[IC] Legend of Benkei

Unity Zone of Avaris: Capital City of New Anton

From far and wide they had come, joined together by one common goal. Obtain all seven of the legendary weapons. To prevent them from falling into the hands of the Denizens. Each individual has aspirations of their own for what they want to do once the weapons have been found. Some with good intentions, others with more selfish ambitions.

Regardless of each member's desires, working together was the only way they could hope to succeed. The Denizens were numerous and had many powerful adversaries amongst their ranks. Being just as determined if not more determined than those that oppose them.

Those that had been recruited for this arduous task of both locating, securing and fighting for the weapons if needed, had been carefully scouted. Each selected for their unique abilities and experience, only the finest receiving the offer to join the team.

They had been given an invitation to meet at the center of the city of New Anton within the HQ of The Unity Organization, told to bring with them whatever gear and equipment they would need. They had not been given much other information, as a means to keep information leaks under-wrap. Very little had been told to them, but it was likely that was why they had to come here in person.

The meeting hall of the HQ was lavishly equipped and food was readily available at a simple request. A few nearby attendants ensured that the esteemed guests received the proper treatment that warranted their recruitment. The hall's walls are adorned with various trophies and banners. A large picture of the most powerful nations leaders all in one spot together, framed in the center of the back wall. Lined with what looked to be high quality gold, lit up with magi-tech energy that surrounded its massive frame. Music filling the air of the hall with a tune that was quite dated by this day and age.

The hall was also lined with this magi-tech lightning from end to end, keeping the hall brightly lit and its pristine metallic floors glistening in its light. Running the length of the hall in the center was a long table with metallic looking chairs lining either side with one larger chair towards the far end. The hall was about fifty yards long and a good forty feet wide or more.

Once the guests had time to settle, they would have a chance to take in their allies, meeting them all for the very first time. Whoever summoned them had not arrived or been here when the others had gathered. Which gave them time to meet one another, whether it was on purpose or they just had not arrived or had another reason for it was not known. If asked, even the attendants did not have an answer for why they weren’t here yet. In the meantime, attendants brought them whatever food and drink that they requested if they so desired.

What mattered now was that this group of many differing ideals and backgrounds had all gathered in one place for the very first time. Whether they got along or butted heads was not important as long as the primary objective was fulfilled in the eyes of the Unity Organization. The first task that this group would undertake, having to come up with a name for their rag-tag task-force.

[Lugubrious]

Sinmara

Finally, today was the big day. After what felt like a lifetime of planning, research, scheduling and rescheduling, allocation of funds, requisition of necessary supplies, and exhaustive efforts to track down suitable candidates, this grand inaugural gala had successfully materialized. It was no mean feat to organize such a large-scale, fancy event in such a high-profile location without any compromising whispers getting out, but thanks to the careful selection of personnel and generous expenditure for silence, it had been achieved. To the average courtier this might have seemed like an impossible miracle, but in truth, it was just another day for the Unity Organization’s illustrious Comité D'événement, for which no act of logistics or coordination, no matter how immense or discreet, was impossible.

For her part, the Chairwoman could not be happier. Not a single magitech bulb flickered or shone too strongly, instead casting down the perfect amount of light to illuminate the rich colors of the Great Hall’s tapestries and sculptures. The vivid, voluminous rugs of exotic make were luxurious enough to make feather beds look like army cots. Some might call her choice of music antiquated, but those crystalline chimes, reverberant strings, and sonorous piano notes carried the gravitas of bygone glory days, giving this affair the atmosphere of grand importance it deserved. The mosaic tile floors, practically works of art in and of themselves were so polished that one could eat off them, though when it came to eating one need look no farther than the immense dining table, laden with pristine cloth and spotless cutlery. Though today its aged wood wouldn’t creak beneath the weight of a decadent feast, given the limited number of attendees, the kitchen staff were still hard at work to make sure the guests wanted for nothing. The Chairwoman had seen to that personally, only just now emerging from the kitchen so that she could stand at the end of the hall, clasp her hands behind her back, and survey her dominion with pride.

It took a lot to satisfy a perfectionist like herself, who ran such a tight ship that even New Anton’s garrison seemed lax in comparison. Of course, her own appearance was no exception. Her vermillion hair, expertly curled and parted to be half across her face and half behind her ear, shone like the setting sun. It perfectly suited her rich burgundy dress, done up as it was with elegant white ruffles and dark purple accents. Even a wealthy noblewoman, she expected, would turn green with envy at the sight of her. Right now everything was perfect, just as one would expect for the long-anticipated commencement of the hunt for the Seven Weapons.

At the height of the Chairwoman’s satisfaction, however, a loud, metallic slam echoed through the hall, followed by the sound of shattering china and a burst of loud, raucous laughter. Though shocked for a moment at the disturbance, her mouth slightly ajar, she quickly composed herself and hurried toward the source of the sound at a dignified yet urgent pace. A cluster of people had gathered about halfway down the dining room table, enough lingering around that the Chairwoman couldn’t immediately see what had transpired. “What happened? What’s going on?” she demanded as she drew near. At her approach the attendants and loitering Unity Organization members shrank back, revealing a scene that left her momentarily dumbfounded once more.

“Sheesh, that’ll teach me to get too comfortable, haha! What’re these made of, aluminum foil?” An unusual woman was just now picking herself up off the floor. Around her lay scattered the partially-crushed remains of her metal chair, the fragments of a plate, and a whole lot of splattered food that must have been stacked high upon it. At the woman’s place sat several more plates, most picked clean, but several featured multiple exquisite dishes piled together into an indiscriminate heap, blending flavors and textures never meant to go together–an affront to the culinarians’ craft! As if that wasn’t enough, her place had been left almost as messy as the floor, with blatant disregard for proper dining etiquette.

Only after being appalled by the woman’s wanton destruction of property and lack of basic manners did the Chairwoman really begin to observe the culprit herself. She looked like some kind of barbarian, an overgrown meathead stuffed into a cheap, ridiculous purple suit barely held together by black straps, its sleeves rolled up and its front left undone in an act of shameless public indecency. Even more bizarre was the musculature in her stomach–was that some sort of condition? Surely it couldn’t be natural. The Chairwoman had seen men with musculature like that, but never a woman. For several seconds she just stared, her mouth agape, until the woman glanced her way. “Hey there. Somethin’ up?”

Her words snapped the Chairwoman out of it, and she met the culprit’s eyes. The other woman had a curious look on her face, one eyebrow raised, as she put her sunglasses back on. Being inside, she put them on her forehead, nestled in her striking black-and-white striped hair that seemed to stretch all the way down to her knees, kept in check by a series of red bands. More unusual, though, were her tall, scarlet horns. Those didn’t look like accessories. Overcoming her shock, the Chairwoman held her arms wide. “W-what is the meaning of this!?”

“Oh, sorry! I just went to put my feet up and tilted over backward, haha.” Flashing her pointed pearly whites, the woman offhandedly shoved the debris under the table with her shoe.

“You tilted…? Wait, stop, don’t do that, just…” The Chairwoman lurched forward almost drunkenly, her peace of mind shattered by the disaster unfolding before her eyes. It was taking a lot of mental effort to keep her panic suppressed. “L-let’s just start over, shall we? What are you doing here, how’d you get in?”

As she finished brushing away the evidence and dragged out another chair (which gave a startling metallic shriek) to plop down in, the stranger gave the Chairwoman a quizzical look. “Hey, hey, one question at a time, huh? I’ve just, well, been eating and telling everyone stories. Uh, you guys brought me here, didn’t you? To help find the weapons.” A wide smile spread across her face. “I sure hope so, ‘cause I’ve been goin’ wild on all this free food! Great stuff by the way. Could use more protein though, haha! D’you mind getting me another plate of wings? They told me I’m not supposed to eat off the floor.”

Her flustered host blinked in astonishment. “I-I’m not a servant! Don’t you know who I am? I am Alexandrine Beausoleil-Brillant, head of Comité D'événement! This whole event’s my doing!”

Now the guest’s eyebrows went up. “Woof, that’s a name and a half! How about Lexi? You look like a Lexi. My name’s Sinmara!” With a grin Sinmara crossed her arms beneath her chest, leaning perilously far back in her chair again. “Monster hunter extraordinaire, heavyweight champion boxer, and the strongest woman in the world!”

“Do NOT call me that!” Lexi reddened, her lips curling in anger. She tried taking deep breaths, convincing herself that she could handle this. “Urk…so, you’re a monster hunter? We did reach out to your Guild. Never heard of a ‘Sinmara’ though.”

“Well, my legend’s just getting started!” Sinmara cut off a big hunk of steak and stuffed it in her mouth. “I’ve had a bunch of sick-ass fights already. Just ask these guys, I was tellin’ them all about it before you showed up!” She gestured around to the bystanders, who unanimously tried to avoid Lexi’s accusatory gaze. After a moment her irate stare settled on Oliver, her second-in-command. With a glare she took him aside, and Sinmara started up right where she left off. “Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, the hydra! Well, I wasn’t about to let it finish off the town’s livestock, so I followed the trail of blood all the way back to its lair in the swamp. This huge nest of twisted vines and bones. So it came at me, right? That scaly bastard tried to bite my head clean off. So I waited for just the right moment, then WHAM! Decked it with my killer right hook! Knocked it clean out, so I used my chainsaw to return the favor and carve its head off instead! But that wasn’t the halt of it, because the next second two heads grew right back! They grabbed my legs and pulled me through the mud, until…”

Lexi shut the story out to focus on admonishing Oliver. ”How could you let this happen?” she hissed.

“Well, technically she’s on the list,” the balding fellow replied. “When we contacted the Monster Hunter Guild, nobody showed any interest. Saying that the hunt’s a fool’s errand, and that only an idiot would agree to join. Sinmara’s the only one we got. She may be a bit coarse, but…”

“She’s ruining the party!” Lexi whispered back. “She’s probably just some yarn-spinning oaf who showed up for a free meal, and she’s making a laughingstock of us!”

Oliver furrowed his brow. “Everyone seems to like her. She’s clearly strong, and if even half of what she says is true, she’ll be a worthy addition to the team. And…well, look around, Alexandrine. We didn’t even get half a dozen. We need her.”

