Side Story The Goddess II: Fate of the Old Gods

[Capri]

JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark @Takumi

Jeff placed a hand on No-Name’s shoulder. He feels guilty, now. He knew what it was like to be alone, like when he was abandoned in his elementary school when the school was on fire.

It’s a terrible feeling, and to have evoked such a feeling...

All he could do was comfort her, show her that he was here.

He momentarily forgot that he and Katara were supposed to rescue Flayn, but when he remembered, he knew it could wait.​

 

[Crunch]

LIBRARY
The scattered papers were easy enough to collect without attracting the Librarian's attention, as was the Book of Sheng Long. Valkyrie's distraction had proven effective. Rei was able to sneak off into one of the library's private record cambers and straight into--
"Oh!" Mercie exclaimed as Rei's body met hers, sending the rapper's freshly collected papers flying once again.
View attachment 7428
"Forgive me. I should not have been loitering so close to the door... Let me help you, sir..." Avoiding Rei's eyes, Mercie squatted down beside him and quickly scrambled to reorganize his notes. "Oh... Perhaps the Librarian was right about me... Maybe I am useless... Maybe all I'm good for is searching the records and dusting shelves... Are you looking for any more books, sir?" She added morosely. "I can direct you towards the approved section, if you wish?"

Things weren't going the way she had hoped in the wider library... back to business as usual...

@Yun Lee

"Oh... you swine!" The Librarian screeched. "You mock me? You mock me?"
The Witch raised her hands skywards. The tattered books and splintered shelves that laid at Valkyrie's feet began to quiver and vibrate. Obeying her command, they began to fold themselves into strange, unusual shames.
Before the Asgardian could say 'thou', 'thine' or 'tis', Valkyrie was surrounded by 6 origami soldiers, each armed with wooden swords and shields. Placing their flaming splinter-blades atop their shields, they slowly circled the Asgardian, waiting for her to make the first move.
"Save your quips for the Reaper, whore!"

@Jeremi


SECRET CHAMBER
"Flayn says 'it's a pleasure to meet you too!'" No-Name waggled the fish's fin between her fingers, allowing 'Flayn' to wave back at Katara. "Are you from Outside too? Flayn wants to know. She likes 'Outside' almost as much as I do!"

Her eager eyes danced between her first and old visitors. She followed their eyes as they admired her room, leaping at ever opportunity to talk about her collection that came her way.
"Oh! I see you like my miniatures!" No Name grinned. "They were a challenge to get make. Their arms were very fiddly. My, it must have taken me a dozen attempts before I truly got the hang of it. Flayn came to my rescue in the end. She used some of her magic to help stick the tin back together. Do you have any Outisde-people food wrappers in your pockets? I could try to make some for you? Or some of you, seeing that we are all such good friends now!"

@Capri @Takumi

BASEMENT 1
For the first time since Murderworld, Eli was taken back. Stunned by the violent display and helpless into intervene, he was little more than a silent witness to the Slayer's latest massacre. The air was stained black with the spray of undead blood. He stopped trying to cover his face after the first few seconds crawled by. There was no point. The spray showed no sign of stopping.

For the first time since Murderworld, Eli was stunned.
For the first time since the Death of Mephisto, Eli holstered his gun.

Toren- exhausted from part in the massacre- slowly staggered to his feet, wiping the soot and sweat from his brow. He didn't say a thing. He could barely muster the will to look at the horrid scene. He simply raised Wally's arm up over his shoulder and started his trek across the field of corpses. He told himself that they were already dead. That it was a matter of survival. That they didn't count. It didn't make his stomach heave any less. He had killed before. But it had all been so... sanitized. He prayed to the Light. He prayed for the souls the Grey Men had lost long ago. He followed the Killer down his bloody path. A bitter glare burning in his eyes.

The Slayer's footsteps were drowned out by even louder steps. A pen at the end of the hall slowly creaked open. A tall, dark creature emerged... one large enough to dwarf even the Slayer himself. A flash of silver shone in the crimson glow of the emergency lights. A sword. A flash of yellow. Fangs. The lowered his head and lunged through the doorway to face his foe.
"No..." Eli removed his knife from his belt. "Not you..."
View attachment 7430
"Your eyes do not deceive you, little one... Though you are not so little anymore..." Blackheart growled, his teeth twisted into a smile. "How long has it been for you, Liquid? 4 years? 5 years?"

"Impossible... I watched you die..." Eli growled through gritted teeth. "You were crushed beneath the heel of the Inheritor! You can't be back!"

"The rules of Hell no longer apply, Captain..." The disgraced Hell-Lord chuckled. "You can thank my murderers for that... When Mother freed the souls of Hell, yours was not the only one to be restored... I was one of the first to walk the earth again, rescued by oblivion by my killer's bloody hand. Though my flesh still rots, my mind remains clear... but the others? They weren't so lucky..."

"Impossible... those... things... they're not all native to Mephisto's realm..." Toren muttered in disbelief.

"Yes... their soul's never made it to my fath--" He clenched his jaw. "No, the Inheritor's realm. You cannot simply wake the dead and expect the world to go on turning. Mother and Eliphas broke the laws of reality... and we are their punishment... their sentence..."

"Souls barred from both heaven and hell... Neither living nor dead... Gray Men..."

"The Empire is fighting change. Their doing what they can to slow the Great Return... but even they cannot hold back the coming night. Father Crimson embodies the coming evolution of the Goddessian Ideals. They will learn to embrace his Prophecies, or they will be replaced. Through him, but new subjects will be made complete... Just like the Souls of Prudence... just like the Souls of Murderworld..."

Blackheart continued his approach, grinding his broadsword across the concrete all the while. It's screeching cry was hard to endure.

"As we speak, he stands of the verge of greatness. He has found the Phoenix. Soon, the Order Death Demands will be here... all I have to do is delay you until her trials are complete..."

A warning siren sounded. Dozens more pens opened hundreds more Gray Men flooded the chamber, each more savage than the last.

Blackheart threw his arms wide and welcomed the Godless' coming assault.

"Hell's Betrayer! The Last of the Light Monks! He who has killed more of my kind than I care to count! Have at you! Face me! Face the gray, and taste the fate that awaits all men!"

@Crunch

BASEMENT 2
As Alice's struck Crimson's cheek, she heard a strange popping sound. Pain flooded her knuckles, fingers and wrist. Crimson's expression didn't change. He had barely flinched. He brushed Alice's broken hand off of the red light-barrier that had risen to protect his face.
[Rage Detected]
"Feel better, do you?" The Priest scowled. "Lucky for you, you only need one hand to operate the Lantern..." Shan gestured towards Alice's stone fist. "Try not to break the important one..."

Crimson turned away from Alice and wiped the blood from her knuckles from his cheek.

"My father was and forever will be a piece of shit..." He muttered. He called for all the will he could muster to control himself once again. With a tense brow and gritted teeth, he did his best to reconstruct his facade. "Then again, this isn't about him. He is a means to an end. He is just another trial for you to conquer on your journey to becoming the Mistress of the Black Light. Shan Yu is the last creature upon this earth who deserves your compassion... and you must show it to him regardless. The Lantern feeds upon emotion. You must provide it with a powerful emotional sacrifice if you are to command its power. We're marching into uncharted territory here, Alice. We're experimenting. I apologize if I am not the Mentor you need me to be, but I am doing all I can. I understand this power better than anyone... but there are still so many things I don't know about it. We're scraping the surface of what that lantern can do. You need to trust me. You need to listen to me. My reasons for selecting my father for this trial are my own, and they will be made clear in due time... but his presence does not change our goal. We're going to defeat death, Alice. Freeing the minds of the living will be one of our first milestones... So use that Lantern... Have some faith and and do as I have instructed... do it now..."

@Takumi ​

Never has a decision been made so clear, so uniform in will and purpose. Never had the Fallen King, the Usurped, witnessed a mortal move with a speed that rivals wild lightning streaking across the sky. The mere suggestion of doubt, if it even existed, is left in the dust. For the Slayer was a creature of singular purpose and unique mind when confronted with his quarry.

The smell of hell wafted through the complex mechanisms composing his steely shell. And, without much hesitation, the blood-coated killer pressed the sole of his boot into the forehead of a gray man straggling beneath him - the thing's bald head spilled out on the ground with no resistance. For when the demon's voice rang off the basement's crimsoned walls, it rung like the chiming of a church bell - calling the faithful to service.

He cracked the shotgun's barrels up against the skull of a fallen gray man, thumbing two crimson shells in her blackened barrels before snapping her shut with an upward flick of his wrist. Snap. Then, he turned, casting an empty gaze out to the oncoming tide of flesh and hellish hate. Stepping ahead of the two men who found themselves witnesses to the slaughter, the Doom Slayer curled his free hand around a thick, black object clipped to his belt.

It was the blackened handle of a sword. Upon the hilt, there inscribed, was the mark of Argent D'nur. The mark of the beast - the icon of the Doom Slayer.

As if by will alone, a hooked crimson blade materialized from the black rod, inscribed on its hilt numerous hellish runes and archaic iconography that swam across the surface of simmering energy slab. The man who wielded it silently held the Crucible low at his hips, beginning to tread forward as Blackheart beckoned him to bear.

And so did the weary angel exact his wrath upon the blight. And so did the gun mounted on his shoulder suddenly come alive with a mechanical whirr.

BOOM!

Faster than the Fallen King's minions could react, an unseen projectile belched from the gun's barrel, clattering against the floor before Blackheart before detonating with a room-shuddering blast. Those few shamblers at the front of his horde slammed against the surrounding walls like rainsoaked pieces of paper, crumpling to the floor in bloody pulps as scalding smoke filled the arena.

Shadows swam and stirred in the smoke cloud, before lashing out with the sharp hiss of clattering steel. Something shot out from the center of the cloud with a harsh shriek - and even with all his speed, as meat squelched and blood splattered, a flanged hook embedded itself within the most supple cut of Blackheart's withered chest.

A hook attached to a long, metal chain. CHK-CHK-CHK-CHK-CHK!

The smoke billowed outward against the wall as a fully aerial Slayer lunged from the other side of his arena. The chain attached to Blackheart drew the Hell Walker in with metal clatters, rapidly reeling back into the cruel attachment bolted to the underside of his gun. With a harsh grunt, momentum focused into his legs. The marine slammed the soles of his boots into the floor. Sparks spilled out from under him, the metal shrieking against solid ground.

Pulled to his quarry, skidding along the ground by his boots, the Slayer surged his weight to the end of his sword arm.

And he cleaved.

