Shin Ghost Note

Paragraphs: Agents of Death [FernStone & Shin Ghost Note]

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Lisa climbed back down, gracefully landing on an upright computer desk. She looked to the left and then the right, as she whispered,

”Lord,” She began. ”I never thought I’d say this, but making a flying spider would be a bad idea.”

Lisa looked to the left and then to the right.

”I don’t think we should leave the way we came”

Saskia had also climbed up, dropping back down beside Lisa and pulling the blood tendril back into the cut they’d made on their palm. "Agreed. We need to be stealthy… quiet and unnoticeable."

They turned their gaze to Ella. "No magic."

"Hey, I’m not stupid!" Ella threw up her hands. "I can be stealthy too."

Saskia snorted. "Sure. Let’s get to the ground level and walk."

”Sounds like a plan,” Lisa whispered as she slowly and surely made her way to the staircase. It was still intact enough for all three to climb down, and Lisa was the first down - however, slowly and carefully. The stairs shook with every step that those giants outside took, and Lisa stopped when the stairs got wobbly - however, she kept pressing on until they reached the ground level. With every step those monsters took, it felt like an earthquake was going on…. Lisa stumbled before she pushed herself back to her feet.

”... We came from that way,” Lisa pointed to the left before she pointed to the right, ”.... And we need to go this way.”

Ironically, the direction the first monster was going.

"Great," Saskia frowned. ”Let's try to stick close to the buildings…"

Ella gulped, didn't say anything, and nodded. Saskia started towards the right, eyes narrowed as they looked for a way out - before the building collapsed on them. Not guaranteed, but definitely a possibility. Lisa pushed the door open and opened the door into the main lobby. Lisa carefully raised a finger as she walked to the door and poked her head out. The monster was already down the street… but two more were approaching, so she quickly dipped inside. Lisa carefully walked back over to Ella and Saskia, as she said,

”... I think,” Lisa thought out loud. ”They’re looking for something. I mean, look at how they’re moving and how many of them there are!.”

"Maybe we can just wait it out, then?" Ella suggested.

"Or better, we leave the city, if they're looking for something here. Hopefully they'll ignore us," Saskia shrugged.

”Let’s just leave,” Lisa whispered. ”One, we don’t know if they’ll ever stop searching. Two, we don’t know if they’re looking for us. And three, we don’t know if they’re going to start trashing the city.”

With that final word, Lisa nodded as she added, ”There’s two coming down the street - should I make a spider we can all ride on? Even the giant ones aren’t that loud, just in case it can also have wings.”

Then she paused, ”Or would it be easier if we went by foot?”

Saskia frowned. They’d be fasted on a spider, but it also gave them more limited mobility. It was much more difficult to hide when they were all on one. "Let’s go by foot. We’ll have an easier time hiding if we need to. Let’s wait for the two coming to pass, then go out."

They went to the door, carefully looking out. The two walked past, shaking the earth with every step, and Lisa walked up behind Saskia and nodded.

Saskia nodded back, holding a finger to her lips - namely in Ella’s direction, who took up the rear. Then they stepped out into the street. They went in the same direction as the two creatures, sticking close to the wall of the building they’d come out of. Lisa grabbed onto Ella’s hand and tailed behind Saskia as they tailed behind them. They approached an intersection - however, one of those monsters was coming from the right.

Lisa lunged forward and tried to yank Saskia into an allway they passed. Saskia wasn't that far ahead, silently pulled back into the alley. They pressed their back against the wall, frowning. This was going to be difficult when they had no idea where they were even going.

She shoved her hand into one of her many pockets and pulled out a small notebook and pen. She scribbled on it and held it up to the other two.

'Let's try take small alleys they can't fit down.’

Lisa nodded as she continued down the alleyway; it wasn’t long before they made it to the other side… and she poked her head around the corner momentarily before quickly darting back. Lisa put her hands out, fingers open, and then summoned spider webs from underneath her clothes that quickly weaved webs in the shape of words:

A few are coming down this way. Let's go through this building.

Lisa nodded her head in the direction of the metal door that was slightly ajar.

Saskia nodded. They very carefully pushed the metal door a little bit more open, wide enough that Ella would be able to fit through, before slipping in. It was darker inside and took their eyes a moment to adjust… they gestured for the other two to come in too.

Ella held up her hand as she stepped in, head tilting questioningly. Saskia shook their head. Better to deal with the poor lightning than risk drawing attention with a bright pink flame. The door led to a convenience store… the building had been ransacked before, with only a few snacks and rotting food lying across the floor. There was glass shards scattered all throughout the floor…

Lisa immediately grew spider legs out of her back and climbed onto the ceiling. She looked at Ella and then at Saskia. Then back to Ella. She grabbed her chin, before making a gesture with her index and middle finger - a walking motion but veeeeeeeeeery slowly. Then she put her hands together and gave Ella a closed-mouth smile with a pleading look.

Ella held up her hands with a pout, looking a bit upset. Saskia rolled their eyes. Lisa was right to be worried. They went first, bones lightening to make it even less likely they'd make any sound, carefully stepping their way through the broken glass. Hopefully Ella could follow the same path… they checked behind them as they walked to see Ella following them at a very slow pace. Painfully so, really, but it was better than stepping on a piece of glass.

Saskia made it to the other side without incident. Ella was still going, carefully twisting her body and going on her tiptoes. She made it to the other side, letting out a sigh of relief, lowering to her heels.

And immediately put a heel on a shard of glass. Thankfully, it didn't shatter, instead it just shoved right through Ella's shoe and into her foot. Saskia immediately threw up her hands, shoving them over Ella's mouth before she could shout in pain. Lisa gently lowered herself to ground level, waving both hands downwards pointing at Ella’s foot. Ella silently lifted up the foot with glass embedded in it, hands gripping Saskia's shoulders for support.

Lisa put a finger to her lips as she looked up at Ella and Saskia, then her healing spiders came out of her pores and onto Ella. She then grabbed the shard glass with both hands and yanked it out - and immediately, the healing spiders went to work and began healing Ella’s foot.

Saskia still had her hands over Ella's mouth, and pressed them harder to once again stop any screaming. Ella's whole face was scrunched up in pain, which quickly relaxed when the healing spiders did their work. She put her foot back down and Saskia finally moved her hands away.

They looked around, then at Lisa, gesturing back to the ceiling, and then forward. It would be safest for her to lead them through from up there. Lisa nodded her head, and climbed back onto the ceiling, though her footing was shaky due to… all the shaking from the titanic beasts outside. One of them approached, and Lisa gently lowered herself to the ground for a few moments to wait for it to pass by. When the coast was clear, Lisa poked her head out through the front and quickly gestured for the other two to come along.

Across the street was another alleyway; no monsters on the street could see them. Lisa raised her hand in the air and then used her opposite hand to count each finger. Then she pointed at the alleyway and smiled at the other two.

Saskia nodded, finger and thumb pressing together in an ok symbol. Ella looked between them both, looking confused… but that didn't matter. Saskia reached behind them and grabbed Ella's hand, before raising the other one. Five fingers up.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Saskia ran across the street, dragging Ella behind her - she quickly got the message and ran fast enough to get just ahead of Saskia, practically leaping into the alley opposite. Saskia immediately got close to the wall, looking down the alley to make sure there weren't any nasty surprises - Thankfully, none. All three of them got across, and Lisa sighed out of relief.

However, there was a door to a reasonably large abandoned apartment complex, and Liea pointed at the door, sticking a thumbs up and rotating it up and down, waiting for approval.

Saskia looked at the apartment complex, thinking about it… yes, probably safer to go through that. They gave a thumbs up, as did Ella.

Then they carefully went over to the door, pushing it slightly open to peer inside. This revealed a primarily intact hallway illuminated by a dim overhead light that flickered on and off. Saskia motioned for the other two to follow them in, beginning to make their way down the hallway. They glanced into any doors they passed… just in case. Most of the doors were closed, but the few that were open were just typical apartment rooms - some of them wholly trashed and others too dark to see into.

However, as they proceeded down the hall, one of the doors they passed opened…

Saskia stopped, immediately spinning around and holding an arm out… primarily to stop Ella immediately blasting the door with fire. They wriggled their fingers before a long, thin blood whip formed from it. They carefully manipulated it so that they could wrap it around whatever came out of the door.

… It was nothing.

Saskia shuddered, hair on the back of their neck standing on end. They didn’t like that one bit. But they gestured forward with one finger to keep going, proceeding slowly and carefully, listening for anything. And keeping the blood whip formed.

Lisa silently grabbed onto Saskia’s wrist and pulled them down the hall. Lisa then stuck her hand out and summoned a hundred Darwin-bark spiders that quickly created a wall of webs that blocked the hallway. Then she kept proceeding with the group until they made it to a staircase. Lisa put her hands together, and this time used Snare to make a message out of webs.

Maybe get up to a high vantage point so we can decide where to go next?

The ground began shaking more intensely, signaling a monster was close.

Saskia nodded in agreement. They needed to figure out where to go so they weren’t just running around hoping they’d get out. They gestured up the stairs, moved two of their fingers and moved them quickly to signal walking fast, then put a finger on their lips again, looking at Ella. Ella threw her hands up silently, before folding them over her chest with a pout.

Then they started to climb the stairs, as quickly and silently as possible. Followed by Lisa, who had her Spider-Legs already coming out of her back.

A door was slammed on the ground floor, and Lisa stopped dead in her tracks to look over her shoulder…

… only to see nothing.

Ella jumped, eyes wide, trembling slightly. Saskia grimaced. She once again gestured up the stairs, motioning for them to go quickly. They grabbed Ella’s hand and tugged them, taking two steps at a time, assuming Lisa would spider leg her way up faster. As expected, Lisa left the stairs and ascended to the top floor with lightning speed - but never left their sight.

Once the other two made it to the top floor, Lisa pointed at an open door.

Ella was the first up the stairs, going to run right through the open door… Saskia caught her, and went in more cautiously, still ready to attack at any moment. The room was completely untouched by the chaos of the Pit. It had all the furniture you expected to see in an apartment, and the windows, as Lisa expected, gave a great view of the surrounding area.

Out the window, there was a forest, a thick, lush, green, paradise… Just a few miles away.

Saskia frowned, approaching the window and looking out. It looked… nice. Too nice. The apartment and the forest. The pulled back out their notebook, scribbling down something before holding it up to Lisa and Ella.

‘Isn’t it strange this room is fine?’

Lisa quietly laughed as she stuck her hands out and used Snare to cast another message on the walll…

Only if THIS is the only room that’s alright.

The webs dissolved as she made another message.

Maybe we can make a flying spider and jet… Me and Ella can use Crack Spiders. The monsters don’t seem to be that fast.

Saskia flipped to another page and wrote, ‘Worth a try. If we fly high enough we can avoid them.’

Ella nodded her agreement, having no way to communicate beyond that.

A spider crawled onto the ground, enveloped in a glowing white cocoon, and grew larger. The webs dissolved, followed by another message.