He’d been looking back at Sinmara as he spoke, and Lexi followed his gaze. She took in all the people gathered around the monster hunter, hanging on her every word and drowning her in attention. None could take their eyes off her, and after a moment even Lexi realized she was staring again. Jealousy coursed through her. Is THAT really all it takes? Turning red again, she snapped her fingers in front of Oliver’s eyes. “Hey! Are you sure you need her, or do you just ‘want’ her? Don’t fall for it. People can’t help but stare at car accidents, but that doesn’t mean they should. I’ll handle this.”

She approached Sinmara again just as the huntress was finishing her story. “...with my heart ablaze, my chainspear was burning at full throttle! With it slowed down from all the heads, I landed on its back and went to town ‘em, one at a time! As I cut through the necks, my Heartbreak’s red-hot teeth seared the wounds, meanin’ they couldn’t regrow! I took ‘em down one at a time, until finally the beast was slain! Sinmara thirty, hydra zero!”

“It took you thirty tries to figure out how to stop the heads regrowing, and you just kept doing it?” Lexi questioned, crossing her arms.

Sinmara chuckled as she drained her glass. “That’s right, hahaha! A riddle for the ages. Betcha not even a hundred men coulda solved it! Lucky the townsfolk had me on the case–the smartest woman in the world!”

Genuinely amazed by the monster hunter’s delusions, Lexi shook her head. “Why did you agree to join the search for the weapons, Sinmara?”

“Hm? Oh, ‘cause my mom told me to,” Sinmara replied matter-of-factly.

Lexi hung her head. “It truly is a sorry day that the Unity Organization has resorted to relying on someone like you.”

In the hush that followed, Sinmara only smiled. “Oh yeah?” She stood up, noisily bumping the table as she did, and approached her accuser. Intimidated, the Chairwoman backed up against the table, looking around for help. For now though, none of the onlookers dared interfere. “Don’t think I got what it takes, huh? You wanna piece of me, Lexi? Then let’s fight! Put up your dukes!” Her orange eyes gleamed with excitement. Grinning, she leaned forward and turned her head sideways, exposing the scar on her jaw. “C’mon, first one’s on me! X marks the spot!”

“L-like I’d ever debase myself with such a…a barbaric act!” Red as a beetroot, the Chairwoman slipped to the side to beat a hasty retreat.

After a moment Sinmara turned away with a sigh, shrugging. “Aww. You people are no fun.” With a dejected groan she plopped back down and pulled into her place at the table. “But hey, as long as there’s food, I’m not complainin’!” With the momentary disturbance over and the jovial mood somewhat ruined, the bystanders drifted away, and Sinmara resumed her meal.

[DracoLunaris]

Fae

- A little while before the party

“Good morning, Mr Enzoani. I’ll cut straight to the chase: it has come to our understanding that you have been recently contacted by a group known as the Denizens Of The Damned”

So spoke a plain looking man in a plain looking suit, hat and sunglasses who had arrived in a plain looking vehicle, and had then promptly invited himself into the back alley studio-clinic, while remaining undetected by all but one of the security systems, of the person he was addressing.

That person skilled in their work, fingers of ivory and gold pausing their dance across the spinal column of a woman who’s cybernetics he was repairing, before just as swiftly resuming what they had been doing. There where a few small flashes of arcana, and then the hands withdrew

“There, that should resolve the jitters you were having” the man who had been operating told his patient, before adding “Now rest assured, I could suture you back up in my sleep, so I hope you don’t mind if I speak with my ever so rude guest while I do?”

A mere courtesy, given that they were currently anesthetized.

The man turned around, leaving his mecha-tendrils to do the work of closing back up the patient’s back, and in so doing revealing his face to the plain man who had asked him a question. Even in the dim light of his out of the way clinic, and surrounded by the scent of blood, solder and sorcery the man still managed to look like an immaculate picture of beauty, at least if the multiple parts of body that had been replaced with cybernetic components didn’t ruin the view for you.

“Please, call me Fae darling, everyone else does” the doctor replied at last, before promptly pausing to take a small sip from a glass of water, and then continuing “well, everyone I’m on friendly terms with at least. Are we on friendly terms mr …”

“West” the plain man responded simply, before reminding the doctor that “I asked you a question, mr Fae”

“Yes, yes, I know I know, mr west” Fae replied, not at all believing that was his real name, yet also finding it interesting that Mr West had (mostly) bowed to his wish in terms of his preferred address. As a result of that, after setting the glass down, he explained that they had come “A few days ago in fact, attempting to harang me into assisting them with some farcical venture. Dark One this, new world order that. I turned them down, of course. I’ve been working the backstreets long enough to smell trouble a mile away, and those fellows positively reeked of it”

“We know”

“Yes well, spooks like have been trying to monitor me for long enough I quite hope that you know that I know-” Fea began to go on, only for the man to interrupt him by clarifying that what he knew was “That you turned them down”

Fae paused, before beginning to enquire “Then have you come to me to find out what they’re up to? Because I’m not particularly interested in-” before being cut off again by the clarification “We know that as well”

Fae raised a hand in light incredulation, and then sighed, before requesting to know “Then why, my dear, are you even asking?”

In response the plain man reached into his suit and handed Fae a golden envelope. After making a comment about how out of mode such a thing as the written word was, he sliced the letter open with a scalpel tipped finger and then proceeded to scan the contents, remaining eye widening and then narrowing as he did.

“You wish me to believe that not only was everything those delinquents said true, but that the illustrious Unity Organization seeks my help in trying to stop them” he said after he was done, before asking “Is this some kind of a joke?”

“Not at all” Mr West replied, before explaining that “As you know, we’ve been aware of you for quite some time, Mr Fae, and though I, we” he corrected himself “do not particularly approve of your work, we do believe that you are, as they might say, on the level. Your actions a few days ago are additional proof of that. You also have a particular set of skills that can be put towards the cause of keeping a rather … diverse team in one piece, as well as the combat skills to keep up with them” Mr West indicated to a hereto irrelevant carcass of a laser burn riddled and partially dissected nightmare of metal and flesh from the wilds that was taking up a large portion of the room.

“You’re also desperate, if you’ve come to me” Fae filled in “I’m hardly the only combat capable engi-tor in the world” though admittedly it wasn’t a particularly common profession “and if you couldn’t get them, what makes you think you can get me? You should already know I don’t take bribes or sell out, so what could you possibly-”

Mr West calmly pulled out another, much plainer, envelope and handed it to Fae. He rolled his remaining eye at this, and then opened and read the letter inside, this one, it seemed, personally written by a rather distinguished researcher who was now working at the UO. After reading through it twice, he had to conceded that “well then, it seems you have my attention”

"Then we shall inform the Organization to expect your arrival” Mr West replied, before snapping his fingers, and causing both of the letters to spontaneously combust and turn to ash in an instant.

“Yes yes. Now be off with you Mr West, I have a patient to discharge” Fae told the man dismissively, as his mecha-tendrils finished flawlessly stitching the skin of his patients back back together, leaving not a hint that she had been being operated on mere moments ago.

Mr West nodded, and without another word, left the way he came.

“Uniting weapons to bring world peace. Ridiculous” the doctor muttered to himself disbelievingly, but even as he dismissed that, and started to wake what might be his last civilian patient in quite some time, his mind was already wondering at the marvels those weapons and whichever ancient places they dwelled within might hold. The promise of priority access to those had been, he had to admit, the perfect offer to make him.

It was certainly enough to convince him to travel to the center of town to join this little party of theirs at the very least. As such, he took the next train from the outskirts, the magitech marvel cruising along artificial ley lines at a blistering place, and arrived at the venue with plenty of time to spare.

He certainly drew some looks as he entered, striding into the resplendent halls of the HQ, and once seeming to fit right in with his immaculately kept appearance and flowing garments of a classical bent, and yet at the same time sticking out like a sore thumb with his extensive mechanical augments. His mecha-tendrils click clacked on the floor as they walked with him, while his holo projector created a small 3d model of a human with most of their internals on display which the doctor openly tinkered with as he walked.

He did at least have the decency to put the body horror show away when he sat down at the table where people were eating (he himself ordered only some light horderves after flash-forging a mostly illusionary chair he could actually sit in while still wearing his backpack), and instead switching to working on something wholly mechanical. He proceeded to tinker away for a while, openly displaying designs that would put the work of many corporate cybernetics departments to shame, and doing so without a care for who saw what to them would have been top secret information, till the commotion the Chairwoman caused caught his attention.

The entire spectacle was, he had to admit, highly amusing, and had Fae not so subtly laughing behind a raised hand at the chairwoman’s embarrassing escapade.

“Well then, this already seems promising, if I am to have such delightful company in this endeavor” Fae said, mostly to himself but not at all minding if the boisterous woman overheard him, before deciding to speak more broadly to those of his fellow invites who had arrived “Ah, but where are my manners, I’ve been antisocially tinkering away instead of introducing myself”

Upon saying that, he stood and proceeded to do just that “I am Ferdinand Altori Enzoani, humble seeker of the perfection of the human form, but you can call me Fae darlings, I much prefer it. A pleasure to make your acquaintances”

He gave a short but thoroughly theatrical bow, one set of arms held to his chest, the others spread out to one side, before inquiring “Now, if you don’t mind me asking, to whom do I owe that pleasure?” as he sat back down, intrigued to know if the others would turn out to be just as delightfully eccentric.

[Emeth]

♢♡ Marissa ♡♢
♬

The Slag. A dark and maze-like place, massive in size and unsanctioned in its existence. No one knows when the construction started, underground, in and around and across and under the artificial ley lines of the city's magical trains. It's utterly unnavigable—a place that changes in layout every time the government comes knocking. It's nearly pitch black, lit only by neon lights and the ambient glow of ancient magic. Only the worst dregs of society dare venture to the lower levels, which stink like a sewer, the ground coated in layer upon layer of blood and piss and Hell knows what else. Even the upper levels are teeming with shady characters. For both those reasons and more, it pays to watch one's step—and of course, to always mind the gap—even as you look over your shoulder for the person waiting to push you in.

If there's one sight that doesn't belong in a place like this, it's a beautiful young lady with pristine porcelain skin and alluring curves, wearing an old school uniform—old, but well-kept, and freshly ironed by the looks of it. As she walked, with her head held high and shoulders broad, the signature scent of a luxury-brand perfume wafted through the air. In the worst place to do so, she stood out, every aspect of her appearance projecting innocence, as if carefully calculated, daring any who laid eyes upon her to try to soil her pure visage. As it were, that was the exact intent of her fashion statment—to loudly proclaim a challenge to any damned fool who did not know this woman.