@Sark @Basement 1



​

 

[Yun Lee]

Oh, now this was just sad...Rei knew his heart at this point was nothing but a lump of Pyrite, but even it cried out when a lovely young lady was in such a low state. "Oh, no need to worry. I should have watched where I was going." The old swindler smiled, taking the book. He heard all sorts of commotion outside, though, including a room that may help them. "I'm actually trying to find my way to the records room, but my eyes just aren't what they used to be. Would you be able to take me there instead, Miss?"

@Sark

​

 

[Sark]

Alice didn't know what to expect, but her brows furrowed at the sight of Xander. Fight or flight response weighing on her mind due to so many Inquisitors nearby going up a notch at seeing this guy. Fight wasn't an option, and turning and walking away wasn't an option right now, so she'd have to quietly stew in her irritation for who knows how long she'd be stuck here with Xander and Pym.

From the sounds of it, Xander seemed to have forgotten that Alice had tried to help him before nearly dying herself, the fucking noodle brained prick. She opened her mouth, but was cut off by Crimson, and ultimately glanced between them with pursed lips.

Yeah, it was probably for the best she didn't say what she was originally going to. Though, when Pym looked at-no through-her, she almost felt as if she was being judged on the spot, and huffed through her nose.

Terrorists her ass. As Crimson spoke to her she scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah, lead the way Chief." She replied, a bit awkwardly. This whole damn situation just felt weird as hell, and she was pretty sure they were playing some kinda political mind game with each other or some shit. She didn't like it, whatever the fuck was happening.

MUSEUM
And so, Crimson's unbelievably slow, unbelievably detailed tour of the Temple's facilities began. Every statue had a long, winding story and an even longer tangent attached to it. Xander seemed intrigued enough, but it wasn't long until Pym fell back a step or two. He let Crimson say his piece as he fiddled with the small, wired device he had removed from his pocket.

Crimson busy was describing the life and times of Maddie Palmer when a striking pain filled Alice's ear.

[Hello? Is this thing on?] QORI chirped. [Sorry, pet. The backwards tech Eli's equipped you with takes a little bit of getting used to. I'm calling you on a subliminal wave-length, so don't worry-- you're the only one who can hear me nagging. I'll cut to the chase, Sugar. Call me QORI, the new and improved CORI. Less Murder. More charm. But that's not too important now. What matters is that you cease the opportunity standing before you. You see, Eli's jabbed you with a teeny tiny recording device with you went in for that lovely hug. It's under your collar. It contains a full-transcript of your little chat with Crimson. I'm sure that Dr.Pym would love to hear all about Crimson's little death-cult. You might like to give it to him. It might help you accomplish one of Captain White's missions. Food for thought.]

@Takumi

"Aye," Valkyrie readied her hands again. "Let us end this!"

She joined in with James to double the efforts against the librarian. "Thou now face to storms!" She shouted before firing off another one. "Are thou strong enough to survive such an onslaught!"

LIBRARY
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
With a final, bestial scream, the last of the Librarian's flames were stripped from her core. Smoke filled the room as her 'heart' clattered against the tiles. The Godless shifted the rubble from atop themselves and cradled their wounds.
"Glad that's over..." Yuri muttered to himself. "Still. I can't shake the feeling that we could have avoid all of this if we had just used our big-boy words..."
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Balthus clicked his shoulder back into place without so much as a wince. "We taught here a lesson. That's what counts. She won't but sizzling anymore magazines, that's for sure."

"Not the hot-date I was looking for, let me tell you..." Niles muttered to himself as he pocketed the Librarian's core. "Anyone see where that weird chick ran off to? The ginger?"

Nina shrugged her response.
"Dunno. No sign of that white-haired guy neither. You think Valkyrie clapped them to death?"

"Doubt it. Whoever they were, I doubt this is the last we've seen of them... tragically." Yuri looped his hands behind his head as stepped into the Records Chamber. "Let's wrap things up here and hit the road... Now, if I were the Tome of Spiders, where would I hide..."

@Jeremi

Oh, now this was just sad...Rei knew his heart at this point was nothing but a lump of Pyrite, but even it cried out when a lovely young lady was in such a low state. "Oh, no need to worry. I should have watched where I was going." The old swindler smiled, taking the book. He heard all sorts of commotion outside, though, including a room that may help them. "I'm actually trying to find my way to the records room, but my eyes just aren't what they used to be. Would you be able to take me there instead, Miss?"

RECORDS CHAMBER
View attachment 7814
"The Record Room... well, you see... it's quite large..." Mercie lowered her voice as she led Rei into the dimly lit record chamber. "We've got over a thousand Imperial Approved tomes and documents on display. Not all are publicly available, mind you, but... but I might be able to make an exception for today, sir. If your eyesight isn't what it was, perhaps you could tell me what you're looking for? They're sorted alphabetically, but..." Mercedes thinned her eyes. "But... what is a man with such poor eyesight doing searching for a book?"

@Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee

Jeff placed a hand on No-Name’s shoulder. He feels guilty, now. He knew what it was like to be alone, like when he was abandoned in his elementary school when the school was on fire.

It’s a terrible feeling, and to have evoked such a feeling...

All he could do was comfort her, show her that he was here.

He momentarily forgot that he and Katara were supposed to rescue Flayn, but when he remembered, he knew it could wait.

Katara could relate on a certain level. It was almost like with her bending, having to teach herself just to do something basic with it. Even if her skills weren't great until she was taught by a Master, she only got as far as she did when she found the time and had nothing better to do. Yet, she also had wanted to as well.

She looked at the girl before her and the loneliness she practically felt from her came off her in waves and it was down right sad.

@Sark @Capri

SECRET CHAMBER
No-Name rolled into Jeff's arms and buried her head in his chest.
"Please..." She whimpered. "Please... it's been 5 years... Take me home..."
Flayn's tear-filled eyes stared weekly up at her two rescuers.
"I just want to go home..."
[Jeff. Katara. Pym just touched down in the Temple. The Imps are going to be tightening their security real soon.] Soranik's voice echoed in the Returned's ears. [What's your situation? We've lost contact with the others.]

@Takumi @Capri

Faster than the Fallen King's minions could react, an unseen projectile belched from the gun's barrel, clattering against the floor before Blackheart before detonating with a room-shuddering blast. Those few shamblers at the front of his horde slammed against the surrounding walls like rainsoaked pieces of paper, crumpling to the floor in bloody pulps as scalding smoke filled the arena.

Shadows swam and stirred in the smoke cloud, before lashing out with the sharp hiss of clattering steel. Something shot out from the center of the cloud with a harsh shriek - and even with all his speed, as meat squelched and blood splattered, a flanged hook embedded itself within the most supple cut of Blackheart's withered chest.

A hook attached to a long, metal chain. CHK-CHK-CHK-CHK-CHK!

The smoke billowed outward against the wall as a fully aerial Slayer lunged from the other side of his arena. The chain attached to Blackheart drew the Hell Walker in with metal clatters, rapidly reeling back into the cruel attachment bolted to the underside of his gun. With a harsh grunt, momentum focused into his legs. The marine slammed the soles of his boots into the floor. Sparks spilled out from under him, the metal shrieking against solid ground.

Pulled to his quarry, skidding along the ground by his boots, the Slayer surged his weight to the end of his sword arm.

And he cleaved.

BASEMENT
Blackheart hit the floor. Or, more accurately, he hit the floor twice, the two halves of his body striking the concrete one after the other. Black bloody crept across the chamber and pooled at the Slayer's feet.
"Good... Good... Your reputation is well earned, Slayer..."
A disembodied voice cooed.
"Still. Blackheart was foolish enough to die once already. He's unworthy of you... talents..."
Dark leeches crawled out of the demons two, cleaved halves. The tendrils dragged the two tattered pieces of the Hell-Lord back to force a single, bloody piece once again. An invisible hand pulled Blackheart back up onto his feet as if he was little more than a discarded toy. His fingers twitched as new-life was wheezed into his fragile form once again.
Blackheart cracked his neck and turned back to face his foe.
"Again." He replied bluntly. "Do it again."
Blackheart called his hands. A beam of dark thunder burned the air between the men. The force of a thousand storms struck the Slayer's spine. But his body was not tossed or thrown. The Demon's Blood- now a hive of writhing, wriggling black maggots- held him in place. They gave their lives to their Dark-Father's cause as a thousands upon thousands of volts burned through their fleshy bodies.
Blackheart wrapped his great fingers around the Slayer's helmet and started the squeeze.
"You'll make short work of him, of that I'm certain. It'll be loud, bloody work, but short nonetheless. Have your fun playing with this meat toy of yours. Just remember to save your strength for the others..."
Three more great demons loomed behind the slayer.
A spindly creature of wood and cobwebs.
A bright creature molded from black stones and emerald flames.
A glassy, white beast riddled with bloody holes and black scorch marks.
"After all, the dead cannot hope to challenge the living. The three behind you... their flesh is still fresh. Have fun with them. Do what you do best..."

@Crunch​

 

[Capri]

JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark @Takumi

Jeff wrapped his arms around Flayn, allowing her to let out her emotions.

“Okay... okay... I’ll help you, we’ll help you. You’re going to be able to return home... just let it all out,” Jeff consoled.

When Soranik’s voice came in, Jeff responded.

“We found her, and we’re gonna take her home. She just... needs a minute,”​

 

[Yun Lee]

As if Rei didn't have a reply ready. "Oh, it's not for me, Miss. You know those gifted kids? The ones who read at the college level before they get to high school? Well, I'm the proud father of one of those. Little Saburo's been getting into the really complicated stuff as of late and what kind of father would I be if I didn't get him a book or two off his wishlist?" Probably still ten times a better father than he actually was. "What was it he was after...something with spiders...tomb? Ton? No...ah!" Rei snapped his fingers as if rememberinf the name. "The Tome of Spiders! You got that here, Miss?"

@Sark​

 

[Jeremi]

MUSEUM
And so, Crimson's unbelievably slow, unbelievably detailed tour of the Temple's facilities began. Every statue had a long, winding story and an even longer tangent attached to it. Xander seemed intrigued enough, but it wasn't long until Pym fell back a step or two. He let Crimson say his piece as he fiddled with the small, wired device he had removed from his pocket.

Crimson busy was describing the life and times of Maddie Palmer when a striking pain filled Alice's ear.

