The Jest

Children of Plunder (A Space Pirates RP)

Tossing in my interest in spite of the staggering list of mentions.
If there is still room for a gunner or engineer (or really any room at all), count me in!

Just...wow, that's a lot of people. ._.

@Lumiere

I only mentioned the people who were in the last RP. There's no guarantee that they'll join. So far it's looking like 6 people are interested.

Both Gunner and Engineer is open, so flip yourself a coin and pick one...Or both, I'm ok with people making more than one character. ^^

@Emma Absolutely. ^^

Children of Plunder (A Space Pirates RP)

Ok, I'll have that reserved for you.

@Jarl Coolgruuf and @DeadDrop if you two want to reserve spots for your characters as well, now's the time.

Oh, and anyone that are coming back from the old RP and had positions like Engineer, you don't have to worry. Just let me know and I'll add you in as extras that surpass the limit. Think of it as appreciation for coming back. ^_^

Children of Plunder (A Space Pirates RP)

Good to hear I have one so far. ^^

Children of Plunder (A Space Pirates RP)

For @silvir @luna558 @Bishop @Stormheart @Windstormugly @Tal0n @Hazy @Sazama @ReusableSword @Vortex @BKburke @Elevation @Warborn123 @Kessir Tarkin @Atroposer



It's been almost an entire year since we last met. Where does the time go?

I did promise to put a mention on each and every one of you when I'm done with my OOC, and after almost a year, I have finally done just that. Because of how long it's been, I can understand if some or most of you can't participate this time around, that is just fine. But I did want to at least fulfill my promise to you all, and I have now done that.

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Now then, to everyone else:

Welcome one and all, as the name suggests, this here's an RP where you are a newly enlisted pirate on the crew of...downright the strangest space pirate captain you will likely ever meet in your life. For whatever reason you heeded the call for crewmen and will take part in whatever absolute insanity the captain decides to throw you all into.

A little information regarding the world you are a part of:

FTL: The main FTL device in question is the Hyperdrive, the device designed for ships to cross through light-years via entering Hyperspace.
Shields: Shields are usually able to sustain projectiles of laser, low-to-medium grade plasma, and explosives. High-level plasma and heavy physical impacts along with excessive use of weaker weaponry diminishes the shields until the breaking point.
Weapons: All weapons are, in one way or another high grade. High-calibur rifles, laser, plasma, the works. Of course as time advance, even more advanced weaponry is possible to be made.
Robotics: The Robotics of the universe are about as advanced as one would think in a futuristic reality such as this.
Communications: Hyper-communication, or hyperdrive subspace communication.
Super materials: As the Empire expands, so too does the resources it gains from other planets. The ships created are usually considered to be classed by the quality of the materials its made from, even if that's not actually the case. Each material has its own strengths, but also weaknesses.
Mental powers?: Yes, Psychokinetic energies, telepathy, and other such psychic powers are a thing in this universe, and there are cybernetic enhancements designed specifically for the mind to further empower psychic energy.
Biotech?: Yes
AI?: Yes, advanced level AI to equalize to human levels of intellect and conscious thought.
Energy Storage?: Yes
Information Storage: Crystal processors, as well as quantum computing technology.

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Next thing to talk about are the Ships themselves. There are a myriad of ships used by the government, merchants, other pirates, and other types of travelers. However, regardless how they look or what modifications they may have to them, they all fall under six different classes of ships. Modifications made to them aside, all ships within a specific class usually has the same design and specifications to them.

Sword (Fighter)

Hello, hello! Welcome to me shop. We got all kinds of the best ships to sell in all the empire here. You alone, and going for something cheap? Well then I suggest a good sword to use. It maybe small, it may not look like much, but much like a wasp on a hot summer day, it'll give your enemies nightmares if you use it right. Comes with standard equipment of course, atmospheric thrusters, laser cannons on the sides, lock-on targeting system, the works. I'll even throw in a good ol fashion torpedo launcher on the bottom free of charge. You'll find they're very customizable like that.

Squire (Corvette)

What we'd consider as the Economy class of ships in the galaxy. Lightly armored, lightly armed, not even as quick as a Page, but hey, it's cheap, and very capable of modifying to make better, if you can deal with the additional charges from such a thing. On its own, provided you take the secure imperial routes from one planet to another, it'll certainly get you to where you need it to.

Page (Frigate)

When you think a page, you think immediately of something that's small, not likely to be taken seriously in an imperial fleet in regards of offence or defense...but damn are they fast little guys. They can maneuver through most situations and are agile enough to keep you safe from immediately harmful situations, provided you have a good pilot of course. Why see some of these crazy a-holes equip these babies with some of the best hyperdrives this side of the galaxy which is usually why they're the number one model for some of those fancier galactic races. Most of the Merchants I've seen around these parts seem to prefer spend a little extra to get a Page rather then play it cheap with a Squire, more protection of the merchandise when they can just high-tail from any dangers, y'know?

Berserker (Destroyer)

Now here's a real beauty for the more, shall we say...violent type. You want a ship designed to just kick in as many naval teeth as possible, you buy this hulking behemoth. It's fairly small, I'd say the biggest I've seen carries about 10, maybe 20 people tops? But what it lacks in general space and speed, it makes up for in raw destructive power. Each and every weapon on this thing has a very simple user interface and is designed in such a way that even children could fire its guns without problem. What's that? You're alone? Well shoot mister, that ain't no problem. The Berserkers are made with this in mind, so all weapons are designed to be capable of firing from the cockpit. Obviously the more people you have the more conveniant the usage of the weapons, but if you can't stand other people and have good sense of multitasking, then you can just fire up all the weapons on your own. Just one of the bad boys can likely take out a small fleet of squires without effort, imagine what fleet of them can do.

Knight (Cruiser)

Ah, I see you got yourself a good eye for ships mate. This here is a Knight, the Imperial Military Standard, the foot soldier of the imperial fleet as far ships are concerned. You would never be able to find an official imperial fleet without at least 5 or more Knights in it...oh, this one is a civilian model of course. Lighter than the official military model...but cheaper. ...Oh, don't misunderstand, they're cheaper than the military models, but they are still VERY expensive. Civilian Model Knights are often bought and driven around by richer merchant corporations and celebrities. For good reason too, Knights are bar none the most adaptable ships to use, the military model are often used for a variety of different purposes such as being anti-fighter, plantary bombers, but most are use for good ol fashion raids.

Paladin (Battleship)

Now this, THIS baby's a prime-time military elite. When you see a fleet of imperial ships and you see even one of these babies in it, and there's usually you know things are going down. These are the frontliners of the fleet, the main cannons and shields of a fleet, and more often than not the first to fire off. They're the heavy-hitters of any fleet and more often than not, a captain or admiral prefers using these as their flagships. ...What, this one? Oh that's just a model, selling Paladin-class ships are outlawed.

Armory (Carrier Ship)

Now this thing...this is my pride and joy and the most expensive thing you can buy a civilian model of by far. This here, is an Armory-class, or as I like to call it, the flying headqurters. What's that, why's it called an Armory? Cause it can carry so many swords and Berserkers in it, that it might as well be an armory. These ships are bulky, slow, and aren't really known to have some good guns, but damn are they durable, and combine that with the number of swords that could be thrown into it and you got yourself a giant hornet's nest of metal. These are usually used as the imperial quarter ships due to these factors.

