn't fair.

He sat up, water running in rivulets down his bronze skin. The naginata lay in the current, unyielding. Picking it up, Allure prepared to dance again.

Rather than imaginary foes, that which would have stalked in brambles and bamboo, Allure found himself face to face with Lifprasil once more - he stood there, and after moments of careful analysis, he spoke.

"Are you alright, Allure? That looked rather painful." spoke the Emperor of Alefpria, hand ceremoniously rested upon the serpent-like blade that wrapped around his waist so tightly.

Lifprasil kept from his fixed position before his companion, and decided to find a resting place to sit upon: a platform, a part of a stone basin controlling the eb and flow of some of the majestic waters of the palace. He wasn't wearing Niciel's armor, in fact Lifprasil looked much more casual than Allure would have come to expect out of his daily routine. A colorful wrap - a garb decorated with divets and jewels crafted from colors that would have been unseen - encased his body. The sleeves cut short, but the skirt of the body ran down to his ankles, leaving him the same coverage that he had become used to as Vesamera.

"I must say, your meticulous practice has impressed me, such as most of your abilities - what brings you to be so hardy about your activities? Boredom?"

Allure's eyes narrowed to find his privacy disturbed. He could never be embarrassed for being caught doing something others might perceive as strange -in fact, they ought to be the ones embarrassed, for being so foolish as to perceive things that way- but all the same the sudden appearance of Lifprasil did not fill him with joy. "I am perfectly alright. I succeeded in losing myself in the rhythm of combat, and that numbness dulled any possible pain."

The self-proclaimed emperor's rather unusual choice of garments did not garner much attention from Allure, though his eyes rested for a moment on Lifprasil's urumi. Surely he didn't mean to engage the hero of beauty in combat? Without Niciel's armor a single slice to the throat would end the little king's reign. Of course, Allure traced this mode of thought immediately, and mentally chided himself for continuing to think of Lifprasil as an enemy. Any sort of slip in this regard might betray his thoughts. If anything, the emperor might want to test Allure's new style in combat, which the handsome man supposed he could do. Instead, Lifprasil asked a question, and to it Allure replied, "The battle to improve oneself is a lifelong quest for mortals. I must spend every moment I can spare getting better. To do otherwise is a waste of the gift of life." Plus, Allure had in fact created something new. Surely the excellence of this achievement was not lost on the newcomer...?

"I admire your spirit, and I've seen your ability and skill in careful practice - but not application. The weapon you've created has fascinated the metallurgy guild, and your pivotal hand in the creation of Alefpria is truly something of note," Lifprasil opened, reaching to tie his hair into a knot that would lift it behind his own head. "But out of all these things, valor, stoicism, these are all important, and I must ask: do you love Alefpria and its people? Would you be willing to protect them, and the beauty of this socialite city in a world of wonder - but most of all - horror? The most valuable thing one can give me, and my people, is the promise of his life." he then continued, finishing his meticulous hair handling at the end of his questions.

Lifprasil but gazed at Allure, he knew that the hero was not one to be selfless, but after his experiences with humility, and his humbling defeat at Allure's hand, he had his doubts about whether or not his friend's personality was truly static. Perhaps it could change, much like the water that ran underfoot, cool, mild, gradual, but still ever-amorphous in its development. After all, of everything in this world, or this universe, water was the most resilient due to its ability to sustain liquidity.

So the demigod was getting serious. Allure disliked questions of analysis, particularly ones to which only one right answer existed. The naginata twirled in his grasp, coming to rest across his shoulders. Like snakes his arms curled around the shaft, their weight supported by the burden on the back of his neck. This exercise allowed him a short delay in which to think. Any longer hesitance would only perturb Lifprasil, since Allure expected that he could not develop an image as one prone to deep thought. "...Love an inanimate object? What's the point? Is it a symbol for the living things you truly love?" Despite saying this, he made sure to wear an non-confrontational expression. "I can appreciate the labor that went into this place's creation, and the atmosphere it harbors. It is unlike anything else I have experience, and dare I say far better. The floating house of the wind god is a bare hovel in comparison."

