Max rolled his eyes at the man. That wasn't even close to the same sort of thing. Every hideout he'd been in was essentially rubble piled together safely enough to be called a roof, but even still he could recall the different cracks and bends of the various hideouts he'd spent time in while with the Underground. It was like driving through an old neighborhood, and being able to tell where you were not just by street names but the trees and pieces around you. You could see a still of a field and recall that was where your first kiss was, or perhaps where you'd made a best friend. It was clear that this Linden character wasn't enamored with his work.
Neil's words cut through Max like a familiar friend. He stood there, dumbstruck as the wind whirled around him from Pietros speedy exit. No doubt he was heading towards the scene of the explosion, towards Neil's death. He didn't have time to think, only act. Max looked at the floor, noting the marks caused by Pietro's sudden burst in speed. "Follow him!" he yelled as he took to steps before he was engulfed in an orb of black and appeared back at the hangar. He'd closed the distance, but there was still so much to go. He sprinted, running as fast as he could until he saw the shadow of Magento, past him was Guin, Jaclyn, and…Lance?! "You're alive?!" Max managed to croak out in between gasps for breath. He looked towards Magneto, a man he'd worked under twice now. "Let them go. You can't force people into paradise. We need a safe haven, but it must also be a safe space. No kidnapping." His words were tired as he spoke, panting, exhausted.
Location: Training Room B Skills: Possession Combat First Day Fit
More and more people kept showing up. Sure there was just a loud explosion and the chance that two of the schools students may have just died, but that didn't mean that everyone had to come crawling out of the woodworks to see it happen. They should’ve just let the teachers handle it, have them deal with the situation and possible mess and not go poking their noses into it. Besides, Dorian figured it wasn’t exactly great for someone's mental health to see their classmates splatter all across the walls and floors. He hadn’t expected for Sabine to go off like that however. Yelling at Nemo as if he was anybody and threatening him with a psychic lobotomy in the event he ever deigned to threaten their lives again. He didn’t know whether to cheer her on or beg her to stop speaking. Though none of that mattered much as Sabine kept on rolling with her speech, turning her words towards the rest of the party as opposed to focusing only on Poisson-pas. Dorian almost wished that she’d kept her words to their coach, he didn’t quite feel like being berated at the moment, especially not by someone who just got puked on courtesy of one of his possessions.
Dorian physically cringed as she ripped into the teams harmony, or lack thereof as it were. Truthfully he hadn’t the foggiest idea what had transpired, mostly because Sabine had wiped his gourd clean of anything that happened after being tied up. So he couldn’t rightfully say if it was their fault or Zeldas as to why they weren’t working together as a team. Then again, he didn’t exactly want to argue with the girl that had the ability to mr. clean his mind at a whim. Nemo seemed to take it all in good spirits, while their dorm mom didn’t take it well in the slightest. Dorian could feel the tension in the air, thick as the humid air back in New Orleans on a hot muggy day. He spied Percy off into the back, entering and looking like a new him, though he stayed clear of everyone but Zelda again. Dorian let out a sigh, wondering how this team would ever get the chance to work well together. He wanted to win the Contest of Champions, granted it’d still feel like a sour win without April by their side. His eyes looked down at the floor, disappointed in himself for how this first trial went. Only when Danni spoke up again did he decide to look back up, seeing his best friend and only life line in this group walk away and leave him. It felt like being left alone at a party you weren’t invited to, begging to search for a corner near the food and drink stand so that you kept occupied enough that others wouldn’t notice how lonely you were.
The portal opened and Max watched as the giant god of death fell through before losing an arm to the closing rift. He let out a sigh of relief knowing now that they were free to figure themselves out for the time being. As he sat back on the couch, it began to violently shake as did the rest of the furnishings in the room. Pieces flying here and there as they swirled around the secured limb until the Green Eyed One was back and whole. His stomach dropped as Carolina cut into the Beast only to have it duplicate itself. They needed to get out of there, but first Klara needed to be freed. Max didn't even get one step before long wet restraints surrounded him. Panic fueling him as he decided to use his last resort. His tied hands may not let him portal, but he could still teleport.