Castle (Dreadnaught)

What's that, do I carry a Castle? ...Hahahahaha! If I had a Castle in my Merchandise, I'd rather live in it than sell it. Castle-class ships are strictly military-grade, the single most elite class of starship in this fine empire. They have a load of fire power, enough space to fit in an entire village population, enough armor in it to deal with anything thrown at it and to top it off, like a Fortress, it can carry quite a bloody lot of sword inside. No imperial fleet in this galaxy's complete without a general manning a castle and leading the charge.

Monarch (The Emperor's Flagship)

Now THAT, THAT there is bar none the single greatest class of ship in the empire...Boy just looking at the picture brings back memories. That is what we call a Monarch-class ship. You can think of it as a type of super-castle with a fashionable touch of adding a legit castle on top just to show off. Sure it looks incredibly haughty nowadays but it's a ship that can back up its boasts. Designers have given these ships the very best of everything, weapons, armor, shielding, engines, you name it. They used to actually be mass-produced and serve as the original flagships of every Imperial Fleet, but they were so bloody expensive that the empire couldn't pay for the mass production anymore. Top it off, I hear most of the models were either stolen, or destroyed, usually both. Either way, the only one that's officially left of the Monarch-Class serves as the Emperor's personal ship.

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Next, there's not much else to add about the Holy Britannian Empire. There isn't much to the government that some hasn't seen already in a corrupt authority. However, they are massive, as is their Domain.

Their dominion over a part of the galaxy is divided into 32 systems, with several planets in each. Each system is named after one of the legendary Knights of the Round Table, including King Arthur himself, and each has their own purpose to the empire, such as being a center of trade, commerce, scientific/medical research, military, etc. The Lancelot System, for example is the center of industrialization of products for the empire to use, as mentioned before.

With the exception of "Excalibur", the capital planet of the Arthur system, the "crown system" of the empire, all planets of each system is named after the system, with an Epiphet (Prime, Alpha, Beta, etc.) added afterwards. (Lancelot Prime,) for example. However, when the amount of planets in a system id larger than the number of epiphets that can be added, they become numbers instead. The "Prime" planets are usually the Capitals of their respective systems, except in numbered planets, in which the capital planets are "Zero Worlds". That being said, the names they are given are only that, "given". All planets do have a real name that they originally had before converting to imperial law.

Eventually, we intend on showing the entire list of 32 systems that the pirates are open to explore. For now, however, it is a work-in-progress.

One thing of note for all those who are experienced Mercs and criminals: Chances are you've been to or at least heard of the 32nd system of the empire, "Mordred". As Obi-Wan stated about Mos Eisley, "You may never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." Mordred is essentially the social garbage bin of the empire. A system filled to the brim with corruption, villains, and criminals doing whatever they please. For pirates like yourself, you cannot find a better hub to gain knowledge and allies.

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The Captain is looking for those of the following occupations:

Pilot: @Shadow Daedalus
Gunners (x2): @Lumiere
Deckhands/boarding party (any amount): @DeadDrop
Engineers (x3): @AngelofOctober
Surgeon: @Emma
Chef:

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Races:

- Humans (Self-Explanatory)
- Alori (Anthropomorphic Animals)
- Denar (Essentially elf-like humanoids)
- Other races are allowed.

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So, do I have any one's interest?

Persona in Wonderland: A Persona RP.

Caterpillar Grotto

The White Rabbit was stricken nervous by the girl's questions regarding her weapons. ...That's right, the Hatter gave additional orbs to her in the wake of him seeing more humans on his way back to his sanctuary. One of them was meant for Tyler, but he's lost thanks to falling into a tree and there was yet another human that was now among their ranks once more.

"Ah, yes...Here you go." Jill said, reaching into her little pockets and taking out another set of orbs, giving one to Tylissa, one to Mark, one to Jacob, and one to Arthur.

"You have to squeeze them until they break while thinking about what weapons you want, then they'll turn into them. ...You...probably shouldn't do it here though." The White Rabbit said.

Meanwhile, The Caterpillar looked over to the one who asked the first question to him.

"The Personas that you have all acquired are a side of you that manifests as you face the world around you in your daily life. You may think of it as an alter ego, a mask, that manifests itself as you face hardships in your life. They exist within your mind, and is empowered by the strength of your will, your heart. To further enhance them is akin to enhancing yourself, in mind, body, and soul. In layman's terms, you can think of your persona as a limb in addition to your arms and legs, in that the more you use it, the stronger it - and you by extention - will become. Typical training such as this is only half of it, and so would only give you half of the true potential you can wield. The other half is strengthening the soul, the heart, and that can only be done through your bonds with others. To truly strengthen yourselves as individuals, you must also strengthened yourselves as comrades. I understand such a thing may be difficult, you certainly look as if you only just met each other very recently, after all. Bonding is not so simple that we'd expect you to be friends with people you have only ever seen about an hour ago at most. However, you will only be able to overcome what awaits you beyond this point if you work together, and so it is advisable to take the time to get along with each other, and strengthen your heart, your persona, by doing so, as best as you can." The Caterpillar explained to Cronic, and by extension to everyone else. He next turned to Hector, who also gave a good question on the matter regarding this world.

"...For the most part, no, we were not. Aspects of your world are unfamiliar to us in our world. All we knew for certain is that this world shaped itself this way because it is the way you humans collectively desired it to be."

"...Yet another creature that speaks in riddles..."

"...Very well. If you insist, I shall simplify this for you as best as I can." The Caterpillar said upon hearing Adam's annoyance. Immediately, he breathed out a large puff of smoke, dispersing and shaping itself unnaturally into shapes and images conveniantly matching what he has to say next.

"The world you see before you now, this world you know as Wonderland, is a part of the sea of souls, the collective unconsciousness of all living things. Humanity and other species like it are connected via this sea, and so shapes it by the current state of their hearts. In other words, Wonderland was made to be the way it is by the will of humans."

"...So, we are the reason your world is like this?"

"Not you all specifically, but humanity in general. To be precise, the collective populace of the area you were taken from. Wonderland is not all there is to the sea, after all. ...As I am not familiar with your world, or the state of which it is in, I cannot surmise as to why this world and we shadows were shaped into such forms, only how." The caterpillar explained. He then looked towards Luke, and though Luke clearly tried to hide it, it was rather easy for both the Rabbit and the Caterpillar to read his emotions. The Caterpillar went silent for a second, placing his pipe back in his mouth and smoking it with a saddened look on his face before puffing another cloud of smoke.

"I am sorry, but the World Trees and any other forms of transportation within this world, are not capable of such a feat. This world was never meant to be visited by humans, and so a way in or out was never meant to exist naturally. The times in the past where your world interacted with our own occurred by the direct intervention and meddling of others. The circumstance bringing you and the lost children to Wonderland being no different; the Looking Glass was created as a means of bringing humans to this world, and even that is a one-way door for them." The Caterpillar explained.

"...Created by who?" Chase simply asked.

"The Queen, I would imagine."

"'Imagine'? You mean you don't know for certain?"

"...Embarassingly, yes. It is a question I am currently attempting to discover for myself, but the direct cause of this phenomenon is elusive, every attempt at solving this mystery has been met with a proverbial wall erected by hands unknown to my eyes. However, the fact remains that the Queen has made use of the Looking Glass regardless of who truly created it, and that it is catalyst of her goals. Therefore if it is not the queen herself who created it, I believe it is someone or something close to her." The Caterpillar changed his attention back to Luke, knowing he might not have liked the answer he was given to his question.

