Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Thalraxal]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High - Campus Grounds
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

Elise listened intently to Elaine and Travis' exchange, somewhat amused by Elaine revealing a softer side of Travis that he probably would have preferred remained hidden.

Travis the babysitter, eh? Heh. I wouldn't have expected that.

"Yeah, good luck with that, Chipmunk... Nobody here's trusting anyone. Not one one fucking minute."

With that, Travis nodded towards the impending confrontation between Anna and Subaru.

“You will wait as long as it takes to find out the truth, verekoer. And not just whatever nonsense you manage self-delude yourself into believing, but the real truth. Or are you so crazed by your mad desire for blood that any will do for you at this point? You either care about justice or its simply a meaningless excuse. Make up your mind already on whether you want to be a rabid mutt or not.”

Elise winced at Anna's comment and watched her as she continued on her way back to the dormitory.

Way to throw a match at a pool of gasoline and just walk away. Not cool, Anna, not cool.

"... I see. Quite the talk for someone who arrives to the situation without knowing anything, late and under the most suspicion. It is easy, is it not? To try to shift the blame from yourself by accusing the first person you can. As long as you act angry and righteous, nobody should see how suspicious you are yourself... right?"

"Thank you for confirming what type of person you are, Anna Vandemeel."

Elise let out a sigh of relief as the tense situation between Anna and Subaru began to dissipate, and that Anna's words hadn't provoked Subaru as she feared they might.

"Well, I had to give the old platitude to our better natures thing a shot," said Elise to Travis as the situation between Anna and Subaru dissipated, "I don't think I was expecting much either, but, you know, one can hope. Stay safe, Travis, and try not to get iced."

The remaining students began to scatter, with Travis heading back to the dormitory and Elaine and John heading off towards the parking lot where Elaine's car waited for them.

You're a complicated one, Elaine, thought Elise as she watched Elaine leave, Still, I'm sure you and John will be okay out there. I think I can worry about you later.

Elise looked back towards the remaining students loitering near the tree. Vier was still there, and Subaru was kneeling near Cesarina and seemingly focused entirely on her dog.

Elise approached Vier, leaving Subaru and her dog alone for now.

"Hey Vier!" began Elise, "I think we might've been the last ones to see Ramia and Ubon last night. Any idea where they might've gone after soup and studying? I admit, I was a little preoccupied with my own thoughts and didn't really pay much attention."

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Pool - Basement
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

Nothing was more distinctly uncomfortable than something, Lucille thought, heart still racing. There were a lot of things that this could mean, but one of them had lodged itself into her mind. Not that it really mattered. The more she wasted time, the more all her precautions would be for naught, so Lucille figured it was her best interest to rush through things a bit. As for Mercedes, she wasn’t too sure, but Mercedes was better at investigation than she was…

“I’ll check under the desk, then look into the boiler room. You’re free to investigate,” her voice surprisingly authoritative as she went to do just that. “I wouldn’t really be of any help.”

No, more than that, Lucille wouldn’t feel safe in a room like this, knowing that a surprise could come at any moment. What would it be this time around? The door locking itself behind them? Mercedes being attacked as soon as she looked away?

Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do, but Lucille would only be relaxed if she found the source of the disturbance. If it was in the boiler room, than so be it, but first, just in case, the desk.

Someone like her could only tackle problems head on.

[Mellon]

Anna Vandemeel
Location: Pinefall High - Second Floor
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

The hallways of the dorm were silent as Anna strode through them with an almost single-minded purpose. Gagnon was somewhere behind her, she could sense that much at least, but keeping his distance. Probably shaken by Iburi’s half-assed accusations, if she had to hazard a guess.

Hmph… I wonder if that girl even realized that she was describing her actions far more than mine?

As long as you act angry and righteous, nobody should see how suspicious you are yourself, indeed.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Dealing with Iburi was something impossible for Anna, at least as the girl was right now. Of some things, Anna Vandemeel might have not known much, but of anger? Of rage? Those she knew intimately. Anna wasn’t capable of calming her down. She wasn't sure anyone was at this point. And if she had stayed her own distortion would merely keep of putting the two of them at further odds. If that happened, they would end up at each other's throat, whomever the real culprit ended up being.

The oppressive silence overwhelming the dorm was finally broken as Anna was heading up the staircase to the second floor. In fact, it was broken by a rose-haired artist, who suddenly nearly barreled into Anna with a frantic and panicked look on his face.

The girl that followed Elaine everywhere - y-you know, the kid - she's... I think she's having some sort of seizure. She's hacking and coughing her lungs out, and I think there's blood mixed with her saliva. I was going to go check the nurse's office, but if you have something in your room, then---"

For a brief second, utter confusion reflected back at the Scottish boy from Anna’s ruby eyes. It was clear that whatever she had been expecting upstairs, it was not the words that were now pouring out of Caleb’s mouth.

“Wait, what? A girl that followed Winters everywhere? Whe…”

Anna’s response was suddenly interrupted by the sound of violent, almost hacking, coughing echoing throughout the dorms. Any questions she had would have to wait, it seemed. The loudness was one thing, but the undercurrent of pain that was laced into that voice… And if there was blood involved…

"Or if you don't, can you look after her?"

"I'll go raid Miss Leuzinger's cabinets for something."

“Perrse küll!”

Anna’s voice held a clear edge of irritation, along with a hefty amount of accompanying frustration. When it rained, it poured. And she hated rainstorms more than anything.

“Come!” Anna almost snapped at Caleb, her tone clearly brooking no opposition from the rose-haired scot. “As things are, you are more liable to get shanked by Iburi than you are to make it to the infirmary. Even if you do make it there, you might end up getting killed anyway by whoever… or whatever is out there.”

It took Anna only two steps to make it to her door, with Caleb in tow after her. Hers was the room closest to the stairs, after all. Well, that was not precisely true. There was also the Terriot girl, who had also vanished. Though in her case…. Anna wasn’t really sure the last time she had seen the blonde around. In hindsight, that one might have been missing for far longer than any of them thought.

The door to her room was unlocked. She should have expected as much. No doubt someone went digging through the rooms in order to verify who was in the dorm and who wasn’t. Anna could only hope that whoever had done it hadn’t left a half-assed mess behind them. Her job would be tough enough as was.

Room 101 was… spartan? Minimalistic, perhaps? Very little had been done to decorate it, that much was clear at least. A stack of notebooks lay on the writing desk, along with the accompanying textbooks, but from the looks of it… neither had been particularly well-used. Perhaps the only eyecatching thing was a stuffed toy monk, seated on a corner of an empty bookshelf, scowling at everything from underneath his untamed yellow mane. A figure that undoubtedly possessed an extremely tragic backstory involving a long-lost dead family member, an evil rival, and oaths of eternal vengeance.

Paying no mind to the glaring doll, Anna walked over to her closet and pulled the large double-doors open.

Behind them, lay a bizarre sight. It was as if someone had taken a herbalist’s workshop and done its best to shove it into a closet. Numerous jars, filled with all manner of different plant material were stacked on the shelves in neat rows, each with seemingly unreadable labels plastered on them. At the very least it wasn’t labeled in English. Another shelf was filled with what seemed to be bottles of… something? It was difficult to say. Much like the smaller jars, they were labeled, but their size…

A large carving knife hung from one of the coat hangers, sheathed in dark leather. Though judging from the size… perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a hunting knife?

“Kuhu kuradi kohta ma….” The raven-haired girl spoke to herself as she dug through the closet, Caleb’s presence clearly out of her mind for the time being. “Altee… punane jalakas… tüümian…”

One after another, various herbal ingredients were pulled out of the closet and… processed, for the lack of a better word. Chopped up, pestled, shaved, ground - in the next ten minutes, Anna went through a dizzying number steps with practiced ease, clearly preparing some… treatment, for the girl outside.

And when she finished…


“There. Have her drink this.” The Estonian girl let out a small sigh as she passed the small bottle onto Caleb. “It should deal with her episode for a while, at least.”

“It's no permanent fix, but with this little time to work with…”

[Ayakashi]

--- Vivienne Bianchi Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT) Location: Road to Owl's Nest Phase: Morning Phase Weather: Overcast ---

Vivienne moved first. The dogs had bared their fangs, now it was time to bare hers. In a sudden movement, knives flew out of her puffy sleeves in a flourish, slotting in between her fingers like the petals of a flower fanning out. They were no ordinary knives : ornate, made of a black steel, one might even feel the faint trace of magic in them. She how had appeared weaponless for so long, without the ability to fight, but now she suddenly had undergone quite the change of image -- one should not only limit themselves to appearing deadly though, indeed, one must also act on that appearance, and make sure that the deadliness comes across... even if that leads to some people ending up very dead in the literal sense.

Replace the people with dogs in the current case.

She had lured them here after all, in the open, just to do that.

Thus acted Vivienne Bianchi, in one single movement, precise and graceful, swift and firm. She unleashed a rain of daggers upon one of the dogs -- it did not matter if they spread out if in one go she could aim at them individually. A lotus of death, one could liken this imagery to. 6 black blades were sent flying aimed at one of the dog's head, while 3 at another. As she was done executing her move, one dagger remained in Vivienne's hand... did she intend to fight with it differently?

The bloodletting was on.

Now... what would the dogs do?

Status

HP	?
STR	D
END	?
AGI	A
WIL	?
INT	?
EGO	?

[妖] expires next turn.
Movement Speed Doubled, gain Flight.AGI and STR + 1 Rank, Intimidation and Athletics Boosted to Rank B.
Attacks made against a person shrouded have their Accuracy Score reduced by 1.

Equipment --NEW--

Shards of Mjolnir
Rank: E --- AP Cost: Free --- Damage: +2 --- Element: Steel --- Type: Weapon Arc-Relic, Throwing --- Range: Melee - 12.5m
A set of black-metal daggers stored in an elaborate sheath. While not indestructible, they are made of fine dwarven steel, and thus prove to be supernaturally resilient, easily keeping a sharp edge. They double as both thrown and melee weapons.
A set of 10 Daggers.
???