Only a select few could call her their associate, let alone a friend. None who knew this would dare to speak to her. Yet, one voice echoed toward her, carried to her ears by the claustrophobic halls. Even worse, it called her name: "Marissa." Whirling around, she glared at the source of the violet neon light. Another sight that did not belong in The Slag met her gaze: a suited man, wearing sunglasses in the underground—like some kind of fashion statement. As his light bathed her skin, inky imperfections revealed the truth: fresh blood.

♬

The girl, just like her environment, was covered in the evidence of fresh blood, revealed by the man's light. At this, the Red Queen clenched her fists and trembled with rage. "I am the Red Queen. Who in the fuck are you?" she demanded. "You may call me Mr. West," he replied, deadpan. Now he was telling her to call him by a title?! Her pupils almost seemed to contract in response to his words. She opened her mouth, slowly, baring her fangs as if she were about to take a bite out of his face. "This is my territory. Get out," she hissed. As if he paid her threat no mind, he withdrew a golden envelope from his suit jacket. "I have correspondence which may be of interest to you. It's an invitation to a party, so don't lose it. No one in the real world knows who you are, after all," he said, returning her gesture with his own Cheshire-cat-like grin. His words carried no particular emphasis, but mocked her nonetheless—and before she could strike him, he vanished.

Infuriating, and nauseatingly so—every syllable of his words grated on her ears like a sanding belt. Instead of his face, her fist met the envelope, snatching it out of the air. Much as the man provoked her ire, however, a denizen of the dark would recognize the glitter of gold, even in the warped neon lights of The Slag. In grabbing the invitation, she saw that her skin was snow white once again. The sight calmed her a little. Letting out a sigh, she cut open the seal—a proper wax seal—with a bright pink fingernail. She stood there in the dark, reading its contents without a drop of fear in her bones nor an ounce of regard for her surroundings, as was her privilege as the Red Queen.

She smiled. A party—a fancy one, fit for a Queen. "Why, of course I'll attend!" she proclaimed with a schoolgirl-like laugh. What's more, it seemed like the Unity Organization had some kind of lead on the Seven. What it was, they were quite obviously not stupid enough to put to writing, but she was welcome to learn about it while in attendance. "Perfect," she said, as if the woman who'd hand-written every invitation were there to receive her praise. Holding the letter close to her lips, she smiled a smile that was the perfect picture of innocence, humming a tune and bobbing her head from side to side as she walked. Then, she gasped.

"Oh, shit. I need a bath!" she realized. Reminding her that she smelled of blood—how helpful the man had been, after all!

---

When what appeared to be an—admittedly young, but nonetheless—grown woman dressed like a schoolgirl approached the venue, security was naturally skeptical, even a little concerned. After a moment of silence, one of the men took a chance. "Invitation?" he prompted her, to which Marissa smiled and presented it. "Welcome," he said, trying to play it off like he knew all along. "Good call, rookie," his partner teased once she was out of earshot. "Guess a once-in-a-lifetime event attracts all the freaks, huh?" he laughed. "Psh, a cosplayer is normal compared to what I saw before your shift," his senior fired back. "At least, I hope it's cosplay. This is a fool's errand she's being taken for a ride on. If she really just got out of school, that's a godsdamned tragedy. Makes my career look like a fucking fairy tale, it does."

The young lady who was the image of purity walked through the hallowed halls, taking in the sight of it all. The glitter and gold, the luxury. Her heart swelled, but she wouldn't let it show on her dignified face. She belonged here, and she wanted all of them to know it. Of all the various characters gathered today, she certainly looked the most like she belonged. She appeared an icon of privilege amongst the other rabble. The gaudy name tag plastered on her chest looked most at home on her mundane, yet pristine clothing. It was also a problem, however. "Marissa." Wouldn't the lack of a family name draw attention? Yet, she looked around at the others. None of their name tags displayed family names, either. Marissa's satisfied smile returned. It appeared as if she'd fit right in here, after all.

Another woman of refined and elegant appearance had a dignified, satisfied smile on her face as well. Perhaps she was the one who'd organized all this? If so, it would do Marissa well to talk to her—but she would not approach the woman first. She was the guest. The onus was on her to see her guests satisfied. Until she approached, she would take part of the luxuries on offer. Motioning for a waitress, she spoke: "Your finest Riesling Spätlese." The impeccability of her manners and specificity of her order would surely—

"Um... ID?" the waitress asked nervously. "It's just... your outfit... I went to school there. I recognize it."

Did I fucking ask?! Marissa thought irritably, her smile turning just a bit false. "Why, thanks for the compliment~ I haven't been asked for my ID in years, so I always leave it at home~" she lied. She owned no ID. "Er, I can't... my job..." she stuttered anxiously. Marissa rubbed her temple in vexation. "Non-alcoholic, then," she offered in reluctant surrender. "Coming right up!" the girl responded without missing a beat, eager to leave the table, and the room for that matter.

While all of this was happening, Marissa watched the antics with Sinmara unfold. Unlike Fae, Marissa was not amused by the too-big woman who seemed to have missed every memo ever written in human history, about everything. Her appearance, her attitude, her loud mouth, her rough speech, her table manners, everything. Marissa couldn't decide what was the worst part, until the important-looking woman decided—in fairness to her, correctly—that the threat Sinmara posed to her wasn't worth it, and left the room. Ah, now this wouldn't do, not at all.

Taking the time to finish her drink—it was a bit tart for her tastes—Marissa slowly rose from her chair and approached Sinmara, her face the perfect image of friendliness. "Greetings, Sinmara. I'm Marissa, the Red Queen," she introduced, pointing to the gold-embossed fine print on her name tag, displaying her title. "Why don't we step outside and get some fresh air? You smoke? You look like a smoker. Need a light?" She pulled out an old—but polished—brass lighter, with unintelligible engravings on its sides.

[Dragonfly 9]

THE JESTER

No one had seen him come in, and there seemed to be no anticipation for his arrival before he came. He just...appeared, and gave them the invitation he had gotten for the party. He said nothing as they inspected the invite, and only smiled and bowed after they said he could participate in the festivities, soon taking a seat as a waiter came over to him.

"ID?" She asked after looking him up and down. Her eyes and expression told him that she saw him as a child, or at least a very weird dwarf. He smiled brightly under his scarf, however, and took out his ID in a split second, showing it to her.

"...Why are you covering your-"

The waiter was then interrupted by him chuckling darkly.

"Some things are not meant to be known, young miss!" He said, putting his ID back just as quickly as he had pulled it out. "And besides, I do look like the jester you were told to serve, is that correct?"

After a bit of silence, the waiter just nodded.

"Any drinks you want?" She asked him.

"Sunrise Deluxe has always been my favorite choice, so make it that," He said, snapping his fingers almost playfully as the waiter rushed off.

It wasn't long until he was given his drink, and not long before drama started. A woman with a six pack and red devil horns was causing a delightful, chaotic scene, and she had already gotten quite the audience. Then, a much shorter woman wearing a school girl outfit walked up to her and suggested that they should go outside for a smoke break, though he noted that the suggestion didn't feel entirely genuine.

After stroking his chin and wondering what to do, he decided to make an illusion of himself, doing a cartwheel off of one of the tables and landing next to the shorter woman.

"Greetings and salutations, ladies!" The illusion said, bowing in the same way he would. "I am The Jester, and it's wonderful to see the two of you here! May I ask what's going on?"

[Lugubrious]

Sinmara

Once the irate Chairwoman stormed off, red with embarrassment, the atmosphere around the table returned to normal. Sinmara neither launched into another bombastic anecdote about her past exploits nor voraciously tore into the remains of her meal. Instead, she pulled her chair close and slouched over the table with her jaw resting on her fist, cushioned by her glove, and her elbow on the table. In such a manner she picked at her food and sipped her water, her boisterous and larger-than-life attitude somewhat muted.

While her pride wouldn’t let her capitulate even when directly reprimanded, Sinmara wasn’t a mean-spirited or spiteful person. She didn’t want to be the center of attention all the time, and she didn’t actually want to cause trouble. Sure, the huntress might be a little ditzy, but she’d have to be downright oblivious to not realize that she didn’t exactly fit in around here. Glitz and glamor, peace and plenty…compared to her usual lifestyle of wandering through the wilderness trying to scrounge together enough quest rewards to keep her muscles fed, this was the lap of luxury. When she finally tracked down that scraggly, mustached fellow with a rustic cowboy hat and a cheap corduroy suit the color of brown mustard who’d been petitioning monster hunters with a look of desperation on his droopy face and a golden envelope in his hand, she’d practically begged him for it. Mom told her to join this campaign, of course, but who in their right mind would turn down free food, not to mention the company of powerful combatants?

So naturally Sinmara had come here intending to enjoy herself. Wasn’t that what parties were for? But as much as she loved being a big deal, she didn’t want to cause such a scene that she got thrown out, or worse, thrown in jail again. Though never for more than a night or two, she’d been in and out of a number of small prisons across the continent ever since her grand debut. She’d been charged with stuff like brawling (serial offender), petty theft (if meat speaks to me, I listen), drunkenness (things got out of hand), barfighting (bars can be dangerous, just ask a lawyer), disturbing the peace (it was SO boring), destruction of public property (those were all accidents), unauthorized possession of a deadly weapon (it’s literally part of me), indecent exposure (how’s it my fault nobody makes anything my size?) and so on. Of course, the ability to obliterate solid matter meant that she never needed to stay anywhere longer than she wanted to, but who’d turn down a free bed? The stockades were less comfortable, but still. Besides, some of those ancient, small-town sheriffs, dozing their days away in the shade of their porches, hadn’t seen action in decades. They’d welcomed the chance to feel important again, and when all was said and done Sinmara often ended up making some friends. Of course, in a big city like New Anton, people were more likely to clap her in irons, leave her to rot in a dungeon, and so on. Better not to risk it. So for now Sinmara just sat here, bored and disappointed. If stuff didn’t start happening, she might start to disassociate again, and boy howdy would she not enjoy that.

Luckily, Sinmara wasn’t the only odd duck around. As she sat there, daydreaming about epic fight scenes, an unfamiliar voice stirred her from her reverie. A well-groomed man with the slender, waifish prettiness one might expect of an elf, juxtaposed strongly against the industrial artifice of his sophisticated augmentations, was saying something. Sinmara neither registered what he’d been doing nor the first couple things he said, but when the elegant engineer introduced himself, the huntress lit up. Even if he didn’t ask her to return the favor, which he did, she’d eagerly jump at the chance to get her name out.