"I understand you have many anxieties regarding your own world. I may not know or even understand what they are specifically, but I certainly know they are there. You were dragged to this world against your will, it is only natural you feel the way you do. Were there any other way they could have done this, they would have taken it in a heartbeat. The rebels truly have done everything they could to stop what is about to transpire...the lot of you are their last resort. ...If it's any consolation, you may have quite some time before anyone in your world notices you are gone. Time in this world flows differently from time in your own world. Before Wonderland, time used to flow at the same pace as it did in your world, but certain events in the past, combined with the twisted nature of this wonderland, has altered many of the rules to be different and ever-shifting, including time. Time in this world flows faster than it does in your world, and so it may take a day or two in this world before the sun rises in your own. ...However, do not be mistaken, time is running out for us all."

"...What do you mean?" The Caterpillar then took his pipe into his hand and used it to point up, if the others looked up as well, they'd see a moon in the sky, nearly full but not quite there.

"...In Wonderland, whenever it is a full moon in this world, it is midnight in your world. The looking glass opens up, and more children are lured to the Queen's castle. It is past midnight in your world, so the moon's full phase has only recently passed. But in due time, it shall be full again as midnight strikes your world the next night. Our Queen has gathered a number of children and her dominion has further spread with each harvest. This next night will be her largest yet, and most likely her last. If she is not stopped before the next full moon, she will have what she needs to extend her reign beyond Wonderland. Should that happen, the rebellion will fail, and the humans of your world will suffer for it."

"...In other words, we have a Time Limit." Chase said. It was around this point that Jacob decided to ask his own question to the Caterpillar, oddly changing the dreaded subject unknowingly.

"Oh? ...I had thought the Hatter and his comrades already explained this to you all."

"Umm...He wasn't with us during that, he and a few others came with us later on." Jill said to the Caterpillar, pointing towards Jacob, Tylissa, and Arthur.

"...I see, late arrivals then. ...Very well, I will keep this swift and simple. You were all chosen for the power of Persona that you wield. Not all people in your world are capable of wielding the potential for this power that you possess, and so only you stand here before us now. No other human is capable of fighting the Shadows, and no creature, be it human or shadow, can stand against the queen without the capability of persona." The Caterpillar then looked over to everyone else.

"Are there any other questions? ...No? ...Very well. Step into the Pond, and it shall take you back to the Sanctuary, you will likely need some rest and a strategy before stepping into the four realms of Wonderland. ...I shall always be here in this place, so if you have any other questions about this world, about we shadows, or about your personas, do not hesitate to come back and see me. I have opened the way between the sanctuary and here, so you may come and go through this pond as you see fit." The Caterpillar explained to them, as the pond began to glow with a beautiful cyan.

"This world is a haven of many dangers, but do not lose heart. Stay true to yourselves, and you shall succeed." The Caterpillar then said as Alice, Jill, Adam, and Chase jumped into the pond first.

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Hatter's Sanctuary

As soon as they step into the pond, they would immediately find themselves coming out of a giant mirror in the Sanctuary, as if the surface of the pond and the surface of the mirror were the same. There they'd be greeted by the Hatter and his comrades, Sipping tea in a floating and spinning chair non-chalantly.

"...Welcome back. I had recieved word from the Dorm Mouse that you managed to awaken to your personas. I must admit, I'm quite impressed; you adapted faster than I was expecting. ...Ah, and these three must be the ones in the forest I saw a while ago. I'm glad to see you are safe. ...I am the Mad Hatter, as the three of you may have guessed, and we are a rebellion against the Queen of Wonderland." The hatter said, the latter half of his words being focused towards Jacob, Arthur, and Tylissa.

"...There was actually one more, but...he dropped himself in a World Tree on accident."

"I see...Well, there's no need to lose heart. I'll send one of our men to try searching for him. In the meantime, what did the Caterpillar say must be done?" The Hatter asked. Jill hopped forward and explained to him what the Caterpillar explained to the others.

"...Hmmm...There's a great deal of risk with such a plan, you only just awakened to your persona abilities, and those keys are likely very well-guarded in the center of each section." The hatter contemplated aloud.

"Well...we might be able to pull it off if we all work together and go to them one at a time."

"Yeah, no...Not happening." Said the voice of the Dorm Mouse as she came out of the rabbit hole, clearly somewhat injured after her fight with those silhouettes.

"Dorm, are you alright?" Jill asked as she hopped over to the mouse woman.

"Just a scratch here and there, some of those spoiled little brats don't fight fair, that's all. More importantly, they're on high alert now. The whole lot of us sensed you guys getting your personas - good job with that by the way - and they went running, likely heading back to their respective lairs to reinforce security. A good chance at least one of them came running to Daddy Dearest and told him about it already, and if he knows, the Queen probably knows too."

"...Oh dear."

"But why would that stop us from doing what the rabbit here says and attack them one at a time?"

"Because of time. ...Now that they know that you are all awakened, you are an ever-growing problem to them, but we only have until midnight in your world and a full moon in ours, and they know this. They are not protecting themselves from a threat, they are stalling for time."

"...How much time do we have then?"

"Every six hours in your world is 24 in ours. Therefore...we have less than four days before the next full moon."

"Less than 96 hours then, that sounds like a fairly large amount of time, all things considered. We probably could storm them together and get to the castle by then."

"...If only it was so simple. The shadows you all fought in the forest are but mere pests compared to the Queen's soldiers. For as much as I admire your confidence, and have faith in your newfound persona abilities, you have only just awakened to those powers, and the Queen's forces, her Royal house and the card soldiers with them, they shall not show you mercy or relent. Even when you succeed in getting those keys from them, the next step is storming the Queen's Castle, a challenge in and of itself even for us. Focusing on one thing at a time will cost too much of it. It is for the best we save time by focusing on all four lands at once." The Hatter explained.

"But that would mean splitting us all up, right? ...Isn't that even more dangerous?" Alice asked.

"Fear not, None of you will be alone during this. As I mentioned, you are our only hope of fighting the queen, it would be unfortunate should any more of you die by the hands of her minions before you even meet her. Therefore, I will be sending a member of this rebellion to each of the four parties to protect and train you in preparation for what's to come. ...Now then, there is still some time we can use to rest. I suggest you all take the time to do so, and discuss among yourselves who is going where. My only advice is to keep it as even as possible." The Hatter explained.

@Godzillafreak54 @AdmrlStalfos19 @Godlikeblade @rebthewriter @CronicCrystalis @Crimmy @Petulant @Duoya @Etranger @Avant @Suku @Windstormugly @CriticalHit @EchoicChamber

Digimon: Soul Hunters

The Lost Forest

"On it, Boss!" The Dracmon responded, heading for Agumon's location. As soon as he got there, he went towards the Boss, looking towards the humans, still seemingly collecting themselves, while replacing the life of one human with the life of another as Nathaniel came into the picture.

"More Value than Digimon...Right..." Dracmon thought as he looked at Nate. He immediately shook off that thought, focusing his attention on Agumon.

"They looked pretty distracted, boss. The Petitmamon twins are rallying the other two as well...Much as I love an opportunity for a good prank, now's probably not the best time. Let's get going before they spot us." He told him.

