Potemking

World of Light

@Dark Cloud
It's simple, really.

Just beat the hell out of Galeem and become the overlord of THIS world, too.

World of Light

@Dark Cloud

To be fair to Laharl, Mao also has information he doesn't. If he decides to tag along to rebuke the 'NPC' claim since he's with Yellow Team already, we can probably get him Friend Hearted during the next fight with the Resistance and the clarity could help him quite a bit.

World of Light

LOCATION:Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
WORD COUNT: 1,243(+2 EXP)
MENTIONS: Midna, Laharl

---

Mao's eyes fell on the creature he could only identify as some rare-colored imp of sorts, introducing herself as Midna. The wide assortment of demons in the Netherworld made it easy to accept the individuals of different shapes and sizes without a lot of confusion on his end. It was her introduction that also made him realize he hadn't introduced himself even, having gotten used to just being known on sight by his Netherworld residents. Introductions tended to be polite, which went against his norm, so he kept it short. Despite the absurd regard he held himself to, he wasn't in a position to really gloat to these people either. His status from his own world wasn't something that'd matter if any buff guy built with a bunch of saxophones could knock him down. "Name's Mao. It won't take long to get there, so anyone coming along better stay ready." He warned, taking Midna's suggestion to start walking. Better to get this over with, and get some answers at the same time.

At her suggestion, he looked up at the sun, hand attempting to block out some of the bright light. It's huge, Mao thought to himself, noting that this False God, according to Midna's story, was much more powerful than he had first thought. That light she mentioned, it had sparked to mind prior. He didn't have to worry about his Netherworld being taken over, it seemed, as instead it had been destroyed and possibly used to stitch this place together. In a way, it was brilliant. A huge undertaking, splitting so many worlds and combining them into one abomination. Mao found this to be fascinating, wondering if he could manage the same effect with Netherworlds. More land to rule, more power to obtain, after all.

"Despite just going about their lives, they're all influenced by that Galeem guy, huh?" He looked at the red-eyed individuals he walked past, wondering how he could have ever thought this was all normal. With a clear mind, he saw things for how they were, and how dangerous a place this was. This Galeem was truly comparable to an Overlord, ruling over a vast world like this one. Impressive in a way, but to have been mind controlled on TOP of the mind control? Infuriating, but he could handle that in due time.

That left their goals on the table. Defeat Galeem, which Mao could understand and had a personal piece in. And the conflict between the Resistance and the Grim, which... Mao was also personally involved in, for numerous reasons at this point. "I noticed nobody on your side going for kills during the fight, it makes sense now." Gathering as much force as they could... Galeem had to be strong so it was smart. But before that, they'd have to beat the crap out of these 'Guardians' that are blocking the way. Sounded like a road of violence and glory, which was something Mao could get behind. He was always fond of the 'level grind' concept, anyhow.

"I guess that means you removed the influence from us so we'd join this fight too?" It was an obvious question, which Mao didn't really expect an answer for, instead deciding to confirm his stake in this mess. "Not like I have much choice. If my world was obliterated by that light, then I have to fix it to get my peons back!" What was an Overlord without minions? Nothing! One might say he was 'friends' with a few of them, but Mao would just say he needs his fighting force. Being a ruler with nobody to rule wasn't any fun either.

At Midna's posed question about the alignment of those in the Resistance, Mao shrugged his shoulders. "It's a grab bag. Some of them, like Klee, wouldn't hurt a fly without Number Two's brainwashing. Then you have the freaks, like that chick with the robot legs, who's just happy to kill for the sake of it. I'm sure the group we're going after will be mixed between those who're being mislead, and those being manipulated into using their craving for violence against Number Two's enemies." Hand on his sword, Mao personally felt no pain in potentially having to put down a few of the Resistance members, especially the boss herself.

"For the sake of recruitment I'll try and leave them in one piece." He wasn't making promises though, as fighting to maim and not kill wasn't usually his M.O... But this conflict was bigger than him. He was reasonable enough to see that. He wouldn't confirm he'd put his own goals aside, but with how their situation aligned after the Friend Heart, he'd have to try and play by their rules a bit. In a world like this, Mao could see the end justifying the means though. If he could gain enough power, Galeem wouldn't be a problem. A transformation into his unrestricted form would be enough to obliterate Galeem, but he was nowhere near that level. But Demons lived a long time. He had plenty of time to train, unless there was a timer he was unaware of. He noted to potentially bombard Midna with more questions later, though for now, something was distracting his senses.

