Morose

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@PatientBean@Blizz@Kirah@KazAlkemi

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Limbo

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The three Green Eyed Ones encircled you three. Had you not already caught on, three is an important number mystically. Sometimes, it refers to the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. In this case, you Klara would be the Maiden - young and full of innocence; Carolina, you would be the Mother, reaching the height of your power; and you Jack would be our old wise Crone, your face marred with wrinkles and spots. If I ever felt a calling to plastic surgery, it would be in order to administer the botox that you desperately need, my old friend.

"I think we will keep it," the Green Eyed Ones hissed. The child had been put down, with a broken bone in the process. That was a shame. They preferred intact bones for their decor.

"You have no power here, Sorcerer Supreme," they spat, their glowing green eyes zeroing in on Jack.

Carolina, you would feel a ghost of lips on your ear, whispering softly. No one else could hear what you did. It was a special sort of sense that no one else had. "I'm waiting for you, love," the voice beckoned. "Come and see." I am certain I do not need to tell you whose voice this is.

"In fact, I think we are hungry... for more," the Green Eyed Ones exclaimed. Klara had been striped of her soul, meaning most of her nutritional value was gone. Carolina was off the menu, protected by Witchfire. That left you, Jack, as the option for their snack.

The three pounced on you - one of them ended up getting knocked aside by the others, getting in the way. The other two attempted to grab you, to sink their bony fingers into your chest and devour your soul, but they only succeeded in scratching you. Lengthy, bleeding wounds appeared on your chest and cheek.

* * *

You lost a far amount of time, Madalyne, during your discussion with the demon Vernath. I can only hope that it is not yet too late for your mortal soul, that you will not be condemned to follow in his dark footsteps. But I fear it is already too late.

When you awake, you are no longer in the woods. Instead, you are chained in what looks like the dungeon of a castle. Your arms and legs are shackled, chained to the wall. There are bars, lined with silver, designed to prevent your escape. I wish I could say that it was silent, there in the dark. But it is not.

You hear Ananym's screams. "Please, stop, noooo!!!!"

Maybe a minute passes. Or maybe it's an hour. But the door opens, revealing a tall, stupid looking demon. Sym. You've met him before. You aren't friends.

Sym snorted. "Boss says I have to give you a choice. Join or die," Sym explains. "But I gotta be honest - I've been wantin' to torture the shit out of you for a while." He has a spiked club in his hand and he eyes you, smiling toothily. "So what'd'ya say, Maddie?"

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Runa the Grey

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Location: Limbo
Skills: Intuition
Spells: Elder Futhark Runes

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Runa was not irritated to hear Max reveal their old name - it was nice in some ways to hear it said again. And should any of her new companions attempt to use it against her, well, she knew their names. It was mutually assured destruction. "Yes, I imagine it may very well be longer for me," Runa mused. The last time they had seen Max, well... Only one of them had walked away from that encounter. But she really was pleased to see him, just as she was pleased to see Edus.

It was helpful that neither of them knew the extent of the actions they had taken. Neither of them even knew whose bones made up the staff that Runa held tightly, her fingers having worn groves into the marrow. Most Midgardian marriage vows said till death do us part - Runa had not included that sentence in their vows. Even though their husband had ascended, they kept a part of him with them.

She imagined Edus and Max may not approve.

The versions of them she had killed certainly had objected to a lot of things she had done.

Runa didn't answer Max as to how she was - they were pretty certain that Max would form his own opinions, given their appearance. The missing eyes was a big one. And the signs of old age and seeming frailty. The fight had stopped, thanks to Max's spellwork, and she could hear the sounds of Annika viciously ripping one of the remaining demons to shreds. They smiled. It was nice to see the young ones having fun.

"Yes, we should press on - and find this Witchfire," Runa agreed. She was mildly amused with Prudence's discomfort - it shone through in the sorceress' voice. "They may be responsible for Stephen's death - and for our coming to this realm." They paused for a moment, considering. Then, they reached into their pockets and produced their bag of runes. The runes were carved, allowing them to feel the symbols under their finger tips.

Runa reached into the bag, concentrating and focusing. There was a simple question to ask - where was Witchfire?

