NationStates

Luminesa wrote:Thana

Thana calmly watched his students struggling to climb the side of the cavern. He did not seem concerned with the danger of his challenge, and his impassive expression gave away no scrutiny in his eyes. His flowing black hair and trench coat floated around in the soft breeze, unaffected by sunlight or heat. Each student sought to find their own ways up the mountain, but they were not working together. While Xavier was trying to find a way to launch himself forward off the branch, Death walked up the shadow-covered walls. ...You all have your own plans, don't you?...Interesting...In a true battle, you will have no time for plans...only for actions...only for survival... He snapped his fingers, and smiled softly as the cavern wall was covered more and more in serpentine darkness.

Both the Angel and Death managed to singe and burn away some of the serpent-creatures, but more continued toward them indiscriminately. Larger ones began to appear as Death continue to walk up the wall, causing Xavier some alarm. Covering his arm with fire, he punched it into the wall, hooking himself into the rocky wall while shooting fire up toward the incoming monsters. "I don't think this is all he has planned, guys...And driving up the wall isn't going to be easy with all these monsters in the way!" he warned. With each inch he climbed, flames streaked up the cracks in the rock, creating intricate and treacherous designs as they seared through rows of incoming serpents. As larger ones seeped out of the walls, however, one found Kimiko through the rocks. Immediately, it grabbed her leg, pulling her downward and slamming her against the wall.

"Kimiko!" Xavier was nearby, and as he blazed a group of larger serpents, he scaled the wall and moved toward her. He had to be careful to try and save her, however, as one wrong move would send her crashing downward. GIven everyone was already at least twenty feet high, such a drop would hurt her physical body. Taking a risk himself, he grabbed her arm with one hand, and tore her out of the serpent's grasp, throwing her higher up the wall. With his other hand, he blasted the serpent apart, causing himself to let go of the wall and to fall back a few feet. He managed to smash his burning fists into the walls another time, now as he hung about ten feet above the ground.

Ahhhh...that's more like it... Thana thought, with a smile. Seeing the motorcycle, however, he narrowed his eyes. He opened his trench coat ever-so-slightly, and more shadows slipped out, too slight for the students to notice. However, when they flew down toward the students, they took a rather frightening shape: a giant, orb-shaped creature made of multiple huge, staring eyes. Shadowy blackness leaked off the orb like gas, and the eyes petrified everyone who made eye-contact with it. Now with all eyes on you...let's see how you three respond...

Osiris

Osiris liked when questions were sent back his way. He knew then he was teaching an attentive student. Giving her the slightest of smiles, he walked toward her and stood before her. "...Interesting answer...as for what I believe?" He thought for a few silent moments, and then his eyes flickered back to her. "...History is not singular, in a line, focused toward a single point in time. History is now, history is tomorrow, history is yesterday. And all of those moments...are now. All that we know, all that we see and feel and speak, it is the need to reach across boundaries that are beyond human understanding. To understand history is to know the divine. And because I am divine, history is the continual reach across all of time in the now. And in every world, every dimension, every choice even. When you are created for a purpose, you sometimes forget...the world around you also has a purpose. And everything in it has a purpose. A choice. Decisions. They lead to ends, but those ends...they never end."

Kimiko
"Thank you Xavier, that thing literally came out of nowhere," she dusted off her skirt as she felt the presence of the terrifying eye monster. "Such a malicious soul," she felt as if it was staring at her, just like all of the eyes back at her home. Old anxiety began to resurface and her face grew pale. "N-not, again," she shuddered as she remembered her home, her form fading from sight to hide from the glaring eyes. She still felt the eyes watching her even if they may not be, "S-stop, staring... Stop watching me!" She unsheathed her sword and the blade lit aflame, she jumped up towards the creature blade held above her head. She became visible once as she flew through the air, "It's not my fault that they created me!"

The flames of her sword obscured her vision, so she was solely following the presence of the beast. When she thought she was close enough she brought the blade down from above, flames chasing close behind it. The first attack was followed by two more, and then two more after that, her attacks were vicious and showed no form of thought behind them. After the fifth hit the sword faded and a bow took its place, she jumped back away from the wall and pulled back an arrow. "Death is too merciful for you, YOUR SPIRIT IS MINE!" the arrow began to glow with a teal light. Flames built up at the tip of the bow as the arrow was fired, it burned with an intense heat and was shot directly at the creature's core. After the arrow was fired Kimiko began to fall down the wall, she had quickly expended a large sum of energy and it was bound to take its toll. She figured that her attacks wouldn't kill the creature but that's what she had a team for, to cover for what she could not do. She kept falling down the wall and was quickly approaching the place where Xavier was stationed.

Nyarlathotep
"I see," she was expecting some sort of test, or trial as part of her curriculum, but this kind of learning was by far one of her favorites. "And what of chaos and order, two sides of the same coin? Dark and light, good and evil? Do you hold the same ideas about them as most others do?" she was a being that represented chaos, but acted in a manner that showed little to no deviation from order, so she was curious about what Osiris thought about the two concepts.

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana

Thana calmly watched his students struggling to climb the side of the cavern. He did not seem concerned with the danger of his challenge, and his impassive expression gave away no scrutiny in his eyes. His flowing black hair and trench coat floated around in the soft breeze, unaffected by sunlight or heat. Each student sought to find their own ways up the mountain, but they were not working together. While Xavier was trying to find a way to launch himself forward off the branch, Death walked up the shadow-covered walls. ...You all have your own plans, don't you?...Interesting...In a true battle, you will have no time for plans...only for actions...only for survival... He snapped his fingers, and smiled softly as the cavern wall was covered more and more in serpentine darkness.

Both the Angel and Death managed to singe and burn away some of the serpent-creatures, but more continued toward them indiscriminately. Larger ones began to appear as Death continue to walk up the wall, causing Xavier some alarm. Covering his arm with fire, he punched it into the wall, hooking himself into the rocky wall while shooting fire up toward the incoming monsters. "I don't think this is all he has planned, guys...And driving up the wall isn't going to be easy with all these monsters in the way!" he warned. With each inch he climbed, flames streaked up the cracks in the rock, creating intricate and treacherous designs as they seared through rows of incoming serpents. As larger ones seeped out of the walls, however, one found Kimiko through the rocks. Immediately, it grabbed her leg, pulling her downward and slamming her against the wall.

"Kimiko!" Xavier was nearby, and as he blazed a group of larger serpents, he scaled the wall and moved toward her. He had to be careful to try and save her, however, as one wrong move would send her crashing downward. GIven everyone was already at least twenty feet high, such a drop would hurt her physical body. Taking a risk himself, he grabbed her arm with one hand, and tore her out of the serpent's grasp, throwing her higher up the wall. With his other hand, he blasted the serpent apart, causing himself to let go of the wall and to fall back a few feet. He managed to smash his burning fists into the walls another time, now as he hung about ten feet above the ground.

Ahhhh...that's more like it... Thana thought, with a smile. Seeing the motorcycle, however, he narrowed his eyes. He opened his trench coat ever-so-slightly, and more shadows slipped out, too slight for the students to notice. However, when they flew down toward the students, they took a rather frightening shape: a giant, orb-shaped creature made of multiple huge, staring eyes. Shadowy blackness leaked off the orb like gas, and the eyes petrified everyone who made eye-contact with it. Now with all eyes on you...let's see how you three respond...

Osiris

Osiris liked when questions were sent back his way. He knew then he was teaching an attentive student. Giving her the slightest of smiles, he walked toward her and stood before her. "...Interesting answer...as for what I believe?" He thought for a few silent moments, and then his eyes flickered back to her. "...History is not singular, in a line, focused toward a single point in time. History is now, history is tomorrow, history is yesterday. And all of those moments...are now. All that we know, all that we see and feel and speak, it is the need to reach across boundaries that are beyond human understanding. To understand history is to know the divine. And because I am divine, history is the continual reach across all of time in the now. And in every world, every dimension, every choice even. When you are created for a purpose, you sometimes forget...the world around you also has a purpose. And everything in it has a purpose. A choice. Decisions. They lead to ends, but those ends...they never end."

Kimiko
"Thank you Xavier, that thing literally came out of nowhere," she dusted off her skirt as she felt the presence of the terrifying eye monster. "Such a malicious soul," she felt as if it was staring at her, just like all of the eyes back at her home. Old anxiety began to resurface and her face grew pale. "N-not, again," she shuddered as she remembered her home, her form fading from sight to hide from the glaring eyes. She still felt the eyes watching her even if they may not be, "S-stop, staring... Stop watching me!" She unsheathed her sword and the blade lit aflame, she jumped up towards the creature blade held above her head. She became visible once as she flew through the air, "It's not my fault that they created me!"

The flames of her sword obscured her vision, so she was solely following the presence of the beast. When she thought she was close enough she brought the blade down from above, flames chasing close behind it. The first attack was followed by two more, and then two more after that, her attacks were vicious and showed no form of thought behind them. After the fifth hit the sword faded and a bow took its place, she jumped back away from the wall and pulled back an arrow. "Death is too merciful for you, YOUR SPIRIT IS MINE!" the arrow began to glow with a teal light. Flames built up at the tip of the bow as the arrow was fired, it burned with an intense heat and was shot directly at the creature's core. After the arrow was fired Kimiko began to fall down the wall, she had quickly expended a large sum of energy and it was bound to take its toll. She figured that her attacks wouldn't kill the creature but that's what she had a team for, to cover for what she could not do. She kept falling down the wall and was quickly approaching the place where Xavier was stationed.

Nyarlathotep
"I see," she was expecting some sort of test, or trial as part of her curriculum, but this kind of learning was by far one of her favorites. "And what of chaos and order, two sides of the same coin? Dark and light, good and evil? Do you hold the same ideas about them as most others do?" she was a being that represented chaos, but acted in a manner that showed little to no deviation from order, so she was curious about what Osiris thought about the two concepts.

Thana

...The eye has frightened Kimiko...Now comes the challenge...How do you respond when you know you are always being watched? Thana drew a dagger from his pocket, a frightening-looking dagger with a hilt made of wrought-iron and shaped like a skeleton hand. The short, sharp blade was black, and he tossed it up and down in his hand indifferently as he watched below. Nobody could tell what he was planning as he stood ready, and what they had not noticed was the fact that the monster's eyes followed Thana's own unblinking gaze. ...Will you finally work together?...Or will you run away and scatter in your fear?...How do you face the primordial fear of judgment?

As Xavier continued to climb, he noticed Kimiko's increasing terror, and then he jolted when he saw the huge eye glaring them down. He had been so busy climbing that he had not seen it. Now he knew that he had to help her, as he could see that her attacks were nothing more than a frenzy against a foe she could not defeat. She slashed at the being with an impressive burning sword, even stabbing one of the eyes. Eeriely enough, the being did not stop staring as the blade sliced it open. In fact, more eyes, smaller eyes, opened and multiplied across the murky surface of the monster. They continued to observe Kimiko, including during her fall down the side of the cavern.

"KIMIKO!" Xavier thought quickly, and he grabbed his Wheel Staff with his free hand. Holding it out, he yelled to her once again. "KIMIKO! GRAB ON! I'VE GOT YOU!" he yelled. He stopped climbing to try and help her, pulling her up once he knew she had grabbed the staff. He then held her on one arm, while he launched himself forward with his Wheel Staff's flames. Eventually, he managed to fly upwards of thirty feet, in order to continue the treacherous climb. The Throne's eyes only glanced toward the eye-monster once, but when he noticed it, he felt a crawling feeling in his insides. Something could see everything within his body, something that was not supposed to be looking so close. He swallowed hard, and continued firing up the cavern wall. In the meantime, the monster's main eye melded back together, and glared down at Death as she rode her motorcycle.

Osiris

More questions. This class felt a little more like an interview than a class, but Osiris did not mind. Nyarlathetop was inquisitive, and oddly calm. Perhaps she knew that he was not yet judging her. Now, he was only observing what he needed to teach. "...Very good questions...chaos exists when one...lets go of certain parts of history. If one...abandons the possibility of choices, of certain decisions...if one is not aware of their place in history...chaos persists. Chaos is the existence of the pieces needed for order, but without any awareness. Without any understanding. At the risk of making this a personal issue for you, I believe that may explain why they call your father, for example, the 'Blind Idiot God'. In him are all the pieces...but they float through an existence which, to the mortal eye, should not exist. Order...is giving those pieces shape. Giving time shape, and form, is a form of order. And is the focus of history."

He held a book, and suddenly all of the pages flew out. Seamlessly, they simply appeared and floated around the room, several hundred pieces of paper with writing and photos. “...This textbook has all of the information you want on a topic. The information is still there...and it is not any less valuable for being scattered. However, they do not match each other. They make no sense in this...lack of order. Now...if I put them back...” The pages suddenly floated back to the book, in the exact order in which they were found, and he closed the book. He smiled. “...That’s order. All of what you want is in an order that makes sense.”

After putting the book down, he thought on her other question. “Good and evil? Now...those are a matter of...weight. I can of course demonstrate, if you are aware of how judgment works for me.” He nodded toward her chest. “You do not have to worry. If you wish to go through with it, you will not bleed-out, nor will you feel too much pain. But it is up to you. I can merely explain, but a demonstration might help you understand my beliefs better.”

Finsternia wrote:

Luminesa wrote:"He summoned a dragon?!" Hyperion shouted. He turned and stared at Michael, who was perturbed. He held the pen in his hand neck to his lip, thinking hard. Neither of the teachers knew quite how to react to the scale of this fight now. Now both of them wanted to stop the fight, but neither one knew which should take the first move. Hyperion could not even tell if Apophis had used his tag yet. "...Michael...what do you wanna do?" he muttered. When Michael did not respond, the two teachers could only continue observing.

Patriah braced himself for the new dragon's attack, even as he crashed to the ground on his back. Holding back the clawed attack with his own claws, the two pairs of claws fought back and forth, pushing to try and keep one from slashing into the other. The other dragon was terrifying, however. Almost demonic, its black scales gleamed in the chaotic atmosphere. Its four wings looked unnatural, just like the body of its summoner. The Wind Mage knew he had to act quickly, given that he now had to kill this dragon and then reach the death ray. GET OFF YOU GIANT FREAK!! Patriah roared, as he fired a blazing green flame, almost like a long stream of ignited crystal, into the face of the other dragon.

Hamiri steeled herself as she saw the imminent duel. Gathering the Night Magic around her, she held her trusted Witchblade in front of her, glistening as dark as the night sky around them. Despite losing her trap, she knew a one-on-one fight was her best chance right now. Tricks would not work on a god who thrived on tricks. She needed to be faster than a god, an impossible feat. If she could just keep-up, however, maybe she could find an opening. "...Let's go," she muttered. She rushed him for a forward assault again, but this time she jumped over his head, doing a flip in the air. When she came down, she slashed down toward his head. Knowing he could blast her into the sky, she created a shield out of the Night Magic around her, and held it at her elbow.

Apophis

Bahamut roared as emerald flames tried to scorch its nightmarish visage. Green blazed on its scales, reflecting on abyssal depths to show iridescent green. The dragon seem to be almost rearing away from the attack, seemingly burned from the point blank expulsion of draconic breath, until the flames and smoke died down to show the dragon's maw open. Magic coalescenced into that jaw, murky orange and red, into a mass of power which it exhaled against its opponent. The impacted shattered the Earth, burned the soil into magma and lava, upturned the ground that it spewed magma out.

