Tethers [IC]

[Draconic]

Anthony Mathers
Country Side – Grassy Plains
Early Morning

It was good to know that she was okay with Miller’s assessment, but he still felt that it could have been handled better.

_{“Like… soldier. Valuable. Helpful. Good… allies.}

“It’s… fine…”

Anthony was lucky to have caught the faint gesture towards Miller. Or was that normal now? In any case, he at least understood what she was getting at. But she had a point. He might be abrasive, but that didn’t mean he was a particularly bad guy. And if she wanted him around, he wouldn’t argue.

<sub>“… Complicated. Very.

“Later.”</sub>

“That’s good enough for me. Alright. Later. Once we’re not surrounded by the… what would you even call this? The Legion of Weirdness? …things.”

"Alright fella, I'm going to need you to apologize to the lady, you having some kind of dis-associative freak-out is no excuse to go throwin her under a bus, okay? You wanna bitch somebody out, I'm all ears, chief. So let's stop changing the subject and flinging shit at people and face the facts."

“Don’t! _{Don’t… fight. Please. Dangerous…”
“You… changed… A lot.”}

Oh god, even her?

“But why? I thought we were getting along…” on the other hand, “Also, you spoke at a normal volume. Good for you. You have a really nice voice, to be honest.”

He couldn’t help but want to hear it more often. He scoffed internally. ‘Love at first sight, huh? Cute. Get it together, man.’

Well how was he supposed to do that?! The other people’s assertions annoyed him, but Micah saying the same just made him sad. And Johnny was in the right for telling him off for snapping at someone, even if she probably deserved it…

He was in a hole, and he wasn’t going to get out by digging harder.

“Fine…” he took a deep breath and purged most of the aggression from his voice, though how much better exasperation was he couldn’t say. “It’s… Sylvia, right? I’m sorry for snapping at you, but can you please start being honest with me? Or at least use my name?”

“You freaking out and calling me a liar after I, rightfully, questioned why the heck a guy I don’t recognize is claiming to be that sadsack in the suit who drowned. I looked up at you, I saw your face, dark hair, glasses, suit, build like a guy who occasionally goes to the gym after work when he doesn’t just want to suppress the urge to fucking die. Don’t you come at me calling me a liar. Because you certainly don’t look like that guy, and refusing to admit you’ve changed at all makes you come across like a nut.”

Oh, come on, he just apologized! Not to mention that he was getting pretty sick of the nicknames… but Johnny had moved on from aggression to trying to talk him down now.

“Why would I look different, though?! I didn’t choose to—” he was cut off as Miller continued to demonstrate that he was the voice of reason in this argument even if Anthony couldn't tell for the life of him. But he was definitely right about one thing: All he needed was a mirror. The implications of Johnny suggesting that to prove his own point hadn’t occurred to him yet.

“I know that now seems like the perfect time to argue but we have other things to be concerned about. So can we save this discussion for later?" I ask Johnny, Anthony, Slyvie, and Micah before going back to focusing on the others and the blue man group.

Yeah, yeah, they’d made their point…

“Okay. So, does anybody have a mirror.”
Incidentally, that was a really cool trick Wallace had there. What kind of power was that?

On the off chance that he looked even remotely different, he’d have to apologize, but there was no way. It was ridiculous.

[Twelveseal]

Micah Grey
Country Side – Grassy Plains
Early Morning

“That’s good enough for me. Alright. Later. Once we’re not surrounded by the… what would you even call this? The Legion of Weirdness? …things.”

I nod. If it’s fine with him, we can deal with this then.

“But why? I thought we were getting along…” on the other hand, “Also, you spoke at a normal volume. Good for you. You have a really nice voice, to be honest.”

I… I wha…
How do I even?
I…

"You freaking out and calling me a liar after I, rightfully, questioned why the heck a guy I don't recognize is claiming to be that sadsack in the suit who drowned. I looked up at you, I saw your face, dark hair, glasses, suit, build like a guy who occasionally goes to the gym after work when he doesn't just want to suppress the urge to fucking die. Don't you come at me calling me a liar. Because you certainly don't look like that guy, and refusing to admit you've changed at all makes you come across like a nut. I mean, shit, if you just turned into somebody different-looking after you signed the paper, fine, okay, whatever. It's a little less crazy than someone pulling out a suit of armor from the 90s and a Vulcan pulled straight off of a Hornet and just carting it around like whatever. Just look in a damned mirror or something, Quixote, I'm sure someone would give you one if you asked politely. Just, just take a minute and acknowledge the fact that maybe, just maybe, the entire world isn't out to get you after you got stepped on by Baby Beelzebub, we're all dead here, chief. In it together, so pull your head out of the sand and deal with the fact you've got some Fabio going on now."

"I know that now seems like the perfect time to argue but we have other things to be concerned about. So can we save this discussion for later?"

“Fine… It’s… Sylvia, right? I’m sorry for snapping at you, but can you please start being honest with me? Or at least use my name?”

"Wow, hurtful. Guess Louis Vuitton was wrong when they picked me for that campaign a while back. Sylvie.”

“Why would I look different, though?! I didn’t choose to—”

And check yourself out in the mirror that Wallace made to cool things down, Mathers."

“Okay. So, does anybody have a mirror.”

This… this is all getting really confusing. Too many people talking at once, and not many people paying attention to the potential threat. I quietly try to shove that incomprehensible thing someone said to the back of my mind. I have no idea how to deal with it.
However, there is something I think I can deal with, here. And not just feeling glad that someone has something as useful as Ice Magic. It reminds me of a Crest… Probably not the same principles, but maybe a similar result?

Ah! Don’t get distracted!

I gently tap Anthony on the shoulder and focus on my helmet. The front is curved, but smooth, and similar to a one-way mirror. It’s not naturally reflective, but, if I interfere with what I’m trying to imitate, then maybe…

I focus on it, slowly trying to turn the outer surface into something more like a mirror, silvery, metallic, and reflective.

