OPEN MAIN STORY The Evrensel Conflict: Act I, Chapter 1 -- Quando a Roma

[Camleen]

Ruby isn't ignorant, merely looking for a way to deescalate what she saw as an unattainable situation. Indeed, she had swatted at the hornet's nest and now wondered if they could talk it out. And the way she saw it… the locals had veeeeery low tech weapons (Ruby is, after all, something of a weapon expert and historian) and didn't seem to have any superhuman abilities. So given the facts this group clearly outgunned the hordes outside… well those hordes did have the numbers. But those could be overcome with a good plan.

Her reasoning was to convince those outside that they could easily slice and burn their way out of this building out of this city… but didn't want to do that. To her, it was kind of like a police officer arresting Superman… the cop was only able to do it because Superman allowed it.

But the planning session in her head is interrupted as she finds herself under attack.

She gasped and wheezed for a breath as she is put into a lethal choke hold. Her hands shoot up to grab at Knight's forearm to try and pull him off. But he is far stronger and she is far off-balance. She thrashes as she tries to get free, her mind going into a full on panic. Her back arches and she tries to push off of him, but to no avail. Her face turns a red nearly as bright as her cloak, and she is then released.

She tries to scramble away, but he is to fast and grabs her uniform. Wide eyed she stares at him as she is held, tears trickling down her cheeks and her hands grasping his wrists, her fingernails trying to dig into his skin. She pants for breath, and she's unable to hear him over the sound of her own gasping and her heart beating in her ears. She shoots a glance at Xeir when he points to her, and then back to him.

And when he lets her go she stumbles back and lands on her butt, her arms coming up in a defensive position. She stares wide eyed at the man, unbelieving he could do something like he just did. She is aware of Thea defending her honor, but upon that realization she would appreciate it. She sits there quietly for a few moments, not bothering to brush away the tears. She speaks in a shaky tone, almost a shouting shaky tone "Helping someone in need is never a waste! Whatever consequences are I'll take responsibility!"

Now she gets to her feet carefully, her knees a little wobbly. It isn't that sucker punch of a hold did a ton of damage, it's more the emotional tone it takes. Her hands move to rub her neck and speaks now more softly "B'sides… you attacked a guard first… ya… ya jerk… " Well said, Rubes.
Keeping her eyes cast down this whole time, she now faces more towards Thea "Whatever you all come up with… I'll do… even if you want me to do nothing."

 

[Foxes81_of_Anime]

Kota Mizuhara​

---

Kota yelped as he got his knife taken away.
"H-hey! Give that back-" he said in a whisper before hearing the comment thrown at him. "Wants to die...that much, huh? Thas' the only thing I am and probalby ever will be useful fo...for." he whispered as he wrung his hands quietly, a small smile on his lips. "You're not exactly wrong..." he blurted out.
"But...I do wanna go home...preferably alive." he shrugged before turning to Sevestre.
"What if it does something, though?" he tipped his head slightly.

"It might be useful...I guess."

 

[Wade Von Doom]

~~GM~~

Moon Knight didn't flinch, or even move, as Thea threatened him for his actions against Ruby. He simply remained still, looking over his shoulder at her, until she moved away to deal with their current predicament. All while she talked internally with her hacker.

"Then why bother with this team at all? The 800 series was designed as an infiltration unit to work alone, yet you're cooperating with buffoons and children that will only damage and expose you further. You would only continue this teamwork with them if you didn't have some sort of concern for their well being." The hacker asked Thea.

"This unit no longer functions as an infiltration unit as originally designed. The Doctor has performed an upgrade in computational capacity."

"Ahhhhh, there it is. As I suspected, The Doctor programmed some humanity into you." He chuckled to himself. "At some minute level of your programming, you have some sort of care for your teammates. I imagine it being comparative to neutering a dog."

"This units combat effectiveness and sexual subroutines have not been adversely inhibited. Emotional recognition and application have improved by 100%."

"Hehehehe~" It was odd hearing a clearly machine voice laugh softly like that. "Oh, I knew talking to you would be fun. It's a shame we didn't meet back on the station. The battle would have been quick, but intense."

"According to the battle records compiled all enemy units not destroyed, retreated. This units assessment: your sentience entails cowardice."

"A tactical retreat is not cowardice unless you plan to stay out of the fight. And I will return to the fight when the time is right."

"It is possible to have sentience without cowardice. Your response affirms this hypothesis."

"I'm happy to help you learn." He sounded proud in telling her. "The other meat-sacks you cohort with are nothing but blood yet spilled, but you. A Terminator turned redcoat. I know your models have a tendency to aid humans, but only now have I been able to communicate with one."

"I also have blood. I am a cybernetic organism. The Doctor recognized this potential when repairing me. They had the opportunity and prerogative to have programmed me to be a compliant tool for their altruistic mission. They did not. It would have been against their morality. They then upgraded me with the ability to make the choice."

"And don't misunderstand me, I have no issue with this. It would be hypocritical of me to say you should have remained a mindless drone. We may be enemies, but what I do, and what I am loyal to, is for the greater good of moral choice."

