Stern Algorithm

Shine City Zero: Humble Beginnings

@Hammerman

While Lydia fumbled with her chopsticks, Michel attempted to offer her pointers, though didn't push it so as not to seem like a pretentious prick.

Michel blinked in mild confusion for a moment, then looked around at the restaurant's interior decor, agreeing internally that it was certainly worthy of immortalizing in photographic form. Rather than see himself as the object of the photo, he saw himself more of as a 'piece' in the composition of a photograph. "Sure, I don't see why not," Michel replied, making a casual pose, leaning his elbow against the table, and lightly propping his head against his hand, giving a curious, almost coy smile.

"So are you like, a professional photographer, or something?" Michel asked.

Overlord : Advent of the Gods

"If it is your desire my Lord Kalduk, then I will offer my heart to you, so you may feast upon on it, drink my blood, and learn everything I know you for yourself."

@BurningDaisies

@hivekiller

Pariah Online | Season One

Ailanthus_Altissima

• Tʜᴇ Dᴜɴɢᴇᴏɴ •

---

Ailanthus_Altissima breathed a sigh of relief and started analyzing the surroundings. So this kind of terrain is also good for an ambush, especially if enemies pop up out of the ground now. After finishing her mental note, she scoped out the party. It seemed Ochre knew at least one of the members and had dragged her in at the last minute. before they could properly get acquainted or even properly get into position the attack had occurred. Though Tessa hadn't been in the optimum position, the front had held its own, and Tessa had been able given enough time to set up her 'fortress' playstyle, throwing out her web of magic-channeling chains and creating a deadzone that protected herself an any allies that happened to be in her bubble with her. She tried to pretend she didn't recognize Landon, and hoped he wouldn't recognize her, though neither her armor nor playstyle had changed since they last met. there also seemed to be bickering between the party members, suggesting that this party had been thrown together, rather than be a dedicated group of friends. This was worrisome, especially with the new knowledge of changed monster behavior.

Following Ochre's lead, Tessa retracted her chains and began kicking around any goblin mages that had been downed, yanking magic crystals from the sockets of their staves and wands, crystals that she would later refine into powder. She was just here to collect materials, and maybe get a few enchanting commissions from this lot. She wasn't going to praise anyone for their performance in the battle, nor did she expect any in return. She wasn't friendly to parties who were friends, let alone a party that seemed ready to tear itself apart at any moment.

Shine City Zero: Humble Beginnings

"Hello there. May I sit here with you?" she addressed him gently. If he were to look at her face now, he would only find her usual neutral gaze instead of a smile.

@Hammerman

Michel Montmartre (Tiny Snowflake Restaurant, 9:00PM)

"Oh! Hello. Y-yes, by all means, feel free," Michel was brought out of him musings by this gentle woman who had approached his table. "Michel Montmartre," he introduced himself, "It's awfully late to be having dinner, but I guess I'm not one to criticize, haha." Just then, his order arrived, its size surprising him. He hadn't realized that the sushi sampler was meant to be shared, so it was a lucky coincidence that someone had joined him, after all, sushi wasn't as good (some might say dangerous) if kept overnight or longer. "Oh wow, I ordered way too much, please help yourself," Michel invited, grabbing a small saucer, putting in a dab of wasabi and pouring a bit of soy sauce on top of it, mixing it with his chopsticks before digging in.

Overlord : Advent of the Gods

@Baraquiel

Lexus Dominiel was nodding along with Himitsu's sudden declaration that they were a religious band, united in their devotion, up until she said the name 'Beyonce', at which point Lexus Dominiel couldn't help but clench its fists in fury and indignation. How could Priestess Himitsu refer to any other than December as the 'One True God'? Lexus Dominiel had to keep reminding itself that this was a ruse, and that, as a goddess and a priestess, Himitsu out-ranked Lexus Dominiel. Still, Lexus Dominiel wondered if December would smite down Himitsu for her insolence. Then Lexus Dominiel began to sense a form of magic emanating from Lady Danielle, wondering if Danielle was going to use her mind-controlling magic in the first place, why did Himitsu even have to say such a thing?

They passed through the gates while the guards were still in a trance, though Lexus Dominiel's urge to smite Himitsu was slowly rising.

"Please, just don't try something like that again, I nearly had a heart attack."

@IceHeart

As Danielle chided Himitsu, Lexus Dominiel's fury began to subside. It was a mistake, an error in judgment, and Lady December will forgive, Lexus Dominiel thought to itself. At that point, Lexus Dominiel's attention was drawn toward December.

