[center][h3]The Qliphoth - the Great Bole[/h3]
Lvl 9 Goldlewis (69/90)
Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC] Pit’s [@Yankee] Ganondorf’s [@Double]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 749[/center]

As much as Goldlewis wished he could stop and rest, he knew that the hollow where he and Geralt faced off with the Keepers would not be a safe place to recuperate. That brawl had been a messy one, and if the sounds of battle didn’t draw floodfested reinforcements from the demonic woodwork, the tremors that accompanied the misplaced basement’s demolition probably would. He figured that wherever he and the Witcher ended up would probably be just as or even more dangerous, but the chance of linking up with one of the Seeker’s healers was enough to make him push forward. While the two men were tough as nails, they could only go so far without someone to patch their wounds, after all. At the very least he’d probably be safe while pushing up through the xylem vein like a five-hundred-pound blood clot, even if it didn’t do much for his headache.

Ultimately, Goldlewis had very little control of where he ended up; after his initial separation from Sandalphon, he couldn’t even guarantee that he and Geralt would emerge in the same place. Like real veins, these ones branched in odd places, the xylem within flowing in any number of directions. He could only wait until his pressurized ascent slowed down, and the increasing translucence of the bloodstream’s tubular walls suggested a way out. Taking hold of his coffin, he pushed its spiked top through, then tore open an aperture large enough to see through. Sure enough, he could see what looked like a section of floor about twenty feet down. Right away he could tell that this area was very different from the claustrophobic hollow he emerged into previously, but Goldlewis didn’t have much of a choice. Better this than be stuck with nothing but open air or solid Qliphoth flesh on all sides. The veteran shoved the coffin out, then pushed off the tunica behind him and tumbled through after it.

He fell for a brief moment in a shower of xylem, then landed on a platform of murky red matter somewhere between meat and wood. To his horror it shook beneath his feet, less like a solid ground and more like an elevated catwalk, and a quick look around showed him why. Rather than a cavernous hollow in the Qliphoth substrate, he stood within an organic structure suspended from the roof of an immense open space within the demon tree’s trunk. It appeared to be an elaborate bell-shaped lattice, not too unlike an enormous, upside-down jungle gym, its walls threaded with a couple larger Qliphoth veins, and at its bottom hung three long, rectangular strips separated by strips of empty space. When the veteran tentatively approached the edge and looked down, he could see nothing but empty air for hundreds, perhaps thousands of feet. Just how high had that bloodstream taken him!? Goldlewis wasn’t typically one for vertigo, but a drop like that could make even [i]him[/i] queasy.

Much to his relief, he wasn’t alone. A couple other Seekers had managed to find their way here, emerging from various veins around the arena. Even if Geralt wound up elsewhere, Goldlewis would find a staunch ally in Ganondorf, if not an agreeable one. He waved at the others. “Howdy!” the veteran hollered. “Good to see y’all made it! What I wouldn’t give for a li’l healin’ right now, though.”

At a deep, rumbling crackle, Goldlewis looked up sharply. The interior environment of the Qliphoth was so alien and so cluttered that it could be difficult to parse sometimes, but he could not mistake the massive shape floating down around the strange bell. It was huge, and like most things in this hellish place, a strange blend of unnatural flesh and demonic plant matter that would be shaped roughly like a horned helmet, were it not for the tentacles that branched from the sides and the skin-colored roots that dangled below. At its center gleamed a hellish red slit, fixated on Goldlewis like an evil eye as the [url=https://i.imgur.com/QuibeNn.png]behemoth[/url] hovered into the bell itself. With a nasty creaking its underside opened, causing red radiance to pour out like some infernal spotlight, and from inside the horror descended a [url=https://i.imgur.com/sqvvS1Y.png]titan [/url] of magic and carven stone. It landed even heavier than Goldlewis did, and the whole structure shuddered. Then it raised its four arms, rune-inscribed broadswords held high, and began to march. 

[center][h3]The Qliphoth - Memory Zone[/h3]
Lvl 14 Ms Fortune (119/140)
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris] Edelgard’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] Captain Falcon’s [@Double]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1117[/center]

Not for the first time, Nadia thanked her lucky stars that she’d ended up unfusing with the spirit of Rhodeia the Oceanid. That spirit had made her a lot more sensitive to the quality of the water around her, and she didn’t even want to think about the quality of the fluid flowing through the Qliphoth’s veins. Sandalphon had called this stuff something else, but to Nadia it really was indistinguishable from blood, from color and viscosity right down to the pungent coppery smell. She didn’t really want to consider any possibilities beyond the demon tree simply having blood for some reason. Hopefully it would prove to be a lot less disease-ridden than the wretched blood that flowed through the guts of the Under–the last thing she needed was another stop at a sanitarium.

