Zelda really had to stop herself from face palming at the whole situation that Vicki had caused. "Just be grateful you didn't get what happened when a different game had the same engine as Doom, that code in Doom gave you unlimited weapons and unlocked all ammo. The code was still in the other game but it made it so you had to try and kill your enemies with a stick and so you almost always died," she commented, seeing now that Vicki was down to one life because of her own stupidity at this point. April was trying to defend and fire water off, but that was only getting so far with the villain they were facing.
With the hammer in her hand, she swung down, aiming to bring it down on Dark Link's head, but she missed. Instead the force brought the hammer down right next to him, where you'd here a clang of a sound as it hit the ground. Without a second thought, she shifted the way her hand was holding the hammer, gripping it with both of her hands now, and swung sideways, slamming it into Dark Link with a loud clang. Though the villain tried to defend against it, he had failed and went flying getting knocked away from them and hit the ground fairly hard from the blow. She was more than prepared to take another swing, she had the hammer propped up against her shoulder now, more then ready to go at bat again.
Zari was still a bit disoriented by what was going on. Something about Ed betraying them and trying to kill everyone? Andy was saying she hadn't woken up in the game, and that just confused her even more. "I just remember getting into the tank thing, and then waking up here just now? I am so confused..." she ended up saying, trying to focus a bit on what was going on. Namely the fact that Usagi jumped up, sparking with electricity and started attacking Andy! While Andy was managing to land a few hits on the cat, Usagi was still on the attack.
"LEAVE ANDY ALONE!!!!" Zari yelled at the cat, before she used her technopathy and yanked the cat forward, Usagi being a robot after all, and caught her up in her hands. While she could have seen about ripping her to shreds with her technopathy, instead this time, she just started crushing her, the metal starting to crunch under her hands for the cat, and she wasn't even caring about the electricity jolting from the cat still, or the claws, she just was mad. Plus this way she didn't have to think too much about what she was doing, and didn't have to move from where she was at all. Easier on her disoriented brain.
It was weird to be stabbed in a body that she wasn’t familiar with. Leah had been stabbed a few times. But this just felt like an inconvenience, probably because she was in a video game and because she was really irritated about Ed putting her in a fucking dress. So even when she flicked out of existence, she wasn’t that panicked about it since she had two more lives.
”Oh, fuck you,” She said, rearing her fist back and swung a hook at the cultist’s face. He ducked it, and she rammed her elbow into his jaw. He was knocked over surprisingly easy for someone who just tried to gut her.
”Yeah, stay down.” Looking over the battlefield, Leah turned and ran over to the glass that stranger was trapped in, and started the slam the edges with her knuckles.
[color=ff94f]”Open the fuck up… Motherfucking piece of god damn fucking- How do I-“[/color] In the corner of her eye, Leah saw the cultist she just domed stand back up, and crack his neck like that blow didn’t even bother him. Knife still in hand, he was ready to keep going.
”You gotta be fucking kidding me. Alright, I guess we’re doing this...” Leah shifted her axe around into both hands and leapt at the guy, looking to split him in half down the middle.
Roll to turn this fucker into firewood by cutting him the long way. Ain’t got a skill for axe fighting lol.
Location: The Gym - Simulation Fit of the Day: Gym Outfit Skills: N/A
Every bit of information she learned about this game made her hate it more. Who enjoyed being scared out of their mind? And it was worse since being targeted by whatever ghost this was could result in death. Gideon and Mary Sue didn't have much left. Dorian, to his credit, seemed capable of leading them and did so linking arms with her. She felt a surge of courage.
As they walked from room to room, Sabine kept an eye out for the ghost. What exactly was she looking for? "So any other clear signs on what the ghost could be? I doubt it says its name and gives us hints." She was more concerned for Gideon who seemed needlessly reckless.
She was thankful to have Dorian there who was knowledgeable about games in general. She hoped she could be useful.
Sabine is going to keep an eye out whenever they enter a new room for signs of the ghost. Perception skill if applicable.
“Oye, what t'e ‘eck is wit’ t'is Daniel nonsense? Who in t'is whole damn school calls me t'at? I'm Danni. Everybody calls me Danni, I introduce myself as Danni, I post Danni on everyt'in’. When ‘ave you ever ‘eard me use Daniel? It doesn't fit my vibe at all!” Danni complained. Only Pops used Daniel and that was when Danni knew he was in trouble. Or maybe…
“Wait, Spicy. Were you tryin’ ta give me a nickname? Aw, t’at's so sweet! You were a little off t’o. Like, I get t'e attempt, I go by Danni so Daniel is like a funny little reversal, but ‘oney, we gotta go in a different direction.” Danni flashed Diana a thumbs up as she turned down his offer. Her loss really. “You know, you gotta give me one t'at really sits well wit’ a major part of me, ya know? A defining feature. And please, please stop gettin’ ‘it. Dee's gunna kill me if ya lose- OMFG LEAH!”