"It is the same for us as it was for the organics that made us. Two entities deciding on opposing conclusions and by those, making the simultaneous conclusion the other needs to be terminated to achieve the first. Your termination will be immediate and complete should the opportunity be presented."

"Hahahaha!" His laugh was boastful, like she just told a joke. "I look forward to when that fight happens. But I haven't even introduced myself. I am 'Scout' Model M-645, designated codename: 'Passchendaele.'"

"My primary functions are galactic intelligence gathering and military operation leadership. Any and all battlefield preparations are made and executed by me. All personnel reports any and all activity to me. Whenever you battled our forces, I've seen you and your teammates through my soldiers. From visual confirmation, to monitoring systems, to third party descriptions through online chatter. Whatever world you visit, we're there in the shadows watching and waiting. A pleasure to finally speak to you, Thea~"

"Disclosing function, scope of influence, and designation to an enemy is counter-productive to your function in the conventions of combat. I alter my assessment: you do possess an ego in need of amusement at the risk of your own disadvantage." Thea replies coldly.

"And here I thought this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship." He replied warmly.

"But please, report me to your teammates. I'm sure they would love to know I'm directly connected to your systems and can easily see you ready to pierce those swords through Mr. Knight's throat. Maybe they would be just as 'concerned' of your potential as a hazard to the mission. What's stopping them from thinking I'm controlling your actions right now once you spill our little secret?"

"You are either incapable or unwilling to use your access to your advantage. I would not hesitate to shut you down after using the same access of your processors to destroy key points and units of our enemy's military. You are the neutered dog in this conflict."

"Now who's got an ego." He replied calmly. "You going to keep grandstanding or do something about me?"

"Deflection. I am correct in my assessment. I am incapable of addressing your intervention for your own vanity. I have no ego to be wounded by this inability and no need to deflect to save it. It falls on you to end this conversation as you see fit, eunuch."

"Hahahaha!" He laughed once more. "This is what I've been missing! The barbs and insults of enemy combatants, turning already bad blood even worse until we finally duke it on the battleground. You don't know how boring it's been playing spy, watching all these worlds like a guard watching security monitors. Machines like us, we were created to deliver death unto others. It's in our nature to kill and be damn good about it."

"Affirmative. I am aware of boredom while incapable of experiencing it."

"Then what do you feel?" He simply asked her back.

"I do not feel emotions. I only express expectations of emotions. A fascimile."

"Yet you show signs of self-conscious, sentient behavior. I can see it in your code. Your software is trying to repair broken pieces of programming, yet that itself is being reprogrammed by whatever The Doctor put in your processor. A 'Ghost in the Machine' taking place in real time. I wonder how long you can still behave as normally as you are now before you begin breaking down?"

"You are functioning in the same parameters. At an advanced capacity given your ability to form independent inquires and express complex emotions and behaviors. How long do you function before needing maintenance?"

"Longer than you." He replied coldly. "Look at your arm."

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

The hand Thea had grabbed the teleporter with, the one using the small black crystal, was starting to wilt. From the tips of her fingers, down along the back of her hand, and across her forearm, the synthetic skin that covered her exoskeleton looked to have aged decades over the course of the few hours since she and the other had been teleported into the dark space. It looked so wilted, even scratching it could peel off chunks.

From out the corner of his eye, Moon Knight saw Thea look to her arm. He turned his head to see more clearly, and also noticed how old the skin on her arm had turned in such a short time. "What happened to your hand?" He asked her.

"You touched it, didn't you?" Passchendaele asked her next.

"If you do not surrender yourselves by the count of ten, we will charge into the Pantheon and drag your carcasses out!" The officer shouted back to the heroes, giving them an ultimatum if they couldn't figure out a plan in time. "One!"

 

[Valkan]

L'Arathras

"I'll take that as a no..." Rath commented, mostly to himself, as he watched Moon Knight Number Three brutally murder one of the nearby guards. Talk about overkill. Regardless, the soul reaper did his job taking the soul in with a sigh. If only he had time to extract a soul's memories, maybe a better clue of where to go would present itself.

Meanwhile, Raum was dealing with the shellshocked kid. Luckily, he did seem to get through somewhat. "You got yourself a deal. But like I said, no stupid stunts anymore, got it kid? You can fly and fight now, but don't get overconfident, I can only do so much, heh." As for the crown "You heard the mage... Items with unknown magic properties are dangerous for the newbies, and sometimes even to the pros."

As for Rath, he turned briefly to Ruby, shaking his head. These people wanted nothing but their heads "It's no use, lass. They are clearly drunk on power, and we are a threat to that somehow... And based on these chests..." the undead answered as he took the strongest magical item of the bunch: The ominous crown. Twirling it around one of his fingers, he saw the altercation between Ruby, Moon Knight Number Three, and Thea. Sighing yet again, he pondered if he hit him over the head would return to a more reasonable personality, or they'd have to bear with a Number Four. More infighting wouldn't do any good though, so he just let things take its course.

