Asuras

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

I suppose I wasn't specific enough in my original. She was running to the fog, but not into it. So the fog would have settled over her after Hawklin's gust. Although, given Annabelle would have been right on the edge of the fog originally, it's also possible the fog was pushed way out enough she'd still be in the clear.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Annabelle was outside the fog when she cracked the whip into it, then the fog shifted over her, then Krenna leaped up and socked her. But if Annabelle had been covered by the fog prior, I don't see how she'd have seen Krenna coming. It's not a big deal, but it does inform my next post in whether Annabelle would have had an opportunity to try (and fail, since Krenna hit her regardless) to defend herself, or if the sucker punch came out of nowhere.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

I'm a little confused. Is it the case that Krenna had jumped into the black fog section where Annabelle was in, and was then visible once in punching range, or did she leap prior to the black fog shifting? I'm not sure when/how Krenna would be visible approaching if Annabelle was in the fog.

Arknights - Project Neptune

Mission begin!

From here on out, players are free to proceed with steady progress initially. Consider this a "partial sandbox" moment of the roleplay; you are welcome to detail buildings, locations, etc that you proceed to, depending on how you as a team (or individual) wish to proceed.

The only stipulations are that, of course, you cannot simply blow through the whole city and reach the end. Take it in steps. The other stipulation is that I will be progressively introducing enemies and more details to what you decide to proceed with.

For this reason, I actually expect player posts to be shorter than usual, as it will be easier and quicker for me to throw in GM posts between player posts. Don't be afraid to post more rapidly, if you want to input something (that is, no need to maintain a posting order, or one post per entire group post, etc).

This will be just short of a collab post, which I don't want to do with so many players in the same space. If people split up, we can more easily do a collab post.

@ianzerep Don't sweat not posting in time. I understand that limitation.

Arknights - Project Neptune

@ERode@Asura@Zombehs@Epsir@Psyker Landshark@ianzerep@TwoFurrets

As they proceeded apace, the group quickly descended into the narrower bowels of the Vindsvalr, tight corridors encircling them. There were a number of other employees moving about, many of them dressed in lab coats that spoke to the amount of research occurring aboard the vessel. Diver busily tapped away at her PDA as they walked. She walked, dodged employees, and spoke to group promptly all without missing a beat. She was clearly an experienced multi-tasker.

"I don't know if I can help you to some smoked bacon," she hummed to Thrones, "But I can procure some danishes." Diver tapped and swiped and swiveled on her heels, never breaking pace as she began to walk backwards. "Coffee and danishes. A good combo! Coming right up. And to answer your question... Strix!" she exclaimed, briefly digging into her memory to pull out the Operator's name, "You don't need to worry about your things. While you're in the simulation, I'll have someone move your belongings to where you'll be sleeping," she explained. A small aerial drone buzzed past the group just above head level, carrying underneath it a cardboard box.

"As for how often you'll have to do that boarding sequence... Well..." she shrugged and tilted her head, "I'm afraid it'll be somewhat often given the global nature of our intended operations. But you'll get used to it! It's perfectly safe just... loud and bumpy!" she said cheerily. The hallway brightened as a long stretch of thick glass windows appeared alongside the path. They looked out into the sky at the rear of the Vindsvalr, offering a much better view of the massive ship. No matter how long the hallway was that they walked along, the great engines outside never seemed to get any closer.

"The simulation will be a test of you combat abilities and teamwork. It won't be an especially complex mission, but it will test you nevertheless. I daresay you'd best prepare not even to succeed! But don't worry; we're just seeking to evaluate you at your best," Diver explained. They made it after several minutes to a closed steel door, and after a couple inputs into the keypad at its side, it slid open and revealed a moderately-sized room with numerous computers spread about. "Experimental" described the contents of it all succinctly. Haphazard cables and half-built electronics sat around or leaned against the wall. Only the dozen-odd human-sized capsules attached to the walls seemed wholly completed. Two scientists looked up from their laptops, both sitting in small lawnchairs and side-by-side. A man and woman of similar age in labcoats were busy tapping rapidly at the laptops, stopping abruptly at the group's entrance.

