|
Post by othus on Oct 22, 2019 2:16:23 GMT
Osechi kept munching away until she found that strange object, she observed it for a while dumbfounded, wondering just what the hell it was.
"That's so pretty! lucky me!" she said as she smiled. she put her palms together and closed her eyes.
*well then, Itadakimasu!♥*- She thought to herself as she unhinged her mouth and swallowed it whole. was that a special treat of sorts? She thought to herself as she kept eating the insides of the sugar hag, looking to come out on the other side. surely that would teach her a lesson!
Gan raised a brow when Aaron requested money in compensation. was that really ok? he almost felt embarrassed. Although Vlad was also on the side of him not getting shot. Perhaps it was for the best.
Looking at Jun frown was kinda cute, although she clearly wasn't pleased with the way he was handling the situation. Her thanking him even after she had just saved him put Tengri in a weird spot, how was he gonna make it up to her after all that? she really was kind. Gan looked at her with a gentle semblance as he replied
"You really are something special, you know that? I...did what I could at the time, even though that's not for the best sometimes"
Gan then turned towards Aaron, certainly his request made more sense than just going eye for an eye.
"If money can help then I'm willing to go with that. I'll write you a check once we are done with this whole thing"
Gan finally looked around, it seems almost everyone was here...
"So...where's Gallerian?"
|
|
|
Post by TimePuppy on Oct 26, 2019 20:19:47 GMT
Arthur’s assistance started off as somewhat effective, but he didn’t evaluate the hag’s physical properties properly. His ax kick just slid off of the hag, leaving him open to being grabbed by it. Going from hero to damsel in a matter of seconds, he struggled. He kicked out at the hag a couple of times before summoning an ice sword and trying to cut off its arm.
---
Aaron sat back, leaning on the dome’s protective walls while his wounds healed. Gan seemed pleased about Aaron’s suggestion. Or demand.
“It’s the best you can offer,” Aaron responded.
It wasn’t long before the rest of the group joined them. Everyone except for the annoying angel at least. Since Aaron himself was nearly healed up by now, and Gan and Jun were well enough to flirt, Aaron suggested: “Let’s get going. We still need to put that idol in its place. Sticking around means we’re gonna get more ugly fucking goblins and their ugly fucking dinos attacking. The angel can find us later.”
|
|
|
Post by Vapovile on Oct 29, 2019 16:43:29 GMT
Both Caroline and Erin watched as the strange wild animal collapsed onto the floor, trapped within the dome of petals that Erin had constructed. The vibrant pink structure slowly began to fade away as Erin despawned them from the area. Caroline slithered up to Erin’s side, pushing against her side slightly and she moved her hands downward.
“That was fantastic teamwork, miss HWIC agent. Think I should join the force too? Join you on exciting adventures to fight crime, solve mysteries, and protect the innocent?” Caroline asked with amusement in her eyes, Erin looking away at the sudden physical contact. “Erm, if you want. You have to uh, send an application into either the HQ’s mailbox or online. The website is uh, www dot…” Erin’s speech was interrupted by Caroline putting her index finger to her lips.
“Juuuuuuuuust kidding. Someone like me isn’t cut out for daily trips like this. It all sounds so exhausting. Besides…” Caroline raised her other hand, twirling a pair of golden handcuffs around her other index finger. “I think I am not lawful enough for such a job anyway.” With a wink, Caroline strode over and handcuffed the defeated beast to a nearby terminal. Erin looked on with a mixed expression on her face. How did she get my handcuffs so easily?! Was I really being that careless?! What if she had been an actual criminal?! Despite the horrid thoughts, Erin’s mind was strangely put at ease when Caroline gave a reassuring smile after handcuffing the beast, walking back over to Erin.
“Well, now that we’ve dealt with the loud axe-man, slime creature and your less-hot fangirl-” “Wha-”, “-I think we earned ourselves a little break. The others seem nearly finished, no?” Caroline asked, pointing to the battle between Arthur, Osechi, and the ginger knight against the hag. Erin looked on with confusion at Osechi. “That’s quite the um, technique.” She stated. Caroline leaned against a nearby terminal, grabbing Erin’s hand and pulling her back to join her.
Erin nearly fell onto her ass at the sudden motion, but managed to stay up. Caroline moved to the side so they were both shoulder to shoulder. “So what’s been on your mind? You haven’t relaxed since we got here, even before the action started. And judging by your sudden burst of confidence back there, you must feel you have to prove yourself to someone. So who has put up this high bar for yourself? Employer? Family? Yourself?” Caroline asked, cocking her head.
The HWIC agent stared at Caroline’s face with wide eyes at first, but then looked down to the ground. “You could uh, say it’s all three. My family runs the HWIC.” Erin started. Caroline nodded her head in affirmation. “It’s all starting to become clear. Arthur said your sister was a master seamstress, and your family runs the HWIC. Yet here you are, a simple agent sent to save Christmas when everyone else is on vacation. Am I on the right track?”