Mao came to a sudden halt, the cause not immediately clear, at least to anyone else. "Wait," He called to Midna, head slowly gazing leftwards as his senses demanded, only to see what could be described as an obnoxious blue-haired snot running their way, barreling through people like he owned the place. Mao wouldn't have cared, but he carried an energy about him: One similar to Mao's own, marking him as not only strong, but also a Demon. And an Overlord, at that.

His words stung Mao's ego, light gleaming over his glasses as he hunched forward somewhat, glaring at the half-naked idiot in front of him. "I'll have you know the only time I step into the library is during torching hours!" He objected, disgusted by the idea of even reading a book! Unless it was something completely unproductive, like a comic book, that is. "You're talking to the previous #1 Honor Student and current Dean of Maritsu Evil Academy! The name 'Mao' is enough to kill a delinquent on the spot when they hear it!" He stated proudly, standing back at his full height and offering his signature Mwahahahah! evil laugh as proof of his devotion to the vile arts.

Looking over Laharl in more detail, he saw the traits of the other Gleaming folk in him, signs Midna pointed out for him prior, thankfully. As much as Mao'd love to hurl insults at him for what he said, he recalled that they didn't want to constantly try and start fights. Which also wasn't something Mao was used to. With the circumstances, he had to try and adjust. Tact wasn't exactly the scientist's strongsuit, however, so he simply verbally barged straight ahead and told Laharl about as direct as he could.

"As much as I'd love to sit around and gloat about my superior Evil Quotient during NPC banter, I've got revenge to take! Official Overlord business." He said in an attempt to disregard and/or discourage Laharl from getting in his way, but unknowing to him, it was probably more of a reason for him to join in on the trouble. Aside from the additional fact that Mao had no idea Laharl was already 'with' the Seekers, and was probably looking to rejoin with his team anyway

Planet Mobius - A Sonic Universe Open World

TEAM CHAOTIX

South City, Cruising The Streets

@Shiny Keldeo @Zoey Boey

---

After time spent on their respective meals and bantering, the Chaotix as a whole exited the diner. Vector in particular seemed a tad embarrassed, with Charmy smug as could be. Their small commotion had met with their usual waitress getting peeved at Vector for even raising his voice at sweet little Charmy, the woman clearly not understanding the little devil that lived under HIS roof. But as the respectful type, Vector had no choice but to calm himself and accept the verbal beating, as much as the Bee's amusement caused him grief.

"Don't get such an attitude, boss, y'might get banned from the place!" Charmy said, half as a joke, but also a threat to Vector's antics. The confidence in him at the moment showed his childish side, for sure.

"If she heard you now, I'm sure she'd have a few harsh words for you." Espio remarked to burst Charmy's bubble, but also put him in line a little. If they both couldn't come back, maybe a meal would be peaceful for once. But if Vector wasn't around, he wouldn't be paying for the meals. Trying to find a middle ground seemed to be the best bet.

It seemed to work, a bead of sweat going down Charmy's forehead. "Ahah, you wouldn't rat me out, right, Espio?" His question was met with silent looks, which proved to be effective, the Bee quickly breaking. "Alright, alright! We'll drop it. No more using the Charmy Charm to get Vector in trouble." He stated, with a slight sadness to his tone.

"If that's settled, then let's get going already!" Vector barged into the two-way conversation, before marching down the sidewalk. Espio and Charmy followed, figuring they were heading back to the office for some R&R or at least to look at their next job. This changed as Charmy spotted a sight across the street: A few familiar faces in Amy Rose and Cream the Rabbit, but another individual, not familiar in the 'friend' kind of sense, but rather a popular individual that caused the Bee to jolt up, frantically poking Vector's shoulder. "What?" The croc questioned, turning his head.

"That's Mina Mongoose!" He exclaimed to his boss, a stupid grin on his face. "I wanted to hurry home to see her during the Metropolis Music Festival, the heck's she doing here?"