“Wow, everyone’s got a super long name today. Fae it is!” she laughed, standing. Assuming that his bow was a cultural norm of some sort, Sinmara copied the gesture as best she could, although she had a little trouble holding her hands to her chest in exactly the same way. “I’m Sinmara!” she introduced herself before she sat back down. “Not-so-humble earth-shakin’ prizefighter and slayer of mythical beasts! That’s right, THE Sinmara, so if you want an autograph, you’d better ask now before folks start lining up! And if you wanna spar, dandy man, you don’t even gotta ask! I’m ready to rock any time, day or night!”

On the heels of her introduction, another woman rolled up, offering her own name and an invitation. For a moment Sinmara just blinked at her, wondering if she’d heard Marissa correctly. This wasn’t just wishful thinking, right? RIGHT? After a moment Sinmara lit up, springing to her feet with her heart racing and a wild grin plastered on her face. “You wanna take this outside!? Fine by me! Fair warning though, you’re gonna be the one who ends up gettin’ smoked!” After a moment though, her eyes narrowed, and she heaved a heavy sigh. “Crap, I almost got carried away again. I’m actually tryin’ to stay outta trouble for now, so I can’t afford to bust loose just yet. But uh, hold that thought, will ya Rissy? Once we’re outta here, you’re on!”

Right on cue, an enigmatic individual put in a surprise appearance. Sinmara watched, highly amused, as the Jester performed an acrobatic stunt and landed next to Rissy. “Nice to see you too, I could really use a laugh!” She put her hands on her hips, her brows scrunching up as she tried to put together a summary of the situation. She was a little short on the specifics herself, though not quite as short as Marissa. “Uh, I think they brought us all here to find the seven weapons. Right? That’s just about all I know though, I dunno how to find ‘em or where to look. It’s all been pretty hush-hush.” She shrugged in resignation. “Honestly though, I could just skip all the explainin’. Just point me in the right direction and let me punch something!” With a jocular smile she pounded one gloved fist into the palm of the other, allowing everyone present to see their helpful labels of ‘left’ and ‘right’.

[Nakushita]

Unity Zone of Avaris: Capital City of New Anton

@Lugubrious@Dragonfly 9@Emeth@DracoLunaris@Dragon Mahteru@Kidgoat
Once most of the invited and esteemed guests had arrived at the hall. It was time to make her grand entrance. She had already kept them waiting quite long enough, having stayed aside and out of view. Observing the makeshift task force that she had chosen to assemble. It had taken a lot of convincing within the UO to make this moment happen.

Now it was time to get this party going, what better time than now and what better place than here. Taking a wide view of the events unfolding within the hall, Acacia knew just what to do and how to do it. Having observed every little detail and interaction each guest has had since they arrived from behind her mask. Having kept herself hidden from view, biding her time for the right moment to begin.

Acacia, Head of The Taskforce

Quickly shifting through the hall, unnoticed and unbeknownst to those that had gathered, she glided quietly through the air unseen with her cloak flowing behind her. She reappeared by the one named Sinmara. Quite boisterous and loud, easy to spot and find even amongst such a crowd of unique individuals. Being behind her, Acacia leaned her masked face near her ear and whispered. Giving Sinmara a small tap on the shoulder. “Quite bold are we? You stick out like a sore thumb, there is no doubt the Denizens will hear you coming from a mile away….” With her comment finished she quickly disappeared once more before Sinmara had the chance to respond or turn around.

Acacia now appearing behind the Jester, repeating the same tactic as before as she had done with Sinmara. Deciding she would go from each, one at a time, before a true and full introduction. “Interesting one that you are huh? Coming here without much notice, but sticking out almost as much as the ogre of a lady soon after….” disappearing once more as she continued to make her way around the hall.

Soon finding herself behind Fae she leaned in once again. “One of showmanship huh? A true gentlemen, hard to find in this world….but would you be so gentlemanly if your opponent within the Denizens ends up being a woman, with those cybernetics and skills, you can be quite deadly….I wonder…..” continuing her little game as she went to go make her final spot for the time being.

Reaching at last the one who called herself the Red Queen. “Marissa…or should I say the Red Queen, what an honor to have such royalty amongst our ranks…but the question is, how much loyalty remains within that cold dark heart of yours for your former comrades…perhaps if you are lucky, and mature enough you may eventually upgrade to a drink for adults….” Disappearing as swiftly as she had come leaving very little trace behind.

Finally with her small little game completed, the music came to a halt as all the servers quickly shuffled off to the sides of the room leaving the floor open for Acacia’s official arrival. Revealing herself at the head of the table as she had her arms spread to either side. “Welcome my esteemed guests, I’m Acacia, the head of this makeshift taskforce and the one that made the final decision in inviting each of you here, I took some time observing you all, hopefully you did not mind too much.” Her gaze shifted around the room towards each member of the task force, face hidden by her fox mask..

“Now, I’m sure you all have many questions for me, so lets make this short and sweet, this taskforce was put together to oppose the Denizens of the Damned, I’m aware that some of you have had interactions with this group in the past, so I don’t need to remind any of you just how dangerous they are.” Her voice stern, cool and collected as she continued on.

“They seek the Seven, and we have good reason and evidence to suggest that they are aware of the locations of each of them, when the UO made the discovery, it appears we had a leak and that information was given to the Denizens,we must move quickly and swiftly to beat them to each of the Seven, otherwise the Dark One will once again come to bring the world into chaos, it won’t be easy, and not all of you may make it through to see the end, but that is why each of you were selected, each of you have unique abilities, skills and experience that gives you the best shot at ensuring the Seven ends up in the hands of the UO and that world peace may be established” Bringing her left palm out towards them all in an inviting gesture.

“Since you are all here, I figure you have all come to accept my little offer, in that case we may proceed to our first mission objective, of course I’ll give you all time to start to figure out how you all want to work together, it won’t be easy bringing each of your skills to the table and working together as a complete and fully functional team at first, but you will have to learn fast.” Snapping her fingers as the walls behind her began to separate, displaying a large magical display of a map of Avaris.

Without turning to look at it, Acacia snapped her fingers two more times as a red circle appeared over a little cluster of islands within the western sea of Avaris. “We believe the first of the Seven can be found here within this chain of Islands, we have reason to suspect it is held within a mighty fortress hidden within the largest island, found here at the center of the island chain, suspect booby traps, otherworldly beasts and creatures and threats at every turn, including the Denizens, we have reliable intel that they seek to hit this fortress as well, so we must move with great haste, make whatever preparations that you need to make, we will leave at dawn” snapping her fingers one last time as she turned to leave, her cloak fluttering behind her as she left them to consider all that she had said.

Music began anew, as the servers quickly returned to their duties. This time however the music was different from before, now chosen by Acacia as she could only stand classical music for so long before it drove her completely nuts. Figuring the task force would want to listen to something a little different and fitting for what they where about to embark upon.

[Emeth]

♢♡ Marissa ♡♢

Marissa looked like she wanted to roll her eyes at Sinmara, but considered herself too high-class for such a thing. Hadn't this woman ever heard of subtlety? Yes, she was trying to take this outside, but saying it outright like that was just asking for someone to intervene and spoil the moment! "Oh." At Sinmara's insistence that she was trying not to cause trouble, Marissa's face softened, in spite of her sour tone. Well, if she was going to be reasonable like that... there was always room for more powerful figures, with big egos to match, in Marissa's court—the Duchess, the Court Jester, the King—this wasn't the kind of mission she could do alone, after all, nor was there any sense in the Queen competing for a lesser role, though whether Sinmara was competing for Duchess or Court Jester was up in the air. "Perhaps you didn't realize that disrespecting someone with a long name might cause some trouble then, hm?"

No sooner had the words left her smug mouth than a fox lady teleported behind Sinmara in a very personal way, and cut straight to the heart of what Marissa wanted to say. "Well, that took the wind out of my sails," she responded, sighing in disappointment. What sense there may have been in teaching Sinmara a lesson about subtlety or deceiving appearances was getting vanishingly small at this point, especially since she didn't even question Marissa's strength or her right to be here. She made to put her lighter away, with a nonetheless satisfied smile on her face despite her sigh. Unfortunately, it only lasted for as long as it took for the mysterious kitsune woman to get around to her, at which point it became one of barely concealed fury. Much as Sinmara had made an arse of herself with the chairwoman, she at least had the decency to introduce herself somewhat properly, and while she could do without the nickname of "Rissy" and the comment about "getting smoked," her clever wordplay and personable attitude convinced her to let it slide, just this once at least.

When the fox-like woman disappeared, Marissa stood ready for her to do it again, ready to steal whatever spell she was using. How cocky would she be when she could no longer run away? What snarky comments would she make then?! ...but she never used it again, leaving the Red Queen holding her fingers in the air, poised as if waiting to snatch a card out of the hands of a phantom that never appeared. Did she know to expect that trick from her, and choose to visit her last on purpose? Frustrated, Marissa instead flicked open her lighter, causing her to burst into flames instantly. In a flash, those flames became armor, and a great steampunk waraxe. "I'm always prepared," she scoffed, glaring at the woman. Indeed, the "Red Queen" was currently wearing and carrying everything of value that she owned.

[DracoLunaris]

Fae

“Ah yes, the Sinmara, of course” Fae replied to the muscle bound oni of a women’s claim of fame, even as he set a subroutine to look her up on the weave. Said routine rapidly fed him back a picture of the woman that was practically identical to the one he’d gotten already, which was fairly amusing to the cyborg. Truly, he thought, sometimes you really could judge a book by its splendid cover.

“And perhaps I will take you up on that offer a little later darling” he in the meantime replied to the one she had made about sparring, adding that “It’s always useful to acquire relevant combat data, and it’ll give me some practice at stitching your remarkable looking physiology up after battle to boot” something he expected he might have to do a lot if she where as daring/reckless as she seemed

He was rather glad he’d specified later, because the woman had to subsequently take several moments to realize that this was not exactly the place to be thrown down when she misinterpreted a comment from one of the other arrivals about stepping outside.

He was rather less glad that his attempt at initiating introductions only really got him a response from Sinmara, lovely as it was, whereas the other two who he identified by their eccentric garbs seemed more interested in her than him. Still he got a bit of an understanding of them regardless, with the young woman in a schoolgirl uniform clearly being older than she looked (something they shared in common, he mused) whereas the other was of all things, a Jester. He was also, perhaps, an illusion, which would mean this man also had something in common with him, interestingly enough.

