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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Mar 24, 2023 4:29:44 GMT
"Are you all... Sure about this?" Faye, who had been silent ever since Kenji was taken away, finally spoke up. "I mean, Ige has a point. Can you really just go back to normal after someone died?" "And next sin level we get Ffasâd..." "I'm sure!" Yugi smiles. "I'm finally getting some freedom here, and I'm not going to live my life scared or sad. I'm going to do what I think is right!" "I am going to miss Mr. Fields, and I... do miss the others a little bit, but I just have to enjoy the people who are here now!" "So, what kind of style were you thinking? I also have a bunch of old clothes I brought with me from home, if you'd like to take a look at those instead of having something entirely custom, I think we're about the same size and height. What's your favorite color?! By the way, I really like your hair, it's magnificent! Oh! Would you rather have this talk privately?" Su-Ah could go on and on and on asking questions, but she decides to stop and give Yugi a chance to speak. "Thank you!" She blushes hard when her hair gets complimented by Su-Ah. "Uh, I don't care if anyone hears! My favorite color is yellow! I just have liked your outfits so far, and I want something, I don't know, just really good?"
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Post by Akkordian on Mar 24, 2023 4:32:31 GMT
"I'll, um, help any way I can." Yves speaks up from the wall closest to where everyone has mostly gathered, wiping away stray moisture from her eyes. "With... anything I can. As long as I don't get in anyone's way. Like, setting up the tables, or cooking, though there's not really a whole lot I know how to make. I just, uh..."
"I wanna be useful. If I can."
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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Mar 24, 2023 4:43:00 GMT
"Well, we're all good now! Nico really knows how to use a dishwasher, that cool guy!" Yugi smiles. She glances at Yves and meets the teary girl's eyes.
"You could help out by sitting down with us! You can be an official taste-tester for the food and good company!"
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Post by satan on Mar 24, 2023 5:03:30 GMT
Hawk had been quiet since Kenji had disappeared, though that wasn't out of place. He was more withdrawn, his expression clouded by the deep thoughts that plagued him as he wandered after the group.
He took his own seat, still thinking, still withdrawn, and picked at his food for a while, before he set down his fork, and closed his eyes.
"... I'm going to challenge Aardok."
He did not speak up. He did not imagine he would have to.
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Post by NIKI on Mar 24, 2023 5:37:58 GMT
"Thank you!" She blushes hard when her hair gets complimented by Su-Ah. "Uh, I don't care if anyone hears! My favorite color is yellow! I just have liked your outfits so far, and I want something, I don't know, just really good?" "Aw, thank you!" Su-Ah's smile returns. "Yellow! Of course, that color really matches you, you know? I'll see what I can come up with and I'll check back with you later. Is that okay? I just figured I'd check my existing clothes first. And, of course, we're having a meal right now!" She sits down next to Yves, smiles at her pal, and serves herself a plate of fried calamari only. It seems she doesn't have that big of an appetite either. She then turns her head to stare at Hawk with a slightly bewildered expression, but she just shrugs and resumes her little meal.
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Post by Akkordian on Mar 24, 2023 5:54:41 GMT
Yves offers a shaky smile to Su-Ah as she settles into her seat, but it takes a handful of seconds of her staring, blankly, off at nothing for concern to mix with the dour emotions on her face. She slowly turns her head to glance at Hawk.
"Y-you're going to... what, Mr. Hawk?"
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Post by JaytheBluPirate on Mar 24, 2023 5:58:00 GMT
Calvin looks to Hawk, not sure if he misheard him say that.
"Hawk, is that a bluff, or do you mean it for real play?" Calvin asked, an eyebrow raised.
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Post by satan on Mar 24, 2023 7:41:53 GMT
"It is not a bluff. I fully understand what I am committing to, and I will see it through." He paused, then leaned forward, lacing his fingers together.
"But I cannot do it alone. It would take too long to prepare if I tried to do that, and despite my skills with the blade, fighting Aardok with nothing but the sword is suicide.
"But I have a plan.
"If I have even three or four of you helping me, I know I can even the odds, if only a little bit. We can craft weapons, tools, traps, anything and everything we can think of to even the odds."
He paused again, then leaned back.
"I will not blame you if you refuse. I will not hold a grudge, nor should any of you feel less of yourself for refusing. I will shoulder this burden alone if need be, and I will bear it without complaint."
He stood, gathering his things.
"Take your time and consider it. When you feel you have your answer, come find me."
So saying, he left, taking his relatively untouched food with him.
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Post by Panda on Mar 24, 2023 11:58:13 GMT
There was a tense silence left in Hawk's wake, but Yugi quickly steered people back to their food, desperate for this to just be a nice time for everyone. People ate, chatted and tried not to think about earlier. Then, as it was getting late, they all headed to their rooms to wind down and eventually fall asleep. Perhaps tomorrow they would discuss Hawk's plan in more detail. However, the next day, they were all ushered to the foyer again by the twin demons. What was it this time? [Twin demons theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcMz3aAZDv4]"So, chumps! There's another layer to this Contract you're all bound to. Figured it wasn't worth bringing up earlier, but now that I've got a Kenji in my back pocket, it's time you all hear this." "...Dipl...omacy... is important. Other Realms. Other... Demon Lords. We shall... be guests." "Here's the deal. These other Demon Lords oh-so-graciously host us in their Realms. In exchange, they get to be a benefactor of the Contract. Next time someone gets sentenced to 666 years of servitude, it'll be to our host, not me." "...Outside... you will... be transported. Go... through the... door." Zofra beckoned to the main entrance. Ige backed away. "Oh no, not again! I only just started to get used to this hellhole! Can't I just stay?" Aardok gleefully bounded over to Ige, picked him up one-handed and then chucked him screaming through one of the front windows, which he crashed through spectacularly. He landed painfully on the ice outside and nearly slid into a patch of lava, just barely managing to scramble to a halt. "Not this time, fucko. Diplomacy! Can't insult our host by refusing the invitation." Not wanting to be tossed around also, the other players quickly marched out the entrance, before spreading out unsteadily on the ice. A few helped Ige to his feet. There was a period of nervous silence, then all of a sudden gravity seemed to reverse direction and everyone found themselves falling towards the dark sky.
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Post by Panda on Mar 24, 2023 11:58:34 GMT
Chapter 2 There was some confusion as to what happened next, but at some point the players realised they must have crossed over into another realm. They found they were now floating in dark space, though they were able to breathe just fine. Stars glittered in the distance all around them. They were floating near a miniature planet, no more than 20 meters across, which was encased in a bubble. The planet's surface was mostly water, with a few rocky islands scattered around. The largest of these had a performance stage set on it for some reason. Some distance away, more planets could be seen in orbit around this one. Nothing seemed to be happening. Nico had the bright idea of using Gwynt (Wind) to push himself towards the bubble, by releasing a gust of wind in the opposite direction. However, upon contact he simply bounced off, before slowly drifting to a halt. Some kind of force was keeping anyone from getting too far from the planet, while the bubble prevented them from getting close. From what they could see, this planet was the only one with such a bubble around it. It was at this moment that the Demon Lord finally decided to show himself, stepping out onto the performance stage. [Sissus's theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuyfBgr10Vw]The players all stared in disbelief. He appeared to be a muscular, flamboyant man, except his head was that of a fish. [#spoiler=Sissus] [/spoiler] "Hey now, don't get too excited!" the Demon Lord said, wagging a finger at Nico. "You'll have to appreciate me at a distance I'm afraid, I learned that lesson long, long ago. Now! Welcome, one and all, to my home: the Ego Realm! I am the almighty Cod of Performance, Sissus!" A loud musical fanfare played out of some speakers on the stage. "Thank you all for coming to see me tonight. Now, without further ado!" Frighteningly, he began to sing. If you could even call it singing. It resembled a musical performance, certainly. Everyone continued to stare in sheer dumbfounded shock. Sissus didn't seem aware, and indeed probably thought they were just awestruck. Eventually it ended, and Sissus took a bow. "That's all for now, I'm afraid. I really must run, I'm always busy, busy, busy! I can't take any autographs, I don't do handshakes, and I won't write back if you send me fanmail, though believe me, I read each and every letter I receive! Ciao!" And with that he was gone, running backstage and out of view. "Look forward to my next performance!" the players heard him call out, before going silent. "...He has... a portal. Backstage," Zofra explained. Some of the players jumped in surprise: no-one had realised Zofra was with them. "It takes... him, to other locations. Other... star systems. He... perf...orms. To his... eager subjects. He is always... on tour. This Realm. Ego. It is... inhabi...ted by... his adoring fans. Exclusively." At least that meant Sissus wouldn't be around to bother them too often. It seems he had let them go, so they were probably free to explore this new location. Zofra informed them of a special technique to move around: by holding on to their familiars, the players could