Personification Life: EPIC (IC Thread XI) [CLOSED]

[Highfort]

ETHEREAL WOLD, THE GATEHOUSE OF FREYWOLD

Opa's optic took in the quick reflexes of the lizard, Meps springing into action as the satyral moved its powerful jaws to take out their other arm. Even as they moved to assist her, they noted her warble and the acid or venom she seemed to spit from glands in her mouth. This lizard was of a most strange species indeed, though a preliminary thread told Opa that, based on limited data from outdated archives, some of her features resembled native fauna on colonized Confederation worlds. Perhaps there was some connection?

Before the satyral could manage a clean swipe at her, Opa raised their good arm and slammed the shaped shield of carbon fibers and metal into the creature's chest and torso. The satyral was sent reeling onto its back, a brief window of opportunity opening up for Meps to deliver the killing blow even as the venom in her glands prepared for another shot.

Pulling themselves up, Opa launched Meps forward. Their arm shot out and up, forming a rigid support for the shield so she could land on her feet and finish off the unpleasant intruder.

[Mincaldenteans]

Pine nuts weren't a particular favorite, but it wasn't everyday that Residents or strangers dropped an apple or banana on the road. Those were treats, really, and he'd been used to sharing them with whomever took a liking for it. What he really craved was a milk bowl with rice balls dunked in, but such things were pipe dreams at best and the civet took to company and sharing as his highlight.

The rocking chair under the tree was a curious thing. It had a compartment he could slip in, but didn't, figuring the chair itself was a maze of sorts to wind and unwind around. The armrests didn't creak at his weight and it didn't break from all his pouncing back and forth. It was definitely a play toy for the civet, although he wouldn't be caught in the act, civets were kinda shy about such displays.

So there he was, sharing pine nuts with a stork that was their newest addition. He wasn't sure where it came from and its beak was much longer (and sharper) than that of the owl or the penguin. Its feathers looked soft, but overall it looked kind of frail, not suited for harsh weather that made the civet think the penguin was the safer bet of the three birds to huddle with come winter time. He tought of the the owl, but it always preferred to be by itself and perched on the branch, rarely did it entertain a guest by it let alone next to it - from the civet's experience anyway. For them being night creatures, they were polar opposites it seemed. The owl was wide awake and could take off at a moment's notice, while civet preferred to be hidden, warm and asleep.

It's thoughts fleeted away and back to the only thing that mattered right now. The chair! The civet, peering its head down and to the wooden furniture, left the stork with the pine nuts - figuring the bird would likely prefer to have it to itself - and trotted lightly across the tree branches to perch itself directly below the lonesome chair. With his small claws raked into the bark, the civet poised itself for a small leap to land squarely on the seat. Since no one bothered to enjoy the simplicity of the arrangement, it figured it was fair game to nap on it! Launching itself downward, it was caught by surprise when the chair rocked a little harder than usual, almost tipping itself at a severe angle forward and backward! That was new, and the movement was terrifying as it was exhilarating! The civet felt the need to dig its claws into the chair, but its nails weren't sharp enough to pin into the sanded-wood and its head moved frantically about in a futile attempt to command the chair's robust sway! It slowed eventually and the civet finally managed to peek around, figuring it made a fool of itself, but hopefully only the penguin, badger, and maybe the stork took notice.

After much pawing about on the seat, the civet settled closer to the back rest of the chair and huddled in on itself, curling its long bushy tail to hide its face save the dark eyes and set its jaw on its front paws. Its ears remained on alert, but it was nowhere as keen as that of the fennec's and slowly, but surely, drifted off for a small nap.

Such was life for a PLanimal.

[Holy Lykos]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

Nex grunted in response to Kale's plea to stay way, his tendrils lashing out at a Skritter and hoisting him up for his claws to shred. The room was already quite a mess, alien bodies piling up as their weapons, natural or not, shredded the pirate hordes. But so intent the pirates were they didn't seem to notice. There also seemed to quite frankly be no end to them. One of the humans, the woman who Kale had been talking with, yelped in pain and had to fall back, a burn mark on one arm, seared flesh crackling from a glancing shot of some laser weapon. "Fuck they did raid Lykos's space before here!" She shouted, falling back behind one of the room's desks to get into cover.

"Romulus! Push forward, their initial assault is done, I see some running back for their ship." Venla shouted at him, before headbutting a Skritarii that Romulus's shot missed earlier. He stupidly had poked his head back out again. She hissed from the slight pain, and then let out a barking shout as another gunshot sounded out. A splash of dark blood from Venla's leg and she fell to her knee.

Almost instantly, the bullet seemed to work its way out, tinking on the floor before the purple glowing fungal mass in her leg wrapped tightly around the injured area. Venla's eyes narrowed, growlling as she slashed out at the Skritter that had shot her, practically at point blank range. He toppled over, and into Kale's vines.

"Kale, get those under control, we're largely uninjured, we don't want crazy plants ripping us apart too!" Venla barked out, her normal rather gentle speech much harsher, and rather ragged.

---

"Oh, Turni would be good. Its rather simple." Bencarr replied, ears flicking back again as he heard a few of the shouts of pain. Rwm would be unlikely to hear them over the general clatter and clamor the fight was creating without other species sensitive hearing, but hell if it wasn't disturbing to him.

"I believe it was played with a hash grid? Its been a while since I've played a human game. Most Huvidu-Zaan games we couldn't play, as they tend to involve the tendrils over other limbs." Bencarr took the pencile from her gently, slowly drawing the grid before drawing a cross in the top right square. "Its played with crosses and nulls.... er zero, I believe the human term is. We claim one space at a time, and try to get three in a row. It rather often ends up in stalemate, unless one member is inattentive when it comes to playing."

[Cerillium]

ETHEREAL WOLD, THE GATEHOUSE OF FREYWOLD
Lizard godmoddery with kind permission from her handler who is, sadly, unavailable tonight due to a mission
The satyral's howl of rage blossomed into a forlorn wail - though Opa's shield strike quickly twisted the noise into a strangled sob. The impact flipped the creature, paws ineffectively flailing to wipe the venomous substance away even as it sailed through the air. The landing knocked the wind from the creature's lungs.