_"Mirror?

I can't really tell if it worked or not, though.

I can’t get the diagnostics and sensors to work right, but maybe a bit of the camouflage? But can I hold it…

[Draconic]

Anthony Mathers
Country Side – Grassy Plains
Early Morning


He started as he felt someone tap him on the shoulder, but it was Micah, so he calmed down. Then bristled at the thought that she had gotten so close in that terrifying armor without him noticing. Then again, he wasn't exactly collected right now. Still, he really needed to associate that armor with her and disassociate it with the term 'scary,' because that would probably get in the way. But why was she…?

_{“Mirror?”}

Huh? What did she mean by… wait; her shadows were taking on an almost glossy texture. It wasn't a mirror, but it'd work. He looked at the visor, squinting as he came into focus.

[placeholder. Image coming soon]

“Who the hell is that?!” he groaned, watching the reflection in Micah’s helmet reflecting him as he spoke. This wasn’t fair. Yeah… He knew that they had all been telling the truth… He just didn't want to believe it. Why?! This wasn't him! He didn't mind being able to see clearly without glasses, but on the other hand, he had gotten used to the glasses anyway. And as pretty as this face was, it wasn’t his face!

“Thank you, Micah, you’ve been a big help,” he turned around, shoulders sagging, and an expression of incomparable irritation settling over his features. “I’m sorry, Johnny, Sylvie, I think I knew you were telling the truth to begin with but didn’t want to accept it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a question.

He took another deep breath, but this time he didn’t even hold up a pretence of composure.

He looked up at the clouds and just shouted—

“WHY THE FUCK DO I LOOK LIKE THIS?! Why—Wh… how?! WHAT THE HELL DID THAT LUNATIC DO TO MY FACE?! She’s just laughing at me, I’m sure of it. And I deserve it! I knew the deal was too good! I knew there had to be a catch and I did it anyway! GET BACK HERE, LILITH YOU SOCIOPATH!”

He figured that if he did the math, he’d find the chances of Lili showing up at any point in the near future were roughly equal to the chances of him establishing a worldwide chain of pizza parlours in the next two seconds.

“Sorry about that, everyone. But Sylvie, as hard as you may find it to believe, I kind of liked my face. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine, and I’ve lived with it for twenty-seven years. Never wanted to change it before, so clearly this is some sort of shenanigan.

He leaned on his spear.

“To be clear, I did not ask to be a knight. I have no freaking idea what the hell is going on, but I have no doubt that our GENEROUS BENEFACTOR has something to do with it.”

Well… Shit.

[Sei]

Murakami Rinna
Country Side- Grassy Plains
Early Morning

Justin responds to the sound of your voice with the slightest shift of his eyes. Other than that, he doesn't seem to make much effort to move on his own. Instead, he favors the idea of remaining sprawled out across the grass, lazily looking up towards the sky. If you had to take a guess, it might be that everything is finally starting to sink in for him. He looks lost- his face like that of a child rolling out of his sleep. But there is a certain kind of peace in his expression. Acceptance, to be specific.

While events continue to transpire around him, Justin just continues to... take it all in and contemplate his place in the world. But after a few minutes, his expression changes. Seemingly having realized something, he slowly lifts his hand up and clenches it above his face.

"Well... I'll be damned... That crazy girl was lying... I should... be ashamed..."

Then, slowly, Justin opens up his hand. From within- before the boy's very own eyes- a pair of the purest white panties unfurls in the wind. Perfectly lining up with the light from the sun. He then shifts his head to look up at you. His eyes watching a dream...

"...That girl's the best damn goddess in the world."

You feel colder for some reason...


***

Sylvie Williams

While you're busy chatting it up with the others, one of the weird... strange... 'goo man' sneaks up behind you. And he's quick about it. Like blink and he just teleports quick about it. But before you can even jump back in response, something tells you that this 'thing' means no harm. Despite it practically pouncing on you... Despite it reaching out while making creeping motions with its hands and fingers... No... Something tells you that it doesn't want to do you any harm. However, something does tell you that this is an encounter you do not want.

"Goooooooooo…"

The strange man-thing kneels down with power. Its hands reach out with the speed of two bullets and its fingers lock you down like iron chains. It all happens so fast that it simply takes you a moment to process it all. This thing... With its gelatinous- yet firm- fingers has grabbed a hold of your thigh.

"Gooooooo," The goo man nods with a sense of satisfaction. Its fingers meticulously massaging your thigh, "Gooo~ goo~"

To make matters even worse, another one soon approaches from the opposite direction and follows the example of the first. Thus, in a matter of seconds, both of your thighs have been captured by these strange blue men. And it seems like their actions have drawn the attention of others. To say the least, you don't like where this is going...

"Gooo?"

"Goo goo ga goo swole."

"Swole… swole…"

As the two creatures continue to evaluate the softness of your thighs, they speak and nod to each other.

After a brief exchange, they look up at you in unison and - for the first time- say something you kind of understand.

"One. Of. Us."

Though you're not sure how you should feel about this turn of events.

[Rafflesiac]

Sylvie Williams
Country Side- Grassy Plains
Early Morning

Looking away had definitely been a mistake. That'll teach me to invest thought in Wage Slave. But damn these things are fast; they're as strong as they look too. At least they're not hurting me yet. Instead of lust, it's... honest appreciation?

"Haha... I ran down the West Coast a couple of years back, but that was a whole ago, I really don't think I'm as toned as you guys, but thanks for the compliment! You never did answer my questions though. Could you let me go please?"

Appreciation tends to turn into lust pretty quickly where I'm concerned though. And no thank you to an orgy with the clientele of Two Blocks Down.

"If any of you guys took teleportation or something I'd really appreciate it."