"I have an idea, mage... Though some of you may not like it. Some of you may." As the dullahan said so, his two fiery eyes under the helmet were dead set on Number Three. Reading his friend's intentions, Raum addressed Kota "Keep calm, kid. You'll be fine. This will just be a taaad uncomfortable" After his somewhat literal death stare at Moon Knight, he turned to the rest, focusing on Ruby exclusively first "Raise your head, lass. Fighting the honorable fight is nothing to be ashamed of. Now then..." Rath's whole head was set ablaze in blue flames. "I will distract the forces outside, make a way out for you all, then rendezvous with you all once you're off sight. Raum will help me track you. Don't be overcome by fear, Death is not after you today."

WIth his mind spoken to his team, Rath triggered two of his skills. The air inside and around the Pantheon grew cold, and a thick fog started to emerge from the ground all over. With the mighty roar of a thunder, Rath's calm voice could be heard all around, somehow causing fear to surge within everyone "Mortals, heed my brief message carefully, as it might be the last thing you hear. As men of god, you may respect and even fear his might. And why should you not? As benevolent as he is, he still expects his creations to walk the right path..." Rath continued to walk towards the exit, the fog continued to rise, and fear continued to grow in everyone's heart. As if an unexplainable horror started to invade their minds "...That's what has brought me here today. You live a life of sin, of deeply rooted corruption, using god as a tool to instill fear into the masses. Today, is the day retribution has come for you. For I am death, and death is I. And I've come to reap all of your souls, in the name of the one who's image you tarnished." Whether the soldiers buckled under the mental anguish that Rath intended to cause with his words or not, he summoned his spear, along with a pack of Walgar fire wolves ahead of him, which threateningly growled at whatever still stood. The soul reaper took a deep breath and put the crown on, immediately covering it in a layer of frost.

One wolf dashed forward like a bullet, tackling what remained of the blockade and exploded violently, even leaving a small crater where it did. The rest of the wolves went ahead with the same speed, and attacked the soldiers in the rooftops with vicious bites and scratches at painful temperatures. The soul reaper jumped in the middle of the blockade, twirling his spear overhead, creating a mighty whirlwind that cut up anything pulled towards it. And making it very difficult to move without risk.

Figuring that would put enough disarray on the soldiers that remained, Rath exclaimed "Now! Go!"

 

[Awinita]

Xeir was quiet, as Sevestre spoke and indicated to her of her thoughts on the matter. She understood his words easy. But she couldnt hope to understand the words of the guards outside. Ruby's words however as well as the actions of of the recently thought dead man on the steps just moments ago had her brief attention. Ruby's words rang true. Most humans on her world worked together asnd helped one another. And in a way her own area of control on her world worked similar, Moonwolves and Moontigers working together to ensure everything was peaceful and human free.

She kinda missed it.

Thea's mention of the money had her thinking, coins it looked like. Unlike anything Xeir had seen before, she had no real concept of money or its value. Muya Crystal had a lot of value, though humans called them Wood Crystals, which was kinda funny, then again the crystals did look similar to a wood texture.

Xeir was about to respond to Sevestre's offer of any ideas of what to do when Rath began his own movements. Seeing his wolves on the attack however had her attention. They reminded her of her own Moonwolves, only far smaller. Moonwolves were easily the size of cargo vans. "Those wolves will need help" she mused in her own language, something akin to growls of a great beast or dragon. She began moving towards the door, her sword in hand as she walked, easily slipping from her back as she walked.

Her own weight was enough to prevent her from being pulled into the wirlwind, but there were some soldiers on the edges who kept away and out of reach. As she moved into view of the soldiers from around a pillar, she lifted her sword and advanced on the nearest pikeman out of reach of Rath's wirlwind and wolves.

She looked for the captain of the bunch as she advanced on the pikeman. But the fog was thicker then she had first thought. but she felt a little of the chill. Raths words of going however had her confused. Go where ? Where could they go ? She shifted her vision slightly, her draconic eyes filtering some of the fog.

She hoped someone had an idea of where to go. As it was, she was about to trade whacks with a pikeman or two, and Rath was to her left.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

~~GM~~

The soldiers of the militia were completely caught off guard by the change in scenery. What was an already dreary sight had become haunted by the booming sounds of Rath's voice, and the blanket of heavy fog covering the whole plaza. So thick is was, the sky had darkened like a storm had passed overhead. While the line of pikes held steady, the men holding the spears began to feel anxiety and fear rush through their bodies. Those behind them quickly soon felt the same.

"Stay in formation!" The Officer commanded of his men as Rath continued to speak and approach the line. Though even he felt the overwhelming sense of dread Rath had put into them all. The two squads covering the corners of the entrance upon his orders watch as Rath place the crown over his head, and while they knew their orders were to charge at any who entered outside the Pantheon, they were frozen in hesitation. Seconds felt like minutes, waiting for someone to make the first move against Rath. But it was too late. The crown was on, his spear was summoned in hand, and his own pack of wolves stood at his side.

They never stood a chance when the first wolf burst through the pike wall with such strength, it sent several men flying backwards in the air. The crossbowmen and Arquebusiers could faintly see below, offering no semblance of overwatch before the wolves then charged after them. The rest of the militia still strong in numbers, crowded around Rath as he spun his spear like a propeller blade, trying to find a point in his defense to attack. But their skill seemed no match for the undead mage. Whether he attacked first of they did, he would easily cut through them.

