Omnibus Academy IC

[Takashi]

Kaine, carrying only the duffel bag that contained all of his belongings, soared over the ocean separating the mainland from, according to his information, the island on which was Omnibus Academy. There it was on the horizon, slightly more...colorful than he had expected. As he got closer, it became easier to stay in the air. In fact, by the time he got close to the shore, he found himself unable to land without purposely descending. He spotted several things that were quite unfamiliar, being three glowing people, jellybeans everywhere, and a lot of corpses. "Odd...this place seems to be quite a mess at the moment...", Kaine said with a puzzled look on his face. He slung the duffel bag over his shoulder, flew over to the dock and hovered there for a bit. "Now, do I get my dorm room number from the office first? Or do I explore this...unusual phenomenon?", he said looking around in wonderment. After much thought, he flew over to the office, mostly ignoring the chaos around him. There he got a small piece of paper telling him his room number, 511. He flew up and down the halls for a bit, dodging floating students when necessary. "511, 511... where are you?...", he said to himself. He finally found his room and went in, throwing his bag on the unclaimed bed. "A roommate eh? Well, I'll be meeting them later, so it's fine to go explore for a while", Kaine said as he left the room, closed the door, and flew back the way he came, out to the school's entrance. He flew up to the large furry creature he had spotted earlier and floated beside it. "Could you inform me on the current situation? It seems you are providing something to the helpless ones, yes?", he said while scanning the creature, taking note of its claws, feathers, etc.

 

[Kagayours]

Kaessya almost didn't notice the three large orbs as they floated into the sky, but she did certainly notice the sudden feeling of weightlessness, just as she noticed her own feet lifting off the ground. "Woah, this is… different." Kaessya commented, swinging her limbs around and doing clumsy somersaults as she struggled to get used to this new weightless state — lacking the sort of grace that Luna exhibited with her telekinetic twirling. Kaessya began to smile as her balance adapted and she was able to pull herself upright. She had a feeling things could get rather interesting from here…

Then, Luna told Kaessya to fling her towards the 'great sky orb'. "Why in the fuck do you want to be flung into the su- OH you mean those sky orbs." Kaessya commented, following Luna's gaze and noticing the trio of new celestial bodies in the daytime sky.

"Hah! Well then — I dunno what those things are, but if you're going after them, then I want a piece of that action, too!" Kaessya then shifted into her true form and placed the bottom of her feet against the surface of the near wall, with her gaze locked on the window across from them. "I hope you won't be bothered by a bit of broken glass!" she exclaimed, before wrapping her arms around Luna and pushing against the wall with her muscular hind legs, launching them both forward as they crashed through the window and soon found themselves floating in the open air outside.

Releasing her grasp on Luna, Kaessya returned to her humanoid form. "Now then, let's go catch us a sky orb!" She then sprouted a pair of large, bat-like wings, and — after using the wings to swat away the last of those pesky glass shards — she began to fly towards the nearest orb.

 

[AnimeLover_Princess]

Seiko thought for a second "I do not believe I have any particular spells that would assist in this matter, I could send a snow puppet out to look put it couldn't go very far from me I am afraid and would be of limited use, I believe our own faculties will be more useful in our current situation"

she had looked around and spotted a window that led outside at the end of the hall "Ah, the window seems a reasonable answer as to where we should go, I believe getting an outside aerial view would perhaps be the best option, and that window is the closest" she started moving towards it before either of her companions answered "Perhaps we should start there?"

Shadow had given up on trying to crawl out of her arms but still wasn't calm so she kept him held to her chest as she floated, looking back at the other two. "Do you have any other suggestions?" at that point she realized the other student had approached them while floating through the air and was giving them a sheepish wave. Seiko raised an eyebrow but waved back.

@chaosheart13 @gamer5

 

[chaosheart13]

@AnimeLover_Princess @gamer5 @Katharina

Avarice had stopped midway when Seiko said they should go look out a window or something along those lines. She tried to turn her body to look, but it was hard when she was still floating in midair. "Um..a window? I don't think I'd be able to fit through a window," Avarice said as she squinted at Seiko's fuzzy form, "Maybe we should take the stairs to head outside? Or the elevator, I don't know."

She rippled her body and tried to move so that she could head over to the yuki. She was able to move by using her tentacles to slowly come closer and closer to where the other two were. "I'm not too sure if we need an aerial view to see what's going on. You sure a window will do it?" She paused when she remembered that she could simply shapeshift into a smaller form. "Er...or maybe windows are fine, I don't know."