[Twelveseal]

Micah Grey
Country Side – Grassy Plains
Early Morning


Holy shit they’re fast! These things can move! As if teleporting, they’re already on Sylvie before I can react, and though I’m already pivoting to bring the gun into line, it’s obvious I can’t do anything with it. If I shoot, I hit her, too. And maybe anyone else rushing to help.

I drop the weapon back into my shadow, its substance reabsorbed as I kick off the ground towards her. I run through every possible action I can take, but against a gelatinous enemy without an obvious weak point, any attack I try will be unlikely to do much on its own.

"Goooooooooo… Gooooooo, Gooo~ goo~ Gooo?

I’ll have to resort to blades. I can’t use a piercing weapon, and blunt force is out of the question. We have to get those things off of her before-

"Goo goo ga goo swole.

“It talks!?!”

"Swole… swole…"

_{”They… talk…”}

"One. Of. Us."

_{”They… talk. They… think.}

These things aren’t Demons. And… are they admiring her legs? I… how… exactly… do I deal with this?

All forward movement has stopped. I think. Pretty sure I’m just standing here dumbfounded, but I feel kind of like the world is spinning, so maybe I’m still going.

_{“Ummm… what?”}

"Haha... I ran down the West Coast a couple of years back, but that was a whole ago, I really don't think I'm as toned as you guys, but thanks for the compliment! You never did answer my questions though. Could you let me go please?"

She’s taking this quite well. Most people would scream under a situation like that. Though maybe this happened so quickly that she didn’t have a chance?

"If any of you guys took teleportation or something I'd really appreciate it."

Right. These things may be thinking creatures, but they’re still doing something… weird. Now… what to do about it? I try to think for a second here. I’m not comfortable shooting or slashing at something I know has a mind of its own. People are strange. Especially when you’re a stranger. So… Sorry, teleportation isn’t something I think I can attempt at this point. But maybe a distraction…

These things seem like they’re obsessed with muscles and showing off, so… Let’s be a little unorthodox.

I reach back down to my core and draw more on the power there. It doesn’t have to have real substance. An imitation is fine, so long as it can imitate the look and feel. And some props to go with it…

I flare out the long, cloak-like faulds of my armor, the flexible material fluttering as I flip it, expanding my shadow. From that pool I dredge up something I never thought I’d try to make.

I make a bodybuilder.

Or rather, an imitation thereof, posing and posturing even before it’s fully formed and free from my shadow. It’s massive and looks an unnatural shade of purplish-black, but I opted for something less like a ‘roided-out Hulk and more like Ahhhhnold in his prime. It also happens to be mostly hollow on the inside, its motions controlled by flowing energy and the resilience it provides unfortunately inconsistent. Still, better than nothing.

As that’s forming, I try pulling more Murk from the shadows of the grass, weaving together what I hope resembles an outdoor fitness installation made from night-black bars of condensed darkness. It should be able to hold up to use, though probably not abuse, by these things.

I think it looks decent, but my expertise isn’t for this sort of thing. I’m working off old memories, and while I’m usually good at environmental details, I don’t really know how this was supposed to work or be used, just what it looks like. There used to be something like that in a park back home, made of metal rather than magic, but it never interested me so I avoided it.

I mean, why would I want to exercise in front of people?
I’d die!
Just, now I’m kind of wishing I’d looked closer.

I have my faux muscleman go through some simple exercises on the things I produced in what I hope looks authentic.
Hopefully, this will be enough to distract them from her. And if not…

“Weights?”

I tilt my head at the man who generated the ice equipment.

[Bylackbre]

Wallace Ladon
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

"...That girl's the best damn goddess in the world."

While I did have Justin on the list of people I was curious about what they were doing in this situation, I honestly wasn't watching him so when I heard him say this I turned in the direction of his voice I was hoping that maybe Mari or Lili gave us something besides our powers to possibly aid us in this situation. Please tell me his power is just being able to materialize clothing like I can with weapons of ice and apparently Micah with miniguns and armor made of shadows, I thought as I saw the happiness in his eyes and the panties in his hands. If those actually belonged to one of the girls in the group I think I will just turn a blind eye to any retribution they might have in store for him.

A flash of blue movement drew my attention away from the guy I hope was able to summon clothes and nothing worse than that. I looked at where the movement ended and saw that not one but two of those blue creeps had gotten a hold of Sylvie's legs. I was completely caught off guard as to just how fast the blue man groupies managed to close the distance between their encirclement and where Sylvie was standing since their prior movements didn't hint to me that they were able to move as quickly as they just did.

"Haha... I ran down the West Coast a couple of years back, but that was a whole ago, I really don't think I'm as toned as you guys, but thanks for the compliment! You never did answer my questions though. Could you let me go please?"

"If any of you guys took teleportation or something I'd really appreciate it."

Upon hearing this I give one last quick glance at the B.M.G. members nearest me and was about to move to Sylvie and see if there was a way to break her away from the two groping her thighs. Sure I will admit that I was annoyed before at Sylvie's joining in with the other's argument but she is a member of the group and in this situation I am prepared to lend a hand when needed.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Micah formed some sort of shadowy bodybuilder and some gym equipment. I honestly had no idea what the girl might have been thinking with building equipment here but all it took was eye contact and a single question from her and I figured out the general idea of what she was up to.

“Weights?”

I consider what she asked and tried to think how I can use my power to actually be able to produce weights when as far as I can tell that might be stretching the scope of what my power is capable of. Surely the fact that people have used weights as weapons to defend oneself and murder others is enough to justify it being capable of being made. Nevertheless time is crucial right now and I will experiment with the limit later when we aren't in this situation.