"Opa, stomp its head!" Meps spun and trained her large eyes on the battle droid. Out of options now that she had used her only natural weapons, and armed with things far too small to have significant effect on such a large creature, she had no choice but to resort to brute violence. Surely the machine's weight would crush the satyral's skull?

The gravely wounded beast kicked out a back leg, startling the xeno, but the leg only folded in once more. Her eyes narrowed as it rolled its face towards her voice. Though it had a human countenance, the brain behind was feral. Seeing that it hadn't any fight left in it, she shook her own head and rested a paw on Opa's thigh. Perhaps her last order wasn't that far off?

"It can't hunt now that it's blind," she gently reassured her companion, "Satyrals are not evil. He was hungry. If we don't kill him, he will die slowly of starvation. The Law prohibits sophont beings like us from leaving an animal to suffer unduly. Be quick and be merciful, Opa."



THE GLADE

Small dust clouds rose from the ratel's pelt as it waddled down the narrow game trail. Unlike some animals, he had to seriously work for a living. This meant that no tunnel opening went unexplored and apiaries were never left unscathed. He was just returning from one such raid - leaving one more villager scratching his head over the violent death of the brood inside the hive - when he happened to catch the civet at a round of fun. He paused just shy of the clearing and dropped to his belly to watch the display.

Thick ears perked a bit higher as the chair reeled backwards. Surely the strange cat would tumble! Yet the whole thing seemed to right itself on purpose. Hm. The ratel's species were no strangers to Swinging Things. In fact, those Things were some of their favorites.

Any naturalist worth his salt will tell you that all Mustelids shared the common trait of play. Of the eight other badger species, otters, weasels and the wolverine

None of these thoughts were in the ratel's head as he quietly climbed the tree and squeezed past the owl. He stopped just above the chair back, head and fat tail flailing as he strove to maintain his balance. This would be spectacular, of course! His weight would violently tip the chair, flinging the civet from the seat. A cold smile parted the ratel's lips. His head tipped forward - a quick final recalculation of the chair's position - and then he tilted his front half downwards and pushed off the branch.

The airborne ratel sailed cleanly by the chair. The dark, fudge-toned splat of his body impacting the leaf litter could have possibly awoken the strange cat. The ratel didn't care. He had meant to miss, of course. Don't you dare try to say otherwise! Soft guffs chugged from him as he extracted himself from the ratel-sized impact crater. He shook off the remaining debris, thrust his stubby tail into the air to rekindle his pride, and waddled back to the burrow opening to sleep off his shame.



HALLWAY
Marcus nervously smiled as Giovenith cooed over his brother. His head tilted to better take in the soft and soothing sounds. This was the maternal side he seldom saw, and one that she always reserved for her baby dragons. He studied her expressive brows and the gentle curve of her nose, and then the soft cheeks as she hiked them into a smile, and he breathed in the familiar scents that set her apart from everyone else.

The bird reformed into a moth for Argus' delight, but the magic paled when compared to the beauty of Giovenith's eyes. Marcus mutely nodded as she explained Torii's state. His shoulders lowered as a bit of stress drained away. "I need to apologize to her," he murmured too low for even Argus to hear, ashamed of how he'd treated the girl. Shock quickly replaced his guilt however, and his eyes widened as Giovenith expressed many of his own inner fears. Her last statement pained him.

"Now hold on a minute," he set Argus down and then enfolded her hands in his own. "A small oak tree sits on a hill and looks at the oak grove across the valley, and she thinks all those old oaks are so much more beautiful than her. Here she is, with her strange knots and broken branches, surely not perfect like them. How can she ever compare to those trees? So she puts it out of her mind and spends her summer being the best oak, and sheltering the small animals and shading the larger ones that gather under her canopy. And know what? The frost comes, and all the leaves fall, and she wakes up that morning to find the grove across the valley is as naked as she is. And they have knots and broken branches, just like her. Giovenith, you are every bit as pretty as those women, and quite a bit more cool. Their doubts and insecurities are hidden under their summer leaves, so they just appear flawless."

He bit his lip as he considered whether or not risk putting his foot in his mouth by continuing. A small sigh heralded his approach into unknown waters. "When you died, I realized I had fallen into the same trap as my father. Work kept me away. And for me, it's a matter of saying "no" when people ask. I've got my duties, sure, but then someone will be behind on something so I stay to help, and then I fall behind on my own stuff. I get into trouble when that happens. I need to stop doing that. You are the most important person in my life." He offered a shy smile as he squeezed her hands. "We can't spend every waking moment together. That would be total insanity. We have to have our own lives. But I'd like to find time to set aside for just us. 'Miss Giovenith and Brother Marcus time', where we go explore new places, or maybe try out a new place to eat, and just unwind together. I love you more than-"

The squealing beepers mercifully spared the readers more of this romantic stuff.

Argus paused in his search for the moth and cocked his head as he listened to the odd sounds coming from his brother and the pretty girl. "Moth?"

"Work," Marcus drew Giovenith's hands to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. "But at least we're working together this time."


OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
DIMENSION: π
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE
TEAM: WELCOME WAGON

---

Crisp autumn breezes billowed the bathtub's shower curtain sail. Varying shades of orange and red stippled the woodland groves on the ground far below, though dusk was soon to obscure them. Argus peered over the tub's rim and watched them pass until the sea replaced land, and then he scooted towards Giovenith and curled up in her lap. He didn't stir again until the sound of rushing water drew his attention.

To understand Gallimaufry Mundi was to understand the workings of chaos. Demens' odd thought patterns were readily manifested in some of the strange planetary formations, but nothing stood out quite so much as the Hole surrounding the Gatehouse. This massive square of ocean - for it was indeed a square! - was a window into the planet's very core. The ocean's waters were held back by some odd, invisible barrier, although the fluid occasionally sloshed over the edge to be swallowed up deep within, but nobody could ever explain what the barrier was nor where those waters went, nor how the ocean replenished what was lost. It was unsettling for many people, actually. It reminded them that their entire world was held together at the whim of a single Greater Being.