She tried to right herself in the air again as she flailed her tentacles. There was a wet sounding thwap! and she tried to turn around to see what she hit. "Oh, hello there!" she greeted, waving her tentacles wildly to stop moving, "One second." She extended her tentacles as far as they could go so that they were blocking the way while facing at the newcomer. "So who are you?" she asked as she squinted at Levi.

 

[chaosheart13]

@Eruantien @IceQueen @gamer5 @Roose Hurro @Takashi @Sail @Psuedoku

Primary_Batter remained quiet as they listened to the group talk amongst themselves. They were right about one thing, people could get hurt if they didn't do something fast, whether it be through gravity working again or the murderer on the loose. "Mm," they grunted in acknowledgement to the freaer.

There was a small swishing noise and then soon found a device of sorts soaring through the air. They stared for a few moments before shaking their heads. Things were so weird around here, if they had emotions they would be too stunned to take action. As it was, they had a job to do and a person to escort.

They turned their head towards Deen and nodded. "Help would be appreciated, yes," they said while they moved the girl that said there was a murderer on the loose and had subsequently fainted, "Thank you for your assistance." They paused as several other people approached their little group and asked what was going on. "There is a murderer on the loose," they said to them, their face expressionless, "You all should be careful and keep an eye out for anything useful in case you find them."

 

[gamer5]

@Luma (as Sol) and @Shinku⭐Kun (as Azrael)

"Thanks," Naia simply stated, but it was more a sarcastic comment, as it was not thanking the one behind the gravity mess for returning her gravity to normal, but for using the magic on Naia herself. But doing anything had to wait for Naia's replies to the other two. Of which the first was for the one behind this gravity mess: "I suggest that you question someone else about that. I am probably quite a weird "planetary creature" and my answers would probably be quite far from the norm. But I can tell you one thing. Being in an environment with no gravity is definitely not optimal for "planetary creatures". So I suggest you return the gravity of the school back to its normal state as soon as possible."

Naia made a quick mental remark about the other individual, which refereed to itself as a "Angel of Death": "Oh, so they have those around here as well." And then proceeded to answer the question: "I would naturally like to expand my knowledge on any possible subject, but I don't think that the one you suggested is quite right at this moment. I am actually more interested in why are you here. I doubt you require knowledge from this school. Are you here for work-related reasons?"

Not knowing if the one behind this mess will return the gravity of the whole school back to normal Naia started to analyze the magic that was used on her. If nothing else it was a good way to kill time while waiting for replies from the two...

 

[gamer5]

@AnimeLover_Princess (as Seiko) @chaosheart13 (as Avarice) and @Katharina (as Levi)

As with the other two only now Aerly noticed that another student came into contact with the trio, and quickly waved a hello as well, before returning its attention to the situation at hand and responded to Seiko: "Well I guess we could take a look trough the windows and then how about we head for the roof?"

 

[Rowdybull]

Oscar had done extensive research on the culture of Earth, yet nothing had ever prepared him to what the hell had unfolded before he had arrived on the school grounds, the sense of floating through the air made him feel nauseous and he did his best to remain as close to the ground as he can. He slowly shuffled and glided through the mass of colorful hardened candies suspended in the air, picking one particular candy out in the front of his face, he cupped it between his two hands as he waded past the multitude of 'Jelly Beans' as the were known. He slowly gained what he deemed odd culinary information from the little bean that was now pressed between his two palms.
"The ingredients comprise of basic compounds that humans that consume them find enjoyable.
Sugar, corn syrup, and pectin. Relatively minor amounts of the emulsifying agent lecithin, anti-foaming agents, an edible wax known as confectioner's glaze are also included. The ingredients that give each bean its character are also relatively small in proportion and may vary depending on the flavor.
Most jelly beans are sold as an assortment of around eight different flavors, most of them fruit-based. Assortments of "spiced" jellybeans and gumdrops are also available, which include a similar number of spice and mint flavors. The colors of jelly beans often correspond with a fruit and a "spiced" flavor. Since this "bean", although not part of any group of growable vegetation, is purple, I suppose this is a grape flavored jelly bean." By the time he had finished his analyzation of the small candy, his feet had lead him to the dormitory hall. Slowly popping the grape bean in his mouth and swallowing it whole, he remembered the dormitory number given to him where he would be sleeping. The Oningry had gripped onto the wall to stop himself, up ahead were a group of other beings: a humanoid with horns, a mass of tentacles writhing in the zero g environment, a female humanoid one with long black hair, a second humanoid as well, and a small humanoid child with purple hair.
He did not like the odds, that many people were bound to see and question him, he put on his bravest face and glided towards the group.
"513, room 513, room 513." Was the mantra he repeated in his head.

@AnimeLover_Princess @gamer5 @chaosheart13 @Katharina @Takashi

 

[Eru]

@Roose Hurro et al

Neptune awoke again, her heart still racing. Is this what trauma feels like...?