In the sky, meanwhile, Apophis stayed still as the mage-cum-swordswoman rushed towards him. That kind of speed could surprise any mortal, any expert of martial arts, but not his golden eyes. He could see the fault in her stance, in her positioning, in the way she jumped, in the way she held her blade, in the way she breathed and circulated magical power within her veins. Hamiri would feel impact and the sound of steel. The chains of the scorpion tail blocked her attack and the savage chains' barbs clashed against the edge of her sword. The scorpion tail maneuvered and struck her by the side with a flash of cosmic blue. The strike carried explosive power, shattering her shield of dark power and blasted her with the coldness of the realm beyond Earth's exosphere. The God moved with indescribable speed and was immediately catching right in front of her flung body, his chains whipping around him as he struck with the scorpion tail for the second time.

Patriah roared as the dragon drew back from his flaming attack. His enormous maw stretched into a grin, at least until Bahamut began to try and fight back. The dragon had its own terrible fire, and it had been waiting for its turn to blaze its opponent. The flames almost exploded in Patriah's face, made of not just burning energy but also of lava. He only managed to survive due to blocking the attack with his arms and face, but the attack had far too much momentum. The force was enough to tear through the Earth, driving Patriah further into the ground and driving his enormous body toward the ocean. The burning only seemed to stop once he landed against the sea-shore, which had calmed just a little. In great pain, the emerald dragon-Mage rose to face him once again, but this time he flung his wings out around him. The tornado he created this time did not merely spin everywhere. Rather, it shot directly toward Bahamut. Once it hit, it would split the dragon apart from the sheer, concentrated speed of the shearing wind.

Hamiri knew her own attack was not perfect, however. She knew he was scanning her attack, trying to find her weak-points, and he had the upper-hand. Thus she needed to add to her attack. However, Apophis took his turn too quickly for her to react. He blocked, stabbed her in the side, and sent an explosion of cosmic light through her all at once it seemed. Extreme heat and terrible cold clashed in her veins, and the fever spread through her, making her dazed and unable to attack for a moment as she flung through the air. However, she managed to slow herself down just in time to see his next attack coming...

...Maybe just...one trick will help... Flipping out of the way, she shot higher into the air, risking herself and her opponent. She then took her sword, and put herself in the cross-shaped position she had floated in, before his first attack. "...Try this for size!" she called. As the night rippled around her once again, she gave herself a boost. Her raven-wings glowed a midnight-blue aura, and her sword glowed in the same way. She then flung multiple slashes through the air in a sort of convoluted dance, seemingly aimless, though elegant. Each slash, however, fired through the very fabric of the air, of the sky, rushing upon Apophis and slamming into him as they reached his body. Deep, painful gashes appeared on his skin, but they were not normal gashes. Rather than showing blood, they were filled with starry darkness, which leaked out onto his body. "...Now!" Hamiri pulled her sword back, and the oozing Night Magic poured out of his skin and into her sword. She did not plan to use it to kill him, but to weaken him badly. ...Once he starts to weaken...then I can go for the final blow...

Luminesa wrote:

5pb wrote:Kimiko
"Thank you Xavier, that thing literally came out of nowhere," she dusted off her skirt as she felt the presence of the terrifying eye monster. "Such a malicious soul," she felt as if it was staring at her, just like all of the eyes back at her home. Old anxiety began to resurface and her face grew pale. "N-not, again," she shuddered as she remembered her home, her form fading from sight to hide from the glaring eyes. She still felt the eyes watching her even if they may not be, "S-stop, staring... Stop watching me!" She unsheathed her sword and the blade lit aflame, she jumped up towards the creature blade held above her head. She became visible once as she flew through the air, "It's not my fault that they created me!"

The flames of her sword obscured her vision, so she was solely following the presence of the beast. When she thought she was close enough she brought the blade down from above, flames chasing close behind it. The first attack was followed by two more, and then two more after that, her attacks were vicious and showed no form of thought behind them. After the fifth hit the sword faded and a bow took its place, she jumped back away from the wall and pulled back an arrow. "Death is too merciful for you, YOUR SPIRIT IS MINE!" the arrow began to glow with a teal light. Flames built up at the tip of the bow as the arrow was fired, it burned with an intense heat and was shot directly at the creature's core. After the arrow was fired Kimiko began to fall down the wall, she had quickly expended a large sum of energy and it was bound to take its toll. She figured that her attacks wouldn't kill the creature but that's what she had a team for, to cover for what she could not do. She kept falling down the wall and was quickly approaching the place where Xavier was stationed.

Nyarlathotep
"I see," she was expecting some sort of test, or trial as part of her curriculum, but this kind of learning was by far one of her favorites. "And what of chaos and order, two sides of the same coin? Dark and light, good and evil? Do you hold the same ideas about them as most others do?" she was a being that represented chaos, but acted in a manner that showed little to no deviation from order, so she was curious about what Osiris thought about the two concepts.

Thana

...The eye has frightened Kimiko...Now comes the challenge...How do you respond when you know you are always being watched? Thana drew a dagger from his pocket, a frightening-looking dagger with a hilt made of wrought-iron and shaped like a skeleton hand. The short, sharp blade was black, and he tossed it up and down in his hand indifferently as he watched below. Nobody could tell what he was planning as he stood ready, and what they had not noticed was the fact that the monster's eyes followed Thana's own unblinking gaze. ...Will you finally work together?...Or will you run away and scatter in your fear?...How do you face the primordial fear of judgment?

As Xavier continued to climb, he noticed Kimiko's increasing terror, and then he jolted when he saw the huge eye glaring them down. He had been so busy climbing that he had not seen it. Now he knew that he had to help her, as he could see that her attacks were nothing more than a frenzy against a foe she could not defeat. She slashed at the being with an impressive burning sword, even stabbing one of the eyes. Eeriely enough, the being did not stop staring as the blade sliced it open. In fact, more eyes, smaller eyes, opened and multiplied across the murky surface of the monster. They continued to observe Kimiko, including during her fall down the side of the cavern.

"KIMIKO!" Xavier thought quickly, and he grabbed his Wheel Staff with his free hand. Holding it out, he yelled to her once again. "KIMIKO! GRAB ON! I'VE GOT YOU!" he yelled. He stopped climbing to try and help her, pulling her up once he knew she had grabbed the staff. He then held her on one arm, while he launched himself forward with his Wheel Staff's flames. Eventually, he managed to fly upwards of thirty feet, in order to continue the treacherous climb. The Throne's eyes only glanced toward the eye-monster once, but when he noticed it, he felt a crawling feeling in his insides. Something could see everything within his body, something that was not supposed to be looking so close. He swallowed hard, and continued firing up the cavern wall. In the meantime, the monster's main eye melded back together, and glared down at Death as she rode her motorcycle.

Osiris

More questions. This class felt a little more like an interview than a class, but Osiris did not mind. Nyarlathetop was inquisitive, and oddly calm. Perhaps she knew that he was not yet judging her. Now, he was only observing what he needed to teach. "...Very good questions...chaos exists when one...lets go of certain parts of history. If one...abandons the possibility of choices, of certain decisions...if one is not aware of their place in history...chaos persists. Chaos is the existence of the pieces needed for order, but without any awareness. Without any understanding. At the risk of making this a personal issue for you, I believe that may explain why they call your father, for example, the 'Blind Idiot God'. In him are all the pieces...but they float through an existence which, to the mortal eye, should not exist. Order...is giving those pieces shape. Giving time shape, and form, is a form of order. And is the focus of history."

He held a book, and suddenly all of the pages flew out. Seamlessly, they simply appeared and floated around the room, several hundred pieces of paper with writing and photos. “...This textbook has all of the information you want on a topic. The information is still there...and it is not any less valuable for being scattered. However, they do not match each other. They make no sense in this...lack of order. Now...if I put them back...” The pages suddenly floated back to the book, in the exact order in which they were found, and he closed the book. He smiled. “...That’s order. All of what you want is in an order that makes sense.”

After putting the book down, he thought on her other question. “Good and evil? Now...those are a matter of...weight. I can of course demonstrate, if you are aware of how judgment works for me.” He nodded toward her chest. “You do not have to worry. If you wish to go through with it, you will not bleed-out, nor will you feel too much pain. But it is up to you. I can merely explain, but a demonstration might help you understand my beliefs better.”

Kimiko
As she fell passed Xavier he extended his staff out for her to grab on to, she grabbed on to it and didn't let go until she got to another foothold. "Sorry about that, and thanks again," her voice was quiet as if she was losing her voice, she stood back up and drew her sword from the flames once again. She began to jump up the wall along with Xavier talking as she did, "I think this is where the teamwork aspect of this test is supposed to be most prominent." She quickly swung her sword in the direction of the beast sending another wave of flames directly at it. "I'll also assume you felt the same sensation when it looked at you Xavier? I believe it peers into your fears when it looks at you," she tried to avoid its gaze when she was looking at it, so she turned towards Xavier, "Any Ideas?"

Nyarlathotep
"Weigh my heart? Feel free, even if you ripped it from my chest it wouldn't matter," she stood up, arms behind her back and waited for Osiris to do his judgment. She had never been judged by another deity before, so this was a welcome revelation. "I don't know how this works, so if I have to do anything special you'll have to let me know," she took a deep breath and continued to wait.

Apophis

At the sound of Patriah's beating wings, Bahamut threw the emerald dragon away from itself as the winds picked up into a razor sharp tornado. The Chaos Dragon roared and, as if reaching forward with its claws to drag something, invoked the creation of a water spout. A large pillar of seawater now became a shield for the horrendous dragon which clashed against Patriah's attack. Their spins counteracted each other as both spun against the other. This produces a violent reaction between the two forces, sending wind and droplets of water on all directions with the resulting shockwave. Bahamut roared for its next retribution and lightning came down from the sky, striking Patriah by the horns.

As Apophis is about to deliver another deadly strike, his opponent abruptly rose up into a higher altitude. As his eyes immediately followed the direction, black blades of sword auras meet his humanoid body and left marks of starry night sky instead of long gashes of red. Immediately the mage swordswoman followed up with another attack, ramming her sword deep inbetween his ribs and down into his lungs. A gasp could be heard from Apophis, something that should male her feel like the God has been severely injured, as she pulled out. However, the tag on Apophis' ear fell off and a sudden influx of magical power erupted around him. With no chance to react, globes of light emerge around himself and one exploded right at Hamiri's face at point blank. The resulting eruption would have injured both and Apophis himself was flung away, burned and bruised. However the God is not yet done as his chains transformed back into its crooked staff form before and used it as conduit for his next sorcery. "Reversal." His absolute domain over darkness overpowered Hamiri's magical control over the gashes. They simultaneously disappeared from his body and, with a bang, infliced upon Hamiri's body gashes of the same kind but now even worse. A dark curse permeates the wounds, absolute divine power over chaos and darkness enforces them, making them bleed out the life essence of victim steadily and without stop. Apophis' burns and wounds suddenly flash red as his eyes glowed with bright gold and despair settles in Hamiri's eyes as the injuries on his body vanish where only smooth bronze skin remains.

Death
On a wall

---

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana

...The eye has frightened Kimiko...Now comes the challenge...How do you respond when you know you are always being watched? Thana drew a dagger from his pocket, a frightening-looking dagger with a hilt made of wrought-iron and shaped like a skeleton hand. The short, sharp blade was black, and he tossed it up and down in his hand indifferently as he watched below. Nobody could tell what he was planning as he stood ready, and what they had not noticed was the fact that the monster's eyes followed Thana's own unblinking gaze. ...Will you finally work together?...Or will you run away and scatter in your fear?...How do you face the primordial fear of judgment?

As Xavier continued to climb, he noticed Kimiko's increasing terror, and then he jolted when he saw the huge eye glaring them down. He had been so busy climbing that he had not seen it. Now he knew that he had to help her, as he could see that her attacks were nothing more than a frenzy against a foe she could not defeat. She slashed at the being with an impressive burning sword, even stabbing one of the eyes. Eeriely enough, the being did not stop staring as the blade sliced it open. In fact, more eyes, smaller eyes, opened and multiplied across the murky surface of the monster. They continued to observe Kimiko, including during her fall down the side of the cavern.

"KIMIKO!" Xavier thought quickly, and he grabbed his Wheel Staff with his free hand. Holding it out, he yelled to her once again. "KIMIKO! GRAB ON! I'VE GOT YOU!" he yelled. He stopped climbing to try and help her, pulling her up once he knew she had grabbed the staff. He then held her on one arm, while he launched himself forward with his Wheel Staff's flames. Eventually, he managed to fly upwards of thirty feet, in order to continue the treacherous climb. The Throne's eyes only glanced toward the eye-monster once, but when he noticed it, he felt a crawling feeling in his insides. Something could see everything within his body, something that was not supposed to be looking so close. He swallowed hard, and continued firing up the cavern wall. In the meantime, the monster's main eye melded back together, and glared down at Death as she rode her motorcycle.

As she fell passed Xavier he extended his staff out for her to grab on to, she grabbed on to it and didn't let go until she got to another foothold. "Sorry about that, and thanks again," her voice was quiet as if she was losing her voice, she stood back up and drew her sword from the flames once again. She began to jump up the wall along with Xavier talking as she did, "I think this is where the teamwork aspect of this test is supposed to be most prominent." She quickly swung her sword in the direction of the beast sending another wave of flames directly at it. "I'll also assume you felt the same sensation when it looked at you Xavier? I believe it peers into your fears when it looks at you," she tried to avoid its gaze when she was looking at it, so she turned towards Xavier, "Any Ideas?"

Death rode over and up the wall, now grasping a fiery motorcycle that seemed to leave tracks of flames across the cliffside. She grasps her scythe, now tightly in her left hand. The scythe rides up the cliff-face, making a crescent moon across the rocks. The shadows in the crescent vanishes, crumbling as if rust sweeped off the wind to reveal a pristine interior.

She slows down as she reaches the others and pops the kickstand. Her arms rest on the kickstand. Despite the intense experience of the others, Death seems to have a hard-edged, still expression across her face. She pulls out a mirror and angles it until she can see the many eyed beast. A part of her chuckles a bit, "huh, I have a feeling that is... a beholder. I have a feeling one of the orchestrators of this has been playing one too many games of DnD. It fears very little. But only because most things that would attempt to fight it, best not stare at it. Of course, that is not always a problem."

She then puts her mirror away, looking back up to them as they continue clambering up the wall. Death slowly steps off her bike. Her feet awkwardly fall as if finally affected by gravity, before she lifts them up and places them flat on the wall, "There we go."

Death walks over, adjusting her aviator glasses as she moves alongside them now. The scythe was at her side. The motorcycle, on the otherhand, began to rev and move around. The living machine turned around to meet the beholder. The shine of the polished metal seemed to glisten a bit. The tires began to spin heavily before the brake was released. The roaring beast pedaled across the cliffside. The front wheels seemed to clamp upwards into a wheelie. The machine was not afraid."

Death clasped her scythe, "shall we, um... teamwork? I... think that was the idea behind this assignment."

Finsternia wrote:Apophis

At the sound of Patriah's beating wings, Bahamut threw the emerald dragon away from itself as the winds picked up into a razor sharp tornado. The Chaos Dragon roared and, as if reaching forward with its claws to drag something, invoked the creation of a water spout. A large pillar of seawater now became a shield for the horrendous dragon which clashed against Patriah's attack. Their spins counteracted each other as both spun against the other. This produces a violent reaction between the two forces, sending wind and droplets of water on all directions with the resulting shockwave. Bahamut roared for its next retribution and lightning came down from the sky, striking Patriah by the horns.