They drew ōþila. Heritage, estate, possession. And in their mind's eye, they saw it. A castle on a hill, illuminated by lightning strikes. "We are looking for a castle, old and terrible," Runa explained calmly to the others.

The rest would not need much more description, as while Runa could not see it, they could. In the distance, there was a tall imposing structure on a mountain, with an ominous cliff. It was the castle of Runa's vision. The lair of Witchfire.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Blizz@Kirah@Natsu

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You all have 14 days to do collabs / individual posts! These collabs can take place from Sep 15, 2038 to Oct 15, 2038. You can do as many collabs / individual character posts as you like - but you must do at least one per character. Remember to clear with me anything that might need a roll request. After these 14 days are up, we will then timeskip to the Contest of Champions qualifiers, which will take place on Mon. Oct 18, 2038.

Uncanny Avengers (Usagi)

• Usagi has been pushing the team harder and harder. She usually has them practice fighting each other. At the beginning of each practice, she tells them where they rank on her mental pyramid, Abby Lee Miller style - the very best at the top, the worst at the bottom. Arcade has been on the bottom each week. The other positions change frequently.
• After the exercise in the Framework, Usagi designated Victoria as the leader of the team.
• This team frequently drills in the Framework.

the Huntresses (Lady Nimue)

• Lady Nimue has been training her team well, although... somewhat unconventionally. It's more like she's training them to be knights of Camelot, prioritizing swordplay and archaic manners/etiquette. She asks each member of her team to keep a journal to chronicle their growth and journey in. She gives a prompt each week, most of which have to do with some sort of knightly chivalry or code.
• Ardere was formally removed from the team for not showing up. In order to give them a fifth member, Nimue brought in a girl with super strength and a compulsive need to wear sunglasses all the time, Gideon. She's a senior at the academy - was supposed to graduate the year before, but failed her English classes. Repeatedly.
• Lady Nimue has a different student act as the leader each week.
• This team frequently drills outside in the field.

Excelsior (Ser Nemo)

• Ser Nemo continues to endanger his team, although no one has gotten seriously injured. They have the most variety in exercises. While most other teams focus on combat, Ser Nemo has also been teaching survival skills. Some weeks, they focus on how to survive a potential apocalypse. A lot of weeks, actually. He invites his students to take tea with him in his office if they'd like, at an office hour of sorts, that occurs on Thursdays.
• Ser Nemo has not mentioned anything about who is the leader of the team.
• This team drills in random locations, sometimes even involving field trips to different spots in the city.

General School Life

• the Contest of Champions - qualifiers are approaching! these will be held in mid-October. Details are not released in advance, but last year the qualifier was a standard Save the Civilian simulation. The year before, they had to stabilize a collapsing building. The Margaret Carter Institute can send four teams to compete, meaning most students won't move past this round.
• the Monster Mash - the school dance! It's on Halloween, because that's Mor's favorite holiday and she wants this to be real. People tend to wear ridiculous costumes, and anyone can ask anyone. Different staff members are going to be chaperoning the dance.
• Classes - are well underway now. Check your CS to see what classes your character is taking, as they'll be struggling through those assignments. Midterms are approaching soon.

Ex-Player Controlled Students

• Chi Mai - she hasn't returned to school yet. However, an article in the Daily Bugle details that there is a new member of the Avengers, the inhuman Blossom! She's been confirmed to be attending the next Kids Choice Awards for Nickolodeon as a presenter, and her socials are rapidly gaining followers.
• Teddy - he still is attending the academy, but he's only there part time. The rest of the time he is interning under a famous former member of the X-Men, Beast, as he learns to embrace his furry form.
• Ardere - she still attends the school, but ended up being moved off of Lady Nimue's team for the contest as she kept on not showing up. She's a common fixture in detention, and has caused a small series of trashcan fires.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Guin Stark

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Location: Asteroid M
Skills: Telepathy
~Fit Check~

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Guin was flung back into her body, opening her own eyes again to throbbing pain in her head. Miraculously, they weren't dead. The damage from the explosion had been repaired, thanks to the mutant master of magnetism - the world's greatest supervillain - and her father-in-law. Magneto. Even in her wounded state, Guin managed to narrow her eyes at him. She didn't have much of a relationship with her father-in-law, given that he was Magneto and she was a member of the X-Men, and that he had been abusive to her husband. The last time she'd seen Magneto had been at her wedding, when he had rudely shown up - with Miranda, actually.

