Chaos Sonic

Ball we, it fuck! ...wait I think I said it wrong

Goodale Park, it wasn't a bad place at all...quite the contrary, it was a peaceful little get away...and of course, Scarlet City's power nullifer, but that part people forget until they walk into it. Luckily for Override, he wasn't like most of the ones here...he was a Thinker, and the worst he could do was to not be able to interact or manipulate technology. His nanomachines that made his suit were fully functional on their own and P.I.X.E.L., he was his own A.I., meaning those were two things his powers didn't control...then again, now he was starting to get a headache...and he knew why. For Thinkers specifically, there was that feeling in the back of his brain- ....the same feeling he felt at this very moment... -that it was trying to reach out for information only to be stymied by the park...truly terrible. Nevertheless, they met up with Director Sekelsky and delivered the Archangel to him along with Sybil and the Gibbons that attacked them. Honestly, Override was planning to do something else, potentially seeing if he could've helped with some of the tech based Capes around, but he was stopped by the director directing him to something. “Alright, come with me then. Override, I can only guess what Ophiuchus wants from you, but he was asking for you by name, so please go, uh, do that for me." "Right...I'll take care of that." Override nodded, walking away from the director and grabbing himself a set of ibuprofen to attempt to take care of the headache. However, he immediately muted himself to the outside and spoke silently to P.I.X.E.L. "...I was NOT expecting him to be here so soon..." "It is quite the shock that he would be here...the probability of it are extremely low for that to have been the case." "Yeah...well, he's not going to like what I have to say..." Override sighed, making his way towards the area where the Zodiac were. When he began to get closer, he noticed Cassiopeia notice him and proceeded to direct Ophiuchus' attention his way. Well...looks like it's show time. "Not a shock to hear you requesting me personally by name, but even still...it is shocking to a degree." Override spoke, giving a slight nod. "I did not think it would be so shocking," Ophiuchus said. "One week was a perfectly reasonable amount of time for the task you were assigned, correct?" He simply nodded, noting the...interesting fact that he didn't speak in his 'normal' measured speak. "You'd be correct. Now, what would you like to know, Ophiuchus? Or more accurately, what would you like to know more about?" That was not what Ophiuchus wanted to hear, and he wore that expression plainly on his face. "I said I wanted an explanation for the events of November First. Why Cassandra decided to give us a damning prophecy, why in such a manner that caused such panic, and information on the others who enabled them. However you see fit to provide that information, whichever topics you think need broached first, I am ready to hear it." And there it was...he wished he didn't have to hear it, but what else could he do? "Firstly..." Override spoke, sighing some. "Apparently we need to work a sense of humor into your regimen, you need it. I knew what you wanted, relax. Secondly, and this won't be something you'll enjoy hearing, but I don't have clear information on that yet. The fact of the matter is, and of all people you should know, gathering and researching most information is not an easy task. It takes a while. When I have the full story, you'll be the first to know. Until then, I need you to give me time and work with me on this. I've been analyzing the video and soundbites from that day from day one...as well as doing whatever research I could. I'm working on it, rest assured." The tech hero exhaled slowly, before continuing. "That said, I'm not planning to leave you empty handed. I have some information regarding the potential side of things regarding the 'doomsday prophecy', if you'll allow me to speak." "My humor is perfectly fine," Ophiuchus said. "It is your jokes that I find questionable. But alright, what do you have for me?" "We'll say it's a work in progress on both ends." Override smirked under his helmet, before producing a holo-screen from his arm. "P.I.X.E.L, if you please. Give a play back of the conversation we had with the Archangel." "At once sir. The display will be shown in 3...2...1..." Once the countdown finished, before Ophiuchus played the events that unfolded not even a few moments prior to their arrival in the park. After it finished, he closed the screen. "By this, it seems that Cassandra's prophecy and the religion we find ourselves in tune with here, may end up providing the same results. I understand it's not much, but, perhaps you may be able to gleam something more from this." All three Zodiac member present, Ophiuchus himself, Cassiopeia, and the snake, watched Override's recording with an intense focus. After it ended, Ophiuchus seemed at a loss for words. "I suppose that will be useful in the months to come," he said. He looked at Cassiopeia too, as though to wordlessly confirm a decision. "It is... sufficient to appease today's request, but do not think it will be enough in the future, Override." "You wound me, Ophiuchus." Override chuckled. "I'm a man of my word, once I get all that information, I'll be forwarding it to you. I have a lead I'll be attempting to follow once this mess currently is done. Hopefully that'll provide more insight into the whole situation." "Next time we meet, then," Ophiuchus said. "Next we meet." The armored hero nodded. "Now, if there's nothing else you need of me, I'll be trying to see if there's anything else I can assist with here." He turned on his heel and muted once more as he walked off. "Okay...we need to figure out how to fix this..." "Perhaps we could have a moment to speak with Spectrum?" "Hmmm...that's a perfect idea. We can seem to work with that as soon as we can. What would I do without you, P.I.X.E.L.?" "Perhaps crash and burn without your co-pilot?" "...remind me to mute you later..." Override sighed, shaking his head.

