[IC] HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

[thewizardguy]

@Wraithblade6
"All right...." Hesitating, the woman wasn't entirely sure how to react to this slew of strange. Of course, she had clearly witnessed the appearance of several figures before, including one who had attempted to wipe her memory of the event. So she was certainly willing to accept that he came from a place foreign to her. And the great chasms she'd seen in the ground confirmed that some battle had occurred while she was knocked out. But telling this figure that might not be the best move. She still wasn't sure if he was a threat or not, and to what extent his powers remained. "Whatever you say. Of course, if we do manage to pull this off, you're going to have to show me this shit, so I know you're not crazy."

She held out her hand, choosing to currently ignore the implication that he ate people. "My name's Alice. If we're going to be working together, I should know your name."

[Tyki]

@thewizardguy

"magic... prey... you are magic... you are prey..." it replies evenly, stepping towards cosmos and resting a hand on his face as if expecting a reaction before simply stating "cannot eat" and dragging him through a portal by his face to a random dimension, the portal easilly changed to suit cosmos's wishes if he were so inclined, though when he does try to, his magic fails, showing the creature did have some form of latent mystical negation rather than absorption now. Though, interestingly, the creature deposits the both of them outside the gate to a castle, the feeling of a strong wizard within, though not anything to note in multiversal terms. He is however let go once they arrive, showing that it wanted him to stay around, but didn't really care what he did outside of that.

As the creature approaches the castle, a few arrows plink off of it harmlessly before a hand sprouts from it's ankle and brings the arrow up for it to study curiously before the arrow slides into it's arm and it's points at the archer that had fired it, his head exploding with the arrow remaining embedded in the wall behind him up to the fletching as it approaches the gates. The pikemen guarding said simple, wooden shy away from it at first before trying to strike at it, their pikes shattering against it's arms before it breaks their arms and continues onward, seeming to dislike killing despite the fate of the archer.

With it's advance remaining unstoppable by the guards it simply walks into the courtyard, the guards getting out of it's way at this point since they couldn't stop it. Once it reaches the base of a large tower, however, a great fireball careens towards it, dissipating before it ever reaches it, it not even flinching or slowing as it heads inside, a great crash sounding once it tries to climb the stairs before coming outside again and trying to climb the wall outside, it's hands puncturing the stone easily and leaving long lines as it fails to pull itself up before it simply digs both hands into the tower, picks it up, flips it upside down, and walks into the top floor through a window, staying in there for a while as cosmos can sense the wizard trying all sorts of mediocre spells against it to no avail

[thewizardguy]

A sophisticated approach was perhaps not the best way to communicate with this being. Whilst it was certainly gaining in intelligence, it was currently severely limited. Undoubtedly as it grew further it's intelligence would also develop. The development of an arcane negation that could apparently be projected was somewhat worrying. It was far from absolute, and Cosmos believe he could most likely break it, but it would enhance it's already potent magical resistance. The only way to permanently dispatch it were to hit it with more force than it could handle, or to utilize indirectly magical attacks such as Voidwalker's supernova.

Cosmos simply stood back, observing the combat. It was hardly an impressive feat, these opponents weren't even close to a threat to a being on a Multiversal level. As a bowman pointed his weapon at Cosmos, the archmage simply lifted a hand. The man collapsed to the floor, as his brain short-circuited. An instant and painless death, requiring only a spark's worth of energy. Cosmos had no intention of interfering with the creature's feeding pattern, rather anticipating whether it's intelligence would grow further.

[Tyki]

@thewizardguy

After a good hour, the creature emerges from the flipped tower and grabs cosmos once more, taking him with it as it leaves through another portal, leaving things as they were to deposit the both of them in a more modern setting and at a military base, the soldiers within taking a minute to raise the alarm before they open fire with a heavy caliber machine gun, the rounds simply richocheting or plinking off of it when they hit as it simply strolls in and sits at a computer, taking a minute to figure out how it works before directly linking to the military grade internet via opening up a finger to let it's wires run free amongst it, the process taking a good ten minutes before it's wires retract and it simply turns around and starts dismantling the soldier's guns, forcing them to engage in a useless melee which results in the vast majority of them having broken limbs by the end of it, the creature's body shifting slightly as if the internal workings were getting a fine tuneing as it's arm opens up and it starts to literally eat the rifles, it's core being directed into breaking the matter down into energy for it's consumption rather efficiently, it's digestion rates taking a good few minutes to completely break apart an object before it moves on to the next, leaving the injured soldiers alone as it instead feeds on their equipment, picking up a grenade and pulling the pin as if to study it before it blows up in it's face to no visible results, it simply picking up the rest of them and eating them faster than a fat kid in a donut shoppe could with free reign of the place, the explosions seeming to be easier to digest for it.