[Hello? Is this thing on?] QORI chirped. [Sorry, pet. The backwards tech Eli's equipped you with takes a little bit of getting used to. I'm calling you on a subliminal wave-length, so don't worry-- you're the only one who can hear me nagging. I'll cut to the chase, Sugar. Call me QORI, the new and improved CORI. Less Murder. More charm. But that's not too important now. What matters is that you cease the opportunity standing before you. You see, Eli's jabbed you with a teeny tiny recording device with you went in for that lovely hug. It's under your collar. It contains a full-transcript of your little chat with Crimson. I'm sure that Dr.Pym would love to hear all about Crimson's little death-cult. You might like to give it to him. It might help you accomplish one of Captain White's missions. Food for thought.]

@Takumi

LIBRARY
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
With a final, bestial scream, the last of the Librarian's flames were stripped from her core. Smoke filled the room as her 'heart' clattered against the tiles. The Godless shifted the rubble from atop themselves and cradled their wounds.
"Glad that's over..." Yuri muttered to himself. "Still. I can't shake the feeling that we could have avoid all of this if we had just used our big-boy words..."
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Balthus clicked his shoulder back into place without so much as a wince. "We taught here a lesson. That's what counts. She won't but sizzling anymore magazines, that's for sure."

"Not the hot-date I was looking for, let me tell you..." Niles muttered to himself as he pocketed the Librarian's core. "Anyone see where that weird chick ran off to? The ginger?"

Nina shrugged her response.
"Dunno. No sign of that white-haired guy neither. You think Valkyrie clapped them to death?"

"Doubt it. Whoever they were, I doubt this is the last we've seen of them... tragically." Yuri looped his hands behind his head as stepped into the Records Chamber. "Let's wrap things up here and hit the road... Now, if I were the Tome of Spiders, where would I hide..."

@Jeremi

RECORDS CHAMBER
View attachment 7814
"The Record Room... well, you see... it's quite large..." Mercie lowered her voice as she led Rei into the dimly lit record chamber. "We've got over a thousand Imperial Approved tomes and documents on display. Not all are publicly available, mind you, but... but I might be able to make an exception for today, sir. If your eyesight isn't what it was, perhaps you could tell me what you're looking for? They're sorted alphabetically, but..." Mercedes thinned her eyes. "But... what is a man with such poor eyesight doing searching for a book?"

@Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee


SECRET CHAMBER
No-Name rolled into Jeff's arms and buried her head in his chest.
"Please..." She whimpered. "Please... it's been 5 years... Take me home..."
Flayn's tear-filled eyes stared weekly up at her two rescuers.
"I just want to go home..."
[Jeff. Katara. Pym just touched down in the Temple. The Imps are going to be tightening their security real soon.] Soranik's voice echoed in the Returned's ears. [What's your situation? We've lost contact with the others.]

@Takumi @Capri

BASEMENT
Blackheart hit the floor. Or, more accurately, he hit the floor twice, the two halves of his body striking the concrete one after the other. Black bloody crept across the chamber and pooled at the Slayer's feet.
"Good... Good... Your reputation is well earned, Slayer..."
A disembodied voice cooed.
"Still. Blackheart was foolish enough to die once already. He's unworthy of you... talents..."
Dark leeches crawled out of the demons two, cleaved halves. The tendrils dragged the two tattered pieces of the Hell-Lord back to force a single, bloody piece once again. An invisible hand pulled Blackheart back up onto his feet as if he was little more than a discarded toy. His fingers twitched as new-life was wheezed into his fragile form once again.
Blackheart cracked his neck and turned back to face his foe.
"Again." He replied bluntly. "Do it again."
Blackheart called his hands. A beam of dark thunder burned the air between the men. The force of a thousand storms struck the Slayer's spine. But his body was not tossed or thrown. The Demon's Blood- now a hive of writhing, wriggling black maggots- held him in place. They gave their lives to their Dark-Father's cause as a thousands upon thousands of volts burned through their fleshy bodies.
Blackheart wrapped his great fingers around the Slayer's helmet and started the squeeze.
"You'll make short work of him, of that I'm certain. It'll be loud, bloody work, but short nonetheless. Have your fun playing with this meat toy of yours. Just remember to save your strength for the others..."
Three more great demons loomed behind the slayer.
A spindly creature of wood and cobwebs.
A bright creature molded from black stones and emerald flames.
A glassy, white beast riddled with bloody holes and black scorch marks.
"After all, the dead cannot hope to challenge the living. The three behind you... their flesh is still fresh. Have fun with them. Do what you do best..."

@Crunch​

As the others quipped along Valkyrie walked up to the core of what had been the Librarian and crushed it between her hands. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance. "Aye. The tome. Does anyone know where it may be?"

@Sark

 

[Sark]

As if Rei didn't have a reply ready. "Oh, it's not for me, Miss. You know those gifted kids? The ones who read at the college level before they get to high school? Well, I'm the proud father of one of those. Little Saburo's been getting into the really complicated stuff as of late and what kind of father would I be if I didn't get him a book or two off his wishlist?" Probably still ten times a better father than he actually was. "What was it he was after...something with spiders...tomb? Ton? No...ah!" Rei snapped his fingers as if rememberinf the name. "The Tome of Spiders! You got that here, Miss?"

As the others quipped along Valkyrie walked up to the core of what had been the Librarian and crushed it between her hands. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance. "Aye. The tome. Does anyone know where it may be?"

RECORDS CHAMBER
"Tome of Spiders..." Mercie repeated to herself. She didn't waste anymore time. She ran her finger along the bottom of one of the chamber's dusty shelves until it crossed the path of--
View attachment 7823
"Here it is!" Mercie pulled upon the book's spine and let it slip down into the crease of her hand. "The Tome of Spiders... I can't say I've read this one, but if Saburo's teachers requested that..."

Wait.
Now that she was saying it out loud...
Something didn't add up.

"Saburo isn't a common name." Merice muttered, drawing the book closer in towards her chest. "You wouldn't happen to be referring to Saburo Yamada, would you? Working in the library... music is all I have. It was never my cup of tea, but that boy... he's quite famous. And your voice... It's familiar... You... You..."
Her eyes widened.
"You're from Dotsuitare Hompo! You... You're Rosho Tsutsujimori!! You're the conman who tried starting his own religion!"

The Record Chamber doors came crashing open. Yuri, Ferdinand and Valkyrie burst into the room. Mercie flinched and stepped back into the bookcase.
"Well... this is unfortunate. I hope we haven't interrupted something intimate..."
"Yuri?" Mercie gasped. "You're alive! You're... you're involved in this too?"
Nervous conviction replaced her surprise.
"I need to alert the librarian... Or the Inquisitors, are anybody! Fugitives like you... you're not supposed to be here!"

@Lucky @Jeremi @Yun Lee

Jeff wrapped his arms around Flayn, allowing her to let out her emotions.

“Okay... okay... I’ll help you, we’ll help you. You’re going to be able to return home... just let it all out,” Jeff consoled.

When Soranik’s voice came in, Jeff responded.

“We found her, and we’re gonna take her home. She just... needs a minute,”

SECRET CHAMBER
Flayn stopped holding back. For the first time since her arrival, she let herself feel all the things she had been holding back. Her tears darkened Jeff's shirt. A second passed. Her cries and whimpers were drowned out by Soranik's protestations.

[We don't have a minute. You need to get out of there. The Inquisitors are doing a full sweep of the Top-Floors. Find a way to extract Flayn and return to the Camp!]

The sound of heavy footsteps rattled up the stairs outside Flayn's chamber. Jeff and Katara had 2 minutes tops before the guards were upon them.
With exiting via the staircase off the table, their escape options were limited. They had 3 options.

Hide.
Make a break for the stained glass window at the end of the hall and take a leap of faith.
Flee further up the tower, towards the High Council Chamber.

Time was running out. They had to make a decision.

@Takumi @Capri​

 

[Yun Lee]

Rei pursed his lips, clearly upset by what Mercie had just said. "Oh, now don't tell me...for the past five years, has Rosho really been getting all the credit for my hard work? I could've sworn I'd used the name Amayado when joining up with the Fellowship..."

Though as his group rejoined them all, Rei was determined to get that book. He didn't come all this way to leave empty-handed. "Now now, Miss...is that really what you want? What you truly and deeply desire? To go back to that fiery librarian of yours, rat us out for a pat on the head, and go right back to being her personal chew toy in a thankless job like this one for the rest of your life? I've seen what the daily grind does to bright-eyed young adults, it turns them into ticking time-bombs full of pent-up spite and anxiety who lose all sense of imagination and self-worth. That's why I decided to make my own way in life. And maybe you can, too."

"Consider this your lucky break. Your one-way ticket to a better tomorrow. I may be a conman, but I can be honest when it counts. I can find you something better than this miserable place. A fresh start somewhere else. All you have to do is hand over that little book and turn your back on the Goddess. Scary, I know, but I..." He glanced at Valkyrie. "...We can take care of you. This is your only shot at a second chance at life." Rei extended his hand with a charming smile. "The only question is...will you take it?"

@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky​

 

[Takumi]

MUSEUM
And so, Crimson's unbelievably slow, unbelievably detailed tour of the Temple's facilities began. Every statue had a long, winding story and an even longer tangent attached to it. Xander seemed intrigued enough, but it wasn't long until Pym fell back a step or two. He let Crimson say his piece as he fiddled with the small, wired device he had removed from his pocket.

Crimson busy was describing the life and times of Maddie Palmer when a striking pain filled Alice's ear.

[Hello? Is this thing on?] QORI chirped. [Sorry, pet. The backwards tech Eli's equipped you with takes a little bit of getting used to. I'm calling you on a subliminal wave-length, so don't worry-- you're the only one who can hear me nagging. I'll cut to the chase, Sugar. Call me QORI, the new and improved CORI. Less Murder. More charm. But that's not too important now. What matters is that you cease the opportunity standing before you. You see, Eli's jabbed you with a teeny tiny recording device with you went in for that lovely hug. It's under your collar. It contains a full-transcript of your little chat with Crimson. I'm sure that Dr.Pym would love to hear all about Crimson's little death-cult. You might like to give it to him. It might help you accomplish one of Captain White's missions. Food for thought.]

@Takumi

LIBRARY
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
With a final, bestial scream, the last of the Librarian's flames were stripped from her core. Smoke filled the room as her 'heart' clattered against the tiles. The Godless shifted the rubble from atop themselves and cradled their wounds.
"Glad that's over..." Yuri muttered to himself. "Still. I can't shake the feeling that we could have avoid all of this if we had just used our big-boy words..."
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Balthus clicked his shoulder back into place without so much as a wince. "We taught here a lesson. That's what counts. She won't but sizzling anymore magazines, that's for sure."