She turned to look around her again. Somebody must have pulled her out of the sky, and she saw various people clustered nearby, as well as a creature who looked a bit like... a gryphon? Yes, that sounded right. Some other beings were talking quietly a bit further away, but Neptune couldn't focus on what they were saying. Her thoughts were suddenly coming back to her again.

She tried to speak up to the people in a steady tone, but her voice quavered as she asked, "Please, can't somebody take me to the authorities? It's deathly important." Her hands began to stretch and shake against her will, and they started to grow crystalline, prismatic scales of many different sizes and colors.

* * * * *​

@Shinku⭐Kun @Luma @gamer5 & interested players in dorms

Bursting out of the doors of the library with a crash, Key sped across the Academy's grounds. His beating wings appeared to shake the very earth as he moved along, soon coming into sight of Azrael, who was with a pair of children. The souls of the slain students floated morosely along behind Key, invisible to all others but the Harbingers.

Upon reaching the trio, Key slowed down and hovered closer, his face set sternly and his eyes unnaturally alight. He glanced over the group. Azrael was now glowing with a dim light, and so was the girl with blue hair aside her. The third girl, older with long blonde hair, had glowing orbs circling her, and Key suspected that she was related to the gravity incident due to these.

"Az. These children were unjustly murdered before their time. The perpetrator is within these grounds, and I am going to locate him." Key's voice was scarily steady, for the gravity of the situation. If anyone who had something to hide were to glance at his face, they would instantly become seriously afflicted, and Key would know who the murderer was. "Afterward, we will decide the fate of these children. You may have input on that decision, but my word is final, as it was given to me."

"Would you please continue to locate the source of gravity's disruption? I'm about to bring the perpetrator to this location, and we must have order after that. We must make an example of this injustice, even though it may be abnormal, for it must not happen ever again."

With one powerful push of his three-shaded wings, Key flew up in an arc, then fell swiftly back to the ground with another swell. He crashed into the plaza's tiling, creating a small crater which cracked outward in a magical circle. From this point, a veritable torrent of wind arose, reaching out to the surrounding buildings and pulling at the students inside, though it caused no structural damage. The wind picked up speed, tearing students out from the comfort of their dormitories and depositing them in the plaza amidst growing rumbles of thunder.

 

[Stray Shinku]

@Luma @gamer5 @Eruantien

Azrael stood still while Naia replied and to her surprise, she sounded like a really wise person she could spend hours exchanging knowledge. It may not be shown on her face, but Azrael was quite fascinating by meeting such a wonderful creature. "I see," she said after Naia finished speaking. "I guess you're not ready to expand your knowledge to that subject yet, so that answer was really clever. And about why I'm here... Mmh..."

Azrael slowly looked to her right with a calm expression, thinking if she could say the purpose of Key and her appearance here. Apparently, this Naia was aware of the duty Harbingers do. Her orders didn't say that she needed to keep everything as a secret, though, but to be sure to not screw things up, she decided to at least keep the important details of the mission as confidential.

"Well, I'm, indeed, here to take care of a situation that affects the Harbinger race," she finally replied to Naia's question with her usual emotionless expression. "I'm not alone in this, though. There's another Harbinger taking care of that "situation" and he sent me here to solve this gravity malfunction, but thanks to you, I finally found out the reason of it." Before she could continue talking, Azrael cut off after her ears caught the strong flapping of wings, definitely taking her attention as they sounded familiar. Slowly, she lifted her head and spotted Key hovering toward them. Her body turned kind of tense after realizing she still didn't solve the gravity issue and she thought Key would be disappointed.

Not been able to keep looking at him, Azrael looked down to the ground, the heart of her body beating faster and her hand tightly gripping Hades' handle. So, she let Key speak and she could feel his eyes on her, apparently noticing the new light around her thanks to Sol's magic on her. She could keep looking at the ground in shame, but after hearing Key explaining what happened to the teenagers, Azrael couldn't avoid to looked up at him, totally interested. She knew since the beginning that they were murdered, so she was stunned by the fact that Key will let her help him in deciding the final fate of their souls.

"I'll be more than glad to help you with that, Key," she said, a faint shy tone noticeable in her voice even when she tried to act like she normally does, but again, for a reason, she didn't felt like the usual Azrael every time Key's around. "And about the gravity," Azrael turned her head to look at Sol and Naia with determination growing inside of her. "I think I'm pretty close to solving that. So, don't worry about it and take care of what's more important."