Vector responded to this rather quickly, though not for the reasons one might expect. (Or maybe, some would expect it.) Grabbing up Charmy, he scolded the little guy momentarily. "What's the first rule of the Chaotix Detective Agency, Charmy?" He questioned, glaring at his small co-worker.

Charmy seemed to snap from his trance, blinking at Vector before answering. "Don't act obnoxious around ladies, boss."

"Thatta boy!" Vector complimented, releasing Charmy and giving him a pat on the head with a big grin. Vector's reaction to a celebrity was more calm than most, but that was simply because Vector knew a lot of folks from picking up jobs for the Agency, and celebrities weren't a thing to phase him when some of the people he's interacted with. "I can afford to do a little freeform investigation on company time, might as well see what the deal is." He added, before beginning to cross the street. A voice stopped him momentarily, though when he saw an excited Charmy following him, that only left one suspect...

"I'd rather not, Vector." Espio made his point quick, the usual method on his end.

"Don't get cold feet, being together is good for the company image!" Vector retorted, grabbing the Ninja and dragging him along. Espio, usually the nimble sort, stumbled behind him momentarily before shaking free of the half-hearted grip, simply choosing to stand slightly behind Vector, letting his large form sort of overshadow him to keep the conversation from coming his way.

"Evening, ladies." Vector greeted, his full professionalism and politeness on display. Charmy sat on his shoulder, offering a hearty wave to Amy and Cream as he grinned at the opportunity in front of him. Vector continued to speak however, carrying them into the conversation rather heartily. "Out and about to celebrate the anniversary?" He offered as a question, being quite a busy worker, so taking a moment to say hello to a few friends wasn't gonna hurt. And the way his group was acting in this scenario internally left him in stitches, so all was well and good with him.

World of Light

@Dark Cloud

I read every post you make, and while they're pretty short, I think they work pretty well in regards to character portrayal.

World of Light

@Dark Cloud

Could also have him pick up on Mao's presence and follow it to the group, a fellow Overlord is probably a bit alarming since they're not only in the same world now, but also not that far from each other.

World of Light

LOCATION:The Maw - The Depths
WORD COUNT:747(+1 EXP)
MENTIONS: Command Center Group

---

"Oh yeah, positive!" Mirage responded to Jr with optimism, continuing to try and attach the wiring. "Not much else I can try, and if this thing can control some of the machinery around here, we might not even have to go down! Then Blazermate wouldn't even hafta' worry about the water!"

Jr's uncertainty was followed by Geralt's, Mirage starting to get nervous with all this negativity. "You keep being like that and you'll jinx it, Geralt!" He responded to the swordsman's pessimism, wanting to prove him wrong. Which only increased with the positive backing of Cadet, which Mirage grinned at. "If it starts trying to electrocute my brain I'll just, uh, scream. Screaming is the signal for help." A slight uncertainty came over him now, but he shook it off, not wanting to jinx it himself.

Looking up at the headcase yielded positive enough results: This seemed to be common enough tech to have the instructions imprinted on the inside of the gear. Just a flip of a switch, and hear a kid throwing a fit... Throwing a fit? His gaze turned towards Sakura, not exactly sure of what to do for her. She seemed really beat up over Carl, and Mirage wasn't comfortable with it either, but he tried to shoot her a few words. "Hey. It's not your fault Carl did that. Machines bug out, or have errors. Nothing we could've done or caused." That Gleam keeping him oblivious probably did a pretty bad job at making that sound sensitive or caring, but as far as he saw it there wasn't any tomfoolery on their end that'd of harmed him. He chose to get back to work, distracting himself from the unfortunate situation by trying to get into the headcase.

He found himself to be a little short, attempting to hop up like he'd lock in place or something, but no dice. That was when Nadia spoke up, and said she had a solution. Taking a look, he watched her empty a box of some sort and bring it over, causing him to smile. "Thank mew!" He said cheerily, accepting the platform and using it to gain the height he needed to get inside the headcase, which was actually pretty comfortable. It sucked he had to stand up, though. He was already feeling weak and a bit unsteady, but he stayed strong to see what he could yield out of this venture.

An audio notification gave him a positive surprise. "Oh yeah, I'm in!" He cheered, not exactly sure what it meant yet, until the feed came on. It felt like he was looking through his own eyes, yet at the same time, a few shortcomings in the tech made the illusion a little less comfort for his brain. Where are my arms-- Oh! To his surprise two metal arms appeared, with pincer hands. He messed with the system for a few minutes, teaching it to pinch to a rhythm for his amusement, but it wasn't that useful.