Allure then turned and took small steps through the spinning pool, toward one of the points where it flowed out between patches of greenery to somewhere else in the city. The day before, when completing the dance he'd rehearsed today, he'd ended his session by attempting to slide down one of the slick chutes. It had been exhilarating, and he'd intended to try another route today. Rather than seating himself and pushing off, though, he pivoted on his heels to face Lifprasil again. " If protection is what you want, I am the perfect choice. If something attempted to destroy this place, I would kill them. If something disturbed the peace by killing your slave race in an inartful fashion, I would be glad to slaughter those murderers, too. But I will not lay down my life for bricks, wood, water, and ignorant slaves for their sakes, or for yours. If a god attempts to destroy this place, and you ask me to die for a cause of yours, I will run, and not an ounce of shame will weigh me down. The answer to your questions is no; I do not love this city, or its people. What I love is beauty."

He paused to think for a moment, remembering something. "Notte, for instance. It would please her, I think, if I defended the city and its people, so that is why I will endeavor to do it. Heh, perhaps I'd even give my life for her. To die in pursuit of true beauty would be an acceptable way to go. Why makes all the difference." The naginata flashed from its position, snakelike, and Allure swung it overhead with no small amount of strength. The shaft of the weapon became embedded pretty close to the exact center of the little whorl. It would wait here for its master to take it up again. Allure gestured to one of the streaming chutes. "Once we're done here, care for a slide? It's good fun. More interesting and less predictable than falling from the sky, at least."

When Lifprasil was listening, he found his expression turning darker - it still retained the smile that he had worn so patiently for Allure, but he couldn't help, however unconsciously, narrowing his vision to his fair friend. The face, that gaze of anguish disappeared, however, when Allure's naginata impacted expertly narrowed marble and stone.

He did not like the sensation he felt when Allure spoke of such selfish deeds, but he figured this new attraction would help clear his mind - this was not the first time his own Domain threatened to control him; after all. "I quite remember the memory of falling from the Citadel, down to Galbar. That was an experience most painful." Lifprasil remarked with an entertained scoff as he stood, and joined Allure upon his ledge.

"I must confess something, Old Friend, something about Notte," he said, ousting his voice to the still atmosphere outside. Lifprasil's gaze was fixated down to the architecture below now - and the jungles beyond. "Your love for Notte is strong, but so is my grip on the control of one's own psyche, and I have sensed an illusion within the Divas Four, a hex within the mind of one that I would assume to be Notte herself. Something placed it there long ago, one of them is doomed to feel compassion for but one creature on other planets far, far away. I urge a lack of forcefulness on your part, as I can fix this upon your request. However, winning her over truly will be upon your own clever mind, afterwards."

Lifprasil turned back to Allure, he was no longer smiling now, but there was no malice in his mind or expression either. It was merely a neutral expression, illuminated by fires, that which burned through long nights such as these upon the bosom of Alefpria's brilliant palace.

If he could quantify the degree to which he expected Lifprasil to favor his reply, Allure could definitively say that it had a 0% chance. As such, when Lifprasil's bearing and expression grew less genial, Allure was neither surprised not concerned. Pleasing this young emperor did not lay within the reach of his vast abilities. If he tried to be genuine, he would displease him. If he lied in an attempt to anticipate what Lifprasil wanted, Allure expected that the other man would be even more disappointed. So why even try?

Lifprasil's comments about Notte, however, perturbed him. Did he mean to imply that Notte could never have feelings for him because of some rotten spell? The suggestion infuriated him, but in the wake of such an excellent dance, and in anticipation of another exciting slide, and in the grip of a refreshing flow of water around his ankles, Allure did not act on his anger. If Notte hadn't warmed to him at all, it was because he'd made no real attempt for her so far. After all, he lacked nothing in strength, ability, or looks. At times, his wit could be nearly as sharp as his drawn lines. Since he knew this wasn't in question, and that Lifprasil intended to try and fix the problem, Allure directed no ill will at the demigod opposite him. "So be it. Anything else on the brain?" Allure held one fist on his hip, gesticulating with an upward palm with the other.

Lifprasil held up an index finger "I would also like you to teach a portion of my men the art of the Naginata - I wouldn't want to waste your meticulous practice. That is all." requested the tiny emperor, before he narrowly slid past Allure, towards the silken slide that awaited him. "Oh, and Allure," Lifprasil's empathy and warmth reappeared.

"I would narry permit the usage of slaves - the people in Alefpria stay because I provide necessities sentient creatures desire and want: such as a home. Surely you will want one, eventually." he said, teasing the Hero like he would in situations similar to such back in the Citadel. With that, Lifprasil attempted to slide down the exhilarating drop, but his form was flawed, and he ended up falling much faster, similar to a rock. He managed to shakily recover on his feet, but the drop was still humiliating. "Whoops." Lifprasil chuckled, realigning his balance upon the walkway he had landed upon.

