[IC] The War of the Three

[Flamelord]

Tatiana Lorenz + ???

“Look, all I'm saying is that the next time you're on the same battlefield as that demonic bitch, you give her a taste of her own medicine and hit her with phosgene gas. Oh! Or cover her in napalm. That'll give her a taste of her own medicine.”

Tatiana rolled her eyes, dismissive of the idea. “You really think she's going to stand around and let me cover her in napalm?"

"Of course not," the other Tatiana replied with a grin that was all too happy with the suggestion that involved fire and high explosives. "That's what cluster munitions are for. It doesn't matter how she tries to dodge if she can't."

That got the same reaction from a similarly dressed girl on the opposite side of the green skinned original, if she could be considered the original and not just one of the eldest of the clones. "Please, napalm, cluster munitions? You might as well just smoke her with a J-DAM from out of sight range? Where's the fun in that? Where's the finesse, the style? If we're stuck killing we might as well look good doing it."

"Hey! Explosions are fun! And stylish!" Cool guys, or girls, didn't look at explosions after all. And what was more fun than having the battlefield look like a Michael Bay movie?

That was one of the myriad of conversations that went on in the rented out ballroom. It was a strange sight for anyone else had they been here, but it was normal for Tatiana. All around her was...herself. Different version, different variants. For the most part they looked similar, with varying hairstyles, scars, skin color, and the like. Their personalities were where the main differences were. They may have started from the same point but all of them had their own experiences, so they had wound up in very different areas. Like Ms. Pyromaniac next to her.

Some of them were seated at tables while others milled about, sampling the food that had been prepared for them and generally enjoying the time that they had to relax, before they had to get to the war. You could tell the ones who had just come back from the front. They were a bit twitchier, their eyes scanning the room, sensitive to loud sounds. Honestly, she had to keep herself from doing that too.

At least there were plenty of stories to go around. Victories, defeats, funny stuff that happened. Tatiana had already relayed her recent battle and how that had gone, with a good laugh all around at how she had taken out the ghost cowboy, followed by annoyance and anger at the ultimate ending. Understandably they held little respect for someone who chose making it impossible for a battle to even happen as their way to win. That wasn't a test of skill or tactics, that was just a waste of everyone's time.

"Ah man, you know what I miss? Fighting with you guys," Tatiana remarked aloud after taking a sip of hr drink. "I can barely remember the last time I got to fly side by side and tag team some hulking demonic monstrosity with one of you."

"That's cause you're a big shot pilot," another Tatiana with a piercing in her ear from a bullet hole called with a grin. "She's moved up in the world. Too important for the rest of us now."

Tatiana shrugged, conceding the argument. "Yeah, I guess." She had been fighting with some pretty powerful people all told, though it still didn't seem to be enough to counter what the Demons and the Angels could throw at them. Like that one girl with the black holes. "I'm just saying, it would be nice to fight with someone who isn't a tin can or a sniper who'd blow over in a stiff breeze."

There were several nods of agreement to that, as it was a sentiment that they could understand. "Well then you're just gonna have to do a worse job and get yourself demoted."

"Not too bad though. Don't want Eos to scrap our production line. Then we'd be out of a job."

"And out of bodies. Though that's not a problem for hacker girl anyways. She likes being in the computer more than she does being in a physical body."

Tatiana sighed aloud as the arguments and jibes rolled around her, a flowing conversation as they all interacted like old friends. They had, generally speaking, the same neural networks after all, so they could generally guess what one another was thinking. Or you could just be her, and have psychic powers. That worked too.

Finishing her drink, Tatiana placed the cup down next to her before clapping her hands. It was a bit loud and she had to add a bit of psychic reinforcement to it to get the message across, but it was effective in getting everyone to quiet down and listen to her. After a few moments she was faced with a veritable sea of herself, most of them listening attentively for her to begin.

She took a deep breath before starting. "Alright, so you're all here because you heard what happened at the challenge of that Mad Scientist, the one that was supposed to be fair but probably wasn't. And now you want me to teach you all how to use the psychic powers that I got too." It made sense. They were based on the same general physical and mental parameters, so if she could do it and it was a replicable process (in order for it to be passed from one body to another) then presumably they could achieve the same feats.

She gestured back towards the table where all the drinks were. "From what I was told, all those drinks were laced with drugs that are designed to 'liberate' your mind, activating psychic potential. That will help, since to be honest I'm not entirely sure how well this is going to work." It was better to try and fail than not try at all. Hopefully the Machina didn't mind all the appropriated drugs though. Eh, it would probably be fine. They could make more.

Several of the girls nodded in approval, with a couple more cheering. "Come on, don't hold back on us now," someone in the back called. "We're all gonna need those tricks."

"I won't," Tatiana reassured them. Her gaze swept the crowd once more before giving a determined nod. "We'll break into groups for this. Follow my instructions, and we'll see if you guys can measure up to the best the Machina has to offer." At the very least, this was going to be interesting, and she set to work without hesitation.

[Lonewolf685]

Hildr Reinhardt

"Yah, yah, I hear you. Don't let the rank and file know you're booking a seat on the first flight to Albaquerque till its too late. Waaaaay ahead of you."

And by way ahead, Hildr meant she was on her way back to her place to wait for the coming apocalypse. Whether it was Ragnarok or the onslaught of greenery in Lucille's wake was anyone's guess, but she wasn't so keen to be the tip of the spear this time around. Hildr was all for dying, every Valkyrie was and it was the best part of the job some days, but in either apocalyptic instance there were worse things then death to deal with.

"At least give us a head's up if you want to Ragnarok the Nexus. I'd like to skip town before it burns around me."