[supertinyking]

@RavenTLark

As soon as Raven had said something about getting something in return, Ozzy grinned.
"Oh, I must say, I do like you already. Your head is in the right place my dear....now, will you be taking a personal weapon on this trip, or would you like to borrow one of mine?" Ozzy asks, gesturing to his weapons vault with that last bit. He, however, did become a bit glum when she asked what this place was like before.
".....This place before? Hell...literally, my own slice of damnation carved out. Here, the evil were tortured, and forced to repay the crimes they had committed in life. My many demons, friends, people who had needed my help, and had paid with their servitude once roamed this land of sulfur, brimstone, and hell fire...but now, after some fools came along, and destroyed most of what was mine, my demons are few, and far between...." Ozzy says, sounding..rather sad. He then pulled out his phone, a device far outdated by most modern tech, a simple flip phone..or so, it seemed.
"....One sec, I need to make a call." Ozzy says, as he turns away from them, and begins to blab on his phone, something about making a deal? Half of the conversation was in a language neither angel, or Raven could quite make out. The other half, simple broken English.

[RavenTLark]

@supertinyking

Raven took out a knife made of iron from a pocket inside of her black trench coat which, once clean, was now filthy and tattered. Her knife had been used to capture souls when it was her father's but as soon as she had gotten a hold of it she had let the spirits go and never used it for that purpose. "I've got my own, thanks for the offer though," she told him with a smile, she was remembering when her and her father had actually gotten along, before she had realised his cruelty to those weaker than himself, at that thought she frowned and put it out of her mind for she had better and more important things to think about that that.

"I always used to think that hell was one place but lately I've noticed that hell doesn't seem to stick to one area, I have to admit you're the first one that I've seen so far," she said in a dreamy voice. While Ozzy was on the phone Raven tried to make sense of what he was saying but didn't succeed.

[thewizardguy]

@Tyki
So now it was eating grenades. Okay. That was new. Cosmos found it puzzled as this creature went from devouring magic to eating someone's rifle. Why, after tasting the power that construed reality itself, would one even consider primitive weapons of mere matter? Perhaps this was it's experimental phase, and it was just trying stuff out? Of course, Cosmos' spell might have convinced it that it had somehow lost the ability to eat magic, and was now resorting to an alternate source of nutrition. But it had eaten the wizard from before just fine. Oh well, the creature would be done soon.

"If there is something you wish to show me, I would encourage you make your point soon." Cosmos sighed, as his senses reported that soon his compatriots would return to their full strength. Once they did, he would have to make his move on the next Seal. Despite his cause, he felt almost annoyed at the interruption of his experimentation, it was not often that something piqued his interest. But if he did not satisfy his curiosity now, he could always return later.

Raising a hand, he placed a rather simply tracking spell on the creature. It was designed to always inform Cosmos of what reality the creature was in, and yet blended into the background enough that it would not be considered 'prey' by the creature. It would be impossible to hide a more potent spell as such, but for such a weak little thing it was easy.

[supertinyking]

As Camella, Hunger, and Rinack leaped though the portal, little to their knowledge, someone else was after the bounty on the Kishin Asura....
"....Theta, look at this." Gunner says, motioning for Theta to come look at his laptop, a device he spent plenty of time on. "Someone we know has a bounty put on them...."

-----
Camella....Crap..I think that's her name.....and co appeared outside the city, they could clearly see the ruins from their current location, the sands unable to hide the three large red spikes, dispite being chipped, and worn to a dull shade.
"So, this is the place huh? Love the architecture..." Rinack says, grinning a little.
"This place stinks of magic..we should be careful." Hunger warns, sniffing the air.

[kishin asura]

@supertinyking

"Well holy shit." Theta says with a grin "wonder who placed the bounty though...." she shrugs. Saying nothing more
---
"Yeah." Camilla says as she looks around "especially if asura is here."

[supertinyking]

@kishin asura
Rinack takes the lead, soon making it up towards the academy ruins.
"Who wants to make a bet he is in her-" Rinack starts, before Hunger knocks loudly on Asura and Maka's door.
"He's here, I can smell him.....or...he has been here a lot. This is most likely his home." Hunger states, and Rinack growls, not like being upstaged.
--------------------
"Some sort of...Demon, as the pay is in souls....tempted to go collect that bounty..." He chuckles, and Theta can see that the bounty is indeed on Asura.
"Well, what do you say? Should I go waste a fool?" The Bounty hunter chuckles.

[kishin asura]

@supertinyking

The door opens to reveal asura, the sight of whom makes Camilla hide behind hunger. "May I help you?" He asks
---
"Sure." Theta replies "when do we go?"

[supertinyking]

@kishin asura
"Hello, my name is Roger, and this is my daughter, Elli." Hunger begins, holding a hand out for Asura to shake.
-------
"Now, if you want." He says, standing, cracking his neck. He goes over to a bag he had brought over to Theta's place, as his was still being repaired, and he gears up, putting on a long sleeve shirt, hiding a vast majority of his weapons directly on his person, the rest he hides within his mouth, oddly.
"Ready when you are." He says, chuckling while looking over at Theta.