Revealed Abilities

[Persona of the Wild Parade : 百鬼夜行]
Rank: F --- Element: Soul --- Target: Self --- Duration: 1 Hour
A mask crafted to resemble the masks of Asia. Its main shape is evocative of the famous Kitsune mask of Japan’s Shinto culture, but upon closer inspection on can discern the presence of many other mask’s details, such as fellow Japanese Tengu masks, Chinese Shigong Masks, and Korean Sandae. While most of the masks featured in here are either decorative or bear a ritual purpose, each mask represents great beasts and beings from East Asian myths. This mask when donned tends to display an overall confident, yet cautious personality that relishes in combat. Out of the masks vivienne has at her disposal, most likely the one best geared towards proper combat. Its spells greatly enhance the offensive power available at her disposal, allowing her to deal with foes in a much swifter and effective manner than if she was using her other masks. A testament perhaps, to the prowess and might of all the beasts embellishing this mask.
Gives access to the Spells: ???, [妖] & [煙々羅 影].
Grants Intimidation and Athletics Skill rank equal to Occult Rank as long as it is worn.

[妖]
Rank: B --- Element: Curse --- Target: Self --- Duration: 5 Turns
Ayakashi, a general portmanteau term that encompasses an extremely wide spectrum of beasts. Even some divine creatures could be lumped in there -- however, this version of the spell is limited due to Vivienne’s lack of knowledge concerning East Asian Folklore, as well as being not too experienced herself yet in crafting of Ceremonial Magic Masks. At the moment, the ‘empowerments’ that this mask can give are limited to the Japanese Youkai: Tengu and ???. Vivienne knows them from a wallpaper scroll that’s been decorating the house’s living room since she was small, showing these two facing off. Since this spell is similar to opening an entire book and searching for a single passage to read, it actually costs more effort to prepare it than required, however, in exchange it offers high versatility. Different from the other mask abilities that would let Vivienne emulate a creature’s ability, here instead she channels them through herself to empower her body.
Tengu ver. increases STR and AGI by one Rank (all stats are upgraded in accord), as well as granting wings, giving her flying mov. spd. (double of normal)

[煙々羅 影]
Rank: E --- Element: Darkness --- Target: Self --- Duration: 10 Mins
Emanates a cloud of mysterious smoke that is closer to solid darkness. This shrouds the user and makes it impossible to discern what is going on. Said cloud of smoke is in fact a crystallization of the Enenra’s smoke, a youkai that is known for being made of pure darkness and an extremely light, surnatural smoke. This can be deployed as a smoke screen or as optical camouflage when moving around at night.
When used during night or in a dark place, grants E-Rank invisibility.
Attacks made against a person shrouded have their Accuracy Score reduced by 1.

[Kuroyuki]

Vier Wolff
Location: Pinefall High - Campus Grounds
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

I stood there just watching everyone leave and settle themselves into whatever groups they felt comfortable in. Allies in uncertain times. Distrusting everyone outside the group while silently hoping you trusted the right people. At the end of the grouping, I stood there alone. Physically I was still next to Subaru Iburi, but I was just another potential murder suspect to her. She didn’t trust me at all and was merely tolerating my existence.

Well there was someone I could trust. I didn’t trust her fully, but that was more because she wouldn’t be able to handle that side. Once someone gets full awareness of that side, there’s no going back. At first, it would be mere coincidences, you get involved a little bit, and then finally you’re fully part of that side. At that point, even if you’re trying to avoid the Turnside. The Turnside will come to you. But even if I meant well, I still broke that.

Once again, I was alone. Just like old times… Any mistakes were my own, I didn’t have to worry about anyone else, and the only loss will be me. Just like then, no one would care if I disappeared. No, it’s worse this time around. I’m sure everyone will be thrilled if I were to disappear. One less murder suspect to worry about.

"Hey Vier! I think we might've been the last ones to see Ramia and Ubon last night. Any idea where they might've gone after soup and studying? I admit, I was a little preoccupied with my own thoughts and didn't really pay much attention."

Or so I thought. Apparently, Elise Pelltier was comfortable enough to disregard the unspoken grouping rule. Which either meant she trusted me enough to not kill her, but shouldn’t she of all people know that I’m a fake at this point. Which only makes her behavior kind of suspicious at this time.

“No idea. I don’t recall anything that might have given a hint on where they went. Then again, I don’t recall that much since I was pretty tired at the time. If you’ll excuse me, I need to do something in my room before heading out myself.”

Without saying more to Elise, I just made my way back into the dorms after everyone else. I kept walking until I reached my room. Once in, I decided to block my door again with my dresser. Let’s do an inventory check of everything I brought here. I probably won’t be able to return to this room once I leave.

After that, I need to write a letter… to myself. I need to make sure that the letter is persuasive enough so that she doesn’t toss it aside immediately, but vague enough so she doesn’t try to undo the process. Add in a few personal details for personal authenticity. "Burn this letter once finished." That should do. Let’s start the process. Estimated time for completion… Noon.

Vier Wolff (?)

HP	?
STR	?
END	?
AGI	?
WIL	?
INT	?
EGO	?

Abilities:
Something (Rank ?)

• Details Unknown. Apparently it requires Vier to write to herself?

[Verg Avesta]

Vivienne Bianchi vs Devil's Dandy Dogs (Round 1, Turn 2)
Location: Road to Owl's Nest Hotel
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast
[BGM]

The battle was joined in a flurry of blades, as Vivienne Bianchi descended upon the the monstrous hunting wolves in a flurry of blades. Blackened daggers, radiating legend and numen, were let go of her hands in a brilliant flash and a barrage of attacks that fell upon two of the beasts. Six of the daggers were thrown towards one wolf, while three headed straight towards another. The attack was made with such ferocity that the monsters had barely any time to react - and when they did, it was already too late. Nine attacks in total, all in a span of two seconds, launched from the cloud of black, ethereal feathers that were thrown into the air as Vivienne's spectral wings beat the air.

It was a showcase of perfect speed and an inhuman level of accuracy.

Every single projectile was aimed at a lethal spot in the anatomy of the beasts.

While monsters of the turnside were rarely too similar in their anatomical make-up as compared to their mundane brethren, one thing was always clear - save for few exceptions, if you destroyed something's brains or heart...

... As a rule, they would die!

Unfortunately...

... turnside was exactly the place...

... Where rules died an undignified death...

... Unable to keep up with the supernatural!

------- Wind.

Howling wind that surrounded the bodies of the fiendish hounds.

The hellhounds were wrapped in an invisible barrier of pure galeforce that speedied their movements, made their steps light and protected from attacks exactly as this!

And now, that Vivienne's attacks connected with unerring precision, the wind picked up in an effort to protect those who had been blessed with it.

"RRRrrRRAAAAhhhHAAAAA---!"

... Though it was a cry of pain, it wasn't nearly as great as it could have been.

Four of the six projectiles shot at the wolf had been steered of their intended path, flinging the daggers into the forest around the road. The wind was a powerful, violent thing and once it had caught hold of the projectiles, it scattered them in a manner that it would have been impossible to find them in a timely manner, much less during a heated battled. However, at the same time, two of Vivienne's daggers had found their intended target. One dagger merely hit the back of the animal, burying itself in the supernatural flesh, but the other... it flew straight and true, and managed to land an especially painful strike into the creature's head, destroying its right ear and part of its right eye in the process.

The reason why it cried out in fury and pain was clear for all.

--- And the other target was the same type of surprise.

Of the three daggers, only two found their enemy, while one was flung off deep into the forest. The other dagger was stuck into the wolf's hind leg, while the other had almost caught it by the throat - a spot where it now bled heavily. Judging by the wheezing growl that echoed from the creature's throat, its internal workings had been damaged heavily, and if nothing else, the direct hit might have helped much more than a basic one would have.

... But this wasn't the time to think.

After all, the moment Vivienne had left loose her own attack... the dogs had charged forward too!

--- Each of them jumping an impossibly high jump straight towards her, one after another!



It was ridiculous, unprecedent, something no ordinary hunting dogs should have been able to do---!

Using each other as platforms to reach her high altitude, just to have one of them be able to attack her---!

The one wounded in its leg and throat went first, jumping upwards and coiling its back, while the one now missing an eye took to its back with its jump, clearing that height, and then, and then, with its final strength, the undamaged wolf came from the above, and like the most absurd and surreal springbroad in the world, the wolves---!

They had used each others to launch the last one high up in the air... high up enough to get into a melee range of Vivienne, who suddenly found herself being accosted by the full fury of a beast much larger than her, bearing down on her from the above---!

Fangs.

Claws.

Wild rage only a beast can muster.

Each of the attacks tore into the girl's flesh, her defenses unable to stop the onslaught of the supernatural natural weapons of the creature.

Blood spilled into the air, coloured the spectral black feathers, and in the few seconds it took to happen---!

Vivienne Bianchi found herself covered in wounds, mauled by the hunting wolf --- the realization happening at the moment the beast of hell collided with the ground, skidding along the asphalt and then taking off into the distance, it's brethren scattering as well!

Straight into the woods.

--- Almost like a group of guerilla soldiers.

---

[Miss! Devil's Dandy Dog 1: ACC 10 vs. DOD 5 - 25%!]
[Miss! Devil's Dandy Dog 1: ACC 10 vs. DOD 5 - 25%!]
[Miss! Devil's Dandy Dog 1: ACC 10 vs. DOD 5 - 25%!]
[Miss! Devil's Dandy Dog 1: ACC 10 vs. DOD 5 - 25%!]
[Hit! Devil's Dandy Dog 1: 6 - 1 = 5 Arc-Relic (Metal) Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Critical Hit! Devil's Dandy Dog 1: 6 - 1 = 5 x 2 = 10 Arc-Relic (Metal) Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Injury! Devil's Dandy Dog 1: Mangled Senses: ACC - 1, Perception Halved!]