Erin responded by letting out a sigh. “You got it. They figured this mission was going to be easy, and that I had nothing going on after my seamstress sister’s Christmas party. Her name is Haruko, by the way.” Erin explained. Caroline lowered one of her eyebrows in confusion. “So why didn’t you say no? You are on a holiday, after all. It doesn’t matter if you’re busy or not.” This made Erin pause to think. “I uh...have a hard time saying no. I want to seem useful to them, since let’s face it, I was only hired because my sister is the president.” She said, voice choking up. Caroline gripped Erin’s hand tighter and spun to face her, grabbing the other hand and looking Erin directly in the eyes.
“So here we arrive at the issue. You value yourself less because to you, your family towers above you in success. Master seamstress, president, something with a fancy title. But let me ask this…” Caroline leaned in closer to Erin’s now-red face. “Why does that make you any less of a person? You’re smart, kind, cute, and from the looks of it, artistic.” Caroline motioned toward the shirt Erin was wearing, adorned with a strange staff symbol in the center. “And no matter what you may think of yourself, I think of you as a wonderful person that I am glad to have met tonight.” Before Erin knew it, Caroline’s lips were pressed against Erin’s.
It was a brief exchange, but when they separated, the shock made Erin nearly fall to the floor, only held up by Caroline’s quick reflexes. “...bwuh…?” She asked in confusion. Caroline gave a smile and scratched the top of her hair. “Once we’re done here, how about we go have breakfast somewhere? Seem alright?” Caroline asked, Erin only blubbering an incoherent ‘yes’ in response. “Wonderful. Now, let’s see if the others need assistance, shall we?” And with that, Caroline walked with Erin’s arm slung over her shoulder toward the others, the HWIC agent eventually able to detach herself and walk alongside, red face looking toward the floor.
|
|
|
Post by RedLenai on Oct 29, 2019 17:22:22 GMT
Oh... Wilson and I were told to go ahead, he is taking care of the Dinosaur... - The ex-paladin answered Gan. The situation between him and Miss Li were quite interesting, it reminded him of something but he wasn't sure what - Well... if I'm not too exhausted after this whole thing you all can have dinner... or breakfast in my house, is in London. It's the last I can do myself since you all are truly powerful and talented - Vladimir felt better after knowing that everyone was alright, despite of Gallerian of course.
He stood up, following Aaron's words - Yes, we must hurry... I don't know if Gallerian ever mentioned it but he is not used to fight demons, back on Ireland... ugh, the Driaochta Kingdom, at least since I was born I never seen him fighting that kinda creature, just minor corrupted souls or some creatures from celtic mythology - He scratched the back of his head - I don't know if this sounds bad for an old man, but what if there is... - He felt really embarrased as he said it - a Core, with the demon power.... If we destroy it or find it maybe the demon is going to flee from the dinosaur's body... as well for the demon snowmen
CRAP! - The angel shouted as he couldn't get a hold of his own hammer that was stuck on the Rex's mouth - Give it back! that's mine you dummy!
He tried to fly towards it but wasn't careful enough and in one of the Dino's movement he got stomped to the sand. He felt dizzy the moment the dinosaur lifted its head up, this wasn't ok at all. He wasn't as fast as other angels, of course! Because he gave one to Chloe so she could become one... Even if he got fixed after that, his speed wasn't the same since the reeplacement was a fake.
He asked Heaven what to do next... flying was impossible at this point, exorcise the demon would require time and being at a short distance but considering how interested it was on him that would be just dangerous... But what if he tried to climb it, if he tried to climb its head it would try to smash it against rocks or anything... so he needed to hide at the back of its neck so he could chant a sigil.
He dissolved the axe that was needlessly resting at the Rex's maw, a small angelic knife should be fine to stab on the hard skin and be able to climb... if that didn't work he was doomed.
|
|
|
Post by HungryHunter on Oct 30, 2019 7:30:11 GMT
The Hag’s unassuming face took Arthur’s kicks without reaction. She seemed to have forgotten that Osechi was now within her, staring up at Arthur’s near-harmless swings. He was lifted higher yet and her arm stiffened for a one-handed piledriver, but her eyes very suddenly went unfocused. “Sssssantaaaaa?” She mumbled, knees buckling. Just as Osechi popped her head from her front, she toppled forwards. “She is… she is defeated!?” The Gingerbread Knight ran forward, hooking an arm under the Hag as best he could. “Companion! We must lift her off of the fine lady who has felled her!” He strained, barely lifting the corner of her body.
Dan left the small vault, holding a cage at arm’s length. The rat within had him transfixed with an eerie stare. No matter how he moved, it kept shifting to watch him. “What do you want?” He asked, glaring in at it. It did not respond in any way, continuing its blank gaze. He sighed and looked around the room. There were two people he wanted to talk to, and it looked like Arthur was busy, so Caroline came first. She saw her walking with Erin red at her side. His heart sank a little, but he smiled. Well, that’s what I expected. He threw a quick salute to Erin and went on to Caroline.
