[Nexus] Outside XXXIII

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

Darcy goes back to tending to Ilpholin. Time skip?

[BladeofObliviom]

[Ancient Forest]

Jacob sighs and speaks to the rest of the group.

"I wish not to interrupt, but this battle is not yet won. There is still magical energy emanating from the tower, and sinister dweomers are gathering there."

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

Yep. To night, where Ilpholin, who can't sleep, tired though she is, waits until Darcy sleeps. Being exhausted and unable to sleep is a terrible feeling as I found out recently.

Anyways, Ilpholin has a fair deal of practice learning when someone's actually asleep or really awake and waits.

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

Quite terrible, yes.

Darcy lays quietly with her arms around Ilpholin, using her shapeshifting to handle the arm problem and make sure Ilpholin is as comfortable as possible. She isn't exhausted, but she is worried, and that keeps her up a while. Eventually, though, she falls asleep.

[Earl of Purple]

Oldale Town Ruins

Eventually, the pirate will find a fossil. It resembles a root, as it is a Root Fossil. If she finds the right machine, or potentially powerful enough magic, she could turn it into a Lileep, one of my favourite fossil pokemon.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

Darcy can shapeshift into rock-em sock-em robots? Glee.

Once Ilpholin is fairly sure Darcy is asleep, she'll go to carefully try to take the amulet off without disturbing her. A feat made more difficult by the whole arm snuggling thing admittedly. Darcy wouldn't understand. Doesn't understand. Ilpholin just... needs it off her. For a little while at least.

[Murkus]

Small Village

Flint Filth didn't even know its name. It's strange, how things jump to your mind like that. Jump on your mind. Meaningless little things. Jack. That thing wearing Jack's face didn't need any names, did it? No. Not today. He hadn't said. Why? Jack? What did you do to me?

Bodies quivered in the square, standing like ducks. In a row. Ducks can't row, haha. Bodies. Human bodies. Some of the bodies were awfully small, but Jack had said everyone. Every one. Everytwo. No. Jack! Ugly. Ugly people.

Laughing. Someone was laughing. Jack. No. No, Jack. Not me. Never me, God please no. Me? Them. There. The first. A boy, of course. Stepforward. Was that out loud? Hands closed around his shoulders. Mine, yes. Flint? Liftinghimup. There's a dimple on Firstone's neck. Tastes good. No. No? No! Hahahaahahahaa

Firstone thrashing on the ground. Screaming, they run, but Jack's things are too quick. [I]Jack, no! You can't make me do this, you can't just make me do this! This wasn't our deal! [/IamFilth]Deal. Deal, yes. With it. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.yesss

Secondonetastesgoodtoo.

Smallvillage

Jack decided to rename it that, once he was finished. Mr. Filth, his brains still scrambled like eggs (I hate duck eggs), had finally stopped fighting. Jack wondered if he'd finally killed his brain. A pet vampire, especially one that was such an old minion, was too useful to waste. With his vamp-sire Rot gone, Mr. Filth was AMEN's only resident nightwalker, and the poor brainwashed **** would have total control over this town's fourty-two residents. Which meant Jack would.

Fourty-two. Jack couldn't remember if that meant something. He decided it did.

He sat back to watch. It looked like Flint might be crying, from all the way over here, though that little girl's blood was making it hard to tell. "Don't use those all those tears, Filth!" Jack shouted, laughing fit to burst. "You've only got so many left."

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

Darcy stirs a bit, but doesn't wake.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

After several minutes of breathing easy and feeling so much better, probably stretching into longer than she initially planned, Ilpholin reluctantly puts the amulet back on.

It's going to be a long night.

But otherwise uneventful.

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

In the morning, when Darcy awakes, she checks on Ilpholin first thing. If she's asleep, she'll hold as still as she can to let her continue to sleep.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

Ilpholin can't sleep. Not so long as she's still a demon. Not sure she would even if she could, out in this vulnerable area.

"Morning."

[McBish]

[Melody's Island- Lost Wave]

Derek will take the wheel back from Lyanna as they reach the island. He figures she isn't quite ready to bring the ship to a stop. Though he will explain what he is doing the whole time to her, even letting her flip the switch to lower the anchor. Then he goes to get the rowboat ready to head ashore.

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

"Good morning, beautiful," Darcy says to Ilpholin. "How are you?"

[Lex-Kat]

{The Lost Wave- Melody's Island}

"Come on. Let's go up top." Reinholdt says to Estia. He's not ready to try and convince her to give Derek a chance. Doesn't know Derek well enough. But hopefully she can put up with him for now.