Rather than gamble and see if I could create and actual dumbbell or barbell, I planted my sword and shield into the ground and got to work making makeshift weights. I formed two maces in my now empty hands before altering the head so that it was shorter as well as fatter that way it looked more like the end of a dumbbell before causing another identical head to form on the opposite end. With these two weights ready to distract the blue creeps with through curling, I tossed the double headed ice maces/dumbbells at the feet of the group's bodybuilder.

Immediately after the two makeshift dumbbells left my hands I went to form another pair of maces that were much larger than the previous ones before attaching the headless ends on each to one another to create a makeshift barbell that looked to weigh as much as those seen at the Olympics. My creations generally feel lighter for me when I hold and use them but I guess this is the moment to see whether or not this is true for when they are in hands that aren't mine.

"I hope your plan works," I tell Micah after tossing the makeshift barbell and picking my sword and shield back up from where I planted them into the ground in front of me.

I pray whatever it is that Micah is going to do with those 'weights' is a success because I don't want my first interaction with one of the natives of this new world being that I strike out at them. I moved closer to where Sylvie was in preparation of striking at the two gropers should Micah's distraction and plan fail and more drastic measures would be needed.

[Mormarth]

Johnny Miller
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

I refuse to engage with any of this.

It's either a complete farce, or some sort of elaborate mating ritual.

Either way, maybe some other people are alright with this whole 'one of us' talk, but I'm not very fond of it myself, so, uh, I'mma just hang out over here.

Don't mind me, just calculating some firing solutions.

Now, what would be the most efficient? High explosives, given the girl they've got, is a non-starter.

So, let's break this down, effective hostage, refusal to comply with commands, possible hostilities...

Hm.

Is it possible that this is some manner of negotiation and peaceful communication? Maybe.

Perhaps it is macho and pig-headed of me, but my biceps typically aren't the guns I negotiate with, even if I feel that after a solid four months of working out almost every day for at least a few hours they are quite good looking.

Or perhaps I am a symptom of an overly-aggressive and paternalistic foreign policy?

Things to ponder, indeed.

"Oi! You! Put her down!"

I raise the specter of my armaments into my mind's eye, 'priming' them, as the display in my vision begins compensating for range and recoil.

"Now!"

[RacingeR]

Yamashita Kazu
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

Okay, so teleportation was definitely not on the list of Kazu’s favorite activities.

By the time he managed to shrug off the dizziness from the sudden change in ambience, and the ominous warnings about the “big G”, an argument had already exploded with some people, who he had to take a bit to recognize and associate their names back to their faces.

Okay, so the guy shouting about a mirror, who was a complete unknown was that Anthony dude who had drowned. The one in scary black armor and with a fucking chaingun was the pants-less girl from before who had been near him, Micah Grey, he thought? He looked towards the gun and harrumphed to himself. Silly Micah, guns never killed things, they only existed so some jacked guy who had never heard about shirt is able to catch the bullets with his hands and show-off.

He then took a look at his surroundings, to see why his fellow… resurrectors? Resurrecti? Resu- why his companions were looking so alert and freaked. And his eyes practically shone as he saw the muscled abominations approach them. He had to resist laughing out loud like a lunatic.

Yes. This was it. This is how it was supposed to be. He drew from the core of his being, an energy that hadn’t been there before answering and permeating his body whole. He could feel his muscles tense and swell under the influence of his power, bulging under his shirt.

Kazu cracked a grind and casually approached the girl being felt up by the duo of muscleslimes. Slimuscles. Musclimes? He’d come up with a name for these later. Punching time now. After all, he was the class of person that was unable to leave alone someone who was in trouble, and this Sylvie girl definitely was in trouble. Or so he thought at least.

“HEY! You muscled freaks, let her go!” He ordered with what he hoped was an appropriately dramatic and thundering voice. Then, he ripped his shirt off. And he was definitely ripped as hell under it. He flexed aggressively towards the creatures, in an attempt to out-flex them, if that was even possible.

“You want swole?! Then come here and I’ll show you swole!” He said. Kazu wanted to bait them away from the girl before they could hurt her, but once they approached him…

His eyes shone with the peculiar crazed light of an idiot about to do something dangerous and inadvisable.

[hero]

Murakami Rinna
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning


Justin does not laugh alongside me, neither does he choose to get back on his feet. Though we are close to one another, the 'distance' between us is evident, as I am no more than a random stranger trying to cheer him up. That scene must have taken a heavy toll out of him, draining him of all motivation to be alive, in a sense. I am afraid I cannot do anything to mend the pain he must be feeling right now, but I have a feeling that he'll be able to recover soon. It's just a matter of time until he accepts that what happened is real and realizes we must work hard if we want to fix our past mistakes. When that time comes, I'll be there to make sure he's reunited with those who are waiting for him on the other side. It's the least I can do for someone who was attacked when he had no means of defending himself.

"... Huh?"

To be honest, I've been having a hard time keeping up with the events surrounding the rest of the crew since we arrived. As everyone is literally making a scene, the situation looks highly volatile and perhaps even dangerous. However, that's as far as that train of thought gets. Right now my mind is focused on one thing and one thing only, a piece of the puzzle that simply doesn't seem to match. Something that should definitely not be where it is, however, one cannot deny that what stands before my eyes is without a doubt real.

"..."

Justin Keets is holding a pair of panties in his hand, his expression close to that of a kid on his birthday party. Time seems to slow down to a crawl as my mind tries to come up with an explanation to what I am seeing. After all, the 'treasure' he holds is not just an ordinary pair of panties... They're mine. Mine as in, 'the pair that I was wearing until just a few moments ago'. The moment our eyes meet prolongs for what feels like an eternity, and every instant that goes by feels like a dagger has been thrust into my heart. My spirit is being drained... My morale quickly plummeting to levels that I did not know existed.

Suddenly, I am no longer a strange to the idea of 'wanting to be resurrected so I could die again'. My face already flushing red, I can barely resist the urge to simply cover my face with shame and beg this thief to return what he took with him.