Ella will have to punch the wall down or something.

There was a faint growling down the hall…

Shit. Saskia gestured to the wall, and made a punching motion to Ella, before flicking out their blood whip to shove the door to this room shut. Ella shook her head, pointing to the cocoon, even as her legs started to glow with prismatic light.

Still not wanting to draw attention to them, just in case whatever that was didn’t know they were there, Saskia crouched down, blood running along their back to form their blood tendril. They pointed it at the door. Meanwhile, spiders came crawling from all the hidden corners of the room, and pooled right above the door…

The growling grew louder, as they heard slow footsteps approach, sounding as if whatever was coming dragged its feet with every step and it was heavy. Though, it stopped directly at the door… the growling continued.

Saskia looked up at the spiders, then down at the door. She raised a hand to shoot through it, before pausing, getting a much better idea. She quickly pointed to the Ice Scepter, then the door.

Ella grabbed the Ice Scepter and shot a beam of intense, cold energy to freeze the door. The creature could be heard pounding on the wall - loudly roaring - hard enough to knock over some items on top of the furniture. The spider was at half size, but the noise was attracting the sounds of the bigger monsters - which were now heading their way. Lisa bore teeth as she looked to the left and the right.

"Shit," Saskia swore under their breath - wasn’t exactly louder than the roaring. She jumped away from the door, and pointed to the wall, motioning again for Ella to kick through the wall. Then to Lisa, she pointed to the spider, then the wall, and finally to her own back.

As Saskia shifted their backpack to their front, wings started to push through their back.

”... But-” Lisa tried to protest before she shook her head, and the spider burst out of the cocoon. It had dragonfly wings half the size it typically was for when to ride it - and all the spiders on the ceiling fell onto its back. Lisa hopped onto Saskia’s back.

Saskia let out a quiet oof, but their wings had finished growing and… it should be fine. Probably. Ella kicked the wall, making a sizable hole, before kicking it again so that it was big enough for them to get out. She turned back around… freezing in confusion for a moment.

Saskia just pointed to the spider. Ella threw her hands up and jumped onto the half sized spider.

"Sorry if we die," Saskia said before stepping through the hole, sinewy wings stretching out fully… and just about stopping them from falling to their deaths after a few flaps. They wobbled a bit, grimaced, and just flapped harder. Fuck, this was harder than they’d expected, but they tried to get as much height as they could.

The spider with Ella on top trailed behind, as Lisa nuzzled against Saskia,

”... At least we’ll die together,” Lisa said.

As they flew through the skies, all of the giant monsters in radius began following after them. Lisa looked down, and her eyes shot open.

”I’m not sure if they will follow us into the woods!” Lisa shouted. ”But, I have an idea!”

The spider carrying Ella flew right in front of Saskia, one of its eight legs in arm’s reach.

”Grab on!”

Saskia frowned, reaching forward to grab onto the leg… it couldn’t exactly make things worse.

”Ella! Crack Spiders!” Lisa shouted.

"Got it!" Ella shouted, pressing her hands against the spider, imbuing it with dazzling rainbow lights. Saskia had to close their eyes to not get blasted in the face with them.

The Spider cut through the air at lightning speeds, taking them both far into the air - and out of the city into the woods…

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

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Interactions: Luca (@FernStone), Edict/Kenshiro (@AtomicEmperor), Luna (@Estylwen), & Lila (@NoriWasHere).

The House on the Hill.

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Thankfully, nobody jumped on Adora for having ties with 8th St. Though, she wasn't Edict! She knew they were probably harboring some deep-down feelings or thoughts that they were waiting to throw in her face at the perfect opportunity. However, that wouldn't stop her from doing the right thing, and this was one hill that Adora would die on. Though she was far from impressed by Luna, Edict had a more sensible plan/idea/whatever (even though she didn't trust him). However, there was one thing that she had an issue with.

"Lila to... Act as bait a little bit."

Edick

”... We're not using Lila as bait,” Adora added, crossing her arms. She couldn't care less about what Britney did because if she got hurt, she probably deserved it. ”I'm cool with working on the 8th St front. I doubt I'd be of much help recovering the notes.” She finished that statement with a shrug.

"I refuse to be a part of plans involving the cooperation of 8th Street members. They all smell of Emily; even if their ideologies no longer align, they did at one point! Someone must be responsible!"

Kenshiro

Adora turned towards Kenshiro. She had a lot to say, like how people need a second chance (and a third and fourth after that) or how people's past actions do not define them if they're no longer doing it. However, she kept her mouth shut as Luca asked him the tough questions, and she felt slightly proud of the little guy. Adora realized that a majority of these people, these magic users, have become so invested in magic that they have no clue about people.

”I think this is the most organized since I got here!” Adora laughed. ”But, let's take things slow. Like Anya said, we don't have all of our-”

Dramatically throwing the door open, like a bolt of annoying coincidence, was none other than Drake Blackmore. He strutted in, wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, and some black and yellow Jordans - naturally, shades indoors. He said, ”What's up, gang!? Sorry, I'm late! I had to watch the triplets until 'Toria got home from work.” His eyes then landed on Lila as he grinned and said, ”... How do you like the new jacket, bird-homie? I loved that thing so much it might as well be my channeler!” He laughed before he said,

”Take good care of it for me!” Drake said before he turned to Sully, and shouted, ”Sully! Did you forget... the... beer...” Drake slowed down as he noticed Luna.

Drake then pointed at her and looked around as he asked (no one in particular),

”... Why is she here?” He tilted his head.

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Lynette Domínguez

Interactions: I guess the Coven.

The House on the Hill.

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Did Lynette want to attend a Coven meeting?

No, no, she did not.

She did more independently and heard about their amazing track record so far.

However, circumstances changed, and Lynette needed to speak with Sloane for help. Was it selfish to finally decide to attend a Coven meeting after she finally required them? Yes, it was, and it was also suspicious for the former third in command of the 8th St Coven to attend a meeting after they attacked Sycamore - Lynette wouldn't lie about that. She pulled into the House on the Hill parking lot in her black jeep with tinted windows and stepped out. She was wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, and some combat boots that she tucked into the jeans. Around her waist, she had a black fanny pack, not just any fanny pack, but a fanny pack with a holster. She kept her Glock hidden in there, just in case, along with some scraps of paper with some glyphs - in case she needed magic.

Speaking of which, she gently unzipped it and pulled out a scrap of paper with an earth glyph drawn on it. It began glowing with a soft, gentle blue glow as she pulled the back door of the jeep open, and a chunk of concrete was pulled out of the ground (she'll put it back later!). Lynette reached inside the jeep, pulled out donuts, chips, coffee, soda, and other snacks, and placed them on top of the rock. With a sigh, Lynette walked up the stairs to the House on the Hill, with the rock carrying her snacks behind her.

Lynette walked through the doors naturally. Most of the Coven hadn't assembled yet, but she saw Sloane, perfect. However, she would talk with Sloane about her little problem later since she didn't want to draw a lot of suspicion onto herself. Amara wasn't here, so that was good for her so Lynette stepped in and smiled.

"Hi, everybody! It's been a while," Lynette said. "Sorry, I missed the first... three get-togethers? It was three, right? I was busy with work, you know. "I got snacks for you all..."

Lynette stepped aside, and the chunk of concrete with all her snacks floated to a nearby table. Lynette gently placed all of the things she got. Before she turned to the group, "So, what did I miss?"

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Interactions: None.

Cascade Pines National Park.

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Bitch Tree - Foals

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It was the morning of the meeting, where Britney, ideally hoped that the Coven would stop taking lame-ass digs at each other and devise a plan to handle the 8th St Coven. Britney never expected to ever run into Emily G. Reed and Vashti Nour again, but it seems like all hell is breaking loose, and all of her past mistakes are coming to haunt her at once. Not that she shouldn’t have handled them before all of this got out of hand, but there are sooooooooo many things that Britney should have done better.

There’s not enough paper on this planet to write them all down.

The fact is that, as it stands, their current capabilities aren’t sufficient to handle threats like 8th St. Britney knew that they weren’t ready to take on anyone beyond that - there was always someone better. She wasn’t like Jack or Stormy, who felt they could take on the world because they defeated the Stygian Snake ten years ago (with an artifact designed to defeat beings like the Stygian Snake). Britney knew that she was very out of her element because after mastering Floramancy, she just gave up on learning new spells. Looking back, this was an unwise choice, but she can’t do anything about that now.

What she can do is learn from the other Adepts and train in preparation for the next time they get into a fight with 8th St, the Wolfpack, or any of the other psychopaths that roam the streets of St. Portwell. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, but Britney knew it would, regardless of how hard they tried. So, Britney waited in the Cascade Pines National Park… a location she’s trained in several times for her Floramancy.

Britney heard some footsteps approach.

Britney pivoted.

Britney smiled…

”Good, morning-” Britney’s jaw dropped, as she was utterly stopped in her tracks. ”... Why in the world are you two booty-out naked?!”

”Don't act like you haven't seen it all before,” Linqian laughed, winking at Britney. She then held up her hands. There was a gentle heat radiating off her, her body
temperature manipulation stopping her from completely freezing. ”I can't afford to lose another set of clothes, so I left everything in my car.”

”Oh am I still naked,” Aryin joked as she looked over her body, ”and same. With the 317 going all hands on deck for some coming war I can’t lose any more clothes,” Aryin paused as she stared off in the distance, ”do you know how hard it is to find clothes that fit both bodies shapes, sizes, and still look good both ways?” Aryin

”... You haven’t met Bean, have you?” Britney chuckled. ”And, uh, I hope you don’t mind me asking but who are the 317? I know Greenwood’s leader lady brought it up when we met last night.”

Then she paused again. ”... And what war?”

”I have not, would she be able to help with my unique problem,” Aryin chuckled as she rubbed her arms with her hands. She wished she had more control over her green lux like Linqian to heat herself up. “The 317? We’re a supernatural art collective bro,” Aryin said with a raised eyebrow, “By day we sell our art and make money and during the night we’re usually busy training lately. We’ve been the group behind the industrial area restoration. We try to keep out of coven business when possible,” Aryin paused as she looked around, “I don’t know much, but we think something is coming our way. Trying to prepare ourselves for whatever it is before it gets here, you know. Thus, we’re friends with Greenwood now,” Aryin paused as she looked at Linqian. Aryin embraced Linqian in a tight hug to warm herself.

”Basically some kind of artsy nerd group,” Linqian laughed, hugging Aryin back to spread that warmth a little bit. She lowered her temperature a little so she could keep it going longer, and as the light glow off her skin reduced the marks all over her were obvious. Some were a few days old, but plenty weren't from the night with Edict and Britney… rope burns, bruises, bite marks (so many)… Linqian didn't seem bothered at all about how obvious they were. She turned towards Britney with a grin, patting Aryin's back. ”Maybe they'll help us with our little Emily problem?”