Unfortunately, Ziun was focused on the zombie...that he failed to register the skeleton that was near him, until it was already too late. When it was finally near him, Ziun was surprised. "S-Shit!" he exclaimed, about to block the attack, but it was too late. The sword strike was delivered right into his arm, it wasn't deep, but it was bad enough. "D-Damnit...how careless of me..." he spoke through gritted teeth. The bard prepared to strike back at the skeleton, but too little too late...the skeleton prepared to slash down at his neck. This was it, wasn't it? He feared this was it and that he would end up being the end of him... Luckily, fate found it would not be the case. Shockingly, Ziun saw Lana's axe coming in and immediately dispatching of the skeleton...with only seeing the axe stopping inches from his torso. He let out an audible sigh of relief, learning he wouldn't be cut in twine today. "P-Perhaps a bit easier on the swing there, my dear..." he huffed softly. "alright I got here. Estelle's back there though so make sure she's fine. And keep a lookout, there's some weird thing that keeps popping up that way," "Fantastic, so we have more than just the mausoleum and the undead still?" Ziun sighed in defeat, doing his best to keep his wound from getting any worse. "May I suggest for our next venture after this...we stock up on some potential healing supplies and the like? Because I feel like we'll need more of that in the next floors if we're dealing with things like this." he gripped his rapier tightly, calling out to Estelle. "Estelle, how are you fairing my dear? If possible, try and follow our voices in order to get to us...this way we have the power in numbers."

"But I'm a lot better than I used to be. It's true that in the past I only stayed awake for one week every thousand years, but stuff happened, and I've gotten better at that. Even after using all my wishes, I can stay up for a looong time now." Marv rubbed his chin, nodding slightly at this. Perhaps this was something that could be plausible in the long run, all things considered. Pokémon could break limitations that they used to have if pushed to the limit...it wasn't unheard of. It happened all the time in certain games and even in the anime...right? Regardless, the Froakie shrugged and gave a nod at Jirachi. "Then maybe we should be good to go then. If you won't end up taking another long nap, then perhaps all may be right with things for now." "On the subject of time, there isn't a lot left. My power originally covered a wider expanse. But every second, the Endless Mist gains ground, and now only this island is protected. If you look out at the sea, you can see it approaching even now." Jirachi's voice changed again...Marv listened more carefully this time, glancing over in the direction of what was known as the "Endless Mist". The boundary where the ripples and waves blended into one thin line meeting the sky, and beyond that...there it was. The gray smudge that rested and was a blight on the horizon. For a moment, he could've sworn it was getting bigger, but these optical illusions were obviously something that could occur in a situation like this. ...so that's the Endless Mist? Yeah...doesn't seem like a Primal Dialga thing...then again, something like the natural disasters and calamities from Red and Blue Rescue Team... he thought, nodding slightly. "The Mist won't be here for a while, at least. By my calculations, it'll be… about half a day. Enough time to rest and grab food. Some of you have found out already, but this island is full of goodies! And the stream over there has a lot of cool, clean water, too. There's more I want to say, and I haven't answered all the questions either, but I want you all together for that, so I'll hold off for now. Let's meet up back here when you're ready! ♪ And... for those of you who have decided to help... Thank you. I mean it." "Oh uh...yeah sure..." the Froakie nodded, before turning to go back in the direction of the others. Right, socializing, he needed to do that. But still, why did that somewhat not sit well with him all too much? Maybe bits from his past life? He couldn't be sure or for certain, but whatever it was, maybe he could get past it. "If anyone wants any of these damn coconuts I can crack them open for you, I guess." Marv thought about it, about the time his stomach also thought about it...to which it let out a loud growl. He sighed and hopped in the direction of Clobber. "Y-Yeah, if you don't mind...I'd like one!"