Throughout the ride, the cat burglar had clung tight to the hand of her newest friend Emily. Reasoning that the currents in the Qliphoth’s veins could sweep the Seekers away and separate them, she’d chosen to take Emily’s hand to ensure that she wouldn’t get separated. So far it had worked out fine, straining her somewhat as the two bounced around in the bloodstream, but not enough to shake her grip. Nadia knew that getting even a combat-capable survivor to safety would be a tall order, but she burned with determination to get Emily out of here in one piece. Saving people was what heroes did, after all, and that was the path she had chosen.

Nadia’s inner monologue came to an abrupt end when her bloodstream suddenly altered its course. Though winding back and forth in serpentine fashion, it had borne her generally upward, but now it twisted and dumped her out sideways. “Bluh! Bah!” The feral found herself propelled into a pool of xylem, where she sputtered and splashed until she realized that she could simply stand up, the pool itself only waist-deep. Once she did, she crossed her arms and grinned at Emily as if she had everything under control. “Haha, bloody well told ya we’d make it!” When she looked around, though, her bravado gave way to confusion. As strange as the Qliphoth had been so far, the surprises just kept coming.

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJsCvVb18Ec[/youtube][/center]

In front of her lay a hotel lobby in astonishingly good condition. It had all the furnishings one might expect, from lavish loveseats and end tables to potted plants and lush red carpets. Soft, warm light radiated from within exquisite patterned lampshades and elaborate wall sconces. The pool itself was done up like a luxury bath, semicircular, with steps leading in from all angles, sparkling brass handrails, and a handful of beach chairs arranged around it. Farther into the room it quickly got much darker, but Nadia could see ornate tables and chairs around a large circular mosaic of polished marble tiles. At the very least she could see a few places where cracked or peeling wallpaper revealed bits of reddish plant matter, which suggested that she was still inside the Qliphoth, after all. Things were weird in here, though–even weirder than a hotel lobby existing within the demon tree. There were large bubbles here and there, and a number of objects that floated weightlessly, making the whole place seem surreal.

Nadia climbed out of the pool, grabbed a couple floating towels, tossed one to Emily, then began to wipe down. She kept a sharp eye out for danger, but saw no immediate threats. When something broke the silence, it was the arrival of several other Seekers through the same bloodstream: Midna, Edelgard, and Captain Falcon. “Oh hey guys, what’s up? Looks like your struggles are no longer in vein!“ Toweling off helped her compose herself, but an uneasiness remained, and after tossing the bloodstained towel aside she crossed her arms. “This doesn’t feel right,” she whispered as she walked forward, her voice lowered. Midna, Edelgard, and Falcon might not recognize this sensation, but she did. “Like the underground prison. Like a dream. It doesn’t feel…real.”

“What is ‘real?’”

At the baritone voice, Nadia fixed her gaze on the darkness beyond the tables and chairs. After a moment, a lighter flared up, illuminating a [url=https://i.imgur.com/SJUpoi5.png]man behind a bar[/url]. Bottles of all shapes and sizes, many filled with seemingly random objects, lined the shelves behind him, and above them the wall featured an odd abundance of clocks.

Emily looked surprised. “Another survivor?”

Nadia narrowed her eyes at the man, then walked toward the mysterious stranger. Maybe in his thirties, he was handsome, but a real mess, with a five o’clock shadow, unkempt brown hair, and garishly colored formal attire worn haphazardly, including hot pink slacks and tie. He looked tired, with bags under his orange eyes, and he reminded her of a stray dog. As she drew close, Nadia crossed her arms again and looked at him expectantly, as if daring the ordinary-looking man to transform into some monster and attack. “Who’re you supposed to be?”

“Me? Gallagher.” The man smiled.

When he didn’t elaborate, Nadia gestured to the room around here. “What’s this place?”

Gallagher looked amused. “A bar. What’ll you be having?”

Smiling wryly, Nadia put her hands on her hips. “You, if you try any funny business.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “How old are you, anyway?”

Gallagher’s face was deadpan. “I’m thirteen.”

Nadia blinked. “What?”

“Listen, you can’t stay here, it’s dangerous.” Emily beckoned to the man. Even if he was nuts, he deserved to live in her book. “We need to keep moving until we can get out.”

The feral looked at her incredulously. “We can’t trust this cat, he’s su-purr suspicious!”

“You trusted me, didn’t you?” Emily seemed confused.

“Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your mind. Or maybe…on your heels? Heheh.” Gallagher held his palm by his lighter’s flame, warming it. “Can’t say I blame you though, pretty lady. Get haunted once, and everything starts looking like a ghost.” He raised the lighter, peering at one newcomer at a time through the flame. “It’s all just fate, playing a cruel joke on us.”

He flipped the lighter closed.

The hairs on the back of Nadia’s neck stood on end.