Aryin smirked as she looked back at Britney. “I think we have a few people who would want to help. If you wanted introduced to the leadership let me know and I can set something up

”Sure,” Britney said with a smile. ”We could use some more friends - though, I’m questioning how good they would be in a fight.” She laughed before playfully rolling her eyes.

”Okay, yeah, that’s rich coming from me, I know,” Britney laughed again. ”And yes, Bean can help you out. She’d be happy to - but let’s get to work already!”

Britney turned both palms upwards and shot a burst of various foliage, flower pedals, and pollen out of her hands.

”... Who’s ready to learn some Floramancy!?”

”Do we get to learn the cactus?” Linqian asked with a smirk, before laughing. ”Let’s fucking do it. I also got a spell I want to develop, I'll need your help with that, bitch.” Saying that, she slapped Aryin's back.

“Were not the worst fighters, but we have a lot who have not had to fight,” Aryin paused as she let go of Linqian, “which is why I’m ready to learn. I’ve fought George twice now and lost, fought Greenwood’s best and lost. I need to be better in this form, and I need to be able to fight back without swapping.

”No, you’re going to learn how to connect to Gaia and generate plant-life including the cactus,” Britney chuckled, though she continued. ”Now, listen up, Floramancy isn’t just wrapping people in vines and cactuses; it’s understanding life itself and channeling it.”

Britney gestured towards a cluster of flowers and smiled, ”First lesson, understanding life-force, now watch closely.” Britney extended her hand as a wheat-colored light surrounded the flowers… she hoped these two would understand what she’s saying, though sometimes, while she loved them, she felt like she was talking to a wall!

”With Floramancy, you’re not commanding the plants or forcing them to do anything but forming a bond between yourself and the plant. And with this bond, you can… command it to do whatever you want because I just ruined my own metaphor,” Britney slapped a hand on her forehead as the flowers began to grow much more significant than they naturally would.

”Just like, you gotta feel the energy between you and a plant - and I know that sounds crazy, but you gotta try it!” Britney began before she lowered her hand. ”Now, each of you try, just close your eyes and reach out not with your mind, but your soul. Form a connection. Feel the connection. Use the connection. Once you establish it, you can do anything.”

”Righhhhttt…” Linqian raised an eyebrow. That shit sure did sound crazy. Feel the energy? Form a bond with… a plant? She could barely form that with fucking people! But it was worth a try. ”Don’t be too disappointed when this doesn't fucking work.”

Linqian stepped towards a different cluster of flowers, crouching down in front of it. She then reached out her hand and closed her eyes. Feel the energy between her and the plant… yeah she wasn't feeling shit. But it was kinda like temperature, right, something she could just sense in the air. She reached out a little further so her fingertips brushed the flowers. She could literally feel it, obviously. There was an energy or whatever… just try communicate with it? Grow. She concentrated before pulling back her hand and opening her eyes. Nothing. Still the same amount of flowers.

”Well that did fuck all,” Linqian rolled her eyes, gesturing with the hand she'd held towards the flowers… except it was now a whole fucking vine from the elbow downwards, with little flowers dotted across it identical to the ones she'd been trying to grow. She just hadn't realised yet because it didn't feel all the different.

Britney laughed, putting a hand to her mouth as she said, ”You’re a natural!” She pointed at the vines. ”When I first learned Floramancy, they just died a lot.”

Linqian looked heated though, ”But you have to let go of your anger, you have to replace it with a nurturing spirit. I know you see me hurting people with plants a lot but with Floramancy you gotta have ‘building’ in mind.”

"The fuck you mean natural- oh shit!" Linqian finally looked at her hand, eyes widening at the vines it'd turned into. It really hadn't felt all that different from when she changed her temperature, but now that she was looking at it… she wriggled the bottom of the vine arm, where it split into four, experimentally. "Right, lemme just conjure up a nurturing spirit right now, sure that's real fucking possible."

She laughed before furrowing her eyebrows, eyes closing again. Nurturing… She thought about Henri when he was younger. The warmth she'd felt raising him, the pride whenever he did well. As she thought about it the vine arm grew, extending out as it got longer. Flowers bloomed along it, and the split ends curled as if to grab something, even if it was only air. But then Linqian started to think about the danger he was in. All the ways she'd have to protect him, everything she'd have to do to not leave him worse than nothing if she died…

The vine arm retracted, Linqian's body heated up, and it burst into flame. Her eyes shot open. She twisted herself to hold the now flame coated arm away from Aryin and Britney. ”Shit.”

”Wow, you got a funny idea of what plants are!” Britney laughed as she walked around Linqian without fear and playfully laughed. She used her developing Aqua Bloom spell to splash some water on the fire and kept splashing water on the fire until it was all gone. ”Now, we have experimented, and we found out that plants do, in fact, burn when you set them on fire!” Britney teased, sticking her tongue out.

”I didn’t do it on purpose,” Linqian rolled her eyes with a groan, shaking her arm - even though it was a plant, she could still feel the water hitting it.

Aryin watched it unfold and was impressed with how easily Linqian was able to summon the vines. She knew that she wanted to show that she could do that too. In her own way. Aryin closed her eye and took a deep breath and reached out to the forest around her. She felt nothing. No connection, no feeling, and no sensation. She tried again, feeling out with her life force to try and connect with a more spiritual level but the forest did not budge. Shit. This was already harder than she thought it would be and that made her concerned for the rest of this training day. She knew she had another every source she could use for this, Leon had gotten her fully charged last night and some of the stored energy remained from that. Maybe she could use that energy instead?

Aryin exhaled as she opened her eye and looked at Britney and then Linqian. She took another deep breath and reached out but lowered her hands towards the ground more. The ground was her base, it was what allowed her to be this immovable force, and maybe it would hold a better connection with the fauna underneath. She reached out and pushed the connection and found something reaching back. Interesting. She could not tell what she was making a connection with but she could tell it was not that strong of a link, at least yet. Her hand trembled as she groaned. She sent commands of growth to the fauna but she could not tell if was doing anything. Aryin dropped to her knees and sat down on the ground below, placing her hand firmly in the dirt. She pushed for the plant life to follow her command, grown, and she felt it listen. A second later she opened her eyes and saw that she was now in the middle of a perfect mushroom circle. The mushrooms were a vivid red color and seemed to almost glow Not quite plant life but a close mistake.

“I think I made a mistake,” Aryin joked as she looked at the mushroom circle.

”Oh shiittt, you made a bunch of shrooms!” Linqian laughed. She squatted down just outside of the mushroom circle, narrowing her eyes at them. ”You think we can get high with them?”

As she asked, she experimentally moved the vine arm she still had, sending out a small tendril from the split end to tap one of the glowing mushrooms.

The glowing mushroom glowed even brighter at the tap before it exploded with a small bang, no louder nor bigger than a firecracker. “Oh shit!”

”Fuck,” Linqian laughed as the tip of the vine was caught in the explosion, the nearest bit burning off and leaving it gently smouldering. It hurt a bit, but not that much… thankfully. ”Good thing I didn’t just fucking grab it.”

Britney facepalmed, before laughing. These two goofballs really didn't get it.

“I am so so so sorry, I used some of the stored energy I had to fuel that connection so it must’ve made it explosive.” She put her arms back to the ground and, this time, tried to make the connection the way Britney intended. She reached out with her soul this time completely, devoid of intention or any other thought which was very easy for her to achieve. And then she felt the connection. It was the same network that bore the explosive red caps but this time she felt like the connection was more subtle. She gently pulled on it and guided it until, at long long last, another fairy ring appeared around her, this time the mushroom caps were as white as snow.

”Ahhhh, you’re getting it!” Britney shouted, shaking with excitement. A wide smile on her face as if she was a parent finally proud of her disappointment for a child! Though, there is a lot more to her magic than just making plants.

”You two are getting there! Making baby steps! First you begin with making plants that don't explode! Then you gotta learn how to materialize the exact plant you want, then shaping, then moving - then it’s all up to your imagination!”

Linqian rolled her eyes at Britney's over the top excitement and smile, clamping down on her more irritated reaction - she didn't really want to set her arm on fire again, even if it hadn't hurt… and could be useful in a fight in a different way. ”Y’know, just cause we're not academically brilliant or whatever doesn't mean we're shit at spell casting. We were the ones fighting in the front fucking lines before- I only stopped working on my magic cause I didn't have time around working multiple jobs.”

”I never said you were,” Britney calmly answered.

She took a step back, holding up her normal hand to her forehead, taking a deep breath. ”Sorry, barely slept last night. Let's keep going… different plants, right? I think I'll have to keep mixing it with green lux, shit just feels more natural like that, but I can still do all that.” To demonstrate her point, she flexed the vine arm, stretching out one of the four split tendrils. It shifted, growing thorns and blooming with blood red flowers.

“I was a much better student back when,” Aryin paused as she frowned. She was a much better student when she had her friend Ella by their side. Ella had helped Aaron develop his spells and they had hoped that she’d be able to help Aryin do the same. Yet fate had another path in store. “I had a friend back in the old coven who helped me expand my red lux. I am ready to put in the effort to do the same with my green.”

“I hear what you’re saying Britney but it just,” Aryin paused as she reestablished her connection with the fauna and commanded it to grow bigger. It responded by following her command, quickly erupting up to the size of a very small tree trunk. “How do you go from this, to bringing out something I want? Something that makes me more useful in this form?”

”You practice!” Britney shouted, walking over to Aryin and touching her shoulder. ”How did you make this form in the first place? Did you pull it out of your coochie?! I mean, I hope not but you took some time to develop these spells, right?”

“Well the kindling got me started about what I could do and this,” Aryin pointed to her body, “this spell came intrinsically from there. Felt like this was just another part that was ready to come out. Like I knew I was fluid young, and when I needed to swap for the first time she was the one that was waiting.”

”Your affinity,” Britney said. ”You didn't just make the spell, you felt it.”

”You could just fucking throw the exploding mushrooms at people,” Linqian suggested with a laugh. ”But maybe you gotta… combine it with your green lux? You don’t use red much in this form, do you? Like think of this shit as an extension of your body… that’s how I got it to work. Sorta.”

She held out her other arm, expression screwing up in concentration for a moment. From her fingertips to her shoulder, her skin turned green and hardened, sharp thorns pushing out through the new plant skin. Sap leaked sluggishly from where the thorns had pushed through, and it hurt, but she pushed through it. She raised the second, much thornier vine arm and elongated it to wrap around a branch well above her head and well out of reach. It snapped it and she pulled it down with a grin. ”Shit, I dunno how to explain it better, I just kinda will my body to change. Don’t you do shit like that with your durability?”

”You know, this is a random-ass thought, but what if you threw mushrooms that exploded into spores?” Britney began, letting her intrusive thoughts out. ”If someone huffs it, they start tripping balls. Wouldn’t that be nuts?”

”That would be so fucking cool,” Linqian grinned, twisting her head around to look at Aryin expectantly. ”Then you can give those 8th Street assholes a taste of their own fucking medicine.”

