Sonnambula

Grimoiric Heart

On a related note, @Sonnambula, if Nessie responds to Lumiére in the affirmative, consider the buff moved from Lumiére to her, as Goodhope realises that her sempai is exhausted.

@Villamvihar

Sure, that's fine by me.

In that case, I'll probably post sometime today then. I think the Power of Friendship has handicapped our opponent more than enough for Nessie to stand a chance now.

Grimoiric Heart

I think it's best to Power of Friendship this one out, but Nessie can have her chance to shine by showcasing her newfound abilities and dealing the finishing blow. But I would say it's definitely necessary for the other girls to rally and help her out, if only to just give her time and an opening to deal the critical hit.

Grimoiric Heart

For all of the mental torment it had caused Stripes, it was unclear in the end whether Nessie even heard the answer to her question, something seemingly far more alluring to her than the identity of her saviour catching her attention. In fact, it wasn't just her attention that was caught, it seemed in an instant as though the girl's whole mindset was suddenly oriented to the radiantly glowing tome that was now very visible amongst a small forest of vertical steel beams.

It shone with a light that Nessie had never seen before, one that was genuinely beautiful and alluring as much as it was curious and mystical. Perhaps most of all, she felt as though it belonged to her. And it was calling for her.

So taken was she, that she didn't reply to Stripes with anything more than a nod and an affirming mumble to show that she understood. Whatever aura that book was giving off was certainly having a drastic affect on her, completely putting her in the zone. You'd almost swear it was a different person to the utterly confused and terrified girl, who had been at the complete mercy of a wave of Pageless just minutes prior.

As soon as her feet made contact with the earth, she began to sprint like mad, quickly leaving the now-reverted Stripes behind. She'd thank her later. Probably. Helter-skelter she went, bolting past a roster of even more interesting characters who helped to defend her as she went rushing past to reach... it. Whatever it was. That's what she needed to discover. And it really did feel as though she needed to do it.

Not once did she falter in her determined sprint towards her destiny. At least, not until the arrival of something else. Something that bared a similar weight to what she was chasing for, but in a completely different way. The aura this creature, this... thing, gave off was something dark and malicious, as if it was something entirely out of place in its own existence. Something never meant to be.

But here it now stood, as bold as brass, having sent Nessie tumbling to the ground with its dramatic crash-landing to the ground, blending in with the look of the construction site with its mechanical appearance. Despite its imposing nature though, Nessie wasn't going just stop there. She wouldn't, and couldn't, give up. And as the colossal Pageless followed suit, the race was on.

Nessie was closer, but the behemoth of darkness proved to be much faster than its heavy, metal body suggested. It tore through earth, timber and steel like paper, a one-track mind similar to Nessie's leading it towards the book, which shone even brighter now as the two got closer and closer to reaching it.

In the end though, for all the tension the race may have brought on, it ended in a decisive victory for Nessie. One final leap decided her claim on the tome, its dazzling light consuming her before a burst of energy with practically the same force as the Mega-Pageless had landed with practically recreated the landscape of the battlefield once again.

When that piercing light and clouds of dust and debris finally settled though, revealed to all those present was the birth of a new Magical Girl. Nephy's clothes had transformed into an ornate and bespoke outfit that decorated and armoured her body in equal measure. A broomstick in her grasp, and a unique but trademark witch's hat upon her head completed the look, like a crown on a monarch.

"Slow as shit you are, aren't you?" Nessie quipped cheekily to the loser the race, staring boldly up at the Pageless in even less of an unwavering manner than before. Because now, she stood a chance. Now she could fight.

Grimoiric Heart

Nessie's eyes were shut tightly as she anticipated the end, arms raised over her chest and face, more to comfort her than for any real defensive reason. But, to her surprise, no pain befell her within the subsequent seconds, seconds that passed at a snail's pace in her perspective. Instead, a thunderous and fast-approaching thudding sped towards her from the same direction those monsters had come from, beast-like footfalls that encouraged her eyes to snap wide open.