With nothing else to say, Key flight off again and letting go a low sigh, she turned around completely to face Sol, her red eyes glistening with intensity as her face turned serious. "Alright, I had enough of this, okay? Key trusts that I can solve this gravity situation and there's no way I'm letting him down. So, please, "star creature", can you please stop this bad joke and return the gravity back to normal? I believe this is causing chaos around the Academy and I don't think you'll be happy if somebody gets hurt because of you."

Azrael went silent and kept her eyes on Sol, hoping that she will peaceful stop her magic and return the gravity to normal. Honestly, she was running out of ideas and it'll be more than glad for her if everything ends right now.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Large Furry Creature...



Now, some people might have wondered how Deen's toolbox fell to the ground with a "Thud" in a zero-gee environment. Which the school presently was, to be blunt. Well, said toolbox wasn't an ordinary toolbox. It had been designed to stay put, to remain "anchored" to something solid, specifically so it could not "float away". So, yes, when Deen let go, it fell in the direction everything heavy is supposed to fall. As for Deen being large.......

....... given he stood less than six feet tall when on twos (including ears), really, not any "larger" than most other humanoids. Even though he wasn't humanoid, let alone human.

Ahhh, digressions!

As for Primary...?

... "Good to hear......." Deen's nostrils flared, all four at once, ears at "half-mast". Tail's tip, a-twitch. Clawed hands taking a grip on stretcher as they started moving again.

As for Kaine...?

... Well, Deen would have felt a bit miffed, being though of as "it". Wasn't like his sex wasn't patently obvious, especially to Kaine's "scanning". No shoes. No shirt. No pants. No shame. And not a gryphon, either. But he could live with that comparison, to be fair.

... "I would think the current situation was somewhat obvious."

...Grin...

Deen had to restrain the intense desire to roll his eyes, but then, the "patient" awoke! Deen locked his intense green eyes on hers, noted her hands changes, then gave her a reassuring pat on the head...

... "Don't worry... I do believe that dire issue is being handled."

Yes, with Omni Bit in head and nodes active, this "large, furry creature" hadn't failed to miss what was going on in all the chaos, Key, Az and all. He just wasn't going to make a big deal out of it.......

 

[Luma]

@Everyone (Gravity slowly returns, the 3 sky orbs leave the sky: TL;DR after the pink text)

@gamer5 (Witnessed pretty much everything)

@Eruantien @Shinku⭐Kun @Kagayours @Luma (Teleported to The Mire)


Sol's smile figuratively dropped dead once the girl with the scythe made plain what she was. There were several species infamous among celestials, and one of the more distasteful was the idea of these soul hoarders. For the stars are some of the proudest creatures to exist, and the mere thought of such a creature's soul being taken and kept hostage would be enough to set near any celestial on edge. Glaring at Azrael for a moment, Sol continued to listen to what the two had to say.

"Being in an environment with no gravity is definitely not optimal for "planetary creatures"."

Well, the short one definitely wasn't wrong. Sol looked around at some of the surrounding creatures and, while some were able to manage, most were just flopping about. An important piece of knowledge to be sure. Sol nodded in acknowledgement. Suddenly, she felt a strange feeling from the orb inside short one. Almost like a magical probing of sorts. As the orb was probed, it showed to be a massive, living conduit of magical energy that had fused with short one's body. Sol looked "short one" over with some concern, but eventually turned back to Azrael, finding this internal scanning to be harmless curiosity.

Meanwhile....

Luna blinked several times, faced with the demonic hellhound of a creature that her doppelganger had just morphed into. How horrifying. Wait wait wait, why couldn't they just open the windo-- too late. The pain of getting smashed into a pane of glass was less than Luna had imagined, but it still stung. Oww....

....but she wasn't one to dwell on these things. There were delicious sky orbs to be had. Seconds into their flight, Luna was pelted with several floating jellybeans and began to slow down. "The doppelganger's dark sorcery seeks to slow the magical huntress of the moon." Luckily, it didn't take long for her to realize that she, herself, could push these behind her and 'swim' through the colored sugar. Not far behind Kae, the two approached the 3 floating orbs.

What Luna didn't know, is that those 3 orbs were staring back with a great deal of suspicion. Sol was already peeved enough at the reaper, but demons? And two of them!? No doubt looking at her as something to eat. Yet it was the second reaper that finally set her off. 4 fresh souls: unseen, but her magic could feel them in death's clutches. Planetary creatures relied on gravity, she knew that now, but she hadn't realized the lack of it could actually kill them and leave them vulnerable to these soul vultures.

"Afterward, we will decide the fate of these children. You may have input on that decision, but my word is final, as it was given to me."