be pulled towards whatever direction they wanted to travel in. They moved in a simple form of orbital mechanics. The familiars all had their own ways of moving - jumping, 'swimming' in space, flying - but the result was always the same. A player simply needed to pick a location and their familiar would carry them there. They moved at a reasonably fast pace, though not enough to get hurt. It seemed to take around a minute to get from one planet to the next nearest. After moving around, it soon became clear that this realm was quite strange indeed. It was a miniature solar system, with Sissus's planet at the centre and various tiny planets and asteroids orbiting around it. No celestial body was more than 30 meters across at most. The players found they couldn't move too far outside the system, as any path their familiar took would inevitably curl back around towards the centre again. Judging by Zofra's earlier comment, the Ego Realm consisted of multiple such star systems, each presumably orbiting a planet Sissus could travel to. There didn't appear to be any way for the players to travel to these other systems however, and presumably the same would go for the other 'inhabitants' that lived elsewhere. There weren't any inhabitants here. As the players explored, it became clear there used to be, but now all the planets were deserted. They found the remains of some kind of civilisation spread across the system, as well as various signs of violence long-passed. Zofra informed them that the previous inhabitants all took their competition for Sissus's favour too far, and in the end they all killed each other. The buildings now lay empty, free for the players to use during their stay in this Realm. They now understood why the bubble-barrier around Sissus's planet was necessary, if his fans were that passionate. It took everyone a while to get used to the physics of this space. The planets, despite being small enough that you could circumnavigate even the largest in under a minute, all had gravity strong enough to keep things grounded. The players found they could move about as normal on the various surfaces, jumping about as high as they would on Earth. No matter how much force they applied, it seemed there was no way for anything to escape a planet's gravity outside of having a familiar pull them. Meanwhile, the asteroids didn't appear to have much gravity at all, and were just giant, misshapen rocks floating in space. [#spoiler=Location Specifics] 1. Sissus. The central planet, confusingly named after its ruler. Its surface was mostly water, broken up by a few rocky islands. The planet somehow had tides, causing waves to lap against the rocks. The largest island housed Sissus’s performance stage, backstage of which there was apparently a teleporter. The players couldn't see the backstage area however. The whole planet was surrounded by a bubble that prevented anyone from getting too close. 2. Sotrees. The planet orbiting closest to Sissus. It was a jungle planet. It had a few buildings on it, the two most notable of which were a temple dedicated to Sissus, and a small workshop. The temple was full of small stone sculptures made by the previous inhabitants in Sissus's image. The workshop appeared to be where these were made, and had various tools for stonework and other such things. 3. Ingrass. The next planet, and the largest in the system. It was a prairie planet, featuring a large field, a town hall of sorts and a storage shack full of various random things. It was suitable for large gatherings. 4. Sahra. A desert planet. One small building had a kitchen on the ground floor and a living space on the floor above. A separate building nearby was a restaurant, presumably serviced by the kitchen building. 5. Sitie. An urban planet. The entire surface was paved and filled with apartments. The players found that every one of their St. Hope's bedrooms were somehow located somewhere in these apartments, exactly as they left them. There was also a building that housed a dedicated game room. 6. The next orbit was the asteroid belt. As they'd discovered earlier, none of the asteroids had noticeable gravity. Equipment had been set up here to play some kind of zero-G ball-based sport among the floating rocks. 7. Urctic. A snow planet. It was, for some reason, full of thrill rides. 8. Suamp. A swamp planet. There was a creepy medical clinic here, as well as the system's graveyard. Presumably all the long-dead inhabitants were buried here. 9. Away. A small, barren planet right at the far edge of the system. It was so far from planet Sissus that the Demon Lord had no interest in it, and hadn't even named it. As such it had been used by the previous inhabitants to punish criminals: it was a place of exile. They simply called it 'Away'. It was the worst punishment they could possibly imagine. For the players, however, they found it might be a good place to hide from Sissus if he ever got too annoying. There were additional miscellaneous buildings on most of the planets. While a majority of the previous inhabitants had lived on Sitie, there were homes on the other planets too. (You are free to make up locations as needed for RP, as usual.) [/spoiler] [Star System Map: i.imgur.com/YdFi6P1.png ] [Minimalist Map: i.imgur.com/m7jrgJZ.png ]
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Post by satan on Mar 24, 2023 12:32:10 GMT
While the rest of the cast convened wherever rhey wished, the passage of Hawk was always clear, as he was jumping from world to world and investigating everything with the thoroughness of someone expecting an ambush. If his presence was requested, all they needed to do was hail his eagle, and the creature would be sure to deposit him at their feet.