Exodus, of course, was being a whiny little bitch. "God, enough with the fucking Bible cosplay," Guin snapped. "We get it, you saw Life of Brian once and it changed your life." She hated his guts. It hadn't even been twenty four hours since he had attempted to kill her husband. And she intended to return the favor. With extreme prejudice.

Then, her husband turned up in a gust of wind. Guin didn't need to be able to read his mind to know that Pietro was terrified - both of his father and of Exodus. Deep breaths, it's okay. I won't let them hurt you, she whispered into his mind. She was holding one hand to her head wound, doing her best to stymy the flow of blood. And then not too long later, Max came onto the scene, panting and telling Magneto that he had to let them go.

She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at Max. He was breathless and sweaty for his dramatic entrance? "Despite what this fuckwad said, we aren't here to destroy anything," she said, nodding towards Exodus. "We're just here to pick up our friends, then you're free to live your Death Star fantasy up here, Erik."

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Neil Spellman

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Location: the Asteroid
Skills: Necromancy
~Fit Check~

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Neil had felt the death. He was sure of it. Lance's life force had been extinguished. It was a weird sort of sixth sense, the ability to hear the death scream... but he had it all the same. Neil nodded, before focusing again, reaching out with his abilities. At first, he was uncertain. But then he tried again, and this time, he could feel the pulse of life.

"...Maybe it was another world's Lance..." Neil said, feeling uncertain - and ashamed. Next time he sensed a death like that... he wouldn't say anything. He didn't want to be wrong again. Being wrong about something like math or a D&D rule was one thing - but telling people someone they knew had died, and being wrong about that? That was a wound. That was something that couldn't be brushed aside easily.

He continued on with the others, hoping that they'd run into more of their companions along the way.

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

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Megan Pendragon

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Location: Rapunzel's Tower
Skills: N/A

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Megan nodded, thinking over the plan. It was somewhat amusing, trapping Maleficent inside of a lamp - especially if they could encase the lamp in concrete afterwards, to ensure no one could ever free her. It was a cruel and unusual punishment. She wondered if Maleficent would be able to die - or if she would just exist forever, frozen in a hellish limbo. She liked that idea. There was a grim poetry to it. She turned her head, as Gabriella said that she would go wherever Megan went. Megan didn't know much about her expertise, beyond the fact that Gabriella clearly had some sort of necromantic powers.

However, the choice that she made didn't end up being one based on strategy - and more by the vibe of those who had already decided. The irritating boy from yesterday was going to go on the lamp team. Fine. Megan was better off in the more combative situation at the gates anyways, with excalibur at her side. "I'll go with the group attacking the gate," Megan said.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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☀️ Nancy Parker ☀️

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Location: Las Vegas
Skills: N/A

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"You're welcome," Nancy said to her brother. She didn't make any motion to touch the fruit bowl. She knew logically that he was correct - she never would've made praetor if she hadn't. She needed to eat something. But the thought of eating food in Vegas... it was like her mind had put up a gigantic mental block against it. The very idea made her feel sick. And vomiting wasn't going to help anyone when it came to the quest. She'd be fine. Her adrenaline would carry her. Instead, she picked up her little cup of ice chips, and she plucked one out, before popping it into her mouth.

"We need to be there in thirty minutes," Nancy then answered. "They just called. Told them to meet us outside the place." If any of them decided to go in early, all alone, Nancy doubted they'd be able to help them. Well, that she would be able to help them. Apollo had mentioned that she would likely be immune to the spell of the Lotus Hotel and Casino, but that wouldn't be true for the others. She ate another ice chip. She wished Mads was there with her. Mads had been there before - she was so strong and so brave, and Nancy felt so weak and so helpless.

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@PatientBean@Blizz@Kirah@KazAlkemi

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Limbo

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Ororo smiled, looking at the black rose. "It's perfect," she told Jack. She looked at him with a steady gaze. Her intuition, as ever, was strong. She could guess as to why Jack was afraid he would never see her again. She knelt down, gently cupping the flower in her hands. "I am not afraid of a life that ends, Jack. And neither should you be."

