The Evrensel Conflict: Act 1 -- Paralogue 1: The Lost World

[Valkan]

Lancer

Lancer was slightly distressed that he couldn't just teleport them all to their destination. As the young lady was quite injured and almost unresponsive, he didn't want her bravery to cost her life. Oddly enough, the young lady had a very unusual magical signature. Lancer assumed she was some sort of undead, which made him relax somewhat. She was no frail human. He was too busy keeping check on the lady's condition to answer to the injured man's attempt at keeping a cheery atmosphere. They eventually arrived at a treetop house, after a walk up a hill. Lancer made his way in, still holding onto the lady carefully. Everyone was relaxing. So they finally reached a place where he could ask "You have medical capabilities, could you please heal her?" he asked as he turned to the entrance.

Sam Nakamura
"Good grief, I just caught up and I already have work..." The masculine distorted voice of Sam grumpily commented. She looked terrible. Several parts of her suit had scorch marks, she had a couple of gashes with metal shards on her right thigh and left shoulder respectively. Most notably, a branch was piercing her gut. All three objects had some black substance near the wound area. She audibly sniffed around a couple of times, and her grumpy tone was long gone when she said "Ooooh~. A real undead! I HAVE to see what this does to her!" Audibly excited, she casually walked to the Lancer and Reta like she had no wounds. Reaching for a pack attached to the back of her hips, she fumbled around until she pulled a small ample of sorts with a black liquid inside of it.

She excitedly jabbed the needle of the ampule into the arm of the burned undead, and with a twist of the container, the liquid shot inside of her body. Then she observed closely as the mixture traveled through her arm and to the rest of her body, slowly working its magic. A few minutes and she should be good. I do have to ask, though: How did you know I'm a doctor? And that I was willing to help? And... You get the point, explain. Sam didn't sound upset, if anything, she sounded curious. Lancer, happy of the results provided by Sam, answered truthfully. "I can see glimpses of the future." Sam looked up at the guy, even more masked than her. And yet, not the weirdest answer she could have thought of. "Eh, fair enough. Anyway." she turned to the rest of the crew Does anybody else need treatment? She said, as she put away the peculiar empty container. Lancer simply nodded and said "Thank you" as he carried the young lady to a more comfortable place for her to complete the recovery.

 

[Wiggin]

~=========~-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~=========~
Masureta
Location: Carried by lancer to a treehouse
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Reta's whole body was wracked with sharp pains every time she tried to move while tightly curled in lancers arms. In hindsight, trying to jump into a freezing river after suffering several burns was not the best idea. The action had caused her body to go into shock, and now she could barely communicate to her savior. She attempted to move and grip her chest to heal her wounds, but could only muster a tight grip on Lancer's raggedy shirt as he carried her. Her breathing was irregular as she tried to fight back the pain, and her eyes uncontrollably fluttered open and closed every now and then. Her fingers felt numb, along with her toes.

Even while in pain though, she still was concerned if everyone had made it across the river to safety. Reta wished she hadn't taken so much injury during the escape, otherwise, she would've been more helpful instead of being some paperweight. She attempted to turn her head to stop staring at the sky, but the pain stopped her from fully moving it. At some point, she had been elevated upwards and into a large treehouse. Reta was unsure how it happened, mainly because she blacked out for those few moments. She later woke up with a sharp prick in her arm and quietly gasped, surprised she had not died from her injuries. Her breathing had somewhat returned to regularity and her body felt like it was in significantly less pain. Everything was still sore though and needed time to recover. She didn't even try to move to see the black liquid moving through her veins from her arm.

Reta was later placed onto a cot to rest. It was there she got a better view of where she was inside the treehouse. Through a door was a cozy interior that seemed to be someone's home, and the room she was in seemed to be a bedroom of sorts. She was able to move her arms a little at this point, giving the man who had saved her a grateful thumbs up with a tired smile. Reta could only hold it for so long before putting her arm down and relaxing. It seemed like she had been healed to some degree, so she wasn't at risk of closing her eyes and dying from the pain. Reta let out a relaxed sigh and rested her eyes. It had been a very tiring day and she needed the rest.

 

[The Wanderer]

Abigail Delano/Courier Six- Character Sheet

Dominique Moon- Character Sheet

"I didn't do anything!" Abby proclaims her innocence again, louder than maybe necessary.

"That ain't important right now! We got to get the hell outta here!" She hits him on the shoulders, then yells when Nolan arrives in the arms of something as gaudy as it is strange.

"The fuck are you?!" Abby demands but the heat of the fire prompts her to forget this newcomer for now. The helmet filters the smoke from her lungs, but aside from the alien thing it seems nobody else is as lucky.

"Come on! Follow the Bush Man!" Abby yells and abruptly heaves Alec onto her shoulders. Being shorter, this would seem impractical for her, but an adrenaline rush gives her the strength to heave Alec and run after the Bush Man.

Why was Alec still limping after a stim treatment and conventional first aid?

Question for later.

Meanwhile,

Vaudeville had leapt in the direction the Bush Man indicated, still holding Nolan close to her chest. The warning from Nolan was unnecessary, as the symbiote is aware of more than what it can see with it's two red eyes. The falling flaming tree is avoided easily by another mighty leap forward that clears the wider breadth of the river. Which renders them safe as the fire can't clear a river easily, but the others probably needed help. So Vaudeville sets Nolan down.

"Stand back. Going to save some more asses." Vaudeville makes a show of cracking her knuckles and neck. She turns around, sees the woman named Abby has managed to haul her boyfriend all this way, but she was losing steam and probably wouldn't be able to clear river.

Indeed Abby feels her body burning from exertion as the fire gains on them. The helmet filters out the smoke, but it could do nothing about the fact her body could not carry both of them much farther. Much less over that river.

What was the gold chick doing?

Suddenly, she's right in front of them, having leapt to them.

"Whoah!" Abby exclaims and nearly drops Alec, but does buckle under his weight.

"Give him to me." Vaudeville doesn't wait for permission, she grabs Alec and puts him over her right shoulder, then does the same for Abby over her left shoulder.

"Clench up lovebirds." She tells them before she leaps across the river with both of them seemingly without effort, landing with a dull THUD and bending down to let them both down.

Abby rolls off Vaudeville, landing on her ass and scooting back and away from her.

"Okay what the hell kinda alien are you?!" She asks, kind of freaked out.

"Not an alien! Well. Half. Or more. Know what not important, are you two okay?" Vaudeville asks them. Then looks back to see if the others need help.

Alec himself didn't know either why he was still hurting. But he finally could feel where the pain was coming from. Right under his knee on the side he landed on when he fell off the cliff. The pain wasn't noticeable at first, with his hip being the major issue. But then he realized it as Abby helped him.

"I think I tore my ACL." He told her as they ran as fast as they could past the flames. The tear must've gotten worse the more he put pressure on it from all the walking. And unless stimpacks were that good at fixing tears like that, and it was just taking longer than usual, he was fucked getting across. Thankfully though, their golden savior literally appeared in front of them. "AH!" He shouted along with Abby, her buckling making the pain worse, cause he had to put more weight down to keep himself from falling.

"Waitwaitwait--" He protests, but it's already too late. She grabs him and Abby, with ridiculous strength, because even without armor, Alec was a big buff dude, and she had him with not much effort. Like he was told, he clenched up in her grip, holding steady as she jumped. He was slow to roll off, standing on his good foot first. Abby might've been freaked out, but Alec, for a change of pace, was much more calm about things. "Honey, we're friends with a soul-collecting tree woman. This isn't the strangest thing we've encountered." He told her, before falling against the stilted ground with a small groan.

When asking if they were okay, "Nope. But that's for asking!" He had a positive inflection in his voice, and even gave a little thumbs up. The Hunter soon joined them, drenched, and a little annoyed as he saw even more people join them. Volare making their ice bridge and being joined by Vivi, Reta, Chum and Lancer, all making noise. "Hello!" Alec waved to the new people, "You on safari too? Our second time 'round!" He joked.

"C'mon! I've a place not too far from here, the river should be broad enough for the fire to stay on that side of the forest!" The Hunter shouted out. Though the fire was the least of their concerns now. Without even waiting, he was quick to charge up the hill, and it would take half an hour of walking to finally reach where he was leading them.

View attachment 222444
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It was the hidden house in the trees the newbies had seen so far off from where they first landed on the beach. Now they had finally found who lived here. The hunter rushed up his ladder to the platforms above, running around to the treehouse to lower a crate big enough for a person to the ground for both Alec and Vivi's passed out savior. The inside was a sight to behold in terms of just comfort they had all been lacking the past day.

Along with some lamps the hunter began to light with a match, he also turned on very dim lights along the ceiling after he pulled the curtains down to block the windows. He then pushed the chairs aside to make room for Alec. "You can put him in the back room, there's a cot in there you can pull out and put him on." The place wasn't big, but it was at least roomy enough for everyone to fit.​

Nolan Madison
Feeling anxious, guilty but in a nice treehouse

As everyone finally gathered on the riverbank, Nolan had to hide his anxiety by avoiding eye contact with people when he realized that one of the lenses on the goggles was broken, allowing one to see the fearful look in his eye. The fact caused his heart to tremble at the thought of being judged for signs of weakness.

As such when he stood with the group he crashed with, he kept his gaze to the ground, hugging his arm to apply some form of comfort to steel himself and get himself comfortable enough to function. When the Hunter showed up and informed the group of a safe place for them to rest, he would assist Abby in carrying Alec, though he would basically mute the outside world to just focus on help carrying the Scotsman, numbing in hopes of alleviating the pain of scrutiny or whatever words filled with poison launched in his direction. Granted if such words were had, the reality was left unknown as he just focused on his own breathing and heartbeat for sound, his mind already doing a good enough job making up words and right now he didn't want to hear the hypothetical words being real.

He did enjoy seeing the treehouse, reminded of the Wood Elves' own in his world, granted they were more larger and only seen from a distance as they forbid any outsider getting in said cities.

Helping Alec into the room with the cots, Nolan would vacate the room as fast as he could. The young scavenger didn't want to crowd the room save for those who wanted to stay near the injured. Plus he felt imaginary daggers being stared into him by perceived looks. Standing in the main area, Nolan would seek out his golden savior, the flustered feeling hitting him as he got her attention to say his thanks. Stuttering, he'd say. "Thank you." Or what he attempted to say, he repeated several 'th's and 'yu's before he got the message out and only able to do so after hugging himself basically. He avoided making eye contact because of his flustered mind forcing him to look to the side.

'She's nice.' Nolan thought to himself as he sat against the wall, running his gloved fingers over exposed fingers on the other hand, the glove torn from the river. His trigger finger was exposed as was his thumb and middle finger. Nolan took out his backpack to write an apology letter to Abby and the others, for he couldn't possibly get out an apology in person since he could barely talk to Vaudeville even though it was in thanks, he knew his own anxiety would cause him to fumble. Or his own emotions get the better of him in the middle of it and cause a panic attack, as Nolan saw Abby, Ziv as close friends, Kassandra being a good friend and the thought of them being beyond angry made Nolan choke on air as he could already picture them mad at him.

He already expected them from Alec so not too much affected in that regard, still twisted the figurative knife in his chest. Using his pen, he wrote.

'Dear friends,

I write this to you because I know I couldn't speak my words out of fear, and because I don't deserve the benefit of even being in the presence of your company, I chose this medium as the other option.

I left my post because I heard someone calling out for help, and because I only wanted to help someone in need, the thought of leaving someone to die made my heart ache. In the end, all I got was a few injuries healed by Miss Dominique, the lady in gold skin and tall height. Lost my rifle and risked your lives. I can't even begin to imagine what happened at the cave and what you faced.

Please forgive me.

Sincerely,
Nolan Madison.'

It was short and caused him immense pain to even write, but it'd serve its purpose. So he folded the page after he carefully torn it out and placed it in his pocket. For when morning came, he'd pass it along to Abby or Ziv or Kassandra and hopefully they'd read and understand why he did what he did.