"Moth!" Argus thrust a fat finger towards the Gatehouse once it came into view within the Hole.

The bathtubs changed course slightly as they floated towards the chunk of ground suspended over the Hole, and then began a gentle downward glide that soon docked them in front of a squat marble building settled squarely on the island. Marcus wasted no time in ushering Giovenith and the toddler towards the Gatehouse door.

His cybernetic eye adjusted to the darker interior. Nothing had changed since he was last here. The room still contained the same things: a wooden chair, a side table, a dormant silvery ring large enough for several large beings to step through at once, and the Guardian.

The latter was hideous beyond all reason. Its body shifted, never assuming any fully recognizable form, as it kept watch over Gate and door. It never slept. It required no food nor did it need water. It simply Was, and what it was could not be defined. Demens had warned everyone: Do Not Fuck With. People had lived long enough under his employ to take his words to heart.

"Oh, hello," Myra's eyes remained fixed on her displays as she waved to the trio. To any casual observer, it would appear that the skinny teenage girl were staring into empty space and tapping thin air.

"Two inbound from different dimensions, so you gotta catch and pull the first one," she advised as Marcus pulled a small stool from a corner and parked Argus in it. "Both female. One human, one Nevidian. That's a subterranean human from Dimension 322A." The fingers danced more quickly. "I don't know who is arriving first. Minimum weapons, no strong magic, oh hey, one's got cybernetics. Score one for your kind, Marcus." She twisted in her chair to flash the cyborg her cheesiest grin.

Marcus tensed. With his kind, the body was a weapon. Demens Chosen sometimes arrived on the heels of a fight-or-fight moment. It wouldn't be too shocking if they woke with guns blazing. His gaze swept towards Giovenith. He didn't doubt her abilities. Yet she was suddenly more than a girlfriend. She was a teammate. The notion thrilled him to no end as he gestured for Giovenith to join him on the "welcome mat", a fading blue line that circled the Gate itself.

Myra cleared her throat. "Opening in three - two -"

A fierce blue light overwhelmed the room's darkness as the Gate sprang to life. A pale woman with short white hair toppled from the opening. Marcus stepped across the line and caught her slumbering body before she could strike the floor. He hauled her to Giovenith's side and set her down gently just as the Gate flickered.

"Next up," Myra called.

Another body slumped from the searing ball of light to crumple to the floor. The Gate snapped closed and the shadows returned.

"Give them a moment to wake from Demen's spell," Myra advised. "I don't have any details about where or what they just came from. Don't know if they were about to die or were plucked for some other reason."

"They'll be no worse for wear, physically," Marcus advised Gioventh as he drew his hood to cast his face into shadow. "Let's step back and give them some space."

[Chedastan]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
DIMENSION: π
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE
TEAM: WELCOME WAGON

---

The last thing Nivea remembered was witnessing a sudden and blinding flash of light as the headsman's axe came down for her neck, she was almost certain that she had died on the chopping block and her head was only remaining partially conscious for a few more seconds before it ran out of air, recalling what had happened to that unfortunate thief a few days prior. She had closed her eyes from the flash, but she noticed that she had stopped hearing from the ravenous crowd that had formed around for her execution, having been very verbal about calling out for her blood by chanting and screaming "death to the heretic!"

She must've surely died then, she thought, as she felt cold and odd now, sorta like how she imagined being dead would feel like. But something was amiss though, she realized she was laying on some hard flooring, and could still feel her chest beat as it did before the axe came down, still in shocked from the trauma of death coming near, but did death not reached her?

She finally squinted opened her blurry blue eyes and sat up quickly with startled gasping, she quickly felt around her neck and found that there wasn't a cut on it and her head was still firmly attached to her body. Her hands dropped to her sides and she rubbed eyes, trying to adjust to the dim (yet still bright to her) lighting in the room. Her mind was racing with possibilities as to what was going on, and she didn't know whether she should be filled with joy, or terribly frightened beyond all belief.

She was alive, as she has mostly concluded at that point, but where was she now, as this couldn't be somewhere in her city, could it? Nivea felt like a new born in a strange new world as she looked around and saw some odd and weird figures in the room, all seemingly looking at her. She stood up, marveling at the appearances of these strange beings that were shaped to the same sorta form as Nevidians, but were radically different in more ways than one.

The mechanical man that was the most up and front to her stood out to her the most, but the sparkly girl next to him was practically radiant in every definition of the word, she was like an more angelic depiction of her own kind almost, and was harsh for her eyes to see because of her glow. She was a lost for words, she wasn't even sure that they would even understand her if she spoke to them. She did finally get the will to speak though, knowing that these odd beings might provide some answers as to what had happened to her, or at least a direction of where to find them.

"Uh, Hello? Do you understand me? I-I'm not sure what happened, I think I was supposed to die, did I died? If I'm alive where am I now? Are we still in the City?" She asked with uncertainty to both the mechanical man and the angel, them being the closest to her.

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

Romulus acknowledged Venla's suggestion for them to push forward, which would usually be a sound plan if they knew how many more pirates they were going to have to fight. But he realized there were two clear problems with that plan, for one they didn't know how many pirates that were still here and and ones retreating could've been setting them up for a trap, and second they had to deal with Kale's plant problem that was right in the middle of their fight as well. And the plants were becoming a growing problem by the second, and were more dangerous than any of these pirates they were fighting.

Before he could say "Negative" on Venla's suggestion for the time being, she had gotten shot and was clearly injured. "Wilhelm dammit!" He cursed from under his helmet. Knowing that she was in need of some assistance, he quickly rushed over to her, via side stepping past the vines and slamming his body onto a remaining Skritarii against the wall, plastering the wall in its gore. He then got next to Venla and fired a covering fire autocannon salvo at some shooting pirates, striking and killing one in the process.