Danni watched the knife sink into Leah, Leah's health plummet, and her eventual respawn trigger. He could already feel it. Months without running water. Product drying out. Acne flair ups from excessive junk food binges.
“Okay, new rule, new ru- Oye!” Danni ducked under a face full of fire where a cultist took advantage of his distraction. Danni conjured two fist fulls of his own. “I. Am. Talking.” Danni snapped, spiking both handfuls of fire into the cultists chest and sticking his tongue out as the copycat collapsed. “I do it better. Anyways, as I was saying, new rule: No more dyin' please. If Diana dies, Spicy is goin’ ta be upsetti spaghetti. If Leah dies, Princess is gunna be real sad and Beanie is gunna go on a war path and I don't know if I'll be safe from it. If Spicy dies, Dee is gunna murder me and t'en come find my ghost and cry about how sad ‘e is ‘is boyfriend died. If Mads dies, I'mma cry for months and I'm an ugly crier so please, let's just not get stabbed or burned anymore.”
Idk if I can do this as a reaction but if a cultist tries to use fireball again, I want to try and make it explode in their hand before they throw it with Pyrokenisis.
Mary Sue couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, however slightly, at the complaint that there wasn't a gun. She couldn't imagine a fire arm being particularly useful against something without a body. An afterlife where she was unable to interact with the world, save for bullets seemed like the sort of experience that could only be conceived by a cruel and vindictive God. Mary Sue really didn't consider herself the smartest, and maybe it was just the recent near death experience, but this really didn't seem like the sort of thing that was that hard to think through.
Mary Sue was however, incredibly thankful for Dorian. He really seemed to know what hew as talking about, and was very willing to share just about everything he knew about the game. She was making mental notes in her head where she could, even if it was a lot to take in all at once. She turned her head at the fact that there had been no danger as of yet, "Shouldn't we count ourselves lucky that nothing has happened yet?" She asked. Especially if there was a chance the ghost was friendly, that gave them ample opportunity to come out of this situation unscathed.
Location: Framework simulation Skills/Powers: Superhuman speed and reaction time, one ton lift strength, unarmored ground combat Equipment: Link avatar
Well, that could have worked better. In hindsight, Victoria admitted she should have expected Edward to treat the cheatcodes somehow. As it turned, out, they were still present, but he neutralized any useful effects. Her oversight cost her the last chance to screw up consequence-free, assuming those were not all illusions in the first place. Fortunately, the elder Flynn gave her a chance to slip away from melee range, although the entire short way over to the sisters, Victoria could only think one thing:
Now what?
To top it all off, little Flynn was geeking out on her. First the comment about the source of the cheatcode and now... this. "...why thank you for this interesting trivia so very helpful in our current plight! Silly me, forgetting my games. It's not like I was on a team with our current captor and actually saw him use these wherever, more than once being on the receiving end of them. No, I should just play the games he throws at us, because suuuurely there is an end to them! I definitely should not try to do everything I can think of to escape this place because Edward totally is not going to just kick us from this game to the next and the next and the next until eventually our luck runs out enough times, no, that would be evil! It's not like two of us are probably already dead, after all!" Idly, Vicky noted that she has never used a tone of voice quite this venomous ever before in her life. She supposed being forced to kill a classmate might do that to a person, among other things.
Little Flynn seemed to at least have far more skill with a melee weapon than Victoria had. "Got some knowledge in that noggin that would actually help us get out of here? And watch out - we seem to keep some of our powers here and that thing is a copy of me, it's going to move about three times as fast as a human and it can lift as much as Leah, because I can, though if it keeps my skills it'll come short on actual swordplay. I'll explain later if we ever leave this place." she grunted, sharpening her senses, choosing to defend until hopefully the other two came up with something, considering her best plan of action was to try her luck with hacking the Framework and Edward's virus again, which was not a plan B but more of a plan F. Remembering that games had inventory, she browsed her character's. Food, arrows with no bow, sword and a shield. She grabbed the final two items and hardened her stance.
Vicky will defend herself if attacked. Skills: Unarmored ground combat Powers: 3x human speed, super strength Items: Sword, shield
??? - Tue. November 23rd, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute
Mary Sue - Trick - Her backpack was stolen in the library! She'll have to replace her laptop/books/etc.