---

Ananta

"Oh, forgive me for being so forward, Lady Celene. We aren't properly acquainted, but you are something of a celebrity among intelligent serpent kind. I was momentarily overwhelmed meeting you in person." Ananta said, composing herself into a more fitting semblance of civility and resting upon her wound coils.

"I'll be joining your mother in the coming battle, and while I doubt she will require my assistance, I will do everything in my power to ensure she returns to you as swiftly as possible."

And also she couldn't really stay sleeping on that rock forever. Even a snake could cook in its own skin like that.

---

Luci

Amidst the chaotic throne room of Hell, the doors would open to once again admit a seaweed haired woman resplendent in checkered red and starched white with a matching parasol to boot. Only this time she was half Lucille's height and her form has a moist, slightly transparent look to it.

She looked across the cavalcade of demons with wide, eager eyes the size of dinner plates, taking in the spikes of Mephilus' armor and the unconsciously flapping wings along Ira's back with a universal sense of wonderment, right until she spotted the one she so closely resembled.

"Mamma!" Luci shouted with all the warmth of a child returning home, her short legs dashing across the chamber with reckless abandon. So much so she'd actually failed to notice a being as large as Balrog wasn't in fact a poorly placed supporting pillar, and ran smack dab into his meaty leg. Rather then fall over with a pained nose, the child momentarily lost her cohesion and became a blob of emerald slime, curving around the limb and reforming mid leap on the other side to land upon the Queen of Hell's lap.

"Hehe, your new garden is amazing momma. I can't wait to start planting seeds everywhere." Luci said, her voice pegging her age somewhere in the range of six to nine if they couldn't judge by her miniaturized form as she clung to Lucille and nuzzled her chest. "Ooh, and are all these people your new farm hands? I bet we can plough so many fields with all these knights and- Is that a puppy girl and Frog?! Ehehe!"

Now she was bouncing upon the Queen of Hell's lap, one finger trying to wave and point at Artoria and Frog at the same time.

@KoL@TheWindel@Awesomoman64@Banana@Mega Birb

[Inner Demon]

B.E.A.S.T

_BGM

Deteriorated infrastructure creaked out, accompanied by the soft hollow howl of wind which blew through the aged factory Miyu entered. Her footsteps hissed out as she stepped across the gritty floor, covered in a thin layer of dust. She was greeted by the dull smell of stale air and somber lighting. Footsteps rapped out, echoing amongst the silence as the angel waded blindly through the blurry environment. The dim neglected lighting within the factory didn't help her obscured vision. Shadows mingled ominously in the darker recesses around the angel, encroaching as she moved along the wall from room to room. Reaching finally to grasp at a desk covered in random tools and mech related items, Miyu wouldn't be able to help but feel as though something stalked her steps.

Mechanical parts and metal instruments were sent clattering to the floor, fiercely knocked off the desk as something massive vaulted over it. Wind briskly blew over Miyu's body followed promptly by the feeling of being collided into by an enormous form. Gravity went topsy turvy as she felt herself spun around and grappled, knocking away some of her loose possessions. The firearm went off, bursting a spray of bullets out through the barrel. Each bullet clanged hollowly as they ricocheted into Beast's maw which was latched onto the tip of the gun at the suicidal Angel's ear. She could hear the monsters rough breaths bellowing out loudly next to her head. The sound of the gunshots were muffled and ultimately halted as the crushing force of Beasts jaws locked up the slide on the firearm and pinched the barrel closed.

The two went spiraling out of the swiveling chair and tumbled across the floor in a blur of metal and feathers, crashing through a wall and landing with a heavy scraping thud in a heap of debris and books from a toppled bookshelf. In spite of the jarring motion that had suddenly overtaken Miyu, the gunshots, or the impacts that followed upon being tackled through a wall, the Angel was surprisingly unharmed. She found herself splayed on her back with the towering metal monstrosity hanging over her, clutching her with the smaller arms on its abdomen.

Snatching the gun away from Miyu, Beast gobbled up the scrap of a firearm before looking back down at the collapsed angel. Its eyeless gaze and dagger filled maw grew close, scanning over her for a few moments before receding. Dust and bits of the wall crackled to the ground as Beast unhanded Miyu and withdrew from above her. The subtle crunch of glass cracked out as her glasses were crushed beneath Beast's heel. Tilting its head and sitting on the floor with its larger arms between its legs, the massive mechanical monster continued to watch the angel expectantly.

_{---
@The 42nd Gecko
---}

Zak

At this point Zak was relaxed against the trunk of the towering tree house, his fingers clasped together behind his head as he rested in the shade with a straw hat he had acquired in the time it took for Harley to finally grace him with her presence. The sitting golem sluggishly greeted her with a dopey wave before a passing butterfly stole its attention. Having cooled off, the creature was mostly stone, sloppily held together by a few flames and strings of molten material. In time, Zak managed to notice the patterned girls arrival. It took a moment, but he managed to pass a glance in her directing from beneath the shadow of the straw hat. A brief yawn escaped him as he stretched before he cracked his knuckles and greeted the annoyed girl with a casual half smile.

"Oooh...Well well, will ye look at that. She came after all the wee lass! Ah was startin ta think ye'd gone an went on hiatus er whatever madness yer lot gets into. Was jist gon'ta set up shop an' melt the bleethering bag o' bolts down fer parts. Make m'self a new coat rack er some manner o' back scratcher. Luckileh fer the lot o' whats left o' em, Ah could'na found me ol' smelter pot. Ye jist know the bloody thing es somewhere in the mess. Alas, Ah didn't 'ave the patience fer et. But Ah did find me hat! Like it?" Zak paused, noticing the snide tone in Harley's voice. "Waistin yer time? Oh Ah'm sooo sorry. Shal Ah pause an take a moment en silence fer yer bloody precious time miss 'oooh Ah'm gon ta send ye into battle cause ah'm bored,' no name havin, false treasure offerin, height deficient nobody lass?"