[Miss! Devil's Dandy Dog 2: ACC 10 vs. DOD 5 - 25%!]
[Hit! Devil's Dandy Dog 2: 6 - 1 = 5 Arc-Relic (Metal) Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Critical Hit! Devil's Dandy Dog 2: 6 - 1 = 5 x 2 = 10 Arc-Relic (Metal) Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Injury! Devil's Dandy Dog 2: Cut-Throat: Unable to use Voice - Spellcasting has 50% of failure!]

[Devil's Dandy Dog 3: 16 / 2 = 8 Falling Damage!]

[Hit! Vivienne Bianchi: 4 - 2 = 2 Supernatural Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Hit! Vivienne Bianchi: 4 - 2 = 2 Supernatural Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Hit! Vivienne Bianchi: 4 - 2 = 2 Supernatural Damage (PHYS defense)!]

--> Round 2, Turn 3: Vivienne Bianchi

---

New Ability Witnessed!

Devil's Dandy Dog

STR: D

END: F

AGI: A

WIL: ?

INT: ?

EGO: ?

Perks:

Cortejo de Gente de Muerte
Perfect combination of tactics, single-minded unity and a willingness to hunt not as individuals, but as a part of a pack where each hunter is a different limb of a much larger beast. Forms of movement can be united in other to move a single individual, though those who do so cannot attack during these maneuvers. Other information pending...

Auriga Torbellino
A blessing obtained from a certain fate, weaving a galeforce of wind around the user's body. As long as the wind remains constant, the user has their movement speed tripled, their jumping distance doubled, and all ranged attacks have a -25% chance of missing. In addition, when falling from great heights, they halve the falling damage and suffer no injuries from it. Not a fortune that was told, but a fortune that was foretold - forced upon the wearer.

[Verg Avesta]

Elise Pelltier & Vier Wolff
Location: Pinefall High - Campus Grounds
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

"Hey Vier! I think we might've been the last ones to see Ramia and Ubon last night. Any idea where they might've gone after soup and studying? I admit, I was a little preoccupied with my own thoughts and didn't really pay much attention."

“No idea. I don’t recall anything that might have given a hint on where they went. Then again, I don’t recall that much since I was pretty tired at the time. If you’ll excuse me, I need to do something in my room before heading out myself.”

Subaru Iburi lifted her head during this exchange, watching as Vier Wolff - after having said her piece - started towards the dormitory, making her way there without any other word. This meant that the campus grounds themselves were left in an uncomfortable silence, one dominated by the coldly smoldering embers within the tiny girl who had started what could be only called an inquisition to find the killer and torturer of Cesarina Feroce. And now that Elise Pelltier gave her another glance, well... it was clear that whatever was going on in the Japanese girl's head, she wasn't sparing anyone from being a suspect. The glare she gave after Vier told that the girl who had tried to act as her aide was just as much a possible culprit as anyone else... including Elise herself.

Which meant that right now... Elise was all alone on the campus grounds with someone who, if pushed in just the wrong way, could lash out at her... with possibly fatal consequences. After all, while she was tiny in stature and usually demure in personality, the Subaru Iburi right now looked like someone who could kill a man... and not even blink afterwards.

"... How convenient. She does not remember anything, for she was too tired to pay attention. And now she excuses herself to do something she does not wish to describe to us," Subaru coldly spoke as she rose to her feet. "She does not seem foolish, and yet she acts in a manner that makes her just as suspicious as Anna Vandemeel. I wonder if she even realises it."

It wasn't really a question.

To Subaru Iburi, everyone was a possible culprit.

It was only the matter of determining who...

... In other words, she was ready to exact bloody vengeance on someone, whoever it might be, for what was done to Cesarina. For the horrible things that the girl had to go through before her death. This wasn't simply revenge for someone who had been killed... this was the wish to do inflict the very same pain upon someone who had been so cruel to someone who, most likely, had not deserved any of it.

However, despite her rage, Subaru Iburi seemed more cold than burning... which was why her stare was a one to send chill's down one's spine when she turned to look at Elise.

"... Tell me, Miss Pelltier," Subaru suddenly said with a quiet voice, like creeping frost. "Are you without sin? Are you someone who can say she is not connected to this in any way... or any other tragedy that has happened? Are you a master of yourself in this place of madness, a place disguised as a normal school? Can you say you have no connection to this all?"

The brunt of the inquisitive interrogation now fell upon the brunette.

And as it did...

--- Elise could feel her hands grow warm and sweaty from the desire to strangle this kid, here and now.

To kill her and shut that guestioning mouth forever.

To just do it.

Now.

Do it.

Now.

---

Anna Vandemeel
Location: Pinefall High - Second Floor
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

“It's no permanent fix, but with this little time to work with…”

For a moment, Caleb stared at the strange bottle... then at Anna... again at the bottle... and then...

"Got it."

With clear trust in his eyes, Caleb grabbed the bottle and then hurried out of the room, checking with but a single glance that the raven-haired girl was following him. Down the corridor and straight into the kitchen, taking no time to even acknowledge Travis who had just arrived up the stairs and who now had a very confused look in his eyes as the two ran past him. The duo had no time to spare, considering how painful the coughing from the kitchen sounded, and when Travis heard that too... the thug-like boy hurried on after them, asking no questions.

Like he had better things to do than to be ornery at anyone he met.

"Gabi, here! Make her drink this!" Caleb announced the moment the group entered the kitchen, handing the old-looking bottle to the person in question. "Anna said it should help, so---"

The scene at the kitchen of the dormitory was... alarming to say the least. The table had been pushed against the wall so the tiny girl, no more than a kid of perhaps 11 years of age, could sit upon it while leaning against the wall. She had a short, roughly cut black hair and Asian features, and she was dressed in clothes that were clearly hand-me-downs from someone else - someone much taller than she was. The girl was being propped up against the wall by Gabi, who held her in a way that showed the boy was panicking over what to do at the situation. The androgynous student clearly wasn't used to being the responsible one, and now that someone was coughing blood into a handkerchief at a painful rate... he was out of his element.

Which was why he was glad to grab the bottle from Caleb and present it to the tiny girl, opening it for her. The girl had to struggle to drink down the bright green liquid, but when she did... the pale look on her face and the cold sweat running down her forehead seemed to calm down, if just for a moment.

And so did the coughing... if only for now.

"......... Good. No more pain... for now..." Gabi muttered, turning his timid eyes towards the three that had arrived. "... Was worried... she seems very feeble."

Caleb, heaving a heavy sigh of relief, collapsed against the wall.

"Yeah, you got that right..." the artist said, wiping sweat from his brow. "... She just suddenly started coughing like her lungs were about to come out. Something's... not right with her body. And I have no idea what."

For the moment, it looked like the worst had passed, and the young girl's episode was over. However, unlike everyone else, Travis didn't seem as relieved. While he walked over to Patient 17 and gently petted her head (something the girl seemed to enjoy, considering how she leaned weakly into that hand), his eyes were also scanning the kitchen in a suspicious manner... and eventually his expression became cold and hostile. And the reason was obvious when he opened his mouth.

"Wait. Where the hell are those Coastrise morons?" Travis asked, gesturing at the room. "I thought they were here."

An alarmed silence fell into the room.

One that was eventually broken by Caleb, who looked rather weirded out.

"... They said they were going outside to talk with you lot," he answered. "Didn't... didn't you guys meet up with them?"

---

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Main Building - Second Floor
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

“Don’t think there is more to be found here. Suppose we should just go back to the first floor…”

"R-right, I suppose that's wise..." Aleen answered, somewhat surprised by Hisa's sudden desire to stop exploring. "... I mean, it's not like... it's not like this stuff's gonna help us that much. That poor girl is... well, y'know... and can't answer any questions we might have. And honestly, I'm not the type to believe in seances."

Aleen giggled to her awkward joke, though the stiffness of the sound revealed that part of it was just her trying to lighten up the mood. While she might not have understood why Hisa was averting her gaze, or the feelings in the heart and mind of the scarred girl right now, what the bluehead could sense that her new friend was getting into a foul mood... and she wanted to do her best to help there. It was an instinctive need to cheer up those near her, even if she herself was a walking concentration of mood swings.

An admirable trait but, perhaps, somewhat misguided here.

"Hey, uh, Mystery Girl! We're going!" Aleen announced to Gradient, who had moved elsewhere in the room. "You coming with us or... err... what'cha doing over there?"

For some strange reason, Gradient was waltzing around the old library without a care in the world, like she was very used to the old, abandoned room. Looking like she knew what she was doing, the mysterious girl walked over to one of the book shelves and let her finger run across the backs of the books, stopping for a moment at each one underneath the name presented like she was browsing through them. Watching this odd scene unfold, Aleen gave Hisa a questioning look - momentary glancing back at Gradient as she got to the end of the row of books - before finally opening her mouth to a question they both might have had at this point.

"Err, is it just me, Hisa, or... or does your friend seem really at home here?" Aleen asked, folding her arm across her chest and cocking her eyebrow. "Like she totes knows what's where and what-not. What's up with that?"

Now that she mentioned it, out of the three who had been exploring the second floor... it was Gradient who hadn't looked cautious at all, despite the obvious possible danger.

And it wasn't her usual carefree mannerisms either, or so it felt...

[Thalraxal]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High - Campus Grounds
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

“No idea. I don’t recall anything that might have given a hint on where they went. Then again, I don’t recall that much since I was pretty tired at the time. If you’ll excuse me, I need to do something in my room before heading out myself.”

"Hm, I guess neither of us were really on the ball last night, were we?" muttered Elise as Vier turned to leave, "Well, seeya later then, Vier, and stay safe!"

Elise kept her eyes on Vier as she walked back to the dormitory.

'Stay safe' doesn't really capture the full direness of the situation, but, well- Ah, I'm sure she knows.