Vicky - Trick - Through a misunderstanding with a teacher (Usagi) Vicky has detention for the entire month of November
Sabine - Trick - someone hacked Sabine’s socials and put up some disgusting, bigoted content pretending to be her
Andy - Treat - Magneto sends her a gift, it’s a pair of vambraces that fit her perfectly, they’re made out of an unknown material and can deflect bullets and the like
Zari - Treat - On Halloween morning, Zari also gets a present from her family. It’s an enchanted tool belt. Whatever tool she needs if she reaches for it, it’s there
Leah - Trick - After the Monster Mash when Leah returns to her room, there is a postcard on the wall from Oslo. Written on it is her birth name. Nothing else.
Dorian - Treat - On Halloween day, Dorian’s father sends him a ~spooky~ gift. It’s a mini dinosaur! And by mini I mean like 6 inches tall. But it’s alive!
@BlueSky44@Kirah: Usagi thrashed and screamed as her metal parts constricted inwards, circuits misaligning and wires sparking, as Zari crushed the cat-robot alive(?). She was crumpled up like a soda can, as if someone had thrown Usagi to the ground and stomped on her, flattening her out in some places, and creating bulging dents in others. The light behind her synthetic eyes flickered, briefly turning a vibrant red, before fading away entirely with a husky "finally..."
Andy and Zari were alone now in the basement of the school's gym - just a few floors below where the Framework room was. However, Zari was still disoriented - and rather than being energizing like Andy's draining of Ardere, Zari would be feeling even more loopy and lightheaded after using her abilities on Usagi.
@Patientbean@Trainerblue192@Natsu: "Do I look like I'd aggravate the ghost?" Gideon asked pointedly, before splitting off slightly from the rest of the group - while they checked out the master and twin bedrooms, she instead went into the kitchen. She opened up cupboards and cabinets at random, letting them slam shut. There wasn't anything particularly exciting inside of them - boxes of Mac and Cheese, and some cans that were just labeled gruel. "Hey ghostie, if you're real, give me an autograph, huh?" Gideon said, laying the book out on the counter.
She stared at it, expectantly, and held up the camera. "Guess you're a coward then."
Meanwhile, in the twin bedroom, while Dorian & co didn't detect any freezing temperatures, there was a music box sitting on the dresser. It was shiny and opulent, and seemed somewhat out of place - it didn't quite match with the rest of the decor.
April Flynn & Percy Novikov
Location: the Framework - BG3 | Tears of the Kingdom Skills: Hydrokinesis | Omnilingualism Fit: Mipha | Gith Rogue
April had no idea at all what her sister was talking about - the only Doom she was familiar with was the ruler of Latveria and supervillain/scientist/wizard, Dr. Doom. But Zelda was going on about unlimited weapons and fighting people with a stick? However, with how frantic and anxious April was feeling, she didn't spend a lot of time dwelling on what Zelda was communicating - if she needed to know it, she'd just have to hope that Zelda would repeat it again - ideally in a way that April could understand. She was absolutely hopeless when it came to video games.
Zelda hit Dark Link over the head repeatedly with a hammer, sending him sprawling down to the ground. He gritted his teeth, and then spat out blood on the ground. "Cute," he grumbled. "You're good. But not good enough. He sprung up to his feet, and threw his grappling hook, aiming to tangle it around Zelda's legs - only for April to sent out a quick burst of water, a wave so sharp that it managed to slice through the cord, severing it.
Vicky was going on and on about something - but April didn't process it, not really. She heard it, knew that Vicky was saying things, but the words just seemed to go through one ear and out the other. April was trembling, the water she had just used to sever the grappling hook's cord freezing rapidly, creating an icy terrain between Dark Link and Zelda. "Pick on s-s-someone your own size!"
Dark Link cocked an eyebrow, before obliging April - and loosing a shock arrow.
It was so fast, she couldn't react - the arrow hit her in the midsection, piercing her with pain as it created a nasty gash, and then sent electricity coursing through her aquatic body. She screamed in intense pain, feeling herself dying - feeling her body convulse as she lost control, one of her hearts fading away, leaving her panting, out of breathe, stunned.
She had just one life left.
And Dark Link was still coming for their heads. Leah defeated her cultist readily, launching her axe with all of her body weight into his skull, and driving it down, down, down until she could go no further - until the man had been split in half almost all the way down to his ass, the two pieces of him trembling like a leaf before falling to the ground anticlimatically. The person inside of the mindflayer pod continued to bang, demanding to be freed - a voice that was becoming more and more familiar to Leah, as if...
... as if it belonged to a certain friend of theirs who had left the school...