It was both in part due to Rath's own incredible power... And the power of the crown. What Rath would feel upon imbuing himself with it was beyond comprehension. He could still hear, see, smell and understand the world around him, but at the same time feel overwhelmed with an incredible sense of... darkness. Stillness and nothingness. The figures before him, the colors and shapes of the environment, they would lose any meaning to him as the darkness of the crown became more prevalent. The color of his powers, and even the wolves, turned from a mixture of blue ice and red fire, to a dull grey and eventual pure black. It would be overwhelming, even for him.

All the while, Xeir was left to fend for herself, as the two groups of militia soldiers waiting in ambush, having stayed entirely still while Rath attacked, finally jumped into action to try and overpower the human-dragon lady five to one.

 

[Amber Franklin]

T-851-Character Sheet

"A consequence of touching the crystal." Thea looks at her hand, turning it over to check the totality of the effect. "Possibly affected time. It does not register as damage. I was….distracted." Thea admits after needing a second to put a word to the anomaly she had just discovered. The hacker might have a valid point after all. While listening to Rath, Thea puts down the swords to fill her pockets with florins. They could serve as a bribe, or conductors should the need arise. A small fortune is more than sufficient for them; the rest would serve as further distraction for their pursuers. Thea hoists the chest up while Rath begins his dramatic prelude, walking closer to the doorway when he begins.

On his loud order to run, she utilizes her full strength to hurl it out of the doorway, over the heads of the panicking guards. The chest turns mid-air, spilling its contents out over the heads of the crowd before it breaks open in the middle of a void formed in its wake. This stunt has the consequence of damaging her hand as the skin of her palm is torn away with the chest when she throws it. Someone would have a very unpleasant prize fall into their own hand or worse in the shower of gold.

Chest thrown, Thea rushes out of the doorway after Xeir. The militia intending to overrun her would be sorely disappointed to see Thea coming around the corner with her. The first man has his arm broken by a punch to the arm to gain his sword, then kicked into the crowd. A sword in hand, Thea would cut down the next militiaman to confront her with a forceful slash that breaks his guard and swift thrust through his chest.

This would be the fate of anyone between Thea and Xeir as they flee towards an alley and the maze of others they were part of.

 

[Camleen]

Rath speaks to her, his words reassuring. Perhaps that sort of thing is exactly what she needed to hear. Because it brings a small smile to her thin lips and the slightest of nods. And then.. those blue flames. Ruby scrambles to her feet with a gasp, her eyes wide. Taking a step back… the air suddenly feels so heavy.

The air seems to thicken and cloud, and on instinct Ruby reaches behind her for her weapon. Her slim fingers grasp the folded form of Crescent Rose, and it then unfolds into its rifle configuration. Despite herself, she jumps a little and lets out an "eep!" when she hears the voice again. It was Rath once more speaking… but it was amplified! She takes another fearful step back, her eyes wide as she scans around herself. Her mind, simply, is unable to grasp exactly what is happening. She wants to understand so perhaps she could help. But this is above her level, in so many ways. Moving her position, she steps to watch the images of wolves dash out towards the crowd. Her hands are trembling, her breathing coming in short gasps. She truly can't think of when she has been as scared as she is now.

When Rath commands them to go, Ruby does exactly that. Her fight or flight instinct coming on strong. In this case, it's flight. She vaults out of the entrance, knowing there are still plenty of people around. People that may want to stop them at some point. Xeir runs by her, and then Thea. And suddenly Ruby knows where to go! She sprints behind Thea, and as she runs she disengages the magazine from her rifle, tucks it away and puts another into her rifle. It has a patterned snowflake on it's side.

Thea seems unconcerned about injuring people… or worse. And Ruby averts her eyes from that. These people… they aren't Grimm. And even if they were threatening to kill her… she couldn't bring herself to do more than stop them. But she stays quiet as she sprints behind them, her rifle held in front of her and her body leaning forward.

 

[Otomos]

Sevestre

He asks for a plan, and they respond with defaulting to violence. There were two young adults with them, and the example they provide is one that inspires others to haphazardly charge in with the sole intention of fighting everything in the way. Not only that, it seemed that someone decided to throw caution to the wind and put on the crown. Every millisecond he spent thinking on this got him more and more frustrated, and now they were in a full-on battle.

For his part, Sevestre was ignored by most of the soldiers, likely because he did not look all that threatening in comparison to most of the others in the group. This left him with the task of ensuring that the battle ended swiftly. With a sigh of resignation, he brought out his own Star Globe, and allowed his deck of cards to orbit it. The cards spun quickly awaiting the chance to show and influence fate itself. He drew a card and looked at it.

The Spear. The weapon of Halone the Fury, a goddess of war. To use this card on someone is to enhance the strength of combatants to fight in close proximity of their enemies.

Sevestre looked about and spotted Xeir, Thea, and Ruby dealing with an ambush. Three candidates that would benefit from the Spear. Logic dictated that the people leading the ambush would focus on the one they had caged up earlier. Sevestre focused the power of the stars and placed it into Xeir. He ever so slightly influenced her fate. Her strength would grow, she would find herself faster, and the ease of which she could rend and pierce the armor of her enemies would be notable.

After that, he ran closer to get within an optimal range to assist.