Elise glanced down at Subaru, who had apparently finished communing with Tonkori, and who's eyes now followed Vier with a harsh and suspicious glare.

"... How convenient. She does not remember anything, for she was too tired to pay attention. And now she excuses herself to do something she does not wish to describe to us. She does not seem foolish, and yet she acts in a manner that makes her just as suspicious as Anna Vandemeel. I wonder if she even realises it."

No one gets a free pass from Subaru, not even the sole supporter of her little inquisition.

"She was looking pretty worn out at the time. She said she had a long day working at the Owl's Nest Hotel and that left her tuckered out..." said Elise who added with a shrug, "Rings true to me. I'm more worried about where she plans to 'head out' to. I sure hope she bothers to tell someone where she's going if she's leaving the campus...The last thing we need is more missing classmates."

"... Tell me, Miss Pelltier. Are you without sin? Are you someone who can say she is not connected to this in any way... or any other tragedy that has happened? Are you a master of yourself in this place of madness, a place disguised as a normal school? Can you say you have no connection to this all?"

Elise clenched her fists, and took a deep breath as she reeled from the sudden and violent urge to immediately execute Subaru. She stared down at the grass near her feet, occasionally glancing around the campus. Anywhere but at those cold, dead, accusing eyes.

"What? Don't be absurd. No one is without sin, and I'm certainly not arrogant enough to believe myself to be otherwise," replied Elise bitterly.

Elise grit her teeth as she struggled to control the sudden and rising desire to permanently silence her accuser. She shot an angry glare at the dormitory door where she last saw Vier.

This is all Vier's fault somehow. Just like last time. I know it. I'm sure it's just this intrusive thought, but I'm really starting to reconsider keeping her alive too.

"But this?" Elise waved her hand towards Cesarina's blanket covered form, "This is something else entirely. This is something utterly unforgivable."

Just think of Tonkori. Do you want to make that puppy an orphan? Do you want to look into his sad eyes and tell him why you needed to snuff his owner?

She crossed her arms. If she crossed her arms it'd be harder for her to use her hands to crush the life out of Subaru's body.

With nowhere else to look, Elise made eye contact with Subaru and immediately regretted it.

"No, I had nothing to do with this, Subaru," replied Elise, keeping her eyes locked with Subaru's, "I was with John for most of the night because I passed out on the Common Room couch while we were talking."

Who's inconveniently not here right now to back me up. For the best, really.

Elise closed her eyes and took another deep breath.

"Is that all?" asked Elise.

I think I need to be someplace else now.

[Verg Avesta]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Pool - Basement
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

“I’ll check under the desk, then look into the boiler room. You’re free to investigate. I wouldn’t really be of any help.”

Mercedes snorted, sounding amused, but also rolled her eyes as she strolled into the room after her blonde friend.

"Gawd, stop sulking, Lucy," the actress answered, trying to sound carefree... but her eyes also scanning the room up and down for any sign of trouble. "Tell you what. If we, like, find something that needs big stuff moved to get to, you'll get to show those muscles of yours and---"

That was when it happened.

Though by the time that the two noticed... it was already too late.

Perhaps it had been too late from the moment they entered the room.

-------------- First.

Without any sort of warning, the metal door to the office slammed shut with a deafening noise. This was, in an instant, followed by the sound of something akin to flowing mud, melting metal and screeching iron - all sounds coming from the door itself. Instinctively the two spun around to look... and what they saw made their blood run cold. The door that had been there, the door that had first barred them from entering the room, then opened up on its own... it had melted. It had melted into a bloated mess of metal that had no chance of opening anymore, becoming a steel barricade between them and freedom.

And the reason?

Well the reason was obvious. It was way too obvious.

How had neither of them seen it before, when they entered the room?

How could something that massive even hide form them?

Especially... especially since it was positioned like it had been hiding behind the door when Lucille went to push it open? In a space not even a normal human could have been able to hide?

"----------------------- Ah..."

A squeak, a whimpering cry of pure fear, echoed from Mercedes's lips as she stared up at the giant that now filled the room. A monster unlike anything either of them had seen before, one that had its other hand on the door as it had just shut it close... and one hand clenched into a fist, readied. It was a bulging mass of muscle dressed in odd metal contraption of a helmet and with hoses, or perhaps tentacles, squirming over its massive form. Drool fell heavily from its bestial mouth and the red glow of what must have been its eye was locked straight onto the two girls.

It was a monster.

A pure-bred incarnation of catastrophe that smelled of blood and carnage so heavily that it hung over the two like a pungent cloud ready to suffocate them. Fear that the mere appearance of this creature produced was like a punch straight into the guts and for a moment, both Mercedes and Lucille had to fight against vomiting right then and there. It took all their willpower to just keep looking at the thing, to take in its nightmare-ish form and to keep their legs from collapsing underneath them.

All of this...

... Took only half a second.

But... it was a half a second too much. Half a second too late. Half a second for the monster to launch its ambush.

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

A whirlwind of destruction fell upon the two, along with a hellish roar that was like the trumpet of end times shattering the skies itself. Before either of them could even react, much less hope to defend themselves, the monster barreled forward in frenzied rage, it's red eye filling the room with its glow. Mercedes, who in a fit of bad luck had ended up standing straight in its path, could only let out a scream of pure terror before the monster was upon her... and then through her. No, not through her. The actress was tackled by the massive bulging body of howling muscle as it barreled forward like a freight train, taking the starlet with her. The path the monster was on took it straight ahead, straight towars the back wall, the door and the boiler room behind it---

------------ And Mercedes's scream was silenced as if it with a slap when the two collided through the wall, sending rubble and blood flying everywhere.

"____________________"

... The sound of a bloodied, limp body hitting the concrete floor of the boiler room with a sickening thud and a crunch was more deafening than any roar that the monster could have made.

Mercedes West collided with the floor and rolled into the shadows of the boiler room, hitting one of the large pipes and coming to a halt... into a collapsed pile that no longer moved.

And the monster that had caused this all with a single charge...

... Turned its blazing eye, like a portal to hell itself, back towards Lucille.

------------ With a low, guttural roar shaking the whole basement.

---

---

Initiative Check!
Lucille Faraday: 2 VS Anakim: 2
Coinflip!
Lucille Faraday Wins!

BATTLE START!
Round 1, Turn 1: Lucille Faraday!

---

New Being Met!

[Verg Avesta]

Elaine Winters & John Dove
Location: Road to Town
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

“…and my apologies for bringing this up.”

And with that, the car fell into silence.

The scenery of Road's End passed by, the countless pine trees and sycamore trees dotting the road from both sides, whistling past as the Mustang gathered some speed on the old, unkempt asphalt road. Somewhere in the distance, not that far away actually, one could see the ocean and its grey, rolling waves crashing against the cliffs and the beach - a place that had been a setting for quite much merriment only few days ago. However, now, that day felt so far away... too far away. The tragedy that had started today, no, the tragedies that had unfolded last night and of which Elaine had witnessed one, had made the whole town - not just the school - feel like a different reality entirely.

There was a foreboding sense of the end creeping into everything, an insidious hopelessness that just didn't seem to give up, latching its claws onto the students an slowly but surely drowning them into the swamp of despair that encroached all of them... the town itself.

Hell... just looking outside the windows made it feel more real than ever.

As if the woods themselves had been darker than before.

Despite sunlight somehow managing to get through the heavy curtain of clouds that blanketed the sky, it offered not much solace. The shadows of the Ghostwood were long and harsh, dragging along the ground and across the tree trunks in a manner of beasts and monsters creeping from the darkness, ready to gobble up anyone foolish enough to venture out on this cursed day. The storm was gone, yet ironically enough, it had been but a prelude to all the sorrow that had struck the First Class of Pinefall. Death of Cesarina Feroce, death of Alexstrasza Lockhart, death of Colt Davin, death of the unknown girl... and everything else that just felt like it compounded upon these horrible events. All the authority figures who were missing, the dead phone lines, students who had disappeared...

--- Honestly, it was like some cruel mind had orchestrated or planned this.

Like a tale of cruelty that marched despite their best efforts.

"--------------- ?"

In that moment, amidst those thoughts, two things happened.

First was John Dove witnessing something that caught his eye at the edge of the forest. Past the veil that separated the road from the foret itself, deeper into the Ghostwood itself, in the shadows of a particularly large sycamore tree that he could barely see as the car drove past it... John Dove saw a silhouette - a humanoid silhouette. A tall shape of pure black, so pure black that it was visible against the dark shadows that it hid in. It was a shape that, for a moment, sent a chill down his spine and every hair in his body to stand up, along with raising his skin to goosebumps. A shape of a man... a woman... an undetermined human who simply stood there, watching the car pass by towards Road's End...

It send all sorts of warning bells ringing in the boy's head.

And the second thing was a much more immediate danger.

One that turned this already worrisome trip into something truly life-threatening.

It was Elaine Winters witnessing a bright pinpoint of a flash, a short and distant explosion, from the forest ahead, up towards a hill to the side of the ocean. A fraction of a second later, a loud crack split the air, overpowering even the roar of the car - and at the very same time, Elaine felt as the Mustang buckled wildly under her control. The left front tire exploded in a mangled showcase of metal and rubber, producing screeching sound as the front of the car collided with the asphalt. Sparks flew high up into the air as the blonde struggled to keep the vehicle under her control, but the attack had been too much of a surprise.

With a horrible sound of metal being grinded against the asphalt, the Mustang - with its engines roaring desperately - flew out of the road and into a wild spin.

A short dash out of bounds that was stopped short as the front of the car slammed straight into a sturdy pine tree, sending both Elaine and John crashing against the dashboard, painful slam emptying the air out of both of their lungs.

Just two or three seconds, from the flash of fire in the distance to the vehicle crashing painfully into the forest, flying out of the road and coming to a complete - and perhaps final - halt.

... And leaving both Elaine and John recovering their bearings and trying to get the taste of blood out of their mouths.