"What the heck can this thing do?" He spoke, mostly to himself to verbalize his thoughts. It responded to these thoughts, and he began reading the text on his screen, an amused look on his face. "Universal Helper Three, Designation: BULL. Submersible unit equipped with omni-directional arms with superhuman precision, runs on a vortex motor... Whatever the hell a vortex motor is."

Mirage wasn't aware of what room he was in, right away. So he was very optimistic about the machine. "This thing's great! I think I can go underwater with it!" He raised his arms victoriously, but this had the unfortunate effect of also causing the BULL to raise it's arms, a loud thud against one of the walls outside the room startling Mirage. "Jeez, th-that sounded really close! Are we being attacked?!"

a shifted view was enough to see that it was the BULL that damaged the wall. "Ahah, nevermind, that was me." He was embarrassed, but a small laugh he offered quickly stopped as he pieced things together. He scanned the room he was in, recognizing his sling on a nearby lever, and all of his optimism died. "Oh... Oh, man..."

He didn't feel good about this suddenly, but this was possibly their best bet for getting underwater safely. With hesitation in his voice, he decided to try and get it moving. He didn't want to speak to the others and really be clear on the robotic unit he was operating. "... Activating Vortex Motor. Time to see if it can move itself."

Although there was some whirring outside the room, the machine didn't move. Clearly now, Mirage realized it was purely a sea vessel, instead of multi-purpose. Though that raised the question of how, exactly, it could get to the water.

"Alright, well, it can't move. At least out of water." He concluded to the others, scanning for a way to get it sea-bound. After a moment of silence with him scanning, he came to a conclusion after looking about, realizing he was sitting on a conveyor. With the power flowing, that'd possibly serve as a great transport to the water! "I need some help. Any of you wanna go back into the hall and see if you can get the conveyor working? Might help get us closer to the water."

Hopefully, at least.

World of Light

LOCATION:Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
WORD COUNT: 785(+2 EXP) (Encounter EXP +6)LEVEL UP!!!
MENTIONS:

---

A Power Fit For An Overlord!

Magichange - Mao can turn non-humanoid creatures into temporary weapons, the type of weapon and it's effects/power depending on the creature's own attributes. Transforming a creature grants Mao access to their abilities for the duration of the Magichange, though usually tempered to work with the weapon transformation. When Magichange ends, the creature used will be K.O'd.

---

Despite the Fat Hamster and Pile of Rags being in his face, Mao had kept quiet. He'd needed a moment to reflect given his newfound clarity, starting with the fact he was nowhere near his own Netherworld. Or power, for that matter. A dimension wasn't a huge deal, he could hop across Netherworlds with no issue usually, but this was different. Whatever this place was, it was repressing him. Though one might be surprised a lack of power wasn't what would stress Mao, rather the idea of the Upperclassmen trying to take over HIS Netherworld. With his absence, he doubted the shift in power would be favorable when he returned. But whatever came up, he'd just bash down. Not that big of a deal.

What was a big deal, was what had happened when he arrived here. It was rough to gain a footing, especially with his more brutish and 'for the strongest' mindset of most demons. It wasn't hard for him to find himself shoveled into the dark corners of Al Mamoon trying to make enough money to get by. That's when the Resistance came into play... The companionship, he couldn't give a crap about. But the power, and security? Now that was worth something. Too bad his usual demonic traits were a tad too strong for his own good, his ideals of overthrowing the leaders to instead lead his own force obviously having failed, considering he ended up as nothing more than a minion himself.

Worse than he thought, too. He'd been sent around, like some mutt being smacked with a newspaper. Being told what to do, the deeds not weighing on his mind, but the fact they were to someone else's benefit? His blood was boiling at that. Bending people's wills was HIS job, he wasn't just some secondary character to be beaten around and recruited! That was Almaz! It was bad enough to be comparable to a human, but then this fight ran through his mind. That detective was a pain, how could a damn human put up such a fight? Most of the combatants were strange looking to say the least, but they put up a hell of a fight and won. He pinned it on the fact his powers were diminished, not their own talents.