“Hey. Uh, mind if I say something real quick?” He mumbled, pulling his hat low. “I’ve been an idiot today. I’ve been trying to impress you, and, well, obviously it’s not been working. So, I know you’re going home with Erin, but I hope we’re still friends. I could always use more.” He offered his hand to shake. “Guess what I’m saying is, ah. Pleased to meet you. My name is Dan Drake, former bad boy.” With a tap, he tilted his hat back up to reveal his blush, but also a sincere smile for a friend.
The demon rex drooled with excitement over landing a hit on Vlad, sticky streams of venomously yellowed liquid pooling in the sand. Its eyes were increasingly frenzied and maddened, and it made disturbingly human coughs and wheezes with its body crumpled over. Something was obvious; if these demons could so easily possess a living body, they likely would not settle for snow. Its momentary weakness offered Gal a grand opportunity to clamber onto its leg, but it was soon recovering and furiously roaring, hopping on one leg and shaking the other in an attempt to remove him. “I was not told to go ahead.” Wilson whispered in contradiction to Vladimir. “I simply chose saving Jun over assisting Galerian.” He cooly took a sip from his water and began digging around on the forest floor. “One of the elves explained this above. There is a opening to the upper layers of hell in the roots that way. We need to place the figure they gave us there to seal it off.” Jun reminded Vlad before Gan floored her once more.
“I-I have done no more than my duty to any team mate!” She sputtered, quickly bowing to Vlad. “I will gladly come to your establishment, should it be possible after this.” Before she could fully acclimate to either conversation, Wilson pointed towards the roots they were approaching. “Almost no goblins went this direction. Our route will be clear.” He stood, leading the way. Jun nodded, but remained back just a moment. “I hate to pry, but do you also intend to take up Vladimir’s offer? You see, we both seem convinced that we owe each other something, so perhaps we could settle it over a meal?” She straightened out what remained of her dress, looking up at Gan.
|
|
|
Post by othus on Oct 31, 2019 2:35:39 GMT
Osechi finally got through and took a breath of fresh air,
"Whoa, finally on the other side...OH HI GUYS! I DID IT!!"- She shouted with excitement at Arthur and the Ginger knight. It was at this moment that she realized she wasn't able to move at all, and that the hag was toppling forwards.
"nonononono!!"- were her last words as she got smashed headfirst into the ground. getting her out of the gooey substance would perhaps prove to be a challenge.
"Of course, I am no healer" He replied, shrugging at Aaron's claim.
As he listened to Jun, he was somewhat surprised, he thought she would immediately leave after this, especially considering how tired she looked even before everything began, but she was actually gonna go with the group? was she perhaps even looking forward to it?
"I think that's a great idea, a shower and some coffee after all this would be nice"- He said while looking straight at her, for a second he got slightly closer and spoke a bit more quietly so that others wouldnt hear.
"So, Should I call it a date? or am I pushing my luck too far here?"- He told her with a smile as he looked into her eyes, almost attempting to see if she broke character even for a second. Even if he got outright rejected, Gan was sure it was better than not trying, plus they were gonna have breakfast together either way.
|
|
|
Post by TimePuppy on Nov 3, 2019 22:00:51 GMT
Arthur's struggling was unsuccessful while the hag lifted him up and prepared to give him a proper smacking. Luckily, Osechi apparently found and ate its weak spot. The hag's knees buckled and it dropped the ice mage, knocking Osechi over in the process.
"Hey, good job, Osechi. I guess I underestimated you." Arthur wiped the hag's gooey remnants off of his clothes, then made a pair of ice gauntlets. Grabbing the hag's body with them, he lifted the body up so Osechi wasn't face-down anymore. "Knight, can you pull her out?"
---
Vlad’s offer sounded good. Aaron assumed the breakfast would be free, and he wouldn’t say no to a free meal. “I’ll take your offer,” he said.
After Wilson pointed out which way was most likely their goal, Aaron stood up and wordlessly followed him.
|
|
|
Post by RedLenai on Nov 4, 2019 0:39:19 GMT
Dammit! - The angel complained as he struggled to climb on the rex. The angel blade managed to assure his position onto the dinosaur's leg and despite of the movements he managed to climb for a bit before one of his hands slipped from the blade, he tried to avoid using his wings or otherwise it would have resulted into a terrible target. He tried to swing his body, but the strenght of the movements caused by the animal were hindering his trajectory-
It was better to swing part of his body so his other hand could reach the blade as well, better hitting your body against the scales instead of trying to jump higher than he could.
Vladimir tried to motion Wilson to keep quiet, he knew for sure the other didn't like the angel... but it was better to say that they were dispatched instead of that they decided to leave him with his own luck! However it didn't seem the man didn't notice his gesture.