---

[Environment Damage! Elaine Winters: 6 - 3 = 3 Physical Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Environment Damage! John Dove: 6 - 2 = 4 Physical Damage (PHYS defense)!]

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Pool - Basement
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

Lucille screams, instinctively, uselessly, despairingly.

She can’t panic. She can’t, she can’t, she absolutely can’t, because if Mercedes is alive there’s still a modicum of hope after all.

Still, that sound, echoing in her ears, is more terrible than the creature in front of her.

How many atrocities has she fought over the years? How many of them truly scared her?

She knows the answer. The only thing she has ever been afraid of were the piles of victims they left behind. Every wasted life stung far more than any visage they could possess.

And now, if it happens again—

No, best not to think about a repetition of her sins. She prays.

Lucille charges forward, the knife slipping out of her sleeve and into her hands. It gleams against the ceiling lights.

She swings twice, praying that the Arc-Relic will cut through, once with a bright shine, the other without.

-----

Der Nagel Usages: 3 -> 2

Wise up!

Lucille Faraday

Stats
STR: D
END: D
AGI: D

Equipment

[Der Nagel]
Arc Relic - Weapon
Rank C (Usages: 3 -> 2)
Element: Holy

In contrast to the person who trained her, Lucille has a much more traditional choice in Der Nagel, taking the form of simple throwing knives. Every charge is a knife.

If one hits a target, they compare their WIL defense to 7. If their WIL defense is lower, it brings down one of their physical attributes by 1 Rank. In addition, being hit by one stops supernatural healing and regeneration.

[Verg Avesta]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High - Campus Grounds
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

"Is that all?"

A chilling silence.

The two girls, the Japanese youth and the Canadian brunette, stared at each other while the wind - last remnants of last night's storm - howled and shrieked across the campus grounds. The latter had closed her eyes but even through her eyelids, even through that pulsating darkness that came with it almost like a momentary solace, she could feel the burning glare of the smaller girl digging through her - almost like Subaru had wanted to open up her very mind and discover that way if she was speaking the truth.

And then there was the feeling... the pulsating, foreign feeling of murderous intent that resonated within her body, but came from not of her own heart, but from somewhere... different. An alien impulse that whispered in her ears, over and over again.

The air itself could have frozen over between the two.

Which was why, when Subaru finally opened her mouth, it brought with it...

"I see. That is all."

... An internal sigh of relief.

The young dog once again took his place next to the right leg of his mistress, keeping those beady eyes of a hunter trained at Elise. Subaru, however, had seeminly lost interested. She used her hand to brush her hair behind her eye, to stop it from obstructing her field of vision as wind was still harsh. At the same time, the young Japanese surveyed the campus grounds, letting her eyes stop at each of the buildings in the near vicinity. The dormitory. The main building. The pool. Three large locations to which most of the remaining students had gathered into, with the exception of John and Elaine who had left to the town.

"You were passed out. In which case John Dove has no alibi himself for last night," Subaru coldly spoke out. "And with John Dove having his alibi questioned, so does yours become under suspicion as well. But... I have promised to wait. We will see whether or not your sins are something others can forgive, or if they relate to the tragedy of today. After all..."

Subaru's eyes narrowed, and her face twisted with fury. It was like a slap to Elise's face, a scorching wind that threw itself against the brunette and made her almost take a step back.

"... Your attempt at hiding your bloodlust is laughably obvious, Elise Pelltier," Subaru spoke, her voice a hiss. "It is like a separate, red-hot shadow next to you. And I doubt I have been the only one to notice."

With that, the smaller girl turned around on her heels, and...

"But that is neither here or there. Good day."

... Left the vicinity of the yew tree.

And as Elise watched the receding back of the smaller girl, it became quite obvious that she was heading towards---

... Huh?

Just what happened there?

Elise Pelltier could have sworn she was watching the receding back of Subaru as she had headed out but now... the tiny Japanese girl was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but she felt surprisingly... cold. Like she had been standing on the windy campus grounds for a while now. It was the kind of cold chill that had seeped through her clothes thanks to not moving her body for a while. And now that she thought about it, wasn't everywhere around her... silent? Of course, she was the only one around from the looks of it, but at the same time it was... very silent.

No, wait.

There was one more thing.

Strange sort of wetness on her palms.

Had Elise sweated that much? Had she wiped some unknown tears from her face? Had she touched the moist grass underneath her?

Well... there was only one way to be sure.

By gazing downwards...

Opening her eyes...

And looking at her hands.

[Verg Avesta]

Lucille Faraday vs Anakim (Round 1, Turn 2)
Location: Pinefall High Pool - Basement
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

A slash out of desperation.

A slash out of urgency.

Lucille Faraday charges at the towering monster that now looms in the darkness of the boiler room, her scream echoing in the room. At the same time, a holy weapon, a divinity made steel, slides out of her sleeve and takes its usual place in her hand. The blonde girl is upon the monster in just an instant, her first strike taking the lumbering creature not by surprise, but fast enough to get a strike in straight to the spot between its back and its pronounced spine. The feeling of dread and the heavy cloud of iron and blood around it are almost too terrible to approach, but... but...!

--- Lucille Faraday has faced, once upon a time, a being that makes this thing pale as a monster.

Still.

The strike connects.

The holy duty of Der Nagel assaults the creature, instilling the rule it has built upon into the creature. It is the nail that brought and chained the Son of God - a replica built upon those very specific details and instructions. As the shining blade hits the monster, the numen within its body is subdued and stumped, made to run into a definite wall and imprisoned within the creature itself so that its presence as a supernatural catastrophe was lessened heavily. Like a Lamb of God once upon a time nailed upon a cross, the monster suddenly found itself bound by the rules that it had not expected, and thus...

----------------------- It barely felt a thing.

A nightmare.

This must have been a nightmare.

Lucille Faraday, for surely, had brought down the creature's paranormal nature.

Yet it was, even afterwards, like striking a wall of stone with her dagger.

Again the knife struck, but yet it failed to make anything but a nick into the tungsten-steel like body of the monster.

And then... it was too late to retreat.

For the creature was upon Lucille again.

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

It was like an earthquake given humanoid form. Lucille Faraday acted too slow to avoid the first hand that struck fowards, and before she could even think about dodging those massive fingers had closed in around her. The creature caught a hold of her with its left hand, squeezing her so hard that she could hear her ribs creaking dangerously under the pressure. It was like being in a hydraulic press, the absolute force pressing upon her body making the blonde girl's body flash with white-hot pain.

But the worst was yet to come.

The creature let out a rumbling, sadistic laughter...



--------- And brought its fist down upon Lucille, making it collided with the upper half of her torso like a freight train colliding with her!

Had Lucille's weaponry not weakened the beast...

... she might have lost her nose and her teeth with that single strike.

---

[Hit! Anakim: 8 - 10 = 1 Arc-Relic (Holy) Damage (PHYS defense)!]
[Anakim: WIL Defense Overcome! STR, END & AGI lowered by 1 Rank!]
[Hit! Anakim: 8 - 10 = 1 Arc-Relic (Holy) Damage (PHYS defense)!]

[Hit! Lucille Faraday: Grappled! Restrained by Anakim!]
[Hit! Lucille Faraday: 8 - 5 = 3 Physical Damage (PHYS defense)!]

--> Round 2, Turn 3: Lucille Faraday

---

New Ability Witnessed!

Anakim

STR: A -> B

END: A

AGI: D

WIL: E

INT: ?

EGO: ?

Perks:

Indestructible Toughness
Hurting you physically is almost impossible task with most weapons and abilities. You shrug off attacks like they were nothing and keep coming no matter what the enemy throws at you. Swords and bullets bounce off and your skin won't even get cut or wounded. When you take this Perk, your base natural physical defense amount is doubled. However, this Perk marks you as an aberrant even on the turnside of the world, a power not gained without a price. It will invoke a negative Perk custom-tailored to you by the GM.

Extremely Healthy
It takes a lot to take you out permanently. You can take attacks and keep on keeping on thanks to your robust health. It might be tenacity, it might be because of your fast regenerative properties, it might be because simply because your body is unlike that of most humans. Whatever the case, you're harder to take out than most. When you take this Perk, double the amount of maximum HP you gain from Endurance. However, this Perk marks you as an aberrant even on the turnside of the world, a power not gained without a price. It will invoke a negative Perk custom-tailored to you by the GM.

[Thalraxal]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High - Campus Grounds
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast



"Oh God," swore Elise.

She stared blankly at her bloodstained hands as she struggled to piece together what had just happened. What she, or at least what her body, had just done. Trembling, she slowly let her hands fall back down to her sides. Taking a few short breaths, she looked up, and glanced around the campus grounds, trying to determine the source of the blood on her hands and any evidence of what she might've done.

Subaru? Tonkori? thought Elise, No, no. If it was them- Well, I'm sure that Tonkori would've bit me. I would've felt that, right?

Elise quickly looked herself over, wondering if there was any more blood on her, beyond just from removing Cesarina from the tree, and to check for any hitherto unnoticed new injuries.

A thought that had been lurking in the back of her mind came to the surface. She knew it was there, she just hadn't wanted to acknowledge the possibility, but she was intimately aware of a being with the capability to inflict the sort of cruelties Cesarina had suffered.

I only spent most of the night with John in the Common Room. There was a part of it when I was alone. Well. Almost alone.

Elise glanced around nervously, almost afraid that someone might hear her think the thought.

... As much as I'd like to... I can't rule out the possibility that I was the one who killed Cesarina Feroce.

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday vs Anakim (Round 2, Turn 3)
Location: Pinefall High Pool - Basement
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

It’s the blessing of the Lord that stops that fist from smashing her face in, that stops her from being crushed by its grip. It might bruise, but she’d definitely lived with those before. But no, the pain was hardly the problem. In the face of an inescapable grip by a brute who shrugged off all attacks, Lucille did not give up. She may fight to throw away her life, but she’d never waste it. If there was a chance that blow left Mercedes merely unconscious, she’d fight for that chance with everything she’d have.