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Post by wintercoat on Mar 24, 2023 13:19:41 GMT
Caitlin grimaced as she used her vile, rotting mini-cow familiar to steer herself towards Ingrass. When they touched down, she looked at her familiar and then at the grass beneath their feet.
“Go on,” she said while poking the thing. “Eat. Graze. Do what cows do.”
It merely looked up at her with its cold, sunken eyes and let out a wretched “MOOWOEOIJVN.”
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Post by Neotelenta on Mar 24, 2023 13:59:55 GMT
While Korrigan was initially just as afraid and concerned as everyone else as they're teleported to this strange realm, he gradually appeared to be greatly enjoying himself as the group flies around to the different planets.
"Has anyone else come up with a name for their familiar? I'm a bit stuck on mine." Korrigan asks, his barn owl turning its head mid-flight before looking at its feet. It tries shaking its feet. "No, not that kind of stuck."
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Post by Kachu on Mar 24, 2023 14:30:41 GMT
Mikoto did not quite yet settle on a planet, instead they floated around with their familiar, doing little doughnuts and running laps around other student. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.
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Post by dootdoot on Mar 24, 2023 14:51:46 GMT
Faye was most definitely enjoying herself as she held the jackalope's hand as it hopped from planet to planet, laughing and holding on to her rabbit ears.
For a moment, she turned to face Korrigan and said "I named mine Jack-" only to immediately hop away to a different planet mid sentence.
... After a minute she hopped back. "... Jack, after the-" and away again. Give her a minute.
... Back again. "... The Jack in a deck of cards!" and away again.
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Post by JaytheBluPirate on Mar 24, 2023 15:10:03 GMT
If anyone was looking, they'd notice that Calvin have a hand on his cowboy hat.
"Well, partner, this isn't a great place, I reckon. Could easily lose hold of what yer have on hand, if you're not being careful..." The cowboy said as he glances around the vast space that every one is floating in. "Got to keep track of my cannon and my cady... Oh and Blackie as well."
"Yeah, Blackie was named becase of the black fur on 'im." He explains as his bull familiar snorts and wiggles his hooves around.
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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Mar 24, 2023 16:43:06 GMT
"Wow..." Yugi looks out into the sea of darkness and planets. She stands by Korrigan and Calvin probably on Ingrass since that's where the other students are landing most often every time they jump.
She had been very relieved to find that their bedrooms had somehow teleported here. There was a minute or two where she was teary-eyed over her notebook of all things.
"Oh naming our familiars? That's a good idea Mr. Magno!" She looks down at the weird worm that is grazing on the grass as well. It was clear from the silence that followed that Yugi had never even thought about naming the worm. "Uh, maybe she looks like she could be a Brooklyn?"
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Post by Akkordian on Mar 24, 2023 17:36:49 GMT
Yves frowns, staring down at her creepy, animate teddy bear as it hops on its little feet, its bulbous eyes gyrating as it shuffles about.