"Now, go. There are people who need you," Ororo urged. She released the flower, letting it be, as she rose to her feet again. "And know that if you ever need it, this sanctuary will be here for you - even after I am gone."

* * *

Perhaps the Green Eyed One might have listened to your pleas, Carolina. It was not a bad strategy. The Green Eyed One believes that you have the protection of Witchfire, an entity that clearly horrifies them. But as you, Klara, attempt to ensnare them with your charms, the very reverse happens. The Green Eyed Ones are filled with rage and hatred, blinding them to their actions, to thought and logic and reason.

The long skeletal finger pushes its way into Klara's chest, somehow leaving no wound. And then the Green Eyed One retracts the finger, a pulsing little ball of pink light now in their grasp. They smiled wickedly. "Death to the House of Odin," they whispered.

And promptly threw the pink ball into their mouth, devouring Klara's soul whole.

You, Klara, are no longer yourself. I have seen cases of soullessness before. You will not be able to sleep. Food and drink will have no taste. Your guiding principles and morals, whatever codes you cling to - they will not matter anymore. Empathy is lost to you. There is one benefit, however, to this form.

You are now exceedingly difficult to kill - a soulless monster.

* * *

Still unconscious, you find yourself trapped in your mind's realm, Madalyne.

In the real world, Ananym sits next to your body, staring at you curiously. She didn't expect this. There were a lot of things she hadn't expected, of course - beginning with a group of Sorcerers Supreme showing up at the top of her tower, in the midst of a demonic attack. She'd thought there would only be one Sorcerer Supreme. "Are you going to wake up?" Ananym asked, picking up your wrist and letting go, watching as it fell limply at your side.

"Maaadaaaalyne?" Ananym asked again.

But you did not stir.

The young demon then got up to her feet. "I'm going to get you help," she said. She grabbed one of your arms and started to drag you in the direction of what had been Belasco's stronghold. There'd probably be healing herbs and whatnot there - among other things.

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Runa the Grey

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Location: Limbo
Skills: N/A
Spells: Kosmisk Ild

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Runa felt the heat of the flames and heard the cry of the spell, as a familiar voice summoned the Flames of the Faltine. They smiled. It had been eons since they had seen this person. Today was a day of many reunions. So many of their comrades in arms were there that day. She rubbed her thumb on her bone staff for a moment, swept up in the nostalgia for a moment. If only he had been there. But she knew better than to mourn - for he was a part of everything now. Their held tilted upwards, even though they could not see. He was a part of Those Who Sit Above in Shadow now. He always was and always would be.

"Do my ears deceive me, or is that not Maximilian?" Runa crowed. "It has been quite some time, my old friend." She didn't re-introduce herself. She knew that she looked different, almost a completely different person, but she felt Max would recognize her. They were almost certain of it.

They felt the ground shake, and heard the climatic blast of lightning. All around them, they could sense the lights of the demons fading away. The tide was beginning to turn. There were roughly twenty or so left now - and with their numbers increased, it would be no trouble. They focused, pulling the magics around them, and they clutched their staff a little tighter. Their first whispered incantation did not do much. But the second time, they brought down another rain of fire, burning ten demons alive and ending their lives.

Annika, embracing her new form as a werewolf, jumped from above onto one of the demons. She ripped and teared and destroyed, but the demon was strange, even by demonic standards. Its flesh mended itself almost as fast as Annika would mutilate it. They pulled themselves forcibly out of Annika's mouth, the action ripping their head clean off of their neck. "I'd like that back, thankss," they hissed, a headless body reaching out to grab their head.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Blizz@Kirah@Natsu

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10:00 AM - Wed. Sep. 15th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute

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@Nallore@Forsythe: "No, that would be cheating!" Usagi said, smacking Diana gently on the head. "I'm not raising a fucking cheater!" Usagi then added, as if Diana was a naughty kitten. And at any rate, Zari then got in some kills - Vicky had somehow just been turned off, something that made Usagi snicker to herself and whisper an ancient curse word under her breath, and Arcade had ended up being crushed when the mech crumpled around him, forcing him to fall into the hole.

"And then there were two!" Usagi cheered. "And more fucking losers, huh! Huh!!" she breathed deeply, staring at Vicky and Arcade, both of whom would wake up in their weird bacta tanks. Arcade looked annoyed if anything else, spitting out the little breathing mask as the liquids drained, and the tank door swung open, letting him leave.