He went red as a tulip flower when Jun remembered him what they had to do - I-I... my apologies I completely forgot... - His face remained the same despite he changed the topic - Oh, no problem at all! You can take a bath there if you like - He reminded his future guests - I hope some traditional Irish breakfast is ok with you all, but if there is something in particular you wanna eat I can make it in no time - He smiled, his face returning to his original skintone, as he followed Wilson and the others.
|
|
|
Post by Vapovile on Nov 4, 2019 3:37:34 GMT
Both Caroline and Erin watched Osechi chew through the Hag’s heart, causing the giant to fall forward, luckily with the knight and Arthur at the ready to keep Osechi from being crushed. Erin was snapped out of her flustered state when she saw the others actually working, beginning to jog over to help, briefly giving a flustered wave to acknowledge Dan’s salute. While she did so, Caroline craned her head over to see Dan addressing her, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Not working? On the contrary mr. Drake.” Caroline turned and took his outstretched hand, pulling herself closer to stare up at him. “You have been lovely tonight. Even though you couldn’t make waves of scary petals, you still helped out as much as you could. And I am quite a fan of bravery.” Before Dan could react, Caroline stood up on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek, returning back to normal standing and turning her body toward the others, clasping her hands behind her back and craning her head back toward him. “I think it would be wonderful if we remained friends, oh former bad boy.” With a wink, Caroline strolled toward the others. Dan would soon notice a small rectangular card in his hand that he offered to Caroline.
Arriving at the scene with the Hag and carefully avoiding the puddles of sticky sugar, Erin scratches the back of her head as she watched the others. “Erm...good job, everyone! We beat all of them!” The HWIC agent exclaimed. “Does anyone need healing? I think Caroline might like some. She uh...yeah.” Erin waggled her finger toward Caroline, trying to emphasise her cut-up state. A coat was then tossed at Erin, which was caught by the agent. “I would like a healing spell once you are done, if that isn’t too much to ask. Both of us.” Caroline motioned between herself and Erin, who slipped her jacket back on. “Fantastic work out there, Penguin and Osechi.” Caroline clapped, head turning from Arthur to Osechi, trying out a new nickname.
|
|
|
Post by HungryHunter on Nov 5, 2019 7:22:13 GMT
The Knight and Arthur strained, but the hag could not be lifted even by their combined strength. “I believe she has grown in mass from the last time I have seen her!” The Knight complained until she very suddenly tilted upwards. “What ho!?” He jumped backwards as she rose under her own power and reached into her chest cavity to drag Osechi out. “Sss… Santaaaa?” She unceremoniously dropped the goddess on the floor, poking at the hole in her torso.
“Sugar? Are you… she fixed you!” The Jolly Gingerbread Knight tackled the Sugar Hag with a crushing hug. She made a baffling squeal and hugged him back. “Brilliant! Glorious! You luminous being! I feared my sister must be slain, but nay! You have been a doctor to her corrupted mind, how I do not know, but I thank you!” He released the Sugar Hag to grab Osechi instead, lifting her from the ground and waving her back and forth. Dan blushed when Caroline kissed him. “Uh… good!” He couldn’t help a smile as he adjusted his hat. He had a friend! That made four! Why were most of his friends women, anyway? Was it because he had the bad habit of approaching them looking only for girlfriends, or at least a sexual partner, rather than approaching everybody for friendship regardless of sex appeal to himself? It was something to think about. But more important was what was in his hands. Once everybody was together and capable of listening, he cleared his throat and spoke.
“Alright everybody. I managed to figure out what’s going on. Put simply, some guy made a machine that can take divine objects and life forms and transplant their divinity into other objects or life forms. This rat is a test subject from that. Oh yeah, and they have a demigod apparently, going by the test logs. We might have already beat her up? Did any of the guys here feel like a demigod to you?” He wondered out loud before shaking his head and focusing again. “Anyway! There’s a mad scientist who ran this place and he tested the machine on himself with a bit of Santa’s beard. I found the blueprints and I was hoping that one of you could figure out if there’s a way to, you know. Ungod the guy.” He handed the roll of papers over to Arthur, the most tech-savy person he knew.
The devilsaur was slowing, torrential thrashing dying down into weak, wrathful wiggles. It panted heavily, head lowering nearly to the sand. Galerian was very suddenly on a clear path to the top. “I’m not coming.” Wilson casually said. “One moment!” Jun squeaked, taking the opportunity to jump away from the conversation and get herself a breather. “Wilson, come on. I’ll be there. And besides, you could try to make other friends.” She patted him on the shoulder and retreated back to Gan. Wilson slowly blinked, processing her words. Make other friends? He looked at Aaron, the closest person to himself. He must practice this skill. “Hello.” He whispered. Jun, meanwhile, finished processing what Gan said and immediately bit her lip to keep it under control.
“You may call it whatever you wish.” Her eyes were sparkling even as she held her lip tight. Ahead, the forest cleared out in wake of the roots they had been seeking. They resembled a mountain of wood, reaching up for the ceiling a sky’s width above. Gooves in the bark were as wide as rivers, knots that a giant could comfortably live in hanging overhead. At the base of the roots was a miniscule hole, flickering with an orange intensity that should not have been possible from such a small space.
|
|
|
Post by othus on Nov 5, 2019 9:16:21 GMT
Osechi was covered in sweet goo from head to toe, and she got beaten up pretty badly, but she was happy. She finally got compliments from her team, and that alone was worth it!