"We deal with the vines first, then we go after the pirates." He said sternly to Venla, and then turned around to hit the vines with his sword, lighting some on fire. "We need this thing taken care of before we go rushing into anything, this would be a huge flank we'll be exposing if we don't cover it." He explained, as he blindly fired a pellet shot from his shotgun to suppressed the remaining pirates in the corridor to the room, before running back into the room itself to help Kale with the vines with liberal use of his sword at sword-reach of the vines. He had a feeling he was going to have some regrets.

[The United Equstrian Front]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
DIMENSION: π
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE
TEAM: WELCOME WAGON

---

Waking up in bed on a Saturday might've given her a sense of relief, but she sighed as she sat up and stretched and was brought down a few notches as a gentle whir of internal motors sounded off to her right. Her day hadn't even started and she was in a bad mood, Miss Shaw shook her head and got out of bed to get dressed and eat breakfast.
After having a banana and some cereal she flipped her hood over her head and beanie as she picked up her repair kit and walked into the hallway locking her door after closed it. After juggling the handle a bit she nodded and jogged to a set of stairs and started her morning work out with some stair runs. After jogging up the steps she was met with a metal door, after plugging in her code she pushed the door open to be met with a bright light.

She woke up (again) to the sound of a feminine voice talking to something, she groaned and mumbled a curse in Russian before slowly crawling to her feet. After wiping the grogginess from her eyes she was meet with a short woman talking to a dazzling angel of a woman and a hooded figure who set her on edge. She checked her Geiger Counter and found no radiation, then her AM radio and was met with silence. She pursed her lips but didn't try to fix it yet. She spoke and her accent while not heavy did give away her nationality,
"So where are we and why are we here?" She glanced at the pale lady and raised an eyebrow, and dismissed her words as either a drug high or some freaky kinks of hers.

[Ganonsyoni]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

"I'm trying!" Kale cried, struggling more and more to keep the thorny vines controlled.

She was doing her best to reign in the voracious thorns in the middle of the battlefield. The vines were spreading and stretching themselves, connecting to one another and progressively forming a large web of thorns. Skritarii, dead or dying, were entangled all through the web with more and more being engulfed as the vines reached out for more bodies. Kale herself was trying to magically suppress the growth of the plant but she was facing a roadblock. All along the skritarii bodies in the web of thorns roots were forming, piercing an spreading throughout the flesh of the dead and dying. To her shock it was absorbing the nutrients of the Skritters in order to fuel its growth in counter to her own magic! The plant practically had a mind of its own!

As Romulus cleaved through and severed some vines, the plant sensed the disturbance and reacted by distancing itself away from him. No vines reached out to grasp him, knowing they would get cut. Perhaps it was a weakness.

"Not good! Not good at all!" She said in her mind. Using her magic to suppress it was not going anywhere. It was wasting her energy practically barely stalling the growth of the thorny mass. But as the bodies piled on, it was taking more effort to just stall it. She couldn't keep up. But in her struggle, a thought popped in her mind. She smiled with how clever it was.

"I'm pushing up!" She yelled as she then used her magic to weave into the vines a command. Not one of suppression, but redirection. The thorny mass of vines, now completely interwoven between the previous smaller six shots, started moving forward and through the bulkhead. Skritters coming through scrambled back out and away as the mass of thorns forced its way though the breach; leaving a trail of blood, fluids, and viscera behind.

Kale panted and sighed with relief, the thorns now out of the way and not a threat to them at this moment. Though it was now ahead and attacking Skritters down behind the breach and no doubt getting shot at like an attacking monster, it would still be a problem if it managed to survive. And she doubted it would get destroyed by them. The thorny plant would grow larger with all the bodies it would gain. She needed to tell the others of this new growing problem.

"Hold on! The plant... is still a problem! We need to.. strategize again!" Kale said with tired yelps from her perch on the barricade.

[Cerillium]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
DIMENSION: π
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE
TEAM: WELCOME WAGON

---

She's like winter, the young priest mused to himself as Nivea pulled herself from the floor. Albinism? Perhaps, though Myra did say one of the arrivals was subterranean. Surely light wasn't the new woman's friend. "You're not dead," he quickly rummaged about his robe pocket until finding an old pair of sunglasses. The dark lenses were useful when trying to hide his socket plate, but he had long outgrown the need to spare the world of his looks. "Here, you might need these."

His cold optic never strayed from Shaw however. A quick once over offered some relief - she wasn't housing nukes, for fuck's sake. "You are are Gallimaufry Mundi. You're here because Demens has chosen you," he shrugged before folding his hands under his sleeves. "I'm Brother Marcus Usseio, and this is Miss Giovenith. We, too, are part of his Chosen. Each of you has unique talents or skills that may, in time, save the multiverse."

[Chedastan]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
DIMENSION: π
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE
TEAM: WELCOME WAGON

---

The Nevidian freelancer had quickly turned around to see the second mechanical being who was behind her, whom she had missed sight of earlier due to her dazed and confused state in getting up, not realizing this woman was on the floor. She noted how strange the mechanical woman's accent was, sounding completely foreign to her. Her questions were same of hers, but she had further asked for the why part to their situation.

Their questions were finally answered when the mechanical man spoke to them, prompting Nivea to turn back around to meet the man's gaze again. She gave a breath of relief when he confirmed to her that she was alive, making her promptly joyful to know that she now had solace that she wasn't executed after all.

She noticed he was pulling something out of his pocket, something dark. He then handed her some kind of strange pair of spectacles, like what scribes wore, but the glass in these ones were all dark and the frames were of a way different style than what she was used to. The man had said that she might need them, making her obliged to try them on, though she felt that maybe she should've been more hesitant and cautious after have been almost killed. But regardless she tried them on and it was like should could see clearly again, in fact she was finally seeing clearly again with everything not as bright as before.

She wanted to give the man thanks, but he was then back to answering their questions and explaining to them why they were currently here. She listened intently, but the man, Marcus, had raised more questions than answers and left her unsure of what to ask for elaboration first. Maybe she should start by actually introducing herself first before asking again?