Again, fears of being abandoned and sent back to his world twisted the knife in his chest. so he distracted himself by looking over the new group. Noting their appearance and how utterly scary some of them were, especially the man in the beak mask, the tall one in the outfit, the familiar golden form of Dominique and various others. One making a comment about sucking someone off for a beer.

A strange group, but hopefully they were nice.

@Wade Von Doom @Amber Franklin @Wiggin @LenxKaitoYaoi @Noble Scion @Valkan @Jenhal

 

[Noble Scion]

Vivian Cain

Finding herself amongst more unfamiliar faces, she gave each and every one of them a firm look with her predatory, ruby eyes, just to let them know that they knew what exactly she was while also taking in the state of the group. At least hoping they'd recognize what the eyes signified.

She herself was, physically, aching, but for the most part fine, but she hadn't been prepared for such a surge of emotion and stress after nearly a decade of amicable barkeeping with a cold, albeit pretty face. Her 'partner' was still unconscious, but she knew they weren't dead by the steady thrum of blood gushing through their body that was all too clear to her.
@Wade Von Doom

The mute seemed injured, but alive as well, saved by a strange man covered in unfamiliar wraps. She was glad, but the mere sight of the women filled her with guilt. Thankfully a doctor of all things was among their ranks, and was soon to administer some sort of medicine. They were blessed by the stars it seemed.

She'd been too forward approaching those soldiers, and while they had followed her of their own volition, she was astounded by her own naivete.

Eager to find more people that were in the same situation, warmed by their flattering, unfamiliar words.. She shook her head, and moved on to the next of their quickly expanding party.
@Wiggin @Valkan

Vivian's face took on a curious expression at the alien who'd saved more unfamiliar faces, a man and a woman, both seemingly unremarkable in comparison, not that she judged. Most of those around seemed to be greater than she could tell from a glance. She wondered how this group would react to her, wondering if it was only a matter of time for them to send her off to fend for herself.
@Amber Franklin @Wade Von Doom

Not that she didn't think she could survive on her own, but Vivian had quickly found her heart panging at the sudden companionship, unfamiliar after the constant jeering and threats landing on her jaded, pristine face. She felt heavy at the thought. It would be missed, that small taste of friendship, yet the flicker of hope that they'd let her stay danced inside her.

The vampire's gaze paused on one with a strange helmet, but didn't linger any longer than a moment. Strange clothing, but nothing surprising after the events of the day, aside from the apparent attitude. How anyone could joke after nearing death was beyond her, and earned a frown from her as a result, though it disappeared as quickly as it came, worried she might terrify the man. She'd sent more than one drunk fleeing in terror by giving them a scowl.

A quiet one, as evident by the low head and quiet disposition. His type was rare in the rowdy bar she worked in, though she'd always treated them with the same bitterness she gave everyone, as she'd grown accustomed, but that was a different place now, Vivi reminded herself.
@The Wanderer

Closing on the last of the unfamiliar faces, she peered at one of the first that had crossed the river, black-haired, and normal like most of the group. Bad memories rose, and fell in a heartbeat. Time long since passed of a time where she could've considered herself normal.

Her eyes trained across each of their faces, only faltering as lastly she got to her saviour. She couldn't look him in the eye, unable to find the words to express her embarrassment. Instead, she just mouthed to him a simple "Thank you", her voice nowhere to be found.
@LenxKaitoYaoi

Another newcomer made an appearance, and guided them to a strange looking treehouse, who she gladly followed, injured man in hand, before arriving and finding a strange contraption for the injured to be lifted up on. She obliged and placed the wounded man on the crate, and climbed the ladder along with everyone else.

 

[LenxKaitoYaoi]

Voláre tilted his head to Vivian, curious about the thanks. He smiled though when he realized why and nodded. He was happy, he took a chance to do something and it helped. He was glad he could.

Ziv was relieved to be somewhere he assumed was relatively safe. Once they got inside he turned to find that someone was already taking care of Reta. He nodded to himself, and set about finding the one he saw heal before. He found the boy before long, close to the woman seemingly glaring at them. "You're a healer, right? Can you come help some of my friends? They're hurt, probably worse than even I can see." He asked. He saw Voláre heal, he knows he can. He just hoped he was willing to help.

The mage jolted, startled from his momentary joy as he was called. He tilted his head though. Others were hurt? Seeing as Reta was taken care of, he nodded. If he could help, he wouldn't say no.

Ziv nodded thankfully, and with that gestured Voláre to follow him. "Hold on." He called, before they could take Alec back. "This is Alec. I don't know the full extent of his injuries, but I know he obviously cannot walk on his own." He stated. "When you're done, come find me."

Voláre looked to Alec as Ziv introduced them. He nodded to the swordsman and grabbed his staff. Once more, his bracelet shining as he cast a quiet, whispered spell to heal the man.

Ziv, meanwhile, sought out Nolan against a wall all alone. He took a breath and nodded, moving to sit beside him with a heavy sigh. "Well… that could've gone better." He commented with a small laugh. "Are you okay?"

 

[Wade Von Doom]

"Who do I have to suck off for a beer?"

The Hunter moved to the back of the house to a cabinet of whiskey glasses, and a small wooden dispenser. With two glasses, he filled them up by a small amount, then handed both to Ryder and Alec, who quickly downed it thinking it was whiskey. He had a surprised look on his face when the taste turned out to be much more fruity than expected. "Hell's this?"

"Brandy." The Hunter replied, grabbing a third glass for himself. "Have a little distillery in the back, used to make my own wine as a pass time when the planet wasn't on lockdown, or when mercs weren't trying to kill everyone." He explained, taking a small sip.

"This is Alec. I don't know the full extent of his injuries, but I know he obviously cannot walk on his own."

"Hello~" Alec waved, saying it with a raspy voice from how tired he felt after today. "Torn ACL. Don't know how badly torn, but didn't help it while we ran away from a forest fire." Thankfully, Volare was able to help it, with the pain easing away as he waved around his little bracelet. He sighed in relief, before giving a, "thanks," and laying his head back against his pillow.

 

[Amber Franklin]

Abigail Delano/Courier Six- Character Sheet

Dominique Moon- Character Sheet

"Right, right, Reegan is weirder than her. Kinda." Abby concedes to Alec putting some perspective back into her. She rises up and watches others come over the river.

"Dang. We're gonna need a bigger ship if all these people are coming along." Abby thinks aloud.

"Good to know." Vaudeville returns the thumbs-up and smile from Alec. Their guide emerges from the river, and leads the way to his hideout. Vaudeville stays with Abby, Alec and Nolan opting to walk instead of showing off with swinging through the trees.

"So where did you end up Nolan?" Abby asks from the other side of Alec as they walk.

"Nolan?" asks Abby again when Nolan doesn't answer her.

"I found him by a river, pretty banged up. I healed him, but his hearing might take some time. Water and all that." Vaudeville answers for Nolan, picking up on his mood from a read of his demeanor, and the read of his mind from earlier.

"Ohhh I hate when ya get water in yer ears. Can barely hear shit for hours even if ya clean 'em real good." says Abby accepting the explanation.

When they get to the treehouse, Abby stays by Alec's side having a conversation with him once he's been healed and settled. Vaudeville leaves the two be, and is approached by Nolan to be given a very stammered thanks. She watches him from afar even if she wants to look at everyone else closer, to see if she could place where they are from in this apparent melting pot of the multiverse. The only one she did recognize was Kassandra.

Vaudeville finds it a bit cramped at first, what with the crowding and ceiling low enough she feels the need to revert to her normal appearance. The symbiote becomes a golden snake coiled around Dominiques' neck. She walks up to Nolan, and even though the act makes her nervous she smiles through it.

"Hey, Nolan, just want to tell you something. You are a good man." She hesitantly reaches out to him, puts her hands on his shoulders. The symbiote grins feeling the rush going through her body.

"By healing you I also had to see into you, and you are a good man." says Dominique to Nolan softly. She suddenly brings him in for a hug, patting him on the back.

"Everything is going to be alright." she assures the nervous young man.

 

[The Wanderer]

Abigail Delano/Courier Six- Character Sheet

Dominique Moon- Character Sheet

"Right, right, Reegan is weirder than her. Kinda." Abby concedes to Alec putting some perspective back into her. She rises up and watches others come over the river.

"Dang. We're gonna need a bigger ship if all these people are coming along." Abby thinks aloud.

"Good to know." Vaudeville returns the thumbs-up and smile from Alec. Their guide emerges from the river, and leads the way to his hideout. Vaudeville stays with Abby, Alec and Nolan opting to walk instead of showing off with swinging through the trees.

"So where did you end up Nolan?" Abby asks from the other side of Alec as they walk.

"Nolan?" asks Abby again when Nolan doesn't answer her.

"I found him by a river, pretty banged up. I healed him, but his hearing might take some time. Water and all that." Vaudeville answers for Nolan, picking up on his mood from a read of his demeanor, and the read of his mind from earlier.

"Ohhh I hate when ya get water in yer ears. Can barely hear shit for hours even if ya clean 'em real good." says Abby accepting the explanation.

When they get to the treehouse, Abby stays by Alec's side having a conversation with him once he's been healed and settled. Vaudeville leaves the two be, and is approached by Nolan to be given a very stammered thanks. She watches him from afar even if she wants to look at everyone else closer, to see if she could place where they are from in this apparent melting pot of the multiverse. The only one she did recognize was Kassandra.

Vaudeville finds it a bit cramped at first, what with the crowding and ceiling low enough she feels the need to revert to her normal appearance. The symbiote becomes a golden snake coiled around Dominiques' neck. She walks up to Nolan, and even though the act makes her nervous she smiles through it.

"Hey, Nolan, just want to tell you something. You are a good man." She hesitantly reaches out to him, puts her hands on his shoulders. The symbiote grins feeling the rush going through her body.

"By healing you I also had to see into you, and you are a good man." says Dominique to Nolan softly. She suddenly brings him in for a hug, patting him on the back.

"Everything is going to be alright." she assures the nervous young man.

Nolan Madison
Sitting in a treehouse [Collab between littlekreen, Len and I]

"I-I'm....Doing...Okay." Nolan said to Ziv's question, the young survivor pulling his knees up to his chest.

His hoodie had been torn around the sleeve, one of his gloves was missing the fingers, exposing his pale fingers and the young man's goggles had a cracked lens, exposing his worried brown eyes that told of several sleepless nights. His curly hair still wet from the river. He looked worse for wear, but thanks to a certain Golden figure, that was all he had to worry about.

Ziv nodded to that. That was good. Or well… it was better than not okay. "Exhausted, I'm sure… We all are." He commented with a small sigh. He was tired, but somehow he was also one of the only ones to come from this fight without injury. He chuckled softly to the thought. Usually he was the one beaten to a bloody pulp.

"I asked the kid to come heal you, too, if you need it. I can't really tell if you're hurt or not, but your state of dress suggests some… Hmn…" He paused. Nolan looked quite worse for wear, yes, which only made the swordsman wonder what the hell he got himself into when he took off like he did. It was probably best not to ask. "Well… I suppose it's been a long night for everyone, in any case…"

"Yeah...I don't ne-need healing...Miss Moon took care of that." Nolan replied as he listened to Ziv's words, feeling guilt. He looked to the golden form of Vaudevillle before looking back to the swordsman.

"I......I.....Uh....Want to say.....Sorry..." He said, looking down and away from Ziv. His guilt getting to him as he wanted to reach into his pocket to pass off the letter.

Ziv nodded to that. He won't bother Voláre then, the poor kid was probably pretty tired himself anyway, if not entirely confused still. He didn't recall much about him or how long he has been around, or if anyone bothered to explain things to him yet. Either way, if Nolan wasn't hurt he didn't need to bother.

He did, however, raise a confused brow at the other man's apology. "Sorry? For what?" He asked curiously. Nolan's state of dress spoke enough for whatever he might have been through, never mind what he had just with reuniting with them. He didn't need to apologize for something someone else did.