"T-thanks..." She replied to Arthur and Caroline as she slightly blushed, the moment the Knight picked her up she got even redder.
"I...um...I...am glad I could help! m-maybe I can patch your sister up later?"- she told the knight still mid-air, it was such a strange feeling being picked up so effortlessly off the ground.
When they finally began to discuss about the experiments, Osechi looked around, but she couldnt really tell.
"Hmmm. I don't think any of them were demigods..." she said as she thought of the Musashi sisters. the talk about transplanting divinity was definitely unsettling for her, surely they wouldn't want her powers as well...right?
"A date it is then! now, let's finish this!" Gan said as he offered her his hand.
The roots were one of the most impressive things he had ever witnessed, it was almost as if his brain refused to believe the scale of what was in front of him.
"Let's...get to work, I am not sure how long this is gonna take, but we don't have all night"
|
|
|
Post by RedLenai on Nov 5, 2019 21:23:34 GMT
Vladimir could feel a knife piercing his heart as how direct and honest were Wilson's words. However, he managed to keep a calm attitude and smile - It's ok - He tried to tell Jun who immediatly returned to talk back to Gan, but as he tried to reach back to Wilson to tell him that he wasn't obligated to come he already decided to talk with Aaron. So Vladimir decided to stay quiet as they walked.
Whe he glanced a the roots and branchs that were placed as if they were inside of a fairytale book he couldn't help but to sigh in awe. It reminded him the celtic knots that decorated the walls and pillars back at the Kingdom. It made him feel quite nostalgic.
It's true Gan, we must hurry before more goblings and rex ambush us
Gallerian kept fighting against the climbing torture the dinosaurs was, but thankfully it began to slowly decrease the movement-- No! Maybe the demon was trying something else, he didn't have enough time to climb at the top and start chanting, so he decided to do it as he climbed. His voice had a firm tone as he chanted, as he used both of his hands now to climb, one using the angel blade and the other grabbing part of the meat and scales that were combinated, product of the possession.
He was sure that in case the demon tried to run away, the chant will weaken it, but if it stayed inside the Rex body, it will indeed perish
|
|
|
Post by TimePuppy on Nov 9, 2019 17:46:29 GMT
The hag was too heavy to lift, even with both Arthur and the knight pulling on her. Then she stirred. All on her own, she rose and pulled Osechi out. This made the Gingerbread knight jollier than he was before, a feat one would imagine was impossible. Apparently, the Sugar Hag was his sister! Arthur wasn’t sure if that was because their batter was prepared by the same person or because they baked in the same oven. Pastry people were certainly curious creatures.
He didn’t ponder those questions too long though. His attention was drawn to Caroline and Erin who seemed somehow closer now. More importantly, they also seemed fairly beaten up. “Sure, I’ll help you out with that.” He snapped his fingers and Erin was patched up. When he turned to Caroline though he paused for a second. She appeared more cut up, yet she didn’t seem impeded by them. She didn’t even bleed as much. It reminded him of Martha and the other dolls. Suspicious though he was now, he figured he should keep his suspicions to himself, at least until he can talk to her in private.
“There, all done,” he said after healing Caroline. But his work wasn’t done yet. This time Dan brought up a rat he was holding and a blueprint. Engineering wasn’t his field, but he’d seen blueprints before. How hard could it be?
“I can try, sure. Hm...” He studied the blueprint closely, then went over to the machine. Tracing the blueprint with his finger, he started figuring out what was where. A couple of minutes later, he pulled out a part from the machine and held it up. “Alright, I think this is what we need. If I got this right, we just need to touch the fauxgod with it and we’re golden. Probably. Um, Osechi should stay away from it.”
—-
Aaron focused on following Wilson and the trail, keeping an eye out for more goblins as they trekked. Every now and then his focus drifted, caused by a slowly setting in exhaustion from all the fighting while not getting any sleep. His eyelids felt heavier by the minute. They should really get this mission over with soon. In his drowsy state, he completely missed Jun walking up to Wilson.
After talking to Jun about something, Wilson turned to Aaron and whispered a hello. The suddenness and the way he said it weirded the sleepy Aaron out, and his ill-ease was quite visible on his face. “Hey,” he responded carefully. “You need something?”
|
|
|
Post by Vapovile on Nov 10, 2019 0:28:49 GMT
The healing magic washed over Erin, healing her wounds and giving her some energy back. “Thank you!” The agent declared. Wait, why was she so confident right now? Glancing over to Caroline, her eyes widened when she saw the state of the doll. A deep gash in her arm, several gashes elsewhere on her body, and most of those injuries would have been fatal! And they aren’t even bleeding! Was Caroline some kind of demon?!