"Hello Mar-Cus, and Gio'venith, I am Nivea A'delvi. So let me try and get this straight, we're the chosen for a man called Demens and he was the one that brought us here to this place, and wants us to save this multi-verse thing? But save it from what?" She asked Marcus, wondering now what she had involuntarily gotten herself into.

[The United Equstrian Front]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
DIMENSION: π
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE
TEAM: WELCOME WAGON

---

She nodded her head to this while taking glances at the pale woman who seemed out of place for some reason. After hearing Marcus's explanation she chuckled, remembering back in band camp she accidentally joined a cult worshiping some dead god or whatever. She sighed and crossed her arms while checking the room out and setting her sights on Marcus,
"So you're telling us that we've been recruited for a war that spans over the Multiverse? But one thing I don't get is why you need a repair woman and whatever this lady is." She glanced behind her and found her Violin and it's case, she shrugged and walked over to it and picked it up. After checking the case for any damage she walked over to the pale lady's side and waved,
"So to take away the weirdness of this situation I'm Bethany Shaw, how are you?"

[CAT XIII]

ADVENTURES IN THE VILLAGE

Otonako walked outside, she was aware of the exciting things that everyone else was up to and she was tired of being jealous because she was not in on the action.

So, she was carrying a rucksack, a tent and her sleeping bag (not to mention the essentials- as many sweets as she could possibly fit in the leftover space in her rucksack) and was ready to take on the village.

She didn't want to do it alone though, so she'd asked round and managed to pull together a trio of Torii, Sterling and herself. They agreed to meet up outside the Building and she was waiting for them.

Any second now...

[Giovenith]

Giovenith held onto Argus comfortably but tight as they sailed through the air, always a little paranoid that he'd get too far over the edge, but was happy to think that she was finally being useful again. Marcus' words not only gave warmth to their relationship, but made her reflect on her status here in the Building: they really thought she'd been dead. Many friends had died before and been brought back, but not her - oh, she didn't even know what would happen if she died! Mother never told her. And it clearly hurt her loved ones dearly when she and Mr. Klaus had gone... they were needed here, just like Demens had said.

And that was what a goddess was for, right? To help the ones who needed her the most. Perhaps, she thought, Willow had been right before: perhaps the only one who could decide how she was to be a god was herself. Maybe she didn't need to be shimmering, and fancy, and dwelling in temples; perhaps that was too old-fashioned for her tastes. A godling was what she was, not who she was. Giovenith would always be a god, no one could take that away from her, so to be a god for her meant to be whatever it is she chose to be.

And she chose this.

"Myra!" the young woman greeted brightly at the sight of the dragon girl. "It's been so long since we've seen you! A new job? How wonderful! Please, find some time to stop by the teen club so we can catch up, I'm sure Torii's been wondering what you've been up to too!"

Giovenith bid Argus to behave for Myra and waited patiently with Marcus for the new arrivals to come - this had been her own unofficial job for years back in Bielefeld. She watched as the two arrived and smiled at their questions.

"That's a pretty long answer, honestly," she admitted, shrugging but the leaning forward, hands on knees. "Are you two at all hungry, cold? We've got plenty of room here to make you both feel right at home. Maybe we could answer more of your questions while you get settled? We make a mean soup and hot cocoa! You're safe now."

[Torsiedelle]

ADVENTURES IN THE VILLAGE

bump...bump...bump..

Though it wasn't the neatest place, Torii and her sister often kept the apartment decent and relatively tidy. Their firearms and supplies were all laid neatly by the door on the far wall, their various personal items organized in their dressers, and boxes of excess clothing and trinkets stashed beneath their beds. They worked hard, surprisingly, to keep their room as neat was it was; even Katya was a junk rat when at home.

But Torii wasn't interested in cleaning at the moment. It had been forever since she had gone camping, and she was looking for items that would come in handy outdoors. Her rifle was already laid atop the bed, along with two spare magazines, her pocket knife, and guitar. She'd also brought from her diary a dusty old, red envelope.

Where was a flashlight, though? She was certain that they either had a flashlight or a lantern, and it was most likely underneath the bed...

A panicked scream shot out of Torii's room, followed by a loud bang. She'd nearly knocked herself out, jolting back and hitting the bottom of the bed! She hated big spiders! She didn't want it near her! It was-

Oh...it wasn't a spider, as it had turned out. Something peculiar crawled on out, with its swirly shell and beady eyes, seeming completely apathetic to the girl's pain. It was a damn hermit crab.

"Wait, how the hell...I remember you! But how does a hermit crab survive in..."

The crab snapped its claws at Torii and scuttled off. She jumped back under the bed to try and grab it.

---

Torii marched through the lobby with a purpose. A small dufflebag filled with camping supplies and snacks was slung over one shoulder.. Slung over her other shoulder was her trusty comrade, her AK-74, while her pistol hung at its usual spot on her hip. Her hands were freed for her guitar; beneath the straps and gear shined the familiar greens, tans, and reds of her field jacket, always her favorite article of choice when going out. It helped her pop out (or blend in) as she stepped out. The sun felt nice! The only thing to do now was find Oto...

The muffled screams and bangs that echoed from her room weren't the only traces that she had been about that day. The red envelope she had grabbed was slipped carefully under Gio's door, a smaller, hastily-scribbled note taped to it. She hoped that she wasn't making a mistake by leaving that old piece of paper there, buuuut...she was going to be out, and she'd put that letter off way too long.

Another hastily-scribbled note was left at Marcus's door. Hey, sorry for being a bother. I'm glad we can work together in the shop, though. Do you think I'd look better with a cyborg arm? - Torii

[The United Equstrian Front]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE

---

She blinked at the glowing woman and smiled while shrugging her violin and repair kit,
"I would be in your debt if you gave us a room Miss Giovenith, though the only thing I could offer you is probably a few free repairs- Then again I don't know what type of tech you guys have." She mumbled and flexed her cyber arm and checked the Geiger Counter and raised her eyebrow at the radiation dial flickering between the green and yellow areas whenever she pointed it in Marcus's direction.