Zak stood up, his grin faded, and snapped his finger. On cue, the golem turned towards them, and opened the massive maw across its large molten belly. A few scraps of what was left of Marquise clattered out onto the floor. Namely his arms and the gnarled, warped pieces of titanium that were once his legs. The head and upper torso laid, still in relatively good condition, splayed out on the rocky tongue of the massive creature, displayed like a child showing off their chewed food. Zak looked down at Harley, His elbow propped against the tree, and briskly motioned toward Marquise. "Tell me how this shineh foil covered glorified toaster es supposed to be worth anythin' ta some slightleh more glorified boss toaster, if anythin at all, an' what do Ah get out o' et?"

The golem bellowed a whine, as Zak reached down and picked up one of the severed arms, shaking it about as he spoke. "Ah may 'ave accepted yer little deal to go throw me self into that fiesta of a battle, but if this pea shooter and the tin can that used it is all Ah 'ave ta show fer it, then I don't see any benefit or point ta ye crazy bloody ramblin's about special brands o' fun or worth while ventures." He tossed the arm in with the rest of Marquise. "Ye pulled one over on me. Ye got ta almost get me killed in a pointless war in some mundane game o' floatin island hopscotch an' didnae even provide good whiskey ta do et with. Yer by far, the worst deal maker Ah've had the displeasure o' meetin if ya think this bot es worth anythin more than the rocks stuck to me heel. So tell me, why are ye wastin MY time ye numpty blatherin enigma of a lass?"

_{---
@TheWindel@Mega Birb
---}

[KoL]

J U N O

Current Location: Celestia, Imperator's Throne Room

"Hey why are yo-" Juno tried to complain once more to Zeruel but the loud Angel had already left the room, prompting the ire of the purple-clad warrior. The atmosphere in the Throne Room became literally heavy as Juno's irritation with Zeruel's lack of consideration was made manifest in the form of dark wisps of spatial energy bleeding from her silhouette.

Before long, Juno turned to Celene (who also looked none too pleased to be there) and said, "Hmm, let's go, Celly. I'm sure we still can talk with Leyona and the Star Lady, or your friends if we ar—" However, before she could finish, Ananta walked —or better, slithered— in the Imperator's chamber and greeted them, especially Celene.

"Snake Lady?" Juno asked with a surprised tone to her voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't like fighting. Unless you came to do the same thing as Torag." Naturally, Juno was talking about Torag's idea of siding with the other factions, which wasn't a bad idea f 'they' were involved.

"Fufufu... Wahahaha!" A sinister laughter echoed somewhere on the Stygian depths of Hell just as an azure star streaked through its blood colored skies. Any who bore witness such an ominous sight would be excused if they got chilled to their very marrow. Even in a bleak realm such as Hell there were times when people knew that things were going to turn for worse, after all.

Not long after the star of destruction would crash through the windows of Hell's throne room, landing right about Balrog's feet. The baleful luminescence receded before long, revealing the stunning form of a demon girl... prone, with her eyes resembling small spirals as stars quite literally spun around her head. "Whoa! That was a rougher landing than I thought it would be..." She said half consciously, before falling again.

@TheWindel @Mega Birb @Lonewolf685 @Banana @floodtalon @Awesomoman64 @Lmpkio @The 42nd Gecko

[Mega Birb]

His warning effectively snubbed by a shortsighted plan from both Deva and Zeruel, Torag nodded respectfully to his faction's leader before putting his hood back on and pacing his way out, having nothing else to say to anyone there. As he passed through the door, he muttered to himself about how arrogant the Laguna had been. If it had been possible to put Gregorovic down for good, he would've done it centuries ago when he first learned of his existence.

As he walked down the hall, an idea struck him, that everyone had two defenses. Physical and mental, and there were few that could protect both at once, himself among them. He'd have to work on that, for sure, but it did give him some level of insight on how to counter certain members of the other factions. And as luck would have it, he noticed someone floating down the hall that could assist in the matter. She looked a little shaken for one reason or another, though it wasn't really a concern of his at the moment. "Abigail, if you have a moment, please walk- er... float, with me." He beckoned for her to come over, turning slightly.

@Banana@Lmpkio

---

---

///INITIATING SYSTEMS CHECK///
///JUDGEMENT PROCESSORS: ONLINE///
///AI CORE: ONLINE///
///TITANIUM DANDY MK.I: CRITICAL ERROR - SEEK REPAIR IMMEDIATELY///
///OVERCLOCKER.EXE: ONLINE///
///TEMPORALDISTORTION.EXE: OFFLINE///
///HOODINI MK.IV: CRITICAL ERROR - SEEK REPAIR IMMEDIATELY///
///BINDLEBANE MK.II: CRITICAL ERROR - NOT LOCATED///
///VOCALIZATION SYSTEMS: ONLINE///

From within the golem Zacharias had used to collect his body, an amount of static would be heard as Marquis' singular eye came back to life. Soon after, his head twitched slightly as several sparks flew from his neck. The AI caught sight of one of his arms in the hands of his captor, and beyond that, a girl that looked to be made from patchwork that he could've sworn he recognized. A quick scan of his memory provided a single file on powerful, trans-Nexus beings that seemed to use the place as a plaything. However, there still wasn't a name to put with the face. From what he could tell, he was in quite the predicament if he was where he thought he was. Well, there was one way to figure out just how screwed he was.

"Excuse me, but... where am I, exactly? I need to get back to Hyperion."