Estia follows Reinholdt toward the steps, reaching for his hand, as they go.

Derek will take the wheel back from Lyanna as they reach the island. He figures she isn't quite ready to bring the ship to a stop. Though he will explain what he is doing the whole time to her, even letting her flip the switch to lower the anchor. Then he goes to get the rowboat ready to head ashore.

Lyanna watches intently, learning all she can. This was fun, Mister Derek. Thank you.

They should anchor safely enough. The water isn't choppy or anything, and the beach looks very nice and dry.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

Ilpholin moans lightly. Just a bit worse from yesterday really.
"Only time in my life I don't feel beautiful."

{The Lost Wave- Melody's Island}

Reinholdt will squeeze Estia's hand and lead the way to the rowboat Derek's getting set up. "We're ready when you are."

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

"You still are," Darcy promises. "Can you eat anything?"

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

"I can still name something I can eat." Ilpholin smirks at Darcy with a hungry look.

"Yes." She adds. "Not nauseous." Not yet at any rate.

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

Darcy blushes, and puts together a meal out of supplies provided by Mister Squiggles. Probably sammich stuff. At least we hope he provided something like that, rather than a henchman wrapped in spider silk.

[McBish]

[The Lost Wave]

"My pleasure Lyanna, you did great."

Derek will row them ashore hoping out once they reach the shore to pull it up the last bit. He feels a bit guilty for having ended the trip early. He will offer to help each girl out of the boat.

[FireFox]

Depends. One of the three turns and steps forward to address the cyclist, stance guarded, arms crossed over the pattern of bloody red splatters and streaks emblazoned on his armor's chestplate. We're here to take something away from someone, but we've got good cause. You the one who put the ad up on the wall?

The other two outright ignore the conversation going on behind them, keeping their eyes on their fellow questants. Just in case. The one armed with sword and sickle stays silent, but the heavily armed one seems more friendly, holding out his hand to the skittish-looking young man.

Hey. Name's First. You got a name? It's a genuine question too, not at all rhetorical. It would seem they're used to people not having names at all.

[Lings Blood's Plains]

Wall, what wall? Wait..... it must have been shadow.
"Sorry boys looks like I'm your target. Shadow put up that bounty for me I guess. Well bad day for you to meet me Serph the pyromancer. It means code red for you three." Time to [/I]annihilate[I]

Serph says this real fast like words slurring up next to each other but it was clear he was ready for a beatdown. As he was about to call on fire to roast the egg on his ride glowed.

"Serph..... Code Red..... annihilate..... mission parameters recieved."

The egg promptly explodes to a radius and damage of a grenade.

King's Blood Field

****.

Alpha doesn't even go for his gun, even the bare split second it would take to draw and open fire more time than he has to spare. He just lunges, trying to get his hands around Serph's neck to choke the life from the bastard. Even then, he's still a little too slow.

His armor takes the brunt of the blast, stopping nearly all the shrapnel short of reaching the infinitely more vulnerable flesh and blood beneath. The brute, on the other hand, it can do nothing against, not with him well within the concussion radius. Alpha is shaken like a beetle in a jar, lifted off his feet and dashed against the ground, tearing skid marks into the earth.

His brothers are granted ever so slightly more time to act, of which they waste none. First tries to tackle the man he's speaking with and pull him to the ground, out of the way of flying shrapnel, while One simply barks something incomprehensible, causing a shimmering blue semi-circle of energy to spring forth just in time to catch his share of the damage.

I'm Bran. Who do you- That's all the young wizard gets out before he's tackled and has the air knocked out of him.

[Asha'man]

King's Blood Field

Serph knew his task was to bring the egg-like artifact back to the empire but he did not think it would just explode from him speaking like he normally does. Being right beside the motor that carried the egg he was able to see it glow before it decided to explode. In that moment the fire he was about to call to attack was changed to defend himself. A wall of fire, and also the explosion, propelled him to the left and consumed some of the shrapnel, which was mostly his ride, that flew his way. However since he was close some bigger pieces of shrapnel went through. A big chunk embedded itself to his right arm and a smaller piece impaled the palm of his hand. Lastly on his right leg a wound can be seen near the hamstrings, not deep but it would hamper movement. Since he was actually propelled pretty far he was able to avoid Alpha choking the life out of him. As soon as the shock of pain was gone, as he was trained to take this much damage and more, he used fire to seal his hamstring wound. he pulled away the fragment that impaled his palm and burned the wound closed as well. The deeper wound would have to wait as he did not think he could withstand removing that. Blood was flowing slowly from that wound and the bone was most likely fractured quite badly. He wouldn't be able to use the arm for the remainder of this encounter. Serph panted, this was bad he was going to end up reacting to the foe in the fight instead of controlling the flow. He looked to where the egg exploded and saw something else not there earlier.