Max was surrounded by a swirling black mass, quickly enclosing him before it vanished at the same speed it came. He felt the familiar cold embrace of his secondary mutation, but his intent was to reappear near Carolina and Klara not at a new location with a horde of demonic creatures and insects at war with one another. His knees felt weak as a cold empty feeling took over him. He'd left Carolina and a child behind. It didn't matter that he didn't mean to, only that he had. Another mutant to add to the list of people he couldn't save due to his incompetence. He went to go back, to open a rift between here and them, but as his hand lifted he saw a familiar sight. Four other strangers all wearing the same cloak and eye as he. Just how many were there?
Max turned the guilt and emptiness into a roiling rage. He needed to get back to them but couldn't forsake these others to do so. Perhaps with all their powers combined they could take on the Green Eyed One and save Klara and Carolina. A spell was whispered between his lips "By the Flames of Faltine, Fuck off" His hand was still high above his head, a loud snap resounding from it as fire burst forward. Flames harsher than hell be creatures from another dimension that devoured the demons as it crawled against them. Seven of the demons pestering the group fell to ash as Max walked onto the scene, placing a hand on Annikas side where a large wound had just formed. His magic seeped into the wounds curing the flesh over with patches of grey fur.
Ermes gave Ceolfric a blank look. No shit it was all in his stomach, but where were the containers? The bottles? Anything to point to the fact that they had been drinking. Luckily for him, his mercenary of an ally seemed to have enough understanding to continue to dig for the truth. Though he found it odd that he'd just outright asked them. Perhaps he hoped that their display was enough to intimate some answers out of them all. But as the stranger began to talk, Ermes realized what it was that Ceolfric had meant that day when he had said he could get others to do what he said. It wasn't with brute force or physical threats, he meant it literally. Much how Ermes could command his constructs it appeared that Ceolfric could command the living. Jar gave his whole life story as it seemed, and it wasn't a particularly exciting one.
Another voice popped up, loud and grating, causing Ermes to snap his attention towards the sound. Cerric had somehow woken up in all the commotion and was now floundering around with all the tact of an oversized walrus. By now there was no point in him being here. He'd only wished to snoop and rid them of any weapons or find evidence of what their real purpose here was. But it'd seemed they were just two drunken idiots lost within the woods. "All yours buddy. I'm not babysitting a drunkard." He said flatly before slinking back into shadows and making his way into their camp. Surely even if they meant harm, Ceolfric would be more than capable of taking them down.
Location: Training Room B Skills: Possession Combat First Day Fit
"It's ok! It's ok. No one will see you like t'is. I 'ave a plan." Dorian had found a sure fire way to fix Danni's little issue. But just as he was about to unveil his brilliant idea, he heard their dorm mothers voice right next to him. To say that he shrieked was an understatement. Normally when he scared he'd reflexively enter the Astral Realm, but this time he got jump scared so bad he'd went right past that and just froze in place. He'd just told Danni no one would see him and here was their dorm mom busting in and breaking that very word. Dorian gripped his chest as he let out a long exhale. "You scared me 'alf to deat' t'ere. But…I'm fine. Not even a lick of soot or bomb ash on me."
Dorian had already been to Nurse Annie's so much this week, he really didn't need to be visiting her again. Besides, the last time he'd been there was when…Dorian shoved that thought right on back. Percy was delirious and clearly hadn't meant it. Besides, he'd probably killed any chances today by not only possessing him, but making him get sick all over himself and Sabine. Ugh, he wished Sabine could just scrub that all out of everyone's minds here. Hide that secret away for life so he didn't have to live with it. When Nemo appeared right next to them, Dorian jumped with a small yelp. "Could you all please stop doin' t'at? I ain't tryin' to stay in t'e Astral Plane." He pouted, though it quickly turned into a look of shock as the old tea loving gay teacher just admitted to knowingly allow them to fuck up a bomb.