Nolan wanted to sink into the wall at the Swordsman's words. He loosened his posture so he could retrieve the letter he had folded up. Holding it to the Ziv.

"I....It'll explain things better than....Than I could....I...." Nolan could feel his vocal cords getting tight as his anxiety started to kick in full-gear.

Walls proved far more obliging to the translucent flesh and bone of a dinosaur head that emerged from inside. Not really existing anywhere in view but Nolan's state of fixated suffering. Having been entirely rebuffed from the veil of life his eyes saw just a little further now. The ghost reaper laid its head down as if the floor extended behind the wall. The head didn't move to speak as much as the rasping voice emerged from it to Nolan's ears, "Twitchy soul, you. Yes, for an exile."

Ziv's brows furrowed in further confusion as he took the letter, but for the moment he was less concerned with it. He wasn't oblivious to Nolan's anxiety. Never mind the way his voice sounded, his posture and aura alone spoke enough of it.

That thought in mind though, there wasn't a lot he could do to help yet. He didn't know the source of it. So, he did the only things he knew how to do to ease anxiety. It wasn't exactly a hug, per se, but somewhat semblance of one given their position. One arm wrapped around the other's shoulder and rubbed his arm lightly. "Deep breaths, you're alright." He assured quietly.

Having said that, his free hand set about the letter that Nolan passed to him. He could multitask. If Nolan got worse he'll disregard the letter. He was entirely unaware of the ghost dinosaur.

Nolan was about to follow Ziv's assurance of breathing deeply when Nolan got a peculiar visitor. The same ghostly figure that only he could see, its dinosaur form see through and skeletal, looking at Nolan as if he were prey.

The sight made him go deathly quiet as he tried to blink the sight out of his eyes, his efforts doing little. His heart rate sped up when it spoke to him, Nolan pondering what its words meant.

"I-I-I-I'll be fine..." He said as he tried to avoid looking at the Ghostly figure.

The Reaptar standing out of the wall left a faint chill in the air as it went about without footfalls. It side eyed Ziv and raised one side of its toothy void of a lucent mouth.

"Not yet, not yet. Impatient to hunt, " Said the skeletal Reaptar as it stared, "You try dying again? Soon? A wild hunt eternal. I can be patient."

Ziv have a small nod to Nolan's assurance he was fine, but he chuckled soon after, finished reading the letter, as he returned full attention to the younger. "You, my friend, could do for a little more confidence." He commented. He had quite a few things he could say about this.

But he wasn't going to be too harsh on the poor thing. Frankly, he looked to have gone through more than they did. "I understand why you left. I just wish you would have taken someone with you. A few seconds to call and wake me wouldn't have been an issue." He commented. That said, he chuckled again and patted the other's shoulder. "Don't be so quick to dismiss yourself. Going alone was probably the dumbest thing you could have done, given the situation… but it sure as hell took some balls to do. You're braver than you think you are, Nolan."

Nolan really didn't like the words that the Ghost Raptor was using, it gave him the same chills as hearing a vampire saying that Nolan's blood was delectable.

But thankfully, Ziv's nice words distracted Nolan as he turned to look at the Swordman. Where he would stammer out. "T-thanks, Ziv." He would continue. "I'm gonna try and get some rest..I-I would suggest the s-same." He could feel fatigue hitting him and he didn't want Ziv to stay up longer because of him.

Reaptar tapped its tail on the floor soundless as it was, "Refused by and of death. maybe brave, maybe stupid. Time will tell. Have to drag you back to life when I catch you, too-small rabbit."

It walked over to a wall and chuffed as a too-fast claw edge scratches a elegant script into the wall, 'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Death, my soul to keep; I'll not die before I wake, for there are none my soul may take.'

A trill then an invisible stare over Ziv's shoulder as it vanished slowly feet to head bone by bone until just the toothy skull remained, "See you tomorrow, rabbit."

Ziv nodded, giving Nolan another pat on the back. "Good idea. We all need some rest." He agreed. Though, he'd probably take first watch for a while. He napped before Nolan disappeared and while he was tired, it was more a mental exhaustion than sleepy. "And hey, Nolan? No one is mad at you. We were just worried about you… and glad to see you alive and well." He added with a small smile. Well, he was anyway. He couldn't entirely speak for everyone.

Nolan was about to respond when Miss Moon walked over and further consoled Nolan, his cheeks did get a bit red at physical contact, especially a hug from a lady. Her kind words on top of Ziv's own spurred a warm fuzzy feeling to rush through his system. And hesitately, he returned the hug.

"T-t-thank you......" He said, feeling tears beginning to bubble up, his emotions wanting to be let loose. But he held back as he didn't want to make an awkward scene. "And....And....Your friend." He referred to the symbiote that coiled around Dominique's neck.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Who do I have to suck off for a beer?"

The Hunter moved to the back of the house to a cabinet of whiskey glasses, and a small wooden dispenser. With two glasses, he filled them up by a small amount, then handed both to Ryder and Alec, who quickly downed it thinking it was whiskey. He had a surprised look on his face when the taste turned out to be much more fruity than expected. "Hell's this?"

"Brandy." The Hunter replied, grabbing a third glass for himself. "Have a little distillery in the back, used to make my own wine as a pass time when the planet wasn't on lockdown, or when mercs weren't trying to kill everyone." He explained, taking a small sip.

"This is Alec. I don't know the full extent of his injuries, but I know he obviously cannot walk on his own."

"Hello~" Alec waved, saying it with a raspy voice from how tired he felt after today. "Torn ACL. Don't know how badly torn, but didn't help it while we ran away from a forest fire." Thankfully, Volare was able to help it, with the pain easing away as he waved around his little bracelet. He sighed in relief, before giving a, "thanks," and laying his head back against his pillow.

Ryder Rowe
Enjoying a glass of Brandy.

The Cyborg took the glass with a nod, sipping the liquid and humming pleasantly when he tasted the familiar fruity taste of brandy. "Aaaaaah, that's the stuff. Shit's expensive where I'm from. Two-three grand of credits. You got yourself a skill....Uh....What's your name?" Ryder asked, before adding on. "Ryder Rowe's my name."

He would ask the others their names later on in the morning when breakfast was to be had and the pleasantries be done. Right now, he savored the easing effect of alcohol. "I'll definitely be buying a couple of bottles from you."

@Wade Von Doom @Noble Scion @LenxKaitoYaoi @Amber Franklin @Jenhal @Wiggin @Valkan

 

[Wade Von Doom]

"Aaaaaah, that's the stuff. Shit's expensive where I'm from. Two-three grand of credits. You got yourself a skill....Uh....What's your name?"

The hunter looked over his shoulder as Ryder asked his name. There were a few moments of awkward silence, like the hunter was deciding if Ryder was... well, trustworthy for even his name. Out of everyone, Ryder seemed like he would be the most troublesome. But, he needed these people more than they realized. "Peter." He finally answered, turning to fully face Ryder and offer his hand to shake. "Friends call me Pete. And if we get off this planet alive, I'll be sure to make you your own line as thanks."

With everyone in the house scattering to either get some sleep, deal with wounds, or just try to find some food, it seemed like explanations were better off for tomorrow on everyone's side. "You can take any of the beds still available. I'll keep watch tonight. Those mercs will be searching for us once the fire is out--" Unexpectedly, as he was talking, there was a knock at the door. Pete turned in surprise, realizing no merc would do that. And with the curtains closed, he couldn't see who it was.

Out of some curtesy, he slowly opened the door to see who it was.

To his surprise, it was a man dressed in a bat suit, carrying Chum by the collar of her shirt, like someone would carry a kitten by the skin of their neck. "There still room inside?" He asked.

 

[Jenhal]

Kassandra of Sparta​

After running through a jungle with fire at times licking her heels, and swimming across a river, Kassandra does not feel like sitting in a crowded house in the trees. She does not even entertain the idea for long; she climbs up and steps inside with the others, observes the cramped space, and decides to step back out without telling anyone.

Too crowded.

Kassandra climbs from the ladder onto the tree itself, then an adjacent tree that was only being used as partial support for the dwelling. She finds a thick limb, and sits on it with her back to the trunk and the house. Her Nemean Claws sit across her lap and bow and quiver still on her back. Anyone looking out a nearby window would see her.

The warrior woman looks out at the jungle fire that still runs its course on the other side of the river. Keeping ahead of that fire would have been a welcome challenging task for any Spartan soldier worth the name; her body is covered in a sheen of sweat from the heat and exertion; yet she does not feel pride as she should. No, Kassandra feels she still failed. Because she had acted only to save herself even when she had seen Abby and Alec struggle their way ahead of the inferno. And the others.

The golden newcomer had used her strength to help others while Kassandra had just kept running and jumping.

And now, what? Why was she out here instead of in the treehouse with the others? The crowded space does not feel like reason enough.

Lookout. That was the other reason she tells herself, and would tell others. They needed to have a lookout, and Kassandra deems herself suited for the task. She would keep watch out here, having only short moments of rest with her eyes closed.

If no danger came to this place, maybe Kassandra would close her eyes once more, and not open them until feeling the morning sun on her face.

 

[Grehstone]

Chum Teeth
I want to get off Mr. Bat's wild ride

Chum was going places. Mentally and physically, they were on a wild roller coaster of movement and confusion. Someone was holding them, that they knew. Chum couldn't orient herself, and were she any less experienced a sailor she might've gotten sick.

Once the ride ended, she finally got her bearings. Wooden treehouse. Lots of people, many of whom were familiar. The bat man, holding her collar. The slight scent of alcohol. The visual confirmation of a barrel with a spigot. In moments, Chum had slapped and wriggled out of the bat man's grip, rushed over to the cabinet with the glasswares, and took possession of the largest cup available. Then she poured a quick splash directly into her mouth before she started filling her chosen drink vessel.

"Ohhhoho, Thas cap'n stash quality right there…"

She said, the tiny taste appearing to activate all her goblin neurons… then she registered mentions of buying the alcohol and paused, only barely remembering to shut off the tap before the cup flowed over.

"Um. 'M I gonna owe ya for this cup? Ain't got coin on me right now, but uh… I got workin' hands?"

Chum's teeth appeared in a sheepish smile as she hoped and prayed that she didn't accidentally press gang herself into a new boss.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Chum Teeth
I want to get off Mr. Bat's wild ride

Chum was going places. Mentally and physically, they were on a wild roller coaster of movement and confusion. Someone was holding them, that they knew. Chum couldn't orient herself, and were she any less experienced a sailor she might've gotten sick.

Once the ride ended, she finally got her bearings. Wooden treehouse. Lots of people, many of whom were familiar. The bat man, holding her collar. The slight scent of alcohol. The visual confirmation of a barrel with a spigot. In moments, Chum had slapped and wriggled out of the bat man's grip, rushed over to the cabinet with the glasswares, and took possession of the largest cup available. Then she poured a quick splash directly into her mouth before she started filling her chosen drink vessel.

"Ohhhoho, Thas cap'n stash quality right there…"

She said, the tiny taste appearing to activate all her goblin neurons… then she registered mentions of buying the alcohol and paused, only barely remembering to shut off the tap before the cup flowed over.

"Um. 'M I gonna owe ya for this cup? Ain't got coin on me right now, but uh… I got workin' hands?"

Chum's teeth appeared in a sheepish smile as she hoped and prayed that she didn't accidentally press gang herself into a new boss.

Pete was more just in surprise than anything else as he watched her drink almost all of the his Brandy, confused as to what the hell he was even looking at. Was that a troll?

Whatever it was, he took a sigh and muttered out, "I'll hold you to that," before downing the rest of his drink.

-------------------------------------------------------

(@Jenhal Collab)

Putting Chum down so she could go inside, Batman noticed out the corner of his eye Kassandra sitting on the tree branches above the house. Pete kept the door open for Bruce, but he waved him off, turning to walk to the Spartan.

"I can take watch." He simply told her. "Both our groups have been through a lot today. And I'm sure you could use some food."

Kassandra opens her eyes to look aside at the costumed man. Interesting choice of armor.