@Inner Demon@TheWindel

---

---

The Faceless One stepped from the shadows of behind Lucille's Throne once again, this time less ravenous due to Mephilus now missing a good chunk of his home's staff, however still with his constant hunger gnawing at him. There were even more people here than there were previously, including a hulking amalgam of Machina weaponry and demonic flesh, a succubus in blue, and a child made from plant matter and slime. "Huh, Hell's really let anyone join up since I disappeared..." Electing to say little else for the moment, he moved over to the newly-broken window and opened up a small portal beneath the shards, the other side opening outside and dumping sharp glass on whoever was unfortunate enough to be passing below. "Abinsthe, glad to see you're still around. Thought everyone I knew had up and left the Nexus while I was gone. Guess I was wrong," he admitted, flicking some glass off the ledge before leaning on it and crossing his arms.

"Oh, and I'm ready to head out whenever. I'm in no rush, but still, just give the word."

@KoL@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@Lmpkio@TheWindel@Lonewolf685@The 42nd Gecko

[Gardevoiran]

FROG

WHAT IN THE 7 CIRCLES IS GOING ON NOW?

The Frog was busy taking everything in as he stood next to Artoria, awaiting his fate of being turned into a froggy girl, when all of a sudden everyone and their sister was entering the throne room of Hell, including a smaller version of Lucille from the looks of things. While it was interesting to point out that there was the all-powerful jester of Hell in the room, alongside the best bar-maiden in Hell, and all of that fun stuff, a clever idea popped into the Frog's head as he walked towards the smaller Lucille who was energetic and excited about pointing him and Artoria out to her mother. He stood a couple of feet in front of Artoria as he bowed and spoke towards the young girl. "Hello, my princess! What shall I refer to you as?" The Frog technically wasn't wrong in calling her a princess, as she appeared to be the daughter of Lucille, who was a queen.

@TheWindel@The 42nd Gecko@Lonewolf685

[TheWendil]

❀ Lucille ❀
^{Current Location: Hell}

“Yes, yes. You go do that,” Lucille said to Ghelgath’s words. Honestly, was everyone in Hell a raging buffoon? Hadn’t she just made it clear that actions would gain her attention and not bleeding speeches of proclamation? Had she wanted some monologuing, she would have gone and invaded the Heavens. Sadly, it was looking like she wouldn’t have time to consider even that because as one Demon left her chambers, three more popped up in Ghelgath’s place.

“I’m your new Queen now. Get over it,” she hissed at Balrog before flicking her gaze to consider Henry’s words. “You’ll have your chance. For now, we regroup and consider our next best strategy. News of the next battle should carry over soon enough-Luci, get off. Momma is working right now.”

The sudden appearance of a miniature Lucille, for lack of a better term, did nothing to surprise or excite the Black Goat. Yet for a moment her presence flickered from wanting to kill everyone in the room to only being mildly irritated. “Yes Luci. That is a frog. A very important frog too. But even though he’s important, he’s gone and gotten on Momma’s bad side,” Lucille said, turning an unblinking stare onto the Frog. Like a raptor considering the next course of action for its prey, she waited in turn for Frog to defend himself under her watching eyes.

Only after a few lingering moments did she rip her gaze away and acknowledge the other bumbling idiot of an elephant in the room. “Is there any particular reason you are here Absinthe? I thought I threw you in a pit somewhere,” she said, ignoring Gregorovic behind her. She couldn’t be expected to pay attention to everyone who thought it was a field day in the Throne Room.

Back in Heaven, Celene didn’t know quite how to react to Ananta’s advances aside from a, “Yeah, sure,” and an occasional, “That’s sounds nice.” She did say, “Oh, you can drop the ‘Lady” part. It gets old after some time. Also, wouldn’t mother be the one protecting you?” Her expression of boredom only rose when she felt her mother’s annoyance manifest in a physical force. Before she could realize what exactly had gone and pissed off Juno this time, it was already gone.

“Huh? You know this woman mom?” Celene asked. She looked at first Ananta and then at Juno, darting her eyes until she felt like her skull would be spinning in place. In hindsight, it made sense; if Ananta knew Juno, logic dictated that Juno would know the other snake as well. Right? Whatever. Celene’s head was too busy reeling to make rhyme or reason or even care why she was here in the first place.

In other places and elsewhere, Harley was shrugging off Zak’s criticisms and words of claims. “It’s not my fault you need me to hold your hand and baby you. Couldn’t even start dismantling the robot butler without me, could you? Well, that’s fine. I’ll hold your hand this time ‘big boy’,” she said.

She was about to ask where Marquis even was, but-oh wait, she already knew the answer. Harley wrinkled her nose as the slobbering mess of a Machina was deposited at her feet, the robot in very much multiple pieces. “Hey, it’s not my fault you’re a shitty judge of character. If you knew I was going to hoodwink you, you should have declined my offers then. I can’t account for the idiocy of others,” she said before Marquis began to speak.

“Well would you look at that. The scrap metal lives! Oh, woe is the tale of Zak, who couldn’t even shut his treasure up!” Harley said with flair and a wave of her arms. “He’s supposed to be some kind of advisor to Queen Eos herself. Pretty sure I told you that bit already. Or maybe you’re just not interested in learning the secrets of Hyperion and the Machina. It’s really not my concern anymore.”

---

@Banana, @Lmpkio, @The 42nd Gecko, @floodtalon, @Awesomoman64, @Mega Birb, @KoL, @Inner Demon, @Lonewolf685

[Lmpkio]

Mephilus Baal Asmodeus

@TheWindel@Mega Birb@KoL@Lonewolf685@Awesomoman64

Mephilus looks upon the rest of the other demons, with three more demons popping out as soon as Ghelgath left the scene. He doesn't know much about the Ice Lich, but he does know how loyal he is to King Rufus. A shame that he hasn't recognized how the balances of power shift randomly, some more, and some less. For a chaotic realm like Hell, its an eventuality that cannot be denied. Oh well, he might as well have to start learning now.