Caroline appeared to notice this show of concern, and gave a reassuring smile that seemed to make Erin back off for now. The wounds began to quickly repair themselves, Caroline swinging her arm back and forth to feel that it was usable again. “Many thanks, Penguin. You really lent a flipper.” Nodding her head, Caroline listened to Dan’s explanation, followed by Arthur’s response.
Erin’s hand shot up after Arthur was done. “So if that’s their plan, then Santa must be a god of some kind!” She blurted out. Her hand went down as Caroline walked over to inspect the rat. “Seems that way, yes.” Caroline replied. When Arthur pulled out the machine part, she shrugged her shoulders. “If you feel that’s what we need, I will trust your judgement! So, where might we find this embodiment of Christmas?” She asked, looking down and being disappointed that her heated coat had several large holes in it now.
|
|
|
Post by HungryHunter on Nov 10, 2019 7:51:50 GMT
“So there’s probably a demigod running around that wants our heads? Cool.” Dan grinned. Shame he would be no match for them in his current state. He nodded at Arthur and held the papers he had collected out to Erin. “Here. I guess the HWIC will want these.” Before she could take them, the Gingerbread Knight interjected. “Oho! I am afraid that those should be mine! These crimes took place in our territory, and so they are our jurisdiction! The perpetrators will be shivering in a gingerbread jail with peppermint bars!” He slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis, leaving Dan with a half perplexed, half disgusted expression.
“Isn’t it weird to have a jail built out of what is effectively your flesh? And how does that work anyway, couldn’t you just, never mind, I don’t think I’ll get an answer that I care for out of this.” He sighed as Caroline came over to study the rat. “Oh, hey. Cute, isn’t he?” He faked a smile as the rat crawled over to sniff at Caroline through the bars, but it quickly faded. “Uh, okay. No more posturing, right. It actually creeps me out a little. I’ve lived in a lot of places with rats, so… is this too much sharing now? I’m not used to this.” He scratched the back of his head. As the elevator was busted, they had to explore the room until finding an emergency staircase back up.
When Gallerian’s chant started up, the demon growled in bitter hatred and staggered back to its feet. Already though, it was too weakened. Perhaps there was a reason that they usually inhabited bodies of snow. It wheeled into the trees, spinning about in an attempt to scrape Gallerian off, but his chant surged through its being. Branches shattered, towering timbers tumbled over, and the dinosaur went down among them. Gallerian could hear the demon within shatter, leaving nothing but an enormous, sleeping archosaur, framed in shattered plant matter. Jun hesitated a moment when Gan extended his hand. “I feel… I feel it is only just that I warn you I am currently quite busy with my training and work. While I can make the time this morning, I may be unavailable for some time afterwards.” Her hesitation ended and she took the offered hand. “Still… I would like to make time for you in my schedule. You do seem quite interesting, and I still feel I owe you for your assistance today.” Ahead of her, Wilson approached the root, eyes watching every opening. “Hm? Sorry, distracted. Jun said to make friends, and you were close.” He kept his eyes on Aaron as he placed the figure they were given before the hole. A hiss rang out from the indentation and the light coming out seemed to retreat. “It’s done.” He said, standing. Nothing had jumped out to stop them, no further resistance now they had cleared out the goblins and dinosaurs in their way. He was surprised. Cleverness was the advantage of the goblin, but it seemed panic was their weakness.
|
|
|
Post by othus on Nov 12, 2019 4:19:35 GMT
“I think I’ll be elsewhere, that thing is kinda creepy, plus I don’t understand any of it. If Arthur thinks I shouldn’t touch it I’ll probably just Ummm, stay on the sidelines!”- Osechi said as she moved next to Caroline, as something more interesting had caught her attention.
“Isn’t your body a little weird?”- Osechi told Caroline, this probably was the first time she saw someone not bleed from a wound that size.
Caroline looked up with a fake offended look on her face. “My my, I’m not sure what you mean by that. Was that a fat joke?” Caroline reeled back in fake offense.
“Ehhh?! Of course not! I’m just saying cause...you don’t leak! Is that normal? Unless you aren’t human like me, yes?”- Osechi told her as she inspected her healed arm.
“Pff...hehe...oh I’m just joking with you.” Caroline stifled an outright laugh as she patted Osechi on the back. “If by ‘leak’ you mean bleed, well...my kind doesn’t do that. Kinda like how you bleed golden blood that makes people explode; we’re both unique.” She stated.
“Ain’t your situation much better than mine?! Sooo, what now? Do we just keep going? I see you are getting along with someone a little bit more than with the rest of us hmm?” She told her while looking at Erin. She was nicer than the others so it made sense.
Erin looked down at the look to not meet Osechi’s eye, but Caroline continued on. “Oh, I’d say we are getting along just fine. I am curious, did you see anything about...5 minutes ago with me and flower girl here?” Caroline asked, cocking her head slightly.
“Hm? Hm? Did you two do anything interesting?”-Osechi said as she tilted her head sideways, why was Erin avoiding her anyway? She raised her voice and waved at Erin in order to get her attention
“Eriiin, what did you do with Caroline?!! Show me!?”- she said out loud.