---However.

"Justin, you..."

I search for whatever remains of my pride and use it as a leverage to stand my ground, even if it's only for a moment. That's right, my name is Murakami Rinna and I've been a victim of bullying for a good part of my life. Having undergone extensive training under the wings of my aunt, I've left behind my weak-self 'a long time ago'. And you can be sure that I won't allow this bully to escape scot-free. I'm going to wipe that silly smirk off his face, you'll see-!

"Pervert-!"

My body moves on instinct. Throwing all diplomacy aside, I take advantage of my position and mercilessly attempt to stomp my newfound foe!

[Sei]

Johny Miller
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

The two slime men in question take notice of your provocation, but ultimately ignore you. They hear your warning, but all you get is a quick glance over their shoulders. They exchange a few words between each other. Or at least the only three words these things seem to know... And immediately go back to groping Sylvie's thighs. In short, you've been brushed off. And they might as well have slapped you in the face while doing it.

Regardless, the second the thigh-lover duo turn around, two more slime men step forward from the surrounding crowd and set their sights on you. And as dopey as their dumb faces are, it doesn't look like they appreciate you bothering their friends. So there's probably only one way this is going to go down...

***

Micah Grey & Wallace Ladon

An awkward pause. An uneasy silence.

As the makeshift gym equipment comes into form, several of the slime men break away from the encirclement and move to investigate. They eye everything with intrigue. While some merely pace around the different items, others involve themselves in a full routine of poses as if the idle weights would answer in kind. Regardless of the approach, all would just end up staring at their particular item of interest. Their seemingly unchanging expressions somehow communicating their cumulative bewilderment.

There is however one slime among the crowd that carries itself with a bit more confidence than the rest. One blue man that ignores all of the equipment and walks straight up to the fake body builder amongst it all.

"Gooooooooo…"

His approach is slow. His steps are heavy. His eyes... unblinking. His fellow slimes take notice of his actions and form a path so as not to get in his way. But, despite this gesture, it's clear that all that exist within this world are him and his target.

"Goo..."

Finally, face to face with the shadow flexer, the blue man stops and observes. It makes no attempt to interact. It doesn't even try to do any of the ridiculous flexing that you would expect of its kind. It simply stands there and takes it all in. Watching every move the figure in front of it makes. In complete silence.

"Swole…"

But then it moves... It's movements like a bullet fired without a trigger. The creature's right arm shoots up from its side and grasps the shadow's head in the palm of its hand. From there, all it has to do is flex its fingers... And the entirety of the shadow's upper half explodes like a bomb. Had it all occurred during the second it took you to blink, you would have missed it all. But there's no denying what you just witnessed with your own eyes. And by no means does it seem like it was an arduous task.

What follows could only be described as a series of lightning bolts striking the earth. Blue flashes of light that descend upon the field and target all the equipment you helped create. Needless to say, within the thunderous bombardment, none of it lasts long. Nor does the earth that rests beneath. But just as soon as the dirt rises and creates a smog, it is blow away by a fierce gust from within. And, unfortunately, when the dust clears, all you are greeted with is a healthy dozen of blue men staring you down.

"Swole! Swole! Swole!"

They all growl in unison as they lock you in their sights. Their muscles visibly hardening, they all take a single step forward- marching into battle.

***

Yamashita Kazu

You don't even see it move. You're only able to catch the result of its movement after the fact.

A single sound of thunder. The sight of large bits of earth flying in every direction. And the image of the dog-faced slime mere inches away from yours.

Your mind can't even process it in time. It simply lacks the ability to process all of the information in such a short span of time. But your body reacts to it all. And not in the typical way either. Instead of creating distance or jumping back, you can feel your legs immediately tense up and lock you into place. Some much in fact that it's almost painful. But you'll be fine... Your body feels strong. It can handle this much stress. And as your own fist flies forward, you tell yourself that it can handle blur of mass being aimed directly at your head.

A second crash of thunder.

A jolt runs up from the tip of your fist, up your arm, and all throughout your shoulder. Your feet leave the ground as you fly back a few feet, but you touchdown safely on the ground before you're able to miss it. You managed to survive. Somehow... And aside from a little numbness, completely unscratched. Still... Even though these things look stupid, it doesn't look like you can just write them off as pushovers.

Still holding the pose from its initial strike, the slime man looks up and subtely nods its head. Slowly shifting into a new pose, it stares you down and awaits your next move.

"Swoooooooole..."

[Rafflesiac]

Sylvie Williams
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

Shit. There's the violence. That's not good at all. Ahahahahahah fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck this is bad. I'm definitely not getting away from powerhouses like these, shit, getting flechetted to death was bad enough but getting squashed to death is just as bad. Maybe it'll just be my legs? Just my legs, I really don't think I can fix these pins. Definitely a teachable moment this, assuming I live, hahahahaha shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, this is like that time I got handcuffed by those cops but with way less tits and absinthe. Yup, still don't like restraints. Yup, hate that all I can do is just stand here while everything goes to shi- wait, maybe I can do something? But doing something gets me killed. I wanted to see the Lewds in Charge but not this quickly, I really doubt they'd be impressed enough to commit a few sins with me. But it looks like they only respond to direct interaction/hostility, so maybe I can distract them? Or even... Alright, remember the positions of the group heading toward Micah and Wallace, use your memory not your eyes, keep up that smile, and impale those fuckers with the Gold's Gym they blew up without a care in the world.

I smile and chuckle a bit, acutely aware of the thick blue fingers on my legs as I focus on the gropers and ignore the destroyed gym equipment reassembling itself.

[Mormarth]

Johnny Miller
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

I sigh disgustedly as I am acknowledged only to be known that I may as well be a fly buzzing in their ears.

Alright, let's think through this logically, refusal to stop, refusal to stop again-

I stop and watch the loudmouth, who, to his credit, was at least doing something more productive than whatever the hell the wallflower was doing, get body-checked back a few feet.