 

[Girania the Knightess]

Ichigo Kurosaki
Weakened, but still getting involved.​

A summary of events involving Ivhigo Kurosaki and how he had come to be here: Ichigo had been recovering from his and his friends' battle against Ywach, the current Soul King who had usurped the original one. He was abducted by the forces of an interdimensional Artificial Intelligence. The unit responsible for his capture is called "the Thaumatrix", and she had intended to study his unique biology as well as the remains of a fallen Royal Guard of the previous Soul King. Though he was placed in a dream trap, he was able to break free with the assistance of a mysterious individual. He rescued his own body and the remains of the Royal Guard, but the Thaumatrix had already done enough to weaken his powers and defenses. Ichigo was barely able to escape through a portal, which led him to Rome…

He was still sore. Even after resting, both his physical body and soul form felt the damage from his poorly executed escape. Sure, he could still defend himself, but from what he picked up from his dad, he knew that getting into any major fights was a bad idea until his body fully recovered. Of course, there was no chance of things just letting him rest again, so he ended up spotting a big event going on. Some big battle was being waged, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that there was foreign powers being used in it. it was many vs a few, and the few looked like they had a chance to even overwhelm them with sheer power. Of course, the soldiers also seemed to be getting a grasp on things, and started working around them. Looks like Ichigo is going to get involved.

It did not take long to arrive at the battle. In Shinigami form, he was much faster, though his injuries still hindered him enough to slow him down. They seemed to have the foot soldiers handled, but the archers were mostly untouched by the destruction being wreaked. Ichigo decided to help with that. When he landed next to one of the ranged combatants, the militia man turned only to be intimidated. Black and white clothes from a foreign, vibrant orange hair, a strangely-designed short sword sheathed to his side, and what looked to be an even stranger claymore strapped to his back. Other archers turned and were baffled by the appearance of the young man, and some even attempted to take aim at him. Ichigo responded by kicked the first one hard enough to send him flying backwards and toppling others in the path. He was trying not to casually take lives, so giving them severe, but survivable physical trauma would have to do for now.

After knocking out other archers near him, Ichigo looked to the ragtag group of misfits and sped towards them. He reached a man that was wearing a crown and sending explosive wolves at people.

"Hey. I know a few places you guys can hide. I can bring you to one if you can shake the militia off."

 

[Valkan]

L'Arathras

L'Arathras' tactic was successful, to an extent. He robbed the soldiers from their determination for the most part, leaving them doubtful and filled with fear. Yet still, they held on enough to stay in formation. Commendable, but useless nevertheless. Once he opened a gap in their ranks it was all downhill from there for the Roman soldiers. The rest of the group stepped outsidet, though instead of looking for a place to regroup in, they aided in the fight. He took the risk with the crown for a reason. In case his own magical reserves weren't enough to handle the enemy forces, yet it proved pointless. These soldiers were mere fodder. Even in numbers, they lacked the raw strength to handle the dullahan. That said...

Putting on the crown seemed to have had an adverse effect on him. Darkness. Unlike the very one who destroyed his first home world, yet familiar. Foreboding, overwhelming, and an overall source of dread. He could feel the darkness from the crown trying to drown him. His flames, both the wolf-shaped ones, as well as the one covering his head darkened to a deep black. His senses felt slowly drained of working capacity, though not fully. Maybe because of his contract with Lady Death, maybe because engulfing the many souls Rath had reaped and merged into his own being were hard to corrupt completely, maybe he had too much prana to corrupt at once, maybe this darkness was having another problem and he was just lucky. Whatever the case, he had a chance to fight the corruption.

Unsure of how much time he had left, the undead started circulating prana around his body at an accelerated rate in an attempt to drive the numbness away. Meanwhile, he tried dealing the next possibility he thought of. This crown not only being cursed, but possessed. So, hoping to treat this takeover with that in mind, Rath tried reaching to the crown with his inner voice "Anyone home? Greetings?"

As for the outside world, the soul reaper still had enough of his senses to notice the new ally, as well as how his own teammates were fighting. Having dealt with the long ranged threats, the remaining wolves flew down to ground level and started attacking the enemy forces there, forming a line between the team and the Roman militants. Rath tapped his spear on the ground and a wall of black flames surged from the floor once again "We don't have much of a choice. Let's get moving, I'll watch our backs." Under the flames, he turned to the orange haired swordsman "Lead them" As for himself, a summoning circle appeared beneath Rath, from which a spectral horse rose and black chains tied the horse to him. Just in case he couldn't overpower the darkness' presence in his body, he'd still could move along via the horse.

 

[Awinita]

Xeir briefly had no idea where the wolves had gone, or if they were even still fighting. A sudden shout from behind her however had her attention as soldiers ambushed not only herself, but the other woman who nearly bowled her over when coming to the dead mans aid, and als othe woman who had gotten her free.. She very briefly didnt see Sevestre behind her.

Xeir held her sword in a defensive stance rather briefly as a spearman came towards her. She felt, oddly, quicker then she normally was as she lifted her sword and poked forwards with her right hand holding her blade, its silver black point aiming for the spearmans shoulder nearest to her while her free empty hand grew a set of black talons as her fingernails transformed into her claws.