As he scanned the room to check for the source of the phantom funny man, he detected something much more interesting, and was as a result quite prepared when their real host popped in behind him to make her little comment.

A camera in the center of one of his mecha-tendril claws leaned in to get a closer look at her as the man in control of it casually replied “Really now? That is quite last century thinking, my dear” and intentionally leaving it quite unclear as to whether it was the assumption that he’d hold back against women or that he’d was only ‘gentlemanly’ towards women that he was correcting.

Naturally, it was both. He was sitting opposite a prime example of why the former was a foolish notion, after all, but was unfortunately bereft of any fine specimens with which to demonstrate the error in her assumption of the latter.

At any rate, after her little hazing game the woman, Acacia, formally introduced herself and filled them in on some extra details that hadn’t been in the invitation. A little presumptuous, he thought, to assume they were all already onboard, but the apparent need for expediency, and lack, it seemed, of many viable candidates, did mean it made sense.

If anyone did back out now it would be pretty disastrous given their low numbers.

Said expediency would apparently see them heading out the very next morning, which did not leave a lot of time for preparations. The self declared Red queen seemed like she was ready to go right this very moment, flashily donning a set of magical armor and summoning a fascinating looking great axe as she declared as such, and Fae was, as it turned out, somewhat in the same camp as her.

“I’m able to prepare whatever we need on the fly,” he informed them, before placing one mecha-tendril claw above the other and having them spin rapidly for a few moments as they printed a living photosynthesizing rose out of thin air. He caught it in one claw, took a moment to breathe in its authentic scent, and then handed it to one of the servers, who he informed that “it would look lovely sticking out of your breast pocket, my good sir” before focusing back on the group.

“Weapons, ammunition, medicine, you name it, I can produce it” he informed them, before adding an addendum that “it does take some time to make the more complicated items however, so I shall endeavor to find out a bit about this island chain we are being sent too and manufacture/acquire a few things accordingly ahead of schedule”

He also had a few affairs to take care of as well. He might be a free agent, but it would hardly be prudent of him to simply up and disappear on his various associates and clients now would it? Plus, no one had sworn him to any kind of secrecy, as much as that has been implied, so he was certainly considering filling in a few trusted members of his movement on a detail or two on the nature of this matter.

[Lugubrious]

Sinmara

Despite Lexi killing the mood earlier, Sinmara was happy to be the center of attention once again. It was Fae's pleasure to meet her, and as if him calling her 'remarkable' wasn't gratifying enough, he almost teasingly suggested that he might take the huntress up on her offer for a sparring match at a later date. Sure, he looked more like a craftsman than a combatant, but by now she knew just how dangerous brainy types could be–and her track record proced it. Still, for her part Sinmara could scarcely wait to test his mettle (not to mention his metal), but building up to a payoff like that over time would be all the more exciting, so she didn't mind a rain check. Right now, there were more important things afoot.

Marissa's feelings were more difficult to parse. She seemed somewhere between 'amused' and 'annoyed', which more or less accurately described everyone who found it within themselves to stomach Sinmara's larger-than-life attitude for more than several minutes at a time. For a moment there it really sounded like Marissa wanted to throw down, but she delivered that subtext so implicitly that Sinmara was left questioning herself. And since someone as confident as Sinmara never questioned herself, she decided to let that possibility go when faced with Marissa's criticism. The huntress shrugged. "Hey, she started-"

At that very moment, something weird happened. Somebody suddenly appeared behind Sinmara and tapped her on her shoulder. This unexpected turned out to be an absurdly fast talker, so fast that she managed to belt out two complete sentences before the huntress could even whip around. The experience left her confused; at first the stranger complimented her courage, but then she derided Sinmara's indiscretion? Well, whoever this person was, she was right to acknowledge Sinmara's overwhelming presence. "I sure hope so," she declared, a smug look on her face. "They'd better come at me all at once if they want a fair fight. Won't be much fun otherwise!"

As the strange woman repeated the stunt, Sinmara still didn't really get a better idea of what she was doing. Some sort of hazing ritual, maybe? This was a lot of effort to put into an establishing moment only for it to look kind of pointless and silly. Where was the aplomb!? That said, Sinmara was left aghast by what she overheard the stranger tell the Jester. "O-ogre? Hey!" Putting one hand on her hip, the huntress pointed an accusatory finger at her belittler. "You'd better get your eyes checked, or maybe a mask you can actually see through, 'cause I'm a knockout! The perfect blend of kickass and gorgeous, so don't you forget it!" Where did this goof get off calling Sinmara names anyway, when she was too scared to show her face? This poser was obviously projecting.

Sinmara didn't feel the need to press the issue further though. That’s just how it was being one hundred percent right, one hundred percent of the time. Instead she crossed her arms and stood there, listening, while Acacia gave her own introduction and launched into the makeshift team's mission briefing. Well…she tried to listen, at least, but it wasn't long before Sinmara started tuning out, glossing over the final details. Denizens this, Dark One that…forget the fine print, this huntress was here to kick butt and take names (and also because Mom told her to come). She did raise her eyebrow when Acacia mentioned an 'offer', though. We're she and the others supposed to get something in return for this? Well, that'd be nice. Not that she really cared about working with the others. When Sinmara took the stage, there was no need for anyone else to hog the spotlight. So, they’d be breaking into a fortress? Sounded simple enough. Looking at the map, though, the huntress couldn’t help but wonder one thing. “Wait…all the way over there? That’s a looong stretch of ocean.” She shrugged, smiling. “I mean, I’m an awesome swimmer, but some of these shrimps wouldn’t last a minute out at sea, let alone all those hours.”

One of the shrimps, however, replied to Acacia’s prompt by showing off. Marissa called forth a pretty sick-looking suit of armor and an admittedly badass axe, and Fae followed suit, showing a little of what he could do. Not one to be outdone, Sinmara grinned and plunged her hand into the left side of her chest, reaching into her own flesh as if it were putty. An inky tar welled forth around the impact site, and when the huntress wretched her hand back out in an oily spray, she was clutch a pulsating, pitch-black organ pocked with twisted, crimson horns of varying sizes. “Ugh!” After a brief moment, she thrust the organ upward, fully extending her arm above her head. “Heartbreak!” She crushed the heart, and in an explosion of ink that fell around her like rain, her chainsaw spear took shape. With a grin she twirled it one and then planted it head-first at her feet in order to put a foot up on one of the spurs. “Hah, how’s that? Ready to-!”

The sudden shift in her weight made her polearm slip out from under her, Sinmara fell to the ground face-first, her Heartbreak clattering beside her. “Oof!” Though she’d managed to knock the wind out of her lungs, she quickly struggled to haul herself back to her feet, laughing breathlessly. Once she scooped up her weapon she posed with it laid across her shoulders instead, smiling and putting up the devil horns with her free hand as if nothing happened. “...ready to rock.”

[Kidgoat]

Nell

...Call connected.

The phone clicks.

"...Eyyyy Nellieeee. You make it to that 5-star joint yet?"

"I just got down here sir." Doors slid open. A synthetic imitation of what was once a train whistle played.

"What? What held you up?" A metallic ringing trailed behind concrete scraping against the ground. Aluminum and the like lightly clattered.

"Traffic." Ironically the crowding kicked up around the time she left for the train station, and it didn't feel any better on this side of town. It didn't stop her client from going off though.

"Nellie what the *%#^? I could've sent you a whole @*% limousine- why the hell didn't you say anything??"

"I doubt it would've changed much. Two whole lanes were closed."

"Don't #&$*^%& make excuses with me little Missy. I would've sent in a helicopter for @$#^$' sake. You know you sure as hell used to be a helluva more punctual for the $^*& you're spouting at me right now. What the hell were you doing?"

"Getting dressed by the tailor you ordered." A bow tie was clinging onto the base of her collarbone, resting nicely on top of a tuxedo top and white buttoned shirt. Their sleeves were clipped, exposing her usual armor underneath. Though she typically wouldn't leave her mask up, the tailor insisted that it would make the whole outfit come together, "Didn't want to be misrepresenting you in high society after all."

A hoarse chuckle made its way into the audio, "Yeah, yeah listen. Just cover for me in there, will ya? I ain't got time to be out and about no more. You had better not miss anything."

"Of course, sir."

"And quit with the ^#&%#%^ sir nonsense..." A second of silence passes before the man snarkily chortled. "Lighten up a little."

"Course'." The signal cuts. Her smile fades as the softened humming of the train grew distant and the blistering chattering of people grew clearer. No matter how crowded the clearing was, it seemed that she was alone for the time-being. She turned her gaze to the golden gates of a priceless building.

... . ... . ... . ...

She worked her way through HQ after looking at the map, placing one of her crutches forward before taking a step, swapping through her small array of vision, searching for anything that would've indicated a meeting hall. As always, she could sense the innumerable eyes locked onto her appearance. There might have been a thousand questions reverberating through their minds, a thousand opinions running rampant. Someone even had the nerve to speak about theirs.

"Do you think they chose that augmentation? Tsh, people would do anything for attention these days, wouldn't they?"

The words had tested her nerves for a moment, but as always she didn't allow their remarks to cling to her. Even beyond the incident, dating back to her very birth, these were the things that were out of her control. Either she had to get used to it and work with what she had, or let the inevitable eat away at her mental. Besides, she had finally caught something once she switched to her thermal vision one more time. A great blotch of red flaring up before hiding away into the walls of blue. She followed the halls to the direction of the source, transitioning to a quieter space. It wasn't long before she reached venue in front of the meeting hall. Security had eyed the envelope tucked away in her chest pocket. "You mind?"

"Not at all." They take hold of the invitation and quickly scan it before placing it back. "Welcome." She nodded and passed through them, catching one last sentence in the ou before their words blended into the music, "...Still doesn't top the octopus."

From the moment she stepped on the floor, a dull metallic clink resonated throughout each of them. Each time she lifted the metal slabs on her shoulders up, she could feel a fair bit of resistance magnetizing her gear to the floor. Luckily it didn't seem like she needed to use any magic to move at a steady pace. She'd hate to waste any magic on it considering how much it shouldn't matter, but it was annoying having to manually aim her steps. And even then she couldn't exactly say the same for the chairs. Not even half a foot from the table, she could already sense the ever so faintly subtle scraping of metal legs. If she was careful she might have been able to stand by the table for a few minutes, but eventually her magnetic field was going to screw with the entire end if she let it be.