In place of the explosion, a child figure occupies that space. His night black hair was fixed in a ponytail. His eyes were blank which was creepy alongside his pale complexion. He wore a red Xingyi. This was not the surprising part though. On the child figure's sides were floating Tower Shields twice his height and inside the left shield was a large spear sheathed with a chain, the right shield contained the head of a twin-sided half moon Ax. On his back was a Dao. The sword fit his back in proper size. His eyes suddenly dart to all of the people in the field. The spear in the shield flew to try and impale alpha whilst the Ax in the shield flew to try and decapitate One. The injured Serph alongside First and Bran on the floor was ignored for the moment.

For those familiar with Serph and Red these two look a lot like them and one even has the same name. These two were often seen adventuring together but at this moment it looks like they don'know one another, how odd.

[Lex-Kat]

{The Lost Wave- Melody's Island}

Reinholdt will squeeze Estia's hand and lead the way to the rowboat Derek's getting set up. "We're ready when you are."

"My pleasure Lyanna, you did great."

Derek will row them ashore hoping out once they reach the shore to pull it up the last bit. He feels a bit guilty for having ended the trip early. He will offer to help each girl out of the boat.

Estia looks down at Derek, embarrassed. I'm sorry, Derek. You've been nothing but kind to us. she accepts being helped into the rowboat, as does Lyanna.

Lyanna, once Estia is in the boat with her, gives her sister a biiiig hug. I love you, Estia.

I love you too. Estia hugs her sister back.

They will all note that it is evening when they get back to the island. Most of the villagers are in their tents, a few are outside of them. A bright red ember can be seen moving to their mouths, then down again. Occasionally the ash being flicked away.

Jezebelle and Melody are no where to be seen.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

Mister Squiggles isn't giving up his Cyan snack pack so easily.
Darcy and Ilpholin get sammiches and whatever the Nexus version of lunchables/lunch packs are.

"Did you have any luck finding Koro?" Ilpholin asks to pass the time.

{The Lost Wave- Melody's Island}

Reinholdt climbs out of the boat. "Thanks for the ride." He tells Derek.

He turns to the girls. "I believe I promised you something when we got here." Reinholdt reaches behind his back and pulls from thin air... a plate of fresh brownies! Well... probably not quite as fresh as when he picked them up from whichever kitchen he got them from (most likely the Applehills). He didn't personally make them like he did the cookies, but he doesn't point that out.

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

"Mhm. I think he'll be glad to come see stay with you, but he might have just been trying to get more gold," Darcy says. "I'm sure we can find him again."

Koro + Kashi 4ever!

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

"I'd question whether it was Koro at all if he wasn't after more gold."

The slash fiction burns my brain!

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

"He'll be expensive to keep around, but he's just so cuddly!" Darcy says, barely suppressing a squee.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

"Ah, we'll just come up with gold substitute. Like those gold coins filled with chocolate. Think he'll fall for that?"

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Grove

"Probably not. Can bears even eat chocolate? Or is it poison to them like it is dogs?" Darcy asks.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Grove

"Well he's not supposed to eat it. Though the amount of times they get into camper food, I can't imagine it's bad for them." Ilpholin's feeling better after eating. This is a reasonable excuse to stop using size one.

[Earl of Purple]

Abandoned Motorway Community

This stretch of cracked, potholed tarmac extends for quite a distance. Several smaller roads branch off, but most of those are not as long and end abruptly in forests, ruins, or off cliffs. But as to the motorway itself, it emerges from the ocean (where its eventual end is undetermined), extends up a beach, through several forests, over hills and carries on fairly straight until it suddenly stops at a mountain range, where it appears a mountain has since grown from where the motorway leads, with patches of tarmac and rusting cars protruding from cliffs and perched atop mountains. For all of that length, it is overgrown with weeds pushing through the cracks and using the rusting hulks of cars as a place to put down roots.

There's little of interest along it, but something that is interesting is at this point, about halfway along. This point is a circular wall made of ex-cars tipped onto their sides and propped up by the rusting heaps of scrap that were once other cars and studded with short towers made from stacked cars and usually topped with a large gun or crossbow. These walls have been battered and pulled down in places- something, not so long ago, came and forced its way through, ignoring the gates.