Still, in this situation, Lucille could only think of one story.

David and Goliath. The key to David’s victory was faith, as many people forget, for it was His Will that allowed the young man to effortlessly topple such a monster. And like David, her faith was absolute, unshakeable. The Lord would give her the strength to prevail. He already had, even.

How many times had she been in this scenario? Facing against seemingly insurmountable odds?

She’d lost count.

If there was any reason why God placed her on Earth, it’d be for these harrowing situations.

She lets out a muffled laugh. Straining against her constraints, the grip of the monster before her, she manages to take a deep breath.

“I announce the name the Lord has given me—

God’s Magnificence

Adirael

.”

Lucille Faraday may be the name on her birth certificate, the one given to her during her baptism, but it has never truly been her name. God had given it to her, aeons ago.

“I am His Glory that resounds throughout all of Creation, which is boundless and knows no equal.”

From the very day she was born, she knew her purpose. An angel clothed in flesh, sent to aid mankind in their Earthly battles against evil.

“All pales before His Grandeur. None are above the instruments of His Will.”

The very room warps under the words of her Authority, the sheer weight of her presence threatening to overwhelm everything in the room. This has always been her task—to destroy what lay beyond the purview of man.

“Know your place. Yield, or perish.”

-----

Humilitas Occidit Superbiam: Activated
Divine Bulwark (Duration: 3/5 rounds)

Wise up

Lucille Faraday

Stats
STR: D
END: D
AGI: D
WIL: B
INT: E
EGO: D

HP: 21/24
MP: 37/45
IP: 60/60

Elemental Affinity: Holy, Ichor

Perks

[Well Armed]
Cost: Free
Restrictions: Church Origin
One of the reasons why the church and its various subfactions are so feared are because of the vast amount of artifacts, or Arc-Relics, that they possess. These are often loaned to their agents and warriors when they undertake dangerous tasks in order to increase their chances of being victorious. When you take this Perk, you are allowed access to B-Rank Arc-Relics.

[Inquisitor]
Cost: Granted by Background
Restrictions: Church Origin, Catholic Church
As an inquisitor of the Catholic Church, your job is to destroy the heretical mystics of the world and any other threat that might threaten normal populace. You are an executor of the wicked, an assassin in the service of the holy and enemy of everything evil. When you take this Perk, increase your STR by 1 Rank. In addition, you are given access to unique C-Rank Arc-Relic: Der Nagel. It is a mass-produced Arma Christi, a weapon meant to reduce the amount of numen in the target it hits. Most of the times they take the form of large nails used as either daggers or throwing weapons. However, depending on the inquisitor, it might take a different form. For example a certain famous French inquisitor had her Der Nagel in form of sword-like arrows.

[Arche Ultima]
Cost: 75 AP
Restrictions: Human Origin cannot take this Perk.
In the world, there are some rare people that are able to tap into their arche, their reason of being and principle of their existence. From within it flows apeiron, the ultimate element from which all things in reality spring forth, and to which all shall return upon destruction. When combined with an ability, apeiron is capable of producing new heights unimagined. Whether it is a type of spell, ceremonial magic, ESP, program or thaumaturgy, when combined with apeiron it shall become a skill unmatched. After all, while our world is just shadows on the wall of a cave, an ability which utilizes apeiron is an archetype itself, pure form brought into the world instead of just mere imitations that our reality is capable of producing. Is it that idea made real, The Truth itself and none can deny it, for that is the nature of The Truth. There are many words for arche-derived abilities, such as Origin Spells, Level 199 and Deus Ex Machina, but they all mean the same thing: manifestation of one's power through their arche, bringing forth the underlying archetype of Truth. When you take this Perk, you will be allowed to design a Rank S manifestation of your main ability, an overwhelmingly powerful skill that can only be used once per week.

[Divine Blood]
Cost: 40 AP
Restrictions: Church Origin, at least Rank B WIL.
There is only one sort of inhuman blood that the Holy Church can tolerate. Those with the blood of angels or other divine beings in their veins. As holy being such as them are not an affront to the Lord, but a testament of His existence, they are treated as holiest of warriors and often put on the frontlines in the fight against the darkness. And it just so happens, you are one of these beings. When you take this Perk, increase one of your attributes by 1 Rank. In addition, you gain unique Elemental Strength: Ichor. Ichor, the lifeblood of divine beings, is one with you. You also gain 60 Ichor Points (IP). These can be used to either fuel your Thaumaturgy as MP, or recharge your Arc-Relics. One charge returns to a Relic with 5 IP per Rank of the Arc-Relic.

Equipment

[Der Nagel]
Arc Relic - Weapon
Rank C
Element: Holy

In contrast to the person who trained her, Lucille has a much more traditional choice in Der Nagel, taking the form of simple throwing knives. Every charge is a knife.

If one hits a target, they compare their WIL defense to 7. If their WIL defense is lower, it brings down one of their physical attributes by 1 Rank. In addition, being hit by one stops supernatural healing and regeneration.

[Ringmail]
Armor - Classical
Light (5 AP)

Armor for fending off supernatural threats. A white coat that Lucille thinks is pretty comfy.

Thaumaturgies

[Humilitas Occidit Superbiam]
Thaumaturgy
Rank S (Arche Ultima)
Element: Ichor

“Humility has slain pride.”

Humility is the ability to see the objective truth. The recognition of one’s relation to others and to God. Normally for someone as self-depreciative as Lucille, the acknowledgement that she could be better than anyone would be impossible. Nevertheless, there is an aspect of herself that her very faith holds above others.

Her divinity.

Her divine nature, a symbol of God’s grace, is infallible. Divinity is a sign of His Will and His Will has no opposition. Though the nature of original sin means that humanity can only imperfectly reflect His holiness, this Arche Ultima reminds humanity and their enemies their original nature was to submit to God.

Humilitas forces the opponent to recognize their own place in the face of divinity (God), which is fundamentally above them. In accordance with this logic…

All targets that can see Lucille, or remain within 20 meter radius of her, have their WIL defenses compared against this attack. In this case, the number compared against their WIL defense is 15 (4 from attribute, 10 from Rank, 1 from Elemental Strength). If the WIL defense is higher, all their attributes are reduced by 1. If it is lower, all their attributes become lower than those of Lucille. If it is twice as low, all their attributes become F-Rank. As long as the creature remains within a line of sight of Lucille, or within the 20 meter radius, they are affected by this thaumaturgy and cannot raise their attributes higher. At the start of their Turn, each creature hostile to Lucille that can see her also takes 5 Ichor damage against their WIL defense. The duration of this ability is 10 minutes.

Simplified:
WIL DEF of 7 or lower: All stats become F
WIL DEF of 8-15: All stats become Lucille’s - 1 Rank
WIL DEF of 16 or higher: All stats are reduced by 1 Rank
All targets take 5 Ichor damage against WIL DEF at the start of their turn.
Range is LoS or 20 meters and 10 minute (100 round) duration.

[Radiant Bulwark]
Thaumaturgy
Rank D (16 AP)
Element: Holy

An all-purpose defensive thaumaturgy aimed at bolstering one’s fortitude against a wide variety of foes. As the Catholic Church is not particularly picky about their targets of heresy, unlike the other denominations, this spell is commonly taught to Inquisitors in the hopes of making sure they are versatile enough to combat all threats.

When used, increases all natural defenses by two for thirty seconds. Can be stacked twice.

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Road to Town
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

It came almost without warning, a creeping sensation at the edge of her spine that tightened her hands on the wheel.

Her eyes flicked around, heart thudding louder in her chest as the feeling of danger crept along her mind.

She only barely caught sight of the attack before it hit, a flash of light from the hill towards the sea.

A pinpoint, like from a rifle, or some manner of explosion flares in the distance, and she had just enough time to tense up before her front tire exploded.

The Mustang reeled and roiled, snarling like a wounded animal, bucking under her hands like a spooked horse, it was only thanks to some sort of miracle that the car didn’t flip.

She held on grimly, clenching her jaw and hoping for the best, met with a sudden crash and an intimate relationship with her dash.

Of course, have to spring for the engine, skimp on the air bag.

Thanks, Dad.

Elaine pulled her face out of the small indent with a loud, supremely irritated noise.

“Fuckin shithead, this is an original…”

She briskly but gently worked her muscles and limbs, testing them carefully, spitting some blood out and mopping at her face, absently brushing bits of bark and sticks off of her jacket.

“Alright, in good shape, nothing broken or sprained,” She squinted out at the tree, expression grim.

“Seems there’s a rude person with a high-powered rifle, knows what they’re doing, too. Probably wants to pick us off.”

The blonde girl’s words were half-murmured, almost to herself. She swept a slow hand over the dented dashboard, a distant and sad expression on her face.

“Nothing we can’t fix.”

Right then, right.

What a time to not have the best option to deal with this.

Going to have to make it work regardless.

Her tongue crept out of her mouth and her eyes grew dark.

Come on now, give me a present, darling.

A shift, ever so slightly, but her eyes caught it like a mouse in a trap.

The light always finds what lies in the dark.

“There, about 100 meters down the road, in the woods on a small hill. All gussied up in fatigues like a First Blood Halloween costume, but I caught them out. Scoped rifles have a drawback.”

Shoulda gone iron, precious puss.

Right then, plan time.

We have some distance to cover, and the beast, while still rumbling and grumbling and tearing for a good scrap, needs a tune-up before he’s going anywhere.

And we’re sitting ducks.

Counter-Tactics.

Bombard, no.

Pincer, possible, more likely Rush.

Smokescreen…

“Why can’t people just stop fucking around for two seconds,” She growled, “Seems like everything is falling the fuck apart and no one is doing anything to try and stop it.”

Psychotics in the night, psychotics in the morning…

Beasts all over the shop...