"Not the hot-date I was looking for, let me tell you..." Niles muttered to himself as he pocketed the Librarian's core. "Anyone see where that weird chick ran off to? The ginger?"

Nina shrugged her response.
"Dunno. No sign of that white-haired guy neither. You think Valkyrie clapped them to death?"

"Doubt it. Whoever they were, I doubt this is the last we've seen of them... tragically." Yuri looped his hands behind his head as stepped into the Records Chamber. "Let's wrap things up here and hit the road... Now, if I were the Tome of Spiders, where would I hide..."

@Jeremi

RECORDS CHAMBER
View attachment 7814
"The Record Room... well, you see... it's quite large..." Mercie lowered her voice as she led Rei into the dimly lit record chamber. "We've got over a thousand Imperial Approved tomes and documents on display. Not all are publicly available, mind you, but... but I might be able to make an exception for today, sir. If your eyesight isn't what it was, perhaps you could tell me what you're looking for? They're sorted alphabetically, but..." Mercedes thinned her eyes. "But... what is a man with such poor eyesight doing searching for a book?"

@Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee


SECRET CHAMBER
No-Name rolled into Jeff's arms and buried her head in his chest.
"Please..." She whimpered. "Please... it's been 5 years... Take me home..."
Flayn's tear-filled eyes stared weekly up at her two rescuers.
"I just want to go home..."
[Jeff. Katara. Pym just touched down in the Temple. The Imps are going to be tightening their security real soon.] Soranik's voice echoed in the Returned's ears. [What's your situation? We've lost contact with the others.]

@Takumi @Capri

BASEMENT
Blackheart hit the floor. Or, more accurately, he hit the floor twice, the two halves of his body striking the concrete one after the other. Black bloody crept across the chamber and pooled at the Slayer's feet.
"Good... Good... Your reputation is well earned, Slayer..."
A disembodied voice cooed.
"Still. Blackheart was foolish enough to die once already. He's unworthy of you... talents..."
Dark leeches crawled out of the demons two, cleaved halves. The tendrils dragged the two tattered pieces of the Hell-Lord back to force a single, bloody piece once again. An invisible hand pulled Blackheart back up onto his feet as if he was little more than a discarded toy. His fingers twitched as new-life was wheezed into his fragile form once again.
Blackheart cracked his neck and turned back to face his foe.
"Again." He replied bluntly. "Do it again."
Blackheart called his hands. A beam of dark thunder burned the air between the men. The force of a thousand storms struck the Slayer's spine. But his body was not tossed or thrown. The Demon's Blood- now a hive of writhing, wriggling black maggots- held him in place. They gave their lives to their Dark-Father's cause as a thousands upon thousands of volts burned through their fleshy bodies.
Blackheart wrapped his great fingers around the Slayer's helmet and started the squeeze.
"You'll make short work of him, of that I'm certain. It'll be loud, bloody work, but short nonetheless. Have your fun playing with this meat toy of yours. Just remember to save your strength for the others..."
Three more great demons loomed behind the slayer.
A spindly creature of wood and cobwebs.
A bright creature molded from black stones and emerald flames.
A glassy, white beast riddled with bloody holes and black scorch marks.
"After all, the dead cannot hope to challenge the living. The three behind you... their flesh is still fresh. Have fun with them. Do what you do best..."

@Crunch​

Alice nearly flinched at the pain in her ear. When the fuck...?

She didn't know what was worse, QORI's voice or listening to Crimson go on and on during this tour. Besides, she wouldn't be too surprised if whatever he was saying on this tour were boldfaced lies.

Now, how was she going to expose Crimson's little cult? She took a quick glance to make sure no inquisitors would hear at least. She, admittedly, didn't like being around them anyway. Falling back until she was with Pym, she placed her hand in her pocket.

Crimson'd be pissed at her but she didn't give too much of a fuck about it. She was pretty sure, sooner or later, the death-cult wouldn't be so secret to those of the Empire after he claimed to want to help her bring that maniac of a Goddess down.

"Y'know, Pym, Crimson here has a bit of a fascination with death. Even has his own death cult." She spoke casually, glancing at the man a moment before eyeing Crimson herself. Was it shitty how she went about it? Maybe, but she was serious in her expression and depending on how Crimson (or even Xander) reacted she was ready to fight if she had to.

She was almost always ready to fight when it came down to it, but she knew that sometimes it just wasn't worth it. Anyway this whole situation was shitty in general.

@Sark @Lucky @Museum

RECORDS CHAMBER
"Tome of Spiders..." Mercie repeated to herself. She didn't waste anymore time. She ran her finger along the bottom of one of the chamber's dusty shelves until it crossed the path of--
View attachment 7823
"Here it is!" Mercie pulled upon the book's spine and let it slip down into the crease of her hand. "The Tome of Spiders... I can't say I've read this one, but if Saburo's teachers requested that..."

Wait.
Now that she was saying it out loud...
Something didn't add up.

"Saburo isn't a common name." Merice muttered, drawing the book closer in towards her chest. "You wouldn't happen to be referring to Saburo Yamada, would you? Working in the library... music is all I have. It was never my cup of tea, but that boy... he's quite famous. And your voice... It's familiar... You... You..."
Her eyes widened.
"You're from Dotsuitare Hompo! You... You're Rosho Tsutsujimori!! You're the conman who tried starting his own religion!"

The Record Chamber doors came crashing open. Yuri, Ferdinand and Valkyrie burst into the room. Mercie flinched and stepped back into the bookcase.
"Well... this is unfortunate. I hope we haven't interrupted something intimate..."
"Yuri?" Mercie gasped. "You're alive! You're... you're involved in this too?"
Nervous conviction replaced her surprise.
"I need to alert the librarian... Or the Inquisitors, are anybody! Fugitives like you... you're not supposed to be here!"

@Lucky @Jeremi @Yun Lee

SECRET CHAMBER
Flayn stopped holding back. For the first time since her arrival, she let herself feel all the things she had been holding back. Her tears darkened Jeff's shirt. A second passed. Her cries and whimpers were drowned out by Soranik's protestations.

[We don't have a minute. You need to get out of there. The Inquisitors are doing a full sweep of the Top-Floors. Find a way to extract Flayn and return to the Camp!]

The sound of heavy footsteps rattled up the stairs outside Flayn's chamber. Jeff and Katara had 2 minutes tops before the guards were upon them.
With exiting via the staircase off the table, their escape options were limited. They had 3 options.

Hide.
Make a break for the stained glass window at the end of the hall and take a leap of faith.
Flee further up the tower, towards the High Council Chamber.

Time was running out. They had to make a decision.

@Takumi @Capri​

Katara bit her lip as she tried to take a quick glance out of the window, to try and determine how high of a fall it might be but also if there was any body of water nearby that she could see that could potentially help break their fall.

@Sark @Capri

 

[Sark]

Alice nearly flinched at the pain in her ear. When the fuck...?

She didn't know what was worse, QORI's voice or listening to Crimson go on and on during this tour. Besides, she wouldn't be too surprised if whatever he was saying on this tour were boldfaced lies.

Now, how was she going to expose Crimson's little cult? She took a quick glance to make sure no inquisitors would hear at least. She, admittedly, didn't like being around them anyway. Falling back until she was with Pym, she placed her hand in her pocket.

Crimson'd be pissed at her but she didn't give too much of a fuck about it. She was pretty sure, sooner or later, the death-cult wouldn't be so secret to those of the Empire after he claimed to want to help her bring that maniac of a Goddess down.

"Y'know, Pym, Crimson here has a bit of a fascination with death. Even has his own death cult." She spoke casually, glancing at the man a moment before eyeing Crimson herself. Was it shitty how she went about it? Maybe, but she was serious in her expression and depending on how Crimson (or even Xander) reacted she was ready to fight if she had to.

She was almost always ready to fight when it came down to it, but she knew that sometimes it just wasn't worth it. Anyway this whole situation was shitty in general.

MUSEUM
Pym raised an eyebrow. The tour just got interesting.
"Is this true, Crimson?" Hank folded his arms and smiled smugly. "You're running a death cult?"
Xander's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. His eyes thinned into razors.
"Curious. I was under the impression that the Imperial Faith was monotheistic, or does that tent only apply to the masses and not to saints such as yourself?"
Crimson shifted on the spot. His forced 'polite' tone was gone. His dark eyes danced between Alice and Pym.
"She's lying."
"And what reason does she have to do that?"
"What reason do I have to lie in turn?" Crimson squinted, answering Xander's question with a question of his own. "Am I not innocent until proven guilty? If my pupil wishes to accuse me with such baseless accusations, she would be wise to provide you something more than a single testimony before she demands your--"
"Demands our what, Father?" Xander took a step closer to the Priest. "Before she demands our faith?"
"Tell me, Alice:" Pym presented Alice with warm, open smile. "Can you support these claims? Do you have something you'd like to share?"

@Takumi

Rei pursed his lips, clearly upset by what Mercie had just said. "Oh, now don't tell me...for the past five years, has Rosho really been getting all the credit for my hard work? I could've sworn I'd used the name Amayado when joining up with the Fellowship..."

Though as his group rejoined them all, Rei was determined to get that book. He didn't come all this way to leave empty-handed. "Now now, Miss...is that really what you want? What you truly and deeply desire? To go back to that fiery librarian of yours, rat us out for a pat on the head, and go right back to being her personal chew toy in a thankless job like this one for the rest of your life? I've seen what the daily grind does to bright-eyed young adults, it turns them into ticking time-bombs full of pent-up spite and anxiety who lose all sense of imagination and self-worth. That's why I decided to make my own way in life. And maybe you can, too."

"Consider this your lucky break. Your one-way ticket to a better tomorrow. I may be a conman, but I can be honest when it counts. I can find you something better than this miserable place. A fresh start somewhere else. All you have to do is hand over that little book and turn your back on the Goddess. Scary, I know, but I..." He glanced at Valkyrie. "...We can take care of you. This is your only shot at a second chance at life." Rei extended his hand with a charming smile. "The only question is...will you take it?"