Assault, and probably some sort of sexual assault given the lady's lack of consent.

Alright, alright then.

I spit on the ground and flex that broiling sphere of molten iron that I feel in the back of my mind with an effort both alien and intuitive.

"Diplomacy has failed, going loud."

To emphasize my statement, a low, keening whining sound fills the air, and I feel a churning sensation in my legs, thankfully not accompanied by the scent of burning cloth and leather.

"You may want to cover your ears!"

[Noise Suppression Initiated]

I cycle wordlessly through the endless armory in the depths of my mind, a moving array of endless firepower limited only by the gas in my tank.

Personally, I haven't found it yet, but that's a problem for Future Miller.

Poor guy, always a lot on his shoulders, get him something nice someday.

I turn something in my mind 'just so' and the array of Yellow in front of me flickers to a evocative shade of Green, my goggles falling over my eyes with a long-practiced jerk of the head.

Alright then, decision time.

Hostage, hostiles approaching.

Hostage has priority, losses unacceptable.

Solution?

Acquiring Armaments...

High-Accuracy Air-to-Air should do fine for Primary, friendly fire's a no-go, and I just need them to drop her.

As for secondary and personal defense...

Well, I can't let Wallflower's little M61 go unanswered, can I?

I feel my arms shift and bulge as I funnel this new-found power through them, my right arm remains mostly the same, the growing array of missiles sprouting out like some sort of bizarre fruit. The strong scent of oil and lubricant crosses my nose, and I turn my attention to my noticeably heavier left.

My elbow has bulged out, likely to compensate for the monstrous recoil, my forearm muscles having hardened and spiraled around one another in a sevenfold fashion, straightening and stretching out beyond what was my hand into a number of highly lethal-looking barrels.

Can't have a gun party without inviting my good friend the GAU-8, right? I set him to ready, the whirring and clicking of the mechanisms as real as any twist or turn of my arm.

I feel a certain weightlessness encompass my legs, and I know my engines (such as they are) are primed and ready for ignition.

I can't fold this iron into my chest or head just yet, so I'll have to rely on speed and overwhelming firepower.

Just a little crack of the neck, and there we are.

Cocked, locked and ready to rock.

Enough of this waiting, and enough of this namby-pamby playing around.

The only things that should bother attacking are those who accept they shall be attacked in turn.

I 'flex' my 'legs' and I rise into the air.

Beeeep, beeep

Two for the gentlemen to my twelve.

[Fox 2]

A pair of the missiles take flight at my command, thrusting out from my arm as viciously as any from any jet fighter.

Beeeep, beeeep

And another pair for the handsy gents.

I lift myself into the air, and angle my body towards the struggling girl, Sylvie.

[Fox 2]

The first opening shot is fired, and I raise the aptly-nicknamed 'God's Zipper' to the ready.

Power and Speed are all that matter.

So, I'll just have to be the Strongest and the Fastest, right?

[Bylackbre]

Wallace Ladon
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

After seeing just how easily these creatures destroyed Micah's gym equipment and caused her shadow bodybuilder to blow up in a single strike, I am becoming quite scared of just what is marching towards us. I wish I could help out Sylvie but I have quite a few closing in on me and Micah with Papa Smurf making me honestly fear that I will return to being dead not half an hour after coming back to life. The fact that a single punch from what looked like a regular one sent Kazu flying and since it struck first I decided it was time to retaliate even though it made me fear for my life if we can't scare these things off or kill them all.

"That minigun of yours would be nice right now," I said to Micah as an idea came to mind and I said a silent prayer hoping an idea I had with my power could actually work and possibly help our situation.

I channel a small amount of power to the spikes of the shield and cause five to move to the edge while I drop to one knee and turn the shield sideways in front of me facing the blue monsters. I don't know how durable Micah's creations where but considering my ice weapons were destroyed as well I figured all this shield would do is absorb a little of one punch before being shattered so time to fight from a distance.

Using a little of my power I manipulated all but the five spikes from before to launch out from the shield at a high velocity causing dozens of spikes meant to damage those that might try to attack the shield to instead fire off like they were part of a claymore explosive. Without waiting to observe if the barrage would do anything, I made the shield break apart into five javelin like shapes that one after another launched themselves into the marching blue men ready to attack us.

I know that I don't want to get too close to these guys so I decided to put my sword to the side and created a bow with some arrows to hopefully hurt these guys from a distance if Micah's minigun and the others can keep these things back.

We just came back from the dead so why does it feel like our story is starting off with us at the risk of going back to being dead?

[Draconic]

Anthony Mathers
Country Side – Grassy Plains
Early Morning

He wanted to be concerned. He really wanted to be concerned. He knew, intellectually, that Sylvie wasn't a bad person. She was just really sketchy, and less classy than a dive bar on a residential street. Still, given the choice between worrying over Sylvie and sulking because Lilith stole his face, he really had to go with sulking. It was his fucking face!

Of course, Wallace and Micah giving a damn kinda changed things.

"Alright, alright…"

These bizarre creatures were interrupting his moment of

puerile

tranquil

bitching

contemplation

, and he kind of wanted to get back to mourning for his face, so he stood up straight, walked over to Micah's shadow mannequin and FUCK! IT DESTROYED IT WITH ONE HAND?! COME ON!

This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Do you mind getting lost? See, my face has gone missing, and as long as you're here, I have zero chance of finding it," he growled at the creature, walking right up to it to stand between it and Wallace and Micah, and staring into it's incredibly stupid-looking eyes, his spear handing loosely at his side.

He grinned. This could only go well.

Which meant that now was when fate chose to distract him.

"Well... I'll be damned... That crazy girl was lying... I should... be ashamed..."