Sol's anger burned with the intensity of the sun. Who died and made him king? No! It was her problem and her responsibility, therefore it would be her choice, and she chose to fix her mistake. An orb flew straight up and into space to gaze around a bit. Where was a good spot to send all these indecent species? Somewhere far off and secluded....ah, that'd do.

"Alright, I had enough of this, okay? Key trusts that I can solve this gravity situation and there's no way I'm letting him down. So, please, "star creature", can you please stop this bad joke and return the gravity back to normal? I believe this is causing chaos around the Academy and I don't think you'll be happy if somebody gets hurt because of you."

"If somebody gets hurt because of me...." Sol quoted Azrael in a calm but hostile manner. "Azrael's humor is disgusting." In one, short, fraction-of-a-second moment both the reapers and the 'demon twins' felt space fold around them. The world shifted colors until all that could be seen was the dull green of a swamp. A world known by locals as "The Mire." Azrael was no longer glowing nor linked to Sol's orb and, were Key to look for them, he would notice a lack of souls following him.

Back at Omnibus, Sol took a moment to calm herself as she dragged the 4 souls she had swiped to her side. The sky orbs began to stop their circling and gravity slowly returned to normal, causing a great deal of objects to tumble towards the ground. Luckily, the return of gravity was gradual enough not to cause too much damage. "Sol is-- ahem, I am sorry for my mistake, but I shall fix things as quickly as possible," she spoke to the souls floating beside her, resting for a moment to soak in the sunlight before getting to work on their new bodies. After the gravity had finally been returned, the 3 orbs flew down from the sky and continued orbiting around Sol's forehead.

 

[Eru]

@Shinku⭐Kun @Luma @Kagayours we in for it now kiddos

Key's weather anomaly was short-lived, and the tornado whisked itself away into weak-winded wisps as the Harbinger was suddenly 'folded' across a wrinkle in time. Key's eyes widened in sudden shock, that he'd allowed himself to be susceptible to a surprise attack like this, but he was unable to react as one world was instantly replaced by another.

Key fell a few meters through the sudden space beneath his feet, into a shallow body of water that was dark green and smelled of rich organic life. It tasted disgusting, though, and Key floundered about for a moment, trying to regain his senses.

Sitting up in the water, which only came to waist-height while he was seated, he gasped and wiped the water and slime from his face. He looked around, in a state of wary apprehension. Three others had splashed into the water around him; Azrael was there, along with two girls, who must have been students at the academy.

"... Everybody, are you alright?" The question was posed warily, as Key was unsure whether or not he was actually okay, himself.

In the distance, a low, rumbling roar sounded. Turning to focus, Key saw that the sound came from faraway mountains, nearly at the dim horizon. He took a moment to get his bearings. It appeared that they had been transported to a place with a warm, wet climate. From the light, it looked close to evening, and objects at a distance were difficult to make out. Nearby trees similar to blue mangrove dotted the area, their gnarled roots digging deep into the swamp's waters. Key and the girls had thankfully landed at a place that was shallower than the rest of the area, and he eyed the deeper places with great distaste at suspicious bubbles that were beginning to circle.

Key stood up and shook his cloaks off, trying to wring the water out. "I think we should get to higher ground," he told the group, pointing at a cluster of rocks and trees some distance away, atop a mound covered by mangrove trees and their roots. The roar from before resounded again, a bit louder and deeper than before. "Come on," he said urgently, wading over to Azrael in an attempt to help her pick herself up from the muck.

 

[Sail]

Nightshade sat at his desk, writing in a small journal of the day's events. "The events of the day trouble me....great fear has laced my heart...."

He dropped his pen as he felt the gravity return to normal. He quickly loosened his grip on his thoughts, as he no longer needed to focus to keep his doll on the ground. "I wonder..." he thought to himself, "How are things outside?

Quickly, he pushed the door open, out of his room, out into the hallway he went. He soon found a student, dead, near a water fountain, blood soaking the floor. "What the..." he said to himself, fear filling himself.

Swiftly, he dashed outside, only to find a large group of students; a young, silver haired girl, Deen, and a few others who he didn't recognize. He walked over to the group, then worriedly asked, "What's happening! I found a student, dead!"

Sail

Sail saw a human boy walk up to their group, heard him ask a question of those around her. But, her interest peaked at the words "I found a student, dead."

"Sirs, what does he mean, a student dead? How could that be?"

 

[Stray Shinku]

@Luma @Kagayours hope this is okay...

Azrael noticed the sudden change of Sol's expression after she revealed her that she was a Harbinger. She didn't know if think that Sol was scared of her or just mad at her. Whatever the reason, Azrael was already accustomed to them, especially after seeing so many people sweat cold after saying she was a Shinigami. Still, for a reason that made Azrael feel kind of down, probably feeling rejected by those who fear her. But as a Harbinger, that was something he has to deal with until the last day of her existence. It was something she personally called the "curse of the Angel of Death".