RECORDS CHAMBER
Mercie froze for a moment, her eyes glowing like a Doe's.
Her fingers slowly grew less and less tense. She let the Tomes slip through her hand a little.
"Mr. Rosho... Or Amayado, as you call yourself..." She took a step closer to the conman. "I want to believe you. I want it like I've wanted nothing else before... But there have been others like you. There have been other smooth-talkers and would-be revolutionaries. All heretics meet the same fate... all of them. There are no exceptions..."
She pulled the book away from her chest and ran her fingers across its embossed cover.
"If I side with you... If I stand against her..."
Mercie turned the book around in her hand and offered it to 'Rosho'.
"I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of hiding. I'm rather die free than live as Her... as Her slave. Take the book. Please. Whatever you need it for- whatever you really need it for- it's yours."
"So she's coming with us now?" Yuri shrugged. "Fine by me. Better hope that the others have found Flayn by now, because we're going to need a bigger HQ..."
"The 'Librarian's Assistant' died in the fire." Mercie nodded proudly. "My name is Mercedes von Martritz. I am a follower of..." She closer her eyes and forced herself to defy the instincts the Empire had drummed into her head. "I am a Follower of Sothis. I was a Goddessian. I was a Secularist. And now? Now I am Goddess. You have promised to keep me safe, Amayado. I'll do what I can to pay you back for that kindness."
"Lovely. We're all one big happy family again. All that remains is for us to find a way out of here... What's the plan, 'Returned'? Do you want to start looking for the others? Or should we play a little more defensively and extract the Tome first? Personally... I say we crack that book open and find out why the Boss wants it so badly..."

@Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee​

 

[Jeremi]

MUSEUM
Pym raised an eyebrow. The tour just got interesting.
"Is this true, Crimson?" Hank folded his arms and smiled smugly. "You're running a death cult?"
Xander's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. His eyes thinned into razors.
"Curious. I was under the impression that the Imperial Faith was monotheistic, or does that tent only apply to the masses and not to saints such as yourself?"
Crimson shifted on the spot. His forced 'polite' tone was gone. His dark eyes danced between Alice and Pym.
"She's lying."
"And what reason does she have to do that?"
"What reason do I have to lie in turn?" Crimson squinted, answering Xander's question with a question of his own. "Am I not innocent until proven guilty? If my pupil wishes to accuse me with such baseless accusations, she would be wise to provide you something more than a single testimony before she demands your--"
"Demands our what, Father?" Xander took a step closer to the Priest. "Before she demands our faith?"
"Tell me, Alice:" Pym presented Alice with warm, open smile. "Can you support these claims? Do you have something you'd like to share?"

@Takumi


RECORDS CHAMBER
Mercie froze for a moment, her eyes glowing like a Doe's.
Her fingers slowly grew less and less tense. She let the Tomes slip through her hand a little.
"Mr. Rosho... Or Amayado, as you call yourself..." She took a step closer to the conman. "I want to believe you. I want it like I've wanted nothing else before... But there have been others like you. There have been other smooth-talkers and would-be revolutionaries. All heretics meet the same fate... all of them. There are no exceptions..."
She pulled the book away from her chest and ran her fingers across its embossed cover.
"If I side with you... If I stand against her..."
Mercie turned the book around in her hand and offered it to 'Rosho'.
"I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of hiding. I'm rather die free than live as Her... as Her slave. Take the book. Please. Whatever you need it for- whatever you really need it for- it's yours."
"So she's coming with us now?" Yuri shrugged. "Fine by me. Better hope that the others have found Flayn by now, because we're going to need a bigger HQ..."
"The 'Librarian's Assistant' died in the fire." Mercie nodded proudly. "My name is Mercedes von Martritz. I am a follower of..." She closer her eyes and forced herself to defy the instincts the Empire had drummed into her head. "I am a Follower of Sothis. I was a Goddessian. I was a Secularist. And now? Now I am Goddess. You have promised to keep me safe, Amayado. I'll do what I can to pay you back for that kindness."
"Lovely. We're all one big happy family again. All that remains is for us to find a way out of here... What's the plan, 'Returned'? Do you want to start looking for the others? Or should we play a little more defensively and extract the Tome first? Personally... I say we crack that book open and find out why the Boss wants it so badly..."

@Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee​

"Poetic then that the Librarian was bested as well and aye Mercedes," Valkyrie replied giving Mercedes a courteous bow. "You are a Goddess at that. Putting even the usurper goddess to shame."

To Yuri's question Valkyries eyes fell on the book. "Perhaps it would be best to ascertain its contents before we decide to share it? While this should be a war of independence...I can not say that the leaders are some I fully trust."

@Sark @Yun Lee @Lucky

 

[Crunch]

MUSEUM
And so, Crimson's unbelievably slow, unbelievably detailed tour of the Temple's facilities began. Every statue had a long, winding story and an even longer tangent attached to it. Xander seemed intrigued enough, but it wasn't long until Pym fell back a step or two. He let Crimson say his piece as he fiddled with the small, wired device he had removed from his pocket.

Crimson busy was describing the life and times of Maddie Palmer when a striking pain filled Alice's ear.

[Hello? Is this thing on?] QORI chirped. [Sorry, pet. The backwards tech Eli's equipped you with takes a little bit of getting used to. I'm calling you on a subliminal wave-length, so don't worry-- you're the only one who can hear me nagging. I'll cut to the chase, Sugar. Call me QORI, the new and improved CORI. Less Murder. More charm. But that's not too important now. What matters is that you cease the opportunity standing before you. You see, Eli's jabbed you with a teeny tiny recording device with you went in for that lovely hug. It's under your collar. It contains a full-transcript of your little chat with Crimson. I'm sure that Dr.Pym would love to hear all about Crimson's little death-cult. You might like to give it to him. It might help you accomplish one of Captain White's missions. Food for thought.]

@Takumi

LIBRARY
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
With a final, bestial scream, the last of the Librarian's flames were stripped from her core. Smoke filled the room as her 'heart' clattered against the tiles. The Godless shifted the rubble from atop themselves and cradled their wounds.
"Glad that's over..." Yuri muttered to himself. "Still. I can't shake the feeling that we could have avoid all of this if we had just used our big-boy words..."
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Balthus clicked his shoulder back into place without so much as a wince. "We taught here a lesson. That's what counts. She won't but sizzling anymore magazines, that's for sure."

"Not the hot-date I was looking for, let me tell you..." Niles muttered to himself as he pocketed the Librarian's core. "Anyone see where that weird chick ran off to? The ginger?"

Nina shrugged her response.
"Dunno. No sign of that white-haired guy neither. You think Valkyrie clapped them to death?"

"Doubt it. Whoever they were, I doubt this is the last we've seen of them... tragically." Yuri looped his hands behind his head as stepped into the Records Chamber. "Let's wrap things up here and hit the road... Now, if I were the Tome of Spiders, where would I hide..."

@Jeremi

RECORDS CHAMBER
View attachment 7814
"The Record Room... well, you see... it's quite large..." Mercie lowered her voice as she led Rei into the dimly lit record chamber. "We've got over a thousand Imperial Approved tomes and documents on display. Not all are publicly available, mind you, but... but I might be able to make an exception for today, sir. If your eyesight isn't what it was, perhaps you could tell me what you're looking for? They're sorted alphabetically, but..." Mercedes thinned her eyes. "But... what is a man with such poor eyesight doing searching for a book?"

@Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee


SECRET CHAMBER
No-Name rolled into Jeff's arms and buried her head in his chest.
"Please..." She whimpered. "Please... it's been 5 years... Take me home..."
Flayn's tear-filled eyes stared weekly up at her two rescuers.
"I just want to go home..."
[Jeff. Katara. Pym just touched down in the Temple. The Imps are going to be tightening their security real soon.] Soranik's voice echoed in the Returned's ears. [What's your situation? We've lost contact with the others.]

@Takumi @Capri

BASEMENT
Blackheart hit the floor. Or, more accurately, he hit the floor twice, the two halves of his body striking the concrete one after the other. Black bloody crept across the chamber and pooled at the Slayer's feet.
"Good... Good... Your reputation is well earned, Slayer..."
A disembodied voice cooed.
"Still. Blackheart was foolish enough to die once already. He's unworthy of you... talents..."
Dark leeches crawled out of the demons two, cleaved halves. The tendrils dragged the two tattered pieces of the Hell-Lord back to force a single, bloody piece once again. An invisible hand pulled Blackheart back up onto his feet as if he was little more than a discarded toy. His fingers twitched as new-life was wheezed into his fragile form once again.
Blackheart cracked his neck and turned back to face his foe.
"Again." He replied bluntly. "Do it again."
Blackheart called his hands. A beam of dark thunder burned the air between the men. The force of a thousand storms struck the Slayer's spine. But his body was not tossed or thrown. The Demon's Blood- now a hive of writhing, wriggling black maggots- held him in place. They gave their lives to their Dark-Father's cause as a thousands upon thousands of volts burned through their fleshy bodies.
Blackheart wrapped his great fingers around the Slayer's helmet and started the squeeze.
"You'll make short work of him, of that I'm certain. It'll be loud, bloody work, but short nonetheless. Have your fun playing with this meat toy of yours. Just remember to save your strength for the others..."
Three more great demons loomed behind the slayer.
A spindly creature of wood and cobwebs.
A bright creature molded from black stones and emerald flames.
A glassy, white beast riddled with bloody holes and black scorch marks.
"After all, the dead cannot hope to challenge the living. The three behind you... their flesh is still fresh. Have fun with them. Do what you do best..."

@Crunch​

"...!"

A sharp grunt croaked from behind the Slayer's helmet - a guttural snarl, like that of a predator being held just inches away from its prey. Watching the Fallen King stitch himself back together with little consequence, the marine took a bold step forward with the intent to undo his resurrection through the precise application of shotgun shells. Still, a sharp blow to his spine forced the Hell Walker to his knees.

A voice swirls in the darkness of his mind. Words scrape past his ears like clawed fingers taunting his supple flesh, beckoning the beast to crawl out from its rusty cage. The Slayer's snarls died at the monstrous shadows standing over his shoulder. His head craned upward, barely flinching at Blackheart's touch as his claws began to dig into the outermost plating of his helm.

Beneath the glass, the demon could see the face of the creature who had earned the designation of 'Slayer'. Swimming the recesses of the helmet, the faintest suggestion of a human face stared back at Blackheart through a thin glass pane. Of all his features, it was the eyes that called out to the demon-king the most. His brow furrowed slightly. His gaze briefly shot to the sides of his helm, then back out at Blackheart.

The edges of his mouth curled upward at a sharp angle. Bloodied teeth bared back from the dark. At that moment, Blackheart realized that the Slayer was smiling.

ssshhh-pop!

The Doom Slayer's head vanished from inside the helmet. Then, two shotgun barrels pressed against the thickest part of the demon's thigh.

chk-BOOM!

A thunderclap of gunfire lit the room, black chunks of meat splattering the ground behind what was once Blackheart's mangled leg. A dull green blur rolled out from under the demon king as gravity drew his unbalanced mass to the floor, a discarded green helmet clutched firmly within his claws. The marine forced his legs against the ground, springing to a standing position and spinning about in a circle, leveling the other half of his shotgun against the back of Blackheart's regenerating head.

chk-BOOM!