"It's fine. The house is too crowded for my comfort." Kassandra tells him. She does feel a hunger growing, but she can function without for the night.

"I'm speaking from experience." Bruce told her. "You fought a dinosaur, outran a forest fire, and helped half your friends survive death. That tires people out, even me. And if you want to stay awake, some food and drink will help. And you don't need to be inside for that."

He could tell it wasn't just how crowded it was inside that made her stay out. Something else was bothering her. Whether paranoia or perhaps mistrust of these new strangers, especially since she wore armor and held weapons older than anyone else inside the house.

"And I speak from experience that I am fine after those ordeals." Kassandra retorts very plainly, without any anger or even the slight irritation she does feel for this man. She turns her head to look at him. "Maybe follow your own experience and go inside to recoup." She shrugs and looks back out at the distant fire.

"A fire like that would drive other beasts here as it drove us. Scared and hungry monsters could be coming on us soon. We need to be vigilant."

"Spartan, right?" Batman simply said after she finished.

"Spartan woman. The only women to birth real men." Kassandra answers. "And you? A race of…bat people?"

Batman was unphased by her question. "Let's say it's my way of striking fear into the hearts of my enemies." He explained. "What is the state of Sparta in your world?"

"I can respect that." Kassandra agrees and considers his question. So he knows Sparta.

"It's state? War, it's best state. Athens would have all of Greece united under its colors and creed, but Sparta fights on rather than be under the rule of high-minded philosophers and…boy-lovers." She laughs very quietly at that barb.

"So Athens is breathing down Sparta's neck?" Batman mused. "Were you battling against them before you came here like the rest of us?"

"No. I had just helped beat them back from Argos when I was taken." Kassandra answers. "Athens prowls the waves, Sparta holds the land. Might go either way."

"I take it you'd rather be there to push them back if they tried taking Sparta?" He questioned.

"If I could. But I have other enemies waiting in Greece when I return. If I return and if my world is still intact." Kassandra tilts her eyes up to the sky. "I saw a universe die. When you see that, suddenly your war and the war of your homeland seem so small."

"So you and your group have gone through this before?" He had deduced that the others in the forest knew more about this situation with the universe hopping than the others did. "How did you see a universe die?"

"From our ship. We rescued as many as we could watching these holes form everywhere. It was like nothing I had seen before." Kassandra snaps her fingers. "And like that we were gone and so was that universe.

Her group had a lot to answer for when the morning came. Questions a plenty for what exactly they've been up to before coming here. But for now, his focus remained on Kassandra. "I can understand that feeling. I've been witness to quite a few world ending events in my own universe. They're never easy to digest mentally. Makes you feel inferior to forces beyond what you believed to be possible." He explained. "But if it's any consolation, as small as you feel your home is, it's still as important to protect as a whole galaxy. No one is insignificant to protect when there's still good left in them."

"My name is Kassandra of Sparta." She introduces herself to the man at last, allowing herself to smile but does not relax. "Thank you for your assurances and conversation. I will admit, I am more of a solo warrior when not on a battlefield." Kassandra sighs and shrugs. "And in this war, I will admit I find myself outdone. Today I could do little more than fire one arrow and run for my life. Even this armor seems laughable to something like the one Abby wears." She takes off the helmet letting her hair down for the time.

"It saved me from the fire as I ran, but to many of the weapons I've seen, feels like it is too brittle. Yet, I cannot see myself parting with it, or my weapons, crude as they seem."

With a few moments of silence, Batman pushed his cape away to reveal his utility belt. He then pulled out a batarang to show her. "This is all I fight with." He told her, before pressing the release button on the side for the batarang to be fully extended. "I have a few more gadgets and weapons, but all of them non-lethal. I don't believe in killing, and I certainly don't believe in guns." He explained, holding out the batarang for her to hold.

"The weapons the others use, they're loud and clumsy, used often by cowards who don't believe in protecting, but hurting to get what they want. So I understand how you feel. You're a warrior out of time, put into a battlefield centuries ahead of the technology of Sparta, or Athens, or any other city-state of your world. And I'm sure once I'm explained the situation by your group, I'll be in the same place you're in of being outgunned and under-powered. But I've also fought gods, superhumans, aliens, and even witnessed the destruction and rebirth of my own universe at the beginning of time. All while using this." He tapped his head.

"Strength only works when you know how to use it. And being a Spartan, you certainly know this to be true. Don't let your doubts drag you down to using the weapons of cowards. What you have may need some refinement, perhaps an upgrade or two, but I wouldn't trade something as simple as this," he put his hand on his utility belt, "for something as loud and blunt as what those mercenaries we faced have."

"And if it's any consolation," he continued, pushing his cape around his body once more, "I know of a woman in my world who is also from Greece. Born to an island of incredible warriors, all of which are female, and were greatly influenced by Sparta. She fights with a shield, a short sword, a lasso, and wears an outfit not dissimilar to yours. And she's managed to kill gods with just those weapons." Food for thought.

Kassandra looks over when the cape is moved and makes that particular sound. Not a cloth cape, no it is more sturdy than that. The weapon he presents warrants a lean towards him, and the full extension a rise of both brows and a wider smile. She takes the batarang in her hand and carefully feels the edge as she listens to him. She can hear the wisdom in his words, the solemnity as he tells of what he has faced. There is an errant want to throw his weapon, see how it travels, that is ignored. Would just be rude.

"Thank you for your inspiring words." Kassandra hands his weapon back to him.

"Only one correction. I do not think any of our number who use those weapons from the future are any kind of coward. I have a….lover…named Brigid who is elsewhere, and she is still a warrior the same as you or I. I would say the same of others." Kassandra frowns a moment.

"Except Deadpool. Not a coward, but a buffoon." She amends her own statement.

"But thank you all the same…..hm. I did not get your name, dark warrior."

"Bruce." He gave his real name, but not grabbing the batarang when she offered it back to him. "Keep it," he told her, "may come in handy." With that, he turned back around to head inside, if for nothing else to get himself something to drink. He'd take watch around the house as well, both to keep watch for predators, and to watch Kassandra.

She had a long day. Better safe than sorry.

"Thank you again." Kassandra watches Bruce leave, carefully presses the edges of the batarang back in to make it safe to place in a pocket of her own belt. It might never see battle with her, being so small, but she would not turn away a gift that may tip a conflict in her favor. After he leaves, Kassandra also decides to step inside for a little something to eat and drink before resuming her perch on the outside. She feels better for it, and sleeps knowing Bruce is also out there to alert of danger.

--------------------------------------------------------------

(@Amber Franklin Collab)

Abby takes off her helmet and sits on the floor next to Alec, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Now that there was a crazy time. But, I gots a souvenir." She takes from a pocket, the still bloody and partially charred Rex tooth she'd taken, showing it to her boyfriend and smiling proudly.

"That big boy from the crash came back for more. Took this for all the trouble. Cool ain't it?"

"Oooooh~" Alec gently tries grabbing it to look at it further. "Why do you always get the cool gifts?" He looks to the tooth, then her armor, and thinks about the gun, the cube she has in her room, did she also have a lightsaber?

He sighed, before putting his head back down on the pillow. "What's it now? Two weeks before I became completely useless?"

Abby lets Alec have the tooth for a closer look, in exchange having a drink of the Brandy he got from the Hunter.

"Oh come on now Al." Abby turns around and kneels at his bedside to reach over and stroke his stubbly cheek. "You'll be back on yer feet and kicking ass with me soon enough, dont you worry about that." She whispers "I know just how much a man you are." And winks.

Alec chuckles at her remark, before leaning over to kiss her gently on the lips; leaving them locked together for a few seconds to enjoy the feeling. "If we get out of this. What say we... Take a vacation together?" He asked once they broke away. "Take a shuttle, find a quiet place to relax. Think we can just say we're on assignment to scout ahead without questions, eh?"

Abby gives him a small quick kiss on the cheek when they part.

"When we get outta here, yeah, let's have a vacation. Somewhere nice. Like Zion Valley. I'd love to see what that place was like before the bombs." She trades him back the tooth for the Brandy. "Then after that, I wanna go home, get Rex and some of my favorite stuff. Then, we're gonna move in together." She nods at each point.

"Oh, absolutely." He agreed with the moving in part. God only knows what chaos they could do together on the Citadel. "Tell me about Zion Valley. What's it like in your world, and what's been told about it."

"Oh man." Abby gets a dreamy, far-off look in her eyes. "It's beautiful. Bombs didn't really touch it. Its got these high red rock walls, real green trees, clean rivers, clean air. Fruit growing wild. Got mutated bears and biiiig Geckos, so thats the only downside." She shrugs and lights up as she remembers something else.

"Oh and the sky! I know its the same sky no matter where you go, but in Zion, I swear the stars are brighter at night."

He draped an arm around her shoulders as she spoke about Zion, bringing her in closer. "Definitely should visit that then. What's some other places we can visit?" He just wanted them to talk. About whatever they could come up with. Felt nice and comforting in this rather stressful situation

"I think any place that ain't a ruin." Abby leans into Alec, kissing his cheek. "With a beach. I seen ads all over with these women lounging on a nice clean beach in nearly nothing. I'd like to give it a try."

"Now THAT I'd be completely for." He remarked, because... do I have to explain why?

"Love to go to one of those luxury planets to. Like, in my world, there's a place called Illum. Big garden planet owned by a race called Asari, you'd love them," Asari seemed right up Abby's ally, "it's absolutely filled with luxuries, it's glamorous, if we can get ourselves enough credits, we could totally rent out a high rise apartment in one of the tallest skyscrapers and live like kings."

"I got five big bars of gold at the Lucky 38 back home. Would that be enough?" Asks Abby

Alec went wide-eyed within milliseconds of her saying she had big bars of gold at home. "...... Yeah, that'd be enough."

"Good. Bring some more muscle to haul those out cause them bastards are heavy when you try to carry them together." Abby kisses him again and laughs "Don't know if we'd have room for them anyway, might as well cash them in instead."

"And I think we could get a good price for them!" He said, laughing halfway through his sentence as he imagined them rolling up on Illum, dressed in tuxedo and dress, like cocks of the walk multi-millionaires. He pushed her up to the cot and moved aside so they could cuddle together, wrapping his arms around her back and staring into her eyes. "Did I tell you I love you today?"

Abby, forgoing taking off more of her armor, lies down on the cot beside Alec and embraces him as well with one hand on his hip and resting on the other as she looks at him, smiling.

"Ya have, just before we got on that shuttle." She kisses him on the chin, and lets the warm silence linger a while as she does her best to enjoy this calm time.

"You know I can't really sleep in this getup." She laughs and kisses him again, climbs out of the cot.

"I'll be sleeping here on the floor. Just in case shit hits the fan." She bends down to give him a long soft kiss on the lips, then sits on the floor with her back against the cot, Death Pod on her lap, eyes closed and head back.

In the short amount of time between her kiss on the chin, standing up, and kissing his lips, Alec had somehow fallen asleep; already snoring as she said, 'I'll be sleeping on the floor.' He was out cold, with his hand still extended out from where she was next to him.

---------------------------------------------------

(@Noble Scion Collab)

With everyone inside, Vivi would find the small room the hunter said to put her savior in. The place looked like a guest room, with some decorations on the walls. Skeleton heads of different dinos, and some books on survival tactics. The cot looked like it hadn't been used in forever, with dust clearly on top of it and the stiff pillow. But, it would fit the mystery man, still shrouded by his massive hood, so she still wouldn't have seen his face until she pulled it down.

Vivi made her way inside and placed her 'package' down on the cot, deciding comfort would be best, despite the dust. She wasn't a medic, if anything she was a threat, it made her wonder if she should go find someone else to take care of the man rather than putting him at risk by having her around. After feasting on that soldier, she wasn't even sure if she trusted herself.

Yet it didn't sit right with her to just leave them alone, so she retreated to a corner of the room, curled up, and tried to avert her eyes from the defenceless saviour, like her mere gaze might hurt him.

Once his face was visible to her, Vivi could finally make out what he looked like.