The request nearly sent Erin stumbling. “Whaaaaa?! N-nothing! I-” “Pahaha...oh dear. It’s quite alright Osechi, it wasn’t anything too interesting. I just surprised her with a hug like…” Caroline slid over like an ice skater and wrapped Erin into a hug from behind. “This!” Caroline declared, Erin looking around with utter confusion.
Osechi blinked confused “But we do that all the time!, in fact, I’ll join!”- She said as she hopped towards them, although this time the floor beneath her cracked with each hop.
“I..might have eaten a bit too much...well who cares?! Carry me!” She said as she jumped on both Caroline and Erin
The jump hug was like a train plowing into both of them. Caroline and Erin’s knees gave out and were sent sprawling across the cold ground, flattened by Osechi. “Ooooooow…” Erin muttered. Caroline managed to slither out from under Osechi and dust herself off. “Apologies, we are a little weak right now. But if you want a normal hug…” Caroline dove down to hug Osechi from behind. “That can be arranged as well!”
“Sorry if you get sticky...I was inside the sugar hag for quite a while!” She said with a big smile. Caroline was the best after all!
Looking down, Caroline did see that her ruined coat was now covered in sugar. She released the hug and got back up, helping Erin back onto her feet, then Osechi. “I saw you tunneling inside! I must say, would have never thought to do that, myself. On another note…” Caroline’s smile curled up. “I have to ask...what is your relationship to that dashing man you were with on the plane? I believe his name was Gan.” Caroline asked, leaning forward and looking up at Osechi with interest.
“He’s my little brother!” Osechi replied with pride. Her eyes somewhat narrowed and her smile curled up quite in the same way as Caroline
“Perhaps, Just maybe, he caught your eye? Hmmmm??!”
A small look of disappointment flashed across Caroline’s face. She wanted to know if those two were either a couple, or flirting with each other! But looks like it was just familial ties. The look quickly vanished from her face as Caroline leaned back casually. “Who can say? He is quite the man, handing out business cards with gold on them. That seems to be a thing with you two, I’m noticing.” Caroline mused, looking at the card she took from her pocket, then returning it, Erin slinking away after trying to steal a look.
“Unfortunately, he decided to abandon his sister and go off with the other team, the jerk. I am sure he’s found a date with someone already.” Thinking back, Caroline tried to remember who was on that team. Gal was a man, there was that other older man, the man with red hair, the strange man with a cold aura that was particularly repulsive to dolls, and the woman in the fancy blue dress. Unless Gan were also into men, there was only one target for any potential affection.
“So you say! But he hasn’t dated anyone for quite a while! I’m afraid he has become too picky! Also, he did not abandon me! We are splitting tasks! I should tell you he is very much not a jerk!” - Caroline wasn’t entirely wrong though, It was a lot easier to convince him of the plan this time than on other occasions, perhaps he did finally got a date? So weird...that woman with horns and big eye bags? unlikely?
This response made Caroline narrow her eyes with interest at Osechi. “Is that so? Well, I sure would be interested to see what his oh-so high standards are. Me though?” Caroline gave a sidelong glance toward Erin. “My standards are a little more broad.” Turning, Caroline left to join the rest of the group. Erin stood still, not knowing what to do. “I uh...should probably join her too.” She stated, looking down to hide her red face.
Looking at Erin made Osechi finally realize the situation, the dots had finally connected in her mind
*...she likes Erin?!!? In THAT way?! Are they a couple?!*
“Wait why did she not tell me about that?! I...feel dumb”- Osechi followed confused.
"I understand, Akane is gonna be a tough opponent in any case, just don't hurt each other too much" - Gan told Jun. Perhaps he should have mentioned he knew Musashi, Jun said Akane had insulted her, after all. The idea of a duel sounded like something quite serious, so her insult must have been grave.
As they finally settled things on their end, Gan sighed.
"Well, looks like we are done here, i recon the other team should probably be done with all this as well? let's head back"
|
|
|
Post by TimePuppy on Nov 15, 2019 22:07:08 GMT
Arthur chuckled and shook his head at Caroline’s pun. “Heh, I’d argue I’m a bit better than a penguin. Unlike them, I can actually fly. Which, uh, I think we might need if we don’t find stairs or something to get out of here. Surely an isolated building like this wouldn’t be built without an emergency exit?”
Looking around the room full of machinery and broken servers, Arthur really wasn’t sure where to start. Caroline, Erin, and Osechi apparently weren’t very keen on looking for the exit though, preferring to chat among themselves. And hug. Hug lots. Hug in new and awkward ways. Arthur wasn’t sure if he was supposed to want to be part of that or if he should think about just leaving them to it. In the end, the latter option won out by just a little bit.
“Hey Dan, let’s go look for that exit. We should let the girls enjoy their girl time. We can commiserate about losing out on a date with a cutie like Caroline while we do that. We could even go do that elsewhere later. I know it’s not a date with a hot girl, but misery loves company.”