The abnormality of the events that had taken place so far was very telling, by the fact that a large tiger in a witch's hat suddenly appearing to her rescue was only the second strangest thing she'd seen that day. That didn't mean Nessie wasn't standing in utter awe however, as tooth and claw tore through the alien attackers with bewildering ease, a whole wave shredded to pieces within mere seconds before her. Black blood sprayed onto her as a result, startling her until it would eventually shimmer and vanish completely, as though it had never stained her in the first place. And after all of that, as if things couldn't get any weirder for the poor redhead, the tiger began speaking to her in a clearly feminine voice as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Eh...?"

The girl questioned and raised an eyebrow, not because she misheard, but mostly in utter confusion at what exactly was going on. She didn't exactly have a choice to accept the reality in front of her or not though, as she noticed more of those monsters coming over the dirt mounds in pursuit of her and her new... acquaintance.

"N-no! No book, haven't seen one! But what are tho- ahh!"

Nessie interrupted herself mid-sentence with a yelp that was probably a little too loud as, with barely any warning, the hat-wearing tiger had her lifted by the back of her shirt like a cub. Suspended in the air by its mouth, she experienced those heavy, resonant footfalls from before first hand, only mere inches away from a pair of lethal front paws that bore into the ground with every step.

But where was it taking her to, and who was it? Or she, as the voice from earlier had suggested.

"Who are you?!"

The redhead cried out, echoing one of those questions in her mind, trying to be heard above the noise the tiger and the pursuing assailants were making around them.

Tower of Fable

Even just a look at this point could tell the most oblivious of fools that Thomas had lost his spirit. Barely any response was elicited from Runa's private whispers to him, his expression remaining numb and sunken, and his eyes glassy and lifeless over their usually vivid violet hue. By the time Riku had come over to diffuse the situation, the boy was already trudging away towards where Runa had gestured. As far as he saw it, he was done with the situation. And besides, as far as he was concerned, the only doors that opened up as a result of him discovering this new "power" he'd attained led only to more uncertainty as to who he truly was. But to him, the eyes he possessed were the eyes of a monster. And though he looked human, for all he knew, he could be one.

As the group followed along behind Runa through tunnels that seemed endless in scale to contradict their narrow, almost claustrophobic, width. While Riku was feeling regret for her part to play in joining along with Runa's set-up, Thomas felt an overwhelming sense of shame and guilt, stemming from fear and uncertainty of himself, after the events of the previous hours. There was no doubt that the boy had played himself, and even then, there was no excuse for the potentially lethal destruction he'd almost caused. And if it happened once, who's to say it wouldn't happen again?

Perhaps it was subconscious, perhaps purposeful, but it was with these thoughts that Thomas began to distance himself from his friend, finding himself alone instead of at her side for the first time in a while it seemed. Maybe it was for the best. And, as though the Abyss were responding to that thought in an attempt to bring certainty to the boy's choice, it swallowed him whole into pure darkness as a cavern laid stretched out before the group.

It wasn't long until that isolating darkness began to lift however, rays of light embracing and spreading across the cavern floor and walls whence they came. It was a striking enough change for Thomas to finally lift up his bowed head, though it wasn't half as alerting as what was to follow almost immediately after. A voice from behind him, raised only slightly at first, words coming out somewhat indistinctly to his ears, suddenly cried out his name, instantly revealing its familiarity to Thomas. Suddenly, all thoughts of distance were out of the window, as the boy started towards the call of his friend...

"Rik-!"

... only to freeze at the last second as something, or indeed, someone else caught his sight. In fact it was almost like he had no choice in the matter, his body and mind submitting to an unseen force that drew his attention to the darkened figure that called to him in silence. A look of concern washed over Thomas' face, as features became more clear to him. A vision of a large, scarred man, a mop of short black hair riding down partially over one side of his face stood metres away from him. A piercing that could kill met Thomas' mutedly shocked look, one that dared him to run away as much as it dared him to approach, a stare that sent stinging impulses up his nervous system, that rocked him to his very core. And, perhaps most importantly of all, a stare that came from a pair of glowing, violet eyes.

The boy shivered, an icy tingle running up his spine while his breath became slightly erratic. His eyes almost seemed to turn golden for a second as he held eye contact with the mysterious man, but a blink almost immediately after restored them to their usual hue. With a faint glow, his glaive appeared in his grip, the first time he'd held it since his battle with Nephy. It didn't seem like Thomas had summoned it on purpose though, more of a fight or flight response if anything.

"Who... who are you?"