“Oooooh that is a good idea Britney, though I’d want that trip to be as bad as possible,” Aryin said as she cracked her knuckles. She looked to Linqian with a smirk. “I can also learn how to make the trip as good as possible.”. Aryin winked at Linqian.

”But, that’s an aside because mushrooms, technically, aren’t plants,” Britney playfully said, sticking her tongue out. ”They’re fungi. They just act a little bit like plants.” She pinced her fingers together.

”Ooo, Aryin failed the plant exam, gonna have to retake,” Linqian joked, laughing. ”... even if they're not plants, definitely make us some shrooms later, yeah? After we’ve mastered plants… like the cactus. Especially the cactus.”

“I just felt called to them shut up.” Aryin looked off to the side.

Linqian paused, turning to Britney. She raised her hands… except they were still vines, with one comedically more spiky than the other. ”Speaking of cactuses, I’m surprised Greyson isn’t hanging onto you like a fucking barnacle, all things considered. You abandon him in a ditch somewhere?”

Britney was silent for a moment… narrowing her eyes, and that smile erased itself from her face. She knew where he was; he was with Leon and the Temple. Despite their conversations, she still didn’t approve of them, and she didn’t want Greyson to hang out with them. However, she would stay out of Greyson’s business, just like he was staying out of her business (... when requested).

”... He said he had business,” Britney answered, and left it at that. Britney’s smile returned as she clapped her hands together and said, ”Let’s sate your obsession with the cactus in the meantime, yes?”

“I have heard about this cactus, I never saw the appeal but who am I to judge.”

”Don’t know it till you try it,” Linqian laughed, slapping Aryin’s shoulder, completely unbothered by Britney’s non-answer. She didn’t care that much about where Greyson was, there was just a bit of curiosity there. ”Wouldn’t do much for you, but the possible pain, you know?”

She turned back to Britney. ”Let’s fucking do it.”

Britney facepalmed.

”... You know I used a spineless cactus, you know? Key word here: spineless!” Britney laughed.

”Fuck, that's kinda boring,” Linqian rolled her eyes good naturedly. ”But y'know, I ain't looking to use it on people like him, y'know what I mean.”

She winked, before looking down at her arms. With a frown, the less spiky one slowly turned back to normal. ”I’m guessing it's kinda similar to this, right? Just… trying to make a cactus.”

”Yes,” Britney said. ”But, I meeeeeeeean, sis, a cactus isn’t the best weapon you can use with Floramancy. Have you ever heard of the manchineel? _{Or you can just shank someone with a vine.}”

”I can already shank someone with this,” Linqian pointed out, stretching out the vine arm they had until the end turned into a sharp point.

“Can I turn parts of myself into a plant like that with this magic,” Aryin asked with a blank look on her face.

”I mean, you have Green-Lux, so you can turn your whole body,” Britney said with a shrug. ”I don’t know how that’s going to work, but hey, it’s magic!”

”Yeah, just like you’re normal shit, y’know? You just gotta combine it… shit it’s hard to explain cause that bit comes naturally to me, it’s the separating I struggle with,” Linqian frowned, trying to figure out an easy way to explain it. ”Just like with how you got the shrooms, but use that energy on yourself.”

“Hopefully this training will allow me to bring a little more power to my kit,” Aryin focused on her hand as she tried to summon forth this undiscovered power. She felt the connection with the fauna around her and with a surge of focus and energy she forced a change to her knuckles. Out of the tips of her knuckles were a few of the vibrant red mushrooms. “Well that’s not a cactus,” Aryin joked.

”... They’re not even plants!” Britney laughed.

”I don’t think magic cares,” Linqian shrugged, and laughed. She then turned to Aryin, turning her arm back to normal and holding both up in front of her. At the same time she started to cool down, trying to channel the coldness into a tougher exterior. ”Punch me! Let’s see if they explode too.”

”I care! But, let me get back!” Britney laughed, before she took a few steps back until she was a good distance away. She gave them the thumbs up. ”... Go crazy!”

“Let’s see what they can do,” Aryin raised her fist up and sent another light jab Linqian’s way and on contact, the mushrooms exploded with more force than before.

Linqian’s attempted durability enhancement using the cold worked a little… that was until the mushrooms exploded. The coldness offset the heat that came with the explosion but it knocked Linqian back, her back hitting hard against a tree trunk. The bark scraped her bare skin, and the outer layer skin where they’d been hit had been torn away. She grimaced. At least her skin was cold enough it didn’t particularly hurt or start bleeding.

”Fuck, you know, I think you’re onto something with that,” Linqian commented, stretching out her arms. ”Now you help me with something - how the fuck do you do the hit tanking? I’m trying to fucking… make my skin tougher with the cold but as you can see, didn’t do shit.”

“It’s two things really,” Aryin paused as she looked towards Linqian, “the first thing is this form is a spell you know? I’ve made myself just incredibly durable within just the body. The second is I use my body to absorb the impact of attacks, and store that energy for use like these mushrooms. As long as I’m like this, and expend energy, it’s really hard to hurt me,” Aryin stuck out her tongue with a chuckle.

Linqian nodded, frowning slightly. How Aryin explained it made sense, but figuring it out in a way she could use it was the difficult part. She'd just have to keep trying. ”Alright, fuck, I think… I can use that. Fucking hit me again.”

She held her arms up in front of her again, temperature cooling down further. As it did she concentrated on how it affected her whole body - the slowing down of everything, using the loss of energy as a form of protection. More than just hardening her skin.

Aryin channeled her new found power again and, without problem, another row of mushrooms grew across her knuckles this time they were bigger. Aryin wanted to see how durable her friend could get, and while these would not be that much stronger than the last they would be noticeably stronger all the same. She punched out a moment later towards Linqian.

Linqian took the punch full on again. This time she felt the explosion ripple across her skin as the blow was spread out. It pushed her back, but nowhere near the same as before, and the damage wasn't as bad. Visible cuts still appeared all across her arms but… it was progress. ”Fuck, I think I can get it with more practice.”

She put her arms down and turned her head towards Britney. ”Brit, how much time we got till that fucking meeting? I want to grab food on the way first, haven't had a chance to eat since…” she frowned. ”Sometime yesterday.”

”It's at six so we got all day!” Britney playfully said, before she raised a finger and then added, ”But, one, we have to remember we on black people time, and two…” Britney laughed before she pulled it together,

”… And two, you know we ain’t getting shit done no how!”

”Fuck, you're right, can be on fucking time, that shit wouldn't be right,” Linqian grinned. ”Fucking miss me with the bullshit they always start with.”

“Did you manage to absorb any of that impact,” Aryin said with a chuckle.

”A bit,” Linqian nodded, stretching out her arms. ”Spread it out more than anything… fucking finicky this lux combination thing. But if I tried it without the cold it wouldn't do shit. I don't have that separation shit you got.”

She crouched again, arms once again in front of her, body temperature lowering even further as she channeled it even more across the surface of her skin. ”Just gotta keep practicing! You're favourite fucking thing, punching me- I quite enjoy the impact, y’know.” She laughed and winked at Aryin. ”Brit says we got the time, so beat me up till you're fucking exhausted! Maybe when you're done you'll be punching with some actual plants.”

“You forget, I never get exhausted,” Aryin winked as she once again summoned forth the new spell and this time instead of five smaller mushrooms she had one large on erupting out of the top of her wrist like an extension of the bone that connected to it. She raised back her fist and sent it flying towards Linqian.

Linqian crouched, stance widening as she took the blow with her arms. The explosion was even larger this time, once again knocking her back a couple of steps. She felt the damage rippling outwards across her arms as some of it was negated, some of it spread. More wounds opened up but they’d spread even further this time - all the way up to her shoulders. Just surface wounds, too. Nothing awful. ”Fuck, that was definitely stronger - but I’m getting the hang of this shit. It’s hurting less every time.”

She seemed unbothered by all the blood sluggishly dripping down her arms - she was. It didn’t really hurt. Honestly, compared to the bruising and bite marks all across her body it was nothing. But still… ”Lemme try something else. I, uh, found Jinhai’s spellbook this morning. He wrote down how he thought I could use his self-heal… may as well give it a shot.”

Linqian closed her eyes and tried to do what Jinhai had suggested in his spellbook. Channel her need to survive to protect her brother… combine it with heat. Her body temperature ticked back up to normal before continuing upwards, skin going from pallid to glowing hot. She concentrated the temperature on only her arms and the various wounds started to glow. Intense, burning pain seized her. It was much worse than when she got hit- it was so excruciating that her vision went black for a moment. Linqian knees buckled underneath her as she continued to heat them up. ”Fuuuccckkkk!”

She cooled back down, and looked at the results which were… clotted up wounds, still there. Not healed at all. ”Fucking- alright, fuck that, let’s keep practicing the not getting hurt in the first place shit.”

“You got this Linqian. The stored energy is, like, apart of me? You know? I’m not storing the energy anywhere in particular but it’s like the energy infuses into my body at its deepest level,” Aryin paused as she held her hand up, “I’m not taking the energy and storing it myself, but my body is always ready to take in that energy at a moments notice,” Aryin paused as she made a fist with that hand, “and my spells are always ready to draw from that energy as well. You need to have your body ready before impact, and not try to make it ready during you know?”

”Bitch, I am, that wasn’t from your fucking punch,” Linqian rolled her eyes up at her friend - clearly not actually pissed about it. She pushed herself back to her feet. ”I was tryna fucking heal myself and it did the complete fucking opposite!”

She was more irritated by that failure, clenching her fists as her temperature came back down to normal. But it made sense. She had to do the cooling and the durability at the same time, rather than one then the other. It was all part of the same spell. But she held up a hand. ”I need a few moments. If I go cold now I’ll hurt myself more. But then, you can fucking punch me again all you like.”

”... You two have a weird friendship,” Britney giggled.

”Well we did become friends after beating each other to shit,” Linqian laughed. ”Which I won, by the way. Just someone’s in fucking denial about it.” She then grinned. ”Y’know what they say, friends that fight and fuck together stay together. Actually, that means you’re both fucking stuck with me.”

“One that’s lasted the decade since the coven,” Aryin smirked as she looked at Linqian. “How about we keep practicing the plant spells and once you’re ready we’ll get back to it?”

”Actually, there was an idea I had in mind for a Joint-Cast,” Britney said as she rubbed her chin before she pivoted towards Linqian. ”With her, though. Sorry, Aryin.” She gave Aryin a catty smile as she grabbed Linqian’s hand and turned towards the clearing…

---

Interactions: Jack (@Blizz).

The House on the Hill.

---

The doors were thrown open as Britney held them open for Linqian and Aryin. After they were through, Britney stepped in, a warm smile on her face as she saw the group assembled... and her eyes landed on Luna as she put on a bit of disappointment. Of course, she was here, and so was Leon... though, she went back to forcing a smile. Everyone here was probably looking for a reason to jump on her after the disaster that was Kari's house, so the last thing she wanted to do was pick a fight with one of them.