"Go ahead and leave your bags along the wall by the door," Diver said, stepping aside. "And whenever you're all suited up, go ahead and step into one of those capsules." A drone came to a sudden halt in the hallway outside, carrying a tiered rack of cupholders, and a cardboard box at the very bottom.

"Delivery for Miss Diver!" it said in an effeminate artificial voice. Diver gestured to the dutiful aerial bot, offering up the free coffee and sweets to anyone hungry, thirsty, or plain tired. As the Operators filled their bellies, prepped their attire and equipment, and all saddled themselves in the bedded capsules, Diver turned to the scientists, and after exchanging some hushed words, seemed finally prepared to send them off into their first "mission".

Glass covers hissed down to enclose the capsules, and after a few more seconds, the Operators found their eyes fluttering closed against their will. Blackness enveloped their senses when suddenly it turned to white. They were all together again, standing in a blank void. Their bodies, their clothing, their weapons -all of it was accounted for in this virtual realm, though time would tell if it all functioned just the same. A voice came through directly to their ears, the by-then familiar Diver's cheery demeanor.

"How does it feel? Alright? You might feel somewhat of a tiny headache, but nothing that should stop you. But anyways! Here's your mission!" she began. In the simulation, a nondescript suitcase appeared in the center of the gathered circle, materializing chunk by chunk in a flash. It was but a simple rectangular object with a rounded handle, and seemingly no way of even opening it up.

"You have there your charge. You are to keep it in your possession throughout the duration of the mission. If you lose control of it and can no longer feasibly return it to your possession, the mission will end. Additionally, each Operator must cross the finish line whilst maintaining control of the suitcase with at least one of you. Should an Operator permanently fall in battle, the mission will end. And finally -and here's the kicker- you must engage all enemy combatants that you visually identify. Leave no face unpunched!" Diver explained.

Suddenly the empty realm burst into life, massive city buildings and streets forming before their eyes. Every structure was highly simple, being of a flat, white and gray material with little detail to it. Only the basics to reflect a big city. They had windows, entrances, and presumably stairs with which to climb them, but little else. The buildings were diverse, and the streets far from completely grid-like.

"You will start at one end of this fake city, and must reach the other side in one piece!" Diver said. A red beacon lifted into the sky from over the horizon of buildings, guiding their direction. It was immediately clear they had several miles of city between them and their destination. "Your presence will be initially unknown to the simulated enemies, but as you defeat more, and depending on how you do it, they will become more alert and aware of your presence within the city. How you proceed is up to you! You will receive no further guidance, so consider communications with HQ to be cut! Good luck!"

The Operators were left to themselves in that city intersection with only the suitcase. No one else was visible. For the time being, they were alone there.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Blursed image

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Underleveled by about 10. Ez.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

The finest piece of ass he's seen all day will have to suffice.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Posted!

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

The Forgotten Ruins - Subterranean

The sewer tunnels beneath the ancient city had long since been drained of its unnatural waters, and only thin puddles remained. Rainwater and simple condensation in this humid underground sat as tiny mires where vibrant green mats sprung up through the cracks in the earth. Drains dotted the curved walls of the tunnels, funneling light from the surface down into the otherwise dim realm.

A pair of boots and the tiny pitter-patter of a small creature's limbs snapped through the echoing tubes. Short black hair dashed around corners, following after a diminutive red blob-thing. Annabelle, a title-less lady, made her way through the sewers of the Forgotten Ruins, wary of the sounds of clashing above ground. Navigating the place was frustrating, given its propensity to collapse into impassable walls of rubble, but with some testing, determination, and boundless energy to continue running, she made relatively short work of the labyrinthine tunnels.