The stranger's scars looked old, like they had been there for years, even though they were still so explicit. His eyelids also twitched like he was having a nightmare, with his head twitching to the side slightly, or his fingers lightly tapping against the cot softly.

His outfit was also covered in dirt and dried mud, while his face looked just as dusty from the ash from the fire. And his hands glowed a faint purple like the blades he formed from his wrists to cut through the trees.

Suddenly,

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAASP!!" He inhaled quickly, sitting up from the cot, before hyperventilating. He was in a panic, quickly scanning the room as he tried focusing on something. Anything. He'd fall off the bed, feeling dizzy and wobbly legged, and when he saw Vivi, he shouted, "AH!"

Then fell on his behind and crawled backwards into the opposite corner she was standing in. He covered up his face with his hoodie and brought his knees up to his chest to hide his face even more. If she thought he was scared of her appearance, what he began muttering would suggest otherwise. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry..." He muttered quickly.

The man suddenly waking up was a little startling, though her gut told her to be worried that he was suddenly scampering around after having a tree land on him. She may be a vampire, but she was a bartender first and foremost. Her mother had always taken pride in her hospitality and she intended to do Emma proud, even if she was going through an existential crisis.

"You need to rest." she said in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, trying her best to hide her fangs from view as she slid up onto her feet and began approaching. It appeared she wasn't the only one having a rough time, which gave her a grim sense of kinship with the stranger.

"My name's Vivian, you saved my life, and I did the same in return. Are you okay? How much do you remember?" she said with a soft smile, hoping he hadn't heard her breaking down with him on her back on the way to safety.

The man looked up to Vivi through his fingers as he also didn't want her to see his face. He recognized her. ".... Y-You're the sad woman." He spoke with a small stutter. "D-D-Don't look at me. I-I'll make you feel worse." He explained, before closing his fingers to block his eyesight. A creature like him would only make her feel ill. And she was sad enough after she ate the man and felt regret for it

The vampire gave a deep sigh.

"So you heard that, huh.." she grumbled, unsure of how exactly to talk with the man that seemed to have some issue with her seeing his face.

She sat down again, and once again ripped her since tatter clothes again, creating a new blindfold around her eyes. She wasn't going to lie again, but it might relieve some of the man's own distress.

".. I guess I'm not the only one with problems. For what it's worth, it's nice to hear someone caring for me despite knowing what I am, even if I don't know how." Vivian said bitterly, clearly reflecting on past experience.

"What's your name? I promise not to try and look at your face."

Upon hearing her rip off her clothing, he again opened his fingers just enough to see through the cracks, watching her blindfold herself again. That seemed... very kind of her to do. "Drake..." He answered after a long pause, lifting his head up more.

"I saw you... You killed the man and ate his neck." He said, but with no sense of judgement or even fear of her. In fact, he sounded slightly curious. "You're a vampire?"

"Yeah. Vampire, bloodsucker, monster. I've been called many things and it hurts that they're true." Vivian said after a moment of silence, slight exasperation in her voice. She didn't like the subject but people deserved the truth at least.

She was entirely unused to the tone of voice she was hearing, since it was usually filled with hate. She usually tackled with apathy. Vivi had gotten quite good at keeping her face neutral, or so she liked to think, but this time she just kelt her head down.

"I don't usually bite people, honestly. In fact, I hadn't bitten anyone in several years until today, but today's no ordinary day." she continued, once again lapsing into what she found to be a comfortable silence, a slight hurt in her voice at the admission.

".. But uh.. How about you, Drake? Are you a wizard of some kind?" the maid slipped in, wondering if she might feel a little better if she knew a little more about her conversation partner.

"N... No." How do you explain what he is? His master never gave his species a name. They weren't human, they were something new. He just referred to them all as 'children.'

"I'm... uh... I-I'm not... Sure." He answered truthfully. "I-I'm not worthy enough for a name for me. It'd be disgraceful to clarify what I am. A waste of breath and words." He sounded unemotional as he said this, though there was a small hint of sadness. Like he was repressing the emotion.

"Well, whatever you are, I'm thankful for it. You saved my life, along with that other wizard... I.. Apologise for my breakdown." she said with a small, solemn nod.

For a bartender, she'd never been that good at conversations, nor had she needed to be considering nobody ever even thought about talking to her. It was especially difficult considering they were apparently from different worlds, and while she had questions, she wasn't entirely sure if she knew which ones to ask, or if they even wanted her to ask.

They seemed to be.. Struggling, much like her.

"So.. Ah.. What's your world like? Mine's pretty green, at least from what I've seen of it. Knights everywhere, checking in every now and then to see if they should cut me down yet, rowdy dwarves, beastfolk taking solace in one of the only bars that'll accept them.. All that sort of stuff." The vampire reminisced, a bitter undertone in her voice at the beginning, slowly growing softer and fonder of what she knew as her home.

"It's okay." Drake told her. "... I'm sorry for... being scared. I-It's not you, it's... me. No one likes looking at me." He said that like it was a fact.

"Yours sounds better than mine. I don't know mine." He answered. "I only know little from books. And what I was told.... He said what world there was to explore wasn't worth it. At least until we were ready to leave home."

"Hah, I can't imagine your face is worse than anything I've already seen, but if you're that conscious about it, it's fine." the vampire said, bemused. It was strange hearing of such a problem considering one of the 'blessings' of vampirism was beauty.

"Frankly, I don't know all too much about my world either, I hadn't been outside the tavern in an age, and when I was, it was to go collect or buy things for the bar while supervised. A whole hassle really, Emma had to fill out forms for it.." Vivian reminisced, shaking her head as she remembered where she was.

She didn't get to talk to people often. Emma made for good conversation, but that was different. This was.. Nice.

"You spoke of leaving home. Are you a nomad then?"

Since her eyes were blind-folded, Drake moved his face up further to look at her. His scars were more visible to see, reaching up from the top of his head, down past his eye, and to the bottom of his chin. He listened to Vivi talk about her own struggles, and this 'tavern' she was fond of. It sounded nice.

Peaceful. "Maybe...." He admitted to her when she asked if he was a nomad. "I ran away to get away from him. I don't know if that means I'm a nomad when I'm still running."

The vampire shrugged. "Well, I doubt whoever is chasing you will be able to find you here." she mused, melancholy. The tavern was probably running just fine without her, but Emma would be worried sick. She hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye.

"You mentioned 'we'? Are there others like you?" Vivi wondered, trying to make idle conversation more than anything else. She had a feeling the topics they were moving towards would be bitter for the man, and it was probably best to try a different direction.

"You don't know that." Drake said with a tinge of fear in his voice. "He was so angry when I left. I was his favorite. And I betrayed him by running away.... He'll find me anywhere." He was scared of 'him.' Very scared.

"He made dozens of us. Most died because... well, they couldn't handle the process. But he's gotten better at making us. He likes to think of me and a few others as his 'prize breeders.' Our genetics help make the newer ones adapt easier.... I don't like it though.... Hurts." He stared off into the distance past Vivi, his mind going down to the places that made him feel.. many things, to say the least.

"No, nonononononono, don't do it, don't do it, don't do it," he repeated, nervously twitching his fingers against his knees as he started to become panicked again.

"You're okay, Nobody's here." Vivi said soothingly as she slid across the room, using her life-sense once again to find him, placing a cold, pale hand on his as he began to panic. They seemed incredibly on edge, and she doubted the stress of suddenly transporting to some strange foreign planet was helping at all.

Whatever place he was from sounded.. Terrifying, frankly. It was like the stories she'd heard about liches using human sacrifices for the sake of immortality. She'd never exactly been the soothing type, and was wondering if a vampire moving towards him would even make him feel any better.

She retracted her hand and slid a little further away.

"I'm here if you need me." Vivi whispered quietly, wondering if she should just leave him on his own, but unwilling to commit to such a decision.

Drake's body froze once Vivi put her hand on his twitching one, like a deer frozen by a car's headlights. Even though she felt cold to the touch, she would feel his twitching quickly stop. It was... nice. When she backed away, he slowly put his other hand over the one she touched, and looked at it with marvel she did that.

"Th-Thank you... You're very kind." He told her softly, stuttering a little as he felt... relieved. "I-I'm sorry. I get very... frazzled, sometimes... Did 'Emma' teach you to be kind like this?"

While she was glad Drake seemed to have snapped out of that strange state he'd been in, Vivi was a little confused by the question. ".. What do you mean? This is just... Ah.. " she trailed off, suddenly a little embarrassed at the compliment. her face flickering through a number of emotions. Distrust, confusion, consideration, before ending on a small smile as she turned her head away.

She wasn't great at telling truth from honeyed lies. if he was mocking her or being genuine, she couldn't tell, and not being able to see his face certainly made it harder. The vampire rubbed her arm shyly, a way she was entirely unused to feeling considering most people she met were given nothing more than a cold stare back and a drink.

"..Emma didn't teach me to be a kind person, just to take the glaring on the chin and be strong. I just thought.. You needed a little company. No big deal." Vivi mumbled back, reluctantly accepting his words. To think he'd call a monster like her kind! What a fool.

Though she wasn't complaining.

"But... Do you think I'm... hideous?" He asked her, like his looks were defining whether she would like or hate him. "He always told me I was going to be shamed and shunned because... people are cruel to what they perceive as ugly." He quoted, rubbing his index fingers along his scar.

Vivian simply shrugged. How was she supposed to answer a question like that? His experiences were unknown to her, and the looks of disgust she'd received had always been more for what she was rather than how she looked.

"Well.. looks aren't everything." she said after some thinking. The thought almost made her laugh. She'd received more slander for being a vampire, despite the gifted beauty she held. She expected that appearance did nothing other than woo those at face value.

"People care more about what you represent. They saw me as a monster, a thing to kill their families in the night, and I couldn't blame them for thinking that. You? To me, you're a hero that saved my life, you didn't have to, nobody would've cared if you didn't, but you did... But none of that really matters. All that matters is.. What do you think of yourself? " she spoke up. It was a bit melodramatic, but she'd meant the things she'd said. Good, honest words. Emma would've been proud.

"........" Drake just looked straight ahead at the wall, staring off into space again as his mind went blank to her question. ".... I don't know." He answered honestly. ".... Thank you though." He again told her. "It's a nice question to ask." But one Drake seemed mentally unable to answer.

"If it means anything. I don't think you're a monster. That man you killed was bad. I don't blame you for it."

Vivi cringed at the last sentence as the memory bitterly lounging in her head suddenly made itself known once more.

"I.. Don't know what came over me. The heat of the moment just amplified the hunger. Your words are kind but I think you should be a bit more careful of me, like those at home." she mumbled back.

It was a foolish dream to think she could hold back her nature for her entire life. She was bound to crack at some point, and today just seemed to be the day.

"I hope we can get back soon, to our worlds that is. At least there, even if I forget myself, people will be prepared to stop me." she sighed wistfully, her head falling to the side. It hadn't even been a day and she could already feel the homesickness settling in

Drake watched her become melancholic as she returned to her previous thoughts of being an evil monster to this group. An idea struck into his head, one to cheer her up.

"Can I see your hand?" He asked her.

Raising her head, she tilted it inquisitively at the question.

"Uh.. sure." Vivi answered, raising her hand and holding it in front of him

He gently took it with both of his, turning it around so he palm faced the ceiling. Inhaling, he then blew a strange pink energy across her hand, like he was blowing fire from his mouth. It wouldn't hurt, in fact it would tickle, as a warmth engulfed her hand, then traveled along her body and up her spine.

It would be a sensation that was hard to describe, but would be immensely comforting and even relaxing, as her mind felt that strange warmth envelope her. The best way to put it was if she was a plant, and the fire Drake blew out was sunlight absorbing into her skin, leaving no marks at all.

The sensation was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It made her shiver at the mere sensation of it.

"That's.. Amazing." she said after a moment of silence, clearly speechless by the act. Though she remained a little tense at the idea of having a spell cast on her, a small section of her mind warning her that it was all just a way to lull her into a false sense of safety.