Either way, the first demon to pop back into Hell was the massive hulking Barlog. The reanimated corpse is indeed a powerhouse to be very wary of when fighting, but to Mephilus, "The Titan Slayer", he's simply just a mere brute. A mindless drone that lacks the fluent speech for sheer brawn. He has fought much larger demons and angelic creatures more powerful than him and won, even during the early years of his old Master. In fact, the Phantom Armor was designed for that particular purpose, to shield and fight back against these giant malevolent monsters. Still, he had to admit that Barlog has the tenacity to keep fighting for long periods of time.

Suddenly, the Knight hears the main doors open to reveal a little girl running in crying mama as if she was a little human girl coming back from elementary school. Mama? Who's this Mama? After the little girl examined the entire room, even looking at the daunting spikes jetting from Mephilus' armor and running into Barlog's leg by accident. He had to slightly chuckle at that. He isn't made of stone after all. Then the little girl runs over to this mama of her's... why who happens to be the new Queen of Hell herself of all things. This was rather surprising to him. Through all of Hell's leaders that he's seen, very few actually had offspring to support and ensure that their legacy will go on. Of course, they were either assassinated by rogue demons before taking their father/mother's place or they were killed as swiftly as they got on. Perhaps this daughter may prove to be a valiant successor, Luci as Lucile called her. Talk about some narcism.

"I did not realize you actually had a daughter Queen Lucile." he remarks back to her, "I actually wouldn't have guessed if she didn't show herself just now."

And then the third new demon came crashing into the throne room from above. Mephilus simply stood there as several small pieces of debris hit his armor like nothing. He didn't even flinch or bother to take his shield out. When he finally got a good look at the newcomer, the Knight instantly notices the different coloration she supported. She resembled closely to that of Ghelgath as a matter of fact, yet seemed to lack the chilly wind that a Frost incubus or succubus would produce when near them. Apparently she's known as Absinthe, which literally sounds to him like 'Abs in the ______". This is a demon he did not recognize for the years he's been in Hell, though it seems Gregorovic knows her.

Speaking of him, he still owes Mephilus several pieces of furniture in his castle. He simply glares at the Faceless One with annoyance for a brief second before turning back to the crowd in front of him...

[Gardevoiran]

Abigail

Abigail turned to face the draugr when he called for her, wondering why exactly she was being called in the first place. She had originally planned to try and go find the harpy that gave her such an unpleasant dream by trying to tell him to take the dream, but... she didn't really know how to make him take the dream back. With a quick nod of her head, the specter floated towards Torag and began to follow beside him down the hallway.

@Mega Birb

[The 42nd Gecko]

Artoria, Master of the Maniacal Menagerie

Artoria HAD been posed to strike and have her way with Frog, when suddenly all the things happened. Like seriously, all the things. New people, new monsters, new monster people. Artoria was so distracted looking between all the people, paw still raised to strike, that she rather forgot what she was doing. Lucille had a daughter? There was a giant machina demon? There was another normal looking demon?

If Frog had wanted to run away, this was the time, given Artoria was looking in every direction but his. But he hadn't before, and so it seemed unlikely that he would now. Besides, running away was usually a good way to inspire dogs to chase you.

@Banana

[Lonewolf685]

Ananta

The naga was a might bit disappointed in herself for boring the young snake with her dry conversation, and seeing the polite nods so thinly veiled was all the more apparent when her last charge was suffering from a nasty case of constant deadpan expression syndrome. She was ready to consign herself back to the sun rock when Celene's interest was renewed with discovering Ananta was acquainted with her mother, something she could work with.

"Yes, I know your mother. I was care taker to a very close associate of hers, so I cater to some of their parties if my Mistress is to indisposed." Though to say she could cook well was akin to saying the Specialist of Everything was Gordon Ramsey. Ananta blinked, recalling she actually had some light business to relay with Juno. It took a moment to consider her words as she was quite pointedly told not to use actual names here in heaven. Something about nepotism or treason, she really couldn't recall at the moment.
"Ah, and before i forget, Lady Juno, the...Eel would like to invite you over for dinner with the Idol and Electric Princess next weekend. She would have relayed the message herself but Deva would not take kindly to her presense up here in heaven. That's more or less the reason I am here, providing a perspective she'd be too troubled to maintain."

"Also Lady Ruma has suffered a small mental breakdown and went off to Tahiti for a vacation, so I really have no one to attend to at the moment." She could only hope the cause of said mental breakdown in Shiva wouldn't rear her head in the Nexus, or they would all know true mental anguish.

---

Luci

"Oh, okay Momma!"

Ever the dutiful child Luci hopped off Lucille's lap with the tiny cheer that only came from a child delighted to just be there. She'd have rather seen her momma smiling but even the child knew that wasn't liable to happen in such a crowded place. Then again, Luci wasn't smiling as widely when she heard that the Frog had made her mother angry.

"What?! How could you do that to my Momma, Mr. Frog?!" She said, stamping her foot as she wheeled upon the sentient puppet, face quite literally boiling within her slimy head. "The only people momma should be mad with is pappa when she's lazy, not you. You aren't pappa, or my aunts."

The child-like slime had half a mind to put her loli sized parasol to work and show Lucille that her daughter had been paying rapt attention when she fertilized the fields, yet didn't raise her clenched hands in the face of knowing this was an important Mr. Frog. Consoling herself that the mean glare was all she would be giving this frog that she really would have wanted to like under better circumstances, she raised her parasol imperiously and pointed to Artoria.

"Puppy Lady, fetch Mr. Frog and I'll give you a treat!"