Just then, the clattering of a pole radiated throughout the domed room. She looked across to find... others. Four others to be exact. She kind of felt bad for bringing the tux now, seeing how some of them didn't really cared to dress all that much. It would have saved so much time in the long run. If what she saw was any indicator, they were bound to be some interesting types. Ready to stare and make assumptions, the first to be judged was the bombastic one in purple.

It was kind of unnerving seeing the muscles on her body. During the years when she was hitting the gym, she was nowhere near achieving that much beef. She wasn't sure to be jealous or impressed. She just knew that she wouldn't be able to fight her head-on if she had to. She seemed A wonderful or a horrible asset to the team, depending on what's to come.

A man donned in garbs quite perfect for the occasion. And look at those tendrils. They would be perfectly suited for anything dexterous, and looking at their material they should also be pretty sturdy. Was that a syringe sticking out of his other arm? If he wanted to go for a jack of all trades build, this was excellent. Surely, she was curious on how he'd implement the tools at his disposal.

The lady in red. Or rather, the Red Queen, given the dress. Oh wait, it was a metal dress. Hmm. It seemed cool on paper, but it looked so stiff. Could she even move in that armor? Admittedly though, the axe was kind of sick. Made her wish that Solaris was more of a traditional weapon, or something that she could wield One Sword Style instead of having to conjure magic to even fire it. It'll be interesting seeing how she fought.

And lastly, a little mini Jester thing. A tiny jester thing that was gesturing. It was sort of cute to be honest, especially with the big old jester hat it had. The glint in place of its eyes seemed a bit sinister though. She wondered if he ran any dark magic.

Overall, this group was a decent enough team. They felt well balanced enough to at least live long enough to complete whatever mission would be assigned to them. Nell felt like she could be a ranged supporter at best, a liability at worst. Although she knew that she could hold her own in some scenarios, she wasn't certain about her effectiveness in a team composition. This was her first live mission with Solaris, with only a year or so to understand a fraction of its power and a fraction of that fraction to actually wield it. It wouldn't have been so bad if that didn't effectively ruin her previous abilities as well. But alas, She had too little information on the job to recommend a better suited individual, and she wouldn't dare think about dropping out now, especially with how little people had arrived thus far. She and everyone else would just have to deal with it. For the moment, it would be best to get intel on the situation and report back to her client, considering how late she was. She took a few steps towards the gathering, planning on making her introduction a smooth one. The mask receded into her visor as she readied to speak.

"Hey-" Only a fork hidden amongst the piles of shattered dishes hurtled towards her at the speed of light, cutting her words short and her intent lost. Almost reflexively, she switched up the current surrounding Solaris, repulsing the fork with a little too much power. It skyrocketed straight to the ceiling, bouncing around the chandelier before landing between two of the candle-holders.

Crap. Oh well, It was always better to be straightforward anyways. "...Did I miss anything?"

[Dragonfly 9]

THE JESTER

All of a sudden, a woman whispered in the real Jester's ear.

"Well, I do like to keep people guessing!" He whispered in response to her, making the illusion of himself vanish. "It's fun, y'know?"

After a while of watching the woman whispering to the other notable people(and mentally noting that he needed to figure out how to do what she was doing, so he could enact a possible prank with it), the woman officially made her entrance known, and showed him and the others where they should go.

"...Well, I'm not the best swimmer, that is true," The Jester admitted, then grinned under his scarf as Fae and Red Queen showed off their respective weapons, armor, and/or powers.

"Excellent showmanship, all of you!" He said, clapping before taking a double take when Sinmara pulled out her weapon, and her subsequent fall immediately after. "Very impressive! Though, maybe you should find a way to not hurt yourself while pulling out your weapon? No one wants the Denizens to-"

"...Did I miss anything?"

The lady's comment made The Jester suddenly pause, his head sharply turning in her direction to see that she...

Oh WOW...

"Not much!" He said, climbing up onto the table he was previously drinking his Sunrise Deluxe at. He waved at the lady, mentally pushing down the obvious question about her appearance. Voicing it would probably be rather crass and ignorant, after all, along with it possibly making him very hypocritical!

"...Okay, fair, you missed out on a lot. I'm sure our generous benefactor will answer any and all questions, though, so it's not a big loss!"

At that, The Jester pointed at Acacia, while giving a thumbs up at the lady with his other hand.

[Nakushita]

Unity Zone of Avaris: Capital City of New Anton

@Lugubrious@Dragonfly 9@Emeth@DracoLunaris@Dragon Mahteru@Kidgoat

After Acacia’s departure, the task force was left briefly to its own to figure out how to get to the island in question. As the commotion from Acacia’s earlier antics had only started to simmer down once she had left. The task force seemed to get along for the most part, as the chaotic behavior of some kept the attendants on their toes and on edge for what may happen next.

It was only after a moment of brief confusion and suggestions of swimming to the objective that someone else burst through the doubled doors into the hall. Even later then Acacia had been as they came to a skidding halt, nearly skidding right into the table. She took a quick look around the room, just in time to see a fork go shooting up towards the chandelier, bouncing around before embedding itself into the table, between two candle holders.

Task Force Handler Ayaka

Only to notice Sinmara topple over when her polearm had slipped out from underneath her. She stood there in silence as she brought up a notepad, looking down at it briefly to check if she was even in the right place after what she had just witnessed. Unsure if these were the task force members she was suppose to take to the ship, or if they had taken a wrong turn at some point.

Taking the chance to peek over her notepad as she noticed Marissa armed for battle, as well as a Jester who was jestering in her direction. Letting out a sigh she went back to her notepad as she traced her finger down it. Much to her surprise everyone in this room was listed on her documents. She didn’t know where they had dug up this batch, but in her brief moment with them she felt a great deal of concern.

Finally breaking her silence as she cleared her throat to regain a bit of composure. “So….right, I don’t know about swimming to the Island…..I’m actually here to escort you to the ship, I take it that Lady Acacia didn’t bother to mention that part of it did she? She isn’t much for hanging around other people so I guess that isn’t surprising…..just let me check over the information Acacia sent me about each one of you and we can get you all prepared for the journey….” Her eyes trailing back down towards her notepad as she went to the list of names that Lady Acacia had provided her.

“So, I have listed here, Ogre Queen, Bloody Mari, Spider Dude, Clown Jr and…..Goggles…” Her voice trailing off at the end as she realized what she had just read off. It didn’t sound right, but it was what Acacia had listed for each one of the task members' names. But she was sure that Acacia likely didn’t even bother to take the time to figure out any of the real names and just went with whatever nickname she could come up with at the moment.

“That aside….if you would all follow me, we can help you aboard the ship, it should not be a long journey, but each of you will have your own personal quarters….there will be food provided and a dining room area, which can also be utilized as a planning and operational area, I will be accompanying you as your guide, my name is Ayaka, if you have any questions feel free to ask….and if you have any complaints about….well your official names in the database, I can have those changed….” Ayaka informed them all with another sigh and a shake of her head in disbelief at what Acacia had done, though it wasn’t entirely surprising.

Turning to head towards the double doors once more, she opened them and gestured to the taskforce members to follow her. Once outside the hall, she led them down from the main headquarters towards a launchpad that contained a transport that would take them to the nearest port and the ship that they would soon board.

“Also, one more matter of business while we have the time, you should all decide as a group on what your task force name should be, that way we have some way to designate your group, it makes it easier then just calling you the taskforce, once you have decided amongst yourselves, just let me know and I will ensure that it will be taken care of” Chatting with them as she led them onto the transport which lifted off from the ground the moment all of them boarded.

Nebulon Transport

Military Port: Dominion

An hour or so later, the transport arrived at the port and unloaded them, as they would come into view of a massive ship, armed to the teeth with many magical cannons and thickly covered in reinforced metal. Ayaka stood aside as a ramp was extended from the ship for them all to board, one of the crew members of the ship quickly came down the ramp to fetch some supplies from shore, slipping on a puddle that was on the ramp and taking a tumble overboard and into the sea. While other crew members gathered around and laughed before throwing him a rope to fish him out.

U.O Battleship Yamashi

Ayaka stood there a bit bewildered as she couldn’t believe how this day had gone thus far. “We are so totally doomed….” Hanging her head and shaking it at the misfortune she had so far experienced. Gesturing for the others to board the ship, as they would have some free time to explore the ship themselves and claim their rooms. If they wanted to chat with others, or make plans for when they arrived on the island, they would be able to do so.

Inner Compartments

What awaited them on the island was going to be intense and dangerous, as it was almost a guarantee that they would not only have to deal with the dangers of the fortress, but whoever the Denizens had sent to claim the weapon.

[Lugubrious]

Sinmara

After her little stunt, the huntress went ahead and dismissed her Heartbreak. As much as she liked showing off, a weapon wouldn’t do her much good right now if she didn’t mean to use it, and it seemed like a change of scenery might be imminent. Sinmara was all for getting straight to business, none of the ‘you have ten hours to prepare’ or ‘we depart at dawn’ crap. The agony of waiting in anticipation of something hurt her more than blades or bullets. After her chainsaw spear melted away into tar, she brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes, then crossed her arms beneath her chest. “So what’s next?”

Her answer came in the form of another mysterious woman, this one masked and clad in a tight-fitting flight suit, with long teal hair and fake rabbit ears. Sinmara narrowed her eyes as Ayaka approached, sizing her up. That outfit of hers was pretty extra, but not in a super cool way. And whoever heard of two big, grabbable handles sticking out of someone’s head? Seemed like a design flaw. Oh well; as the huntress soon found out, this woman was here to set the stage, not join the main cast.

She mentioned a ship, which made sense. That was, as she understood it, how most people crossed large bodies of water, because most people were wusses. Not Sinmara, though. She could swim like a fish for hours on end. How else did she get across that ocean? The fishermen that found her unconscious on the far shore told her it was ‘just a lake’, but she knew better. Only an ocean could be that big. Still, going by boat meant she could save her strength for later. Or better yet, spar with one of the others in transit! A mobile battlefield sounded pretty exciting. It was true that Acacia didn’t say anything about a boat, but she didn’t seem like a good leader, especially in comparison to the biggest boss around, Sinmara. So such irresponsibility was to be expected.