”Heeeeeeeeey everybody! Sorry, we're late!” Britney announced herself before she turned to Jack and raised the Noble Vow in the air. ”I still got Reza's sword, Jack! I didn't lose it!”

Then Britney grabbed the nearest sat and then said,

”What did we miss?”

Who am I kidding? I can already tell a pointless meeting when I see one.

Paragraphs: Agents of Death [FernStone & Shin Ghost Note]

---

---

The buzzing of the spider’s wings couldn’t drown out the roars and screaming in the distance, even though Lisa tried to make it buzz louder. The trip was silent… as everyone was on the lookout. Wasteland as far as the eye could see… until they saw it on the horizon.

A city.

Or at least something that looked like one. Lisa smiled, pointed forward and went,

”Let’s take a break there! That place looks s-”

However, high up as they were, they couldn’t avoid noticing the ground shaking beneath them… as something colossal burst out in front of them. Lisa screamed as she suddenly swerved left, spinning out of control, and then they crashed against the barren stone ground of the wasteland. They came to a skidding stop before they could go off a cliff, but Lisa’s spider mount was done for. Lisa looked up at the colossal entity - dust and debris clouded the creature’s complete form, but it was enormous, the size of a skyscraper.

However, the dust settled, and it was a skeleton. Its head touched the skies, and Lisa looked on in horror.

”Maybe it didn’t notice us…” Lisa awkwardly laughed.

It took a step towards them… it was prolonged and deliberate, but it covered so much distance. With this one step, it appeared as if it was about to fall onto itself, but it held steady. The ground shook; it paused momentarily before raising its other foot.

"We can’t fight that," Saskia hissed.

"Let’s run!" Ella shouted, taking one look at the thing and knowing she didn’t want to fight it. How could they even take on something that size?! "It’s slow enough that we can probably… avoid it!"

Ella grabbed Lisa and Saskia’s hands, dragging them to run away from it as fast as she could, in the vague direction of the city they’d seen.

The ground violently shook with every step the giant skeleton took; while each step was slow, it covered enough distance to remain in close pursuit. Lisa peered over her shoulder.

”... We’re not getting away from that!” Lisa shouted. ”I have an idea! You’re not going to like it!”

The ground shook one more time.

”... Everyone! Pick a direction, and run! Split up! It’s the only way!”

"No, I don’t like it!" Ella shouted. "Before we do-"

Ella channeled her magic through their held hands. "Magical Girl Aurora, squad transform!"

Lisa and Saskia’s clothes changed to magical girl outfits just like Ella’s, except themed after their magic. Both were dark coloured, with Lisa’s covered in spider web designs and other spider theming, and Saskia’s with blood and skeleton designs. It would protect them better than their normal clothes.

"Ok… Go!" Ella let go of the two of their hands, spinning around and setting off to her right. Saskia ran in the opposite direction. While Lisa continued to run straight ahead… the skeleton turned to its left toward Saskia. Lisa stopped, turned on her heel, and slowly raised a hand into the air… and trillions of spiders crawled up the skeleton’s leg. The sheer impact of its steps killed a majority of them; however, plenty of spiders were still attached to its leg.

”Saskia!” Lisa shouted. ”Get ready to dodge!”

All of the spiders became miniature acidic bombs that dissolved the Giant Skeleton’s bones… it took another step on this leg, and it snapped with the most sickening sound. It fell forward… towards Saskia.

"Shit," Saskia ran as quickly as they could, blood tendril forming on their back and throwing themselves into the air. They launched to the of the Giant Skeleton’s trajectory, falling face first into the ground with a horrible crack.

But it didn’t fall on them and squash them, at least.

"SASKIAAA!" Ella wailed, turning around and running over to them. She started using her healing spell as Saskia rolled over with a groan, holding up a hand.

"Not a big deal, just some broken bones, I can heal them. It’s probably still alive."

"Oh yeah!" Ella turned around, lobbing a massive fireball at the Skeleton, hoping that it’d be hot enough to… burn the bones to ashes or something. It just put ashes on it.

Lisa sighed, grabbing her arm, as she nearly stumbled forward.

”... What are you two doing!?” Lisa shouted. ”Run!”
The Skeleton raised a hand that gently drifted towards the three…

"My bones are broken."

"Ok, ok, ahhh, run!" Ella bent down, lifted Saskia into her arms, and started running like her life depended on it (it did). However, they managed to escape the reach of the giant skeleton… which dug its fingers into the ground and dragged itself forward. The ground violently shook from this act, as if the three were in the middle of an earthquake. Lisa was still panting and fell over onto her back. However, Lisa managed to use her little strength to create a flying spider, and she was panting the entire time. It was in a glowing cocoon… she just needed some more time.

"Lisa!" Ella shouted. She was the only one still standing… She put Saskia down beside Lisa and stood in between them and the skeleton. One hand on the Ice Scepter, the one pushed forward and a massive blast of freezing snow shot out of it. Hopefully it would… freeze it or something. She didn’t know how to deal with a skeleton! (Ella needs to git gud)

The skeleton's bones were frozen by the ice blast… which slowed it down significantly. However, it was still going.

"Really?!" Ella wailed. She didn’t want to get any closer to it… she pulled bright blues from the ton of bracelets along her arms, forming a ball of colour in her palm before shooting it - fast enough and hard enough it would be like getting smashed by a brick. Which might as well have been a cotton ball to a giant skeleton - though it shattered the ice around its face.

Thankfully, the spider managed to force its way out of its cocoon - not at max size, but big enough for all of them to pile on top of to escape. The spider flew over to them, and Lisa smiled as she found the strength to push herself to her feet - with some spider legs, she managed to force herself on top of the spider…. Ella grabbed Saskia and climbed onto the spider with them in one arm, shooting another blast of ice behind her at the skeleton.

"Go, go, go!"

The spider jetted off high into the sky, far away from the skeleton… and they were against the red sky of the Pit as they flew towards the city.

---

After a little while, they managed to make it to the city… which, as expected, was a destroyed mockery of a significant metropolitan area. The streets were cracked, buildings were knocked over, tunnels had collapsed, and there was just nothing. No life, just chaos and ruin. The spider landed on top of a several-story office building - and Lisa tumbled over, falling off. She panted on the ground as she said,
”... We gotta take a break,” Lisa said, panting. ”I can’t go any further.”

"Agreed," Saskia groaned. They were walking now, but there were still the telltale, horrible sounds of their bones snapping back together. "Let try get somewhere more sheltered…"

"I’ll look!" Ella started looking across the roof (as much as it could be called that) they were on. There were plenty of holes, and it just took kicking one in more to give them an opening. "Let’s go down here!"

Lisa pushed herself to her feet again as the spider legs gently carried her through the hole, and she hung from the ceiling. The office was, well, an office. There were rows and rows of desks with computers on top and chairs pushed against them, as far as the eye could see. However, it was like a tornado flew around the room! Most of them were flung around, with trash and debris all around.

Lisa climbed down, pushed one of the chairs up, dropped her backpack, and sat on it, leaning back in it.

”... This place is scuffed.” Lisa sighed.

"It fucking sucks," Saskia agreed. They took their rucksack off, rummaging in it and pulling out some of the food supplies they’d brought. A whole bunch of stuff they didn’t need to cook. They offered up some of the protein bars. "Want some?"

"Ooo, yes please," Ella snatched one up, immediately grimacing when she started eating it. It was gross. She was pretty sure the various rations packs they’d brought would only be worse… "Wait, you’re just tryna make your bag lighter!"

”Hold on!” Lisa dug into her bag and pulled out the glowing green potion inside of a mason jar that was one of Greta’s healing potions; she raised it into the air and twirled it a few times. ”Surprised this didn’t break, but I guess these are built to last. Right, girls?”

"Greta’s the best!" Ella nodded.

Lisa awkwardly laughed as she took the protein bar, downed it briefly, then laughed, then looked to the left and right as she put the potion back into the bag. ”Let’s make sure this place is safe, then let’s… I don’t know, take it easy.”

"Yeah, we need to go slow, I think," Saskia sighed. "I hoped we could get it done quickly but… if we just keep walking around we’ll get eaten. Or worse."

"I don’t want to get eaten!" Ella said, looking around. "Hopefully there isn’t anything lurking in here…"

”... There probably is,” Lisa shrugged as she stood up, the spider legs retracting into her back. ”I almost passed out, getting us away from the skeleton… I can’t do any more fighting right now.”

However, they heard some rustling down the hall, and Lisa quickly turned her head towards it. There were footsteps, and a girl was stepping out of the shadows into the light illuminated by the Pit’s red sky. A Caucasian girl with a black bob cut was dirty, covered in scabs, and oozing red wounds. Her clothes were tattered—typical goth clothes with a black shirt with a star, shorts with stockings, boots, and a spiked choker. She hesitantly walked up.

“... A-are you people?” She asked. “... Where the hell am I?”

Ella’s eyes widened. Another person! And she looked really hurt… oh no! She jumped up. "We are-"

Saskia wrapped their blood tendril around Ella before she could step towards the girl, pulling her back. "Are you a person? Prove it."

“How?!” The girl said. “I just… I just… fell through a crack. I’m from Gary, Indiana… I don’t know what’s going on! This place is hell!” She began panting.

”... Tell me about it,” Lisa rolled her eyes.

“I just want to find a way out of here!”

Saskia let go of Ella, frowning. "We’re stuck too, so can’t help with that."

"Let me heal you!" Ella said, holding up her Channeler and hitting the girl with a healing beam of light. She didn’t actually step forward, though, in case Saskia grabbed her again. "What’s your name? I’m Ella!"

“Chloe,” the girl said, sighing in relief as her wounds healed. She sat on the chair across from them.

However, Lisa leaned into Ella,

”... Are we going to, um, bring her with us?” Lisa whispered. ”I mean, we shouldn’t leave her by herself, but we also shouldn’t bring her along when all we want is the All-Blade.”

Ella frowned, whispering back. "I don’t know… I don’t want to leave her behind, but we only have enough for three! Maybe… maybe if she fell in nearby, there’s a way to fall back out?"

Lisa paused for a moment.

”... I think we should, instead, eat her,” Lisa whispered back. ”Think about it: it’s a win-win! Just for us, though.”

"No way! I refuse," Ella whisper shouted.

Saskia leaned in too. "I agree. We can make it quick. It’ll be merciful, really."

”Okay, so I’ll just put a spear thro-”

“... I can hear you all,” Chloe said, scoffing.

"Oh, well," Saskia pulled out their knife with a shrug. "Don’t worry, I know exactly where to cut so it doesn’t hurt."

"No, we can’t do this!" Ella jumped up, standing in between Saskia, Lisa and Chloe. "It’s- It’s not right! It’s not very magical girl!"

”But no one has to know!” Lisa shouted, throwing her hands in the air. ”We can just head back and have Greyson wipe our memories; then it’s all good!”