Blinking once, Azrael let go a low and gentle sigh, trying to just go with it and don't care too much about it. Suddenly, she saw how one of the orbs that were orbiting around Sol's forehead took flight sky-high. Azrael frown with suspicious as she lifted her head to observe the orb for a few seconds before looking back at Sol. So far, she definitely didn't like her at all and she was trying really hard not to lose her composure and maturity. In other words, Sol was lucky that Azrael was a Harbinger.

Taking a deep breath, Azrael opened her mouth to say something, but she was quickly cut off by a sudden "twist in time". The sensation felt like those times she traveled on her locomotive through the dreamscapes realm. Everything happened so quick that Azrael couldn't resist being shocked, her eyes widened as she felt a few meters into a dark green, shallow body of water, chest first. Hades fell on her right, handle first, so it dug into the soft mud and muck above the water.

After processing what just happened, Azrael slowly rolled her body to her right and pushed herself to sit, the water now reaching the middle of her belly. Obviously, her clothes and hair were totally soaked, some slime covering parts of them. Ignoring the disgusting taste of the water, Azrael took her time to scan her surroundings, spotting Key and other two scattered around what seems like a swamp. In the distance, Azrael noticed dark mountains and a lack of light around the environment. The trees and almost everything looked totally strange, but somehow, Azrael thought that this new place has its beauty in a way.

"I definitively don't like that star child at all," she mumbled, annoyed after realizing that Sol teleported them here. She knew that flying orb was a sign of bad news, but she did nothing to stop her.

"Yes, I'm fine, Key... Only annoyed," she replied to him and when he held out his hand for her to help her get up, she took it and pushed herself on her feet. After thanking him, she began to wipe the muck from her face and shook off the moss from her clothes and hair. Her shirt was soaked, so her pink bra could be seen through it. After feeling less dirty, Azrael pulled out the handle of Hades from the mud.

A roar grumbled once again, annunciating that there will be a storm soon. "We, indeed, need to move somewhere safe soon if we want to avoid the storm," she said and turned around to walk toward the closest person she had to her left, holding out a hand to help it stand up.

 

[Takashi]

Kaine fell to the ground, as it now took actual effort to keep himself afloat. It was only a few inches, but quite startling. He then found himself being bombarded by hundreds of falling jelly beans. He instinctively raised his wings to cover his head, but since his wings were to large to cover only himself, they were over a few people beside him as well. "Ok then, not very helpful, but I suppose I can see what you mean..." , he said to the creature. He turned towards Nightshade, looking with slight excitement. "A dead student you say? Could you perhaps point me in the direction of this?", he said with a more enthusiastic tone than he had hoped for.

 

[Luma]

@Shinku⭐Kun @Eruantien @Kagayours

Luna gazed at the sky orb in wonder. So much magic being channeled from such a tiny little bauble. Just as she was about to try and stuff it in her mouth, the world around her switched from a colorful light blue sky to pretty much all green, as if someone had flipped a light switch on the universe. Suddenly she felt the return of gravity's pull and promptly fell straight into a pond of....well....honestly she had no idea. All Luna knew was that it was disgusting, slimy and surprisingly deep. She reluctantly raised her arm up to lick some of the substance off, unable to resist the curiosity, and let her Vori mind do the work. Blech, what a vile taste. Yep, definitely mud....but not the sort of mud she knew from home. Thick, slightly different chemical composition, even a slight trace of magic to it.

Luna sat there for a moment, dazed at the sudden change. A quick look around and her silly, casual expression replaced itself with a mature and analytical attitude. From the appearance of the other 3 that had been dropped here with her, this wasn't the time to be goofing off. Something was very much wrong, and the low, rumbling roars likely meant danger. Real danger.

One of the two unidentified students offered her hand and Luna took it, helping her to stand. A sickening suction-cup-like sound came from her back as she did so, and her soggy clothes plastered themselves onto her back. She shuddered at the sensation, but now wasn't the time to worry about dry clothes.

"Thank you," Luna stated, sizing up the ghostly girl in front of her. On a good day she might've been beautiful....in this particular situation, not so much. There was also her demonic duplicate and a boy who looked similarly ghostly. So what was it about this group of 4 that triggered that magical surge? Either way, from the look of those bubbles in the water, ghost boy was making a lot of sense right now. "I agree, high ground would be advantageous, unless any of you are native to such an environment."