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Nethercircuit - Acedia

Coming towards the Bridge, Rex and Gazimon would notice an intense shift of tone across it to the other side. The skies were darkened, not necessarily by clouds, more like a black mist or simply that the once clear blue skies that were above them before simply darkened to a complete black, though there was a clear gradient just above the river and bridge, a transition between colors, it still looked...unnatural, as if the very sky itself was not suppose to look like this and was artificially tainted by whatever created the lands beyond this bridge, and yet despite the black skies, the lands of the circuit was still decently lit from the skyline as if the sunlight was seeping through, even though no such rays of light could be seen; an inconsistent impossibility. While the land they stood on looked deserted but normal with bare minimal grass, the land of the other side was dry, cracked, and utterly pale in color, as if it was made of burnt ashes, the trees - what little you could see - were nothing more than dead husks of wood, the flowers and plant life neglected and wilted long ago. In the difference, there was the sounds of thunder, and yet no lightning, and one could vaguely see a few digimon flying through the dark skies.

The difference between the two sides of the bridge were quite literally as night and day, divided only by the gradient transition of the sky which stretches across the entirity of the rivers length and width. In other words, one could say the river itself was a borderline of sorts.

"Here it is, boys. ...Welcome to Server 1's Nethercircuit, Acedia. We should have too much trouble with these folks, but be on your guard anyways. Acedian Digimon aren't exactly a predictable bunch after all..." Reapermon said to Rex and Gizamon. Without hearing a response, he walked across the bridge ahead of them, his eyes glowing red as he looked around to see if there were anyone ready to ambush them.

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The Underground Temple

"What...?" Lucemon asked, stricken utterly speechless by what he heard. It'd likely be the first time that Mike would have seen him actually caught off-guard. Usually Lucemon is calculating and calm, usually always one step ahead of everyone else or so it seemed. But the moment he heard a human got killed, it was as if there was a chink, a crack in his proverbial armor.

"Well, this is a virtual world, I'm sure they'd be returned safe and sound back home, right? ..........Right? ...Lucemon?" Ty asked, at first relatively confident in his optimism, but the silence of his partner slowly but surely sucked that confidence away, making Ty's confident smile slowly droop to a nervous sweaty frown.

"...By Virtual, I assume you're asking if they have only come to this place mentally, that physically they're still in their own wold? ...That...isn't the case. This world may be made of data, but it's data given physical form. The both of you, and all of them, were pulled into this world completely, in mind, body, and soul. There is nothing in your world that is left behind as Mike can attest; his laptop is proof of this. This world is just as real here as your own world is there." Lucemon explained.



"So...you mean that if something happens here, if someone dies in this world... Ty nervously asked.

"...Yes." Was all Lucemon said in response.

"So that means that Gotsumon...the other digidestines were..."

"...I'm sorry. This wasn't suppose to happen." Lucemon said, turning away from Ty and facing the ground, his face showing hints of sorrow and anger, as he bit at the joint of his index finger. Ty, meanwhile, realizing what was just said, looked down to the ground in mourning.



This was suppose to be a fun little journey of mischef and anarchy, no one was suppose to get actually hurt in his conquest, no human was suppose to die here, but died they did...and what's more, it was by one of his soldiers...he was responsible for this mess...It was difficult for Lucemon to imagine what that feeling of responsibility must feel like to a kid like Ty. Despite being the Digimon Emperor, he is after all still just a child, a child carrying the kind of burden that breaks most adults.

...But of course, Lucemon now carries that burden as well...but this isn't the first time he's forced to carry it, and it probably won't be the last, so while his human partner grieves in silence, walking a few meters away from the army and Lucemon to be by himself, the main members of his army showing concern in their own ways...

Lucemon himself, was seething with anger, clenched fists shaking as his face turned cold and solemn once more.

"I'm going to trust that you've already issued a full-scale retreat on your spies, Michael. Meramon, gather your men and arrange a makeshift court. Devimon, fetch the emperor's throne. ...We're going to have what I believe you humans call, a court marshal." Lucemon said.

Digimon: Soul Hunters

The Lost Forest

(BladeSS7, and BeachDude7PH has been booted out. Thus, as the apparent executioner of this RP, I shall now rid this world of Carver and Seven as well.)

They may not have been able to see General Bloodwolf's anger, but by god could they hear it, as Al pulled the communicator away from himself and the others so that his yelling doesn't mess with their auditory functions.

"...You think he's upset? ...I think he's upset." Al said to the other two. Needless to say, there's a recent rumor of just how scary General Bloodwolf gets when he's angry as he is. As they remember it, the bloodwolf is patient slow, and calm, but craves data when its angry, and bears its claws against those who upsets it. That those who get him angry are said to be cursed to have their data thrown into the Dark Area to suffer for all eternity. Considering how he seems at the moment, those rumors may have some credence after all. The trio then was given their order directly from the General.

"YES SIR!" The three said in unison, then shutting off the communicator.

"Alright you two, we'll need to split up. I'll go find the boss. Jessica, you go find Gizamon, and Jamie, try to find Gotsumon and get him to retreat before he starts popping ketchup out of more heads." Al ordered. The other two then immediately flew off, leaving Al to jump from Tree to Tree, trying to find Agumon. With Dorumon over with everyone else, it meant that Agumon was no longer preoccupied, which means... he once again turned on his communicator, this time towards Agumon.

"Oi Bossmon, whereever you are right now, we need to get packing, Mission went downhill fast and General Bloodwolf's ordered us back to the main force." He said into it.

Jessica eventually found Gizamon within the forest as well, essentially repeating to him what Al said to Agumon.

---

Jamie meanwhile attempted to find Gotsumon, only to notice Carver and Hopmon...well, apparently Monodramon now, running towards the direction of Gotsumon. It seems one of the other humans, Shichirou with Motimon, noticed Carver running and ran after him as well. Even though Motimon was an in-training, one would think that, with Monodramon as a rookie, that he'd have a chance at defending them from Gotsumon, where ever he was hiding. Then something...odd, happened. Monodramon reversed back to Hopmon immediately, odd considering he wasn't in Rookie form for more than a minute, maybe 3 minutes tops. As he recalls, the digivice drain doesn't truly take effect until they hit Champion level, so why did this one revert so quickly? Questions for another time, and not something Jamie would ever have an answer for, what with how...not smart he knows he is.

What was important, however, was that they found Gotsumon, who apparently jumped in a panic when he noticed the light of Monodramon reverting back to Hopmon. Immediately while the two were distracted, still unused to how this digivolution process worked, Gotsumon was quick to use to more Rock fists. Hopmon and Motimon, loyal to their partners, noticed this and tried to defend against Gotsumon, only to get smacked away by said rock fist. Still in a panic, Gotsumon ran towards the two, and used Hardest punch, or that is to say, he sucker-punched them from behind with his literal fists of rock. Despite both their strengths as far as humans were concerned, there is only so much a human can do on its own against a rock that has the momentum and velocity of a human punch.

Much like Tristan, Carver and Seven's digivices let go of their wrists, for like Tristan, both of these digidestines are dead.

"...Uh oh..." Jamie whispered to himself. It sounded like that one human's death was enough to enrage General Bloodwolf by itself, it's hard to imagine how he'll fare if its found out he now killed two more. Still, it didn't sound like something Gotsumon should get away with if the General's emotions were of any note; if he told Gotsumon to come back as he is, and that he's in trouble, he'll just run away and never return.

Thus Jamie waited until Gotsumon calmed down, and egged him on by saying how the Emperor would likely praise him for deleting three of his targets already, not mentioning the fact that it was a serious violation of General Bloodwolf's direct orders. After which, he told him to retreat back to the army with everyone else, as they were ordered to retreat.