"What is it? Did you learn it from someone? Or is it just something you know how to do?" she asked, shifting her mind to more pleasant thoughts. He was just being nice, there was no reason to think such dour thoughts.

"It's just... something I do." He said with a little smile. "I just make the receptors in your skin feel 'warm.' My master preferred it when I did it along his hands as a comfort thing." He explained.

He was happy she was happy. And he gave a little yawn after he finished speaking.

Vivian shrugged at his words, frowning at the term master, but deciding that it was a question for another time considering his yawn.

"Aha.. I haven't needed to sleep since I was a child, but I can tell you're tired." she chuckled amicably, before standing up and moving towards the door.

"Get some rest, I'm going to.. Go meet the others and keep watch, I suppose." the vampire continued, A slightly pained expression taking hold of her face as she creaked it open and slipped out. "I promise not to go far."

.. And with that, she disappeared.

Drake smiled lightly as she left. She was nice. And he felt safer now, knowing she was around.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE NEXT MORNING:

Once everyone was awake in the late hours of the morning, just about to reach early afternoon, with the sky completely cloudy to the point it looked to rain in the next couple of hours, the newbies were given the up and up of what the hell was going on.

The weird holograph lady in charge of this chaos, their first arrival back on the ruined earth, how the teleporting seems to be removing important people from worlds being invaded by the hologram lady, with the ruined earth being a sort of prison for said 'scattered' people of the multiverse, the strange centurion robot they fought off before escaping the planet, and its eventual death as the whole galaxy was destroyed right after they escaped thanks to a mass amount of energy created by paradoxes building on top of each other to the point of destabilizing reality.

And now they were trying to find out who this hologram lady was, and got trapped on this planet by accident.

 

[The Wanderer]

Nolan Madison
Is enjoying the company of friends.

Nolan after the hug would be a bit more social with Ziv and Dominique and her symbiote, showing them his journal and its various almost lifelike sketches and drawings or doodles that Nolan had made over the years. Explaining that he could recall how things looked down to the most minute detail, the way someone's face caught the light or how a tattoo looked or the specifics of an item that Nolan saw during his travels.

The art was of various people, places and things that Nolan had seen. Monsters that looked like if they were given more color and life, would jump out of the journal, some werewolves, vampires and dragons filled this area. Other pages were people's faces, items and even gear he had saw. Some were fantastic works of tech or improvised tech. Plasma Guns or Railguns or pipe guns. Some of which were the various crew from on board the Pathfinder, which is where Nolan offered to sketch the pair to show just how accurate he was.

Taking a decent amount of time to examine their faces, Nolan sketched the pair down to a T. The way that Ziv's eyes shone with that friendly glint to them, the way that Dominique's face giving off an aura of compassion or how her symbiote looked mischievous in said sketch despite her form. Passing the sketches along to the pair in plastic ziplock bags so they would be kept safe from the elements.

After this, Nolan yawned and apologized for doing so, not wanting them to think he was yawning because they were boring or for yawning in the first place. Nolan not really getting a chance to apologize more as his frame became more sagged from fatigue and sleep claimed him after he put his backpack on the floor to use it as a pillow, and soon he was in dreamland.

Waking up to someone gently shaking him awake, the throes of morning turning to afternoon evident beyond the dark clouds that warned of rainfall later, Nolan's friends explaining to the newcomers about their situation, Nolan remaining quiet as he avoided Alec's gaze and instead the young scavenger stuck near Ziv and Dominique as the situation was explained, right down to what was behind it.

'Seems like we are going to get more crew members on the Pathfinder.' Nolan thought to himself as he looked at the various faces.

@Amber Franklin @LenxKaitoYaoi @Wade Von Doom @Noble Scion @Jenhal @Grehstone @Valkan

 

[Amber Franklin]

Abigail Delano/Courier Six- Character Sheet

"So, that's what's going on." Abby chooses to end the briefing to the new arrivals on a light note. She holds her helmet under her right armpit, and used a thin length of rope to hang her Dinosaur tooth around her neck.

"Now, what we gotta do is give The Doctor a call and she….uh..he…they, yeah they will come rescue us. Now, don't be fooled when the Tortoise shows up, it looks like just a blue box for one person, but it's plenty big enough for all us when ya get inside." Abby puts on her helmet, hoists her Death Pod up.

"We had some kind of way to call The Doctor on the ship, right? Something we should go back and get?" Abby asks Alec beside her.

Dominique Moon- Character Sheet

The briefing had been enlightening for Dominique and Vaudeville even with the knowledge of events they had gleaned from Nolan while bonding with and healing him, as there were some gaps in understanding just from his perspective. Dominique had chosen to sleep, of all places, on the ceiling. Vaudeville did not need to sleep, so they had kept her adhered to the ceiling while she slept. The rush of adrenaline from the fire run would sustain the symbiote for some time.

Might have been weird for some to see a tall golden alien on the ceiling, but there really weren't many options for sleeping in a treehouse full of strangers. The others might think Vaudeville some kind of mad since she was smiling ear to ear, as Dominique was just beside herself with excitement of the situation. She had gone from a world where she was the most amazing being in existence, to this, a coalition of people she had only known to be fictional characters. Yet here they were, in the flesh and one, the man named Nolan, had even drawn her from memory.

This flattering sketch had been placed in the pocket space of the symbiote along with her many other belongings. She has also placed herself right next to Nolan during the briefing.

"Don't worry buddy, wherever we're going, I got your back." She tells Nolan, patting him on the back.

 

[Grehstone]

Chum Teeth
Good morning ladies all!

Chum had gone to bed early with the help of that local's home brewed brandy, and actually got to spend a fair bit of the early morning singing shanties and gathering some supplies. She'd grabbed a few vines capable of supporting her weight, as well as some sturdy sticks long enough to be sharpened into spears. Which, coincidentally, is how she spent the rest of the morning and a fair bit of the big meeting where they tried to explain the situation. Chum got the important parts, at least: Spooky magic image lady, important people from various worlds-containing-worlds, get off this rock full of dinosaurs and find out who she is. How useful a few coils of vine and a good pile of short javelins would be for that purpose? Hell if Chum knew, but there was at least one wooden spear for everyone, if she'd counted right. She imagined some folk would prefer their Giffy-bangs or magics or vampire fangs (a thing Chum was only JUST remembering about yesterday) but they were available. Besides, Chum could always make use of some spare things to throw.

Meanwhile, a few folks seemed to be discussing how to leave this rock. One person was talking about some doctor with a weird box of holding and finding a way to send them a message. So nobody here knew how to cast Sending. Hm. Chum dearly wished she had her own Spelljammer right now… Which is when a crazy idea hit her, and she walked up to the local man with the brewery.

"Oi, uh… Brewmaster? You know the local terrain, you know the plants, so you'd know if there were any weird types'a'wood about, right? Wood like this?"

she said, and showed him the head of her boarding flail, the magical wood's grain glowing… It was made from Gravwood, a magical form of wood renowned for its unusual relationship with gravity… And its worth as building material for the legendary Spelljammer ships. Did Chum realistically think they had the months required to construct a proper ship? Probably not, despite the hunting hut. But if there was enough wood to hold down an atmosphere, it didn't have to be pretty or elegant: it just had to have room for everyone, and it had to be sturdy enough to hold through leaving the current rock's gravitational pull. With this crew, that wouldn't take more than a day or two… Assuming there was Gravwood in the jungles.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Abigail Delano/Courier Six- Character Sheet

"So, that's what's going on." Abby chooses to end the briefing to the new arrivals on a light note. She holds her helmet under her right armpit, and used a thin length of rope to hang her Dinosaur tooth around her neck.

"Now, what we gotta do is give The Doctor a call and she….uh..he…they, yeah they will come rescue us. Now, don't be fooled when the Tortoise shows up, it looks like just a blue box for one person, but it's plenty big enough for all us when ya get inside." Abby puts on her helmet, hoists her Death Pod up.

"We had some kind of way to call The Doctor on the ship, right? Something we should go back and get?" Abby asks Alec beside her.

Dominique Moon- Character Sheet

The briefing had been enlightening for Dominique and Vaudeville even with the knowledge of events they had gleaned from Nolan while bonding with and healing him, as there were some gaps in understanding just from his perspective. Dominique had chosen to sleep, of all places, on the ceiling. Vaudeville did not need to sleep, so they had kept her adhered to the ceiling while she slept. The rush of adrenaline from the fire run would sustain the symbiote for some time.

Might have been weird for some to see a tall golden alien on the ceiling, but there really weren't many options for sleeping in a treehouse full of strangers. The others might think Vaudeville some kind of mad since she was smiling ear to ear, as Dominique was just beside herself with excitement of the situation. She had gone from a world where she was the most amazing being in existence, to this, a coalition of people she had only known to be fictional characters. Yet here they were, in the flesh and one, the man named Nolan, had even drawn her from memory.

This flattering sketch had been placed in the pocket space of the symbiote along with her many other belongings. She has also placed herself right next to Nolan during the briefing.

"Don't worry buddy, wherever we're going, I got your back." She tells Nolan, patting him on the back.

"It's more a FTL drive, honey," Alec answered. The devices the Doctor's had made for the groups to travel between universes were different in function, as they were using pieces of the teleporter they got from the body of the Centurion. In what they had developed so far, one could teleport people one location to another, but could not return them to the previous location, so it would send out a beacon to the TARDIS of their location for pickup, while another needed a power source strong enough to use it to go back and forth, like the drive core of a ship. (Alec really didn't understand the science of it, because let's face it, it's complicated as fuck to understand how any of this is possible.) Their group was given the drive version teleporter, and for reasons only known to the doctors, it looked like this,



It even worked as a lighter. When asked why their device was a matchstick lighter, The Doctor said, to quote, 'to light your way home, of course!'

Alec hated both the joke, and the device, because it was ridiculous. And annoying! As Alec would then say, "But uhh, I have no idea how to get back to the ship to get it." Since they left in a hurry on account of nearly being eaten.

"Even if you knew how to, you're not going to get far." Pete told them, as he was leaning against the kitchen counter, eating through a can of beans for his breakfast while he listened to them all talk. "Those mercs are going to be hot on our tail once the fires die down enough," the smoke in the sky was still visible as the forest fire continued on, not as strong as last night, but was still burning through acres of land. "They might already be searching for us. If you want off this planet, you're going to need one of their ships."

"Yeah, about that," Alec finally asked, "you mind telling us what the hell is going on? Why are there mercs hunting us?"

"Because you're hampering profits." Pete simply answered at first, putting the can aside. "This planet is owned by 'HayaGen,' it's an Earth corporation that deals in bioengineering and planetary colonization efforts, but that's just to make them look good. In reality, they purchase planets that are deemed 'inhospitable' by Earth's colonization agencies, and turn a tidy profit from stripping the planet for whatever they can find, like minerals and plants, to sell back to other colonies, or if they find something more exotic on these planets, like animals for instance, they run a good racket by selling them off to high class, rich idiots who think some strange alien elephant's tusk, when masked up into dusk and ingested, gives them better sexual prowess in bed."

"And you're not one of them?" Alec asked.

"I came here because it was my retirement plan. Build a little cottage in some remote part of the world, and live out my days fishing, hunting, and continuing my little business venture of brewing. Then, HayaGen discovers this planet. A colony ship scouts this world, finds out it's filled with an unexpected abundant population of dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles, deems it inhospitable for colonization due to its unstable terrain and said dinosaurs, and HayaGen quickly came knocking with an offer to buy the rights. Except, instead of stripping it, they decide this planet may have other uses. The dinos pose too much of a threat to establish any mining bases, and the terrain is too unpredictable to establish any type of housing, some clever suit up top realized the place could make for a tropical hunting resort.