"That’s…" Ella frowned. She was stumped. Lisa was right, they could have their memories of eating Chloe wiped, and then they’d still be magical girls. Was it even the wrong decision? They probably couldn’t keep her alive. Like Saskia said, it was merciful! But killing people who weren’t possessed was wrong… Also she didn’t look all that tasty. Was there even enough flesh there?!

She turned to Chloe, and asked, "do you want to be eaten, or die alone?"

“How about neither!?” Chloe shouted. “You people are crazy! I’m out of here!” She shouted, as she turned on her heel and took off running down the halls.

Lisa stared at her for a few moments, before she shrugged.

”She was cute,” Lisa began. ”We should have kept her.” She shrugged.

"Yeah, Ella, you had to go and ruin it," Saskia said.

"Consent is important!" Ella threw up her hands.

”... Even when we’re talking about eating her!?” Lisa shouted.

"Yes! She probably would’ve tasted nasty if she didn’t consent!" Ella shouted back.

”HOW WOULD THAT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE?!”

Lisa shouted, grabbing both sides of her head.

"It- It just would!" Ella flailed her hands about. She couldn’t explain it, it just seemed right.

"Well it doesn’t matter now, does it?" Saskia rolled their eyes. "Let’s move on."

Lisa just shrugged, ”So, let’s secure the building and find somewhere comfortable t-”

They heard a shriek of terror from what sounded like Chloe, and Lisa came to a stop, her jaw-dropping for a moment. She looked to the left and then the right….

”... Rip Chloe.” Lisa said.

"Do you think whatever it was left something behind? I’m still a bit hungry," Saskia intoned.

Ella grimaced, looking a bit sad. They should’ve kept her with them… or just killed her right away. It would’ve been better! Faster! Kinder! "Let’s not go that way."

She turned the opposite direction to the scream, starting to walk that way, creating a small flame in her hand in case it started to get darker.

”Let’s just find a nice room with no windows and one door, and we’ll just hunker down with some spider webs, okay?” Lisa said as she looked around before her eyes landed on a door with a sign next to it that said CAFETERIA. Lisa walked over to it, pushed the door open, and looked around - it was, as expected, a mess. Tables and chairs were tossed all around, there was trash and debris all over the place… but no windows or holes in the wall.

Lisa glanced over her shoulder at Saskia and Ella and said,

”Perfect, right?”

Saskia looked around the room, before nodding. "Let’s put up some of the tables as extra protection too."

"Oh, like they do in survival movies!" Ella grinned, going over to pick up a table and put it on its side in one corner. "This is pretty perfect."

”Hurry up,” Lisa yawned, ”I think I can summon enough spiders to throw up a web...”

"I’m only one person!" Ella wailed, grabbing a few more tables and setting them up like a wall, with a gap that they could get through. She stepped in and took off her backpack, sitting down. Saskia and Lisa followed in, but Lisa placed her backpack down like a pillow and lied down on it.

”... Oh yeah,” Lisa raised a hand in the air, and summoned a few thousand spiders that threw up a web in front of the door and behind it. With that, Lisa passed out asleep and began loudly snoring.

Saskia just lay on their side, falling asleep pretty quickly. Ella waited until both her friends were peacefully asleep before even trying, eventually passing out…

---

The earth shook.

It was brief.

Violent enough to wake all three of them up.

It was a footstep.

Lisa immediately climbed to her feet and grabbed her backpack. ”... What was that?” Lisa whispered as she slid the backpack onto her back.

"Another skeleton?" Saskia jumped up from where they’d been curled on their side, backpack not even taken off.

"Let’s… let’s not find out," Ella whispered, struggling to pull her massive backpack on. She looked around. "Maybe if we stay in here it won’t find us?"

”... That’s a big ‘if’ there, Ella,,” Lisa dug into her bag and pulled out a survival knife; she sliced through the webs she put up over the door as she pushed it open. ”Let’s just go out there and check it out, okay? Okay?”

Ella frowned. She didn’t really want to… but they had to stick together! She quickly followed right behind Lisa, before pushing past her so that she could be at the front. "Fine! But we need to stay close together!"

"What else would we do?" Saskia rolled their eyes from the back, pulling out their own knife.

”We could have been eating a white ho’!” Lisa hissed.

Ella just shrugged, taking the front and beginning to go back the way they’d come - so they could get back onto the roof. Lisa’s spider legs left her back, and she climbed up the walls until she was on top of the ceiling. Once she was by the hole they entered, Lisa poked her head through it, and her eyes shot open.
Directly outside of the building was a giant creature that towered over the building. It slowly sauntered away, but that wasn’t the only problem.

There were dozens as far as the eye could see.

”... Oh,” Lisa’s jaw dropped.

”... Maybe we should go.”

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Moonfoot Assassins ⫻ This summoning drains a significant amount of energy from both Jack and Kenshiro, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted afterward. They will need time to recover before casting any other significant spells. The Moonfoot Assassins' dependence on darkness means that enemies can use bright light sources to nullify them - Even a sudden flash of bright light can destroy them.

FASTER THAN A SHADOW ⫻ The supercharging process creates a severe strain on both Jack and Aryin's bodies, causing intense pain and fatigue once the spell's effect wears off. This leaves them vulnerable for a period afterward. Additionally, Aryin's weightlessness makes her susceptible to being displaced by physical force or magic. Furthermore, light-based attacks can easily penetrate and destroy the shadow armor, rendering it ineffective.

DARKNESS, FALL UPON THEM ⫻ The nature of the displacement effect can work both ways: it can also displace an ally or critical items to an unknown location.

SHOCK AND AWE ⫻ The fusion of Lux from Stormy and Aaron, followed by Aryin's transformation, puts immense strain on all three participants, resulting in a prolonged recovery time if used repeatedly. The explosion radius of the Spirit Bomb is difficult to control precisely, increasing the risk of friendly fire and collateral damage,

HALLOW BLAST ⫻The fusion of Phantombane aura and Spirit Bomb drains a significant amount of Stormy's and Aaron's energy reserves, severely limiting their ability to cast other spells afterward. The Phantombane Aura left behind affects allies and enemies, and the casting process requires precise timing and coordination. Any interruption or misalignment between Stormy and Aaron can cause the spell to backfire, potentially injuring them or their allies.

@Blizz Finally approved those Joint-Casts you won't add to your sheet.

---

@AtomicEmperor Oh yeah, and here are Ken's revised weaknesses as discussed (hmmmyes).

The Hundred Scrolls of Master Kai ⫻ Overuse of Haste leads to severe mental fatigue and temporary cognitive impairment. The Hazy Doppelgangers are quickly banished by sudden movements, making them ineffective in chaotic situations. Send & Recieve causes disorientation afterward, leaving Kenshiro vulnerable for the brief moment required. The Skin Jack is flammable and easily destroyed by fire and other elements. The Beacon Beetle has a limited lifespan and can be easily killed or trapped. Its effectiveness is reduced in urban environments where it can be lost among numerous signals. Using Phantom Hands extensively can cause headaches, dizziness, and blurry vision. Powerful winds can quickly destroy the Smoke Sprite. The pathways are ancient and unstable, often leading to dangerous or unknown locations. Due to the high energy cost, the spell also leaves the user vulnerable during and after the transition.

The Gama Pact ⫻ The Salamander Jesters are vulnerable, easy to destroy with minimal effort, and are also weak against cold and water-based damage. The larger scouts are slow and cumbersome, while the smaller ones' chemical excretions can affect Ken and their allies. Both types are vulnerable to environmental changes, such as dry or cold conditions. The Toughs are slow-moving and have difficulty navigating terrain. Their voracious appetites can lead to unintended collateral damage, consuming allies or essential objects. The Bullfrog Mercenaries are not particularly loyal, which can result in morale issues. They may flee the summoner's influence and return to their realm if demoralized. The Toadskin Troopers are also very slow-moving and have bad eye-sight, making faster opponents easily capable of outmaneuvering them. Over time, as their armor sustains damage, it becomes less effective. Although they can withstand impact damage due to their loose skin and densely packed muscles, significant piercing attacks can banish them. Summoning the Cane Guard weakens Kenshiro's Emotional-Field and can make it far easier to pierce through it, along with straining him. The Salamander Priestess is highly sensitive to environmental conditions. Extreme temperatures or dry environments can cause her to expend energy at an accelerated rate, effectively acting as damage. The energy constraint for maintaining this summoning is exceptionally high, and the symbiosis with Kenshiro can be a double-edged sword, as any harm to Kenshiro will appear on the Daimyo and vice versa.

Ten Ton Takedo's Teachings ⫻ The specific somatic stances and gestures required for each technique can make Kenshiro predictable to opponents who can anticipate his moves based on stance and telekinetic cues. Each stance and technique requires Kenshiro to draw on his energy reserves (or their emotional field), making prolonged use taxing and physically exhausting. The effectiveness of these techniques is tied to Kenshiro's emotional stability. Emotional turmoil, fear, or distress can weaken his control, reducing the potency and reliability of his spells.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