This entire mission was a disaster, but at least he made sure the one who caused it to be one, will be walking to pay for it.

------------------

The Underground Temple

Gun...dam? Reapermon had no idea what the human boy was going on about, only that he was clearly referring to him. If his body had the ability to blink his eyes in confusion and shock, this would be when he did. He looked towards his Guilty Chain cannon mounted on his arm. He supposes that it could count as a gun, but it seemed odd for someone to focus on that when calling him something; even calling it a gun was stretching it a bit. Shouldn't he be deemed a "Cannondam" or something? Heck, call him a "Sickledam", there's much more focus for him on that than anything. He then heard Rex call him "Deathscythe Gundam". MUCH better a name, still should be called Cannondam, but it's a name that recognizes the Scythe and sort-of cannon both, so for him it was close enough.

Lucemon simply raised an eyebrow at this boy and Gazimon clearly not listening to him as he speaks to them. He understands that not everyone in this digital world is capable of handling the preaching of exposition, and clearly the same went for others in the human world. As annoyed as they are of him, and vice-versa at the moment however, this is information they had to know to survive in that land of decadence. Tempting as it currently was to just go 'Alright then, I'll let you be off then, I'm sure you'll figure things out when you're there.', he can't take the risk of a potential crest-bearer dying in that place, something that could very well happen given the digimon that's there. That aside, it's not like their attitude was going to change much if he just sent them on their way anyways. He sent them without telling the dangers, and he'd bet anything they'd come back and get angry cause he never told them what was there. He then asked a question about the Digivice having a map. Ty looked to Lucemon; that's a good question actually, it would have made the journey so far so much easier if they had a map rather than just Lucemon's directions to rely on. Lucemon crossed his arms and tilted his head in annoyance, the question immediately reminding him their...intentional inconveniance.

"Much to my personal annoyance, no. The creator of these digivices was...unfortunately adamant about the lack of a full map function, something about wanting for the digidestines to map and explore the world themselves. We're having Michael develop a map for us to use, but it will still take some time before it's complete. ...But yes, Reapermon does know where the Nethercircuit is, he should be able to guide you there without problem." Lucemon told him.

"Good luuuck!" Ty said as the three began their walk.

"The bridge to the Nethercircuit is not far. In fact, if you look very closely you could see the bridge in the distance from here." Reapermon told them as they made their way towards said bridge.

As the trio went off for the Nethercircuit, Lucemon, Ty, and the others in the army turned their attention to the Temple.

"Whooooa..." Ty said to himself as looked inside. It was a rather big hall of stone, almost akin to an ancient tomb in egypt with this digicode carved into the walls, albeit no where near big enough to have everyone in this army to come in with them.

"Ok, so...it's not big enough to hold alot of people lined up wall to wall, let's see..." Ty walked in as he talked to himself, heading for a wall to the right, and then, oddly enough, hopping to the side a number of times until he reach the opposite wall on the left.

"...About 4-6 people, lined up from wall to wall. So we line everyone up 4-by-4, we should all be able to get into-"

"I...wouldn't recommend that." Lucemon interjected.

"dWhy's that?" Ty asked him. Lucemon then looked towards the army behind them.

"Demidevimon, if you would?" He then asked. Demidevimon came towards them in response.

"Yeah, boss?" The little bat asked. Without a word, Lucemon grabbed Demidevimon by the face and immediately through him at one of the temple walls. As soon as he impacted the wall, just as instantly he bounced off it, as if reflected from it, the wall rippling with white light it bounced Demidevimon towards another wall, only for the same thing happened. The next thing Ty and the others know, Demidevimon was literally bouncing off the walls and ceiling, like a pinball stuck in a triangle of bumpers before heading straight back towards them, Ty being quick to grabbed the little guy and stop the momentum of his bouncing.

"You alright, little guy?" The boy asked the bat, its eyes spinning, spiraling even, in dizzying daze.

"~Y-yeah, sure thing boss, I'm used to it...~" Demidevimon replied, still dizzy and recovering.

"What was that all about?" Ty asked Lucemon.

"I told you before, this is a temple dedicated to a crest, an object of upmost importance in this world. It's specifically designed to test the one worthy of owning it, ...and to punish the unworthy. More specifically, this temple is designed to find and destroy any short cuts, and beat back any form of impatience and wrath. The walls and ceiling of this place are specially coded with a reflective magic. Any sort of trauma inflicted upon the walls, be it of attacks or simply blunt force, will be reflected back with equal force."

"Huh...So if someone got angry and punched at a wall in here..."

"The wall would punch right back, yes. The entire inside of the temple is coated like this, and so if we tried to get this entire army into here..."

"They'd be bounced right out the moment the halls become too crowded?"

"Or worse..." Lucemon explained with his back-and-forth with Ty.

"Huh...So only a few of us should come into here, and everyone else wait outside?" Ty then asked.

"That seems like the best strategy, yes, however it may not be a good idea for this army to wait at the entrance, so we'll be needing to find..." Before Lucemon could completely answer Ty's question, that was when Mike yelled out in anger, then at the two to come to him, saying how vitally important it was.

"Now what could this be about...?" Lucemon asked. To say it was odd was an understatement; neither of the two ever heard Mike sound so upset throughout their knowing of him so far. Whatever he wanted to report, it's clear that it wasn't going to be good news. Without another word, the two left the tunnel entrance and headed towards the back of the army, where Mike waited.

Indeed, he looked about as pissed as he sounded.

"What happened, Mikey?" Ty asked.

Digimon: Soul Hunters

The Lost Forest

(Due to the Leave of @Sleepingsilence, I shall momentarily take control of Tristan, and effectively eliminate him from the RP. I have little confidence that I can do this as well as Sleeping, but as the general purpose is elimination, and to show some degree of respect, I will essentially do this not by direct control of the character, but by narrating his actions through the eyes of my own members of Agumon's spy force.)

Needless to say, the attacks from the three of them was enough to be considered a problem. Dorumon was handling the giant orange fire-breathing anthropomorphic salamander, but the kid-sized Golem and...whatever the crap Gizamon is suppose to be, was now throwing attacks at them as well.

In the midst of this chaos, three more digimon, Two twin Petitmamons - a boy and girl - and a single Dracmon in the middle, watched the panicked digidestines as they were attacked by their fellow spies on orders of their boss, Captain Mike, or "General Bloodwolf", as some among the spies called him.

"Sheesh, How come they get all the fun, and we have to sit around and observed?" Dracmon asked, resting his head on his hand in boredom.

"Cause if we try to scare them, they'll just swat us out of the way like flies. I mean, they're huge, even their smallest one's like a giant compared to us!" The male Petitmamon responded.

"Plus, if you tried to attack them, you'd just pull a prank on them instead of trying to scare them." The female Petitmamon added.

"Ey, Pranks can be scary too, you know!"

"Scaring a flock of Bidomons away with a fire cracker doesn't count, Al." The male Petitmamon said, a small mischievous smirk when he did.

"Aw, shut it Jamie!" The Dracmon, known as Al, said in response.

"Where did you even get a Fire cracker anyways?" The female asked.

"...Jessica, trust me, some things you really don't want to know." Al said to the female Petitmamon, known as Jessica. After which there was silence for a bit as the trio observed Agumon's plan to scatter them.

For much of it, it seemed to work well, pretty much exactly as Agumon wanted it seems as Gotsumon and Gizamon worked to scatter the Digidestines.