Sinmara’s distaste for Acacia only compounded when Ayaka read off a checklist of ‘names’ left for her by the masked menace. “Again with this ‘ogre’ crap,” she complained, rolling her eyes. “Cacy wouldn’t know a bombshell if one slapped her upside the head. Which I’m gonna do the next time I see her, by the way.” She turned up her nose, her nostrils flaring in triumph. “At least she’s got the brains to know that if I were an ogre, I’d be the queen! Damn straight! All the other ogres better bow before me! Y’know, maybe I’ll wear this insult as a badge of honor. It’s never been more ogre than it is right now!”

Once the huntress finished being an attention hog (for the time being), Ayaka sent them on her way, bringing Sinmara in line with the promise of more food. She followed the group’s guide through the Unity Organization superstructure. On the way Ayaka mentioned that the members of the brand-new taskforce ought to come up with a name for themselves. “You got it! Uhhhhhhhhhh…” Sinmara wasn’t exactly the creative type, but was that going to stop her? Hell no. She shifted both her brain cells into sixth gear and quickly belted out the perfect answer. “Sinmara’s…Sinners!” With a winning smile, she pushed up her sunglasses so they actually covered her eyes. “Pretty badass, right?”

Given the philistines she’d taken to associating with, however, her genius went unrecognized.

Pretty soon everyone reached the transport. It looked like nothing Sinmara had ever seen, and as much as she oohed and aahed over it, her wonderment only compounded when the trip began. She pushed her sunglasses up between her horns nad watched, slack-jawed with fascination, as the ground fell away beneath the rising airship. “No way! We’re flying! Ahahaha!” She pressed her hands against the window, smudging the glass, followed promptly by her face. “This is so cool!” she garbled. The miracle of flight amazed her for a solid five minutes until she suddenly came to the realization that, despite the world passing by beneath her, she was actually just standing there, waiting. And she would be for the next hour. “...Ugh,” she groaned, sumping down with her back against the window. “Y’know what? I’m just gonna conk out for a little while. Mighta worked myself into a little bit of a food coma back there. Wake me up if something happens.” Within seconds, the huntress passed out, and her thunderous snoring filled the ship. She clearly did nothing by halves, even unconsciously.

Eventually someone woke her up, and she joined the procession of Sinners stomping down the ramp out of the ship. They’d reached the seaside, and before Sinmara rested an utterly gigantic vessel. “Whoa, mama!” she called out, delighted. Oblivious to the chaos occurring amongst the dockhands around her -which from her point of view was hardly unusual- she ran over toward the ship. “I thought we were in for a sailboat or something, but we get to ride on THIS? It’s like a floating castle.” Grinning, she looked over her shoulder. “Last one aboard’s a rotten egg!”

With that, she crouched down, gathering her immense strength. Amber cracks began to form on her legs, spreading until they’d formed a glowing web. Then they snaked from her limbs onto the dock itself, spreading out in an area around her a couple yards in diameter. When Sinmara jumped, the downward force of her leap triggered her Fault Lines, causing a geyser-like explosion of destructive energy that sent her even higher. Sinmara soared upward like an artillery shell, whooping and hollering, until she reached the top of her arc and fell (on her back) onto the deck of the Yamashi. Seeing stars from the impact and more than a little dizzy from all the spinning she’d done mid-flight, Sinmara lurched over the railing. She leaned over it and waved, yelling down at the others. “Wow, you guys stink! But who’s gonna stink the worst? Better hurry!”

[DracoLunaris]

Fae

“I… do not believe we will be needing to swim all the way there” Fae said after a long moment, really hoping that the pair talking along that line of thinking where joking, before deciding to pivot this into a snipe at their benefactors “After all, I’m sure the Unity Organization can afford a ship if this matters so much to them”

As it turned out, they could, though that came a little later, because before that the quality of the candidates was further shown off when one of them turned up late for the party.

They certainly were an interesting one as well, to Fae at least, who analyzed it as a fascinating combination of cutting edge technology and total hack-job. A corporate job, he guessed, due to the complete lack of artistry and disregard for preserving the subject's humanity while doing the work. Emphasis on disregard, those damn mechanisms would have gone further and intentionally stripped it away, and this lacked that ideological intent.

It was certainly not something he’d ever install, nor was he likely to ever have a pleasant conversation with the person who did, but he wasn’t so foolish as to dismiss the effectiveness of the augmentations out of hand either.

He did all this analysis in the blink of an eye, and then rather than be found dissecting her with his eyes set a subroutine to passively analyze the scans he’d made while he himself actually addressed her greeting and question.

“Good day, and yes, you have missed a fair bit, but here, let me just-” he paused to manufacture a mix of metal and illusory magic crafted into the form of a butterfly, which took wing and began to flitter over to the other cyborg as he explained it contained “a recording of the meeting from my point of view” one which it could play on its illusory wings after landing on a perch (such as her hand).

Only a little after that their handler arrived, informed them of the irreverent names the taskforce head had come up for each of them (upon which Fae simply commented that “octopus would have been more accurate” and took some mild amusement from Sinmara’s ogre pun), and then gave them actually useful information, namely that there was indeed a ship ready and waiting to transport them to their destination.

“Ah, finally, someone competent” he declared with a single light clap, before adding “I always knew they had a few people like you squirreled away somewhere, keeping everything actually running” only half joking as he did.

As for the name of the team, Fae delicately suggested that “it might not be the best idea to lean into the same imagery as our ‘damned’ opponents?” regarding Sinmara’s own suggestion, and not even touching on how self aggrandizing it was before adding “If we must run in the same vein as them, perhaps something of a lighter mirror instead? Citizens of Salvation or something of the sort? Or we could ignore/dismiss them and be simply the Seekers of the Seven”

At any rate, a fair bit later they were rolling up to their nautical transport, and while Sinmara’s concern that they’d be given a sailboat was rather absurd, he hadn’t exactly considered that they would be getting an entire warship assigned to them.

“This whole operation is all over the place in terms of investment it seems” he assessed, one that was only added too by the pratfall that left him less than confident in the crew’s abilities.

At least the ship was able to stand up to having Sinmara crash down onto it, which given it was going to host her, it had best be able to do over and over if they had any hope of reaching land. As for why it had to take that first hit, well, the oni of a woman had challenged them to a race.

“Oh please, I hardly think this is appropriate behavior for people in the employ of the fine and upstanding unity organization” he replied boorishly, even as his mecha-tendrils all planted their claws on the ground, coiled, and then without warning launched him upwards in a similar leap to the one she had just made.

Somewhat similar anyway, as he didn’t reach anywhere close to the height, and so had to reach out with his claws, stick them to the side of the boat with a mix of magnetism and speed welding, and then finally climbed his way up to join her. Throughout this, he kept a calm composure, hands clasped behind his back, expression showing not a hint of exertion.

“Completely inappropriate” he joked, as his feet touched the ground again.

[Emeth]

♢♡ Marissa ♡♢

Indeed—this was more like it. The denizens of The Slag were such fools; the whole lot, who could only judge by appearance. Her allies here, however, seemed different. Only the barmaid and the fox had openly slighted her; Sinmara even seemed eager to fight. Her sudden transformation earned a few gasps from ignorant onlookers, but those in the room who possessed actual skill weren't shocked at all. In particular, her eyes drifted to the many-armed doctor who claimed to be able to fabricate anything. He seemed to be by far the most competent of the bunch. "Pardon me; the others have been so very noisy. I believe you said 'Fae' was your preferred term of address? My pleasure," Marissa greeted with a radiant smile. "I shall look forward to working with you. As for my own term of address, usually I prefer my proper title, Red Queen—but if you wish to call me darling—I'll allow it." She giggled.

Somewhere behind her, some nonsense was being spewed about swimming across an entire ocean, which caused her smile to look somewhat impatient, like one of a parent ignoring a screaming child throwing a tantrum. The look on her face devolved even further when Sinmara tried to show off, and tripped over her own two feet or something. Are you fucking kidding me? I'm absolutely surrounded by clowns, she thought furiously. It didn't take a genius with cybernetic augmentations to see the migraine beginning to form on her face, especially as she laid eyes on the new arrival. Not a bird, not a plane, but a... no, she was pretty much more plane than human at this point—the exact opposite of Marissa, whose only apparent blemish was a subtle one only Fae was likely to notice: an eye made of glass.

Thankfully, no one would have to witness Marissa explode just yet. Her smile would return as Ayaka calmly explained their next move. Marissa was quite pleased to hear that such luxuries as personal quarters were in her future. Finally, some recognition, and indeed, as Fae said, someone competent. "Bloody Mari is quite satisfactory as an internal codename—and let me be clear—it is just a codename, yes?" she said with a slightly threatening smile all around the room. "Good. Then, as for our group name—I rather prefer to be, how you say, 'on the nose?' The Seekers of the Seven suits me just fine. Or shall we call ourselves, Slayers of the Dark, perhaps?" she said meaningfully, glancing around at the others, wondering if they even had any interest in the Dark One.

---

Thank fuck, Marissa almost said aloud as Sinmara decided to stop acting like a schoolgirl and go to sleep. The promise of peace proved ephemeral, however, as it didn't take more than a single snore to drive Marissa to the opposite end of the ship. She mostly kept to herself, spending the majority of the trip sharpening both her axe and her appearance. When they arrived at the military port, she made sure her appearance was flawless as she stepped off the transport. She walked at an even pace, hands folded in front of her elegantly, her axe temporarily stored. Even as Sinmara continued her antics, Marissa ignored her, along with the unfortunate soul who fell in the water. Unlike some other platinum blonde women, Marissa could walk up a mild incline without any issues. "Like a floating fortress, my dear—not a castle," she corrected Sinmara as she finally finished boarding the ship like a normal person.

[Nakushita]

Battleship Yamashi

@Lugubrious@Dragonfly 9@Emeth@DracoLunaris@Kidgoat

U.O Battleship Yamashi

Once everyone was safely aboard, the crew swiftly began preparations for setting sail. The large and powerful engines began to churn and rumble, sending a tremble throughout the hulk of the ship as it started to come alive. Crew hustling to their stations as the docking ramps retracted. Even with their unusual guests, none of them even batted an eye and how some of them had chosen to board the ship.