"That's not fair - she's god in there!" Arcade protested.

"Aww, is the baby whining? Does the baby need a binkie? Or a nappy nap?" Usagi mocked.

@Blizz@BlueSky44: Leah had managed to get some boulders to drop, but not enough to bury Arcade!Ganon alive. However, it ended up not mattering. When Zari had shut off the mech, the sheer height of the fall and suddenness of it had ended up snapping Arcade's neck, killing him in the process. There were just two of them left now. And it was sudden death. Leah against Zari. The winner would win... well, they didn't really know. Usagi hadn't really spelled out what she was looking for exactly with this exercise.

HP

Leah: ❤️
Zari: ❤️
Diana: 💀
Vicky: 💀
Arcade: 💀
Calamity Ganon: 💀
Master Hand: 💀

Uniform Trim Colors

You can choose what variation of the uniform your character is in - i.e., pants or skirt or shorts. The top is going to be a plain white button up with a tie. In the winter months, people will put on an academy blazer or sweater on top, but it's likely way too warm for that right now. We're heavily drawing inspiration from the Umbrella Academy uniforms.

Green: Diana & Zelda
Purple: Mary Sue, Ardere, Sabine, Leah
Blue: Andy, Chi Mai, Zari, Vicky
Red: Percy, Teddy, Dorian, Danni, Mads, April

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April Flynn

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Location: Gym - Training Room A
Skills: N/A

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April plastered a smile on her face. "Yeah, team bonding sounds great!" she exclaimed. She felt somewhat insane. She had been feeling totally fine, and then her thoughts pitched towards Danni and Dorian - who hadn't said a word to her - and the completely epic bonding sessions they were probably having with their new team without her. They still needed to talk about... well, the rather sudden update in April's love life. But in this moment, she wondered... would they even care? Maybe they had realized over the summer that they didn't need her anymore - that they were more interested in other people - that the trio was over.

The smile on her face turned to look slightly manic, a bit unhinged. "Where would you want to take them? Ooo maybe we could do an escape room, I love those. I did one with my family over the summer and it was soooo cool, my mom took it like SUPER seriously and it was so funny to see her get all spun up and mad, swear she was about to smite my dad for a second with the wrath of Athena. She had this long rant about how we were all being sub-optimal. Super funny. Have you done an escape room before - with your mom or sis?"

She then thought for a moment as to what their last trick could be, and April gasped. She was surprised this idea hadn't occurred to her before. "What if we make a magic water pool - like, how in the movies witches can look into water and see things that are happening elsewhere, I can move the water to hang up like a circle or something in front of us, and you can enchant it to show us somewhere else?"

"Alright, ladies, time is up. Whichever group would like to, please begin with your presentation," Lady Nimue said. She had conjured herself up a throne made of worn-stone, and she sat upon it, looking at them all with interest.

Note to Rpers

This is the only round we have for this. Nally, you can bunny April in your post - just chat with me, we can also collab it if you'd like. Kirah/Natsu, either collab or split it up roughly half-and-half in your posts, talking to the other player to check in on bunnying.

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Percy Novikov

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Location: Gym - Training Room B
Skills: N/A

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Ser Nemo was hardly phased by Sabine's outburst. If anything, he seemed pleased by it. "I am holding you to that, young lady," he assured her. "I expect that you will demand it of everyone you surround yourself with - and not merely an old, tired man." He winked, as if the two of them had shared some sort of private joke.

Angelica was fuming however - even though her charges seemed okay. Danni was shaken up, mostly about his clothing rather than anything else. And she was wondering whether it was really okay to leave these students with Ser Nemo. "This conversation isn't over," Angelica warned Nemo. Zelda seemed to be in better shape than she had been, wheres Teddy was as silent as the grave.

Firestar sighed. "Teddy, let's go - Zelda, you can come or stay, it's up to you," she said, before leaving the room with the bear student. Teddy had been staring at Danni, and trying very hard to make it seem like he had NOT been staring at him.

Percy returned from the showers a moment later, dressed in a clean replacement uniform. He had discarded his soiled rags into the nearest trash can available, only mildly intrigued to see that the garments had burst into flames once the lid was closed. He supposed incineration was one way to reduce waste on campus. He held his head high, schooling his features into a mask of calm disinterest, but his eyes were red and puffy. But his pride demanded he act like everything was fine.