However, Gotsumon in particular had seemed to be having a little trouble scattering a particular group of people, among them was Katheryn with her Bukamon, and Tristan with his Gigimon. Gotsumon seemed to be getting a bit flustered, frustrated at the fact that his side of the digidestines weren't scattering from his rocks. Perhaps it was in this frustration that he seemed to throw a particular bigger rock towards the Digidestines, but unlike his little rocks and unlike Gizamon and Agumon, he seemed to aim directly at one of them, Katheryn. Out of what can only be assumed as an instinct of selflessness, Tristan pushed away Katheryn, only for the rock to hit him instead, right in the back of his skull, as the boy then dropped to the ground, face down, and much to the confusion of the trio, never moved again.

"Ouch! A direct hit, that's gonna leave a mark." Al said.

"So much for keeping restraint, that was clearly a normal-sized Rock Fist." Jamie then said, sighing as if bored.

"That must have really hurt...but, shouldn't humans be screaming or moving like they're in pain?" Jessica asked, causing the other two to take notice of this particular oddity.

"...Maybe they just don't react to pain."

"Or maybe Gotsumon paralyzed him?" Jamie said in response to Al's inquiry.

"But Gotsumon doesn't have a paralysis effect on his attacks..." Jessica pointed out before Al then took out some sort of small device from his pocket, and began pushing buttons.

"...Hey, wait...Didn't he have a digimon with him? Where did that go?" She asked, but with no answer, for while Al was fiddling with the device he had, Jamie was focused on something else about Tristan's body, as the device that was attached to his wrist seemingly opened up on its own and ejected off the arm.

"Did that digivice thingie...just come off by itself? Why would it do that, he seems fine to...w-wait, what's that gooey red stuff coming out of his head? Looks like ketchup..." Jamie then asked, immediately noticing that the back of Tristan's head was now leaking blood as a result of the wound. Jessica tilted her head to the side in confusion, not sure how to answer her brother before turning towards Al.

"What cha doing?" She asked him.

"Calling General Bloodwolf through the emergency line."

"Hey wait, don't we need to report to the boss about this first?" Jamie interjected. Al then immediately looked back towards where Agumon and Dorumon are fighting, before turning back to Jamie.

"Pretty sure he'd grill us if we interrupt his fun time with Dorumon over there. Besides, General Bloodwolf's a human right? I'm sure he'll know what this guy's doing." Al said, before then activating the device in question.

"Oi, General Bloodwolf sir, Agents Jessica, Jamie, and Al reporting for duty. The boss is busy right now, so we had to use the emergency channel, sorry about that. Anyways, we've hit a bit of a confusing snag. Everything seemed to go as planned, then one of Gotsumon's rock fists smacked one of the Digidestines heads, and we don't know what the guy's doing. He seems to be just lying there, face first on the ground, not moving an inch, didn't seem to make a sound either. We think he's paralyzed but I don't think Gotsumon has a paralysis effect to his attacks. The digimon with him disappeared and the Digivice apparently jumped off the arm on its own...I guess? Is this what sleeping is for humans, or is he just sick? ...Oh, also, Jamie said something about ketchup coming out of his head, is that normal?" Al said into the device, sending the Voice message directly towards Mike's laptop/digivice.

Digimon: Soul Hunters

The Tortoise Trail

"Ehh, Can't argue with that, but I wasn't the one who made them, and apparently, we can't modify what they look like, so...yeah, you're pretty much stuck with it like that." Ty said with a shrug and, oddly enough, a smile. It seemed Rex, in his own way, accepted the offer Ty gave him. He didn't have to say a word of acknowledgement; type was the type to be able to read people relatively easy enough. He looked towards Mike, Wolfy, and Lucemon, nodding to them as he then turned towards his army.

"Alright folks, now that that's taken care of, let's get moving!" Ty yelled out before turning to face where they were going and began his march, the Digital army behind him following suit, followed shortly by Lucemon who flew above them, looking towards Rex and Mike to ensure they weren't left behind.

The Underground Temple

Finally coming out the other side of the trail, Renamon being quite useful in navigating her emperor and the rest of the army towards the exit point, Ty walked out of the trail's exit.
...Only to see a nice big mass of nothing. Spread out before them was a massive area of empty land, having little to no grass life on it, no one setting up a town or a house upon it, just a field that span for miles, farther than the eyes of humans could see.

Ty stared at the horizon he was seeing, only to blink for a bit and turned his eyes towards Lucemon.

"...Huh...Say, Lucy, Is this temple of your suppose to be invible or something?" Ty asked. Lucemon stared towards the horizon while Ty asked this, his hand placed up to his chin as he head tilted to the side in confused contemplation.

"Hmm...How very strange. This is definitively where the Temple should be, they...could not have moved it to another location..." Lucemon said. He then looked in closer and immediately noticed something on the ground below them, a small, plant-like creature hopped out of the ground like some ghost...At least, that's what it looked like from where they were, but as Lucemon flew upwards he noticed what appeared to be a tunnel made just beneath the ground. It seems the Bud simply made its way out of the tunnel, the assumed entrance into the temple, and began surverying the area, checking for food to eat, but being too far away from the Imperial army to notice it.

"...Ah, I see...The temple is there, however, it seems it got buried beneath the surface. Odd for a Budmon of all things to be its caretaker though...it did not seem as if they were short-handed..." Lucemon started muttering, mostly to himself.

"Ummm...So it's underground?" Ty asked, eavesdropping on Lucemon via his Digivice it seeme.d

"So it seems. It's possible that it was intentional, but given the circumstances of the world, it's just as possible that it was attacked and buried as a ruins of sorts. Either way, this makes things a touch more difficult. Before we do anything, we'll need to do something about its caretaker. Last thing we need is to have it run to inform anyone and everyone where we are." Lucemon said to Ty, clapping his hands together in front of his chest, the two holy rings beginning to glow as he did. Immediately, Ty looked towards Wizardmon and snapped his fingers, without so much as a word, Wizardmon nodded in response and ran straight for the Budmon and immediately starting writing something in the with his index and ring finger towards the little creature without warning.

"Magic Game!" Wizardmon said as a symbol he wrote in the air appeared where he was pointing, and in an instant, a vector graphic of what appeared to be a cage appeared around the scared budmon, the Vector gaining texture until it actually became a cage, Budmon panicking and began running into it to escape but to no avail. This prompted Lucemon, observing from above, to cease what it was doing and float back to the ground level.

"Now now, Lucy, no need to waste energy on the little guy." Ty said, smilng towards him as he placed his hands on the back of his head.



"Mmm...I suppose not. In any case, let's head down." Lucemon simply said, as he, Ty, and the rest of the rather large imperial Army moved closer towards the underground entrance of the Temple.

Ty and Lucemon stared at the tunnel as it slowly curves in descent towards the rather massive square-shaped hole of solid stone, the arch at the entrance was artistically carved with markings and digi-code, with the Mark of Patience proudly displayed at the center-top of the arch.

"Hmm...There is little doubt now, that this was intentionally buried. Most likely to keep the more viral digimon from noticing it... I would not have even noticed this tunnel from above had this Budmon not left through it, the grass and direct completely covered this the top of the entrance, and with the grass growing on the tunnel itself, would be akin to, as you humans say, finding a needle in a haystack. The more impatient and unwilling would be quick to give up if they ever spotted this grassy meadow from afar, expecting a temple." Lucemon once again thought aloud.

"So...what, you mean this was another patience test?"

"An overly complicated trail towards an overly hidden location? That does sound about right..."