The maggots would be forced to work overtime, as the entirety of the Demon King's withered head, as well as parts of his upper torso and shoulders, was now scattered across the room as writhing black chunks of steaming meat. Crraack! Almost as soon as it was discharged, he cracked the shotgun open against his knee. Two spent shells flew from the barrel while another two quickly took their place. Snnap.

A towering man with pallid, cracked skin stood on the other end of the basement opposite from the trio of demons. His brows knitted together for a moment. He seemed confused. He was shocked, perhaps. He glanced down at his armor. He glanced at the shimmering blade clutched in his left hand, and the steaming shotgun clutched in his other.

He glanced back up to the oncoming beasts. Without even a blink, he sharply twisted his neck to one side. Crrrack. Then, to the other. Crrack.

View attachment 7839

And then, the man's face contorted into a wicked grin.

He raised his arms full by his side as if gesturing to the gory scene around him. Flames danced around scorched corpses. Pulsating chunks of viscera lay splattered about the ceiling, the walls, and the ground. Discarded shotgun shells and simmering red slash marks lay still at his feet.

He parted his lips. "Come."

@Sark


​

 

[Yun Lee]

Rei grinned. Another day, another person in his debt. Though...maybe he could go easy on this one. She was risking her life to help them after all. And besides...Valkyrie would probably kick his ass if anything happened to this girl. And maybe, just maybe, he felt like being nice for once. Mercedes was in his care now, so her safety was his responsibility. Ugh. Did being in that void give him some empathy? That's just gonna make his line of work more complicated...

But as Yuri and Valkyrie both expressed their interest in the tome, Rei had to agree. "It's not like the Captain told us not to open it, right?" Taking the book from Mercedes, Rei casually opened it. He doubted he'd understand anything written on the pages if it was all some magical mumbo-jumbo, but you always inspect the wares before you deliver.

@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky​

 

[Capri]

JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark @Takumi

“I don’t know about the window...” Jeff said, “unless there’s something to cushion us...”

He joined Katara at the window, peering out.​

 

[Takumi]

MUSEUM
Pym raised an eyebrow. The tour just got interesting.
"Is this true, Crimson?" Hank folded his arms and smiled smugly. "You're running a death cult?"
Xander's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. His eyes thinned into razors.
"Curious. I was under the impression that the Imperial Faith was monotheistic, or does that tent only apply to the masses and not to saints such as yourself?"
Crimson shifted on the spot. His forced 'polite' tone was gone. His dark eyes danced between Alice and Pym.
"She's lying."
"And what reason does she have to do that?"
"What reason do I have to lie in turn?" Crimson squinted, answering Xander's question with a question of his own. "Am I not innocent until proven guilty? If my pupil wishes to accuse me with such baseless accusations, she would be wise to provide you something more than a single testimony before she demands your--"
"Demands our what, Father?" Xander took a step closer to the Priest. "Before she demands our faith?"
"Tell me, Alice:" Pym presented Alice with warm, open smile. "Can you support these claims? Do you have something you'd like to share?"

@Takumi


RECORDS CHAMBER
Mercie froze for a moment, her eyes glowing like a Doe's.
Her fingers slowly grew less and less tense. She let the Tomes slip through her hand a little.
"Mr. Rosho... Or Amayado, as you call yourself..." She took a step closer to the conman. "I want to believe you. I want it like I've wanted nothing else before... But there have been others like you. There have been other smooth-talkers and would-be revolutionaries. All heretics meet the same fate... all of them. There are no exceptions..."
She pulled the book away from her chest and ran her fingers across its embossed cover.
"If I side with you... If I stand against her..."
Mercie turned the book around in her hand and offered it to 'Rosho'.
"I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of hiding. I'm rather die free than live as Her... as Her slave. Take the book. Please. Whatever you need it for- whatever you really need it for- it's yours."
"So she's coming with us now?" Yuri shrugged. "Fine by me. Better hope that the others have found Flayn by now, because we're going to need a bigger HQ..."
"The 'Librarian's Assistant' died in the fire." Mercie nodded proudly. "My name is Mercedes von Martritz. I am a follower of..." She closer her eyes and forced herself to defy the instincts the Empire had drummed into her head. "I am a Follower of Sothis. I was a Goddessian. I was a Secularist. And now? Now I am Goddess. You have promised to keep me safe, Amayado. I'll do what I can to pay you back for that kindness."
"Lovely. We're all one big happy family again. All that remains is for us to find a way out of here... What's the plan, 'Returned'? Do you want to start looking for the others? Or should we play a little more defensively and extract the Tome first? Personally... I say we crack that book open and find out why the Boss wants it so badly..."

@Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee​

"Easy there, big guy." Alice spoke up to Xander as he looked about ready to throttle the Priest. Granted, she wouldn't have minded much, but she was sure that could wait a bit.

With Pym addressing her, she crossed her arms at his warm tone. It put her at ease a little. Just a little.

"Yeah, I do actually." She replied. Now, she just had to figure out how to show it to him...

She wasn't quite sure how'd she show him now that she thought about it, but she'd find a way.

@Sark @Museum

JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark @Takumi

“I don’t know about the window...” Jeff said, “unless there’s something to cushion us...”

He joined Katara at the window, peering out.​

"I wanted to see if there was any body of water nearby, then at least I could count on my bending to help us from too bad of a fall." She replied, then sighed.

"I could risk it and try pulling water from the air on the way down, but..." She trailed off, unsure on if that'd help at all. The window in general was a bit risky, nearby body of water or not. They only had three options so far, even with their limited time.

@Sark @Capri

 

[Sark]

"Poetic then that the Librarian was bested as well and aye Mercedes," Valkyrie replied giving Mercedes a courteous bow. "You are a Goddess at that. Putting even the usurper goddess to shame."

To Yuri's question Valkyries eyes fell on the book. "Perhaps it would be best to ascertain its contents before we decide to share it? While this should be a war of independence...I can not say that the leaders are some I fully trust."

@Sark @Yun Lee @Lucky

But as Yuri and Valkyrie both expressed their interest in the tome, Rei had to agree. "It's not like the Captain told us not to open it, right?" Taking the book from Mercedes, Rei casually opened it. He doubted he'd understand anything written on the pages if it was all some magical mumbo-jumbo, but you always inspect the wares before you deliver.

LIBRARY
Mercedes was too busy covering his blushing cheeks with her view to prove a swift response to Valkyrie's bow. A sweet, yet sheepish, 'thank you' was all she could muster, given the circumstances. Even as the Godless started crowding around the book, the bishop kept the Asgardian in the corner of her eye, he cheeks curled into a slight smile.

"Now that is a sentiment I can get behind..." Yuri smiled, rushing to Rei's side to get a better look at the Tome's contents. "I respect a man who knows his loopholes..."

The book slowly creaked open. It's contents were revealed. It contained....

Nothing. It's pages was blank.

"Funny..."

Yuri flipped through a few more stained pages. The book contained nothing but cobwebs.

"'Tome of Spiders'?" Nina sighed. "More like the 'Tome of Jack Shit'..."
"Are you sure this is the correct Tome, Lady Von Martritz?" Ferdinand stroked his chin with the back of his glove. "There's not chance that it might have been put back in the wrong place?"
"No... No, I'm sure of it. This is the book you're searching for."
View attachment 7865
"Aww... Then 'the Boss' must have given us the wrong title." Balthus grumbled. "That blows..."
"What were you expecting?"
"Prophecies and junk," The King of Brawling shrugged. "CORI was being kinda ominous about the whole thing... Hey, maybe the real Tome of Spiders was the friends we made along the way?"
"This is not time for jokes, Bal." Nina slumped her shoulders. "We've just risked our necks for a load of garbage..."
[Garbage? Pfft are all the women on this planet as odious as you?]
"Still..." Yuri ran his fingers through his hair. "Eli wants the book. We might as well deliver it to him. The book might be worthless, but the look on his face when he finds that out? You can't put a price on that..."
[Oh... so the men of this realm are even worse? I've been asleep for the past 3 and a half years and this is the wake up I get? Complaints and whines?]
"Yeah, you're right, Yuri. Might as well hit the road. Maybe he's just looking for a book to level out his copy table or somethin'..."

[BOOOOOM!]

The Temple was shaken to its core. Clouds of dust descended from the Records Chamber's ceiling. Books were sent tumbling from their places on their shelves.
"DAMN!" Balthus exclaimed. "What kind of Earthquake was that?"
View attachment 7866
"That wasn't an earthquake, Bal..." Ferdinand muttered, leaning against his shield. "That was a explosion... A Tarnax Explosion."
"Are you sure?" Yuri squinted, reaching for his sword. "Ferdinand, are you sure?"
"I'm certain. That sound has been keeping me awake for the past 5 years." Ferdinand replied, coldly. "Tarnax bombs haven't been deployed since the Secularists fell. The Empire decommissioned the last of them a few years back. If they're being used again..."
"Then we're trouble..."
[You can say that again...]
"Because there's only one species in the galaxy that can produce a weapon like that... there's only one species in the galaxy that could sneak one past the Inquisitors... Are they're supposed to be extinct... We need to get back to the museum... We need to move! Now!"

"Easy there, big guy." Alice spoke up to Xander as he looked about ready to throttle the Priest. Granted, she wouldn't have minded much, but she was sure that could wait a bit.

With Pym addressing her, she crossed her arms at his warm tone. It put her at ease a little. Just a little.

"Yeah, I do actually." She replied. Now, she just had to figure out how to show it to him...

She wasn't quite sure how'd she show him now that she thought about it, but she'd find a way.