He was rendered speechless, which said a lot because typically he always had a comment or two hidden away in his back pocket for any occasion, but this? It wasn't till now that Firestars words had fully clicked into his head. He had no class for the rest of the day. He wasn't sure whether to be elated or bummed out. On one hand he had a free pass for a whole day of Hookey. The amount of trouble he could get into was incredible, or even more he could hang around other classes and watch the other teams to see how they were doing. But on the other hand, that was one less day of getting ready. They already felt so behind and dysfunctional, but maybe this would be a good chance for them to try and bond with their other classmates to help repair that dysfunction.
Caspian waited by the exit as he watched everything unfurl before him. He'd hoped that the rest would be quicker about moving out of here, but it seemed the Astorio was still intent on his murder spree and one of the captives had jumped right into the fray they were trying to save them from. As the lightning arked into Roans arm, the scent of burnt hair hit the air once more. He watched intently to see if he'd move after the blast, to see if they had failed to rescue another or if perhaps the newcomers' risk wasn't a total wash. Roan moved once more, and Caspian was able to breathe easy, watching as a shield charm had erected itself between the Astorio and his prey while the butterflies that once guarded the exit now fluttered down into a storm of death towards an occupied hall.
Lyra called out for them to grab Dylan, and for the life of him Caspian had forgotten about the other soul. The one he'd been guarding before all hell broke loose. He silently cursed to himself for having left him behind and defenseless. He was about to break into a sprint to grab the captive when he began to feel a lurch in his stomach. An uneasiness tugging at him like nausea as he suddenly began to move backwards towards the exit. Quinn had yelled for them to grab something, but there was nothing around for him to grab. He grasped aimlessly at the ground before finally giving in and allowing himself to be pulled to the point of Quinns spell. Only for the strange mage to make a run for it past him with fast apologies and even faster legs.
As everyone finally made it out through the door, Caspian followed behind them. He'd made sure he was the last one through, pulling the door closed behind him as he knelt on the ground. He'd have loved to have Lyra weld the door shut, but they didn't have that kind of time. They needed a way to seal them in, and Caspian didn't know of any spells yet to fuse the two materials together into one. So he decided to go with plan C. "Figrius Laispi" He felt his magic course into the stonework beneath him, bending the shape to his will as the stonework on the other side of the door began to rise up right against the door. "Hopefully that'll hold them for a while. Let's go."
"She needs it more than you do." Max replied very matter of factly. His attention was torn between the child beside him and the god before him. Carolina seemed to have someone in mind who could help, trouble was she hadn't mentioned who or where or even how which left Max with little to nothing to work on. His portals weren't just like magic. Ok maybe they were, but that didn't mean he could just guess where it was they needed to go. He had to think of something, and fast. Klara was too caught up in the small details to notice their lives were in danger, and while Carolina seemed to somehow have connections, she apparently lacked the magical aptitude needed to escape this location.
His attention quickly snapped towards the Green Eyed One as they began to grow and stretch right before his eyes. The long thin body elongating into a grotesque monster out of a horror movie dealing with Creepy Pastas. Max instinctively took a step back, moving away from the creature as its long fingers tried to make their way towards them. It was clear they wouldn't take no for an answer, so Max had to find another way to refuse. He was about to open a portal beneath all three of them so that they'd be taken to another location within Limbo, but before his hands could move, the spindly fingers snatched up Klara and held her aloft. "Hands off the kid. Her soul isn't yours to take." He said as he attempted to rip open a portal behind the Green Eyed One in an attempt to cut off her arm and remove the god from the building all in one fell swoop. A little something he'd picked up from Runa back in WandaWorld.
Skills: Basic Spellcraft Opening up a portal behind G.E.O. to TP them out while cutting off the arm holding Klara.
Maddie couldn't help but smile. He knew Colby didn't mean it in a creepy way, like how Edward creepily watched Bella as she slept. No. This was more loving, more endearing than something like that. He kissed him back, his smile faltering for a moment as he heard the knock on the door. Lucky for them it was just their dads. Unfortunately for them however it was their dad's. His eyes became narrow slits and he gave the door an unamused glare before he heard the sounds of them receding away.
"No privacy here I swear. It's like living on the set of Cheaper by the Dozen. Besides, I don't even know what all they'd think we do with so many people around here." Maddie said with a cheeky smile towards Colby. It was nice however, having this small familial interaction. Like living out a scene from a teenage sitcom. The kind where there were valuable life lessons while holding the image of a perfect family. "You're sure we can't stay and cuddle a bit more?"
The morning rays crept into the train's cabin, hitting the prism within Demi’s hand as the rainbow light pressed against his face. The image of him sleeping appeared before Zeke in a shimmer of light as the Iris message finally went through.
Ezekiel petted the cat while they waited for their father to answer. The sun shifted through cracks in the boarded up windows. It played tricks on Zeke. He thought he saw something. Ezekiel shifted and rubbed his eyes, blinking rapidly. The dust mites shifted and revealed Demetri. Curled up with Alexios' arm around him. Zeke's jaw clicked and looked away. "Why the hell am I seeing this?" he muttered angrily, staring past Demi's image at the cat.
Demi shifted in his sleep, pulling the prism closer towards him as he curled up on the bench while he slept. Zeke’s voice cutting through as he dreamed on, muttering to himself. "What're you talking about Z? What're you looking at?" His eyes still closed as he now lay half asleep.
Ezekiel startled. He stared more intently into the sunlight, seeing it shift to reveal the rainbow within. It was an Iris message. "Dem? Demi, you're sleeping. Wake up." Ezekiel didn't fully realize how much he was missing Demetri until he saw him. He really should have reached out to him yesterday.
Demi slowly sat up, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand as he wiped away a dried tear from his cheek. He blinked, blinked again, waking up into a full start as he noticed he'd gotten an Iris message from Zeke. His eyes went wide, a dopey smile coming across his face as he saw his boyfriend's face once more. "Zeke? Zeke?! Are you ok? Where are you? You missed the trainivebeensoworriedaboutyouyouvegotnoidea!" His words rammed together with the speed of a rushing minotaur as elation hit him. His voice choked up in his throat "I just…I'm just so glad to see you…"
Ezekiel quickly looked up, knowing Nancy had for sure heard Demetri. The conversation he had with her the night before was still fresh in his mind. What if Demetri was mad? He looked back at Demi, and saw the elation on his face and broke into a boyish grin. Maybe Demi understood why he left. "Demi, breathe. I'm okay. We're asking our dad for a ride. Nancy just needed space and I needed to go with her. Besides, you look plenty cozy without me." As soon as he said it, Zeke regretted it. He really was glad to see Demetri.
Tears welled up in Demi's eyes, sniffling as he wiped them away in between each sniffle. "Space. Right. No, that makes sense. And ofcourse I can't go because I'm not a child of Apollo." He responded before his voice cut short as the ending of his message finally clicked in place. His chest tightened as he broke eye contact from Zeke. Maybe he did want him to be comfy without him? A part of him was dying to tell Zeke that he wasn't, that he'd spent all night crying himself to bed, that he'd gotten into a fight over him. But he didn't know if Zeke would care, nor did he wish to burden him with any of that knowledge. So he shut himself down, keeping his mouth quiet for a moment. "Yeah…very comfy…" His heart wasn't in his words as he pulled his legs up towards his chest.
Ezekiel looked away as well, fighting the urge to laugh or throw dirt into the sunbeam and end the message. "Then why did you call me?"
"Call you? I thought…" Demi's heart shattered into pieces as he heard. He'd thought Zeke had cared enough to send a message but he figured now it was more that his got delayed as he fell asleep. "I've been trying to call you all night…I fell asleep trying Zeke. I thought you sent this…I guess…I guess it doesn't matter…" There was an edge to his voice, laden with deep sadness and frustration that roiled inside of him.
Ezekiel glanced back at Demetri, fidgeting uncomfortably. "I wanted to let you know, but it was time sensitive and I knew you would try and stop me or try to come. You're safer there. Wrapped in the arms of a god."
The sensation burned hotter in his chest the more that Zeke spoke. "Would that have been a bad thing?! Am I such a burden that my coming with would be so bad?!" The urge to swipe the blanket over the prism to end the call was enormous, but his want to talk to Zeke was greater. He lowered the prism, cutting his face from view as he took in a shaky breath and exhaled. He waited a moment before lifting it back up with red eyes and tears ready to burst. "I'm wrapped in a damn blanket when it should be your arms!" he yelled as he threw the blanket onto the ground.
Ezekiel clenched his hands into fists, ready to yell back. He didn't even look at Nancy, not wanting to see her face and what judgment may lie there. "Demetri… This isn't about you. This isn't about us. This entire quest isn't about us and why I left isn't about us. I …" he started shaking his head at a loss for words. "I don't want to fight with you, Dem. I've been on some pretty wild quests, but this one is different. I don't want to walk into this hotel from hell after yelling at you and being mad. Especially if our memories are going to be wiped or we don't make it out. Just know that why I left has nothing to do with you. I have to go. I'll see you soon."
All the fight that was in him had washed away. It had nothing to do with him. The words stung and left an empty feeling inside of Demi. How was it that Zeke got to be mad when a god was thrust upon him but Demi wasn't allowed to be upset when he got recklessly abandoned? "Right…well don't be a stranger then."
Ezekiel looked conflicted as he looked through the light to Demetri on the other side. He didn't like that he was being berated for leaving with his sister. Did Kristin tell them nothing of their final conversation? Still, Zeke found himself wishing he could comfort Demetri. To get him to understand. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this." He shifted his hand and the light faded, cutting off the call. He stared at the empty space for a moment, feeling sad and angry and hurt. Would they ever understand each other?
The call cut out as Demi watched a familiar hand motion coming from Zeke. He hadn't called to yell, he didn't want to fight, but as he watched the gesture on the other end his heart just stopped. As soon as Zeke faded from view, Demi began to sob. His legs still pressed against his chest as he buried his face into his knees and cried. Why was he being so difficult? It was like he was trying to push him away. The prism remained in his hand, gripped and now unused. He had no idea if he would get to speak to Zeke again before the Hotel. What he did know was that if Zeke wanted to talk to him, he'd have to make the call himself next time.
Demetri Rowan HowellCassian Rudenko
Location: Limbo Skills: Agility, Endurance
Days had gone by and not once was there a notice from Zeke. No shimmering prism of light to let him know how he was or just to see how he was doing. No cheeky rainbow to ask him if he's up. Just radio silence. Somehow the silence was worse than the fight. He was left alone with his own thoughts, the darkness inside of him gnawing like an encroaching hunger that couldn't be satiated. The dining car was a nice touch, it would've made the trip that much more enjoyable had Demi been in better moods. He'd watch as the others hung out, never daring to step near them since the fight. He'd made his apologies to Cassian the following day, but after that had kept his distance. Cassian hung out with Janelle and Kristin, and Janelle didn't like him, and Kristin wouldn't abandon Janelle. So Demi stayed to himself, well with Alexios as well most of the time. But he must've thought him a bore, as Demetri hardly spoke those two days.
It was the moments that Alexios would step away that Demetri found his lies. Between Janelle, the abandonment of Zeke, the stress of where he landed with Nancy, the fact that Alexios was still thrust into his life, and the entirety of this quest, Demi was wracked full of anxiety, depression, and stress like never before. He could feel an old voice clawing at the back of his mind, one he'd befriended back when he was bullied in school. The ones that told him how best to make marks. He pulled his sleeves over his hands as he pressed his legs against his chest. He just felt…empty.