As Apophis is about to deliver another deadly strike, his opponent abruptly rose up into a higher altitude. As his eyes immediately followed the direction, black blades of sword auras meet his humanoid body and left marks of starry night sky instead of long gashes of red. Immediately the mage swordswoman followed up with another attack, ramming her sword deep inbetween his ribs and down into his lungs. A gasp could be heard from Apophis, something that should male her feel like the God has been severely injured, as she pulled out. However, the tag on Apophis' ear fell off and a sudden influx of magical power erupted around him. With no chance to react, globes of light emerge around himself and one exploded right at Hamiri's face at point blank. The resulting eruption would have injured both and Apophis himself was flung away, burned and bruised. However the God is not yet done as his chains transformed back into its crooked staff form before and used it as conduit for his next sorcery. "Reversal." His absolute domain over darkness overpowered Hamiri's magical control over the gashes. They simultaneously disappeared from his body and, with a bang, infliced upon Hamiri's body gashes of the same kind but now even worse. A dark curse permeates the wounds, absolute divine power over chaos and darkness enforces them, making them bleed out the life essence of victim steadily and without stop. Apophis' burns and wounds suddenly flash red as his eyes glowed with bright gold and despair settles in Hamiri's eyes as the injuries on his body vanish where only smooth bronze skin remains.

Michael had finally decided that he had seen enough. Lightning came down from the sky toward Patriah, and Apophis was pulling Hamiri's energy from her body. As she screamed in excruciating pain, he knew he had to end the fight before someone died. After all, he did not trust the Chaos god to have any restraint. Signaling for Hyperion to step back, the archangel stepped forward. At his side, a white-and-gold sheath appeared. He pulled the sword out, and a diamond blade several yards long glistened despite the lack of light around him. His eagle-like wings extended around him, holding him effortlessly up in the sky. "The Ending of War!" he called. Slicing his sword through the air, Apophis's attack immediately came to a halt. Bahamut also froze in place, and the lightning that was about to pierce Patriah's body faded like water vapor. When the attack was finished, he held his sword at his side. "...As long as my sword is drawn, none of you can continue to attack, or your souls shall feel pain. I am ending this battle, because I believe it has gone to the point where we will not be able to prevent fatalities, if it goes further. Now...Hamiri and Apophis, both of you land. Apophis, relinquish your beast. Patriah, back to your human form."

Hamiri obeyed, and Hyperion ran to her aid, as he saw the enormous gashes on her body. "...Second time this week you've gotten banged-up, too...Second day of school even..." he muttered, as he waited for her to land. When she got to the ground, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, Michael! Keep an eye on these two, I'm bringing her to the nurse! Let me know if they try to duke it out, I'll give them both a nice tan!" he called. Hamiri breathed labored breaths as she leaned against him, and Hyperion zoomed across campus at the speed of light, in order to get her to the nurse's office.

In the meantime, Michael watched Patriah as he returned to his human form. Once again dressed only in his pants, Patriah was somewhat annoyed that the battle was finished. At least, he was upset before he saw the wounds Hamiri had endured. The gashes in her body made him grit his teeth, and he snarled toward Apophis. "You knew that was gonna kill her, didn't you?! You wanted to kill her?! C'MERE AND I'LL TAKE OUT YOUR SPLEEN, MAKE YOU REALLY START CRAWLING IN THE GRASS YOU-OUCH!!!!" As Patriah advanced, he felt a deep, searing pain in a place far within his body. Far within his being. He felt as though he had indeed been struck by lightning, and he fell to his knees. He could almost hear the horn of judgment in his ears. "...Good Altaria...what...what was that?!"

"I was not kidding, and I will be fair and punish either of you for trying to continue this fight. In fact, I should have stopped it sooner. But now I definitely have all the information I need for our further lessons. When Hamiri is well again, I will give her the information I will give the two of you, once Apophis lands," Michael explained, landing himself while also holding his sword at his side, ready and waiting.

Saleon wrote:Death
On a wall

---

5pb wrote:As she fell passed Xavier he extended his staff out for her to grab on to, she grabbed on to it and didn't let go until she got to another foothold. "Sorry about that, and thanks again," her voice was quiet as if she was losing her voice, she stood back up and drew her sword from the flames once again. She began to jump up the wall along with Xavier talking as she did, "I think this is where the teamwork aspect of this test is supposed to be most prominent." She quickly swung her sword in the direction of the beast sending another wave of flames directly at it. "I'll also assume you felt the same sensation when it looked at you Xavier? I believe it peers into your fears when it looks at you," she tried to avoid its gaze when she was looking at it, so she turned towards Xavier, "Any Ideas?"

Death rode over and up the wall, now grasping a fiery motorcycle that seemed to leave tracks of flames across the cliffside. She grasps her scythe, now tightly in her left hand. The scythe rides up the cliff-face, making a crescent moon across the rocks. The shadows in the crescent vanishes, crumbling as if rust sweeped off the wind to reveal a pristine interior.

She slows down as she reaches the others and pops the kickstand. Her arms rest on the kickstand. Despite the intense experience of the others, Death seems to have a hard-edged, still expression across her face. She pulls out a mirror and angles it until she can see the many eyed beast. A part of her chuckles a bit, "huh, I have a feeling that is... a beholder. I have a feeling one of the orchestrators of this has been playing one too many games of DnD. It fears very little. But only because most things that would attempt to fight it, best not stare at it. Of course, that is not always a problem."

She then puts her mirror away, looking back up to them as they continue clambering up the wall. Death slowly steps off her bike. Her feet awkwardly fall as if finally affected by gravity, before she lifts them up and places them flat on the wall, "There we go."

Death walks over, adjusting her aviator glasses as she moves alongside them now. The scythe was at her side. The motorcycle, on the otherhand, began to rev and move around. The living machine turned around to meet the beholder. The shine of the polished metal seemed to glisten a bit. The tires began to spin heavily before the brake was released. The roaring beast pedaled across the cliffside. The front wheels seemed to clamp upwards into a wheelie. The machine was not afraid."

Death clasped her scythe, "shall we, um... teamwork? I... think that was the idea behind this assignment."

Thana chuckled, and smiled to Death. "Ahhh no, not a Beholder. Though those are quite fun to try and obtain, I must say...And I wouldn't have you fight something like that..." he explained to Death, as he watched her try to think through her dilemma. "It is, however, still a being of darkness. And a rather hideous one whose gaze...well...as you can tell, is...unpleasant. The challenge still stands in your way." He spoke quietly, urging her onward while giving the hint that more trouble was to come. He continued to flick his dagger in the air, over and over in a sort of rhythm. He then watched as Death stepped off her bike, into the midst of the many shadows still flooding down the cavern wall. If she was not careful, a larger one could knock her off the wall. Then her trick with her motorcycle did not have much of an effect on the large eye-creature, which continued to stare even as she tried to blind it. In fact, it turned its gaze toward her, scanning her soul and reading her thoughts. It could tell she was afraid, and thus it inched toward her in the air.

Xavier continued to cling to the wall, trying to carry Kimiko and himself up the walls without being attacked by more shadow-creatures. He repeatedly blasted them with fire, trying to keep a clear path to travel up the rocks. He saw Death step off her motorcycle, and he grinned at her as she called down toward him. "Yeah, teamwork would be great! I have an idea, send the motorcycle down here and help Kimiko up! I'll blast the monsters out of your way, and I'll meet you guys up there when you get to the top! Just don't look at the eye-creature!" he called back to her.

Luminesa wrote:Thana chuckled, and smiled to Death. "Ahhh no, not a Beholder. Though those are quite fun to try and obtain, I must say...And I wouldn't have you fight something like that..." he explained to Death, as he watched her try to think through her dilemma. "It is, however, still a being of darkness. And a rather hideous one whose gaze...well...as you can tell, is...unpleasant. The challenge still stands in your way." He spoke quietly, urging her onward while giving the hint that more trouble was to come. He continued to flick his dagger in the air, over and over in a sort of rhythm. He then watched as Death stepped off her bike, into the midst of the many shadows still flooding down the cavern wall. If she was not careful, a larger one could knock her off the wall. Then her trick with her motorcycle did not have much of an effect on the large eye-creature, which continued to stare even as she tried to blind it. In fact, it turned its gaze toward her, scanning her soul and reading her thoughts. It could tell she was afraid, and thus it inched toward her in the air.

Xavier continued to cling to the wall, trying to carry Kimiko and himself up the walls without being attacked by more shadow-creatures. He repeatedly blasted them with fire, trying to keep a clear path to travel up the rocks. He saw Death step off her motorcycle, and he grinned at her as she called down toward him. "Yeah, teamwork would be great! I have an idea, send the motorcycle down here and help Kimiko up! I'll blast the monsters out of your way, and I'll meet you guys up there when you get to the top! Just don't look at the eye-creature!" he called back to her.

Kimiko
"I'll be fine, these smaller creatures make for a great recovery," as she spoke she was absorbing the spirits of the small creatures to recover her energy. She jumped over to another small branch that was just a bit away from Xavier, "Thanks again, Xavier. So now we need to deal with this glaring demon." She had never fought anything like this in the past, and didn't have the slightest idea of how to deal with it. One thing came to mind, something that worked without fail, but consuming the soul of such a dark creature? Well, it had its risks and Kimiko was willing to take them, "I might have an idea, but I need to get close to it, do you think you guys can help?"

Luminesa wrote:
Osiris

More questions. This class felt a little more like an interview than a class, but Osiris did not mind. Nyarlathetop was inquisitive, and oddly calm. Perhaps she knew that he was not yet judging her. Now, he was only observing what he needed to teach. "...Very good questions...chaos exists when one...lets go of certain parts of history. If one...abandons the possibility of choices, of certain decisions...if one is not aware of their place in history...chaos persists. Chaos is the existence of the pieces needed for order, but without any awareness. Without any understanding. At the risk of making this a personal issue for you, I believe that may explain why they call your father, for example, the 'Blind Idiot God'. In him are all the pieces...but they float through an existence which, to the mortal eye, should not exist. Order...is giving those pieces shape. Giving time shape, and form, is a form of order. And is the focus of history."

He held a book, and suddenly all of the pages flew out. Seamlessly, they simply appeared and floated around the room, several hundred pieces of paper with writing and photos. “...This textbook has all of the information you want on a topic. The information is still there...and it is not any less valuable for being scattered. However, they do not match each other. They make no sense in this...lack of order. Now...if I put them back...” The pages suddenly floated back to the book, in the exact order in which they were found, and he closed the book. He smiled. “...That’s order. All of what you want is in an order that makes sense.”

After putting the book down, he thought on her other question. “Good and evil? Now...those are a matter of...weight. I can of course demonstrate, if you are aware of how judgment works for me.” He nodded toward her chest. “You do not have to worry. If you wish to go through with it, you will not bleed-out, nor will you feel too much pain. But it is up to you. I can merely explain, but a demonstration might help you understand my beliefs better.”

Nyarlathotep
"Weigh my heart? Feel free, even if you ripped it from my chest it wouldn't matter," she stood up, arms behind her back and waited for Osiris to do his judgment. She had never been judged by another deity before, so this was a welcome revelation. "I don't know how this works, so if I have to do anything special you'll have to let me know," she took a deep breath and continued to wait.

Luminesa wrote:

Finsternia wrote:Apophis

At the sound of Patriah's beating wings, Bahamut threw the emerald dragon away from itself as the winds picked up into a razor sharp tornado. The Chaos Dragon roared and, as if reaching forward with its claws to drag something, invoked the creation of a water spout. A large pillar of seawater now became a shield for the horrendous dragon which clashed against Patriah's attack. Their spins counteracted each other as both spun against the other. This produces a violent reaction between the two forces, sending wind and droplets of water on all directions with the resulting shockwave. Bahamut roared for its next retribution and lightning came down from the sky, striking Patriah by the horns.

As Apophis is about to deliver another deadly strike, his opponent abruptly rose up into a higher altitude. As his eyes immediately followed the direction, black blades of sword auras meet his humanoid body and left marks of starry night sky instead of long gashes of red. Immediately the mage swordswoman followed up with another attack, ramming her sword deep inbetween his ribs and down into his lungs. A gasp could be heard from Apophis, something that should male her feel like the God has been severely injured, as she pulled out. However, the tag on Apophis' ear fell off and a sudden influx of magical power erupted around him. With no chance to react, globes of light emerge around himself and one exploded right at Hamiri's face at point blank. The resulting eruption would have injured both and Apophis himself was flung away, burned and bruised. However the God is not yet done as his chains transformed back into its crooked staff form before and used it as conduit for his next sorcery. "Reversal." His absolute domain over darkness overpowered Hamiri's magical control over the gashes. They simultaneously disappeared from his body and, with a bang, infliced upon Hamiri's body gashes of the same kind but now even worse. A dark curse permeates the wounds, absolute divine power over chaos and darkness enforces them, making them bleed out the life essence of victim steadily and without stop. Apophis' burns and wounds suddenly flash red as his eyes glowed with bright gold and despair settles in Hamiri's eyes as the injuries on his body vanish where only smooth bronze skin remains.

Michael had finally decided that he had seen enough. Lightning came down from the sky toward Patriah, and Apophis was pulling Hamiri's energy from her body. As she screamed in excruciating pain, he knew he had to end the fight before someone died. After all, he did not trust the Chaos god to have any restraint. Signaling for Hyperion to step back, the archangel stepped forward. At his side, a white-and-gold sheath appeared. He pulled the sword out, and a diamond blade several yards long glistened despite the lack of light around him. His eagle-like wings extended around him, holding him effortlessly up in the sky. "The Ending of War!" he called. Slicing his sword through the air, Apophis's attack immediately came to a halt. Bahamut also froze in place, and the lightning that was about to pierce Patriah's body faded like water vapor. When the attack was finished, he held his sword at his side. "...As long as my sword is drawn, none of you can continue to attack, or your souls shall feel pain. I am ending this battle, because I believe it has gone to the point where we will not be able to prevent fatalities, if it goes further. Now...Hamiri and Apophis, both of you land. Apophis, relinquish your beast. Patriah, back to your human form."

Hamiri obeyed, and Hyperion ran to her aid, as he saw the enormous gashes on her body. "...Second time this week you've gotten banged-up, too...Second day of school even..." he muttered, as he waited for her to land. When she got to the ground, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, Michael! Keep an eye on these two, I'm bringing her to the nurse! Let me know if they try to duke it out, I'll give them both a nice tan!" he called. Hamiri breathed labored breaths as she leaned against him, and Hyperion zoomed across campus at the speed of light, in order to get her to the nurse's office.

In the meantime, Michael watched Patriah as he returned to his human form. Once again dressed only in his pants, Patriah was somewhat annoyed that the battle was finished. At least, he was upset before he saw the wounds Hamiri had endured. The gashes in her body made him grit his teeth, and he snarled toward Apophis. "You knew that was gonna kill her, didn't you?! You wanted to kill her?! C'MERE AND I'LL TAKE OUT YOUR SPLEEN, MAKE YOU REALLY START CRAWLING IN THE GRASS YOU-OUCH!!!!" As Patriah advanced, he felt a deep, searing pain in a place far within his body. Far within his being. He felt as though he had indeed been struck by lightning, and he fell to his knees. He could almost hear the horn of judgment in his ears. "...Good Altaria...what...what was that?!"