The.Child
Old as Reality Itself | N/A | They/Them "Oh dear, it seems you found the source of it all."	Description: The unseen hand. The guide. The being above it all. The Child. The Child is an enigmatic and omnipotent being, the successor to the primordial Artisans known as Father and Mother. Unlike their predecessors, The Child embodies a unique blend of innocence and boundless power, a being that wields the authority to oversee the entirety of the All-Verse. As reality's sole architect and guardian, The Child maintains the delicate balance between creation and destruction. Inheriting the responsibilities left by the Father and Mother, The Child possesses a profound understanding of Luminescence. This essence intertwines with the fabric of reality and all sentient life. This understanding allows The Child to manipulate the fundamental aspects of existence, ensuring the continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth within the All-Verse. They can grant or revoke access to Luminescence, deciding who may glimpse its mysteries and who must remain in the shadows. Despite their immense power, The Child is not a detached overseer. They are deeply connected to the All-Verse and the beings within it, feeling their emotions, thoughts, and struggles. This connection imbues The Child with a sense of responsibility, driving their actions to preserve the balance and ensure the continued evolution of the All-Verse. The Child's presence is a comforting yet awe-inspiring force, a reminder of the intricate web of existence and the delicate harmony that sustains it. Abstraction: Artisan - The One Above All. As expected, The Child's Abstraction embodies reality-warping. With this power, The Child can reshape the very fabric of existence, bending the laws of physics, time, and space, with a mere flick of their wrist or blink. This limitless reality manipulation allows The Child to create or erase entire universes, alter events across timelines, and mold reality to fit any desired outcome. The Child's control over reality is absolute, rendering it an omnipotent force within the All-Verse. In addition to its unparalleled reality-warping abilities, The Child can also manipulate the Abstractions of other Paranormals. This means The Child can enhance, diminish, or entirely alter the skills of any Paranormal-Being, shaping their powers to serve greater cosmic purposes or to maintain balance within the All-Verse. This manipulation extends to granting or revoking Abstractions. The Child can weaponize Luminescence into devastating beams of pure energy; these beams are not only mighty but also multifaceted in their effects. When unleashed, these beams can fundamentally disintegrate matter, erasing targets from existence. No barrier or magic can protect against these beams. Additionally, the beams can create localized reality distortions around their impact radius, causing unpredictable and chaotic environmental changes.
Adaobi.Okeke
38 | Adaobi Okeke | She/Her "Transform the impossible to the possible..."	Description: Adaobi Okeke grew up in Eziama, Nigeria, where she was fascinated by tales of spirits and otherworldly beings from a young age, often delving into local folklore and traditions. Her life took a dramatic turn when she inherited a powerful Apparition passed down through her family for generations, known as "The Witch Doctor." It gave her access to a unique abstraction which allowed her to manipulate other Apparitions physically. Initially, Adaobi struggled with this newfound power, unsure how to control or understand it. She spent years learning to harness her abilities, seeking out shamans, healers, and spiritual guides across Nigeria and Africa for guidance. Adaobi's journey eventually led her to the bustling city of Lagos, where she began using her powers to help those plagued by Apparitions. Her reputation grew, attracting the attention of various magical and criminal entities. Recognizing the need for a broader understanding and more significant challenges, Adaobi decided to leave Nigeria and explore the world. Her travels took her across Africa and eventually to Europe, where she encountered many supernatural phenomena and further honed her skills. Her path finally led her to Miami, a city teeming with both the criminal and magical. Here, she caught the eye of Dollhouse, who was impressed by her unique abilities. Dollhouse recruited her, and Adaobi quickly rose through their ranks due to her exceptional talent in manipulating Apparitions. Within Dollhouse, she found a place where her skills were valued and essential to their operations. As one of Dollhouse's most crucial members, Adaobi took on the role of head "Programmer." Adaobi's appearance is unique because when she was Adjoined to the Witch-Doctor, various white symbols appeared on her skin, such as tattoos. Other than that, Adaobi speaks with a thick Nigerian accent and stands at five-six, which is relatively fit due to eating well. Abstraction: Unknown.
Messiah.Vanburen
10 | Messiah Maxwell Vanburen | He/Him "Hi! I'm Messiah!"	Description: The fun and energetic son of James Vanburen, it is stated that Messiah is one of the last children he sired before his unfortunate death ten years ago. However, the timeline of his birth (and the fact that his mother has yet to be identified) raises more questions than answers, leaving his true parentage shrouded in mystery. Currently residing with Sabrina Vanburen and her sisters, Messiah displays an unusual depth of insight and wisdom, often surprising those around him with profound observations and a keen understanding of human nature. Besides, he's like your typical child who loves to play and grows every day. Messiah stands around four-eleven, is skinny, and is African-American with a bushy afro. Abstraction: Messiah is One-Eye-Open.

Paragraphs: Agents of Death [FernStone & Shin Ghost Note]

---

---

That red sky…

Lisa was on the ground; she could feel leaves and sticks underneath her body as she pushed herself to her feet - which was difficult due to the added weight of her backpack. Once she was at full height, she looked to the left and right and confirmed that Saskia and Ella were there - they were there. Lisa sighed out of relief but also noted that she was in some kind of forest; there were trees and leaves, and then the gentle breeze would accompany the fall. This place smelled atrocious, like a rotting body in an oven at the highest temperature for days. However, some distance away, there was that rotting corpse of a man who had to have died hours ago - that was probably it. Lisa winced, staring at it for a moment before shaking her head.

”Let’s, um, let’s… just get a mov-”

Then it hit them… a titanic beast in the shape of a rotting bear. It swiped its claw at the ground, slashing Lisa across the chest before she could even react. She screamed as she hit the ground; she could feel her blood coat her outfit…

"LISA!"

Ella screamed. She ran forward, wrapping her arms around Lisa and pulling her back away from the bear. Saskia jumped in front of the two of them, blood armour coating their bodies and blood swords slicing them. The bear roared, recoiling, before it came with a full-force swipe at Saskia.

”Holy… shit,” Lisa coughed up blood; her vision was getting blurry. ”... Let go… I… have to… cocoon…” Spider-webs began to wrap around her to form a cocoon.

Ella let go of Lisa, and Saskia blocked the bear's claws with their swords, gritting their teeth.

"Ella!" Saskia turned her head back, struggling to hold the bear off.

Ella spun, transformed into her magical girl outfit, and jumped in with a rainbow kick towards the bear’s head. A bone breaking kick that sent blood, teeth, and spit in all directions. The bear stumbled before it launched itself at Ella with both claws out. Ella screamed, turning into a ball of burning hot light as it collided with her, lightning shooting out of her towards it. Saskia spun around, bringing an elbow down on it and shooting a bone spear through her elbow when it hit. It roared, recoiling in pain, it thrashed around, trying to get Saskia off. Saskia took a claw to the face, but ignored it, other elbow slamming into it with a bone spear. Ella turned back into herself and kicked it as hard as she could in the head.

It fell over and hit the ground with a thud, it's tongue hanging out of its mouth. At this point, Lisa burst out of the cocoon, fist first, and then flipped it off. Lisa tore her way out of the cocoon, and panted, hands on her knees.

”... Holy, shit!”

Saskia grimaced, blood pulled back into the wound in her hand and the one on her face clotting. Ella raised her channeler, bathing Saskia in a healing light so that the cut on their face healed.

"Let’s get out of here before something else attacks us," Saskia said.

Ella nodded in agreement, before holding out her hands. "Let’s hold hands so we can’t get separated!"

”I have a better idea,” Lisa said, as she summoned a tetrablemmid spider and grew to the size they could all ride on. No wings.

”... I don't think flying would be wise right now,” Lisa said as she climbed on. ”Hop on.”

"Right, the flying’s too noisy," Saskia nodded. She got on behind Lisa, and then Ella got on behind her.

"Where do we go?" Ella asked, looking around with a hand on her forehead. "I don’t see a big monster anywhere!"

”Let’s just get out of the forest,” Lisa said as the spider began walking forward. Just as a precaution, extra eyes began growing on Lisa’s forehead and cheeks to give her a wider field of view and to prevent anymore ambushes.

This forest was odd. There was something wrong with this place, one that gave Lisa a lingering feeling of dread. She kept on her toes-

The bushes next to them rustled.

Ella let out a strangled scream, cut off by Saskia’s hand covering her mouth. Then Ella held out her hand, bright pink flames coming out of it and immediately torching the bushes.

There was nothing.

Lisa tilted her head.

”… It might be invisible!”
"Or resistant to fire," Saskia suggested.

Ella held out her other hand in front of her. Electricity crackled around it before she also sent a continuous stream of lightning into the bushes. It caught fire, but there was still nothing.

”… Let’s get out of here.” Lisa said as she commanded the spider to go forward. Maybe it was just the wind.

Lisa blinked.

---

Bad Dreams (Instrumental) - Busta Rhymes

---

Then she was there.

“… Greetings!”

Ella screamed again, and blasted her with both fire and lightning. The strange smiling woman didn’t flinch.

“… I am the Mother Will,” She said. “And I’ve come to introduce you all to your new home. A place of reflection. Forgiveness. And enlightenment.”

Ella continued screaming, but changed from blasting her with fire and lightning to blasting her with snow and light. Which did nothing.

"That clearly isn’t going to work." Saskia rolled her eyes. They then looked at Mother Will. "I’ve never heard of you. What do you mean by home?"

“… What else could it mean?” The Mother Will asked. “You belong here.”

"Righhht, sure…" Saskia intoned.

"No way!" Ella shouted, finally stopping shooting stuff at Mother Will. "This place isn’t very Magical Girl at all!"

“Everyone here has come for one reason or another,” The Mother Will said. “Accidentally or not, they find their true purpose here. They accept the Pit. They love the Pit.”

"Right. It sure does seem lovely," Saskia said monotonously.

"... well if it helps us find our true purpose, can you tell us where the Rampage is?" Ella asked.

“I don’t need to tell you,” The Mother Will replied. “Because, whatever you need…”

She dramatically paused.

“… The Pit provides.”

Ella tilted her head, looking confused. "Well…. Thanks, I guess?"

"I’m needing it really hard right now," Saskia muttered. "Hopefully it’ll appear soon."

The Mother Will sunk into the ground, and vanished.

”… Well, that was weird,” Lisa shrugged.

"Incredibly," Saskia frowned.

"She said the Pit provide whatever we need, but it’s not providing anything I need right now! Like, the All-Blade, or… something to watch anime on!" Ella shouted, as if they were both equally important.

”… Let’s just get out of here before something else weird happens,” Lisa said as she commanded the spider to proceed forward. It wasn’t long until they made it to the edge of the forest, and before them was breathtaking.

For all the wrong reasons.

Far as the eye could see it was a cracked wasteland, with storms and dust clouds ravaging the lands.

"That looks worse than the forest," Saskia commented.

"At least we’ll be able to see anything before it attacks us!" Ella said, looking around with narrowed eyes. "But I don’t see any massive monsters pinned by a sword!"

”… Just where did the Hound send us?” Lisa asked Saskia.

"The Pit," Saskia replied, expression completely deadpan. "I know as much as you do. Maybe if we keep going around the edge of the forest we’ll find something?"

Lisa sighed, as she commanded the spider to climb down the edge and justified her decision with,
”… If it’s anywhere it’d be there.”

"Nothing’s in there," Saskia said bluntly.

"I think Lisa’s right! This is exactly where I’d pin something called the Rampage!" Ella said.

”I bet if we go out through the other side there’s just going to be more wasteland - but hold on,” Lisa said, as she casted Snare on Ella and Saskia to keep them from falling off. It was a steep cliff, just a drop, so there was only death if one well. Though, there are other stone spires closer to the bottom.

Lisa was nervous, gritting her teeth the closer down they got. They were only here for a couple minutes and Lisa already hated it here. She almost died, and had to deal with the Mother Wi-

The spider’s leg slipped, and Lisa shouted as they began to descend. In a moment of quick thinking, Lisa whipped her head around and casted Snare. This created a massive web that caught the spider… Left it dangling, however.

”... This won’t last long,” Lisa began, ”Any ideas?”

"Just make it last a minute," Saskia grimace. They managed to shift to not have Ella right behind them, back erupting open as wings made of raw muscle and bone pushed out. They continued to grow until the spread six metres across, stretching out. "I can get us down."

They wrapped one arm around Lisa, and formed a blood tendril to wrap around Ella. Their wings spread out, gently flapping. "Get rid of the webs."

Lisa grabbed on, and before she got rid of the webs, she shrunk her spider back down to a standard size, and it climbed up onto her boot. The webs disappeared, and Lisa let out a sigh of relief.

Saskia managed to get them down to the cliff, avoiding the stone spires before landing. They grimaced, letting go of both Lisa and Ella, shaking their arms out. "I’ll keep these out in case I need to fly us anywhere again."