She pursed her lips and shrugged, she could always figure that out later. She ran through her computer diagnostics and found just a few errors of WiFi shortage and a low battery. Her AM radio on the other hand was silent, nothing was being picked up. Her first instinct was to remove her arm and see what was going on, but thankfully she glanced up and saw the pale lady again. She sighed and rolled her sleeves back down and checked the time, which was 1:30. Well she could always have a late lunch,
"Also we could have some soup, that is if you want to make some."

[Giovenith]

"No debt at all," Giovenith reassured, waving her hands. "We were all like you once, wandering before brought to this place. Taking care of those who arrive is just what we do. Marcus here though..." she gestured to the young man. "... he is part of an order that works with tech and could constantly need a few extra hands. I'm sure they would love to show you the ropes and get your help, if that is what you would like to do."

She gave a wink and a thumbs up at the new arrival's confirmation of a desire for soup, then turned to the other new arrival.

"What about you? Are you alright, need our help with anything specific? Like soup?"

[Giovenith]

Groundtown

"Hwuh?" Cornie looked up as Rache gently demonstrated his mane, still keeping a bit close to Aegis for comfort. He blinked. Like many of the citizens there, it was clear that though kind and innocent, Cornie wasn't a terribly bright one. He did, however, know a few things, and licked his hoof to hold it up to the wind.

"It be a'coming from the mountains," he said. "Don't tink it'll hit us, no worries. May be that the Birdies are trying something new again to fit the weather, but farther way this time..." He glanced up at Rache. "But you'd know that, wouldn't ya Mister!"

He then turned to notice Aegis' seemingly tired state and folded his ears in concern.

"Are ya sick or tired Mister? I get that way sometimes too! You probably need some soup in your tummy to make you warm! My mama makes good soup, d'you want some? Is got energy init!"


SkyWishes pushed loose pink and purple strands back into place as she looked at Yuna skeptically. "You can do magic?"

Smart Cookie said that these two were from someplace not of this world. Sky had always been interested in the mystic, but going this far? Though, Yuna was her friend. She wouldn't hurt her.

" 'Course!" she offered a hoof.

[Fvaarniimar]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

"Oh, Turni would be good. Its rather simple." Bencarr replied, ears flicking back again as he heard a few of the shouts of pain. Rwm would be unlikely to hear them over the general clatter and clamor the fight was creating without other species sensitive hearing, but hell if it wasn't disturbing to him.

"I believe it was played with a hash grid? Its been a while since I've played a human game. Most Huvidu-Zaan games we couldn't play, as they tend to involve the tendrils over other limbs." Bencarr took the pencile from her gently, slowly drawing the grid before drawing a cross in the top right square. "Its played with crosses and nulls.... er zero, I believe the human term is. We claim one space at a time, and try to get three in a row. It rather often ends up in stalemate, unless one member is inattentive when it comes to playing."

The general clatter and clamor was unnerving enough, particularly to a listener possessed of a vivid imagination. In Rmwtyliin's mind, two small armies clashed. She shakily reached for her hair, exhaled discreetly, and focused on braiding. A normal braid was too thoughtlessly done. She split the two fattest strands in her hand - she could braid five strands deftly, but it would take some focus.

The Terni game was an equally welcome distraction. Transferring the wide braid to her right hand, Rmwtyliin slowing reached for the pen. Frowning, she drew a narrowish 0. "We can claim the center square, correct?" Passing Bencar the pen with a blank expression, she continued her braid...

--

A cat liking pine nuts.  Who would have thought?  Judging by the way the furball was stuffing herself, however, she enjoyed them enough to put up with a stomach ache later from too much rich food.  A pile of measly fruits sat next to a scratched-to-shreds cone.  Rousing from fuzzy daydreams, she yawned, stretched, and moved closer.

Chomping on some low-hanging needles, she set to work with pine shreds and oak galls and fur and pitch, heedless of the sap coating her paws save when it yanked her carefully arranged pieces out of place.  Grey paws quickly rolled the placid little segment smooth, and tapped it into place alongside the chaos her companions had been forming. Done, the young cat dragged several intact pinecones over and started scratching them open with an inviting meow - she wouldn't mind sharing.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Ascalon, University of Gallimaufry at Ascalon Tower

"Jesus Christ! That many students? I don't think I've ever heard of or seen a university with that many people in it. How in heaven's name do they have the resources to take care of that many people?" He said, still coughing. "And the place still has enough money for something such as a scholarship funding?"
...
"Mind me asking, but what do you do that requires you to do this? Does it involve the legal field or something? Business? I do apologize if I sound too invasive."

Amanda shook her head and started speaking slowly in teasing tones, before switching to a rapid explanation: her star pupil just missed an easy inference. "The only way to get into a class for Gatejumper lawyers is to be a Gatejumper and a lawyer. Back home, I was a member of the Pennsylvania bar. I'm a member of the bar in Bielefeld, where the Building used to be, and now I'm one here. Being the Building's legal counsel doesn't pay, so I have other clients as well. And one of those clients has a contract dispute, and I need to check some legal references to see how to proceed with it."

Amanda paused to drink most of her water, then leaned back in her corner of the sofa. She made quick pointing gestures at Henry: he'd redeemed himself with a good point. "But your first question is much more interesting: how does a university manage to teach well, over ten thousand students a year for free? The answer is simple but surprising. UGA is an ungodly rich megacorporation. This --" she made sweeping gestures with her hands to indicate not just the room but the whole tower -- "is just the tip of their corporate iceberg."

"The university controls a large number of businesses in and around Ascalon. They were all started by faculty or alumni using things they developed here: new technology, new business methods, new medical practices. UGA provided the capital to get them going, and reaps the profits from them. The university itself doesn't really care about profits, because it's a funny corporation. It's not controlled by shareholders but by the faculty and alumni. And their goals -- I should say 'our' goals, since I have a probationary share -- are political, not economic. We want to change the city, and maybe the world."