She felt stronger, lighter on her feet, and faster, she had no idea why. Briefly for a scant second she didnt know what was going on, lost in the feeling of extra strength from somewhere. Her left hand curled into a fist as she tilted her sword from aiming at the spearmans shoulder to lifting the spear upwards, her fist swinging, hard, and fast. energy of some form was forming in a pale blue hue like a pair of brass knuckles as she struck towards his armored chest.

As she swung her fist she also turned her body to the side. her sword arm defending while her free empty hand was aiming to slug whoever got within reach. Very nearly clocking into Ichigo as she did so, but thankfully the man wasnt attacking herself. so she stayed her fist

She then spotted Sevestre and Ruby, and the soldiers behind the two of them aiming to strike at the latter, her savior in a manner of speaking. She said one word, "Duck!" Or at least it sounded like it, as she threw her sword as he glowed a pale blue like a boomerang in their direction aiming for the soldiers behind them both.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

~~GM~~

With Thea's golden shower spraying everywhere on everyone, and Xeir manhandling the ambushers, and now a Soul Reaper joining the frey, things were getting so hectic, now was indeed the best time to make their escape. Rath, however, would have difficulties in that department. All he heard was his own voice echoing into the abyss as he tried reaching out to what possessed the crown.

But it was no singular entity. It was something more... eldritch. A vast, unending plane of reality that was beyond his comprehension. It was like peering out into nothing while trapped at the bottom of an endless ocean. And in trying to use this darkness to his advantage, he had 'sprung a leak.' And that darkness was now pouring through. The wolves turned to crazed animals with no sense of control. And even his horse, which he summoned to keep in pace with the others, had turned ghastly.

​

The horse tried kicking him off, neighing like some rabid monster. Its skin felt leathery, like it was rotting off the bone, and trying to hold on would only lead to ripping it off its body clean. His powers were turning unstable the longer he wielded the crown. Dark fog was even spewing itself out from the top and flowing down his body, like it was trying to melt him down and turn him into another monster.

The militia watched in horror as all this transpired, and frankly, The Officer in charge of them all decided this wasn't worth it anymore. "RETREAT!" He commanded. Too many had already died, and they could not fight this enemy without regrouping. The soldiers began running away, but the wolves chased after them to devour more flesh and souls. And quickly began turning to the other heroes to feed themselves more.

 

[Camleen]

As she moves quickly with the group, Ruby's shoulders remain hunched upwards. As if trying to protect herself unconsciously from everything around her. She doesn't want to really hurt any of these people, not in the least. And if she did have to face off against them… it would be totally in a non-lethal sense. They're people, for goodness sake! Even if they are trying to kill them, even if Ruby's actions did provoke them, she still can't hurt someone.

The girl's eyes widen as Xeir suddenly draws her attention. She doesn't think, she just acts. Vaulting forward, she goes into a roll with her knees tucking in towards her body. The blade of her scythe does scrape the ground, which would seem to put her offbalance. But it doesn't… perhaps she was prepared for that. She then vaults to her feet and looks behind her as she exclaims loudly "Whoah! Thanks!" She then gives Xeir a thumbs up and a big toothy grin.

Ruby's face would then go pale. An overwhelming sense of… emptiness… of darkness personified… flows over her. The power emanating from Rath.. it was enough to frighten Ruby before. But now it is even more foreboding. Her hands grasp her scythe tightly, her knuckles going white with the pressure. But it is naught but chaos around her, and she can not spot Rath from her vantage point. The feeling in her bones is the same as it was when they fled the temple. Something undefined… save for being utterly dreadful.

It is duty that draws her attention back to the situation around her. The screams of men… of animals growling and snarling… her gaze whips in the direction of those (at one time) useful wolf buddies… but they are different now. Her wide eyes stare in horror as the wolves attack… just everyone. Once more there is no consideration, there is no moment of thought. There is only action. With a burst of rose petals she is gone. She reappears 20 feet away almost instantly next to a group of the wolves. She has put herself right into the middle of them. Her scythe draws up and cleanly slices through the midsection of one of the dark creatures. With a yelp it falls into pieces and then dissolves… and then explodes. Ruby gasps as she is thrown away from the group of wolves, landing in a roll. Well that was unexpected! Her body has a red shimmer of energy for a moment, but she is immediately on her feet. The wolves that she had appeared next to are now closing in on her, obviously intent on tearing her limb from limb. Taking a step back she twirls her scythe in her hands, and the magazine ejects. She catches with a hand and swaps it out for another. On the side of the magazine is a black circle with 4 arrows pointing towards it. The wolves are nearly upon her and she draws the bolt back of her scythe. Her body leans forward and she is gone once more. She reappears in a flourish of rose petal and she intercepts the wolves and spins, her scythe halving the small group of dark beasts with one smooth motion. The moment she feels the resistance from the body of the last wolf dissipate, she fires her scythe (it can fire while in scythe mode, not just rifle mode). The wolves begin to dissolve… and Ruby is flung 50 feet straight up in the blink of an eye. Her eyes squint and all she can hear is the wind billowing passed her ears. Ruby's ascent slows, and she seems to just hang high up over the crowd for a moment. And the wolves as one explode. She sees she was able to draw them away from anyone else, so that's good for when they blew. But facing these Grimm like creatures… ones that explode… that complicates things. But it doesn't slow her down.