Thomas asked the violet-eyed figure ahead, trying his best to sound composed despite falters in his speech. The boy didn't move a step closer to him though, almost held completely in place by the mere sight of him. By that stare. That ominous stare.

Grimoiric Heart

And so, by choice or chance, here she was.

After yet another university interview that she’d only had half of her heart in, Nessie had decided to vent her silent frustrations by walking back to her hotel instead of taking the tube. The air was bitingly chilly, but not freezing, and the streets were a uniform grey and white, with varying shades in between, a dull setting that allowed the young redhead to stay within her thoughts. It was bitter weather, not unlike Nessie herself, who was yet again confused and annoyed at her own dissatisfaction.

She had moved to London in search of a path she could see herself happily taking to move on into her future, or at least an indication towards it. But so far it was fairing no better than her previous home in Edinburgh. It just felt as though something was missing, a craving for something that she hadn’t found behind any of the doors of options available. And there were many options. After all, she had fairly outstanding grades in a wide variety of subjects, enough so that almost any university would froth at the mouth to have her apply. But nothing they could offer, nor anything she could think of herself, could rouse or convince her. There was still something missing.

Perhaps it was her? Maybe she was expecting too much from the choices she had before her, or her desires were simply just out of anyone and anything’s reach, including her own. Perhaps it was just time to re-evaluate, to get real. After all, what if there was no end to this if she didn’t change? She didn’t want to be considering this sort of thing into her twenties, she hadn’t worked hard in school just to end up nowhere-

Speaking of ending up nowhere, where was she?

It turns out that trekking through a large city like London on foot with barely any navigational reference, other than a surface level understanding of the London Underground, is not the most practical idea, especially while in thought.

So, with the sky having darkened without her noticing, Nessie found herself standing by a large construction site. A fence that was fairly tall, but easy to clamber over, separated the outside world from the site, which was filled with its own structures: cranes that waved to the skyscrapers that they rivalled in height, scaffolding that lined most of the site itself, supported by an array of planks and beams that served as the foundation from which the builders themselves worked off of. Not to mention the vehicles and the soil on which they stood. What the site was for, the girl wasn’t sure, but that didn’t take away from the feeling that what laid beyond the fence was a small world unlike anything else.

That was when a shadow out of the corner of Nessie’s eye broke her out of her train of thought once again. And then another shadow. And another. Every time just out of sight, always flashing past before she could get a proper look at whatever it was, her bright green eyes always a split second behind. Funnily enough, this was becoming quite a regular occurrence for the young lady, at least it had been ever since she’d moved to London a few weeks before. Every so often she would catch a patch of darkness teasing at her peripheral vision wherever she went: in the street, on the train, even in some of the university campuses she’d visited. A shadow that followed her wherever she went. But every time she turned to see what it was, she was met with nothing. A blank space that teased her even more with its innocence than the shadow itself. It had gotten to a point where she’d begun to ignore it. Perhaps she needed to get her eyes tested or something.

Today though, of all days, she wasn’t having any of it. Her frustrations from earlier became a surrogate for her fury, triggered by those damned shadows that wouldn’t leave her alone. And she was well aware that a young woman like herself was a prime target for any perverted stalker that might get their kicks from persecuting and irritating her like this.

“Oi! Stay away! Whoever you are! I’m fed up with this!”

Her accented voice rang out harshly in the evening air, though it seemed like there was no one to hear it given the silence she was met with in response. Just stillness for a few seconds... until another shadow whistled past her eye once again, this time as though it were moving over the fence into the construction site.

At that point she considered just walking away. Whatever or whoever this was, they were clearly playing with her. Walking away would just end their fun, for now at least. But Nessie was still angry, and with anger comes a tendency to act on impulse. And so that’s what she did.

“Oh, sod this...”

The girl sighed before throwing herself at the fence, launching her lithe body on top of it just barely and then finally lowering herself down to the earthy ground on the other side.

After gathering her bearings, the first thing the young Scotswoman noticed was just how large of a plot this construction side covered. Mounds of dirt like miniature hills prevented her from seeing to the other side of the site at all, essentially enclosing her unless she went over them, but she wasn’t about to get a good set of clothes dirty. What she could see though were multiple and various flashes of light that shone over the reach of the hills, almost like silent fireworks. In fact, if she really listened, she could perhaps even hear voices emanating from roughly the same place as where those flashes of light were popping up, but soon enough Nessie would have other things to pay attention to.