"I was not kidding, and I will be fair and punish either of you for trying to continue this fight. In fact, I should have stopped it sooner. But now I definitely have all the information I need for our further lessons. When Hamiri is well again, I will give her the information I will give the two of you, once Apophis lands," Michael explained, landing himself while also holding his sword at his side, ready and waiting.

Apophis

With a "Hmph!" the cataclysmic dragon was annihiliated by invisible force, its form destroyed in a matter of seconds and vanished into motes of red and black energy. As the Supreme God of Evil landed, the land changed. The ravines of the abyss, the scars of mighty magic, the displaced sea and torn sky were all fixed. As Chaos overturned Chaos itself, Apophis approached Michael with a steady pace. The archangel would not feel any emnity from the Chaos God yet his sword speaks the other way. What the archangel represents, peace and tranquility, the God before him rejects. Peace is all loved and all sought yet it is ever fragile. Darkness is slowly creeping up from the tip of the blade without the God doing anything.

"Michael, if you let me use my power for a bit. The swordswoman will die under my curse... and Persephone cannot dispell my authority over that. Sheath your sword or it may break. I will not attack the girl... nor the boy," he says as he gives a side glance at Patriah, "and I swear it on my soul. I need to protect my freedom here, don't I?" Apophis waved his hand towards the running Hyperion, a circle appearing before his open palm. The angel would see eldritch runes in the circle, many signifying terrible dark magic that could only bring forth pain and prolonged death. The circle immediately shattered and Hyperion would see that Hamiri's darkness infected wounds would then shatter also, disappearing into specks of shadow and light. Apophis sighs. "Oh what I'd give for a good fight. The Mages of today are... fragile. Unlike Heka and Isis who could shrug such petty blows."

Finsternia wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Michael had finally decided that he had seen enough. Lightning came down from the sky toward Patriah, and Apophis was pulling Hamiri's energy from her body. As she screamed in excruciating pain, he knew he had to end the fight before someone died. After all, he did not trust the Chaos god to have any restraint. Signaling for Hyperion to step back, the archangel stepped forward. At his side, a white-and-gold sheath appeared. He pulled the sword out, and a diamond blade several yards long glistened despite the lack of light around him. His eagle-like wings extended around him, holding him effortlessly up in the sky. "The Ending of War!" he called. Slicing his sword through the air, Apophis's attack immediately came to a halt. Bahamut also froze in place, and the lightning that was about to pierce Patriah's body faded like water vapor. When the attack was finished, he held his sword at his side. "...As long as my sword is drawn, none of you can continue to attack, or your souls shall feel pain. I am ending this battle, because I believe it has gone to the point where we will not be able to prevent fatalities, if it goes further. Now...Hamiri and Apophis, both of you land. Apophis, relinquish your beast. Patriah, back to your human form."

Hamiri obeyed, and Hyperion ran to her aid, as he saw the enormous gashes on her body. "...Second time this week you've gotten banged-up, too...Second day of school even..." he muttered, as he waited for her to land. When she got to the ground, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, Michael! Keep an eye on these two, I'm bringing her to the nurse! Let me know if they try to duke it out, I'll give them both a nice tan!" he called. Hamiri breathed labored breaths as she leaned against him, and Hyperion zoomed across campus at the speed of light, in order to get her to the nurse's office.

In the meantime, Michael watched Patriah as he returned to his human form. Once again dressed only in his pants, Patriah was somewhat annoyed that the battle was finished. At least, he was upset before he saw the wounds Hamiri had endured. The gashes in her body made him grit his teeth, and he snarled toward Apophis. "You knew that was gonna kill her, didn't you?! You wanted to kill her?! C'MERE AND I'LL TAKE OUT YOUR SPLEEN, MAKE YOU REALLY START CRAWLING IN THE GRASS YOU-OUCH!!!!" As Patriah advanced, he felt a deep, searing pain in a place far within his body. Far within his being. He felt as though he had indeed been struck by lightning, and he fell to his knees. He could almost hear the horn of judgment in his ears. "...Good Altaria...what...what was that?!"

"I was not kidding, and I will be fair and punish either of you for trying to continue this fight. In fact, I should have stopped it sooner. But now I definitely have all the information I need for our further lessons. When Hamiri is well again, I will give her the information I will give the two of you, once Apophis lands," Michael explained, landing himself while also holding his sword at his side, ready and waiting.

Apophis

With a "Hmph!" the cataclysmic dragon was annihiliated by invisible force, its form destroyed in a matter of seconds and vanished into motes of red and black energy. As the Supreme God of Evil landed, the land changed. The ravines of the abyss, the scars of mighty magic, the displaced sea and torn sky were all fixed. As Chaos overturned Chaos itself, Apophis approached Michael with a steady pace. The archangel would not feel any emnity from the Chaos God yet his sword speaks the other way. What the archangel represents, peace and tranquility, the God before him rejects. Peace is all loved and all sought yet it is ever fragile. Darkness is slowly creeping up from the tip of the blade without the God doing anything.

"Michael, if you let me use my power for a bit. The swordswoman will die under my curse... and Persephone cannot dispell my authority over that. Sheath your sword or it may break. I will not attack the girl... nor the boy," he says as he gives a side glance at Patriah, "and I swear it on my soul. I need to protect my freedom here, don't I?" Apophis waved his hand towards the running Hyperion, a circle appearing before his open palm. The angel would see eldritch runes in the circle, many signifying terrible dark magic that could only bring forth pain and prolonged death. The circle immediately shattered and Hyperion would see that Hamiri's darkness infected wounds would then shatter also, disappearing into specks of shadow and light. Apophis sighs. "Oh what I'd give for a good fight. The Mages of today are... fragile. Unlike Heka and Isis who could shrug such petty blows."

Patriah's eyes widened, as he heard that Hamiri could die from the curse Apophis had placed. He wanted to attack once again, but Michael gave him a knowing glare. He then called to Hyperion. "HYPERION! BRING HER BACK!" he called, his voice carrying across the courtyard to the sun god. He remained calm, but one could see that worry was moving across his face. He did not entirely trust Apophis, but given the gravity of his voice and words, he decided to give him a chance. Hamiri was in mortal danger either way, and any risks taken were risks that she could live or die. He took a deep breath, and put his sword away.

When Hyperion came back carrying Hamiri, he stared at the archangel. "...Wait, you put your sword away? What are you doing?" he questioned, looking over at Apophis. "What's going on here?!"

"He says Persephone can't heal her. It's his curse, he has to break it himself. I cannot do too much myself either, it seems..." He did notice that Apophis had broken his own spell-circle, and with the breaking of the spell-circle, Hamiri's wounds disappeared. She gasped loudly, and sat upright in Hyperion's arms. "...Well then...huh. I guess he wasn't trying to play games...Thanks, kid," the sun god told Apophis. He gave Michael a side-glance, and the archangel gave a tired sigh. He had not expected for the battle to get quite that deadly, though he supposed now that he should have expected such violence from the God of Chaos.

"...Alright then. This exercise is finished, and I can see that all three of you have a fair bit of...progress to make. Apophis, I am impressed in your willingness to...heal your classmate, with whom you have not had a positive relationship. However...you used quite a few techniques with a willingness to kill, which is why I stopped the fight. It had escalated far beyond a normal fight, and it is my fault that I did not end it earlier. Patriah...your patience needs serious work." Michael shot him a look, which made the hardy Windy Mage take a step back. "That armor was strong enough to last you through the battle, and especially was strong enough to last a dragon made from Chaos. Throwing aside free weapons that are handed to you is not a wise decision. We will work on your patience extensively. Hamiri...you are showing growth in your confidence, but we will help you to not doubt your own abilities. You all have one assignment for homework, and that is..." He looked to Hyperion, who put Hamiri on the ground before he spoke.

"Me? Alright. Your homework is to find an item we have placed in your rooms. All of you have the same item, and it connects all three of your traits. Get acquainted with it. You will use it in tomorrow's lesson, which will be...I think it will be fun, as long as it doesn't go like today," Hyperion explained, with a chuckle.

Patriah was seething as the critique he had received, while Hamiri was calm and accepted the need she had for improvement. Both of them gave each other a look, with Patriah giving her a weak smile as he saw that she was well. She was relieved to not be in pain, and she gave a grateful smile to Apophis. "...Thanks. Though...one of these days, we're going to fight without Magic. Just swords, one-on-one. I can assure you that even if my Magic is not up-to-par with yours, I can fight you with a sword," she answered.

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana chuckled, and smiled to Death. "Ahhh no, not a Beholder. Though those are quite fun to try and obtain, I must say...And I wouldn't have you fight something like that..." he explained to Death, as he watched her try to think through her dilemma. "It is, however, still a being of darkness. And a rather hideous one whose gaze...well...as you can tell, is...unpleasant. The challenge still stands in your way." He spoke quietly, urging her onward while giving the hint that more trouble was to come. He continued to flick his dagger in the air, over and over in a sort of rhythm. He then watched as Death stepped off her bike, into the midst of the many shadows still flooding down the cavern wall. If she was not careful, a larger one could knock her off the wall. Then her trick with her motorcycle did not have much of an effect on the large eye-creature, which continued to stare even as she tried to blind it. In fact, it turned its gaze toward her, scanning her soul and reading her thoughts. It could tell she was afraid, and thus it inched toward her in the air.

Xavier continued to cling to the wall, trying to carry Kimiko and himself up the walls without being attacked by more shadow-creatures. He repeatedly blasted them with fire, trying to keep a clear path to travel up the rocks. He saw Death step off her motorcycle, and he grinned at her as she called down toward him. "Yeah, teamwork would be great! I have an idea, send the motorcycle down here and help Kimiko up! I'll blast the monsters out of your way, and I'll meet you guys up there when you get to the top! Just don't look at the eye-creature!" he called back to her.

Kimiko
"I'll be fine, these smaller creatures make for a great recovery," as she spoke she was absorbing the spirits of the small creatures to recover her energy. She jumped over to another small branch that was just a bit away from Xavier, "Thanks again, Xavier. So now we need to deal with this glaring demon." She had never fought anything like this in the past, and didn't have the slightest idea of how to deal with it. One thing came to mind, something that worked without fail, but consuming the soul of such a dark creature? Well, it had its risks and Kimiko was willing to take them, "I might have an idea, but I need to get close to it, do you think you guys can help?"

Luminesa wrote:
Osiris

More questions. This class felt a little more like an interview than a class, but Osiris did not mind. Nyarlathetop was inquisitive, and oddly calm. Perhaps she knew that he was not yet judging her. Now, he was only observing what he needed to teach. "...Very good questions...chaos exists when one...lets go of certain parts of history. If one...abandons the possibility of choices, of certain decisions...if one is not aware of their place in history...chaos persists. Chaos is the existence of the pieces needed for order, but without any awareness. Without any understanding. At the risk of making this a personal issue for you, I believe that may explain why they call your father, for example, the 'Blind Idiot God'. In him are all the pieces...but they float through an existence which, to the mortal eye, should not exist. Order...is giving those pieces shape. Giving time shape, and form, is a form of order. And is the focus of history."

He held a book, and suddenly all of the pages flew out. Seamlessly, they simply appeared and floated around the room, several hundred pieces of paper with writing and photos. “...This textbook has all of the information you want on a topic. The information is still there...and it is not any less valuable for being scattered. However, they do not match each other. They make no sense in this...lack of order. Now...if I put them back...” The pages suddenly floated back to the book, in the exact order in which they were found, and he closed the book. He smiled. “...That’s order. All of what you want is in an order that makes sense.”

After putting the book down, he thought on her other question. “Good and evil? Now...those are a matter of...weight. I can of course demonstrate, if you are aware of how judgment works for me.” He nodded toward her chest. “You do not have to worry. If you wish to go through with it, you will not bleed-out, nor will you feel too much pain. But it is up to you. I can merely explain, but a demonstration might help you understand my beliefs better.”

Nyarlathotep
"Weigh my heart? Feel free, even if you ripped it from my chest it wouldn't matter," she stood up, arms behind her back and waited for Osiris to do his judgment. She had never been judged by another deity before, so this was a welcome revelation. "I don't know how this works, so if I have to do anything special you'll have to let me know," she took a deep breath and continued to wait.

Thana

Xavier listened as Kimiko explained her plan, and he watched her absorb the spirits. Somehow taking their essence made her stronger, and soon she did not necessarily need him to carry her around. However, as he looked at her eyes, he knew that she was still worried. Something was brimming, an idea that might be dangerous, but they had to try something. Anything. The point of the assignment, so it seemed, was teamwork. He nodded to her, and looked up at Death. "Hence why I think getting to the motorcycle might be a good idea...but if you have a different plan, let's hear it. She can take care of the larger spirits coming, but I'm guessing you want to deal with..." He craned his head toward the eye-creature, without looking directly at it. "...That?"

Thana listened to them, and as he saw Xavier nodding toward the eye-creature, he grinned and caught his dagger in his hand. "...Oh, now they're getting closer...but her idea...I can tell she's anxious...What might she be trying to accomplish?" A bright-gold eye opened on the hilt of his dagger, and leered down toward Kimiko. Even if she could not see it, she could feel the power of a small, shadowy being searching her mind, searching her body for weaknesses.

Osiris

As Nyarlathetop agreed to the test, Osiris walked toward her, and reached his hand into her chest. The Eldritch god/goddess would feel a slight warmth in her chest, and then a split second of searing pain, before she would feel nothing once again. Before her, she would see the magnificent scale, Osiris's secret weapon, and her still-beating heart in his hand. Her heart looked bizarre, as she was far from human and thus did not adhere to human physiology. Nevertheless, Osiris was unperturbed, and he walked to the scale. On one side, he placed the heart. On the other side, a small golden feather. "...This scale...weighs sin. It weighs darkness in a being's heart against the purity and holiness of the golden feather. If you have sins on your soul, then the scale shall reveal the weight of your heart..."

He turned back toward her, eyeing the scale as it worked. Slowly, but surely, the scale with the heart dropped a little lower than the feather. Osiris examined the heart, looking into it at whatever sins he could find. "...Your heart is...interesting. You are a goddess of chaos, but your morality is...unlike that of other gods. At the same time...you do have sins...darkness...on your soul. You have enjoyed the suffering of others in your lifetime, and you have enjoyed chaos at certain points...As a result, your heart weighs more than the feather. In this case, your judgment says you are a sinner...but not an egregious sinner." He took her heart off the scale, and then handed it back to her. "...Do you have any questions about what I have just done?"

Luminesa wrote:

5pb wrote:Kimiko
"I'll be fine, these smaller creatures make for a great recovery," as she spoke she was absorbing the spirits of the small creatures to recover her energy. She jumped over to another small branch that was just a bit away from Xavier, "Thanks again, Xavier. So now we need to deal with this glaring demon." She had never fought anything like this in the past, and didn't have the slightest idea of how to deal with it. One thing came to mind, something that worked without fail, but consuming the soul of such a dark creature? Well, it had its risks and Kimiko was willing to take them, "I might have an idea, but I need to get close to it, do you think you guys can help?"



Nyarlathotep
"Weigh my heart? Feel free, even if you ripped it from my chest it wouldn't matter," she stood up, arms behind her back and waited for Osiris to do his judgment. She had never been judged by another deity before, so this was a welcome revelation. "I don't know how this works, so if I have to do anything special you'll have to let me know," she took a deep breath and continued to wait.