So, for the last five years, high class bastards with too much money and time on their hands vacation here to hunt dinosaurs across the globe, usually traveling in large groups of mercs so they aren't eaten alive, or just have them shoot the dinos and pretend they pulled the trigger instead. This place keeps turning a high profit because idiots who think they can hunt come here for weeks on end, staying in luxury hotel rooms in the orbital station, come down here for the day, shoot a T-Rex in the head by flying overhead where it can't reach them, rip off a tooth to keep as a souvenir, leave the rest of the body behind, and be back home in time for tea and a rare steak imported from Earth." Pete spoke all of this with bitterness in his voice, angered by the utterly laziness of the people who come here to hunt. "They don't come here to hunt, they come here to get drunk and pretend to think they know how to hunt. They don't realize the danger, because they're protected by a corporation that see's them for the whales they are, fattening their egos by proclaiming them as hunters of history, and offering them the easiest means of killing these creatures like it's some great accomplishment... Anyway," he continued through a sigh of frustration,

"About a year ago, the planet started getting you all," meaning the new comers, "people from other worlds appearing here and causing issues for hunters and mercs in charge of keeping them alive. People started dying as they dropped onto the surface, and HayaGen eventually lost control. No matter who they send down, they all keep ending up dead, and considering you all here appeared right as that happened, they deemed you to be the reason why. 'Liabilities,' things burning through their wallets and causing nothing but issues. Recently they started upping their merc game, bringing in small armies to try and kill off as many 'Liabilities' as they could, either through burning forests in hopes of roasting you all alive, or just bombarding it with artillery. Of course, that kills off dinos more than it does Liabilities, so I'm not sure why they keep thinking that'll work out in their favor. I've spent two years on this planet, the first living retirement, as they let me live down here thinking I was crazy to try, and I'd end up dead in the first week, and now I've spent the last continuing to outsmart them like a stupid pricks they are. But they're closing in. Either I'll end up blown to pieces, roasted alive, or perhaps just shot, and my best chance to get out of here alive is by teaming up with as many of you as I can find and stealing a ship to get off planet."

Chum Teeth
Good morning ladies all!

Chum had gone to bed early with the help of that local's home brewed brandy, and actually got to spend a fair bit of the early morning singing shanties and gathering some supplies. She'd grabbed a few vines capable of supporting her weight, as well as some sturdy sticks long enough to be sharpened into spears. Which, coincidentally, is how she spent the rest of the morning and a fair bit of the big meeting where they tried to explain the situation. Chum got the important parts, at least: Spooky magic image lady, important people from various worlds-containing-worlds, get off this rock full of dinosaurs and find out who she is. How useful a few coils of vine and a good pile of short javelins would be for that purpose? Hell if Chum knew, but there was at least one wooden spear for everyone, if she'd counted right. She imagined some folk would prefer their Giffy-bangs or magics or vampire fangs (a thing Chum was only JUST remembering about yesterday) but they were available. Besides, Chum could always make use of some spare things to throw.

Meanwhile, a few folks seemed to be discussing how to leave this rock. One person was talking about some doctor with a weird box of holding and finding a way to send them a message. So nobody here knew how to cast Sending. Hm. Chum dearly wished she had her own Spelljammer right now… Which is when a crazy idea hit her, and she walked up to the local man with the brewery.

"Oi, uh… Brewmaster? You know the local terrain, you know the plants, so you'd know if there were any weird types'a'wood about, right? Wood like this?"

she said, and showed him the head of her boarding flail, the magical wood's grain glowing… It was made from Gravwood, a magical form of wood renowned for its unusual relationship with gravity… And its worth as building material for the legendary Spelljammer ships. Did Chum realistically think they had the months required to construct a proper ship? Probably not, despite the hunting hut. But if there was enough wood to hold down an atmosphere, it didn't have to be pretty or elegant: it just had to have room for everyone, and it had to be sturdy enough to hold through leaving the current rock's gravitational pull. With this crew, that wouldn't take more than a day or two… Assuming there was Gravwood in the jungles.

"Afraid not," Pete told Chum once she asked. "Nothing magical on this planet besides whoever arrives from a world where it exists."

 

[The Wanderer]

Nolan Madison
Thinking up a game plan

Nolan listened to Pete and Alec's words, feeling a tad bit confident after the pat on the back and words of encouragement that Vaudeville had given him. Nolan heard about the backup matchstick device thing that had been on the shuttle, and while they couldn't perhaps remember it, Nolan just needed a map, he had drawn and even navigated using maps before, part of his life as a scavenger. Then working out details, he could estimate where their shuttle is and pay it a visit, get this device and perhaps some supplies if they were going to be fighting their way on a ship.

"What else was on the shuttle? Cause if I had a map, I could visit the ship and get that device and anything else we might need." He paused before continuing. "Just an idea." The plan sounded better in his head, as evident from his awkward stuttering and body language.

"Decent plan, but-"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryder Rowe
Wanting to get some Corpos what for

As Pete talked about the history of the planet, the whole ordeal sounded what was to be expected of shithead corpo-rats. Buy up a planet and use it for whatever deplorable reason. Either that or establish a space station that serves as rallying point for another shithead. Mars being a world turned into a resort/casino after being terraformed by one such Syntech, doubling as a research planet for weapons and other such 'important' installations for what was probably a genetic horror show or some Suit's wet dream hidden away from prying eyes.

Or the ever-wonderful orbital station around Jupiter that totally wasn't a slave station that was hyped up as a means to pay off debts or to 'mine' the gas giant, when in reality. It was where you were sent if you pissed off the wrong people and tortured on the daily or used as slave labor for whatever Corporation needed a test rat without attracting unwanted attention, because any trail you had ended at that station.

He tuned back in when the kid known as Nolan laid out an idea that while decent on paper, wasn't the greatest. "Decent plan, but I like the idea of stealing one of the ships, probably piss off some big-wig that a bunch of liabilities fucked with them. Having a map is a good idea though, might help us find out where they land. Cause I imagine some snobby prick isn't about to leave a ship or end up without supplies if a hunt goes bad, especially a Corp with what is expensive equipment being left to the jungle. Gotta have a landing pad or something like a spot for those mercs to gather without having to worry about getting lost or running out of ammo or supplies." He said as he laid down his idea.

@Wade Von Doom @Wiggin @Amber Franklin @Jenhal @Grehstone @Noble Scion @Valkan

 

[LenxKaitoYaoi]

Uncertainty, to say the least, was most prevalent among a handful of other feelings painted on the mage's face. Voláre was all of concerned, confused, scared and, of course, very uncertain about all of this. Not in his own world? That explained a great deal of the things he could not explain otherwise, but to be so far from home… his mother was going to worry sick about him. He was supposed to come home.

To add to all of this otherworldly business, there was a war going on and this place was horrible. They were being hunted as well, even though he himself just got here and had no idea why or how to get back. All he wanted to do was go home and see his mother.

---

Ziv was content to rest here on the floor, idly chit chatting with Nolan the other two after pulling his hair loose to let down and relax a little. He was rather enjoying seeing the other male's sketchbook- he was quite talented. Some of the pictures were of things Ziv had yet to see, which likely meant Nolan had been places he had not. No surprise there, though. They came from different worlds and haven't been to the other's that he was aware of.

He didn't expect the artist to hand him a plastic bag with a sketch in it, much less one of him. It made him smile though and he thanked Nolan before insisting he read given his yawn. He slept in his spot on the floor here, lightly in case something happened or someone yelled.

He woke when someone called in the morning. With a yawn and a stretch, he pulled himself to attention. He ran his hand through his hair briefly and simply listened. He knew most of this already, so he was simply gauging the reactions of everyone else. He knew at the least, Alec, Abby, Kassandra and Nolan had already been aware of this as well, longer than him even. But the others… well, at the least, he could already see and feel the whirl of emotions that was the red hooded mage hiding in the corner. He couldn't blame him.

His attention then turned to their host at his story, following as he explained the situation of this particular place. Lovely story, that. Nolan's voice was caught his attention first, causing him to raise a brow. He wasn't opposed to the idea but he sure as hell wasn't letting the man go out there alone again. Ryder interrupted and chimed in his own opinion then, which also wasn't a bad idea, mostly. He wasn't keen to piss anyone off in this place, frankly. He stood now, figuring it would be a good time to throw his two cents in.

"Both ideas aren't bad. We are certainly not getting back on our vessel. I have a suggestion, if I may." He commented. Their ship was wrecked when they got here. He looked to Nolan first. "You most certainly are not going anywhere alone again- none of us are. It's a death sentence at least. You, me, and one or two others go back. I can keep an eye out on our surroundings, I'll know if someone is nearby before they can hear or see us and get us away from them. The less contact we make the better. I don't think the doctor would appreciate us losing their toys and once we are out of this place we need someone that can navigate to get us back."

With that said he turned to Ryder. "Take a team with you, small as well. A bigger group will attract more attention. Scout out a vessel for us, preferably with as few occupants and guards around it as possible. Once you find it, make note of it and we meet up back here. Once everyone is together again and ready, then we take it and get the hell out of here."

 

[Noble Scion]

Vivian Cain

After leaving Drake to rest, Vivian had hidden herself away on the top of the tree house, alone. Spending the night keeping an eye out for danger, but mostly in simple contemplation, burning through cigarette after cigarette trying to dull the taste of blood in her mouth, a small stream of smoke in a forest of green.

She felt like crying, not that she could. She couldn't tell why.

Why Drake had been so understanding? Why hadn't the others just left her to fend for herself? She'd lied to them, they must know the risks after seeing what she was, So why?

Yet as the sun came up to greet her and the weakness that came with it, she found that not even it held the answers for her. The only conclusion she'd arrived to being that they must have some countermeasures in place.

Hearing the first waking stirs of though below her, she'd glumly make her way back down, half a cigarette pack shorter, with one hanging in her mouth, though she hung around outside listening to them talk.

Eventually, deciding she'd stalled long enough, she'd sigh and slip in through the window, and curl up in the nearest corner, determined to keep out of the way as everyone else seemed to be figuring out what was even going on. She didn't know anything helpful, as far as she could tell, nothing to do with boats, anyway.

She mockingly thought that maybe she could try serving them some drinks to forget the pain of yesterday, if they had drinks to serve.

 

[Wiggin]

Collab post of Valkan and Wiggin, small interaction between Reta and Lancer from the day before​

After gently placing the young lady on the bed, Lancer took a couple steps back. He observed intently, gauging her magical potential. He spent a few minutes observing each of the tree house guests, measuring how good of a Master they could be. Even though he still had some mana left, it wouldn't last forever. His link to his previous Master was so abruptly severed, and he was thrown into a fight with some of the locals equally fast. He had no chance to register his existence was endangered. Now, his best chances laid upon one of these strangers, and their willingness to make a pact with him. Facing away from the bed, he pondered on if he could even successfully bond with anyone in time.

Sam had been right in the fact it didn't take long for the serum she injected to take effect. Reta still had issues moving in a fluid manner, but she could at least move without being struck with extreme pain. She took the time to actually look at her savior, a man covered in various different fabrics and hiding his true appearance. Perhaps he was disfigured in some way and desired to hide it? Reta tried not to ponder too much on it, as even with the fabric hiding his appearance, his body language said that he was troubled. Hopefully, Reta would be able to take the moment to distract him. She moved slowly, reaching her arm out to him and lightly tugging on one of the rags to grab his attention. It was hardly noticeable with how hard she tugged due to her being weak. If he noticed and turned, he would be met with a smile from Reta, and her attempting to mouth the words "thank you."

Lancer's focus was suddenly taken away from his current task. He felt a pull on his arm, it was gentle but noticeable enough. Lancer's head quickly turned to face the young woman. Lancer immediately knelt next to her and pressed on her shoulders gently "Lay down, get some rest, you had serious injuries just a minutes ago." He would've continued, but her smile and her attempt at words stopped him "Ah, you're welcome." he meditated how to phrase his next question for a moment "Can't talk?" he understood her lip movement, so he wondered what was going on. The doctor's injection healed all injuries, so what was her issue?