MUSEUM
Pym took the recording device from Alice's hand and held it in his.
"Remarkable... It's truly remarkable..." Doctor Pym smirked, raising it to his eye. "Micro-technology..."
"It must truly be impressive to blow you away, Doctor Pym..." Crimson cautiously reached for his belt. "Especially considering that micro-tech is one of your fields of expertise..."
"Hm? Oh, yes..." Pym shook his head. "Yes... You're right. It's especially impressive. Thank you, Allison. I'll review your recordings in due time..."
"Allison..." Crimson repeated to himself. "Do you want to try that one again, Doctor?"
"You know what?" Pym rolled his eyes. "I don't think I will..."
Hank closed his hand into a fist, protecting the recording device from harm.
"What would the point be? I've got what I've what I came here to secure..." Pym's eyes grew dark. His smirk twisted into a grin. "Thank you, Alice. You've done my people a great service today. I think this is the start of beautiful alliance, don't you?"
Pym slipped the Recording Device into the device he had been tinkering with. The Audio from Alice and Crimson's underground conversation was streamed across the Temple. The Museums exhibits flickered and flashed, just as they had when George Sear's message had played earlier that day.
"I mean, the Godless and the Secularists fighting for the same cause? It was meant to be..."
"Doctor Pym?" Xander clenched the hilt of his sword. "Doctor Pym what are you saying?"
"Doctor?" Pym hissed. "Doctor? Don't insult me with such a title. My rank is far higher than that of a primitive physician!"
View attachment 7867
"You're standing before a Queen!"
Pym raised his device to his eyes. He fired a quick blast of plasma into the King's forehead. He was dead before he could cry out in pain.
"You are relieved of your duties, false king!"
The next few seconds seemed to crawl on forever.
The museum goers turned and ran. Their screams filled the Temple.
Crimson turned and cried out for his guards.
The Kanzuki Foundation volunteers opened up the crates that had carried in from their ship. They removed their blasters. They opened fire upon the Inquisitors before they could aid their beloved Priest.
A green second-skin slowly crawled across Hank Pym's face. His stretched across his chest and arms. It smoothed out ever feature until he was completely unrecognizable.
"Your demons are coming back to haunt you, Goddessian."
View attachment 7868
"My God is a forgiving one, Crimson..." The Skrull smiled, finishing up her tinkering. "Even after all you done to Him... Even after all you've done to my people... He still loves you... can you say the same about your Goddess?"
Queen Veranke dropped her Tarnax Bomb. An explosion gutted the museum with flames.

BOOOOOOOM!

"I wanted to see if there was any body of water nearby, then at least I could count on my bending to help us from too bad of a fall." She replied, then sighed.

"I could risk it and try pulling water from the air on the way down, but..." She trailed off, unsure on if that'd help at all. The window in general was a bit risky, nearby body of water or not. They only had three options so far, even with their limited time.

@Sark @Capri

“I don’t know about the window...” Jeff said, “unless there’s something to cushion us...”

He joined Katara at the window, peering out.

SECOND FLOOR
If Katara squinted, she might have been able to make out the outline of a small, decorative fountain sitting in the center of the courtyard bellow. Beyond that, the courtyard was voice of anything soft enough to break their fall, just as Jeff had theorized. If they took a leap, they could probably walk away with a few broken bones if they were lucky. Perhaps jumping wasn't the best---

BOOOOOM!

An explosion on the floor bellow sent shock-wave rippling upwards towards Katara, Jeff and Flayn. The trio were straight through the stained-glass window. Flayn let out a terrified cry she and her new friends were sent hurtling towards the stones bellow...

@Capri @Takumi
MUSEUM
"It's good to be me again..." Veranke muttered to herself, finally lettering her long, raven hair flow freely. "Wearing a face of a traitor such as he for so long... I'm surprised that I managed to keep it together..."
View attachment 7870
Veranke strutted across the ruins of the museum and placed herself beneath the enormous statue of the Goddess that watched over the hall.
"Where are you now, An'Lu'Munus? Where are your all seeing eyes? Even as your followers burn you continue to cower in your heavens? Strike this blissful sinner down like the mongrel she is... deliver your people!" Veranke closed her eyes and waited for some divine intervention. It never came. "That's what I thought..."
The Skrull Queen turned back to face her allies, the Kanzuki 'Volunteers'. They formed a line before her and bowed in her honor. Half a decade on the run had killed her love of ceremony. She dismissed their respect and got down to business.
"Alpha Team: Sweep the floor. Locate Crimson. Put. Him. Down. Ms.Swayne might have helped us to destroy his reputation, but he's a host onto himself. He'll continue to be a thorn in our side, whether he has his Parish or not."
"Beta Team: Place the remaining Tarnax Charges at the base of the High Council Tower. We're sending the world a message it can't ignore: Nowhere is safe. Send my old office crashing down to the ground. Bury the past."
"Charlie Team: Sweep the museum survivors. Inquisitors. Pilgrims. It doesn't matter. Send them to their Goddess. We're building a legend here, boys. Survivors will only lessen the impact of this tragedy."
"Delta Team: Secure the Chosen's statues. Drag them outside. And move quickly... the Empire's Reinforcements could be here any minutes..."
"You have your orders. Now go!"
The Foundation's soldiers got to work. Their rifles armed and ready to fire, the Alpha and Charlie slowly shifted through the rubble.
Alice and Henry lied buried. From their places on the floor, they could make out that concussed body of Father Crimson. His ring had saved his life, but even he couldn't shake of a Tarnax blast at such close range. Bloodied and beaten, his was barely able to remove the wooden beams from atop his chest. The Foundation's Volunteers were getting closer by the second. If they reached Crimson, his miserable life would surely be at an end. He stared up at Alice with hate burning in his eyes.

@Takumi @Lucky

The Doom Slayer's head vanished from inside the helmet. Then, two shotgun barrels pressed against the thickest part of the demon's thigh.

chk-BOOM!

A thunderclap of gunfire lit the room, black chunks of meat splattering the ground behind what was once Blackheart's mangled leg. A dull green blur rolled out from under the demon king as gravity drew his unbalanced mass to the floor, a discarded green helmet clutched firmly within his claws. The marine forced his legs against the ground, springing to a standing position and spinning about in a circle, leveling the other half of his shotgun against the back of Blackheart's regenerating head.

chk-BOOM!

The maggots would be forced to work overtime, as the entirety of the Demon King's withered head, as well as parts of his upper torso and shoulders, was now scattered across the room as writhing black chunks of steaming meat. Crraack! Almost as soon as it was discharged, he cracked the shotgun open against his knee. Two spent shells flew from the barrel while another two quickly took their place. Snnap.

A towering man with pallid, cracked skin stood on the other end of the basement opposite from the trio of demons. His brows knitted together for a moment. He seemed confused. He was shocked, perhaps. He glanced down at his armor. He glanced at the shimmering blade clutched in his left hand, and the steaming shotgun clutched in his other.

He glanced back up to the oncoming beasts. Without even a blink, he sharply twisted his neck to one side. Crrrack. Then, to the other. Crrack.

And then, the man's face contorted into a wicked grin.

He raised his arms full by his side as if gesturing to the gory scene around him. Flames danced around scorched corpses. Pulsating chunks of viscera lay splattered about the ceiling, the walls, and the ground. Discarded shotgun shells and simmering red slash marks lay still at his feet.

He parted his lips. "Come."

BASEMENT
The chunks of meat that could have formerly been described as 'Blackheart' lopped against the floor. The Maggots weren't designed to repair severed limbs and simple bullet wounds. The mangling the Slayer had inflicted upon their host, however? The Nest couldn't keep up. Confused to the point of madness, the insects frantically drew whatever lumps of flesh they could grab hold of into a single location. The result was a lifeless, bloody pulp twitching and wriggling at the Slayer's feet.

The three additional demons hesitated for a moment or two. They traded looks of surprise and terror as the true Demon before them welcome their approach.

The wooden creature pleaded in some long forgotten language, its hands raised before its chest.

The flaming creature was less cautious. In a flash of green, it charged towards the Slayer, its great arms stretched wide. Initially lacking the strength to tackle the Slayer as it had intended, the demon redouble its efforts with a furious scream. It's flesh burned brighter. It's form grew larger. Slowly, the Slayer would find himself skidding backwards across the chamber and towards a horde of Gray Men. The Undead assisted in the Flaming Demon's assault. Seeking to overwhelm their foe by force of numbers alone, the Gray Men clambered over the Slayer's metallic form. Thin, twitching fingers clawed at his face. Eyes. Mouth. Ears. Any exposed flesh was clawed at and tugged upon.

The Gray Men made no distinction between friend and foe. The flaming demon was forced to cease charging to swat away a Gray Man or two from its person before they could claim a mouthful or two of its own flesh.

The Hole-Riddled Beast ran its fingers across its chest. Its fingers extended into grotesque, dripping blades. With a scream, it charged towards the Slayer. It drew back its claws, seeking to impale the Slayer's recently-reattached arm. It appeared as if- for some twisted reason- the Pale Demon wished to preserve the Slayer's head.

@Crunch​

 

[Capri]

JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark @Takumi

"Ghah!"

Jeff could see his life flashing before his eyes as he hurdled down towards the ground below.

This is it he thought, this is the end.

That was all he could think of until he heard Flayn's cry for help.

"FLAYN!" he cried, reaching out to her and cradling her. He desired to use himself as a shield to protect Flayn from the fall, hopefully keeping her alive.

He didn't care if he survived the fall or not, all he wanted was for Flayn to live as a free woman.​

 

[Takumi]

LIBRARY
Mercedes was too busy covering his blushing cheeks with her view to prove a swift response to Valkyrie's bow. A sweet, yet sheepish, 'thank you' was all she could muster, given the circumstances. Even as the Godless started crowding around the book, the bishop kept the Asgardian in the corner of her eye, he cheeks curled into a slight smile.

"Now that is a sentiment I can get behind..." Yuri smiled, rushing to Rei's side to get a better look at the Tome's contents. "I respect a man who knows his loopholes..."

The book slowly creaked open. It's contents were revealed. It contained....

Nothing. It's pages was blank.

"Funny..."

Yuri flipped through a few more stained pages. The book contained nothing but cobwebs.

"'Tome of Spiders'?" Nina sighed. "More like the 'Tome of Jack Shit'..."
"Are you sure this is the correct Tome, Lady Von Martritz?" Ferdinand stroked his chin with the back of his glove. "There's not chance that it might have been put back in the wrong place?"
"No... No, I'm sure of it. This is the book you're searching for."
View attachment 7865
"Aww... Then 'the Boss' must have given us the wrong title." Balthus grumbled. "That blows..."
"What were you expecting?"
"Prophecies and junk," The King of Brawling shrugged. "CORI was being kinda ominous about the whole thing... Hey, maybe the real Tome of Spiders was the friends we made along the way?"
"This is not time for jokes, Bal." Nina slumped her shoulders. "We've just risked our necks for a load of garbage..."
[Garbage? Pfft are all the women on this planet as odious as you?]
"Still..." Yuri ran his fingers through his hair. "Eli wants the book. We might as well deliver it to him. The book might be worthless, but the look on his face when he finds that out? You can't put a price on that..."
[Oh... so the men of this realm are even worse? I've been asleep for the past 3 and a half years and this is the wake up I get? Complaints and whines?]
"Yeah, you're right, Yuri. Might as well hit the road. Maybe he's just looking for a book to level out his copy table or somethin'..."