“My familiar looks like, um, my stuffed bear, I brought from home. Her name’s… Barnie Bear. So I guess this one would be too…”
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Post by pancakes on Mar 24, 2023 18:10:02 GMT
Ige seemed to have trouble directing his familiar to different planets and was instead flailing around wildly.
"N-Nooooo!"
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Post by Neotelenta on Mar 24, 2023 18:34:08 GMT
At Ige's wailing, the barn owl turns its head towards Ige while still flying the same trajectory.
"Wow, you looked really-...Looker. Look. Luke. Luke...a? Luca? Yeah, we'll work with it. Luca. Luca the owl." Korrigan says, tapping the owl's foot to gets its attention. "Let's go over there." he prompts.
Luca and Korrigan fly their way over to Ige and Korrigan grabs him by the collar. "Come on now, let's get you on terra firma."
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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Mar 24, 2023 18:59:05 GMT
“That’s a cute name, Yves!” Yugi says, glancing at the teddy bear. “It’s so cool that you’re familiar is so personalized and cute!”
“If a bit scary…”
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Post by wintercoat on Mar 24, 2023 19:06:28 GMT
Caitlin's poor, little cow began groaning and roaming around before falling on its side and convulsing. It had horrible, oozing open wounds across its body that began to widen as it groaned. Horrified, Caitlin recalled her familiar and whistled a jaunty tune before walking away. Where the cow once sat was a puddle of green goop.
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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Mar 24, 2023 19:25:27 GMT
Yugi looks unwell after that spectacle, “I wonder why Caitlin’s familiar is like that? Most of our familiars reflect ourselves somehow. I guess cows are abducted by aliens sometimes,” she adds like it’s a common piece of lore.
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Post by Neotelenta on Mar 24, 2023 19:40:26 GMT
"Is it allergic to something? Are you allergic to something?" Korrigan addresses Caitlin as him and Luca set Ige down on Ingrass.
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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Mar 24, 2023 19:58:43 GMT
“Hey Ige, do you need something! You seem stressed!” Yugi looks down at Ige’s pathetic form. “You’re always offering warm towels!”
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Post by wintercoat on Mar 24, 2023 20:05:51 GMT
"Dunno what's wrong with the little shite," she said with an air of disappointment. "I suppose it's not a big deal. I don't really wanna use this magic crap anyway."
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Post by Joker on Mar 24, 2023 20:28:27 GMT
Nico stands near the others on Ingrass, with his slime familiar beside him.
"A name, huh? I never even considered that." He says, staring at the creature. "...Hmm. How about Slick?" He asks the slime. The slime does not blink or respond in any way. "It's decided then! Slick it is."
"Now that that's over with, what should we do about the student council? Put it on hold because we can't go to the school? Also, before everyone goes their separate ways, I think we should try to come up with a meeting place for everyone too, just in case we all need to gather to discuss something."
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Post by wintercoat on Mar 24, 2023 20:44:58 GMT
Nico stands near the others on Ingrass, with his slime familiar beside him. "A name, huh? I never even considered that." He says, staring at the creature. "...Hmm. How about Slick?" He asks the slime. The slime does not blink or respond in any way. "It's decided then! Slick it is." "Now that that's over with, what should we do about the student council? Put it on hold because we can't go to the school? Also, before everyone goes their separate ways, I think we should try to come up with a meeting place for everyone too, just in case we all need to gather to discuss something." "We should keep this as the meeting place," Caitlin suggested. "Ingrass has a town hall-type of spot, it seems perfect to me."
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Post by Joker on Mar 24, 2023 20:51:00 GMT
"That's a great idea! That's out disciplinarian for ya!"
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Post by pancakes on Mar 24, 2023 20:54:08 GMT
"M-My head is spinning..." Ige said to Korrigan as he sat down.
Ige turned to Yugi. "O-Oh, I'm okay," he responded, feeling a little sick. "Actually, I should be offering...urp...you all something. I-I might as well..be...urk."
The sickly assistant turned around and faced the ground, holding his hand up. "Scratch that thought. Does anyone have a barf bag? Or any bag they don't care about?"
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