"Good thing we trained before leaving!" Ella said, narrowing her eyes and looking around. "Which way now?"

”Let’s pick a direction and keep moving until we find something,” Lisa shrugged… it wasn’t a plan, but what other option did they have. The spider on Lisa’s boot crawled down and was wrapped in a glowing cocoon that grew increasingly over time. This time, Lisa gave it dragonfly wings just in case they needed to fly. Lisa looked around; the ground was jagged and crooked, forming a mess of different cliffs, valleys, and depressions as far as the eye could see. Maybe flying over it would be the best ide-

On top of a cliff, Lisa saw a strange white creature hopping from sight. It roared, and more of them appeared from out of sight. They looked at each other, screamed, and slowly approached the three.

"I don’t like the look of those," Saskia murmured, nails digging into their palm to reopen the wound there. Blood trickled over them, forming armour.

"I’ll blast them!" Ella didn’t even wait, coating both hands in sparking electricity before shooting it at as many white creatures as she could.

”Maybe they want to run a train on us,” Lisa shrugged as she began summoning spiders… more tetrablemmids were applied with the Enlarge spell, and she hybridized them with Hercules beetles. Lisa assisted, however, by raising both of her hands into the air with a sharp movement and wrapped many of these creatures in webs.

Many of these creatures were electrocuted by Ella. However, a few looked at her, and then they hopped in front of the others. Forming a meat shield with their bodies as they advanced, many of the other ones stayed behind to cut their brethren free.

Ella grimaced, swapping tactics. She held out her hand, a massive fireball forming in it before she threw it at the meatshield. Saskia formed a long, thin blood whip in their hand and tried to pick off any that got within range. They were whipped across the face, drawing blood; however, they kept proceeding and began to form a circle around the three.

”... We just need to hold them off until this spider is ready!” Lisa shouted as she took a few steps back into the spider that had the wings. She sighed again and raised her hands, trapping several in the web - as she commanded her spiders to go to town on the three - they began biting, scratching, and forcing their way into any orifice.

They launched themselves into the air at the three with a vicious roar.

Ella grabbed the Ice Scepter with one hand, the other flung out in front of her to shoot a massive blast of ice. She spun around on her heel to try and get all of them.

Saskia’s wings moved up, covering the three of them from above, forming their own meat shield from attacks - even though every hit to it hurt them.

The spider burst out of its cocoon, with dragonfly wings - and was immediately pounced by a horde of these creatures. They clawed and bit - but the spider’s exoskeleton proved steady. Lisa waved her hand and the spiders on the creatures exploded and dissolved them somewhat in acid.

”Get them off the spider!” Lisa shouted, as she cast chitinous spear and impaled one of them with all five. They retracted, and the creature dropped dead.

"On it!" Ella shouted. Pulled out the Ice Scepter, using it to shoot focused beams of ice at creature after creature while avoiding getting the spider. Saskia formed their blood tendril, grabbing them with it and trying to throw them off. Lisa assisted by using Chitinous-Spear to stab them, flex, and fling them off.

Spider legs erupted from Lisa’s back as she launched herself onto the spider’s back. While everyone was getting on, she was holding off these creatures with spears and webs. Saskia easily got on using her own wings, which they then began to pull into their back. Ella had to put the Ice Scepter back in the holster she had for it… Kicking and punching creatures out of her way to climb onto the spider's back.

"Go, go, go!"

The spider took flight, and darted through the skies. The leftover spiders - that weren’t killed by the creatures - detonated and sprayed acid and chitin fragments in all directions.

Lisa sighed, as she saw some of them making chase before hiding.

”... Whew,” Lisa began, ”That was a close one.”

"This place sucks!" Ella wailed, hugging Saskia and leaning forward into them. "I’m so glad Lupe taught me those spells… I miss her!"

"I have a feeling it's only going to get worse," Saskia frowned.

Lisa smiled - it faltered for a moment, but she forced it.

”... We are more than up to the task.”

Recollections: The Compendium

THE.YOKAI.KILLER
| The Bane of Malevolence | "In the hands of the just, evil crumbles to dust." ORIGINS & CREATIONS: | Forged in a rare collaboration between four masterful Paranormal-Beings - Yoko Hatanaka, Selena Phoenix, Connor Bray, and Luca Oliviera — The Yokai Killer was created to stand as a counterpart to the renowned Aberration and Apparition Killers. Each contributor brought their magic to the creation process, blending their skills to craft a weapon capable of combating the darkest entities. Yoko Hatanaka intended to use this blade in her dangerous expedition into the Pit, a realm known for housing the most powerful beings. | TYPE: | Aberration/Apparition Bane-Blade | LOCATION: | The blade was last seen with Yoko Hatanaka as she ventured into the Pit. | NOTABLE OWNERS: | Yoko Hatanaka. | ABSTRACTION-GRANTING: | No. |	The Yokai Killer is an elegant yet fearsome sword, its blade emitting a mystical blue glow, inscribed with ancient runes and adorned with intricate designs of mythical creatures. This light isn't merely for show; it illuminates the darkness in which evil beings hide and thrive. The Craftsmanship on the sword is impeccable due to Connor Bray's forgery; it's next to indestructible. The primary ability of The Yokai Killer is its power to induce decay in malevolent Apparitions and Aberrations, provided by Luca Olivera's Rot. Upon striking such an entity, the blade releases decaying energy, rapidly weakening the target and causing its form to deteriorate briefly. This decay is not merely physical but extends to the essence of the being, disrupting its energies and weakening it significantly. Moreover, The Yokai Killer has a unique bond with its wielder, attuning itself to their spirit and intent. This bond means that the blade can only be effectively wielded by those who genuinely seek to protect and purify, making it a weapon of the righteous. The effectiveness of The Yokai Killer hinges on the user's intent. The blade senses the purity of the wielder's belief in the hostility of their target. The sword's power diminishes if the wielder harbors doubt or the target is not genuinely malevolent by their standards. In the hands of one with an unwavering conviction, the blade becomes a potent force against evil. Still, the sword will shrink back into the hilt if wielded against humans or benevolent beings, rendering it useless. This safeguard ensures that the weapon cannot be misused against innocents or in acts of vengeance, only to protect the weak. A notable feature of The Yokai Killer, attributed to Selena Phoenix's White Lux, is its ability to sense the presence of hostile Apparitions and Aberrations. When such entities are near, the blade's glow intensifies, acting as a warning and a guide for its wielder. This response is not just a passive reaction but a manifestation of the White Lux infused into the sword. The brighter the glow, the closer and more powerful the entity. The Yokai Killer has another feature derived from White Lux that allows the wielder to see its aura through walls and other obstacles if separated. This connection manifests as a glowing outline that guides the user back to the blade..............................................................................

Recollections: The Compendium

THE.CAMERAEYE
| The All-Seeing Lens | "If I bleed, the camera cries. No one doubts the camera eye. Move fast forward thru the camera eye. Move fast forward thru the camera eye. The camera eye." ORIGINS & CREATIONS: | The CameraEye was spawned from the collective belief in the power of sight and the human desire to see beyond the visible spectrum, uncovering hidden truths and deeper layers of reality. | TYPE: | All-Seeing Eyepiece | LOCATION: | In the possession of Sloane Faris. | NOTABLE OWNERS: | Odessa Maxwell before she passed it off to Sloane. | ABSTRACTION-GRANTING: | No. | .............................................................................	The CameraEye is an artifact that grants its user extraordinary perception, allowing them to view the world in ways far beyond ordinary sight. When placed over the user's eye, the CameraEye bestows several remarkable abilities that transform how they interact with their surroundings. First and foremost, the CameraEye enables the user to see through solid objects, such as walls and barriers, revealing what lies beyond. Additionally, the CameraEye can perceive the souls of living beings, presenting their spiritual essence as radiant auras of varying colors and intensities. This allows the user to gauge an individual's emotional state, intentions, and hidden abilities or powers. The CameraEye also provides glimpses into alternate dimensions, showing how people and objects appear in different realities. This multidimensional vision offers insights into various versions of the world, revealing alternate paths and possibilities. The user can witness parallel versions of individuals, understanding how their lives might have unfolded under different circumstances. Beyond these primary functions, the CameraEye has additional capabilities that align with its theme of enhanced perception. It can see through illusions and shapeshifting, negating magical disguises and deceptions. Moreover, the CameraEye allows the user to zoom in on distant locations, providing a telescopic view that can bring faraway objects and scenes into sharp focus. One of the most intriguing features of the CameraEye is its ability to "save" a scene before the user, granting them a photographic memory of what they have "saved." This allows the user to recall precise details and visual information perfectly, making the CameraEye an excellent tool for gathering and retaining information.

Recollections: The Compendium

THE.QUILL
| The All-Knowing Pen | "To know all that is knowable, one must first ask the right questions." ORIGINS & CREATIONS: | Mortal hands did not forge the Quill but brought it into existence through the collective belief in the power of the written word. Scholars, historians, and scribes across generations have contributed to its creation, imbuing it with the essence of curiosity and the relentless quest for truth. | TYPE: | Information-Gathering Pen | LOCATION: | In the possession of Sloane Faris | NOTABLE OWNERS: | Odessa Maxwell, before she passed it off to Sloane Faris. | ABSTRACTION-GRANTING: | No. | .............................................................................	The Quill is an extraordinary artifact designed for those who desire the truth. This elegant, feathered pen appears unassuming at first glance, but its true power is revealed when it is put to use. The Quill's primary function is to aid its users in gathering and documenting information with unparalleled accuracy. To activate The Quill's abilities, the user must write down an event or scenario they wish to document on any surface capable of holding written words, be it paper, wood, or even stone. Once the user completes their account, The Quill, sensing the intent behind the writing, comes to life. It begins to animate and continues writing independently, filling in any details the user might have missed. These additional details are not conjured from thin air; they are derived from what the user could have reasonably known or been told, ensuring that the information remains grounded. The Quill's limits are defined by the knowledge accessible to the user. It cannot write down information that is entirely outside the user's realm of awareness or understanding. However, it excels at uncovering overlooked facts, piecing together clues, and providing insights that the user might have subconsciously recognized but not explicitly noted. This makes The Quill an invaluable tool for detectives, historians, and anyone meticulously gathering information. While The Quill's abilities are profound, they are not without limitations. It cannot access knowledge beyond the user's scope of influence or awareness. Additionally, the artifact requires the user's focused and clear intent to function effectively; vague or half-hearted attempts yield incomplete or unclear results.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

<Snipped quote by Shin Ghost Note>

Thank you for asking. Is it okay if I re-organize the HoC post a little bit? Here is how I would like it to be organized:

NPC List

Leadership
- Valencia
- Isabella

Capos
- Demos
- Lee
- Alexander

Staff
- Fox

Others
- Mr. Roosevelt
- "Lancy"

Deceased
- Phantasia
- Bruno

Thank you!

@Estylwen

done