Reta's smile wavered slightly at lancer's mentioning of her being unable to speak. She nodded slowly, both because it was hard to move and because she didn't know how to feel about it. As for the hand on her shoulder, she couldn't exactly resist the gentle push and so she submitted to it and laid back down. Reta then let out a sigh, mainly feeling useless during her entire time since being transported. She had attempted to help as many people as possible, but all she had done was get herself injured over and over. She wasn't frustrated in any way, just disappointed in herself, and that soon became evident in the melancholy look on her face. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth was slightly creased downwards.

It seemed like Lancer had stepped on a landmine, but it was better to get it out of the way. The woman seemed to be upset. Did he trigger this? No, she wouldn't be having that reaction of that was the case. She seemed hurt emotionally. Feeling like he should help, he asked "What is troubling you, young lady?"

Reta stared at the man for a moment, again trying to think of a way to get her point across. She rose a hand and signed "I feel so useless-" but stopped due to doubting he knew Japanese sign language. Reta then shook her head, trying to communicate that it would be hard to say. Tears almost welled up in Reta's eyes at that moment. She felt so alone and distant from her family, and not just her blood relatives. All of the friends she had made as a revenant felt so far away now, with no clue of where she was or what had happened. It had only been a day, but yet it felt even longer due to how cut off she was from the people around her.

Lancer reeled back slightly upon seeing the hand signs. Despite not knowing the signs per se, he could use his Clairvoyance to get the gist of what they meant. Lancer foresaw the young woman crying afterward, something along the lines of seclusion and lack of understanding. Slightly unsure on how to stop that future, Lancer rubbed her shoulder gently and mustered a soft tone to overpower his gruff voice "You shouldn't feel useless, you helped some of the people in the other room get out of the fire unscathed. Your wounds are a testament of it. I can see great potential within you, so I'm sure the only reason you got hurt is because you worried about them in excess." He left the rest unsaid for now.

Reta's eyebrows raised as Lancer talked, her eyes gaining a shine that seemed to have been dulled since the start of the conversation. None of the people in the cabin seemed to have understood her when she started using Japanese sign language, but this man did. "You can understand this?" She signed quickly, which funnily enough, would've made it hard for someone who knew sign language to fully comprehend what she did. She went to sit up but stopped herself in order to avoid the potential pain. Her hands were shaking slightly when they stopped, but she continued nevertheless. "-but I never actually did anything... I just lead them and that was all. I couldn't do anything to prevent people from getting hurt, that was all done by you and that strange yellow creature and the shy man with the ice powers. All I really did was get carried after getting hurt too many times and slowed everyone down," She signed to Lancer, before having to put her hands down. Her arms were tired, and the act of signing didn't help that.

Under his robes, Lancer couldn't help but smile upon seeing the lady brighten up. She signed fast, and again Clairvoyance filled Lancer's head with the intent behind the words. With a chuckle, Lancer replied "Indeed". The details on how were not needed at the moment, so he avoided making this conversation more complicated. He noticed the excitement of being understood had her testing her recovery abilities, but stopping herself in time to avoid pain. As for her grief, Lancer slowly shook his head. "The wounds you beared were wounds that could have been beared by someone who couldn't have taken them. Not all efforts are individual efforts, and while in your eyes you may not have contributed much, you still helped this group avoid casualties. At the cost of your own body, no less. Being helped yourself after making such an effort shouldn't ashame you."

Reta sighed, she couldn't exactly deny what he was saying. She made an effort, and she had done at least some things... but was that worth the tradeoff of her getting injured instead? It was hard to say considering Reta had the ability to die over and over. Reta laid her head back on the cot and stared at the ceiling. "Thank you... again," she signed to the robed man. "My name is Masureta by the way, but most people call me Reta," She signed after a few moments, smiling again.

Lancer nodded as he simply answered "It was my pleasure to help an aiding hand" after a few seconds of interpretation to understand the message. For the next part of her signs, it took him a few extra seconds to think of an approach. "Lancer. Call me Lancer" slowly bowing his head.

Reta nodded to lancer after hearing his name. "Well, it is very nice to meet you, lancer! It's a very fitting name for the weapon you wield," Reta signed back to him while her body shook with a silent chuckle. Her face then took on a more serious look after she thought for a moment. since he could understand her, it would probably make for a more understandable conversation. "You seemed troubled before, is everything alright?" She questioned, wanting to help. It was instinctual to try and help people at this point after being the supposed chosen one of the revenants.

Lancer didn't show it, but he felt relieved Reta found his name normal. It would just make talking easier. "That is the reason why I call myself that, actually. It is my... Nevermind" he figured Reta wasn't ready for a lengthy explanation of a foreigner's world. It was then that she asked if everything was alright. Lancer slightly, but visibly recoiled, surprised by her observation. His Clairvoyance was getting interrupted by his current concerns. "So you noticed."At this point, there was no avoiding it. An explanation would have to take place, a brief one at least. "I'll try to be brief and concise. I'm a being made of magic, my very existence is considered almost a miracle in my own world. This magic is not infinite, however. I need a person to act as my anchor of sorts to the world, otherwise, I'll dissapear. The contract I had with said anchor was severed when a green flash, and I was brought here." Lancer sighed, "Being even more brief, I don't have much time left."

"Not much time left? Are you saying you're going to die? We have to do something!" She quickly signed back and moved to get up, but winced in pain before moving back to her place. Even if the pain was dulled, it still hurt to move. She wanted to help the man who saved her life. The person that had helped her hold on to the memories that she still held. She couldn't just let him die, he had to find some type of anchor. He said that he was made of magic, and he needed magic to sustain himself. Did her gifts count as magic? "Could you use me as an anchor?" She signed after a moment of thought.

Lancer chuckled at Reta's panic, it was refreshing someone truly concerned about him. Mere minutes after meeting, no less. Then again, they met under very abnormal circumstances. Regardless, Lancer allowed for Reta to settle. Or rather, his vision paralyzed him for an instant. While what Reta was going to ask was to be expected, he still had his doubts about placing the burden of his existence on her. When the signs finally came out, Lancer remained silent for a few seconds, but he wasn't going to lie, even if he was struggling to give an answer. A sigh preceeded his answer "While you were resting, I analyzed the magical potential of everyone here. You... Have the highest magical potential, so yes, you would be the best chance I have at staying in this world." He paused to consider if he really was going to allow it "Where I come from, those anchors are called Masters. They provide a constant flow of magical energy to their Servant, in exchange for their servitude. As a powerful servant, I'd say my servitude to you is a fair enough price for all the magical energy you'll be providing me." Lancer sighed again, he had made up his mind. "Now then. Masureta, are you my Master?" he said solemnly as he extended his hand to hold one of hers. If she was willing to accept his terms, he would in turn accept the contract.

Reta was confused by Lancer's small chuckle. Why was he not more concerned about this? His face took on a more serious look however when Reta started thinking about how she could be an anchor for him. Reta couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if Lancer knew what she was about to propose before she even did it. It was probably nothing. The sigh concerned Reta for a moment, making her believe that he was going to say no. The worry was evident in her facial expression but was soon replaced by some type of determination as Lancer continued to speak. If she was going to be supplying Lancer with "magical energy" that would probably mean she was going to need to drink blood more often, which would become an issue down the line but it was better than just letting him die. As Lancer reached out his hand to hold one of Reta's hands, she also offered it to him. With that final question, she gave a nod, hoping that would suffice.

Lancer would silently get ahold of Reta's hand, and her visible agreement triggered something to happen in mind. Her head would be suddenly be filled with information, however the form it would take was up to her. Lancer's True Name, Skills, Stats, and Noble Phantasms. All this information would be portrayed in her head in the form that she would understand it the best. Be it as simple text, a complex metaphor, or anything in between. Once she assimilated all the information, she would be able to return her focus to the room she was in where Lancer was still kneeling next to her, holding her hand. "Thank you, Master" Lancer paused for a moment to check on how was she doing with the new, magical link she could feel with him, he hoped it wasn't too strenuous "And now, I have become your spear, use me as you see fit" Lancer took a deep breath "So now you know my True Name, but I ask of you, please continue to call me Lancer. Firstly, it's a bad practice to reveal your Servant's True Name. Secondly..." Reta would get a fleeting feeling that Lancer was troubled, despite not being able to see his expression "I am not fond of what I did while pridefully boasting that name."

The information that filled Reta's mind was as if someone read it out loud to her. She could hear a voice speak it, commenting on Lancer's abilities and pronouncing his true name for her. The voice seemed to be strong, yet it had a hidden kindness to it. It was odd... but Reta would just need to deal with it. She didn't notice that during the process a symbol appeared on the back of her neck, resembling a red tattoo. Her mouth suddenly became dry after a moment, assumedly due to the "magical link" that Lancer spoke of. Reta estimated she'd need to drink two blood beads every month instead of the usual one. She hoped she'd be able to find a new supply of blood soon then, otherwise, she'd risk becoming a monster. Her whole body shivered thinking about it. "You don't need to call me master," she attempted to sign to him with one hand. To anyone who would have to ability to understand sign language, it would seem as if her words were slurred due to this, but the magical connection picked up the rest of the slack. "If that's what you want, then I'll do as you say," She continued after mentioning that he was not proud of that name. She wanted to ask more about it, but that probably would not be for the best. "so... do you have any questions for me? It probably would be nice to get to know each other now that we are 'connected' and everything," She signed after a few moments, a soft smile appearing on her face.

It seemed like there was some backlash on Master's end, Lancer gauged that his call was a good one, he'd be able to keep his fighting prowess mostly intact. A magically empowered undead was indeed a good choice. "It's part of our con... It's what I'm used to" He thought out to her. He technically didn't have to call her that, but given the deal, he wanted to show he was going to be a good asset worth the risk she took. He didn't think much of the mental message, as it was a no brainer for him to talk through his mind with his Master. As for his name, again, he casually, yet respectfully thought "I thank you" towards her. When Master followed with a request to know more about her, there was a moment of silence, then a dry chuckle. "You sure are not from my world" he meditated on the question for a few seconds "But if you are serious, I'll be happy with knowing whatever you want to tell me, Master"

The suddenness of lancer's voice entering her thoughts startled Reta for a moment, but she quickly waved it off as it just having to do with the strange connection that was just established. The surprise was subtly evident in her facial expressions even if she tried to hide it. The slight raise of an eyebrow or the unintentional opening of her mouth were still there. As for the silence following the man's thanks, she felt nervous for a moment. Was she crossing a line she wasn't aware was there? Was it unusual for his people to get to know the people they were connected to? A quiet sigh released from her when he continued to talk. Reta mirrored his chuckle, becoming more comfortable. "Well, first things first, I guess I'm what you would consider a vampire. It's not your traditional vampirism, but I do... have to drink blood in order to survive. It gives me the ability of semi-immortality unless my heart is destroyed, so... if I do die at any point, just don't let me heart get crushed alright? I can also lose memories when I die, so be prepared if that happens," She signed back to the man, the smile on her face dwindling for a moment, "I guess some fun things would be I really like to take naps, my favorite color is red, and... I like going to the spa...?" She continued to sign, not realizing that it would essentially be like she's making her voice echo in Lancer's head. The upside was that there was more emotion put into her words.

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Masureta
Location: Recovering from injuries in the treehouse
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The two of them continued to talk to each other until night fell, where Reta rested for the night. Her injuries soon became fully healed, both from using a regeneration and with the assistance of Sam's strange medicine. The morning had a gentleness to it with birds softly chirping through the window and light bathing the room. Reta eventually hobbled out of the bedroom to hear the last half of the explanation from Pete, leaning on the doorway as she listened.

In terms of how to plan things out, she honestly had no clue what to contribute. Would she really be seen as helpful with how she got injured just getting to the treehouse? She soon glanced over and saw that the other vampiric woman had slipped in through an open window. She knew that depressed look on her face, it was similar to that of revenants she met who had accidentally fed on their loved ones during a rage. A look of regret. Reta shrugged, slowly sliding over to the woman and sitting on the ground next to her. She attempted to communicate that they were both in the same boat by opening her mouth and tapping on her teeth, hoping that the fellow vampire understood what she was trying to say.