Thana

Xavier listened as Kimiko explained her plan, and he watched her absorb the spirits. Somehow taking their essence made her stronger, and soon she did not necessarily need him to carry her around. However, as he looked at her eyes, he knew that she was still worried. Something was brimming, an idea that might be dangerous, but they had to try something. Anything. The point of the assignment, so it seemed, was teamwork. He nodded to her, and looked up at Death. "Hence why I think getting to the motorcycle might be a good idea...but if you have a different plan, let's hear it. She can take care of the larger spirits coming, but I'm guessing you want to deal with..." He craned his head toward the eye-creature, without looking directly at it. "...That?"

Thana listened to them, and as he saw Xavier nodding toward the eye-creature, he grinned and caught his dagger in his hand. "...Oh, now they're getting closer...but her idea...I can tell she's anxious...What might she be trying to accomplish?" A bright-gold eye opened on the hilt of his dagger, and leered down toward Kimiko. Even if she could not see it, she could feel the power of a small, shadowy being searching her mind, searching her body for weaknesses.

Osiris

As Nyarlathetop agreed to the test, Osiris walked toward her, and reached his hand into her chest. The Eldritch god/goddess would feel a slight warmth in her chest, and then a split second of searing pain, before she would feel nothing once again. Before her, she would see the magnificent scale, Osiris's secret weapon, and her still-beating heart in his hand. Her heart looked bizarre, as she was far from human and thus did not adhere to human physiology. Nevertheless, Osiris was unperturbed, and he walked to the scale. On one side, he placed the heart. On the other side, a small golden feather. "...This scale...weighs sin. It weighs darkness in a being's heart against the purity and holiness of the golden feather. If you have sins on your soul, then the scale shall reveal the weight of your heart..."

He turned back toward her, eyeing the scale as it worked. Slowly, but surely, the scale with the heart dropped a little lower than the feather. Osiris examined the heart, looking into it at whatever sins he could find. "...Your heart is...interesting. You are a goddess of chaos, but your morality is...unlike that of other gods. At the same time...you do have sins...darkness...on your soul. You have enjoyed the suffering of others in your lifetime, and you have enjoyed chaos at certain points...As a result, your heart weighs more than the feather. In this case, your judgment says you are a sinner...but not an egregious sinner." He took her heart off the scale, and then handed it back to her. "...Do you have any questions about what I have just done?"

Kimiko
She felt the strange feeling in her head, she didn't quite know what it was, but she knew where it came from. She looked up in Thana's general direction, "Stay out of my head, Death God!" Her head was filled with thoughts, some were related to activity and others were not. In search for her weaknesses Thana would find the memories of her past, all the crowds of people surrounding the small fox-like girl. All of them relenting their anger from losing the peace because of her. Their voices pounding on her like a siege engine, the tears that fell from her cheeks as she was harassed by those she was born to protect.

Another memory was of Kimiko, alone in a tattered black and blue miko outfit tending to a broken down shrine with a similar color scheme. The was not a single cent in the offering box, and no matter what she did to change that she was always shunned. As she was sweeping the floors by the offering box a young man walked up to the shrine, Kimiko turned away and covered her ears, prepared for the bombardment of insults. As she awaited she felt an unusual comfort, a wash of heat along her body. The young man started to walk out of the forested path, and Kimiko ran over to the offering box and saw a very large sum of money, however she never felt the man's wish. A sense of dread washed over her and she ran out after the man, but she was unable to find him.

Her fears lived in those memories and they were locked away deep within her mind, the fuel for both her strength, and her weakness. Kimiko took a deep breath, "Yeah, if you guys can keep the paparazzi away as we move up," she motioned towards all of the smaller shadowy creatures, "I'll get rid of the camera man." She looked over towards Death, ''Do you think you can use your bike to ride us up there while Xavier clears the crowd?" each member of the group would have a task with this plan no matter how small it seemed.

Nyarlathotep
"No I have no questions," she held her heart close to her chest and it slowly faded into her, "I do wonder why It wasn't heavier though? I have commit countless sins, and they greatly outweigh my "good" deeds. Actually I do have a question, now that I think about it. Does the scale judge gods differently than mortals? Would Zeus be judged differently than a mortal man who had done the same acts of... lust?" She looked at the scale again as another thought came to mind, "Perhaps it cannot see sins from other dimensions?" The more she thought about it, the more reasons came to her. Why was her heart so light on sins? If her heart was light what kind of acts has someone with a heavy heart committed? And lastly, what kind of bird shed the golden feather?

Death
On a wall

---

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana

Xavier listened as Kimiko explained her plan, and he watched her absorb the spirits. Somehow taking their essence made her stronger, and soon she did not necessarily need him to carry her around. However, as he looked at her eyes, he knew that she was still worried. Something was brimming, an idea that might be dangerous, but they had to try something. Anything. The point of the assignment, so it seemed, was teamwork. He nodded to her, and looked up at Death. "Hence why I think getting to the motorcycle might be a good idea...but if you have a different plan, let's hear it. She can take care of the larger spirits coming, but I'm guessing you want to deal with..." He craned his head toward the eye-creature, without looking directly at it. "...That?"

Thana listened to them, and as he saw Xavier nodding toward the eye-creature, he grinned and caught his dagger in his hand. "...Oh, now they're getting closer...but her idea...I can tell she's anxious...What might she be trying to accomplish?" A bright-gold eye opened on the hilt of his dagger, and leered down toward Kimiko. Even if she could not see it, she could feel the power of a small, shadowy being searching her mind, searching her body for weaknesses.

Kimiko
She felt the strange feeling in her head, she didn't quite know what it was, but she knew where it came from. She looked up in Thana's general direction, "Stay out of my head, Death God!" Her head was filled with thoughts, some were related to activity and others were not. In search for her weaknesses Thana would find the memories of her past, all the crowds of people surrounding the small fox-like girl. All of them relenting their anger from losing the peace because of her. Their voices pounding on her like a siege engine, the tears that fell from her cheeks as she was harassed by those she was born to protect.

Another memory was of Kimiko, alone in a tattered black and blue miko outfit tending to a broken down shrine with a similar color scheme. The was not a single cent in the offering box, and no matter what she did to change that she was always shunned. As she was sweeping the floors by the offering box a young man walked up to the shrine, Kimiko turned away and covered her ears, prepared for the bombardment of insults. As she awaited she felt an unusual comfort, a wash of heat along her body. The young man started to walk out of the forested path, and Kimiko ran over to the offering box and saw a very large sum of money, however she never felt the man's wish. A sense of dread washed over her and she ran out after the man, but she was unable to find him.

Her fears lived in those memories and they were locked away deep within her mind, the fuel for both her strength, and her weakness. Kimiko took a deep breath, "Yeah, if you guys can keep the paparazzi away as we move up," she motioned towards all of the smaller shadowy creatures, "I'll get rid of the camera man." She looked over towards Death, ''Do you think you can use your bike to ride us up there while Xavier clears the crowd?" each member of the group would have a task with this plan no matter how small it seemed.

"Oh, of course. Me and my bike are never one to disappoint," Death says, looking at Kimiko. In between her sentences, she seems busy slices across the field of strange creatures. They all seem to fall off the wall, instantly decaying as they fall. The sickle moved like a clockhand moving so rapidly from 3 o'clock till the end at 12. She had a certain level of grace to her motions, yet it also felt a bit slackjawed. A part of Death doesn't seem very invested in the fight. Or more to say she isn't as interested and it shows in her movements. While she has perfect control over her scythe, moving between hands and rotating with ease, it is clear she is acting slower and less concerned as the hordes continue coming.

As if she is not trying her hardest.

Death then snapped her fingers. The motorcycle revved its engine, creating tiretracks on the wall. It swerves in place, turning to meet the gaze of Death. The girl then holds out her hand towards Kimiko, "I will need your hand, mademoiselle. I promise not to mess with your tail in the process." The motorcycle then thrusts forwards in a burst of energy. The tires seemingly plow through hordes of shadow-creatures, moving towards Death. The girl then grips the handlebars and takes Kimiko with her onto the bike, if Kimiko accepts her hands. The whole scene from taking Kimiko's hand to grabbing onto the bike and positioning the two of them would seemingly happen in a few split seconds.

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana

Xavier listened as Kimiko explained her plan, and he watched her absorb the spirits. Somehow taking their essence made her stronger, and soon she did not necessarily need him to carry her around. However, as he looked at her eyes, he knew that she was still worried. Something was brimming, an idea that might be dangerous, but they had to try something. Anything. The point of the assignment, so it seemed, was teamwork. He nodded to her, and looked up at Death. "Hence why I think getting to the motorcycle might be a good idea...but if you have a different plan, let's hear it. She can take care of the larger spirits coming, but I'm guessing you want to deal with..." He craned his head toward the eye-creature, without looking directly at it. "...That?"

Thana listened to them, and as he saw Xavier nodding toward the eye-creature, he grinned and caught his dagger in his hand. "...Oh, now they're getting closer...but her idea...I can tell she's anxious...What might she be trying to accomplish?" A bright-gold eye opened on the hilt of his dagger, and leered down toward Kimiko. Even if she could not see it, she could feel the power of a small, shadowy being searching her mind, searching her body for weaknesses.

Osiris

As Nyarlathetop agreed to the test, Osiris walked toward her, and reached his hand into her chest. The Eldritch god/goddess would feel a slight warmth in her chest, and then a split second of searing pain, before she would feel nothing once again. Before her, she would see the magnificent scale, Osiris's secret weapon, and her still-beating heart in his hand. Her heart looked bizarre, as she was far from human and thus did not adhere to human physiology. Nevertheless, Osiris was unperturbed, and he walked to the scale. On one side, he placed the heart. On the other side, a small golden feather. "...This scale...weighs sin. It weighs darkness in a being's heart against the purity and holiness of the golden feather. If you have sins on your soul, then the scale shall reveal the weight of your heart..."

He turned back toward her, eyeing the scale as it worked. Slowly, but surely, the scale with the heart dropped a little lower than the feather. Osiris examined the heart, looking into it at whatever sins he could find. "...Your heart is...interesting. You are a goddess of chaos, but your morality is...unlike that of other gods. At the same time...you do have sins...darkness...on your soul. You have enjoyed the suffering of others in your lifetime, and you have enjoyed chaos at certain points...As a result, your heart weighs more than the feather. In this case, your judgment says you are a sinner...but not an egregious sinner." He took her heart off the scale, and then handed it back to her. "...Do you have any questions about what I have just done?"

Kimiko
She felt the strange feeling in her head, she didn't quite know what it was, but she knew where it came from. She looked up in Thana's general direction, "Stay out of my head, Death God!" Her head was filled with thoughts, some were related to activity and others were not. In search for her weaknesses Thana would find the memories of her past, all the crowds of people surrounding the small fox-like girl. All of them relenting their anger from losing the peace because of her. Their voices pounding on her like a siege engine, the tears that fell from her cheeks as she was harassed by those she was born to protect.

Another memory was of Kimiko, alone in a tattered black and blue miko outfit tending to a broken down shrine with a similar color scheme. The was not a single cent in the offering box, and no matter what she did to change that she was always shunned. As she was sweeping the floors by the offering box a young man walked up to the shrine, Kimiko turned away and covered her ears, prepared for the bombardment of insults. As she awaited she felt an unusual comfort, a wash of heat along her body. The young man started to walk out of the forested path, and Kimiko ran over to the offering box and saw a very large sum of money, however she never felt the man's wish. A sense of dread washed over her and she ran out after the man, but she was unable to find him.

Her fears lived in those memories and they were locked away deep within her mind, the fuel for both her strength, and her weakness. Kimiko took a deep breath, "Yeah, if you guys can keep the paparazzi away as we move up," she motioned towards all of the smaller shadowy creatures, "I'll get rid of the camera man." She looked over towards Death, ''Do you think you can use your bike to ride us up there while Xavier clears the crowd?" each member of the group would have a task with this plan no matter how small it seemed.

Nyarlathotep
"No I have no questions," she held her heart close to her chest and it slowly faded into her, "I do wonder why It wasn't heavier though? I have commit countless sins, and they greatly outweigh my "good" deeds. Actually I do have a question, now that I think about it. Does the scale judge gods differently than mortals? Would Zeus be judged differently than a mortal man who had done the same acts of... lust?" She looked at the scale again as another thought came to mind, "Perhaps it cannot see sins from other dimensions?" The more she thought about it, the more reasons came to her. Why was her heart so light on sins? If her heart was light what kind of acts has someone with a heavy heart committed? And lastly, what kind of bird shed the golden feather?

Thana/Xavier

Thana did not intend to look into her mind, but when he saw her eyes, he saw her memories. He saw a tiny fox-girl being berated by the crowd, being treated as the scapegoat for the misfortunes of the rest of the people. He frowned, and watched sadly, as he could do nothing to reverse this painful memory and it’s scars. He walked toward her, staring toward her image, before the memory shifted. When the blur of colors came and formed another picture, he now saw the same fox-girl, but older. She was in an abandoned shrine, the priestess of a ruined sanctuary. She had suffered torment and humiliation for so long, until a kind man had left her an offering. He was a mysterious individual, a shade who came and went out of her life without a second thought.

Coming back to the present, Thana’s face became less indifferent and more grave, as he watched his students plot against him from below. Kimiko’s determination did not merely stem from her abilities, but from her desire to never be humiliated again. She wished to put those memories past her, and to find a positive meaning in her life. He stopped flicking the knife, and witnessed the plan unfolding below.

Death, Xavier, and Kimiko now worked as one, each playing a part in clearing the way toward the top. Death carved her way through the crowd of shadows by using her motorcycle, almost too fast for a normal eye to see. Kimiko joined Death on her bike, as Xavier had planned she would do and as Death agreed to do, and then Xavier shot through more of the shadowy-creatures. Turning away from them, however, he aimed up at the eye-creature. Grappling a branch with one hand, he turned his body so that his foot would reach the wheel of the staff-a trick that rather amused Thana-and he used his toe to turn the wheel five notches. At this point, one could tell that fire was radiating through his eyes, like flames in a burning building, and his skin was quite hot to the touch. He then held his Staff toward the monster, aiming to hit every eye at once. It looks like...I have to take down all the eyes in order to kill it...Here I go...

He charged his shot, allowing for Death and Kimiko to ride past him, and then he let the flames rip. Razor-sharp and lightning-fast, they blasted through a wall of shadows before flowing over the largest monster. All of the eyes were cooked, and the monster let out a single, hair-raising screech, before it melted into a dark, murky substance that vanished. At that point, Xavier did remember that Kimiko had actually wanted to absorb the creature. She had wanted to swallow the Magical energy, at great risk to herself. Now, with his own body’s heat boiling, he had saved her the effort and the pain. As countless souls floated away toward the sky, he sighed and moved to climb after them. Sorry, Kimiko...I can’t risk a teammate... he apologized inwardly.

Thana nodded as the students approached the top. Death and Kimiko were some ten feet from the top as he watched, while Xavier was about twenty feet away. The motorcycle would reach the top first, and Thana smiled down at them. “Hurry and come to the top! I will award you your prize once you can all get here!” he called. Xavier continued to climb, blasting himself along with his upgraded fire until like a comet, he fired himself straight to the top, and landed on the ledge. Thana grabbed his hand and helped him to stand steady, ignoring the shocking heat of Xavier’s skin. “...You should be careful, you’re hotter than a stove!” he joked.