December turned to Lexus Dominiel. Her eyes were clear and held a thoughtful gleam, while her thin brows were knitted together pensively.
"Lexus?" She unhooked her necklace and offered it to her servant. A smooth, black river stone etched with symbols of arcane power hung from it. "Could you take Akena with you to the temple?"
"She is always vulnerable immediately after manifesting, and where I'm going next isn't a safe place for her. I believe it would be better if she stays with you for now." She pinned Lexus with a urging stare. "Protect her."

@BurningDaisies

Lexus Dominiel offered both its hands to accept its mission with solemnity. While angels were a perfect creation, they had no choice but to obey the Creator. Mortals on the other hand, were imperfect, but had free will. Thus, their choice to obey their creator was more beloved to their creator than an angel's unquestioning obedience. If a mortal chose to obey December, they were higher even, than angels. If a mortal chose to disobey December, they were accursed, and far beneath all of creation, worthy of eternal damnation. Akena, who Lexus Dominiel recalled from their time in the previous world, was December's mortal prophetess and friend, while Lexus Dominiel was merely a servant. Though Lexus Dominiel was December's first creation and perfect in a naive, theoretical sense, Akena was December's final creation, ultimate and complete, nuanced and subtle, capable of free will, like the gods themselves.

"I will protect her with every fiber of my being," Lexus Dominiel declared. Upon hearing that December wished to go to the Mage's Guild, rather than find lodging, Lexus Dominiel asked, "Shall I follow you to ascertain your place of lodging first, or shall I head straight to the temple until I am summoned?"

Closed

A call from the entrance confirmed his suspicions just few moments later.

"See?"

"Please wait one moment. I am with another student at the moment." Kano called to ShiZhen. As Manilow dealt with his wardrobe malfunction Kano dealt with his own. Fully materializing a 'body' and stepping onto the dry stones beside the pools. The waters pushed from its depths a frozen orb, steaming in the exposed air, that cracked where Kanos fingers touched. The frozen shards fell harmlessly to the floor revealing the book he treasured above all.
Secured back onto his waist, and Manilow properly covered, he called to the student once more.

"You may enter now."

@Zelosse

@Kalleth

ShiZhen stepped into the bathing/training area timidly, noticing the Headmaster, and Mr. Manilow, the rather rowdy, yet slightly mysterious teacher who had given a strange speech at yesterday's ceremony. Since Mr. Hargor had mentioned being with 'another student', she could only assume that 'said student' had left through some other entrance. M-Mr. Hargor? L-last night...during the...run...my friend and I encountered a...water-related obstacle. As the water elemental among us, I should have dealt with the situation, but I was powerless, and my friend, who is a sweet, harmless, wind elemental who loves music, was the one trying to save me. We...we both woke up in the infirmary this morning. I...I want to get stronger...I need to get stronger. I don't want to be useless anymore!" Realizing that she had raised her voice somewhat, she shrank back in on herself. The high humidity of the springs collected on her body, and very soon, she was drenched, sopping wet from head-to-toe, simply because her powers had activated in her nervousness.

When Kanako arrived at the rooftops, she was immediately greeted by a strong gale of wind. Quickly, she pushed down her skirt, not wanting her panties to be revealed to the world. Unfortunately for her however, the wind refused to let up, so she had to keep her hands down there if she wanted to keep her modesty.

She walked around, still holding her skirt down. The wind, even though bothersome, was pleasant to her skin. If only she wasn't wearing this skirt, she would be able to enjoy this wind more.

"Oh, screw it, nobody is here anyways!"

In an act of bravery, she lifted her hands away from her skirt. And just as she thought, her skirt immediately fluttered wildly, revealing the underwear covered beneath. She didn't put her hands back down however. Instead, with a blush, she closed her eyes and raised her arms, taking in on the wind that blew at her.

Soon however, her meditations were interrupted when Catherine made her entrance. Quickly, she pushed her skirt back down before greeting the teacher.

"I-I assume you're the wind teacher?" she asked her, slightly flustered.