"Yikes, sounds like this place might get annoying...Hmm..." Ty said in response to Lucemon's summary, before then looking towards Rex and Gazimon, looking at them for a few seconds before looking back towards Lucemon.

"Eh, Lucemon, a word in private if you don't mind." Ty said, extending his hand to halt his army before then tapping at Lucemon's shoulder and prompting him to follow. They both began whispering to each other, in the distance, away from prying ears.

After a while of the two essentially nodding to each other like a pair of siblings or friends, before both nodding in unison, they came back towards the group and looked towards Rex and Gazimon.

"Ok so, you two, Rex and Gazimon... I promised the both of you some fun on this wild ride, and...well, I'll be straight with you, it doesn't look like that fun's gonna be anytime soon if this is any indication. This place is apparently desined for patience, and, well, you don't seem like the type its looking for. So, after some consideration, me an Lucy decided to give you some fun somewhere else..." Ty said, before looking towards Lucemon who nodded in response.

"To the east of this place lies a domain of darkness known as a Nethercircuit, separated by a river and connected by only a few bridges. Simply put, it is an area of the server that has been corrupted and infected since the death of this world's ruler, and has infected every server, or nation in human terms. Though it is a recent phenomena that has started a century or so ago in this world, the File Lords have already made quick use of it; the server's most ruthless, violent and vile digimon are often exiled to a Nethercircuit as punishment for their crimes. This particular Nethercircuit just so happens to have a Crest held within, and it's likely the same for others as well. As such, we were intending on heading there next after we were finished here." Lucemon explained.

"But we decided, hey, we got someone here who wants some action, there isn't much of it here, and it would help immensely if there was somebody who goes in there first to survey the area and make things easier for us when we're done here. So why not kill two birds with one stone, and have you two go in there first? I have to grab this Crest, and I'm probably gonna need Mikey with me on this, and there's not gonna be much here for you to do." Ty added.

"...Indeed. Normally it would be nothing short of suicide to have a single digidestined pairing to enter a Nethercircuit. Digidestines are something of a threat to the more dominant among them and digimon outsiders are treated as prey. However, The Gazimon race are nightmare soldiers, a family of digimon species that favor the dark and viral over the light. As a result, Rex, by having a Gazimon at your side, at least in theory, should make things easier for you while you are in there. That does not mean you can let your guard down however, the digimon in there are violent nd aggressive after all. But you need not worry, Reapermon shall accompany you there."

"I'll what!?"

"There are digimon in the Nethercircuit that may be too much for partnered digimon to handle right now. Having one such as yourself enter with him should help guarantee his safety." Lucemon told Reapermon, still somewhat surprised that they were sending him in there with the new guy as well. Reapermon looked towards Ty, as if wondering if this was his idea as well, only to see him smiling at him.

"...Very well." Reapermon then said.

"One more thing I need to mention. ...Each Netherciruit has a lord, a ruler that presides over all of that specific territory. Even with Reapermon at your side, The lords of the Nether are too great a foe for you as it stands. This one in particular may look harmless in appearance but do not let it decieve you. Tell them that you are here on Lucemon's orders and you will have safe passage but whatever you do, do not make it angry. If the lord request you do something for him, it is in your best interest to do it. Last but not least, if you hear the sound of bells ringing...run, as far away as you can, as fast as you can." Lucemon explained to him.

"Yep-yep, you just leave this boring temple here to the two of us. ...Oh, eh Mike, are those guys out yet?" Ty asked Mike.

@Mike the Bloodwolf @MenacingEffect

Persona in Wonderland: A Persona RP.

Butter Daisy Forest

As the kids all began summoning their personas, the amount of Shadows that were in the area brgan to greatly diminish. These children who were, a mere minute ago, like prey to them, were now the predators, and so the ones that weren't being destroyed by their persona-given might began to run and cower for their lives.

The hunters were now the hunted.

Alice made a sigh as thing started to die down, looking at her chronovoker in contemplation.

"So...This is the power we were brought here to use?" Alice simply asked.

"Looks that way...I guess the little 'Lassholemorph' was speaking the truth about all of this after all." Adam said.

"Of course we were, silly! Peter's always been a little meanie killjoy, but he wouldn't lie to you about how things work around here." Jill said, hopping back towards the main group with the others in tow. Chase immediately noticing said others.

"I'm gonna assume you three were thrown in here as well?"

"Hatter did mention other humans in this forest, and they're definitely not shadows...Wait, three...But there were..." Jill said, pausing herself when she noticed the inconsistency in what Chase said, looking towards the group of Jacob, Arthur and Tylissa, and noticing one of them was missing...Tyler.

"HUH!? Where'd the other one go? He was with the others around the trees a few moments ago....around the...Oh Carrots, He must have fell into one!" She said in a panic.

"Fell...into one?" Alice asked in confusion.

"Really? None of these trees seem to have any holes to fall into..." Adam mentioned, looking at one of the trees before touching one for himself.

His hand, much to his shock, phased through the trunk of the tree, as if passing through the surface of water, just like with the Mirror from before. However, with nothing pushing him in this time, he was quick to take his hand out of the tree.

"What are these suppose to be? Some kind of traps?" Adam asked.

"They're not traps, they're world trees!"

"World...trees?"

"Mmhm, mmhm...The trees of Wonderlands are friends, both with us and each other, they're all linked together and bond through their roots, and they allow us rebels to enter their trunks and travel across their connected roots at super-fast speeds. Since you guys are with us, they see you as friends too." Jill explained.

"Once again, your nonsense explanations never cease to amaze me. ...So basically, you're saying that we can travel all around this world...by jumping into trees?" Adam asked.

Yep-yep! Oh, but... that man must have touched one on accident and dropped into the World Tree network. Every tree is often connected to a different one, and we Rebels can tell which one goes where...But, I didn't see which tree he touched so...he could be anywhere in Wonderland by now." Jill said sadly. Adam said nothing in frustration, did they just lose yet another human again?

"Hmm...It can't be helped. We need to get going." Chase added, turning towards where everyone was suppose to be headed.

"Wait, are you simply going to leave it at that and move on?" Adam asked.

"Ummm...We don't know for certain if that man is dead, right? We only know that he was spirited away somewhere else in the world. We can at least hope that he's still alive." Alice interjected.

"That's true...He seemed like someone who can manage on his own, plus if we don't hurry, we might get attacked again, shadows are everywhere in this forest!" Jill commented, before looking towards the trees, as if looking for something among them.

"Hmmm.......Ah, Here it is!" The White Rabbit said, as she looked at one of the trees, before hopping up and down as if for attention and looking at the others.

"Remember what Dorm Mouse said, 'Let the trees be your guide'? This is what she meant by that. This tree here should take us to the Caterpillar." The White Rabbit then said. Alice and the others walked on over to it, and touched it...

"...Are you sure this is safe?"

"Yep-Yep! It works in the same manner as the Rabbit Hole, so it should be fine." Jill answered. Alice was, needless to say, a tad on the nervous side of things. This is far from the strangest thing she's seen today, but it was still getting so off of the rails of reality that she's so used to, that it's a bit hard to swallow for her, even after she put her fingers through the trunk. Even so, she took a deep breath and entered the trunk, followed by Adam, Chase, and hopefully the others, the White Rabbit entering last after everyone else.