[kishin asura]

@supertinyking

Asura looks at camilla, then back at hunger ".....not exactly seeing the resemblence." He begins ".....but my girlfriend and I did adopt a hybrid........yeah sorry, but I don't exactly trust you guys......." camilla's widen "you have a girlfriend?" She asks him "and a child?" Asura looks at camilla and smiles a bit "yes. My son however......he's with us in spirit." As he speaks, his smile fades a bit
---
Theta grins as praying mantis arms burst out of her back. At least three pairs "I'm good to go." She says. Still grinning

[supertinyking]

@kishin asura
As Hunger would grab Camilla's hand, and starts to leave with an abrupt "Elli, we're leaving", a portal would open.
The bounty hunter would step forth from the portal, him leaving right from where he was standing, leaving Theta to follow.
"Lookie here, a little gathering, and no one invited me?" Gunner asks, as he leans forwards slightly, chuckling. Rinack floats down, leaping from the top of the academy stairs, and landing beside Asura.
"So, we killing him, or what?" Rinack asks, thumbing at Asura. Hunger gives him a quick glare. "He's not the monster we're looking for. I take it he died a long time ago...." Hunger growls.
"....So? Same dude, I say we kill'em." Rinack replies.
"Wait, wait, wait, you're here to kill him? I'm here to collect a bounty on him..." The bounty hunter starts, grinning widely. "..Truce?"
"No. I will not let you two arrogant fools murder someone who managed to turn his life around..I know how that is. It's a hard thing to do, and I won't let you people kill someone who has managed it..." Hunger says, and he then looks to Camilla.
"Please tell me you're in your right senses? He isn't the monster that killed you so long ago..he's changed. That monster was slain, a long time ago."
"Bla bla, monsters, fools, bla. God, you sound like a pompus ass....because you are one." Gunner replies, before drawing a gun, and firing a shot right at Asura, which Hunger intercepts with his mouth, eating the projectile in a single gulp.

"Camilla, make your choice now, do you help them kill this man, or help me save him?" Hunger says, as the fight begins to wind up.

[kishin asura]

@supertinyking

"......dammit I feel kinda guilty." She looks at hunger and says ".....alright. we're saving him." Theta looks at camilla and grins "well you can try." She says "but you'll have to get through me first." "Fine by me." Camilla says. Looking back

"Well this has been all fine and dandy," asura begins "but if you guys don't mind, I'm just gonna-" he immediate runs back into the house.

[supertinyking]

@kishin asura
"Well, isn't this dandy?" Rinack says, sighing. He looks over at Gunner and Theta. "It's two v.s three...the odds are not in your favor..."
"So? I like a little risk." Gunner replies, grinning slightly, as he draws a long, thin sword, with a barbed tip. He then rushes forwards, attempting to engage Rinack and Camilla, leaving Hunger to fight Theta.
"Back out now, I'd hate to hit a lady." Hunger says, cracking his knuckles. "Even a freaky one."

[kishin asura]

@supertinyking

Camilla brings out a dagger. Trembling slightly

Theta smirks "now now is that any way to treat a lady?" She asks as bone blades emerge from her arms "I'd run if I were you."

[supertinyking]

@kishin asura
Like a preditor, attracted to fear, Gunner rushes Camilla, his strikes swift, and he tries to catch her by surprise with the barbed end of his sword, but lucky for her, Rinack intercepts him, begining his life drain attack.

This is where Rinack found out, he fucked up.

While all he could see was tasty life force being flooded into his mouth, he could not see the sword blade amoungst it, and in a flash of a moment, Rinack's chest had the slender blade sticking though it. Coughing up some blood, Rinack collapses against a building, this one foolish move leading to him being put out of the fight.
"Now, girly, I'm here for business...so unless you put that dagger down, you will end up dead, bits of you needing to be scraped off of the walls....understand?" Gunner growls at her, his skin seeming paler, and his breathing heavier.

Hunger chuckles. "You have spunk..." He says, as his eyes begin to glow, and Theta starts to feel...hungry. Very hungry. Like she could literally eat a horse hungry. "...but that won't save you." He chuckles, as he stares at her, his powers doing their work.

[Tyki]

@thewizardguy

The spell seems to fizzle and fade once it reaches a few feet from the creature to latch on as it turns to cosmos, seeming to have sensed him casting the magic as soon as he'd started despite the distance. "you're smart so i'm keeping you around. the internet of this wold seems to lack many things, but what it does have has piqued my interests, especially 'physics', 'biology', and various philisophical works like the illiad. if you've an issue with being dragged around then state it, i'm intellegent enough to hold a conversation now" the creature replies evenly, it's voice having shifted and it's mouth having been replaced with a thin line of speaker-like structures along it's face, creating a smoother finish as the pours along it's body seem to billow out a thick smoke, the by-product of it's matter digestion and highly toxic due to the make up.

[kishin asura]

@supertinyking

As rinack falls to the floor, camilla stops trembling "no one. And I repeat no one." She drops the dagger and raises her fists in a sort of boxing stance "MESSES WITH MY GODDAMN FRIENDS!!!" She charges at gunner with an almost surprising fury

"You're right." Theta chuckles as she walks toward hunger "the funny part is, I could really use a bite to eat." With that, she leaps toward him. Mouth agape in an attempt to take a bite out of him