... As if it belonged to Chi Mai.
Percy's eye twitched - the left one, to be precise - as Danni started gushing about the attempt at a nickname. He had not been trying to do anything of the sort. He found nicknames useful for aliases, for concealing information or origins, but ultimately they didn't interest him too much. They all already had aliases that they used as a part of their coursework, and his was Odysseus - both because he found the Greek hero to be a role model, but also because it then afforded an additional alias. Nobody. Odysseus' alias.
That was all to say... Percy wasn't going to just give Danni a nickname.
He hadn't even given one to Dorian, and from what he understood of social norms, that one would have to be a priority. "I am not giving you a nickname, Daniel," Percy stressed, as Danni grabbed a handful of cultist and set the cultist aflame, his hands burning.
There were three cultists left - the one who had attacked Percy, the one who had attacked Diana, and the one who had attacked Mads. Percy's turn was before his cultist, and he attacked again with his dagger, sinking it in beneath the cultist's ribcage and killing them. That left two.
Diana's cultist swung again, but missed. Mads' cultist sent another fireball slamming into her, leaving her critically low on health - again. She hadn't died yet though.
Breath of the Wild: Tears of the Kingdom: -April: Mipha -Zelda: Zelda duh -Andy: ~you pick - suggested: Riju~ -Vicky: Scourge of the Water Temple, Mucktorok [hijacked by Arcade]
Andy childishly stuck her tongue out at the mangled robotic corpse. "Thank you. Was she a robot the whole time?" She asked mildly curious. Then turned and looked at Zari. "Hey, are you okay?" She stepped in closer to Zari to offer support if she needed it.
"You can stay here if you need I'll go take care of Arcade, and then you can come up and help get the others out of the computer." Andy knew she couldn't get everyone out of the Framework. But she didn't want to stress Zari with fighting if she needed a moment.
Location: Framework, BG3 Current Outfit: Workout Fit Skills: Offensive Magic Grimoire: Eldritch Blast
Madalyne looked over at Danni for a moment and gave him a slight smile. "I don't intend on dying anytime soon." Madalyne told Danni as she watched Leah splitting her cultist in half, and Danni burning his cultist alive with his fire powers. Everyone seemed to be dealing with their opponents pretty well. When she was slammed with yet another fireball knocking her backwards and winced in pain as she slowly started to stand up.
Her health wasn't looking good but at least she was still standing for now that is anyway, if she was hit again she'd loose her first life. The woman in the pod still continued to yell to try and be let out of their pod, they only really had two targets left one that had attacked her and the one who was trying to attack Diana. Madalyne then started to charge up a spell in her hands trying to use an eldritch blast on the cultist.
Roll request for Mads to use eldritch blast on the cultist. using offensive magic skill as well.
Diana Novikova
Location: Framework, BG3. Current Outfit: Workout Fit Skills: Archery
Diana stared at Danni for a moment, she did prefer using trick arrows over regular arrows but she didn't really trust Danni's powers really and he could set her on fire and make her loose a life. Leah, Percy and Danni were able to take out both of their targets with ease as she listened to Danni and she shook her head slightly. She wasn't going to end up dying here in a stupid virtual reality game, and she'd make sure that her brother would get out of here alive as well to.
"The only person that is dying is Ed when we all get out of here." Diana said to Danni her cultist suddenly took another swing at her. He ended up missing Diana quickly moved further away from her attacker and quickly notched an arrow and aimed it right at her attacker. All the while the woman in the pod was still yelling and banging to be let out of their pod which was what they were trying to do now.
Roll for Diana to use her archery skill on the cultist attacking her firing 5 arrows at them.
Leah turned his ass into fucking chopsticks with that swing, as if he were made of butter. Blood sprayed everywhere, and surprisingly, Leah didn't care that much. She'd seen worse before. With that being done, she reared her axe back up over her shoulder and planned to get back into the fight to do it again, but then the voice behind the glass became clear. It wasn't some NPC, it wasn't Ed, unfortunately. No, it was none other than their friend who had gone off on her own adventure, somehow in here with the. Mai. Fuck, how did Mai get in here? Was this some kind of trick? Did Ed know that they were good friends? Or had he somehow trapped her in here as well?
A mix of fury and confusion filled her as she dropped the axe and hauled on the glass enclosure. Her fingers dug in between the seems of metal and the wall and she managed to pry the damn thing open. Leah didn't even bother to verify whether or not it was actually Mai in there, or some fucking shapeshifter, before backpedaling out of arm's reach. "Don't fucking move. How do we know you're not a trick Ed put in here?" She asked, picking her axe back up. "How did you get in here?