As Jill stated, the moment everyone entered the tree, they would feel the same sensation of falling that they did when they entered the Rabbit Hole. Only, instead of the feeling eventually becoming inverse, the wacky nonsensical twists and turns across the circular brown corridor that were apparently 'roots' made it feel less like they were falling, and more like they were flying through a tunnel at fast speeds, much akin to the feeling of a roller coaster ride, until they eventually all see a literal light at the end of the tunnel.

-----------

Caterpillar Grotto

Location Theme

Once they come out the other side of the connected tree-root-tunnel...thing, they would come out in apparently another part of the forest if the familiar sight of a bunch of other trees are an indication. But something felt...different here.

For one, the place was much darker in terms of natural light than the area they were originally in, yet there was a very minimalist form of light coming from above the trees, like the light of stars and the moon trying in the night sky trying to pierce through the roof of tree branches and leaves and reach the ground, giving everything in this area a radiant early morning shade of blue. The area was quiet, not a sound of another living thing, until they showed up, not a shadow in sight, the only thing to see and hear, was the sounds of water flowing as pleasantly and peacefully as the sounds of the ocean waves hitting the beach side. If they looked over, they would see a giant pond of crystal clear waters, a river flowing...out of it...despite the river being elevated, a waterfall going in reverse as water magically flew upwards towards it, yet the pond is never drained or disturbed in the slightest. The waters reflect the blue light of the darkened night sky, making it glow a radiant blue. It seems it was the light from the sky, but from this pond, that served as the source of light for this area.

The final touch of beauty to solidify the peaceful atmosphere of this area were the butterflies, flocks of them, flying all around and above the Persona users or sitting upon the many branches of the many trees.

It would be when they looked towards the River that they would notice it, sitting upon a leaf the size of a king-sized bed, was an even bigger creature, a giant green caterpillar, marks on its body in the shape of different inked masks, and, just like in the works Lewis Carol, it held a large Victorian style smoking pipe in its upper-most left hand, a yellow butterfly sitting on its end.

"Ahhh...Children of man from the waking world, you came here much faster than I expected. ...I see you've also each awakened to the power within you as well. ...Good, very, very good. We bid you welcome you to our spring, my family and I. ...Do not be alarmed, we are aware of what has happened, and we mean you no harm. You are safe here...Now, speak your purpose." The caterpillar said with a deep booming voice, one that would normally be loud enough to make any birds or insects like the butterflies scatter, yet not these ones. Despite having a voice befitting its sheer size, there was a gentleness to his voice as he gave a big kindly smile towards them.

"...Umm...We came because we were told you could help us, that you had information." Alice said.

"I hold much information from across this world, very rarely does anything of this world escape my ears and eyes. The great Titan of the Queen, the Black Rabbit, has made known your appearance in this world. Her forces are now scattered across all of Wonderland, aiming to find you all. ...It seems that some of you have already sparked a peculiar interest in them. This information, plus the current whereabouts and status of the missing ones, I assumed you were already informed of. What else, in particular, do you wish to ask of me?" He asked.

"We...We need to go to her, we need to rescue those kids!"

"...As you all are now, were I to tell you how to enter the Royal Domain, You shall not live to see past the gates. Awakened though you may be to your persona, it in itself is weak compared to her and they who guard her. What's more, within those walls lies a great evil, the Black Rabbit, and a great burden shall thrust itself upon you. ...Are you willing to face against them, to bear those odds? ...But very well, even if you are not ready, I shall at least show you the way." The Caterpillar said.

"That was...oddly easy." Adam added.

"...My friends have been watching your movements ever since the White Rabbit summoned you here. They have deduced, and agreed, that you may stand a chance at returning this world's freedom, provided the proper training is established. Now then..." The Caterpillar pointed towards the pond with his other hand, and as the ripples form in the center only to stagnate once more, from out of the clear waters came what appeared to be a giant map, a castle right in its epicenter.

"The queen resides in the royal castle at the center of Wonderland. This I am certain you were already told. ...What was not told to you was the impossibility of getting there as it stands." The Caterpillar said, using his pipe to draw a black circle around the castle, that circle being completely filled out with black except for the castle in its center.

"The queen has been made very well aware about the Rebellion led by the Mad Hatter. The members of Mad Hatter's rebellion, including the Mad Hatter himself, are a group of exceptionally powerful shadows, and so to protect herself and her plans, the queen had placed her castle, as well as the whole of her royal domain around it, into a state of unconsciousness and non-existence. While it appears to be where it has always been, in truth it is now rest at the center of the sea of souls, the collective unconsciousness through which all shadows and personas are born from, The black circle around the castle, is a wall between dimensions...under normal circumstances, Shadows cannot enter that realm on their own, lest they be consumed back into the sea from whence they came, but humans cannot properly comprehend the nature or vastness of that realm either, and so it is just as impossible for you to enter as it is for the children to escape." The Caterpillar explained.

"But, if that's true, then what about the Black Rabbit, and those others?" Alice asked.

"You speak of the Royal House? ...Yes, they are the exception for good reason, as they shall be the key to bring you to the Queen and her castle."

"Royal...House?" Adam asked, but the Caterpillar said nothing, instead once again drawing on the map.

"This map represents the whole of Wonderland. ...Well, it may be more accurate to say, that it represents the whole of the Queen's dominion over Wonderland. The whole of this world is greatly vast yet greatly unknown to us. It is unknown if one could even call it land, if there's any land beyond the edge of this world, or how vastly different and chaotic it is regardless. None would dare venture into it, and I heard an interesting rumor that the queen is somehow involved, although that cannot be confirmed...and is irrelevant to the task at hand. Now then, The whole of Wonderland is divided into four large quadrants of land. To the north lies the Wonderland of Hearts, this forest being a part of this land, alongside what used to be the houses of the rebellion's leaders, and the former castle of the queen, now occupied as the core of that dominion. This land is one of distortion and chaos, where time and space holds little meaning. To the south lies the Wonderland of Spades, It is a land of brutal force, the strength of which altered and redefined the land itself and all things within it. To the west lies the Wonderland of Diamonds, a land run by the temptations and machinations of desire. It is a place designed to lead astray and lure in and entrap the unsuspecting. Finally to the east, lies the Wonderland of Clubs, The weakest suit, but also the most sapient, the most intelligent one of them all. Theirs is a land of illusion, trickery and mischief, a land in which nothing can be trusted for what it is. Deep within these four lands, guarded by the Kings of the Royal House, are keys to the castle, methods in which to open a path into the abyss of the sea of souls, where the castle and queen truly resides. All four keys are needed to open the way." The Caterpillar explained, dividing the map into four quadrants and drawing a Heart to the north, a spade to the south, a club to the east and a diamond to the west as he spoke.

"So what you're saying is, we need to essentially waste time going on a stereotypical fantasy adventure while the clock is ticking?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The Queen is stubborn and dedicated to her cause, she does not trust anyone in these lands that have not swore its allegiance to her in kind. ...Now, as you have already seen, The trees of this world shall be your way through these lands. Our small lagomorphic friend knows the paths to follow. I shall also provide you a way back to the Hatter's sanctuary. But first...I am a broker of information in this world, I know, all there is to know. If you have any questions to ask of me, you may do so now, or you may come back to ask me anytime." He said. The butterfly on his pipe touched the surface of the water like a water staider. As tiny ripples spread across the pond, the center glows blue as the butterfly flies back to the pipe.

"The Rabbit Hole is not the only means by which to travel to the sanctuary. A mirror, akin to a looking glass but different, shall also guide you there." The caterpillar explained.

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