Though it was fortunate the ship was as armored and sturdy as it was, with Sinmara boarding as she did. The deck of the ship being heavily armored and reinforced. Fae followed up with a much more carefully thought out approach and Marissa boarding as intended without any flair or show. The others also came aboard as the ship disembarked on its journey. No one slipping up on the ramp or falling into the water after the previous incident. Large propellers churned up the water as the magic powering the ships boilers streamed into them. They were finally underway, what awaited them could only be imagined.

The large battleship cutting through the waves with ease as not a single bump would be felt by the passengers. The captain of the ship skillfully maneuvering the ship away from the port with a seasoned crew that had done it many times in the past. A few smaller boats in the distance having their passengers watching the large ship get underway. It being a spectacle for most ordinary folk to see such a large ship of battle in person and steaming under its own magical power.

Once the ship had entered into open water, some of the crew begin to mill about again, some setting up a table within the main dining hall to play a few games of cards, others testing their mettle with matches of arm wrestling, and a few others even setting up a makeshift boxing ring to pass the time when they weren’t need now that the ship was underway.

Ayaka came to the group to give them a few updates. “We should arrive at the island in a few hours time, use this time to do whatever you wish, but please…..” Her eyes trailing towards Sinmara instinctively “Try not to stir up too much trouble or chaos….we don’t want to start an incident before we even arrive after all” Ayaka’s eyes lingering on Sinmara until the very last word. It was clear who she was concerned about the most causing trouble aboard, though it wasn’t a surprise after she had witnessed how Sinmara had chosen to board the ship, or how she had behaved back at the U.O HQ.

“That aside, it is clear that you all haven’t decided on a name yet, and each of you has a different idea….so you can take care of that and get back to me when it is finally decided….” One of Ayaka’s cybernetic rabbit ears twitched as she brought a hand up to adjust it, before pressing her hand against the side of her mask speaking into it, all they would hear was a distorted static sound which hid what she was saying.

Finally letting out a sigh as she glanced at Sinmara, Fae and Marissa “sorry about that, I had to handle a incoming transmission, now as I said before to every one of you here, please behave yourselves, but feel free to explore and head anywhere on the ship, but keep in mind this isn’t a vacation we are on a serious mission that will put your very lives on the line, I’ve seen the work of the Denizens….as I’m sure many of you have as well, it won’t be a simple or easy task…”Ayaka reminded them before she turned to leave them to their own devices. It also revealed the purpose behind her cybernetic rabbit ears that she adorned atop of her head, as well as the mask she had chosen to wear. Though it was likely there was a bit of customization and personal preference behind the appearance of the gear. As most communication devices didn’t come in the form of a pair of rabbit ears serving as antennas to relay information. Ayaka giving a small wave of her hand as she disappeared into the inner corridors of the ship.

It was up to the task-force members to decide what they would do with their time aboard the ship, whether it was interacting with the crew, each other or preparing for the fight on the horizon was entirely up to them. As long as they didn’t stir up too much trouble Ayaka wouldn’t care, she just wanted to see the mission through no matter what. That was the most important aspect of this mission after all. Though this was a far more interesting bunch then she had anticipated, she didn’t know if they would make it out of this mission alive, but she had to put faith into Lady Acacia for selecting them. In the meantime Ayaka was going to enjoy some peaceful time by herself to prepare herself for what was to come, while also handling any incoming transmissions from the U.O.

[Lugubrious]

Sinmara

For a solid moment, it seemed to Sinmara like Fae was going to rain on her parade. It wouldn’t have surprised her if he did, since his appearance and demeanor all suggested that he belonged to some stuffy, self-important intellectual caste, so focused on intellectualism and ‘progress’ that there was simply no time for quaint notions like ‘fun’. By this point, the huntress was also somewhat used to rejection; few people ever bothered to humor her, let alone actively engage with her, so her efforts to drum up enthusiasm in situations like this typically fell flat. It was to her surprise, then, that even as Fae verbally decried the idea of such immature tomfoolery, his body sprang into action. He proceeded to launch himself up after her, and though the strength of his mechanical limbs naturally fell somewhat short compared to her incredible physical might, his ascent was still an impressive feat of engineering. When Fae casually joined her on the upper deck, she extended her hand for a fist-bump with a smile on her face. “You’re alright!”

Less alright was the remainder of the entourage. Marissa willfully abstained from enjoying herself, using the chance to bolster her ego. With her arms crossed, Sinmara watched her rival amble up the ramp, shaking her head in exaggerated disappointment. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Guess we all know who’s the rotten egg in this situation,” she said aloud, her lack of inner dialogue still in full display. Still, the others didn’t even give her that much. Once it became clear that none intended to board with any fanfare, Sinmara gave up and turned away from the railing, not even really caring if the rest embarked with her or not. After all, this was her big adventure, and she didn’t need any extras dragging her down.

Very soon, the ship began to move. Distracted by the grand vistas of the surrounding sea and land that being so high up afforded to her, Sinmara didn’t even notice until the scenery began to move around her. “Whoa,” she breathed. “I can’t even feel it! How’s something so big moving so quiet?” Full of energy, she sprinted toward the battleship’s bow, her huge ponytail trailing behind her in the salty sea breeze like a black-and-white flag as she ran. When she reached the very front, she clamped one hand on the railing and leaned out over it, one fist extended in emulation of a classic ship’s figurehead. “Finally, we’re going places!” she crowed, her Heart of Darkness pumping with exhilaration. After all this time, the huntress was finally embarking on her first real adventure. No more random hunts or fetch quests–this was an epic journey to save the world! Or something like that. The final destination didn’t matter as much as the road to get there, and on a campaign of this scale, Sinmara just knew there would be oodles of suitably epic battles

Sinmara could already picture it in her head. An island home to all manner of evil, awash in perpetual storm clouds and darkness, infested with terrifying monsters. Towering cyclopean giants, abyssal leviathans, horrific spiders, ghouls and goblins, and majestic dragons. What was a quest without dragons, after all? She imagined herself leading her band of adventurers through haunted forests, pitch-black caves, and lava valleys, overcoming challenge after challenge in style. Then they’d finally arrive at the impregnable citadel, where the Denizens of the Damned (who would logically be demons, based on the name) amassed in droves, armed to the teeth and outnumbering the heroes a hundred to one. The image came easily of herself wading through the battlefield, waist-deep in enemies, cheerfully comparing her kill count to that of Fae (who’d be doing well without even trying) and Marissa (who’d be bringing up the rear despite all her bluster, yikes!). Then after cresting a mountain of bodies, she’d slide right down using a demon as a surfboard in order to blow apart the citadel’s gates with a single mighty punch. Finally, they’d run into the Demon Lord of the Damned, a huge red devil with bat wings, a forked tail, and horns almost as cool as hers. What a fight that would be! Destruction waves, dive kicks, blocking blows that could crush cars, sawing through limbs twice her size, and just when the Demon Lord seemed defeated, he’d molt down to a true form the same size as Sinmara for the final showdown, fist to fist! After the brawl to end all brawls, they’d clash one final time, coming together with such ferocity and power that the amazed onlookers couldn’t even tell who hit who. But then they’d see: the True Demon Lord’s punch had barely missed, while hers struck true! Cue the dramatic death scene, ominous final words hinting at a still greater threat, and then a big explosion. Finally, a feast with all her loving fans, bathed in the attention and fame she’d always deserved!

The ship’s horn suddenly snapped Sinmara out of her starstruck daydream. She blinked rapidly, readjusting to reality. No victory feast. No Demon Lord. No mammoth citadel. No legendary monsters. No perilous island. At least, not yet. Just the blue sky and the blue sea, stretching all the way out to the horizon. Sinmara sank down onto the railing dejectedly, bent over it like laundry on a clothesline, and stared down at the waves. This was going to be a long, long boat ride.

“Wait.” After a minute, she perked up, her brows raised and her eyes wide. “The hell am I moping around for? I’ve got super strong people I can fight!” Pumping her fists, the huntress turned around and took off running. It was time to do laps around the battleship, and the moment she saw any of her fellow weapon finders, it was Go Time.

[DracoLunaris]

Fae

While Fae could have been embarrassed about being the only one to take Sinmara up on her challenge, he simply decided not to be (one of the many advantages of shoving metal into your brain in his opinion) and returned the titanic woman’s pre-offered bump, before he then proceeded to idly file his nails using a tendril sourced laser as he waited for the others to board.

“I do hope this wasn't a preemptive demonstration of your inability to keep up, Marissa” he needled the woman dressed in a school uniform who clearly hadn’t yet overcome her childish fear of childishness, before more productively suggesting that “Perhaps you’d be willing disavow that first impression at some time during the trip? We really should use the time we have to get an actual understanding of each other’s capabilities, don’t you think?”

That could come later however, as the cyborg first decided to have a little look around the ship, taking it all in, and digitizing it all for later use. It simply wouldn’t do to get caught flat footed if they came under attack after all, and knowing where everything was on the vessel was a part of that. Plus it was simply interesting to get a close look at such a titanic war machine, and the man had to be shooed out of several sections he was not really meant to be in after he had strode confidently into them, casually bypassing any security in the process.

After being explicitly ordered to stay out of restricted areas, (and replying with an ever so casual “Well now, why didn’t you say so?”) the man instead sought to track down the most suitable area to create an impromptu combat arena (be it any actual training space the ship might have, or simply a palace where they were least likely to blow up the engine or the ammo stores) and then sent out holographic copies of himself to find the others and offer an invitation to his little impromptu fight club.

Said invitation would involve the doppelganger giving a theatrical bow, and requesting the come show him their “flesh and mettle”

While they did that, the doctor proceed to build himself a weapon, in this case was a Sea Wasp Personnel Disabler system, which looked a bit like a rectangular multi missile launcher if instead of 4 missiles it contained dozens of taser darts capable of being fired and then back reeled in, for use in any sparring matches.

He also constructed a number of holographic training dummies as well, should sparring matches not be of interest (or, worse, he get no interest at all)

Due to needing to make a fair few, these were wireframe humanoids rather than anything particularly life-like. The ones produced could be split into artful dodgers armed with rapiers, regular soldiers armed with rifles, and hovering mages who tossed illusory spells, though he was also open to taking requests. The dummies were not able to hit or be hit, even if he was capable of making those, and so they were more like mobile practice targets armed with laser tag weapons that would tell their opponent when they had been hit. Given that any ones he made capable of physical interaction wouldn’t last very long, that was more than acceptable.

All in all, he hoped this would prove a fun little distraction, as well as a way to learn a bit more about his comrade’s capabilities prior to them facing any real danger.