Xavier chuckled. “...I’ll turn it down, no worries...” He clicked the wheel of his staff until it turned back to its default state, and then he waved down at Death and Kimiko. “Hurry up! You can do it! We’re going to pass this together!” he shouted.

Luminesa wrote:

5pb wrote:Kimiko
She felt the strange feeling in her head, she didn't quite know what it was, but she knew where it came from. She looked up in Thana's general direction, "Stay out of my head, Death God!" Her head was filled with thoughts, some were related to activity and others were not. In search for her weaknesses Thana would find the memories of her past, all the crowds of people surrounding the small fox-like girl. All of them relenting their anger from losing the peace because of her. Their voices pounding on her like a siege engine, the tears that fell from her cheeks as she was harassed by those she was born to protect.

Another memory was of Kimiko, alone in a tattered black and blue miko outfit tending to a broken down shrine with a similar color scheme. The was not a single cent in the offering box, and no matter what she did to change that she was always shunned. As she was sweeping the floors by the offering box a young man walked up to the shrine, Kimiko turned away and covered her ears, prepared for the bombardment of insults. As she awaited she felt an unusual comfort, a wash of heat along her body. The young man started to walk out of the forested path, and Kimiko ran over to the offering box and saw a very large sum of money, however she never felt the man's wish. A sense of dread washed over her and she ran out after the man, but she was unable to find him.

Her fears lived in those memories and they were locked away deep within her mind, the fuel for both her strength, and her weakness. Kimiko took a deep breath, "Yeah, if you guys can keep the paparazzi away as we move up," she motioned towards all of the smaller shadowy creatures, "I'll get rid of the camera man." She looked over towards Death, ''Do you think you can use your bike to ride us up there while Xavier clears the crowd?" each member of the group would have a task with this plan no matter how small it seemed.

Nyarlathotep
"No I have no questions," she held her heart close to her chest and it slowly faded into her, "I do wonder why It wasn't heavier though? I have commit countless sins, and they greatly outweigh my "good" deeds. Actually I do have a question, now that I think about it. Does the scale judge gods differently than mortals? Would Zeus be judged differently than a mortal man who had done the same acts of... lust?" She looked at the scale again as another thought came to mind, "Perhaps it cannot see sins from other dimensions?" The more she thought about it, the more reasons came to her. Why was her heart so light on sins? If her heart was light what kind of acts has someone with a heavy heart committed? And lastly, what kind of bird shed the golden feather?

Thana/Xavier

Thana did not intend to look into her mind, but when he saw her eyes, he saw her memories. He saw a tiny fox-girl being berated by the crowd, being treated as the scapegoat for the misfortunes of the rest of the people. He frowned, and watched sadly, as he could do nothing to reverse this painful memory and it’s scars. He walked toward her, staring toward her image, before the memory shifted. When the blur of colors came and formed another picture, he now saw the same fox-girl, but older. She was in an abandoned shrine, the priestess of a ruined sanctuary. She had suffered torment and humiliation for so long, until a kind man had left her an offering. He was a mysterious individual, a shade who came and went out of her life without a second thought.

Coming back to the present, Thana’s face became less indifferent and more grave, as he watched his students plot against him from below. Kimiko’s determination did not merely stem from her abilities, but from her desire to never be humiliated again. She wished to put those memories past her, and to find a positive meaning in her life. He stopped flicking the knife, and witnessed the plan unfolding below.

Death, Xavier, and Kimiko now worked as one, each playing a part in clearing the way toward the top. Death carved her way through the crowd of shadows by using her motorcycle, almost too fast for a normal eye to see. Kimiko joined Death on her bike, as Xavier had planned she would do and as Death agreed to do, and then Xavier shot through more of the shadowy-creatures. Turning away from them, however, he aimed up at the eye-creature. Grappling a branch with one hand, he turned his body so that his foot would reach the wheel of the staff-a trick that rather amused Thana-and he used his toe to turn the wheel five notches. At this point, one could tell that fire was radiating through his eyes, like flames in a burning building, and his skin was quite hot to the touch. He then held his Staff toward the monster, aiming to hit every eye at once. It looks like...I have to take down all the eyes in order to kill it...Here I go...

He charged his shot, allowing for Death and Kimiko to ride past him, and then he let the flames rip. Razor-sharp and lightning-fast, they blasted through a wall of shadows before flowing over the largest monster. All of the eyes were cooked, and the monster let out a single, hair-raising screech, before it melted into a dark, murky substance that vanished. At that point, Xavier did remember that Kimiko had actually wanted to absorb the creature. She had wanted to swallow the Magical energy, at great risk to herself. Now, with his own body’s heat boiling, he had saved her the effort and the pain. As countless souls floated away toward the sky, he sighed and moved to climb after them. Sorry, Kimiko...I can’t risk a teammate... he apologized inwardly.

Thana nodded as the students approached the top. Death and Kimiko were some ten feet from the top as he watched, while Xavier was about twenty feet away. The motorcycle would reach the top first, and Thana smiled down at them. “Hurry and come to the top! I will award you your prize once you can all get here!” he called. Xavier continued to climb, blasting himself along with his upgraded fire until like a comet, he fired himself straight to the top, and landed on the ledge. Thana grabbed his hand and helped him to stand steady, ignoring the shocking heat of Xavier’s skin. “...You should be careful, you’re hotter than a stove!” he joked.

Xavier chuckled. “...I’ll turn it down, no worries...” He clicked the wheel of his staff until it turned back to its default state, and then he waved down at Death and Kimiko. “Hurry up! You can do it! We’re going to pass this together!” he shouted.

Kimiko

As the motorcycle began to approach the top of the cliff Kimiko jumped up towards them. She landed lightly at the edge and walked towards Thana and Xavier. When she looked at Xavier she could see the smoke and steam that was still in the air from when he was boiling, "That was quite the display there." Although the challenge was complete she couldn't help but feel as if she was nothing but a hindrance, she fell off twice, requiring Xavier to catch her and she wasn't needed to help dispatch the monster. From her point of view nothing she did helped in the trial, but she didn't let it show to the others. She was very good at keeping feelings like these hidden, and now was one of the times that it was most useful.

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana/Xavier

Thana did not intend to look into her mind, but when he saw her eyes, he saw her memories. He saw a tiny fox-girl being berated by the crowd, being treated as the scapegoat for the misfortunes of the rest of the people. He frowned, and watched sadly, as he could do nothing to reverse this painful memory and it’s scars. He walked toward her, staring toward her image, before the memory shifted. When the blur of colors came and formed another picture, he now saw the same fox-girl, but older. She was in an abandoned shrine, the priestess of a ruined sanctuary. She had suffered torment and humiliation for so long, until a kind man had left her an offering. He was a mysterious individual, a shade who came and went out of her life without a second thought.

Coming back to the present, Thana’s face became less indifferent and more grave, as he watched his students plot against him from below. Kimiko’s determination did not merely stem from her abilities, but from her desire to never be humiliated again. She wished to put those memories past her, and to find a positive meaning in her life. He stopped flicking the knife, and witnessed the plan unfolding below.

Death, Xavier, and Kimiko now worked as one, each playing a part in clearing the way toward the top. Death carved her way through the crowd of shadows by using her motorcycle, almost too fast for a normal eye to see. Kimiko joined Death on her bike, as Xavier had planned she would do and as Death agreed to do, and then Xavier shot through more of the shadowy-creatures. Turning away from them, however, he aimed up at the eye-creature. Grappling a branch with one hand, he turned his body so that his foot would reach the wheel of the staff-a trick that rather amused Thana-and he used his toe to turn the wheel five notches. At this point, one could tell that fire was radiating through his eyes, like flames in a burning building, and his skin was quite hot to the touch. He then held his Staff toward the monster, aiming to hit every eye at once. It looks like...I have to take down all the eyes in order to kill it...Here I go...

He charged his shot, allowing for Death and Kimiko to ride past him, and then he let the flames rip. Razor-sharp and lightning-fast, they blasted through a wall of shadows before flowing over the largest monster. All of the eyes were cooked, and the monster let out a single, hair-raising screech, before it melted into a dark, murky substance that vanished. At that point, Xavier did remember that Kimiko had actually wanted to absorb the creature. She had wanted to swallow the Magical energy, at great risk to herself. Now, with his own body’s heat boiling, he had saved her the effort and the pain. As countless souls floated away toward the sky, he sighed and moved to climb after them. Sorry, Kimiko...I can’t risk a teammate... he apologized inwardly.

Thana nodded as the students approached the top. Death and Kimiko were some ten feet from the top as he watched, while Xavier was about twenty feet away. The motorcycle would reach the top first, and Thana smiled down at them. “Hurry and come to the top! I will award you your prize once you can all get here!” he called. Xavier continued to climb, blasting himself along with his upgraded fire until like a comet, he fired himself straight to the top, and landed on the ledge. Thana grabbed his hand and helped him to stand steady, ignoring the shocking heat of Xavier’s skin. “...You should be careful, you’re hotter than a stove!” he joked.

Xavier chuckled. “...I’ll turn it down, no worries...” He clicked the wheel of his staff until it turned back to its default state, and then he waved down at Death and Kimiko. “Hurry up! You can do it! We’re going to pass this together!” he shouted.

Kimiko

As the motorcycle began to approach the top of the cliff Kimiko jumped up towards them. She landed lightly at the edge and walked towards Thana and Xavier. When she looked at Xavier she could see the smoke and steam that was still in the air from when he was boiling, "That was quite the display there." Although the challenge was complete she couldn't help but feel as if she was nothing but a hindrance, she fell off twice, requiring Xavier to catch her and she wasn't needed to help dispatch the monster. From her point of view nothing she did helped in the trial, but she didn't let it show to the others. She was very good at keeping feelings like these hidden, and now was one of the times that it was most useful.

As Kimiko hopped off the motorcycle and stood on the cliff, victorious with the rest of her group, Thana could see that a part of her felt guilty. Her smile, which usually came rather naturally, was forced. Her eyes were lowered, and he could see the sadness behind the light in her eyes. Of course, he did not try to look into her mind again. Instead, he smiled at her, and nodded for her to step forward. "...You've all done well. At first, you did not work as a team, which was admittedly a part of the process of the exercise. I knew that putting more adversity in your way would force you to work together. The point of the exercise was to see how you would work together, and I am pleased with the results I have seen." He looked to Kimiko first. "Kimiko, your quick thinking allowed for your teammates to get closer to the eye-guardian I summoned. You also absorbed plenty of the creatures I created, knowing that doing so would pose a risk to you. If I caught your plans correctly...you even planned to absorb the largest monster, my eye-guardian. Doing so would have been a feat of will, but you showed you were willing to risk yourself for your teammates..."

He then turned to Xavier and Death. "Xavier, you struggled in the beginning, being unable to use your wings. However, you not only saved Kimiko, but you helped your team to move forward and to work together, when you knew that the odds were against you. The same goes for you, Miss Death. You also brought the team together, cleared much of the obstacles when you knew both of your teammates were in danger, and used your resources, such as your motorcycle, to support your teammates rather than to solely help yourself. Altogether, you executed a plan which, while you had difficulties executing it, came together and destroyed most of your enemies. So congratulations, you all pass your first test!" he explained, before tucking his knife under his arm and clapping for the students.

Xavier smirked over at his two teammates, and put an arm around Kimiko's shoulder, after his body cooled back to normal 'human' temperature. His arm was still comfortably warm around her shoulder, and he wore a bright smile as he looked toward his classmates. He could tell that something was bothering Kimiko, at least, and while he could not tell what, he felt an urge to reassure her. "We did it! We survived, guys...and it's only the first day! Who knows how we'll have to survive together in the future?" he joked. He then looked over at Kimiko, and nodded to her. "And don't stand over here by yourself like you're not a part of the group, either, you did a lot! I'm the idiot who fell off the side of the mountain twice," he reminded her, "this is why I like being able to use my wings!"

Thana nodded, and then showed the group his knife. "This will be a part of your next exercise. When you come tomorrow, I will not have this knife. It will be somewhere in the Waterfall Forest. You will have to find it, and finding it brings certain...consequences, for which you will have to prepare. I will not tell you what your consequences will be, which means you will have to be ready for anything! The consequences could be good...or evil...but you will not know until you begin," he explained. He held the knife out toward them and showed them the weapon. The dark, sinister-looking blade, with an eye staring out at them from the hilt.

Xavier took a look and committed the image to memory, all while feeling rather spooked by the knife. Its eye was not too different from Thana's own, save for the difference in eye-color. Even the eye-guardian had similar eyes as Thana. This guy really, really likes eyes as a symbol...or maybe...they mean something deeper... he thought. He looked toward his classmates, wondering if they saw the same pattern. Thana certainly was not a conventional god, if one could actually say a god was conventional. He almost feared what the little knife could do, if put into someone's hands beside Thana's own.

Osiris

Osiris nodded, as Nyarlathetop asked about how the scale judged gods and mortals. He smiled at her once again, pleased that she was not afraid to ask hard questions. "...It is true that I did not measure your sins in every dimension. I only measured them here. Now...am I capable of measuring sins in every dimension? Of course. But that requires a special discourse, an addition to the ritual. For starters, the ritual cannot be accurately done on Earth for immortals, who do not come from Earth. Many immortals never interact with Earth, after all...but they do interact with beings from other worlds. Zeus, I can assure you, would be judged far more harshly on Earth than yourself, given his...actions. But you are under oath to never tell him such. He shall know if he ever comes to that point," he explained, his face becoming dispassionate and cool once again as he dissipated the scale. A magical circle appeared around it, covered in hieroglyphics which Nyarlathetop could not read. The scale then began to vanish, swallowed in an unearthly light. "...Remember, history is not merely a part of Earth, but a part of every Earth, every dimension. Every action that a living being makes will be a part of their judgment..."

As the scale vanished, he turned back toward his student, and handed her a book, History Through A Bird's Lens. He wondered how she would handle an almost-conventional assignment. "This book is about 230 pages. Tomorrow, you will come and you will tell me what you read in this book. Whether or not you find such an assignment...mundane...that is only the first part of the assignment. The second part, you will find tomorrow, will have to look at history from beyond your usual perspective. Or beneath, depending on your point-of-view. I will expect that you have read the entire book, as not doing so will hinder your ability to complete the activity. And yes, I have had students fail this activity, as easy as I hope it shall be for you. Now, if you do not have any questions, you are free to leave. I would spend my time studying the book carefully."

Luminesa wrote:

5pb wrote:Kimiko

As the motorcycle began to approach the top of the cliff Kimiko jumped up towards them. She landed lightly at the edge and walked towards Thana and Xavier. When she looked at Xavier she could see the smoke and steam that was still in the air from when he was boiling, "That was quite the display there." Although the challenge was complete she couldn't help but feel as if she was nothing but a hindrance, she fell off twice, requiring Xavier to catch her and she wasn't needed to help dispatch the monster. From her point of view nothing she did helped in the trial, but she didn't let it show to the others. She was very good at keeping feelings like these hidden, and now was one of the times that it was most useful.