He raised an eyebrow, taking in Danni's appearance. That was certainly a look. He guessed they had had trouble with the bomb, too. Ser Nemo was crazy for that. Well, Percy was sure that the old man was crazy for a lot of reasons. That just happened to be one of them. "Are you alright?" he asked Zelda simply, pointedly ignoring Dorian and Nemo. Sabine was fine with him. His eyes darted over towards her, to try to see if she was going to attempt to murder him, but she seemed more concerned with Danni.

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@PatientBean@Blizz@Kirah@KazAlkemi

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Limbo

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Ororo smiled knowingly at Jack. While most on Earth-616 - and really, most worlds - would remark that she was a member of the X-Men, she was also descended from a line of witches. She dabbled in worlds both mutant and magic. She was as comfortable here, in this form as a sorceress, as she would be riding the winds and summoning lightning from the heavens in combat with the X-Men. "I never said you must be an Avenger or an X-Men, Jack," Ororo chided, like gently admonishing a child.

"The universe isn't calling you," Ororo then said. This was false, of course, but she was poetic and dramatic. "I, Ororo, She Who Rides with the Acanti, charge you to protect Life wherever it dwells. I charge you to bear the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme and protect your dimension from whomever would threaten it."

A light glowed in her hand, and Ororo conjured up a small object. It was an act of creation magic, the purest one - the only one that Belasco could never perform. She produced an acorn. She extended her hand to Jack. "Take this. It is your sacred pact."

* * *

When you touched her arm, Madalyne, it felt like the demon child was burning up. Some demons in Limbo ran naturally hot. Perhaps this was just that. But then again, as a physician, this would also be expected for the bite of a venomous snake. You chanted your healing spell, hoping to heal the child's bite and withdraw the venom. What happened next reminded me very much of one of my more chaotic pupils.

The venom flowed out of the throbbing wound, drifting into the space between you and Ananym - and then suddenly, it flew into your mouth, forcing its way down your throat and into your body. It burned like whiskey. Your vision would blur and the world would seem to sway before you.

"Mads? What's wrong? What's happening?" Ananym asked, tilting her head to the side. "Are you dying?"

Those would be the last words you would hear for some time.

* * *

Max, you open up a portal behind the Green Eyed One - or rather, underneath them. They fall through and the portal closes, severing their arm. You are sent falling to the ground, Klara, but the skeletal grip remains strong. From around the room, the furniture and the decor begin to stir. They fly towards you, Klara, barely missing. The bits and pieces of long dead souls disassemble, before forming a new body - a new skeletal corpse of a giant, a new Green Eyed One.

"It's rude to cut someone's limbs off as well, dearie," the Green Eyed One said. The creature barely blinked an eye before Carolina chopped their leg off. And just as before, the bonework from the room sprung into action. Not only did the Green Eyed One grow a new leg, but the missing leg grew another Green Eyed One.

The Green Eyed Ones smiled, baring their razor sharp teeth. "I've always wondered what mutant tastes like," they said in unison. The Green Eyed Ones are a hive. The Green Eyed One not holding you, Klara, grabs Carolina and dangles her upside down, inspecting her. They opened their mouth wide, about to eat Carolina whole, when they suddenly paused, looking shocked.

They dropped Carolina gingerly, as if she were royalty. "Forgive me, I didn't know your soul was claimed by Witchfire," they breathed. "You are free to go. Tell her I didn't harm you."

They said nothing about your friends however. Whatever mysterious protection extended to you, it did not go to Klara and Max. From somewhere behind you, Max, strange organs like string came and wrapped all around you, constricting and squeezing. These would be the intestines.

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Runa the Grey

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Location: Limbo
Skills: Intuition
Spells: Elder Futhark Runes

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The demons were terrified of the assembled might - of the Sorcerers Supreme. Runa could feel the emotions rolling off of them in waves. But in their bones, they felt that there was something else - something that these demons were even more petrified of. "Save your threats, child," Runa cautioned. "There is someone else they fear more than you." It was not any person present of their company. No, Runa was certain - certain that it must have been this Witchfire. Such was the way with demons. Loyalty was won by power and power won by fear.