Unlike her mother, Luci was willing to offer a carrot on the end of her stick.
@KoL@TheWindel@Banana@Mega Birb@The 42nd Gecko

[Gardevoiran]

The Frog

The Frog raised his hands in slight fear when Lucille slammed her gaze onto him, with his hands raising even farther when Luci got angrier at him. There was only one thing he could do to try and defend himself at the current moment, and that was to try and plead to the reason why he did what he did. "I-If I may try to defend myself, I-I tried to do something that n-nobody else here could do, and take control of the H-Heavens for your mother, Princess Luci. Then a dragon threw me into an i-incinerator and I was forced back here."

When Luci brought up that she'd give a treat to Artoria, the Frog's fear only increased exponentially as he cowered into a ball on the ground. "No please! I was just cleaned!"

@TheWindel@The 42nd Gecko@Lonewolf685

[Mega Birb]

Disregarding the look he got from Mephilus, Gregorovic let a smile creep onto his psuedo-face as he pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning on. He took a short second to shake the tiny shards of glass from his hands, which had been on the stone window sill despite his cleaning efforts. While he slowly strode on over to the cowering puppet, he let his arms swing freely, giving off an uneasy vibe to anyone that would notice. Once there, he turned his grin to Artoria before bending over and swiping the creature off the ground by its head. "Want the puppet Artie? Do ya? Do ya?" Giving him a light toss into the air, he pointed his left hand down at the floor and opened up a swirling portal, the matched pair appearing at a 45-degree angle over his head. He then caught his victim again. And so, with everything in place, Gregorovic wound up and spiked the Frog into the portal, sending it out the other end to soar across the throne room like some majestic, green bird.

"Fetch!"

[Flood]

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

@The 42nd Gecko@TheWindel@Mega Birb@Banana@Lonewolf685@Lmpkio

---

Henry nodded with a bored look ok his face as Lucille basically said, wait around for stuff to happen. Lame. Some random demon burst through the window, Henry didn't even bother blocking the glass shards, instead just letting the glass bounce off his usual invisible armor. He looked at the girl for about 5 seconds before deciding she was alright at best.

A fucking clown walked put from behind the throne and Henry gave him a questioning look. What kind of self respecting demon wears clown makeup? Super tacky. Frog tried to suck up to the Queen's daughter, woah the queen has a daughter, and failed miserably as she got angry at Frog. Frog curled up in a ball out of fear and the furry was standing around like a fucking idiot. Great.

"Alright I'm super bored now. Time to shake things up." Henry started to run towards Frog who was still cowering in fear when the clown picked him up and opened a portal. Ooh, this was gonna be good. Henry pulled out a baseball bat from his own portal, getting in a stance vaguely similar to a professional batter, and waited for the pitch.

Gregorovic tossed Frog through the portal and he went sailing towards Henry at high speeds, he narrowed his eyes and swung. "I'M GOING FOR THE HOMERUN!" Henry connected with a solid thump and Frog went sailing out the window, his freedom all but guaranteed as long as he took the time to run like one of his servants ran from his hounds.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Artoria, Master of the Maniacal Menagerie

Gregorovic definitely had Artoria's attention. As Gregorovic tumbled the poor Frog creature around, Artoria's head followed every move, even the more portalrific ones, from her sitting posiition. Mephilia's nine floofy tails swished back and forth with an audible ~Thwumph Thwumph Thuwmph~. Ira's wings raised up, tensing for action. Her pangolin claws dug into the ground beneath her. And then he threw it, and Artoira leaped after it with all her might and speed, teeth first.

And given Artoria's might and speed, or rather Artoria and Ira and Mephila's combined might and speed, Henry should really watch out. As his bat collided with Frog, Artoria was mere inches behind the arc of the bat, and moving with enough speed and force to send the pair of them colliding through the throne room wall into the next room. And the next room after that. And the next room after that. And then a considerable portion of the backdrop volcano for ominous lighting purposes of Hell's capital.

Unlike when Juno had hit Henry with such force into a volcano, this would not hurt one bit. Except to the pride. That might hurt a good bit more depending on Henry's feelings about being an animal girl.

@Mega Birb@floodtalon@Banana

[Gardevoiran]

The Frog

A few moments passed before the Frog reappeared in the middle of the air, landing directly on top of Luci's head, although it was a gentle impact. The Frog, quickly realizing what just happened, leaped down onto the floor and began to croak an apology out to the head he landed on. "I am so sorry for landing on your head, princess. I didn't mean to re-spawn there, but I did... sorry." The Frog desperately tried to apologize, but the only thing that he thought he could do to try and apologize with was with the only thing he could do really damn well...

"Can I sing you a song to make it up to you...?"

@TheWindel@floodtalon@Lonewolf685@The 42nd Gecko@Mega Birb

[Lucius Cypher]

Francisca Labrys Seax Luxuria

After what felt like a few months in solitary confinement, Fran had finally managed to escape the cliches of Heaven. How? Probably died. Which was fine by her, despite the reputation a many heaven was actually pretty boring. Or maybe their prisons were just boring? Either way, it was good for Fran to be back home. Word on the street was that Hell had got through Rufus and his replacement in a span of a day. Now they had some new leader whom Fran's never met before. Of course, some demons were still squabbling among themselves to take over Hell, but that wasn't unusual. That's been happening ever since someone thought it was a good idea to put all these overpowered egomaniacs together and make them chose a leader. Fran just wanted in on the fun.

She thought about contacting Suparna, but last Fran checked her sweet lolita had flown the coup. Where she was now Fran wasn't sure, but she hoped she'd come back. Until then she decided to try to make some new friends with the new leader of hell and her inner court. Finding them was easy enough; just had to follow the sound of shenanigans. Soon enough she was in the throne room. "Hey hey hey! Look who's back! What'd I miss?" If today's court was like before, she expected a few jabs and attacks to come in her direction in about ten seconds.