Location: Framework simulation Skills/Powers: Superhuman speed and reaction time, one ton lift strength, unarmored ground combat Equipment: Link avatar
This was going poorly. Only Zelda seemed to have a modicum of success against the program, and as she noted previously, that seemed to be just delaying the inevitable. Victoria had no viable action that didn't simulate to unacceptable risk of merely hastening their demise.
So, in the absence of such action, the best was to delay for as long as possible, minimize the damage and hope that some staff would go check why the gym lights are on and why there is a framework level of power draw during night hours.
And as far as minimizing damage goes... My chassis might still be reactivated if they put another AI into it. Human body on the other hand... April was now on her last legs, so to speak. Victoria always knew this was how her last stand would play out, albeit she didn't expect to have to make it quite this early. True, her task was to fight for humans, but in the absence of those, it was her decision. And with the odds stacked against them, the decision was easy.
Turning her profile to hide almost all of her body behind the shield, sword at the ready to parry, she stood between Dark Link and April to defend, and take the hit if necessary.
Vicky will defend April if attacked. Skills: Unarmored ground combat Powers: Superhuman senses, speed and strength Items: Sword, shield
Looking at the music box, Mary Sue pursed her lips. She knew she was at one life, and she knew that she didn't know nearly enough about this game to be taking risks. She turned to Dorian and said, "Any idea what that is?" Looking it up and down, she felt real fear for a moment, and considered if she should maybe go out to investigate it herself. Heroes had to risk their lives to do what they did, true, but smart heroes, she thought, didn't take unnecessary risks. Jumping off cliffs wasn't heroic, it was stupid, and patience was what would be rewarded here.
Mary Sue didn't at all like the Gideon went off on her own. What was the point of that? From the scary movies she'd watched with Andy, she knew that the single worst thing you could do in the entire genre of horror was go off on your own. She didn't like Gideon from the way she'd been acting, but she also didn't want her to get hurt. She hoped that, perhaps, they could wait here for her to come back before moving forward, not wanting to stay separated for too long.
Location: The Gym - Simulation Fit of the Day: Gym Outfit Skills: Perception, Psychometry (Power)
Sabine was growing ever more irritated at Gideon. Despite how much she hated horror movies, she at least has watched some and knew the cocky individual who went into the haunted house and taunted the ghost usually met a grim end. And considering she was on her last life, Sabine didn't want to be anywhere near her. So she stuck with Dorian and Mary Sue. She, at least, could count on them. Dorian more given his knowledge of the game they were in.
Upon entering the twin bedroom, Sabine set her sights on the only thing out of place. Mary Sue tagged it also. Sabine stepped away from the two of them briefly. This was her chance. "Let me try something." Sabine called on her powers and reached out to the music box. Given the nature of the situation they were in she expected gruesome images of ghosts killing people or ritualistic sacrifices, but none of that came up. Instead, she saw the music box's history. Or as much as was connected inside the game.
Once back, she took several steps away from it. "It's a music box and whatever is haunting this place, that's its connection. It's cursed so whatever we do, be careful of that."
All Dorian could think was ”You look like you'd aggravate and then ask it for an arm wrestling match” But he kept his mouth shut. He could hear her talking from the other room, not like Gideon was being particularly quiet in there. But to be fair she was playing and asking questions much like how other players had done so in the lobby. It was almost guaranteed to have at least one Gideon within your group. They either died first or survived the longest as their actions endangered everyone else. ”Bless ‘er ‘eart. Gideon means well, I just t'ink t'is isn't ‘er element and so she is tryin’ to act tough.” He said, trying to calm the nerves of his teammates from her actions as he noted Mary's pursed lips.
Now they had come face to face with something Dorian didn't know. He'd played so many hours of Phasmaphobia, but even then you were guaranteed to encounter everything within the game. He wasn't one to spoil his own fun, and looking at this music box before them, he wondered if maybe he should have after all. An in game item he'd never seen…it was so tempting to just pick it up and figure it out himself. That first play through jitters coursing through him as he tried to think of what it may do. Sabine said it was cursed, and connected to the spirit haunting this place. It gave Dorian a few ideas. ”So, cards on t'e table. I ‘ave never once encountered t'e music box. So no idea as to what it does or what t'e curse is. I ‘ave a t'eory, and also a plan. If it is tied to t'e ghost as Beanie says, per’aps t'at means t’at playin’ it brings it to us? Like a callin’? T’ats kind of ‘orror 101. We could protect t’e room and set up traps to get information t’at way if I'm right and it comes, we get t’at much closer to solvin’ t’is t’ing.