[Chedastan]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN
DIMENSION: π
LOCATION: FLOATING VOID GATEHOUSE
TEAM: WELCOME WAGON

---

Making note that the mechanical woman was a repair woman (repairing what regularly she couldn't tell). Nivea turned her head to look at the woman as she came back over to her after having picked up some kind of case that she had apparently brought with her. The woman had then introduced herself to her personally and was asking how she was, a question that was hard for Nivea to answer, if only for not exactly knowing how she felt herself. She was surprised that Bethany was even trying to be causal despite their shared unusual circumstances, though she figured she might've been just as startled and possibly afraid as she was right now and was only trying to make the best of it.

"I'm.. Okay, all things considered." She attempted to answer simply and plainly to Bethany, before Giovenith then spoke to them and offered them the hospitality of comforts found in a home, and a offering of soup and whatever hot cocoa was. All of which sounded nice to the freelancer, who had been in what was essentially a dungeon for the past few hours before they sent her to the chopping block. Giovenith then came to her and asked if she wanted the offer and anything else.

She turned her head back to look in front her, her vision not as blinded by her bright presence as before thanks to the glasses that Marcus gave her. "I'm fine really, it's just that not 5 minutes ago my head was almost chopped off by my city's headsman, I'm just.. Startled, but thankful to still be alive." She breathed in, not expecting to be so sudden to explain how she honestly felt, she hoped they wouldn't judge her too harshly, especially since she had just met them.

"Soup would be lovely, and so would whatever it is this cocoa you mentioned. And if you don't mind me asking, are you an angel?" She answered her question with a thankful smile and then asked her about what she was, wishing only to simply relax for a bit before she gets to whatever it is they needed her to do exactly.

[Holy Lykos]

ADVENTURES IN THE VILLAGE

Sterling trotted his way out of the building, a saddlebag resting over his back with a little blanket between the strap and his fur. A little precaution to help prevent chafing would never hurt of course! Though he carried a book along with him, reading as he trotted. The pony almost bumped into Oto, before he stopped and blinked. "Oh right, we were going out to the village! Though why are you bringing along a tent? Isn't the village only a short trot away?" The bookish pony asked, closing his read and tucking it into a saddlebag with his magic. He glanced around a bit as if searching for something without success before looking back over to Otonako.

"Though, It will be nice to get out. I've largely just been reading here in the building. I heard some of the other residents have been getting out more and being active, but I can't say I've heard of any heading to the village to explore a bit more thoroughly." Sterling mentioned with an excited look on his face, sitting himself down on the ground gently. "Though I did bring some snacks. I'm afraid I don't have many runes on me for lunch, nor a way to earn them. I should see if the village has any need for a librarian."

Sterling was very much being himself, loquacious and long-winded to a fault.

[Torsiedelle]

ADVENTURES IN THE VILLAGE

Torii sounded off from near Oto and Sterling. "Zdrastvooyte!", the girl popped off, clambering towards them with a duffle bag and assault rifle bouncing along with her. She had her old guitar displayed proudly up front. "I'm ready! I love camping! My papa and I would love to go into the woods and go hunting, or maybe have a bonfire, or...well, we had fun!"

She smiled wide, looking at Sterling. "I don't think we know each other. I like ponies, though!", She said. "I'm feeling good about this. I'm an expert at camping!"

[Cerillium]

OPERATION: SHAW AND THE NEVIDAN - MISSION OVER - RETURNING TO BUILDING

"Go have soup, or go have tacos," Myra crinkled her nose as she cut off further conversation. "But don't stand around here. Out! We're expecting Meps and Opa back soon. You'll all just crowd the place up."

Marcus nodded at the mention of soup. Giovenith was right to suggest it - the perfect thing to take away the autumn evening chill. "Let's head back to the Building," he gestured towards the door. "We'll get you to the front desk and maybe head up to the dining room for dinner." He cast a sidelong glance at Giovenith and added, "Unless there's somewhere else you recommend for good woup? Meh. We'll know where to go once the leases are signed."

The ocean view from the Gatehouse island was spectacular, and the visual treat became a meal once the group had clamored into the floating tubs. Their cast iron feet skirted over the low waves and then the shower curtains billowed to catch the chilly breeze. The setting sun's orange rays kissed the distant shores as the tubs hurried towards their destination. The ocean gave way to beach and grass, and then to hills covered in trees. It was obviously fall in this strange land, and it was likewise obvious that the lands were inhabited. Gleaming cities loomed on the horizon; the tubs had turned towards the smallest one.

Marcus had settled into a tub with Shaw, and now used one side as a backrest as he chatted with the girls and Argus in the tub beside them. "Demens is a Greater Being," he casually explained, "Those are the entities that fashioned the gods. He doesn't choose people based on how powerful they are. We have Chosen that are mundane people with extraordinary hearts and positive attitudes. You'll find a lot of unique Chosen at the Building, too. We have gods and godesses, talking ponies and cats, former Nazis, girls made of plants and plants that might be girls, cyborgs and machines - it's pretty much a sandbox. There are a few rules. Don't go picking fights. Don't run off and harass the natives. Defend the Building when the alarm sounds. There are laws in the cities as well. Standard things. The Burrows - that's the city nearest the Building - is pretty lax and open."

He adjusted his shoulders to better see Shaw. "The tech level at the Building is mixed. We have archaic. We have highly advanced. There's an entire colony of cyborgs, though most belong to the same priestly order. Within that colony - we call it the Warren - you'll find painfully futuristic machine species working alongside old men with steam mechanisms. We're always open to more helpful hands." He paused and studied her augmented arm and reconsidered a private conversation from the other day. "In fact," he ventured, "I'd like you to meet Torii. She's not a cyborg and doesn't have augmentations, but she's got some shop space downstairs."


GROUNDTOWN

"Excellent!" Yuna tapped SkyWishes' hoof with her own, then giggled as she unwound her scarf. "Magic is a strange thing. If you showed a candle to somepony that's never seen one, they might think you worked magic by capturing the flame. It might scare them, too." She gently wrapped the scarf around SkyWishes' head to restrict her vision. "I don't want you to be spooked and I have to concentrate so I can't answer question about stuff you see."