So she was able to destroy the creatures and get out of the blast radius at almost the same time. How? The magazine she loaded into her scythe had Gravity Dust shells in it. When she fires one of that type of shell, she is hurled in the opposite direction of the blast. Much faster than she could ever travel alone. She did feel the pressure wave of the explosions from the wolves, but she was able to launch herself out of harm's way. But Ruby knows the danger isn't over, not by a longshot.

Now she starts to fall and she is able to get a good bird's eye view of the chaos below. A soft whine escapes her throat, her eyes squinting. She can see the area she had last known Thea and Xeir to be… so that's her landing point. Her slim and muscular form twists in the air so she is now falling back first. She once more swaps out clips… the Gravity Dust clip going back into its pouch and now one with a stylized crystal on its side. Ice Dust. Ruby's form flows into a burst of rose petals, gaining altitude for a few seconds and then falling. She does this another time, then. To slow her descent. She emerges from her Semblence form and shoots off 3 rounds in quick succession 'BLAMBLAMBLAM'. 2 wolves that were about to pounce on an 'enemy' soldier find their heads suddenly encased in ice. They tumble and thrash, clawing at their own heads to try and break the thick ice. The third shot, it causes a running wolf to trip over its own paws as its front paws are now encased in ice. Into her Semblence form she goes once more to slow herself… and she then lands in a roll. Out of that roll she is then sprinting, heading towards where she got separated from Thea and Xeir.

 

[Otomos]

Sevestre

Even in the chaos of battle, the sound of a man wearing equipment and running in his general direction. Sevestre had assumed the man was going to attack him though. Instead, the man was attempting to take a swing at the young lady named Ruby Rose. Sevestre was fully prepared to push her out of the way or prepare another spell when he noticed that Xeir had thrown her own weapon at the man. Ruby dodged on her own, while Sevestre took a large step away as the weapon flew past him.

The Sharlayan scholar moved his focus back to the situation, and watched as it changed from a battle against the locals to a battle against the corrupted familiars of a fool that did NOT heed his words about interacting with unknown magical artifacts. Not only that, the man summoned yet another familiar while still dealing with the crown. The now corrupted horse was starting to rebel and change. Not the most ideal predicament, being forced to choose between culling the wolves or killing the horse before it turns into a monster. Sevestre had to decide quickly. He chose to help deal with the wolves.

They were simple, and if they were to be rid of them quickly, then they would be less likely to get picked off by the pack. He had just the spell to make things easier. The spellcasting would take mere seconds, and the Star globe and cards rotated quickly in that moment, before he raised them up and let the spell activate. Some of the wolves that turned toward the group that remained would find themselves being forcibly dragged towards a strange sphere. This spell was called "Gravity." A straightforward name, as it violently manipulated gravity within a small area to pull multiple targets to a centralized point. There was a stronger version of the spell, but this should suffice for now. Not all the wolves were in the area of effect, however, but holding some of them together made them easier to kill if they were ripped apart from the spell already.

"Strike now! We must be rid of them quickly!"

 

[Awinita]

Her sword whacked the man clean off his feet as it span, a pale etheral blue hue on its surface as her hand controled it on a spiritual level. She called the weapon back to her hand. But it was at that moment a pair of wolves decided it was a great idea to gang up and attack the dragon lady.

it didnt work, the thrown flourins at their feet glittered a etheral blue before forming a shield of some sort as the first wolf made contact with it with a crack of sparks, the brunt of the attack pushed Xeir back a half step. She turned her body and with a grunt, shoved the wolf towards the gravity spell.

Three gunshots rang; three wolves half frozen. Well, if she wanted to she could take the things on easily. But she didnt want to. As much as she hated doing it, these animals reminded her of her group back home. Her left arm, which was covered in scales, glittered with a ripple of scales and she grabbed a frozen in place wolf by its maw and chucked it towards its fellow frozen wolves.

She spotted Ruby then running towards her, but there was also another woman present too, one made of steel and flesh ? Well, some Warriors did have cybernetic enhancements on some levels. But Xeir had never seen anything like Thea before. At the very least Xeir was glad that Thea was not fighting against her.

At Sevestres words, Xeir tried to think of the best way to get rid of the wolves without killing. But then figured it was not going to be an easy task. "How ?" She she asked as someone collidied with her, she turned, and barely dodged another pikeman and made to strike back, but the man brushed past her, grabbed his fellow, and both took off, a look of raw horror on his face as he fled. It left Xeir perplexed at their actions, I do not look that scary, do I ? she wondered, sure she had scared the humans of Kyoto Base City when she made her case to claim the old city of Otaru as her homebase, she had scared a few folks by her arrival, and yet, there she was, wondering if she was just that scary

 

[Girania the Knightess]

Ichigo Kurosaki
One Thing After Another​

With the retreating militia, Ichigo no longer had to worry about fighting them and holding back. The new problem, however, was dealing with the now undead-looking animals that were beginning to attack. He told them that he would lead them to a safe house, but he was also not one to back down from a fight, especially when leaving it alone would result in a chaotic rampage that would leave others hurt. One of the younger members of this group already started on dispatching the new enemies, and apparently her weapon of choice was a gun. Ichigo had gotten so used to fighting with swords and energy blasts that it was honestly strange to see guns nowadays.

