Wulfrik, Hill

-Wulfrik spits in disgust as his abductors once again flee from his challenge. But other creatures appear, resembling the troops used by the Sylvanian necromancers. The others around him stand their ground rather than fleeing, there may be something resembling courage in them after all.-

   Come taste my sword, desiccated bonebags! Let's see how you fare against prey with teeth rather than the corpses you defile and feast upon!   

Rachel, Desert

Ray raises an eyebrow as the red orbs slowly approach her, and she casually just floats to the side before they reach her. Funny - she remembered attacking Deoxys once before when they first met and she mistook them for an alien invader. Except that fight was… well, an actual fight. She didn’t know what the hell this was except ‘strange’. Thankfully, one of the beings manages to defuse the situation before there’s any further panic.

“Everyone,” Ray addresses the beings in the desert as she descends to the ground. “I assure you that I am simply exploring this area, as it suddenly appeared outside of Castelia City and I’m rather curious about it. I have no intention of harming any of you.”

She turned to the being greeting her and nodded.

“Yes, I can understand you. It would seem as though this strange land has somehow granted us a new tongue that both of us can speak.”

Something the figure said seemed to pique her curiosity.

“So… what exactly is Rule 21?”

Castelia City

The Lugia huffs a bit when she realizes the demons either can’t understand her or are unwilling to speak intelligibly. She doesn’t outright stop them from exploring the city just yet, but she does follow them closely to make sure they don’t cause any trouble while they’re here.

The demons’ quest to find the tallest building in the city takes them… well, Rayquaza’s residence is tall, certainly, but it’s not as tall as the skyscrapers in the central business district. She knows as well as anyone that making her house the biggest building in the whole city would not be good optics for any politician looking to appear relatable - even if she, as the great dragon pokemon of the sky, does naturally enjoy being in high places.

Instead, they find themselves at a towering office skyscraper. Glimpses of the inside through the outer windows reveal people doing routine office work, and most of them are too busy to even really notice the demons or the Lugia. Of particular note is a Meowth gijinka◊ having a conversation with someone over an earpiece in one of the higher up floors.

“No, I’m not building one in Accumula City. Why? Because we’re on another planet, that’s why! Have you not been paying attention to the news? Or… taken a walk recently? I know, I know, it’s certainly a shock to the system for all of us. Wait, now you… want to use our electrical capacity to create a picture of an Infernape, then sell that for 10000 dollars? Are you out of your Arceus-damned mind? No, I’m not putting those in the Game Corner. Parliament will be on my ass if I end up burning up the forests down to make a shitty jpg, and I’m not going to get in a spat with fucking Rayquaza over whether this weird new quasi-currency is even legal.”

He looks outside and sees some interesting flying demonic onlookers. He dramatically spins around in his chair 360 degrees.

“WHAT. THE. FUCK. You know what? I’ve got bigger problems to deal with right now.”

He hangs up and turns towards the demons.

“Look, I don’t know who or what you are, but I’d think carefully before doing anything foolish. I certainly would if the Guardian of the Sea’s eyes were on me.”

He then goes back to doing Business™, leaving you back with Lugia watching you both with crossed arms.

Desert

"You mean... you're not here to invade our home? Wowee!" the child-sounding machine said wonderingly, hopping to reverse itself and then jumping back toward Ray.

"Good to meet you, then, stranger! I'm certainly glad you don't mean us any harm, but what's a 'Castelia City'?" the short, two-legged one asked.

"I don't think we have tongues... do we?" the floating one mused.

"Rule 21 is: Always return a greeting!" the taller one answered the PM's question, lowering his hand back to his side. "Following the rules is of the greatest importance. It gives us purpose. Well, a purpose other than the war, at least. If you don't mind, though, I just have to ask: what exactly are you? You don't look like any android or machine I've ever seen, and I don't think humans can fly under their own power. They can't, right?"

"Nope!"

"I don't think they can, either!"

"Yeah, it's pretty weird!"

After agreeing about that, they turned back to Ray, and although their faces were unmoving and not exactly expressive, she could tell they were curious and bewildered.

Edited by darksidevoid on Aug 26th 2022 at 7:10:53 AM

Hill

Amako smiled and nodded happily as the one-armed man assured her he would be alright. That said, however, her attention was drawn by Yoriichi's comment on her voice.

"Thou art able to hear Our voice?! Oh, how wondrous to meet a human capable of such a thing! We did sense thou mayhaps be especially holy or blessed, Yoriichi-kun!"

Anything else she might have been about to say was interrupted by the approach of Kongara the Orangutan. As soon as she saw him coming toward her, she gasped quietly and then began positively beaming - to the point that she almost literally seemed to be glowing. There was something particularly calming about her, a sort of motherly aura that emanated from her person that was especially noticeable for those with animal sensibilities. Allowing the monkey to sniff her, she offered him her hand and then gave him a couple of headpats, before reaching into her bag to offer the primate... a fresh peach!

"Hello, adorable monkey friend! Wouldst thou perchance enjoy a delicious fruit?! Of course thou wouldst! Come, partake of it as thou please!"

Amako's joy was short-lived, however, as the newest of the newcomers shouted out his observation of a pair of somethings in the sky. As she turned to peer at them and some readied to fight while others asked for calm, she had to agree that the incoming creatures did look rather like demons to her. The fact that the man covered in skulls seemed to recognize them as familiar beings that feasted upon and defiled corpses cinched that question. However, the colorfully dressed beastly gentleman did make a good point about showing their hands too early. Giving Kongara some more comforting pats on the head, she eyed the bat-creatures warily and waited for them to respond to the bearded redhead's taunt.

While she was waiting, however, a pair of new teens appeared on the hill, both asleep at first like all the rest had been, and then awakening to see the tense situation on the hilltop amidst the strange surrounding scenery and company.

Edited by darksidevoid on Aug 26th 2022 at 12:26:41 PM

The Hill

"Ah!" It was not until Igno spoke that Makura realized she hadn't introduced herself. "How impolite of me. Sorry. My name's Makura! It's nice to meetcha! And these little guys are Kongara and Seitaka."

The orangutans in question had both perked up when Amako drew the peach from her bag. Seitaka dropped off of Makura's back and loped over to join his brother. Both found themselves calm in the miko's presence, happily splitting the peach to share between the two of them.

Makura smiled at that - she, too, could feel the loving aura that radiated from Amako - before flicking her gaze over to Spinner. At his glower she merely quirked an eyebrow. While the others continued to prepare for imminent combat, Makura remained rather calm. If anything, she almost looked annoyed with the shouting skull-man.

"Why are you so sure we're gonna fight them, Spinner?" She asked. This whole thing eerily reminded her of when she'd had to convince her comrades not to eat Mikado. "From where I'm standing, you seem more threatening than they do. I don't here those two calling themselves disciples of a 'hero killer'."

Yoriichi found his heart warmed by the miko's loving heart, and by the natural innocence of the friendly apes. But he cast his gaze away when Amako brought up the subject of blessing. "I believe I was blessed with strength by the gods, to defeat a great evil. But... I was unable to do so, before I was brought here."

He sighed, rising to his feet, and putting one hand on his sword. "I am unworthy to be in your presence, Amako-sama. But please allow me to protect you from whatever monsters may wander this land. It is all I can offer."

Conan - Hill

Truth to be told, the warrior of finely-sculpted figure was rather baffled when the ape-woman, the cat-eared lass and the equally shirtless but much paler man adviced that they do not prepare to fight the demons brandishing weapons. But as the Cimmerian lacked the ability to fly and confront the monsters, he reluctantly lowered his sword, though with a clearly skeptical look on his face. "So they loom, silently observing us like we are mere quarries. This does not alleviate any suspicions I have about them. But you are right in that they are not attacking yet.” He did not impede or aid the Vaenir in taunting the creatures, simply waiting to see where the dice may fall.

The sullen-eyed fighter nodded curtly as several of his fellow abductees introduced themselves. “Makura, I see. Well met. I was unaware that ape-kind could be that human-like, or fair in appearance.”

Though a few of the odd choices of word to use caused the wild man to raise an eyebrow in puzzlement. “A hero is a title some give to those they find impressive, so to become a slayer of such is but a meaningless ambition to my ears.”

Then, he turned his attention towards the red headed woman. “And Pyra, is that so? What exactly is a Driver? I am familiar with neither that term or the land you came from.”

But as could be expected, it was Igno’s suggestion that truly caused his mouth to form into a scowl. “Are you proposing that we are stranded in another plane of existence altogether? If that is true, this is an even bigger pain in the arse than I had assumed.”

Yet despite all the trouble he seems to have been brought to go through, the so-called barbarian was not one to spend moons discussing matters like some hyborian councilman. Instead, he chose to take bold strides towards the closest and visibly easier to reach location: he would begin to walk towards the stone bridge, with the intent to reach the strange ruins. “I shall investigate these in hope to find clues to our predicaments or resources to survive, perhaps even valuable, ancient things. Should anyone wish to follow me, I will not stop you. Companionship could do wonders to ease the annoyance of this whole ordeal.” The hard fighter actually showed a smidge of a smile as he said this, though it would be dishonest to say his eyes weren’t caught by the comely appearances of the redhead and the ape-woman, even if the latter's animalistic aspects still puzzled him. But he knew there was little time for such pleasantries, as there was no guarantee there was a safe space to sleep around the mysterious hill.

Edited by Alecoene on Aug 26th 2022 at 1:20:48 PM

Ivalice

With the party of adventurers assembled, ones that would investigate this new world and hopefully find some answers, the party of 8 left the gates of Lesalia and ventured west towards the mountains in the distance. To be prepared for whatever might come their way, the team consisted of 2 Knights, 2 Chemists, 2 Black Mages, and 2 White Mages. With 4 Chocobos between them, they hoped that they would not run into anything too troublesome.

As for Ramza and Alma, after a brief discussion with the staff inside the monastery, it was decided that Alma ought to stay behind and allow her brother to explore the immediate area. Pity, then, that Alma herself vehemently disagreed. The argument that took place lasted for an hour at least, and was only settled when Ramza agreed to let Alma accompany him on the condition that at the first sign of trouble (his definition of trouble, not hers), she immediately head back to the monastery or to wherever was safest. And thus, the two Beoulve siblings ventured south towards what looked like ruins.

Hill

With the pair of teenagers still fast asleep, proving to be rather deep sleepers at that, a small metal device emerged from the girl's travel pack, floating in mid-air and glowing. Getting a 'look' at its surroundings, as it was difficult to tell if the device could actually see, it turned its attention to the two youths it was allied with.

"Wake up! You two need to see this! Wake! Up!"

With no immediate results, it had no recourse but to keep yelling at them to rouse, and finally, the female of the pair groaned and started lazily swatting in the device's direction while the male slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"You don't have to shout..." He mumbled, opening his eyes and blinking...and that's when he realized exactly why they'd been awoken. "Umm...Ashe? You need to get up. Now."

"But'm sleeping..." The girl grumbled, but once the boy started shaking her shoulder, she groaned once more and sat up, shaking her head and huffing. "This had better be good, you know I don't do mornings."

A few seconds passed, and then she too realized their predicament, which had her put a hand to her face. "You've got to be kidding me..."

The Hill: Get Up and Move

As more and more people arose (along with the general volume of the scene), the pint-sized policeman was completely roused back to the waking world.

Well...maybe not roused. When the words "eyes up, you lot," "devils," "end in a fight," "Hero Killer," "corpses you defile," and "Ape-Kind,"^note boy did he have some trauma about that one all in quick succession, you're more "shaken by the collar back to the waking world."

Drawn by the primary source of debate, Krillin turned his eyes skyward and gulped.

"W-what the heck are those?" the martial artist shuddered. Much like Makura, Krillin could sense that the approaching creatures weren't ready to start a fight—either that, or they could suppress their energy like he and his friends could—but also much like Yoriichi, Krillin soon found a much bigger threat among the group on the ground. One solid look at Wulfrik, and the little man went blue in the face.

"...and are you WEARING SKULLS?!"

Having profiled the #1 Bad Guy in the area, Krillin darted away from the Wanderer with chattering teeth. "Forget those flying monsters—who the hell are YOU?!"

...

And "forget those flying monsters" they did! With clear orders not to engage and little more than mean looks and name-calling shot their way, the demons circled the large tree a few times, then flew right back on home: towards the Gothic palace to the Northwest, bathed in an eternal sunset.

...

The druid matched Pyra's greeting with a smile in his eyes...and the smallest hint of a knowing smile on his lips when the Blade called Nia her "partner, in a way." "A pleasure, Pyra. My name is Qilby, and I'm 1 of the 6 members of the Eliatrope Council. I'm from..."

Qilby paused, reflected, and turned his eyes to the grass beneath his right hand. "...well I suppose it hardly matters anymore. Our homeworld is long gone." After a pause, the sagely man raised his head with a thin smile. "But as that's 'ancient history,' as they say. Now it seems I'm a resident of this world, for the time being—as are we all."

Rising to his feet, Qilby studied the exchange between his rescuer and the robed swordsman with intrigue. "You...could hear her voice?" the Eliatrope blinked in surprise, followed by delight. "Fascinating! Are you two by chance from the same thread of the Krosmoz, erhm—forgive me, 'same world?' Based on the context, is it safe to assume that there are traits in this young lady's essence or appearance that match or resemble traits of your 'world's' divinity? By what means and metric do you perceive that you have been blessed with the strength of your gods? On an adjacent topic, what characteristics would describe the evil that you need to defeat?"

While the thin sage's questions might seem rather prodding, he at least had the patience to give the swordsman his space. Should the miko, the demon hunter, the orangutans, or any onlookers show signs of discomfort or irritation, Qilby would snap out of his inquiry and apologize for any disrespect.

"I've seen many many things throughout the ages, but I can honestly say that this situation's a novelty. Not sure what to make of it yet, so I'm trying to spot patterns to get my bearings."

The Last Outpost: "Feeling's Mutual, Tweety"

The robed figure took several steps back as the cavalry (minus cavaliers) arrived and barred it from the young lady. If they cared about the Chocobos' opinions—aside from their interest in pecking the sorcerer's guts out, of course—they certainly didn't show it. Still, they kept a safe 20 foot distance from the flock and their charge.

"You call me an ill omen? I say the same for these beasts, and for this forest." the words were calm and even-toned, despite the fact they matched Kayne's in terms of intent. "This land is not Lordran. By whose magic we have been abducted and for what purpose, I know not. But those creatures in the trees were no allies of mine, nor should they be of yours. I seek to slay the demons before they can return to their dwelling, and report their findings to their masters."

The robed figure turned their profile to the forest-dwellers and took the first few cautious steps towards maneuvering around the defensive front.

"I bear you and your flock no ill-will, maiden. Yet I must track those monsters down. Should you grant me passage eastward, I shall gladly depart in peace."

Castelia City: "Infernal Ape" Could Definitely be A Dark Souls Enemy

Perching outside the top floor to some kind of temple, the demons studied the holy ramblings of the high cleric cloaked in gold. Were they fluent in the tongue of gijinkas and not muffled by floor-to-ceiling windows/gusts outside the office, they would surely protest to the Meowth-Man's disdain for this Infernal Ape. All children of Chaos share in an affinity with flame—though given the fact that they were basically hired grunts, they'd be pretty cool with fungibility.

And then yet another surprise befell the demons—this high cleric seemed to speak to them through the window pane, and was hardly disturbed at all by their presence! The holy men and women of Anor Londo were more than used to the sight of demons, but these mortals? To think that they could not only match their speed and agility with ease, but to have the arrogance (nay, the gall) to speak to them on equal footing! People were supposed to be scared of them, dangit!

But at the Meowth-Man's direction, the demons turned around and saw the (likely) reason for this high-cleric's calm composure: their pursuer had tracked them straight to their perch! What's worse, she even seemed to be waiting for them to notice her!

Startled yet again by this woman's abilities, the demons once again tried to evade her and take to the skies. Should she allow them to flee once again, she might find a need to be a bit more wary of the demons as they glided towards their next destination:

The Parliament building.

Rachel, Desert

“I’m a Pokemon,” Rachel explained. “Pokemon are a group of beings with a wide variety of abilities that often have unique physical traits depending on what kind of pokemon they are - generally something like a tail, wings, fangs, things like that. To be a bit more specific, I’m a Rayquaza - a dragon Pokemon that, as you’ve noted, can soar through the skies. Now as for Castelia, that’s a city north of here that is home to a great many Pokemon. I am its Prime Minister, Rachel - though many simply call me ‘Ray’.”

Castelia City

The Lugia woman’s patience reaches its end as she sees the demons heading towards Parliament, and she quickly intercepts them. She flies over to them, grabs them both by the shoulders, and forcibly moves them in the other direction.

“That particular area is off-limits, I’m afraid. Now… I think I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I cannot risk you going around and causing harm, not on my watch. Not when everything is tense enough as it is right now. Please comply quietly so that things don’t have to become unpleasant.”

She speaks without malice, but her tone is definitely less friendly than before.

Wulfrik, Hill

-Wulfrik sighs as once again the inherent cowardice and weakness of the false world's denizens is revealed. Adding insult to injury, what appears to be a dwarf whose beard was lost in some accident speaks to him. His fear and smooth face mark him as no true dwarf, however, and so more likely a man of stunted growth and wit, as evidenced by the fact that he cannot recognize a skull when he sees one.-

I am Wulfrik World-Walker, little man.

Kayne & Moko—The Last Outpost

"The Last Outpost is my home," Kayne says neutrally. "Even if the birds don't belong here, I have fed them of my own volition, so you may consider them under the protection of my hospitality, as is everything else in this forest. Still, I'll take your word for it, however grudgingly. Get you gone, then, stranger."

She took her axe and pointed the way east with it, as if granting passage in that direction, with the utmost solemnity and decorum that belied her paltry self-proclaimed status as the protector of the forest.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Aug 27th 2022 at 6:30:47 AM

Hill

"We do not think of Ourselves as requiring protection, but 'tis usually better to fight with comrades than alone, and We have need of an envoy, so We would be happy to journey together with you, Yoriichi-kun. We would simply ask that you be ready to convey Our words and will to others, so that We need not rely upon writing all Our thoughts upon Our scroll," Amako replied, smiling sympathetically at the ronin's self-deprecation.

Qilby's musing about his homeworld and questions directed at Yoriichi caused her to turn to him afterward, standing and reaching over to lay a hand on the Eliatrope's shoulder. "We understand how painful it is to lose one's homeworld, Qilby-san. 'Tis a difficult burden for anyone to bear, but the best way to ease it is to honor your lost world's memory however you are able. We are sure that if you do, the souls of those lost will be able to rest in peace."

"Please tell him that We said that, Yoriichi-kun," she requested, returning to looking at the man with the flame-like mark. "There is no need to answer his questions if you feel they are too intrusive; however, We feel it is important for you to know that it is not strange for someone with the blessing of the gods to fail to vanquish great evils in their initial attempts; even the gods themselves may sometimes fail to protect what is precious from such evils. The important thing is that, when you eventually find yourself back in your world where you belong, you pick yourself up and try again until you succeed where you once failed."

Having said that, she reached into her bag again and this time withdrew two apples, one each for Kongara and Seitaka, and offered them to the monkeys. As she did, an odd blue creature that looked like the cross between a cat, river otter, and fish appeared on the hill. Initially asleep like all the rest, she would soon awake to behold the people on the unfamiliar, oak-crowned hill and the surrounding scenery, doubtless confused as to how she arrived there.

Desert

"Well, gosh, Pokemon seem real neat!" said the child-like machine.

"And a whole city of them so close by, too!" remarked the shorter of the bipedal ones. "Of course, we noticed that things had changed nearby, but how fortunate to have new neighbors!"

"What's a 'Prime Minister'? Does that mean you're important?" asked the floating machine.

"Pardon for asking you so many questions at once, Ray, but do you suppose Castelia would be open to visitors, or trade, or maybe actual migrants?" the taller two-legged one asked. "I'm sure when word gets around, there will be a lot of Machines like us who'll want to see what your city's all about!"

Nia and Pyra, The Hill: Drivers and Blades 101 with Prof. Pyra (feat. The Roast of Wulfrik)

Pyra smiles as she sees the miko's generosity towards the orangutangs, yet it would soon fade when the lizard-like man (man-like lizard?) deems himself as a "disciple" of a "Hero Killer." With a title like that, not to mention the crudely made weapon with enough edges to make an Urchon faint, the Aegis would mentally note to be wary of him, but for now, she kept that thought to herself. With the muscular man asking the question on what a Driver is, Pyra gladly replied, "Well, a Driver is someone who is bonded to a Blade, like me. As for what a Blade is, they are awakened by a Driver through a core crystal, like mine." She motions her hand to her upper chest where an emerald cross-shaped gem resides on top of her clothes, yet there was an empty "X" shape right at the middle. "A Blade provides a Driver their weapon and a thread of ether to help them in battle and can fight with their own powers. In a sense, you could consider a Blade to be a living weapon, but I think they're more than that. They have their own thoughts and feelings, just like everyone else, so I think of them as a kind of people."

After a tense few moments, Nia breathed a sigh of relief when the demons went on their merry way to wherever it is they came from. The Gormotti wouldn't lie that she feels somewhat intimidated by the giant red-haired man adorned in skulls, but after his shouting at them (which for some reason she can hear Alrestian from), that sense of fear started to dissipate. With all that in mind, Wulfrik would find himself as the first victim of a catgirl's sarcastic remarks, "Guess I should take a page out of their book and leave your ugly arse behind before you shout at us to death."

Pyra would be the first to react to her Driver's snark in a shocked gasp. Yet, she soon moved over to Nia's side should the Norscan decide to act. A hushed conversation between the two can be heard with those with good hearing as they eyed the giant man, "What are you doing?"

"Getting the hell out of here, before he decides on us instead."

"What would he have to gain from that?"

"I don't know, but I'm not taking my chances."

After a few moments of quiet, Pyra took initiative, "My apologies, but we must leave with the man." She points to the Cimmerian as she looks out to the ruined city. "He has a good point on there being resources we need for survival. If we're lucky, we might find anyone still living in there."

The Driver of the Aegis took a few more moments before she asks. "You sure?" She would get her answer from a nod from her partner and lightened her expression, though a frown still remained. "Alright. It beats sticking around here and twiddling our thumbs." Should the Norscan not intervene, they make their way down to the ruined city along with Conan.

Edited by Ore-O on Jan 22nd 2023 at 4:10:18 AM

The Hill.

Elaine had gone to sleep on the balcony of her trainer's apartment, on a quiet street near the edge of Goldenrod City, watching life go by in the dimming light of the late evening... but instead of rug and tile beneath her, she now feels grass and dirt, wind in her fins, and the early-morning sun beating down as she stirs from her nap. What time is...?

...

Her eyes fully open as she pushes herself up onto her haunches, standing above the grass. Those who catch sight of her would see a svelte, quadrupedal form low to the ground and built for the water, with a muscular tail tipped in a dolphin-like fluke, and a sleek body clad in a coat of fine, slick fur in a shade of vibrant blue just shy of purple. Around her neck is a delicate white frill and on her head are three yellow-webbed fins, two on either side not unlike pointed ears and one up top, resembling a mohawk—though the side two are scarred and notched from some past scuffle, as is the frill. Her large eyes are a deep purple, betraying clear intelligence behind them despite her nonhuman physique and a face that lands squarely in some indeterminable space between felid and mustelid.

A blink, bleary at first, then another, her eyes focusing as she takes in her surroundings: A hillside, partly shaded by a great oak, with forests, mountains, and ruins on all sides. To the west, a city can be made out, not dissimilar to the one she'd known for much of her life, though its skyline is entirely foreign to any place she'd known.

What pulls her attention more than any of that, though, is the motley group of individuals gathered nearby and conversing amongst themselves in what thankfully seems to be a language she understands. Many are human, some clearly not, but none look like they particularly belong here any more than her, with no two wearing the same style of clothing or carrying themselves the same way, not to mention the confusion evident in most of their faces. Catching her eye in particular is one who despite their decidedly reptilian appearance looks like no pokémon she'd ever seen, a towering one covered in skulls and screaming about something, a shorter brightly-dressed one with a bunch of dots on their face and no nose(??), and a... wait. A Machoke going through a black metal phase...? No, no, human too, dammit. Cool sword though.

She mulls over her options for a good minute before, with a mildly irritated twitch of an earfin and an abundance of caution, she gets up and makes her way to the closest person who looks like they'd be keen on answering questions, though from the looks of things she gets the nagging feeling they're not going to know much either. Okay, Ellie, time to switch gears. Casual mode. Remember your humanspeak.

"Uh, hey." she begins, clearing her throat and taking a second to find her voice. "Hey, where is this?" she ventures, putting on her best 'confused Rockruff' act... though now with decidedly more method than usual. "Cuz, see, I was taking a nap earlier and then I, uh... woke up here."

First reply gets to decide who that is.

Edited by Chortleous on Aug 28th 2022 at 6:14:12 AM

Spinning With Indignity On The Hill

Something about the way this skull-decked guy was screaming... was it his Quirk? Some kind of a hypnotic voice thing? Sure would be a weird one to have on such a burly type, but then again, stranger things have happened. Real skulls, too...

...hm. Perhaps he was approaching this from the wrong angle. Rather than thinking of these strangers as fellows from his own world, he probably had to start assuming what they were doing and going to do was magic. Or some other natural abilities or other. For all he knew, Shuichi might have been tossed into some kind of isekai-esque hack of a plot.

Speaking of hacks... the beast lady's name was Makura, and she was getting on his nerves fast. "Yeah... mighty convenient that you can "smell" their intentions, yet can't actually hear or see them in detail... whatever. Guess they know not to trifle with us." He scoffed, looking up towards the skull-demons flying by. Back to Makura. "Damn straight I'm dangerous, you've got that right. Gotta be on the kind of mission I've got."

Speaking of that, the guy in the loincloth was making some wrong assumptions. "It ain't so. Where I'm from, "heroes" are nothing but vapid celebrities." Spinner spat on the ground, dragging his boot over the spot with disgust. "They preen for the cameras-ah, wait, you probably don't know what a "camera" is." Well, his speech lost its bite immediately; it seemed that he was still figuring out how to be the big and menacing hero slayer he made himself out to be. "Right, they preen for the crowds too, that's more applicable-"

Unfortunately for the man on the mission, his listener chose to focus on something else. Geh. How was Shuichi supposed to convert anyone to the cause if no one was willing to hear him out? Still, the idea of venturing out... perhaps the musclehead had the right of it; there was nothing to be gained from standing around like a dumbass. Yet, when he entertained that thought, newcomers showed up, one of them in particular strange. Shuichi shot... her(?) a look. Out of all the people here, this one was the first quadrupedal. Were they people? Uh... "Good question. Powers That Be decided to drop us in this middle of nowhere for no good reason." He grunted, folding his arms across his chest. "From what I'm gatherin', it might have been that fox lady over there, but only a few of us seem like they can talk with her." He gestured with his beard towards Amako.

Edited by FergardStratoavis on Aug 29th 2022 at 9:20:14 PM

The Hill

Spinner's response only made her scowl at him deeper, but any thoughts about him were cut off by Conan's offhand compliment. She pressed her hands to her cheeks to suppress a blush and giggled at him. "Aw, you're such a charmer."

Choosing to ignore the edgy lizardman - she was pretty sure he wouldn't understand whatever explanation she gave him about her ability to smell pheromones, anyway - she instead made to follow Conan on his exploration.

"I'll come with you, Conan. I could use a little... companionship." She tried to inject just the right amount of flirtatiousness into her voice, so as not to sound too desperate.

Wordlessly, she called for Seitaka and Kongara to follow her. They waved goodbye to Amako, apples in hand, as they strode after their friend.

Yoriichi blinked at Qilby's sudden onslaught of questions. When Amako interjected, he nodded at her gratefully. For a moment, he considered where to begin answering them.

"The evil I sought to defeat is named Kibutsuji Muzan. He is the first demon, who creates all other demons. I alone have faced him in combat and lived; no other that I know of possesses the strength or skill with the blade that I do. I have possessed this strength since birth, but only upon meeting the progenitor demon did I understand its purpose. With it, I struck him down, but he fled before I could end him once and for all. As he is immortal, and I am not, he will no doubt hide himself until old age claims me."

Yoriichi sighed, remembering that day. "Still, thank you for your kind words, Amako-sama. I would be more than happy to travel with you as your envoy."

Finally, he turned back to Qilby, and relayed Amako's message, word-for-word. "I believe I can hear her voice as we are blessed by the same gods. Her garb is that of a priestess in our country of Japan. Though I do not know of any shrine maidens with the ears of a wolf, nor with the powers she possesses. But I know in my bones there is a connection between us. My mother often prayed to the sun goddess when I was a child, asking her to bless me. She even made me these charm earrings."

He reached up to turn one of his earrings, so that Qilby could see the image on it - the sun rising over the mountains. "That is why I know I am blessed."

As he spoke, Qilby might notice something intriguing about the man, which Yoriichi had not brought up - Qilby would not be able to sense the other man's wakfu.

Edited by kagescorpionakki on Aug 28th 2022 at 4:41:43 AM

Wulfrik, Hill

-The half-Kurgan leaves to look for shelter as do some of the others. Wulfrik considers remaining on the hill, but decides against it. Only disappointment and irritation lies here, perhaps the ruins will prove better sport, or something that will actually fight.-

The Hill: It's Dangerous to Go Alone—Go Somewhere Else!

The "little man's" trembling frame slowed its shaking. The jump scare was over, and Krillin could feel his heartbeat return to its normal rhythm. The big man's ki was definitely up there, but at least he didn't seem eager to pick fights with anyone here.

That could change at the drop of a hat, of course. People don't use human skulls and bones as accessories if they're the peace-loving sort.

Part of him wanted to tag along with the group departing for the ruins, if only to keep an eye on the World-Wanderer. But another part of him knew that however scary Wulfrik seemed, he was one problem in an ocean of problems right now. He couldn't just walk around and wait for the skull-dressed man to do something reprehensible, and he couldn't just arrest him for his rhetoric (which could be exaggerated) or the contents of his outfit (which could be faked). Even if he tried, where could Krillin detain this guy? Where the hell even were they?!

Having settled to address bigger problems first, the police officer chose to stay on the hill. As they gradually woke up, Ashe and Grey would see a man in a police uniform waving to them with a smile.

"You kids alright?"

Out of his peripherals Krillin spotted the addition of yet another sleeping figure on the grassy hill.

"Looks like this place isn't finished kidnapping people." he frowned.

Qilby turned towards Amako as she spoke her apparently quite selective language. He studied the miko's mouth carefully, perhaps trying to ascertain the most common sounds based on the movement of her lips. Nothing to go off of yet, but he had to start somewhere.

The Eliatrope stroked his beard as the swordsman summarized his struggle against Kibutsuji Muzan, and furled his brow a bit when he mentioned the connection Yoriichi sensed between Amako and himself.

"It seems to me that your world's deities play a much more proactive role in mortal life; in my experience that's quite rare, but it's certainly refreshing!"

Once her message was relayed, the sagely man gave Amako a kind smile. "Your sympathy is greatly appreciated, Miss Amako. However, I find that a planet is simply a location in the never-ending dance in the Krosmoz. It is the people who make a planet a home, and my Eliatrope and Dragon brothers and sisters not only escaped the destruction of our homeworld—we thrived as adventurous explorers."

Qilby adjusted the pince-nez resting on his nose and stared out towards the frontier. "And as explorers, we have come across many different worlds with many different kinds of physics, magic, and forms of life. With any luck, my experience will help us out of our current predicament."

The wizard said nothing as a group motioned to move towards the ruins to the East; at least, not until Pyra and Nia decided to head in that direction as well.

"Might I suggest a different destination, Pyra of Alrest? I searched this land for currents of Wakfu, and could only see traces of small amounts in that direction. There's only plants and animals for miles, and certainly no living civilization—hidden or otherwise."

Qilby pointed in several directions as he listed his findings. "As one might expect, the areas with the largest collection of what I'd wager are 'civilized' lifeforms are located in the direction of the cities. Here, here, and here. However, I did spot a small collection of organisms resembling our shapes in the forests in that direction." he points towards the forests neighboring the Last Outpost. "A village, perhaps. If we want to learn about what happened to us, I believe our best move is to speak with the inhabitants of this planet. Perhaps they know more about our situation than we do."

The Last Outpost: Much Obliged

The robed figure gave Kayne a small nod in thanks, and began to cautiously walk around the Chocobo barricade, given them a generously wide berth. Once on the other side, the figure would turn over their shoulder and offer the artificer a little advice.

"Those demons carry spears imbued with lightning. Should I fail to slay these scouts or more arrive to replace them, then I suggest you hide wherever you can, maiden. The Children of Chaos are not to be underestimated. Farewell."

Unless Kayne or the Chocobos chose to stop them, the robed figure would then proceed to journey eastward.

Castelia City: "Lemme Go!"

Both demons turned to each other as they felt an adamantine grip clamp down on their shoulders and move them against their will. Too frightened by the threat of their Lord (and much more frightened by the danger of pissing this crazy Crossbreed off), the creatures didn't seize the opportunity to strike at an easy target, and simply squirmed and snarled in protest.

Maybe it was the adrenaline rush from their current situation, or maybe it was just dire desperation married with blind luck, but the demon beneath the dragon-woman's left hand started to speak in something more than the snarls and growls of its native tongue:

"Please!" the demon cried in a language it both knew and did not know. "Do not...engage. Face...wrath!"

Elaine, the Hill > path to the Ruins.

Elaine's brow furrows. 'The Powers That Be'? What does that even mean? The Alolan deities? One of the ancient trios? Arceus? Great. This is why you don't fuck around with legendaries. Problem is, I haven't been fucking around with legendaries, so what gives?

She nods along in spite of her skepticism, making a brief squinting glare in the direction of the 'fox lady' when the reptilian one gestures toward her, then turning her attention back to him. "Yeah? And why's that?" she questions before glancing across the assembled group again, internally noting that they don't seem to lack for collective bargaining power; would the one who abducted them really be hanging around like this, so squarely within attacking range of whatever exotic pokémon this group might bring to muster? Fat chance it's her fault, she thinks after a moment.

Standing out too is what seems at first glance to be a pair of remarkably ugly Slaking and their... trainer? She seemed human at a glance, but now Elaine isn't entirely sure from looking at her. Closer examination of those pokémon, though, reveals them to be... Rillaboom? Too small. No flames like Infernape, completely wrong build for Primape. Just her luck she ends up mysteriously plopped someplace far from any recognizable pokémon, though she does wonder what their deal is regardless. Type? Any good moves? In truth, they look a bit dopey as the fox-lady feeds them.

In any case, her eyes then turn to the longhaired Machoke-man with the sword who'd begun making his way toward what seems to be a complex of ruins situated in the east, followed by many of the others. "Now this guy's got the right idea." Elaine remarks to the reptilian, perking up and gesturing with a paw. "That's the kind of place you find a legendary pokémon to sort things out, not chit-chatting with these dickheads. Watch and learn."

With a mildly dismissive "Later!", a hurried trot then takes her past everyone else until she's beside the man, roughly in step. "So what's your whole deal? Cool sword, by the way. Name's Ellie."

Edited by Chortleous on Aug 28th 2022 at 6:16:35 AM

Nia and Pyra, The Hill: Two Less from the Cimmerian's Harem, Two More for Qilby Wakfu's

While the duo from Alrest were on their way, the voice from the Eliatrope caused them to stop. Nia only asked herself what the bloody hell a "Wock-foo" was out loud before she looked at Pyra. At first, they were hesitant to trust what the man was saying about how these ruins are devoid of people and how he was able to find something closer. Pyra could only ask her Driver, _{"What do you think?"}

_{"How can does he know that there's someone closer away from the ruins from the 'Wock-foo?'"}

_{"I'm not sure either. What he said about his world's different than how our world works. He didn't mention 'Ether' once, though 'Wakfu' could be a different name for it."}

_{"Can we trust him?"}

_{"What would he have to gain by manipulating us?"}

Nia was about to raise her objection, but she halted, _{"...Good point."}

_{"Where do you think we should go?"}

_{"Don't like our odds much, but we'll have to go with what the 'Wock-foo' man said."}

Pyra nods to Nia and made her announcement to anyone willing to listen, pointing to the Last Outpost's direction "Change of plans for us, we're going to head over there to see if anyone out here can tell us what's going on."

Nia added to the statement, "Tag along or don't. Just try not to die or get us killed."

Conan - Hill

"Calm yourself, little man." Conan bluntly spoke to the deformed dwarf, who seemed to live quite the sheltered existence if a few skulls were enough to terrify him. "Vaenir warriors often go at lengths to make themselves look more fearsome, and the remains of fallen foe is a common enough, if gruesome, practice. No need to treat it as exceptional." While Spinner's explanation failed to impress, despite the barbarian's lack of knowledge towards modern terms. "So they are mere entertainers and nobility's jesters, making a show of themselves. And you speak of a man specialized in slaying them as if that's something to be proud of. Your ambitions must truly be small."

As for Pyra's answer towards the nature of her and her companion, this caused the swarthy Cimmerian to look at her with an almost clinical examination. "So you are a kind of summoned spirit, bound to her in fighting? I wouldn't have guessed that just by looking at you, no matter how fair you may be. If anything, her feline features make her more fantastical in my eyes." Still, he wouldn't say no to either the pair or Makura as travelling companions, and so he actually gave them a small smile. "Ah, that is a good party, indeed! I hope we can give each other good company, Makura." Tough her apeish features brought him confusion at first, the wild man would be lying if he said she wasn't beautiful.

But it has to be said that the newest arrival was the one that gave the experienced adventurer the most pause yet. At least the others were roughly human-like, but this was some kind of hybrid between a cat and a fish, talking as if there was nothing abnormal about her existence! He looked down at Elaine with a truly confused look as she joined him. "...I am Conan, of Cimmeria, and currently a wandered. What... What in blazes is a pokemon?"

By contrast, the foolish councils of the robed Qilby only brought a scowl to the warrior's stern face. The suspicions he had gotten from the bearded man's robes had been confirmed by the talk of sensing energy; his suspicions of there being a sorcerer there. "Bah! Typical of a wizard to trust his ill powers over the practical reality. He would have us brave unknown woods, whose inhabitants we know nothing about, because he thinks there are larger so-called civilizations across them, instead of investigating gathering ressources in a nearby place. Not that I would blindly believe your claims of knowing all about places you've never been to, with terms so vague in important details and specific in others seemingly at random."

He then pointed at Elaine. "For example, what exactly are your criterias for what's an animal or a person where this small one has come to talk to me? What your ill-defined view, so confident in its superiority, maymistake for an herd may in fact be a tribe all of itself." Yeah, Conan really doesn't have good experiences with wizards.

Edited by Alecoene on Aug 28th 2022 at 1:33:28 PM

The Hill: Turning the Other Cheek

Up until now, Qilby had paid absolutely no attention to the imposing figure who was the first to motion a venture to the ruins. Maybe Conan imagined this was intentional, or maybe the pencil-necked sorcerer was simply too distracted to pay attention to those around him. Regardless, when the barbarian made his unsolicited retorts, Qilby turned to Conan with a look: the glimpse of discovery one might have when they see someone noteworthy for the very first time.

...too bad that look wasn't directed at Conan, but to the Vaporeon by his side.

As a counter to the barbarian's point about Elaine's suggested or actual personhood, Qilby did something Conan might not have expected: he laughed, and conceded that point.

Turning to Nia (once again getting distracted, it seems), Qilby answered her question. "Wakfu is the energy that surrounds and binds all living things; it's the force in which life is created and sustained. Eliatropes such as myself can see the ebbs and flows of Wakfu, and by glimpsing the currents I can induce some details about the world around me.

"That said, it's not without great limits. While it's helpful for getting one's bearings, what Wakfu cannot tell me is the intelligence of an individual." Qilby turned towards Conan and smiled. "You make an excellent point regarding our new quadrupedal friend here, and I won't contest it. Should you find civilization amidst those ruins, I'll congratulate you for proving me wrong twice in one day!"

Perhaps to Conan's disbelief (and almost certainly to his distrust), there was sincerity in the Eliatropes words and expressions. Whether it was just patience or a genuine interest in learning anything new about this planet, he didn't take any offense from what some might consider Conan's disrespect.

Elaine, the Hill > path to the Ruins.

Elaine squints, taken aback by Conan's clear confusion. Is this guy serious? Maybe they just don't call them that in 'Cimmeria'.

"They're... like me? Principal lifeform on the planet right alongside humans, got various flavors of superpower, all shapes and sizes, kinda everywhere, most of 'em don't talk like I do." she explains, taking a look back at the group and noticing something for the first time... or more specifically, the suddenly-glaring lack of something: pokéballs. Any human with a brain dicking around in the wilderness would have a few on their belt, not to mention a pokémon or two out and about, like those apes and the reptilian one back there. Had the whole group been taken unaware like she'd been? Not likely, this lot looks positively ready for adventure otherwise, in spite of their bickering. Weird.

"Yeah, he does make an excellent point, wizard guy." she nods in concurrence with Conan, briefly thankful that, for his part, he seems to have little trouble accepting her as intelligent despite his confusion. Some trainers have trouble with that.

"But, uh..." the vaporeon says, flexing her tail as the latter half of it down to the fluke begins to shimmer and ripple, turning translucent as if entirely composed of water, suspended in the air and held in its prior shape by some unseen force even as she walks. "...you sure this isn't ringing any bells?" she asks, her tail returning to normal nearly as quickly as it had changed. "We just kinda do that sort of thing. Powers." she reiterates, again looking back at the rest of the group with the beginnings of a perturbed look crossing her features. "Don't tell me that none of the rest of you guys have seen a pokémon before."

She indicates the obvious nonhumans in their midst. "Cuz there's at least three here. You've been talking to them."

Edited by Chortleous on Aug 29th 2022 at 4:10:46 AM

Rachel, Desert

Rachel couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit at the floating machine’s question.

“Well, yes. It means I’m the head of the city’s government, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I am important.”

As for the other question, she scratched her chin and gave it some thought.

“Hmmm… people are on their guards right now. I imagine there are some in Castelia who are nervous at the very idea of strangers coming into our city. But I personally believe that we have room for anyone who is willing to follow the law - Pokemon, machine, or otherwise. Whether or not any sort of formal economic or diplomatic relations will be forged between Castelia and other areas in the region… yes, quite possibly. If we are to be in this world together for the long haul, I think it would be best for us to cooperate for our mutual benefit, rather than war with each other over resources. I just hope the others here feel the same way.”

Castelia City

The Lugia tilted her head as the demon spoke in a language she understood, seemingly confused that she apparently spoke this strange language in the first place.

“So you are indeed capable of communicating with me.”

After a moment of deliberation, she decided to let them go. It seemed apparent they were not going to be able to overpower her or flee from her, and besides… even if they were rather frightening looking demons, they were still sapient creatures, and she felt bad about manhandling them.

“Ok, look… I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt anyone. It’s just that things are very tense right now, and I don’t know which of the people coming here from these strange new lands are friend or foe.”

She gives a heavy sigh, evidently feeling more stressed out than she was willing to let on earlier.

“I cannot allow you to go to that building - it’s a security risk I’m not willing to entertain - but I don’t want to be unreasonable. If you are willing to speak with me… did someone send you here? Are you just looking around? I just want to understand, that’s all.”

Igno - The Hill

"Aye, nice to meet you all, name's Igno, by the way!" Igno introduces himself with a smile, producing a piece of parchment and a quill from one of his sleeves. He starts scribbling something down as he observes his surroundings, listening to the others discussing their next move, with the occasional bout of verbal jousting.

"Good luck with your exploration out there!" He calls out to the group heading out eastwards, before adding "I don't know about you all, but I'll try to get back up here by sundown!" With that said, he approaches the tree the group is gathered under, giving the back of his paper a quick lick before sticking it to the trunk of the oak, leaving his note in plain view of everyone; It announces his intent to come back up the hill before nightfall, complete with a doodle of a sun setting and two moons rising over the hill.

"Mm'kay, that should let any late-comers know they're not alone." Igno voices to no one in particular as he stuffs the quill back into his sleeve, making his way back to the others. "Aaaalright, so, what're y'all's plans for today? I was thinking of getting to the ruins through the forest over there-" He points towards the south, "-but I'm probably gonna make a small detour thataway first." He vaguely gestures eastwards, glancing at the river surmounted by the rocky bridge, trying to get a good look at where it comes from, and where it leads.