@Banana@The 42nd Gecko@floodtalon@Mega Birb@Lonewolf685@TheWindel

Endian-01

Back at the Machina City, Krieg had decided look for a new host for Mu-01. To that end he decided to go and take another Endian body, figuring that since he hasn't seen her in a while, her line must have been decommissioned. He didn't stay long at the factory, taking the first one that caught his eye. This version was more predominately red; that must mean it was a good one. The heterochromia was weird, but Krieg didn't think it'd matter all too much. Securing his Black Box within the new host, he christened the body as "Endian-01" largely because he lacked creativity.

Now that business was settled, Endian-01 had other things to do. The first and foremost was that she needed to find something to do. As with all new host bodies, a personality and a general feel for the body will develop overtime the longer Krieg's spirit inhabits the body. So all Endian needed to do was find situations to put herself in and go with the flow. This way she'd have a better idea of who she is and what she's capable of. But what to do? She can't exactly go about picking fights in the city. Or can she? Perhaps she should get into street race. But that would require having a car. Or stealing one. Yet somehow, that idea didn't seen too bad. Was this Endian talking or Krieg? Only one way to find out.

Finding a car was easy enough. This was the machina capital after all, everyone had a vehicle (Except Endian of course). However the impulse to steal a vehicle just wasn't there. There were many, yet Endian felt... Picky. Nothing she saw satisfied her. Perhaps it was because of their design; many types of hover craft and fast moving vehicles, but she wanted something more old school. Something on wheels. And that wasn't easy to find. Antiques like that were rare and expensive. Not that money was ever an issue for Endian, who simply stole everything she wanted or needed. But this time she needed information. She needed to know where to get a car.

"But where?"

[Ryonara]

Hibiki & Shizuka

These past few days have been a blur for the sisters. Hibiki went about upgrading her gear while Shizuka just kept training. Usual soldiering things. After the last battle they felt rather embarrassed at losing to the demons. For all their bravado they didn’t exactly bring the heat. Worse still, it’s almost as if their efforts as commanders meant nothing in actual battle. Reading the after battle reports everyone on the Machina faction were simply too spread out and disorganized to coordinate a proper offensive effort. Too many rogue agents who don’t have to follow a chain of command. Many who simply don’t. Bastion and Nu-Mu were outside of Hibiki and Shizuka’s command, and the likes of Grafdakka and Alexi just don’t. Bonesword and Titania at least can follow orders, and Hibiki personally felt that she’s been overlooking them. Or maybe she’s just too bossy.

Hibiki realized this when, a few days after they returned from that battle, she had an argument with Shizuka. Normally Shizuka never argued with her; she just kept following Hibiki through thick and thin. Always the loyal sister. But one day when Hibiki and Shizuka were suppose to go training again, Shizuka refused. She wanted to take the day off. This completely caught Hibiki off guard; not only did Shizuka not do what Hibiki told her, but it was Shizuka, the more combative and dutiful of the two, who wanted a vacation. Hibiki… Didn’t react well. All the stress she’s had acting as commander came crashing down on Shizuka, blaming her for their defeats and their lack of coordination. Heaven’s forces were too strong to play around with and for all the chaos the demons sow among themselves, they had highly competent strategists. And what did the machinas have? Glamorous elites who don’t answer to anyone, without nearly as much power to justify it. Their enemies were literally gods, and yet some of these people think they can actually go toe-to-toe with them?

Yet at the same time Shizuka made it quite clear that Hibiki’s methods weren’t going to work. No one was going to follow her orders just because she told them too, or that her ideas are even good. If the past battles were any indication, teamwork and cooperation were nice in concept but infeasible in application. They lost because they couldn’t react quick enough; the enemy wasn’t going to wait for everything to line up perfectly. The Machina needed specialists who can strike hard, strike fast, without so much set up to pull it off. That’s why Bastion and Nu-Mu don’t follow the chain of command; their duties were precisely to provide the type of shock and awe the enemy has, but for the Machina forces. If Hibiki wanted to feel useful, she needed to match their strength. That’s what Shizuka intended to do, but she also knew that she had to do it her own way. Ever since the Alchemist removed her inhibitions, Shizuka figured out what was holding her back; her sister.

Since then the two haven’t really been on speaking terms. Shizuka trained on her own but also sought to be a person outside her sister’s shadow. Hibiki focused on her jobs as a maid and a commander, though her mind still lingered on her sister’s words. Was Hibiki really holding Shizuka back? Was she really too bossy, asking too much and not providing enough herself? Was she going about this all wrong? Part of Hibiki wanted to say no. Everything would work out just fine if people just followed orders. But somehow, she knew Shizuka was right. Hibiki had always been reliant on others to be her strength. She’s always needed Shizuka to carry her burdens while she did jobs that was easy to her. Even in the grand scheme of things Hibiki relied on the likes of Eos and the Machina faction to provide her weapons, skills, and intel, and none of it HIbiki could provide for herself even if she tried.

As much as Hibiki tries not to, she had to consider her strength compared to other commanders, both her allies and her enemies. She didn’t have their raw power, nor their vast intellect. She was just a human who’s somehow managed not to get killed so far. And if that was suppose to be Hibiki’s greatest accomplishment, than she really was a sorry commander. These were the thoughts going through Hibiki’s mind as she was flying her Falken, doing aerial maneuvers and stunts to hopefully help her win the next battle. In a moment of weakness she was unfocused, and in the midst of a midair sniping-into-hijacking attempting, her aircraft crashed into her and Hibiki was killed.