To inspire a demonic hoard to clash with them, this Witchfire must be mighty powerful indeed.

It was a pity that Runa had never heard of them before. Had they eyes still, they might have glanced at Edus pointedly. He had never spoken to them about these events, and yet, they had been friends. Battle companions, at the very least. Perhaps he was doing his best to preserve the timeline. But at any right, mild irritation filled them. They hated not knowing something.

They were so used to having all the answers, leaving others in the dark.

The demons continued to fall upon them, wave after wave. One of them spewed strange black tar from their mouth, which would have doused Edus and turned him into a living man of wax, had it not been for his timely shield. But as soon as he would throw a shield up, it would fall against an attack. One demon attempted to suicide-bomb Prudence, exploding above her, but strangely she was unscathed. Her skin shimmered like the scales of a snake for a moment, and an aching pain exploded in her mouth.

Four demons grabbed Runa, forcing the elderly woman down to the ground. She could not see them. She could not see her bag of runes in her pocket. But they could feel its weight. They struggled, barely managing to grasp a rune in time, throwing it up to activate it - sōwilō - and the light of a small sun suddenly intensified around them. The demons atop of them burned to ash.

Annika was the one with poor luck. Instinctively, Runa turned her head in Annika's direction. It was like the old woman knew what was about to happen - as if somehow, they knew that a demon had managed to sneak up on Annika, a demon with knives for hands, and it sheathed its blades into Annika's side. The demon rotated its wrist and then pulled out, grinning madly.

To an ordinary person, it would have been a fatal blow.

Was Annika ordinary?

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Guin Stark

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Location: Asteroid M
Skills: Telepathy, Telepathic Attacks, Problem Solving, Perception, Mechanics, Engineering Design
~Fit Check~

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Guin really was not having a great day. She hadn't been able to switch with Exodus, but at least she had gotten to beat the shit out of him. That had been nice. It was probably the one real highlight. Going off into space had lost its appeal after their odyssey to find Lance's dad, so even being up on the asteroid was more annoying than exciting. And she was quickly finding herself annoyed with the newer members of the team. Gods, was she old now - was that the problem? She suddenly felt elderly, at the ripe age of twenty-two.

The main thing ruining her day at the moment? A sudden explosion of mutant power, courtesy of Of-All. An explosion that ripped a hole into the exterior wall. Her body slammed into the wall, and her head was ringing. She didn't register it at first, but her hair was sticky with her own blood, courtesy of a head wound. She heard Pietro's voice chiming in her head, but she didn't have time to think out a response. They were about to die, sucked into the cold vacuum of space. An image of what she was seeing was the only thing she conveyed to Pietro through the mental link.

Before she had time to come up with a plan though, Lance had sprung into action. "I didn't know this was space-proof!" she exclaimed, shocked to see that his light bubble was holding. Exodus' attempt to plug in the hole hadn't worked. But with him distracted, Guin saw an opportunity. And they needed that power to avoid dying here. She closed her eyes and concentrated. It was always harder without a physical anchor point.

When she opened them again, she was in Exodus' body. "It's me, by the way - ya gurl," she explained quickly. She didn't have much practice with telekinesis, but how hard could it be, right? It was just like the Force and Guin LOVED Star Wars. She focused on the bits of debris and whatnot, imagining it coming closer, pulling back in. She needed to reseal this. Her mind was zeroed in on the task at hand. But as she attempted to force a fuse of the broken bits to the exterior of the ship, the paneling ripped and teared, the hole becoming bigger and deadlier and more dangerous.

The bubble that contained her body, Lance, and Jaclyn ended up getting shot out the hole, into the cool, harsh expanse of space. Guin gasped - not for air, although she hadn't been thinking much about keeping Exodus' own TK bubble up. "Oh, come on! That's not fucking fair!" she cursed, gripping with Exodus' TK and doing her very best to drag the light bubble back into the ship. It was almost there, but not quite. Sorry, Mare, you're gonna have to take a number.

Her mind was racing. "Jaclyn, try to use the power to teleport or something - get to another portion of the ship, now!" The wizard had to be able to teleport, right? If he couldn't, then what was the point of being a wizard? Ironically, she was almost hopeful that Magneto would roll up and repair the damage. They could use someone with control over metal right now... "Lance, maybe it's time for you to do your thing?" She figured the Hulk could survive the vacuum of space. Even if they couldn't.