As Kimiko hopped off the motorcycle and stood on the cliff, victorious with the rest of her group, Thana could see that a part of her felt guilty. Her smile, which usually came rather naturally, was forced. Her eyes were lowered, and he could see the sadness behind the light in her eyes. Of course, he did not try to look into her mind again. Instead, he smiled at her, and nodded for her to step forward. "...You've all done well. At first, you did not work as a team, which was admittedly a part of the process of the exercise. I knew that putting more adversity in your way would force you to work together. The point of the exercise was to see how you would work together, and I am pleased with the results I have seen." He looked to Kimiko first. "Kimiko, your quick thinking allowed for your teammates to get closer to the eye-guardian I summoned. You also absorbed plenty of the creatures I created, knowing that doing so would pose a risk to you. If I caught your plans correctly...you even planned to absorb the largest monster, my eye-guardian. Doing so would have been a feat of will, but you showed you were willing to risk yourself for your teammates..."

He then turned to Xavier and Death. "Xavier, you struggled in the beginning, being unable to use your wings. However, you not only saved Kimiko, but you helped your team to move forward and to work together, when you knew that the odds were against you. The same goes for you, Miss Death. You also brought the team together, cleared much of the obstacles when you knew both of your teammates were in danger, and used your resources, such as your motorcycle, to support your teammates rather than to solely help yourself. Altogether, you executed a plan which, while you had difficulties executing it, came together and destroyed most of your enemies. So congratulations, you all pass your first test!" he explained, before tucking his knife under his arm and clapping for the students.

Xavier smirked over at his two teammates, and put an arm around Kimiko's shoulder, after his body cooled back to normal 'human' temperature. His arm was still comfortably warm around her shoulder, and he wore a bright smile as he looked toward his classmates. He could tell that something was bothering Kimiko, at least, and while he could not tell what, he felt an urge to reassure her. "We did it! We survived, guys...and it's only the first day! Who knows how we'll have to survive together in the future?" he joked. He then looked over at Kimiko, and nodded to her. "And don't stand over here by yourself like you're not a part of the group, either, you did a lot! I'm the idiot who fell off the side of the mountain twice," he reminded her, "this is why I like being able to use my wings!"

Thana nodded, and then showed the group his knife. "This will be a part of your next exercise. When you come tomorrow, I will not have this knife. It will be somewhere in the Waterfall Forest. You will have to find it, and finding it brings certain...consequences, for which you will have to prepare. I will not tell you what your consequences will be, which means you will have to be ready for anything! The consequences could be good...or evil...but you will not know until you begin," he explained. He held the knife out toward them and showed them the weapon. The dark, sinister-looking blade, with an eye staring out at them from the hilt.

Xavier took a look and committed the image to memory, all while feeling rather spooked by the knife. Its eye was not too different from Thana's own, save for the difference in eye-color. Even the eye-guardian had similar eyes as Thana. This guy really, really likes eyes as a symbol...or maybe...they mean something deeper... he thought. He looked toward his classmates, wondering if they saw the same pattern. Thana certainly was not a conventional god, if one could actually say a god was conventional. He almost feared what the little knife could do, if put into someone's hands beside Thana's own.

Osiris

Osiris nodded, as Nyarlathetop asked about how the scale judged gods and mortals. He smiled at her once again, pleased that she was not afraid to ask hard questions. "...It is true that I did not measure your sins in every dimension. I only measured them here. Now...am I capable of measuring sins in every dimension? Of course. But that requires a special discourse, an addition to the ritual. For starters, the ritual cannot be accurately done on Earth for immortals, who do not come from Earth. Many immortals never interact with Earth, after all...but they do interact with beings from other worlds. Zeus, I can assure you, would be judged far more harshly on Earth than yourself, given his...actions. But you are under oath to never tell him such. He shall know if he ever comes to that point," he explained, his face becoming dispassionate and cool once again as he dissipated the scale. A magical circle appeared around it, covered in hieroglyphics which Nyarlathetop could not read. The scale then began to vanish, swallowed in an unearthly light. "...Remember, history is not merely a part of Earth, but a part of every Earth, every dimension. Every action that a living being makes will be a part of their judgment..."

As the scale vanished, he turned back toward his student, and handed her a book, History Through A Bird's Lens. He wondered how she would handle an almost-conventional assignment. "This book is about 230 pages. Tomorrow, you will come and you will tell me what you read in this book. Whether or not you find such an assignment...mundane...that is only the first part of the assignment. The second part, you will find tomorrow, will have to look at history from beyond your usual perspective. Or beneath, depending on your point-of-view. I will expect that you have read the entire book, as not doing so will hinder your ability to complete the activity. And yes, I have had students fail this activity, as easy as I hope it shall be for you. Now, if you do not have any questions, you are free to leave. I would spend my time studying the book carefully."

Kimiko

She shook her head, an attempt to get rid of the negative feelings, perhaps the darkness within the creatures that she absorbed were playing a part in making these thoughts surface? She listened to her teacher and classmate talk about the next trial, find Thana's knife. The knife had a dark presence that washed over it, but unlike the others she didn't just feel it, she could see it. A dark mist-like aura wreathed the knife, as if it was still shackleing the souls of the dead. The eye was just as unnerving as the aura, it looked just like the eyes that the monster had. "Find the knife and prepare for anything?" she kept staring at the knife, not memorizing it's looks, but rather it's aura.

Nyarlathotep

"Read the book, that's all?" she examined bothe covers of the book and reread the name History through a Bird's Lens. It was a strange title, but it matched Osiris well. "I've no further questions," she held the book under her arm and left the room. Her next stop was to go visit Hestia to see if she would be able to help repair the damaged dress. Nyaru walked into the Cafeteria in search of the Goddess of Hearth, "Excuse me, Hestia?"

Death pulled out her old-ass cellphone.
On a Cliff

---

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana nodded, and then showed the group his knife. "This will be a part of your next exercise. When you come tomorrow, I will not have this knife. It will be somewhere in the Waterfall Forest. You will have to find it, and finding it brings certain...consequences, for which you will have to prepare. I will not tell you what your consequences will be, which means you will have to be ready for anything! The consequences could be good...or evil...but you will not know until you begin," he explained. He held the knife out toward them and showed them the weapon. The dark, sinister-looking blade, with an eye staring out at them from the hilt.

She [Kimiko] shook her head, an attempt to get rid of the negative feelings, perhaps the darkness within the creatures that she absorbed were playing a part in making these thoughts surface? She listened to her teacher and classmate talk about the next trial, find Thana's knife. The knife had a dark presence that washed over it, but unlike the others she didn't just feel it, she could see it. A dark mist-like aura wreathed the knife, as if it was still shackleing the souls of the dead. The eye was just as unnerving as the aura, it looked just like the eyes that the monster had. "Find the knife and prepare for anything?" she kept staring at the knife, not memorizing it's looks, but rather it's aura.

Death took a long look at the ominous knife for a deep minute, trying to keep a good image of it in her mind. She then pulled out her cell phone, "reminder: find demonic-looking dagger in the forest.... starting in the morning. Aaaaand send." After that, she then pressed okay so as to make sure to set up the reminder.

She then looked at Kimiko and Virgil, "sooooo... do we now hang out and have, what, girl talk? With one boy? errm... do we have more classes after this?" Death began retracting her scythe until it fit into her pocket. She had the look of an edgy teenlord who had become bored with the world again after talking to her parents. Except she always looked somewhat disinterested. Her hands had seemingly already found Kimiko's tail and were unambiguously petting and playing with it. It was practically instinctive, as if she didn't know she was doing it.

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:As Kimiko hopped off the motorcycle and stood on the cliff, victorious with the rest of her group, Thana could see that a part of her felt guilty. Her smile, which usually came rather naturally, was forced. Her eyes were lowered, and he could see the sadness behind the light in her eyes. Of course, he did not try to look into her mind again. Instead, he smiled at her, and nodded for her to step forward. "...You've all done well. At first, you did not work as a team, which was admittedly a part of the process of the exercise. I knew that putting more adversity in your way would force you to work together. The point of the exercise was to see how you would work together, and I am pleased with the results I have seen." He looked to Kimiko first. "Kimiko, your quick thinking allowed for your teammates to get closer to the eye-guardian I summoned. You also absorbed plenty of the creatures I created, knowing that doing so would pose a risk to you. If I caught your plans correctly...you even planned to absorb the largest monster, my eye-guardian. Doing so would have been a feat of will, but you showed you were willing to risk yourself for your teammates..."

He then turned to Xavier and Death. "Xavier, you struggled in the beginning, being unable to use your wings. However, you not only saved Kimiko, but you helped your team to move forward and to work together, when you knew that the odds were against you. The same goes for you, Miss Death. You also brought the team together, cleared much of the obstacles when you knew both of your teammates were in danger, and used your resources, such as your motorcycle, to support your teammates rather than to solely help yourself. Altogether, you executed a plan which, while you had difficulties executing it, came together and destroyed most of your enemies. So congratulations, you all pass your first test!" he explained, before tucking his knife under his arm and clapping for the students.

Xavier smirked over at his two teammates, and put an arm around Kimiko's shoulder, after his body cooled back to normal 'human' temperature. His arm was still comfortably warm around her shoulder, and he wore a bright smile as he looked toward his classmates. He could tell that something was bothering Kimiko, at least, and while he could not tell what, he felt an urge to reassure her. "We did it! We survived, guys...and it's only the first day! Who knows how we'll have to survive together in the future?" he joked. He then looked over at Kimiko, and nodded to her. "And don't stand over here by yourself like you're not a part of the group, either, you did a lot! I'm the idiot who fell off the side of the mountain twice," he reminded her, "this is why I like being able to use my wings!"

Thana nodded, and then showed the group his knife. "This will be a part of your next exercise. When you come tomorrow, I will not have this knife. It will be somewhere in the Waterfall Forest. You will have to find it, and finding it brings certain...consequences, for which you will have to prepare. I will not tell you what your consequences will be, which means you will have to be ready for anything! The consequences could be good...or evil...but you will not know until you begin," he explained. He held the knife out toward them and showed them the weapon. The dark, sinister-looking blade, with an eye staring out at them from the hilt.

Xavier took a look and committed the image to memory, all while feeling rather spooked by the knife. Its eye was not too different from Thana's own, save for the difference in eye-color. Even the eye-guardian had similar eyes as Thana. This guy really, really likes eyes as a symbol...or maybe...they mean something deeper... he thought. He looked toward his classmates, wondering if they saw the same pattern. Thana certainly was not a conventional god, if one could actually say a god was conventional. He almost feared what the little knife could do, if put into someone's hands beside Thana's own.

Osiris

Osiris nodded, as Nyarlathetop asked about how the scale judged gods and mortals. He smiled at her once again, pleased that she was not afraid to ask hard questions. "...It is true that I did not measure your sins in every dimension. I only measured them here. Now...am I capable of measuring sins in every dimension? Of course. But that requires a special discourse, an addition to the ritual. For starters, the ritual cannot be accurately done on Earth for immortals, who do not come from Earth. Many immortals never interact with Earth, after all...but they do interact with beings from other worlds. Zeus, I can assure you, would be judged far more harshly on Earth than yourself, given his...actions. But you are under oath to never tell him such. He shall know if he ever comes to that point," he explained, his face becoming dispassionate and cool once again as he dissipated the scale. A magical circle appeared around it, covered in hieroglyphics which Nyarlathetop could not read. The scale then began to vanish, swallowed in an unearthly light. "...Remember, history is not merely a part of Earth, but a part of every Earth, every dimension. Every action that a living being makes will be a part of their judgment..."

As the scale vanished, he turned back toward his student, and handed her a book, History Through A Bird's Lens. He wondered how she would handle an almost-conventional assignment. "This book is about 230 pages. Tomorrow, you will come and you will tell me what you read in this book. Whether or not you find such an assignment...mundane...that is only the first part of the assignment. The second part, you will find tomorrow, will have to look at history from beyond your usual perspective. Or beneath, depending on your point-of-view. I will expect that you have read the entire book, as not doing so will hinder your ability to complete the activity. And yes, I have had students fail this activity, as easy as I hope it shall be for you. Now, if you do not have any questions, you are free to leave. I would spend my time studying the book carefully."

Kimiko

She shook her head, an attempt to get rid of the negative feelings, perhaps the darkness within the creatures that she absorbed were playing a part in making these thoughts surface? She listened to her teacher and classmate talk about the next trial, find Thana's knife. The knife had a dark presence that washed over it, but unlike the others she didn't just feel it, she could see it. A dark mist-like aura wreathed the knife, as if it was still shackleing the souls of the dead. The eye was just as unnerving as the aura, it looked just like the eyes that the monster had. "Find the knife and prepare for anything?" she kept staring at the knife, not memorizing it's looks, but rather it's aura.

Nyarlathotep

"Read the book, that's all?" she examined bothe covers of the book and reread the name History through a Bird's Lens. It was a strange title, but it matched Osiris well. "I've no further questions," she held the book under her arm and left the room. Her next stop was to go visit Hestia to see if she would be able to help repair the damaged dress. Nyaru walked into the Cafeteria in search of the Goddess of Hearth, "Excuse me, Hestia?"

Thana

“Yes, that is exactly your task, and given the task at hand, I would say that your homework is to train together. Of course, because you are getting to know each other, and because you have to learn how to work together, training together in this regard could mean anything!” Thana smiles and clasped his hands together. In the meantime, the eye of the blade in his hand stared at the students, unblinking and life-like. “You could use physical combat, you could meditate, you could even do something as mundane as...hmmm, what do the humans play these days...video games?...” He chuckled at the idea of two gods and an angel playing video games.

Xavier found the dagger unnerving, but he did not say anything. Instead, he looked to his teammates and smiled. Death was more lacking in emotion and probably did not have many friends, and Kimiko was someone who needed a boost to her fragile self-esteem. Creating friendships with these two would be best for everyone involved. “We should spend some time together doing something we all like. Soooo what’s a hobby we all like? I guess this would be a team-bonding exercise.” He knew Kimiko probably had some quiet hobbies she did when she was not busy managing the temple, but he wondered about Death. After all, what might Death do for fun?

Hestia

Sweet Hestia was in the kitchen, overseeing the magical cooking and cleaning that took place in the cafeteria. She was in her happy place, humming an ancient tune while enjoying the smells of hot, savory soups, steak, bubbling rice, and buttery, baking chicken. She had plenty of other foods prepared, but she was serving these particular dishes for Patriah, who had come into the kitchen after his lesson, starving for comfort food. He had needed to eat, to get his mind off Apophis. He could not stop thinking about his strange, creepy classmate. Hestia was not aware of his specific worries, but she knew most worries could be solved better with a full stomach.

When Nyarlathetop entered the cafeteria, Patriah continued to keep his head down and to eat. He had made at least two students antagonize him in two days. He did not want to antagonize her further, and thus avoided eye-contact. When he got his food, he thanked Hestia and hurried away to eat. The goddess of the hearth then smiled happily at her as she approached. “Yes! Hello, Nyarlathetop! Would you like something to eat? I know your teachers must be working you to the bone these first few days. But don’t worry, it will be worth it once you better understand your skills. Or do you need something other than food?...”

Luminesa wrote:

5pb wrote:Kimiko

She shook her head, an attempt to get rid of the negative feelings, perhaps the darkness within the creatures that she absorbed were playing a part in making these thoughts surface? She listened to her teacher and classmate talk about the next trial, find Thana's knife. The knife had a dark presence that washed over it, but unlike the others she didn't just feel it, she could see it. A dark mist-like aura wreathed the knife, as if it was still shackleing the souls of the dead. The eye was just as unnerving as the aura, it looked just like the eyes that the monster had. "Find the knife and prepare for anything?" she kept staring at the knife, not memorizing it's looks, but rather it's aura.