Without wasting any time, Luna immediately began to wade towards the small landmass. As she went along, she spoke with the professionalism of an important business meeting. "Seeing as we are all in this predicament together, it would be best if we each listed our name and species, as well as any knowledge or strengths we may possess. On that note, I am Luna of the Vori; capable of telekinesis, magic sight, and learning through a modified form of digestion. The last thing I recall doing was observing the floating magic conduits in the sky alongside her." Luna gestured to her demonic double.

 

[Kagayours]

Kaessya flew after the sky orb alongside Luna. As they got closer, Kaessya also sensed that these orbs seemed to contain a rather great power. In fact, weirdly enough, they even reminded her of the feeling of standing next to a very powerful soul…

But before Kaessya could reflect on that any further, reality around her completely changed shape — and Kaessya found herself in what appeared to be a completely different world. She then plummeted into a big, goopy mud puddle.

Now, it should be noted: it is in a demon's nature to be able to recognize different kinds of souls. A demon can "sense" the presence of nearby souls, and can tell a human soul apart from a demon soul, for instance. Kaessya had only ever encountered a small handful of different soul types throughout most of her life, and so, when she came to Omnibus, the multitude of unfamiliar creatures inhabiting the school confused her senses so much that it would've been difficult for her to recognize even a familiar soul type until they were standing right in front of her.

But, having suddenly been teleported to a fairly isolated location, Kaessya felt her senses clearing up rapidly. She could very clearly sense the presence of a new and unfamiliar soul type (which she deduced belonged to Luna), as well as two individuals of a much more familiar soul type. And Kaessya soon realized exactly what kind of company she was in.

Kaessya scrambled to her feet with a start, her wings flailing behind her until she realized she no longer needed them, and so they disappeared. She looked around frantically for the other party members. It was dark out, so details of physical appearance were a bit hard to make out, but Kaessya could still see the basic appearances of the creatures that could only be Harbingers. As for why they were there or what had even happened to all of them just now, Kaessya had no idea — but the mere presence of Harbingers was still enough to make her nervous. It was unsettling to encounter Harbingers in a context outside of their visits to Hell. During her time on earth, Kaessya had only caught glimpses of Harbinger activity every now and then — but she made sure to stay out of their way every time. What was going to happen now? Do these Harbingers know that she's a demon? Would they think of her as a fugitive and a criminal? Were they planning on dragging her back to Hell where she belongs?!

Then, Luna ate a mouthful of mud. That was weird.

A low growling sound could be heard in the distance. Between the presence of lurking, hungry beasts and an overall dark and dreary atmosphere, this place even reminded Kaessya a bit of Hell itself. Although it was still far less crowded, and, for the time being, quiet. But with Kaessya's nerves building, the similarities stood out more than the differences.

One of the Harbingers suggested that they all seek out higher ground. The other said something about avoiding an oncoming storm. They sure seemed to know a lot about this place, whatever it was. Kaessya would've asked them about it if she wasn't so intimidated by them. As the group began to move, Kaessya stayed towards the back of the group and tried to avoid drawing attention to herself.

Luna then seemed to take on a sort of leadership role for the group, and she suggested that everyone list their name and species. OH BOY HOW 'BOUT WE NOT DO THAT. Kaessya commented internally. She sort of hoped that one of the Harbingers would speak up next so that she wouldn't have to answer — but she couldn't put off answering forever. It would be her turn to speak eventually, and it would look suspicious if she tried to dance around the question. Suddenly realizing an opportunity to save herself, Kaessya quickly jumped in after Luna had finished speaking,

"AND I'M a..." she faltered briefly, quickly scanning her surroundings for information. "Shadow… wave… yes! A Shadowave! My body is made of shadow magic, which allows me to shapeshift into any form I like." she lied. Or at least, partially lied. She was telling the truth about being a shapeshifter, if nothing else. "Oh! And I'm generally invulnerable to physical damage." she added. "…And my name is Kaessya." She almost forgot to mention that.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Azrael blinked with her usual emotionless expression as Luna suddenly somehow named herself "leader" of the group. It's not that she cares about it, but that doesn't mean she would follow her orders either. The only one she trusted and probably will follow until the very end of the world was Key. Once again, she felt her cheeks warm, but there wasn't any blush visible from the outside. She wondered why she felt that way every time she thought about him or felt her "heart" beat fast and strong every time he spoke to her with his usual monotonous but charming voice that was like ecstasy for her hearing. She wondered what was his thoughts about her as well.

Realizing that she was getting lost in her fantasies, Azrael shook her head a little bit and began to walk, tightening her grip on Hades in an effort to calm down.