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Neil Spellman

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Location: the Asteroid
Skills: Necromancy
~Fit Check~

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Neil almost skidded and fell to the ground, as the station rocked. His eyes widened. They were in space. He had never been to space before. But he had watched enough movies and read enough books to know that explosions and space were not an ideal combination. Especially if people wanted to keep on living. He had died before, and he had come back - and he didn't know if he could do it again. But more importantly, his friends would die - for real. And everyone on this station would die - also for real.

A part of him - not small, yet not big - felt... content at that idea.

The rest of him was filled with a deep sense of shame.

He had become attuned to death. He couldn't speak to ghosts and keep someone from dying, but he could raise their body. There was an energy to it, a force. And as he reached out with his senses, to see if anyone had been harmed in the explosion... His eyes widened again. He looked at his friends. He didn't know what to say. He didn't like Banner - but wishing this on him... "Lance is dead," he said hoarsely to the others. As he said it, he felt the weight of those words upon him. "I don't know how, but... He's gone. I'm sorry."

He knew some of the others here were friends with Lance. He had never really liked him - running around in a group with an out of control, over dramatic tiny Hulk? It wasn't his idea of a great time. Plus, Lance's temper had been a huge issue for Neil before he had learned to turn green.

Max's voice whispered in his head. Neil furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think hard, but instead... He just felt an emptiness. They had lost someone. Lance is dead.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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☀️ Nancy Parker ☀️

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Location: Las Vegas
Skills: N/A

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It had been a few days since they had arrived in Las Vegas. It was different than she remembered, but very much the same beast underneath. The hotel they were staying in reminded her of the Lotus Hotel. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shadows of those men, stalking her like helpless prey. The laughter of hotel guests in the casino, in the restaurants, in the pools - it sounded like screams. In the middle of the night, she would wake up in a cold sweat, screaming her head off. She felt like she was losing her mind. And maybe she was. Each minute that passed in this place, she felt a little less like herself - a little more like some pitiful damsel in distress. She didn't eat much. She didn't know if Zeke noticed. She gave her food to Joanie.

If she didn't hate the scent of it, she probably would've spent the entire time smoking.

Instead, she chewed on ice chips. She filled cups with them and popped them into her mouth, grinding her teeth down against them, crunching them down. She didn't take showers. Her hair was a filthy, tangled mess of curls. She shoved it down under a bandana, a hasty method to keep her from looking insane.

On the second day, when she couldn't stand the hotel walls, she took Joanie and left. She went to where her mother had lived. She didn't know what to expect when seeing Betty again. But in the end, it ended up not mattering. She learned that her mother had died in the early 90's of an overdose. Just another soul claimed by the strip. Nancy didn't feel anything, when she learned the news. And that made her feel monstrous.

The night of the second day, Nancy had sat in the empty tub of the bathroom. Like a nervous tic, she shuffled her cards over and over again, never picking one out, just shuffling. She eyed the phone installed in the bathrooms. Most hotel rooms in Vegas had one there. Nancy always assumed it was so that way when you died on the toilet, you'd have a chance to phone someone right beforehand. She wished she could've called Mads and Niah. By the time morning had come, and dark shadows had permeated under her eyes, Nancy was sitting on the too soft bed. It was supposed to be the day - the day that they'd go to the Lotus Hotel.

She didn't think she could eat anything. The same had been true of the day before. And mostly the day before that. Water and ice chips were the only things she could get down.

"Yeah, I got you," Nancy said to Zeke, as he went into the bathroom. She had ordered room service for him a few times. She always insisted it was left outside the door. And when she would open the door to grab it, she had her Celestial Bronze daggers at the ready, just in case it happened again.

She moved to pick up the phone, only for a shimmering image to appear in front of her. The image was of Demetri. She scowled unconsciously. She would've rather done this entire mission without them. "Meet us outside of there in half an hour," Nancy said firmly. She was doing her best to look indifferent, to seem tough and invulnerable, but it only succeeded in making her more haunted. She waved her hand through the image, hoping that would dispel it. She felt sick to her stomach.