And then a pair of women's underwear appeared in the kid's hands, and Anthony nearly had a fit. There was only one reason for it however: They were all going to die (…again)…

"...That girl's the best damn goddess in the world."

…and he was wasting everyone’s time staring up that Japanese girl's skirt!

"…To think that I stood up for you… you should be ashamed, now give back that girl's underwear before I ram this cheap spear so far up your ass that—"

"Justin, you pervert!"

"—oh, never mind, I can see she's got this covered."

Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"On second thought, I have a better idea. Hey, Murakami, right? Stop kicking him for a sec. Justin, am I right in assuming that you can steal anyone's clothes from anywhere? Because if you can do that, I need you to steal Lili's. Start with her underwear, and if she doesn't show up, keep going, because I'll bet you anything that she has some idea of how to deal with these things. And if not, I still have a bone to pick with her.

"Also, considering how weird these blue guys are, you think they might run away if you stole their Speedos?"

Now, to see if his luck held up. And oh, right, he was still standing in front of one of said 'blue guys.'

Goddammit.

Wise Up!

Grade 1: ███'██ ██████ ███ ██ ████, ████'█ ███

An active mental pollution ability that causes enemies to miss their attacks when attacking the user. There is a 25% chance that they will suffer a critical failure sometimes in silly, pathetic, or embarrassing ways. ie. a ghoul accidentally biting its own arm off.

While sometimes the enemies in question just seem to miss normally, in other instances, the GM may choose a reason for the enemy or NPC in question to miss. Such reasons can vary, from seeing him in the wrong place, or getting distracted by bizarre things that only they perceive, such as an aardvark materializing next to them and reciting Kantian philosophy in the voice of their long dead former roommate.

As a side effect, one who has this ability cannot perform a critical hit on the round that this ability is activated, or the round after. This ability also cannot be activated if one landed a critical hit on the previous turn.

[zikari8]

Shinonome Hikari
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

Well, things have escalated quickly…

Still shaken from the circumstances of my death, I had kept to myself altogether while everything got settled, trying to piece together some semblance of composure. I just sort of went with the flow and, before I knew it, we were in a Brand New World. Now that I think about, I never did introduce myself earlier.

Either way, we encountered these blue… musclemen? Slime-men? Musclimemen? Honestly, I can’t really keep up with all these developments and now all sorts of fantasy-like things are happening. Shadow guns, ice constructs, spear knight yelling about something, an overwhelming amount of flexing on both sides, and more talking then I can keep track of… I know I’m a bit on the slow side but, I can’t be blamed for remaining speechless at everything happening, can I?

My legs shook beneath me. I’m not sure if I’m panicking or just scared.

S-should I help? I should probably help. But…

I glance at the Blue Man Group and a shiver runs down my spine.

Nope! I’m gonna stay out of this one. I feel bad, but I don’t want to go anywhere near those creepy things. I’m sure everyone else can handle this, right? Besides, my power is… yeah, looking at what everyone else seems capable of, I think I bet on the wrong horse. There’s nothing I can do here to help. So…

“G-good luck, everyone! I’ll be here if you need me!”

I yell while backing off away from the fight as far as I can.

[Twelveseal]

Micah Grey
Country Side – Grassy Plains
Early Morning


I watch as one of the creatures exercises its authority by utterly destroying my creations in a split second. I’m not even entirely sure what I saw. The squashed bodybuilder is easy enough to understand, even if it happened stupidly fast. The destruction of the equipment, though…

Was that enhanced with magic, or just raw physical power?

Well… that was a… thing. I take it this one is the leader. Not much I can say about the utter failure of my distractions and their explosive demise. I was definitely underestimating the power of these things. All expectations, out the window. It’s like this world has an entirely different paradigm, a different common sense. These things are like something Toriyama Akira would… wait… Dragon Quest x Dragon Ball Z!?! What kind of Fusion Dance did this require!?!

Ahhhhhhhhh, fuck!
Great. Just great.
No wonder they didn’t react to a gun… or a fake bodybuilder.

Seems like all I managed to do was piss them off. And I was just trying to solve this peacefully. It probably came off as an insult. Might explain why they look like they’re on the warpath now.

"That minigun of yours would be nice right now,"

I shake my head and tilt it towards the guy sprouting literal firearms from his… well, arms.

Yeah, it probably would, but I don’t think I can control the flechettes well enough to avoid hitting people. Besides, I’m not entirely sure killing these guys is the right way to handle this. This… almost feels like a test. Not one we can afford to fail, either.

So if you’re watching us, Lili, let’s hope this is up to snuff. Otherwise, we might end up right back in that line you were threatening us with. And with a short, but interesting story for the staff there.

But I guess I don’t have the time to think about that right now. I turn my mind inward, to my core, to the Crest. There’s no Design here, and the paradigm is different. Conserve power, prioritize, adapt to the environment… First, the armor.

It feels like the world is slowing to a crawl as I refocus on it and channel more power into both myself and it. I stop trying to get the sensors online. I abandon the camouflage. I try to boost my basic abilities, my body, to the point where I can keep up with these things. Beating them in strength is impractical, so I focus on speed, perception, flexibility, reaction, and the durability to withstand it all. I turn the energy flowing through me back into itself, creating a current, swirling, coiling, spiraling, cycling and recycling. Minimal expenditure, minimal creation, just using and improving what’s already there. If they’re fast as a bullet, I have to be faster, and able to withstand the strain and control it and process the whole thing at the same time. Power is out of the question, but maybe through speed and technique…

The energy flowing through me moves on its own momentum following a natural course, only faster, fiercer. It will hold with only the faintest concentration.

Wait. Why the hell is the equipment rebuilding itself?! I’m not doing that!
Everything about this situation is just too ridiculous.
Everything.

”Alright, alright…"

And why do you sound so reluctant to help someone in danger? So quick to offer a jacket, and yet…

"Do you mind getting lost? See, my face has gone missing, and as long as you're here, I have zero chance of finding it."