Once Yuna was certain the pony's view was hindered, she secured her companion's hoof and focused on earthworms. It was the easiest way for Yuna to rationalize it. Down the pair dropped, right through their shadows and into the murky tunnel through Nothing. Though wings flapped and eyes stared, SkyWishes was spared from the Insanity. They rocketed along until-

"Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift!" A puff of old pinfeathers littered the air as Rache leapt off his shadow. Two ponies popped out of it a heartbeat later, and Yuna released her friend in time to land on solid earth once more.

"Here we are!" she squealed in delight and trotted a circle around the daemon pony. It was her first (but not totally unassisted) self-Shadowing. "Rache! Aegis! I found you! I - oh my god! He escaped!" Her legs abruptly splayed to brake her before she could trample across Cornie.

Rache sighed and helped SkyWishes remove the scarf. "It's fine. Aegis and I drove the darkness from him."

[Northwest Slobovia]

RAIDERS of the LOST BOOK

OPERATION: BIBLIOPHILE
DIMENSION: Gallimaufry then 257P
LOCATION: Plotline All-Stops to Alexandria, Egypt
TEAMS: MU
RotLB

The Building, Fifth Floor, Holodeck

"Oh, no! Sandy, you could get hurt. Wouldn't breaking the tendon - er - Newton's Third Law? If a mouse tried to crash hard into my paw, it probably would hurt itself a lot and maybe stub my toes...maybe it could trip me. "

“Although, those talons do look incredibly sharp.” [...] “I take it you intend to strike it yourself as a pegasus? I trust you can avoid any retaliatory strikes it might make at that distance?” [...] “Nick brings up a good point. Perhaps we could work together. I could use my powers to surround us in the Fist of the All in One. Then when you collide with it, not only would the blow be more powerful but you would be protected.” The Baron pointed with his cane to the wings. “But you are quite right that these should be our target. We know magitech will go through the scales and hit whatever's underneath. Perhaps something of mine could be used to damage the muscles here and here. Do you think that could also bring it down?”

Sandy glanced between his companions as they spoke, his attitude unusually Devil-may-care for the seriousness of their objections. "No, I'm not certain I can stay clear of the talons. But if Riegger is right, I should be just fine."

And then to Nick, with a grin: "I'm thinking of an earlier physicist, Archimedes: 'Give me a long enough lever and a place to rest it, and I will move the world', or in this case, lizard. A straight-in collision would be bad, but the fire-lizard flies like birds do and Pegasus does: its shoulders and pectorals do all the work of flapping its wings. Those are my fulcrum, and the length of its wing is my lever. Given how slowly the lizards climb, I don't think they have the spare strength to bear Pegasus' weight with that much leverage. It'll be in worse shape if we can attack its flight muscles as well. We might even be able to knock it out of the air without even touching it."

"And that --" he added with unusual cheer -- "is what we're here to test. With the holodeck's safeties all the way up, I'll feel an impact with the lizard, but I won't get hurt if it's stronger than I think. In here, we can experiment safely, and see what works."

Sandy's grin turned into a huge smile. "We can play with different ways to try to mess with the lizard's wings, we can add simulations of the Baron's magitech against different parts of the lizard and --"

"Immobility, scientifically speaking, is a lot easier. How about electricity to stun it?" she asked, unknowingly paralleling Primordial's thoughts. "And Baron - if we could paralyze its wings I think that would make it easier to have Sandy distract? He could still fly while the dragon is on the ground, and the two of us could alternate drawing its attention from above and below while you and Nick act."

Delight, pure delight, lit Sandy's face. "Oh! We can do that? That would be better still! We should try all these things, alone and in combination, and see what we like best. We could even try simulating possible ways the fire-lizard might react, so we have some backup plans."

Sandy knelt down to better address the nervous cat by his feet. "Nick, you're about to get the largest toy mouse in the universe. You might as well think about how you want to play with it."

[Highfort]

ETHEREAL WOLD, THE GATEHOUSE OF FREYWOLD

The concept of cruel mercy was not lost on Opa. Numerous ethical concerns resulted in permanent injunctions in their programming. One stood out in particular in this moment:

"Let not the enemy linger"

The android nodded at Meps' orders before trudging forward, its gait slightly wobbly as a result of the missing arm, and assessing the wounded satyral. Oiled metal groaned and carbon shifted as the war machine's leg came to rest atop the satyral's wrinkled visage. The android paused to consider what would become of the satyral were they allowed to let it live.

Meps rested a paw on their thigh. The foot came down with a resounding smack and crunch; the satyral shivered, and then moved no more.

Opa would have shivered, had the android been programmed with the appropriate gesture. Instead, they stood, silently. Their foot came back up, and a quick flick sent grey matter and bits of bone smattering toward the brush from which the unfortunate creature had emerged. A hiss indicated that heat pads on Opa's legs were warming, and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air as they singed the remnant biological matter from their leg. Ashes were swept away by a quiet breeze.

"Threat. Eliminated," Opa stated, turning to the diminutive lizard and gesturing at its arm cannon with its remaining limb, "Can you. Carry that? I require. Extensive repairs."

[Stormwrath]

Swordplay For Dummies

She was surprised that the bear would actually be calm after it had its fill of fish, and breathed a sigh of relief. Katya had her turn to feed it as well. But the bear was not satisfied enough.

"Eeeeek!" Macy squealed. The android followed Katya back up the slope and into the woods again, running from the bear as it continued to chase them. She noticed that she was pulling away from the creature, but by the time it was out of sight, she had spotted a sprinting Katya running in more or less the same direction.

"Okay," Macy had finally caught up with her. "I think it's gone."

That did not work, Katya, that did not work.

They were several meters from the grassy knoll, so the Building shouldn't be that far. Macy began to slow down and continue her way through the woods with Katya until they had exited the forest. There were a couple of twigs in her hair and some dirt on her arms, but otherwise she was more or less peachy for now.