When she had come upon a pile of rubble stacked to the ceiling, her dynamic little friend did its best to dislodge enough for her to slip over. The familiar, a blood elemental dubbed 'Carpenter' squeezed and slunk, morphing into fine threads of bright red blood as he coursed through the spaces in the rubble easily. Within its rocky prison, a push her, a snap of a whip there, and the pile tumbled in further on itself. Annabelle was not above squeezing herself through claustrophobic spaces, and some help from Carpenter tugging her through made for a simple experience. On one occasion she had to fit herself through a narrow tube in the wall of the sewers to reach the other side. She folded her arms up, stuck her feet in, and let the morphing familiar do the work of pulling her through. That must have been what a cannonball felt like, she imagined.

There were others down in the sewers, too, but only after she had already put in a considerable amount of time down there. Few were able to make it through the sewers from her starting position, but it seemed as though several groups had decided to venture below ground only once they'd made it deeper into the Ruins. Annabelle avoided confrontation. She was but one woman, even if she could profess having two capable allies always at her side.

Inwards she headed, following the pipelines directions only insofar as they pointed towards the city center. She was lucky that she hadn't yet had to ascend to continue on, but her luck was soon to run out.

A dead end.

Not a pile of rubble or a too-narrow continuation, but a genuine end to the pipe. A flat, solid wall stood before her. Perhaps out of a disappointment, or perhaps out of a fleeting hope that she was looking at some kind of trap door, she touched the wall softly. Finding it just as impassable as expected, Annabelle sighed.

A boisterous voice caught her ears, ringing sharply from above ground down into the sewer. Annabelle approached the steel-barred drain, eyes slowly adjusting to the light outside as she peered up to the ground-level. Carpenter bounced up with surprising agility for his rotund and stubby stature, and hung onto the ledge of the drain beside her.

Two groups had encountered one another, and stood at odds. To her right was a group of three; individuals that appeared of nobility, a man, and two women including a mounted horse. To her left was a group of four; a loud-mouthed and jovial man accompanied by a barbarian woman, a bowman, and a particularly generic-looking mage. She could tell by his hood and wooden staff.

"Now then! I know not who you are, fine ladies and gent, but I can assume we're all here for the same reason, yes?"

They appeared to be considering joining forces, though Annabelle could easily note by the trio's body language that said proposal was under considerable scrutiny. She listened in silence as they spoke back and forth, dutifully noting down the names of the trio as they introduced themselves. If they did decide to join together, they'd certainly be the biggest group she'd seen thus far. A troublesome band to try and navigate around.

Carpenter prodded Annabelle's cheek, drawing her attention. A stubby red arm pointed towards a peculiar object that had jutted out just beside the sewer drain. A small, sharp crystal grew from the corner where earth met ruined wall, and sparkled with a hue she was unfamiliar with. At the very least, it appeared the sewers led her to a promising location within the ruins. She would have to surface, but the group's presence worried her. She took a gamble.

If they were forming up, perhaps they would be more receptive to taking on another random while still in the 'team-forming headspace'. Annabelle knew people liked her, so she had some confidence in following through with her decision.

Annabelle took a step back from the drain, her back nearly pressing up against the opposite wall. She retrieved a dagger from the belts hanging from her back, itself saddled alongside the long leather sheathe of her main sword. With a quick spin in her hand, she drew it across her palm, letting blood droplets flow. She did not need much for what she intended.

As the crimson bead fell upon the water with a barely-audible 'plop', a silent phantasm began to fade into reality before her. Wordlessly did it understand her intents, and without bidding, it lifted a skeletal hand from beneath its red cloak towards the metal bars sealing the sewer from the sunlit world.

A red bolt was cast out, crashing into the drain and blowing it to smithereens. Thin weaves of lingering magic coursed through the remaining material surrounding the open hole, and as they faded, left behind trails of minute vegetation. Its task done, the spirit faded away, and Annabelle briskly jogged up to the hole, throwing herself up with a hop. It was too narrow to simply crouch through, and so she performed one final prone shimmy to get out of the sewer and onto the Ruin grounds. Carpenter leaped up beside her, easily making it up and over.

Annabelle stood amidst the low dust cloud that billowed outwards from her feet, patting herself down, and lifted her gaze to the group. Now that she was actually standing before them, she didn't know what to say.

And so, she said nothing. Would a smile suffice?