Then he looked over the losers of the battle. Cass, Maeve... A couple of pains, to say the least. Nothing worthwhile lost. Koga, eh. He would've forgot about that chump if it wasn't for the fact that Baz was over near him, too. The rest were even less notable. Klee had seemed to obtain the same clarity he did, but Baz wasn't so lucky. The demon scoffed, irritated by Kan-Ra's game. They wouldn't be able to help Baz, at least not right now. He wasn't much of a bargaining chip on Mao's end, but he wasn't a guy that needed to be rotting in a cell. He could be useful, Mao thought. That, and Klee and him were pretty happy together, and if Baz was out and about, Mao himself didn't have to carry these gross concerns he had, passing them to the meathead instead.

Noticing the eyes on him, Mao spoke up in response to Kan-Ra. "Fine! Needed to make a trip for revenge, anyway!" He faced the Seekers, arms crossed as he observed the mixture of faces from behind his glasses. If they were strong enough to take this fight, then perhaps the rest of the Resistance wouldn't be too bad. They had him now, after all. "There's a base hidden in plain sight in the northeast sector of the city. Covered by the guise of a dull business, but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. I'm not sure who's stationed there, or the big details of the building itself, but whatever the case, that's our destination."

Noting the rather nonlethal approach taken by these individuals, he figured he'd go along with it, aside from his personal vendetta. Number Two was his target, but he wasn't even sure if she was there. For daring to brainwash him though, he'd cut her down. It was simply a treachery that couldn't go unpunished, even if it was Mao trying to overthrow her in the first place. That's just how Demon politics worked.

"Maybe on the way, one of you can answer a few questions for me, too." He added, spreading his arms, gesturing to the surrounding area. "You've got to know more about this world than me, and that 'False God' that cursed me." Cracking knuckles showed that Number Two wasn't the only one on Mao's hitlist: Whoever this God was, Mao wanted to obliterate them as practice. Maybe gain some of his old power back while he's at it.

Shitposting Shenaniganry (Meme Thread 4.0)

World of Light

LOCATION:The Maw - The Depths
WORD COUNT:1,318(+3 EXP)
MENTIONS: Command Center Group, Moreau

---

Mirage paused his leave, long enough to hear Sakura out. Unfortunately, once she went into the whole Galeemification thing, he kind of spaced out. He stood there and listened, but it was more of a farce as everything went in one ear and out the other. "Oh yeah. Sounds good, kid." He offered, no actual input coming from him as he decided to leave her to whatever she thought she could do to help Carl. If he could help them too, it'd solve a few of their issues perhaps. Considering the mishmash this place was, he doubted many people understood it's entirety. Especially a robot that's stuck in place, without much around...

His plan to head out was interrupted again by a loud thud, marking the attempt the Koopa Troop made to open the door. He winced at the noise, but continued on, surely they'd be fine. Or, at least he hoped, as those doors hadn't budged at all. He noted to find a way to get them open in a hurry, before someone caved their head in hitting the door out of lack of options. Or damaged Carl by pulling the lever.

---

The workroom proved to be junked out too, but was their best bet for figuring out the situation outside. Mirage scanned for alternative routes that might lead to the command center, but found that the vent in the room was too small for even their child bodies, so that was out. Then he wandered, digging through scraps in an attempt to find a tool or two, perhaps something to try and help Carl a bit, or at least to work on the wiring if need be. Unfortunately, he yield zilch, and instead came across the console that seemed to be the main controls for the area's power distribution. "What the hell..." He grumbled, noting that someone had nailed in and blocked off most of the terminal access. What a brute way of doing it, but thankfully, Mirage was ready to deliver the brute force back!

With a strained growl he attempted to yank the paneling off, with no success. All he could observe and use was a single button, which, despite not being a man of science exactly, he'd use the scientific method to figure out what it did.

So he pressed it.

He jumped, the door closing startling him. He laughed at Nadia's disgruntled reaction, simply reminding her: "Ah, it's not a big deal, if this is the control for the door then surely pressing it against just opens it." He pressed the button, with no results. Panicked, he pressed it again. It then turned into Mirage mashing the button frantically, no luck whatsoever. Head ducking down and shoulders rising, his laugh was much more nervous this time. "Isn't that the darndest thing?"