This voice was different however. He couldn't do anything while he was surrounded by people, even more so when one was a god. But anytime he was asked, he'd lie and state he had eaten while Alexios was away. Demi could feel the god knew something was up, but he never pressed him for any information. Either he didn't care, or didn't know how to help. Either way it only helped to allow Demetri to get away without having a meal within those days. Once Alexios had left on the second day it only became easier. He doubted the other campers would notice. Any time he looked at food his stomach just became a swarm of knots, his hunger evaporating away in an instance.
The third day's afternoon approached and they finally made it towards their destination. Demi nodded towards Kristin, standing up as his head became light. His pack felt heavier than ever before, and each step brought upon pulsed visions as his sight faded in and out for a moment. When they got off the train Demi looked around helplessly and exhausted, but there was no sign of Zeke. Alexios was there however, and a small tired smile appeared on his face. "Hey, how'd the godly business go?" he teased. "I don't see the others so give me a sec, I'm gonna call them and see how they're doing." He wanted to call Zeke, to see his face, but he couldn't bear to right now. So he called Nancy, catching the sun's rays into the prism as he sent her a message. "Hey Nancy, we made it to the Vegas station. Where do you want to meet up? If you want to, that is…"
Cassian had had a wonderful trek across America. Looking out the window as they pass several states each with their own forms of beauty. City's, sprawling countrysides, and everything in between. He wished they could have the time to visit them all, to play tourist for a few hours and then move on to the next. But he knew that this trip wasn't for leisure, they were on a time crunch for the end of the world or things akin to it. But at the very least for now, he could enjoy himself and enjoy what little he could see through the cabin windows.
As the days went by he tried to have a different dish each day. Trying all the train's dining car had to offer. After all who knew when their next good meal would be? They were heading to a hotel meant to mess with your mind as well as time while searching for the doors of death and a titan that would be guarding it. All he could do was hope that Alexios would help in the fight and give them the godly aid they needed to defeat the guardian. Once they'd arrived he grabbed his back and made his way out. "Finally! The train was nice and all but I miss the fresh air, walking in a space larger than the cabins, and " Cassian stretched to his fullest as he hopped out. Taking full advantage of all the space he had now.
It appeared that Max and Pietro could agree on something. Charles was about on equal footing as Magento in terms of morality or best dad awards. Casper was a testament to that, as was the whole M-Pox fiasco. When his people were dying, it was Magneto that offered a helping hand, not Xavier. But he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Charles was the way into this man's good side, Max would take it. Maybe they shopped at the same wheel depot? Or felt each other's plight? Whatever the reason he needed information and dissing the one man they knew would get them an in wasn't the brightest idea. But then again, Pietro wasn't the brightest mutant. Max was about to interject himself, to derail the speedsters train of thought before he insulted the building this mutant had built, but before he could there was a massive explosion.
His head jerked towards the direction of where the sound had come from. He didn't know what had happened, but surely one of the groups had just ran into trouble. The alarms blared all around them, either for intruders or more likely, a hull breach. Max looked back towards the mirror, Neil didn't seem to be getting whisked away into space just yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't in danger. He focused on the mirror at hand, looking at the location he wanted to get to as his free hand was now outstretched with his pointer and middle finger out with the others curled inwards. He made a sweeping circular motion, trying his best to open up a portal betwixt them and him. Cosmic sparks flew but nothing happened. He tried once more, but not even sparks manifested this time. It was an odd feeling having his magic fail in space. He'd always assumed his powers were tied to the cosmic fields of the universe, but now that he was out in space, his powers were failing more than usual. He took in a slow deep breath, exhaling to center himself before his emotions got the better of him. Strange told him he needed more control, he couldn't rely on his raw emotions to fuel the spells. He felt the spark of magic once more, dancing across his tongue like pop rocks fizzing against the surface. "Neil, hang tight. I am trying to locate you. I have visuals but something is blocking my teleportation. Is Magneto a threat to you? Are you at risk of combat?" He may not be able to get to Neil, but hopefully at best he can send him some undead support if he needed aid in combat.
Morose
Blizz
BlueSky44
Kirah
TheMaster99
Fetzen
Achronum
ImagineTheStars
Forsythe
February 2nd, 531 - 11:50 am