She supposed with a ‘school for troubled youth’, this is what you could expect.

But did they have to be so fucking annoying about it?!

“Enough of this, I’ve had it. Touched my freakin’ car, I got some words for you, little punk. Shove my boot right up your ass…”

She put a hand on the door, unbuckling herself.

“John, you, uh…” She stared at the boy across from her, “You do what you can, see if you can get the beast running, otherwise just,” She shrugged helplessly, “I got nothing, sorry.”

She licked her lips, biting them gently, she didn’t know enough about the situation, people just being so stupid and no one will just talk to each other and it’s enough to make a girl sick.

Why can’t they be more like people and less like squabbling beasts. Even that

A Nation's Executioner

church bitch

, so high and mighty, hiding in the dark like a coward, executing someone who asked mercy.

Just beasts killing each other, clinging to their pride and refusing to change and lying.

Some holy warrior, just like all the rest.

Where was their God when she asked? When she begged, all alone?

Nowhere.

Lies. Just another spirit with delusions.

Gods don’t exist in this world.

Now there’s some uppity little half-pint who thinks she’s the Grand Inquisitor and it’s all she can do to not just punt her across the courtyard.

And her little mutt, ‘ooh i sneef you and u baaad’, must be a killer, right?

Right.

Heh.

But what did it really matter? Weak, strong, when society starts falling apart, people fall into beasts.

It happened before, it’s happening again.

But she’s not going to let it.

Her hand clenched on the window, a low breeze blowing in, growing nails digging into the body of the car.

Not even if they’re all a bunch of degenerates and liars, they’re people.

People deserve to be happy.

She,

Lycanthrope

Elaine Winters

, wanted to be happy.

But in the end, as she smiled that same smile she shared with Ubon, her first true friend at Pinefall and her fangs grew until her smile warped and twisted into a predator’s snarl.

She was a beast, despite everything.

Beasts don’t get to be happy.

Even if they want to, the world won’t let them.

Everyone they try to save dies.

When they try to stop people, all they do is kill.

Pitiable, pathetic creatures.

But even so.

As she throws herself from the car, sprinting, no, loping for tree cover, moving towards the hill, her hand drops, knowing the scope, from so far away, has followed.

[Pocketful of Sunshine]

The world alights.

The Truth

Light.

It was mercy, for it was with the Light of dawn that she felt at ease, and at peace, it was when she was shown mercy when she begged for it.

When it wasn’t there, it was the bad times.

It was when she thought she found love.

It was when…

It was when

The Ritual

it ended

.

In blood and pain and betrayal.

So maybe, just maybe, with this dawnlight in this grey, miserable day, she’ll find a path forward.

So she pushes.

[Dragon Rush]

And maybe this eagle-eyed asshole won’t find his shithole before she shoves it into his mouth.

Wise up!

Pocketful of Sunshine - A flash bang sort of thing, a silken cloth inscribed with sigils, hung in a window from dusk, til it is folded up precisely at the moment of sunrise. Contains the absorbed sunlight throughout the day in a bundle of cloth, easily able to be flung out of a pocket to distract and disorient an opponent, even damaging those more sensitive to natural sunlight.

[Targets within area w/ INT Defense of 3 or Lower are blinded for 2 turns, Targets weak to Light take 2 Light Damage as well.]

Dragon Rush - A blindingly fast charge towards the enemy, designed to quickly reduce distance and close to melee range with sudden and brutal efficiency.

[Move up to 3x Movement Speed, must be done during this action, may be sub’d for physical attack]

[Lycanthropy]

Touched by something beyond the realms of Men, your interference with a ritual to commune with a spirit of primal savagery has marked you in your very nature, with the rising of the Moon, so does the Hunter grow more powerful, and so does the savage soul within, be wary of that savage soul, lest you become more of a Beast than a Hunter.

[Verg Avesta]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High - Campus Grounds
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

Even though it was a frantic search for any sorts of cuts, bruises and wounds on her own body, made with eyes that were darting around due to stress and with hands she had to be careful with thanks to the blood caking them, one thing became soon apparent to Elise Pelltier. From the looks of it, she wasn't hurt... not by anything new she could find, at least. The same was true for her clothes. They were a bit messed up, perhaps, but there were no indications that she had been any larger struggle, at least with not anything that could fight back in any meaningful way.

But that simply raised more questions, did it not?

Her hands, the blood covering her palms and fingers, the stench of iron rising from it... it was both intoxicating and nauseating.

Something that felt out of a bad dream that was an even more surrealistic continuation to the tragedy of this morning.

At the very least, nobody was there to witness her right now.

Right?

There was no one else ont he campus grounds, no one to see her...

... At least that's how it felt like.

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Main Building
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

“...Yeah, it’s quite obvious,” I answered after just observing Gradient for a while, “But that’s what makes it so frustrating. I know that she knows about things, but I can’t really communicate with her.”

Walking back to the middle of the room, I sat down at one of the tables that wasn’t turned into a makeshift barricade, and fidgeted around in my bag for a bit until I found my notebook and a pen.

I knew that she could more or less understand what she was being told, but she couldn’t talk, not in a way that I understood at least.

She also probably recognizes pictures, and can...sort of draw too. But...that doesn’t quite help. Still, judging by what she was doing, she could probably read as well.

I looked down at the empty page of my notebook - then back up at Aleen.

“I wouldn’t mind trying a few things, but...Can you occupy yourself in the meantime?”

Turning back to the notebook, I wrote down a simple question - something that could, perhaps, shed some light on the girl’s mysterious circumstances.

The message on the paper that I was now holding towards Gradient - “Nod if you can read this.”

The girl walked over and peered at the paper for a while, the utmost concentration clearly visible on her face as she narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out a bit. Under different circumstances, it definitely would have been adorable, but…

Watching the girl for a while, it seemed that she really did understand the message---

"Muuu!"

That, and the enthusiastic nodding confirmed that. A good start, I suppose.

“Mm...That’s good to hear,” I said as I gave the girl an encouraging smile.

Afterwards, I looked back at my notebook, ready to scribble down another question - except that, for some reason, I realized something now that I should have already figured a lot earlier. She can understand what I’m saying to her, she knows how to nod, probably how to shake her head too…

Sighing at my own stupidity, I put my pen down, and looked at Gradient again.

“Have you been here before?” I asked her slowly, making sure that she could properly understand everything I was saying, “Nod if yes, shake your head if no.”

She looked confused - just how the written message seemed to take her a while to decipher, it seemed that the case was very similar when speaking, too. Still...

"..........."

She nodded again, perhaps with a bit less enthusiasm this time.

"I see..." I said, eyeing the mysterious girl while considering the next question.

There were many things I wanted to ask. Many that couldn't really be answered with a single yes or no, and many which she might not even completely understand, but...

"Did someone hurt you yesterday? Were you running away from something?"

This time, her reaction seemed to be deeper - as if she realized, and in a way found it inconvenient how she couldn’t explain things properly, as if it wasn’t something that she could just explain with a “yes” or a “no”...

Still, in the end, she shook her head - and even if she seemed to hesitate a bit before it, I was convinced that she was being honest about it...Just that she had no way to properly explain herself. Which meant that she wasn’t hurt and wasn’t running away from someone, while her being here is certainly not a coincidence either...She knew this place, so she must have known what she was doing, and she wanted to come here...

But why?

"Were you trying to find someone then? Is it that person you drew earlier?" I asked while flipping through the notebook, looking for the page with her drawing, "She?" I added, pointing at the person on the drawing.

Gradient leaned in to take a look at the picture, but drawn her head back just as fast, something that was accompanied by a hissing noise too - and something I could pretty much interpret as a “no”.

Something that was confirmed by her too right after, as she pointed at the picture and shook her head, then gestured around herself while nodding - probably meaning the room, and the school itself as the place she was looking for...All the while looking somewhat sad.

"I...See" I said as I flipped to an empty page again, hiding the picture that seemed to draw bad memories from sight, "So..."

This was all still too vague.

"That message, on the wall, were you here when that happened? Do you know who wrote it?"

A slight hesitation once again - except that this time, she seemed to be worried about something else - as she looked around the room, it was almost like she was trying to spot someone, anyone who might have been spying on the conversation, but…

After apparently confirming that we were safe, and after sighing deeply, she nodded, then shook her head.

So...If she was here...In the school when that happened, which should have been more than a decade ago...

Does she not age?

She doesn't look much older than us, she should have been only a little kid back then, meaning that she also would have nothing to do with the school...

But I can't ask that with Aleen here, can I?

"Were you a student here? Or did you just like being here because of something else?"

The more I asked, the more I wanted to know, question after question surfaced in my mind, wanting to find more about this girl who was becoming more and more intriguing, even if I could feel that her past wasn't exactly the happiest...

"Were you always like...this? Finding it hard to express yourself? Or did someone do this to you?"

"Do you think...you can write? Want to give it a try?" I asked finally, pushing the notebook and the pen in front of her while giving her another encouraging smile.

[Verg Avesta]

Lucille Faraday vs Anakim (Round 2, Turn 4)
Location: Pinefall High Pool - Basement
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast
[BGM]

Terrible is the Wrath of God for all those who witness Him.

Terrible is His presence to those who have sinned.

Thus terrible is His existence to those who doubt Him.

For He is Above and He is the Law.

And mere glimpse of His Will shall leave the monsters of this world smote.

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

The roar of the beast was as monstrous as ever, but now, it held no power over the aura of fear that it once instilled. For instead, the room was filled with the presence of something much greater, something much more terrifying, than the giant could ever hope to be. Lucille Faraday, the young girl that the giant had attempted to crush with its hand, had began to glow with the most divine of lights - a light that only few beings in this world could make manifest. The room itself trembled under the appearance of the Divine Reflection, every wall in the basement groaning under a weight much more massive than the building above. It was a spiritual existence far greater than the world was capable of handling and thus, this enclosed space, was starting to be eroded by the mere existence of Lucille Faraday and the Will she had become.