Nyarlathotep

"Read the book, that's all?" she examined bothe covers of the book and reread the name History through a Bird's Lens. It was a strange title, but it matched Osiris well. "I've no further questions," she held the book under her arm and left the room. Her next stop was to go visit Hestia to see if she would be able to help repair the damaged dress. Nyaru walked into the Cafeteria in search of the Goddess of Hearth, "Excuse me, Hestia?"

Thana

“Yes, that is exactly your task, and given the task at hand, I would say that your homework is to train together. Of course, because you are getting to know each other, and because you have to learn how to work together, training together in this regard could mean anything!” Thana smiles and clasped his hands together. In the meantime, the eye of the blade in his hand stared at the students, unblinking and life-like. “You could use physical combat, you could meditate, you could even do something as mundane as...hmmm, what do the humans play these days...video games?...” He chuckled at the idea of two gods and an angel playing video games.

Xavier found the dagger unnerving, but he did not say anything. Instead, he looked to his teammates and smiled. Death was more lacking in emotion and probably did not have many friends, and Kimiko was someone who needed a boost to her fragile self-esteem. Creating friendships with these two would be best for everyone involved. “We should spend some time together doing something we all like. Soooo what’s a hobby we all like? I guess this would be a team-bonding exercise.” He knew Kimiko probably had some quiet hobbies she did when she was not busy managing the temple, but he wondered about Death. After all, what might Death do for fun?

Hestia

Sweet Hestia was in the kitchen, overseeing the magical cooking and cleaning that took place in the cafeteria. She was in her happy place, humming an ancient tune while enjoying the smells of hot, savory soups, steak, bubbling rice, and buttery, baking chicken. She had plenty of other foods prepared, but she was serving these particular dishes for Patriah, who had come into the kitchen after his lesson, starving for comfort food. He had needed to eat, to get his mind off Apophis. He could not stop thinking about his strange, creepy classmate. Hestia was not aware of his specific worries, but she knew most worries could be solved better with a full stomach.

When Nyarlathetop entered the cafeteria, Patriah continued to keep his head down and to eat. He had made at least two students antagonize him in two days. He did not want to antagonize her further, and thus avoided eye-contact. When he got his food, he thanked Hestia and hurried away to eat. The goddess of the hearth then smiled happily at her as she approached. “Yes! Hello, Nyarlathetop! Would you like something to eat? I know your teachers must be working you to the bone these first few days. But don’t worry, it will be worth it once you better understand your skills. Or do you need something other than food?...”

Kimiko

One of her teammates had instinctively begun to pet her tail, Kimiko's face was gained a slight tint of red but she tried to ignore the feeling. The homework that they were given was to train with each other in whatever way they deemed fit. She was used to being alone, not having other people to hang out with so she was out of her element. "A hobby?" she thought to herself about her hobbies, "All I really did was clean and practice archery, and I wouldn't really call those hobbies."

Nyarlathotep
"Well, I think I got off easier than the other students when it comes to working, but as you guessed, I'm not here for food," Nyaru reached to her right and a portal appeared. She searched around it for a small bit before pulling the red and white dress from it. "During yesterday's training, I did something very stupid and it ruined my favorite dress," she unfolded it revealing the large hole that went through both sides, "I, of course, wanted to get it fixed and you were the first person to come to mine, you being the goddess of hearth and home." She waited quietly for Hestia's response while refolding the dress.

5pb wrote:

Luminesa wrote:Thana

“Yes, that is exactly your task, and given the task at hand, I would say that your homework is to train together. Of course, because you are getting to know each other, and because you have to learn how to work together, training together in this regard could mean anything!” Thana smiles and clasped his hands together. In the meantime, the eye of the blade in his hand stared at the students, unblinking and life-like. “You could use physical combat, you could meditate, you could even do something as mundane as...hmmm, what do the humans play these days...video games?...” He chuckled at the idea of two gods and an angel playing video games.

Xavier found the dagger unnerving, but he did not say anything. Instead, he looked to his teammates and smiled. Death was more lacking in emotion and probably did not have many friends, and Kimiko was someone who needed a boost to her fragile self-esteem. Creating friendships with these two would be best for everyone involved. “We should spend some time together doing something we all like. Soooo what’s a hobby we all like? I guess this would be a team-bonding exercise.” He knew Kimiko probably had some quiet hobbies she did when she was not busy managing the temple, but he wondered about Death. After all, what might Death do for fun?

Hestia

Sweet Hestia was in the kitchen, overseeing the magical cooking and cleaning that took place in the cafeteria. She was in her happy place, humming an ancient tune while enjoying the smells of hot, savory soups, steak, bubbling rice, and buttery, baking chicken. She had plenty of other foods prepared, but she was serving these particular dishes for Patriah, who had come into the kitchen after his lesson, starving for comfort food. He had needed to eat, to get his mind off Apophis. He could not stop thinking about his strange, creepy classmate. Hestia was not aware of his specific worries, but she knew most worries could be solved better with a full stomach.

When Nyarlathetop entered the cafeteria, Patriah continued to keep his head down and to eat. He had made at least two students antagonize him in two days. He did not want to antagonize her further, and thus avoided eye-contact. When he got his food, he thanked Hestia and hurried away to eat. The goddess of the hearth then smiled happily at her as she approached. “Yes! Hello, Nyarlathetop! Would you like something to eat? I know your teachers must be working you to the bone these first few days. But don’t worry, it will be worth it once you better understand your skills. Or do you need something other than food?...”

Kimiko

One of her teammates had instinctively begun to pet her tail, Kimiko's face was gained a slight tint of red but she tried to ignore the feeling. The homework that they were given was to train with each other in whatever way they deemed fit. She was used to being alone, not having other people to hang out with so she was out of her element. "A hobby?" she thought to herself about her hobbies, "All I really did was clean and practice archery, and I wouldn't really call those hobbies."

Nyarlathotep
"Well, I think I got off easier than the other students when it comes to working, but as you guessed, I'm not here for food," Nyaru reached to her right and a portal appeared. She searched around it for a small bit before pulling the red and white dress from it. "During yesterday's training, I did something very stupid and it ruined my favorite dress," she unfolded it revealing the large hole that went through both sides, "I, of course, wanted to get it fixed and you were the first person to come to mine, you being the goddess of hearth and home." She waited quietly for Hestia's response while refolding the dress.

Xavier

"Archery sounds fun, probably relaxing too," Xavier suggested. He turned and looked out over the campus, as the trio and Thana stood at the top of the cavern wall. They could see the beaches, the rolling, dense forests, and every building on the expansive campus. They could hear the gentle breeze breathing through the air, the rumble of the waterfall nearby, and could smell the hot, late-summer skies. The campus was beautiful and peaceful, up above the world, or maybe it just felt sweeter given they had conquered their first challenge together. "...We can fly back down if we want to leave, right?" he asked Thana.

"Yes, of course. You are finished for the day, so now you can go back down to the campus whenever you please. Oh! One more thing. Your reward!" Thana held-out his hand, and three golden daggers appeared, one for each student. "These will help you in tomorrow's challenge, but you should keep them regardless. You never know when they will be useful outside of your classes," he explained. He grinned at his students, and then before any of them could turn back around to look at him, he had vanished. The only indicator that he had been in their presence was a sudden gust of cold, ominous wind that rushed past the three students. It only lasted for a moment, however, before the sensation melted into the thick summer air.

Xavier shuddered for a moment, but then he sighed and stretched his arms. "...Archery sounds fun...Just hope I'm not too tired to go shooting some arrows...Death, what do you think?" He turned to the third girl, who had been so quiet thus far. He did not want to leave her out of their team-bonding, and he smiled at her. Even if he had been suspicious of her just this morning, now he did not feel that same tension around her. Instead, he felt that she was someone he could befriend, even if her personality was perhaps a little distant and unusual.

Hestia

Hestia was not bothered by the sight of the strange portal, nor of the torn dress that Nyarltathetop pulled from the portal. She was patient, as she did not have too many students in the cafeteria, and the morning was calm and quiet. "Oh! Let me see! Such a pretty dress." She took the dress gently in her hands, careful not to drop it in any of the food, and she examined the holes in the dress. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...Yes, I will most definitely try and fix it this evening. Once the students are all in bed, I shall stitch it and have it back to you tomorrow morning. Do you have anything else you need?" she inquired.

Death can be a pouty teen every now and then.
On a Cliff

---

Luminesa wrote:

5pb wrote:One of her teammates had instinctively begun to pet her tail, Kimiko's face was gained a slight tint of red but she tried to ignore the feeling. The homework that they were given was to train with each other in whatever way they deemed fit. She was used to being alone, not having other people to hang out with so she was out of her element. "A hobby?" she thought to herself about her hobbies, "All I really did was clean and practice archery, and I wouldn't really call those hobbies."

"Archery sounds fun, probably relaxing too," Xavier suggested. He turned and looked out over the campus, as the trio and Thana stood at the top of the cavern wall. They could see the beaches, the rolling, dense forests, and every building on the expansive campus. They could hear the gentle breeze breathing through the air, the rumble of the waterfall nearby, and could smell the hot, late-summer skies. The campus was beautiful and peaceful, up above the world, or maybe it just felt sweeter given they had conquered their first challenge together. "...We can fly back down if we want to leave, right?" he asked Thana.

"Yes, of course. You are finished for the day, so now you can go back down to the campus whenever you please. Oh! One more thing. Your reward!" Thana held-out his hand, and three golden daggers appeared, one for each student. "These will help you in tomorrow's challenge, but you should keep them regardless. You never know when they will be useful outside of your classes," he explained. He grinned at his students, and then before any of them could turn back around to look at him, he had vanished. The only indicator that he had been in their presence was a sudden gust of cold, ominous wind that rushed past the three students. It only lasted for a moment, however, before the sensation melted into the thick summer air.

Xavier shuddered for a moment, but then he sighed and stretched his arms. "...Archery sounds fun...Just hope I'm not too tired to go shooting some arrows...Death, what do you think?" He turned to the third girl, who had been so quiet thus far. He did not want to leave her out of their team-bonding, and he smiled at her. Even if he had been suspicious of her just this morning, now he did not feel that same tension around her. Instead, he felt that she was someone he could befriend, even if her personality was perhaps a little distant and unusual.

Death yawned a bit, looking at the two. She already stashed the golden dagger into her pocket, hoping to figure out what it does later. Her hands kept petting, at this point nuzzling the tail on her cheeks, "It's as soft as a pillo-" She jumped a bit, clearing her throat.

"Er, um... team exercises... riiiight...." She looked at the options once more in her mind.

"...Archery sounds fun...Just hope I'm not too tired to go shooting some arrows...Death, what do you think?" Xavier added.

Death pouted a bit, "aw, but I haven't done any archery since the 13th century!" There was a specific time when a few people ready for death attempted to run or flee. She decided to use her, at that time decent archery skills to shoot an arrow at them, attached to a rope. She then used her pale steed to drag them kicking and screaming to the afterlife. She looked at them, having grabbed the tail again, "I wanted... to play video games..."

Most of the characters were able to find small things to do during that afternoon, either to relax or to prepare for the next day’s lessons. Some of the assignments given were bizarre, such as Thana’s Golden-Dagger Challenge. Others were rather tame. While Persephone had only had one student, she had given him the more mundane task, this morning, of learning about the herbs and medicines that she kept in her cabinet. Nobody was sure what to expect for the next day, except for the continuation of their classes.

None of the students had Circe, the goddess of Magic, as their teacher, and Thana wondered as he watched her if that was for the best. She had brought Magical books for the students in case she was given the assignment, but she served instead as the class’s Magical Literature teacher. The students were to meet together twice a week, today not included, to discuss texts which were important to their understanding of the supernatural-or so the course demanded, according to the syllabus.

Thana had kept an eye on her since she had arrived, for a few reasons. In a school with students who sometimes did not come to class with shirts, or with the Greek goddess of fertility as a nurse, and the Greek goddess of motherhood as a secretary, Circe seemed to do whatever she thought was best to stand-out. For her, this meant wearing practically lingerie-like outfits when she walked around campus. Today she wore bright-violet, silk robes over a thin, lacy purple gown, which contrasted with the suits and dresses that Hera and Persephone wore.

Circe also seemed to have an attraction, and a worrisome one, for disaster. She liked Hyperion-a lot. Thana had to wonder what quite had happened this morning, as he watched the teachers come to the office to punch-in their time for the day, and noticed the sun god was more drunk than usual. “...Hyperion, are you ill?” Thana inquired, as he noticed Hyperion stagger into the room.

He did not give eye-contact, and bumbled his way through the simple task of writing his name on a computer. Osiris passed and watched him, and raised an eyebrow as the sun god seemingly forgot how to spell his own name. “Hepio...no...Hyporo...no...wait, wait, don’t tell me!...Hype...ri...do...???” When Osiris finally typed it in for him and walked away, the sun god blinked and held his head, surprised at his clumsiness. “...Ungh...”

“What did you drink last night?” Thana and all the other teachers knew Hyperion liked alcohol quite a bit, but nobody was able to quite stop him while Zeus was in charge. They could only make sure he did not vomit while teaching the students.

“...I don’t...even remember. It was like...purple...but not...kinda shiny...”

“Purple and shiny?” Thana repeated.

“Yeah, tasted like...um...cranberries...but not...and it vodka...blergh...”

“Perhaps you should stay in your room today, and we’ll find a replacement for the day. I’m not sure today would be a good day for you to teach.” The elder God approached and put a hand on his shoulder.

Hyperion put his hand over Thana’s, not really aware of his actions. “...Get Circe to do it, I guess. She won’t mess with Michael...and if she does...” Before he could finish his threat, he had to run to the bathroom to vomit, and Thana sighed.

So Circe would teach alongside Michael today, a fact about which that the latter being was not happy. Yet he accepted this unforeseen circumstance, and spoke to her before class about the lesson. Circe grinned at him, finding Michael to be at the very least cute, if not more uptight than she liked. She was also glad because Apophis and Patriah were in this class, and she was confident she could control the rash whims of the boys. “...Oh I can’t wait to get started. I don’t think I’ve even introduced myself to them yet!” she mused, her voice sultry and soft like a simmering summer evening, and cool like ice in a sweet margarita.

“...As long as you don’t somehow make this lesson about you,” Michael muttered, already worried about how this class would go.

“Oh no, no, no! It’s all about the students...” she answered, with a sweet smile.

Apophis

And thus day came to a close. The Old God made it his routine to pace around the campus in an impatient way. His power is unbridled yet his body is confined within these perimeters. Apophis has no need for sleep and rest and most of his pacing he used to feel the mortal world beneath him. His servants rejoiced when their Lord escaped captivity and the Realm of the Secret Cavern became alight with activity. Ra's nightly tribulations through the realm became even more severe, and his divine guards of Set and Horus needed to be deployed again versus the demonic forces of Apophis. The Lord of Supreme Evil himself cannot come but his freedom was enough to empower his forces, just to rub some salt onto the wounds of the Egyptian Gods.

Morning came and Apophis dressed himself in his divine linen and silk, his gold and sapphire and ruby, and strode proudly through the field. The sun is rising in prominence yet the Chaos God's presence is enough to darken the skies. Clouds began to swirl in the sky, hiding the sun's morning radiance. Apophis arrived in the same spot as yesterday and was mildly surprised to see that the obnoxious Sun Titan was replaced by the obnoxious sorceress. "I see that they've replaced the annoying football player with the degenerate cheerleader."