Have you lost your mind!?! Did you not see how fast and strong these things are!?! Unless you’ve got some real power and speed in there, you’re asking to get crushed, spear or no spear!

”…To think that I stood up for you… you should be ashamed, now give back that girl's underwear before I ram this cheap spear so far up your ass that— oh, never mind, I can see she's got this covered."

I… just, seriously, this isn’t the time for this. I kind of agree, but not the time!

”On second thought, I have a better idea. Hey, Murakami, right? Stop kicking him for a sec. Justin, am I right in assuming that you can steal anyone's clothes from anywhere? Because if you can do that, I need you to steal Lili's. Start with her underwear, and if she doesn't show up, keep going, because I'll bet you anything that she has some idea of how to deal with these things. And if not, I still have a bone to pick with her.

Also, considering how weird these blue guys are, you think they might run away if you stole their Speedos?"

Okay, just… what the fuck. Just… what the holy fuck.

Those things may have cute puppy faces and abs to die for, but no. The Watchmen provided enough blue wang for a lifetime. And seriously suggesting stealing a girl’s panties? Right after you chewed that Justin guy out for doing the same thing? And to some sort of Devil-Goddess girl who happens to be our benefactor?

Have you seriously lost your fucking mind!?!


At this point, I don’t know. And I kind of don’t want to know. This has all gotten too crazy, too damn fast. I shove it all out of my mind and focus on the approaching enemies. Inhale. Exhale.
Move!

I pivot around Anthony using my enhanced speed and launch myself forward, opening with a turning elbow strike aimed at the leader's head, using the motion to carry my leg out and down in a sweep, and into a downward palm-heel strike towards where the lower ribs would be in a human, spiraling energy within focusing within my hand for that third hit. I try to keep my awareness open, even as I flow through the motions, my balance centered so I can respond to counterattacks from him or his posse, ready to move, ready to dodge, to continue the sequence or retreat or guard. Whatever comes my way, I have to be ready to dodge or deflect.

I don’t expect this to work, but…
I don’ have much choice.

[Airen]

Cecilia Knox
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

"..."

Absolute insanity.

While the workings of the afterlife had already proven to be a bit of a farce, she had expected the first scene of their 'revival' to be a bit more normal in comparison, at least at first but...

Chaos.

All it is is chaos.

While she can appreciate the existence of slimes as a level one type of enemy, there is a certain absurdity to the existence of these particular slimes that has her torn between the urge to laugh and the urge to just sorta roll her eyes at them; of course, the responses of her so called allies to the scenario is also one that has her torn between those very same options but...

But...

"Yeah... Okay then..."

There's far too much chaos for this to be your average early-game encounter, and with many of the others simply going along with their own plans of attack, there is also little sense in interfering too heavily in the efforts of the others, after all, the atmosphere this situation seemed to have made it far more likely she would accidentally hinder their efforts before anything else, so...

"...I'd appreciate some stairs. Wide ones. Grassy."

In response to her voice the earth beneath her feet shifts; grass, dirt and rock reorienting itself into natural steps at her request as she prepares to -quite literally- climb her way over and out of this particular chaos-filled battle, where she might actually be able to get a good grasp on what was really going on from afar, or...

Just bail if it seems hopeless.

She couldn't afford to lose the very first battle, not if she wanted to get her mess of a life back in order.

No reason to let the others drag her down with them... At least not if that was all they were going to do.

Of course things are never quite that easy but...

Well if the slimes followed her up, she'd deal with em then...

[Vritra]

Monday

“Truly a microcosm of our modern world …or maybe just a degeneration into insanity.”

Unable or perhaps more accurately unwilling to make sense of the unfolding scene he simply raised an eyebrow and stared blankly.

“Makes me wished that I smoked, but the smell was always to vile and becoming blind to it wouldn’t change anything in the end.”

What to do…

What to do indeed…

Actually, did he have to do anything?

Ideas of loss and gain swirled until he simply shrugged, turned around and began hopping up the stairs after the stranger who seemed to have similar feelings.

“See anything of note Madame?”

A small smile to disarm as he adjusted his scarf before digging his hands into his pockets.

“Or are we doomed to more of the same?”

[Cheetose]

Kou Hayasaka
Country Side - Grassy Plains
Early Morning

The heck...?

Arriving to this so called "other world", I was expecting to see a tavern, villagers, a bunch of beautiful, young girls celebrating the arrival of their heroes...But this?! A random field in the middle of nowhere, and we're already surrounded by these frickin' things that look like a bad joke of mobs out of some low budget RPG?

Seriously, I wanted to at least test my powers before getting into a situation like this...

Sitting down in the middle of this mismatched group of people, I decide to just observe the situation for the time being - and I was quick to realize that this party in fact had way too many edgelords. What's up with these people and their powers? Who brings guns to a knife fight? I thought this was supposed to be a medieval world...

Well, whatever.

Having had enough, I stood back up - not that I really had a plan, especially since I couldn't just whip out my power dong like these idiots...But I certainly can't just stand around expecting something to happen.

Yeah...I need to grope some fuckin' girls...But who...

My gaze zooming around this... "battlefield", I take a good look at all the girls in the group - a rather hasty and half assed attempt at setting up my priority list, but still...I could at least eliminate a few from the groping list for the time being.

Like that gatling gun girl...Yeah, she is clearly not okay in the head. That other chick is already occupied with that lame dude, and even I would feel bad about molesting that innocent looking bag girl...

Ah, fuck it, I'll just go for the green hair, she came through as quite the degenerate earlier too, maybe she'd even appreciate it...But will those fugly slimes let me cop a feel?

Setting the thicc fellas into motion, I start rushing towards Sylvie, - or whatever her name was - prepared to dodge the blue goons and to touch some tiddies.