[BOOOOOM!]

The Temple was shaken to its core. Clouds of dust descended from the Records Chamber's ceiling. Books were sent tumbling from their places on their shelves.
"DAMN!" Balthus exclaimed. "What kind of Earthquake was that?"
View attachment 7866
"That wasn't an earthquake, Bal..." Ferdinand muttered, leaning against his shield. "That was a explosion... A Tarnax Explosion."
"Are you sure?" Yuri squinted, reaching for his sword. "Ferdinand, are you sure?"
"I'm certain. That sound has been keeping me awake for the past 5 years." Ferdinand replied, coldly. "Tarnax bombs haven't been deployed since the Secularists fell. The Empire decommissioned the last of them a few years back. If they're being used again..."
"Then we're trouble..."
[You can say that again...]
"Because there's only one species in the galaxy that can produce a weapon like that... there's only one species in the galaxy that could sneak one past the Inquisitors... Are they're supposed to be extinct... We need to get back to the museum... We need to move! Now!"

MUSEUM
Pym took the recording device from Alice's hand and held it in his.
"Remarkable... It's truly remarkable..." Doctor Pym smirked, raising it to his eye. "Micro-technology..."
"It must truly be impressive to blow you away, Doctor Pym..." Crimson cautiously reached for his belt. "Especially considering that micro-tech is one of your fields of expertise..."
"Hm? Oh, yes..." Pym shook his head. "Yes... You're right. It's especially impressive. Thank you, Allison. I'll review your recordings in due time..."
"Allison..." Crimson repeated to himself. "Do you want to try that one again, Doctor?"
"You know what?" Pym rolled his eyes. "I don't think I will..."
Hank closed his hand into a fist, protecting the recording device from harm.
"What would the point be? I've got what I've what I came here to secure..." Pym's eyes grew dark. His smirk twisted into a grin. "Thank you, Alice. You've done my people a great service today. I think this is the start of beautiful alliance, don't you?"
Pym slipped the Recording Device into the device he had been tinkering with. The Audio from Alice and Crimson's underground conversation was streamed across the Temple. The Museums exhibits flickered and flashed, just as they had when George Sear's message had played earlier that day.
"I mean, the Godless and the Secularists fighting for the same cause? It was meant to be..."
"Doctor Pym?" Xander clenched the hilt of his sword. "Doctor Pym what are you saying?"
"Doctor?" Pym hissed. "Doctor? Don't insult me with such a title. My rank is far higher than that of a primitive physician!"
View attachment 7867
"You're standing before a Queen!"
Pym raised his device to his eyes. He fired a quick blast of plasma into the King's forehead. He was dead before he could cry out in pain.
"You are relieved of your duties, false king!"
The next few seconds seemed to crawl on forever.
The museum goers turned and ran. Their screams filled the Temple.
Crimson turned and cried out for his guards.
The Kanzuki Foundation volunteers opened up the crates that had carried in from their ship. They removed their blasters. They opened fire upon the Inquisitors before they could aid their beloved Priest.
A green second-skin slowly crawled across Hank Pym's face. His stretched across his chest and arms. It smoothed out ever feature until he was completely unrecognizable.
"Your demons are coming back to haunt you, Goddessian."
View attachment 7868
"My God is a forgiving one, Crimson..." The Skrull smiled, finishing up her tinkering. "Even after all you done to Him... Even after all you've done to my people... He still loves you... can you say the same about your Goddess?"
Queen Veranke dropped her Tarnax Bomb. An explosion gutted the museum with flames.

BOOOOOOOM!



SECOND FLOOR
If Katara squinted, she might have been able to make out the outline of a small, decorative fountain sitting in the center of the courtyard bellow. Beyond that, the courtyard was voice of anything soft enough to break their fall, just as Jeff had theorized. If they took a leap, they could probably walk away with a few broken bones if they were lucky. Perhaps jumping wasn't the best---

BOOOOOM!

An explosion on the floor bellow sent shock-wave rippling upwards towards Katara, Jeff and Flayn. The trio were straight through the stained-glass window. Flayn let out a terrified cry she and her new friends were sent hurtling towards the stones bellow...

@Capri @Takumi
MUSEUM
"It's good to be me again..." Veranke muttered to herself, finally lettering her long, raven hair flow freely. "Wearing a face of a traitor such as he for so long... I'm surprised that I managed to keep it together..."
View attachment 7870
Veranke strutted across the ruins of the museum and placed herself beneath the enormous statue of the Goddess that watched over the hall.
"Where are you now, An'Lu'Munus? Where are your all seeing eyes? Even as your followers burn you continue to cower in your heavens? Strike this blissful sinner down like the mongrel she is... deliver your people!" Veranke closed her eyes and waited for some divine intervention. It never came. "That's what I thought..."
The Skrull Queen turned back to face her allies, the Kanzuki 'Volunteers'. They formed a line before her and bowed in her honor. Half a decade on the run had killed her love of ceremony. She dismissed their respect and got down to business.
"Alpha Team: Sweep the floor. Locate Crimson. Put. Him. Down. Ms.Swayne might have helped us to destroy his reputation, but he's a host onto himself. He'll continue to be a thorn in our side, whether he has his Parish or not."
"Beta Team: Place the remaining Tarnax Charges at the base of the High Council Tower. We're sending the world a message it can't ignore: Nowhere is safe. Send my old office crashing down to the ground. Bury the past."
"Charlie Team: Sweep the museum survivors. Inquisitors. Pilgrims. It doesn't matter. Send them to their Goddess. We're building a legend here, boys. Survivors will only lessen the impact of this tragedy."
"Delta Team: Secure the Chosen's statues. Drag them outside. And move quickly... the Empire's Reinforcements could be here any minutes..."
"You have your orders. Now go!"
The Foundation's soldiers got to work. Their rifles armed and ready to fire, the Alpha and Charlie slowly shifted through the rubble.
Alice and Henry lied buried. From their places on the floor, they could make out that concussed body of Father Crimson. His ring had saved his life, but even he couldn't shake of a Tarnax blast at such close range. Bloodied and beaten, his was barely able to remove the wooden beams from atop his chest. The Foundation's Volunteers were getting closer by the second. If they reached Crimson, his miserable life would surely be at an end. He stared up at Alice with hate burning in his eyes.

@Takumi @Lucky


BASEMENT
The chunks of meat that could have formerly been described as 'Blackheart' lopped against the floor. The Maggots weren't designed to repair severed limbs and simple bullet wounds. The mangling the Slayer had inflicted upon their host, however? The Nest couldn't keep up. Confused to the point of madness, the insects frantically drew whatever lumps of flesh they could grab hold of into a single location. The result was a lifeless, bloody pulp twitching and wriggling at the Slayer's feet.

The three additional demons hesitated for a moment or two. They traded looks of surprise and terror as the true Demon before them welcome their approach.

The wooden creature pleaded in some long forgotten language, its hands raised before its chest.

The flaming creature was less cautious. In a flash of green, it charged towards the Slayer, its great arms stretched wide. Initially lacking the strength to tackle the Slayer as it had intended, the demon redouble its efforts with a furious scream. It's flesh burned brighter. It's form grew larger. Slowly, the Slayer would find himself skidding backwards across the chamber and towards a horde of Gray Men. The Undead assisted in the Flaming Demon's assault. Seeking to overwhelm their foe by force of numbers alone, the Gray Men clambered over the Slayer's metallic form. Thin, twitching fingers clawed at his face. Eyes. Mouth. Ears. Any exposed flesh was clawed at and tugged upon.

The Gray Men made no distinction between friend and foe. The flaming demon was forced to cease charging to swat away a Gray Man or two from its person before they could claim a mouthful or two of its own flesh.

The Hole-Riddled Beast ran its fingers across its chest. Its fingers extended into grotesque, dripping blades. With a scream, it charged towards the Slayer. It drew back its claws, seeking to impale the Slayer's recently-reattached arm. It appeared as if- for some twisted reason- the Pale Demon wished to preserve the Slayer's head.

@Crunch​

The moment there was a sudden change in the way 'Pym' spoke, she had tensed, eyes narrowing a moment. The feeling that something was wrong settling deep as she moved to approach.

Allison is what did it, what made her realize that something was definitely not right and she barely had time to come any closer before the imposter killed Xander.

"You motherf--" she hissed out under her breath. She fucked up, and she fucked up big time. More importantly, she fell for that same damn trick Arcade pulled on her ten years ago. Anger flashed through her like heat and the temperature spiked a moment more as she tried to reach whoever the fuck this supposed 'Queen' was and get the listening device back, or simply pry the damn machine she had in her hands away after burning Her Majesty's wig.

Then everything erupted into flames and she barely had time to protect herself with her own before everything went to shit.

Once everything stopped spinning, she blinked a moment to get her bearings, and upon seeing the look on Crimson's face, she gave him a look of her own. He could be mad at her as long as he wanted, sure she had a part in it, but Alice was sure whoever this green bitch was had been planning to do this for a long time.

Focusing on Veranke and her goons instead, she attempted to set them on fire with a single thought. She was upset and angry at herself, but moreso at Veranke for using that damn trick on her. She hoped, at least, the listening device wasn't and wouldn't be damaged at all in the end.

Or that QORI also got the conversation between her and Crimson from the listening device beforehand.

@Sark @Lucky @Betrayal

JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark @Takumi

"Ghah!"

Jeff could see his life flashing before his eyes as he hurdled down towards the ground below.

This is it he thought, this is the end.

That was all he could think of until he heard Flayn's cry for help.

"FLAYN!" he cried, reaching out to her and cradling her. He desired to use himself as a shield to protect Flayn from the fall, hopefully keeping her alive.

He didn't care if he survived the fall or not, all he wanted was for Flayn to live as a free woman.​

"Hold onto each other tight!!" Katara cried out as she tried to tap into her bending, and feel the water around them and in the fountain and began to quickly move her arms in an attempt to use her bending to try and help with their fall, to help them survive the fall, at the very least. Hoping to funnel the water around them into a spout and freeze it into some form of slide to get them on the ground with minor injuries at the least. Spirits above, even if she didn't make she hoped the other two would.

@Sark @Capri @Free Falling

 

[Yun Lee]

"Don't have to tell me twice," Rei said, tucking the blank tome under his arm. "Let's get out of here or this revolution will end before its even started!" As much as he'd love to just take off, he needed to make sure Mercedes got out in once piece. Never let it be said that Rei Amayado wasn't good on his word.

@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky​