[Nexus] Inside 49

[McBish]

[Grayzone Rooftops]

"Nice to meet you, Calvin." He floats upward in the air for a few seconds to watch the people disperse. "Well there's a distance limit. That's a bonus. Or maybe it's a sight thing. Any clue why this is happening?" he asks as he returns to a standing position.

"I don't really know the why, but I am close to figuring out the who. A group of enchanters who like using people as weapons."

Young Star might notice that Calvin managed to escape the mob with only a little damage. The worst of it seems to be a cut on his shoulder that he seems to be ignoring for now, or he just hasn't noticed.

"This isn't the first time I have had someone play mind games with me. Though inviting a crowd like this is new."

[ThirdEmperor]

Red Zone- Docks, Canneries and Taverns

"Maybe I want to kill. That's what you surfacers do up here, isn't it?" Melbourne snaps, clicking his pincers. Seems that's a touchy subject for the merkin. "Business is business. I don't ask nosy questions about your business."

[Lost_Deep]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Finding a usable circle shouldn't be that hard!

No doubt due to some magic or another the field is completely free of rain, puddles, snow, or any other bothersome weather phenomena that might interfere with the magic that's practiced here. Nothing worse than having a circle broken because of the ground getting too muddy.

As for Amil!

The wood drake sits down on her haunches in a patch of grass and watches. Her feet are already rooting into the soil and she makes a bit of a sour face at the taste of it. The ground here is tainted with soot, grime, and coal tar. Things can grow it's just... gross...

"I really don't like this part of the city..."

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Hadlin frowns at the book, but doesn't make any indication of how strange that is; these two have enough to worry about without his own misgivings.

Once arrived at the summoning grounds of the academy, Hadlin will find the nearest acceptable summoning circle and get to work; without the ability to bind these beings, he has no need of any fancy material components. his means that simply 'calling' to them, as it were, is the simplest, easiest, and most effective route.

Let's hope this works properly.

Hadlin will fall silent, not even chanting. He's simply extending the power of his soul out to give a knock on the proverbial door, and give them an open channel to arrive at the ritual grounds.

Kate stand back and waits, the cloak pulled around her form as some defense against the wind.

Does it work? Is it working? Hadlin won't feel any kind of contact, no confirmation that the knock was heard. It'll be still and quiet, no great rumbling or tremors in the astral realms to signify that anything is coming... or noticed at all.

Not until an invisible force tries to beep Hadlin's nose. "Beep!"

This is followed be a pair of childish giggles, from places unknown. However, considering that they have previously shown no notion of personal space, they're probably very close.

[OrchestraHc]

[Grayzone Rooftops]

"I don't really know the why, but I am close to figuring out the who. A group of enchanters who like using people as weapons."

Young Star might notice that Calvin managed to escape the mob with only a little damage. The worst of it seems to be a cut on his shoulder that he seems to be ignoring for now, or he just hasn't noticed.

"This isn't the first time I have had someone play mind games with me. Though inviting a crowd like this is new."

[Grayzone Rooftops]

He did see a bit of the martial arts display just from noticing he was being attacked by a mob. That he's unharmed is somewhat surprising but helps Young Star to understand why he's being targeted.

"And if I had to guess, they aren't happy you made it past round one? Why would you be a specific target?"

Red Zone- Docks, Canneries and Taverns

"Maybe I want to kill. That's what you surfacers do up here, isn't it?" Melbourne snaps, clicking his pincers. Seems that's a touchy subject for the merkin. "Business is business. I don't ask nosy questions about your business."

"Then I hope you are being paid for it. Murder is such a risky endeavor to do for free. Killing, at least in the manner I do so, is not so common." Pepperjack says. "I'm sorry to intrude. I'm normally so much better in these situations. Well then, is there anywhere you'd like me to guide you? Specific or otherwise?"

[McBish]

[Grayzone Rooftops]

"I've been hoping to track them down and get the chance to ask them. Though crowds of muderous people make that a bit hard to do."

Calvin has a few guesses and has pieced together a few things from his uncle but he isn't about to share his theories with this superhero just yet.

[The Bushranger]

[Ice Rink]

Eileen, on the other hand, waves with a - admittedly somewhat forced - smile as she approaches her arch-fiend nemesisfriendly companion and the Maggiest of All Magbots!

"Fancy seeing you here..." she says, once she gets within less-than-shouting-range, in a too-friendly tone.

[OrchestraHc]

Grey Zone Rooftops

"Anywhere safe you can hide out to be completely alone? It's going to be hard to continue your detective work with this thing on you."

[Devixer]

Soldiers. Armed, uniformed soldiers, practically parading down Remnant's doorstep. Not good doesn't cover it. Wrath didn't even think something like this was possible, not even in the Nexus, where anything's possible. Although...

Well, in a way, it's a good sign, isn't it? If Elexxion's willing to pull this kind of stunt to retrieve Kailee, then they must be absolutely terrified of her or the others escaping.

"Leaves me a little queasy, but I don't think we have much of a choice right now. Wrath says, dropping his voice to a low whisper to avoid being overhead. "Would you happen to know any spells to stop scrying?"

Doing the Time Warp in the Red Zone

"An escort's dermal armor is resistant to void-warping as a result of spacial distortion," Kailee explains. Then she remembers that she's not talking to a pair of customers and adds, "That is to say, I'll be fine."

"I can stop magical scrying, but I don't know much about the technical stuff," Ashley mumbles. "Stick close to me," she adds before casting the teleport spell. Should all go well, the trio will end up in front of an old-looking warehouse, a respectable distance from the Red Zone.

[Murkus]

[Deus Mechanicus Church]


"Yeah that's right, Mr Frescot. She is currently at the workshop. I already informed her about your arriving."

He waves at a man and a robot to his left side.

"Semian! Come over here. I need your help."

What happens now might confuse the stage and the dryad. Instead of the man, the robot comes closer while the man goes on with what he was doing.

"Oh! Excuse me I haven't introduced myself. I'm Gabrial, acolyt of Deus Mechanicus and former programmer. And this, as you may have heared, Semian. One of the local robots."

The 8 feet high robot holds up one hand as if he was saying 'hi'.

"Semian, please bring me the hold in storage room 2." A short break appears as if the robot answers the man.
"Really? Well it's good you know. Oh and bring us a comfortable char for Mrs Frescot, please."

It's obviously that you can't leave a woman at her state standing all the time, right? So if not stoped the robot will go and bring the things he was asked to do.

"Was he, uh... talking to you?" Adir asks. He's got nothing to add for their needed materials, so he lets the robot go.

[Lord Magtok]

Ice Rink

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Ice Rink


"You worship the chaos gods?" Tracey asks. "I didn't peg you for the religious type."

Needs shakes his head.

"Oh, no. No, but there's only so much you can do without innate magical talent, is there? Being a Magtok sort of limited us that way. There was that, and superiors forbidding the use of sentient sacrifices in one's rites, and a notable shortage of ancient tomes and artifacts around the MagCave, too. Even so, we weren't just going to stand around and not have any sort of magical defenses, were we?

Eventually you have to start making deals with things. I leased my soul a few times to Hastur, bought some hallucinogens off The Crawling Chaos, had my left eye replaced by Horus, babysat for The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young once or twi-"

Oh look, it's Eileen! Took Needs an awful long time to notice her, didn't it? And Tracey didn't seem to do much better, either. I guess she's just not very good at being noticeable, is she?

[Lost_Deep]

"Hi." She says to the man, though not with her usual energy.

[Gerris' (new) House]

"Just how things have been going overall. How has your foster family been?" Erani says, deciding to start with the easy question.

"Very nice," They say in unison. After an awkward pause one continues, "They're kind and respectful, and they aren't prying. They're supportive."

[Morcleon]

Spoiler

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Generic Street

Imesah barely has time to raise her shield once she realizes that this next attack won't be a ray of some sort. Of course, it doesn't do her much good, and she winces as she's driven back by the light. While it would hurt, disable, or incapacitate any normal person, Imesah is far from normal. So even as pain wracks through her body, she still takes a single step forward. She then, for some odd reason, sheathes her sword and raises her right hand into the air.

That reason is probably revealed when a great bolt of lightning appears in her hand and she throws it directly at Sayuri at a decent speed, though.

[Generic Street]

After a moment, Ignai opens her eyes again. She looks at the conflict playing out in front of her in horror. She tears her eyes away and looks for some way to escape. She can't be trapped here.

[Generic Street]

As the light fades away, Sayuri barely has time to see the lighting before it strikes her. Having to destroy the radiant cannon before reaching Sayuri weakens it, but it still retains enough power to zap her, knocking her out of the air. She bounces off her barrier, and lands a little ways off from Ignai.

...speaking of Ignai, the fiery woman may be able to notice that the light of the walls dimmed significantly for a moment when Sayuri was struck by lightning, and did so again when she bounced.

The shocked and battered woman stands unsteadily, but then throws Imesah a determined grin. "You won't finish me off that easily!" She points her hand at the paladin and casts out several tangled masses of woven starlight, trying to entangle her enough to get in an attack.

[Halae]

Kate stand back and waits, the cloak pulled around her form as some defense against the wind.

Does it work? Is it working? Hadlin won't feel any kind of contact, no confirmation that the knock was heard. It'll be still and quiet, no great rumbling or tremors in the astral realms to signify that anything is coming... or noticed at all.

Not until an invisible force tries to beep Hadlin's nose. "Beep!"

This is followed be a pair of childish giggles, from places unknown. However, considering that they have previously shown no notion of personal space, they're probably very close.

[Steel Street - Arcane Academy]

Hadlin is beeped on the nose, interestingly enough, but he keeps a straight face rather than give in to surprise, "Greetings. I entreat you, my friends here have been modified by your actions. Please, return the scaled body of Kate Kyland, and all the material possessions you took."

[Rebonack]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

"That would be really wonderful. If we could get our things back," Amil echoes. "And provided that monster I was shoved in before isn't hurting anyone feel free to just leave it wherever it is."

If they let the Tyranid out she'll have to kill it.

And that would probably be a fairly hairy fight.

Even three against one.

Y'know.

Assuming her friends don't pull something totally unexpected. But this is the Nexus, right? Expect the unexpected!

[Lost_Deep]

Steele Street - Arcane Academy

"Oh! We forgot to give the forms back!"

"Sorry!"

Kate will immediately revert to her draconic form, with clothes. Amil's stuff will appear in front of her, all as it was the moment it was taken.

"I'm glad you found a from for yourself, jewel. It's very pretty!" one voice says to Amil.

And with that... they are presumably gone? They don't say anything more, but there's no way to tell.

[Halae]

[Steel Street - Arcane Academy]

"While you're here..." Hadlin will do something then. All in all, it's an explanation of how a pact works, transmitted in thought to the cotton candy voices. Hadlin doesn't actually have telepathy, this is simply a pre-recorded message he's learned to give to new creatures that may be able to sign a pact. It's mentally exhausting for the pact creature, but Hadlin is the one doing all the work, as weird as that sounds. Come to think of it, with all the magic he's been burning, he's probably near exhausted himself too.

[Rebonack]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Amil gathers her things!

She's pretty happy to have all her stuff back. Especially those extra-dimensional storage space utility pouches! Utility pouches with a capacity to hold a whole bunch of pretty much anything are pretty darn useful.

The wood drake wraps a few creepers around her things and adheres them her flank for easy access later. Though one object is treated with exceptional care. A small brass hammer on a silver chain. This she picks up with reverence and fastens over a branch near her collar bone. The wood blackens and smoulders slightly, causing Amil to wince with discomfort. But she seems intent to ignore it.

"Pretty?" she echoes, glancing back at herself. "I... guess..."

[Lost_Deep]

Steele Street - Arcane Academy

Kate will take off the cloak, and go to hand it back to Hadlin. "Thanks for letting me use it for a bit; it's very nice." She should probably... sheesh, she NEEDS to get something like this herself.

She will turn to Amil then. "Are you going to be okay?" The change was rather large, and jarring... and Amil isn't acing like it's all okay. It's little things, which might just be a side-effect of the body change, but it might not be.

The voices, however, will receive the information. Hadlin (and only Hadlin) will get the feel that they're whipsering to each other. They will then whisper to him, in some way that there is no way that Kate or Amil could overhear it.

"Interesting!"
"Very!"
"You want something from us?"
"What do you want?"
"We'll help. We'll tell you what we want."
"Just say what you want."

[Halae]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

"You've shown an admirable ability to shape the bodies of others, and this is something I desire. What would you ask of me?" Hadlin asks. This was always the risky part of a pact; you never know what the being you're dealing with will ask for if they're not established as a pact being.

for now, Hadlin will merely carry his robe in his arms.

[Rebonack]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Amil averts her gaze to the ground, the end of her tail twitching. She shifters her weight a bit on her feet and gives her wings a ruffle before realigning them.

Somewhere in the distance a portly looking guy is practicing his magical tuba.

"It's just a lot all at once. Jarring I guess," Amil finally replies, holding up one of her forelegs and peering at it. She flexes the fingers slowly, watching the movements like someone might watch a spider crawling across the wall on the other side of the room. With no small degree of disquieting feelings.

"Kate. You have to remember. I died. That body I was wearing before was the thing that ate me. And I think whatever those... things... did to me? I've become a demon of Dissonance from my home world."

That sounds bad.

"But... I guess in some way that's a little bit better than being stuck in an alien monster. At least this is something I have context for. Something I know about."

She frowns a bit. "And now wearing my great grandmother's hammer is burning me."

[Lost_Deep]

Steele Street - Arcane Academy

Kate looks at it. "It was probably meant as a ward against demons. It's kind of sad that it's burning you now." Sad, but it makes sense. "Is there any way to turn back? The Nexus would be the place for that."

The voices whisper to each other, discussing...

In fact, they discuss for some time. Hadlin won't be able to tell what they're saying, but they're going back and forth.

"Listen to this."
"We'll give this to you."
"For you or others"
"It'll last as long as you want, a time or forever."
"Or until you turn it off."
"But you'll be a beacon."
"Not to souls."
"Nor to things you know."
"Not elementals demons angels or any of those things."
"But there are things that are just odd"
"Things that break the rules where they come from."
"That can escape because of that."
"That work outside of the rules."
"And to these you will stand out."
"Look at this guy."
"Yes?"
"No?"

[McBish]

Grey Zone Rooftops

"Anywhere safe you can hide out to be completely alone? It's going to be hard to continue your detective work with this thing on you."

"If I can get to my Uncle's house I should be safe, he might even be able to help get rid of whatever kind of spell is on me. Though I wish that I had been able to spot who ever cast it. I don't suppose you could give me a lift."

Calvin can't believe that he is asking this costumed guy to fly him home, but it is better then fighting a mob the whole way.

[Halae]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Hadlin considers for a moment, then says, "I find this acceptable."

He'll allow them to do what they wish, and create an imprint of them during the time that they do this, as is necessary.

[Rebonack]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Amil nods slowly. "Things blessed of the Emperor or the Huntress are harmful to demons. But I can't just get rid of it! I can't! It's... all I have left of home..."

Yeah.

It is pretty sad.

The wood drake certainly seems sad about it. The wood the icon is hanging from looks pretty sad too. If you count charred and black as being sad.

"I don't know. Dissonance is born of the strife between the Huntress and the Emperor. Back home there isn't any way to fix it. Demons either succumb to the darkness growing in them or they spend their whole lives in service fighting it off. I haven't ever heard of anyone becoming human again."

A beat.

"Well... there's an old wives tale about a Huldra becoming human again after devouring one thousand souls. But... that isn't exactly a path I want to even consider."

Not even for a little bit.

[OrchestraHc]

Greyzone Rooftops

"Yeah, sure, but are you sure your uncle can handle the spell? I'd also like to ask a few more questions on the ride." Young Star walks up beside Calvin, and tries to pull the teenager's arm over his shoulder and his own hand on Calvin's hip. "Hope you don't mind, but I'm told this is a little more dignified than being carried bridal style." He'll then make an attempt at lift off. Calvin should feel less like he's being carried and more like he's become weightless.

[McBish]

Greyzone Rooftops

"Thanks this is a bit better then being scooped. Ask away though I don't know if I'll be able to give you all the answers. As for my uncle, he doesn't lack in willpower, he should be able to hold himself back."

Calvin figures if this random dude can do it then his uncle will be able to as well. He will point the way as they fly.

[Lost_Deep]

Steele Street - Arcane Academy

Hadlin will feel... nothing. Nothing unusual. No pain, no tingle, no flux in magic. However, the process will be successful and he will gain the ability to shape the bodies of others. And clothes, he will probably find later.

He will also begin to emit something that will attract the attention of certain beings... specifically the freaks of the universes. Not gods, or souls, or typical outsiders, but the freaks and geeks that don't follow the rules because the rules don't want to touch them because ew. There are several categories of "other" that Hadlin will stand out to now. He'll probably meet them soon enough; the nexus is the perfect place for such things to gather.

Kate will try to pat Amil on the shoulder (ignoring small spines because she can do that now that she has her scales back) reassuringly. "Things are only impossible until they are done. If you need me, you can give me a call. I'll tell Copi about it, too; she'll let you know if she finds anything." This would be the time where they exchange numbers, if they're going to do that.

[Halae]

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Hadlin will bow towards Cotton Candy 1 and 2, before starting to walk away; they can certainly follow if they like, but Hadlin isn't calling on them anymore, and I imagine they're tired now.

Hadlin will go towards Kate and Amil, before saying "Is there anything I can do to help? I'll admit I'm at a bit of a loss in this instance."

[Gullara]

[Deus Mechanicus Church]

"Thank you." Sakura says with a smile. She does seem a bit confused by the exchange with the robot. If there was one hing she knew next to nothing about, it's robots. She's really only seen Mia's robot briefly.

[Gerris' (new) House]

"That's good to hear. They sound like good people. So have you two been getting out and doing things recently?" Erani asks.

[Rebonack]

[Abandoned Theme Park]

And now something altogether unrelated to anything else. Our adventure takes us to Last Ride, a weathered and decaying theme park that hasn't heard the sound of laughter in years. Largely due to the unseemly number of unexplained deaths that took place here.

Boom.

The vampire's head snaps back as the round rips through his skull, the force of the impact knocking the undead clean off his feet and flat on his back. That won't kill him, of course. You have to decapitate the undead for that. Or give them a sunbath. Or shove a chunk of wood through his heart.

The creature is already healing at an astonishing rate, rising back to his feet, when a barbed metal spike lances through his torso and pins him to the nearby concrete wall of the funhouse.

There comes a loud crunch of metal boots against gravel as an imposing figure in blue armor lands heavily in the alley. "Well twinkle toes," the Cobalt Knight leers as he clomps closer. "That was some fancy footwork back there. Now why don't you tell me where your pals are lurking-"

The Knight's axe begins to make a high-pitch hum as the cutting edge blurs. "-and I'll make this nice and quick-like."

((Fighty mystery investigation thingy in creepy amusement park. Any takers?))

[Steele Street - Arcane Academy]

Numbers are exchanged!

Cell phones sure are useful devices to have. Will the summoner wonder what these odd little trinkets are, perhaps?

Anywho.

Amil gives a slight nod. "If there's anywhere I can find an answer it would probably be here. The Nexus has an uncanny habit of thumbing its nose at the impossible. Usually that's bad, but in the case of a curse that's impossible to lift?"

That sounds a bit better!

The wood drake gives the summoner a sad look. "I doubt it. Unless you know how to remove divine curses."