She almost dismissed it at first; another stupid shadow in the corner of her eye that would be gone within a second. Until she realised two things. It wasn’t in the corner of her eye at all, in fact it was dead centre, just on top of one of the dirt mounds. And it wasn’t moving, at least not in the same way the shadows had before. It took its time, and headed straight for her.

“Hello...?” A nervous attempt at getting a response from who or what was approaching her came out strained and quiet. And even if it had heard her, the shadow kept on with its approach. And now it wasn’t alone.

More shadows, roughly of the same shape and size, came up over the hills of soil at varying degrees of haste. But it wasn’t just their speeds of approach that concerned Nessie as they got closer to her. It was their features, which she now could just about distinguish in the low levels of light. A dark blue alien figure featuring sharp, sickle-like red eyes with even sharper claws at the ends of each arm, and a twisted heart-like symbol on their chests. But there was nothing to love about these creatures.

Confused but with no time to question Nessie tensed up in panic, beginning to back away towards the fence with wide eyes fixed on the monsters before her.

“Oh... oh shit...”

She gasped as she felt the cold steel of the fence tingle against her neck, a frosty hand holding her in place as she was left powerless to do anything but watch as her impending doom slowly closed in on her.

“Fuck, just... Just fuck off! All of you! Just fuck off!”

Fear was mostly substituted for anger as Nessie sensed her last moments coming, a slew of yelled out curse words against her multiplying assailants. Well, if she was going to go out, she’d go out fighting. A true Scot to the last second.

Grimoiric Heart

Nessie Burns- The Lady of the Lake

Name: Nessie Burns

Age: 19

Nationality: Scottish

Appearance:

Untransformed

Transformed

Description: A fairly rambunctious and stubborn girl, Nessie isn't dissimilar to your average Scotsman. She can display quite a tough and, at times, even rude and imposing exterior when in the company of strangers. Around friends she is brash, cheeky and can be quite loud, frequently poking fun at those she surrounds herself with. Equally, though, she also enjoys her own company, her favourite passtime being sitting by or swimming in a lake, especially one surrounded by beautiful scenery. Definitely the outdoors type. She loves a good drink though, and will never say no to having a pint in a nice pub.

Biography: Born in the Scottish Highlands, Nessie comes from a fairly wealthy background, her childhood home a rural manor house within an idyllic setting. Mountains, hills, woodland and lakes as far as the eye can see. The perfect place for an adventurous young girl like her, and still it remains her favourite place. Her parents work in... well, that she's not really sure of. Never has been, even to this day and age. And it's not like she's had many opportunities to ask them either.

At a young age she was sent to a prestigious boarding school for girls in Edinburgh, to both heighten her education and to keep her somewhere while her parents were away from home working. And it is there that she has remained most of her life since then. Even when school is out, she usually goes to stay with her uncle, who lives in an apartment not too far from her school, and with whom she's built quite a strong connection with over the years.

After finishing school at the age of 18 however, she didn't really know what to do with herself. She would go between the Highlands and Edinburgh, aimlessly inhabiting each of her homes while thinking of what she wanted to do with her life. Though she had done well at school, it felt like something was missing. It went on like this for a year until her uncle, noticing her rut and seeing the effect it was having on her, recommended a change of scenery for the girl. A breath of fresh air (metaphorically speaking) and an opportunity to see her future more clearly, whether that was university or immediately starting a career.

And so now Nessie finds herself in London, the heart and the capital of England. And yet still, even with such a dramatic change in surroundings from where she was previously based, and with so many opportunities and paths right at her fingertips, the girl still feels as though she hasn't found what's right for her yet. Not only that, but since arriving in London she can't help but feel unusual. Strange flickers at the corner of her eye occasionally catch her attention, unexplainable shapes looming around her only to disappear as soon as she puts her full attention on them. Perhaps something there is something coming her way, a path she never could've expected...