I could also try to just…go ghost and see if maybe i could see t’e ghost in t’e ot’er plane and try to talk to it. I could also ask you two to step out of t’e room and I risk it all myself wit’ t’e box. I ‘ave t’e most lives next to Sabine but I ain't about to risk mon ami over a ‘unch.” Dorian said as he sat down on the bed of the room and threw himself back, looking at the ceiling as he prattled on. ”What do you say?”
She seemed to really be the only one doing any sort of attack or damage of the Link wannabe. Victoria wasn't exactly doing much, but April had managed to stop her from getting tripped up by Dark Link's attack. This was not a good situation to be in. If her count was right, both Victoria and April were down to their last lives, whereas she had two of them left. So she at least could work with being a little more reckless than the other two, even if just a little bit. Though that was only slightly helpful, since unless they could get out of this mess, things were going to end poorly.
Zelda twirled the hammer again in her hands, before charging forward and slamming the hammer into Dark Link again, landing a pretty solid hit and knocking him backwards. Victoria didn't seem to be doing anything to actively fight the villain, again, which was getting to be kind of annoying at this point. She understood, she didn't have any spare lives yet, but seriously? Do something, anything, to try and attack the villain.
Zarina Raynordattir
Location: Basement Skills:
Zari honestly had no idea what had happened with regards to Usagi, aside from her seemingly crushing her completely and causing all of the metal to crush up without any sort of issues. That was insanely weird to her, but she thought nothing of it, as as soon as Usagi went down and she dropped her to the ground, Zari stumbled slightly as the effects hit her. Clearly whatever drug had been put into her system was still there, which meant that she was feeling light headed and dizzy from everything that was going on.
"I'm fiiiiiine Andy, just a little bit dizzzzzzy," she responded with regards to Andy's concern, sort of brushing them off for the most part. "We can go smack Arcade around and get the others out of their situation. I can't really sit around here and do nothing you know." Which was true, even though she felt like crap and that she was going to fall over, she couldn't just sit back and do nothing or wait really any longer.
??? - Tue. November 23rd, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute
Mary Sue - Trick - Her backpack was stolen in the library! She'll have to replace her laptop/books/etc.
Vicky - Trick - Through a misunderstanding with a teacher (Usagi) Vicky has detention for the entire month of November
Sabine - Trick - someone hacked Sabine’s socials and put up some disgusting, bigoted content pretending to be her
Andy - Treat - Magneto sends her a gift, it’s a pair of vambraces that fit her perfectly, they’re made out of an unknown material and can deflect bullets and the like
Zari - Treat - On Halloween morning, Zari also gets a present from her family. It’s an enchanted tool belt. Whatever tool she needs if she reaches for it, it’s there
Leah - Trick - After the Monster Mash when Leah returns to her room, there is a postcard on the wall from Oslo. Written on it is her birth name. Nothing else.
Dorian - Treat - On Halloween day, Dorian’s father sends him a ~spooky~ gift. It’s a mini dinosaur! And by mini I mean like 6 inches tall. But it’s alive!
@BlueSky44@Kirah: Whether or not Usagi had been a robot the entire time, Andy wouldn't really know - and Zari, her brain a bit addled still, didn't seem to be processing the information well. Had she been able to focus, she might've told Andy that Usagi had been a robot the entire time she'd known her - and that the same was true for others at the academy.
Should they decide to leave the basement and go find their way back to the others, they'll notice an elevator to their left - maybe not an amazing idea with Arcade around - and a staircase to the right. No one is stopping them, no one else had come to fight them. But there could still be more threats lurking around the corner, so being cautious might be for the best.
@Patientbean@Trainerblue192@Natsu: Gideon wished that she could challenge the pixelated ghost to an arm wrestling match right now. It felt like no matter where she looked, nothing was happening. This is why she didn't play video games - they were boring! She groaned, half stomping from the kitchen to the dining room. "Still no one around? Yay. I love that for me," she muttered, missing the sound of footsteps coming from above. "Just kill me already, ghost - if you're real, do SOMETHING!"
Meanwhile in the twin bedroom, Dorian & co were investigating the music box. No one had played it yet, so they didn't have an idea as to the music it would play. But given Sabine's information that the box is cursed and connected to the haunting, perhaps leaving it alone would be the best move for survival. And while everyone could hear Gideon from across the house, Sabine and Mary Sue would both hear soft footsteps coming from upstairs.