For a moment, the only hearable thing was the odd and muddy footsteps from everyone as they walked through the swamp. Azrael's feet once in a while stuck underneath the mud, so she had to stop and pull them off carefully enough to not take them out without her boots. There was no way she wanted to feel muck with her bare feet. Suddenly, Luna spoke, introducing herself to the group. Again, Azrael didn't like introductions at all because every time she said her race, people either run away from her or their expression turn pale in fear, thinking that she was there to collect their souls. She was so tired of those misjudgments and tired of explaining them that wasn't like that at all. A Harbinger couldn't collect or even kill anyone when they wanted. That was against their code and they will be punished awfully if they ever break that rule.

Still, she didn't want to sound rude for ignoring the question. Besides, they probably know what she was for the fact that she had the iconic scythe everyone associate with Shinigami, not knowing that there are a couple of Harbingers that prefer to use other types of weapons. In an effort to just get over with, Azrael looked at Luna, ready to speak, but was interrupted by another member of the group that spoke quick and loud. Azrael cursed under her breath and sighed, looking to her right, letting the female speak.

Azrael noticed some suspicious on her voice, like if the girl was trying to make out a lie to hide the truth. Intrigued, the Harbinger turned her head to her left and put her sight on the girl that was speaking. "Oh... We have a demon among us," she thought, recognizing that race that fast. Demons were awful beings Azrael has encountered so many times before, mostly because they love to eat innocent souls of people unlucky enough to fall on their tricks to lure them. This demon was different, though, probably because of her unusual short height and childish appearance that definitely make her look cute. Still, her clothing gives out the idea that she may be some kind of punk or a really mean person. A Tsundere maybe? Either way, these type of creature Harbingers were okay to hunt down without restrictions and return their souls back to Hell, which Azrael have done so many times before with satisfaction. She had no mercy for them for been such vicious, greedy and hideous beings.

Lucky for Kaessya, trying to get out of this unknown place was the priority at the moment and there was the important mission Key and she had to accomplish. So for now, Azrael would just let her live, but while she was around, she wouldn't take her eyes from here.

"My name is Azrael and I'm a Harbinger," she said after Kaessya. She slightly bowed her head at the group as a greeting. "A... Pleasure to meet all of you. And, before you ask or get scared, no, I'm not here to collect your souls unless it's your time. Luckily, every single of you still has plenty of time left. That's something to celebrate if you ask me." After speaking, Azrael looked back at Kaessya for a couple of seconds, her eyes staring directly at hers. Then, she slowly looked forward, pushing with the handle of Hades a big piece of moss floating on the surface of the water.

 

[Eru]

With the reassurances of the large, furry creature, Neptune began to calm down. She laid her head back and tried to relax the pulsing crystal formations on her arm, and they slowly began to retreat back inside her body. After a few moments, she looked around at the gathered group once again, much more composed. Gravity was no longer inverted, and Neptune began to wonder if she'd just been hallucinating. Speaking to them all, Neptune asked, "Thank you for your assistance. I would now ask for your assistance in helping me to reach the authorities. This is a matter than concerns us all, and I can explain on the way, but I'm out of time."​

She hopped off the stretcher with a grateful glance toward the girls nearby, teetering a bit, then hurried to withdraw her IDD and locate the administration building on the map. Neptune rushed dangerously out the door toward her destination, still slightly wobbling on her feet, not waiting to see if anyone would follow, but secretly hoping they would not delay in doing so. "This has been one insane day," she muttered as she paced along, trying to adjust her clothes, which were still moderately stained with bile. Neptune sighed in disgust.​

* * * * *​

"And I am Key. Like Azrael here, I am a Harbinger." He cast a quick glance behind him at the ones called 'Luna' and 'Kaessya' as they waded forward. Luna seemed proud, while Kaessya timid or uncertain. Key didn't know whether to believe their self-proclaimed declarations, but there would be time to investigate later. For the moment, he would trust that Azrael had them under her watch, as he'd done in the past.​

"You've probably heard of our kind. We don't usually interfere in the natural world like this, but the deaths at the Academy had to be dealt with." Clenching his fist, Key suddenly realized: the lost ones were now doubly so. Somebody must have stolen them.

Keep a cool head.
There's a way out of this. Breathe.
Realize what you must know.

"Wisdom of the ancients." Key shook his head, but he felt his anger drifting away, like the moss upon a cloud of bubbles. Reaching the shelter of an ancient blue mangrove, Key sent a small whirlwind to clear away the muck and mud from its roots so that the group could sit for a time.

"And, should you be curious... as Harbingers, Azrael and I possess a great deal of strength, along with several useful devices to ensure justice is carried out." Key hoisted himself onto a twisted root, gazing out toward the dim mountains, far away. "But there is no reason that you two should fear us," he added blandly, "not unless you are not what you seem." Key leaned back to poke Azrael quizzically.​