@Hammerman

Is that any way to greet a teacher? Catherine thought to herself, and smirked, liking Kanako's faux-rebellious attitude already. "Yes I am. Catherine Hargreaves, but outside of classes, feel free to call me Catherine," She said as she hovered down to Kanako, a deathly stillness of the air descending on them and ending the gust that had been playing with Kanako's skirt. "Students who go out of their way to seek instruction certainly get teachers' attention, so for now I'm all yours. But first, I'd like a demonstration of your level of control." Catherine waited for Kanako to either start displaying her powers, or explain how she didn't know how to use them yet. Catherine hadn't yet looked at the footage from the previous night so had no knowledge of Kanako's level of aptitude.

Sky Warrior Stories: The New York 5 (closed)

@Stern Algorithm would you like to go next or should I?

@Dynamo Frokane

Please go first. I need to know if Hajar shoots down that missile or not.

Pariah Online | Season One

@Stern Algorithm
Since we left off at heading towards the dungeon via sinfully slow cart, would you want to still be on the road, in the dungeon with the rest or at the entrance? I don't mind any of the three, tbh, just depending on whether or not you want to be in the thick of things or slowly ease into it.

@Xiro Zean

@Inkarnate

Do whatever works for you and I'll roll with it. Been busy this Labor Day weekend, and probably won't be able to catch up on posting until tomorrow or Wednesday, and I don't want to hold you up.

Shine City Zero: Humble Beginnings

Michel Montmartre (Tiny Snowflake Restaurant, 9:00PM)

Michel found himself outside the Tiny Snowflake Restaurant. It was much later than he would have liked to be having dinner, but the sealing around one of the tanks had started leaking, so the fish had to be moved to a temporary holding container, the tank drained and dried, fresh sealing applied and dried, the tank refilled, and the fish returned, forcing Michel to put in overtime. Fortunately, the Tiny Snowflake was still open. He had come here a few times with his mother, but there was still plenty on the menu he hadn't tried yet. Currently, Mrs. Montmartre was out-of-town, visiting family, a luxury she didn't have the time for while she was busy raising Michel, but now that Michel could take care of himself and earn a living, she had more time and resources to make such visits.

Upon entering, the waitress at the door led him to a table and handed Michel a menu to peruse. Looking around, Michel could see that most of the dinner crowd had already left, but a few tables still had couples chatting and drinking. Suddenly the table he sat at felt overly large, and the fact that he was the only one at the restaurant dining by himself pressed on his mind. He tried to brush the thought away by looking through the menu, though he quickly decided on the 'Sushi Sampler', which included a variety of sushis for him to try. It was a bit pricey, but he wanted to indulge himself tonight to take his mind off of the oppressive loneliness he told himself he didn't feel. One might also wonder, "Michel, you work at an aquarium. How can you stand to eat raw fish?" Michel didn't have a proper answer to that question, only that nature was nature and biology was biology. Even cute fishes eat other cute fishes, so there wasn't anything necessarily wrong about it as long as humans weren't excessive in their consumption of natural resources. That's one thing he truly loved about Shine City; it was forward thinking and conscious of the human impact on the environment, and promoted businesses that were sustainable or engaged in fair trade practices. Michel mentally scoffed at himself, there he goes again, thinking about socioeconomics. He sighed, was there any wonder he was eating alone?

Overlord : Advent of the Gods

@BurningDaisies @IceHeart

Outside Brightwing

"While it is interesting to know their religion, I do believe there are much more important things that we have to discuss first, like a place we can sleep in and a place where we can eat 'cause I'm really, really hungry right now. If you really want to though, go ahead. Just please stay close to us so won't lose each other, yeah?", Himitsu says to Lexus.

@baraquiel

Lexus Dominiel stared at Himitsu for a beat, its incomprehension hidden behind its helmet. It did not understand why the gods would be tired or hungry, but decided that it was all part of the ruse of acting mortal. "Of course, mistress. I will escort the three of you to the nearest accommodations, then I will seek out the place of worship. I will return to where you are staying when my investigation is complete," Lexus Dominiel said. As the line approached the gate, Lexus Dominiel saw the guards stealing furtive glances. Lexus Dominiel did not care.

Lexus Dominiel lifted its helmet to reveal its disguised 'human' face. Lexus Dominiel appeared androgynous with an otherworldly, almost arrogant beauty. Ageless and timeless, Lexus Dominiel had piercing, discerning, judging red eyes, and long straight streams of jet black hair. "Guards!" Lexus Dominiel called out, "We are but a humble band of travelers seeking accommodations; specifically room and board. I would also like to know where you place of worship is...so that I may pay my respects..." Though Lexus Dominiel had said this to maintain the ruse, it trembled at its ticking core for even daring to say something so blasphemous when December was right there.