April Flynn & Percy Novikov
Location: the Framework - BG3 | Tears of the Kingdom -> Mario Party 8 Skills: N/A | Omnilingualism Fit: Mipha -> Princess Peach | Gith Rogue
Zelda knocked Dark Link back with her hammer, a skill and confidence that April had never seen before in her sister blossoming. She was squinting, barely able to comprehend what was happening, as Vicky stood in front of her... protecting her. It warmed her heart just as much as it burned her with shame - that she wasn't protecting herself, that someone else was risking their life for her. "Is he...?" April began to ask, before Dark Link sprang upwards, his sword propelling him forward like a chopper.
Right into Vicky.
April gasped, her heart freezing... time seemed to slow to a crawl, Vicky only had one life left, just one life between her and death...
... And somehow, Vicky timed it perfectly - her sword clashing against dark Link's in a grudge, the identical blades reverberating and shaking and cracking and disintegrating, just as dark Link fell apart before their eyes...
"...dead?" April squeaked out.
But before she could even properly look, reality shifted - the landscape of Legend of Zelda replaced with a cliff side, where strange ropes or cords or wires were facing them, alongside a giant, floating pair of scissors. At their feet was a circular platform, and April's stomach dropped. She knew this game.
"Oh my god we are so fucked!"
A 10 second timer appeared, floating in the air. And April, dressed once again as Princess Peach, found herself compelled to choose - to point to one of the cords. She shut her eyes, her heart pounding furiously - this was her last life, if she died, she died. If she died like this, then...
No.
She wasn't ready to admit that yet. Not even here, on death's doorstep.
She pointed to the sixth cord.
The scissors cut.
An eternity seemed to pass.
Nothing happened, and April felt her feet release, as she scurried off of the platform, her head pounding. She didn't even look to see if Zelda or Vicky were next - to see who was about to die.
Chi Mai took a deep breath, staring at Leah for a second as she was finally freed from the pod - only to be told to stay there, being accused of being some sort of trick by Ed, whoever the fuck that was. She glanced around the room quickly, seeing the walls made of organs, the blood covering her friends and some randos, and something snapped in her. "cái quái gì đang thực sự xảy ra vậy!!!!"
She didn't listen to Leah's warning, scrambling out of the pod. And while Chi Mai wasn't aware, she didn't look exactly like herself - her ears were elven and pointy, and she had on some tattered, princess like robes. Her skin was a deep blue, and in her hands was a strange object, a dodecahedron of sorts with strange, sharp edges.
"i fucking hate this shit!!"
Mads missed her eldritch blast, her aim poor. Diana, however, was much more lucky - she managed to loose three or so arrows into her cultist, killing her opponent. And as for the final cultist, they met a fiery end by Danni's hands [see Achro's next post!].
Percy, meanwhile, was panting heavily, incredibly winded - his lungs felt like they were burning, as he made his way on over to Leah, staring at the newcomer with confusion. Was she an NPC programmed into the game by Arcade? Leah seemed to know her - and he had caught her screaming a few moments ago, asking what was going on. By instinct, he slipped into the language she used - Vietnamese.
"chúng tôi đang chiến đấu với những kẻ sùng bái bên trong một cơ quan khổng lồ. tất nhiên, nếu bạn chỉ đơn giản là một chương trình thì bạn đã biết điều đó rồi."
"một... chương trình???"
Chi Mai looked around her, trying to see if anyone would help her. "Listen, if someone doesn't start making sense, then I'm going to make heads start popping."
Percy frowned, glancing at Diana for a brief second - was this part of the game? - before doing the sensible thing.
He punched Chi Mai in the face.
And somehow, this was enough to knock her out cold.
“Well, damn Spicy, be t'at way. Just double down wit’ t'e Daniel shit why don'tcha.” Danni grumbled, pouting at Percy’s absolute refusal. “Come oooon. Diana, don'tcha t'ink ‘e should give me a nickname? ‘e's a smart kid he'e could probs t'ink of a good one! T'ough I guess I ‘aven't t'ought of one for you but t'at's cause we don't ‘ang out very much so I don't ‘ave a lot ta go on. And we don't wanna use t'e whole bow and arrow shtick, overused, underwhelmin’. Could we… maybe…” Danni snapped out of his thoughts as Mads took a nasty fireball again.
“I'm very glad t'at everyone ‘as big plans ta get out, but can we maybe put t'is into action? Manifest t'is t'rough more extreme violence maybe?” Danni suggested, his disappointment with Percy and need to nickname Diana forgotten as he whirled fire in his hands again and sent it hurtling at the cultist dead fucking set on killing Mads. “Also, again come on. It's not fair t'rowin’ fire at people who can't t’row it back. Come pick on someone wit’ your own skill set!” Danni stuck his tongue out at the dead cultist, only to go cross eyed as he tried to look at his tongue. Did dragons have normal tongues? Or did they have like, snake tongues? Or was it rough like a cat's?