Moments later she respawned back at the airfield. She felt that this was enough training for today and went back to the city for a drink. She’ll drown her sorrows, think happy thoughts, and tomorrow she’ll pretend to feel better so hopefully karma returns the favor. Hopping back into her nissan Hibiki drove towards the city, dodging traffic and speeding through the streets towards her favorite karaoke bar. Maybe some singing could help Hibiki forget too.

---

Meanwhile Shizuka was out looking for a pet. As odd as it was, getting stronger wasn’t really that big of a deal to Shizuka anymore. Sure, after the Alchemist had removed her inhibitions, the first thing on her mind was how she could use it to get more powerful. But when she returned home Shizuka noticed all the wonderful things that she had missed before. The lights, the sounds, the entertainment, the people. A lot of people think the Machina of Man were all slaves to high Queen Eos, and in a way they were. The High Queen provided them safety, comfort, food, and luxury. Yet at the same time, she allows them to fight for her, and even lets the likes of Shizuka join their faction. Her word was law, true. But so far her words have been reasonable and not tyrannical. Before Shizuka refrained from indulging herself because she had believed all of it to be as fake and synthetic as the machines that fight for Eos. Yet somehow, seeing things with her own eyes, Shizuka didn’t see anything wrong.

It did make Shizuka wonder about her faction however. In her time with Heaven Shizuka was certainly sheltered. She was taught war yes, and she has been showed the sort of horrors the demons and machines commit to them. Yet somehow Shizuka had a feeling that not all is as it seems. Heaven made itself seem like the last bastion of decency. But the Machina have fared well for themselves. Shizuka wasn’t sure how the demons handled things, but somehow she felt that they quite like their lot in life. It was just a hunch. But the point was that now, Shizuka was truly naive; all the previous notions she had were gone. Now she can see what the other factions were like without the propaganda.

All in due time of course. Shizuka wasn’t going to go waltzing into Hell anytime soon, and she was almost certain that Heaven would strike her down the moment she stepped foot in their domain. But perhaps, as insane as this sounds, there could be a chance for peace. If she could just… See how similar these factions are, and connect them through that, perhaps they wouldn’t need to keep fighting. These were dreams Shizuka had. And slowly she’d work towards that dream. But first, for a simple goal: finding a puppy.

[Flamelord]

Tatiana Lorenz

The meeting had gone as well as could be expected. Some of her had picked up on it quicker than others, but overall Tatiana was glad that she had managed to succeed at all in the first place. She wasn't used to being a teacher, especially not for stuff like this. Though it might have been an unfair test considering she was essentially working with herself on a large scale. It prevented some difficulties that might otherwise have arisen during the course of that practice session.

Soon enough the gathering had broken up though, with some of her being pulled away to return to the war, while others wanted to sleep or relax or whatever else they felt like doing. Tatiana would wave goodbye and give her well wishes, hoping that things would be the same the next time they all met. She had to hope that there would be a next time, even with the uncertainty of the Nexus. If she didn't hold out that hope, then what would she have to live for, why would she continue with this path that she had chosen? Even she couldn't be like those robots, fighting eternally for the sake of fighting just because Eos said so.

Even with the gathering over though, she couldn't bring herself to go back home, not yet. There was nothing to go back to, just video games, tv, and all the mind numbing junk that was churned out to try and make you forget that a war was on. As fun as drugging herself out of her mind to forget her worries sounded, Tatiana liked to think that she wasn't quite that miserable. If she wanted to be like everyone else she wouldn't still be fighting in the military. Eos would probably let her retire if she wanted. Maybe. She wasn't entirely sure on that one, and didn't feel like finding out.

That had brought her to here, with the glowing lights and the loud music. Even if she was not the one who had been willing to drug herself, getting drunk was another story entirely. With some of her sisters to apply peer pressure, she hadn't stood a chance. It wasn't that bad, she reflected as she took a sip from an amber filled glass. One couldn't focus on the fighting all the time. now she just had to deal with her sisters trying to convince her to sing some godawful pop song filled with way too much synth for her liking. Still, better than getting shot at or eaten alive by acid any day of the week.

The ringing doorbell drew her attention away for a moment, and it did the same for her sisters as well. "Hey, ain't that Mega Maid? The one you told us about?" Tatiana nodded, though sh was also surprised. She hadn't been with them long, but she had gotten the impression that it was rare to see the two girls separated from each other. And with the expression she wore, it was clear that something was up.

"Hey, over here!" Before Tatiana could do anything, the same companion who had pointed out that Hibiki arrived acted. She rose in her seat, waving for the girl to join them at their table for four (with three of the seats currently occupied). Of course when she did walk over she would find that there were three Tatiana's sitting there, one with short black hair, one green skinned, and one looking much like the old Tatiana had. And all of them at least a little drunk. It was going to make for interesting times.

@Ryonara

[Ryonara]

Hibiki

The moment Hibiki entered the karaoke bar, someone recognized her. It was Titania... Titania, and Titania. While each one looked different from one another, Hibiki could recognized their faces were all the same. Hibiki wondered why until she remembered that Titania was a clone. Hibiki didn't know that the other clones were active at the same time though. Hibiki wasn't even sure if any of these three Titania's were the same one she's worked with before. But for the sake of her own sanity, Hibiki would pretend they are. "Hey Titania! Fancy seeing you here. I didn't know you sing." Taking a seat with the three Titania's, Hibiki flipped through the menu. She always chose the day's special instead of anything specific.

"Titania, you never told me you had sister's too! And triplets too. And here I thought I was the only one with a twin." Light-hearted banter. Hibiki knows that the Machina of Man employs mass cloning, so people with twins numbering in the hundreds wasn't unusual. She just didn't know that Titania was one of those clones. "I gotta ask though, do all of you go by Titania even among each other? That's got to be confusing." Hibiki wondered if they had serial numbers, like calling themselves Titania-1245 or something like that.

@Flamelord