Mirage decided to try and work at accessing the rest of the terminal. Picking up some scrap off the ground, he tried to find a way to pry it open to access everything internally, but his efforts were proving once again to be in vain. That is, until Nadia revealed her findings: A hammerhead, which looked heavier than it was, Mirage only believing his ability to use it once he picked it up himself. "If someone else wants it, they can have it, but I need it for a sec." He took it to the terminal and pulled out the nails, yielding full operation to the power supply of the local area. "That's weird," Mirage spoke, eyeing the power output and noting that Carl wasn't even taking up that much. Where the hell was the rest going, then? Nowhere? This was easier than he thought! With a little work, he was able to override the locked door and divert some of that spare power to the Command Center, giving them a way to move forward. "I guess I overreacted." He mused, shrugging as he went on-route back to the other Seekers. Anyone who wanted the hammer could simply ask and he'd hand it over: He wasn't one for swinging big things like that around, he'd leave that to the powerhouses.

---

"Annnd we have power!" Mirage called triumphantly to the others as he made his return, grin plastered on his face, at least until he looked at Carl. His expression shifted, uncertain if he should be happy, or confused. "Woah, what happened to you? You're all fixed up!" He was happy with this, but was met with silence. His ignorance from earlier meant he'd spent the time with no knowledge of Sakura's actual efforts on him, and the silence was bothersome. "How'd... He get fixed up? Hey, mister, you still there?" His knuckles tapped against the robot. No response.

Mirage was disgruntled by this. He wasn't sure how it happened, but couldn't take any blame. Carl still had power, and suddenly he was fixed. So where the voice went, he had no idea. "Must've been some program-related defect." He figured, voicing it out loud. It was a shame, he thought he'd managed to make it so Carl would be okay. But maybe things were better this way. At least they wouldn't have to leave him alone here, right? If he knew more about robots, he'd possibly try and figure out a solution, but that was out of his league. They'd have to move on.

He followed after Peach, into the Command Center. Quietly he progressed through the dark location, observing the area that seemed to be lived in somewhat, strangely enough. But since the door was locked, this perhaps felt like more of a prison cell than a home. The diving suits seemed ruined, so they wouldn't do much good. But that submarine was the ticket they came for, so that was one positive in this mess. Looking around more at the simple living space, He wondered who the inhabitant was, which didn't take long to answer as they came across a rather disfigured, nasty looking man.

The pathetic reasoning for him not wanting them to leave was surprisingly relatable for Mirage. He liked to make people laugh, but being the butt of a joke could be irritating, too. "Ah, jeez, at least if you let us go you wouldn't be like the last guy. Literally lost to party streamers and a pair of scissors." You couldn't get much more pathetic than that, right? Mirage didn't think so, but none of their words seemed to truly edge his opinion in a different direction. However, his sickly form eventually found its way into the water, leaving nothing but his odd vomit behind, which Mirage personally wanted nothing to do with.

"The optimist in me wants to say he's gone," Mirage commented on the events, glancing about. They could get the sub going, and get down into the depths below. But this was a pretty ominous situation to walk into. He seemed to buy that they were just kids though, which was a pretty good advantage in some ways, though his mind bounced back to Sakura and Cadet talking about all their powers and gear. Which he pushed away, as for the moment they were stuck in more of a thinking situation than a brute-forced one. "I feel like he's probably going to try and start some trouble for us. He probably won't expect a bunch of 'kids' in a submarine, though, so let's load up and get this job done before he has a chance to come back." Oh boy, the sub. Mirage figured he'd get to work on trying to get it lowered.

He just hoped some idiot didn't nail down the controls in this place too, or worse.

Marching forward, he took note of the Pilot Seat. A quick scan of the wiring and strange appearance of the seat made Mirage realize this wasn't just some chair. He became distracted and started looking it over, noting it seemed to be some sort of work station for controlling... Something, or other. "Hey! This looks like some sort of remote working station. If I use this, I might be able to get control of something useful. At the very least, maybe I can use it to drop the sub."

He didn't see any guides, just a few letters around, initials 'U.H' mostly. So, he'd have to apply the scientific method again. With the hope it wouldn't end up frying his brain, he hopped into the seat and tried to figure out how to hook himself in. At least long enough to see what they were working with here...