Grimoire
• Title: The Loch Ness Monster
• Classification: Legend
• Description: One of the ultimate creatures of folk lore, the phenomenon of the Loch Ness Monster has its roots way back in the sixth century, though most of its notoriety bubbled up in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The illusive long-necked creature, described by some to be a sea serpent or dragon living deep within the waters of Loch Ness, has created ripples throughout history with its disputed existence, gradually being pulled more and more into the limelight of contention until becoming the staple of the paranormal that it is today. And so its legend is reflected in its equally illusive Grimoire. A story that, to this day and perhaps even far into the future, has not seen its end.
• Abilities:
The Undine - At will, Nessie is able to manipulate any water around her and bend it completely to her will. She can also summon water out of thin air if required, but that takes more energy and control to do, so don't expect her to be summoning reservoirs of water with no difficulty right off the bat. It'll take training to get anywhere close to that.

Misty Waters - Like the monster itself, Nessie can disappear herself out of thin air. The only catch is that she may only remain invisible as long as she can hold her breath. There is a loophole to this ability however, as shown with the next one.

The Loch's Blessing - These are more passive abilities than anything, but they can definitely come in handy, especially in a city that contains a massive river (*looks at London*). The Grimoire grants Nessie with incredibly swift swimming speed, making her look like a blur to anyone above the surface. On top of this she can also breathe, hear and see completely clearly when underwater, almost as if she were on normal ground. The final blessing is the loophole to her Misty Waters ability, which is that she can turn invisible for as long as she wishes when underwater, essentially ignoring its limitation. Of course, most battles would probably take place above water so this ability may not always be as useful as it sounds, but in the right situation, as well as clever usage, it can provide Nessie with an invaluable edge.

Grimoiric Heart

Got my girl approved in PMs, plopping her CS into the Character Tab now.

Grimoiric Heart

You son of a bitch, I’m in.

Tower of Fable

Thomas didn't say a word on the way back to the hideout. Though at least Runa had stopped the bleeding, meaning there was no immediate threat to his life, tremendous and nauseating pain remained as an overwhelming reminder of what had just happened, even though his memories of it at this point were slightly fragmented. But his wounds and exhaustion weren't the only reasons why he chose not to speak. His eyes seemed vacant, framed by a sunken expression and perpetually cast down to the ground, not looking up to acknowledge anyone or anything. From any outside perspective, the boy would probably seem hollow. And that was how he felt, perhaps unsurprisingly, not least because at most times he was only really half-conscious, almost like he was stuck in a bubble. But that didn't mean he wasn't thinking.

What had happened? Why had it happened? Why had he acted the way he did, or was this simply the true him that he was only just now discovering? The more the boy reflected, the more questions came to him. It was a revolving door of the same thought process, but no matter how many revolutions he did, there was only one exit. One question that, more than ever now, he longed to know. Who was he?

The confidence Runa had helped him to achieve before was shaken and shattered almost completely by this recent turn of events. Sure, maybe he hadn't known his roots, but at least he knew himself. Or so he thought at the time. Now he wasn't sure he knew either. And it didn't help that his trust for Runa had been shaken just as much. Had she known this whole time what he was, and just wound him up like a music box until he played? Was that why she took him to the Eater of Dreams, to Nephy?

As the group came to a halt, once back at the camp, Thomas finally looked up to the others around him as though he'd just woken up from a dream, though the same sunken expression still implied that he wasn't completely there. He barely acknowledged the newcomer, only looking over to her for a few seconds before his attention shifted to Runa when she approached him and Riku.

The boy felt compelled to step away from the demon, a sudden worry coming over of what else she could bring out of him, but with Riku next to him he felt comfortable enough to stand in place. It wasn't until Runa was ready to guide the two of them away that he finally spoke up, after a long period of complete silence.

"What the hell did you do...?" His voice was weak, but shook with anger still. Anger that he tried his best to control lest he fall back into the darkness he'd found himself in before. "What the hell did you make me do? I didn't know what I was doing, I couldn't control myself, I... I could've...-" The boy stopped himself from continuing any further as he felt his emotions boil up dangerously within him, gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw to stop himself from carrying on any further. He just gave Runa a hard stare, a glint of fury in his eyes. Those evil eyes.

Despite himself however, and though he wasn't completely sure of the situation at hand, he followed Runa's instructions and would wait for Riku before proceeding with her down the passageway that had been revealed to them by the demon guide herself.