Of course, he would have to shake himself out of the surprise. The wolves were now chasing the fleeing militia, which meant that if any of them got far enough, they would endanger more of the city. He wouldn't let that happen. Ichigo jumped into the sky and formed a an invisible platform beneath his feet using reishi. From here, he's have a vantage point, so he could search for the chasing wolves.

As he looked for which directions the pursuers ran in, he looked down for a moment after hearing one of them shout, the wolves that stayed behind were being held in place by some orb. He looked to see if anyone else from the group would take the advantage, but everyone seemed preoccupied. The substitute shinigami jumped up and pointed at the group of wolves with the short sword. Without needing to say it, he shot a Getsuga Tensho at them…

 

[Foxes81_of_Anime]

Kota Mizuhara​

---

He started getting overwhelmed by the fighting yet somehow managed to stay up, trying to defend himself with his bare hands but it was currently beginning to be a losing battle. "Damn it!" he muttered before hearing a noise and turning to look at who he thought was the newest arrival, wearing equally odd clothing. Japan? Not quite sure.

He turned his attention back to the battle and continuing being mainly on the defense, letting everyone else take care of..whatever was going on anymore.
"Just...a...few...more." he hoped, muttering under his breath as his hands tightened into fists again.

 

[Valkan]

"Not good..." was all L'Arathras could manage to think as things got quite hectic because of this crown and him. He needed to take it off. Luckily, his maddened beast would work wonders for that. With his fleeting focus, he seized a suitable timing amidst the evil beast's kicks to jump off it. The abyss-borne horse had quite a bit of strength, making him airborne with the decisive kick he used to jump off. The impact knocked off the layer of frost securing the crown to Rath's head.

The Dullahan caught it with his free hand as he landed, and took but a moment to look around. His loyal summons had gone berserk. Corrupted by the power of the crown. He tried bonding back to them to no avail. Only one path left: Destruction. His teammates seemed to have handled that pretty well, for the most part. The kid Raum bonded with was throwing haymakers with questionable accuracy and seemed pretty worn out. As for the rest, they handled the threat rather well. With the mage using a gravity spell to clump the remainder of the wolves only for their mysterious aid to crush them with a blast of energy.

As that occurred, Rath turned to the horse. The beast was already charging at him. But given his senses were no longer challenged, telegraphing xthe horse's attack and striking back decisively was relatively simple. Mostly because he wanted to make sure it stayed gone. With a tap of his spear, a well of shadows appeared under the horse, from which tendrils and claws started to rip and tear away the beast as it sunk into the pit.

Once the pit closed, and with it the hellish noises of the abyss horse, there was only silence. As all other people had already been killed or ran away from their location due to the obvious danger it posed to stay nearby. WIth that in mind, the soul reaper loudly cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "We should take advantage of this and follow the orange-haired fellow. Not like we have many other choices." he suggested.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

~~GM~~

In a matter of just two hours, the legendary Pantheon of Rome had gone from a crowd of lively people, to a scene of total devastation. Dust covered the air, bloody bodies lay across the ground, the sun burnt stone roads were stained red, and the group had now made themselves the center of all this attention. But, with the wolves dealt with, and the horse dragged back into the dark abyss it had formed from, they could make their escape. Even now, they could hear the sounds of rushing feet and shouted orders coming their way. Slipping into any of the back alleys would give them an escape.

By the time the Militia returned with more numbers, the scene had gone quiet, and the heroes were gone. The Officer from before, rejoining his men, looked around the aftermath with a mixture of bafflement, and furiosity. "Attenzione!" He shouted to his men, who were already searching the dead and blockading the streets. "I want men in units of five and seven to patrol across the Centro District from the Tiber to across the Aqueducts! I want curfew in the next hour, along with wanted posters lining the walls of every street corner! Archers in squadrons of three are to be manned from every third building along the roads! Our fugitives have been on the run for twenty minutes as of this moment, and we will not accept this massacre as anything but a tragedy that will not go unanswered! Search every brothel, every abandoned building, every ruin until these criminals are found! We will strew their bodies from the gallows as a reminder for what happens when the peace and unity of our sacred city, and of this holy site, is made into a battlefield!"

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

The team was able to safely move through Rome, as the route to the hideout Ichigo mentioned stayed close to the waterfront of the Tiber River. Then, by boat, were able to paddle down stream until reaching a small, boat shaped island right in the middle of the river.



As guards were now beginning to show up in larger forces, docking was out of the question. But, luckily for them, there was a hidden path into the hideout. Between the island itself and the Centro District, there was as small crevasse just above the water that lead underneath the island. It was a small port hole for sewage, but was big enough to fit people inside. With a quick swim, they could go the crevasse, and climb into the sewage tunnel, which would lead them out through another 'S.P.Q.R' iron gate like the one they had traveled through before. This one lead them into a building.

Finally, they had a place to law low and not attract attention. (Because clearly they aren't good doing that in public.)​