Unfortunately, his futile attempts to figure that out would have to wait. Leah’s prying open a pod and Danni cheered in delight as a familiar voice popped up. “Mai? OMG Mai! You vanish off t'e face of t'e Earth and t'en you come ‘ere ta help us? Talk ‘bout mixed signals!” Danni as rambunctious as he was, still wasn’t able to get to her faster that Percy and he let out an audible gasp as Percy clocked her. “Wtf, Spicy?! It's Mai! Why'd- What- See, t'is is why it's a good nickname! T'is exact kinda bullshit is what I'd t'ink of when I heard someone was spicy. Did you kill ‘er? Is she dead? Wake up Mai!” Danni skidded to a halt next to her and dropped to his knees, flashbacks of a velvet jacket making him nervous to touch and so his hands just hovered nervously over her.
Location: Rumors of my death have been exaggerated Skills: Enhanced Reflexes (Passive), Eldritch Magic (Chill Touch)
Andy nodded. Letting Zari decide that she wanted to continue. She was worried about Zari, but she wasn't about to tell her what she could and couldn't do.
"Let's go up the stairs. It'll be quieter." Andy says heading for the stairs. She rubbed a bit at her head where a bump had appeared. She had been dead while being dragged down those steps, but it hadn't been long between death and her resurrection. Andy pushes those thoughts aside and focuses on climbing the stairs.
Entering the Framework room she spots Arcade. Feeling energized by the soul of her former classmate Andy whispers something in pseudo-Latin and her hand moves in a complicated gesture. A ghostly, skeletal hand appears and shoots from her hand clasping around Arcade's arm. His skin, under the ghostly hand, darkens.
"Hey asshat. You forgot something." Andy snarls and starts moving more into the room.
Location: Framework, BG3 Current Outfit: Workout Fit Skills: N/A Grimoire: N/A
Madalyne would let out a slightly annoyed groan as her eldritch blast missed hitting harmlessly against a nearby wall she really hated it when her spells missed their targets. Luckily Danni was able to set him on fire and the last cultist was finally dead now which was good, her attention turned towards the pod. Leah was able to rip the doors of the pod off it's hinges and the person had fallen out, she stared as the woman spoke vietnamize. Then Leah said that it was Chi Mai, who she hadn't seen when she decided to go out on real missions away from the school with The Avengers or something along those lines.
She was about to try and explain to her what was actually happening and where they were, but Percy decided to go up to her and decked her in the face knocking her out cold onto the ground. "Why did you do that for Percy?" Madalyne asked as she stared at Percy wondering if he got his brain fried or something. Danni quickly went over to check and see if Mai was actually okay and alive which she was slightly worried about, she could have some answers to.
Diana Novikova
Location: Framework, BG3. Current Outfit: Workout Fit Skills: N/A
Diana was satisfied turning her cultist into a pin cushion with three arrows sticking out of him, and fell to the ground dead, she then slung her bow over her shoulder making her way over towards the pod. She could recognize the voice was Chi Mai's who she hadn't seen in the last few months. "Are you okay Mai?" Diana asked as she looked over at Danni and shook her head slightly, if her brother wanted to call Danni by his full name he was free to do so. "It's up to him, I can't tell him what to say or do." Diana said giving him a slight shrug, Percy was his own person and it was his choice anyway. "And I prefer being called Diana honestly." She said, only her brother and those really close to her could give her a nickname of some kind.
Diana wasn't sure what Percy and Mai were talking about in Vietnamize she knew that her brother's second mutation was to pick up other languages with ease. Then Percy decided to knock her out seeing Mai hitting the ground, she could understand as far as Diana knew Mai was off Avengering right now or something like that. Maybe it was a little bit to extreme they were in a virtual world of Ed's creation, so this could be a possible program. "We don't even know if it's the real Mai, Ed could have easily programed her into the game. Extreme yes, but we don't know we'll take her with us and question her and make sure it's the real Mai when she comes to." Diana suggested.
There was no way in fuck that the real Mai could be knocked out so easily by some twink with a knife. So Leah concluded that this must’ve been a fake Mai programmed to make Leah drop her guard long enough for a cheap shot. Still, it was a good punch. Leah looked around at all the dead cultists, unsure if more were about to show up. "Not bad. So... Anybody have any idea what the fuck we're supposed to be doing next? And what about that thing?" She asked, pointing at the weird crystal Mai was holding.
"Anybody know if that thing is cursed? Or important?"