--- Far above, in the skies over Pinefall High, the roiling clouds had began to form a spiral with this dense mass of numen as its very center.

But the basement and the boiler room themselves, they were now devoid of darkness. Lucille Faraday's form was that of pure, blinding light - like the surface of the sun itself, yet argent in color, shining so brightly it was impossible to even look at her straight. At the same time two gigantic wings, ones that eerily and distantly resembled ones with feathers, manifested on her back - but they were no wings of an angel as depicted in art and statues. These were the wings of someone who carried the true blood of the divine within her, wings made out of pure fire and crystal, shards of fragmented reality that bounced beams of light and spread them like prisms, with those flames running between the empty spaces left and creating the impossible sight before the giant.

At the same time, the air itself warped and the walls themselves were almost crystallized on the spot, His Presence taking over the room and affecting it on the spot. The metal around the boiler room equipment was burned to gold, the wood was charred to ebony, and the concrete melted into marble. The whole place creaked under the absolute pressure that could not be contained in the basement for long, lest the whole building explode with the force unseen in this town and, perhaps, in this country as well. It was the vey nature of His Existence that reminded of others of their place to sweep across the land and to wash over all in a manner of a great flood, but here, confined in this small space...

... Lucille Faraday was akin to a sun hidden in a matchbox.

She'd burn the small "world" around her to a crisp with Her and His Will if left unchecked.

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

The monster roared once more, but no longer was it powerful and mighty.

Lucille could feel how the hold it had of her body slipped away, unable to hold onto her any longer. Its great strength, its unbreakable endurance, all of them had been taught humility by his existence. It was no longer a creature of terrible carnage that could impose its existence unto others, for now - in front of it - another existence much greater than it had revealed a mere fraction of His existence. Desperate, the creature tried to struggle to keep itself standing as strength faded fom it, as the rising ichor that the air itself now boiled into kept burning its flesh. The huge knees hit the ground with a thunderous sound, the giant falling though not yet toppling. Looking like a desperate man, or a famished beggar, the beast raised its right hand one more time, one more time towards Lucille, almost like trying to beg for mercy, beg for forgiveness, ask for salvation that---

SNAP!

No...

It... snapped its large fingers.

Why...?

Why had the beast done something as meaningless as that as its last act of defiance? Before the full brunt of His Will and His Truth, having been taught true humility by His Existence, what could the monster possibly hope to achieve with the sound. Now it dug its heels into the concrete, letting the raised arm fall against its body with a loud thud and garbled... something. Something that sounded... vaguely like speech. No, not speech. That... was speech, wasn't it? Inhuman, spoken without proper vocal cords, mangled to the point that it made no sense, and yet, and yet...

Lucille could understand it.

She could make out what the monster had said.

It had been simply...

--- A last effort to curse her name, like the monster had spat on her face.

"-------------!"

But... it was then that it happened. Or rather, it had already happened. Lucille simply had been too focused on bringing down the beast to have realized what was going on, too occupied with trying to decipher what it had said. After all, it had been a mere sound it had made with its fingers, it held no power over anyone. And yet...

... It started with her vision getting oddly blurry.

First like there was water or something wet in her eyes.

Then, it grew stronger.

The boiler room and the basement were fading away from her field of view, turning into a simplistic vision of basic colours and shapes that matched the interior.

Something was running down her cheeks.

Tears? No, these felt warm and... thick. Like yolk that seemed from somewhere above to her cheeks.

And it kept getting worse.

Soon the world that she saw with her very eyes simply ran away from her, fading away like paint soaked in water before it has a chance to dry. Lucille could see how the boiler room, the basement office, Mercedes's body and the monster, they all simply flowed into the darkness as the streams of liquid on her cheeks became stronger and stronger. Hastily she slapped her hands at her own face to wipe whatever attack was trying to block her eyes with this odd ooze...!

--- And then she realized.

Something that had been hidden by the fact that there was no pain, none whatsoever. The fact that it hadn't been painful in the least was, perhaps, the worst of it. It made the whole thing feel much more unnatural, much more horrifying, that it already was. It was such a simple fact in the end, just a very basic fact, but no one would think that the heavy tears running down their face would be anything else but that. Especially someone like Lucille, at the height of her power and radiating the His Will into the room.

But there was no denying it.

No getting around it.

The truth was obvious and undeniable... the moment Lucille felt her empty eyesockets.

After all...

... Her eyeballs had simply melted away without any pain whatsoever.

"...Mmm... ths... mlt...dnn..."

And after letting out that mysterious, almost human grumble...

Lucille could only hear a sickening sound of flesh being torn apart, melting away and evaporating, as a series of much lighter steps rushed out of the boiler room... followed by the sound of something liquid and harsh, like metal, hitting the ground at the other end of the basement.

It... whatever it was, was getting away.

Yet at the same time, Lucille could feel the physical presence of the hulking, brutish body right in front of her.

And then there was Mercedes---!

---

[Lucille Faraday: Arche Ultimate Activation!]
[Anakim: WIL Defense E! All attributes reduced to F!]
[Hit! Anakim: 5 - 0 = 5 Ichor Damage (WIL defense)!]

[Lucille Faraday: INT Defense Overcome!]
[Lucille Faraday: Blinded!]

--> Round 3, Turn 5: Lucille Faraday

---

New Ability Witnessed!

Anakim

STR: B -> F

END: A -> F

AGI: D -> F

WIL: E -> F

INT: ? -> F

EGO: ? -> F

Perks:

Indestructible Toughness
Hurting you physically is almost impossible task with most weapons and abilities. You shrug off attacks like they were nothing and keep coming no matter what the enemy throws at you. Swords and bullets bounce off and your skin won't even get cut or wounded. When you take this Perk, your base natural physical defense amount is doubled. However, this Perk marks you as an aberrant even on the turnside of the world, a power not gained without a price. It will invoke a negative Perk custom-tailored to you by the GM.

Extremely Healthy
It takes a lot to take you out permanently. You can take attacks and keep on keeping on thanks to your robust health. It might be tenacity, it might be because of your fast regenerative properties, it might be because simply because your body is unlike that of most humans. Whatever the case, you're harder to take out than most. When you take this Perk, double the amount of maximum HP you gain from Endurance. However, this Perk marks you as an aberrant even on the turnside of the world, a power not gained without a price. It will invoke a negative Perk custom-tailored to you by the GM.

Abilities:

Matthew's Meltdown
Rank: E?
OP Cost: 3 OP?
An ESP activated by snapping of one's fingers to produce vibrations in the air that carry out the effect. Target one individual within 5 meters. If their INT Defense is 2 or lower, choose one of their natural senses from sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch. The most appropriate and important sensor of this chosen sense is melted into liquid, thus removing it from use - applying a corresponding status effect. Other information pending...

[Daneel Rush]

John Dove
Location: Road to Town
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

20/24 HP



John Dove gasps loudly for air, the desperate inhalation of a man reaching the surface after minutes underwater. It aches, arms and face and gut. He tastes blood in his mouth, but stops himself before just spitting it out: his mind reminds him that he is inside Elaine’s car; spitting would be rude. Therefore, he swallows.

Remember!

Pain is a thing of the hollow world. Consciousness of that fact promptly dispels the ache and pulls John back to full lucidity.

They crashed. No, they were made to crash. It is such a very good car; how very unpleasant. What is it now?

A flash of memory. He saw something moments before the crash. Something...what? A thing of sheer darkness? If anything, the fact that he cannot recognize it is telling enough. No, perhaps it is a matter of not looking at it closely enough. If he got a proper enough look at it, something among all the materials in his mind should probably click.

Elaine is unharmed, it seems. A high-powered rifle? Why is a sniper trying to take out high school students? America is moving in a deplorable direction.

“There, about 100 meters down the road, in the woods on a small hill. All gussied up in fatigues like a First Blood Halloween costume, but I caught them out. Scoped rifles have a drawback.”

How did she even...no, dismiss all unimportant things.

”Why can’t people just stop fucking around for two seconds. Seems like everything is falling the fuck apart and no one is doing anything to try and stop it.”

Indeed. There are a whole bunch of parties, both known and unknown, both public and moving in the shadows, all of them aiming for their individual goals with no regard for others. People seeking their own objectives and willing to go through anybody standing in their way, both innocent and in opposition. All of them unable to see beyond their own colors.

Well, such is the way of the people of this greyscale world. The brutality of the current circumstances does not change the boring foundation you can find anywhere and everywhere.

”John, you, uh…you do what you can, see if you can get the beast running, otherwise just, I got nothing, sorry.”

At this he offers a dismissive gesture, almost as if shooing her out of the wreck.

“Do what you must.”

In the end, whether it is some “Disembodied Man”, or a sniper in the woods, he can only endure. What matters is what they set out for: reaching the sheriff’s office and report the regrettable deaths at Pinefall.

“Be careful,” he offers, at least. For all his...detachment, to say the least, he certainly does not want Elaine Winters to come to harm.

Then she holds to the door, throws herself out of the car, and Elaine Winters changes. It is not a major, obvious physical change, and John only catches a glimpse of it before she throws herself towards the sea of greenery that is the Ghostwood, yet it is enough for a single word to ring boldly and absurdly in his mind.

Lycanthropy.

It is however a single word. A straight thought, devoid of the weight of certainty or the usual flood of unimportant facts long memorized. After all, he caught only the barest glimpse of her profile. Yet again, the very fact that this of all possibilities took shape in his mind is telling in and of itself. It would explain a few things about–no, actually it does not explain anything at all. More like, what the hell, Elaine.

Rather, he is alone now, is he not?

Elaine provided the likely position of the sniper, so it should be possible to maintain cover. Is the Mustang truly beyond help? Might as well verify as much. Setting out on his own...might not be wise.

With a quiet apology to the departed driver, and making sure to keep his head out of the hypothetical line of fire, John Dove begins an impromptu examination of the Mustang.