“Man, you’re weird. You’re talking to me because someone told you to make friends?” Aaron shook his head. “Don’t be a bitch. When you’re making friends, make them ‘cause you wanna. Not ‘cause someone else told you to.”
When Wilson put the figure in the slot, Aaron got ready for another fight. Instead, the slot merely hissed. No ambush came. No monsters appeared out of thin air. It was a pleasant subversion of expectations.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s get back now.” Aaron yawned. “Think there’s a faster way back than the one we came here with?”
|
|
|
Santa Day
Nov 17, 2019 1:58:00 GMT
via mobile
Post by RedLenai on Nov 17, 2019 1:58:00 GMT
A-Are we done? - Vladimir was quite confused over the sudden change by just placing the small artifact - How weird... I... I'm quite usef there is like a.... a final enemy that is quite strong... maybe I've been reading stories too much..
He said as he followed the others, he was quite embarrassed and yes, he was getting a bit too attached and summerged in the books of his store and some old console games.
I don't think I can teleport... otherwise that would make things faster... and Gallerian doesn't seem to show up so he can give us a ride
|
|
|
Post by HungryHunter on Nov 17, 2019 7:18:19 GMT
Their tasks complete, the two groups made their slow ways all the way back to town. Those below the earth got a ride from goblins atop pterosaurs in exchange for a few colorful scraps of their clothing and the belongings of the fallen goblins they had killed to get there. Jun reluctantly parted with a chunk of her dress, sighing as it was tied round the head of a particularly fat green goblin as an eyepatch. She feigned a continuation of her distraught mood throughout the ride, hiding the fireworks of joy that erupted when she sat on the furry back of a winged beast and it took off.
Up and out of the hole they flew, giant reptiles of days past spiraling down to gently land on the snow. Jun slid off laughing, unable to hide her joy anymore. She patted the creature’s massive head and watched it gallop off into flight, impossibly graceful for its absurd shape. Wilson joined her, still mulling over what Aaron had said. They were told that the others had yet to return and they might as well wait inside, so they were led to a warm hall, abandoned but for a few guard elves. Jun got a place by the fire and patted the seat beside her for Gan to join her. Something terrifying still waited ahead, but she felt confident now. How long had it been since something but revenge laid ahead on her schedule?
The other group was not near so lucky. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, Dan’s legs were already screaming, and they only hated going through the deep snow more. He hid his pain, choosing to focus on the future and what a great workout this all was. The future, he and Arthur had decided, involved meeting up for bowling a week hence, preferably with a new book to keep Qiang occupied. No girls allowed, unless some happened to want to come, in which case that could be arranged. In the time walking, the Gingerbread Knight went between explaining his long-winded history with the Sugar Hag and discussing the providence of the papers they had recovered from the vault.
In the end, Erin settled for taking photos of the paper and leaving them in North Pole custody. After a long trudge and several bizarre victory duets between the Sugar Hag and Gingerbread Knight, they finally arrived at the hall where the others awaited. The Gingerbread Knight kicked the door open, lunging through with arms spread wide. “We return with the tools to defeat the false Santa! Rejoice!” He slammed a foot on a table, striking a pose that he held for an uncomfortably long time. After a few seconds, Jun cleared her throat and stood.
“Ah, we welcome you, stranger. What… exactly are you talking about?” She hesitantly asked. Dan sighed and slapped the papers down on the table so his group could explain to the other. When the facts were laid out, Jun eyed the device in Arthur’s hands. It seemed simple enough, really. That took a dent out of her confidence. Things that seemed easy were always the worst. “Well then we need a plan. We were filled in on its current location. It’s in the residential district right across the hole. It can fly, but there’s tall buildings around there. We would need to keep it close enough to use that device.” Jun spoke as Wilson set up cups and rocks to stand in for buildings and themselves. “I have run out of rocks.” He complained, counting the group once more. “The rocks don’t matter, Wilson.” Jun sighed. “What matters is a plan.”
|
|
|
Post by othus on Nov 18, 2019 10:09:26 GMT
Even though they were not conversating, Gan enjoyed the warmth of the fire as well as Jun's presence. He leaned back, closed his eyes and set his guns aside. This was a lot closer to what he really wanted to do for Christmas.
His moment of peace was short-lived though, as the gingerbread knight stormed into the room. Osechi followed right after and Gan smiled upon seeing her, Caroline and the rest also seemed fine, which was great news.
"Good to see you both are ok, she didn't give you too much trouble, did she?"- Gan told Caroline as he hugged Osechi with one arm, something he immediately came to regret as she was sticky all over.
Gan moved back to talk about the plan, it was going to be hard to make one without knowing what others could do.
"A flying monster, huh? Unfortunately, I have barely any ammo left. those who can fly will probably have to bring this thing close to us...how about an ambush in betwen the buildings? we just need people that can lure the creature into our range. I believe Gallerian from our team is well equipped to do that, but he shouldn't be without backup up there."
|
|