A soft sigh escaped Allure when Lifprasil suggested teaching again. How could a base creature whose very presence offended the eyes possibly master or even begin to learn an art that embodied beauty of form and movement? It was not an intuitive or practical weapon. Men would be better served by spears, pikes, halberds, glaives, or any sort of weapon that would compliment height and strength. "Perhaps it might be more useful for the women," he advised, getting ready to go down a different slide. A call of his name obliged him to look back. A home? The thought of settling in one place seemed like a waste of what the world had to offer. For instance, if he took up residence in this one area, he'd never find out what other alcoves Alefpria had in store. Then Lifprasil disappeared, and Allure threw himself down his slide as well.

His chosen route turned out to be a winding, meandering channel that carried him to another part of the city entirely. He practically flew around curves, zoomed down straightways, and rode through numerous water features. All the while his heart raced with exhilaration. After a few minutes, he swooped down a cleft and was then ejected out of a jump into a scenic pond in some sort of indoor park. The instant he pulled himself from the water, he discovered a marvelous amount and variety of flowers everywhere, and set to examining each one.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Funky Fistfight Freezers

Heyo, @Lazy Rocktime, not to be rude, but I'm considering moving on without you if you don't respond soon.

All In (Video Game Multiverse)

I do believe we're all waiting for you at this point, @Prince Of Seraphs. At least, I think you've given us reason to believe you've got something cooking.

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

Mad World

@liferusher@zarkun@lazo@kapuchu

Several hours slipped by. Barebones as the Citadel was, many things still existed that needed to be put in order. The rooms claimed by the various agents of the Council needed at least some furnishing and renovation. Some spent more time in specific chambers that interested them more. Souta, for instance, spent some time in the forge in an arduous attempt to get things organized in a satisfactory manner and capable of functioning. Heat he had aplenty, but creating weapons and gear with a hammer and anvil alone was a thing of fantasy. The modern smith needed a lathe, a hydraulic press, and a host of other devices. Plus, no weapon could take on the mantle of a Devil or Angel Arm without a phylactery containing the being's soul. Following a weapon's completion, the insertion of a soul-filled phylactery would fuse the two together to make the finished product. Souta couldn't find a smidgen of modern technology, nor the raw materials from which to make phylacteries, so it was with no small amount of frustration that he arranged what little he did have to the best of his ability.

Still, to him, time flew by, and he had no idea how long he spent in the forge before a familiar, despicable shape rose from the floor nearby, startling him. At the same time, other Watchers were appearing for Midori, Wrath, Fenn, and Lily, sharing the same message this slave brought to Souta: “Had a good rest? Well, it's time for a new mission. Our big brother waits for you at the World Tree.” Hearing this, Souta could only curb his distaste for the Watcher, let his tools fall, and make his way through the Citadel to the room in question.

Upon arrival, the young man spotted a Watcher larger than the rest, one with nine emerald eyes—Panoptos. Those leering lights slid around on his face like fireflies fluttering at dusk, and like them they blinked out from time to time. Nevertheless, Souta felt sure that this most esteemed of Council servants was always watching. After a moment, Souta's attention wandered, and he discovered to his surprise a second figure. This one he didn't recognize at all. At a glance, it appeared to be a person in a robotic exosuit, but when the smith examined it further he grew doubtful. Elements of its physiology, particularly around the arms and head, made it seem impossible that a human could be housed within. Souta's logical conclusion that it might be a robot, however, could not be reached because this thing did look to be breathing. It also look around, focusing the light within its eyes on him, in an extremely aware fashion. All in all, Souta didn't know what to make of it.

The others arrived shortly and Panoptos wasted no time in doling out the task. ”Because of the information planted in the toymaker's head, we've found our next Seal. And wouldn't know know! It's in a Forbidden Realm called the Undersky. The World Tree there was tampered with to prevent entry or exit. Luckily, we've got a guide. Say hello, Uhelei!”

Though the unknown being's features were difficult to discern, the dimming of its glowing eyes around the edges suggested glowering. Panoptos tittered softly. ”Poor guy's got a shy streak. Evidently all living things in the Undersky are techno-organic, just like him. And there aren't just tribesmen, either. I think you're all going to have a lot of fun finding the Seal. Once you find it, it's your job to protect me while I whip up a Greater Dimensional Rift to save it. Capiche?” He folded his fingers together, waiting for the inevitable questions.