She whipped around, and behind the Seekers floated a [url=https://i.imgur.com/3fe45nh.png]monstrosity[/url] of black feathers, golden claws, and psychedelic pink-purple eyes, its blade just inches from her throat. Nadia backflipped away and landed on the bar, glancing down only to see that Gallagher was no longer there. She returned her gaze to the shadow of death as it snarled, and sharpened her claws for battle.

[center][h3]The Qliphoth - Sinister Dominion[/h3]
Lvl 7 Sandalphon (46/70)
Junior & Rika’s [@DracoLunaris] Roland’s [@Archmage MC]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 792[/center]

Sandalphon waited in stoic silence as the xylem current propelled her higher and higher, alert for her next opportunity to emerge. She had lost sight of her predecessor Juri within moments of entering the bloodstream, but if her hypothesis about the Qliphoth’s setup mirroring Arahabaki’s held water, she would be reunited with other allies soon enough. There was no good reason why the two immeasurably different areas would work similarly, of course, but the World of Light was nothing if not full of odd coincidences. Ever watchful even amidst the bloodstream’s tumultuous crimson torrent, Sandalphon spotted a likely exit before long. She propped up her gunstaff against opposite vein walls to slow her ascent, then used her sharp heel to pierce through the tunica. As she rose higher her heel tore open a long slit, and when the xylem pouring through caused the pressure to drop, the archangel washed out along with it.

Despite her best efforts, Sandalphon plopped down onto the floor with the grace of a newborn farm animal, forcing her to try and salvage some dignity by slicking her hair back again as she rose from her blood-red puddle. Junior and Rika were here too, which made her happy to see. They’d arrived in another enclosed Qliphoth hollow, though unlike the one she came from, this one seemed much less organic in nature. It was darker, as if burnt, and cylindrical in shape, with sheer walls, and a ribbed floor whose pattern radiated outward from the middle. Instantly Sandalphon noticed the large golden staff planted at the centermost point, as well as the figure who lounged atop it, her tail coiled around the staff’s length, and the archangel went still as a statue.

Proportionally this being appeared to be a petite woman, but at her full height she’d stand much taller than a grown man. White scales and red cracks covered much of her pale skin, as well as the entirety of the enormous fan-like protrusions from her back, more like fins than wings. Small black spikes protruded from random points across her body, but those among the white hair on her head were dwarfed by the demon’s enormous, ruby-red horns, alike in color to her gleefully glinting eyes. She’d been wearing a bored expression as she sucked on a lollipop until Sandalphon arrived, at which point her eyes widened, and she plucked the candy from her mouth. 

“Lilith.” Sandalphon stated, her tone cold.

[color=#fa0b0c]”Omigosh. Sandy, is that you? No. Fucking. Way!”[/color] Though high-pitched, her voice did not sound childlike, and the delighted, shark-toothed grin that spread across her face held no love. [color=#fa0b0c]”Wow, you had me going for a sec. You’ve gotten so small! Well…”[/color] She boggled her eyes at Sandalphon’s chest. [color=#fa0b0c]“In most respects, damn! Way to make a girl feel inadequate.”[/color] She pretended to pout, then put on a mocking smile. [color=#fa0b0c]“Guess that pet of yours likes ‘em big, huh? You’ll really try anything to make humans like you!”[/color]

Sandalphon’s grip tightened on her staff, and her marble expression almost seemed to crack. Were any of her allies in front of her, they’d see that her pupils were now skulls. “I had always considered the possibility that I might meet one of you again. If you’ve been here all along, I should thank Illia that you haven’t been tormenting innocents.”

Lilith winked at her. [color=#fa0b0c]“Weeeeell, don’t be so sure. Idle hands, and all that.”[/color] She licked her lollipop, then shrugged. [color=#fa0b0c]”Still, you’re right about us demons. No matter how many times you put us down, we always pop right back up.”[/color] Her eyes glittered as she narrowed them with a nasty smile. [color=#fa0b0c]”Shame you can’t say the same about the other archangels, huh?”[/color] When Sandalphon didn’t reply, the demon tittered and continued. [color=#fa0b0c]”Oh yeah, I heard all about it. Word is that the big boss wiped all the others out. Gone the way of the dinosaurs, just like your big sister. Poor Sandy, all alone…”[/color]

“If you know me so well, you should know that trying to provoke me is useless.” Sandalphon remained calm. “Nevertheless, I will kill you. By my authority as the leader of Illia’s Apostles, and as an angel, it falls to me to exact punishment for your sins. And I remember exactly how to do it.”

[color=#fa0b0c]“Then you remember I’ve got [i]your[/i] number, too.”[/color] Lilith sneered at the archangel and her allies. [color=#fa0b0c]“Gotta wonder…do [i]they[/i] know the strats? Awful lot of trust you’re putting in a couple little shits, Sandy.”[/color] She grinned, then crunched her lollipop between her teeth. As she extended her hand, the shadows danced around her. [color=#fa0b0c]“Let’s see how you feel after failing them, too!”[/color]