“Cute trick. Or lucky. Doesn’t really matter to me. ‘Snot going to happen again. It does mean you’ve officially been upgraded to ‘annoying,’ though. Which means I should probably start enjoying myself a bit more. You know, to balance things out.” "Feel free to try again, but I'm fairly certain we're going to have the same outcome, Arcturus..." Override simply stated, watching her fly erratically above him, seeming to prepare to do something. However, before she did... He paused, looking over and seeing Lucky Cat being launched through the church ceiling and sailing high overhead. "...what...in the hell...?" "I believe that would be Lucky Cat, sir." "...thank you P.I.X.E.L." Override sighed and turned his attention back to Arcturus, noticing her stopping immediately. “I suppose I have to go deal with that. Take care of yourself -- take care of my team too -- and we’ll finish this up some other time.” The Tech Hero clenched his fists and was about to blast off after Arcturus, but stopped himself. Following after her was not the mission directive. The mission directive was to go to Goodale Park and escort any VIPs to the new base of operations for G3. Nothing more, nothing less. "We'll tussle for round two another time then..." he muttered, before turning away and heading back towards the church...or the remains of it...it looked worse for wear now. "Hey, where's yours? Did you hit her into the sky too? Crazy how easy that can happen huh?" "She retreated...had to catch Lucky Cat from the looks of it." Override shrugged, slightly waving a hand to dismiss the situation. "Honestly with a situation she was in, a tactical retreat was necessary. I did at least make sure to capture all the footage on my side to send to G3 when we rendezvous with them." “I don’t suppose you would mind escorting me there? There may be more coming. Though that does leave the question of what to do with those who have already come, of course. What do you think we should do?” "That's the new mission directive we have, so it'll just be part of the job, Archangel." Override simply said. He glanced at the unconscious bodies of the opposition that were here: Hellhound, Censer and Vambrace. "We can take these three into custody for the most part. Deliver them to G3 and allow them to extract the necessary information if they so desire it." Apparently...it was seeming like they were already on this... "bosses wanted me to bring all four of them so guess we're dragging them along after all. I can handle this much myself, and if an enemy does try to fight us well, then I'm armed! Ahahaha," "Well then, guess we're heading out then." he said, immediately proceeding to send an encrypted line to Victor at G3: "This is Override to G3. We have the Archangel, en-route to rendezvous point. We also have about three of Caesar's associates, lackeys, whatever. They're knocked out, we're bringing them as well in order to allow interrogation to occur".

For Gene, it seemed like he blinked and suddenly there was a whole conversation he completely missed, or at least for the most part, it didn't register in his mind at first. After a moment, however, it finally all registered in his mind and he was able to compartmentalize what he heard. "Well, we can worry about it when it's night time. But man, what a weird world we've wound up in! Shame we all got here how we did though, speaking of sleep. Mowed down by a truck, turned into a fine red paste along the train tracks, stabbed, and... whatever happened to Sabrina. Would be nice if one of us could've just died peacefully in our sleep or something, huh?" Gene felt his heart sink when he realized what Abby had said there. Stabbed. That's right... Within fleeting seconds, he saw the flashes of those moments before his eyes and he felt his heart race with adrenaline when he relived those moments. He immediately shook it off, not wanting to relive it anymore...ever if he could help it. He decided to just roll with everything else though. "Y-Yeah...guess us being 'chosen ones', we don't have to deal with all that much sleep...aside from the night before." Gene commented, glancing at Abby and then at Sabrina. The hammer wielder did bring up a good point: how DID Sabrina die? Questions for later, he supposed. “Nor do I physically feel the need to rest. However, I do think a small rest-stop would be worth our time at some point; both to go over our prospective strategy, and to give us each a quiet moment to think, and get our mind in order. I do not believe our next fight to be an easy one. ...Thoughts? Objections? Concerns?” "If you wanna take a break that's fine by me. Perhaps it would give my, uh, draconic instincts a chance to....strengthen. And, uh, maybe, just maybe, it might be better to figure out the route after all.....Just in case we get separated and I can't lead you there of course!" It all seemed like a good plan to deal with from both angles. "We can definitely rest for a bit before continuing, I don't have a problem with that." Gene spoke up, nodding. "It would also give us a chance to possibly figure out our Dragon Sign things and our Rune stuff. The sooner we figure that out properly, the easier our next fight may end up going."

“What? Hey! Whoa! Just say something before you come in next time. It’s all good.” "Once again, a thousand pardons. But we can't lose another party member, especially to a simple skeleton to which we've had no issues with prior." Ziun gave a small smirk, staying on guard however. He was with Chris, but Lana and Estelle were still a bit further behind. Luckily, Chris tried to call for Lana while he was now working on the zombie and skeleton that shambled their way towards them. At first, Ziun wondered why Chris wasn't attacking head on like he normally did on the other floors. A quick rush forward and he could dispatch them without any questions or qualms. Then it hit the bard: the visibility. Of course, that's a smart move. Considering that we know nothing of our surroundings except the mausoleum, we could become further and further lost within this fog and mist. Alas, had I only thought of that before I moved in. he lamented in thought. "Chris! Look out there's a skeleton coming at you" Ziun heard Lana's warning, turning back around to hopefully see her, but yet…he could not. "Lana, which direction? Left flank or right?" he shouted back, attempting to assist. "He's currently attempting to dispatch a zombie. If you can make out a figure, direct me towards it. I can at least help Chris out in this regard." He swung his rapier a bit around him, prepping to strike when he could. If only Estelle was able to be in the close vicinity to him, could've used that extra sharp edge to his blade again...would've been nice. Alas, he couldn't worry about what-ifs at this point...he needed to focus here and now. He was to help Chris and the others and leave this dungeon alive.

“Let me tell you something about Caesar. Everything he does has a singular goal behind it: the accumulation of power. Sometimes he accumulates power by making people wait an extra few hours for a meeting, sometimes he does it by declaring war on the whole city. It’s all the same to him." Override shook his head a little, already knowing the basic steps of how Caesar worked, recalling most of the information provided to them in the dossiers. However, rather than tell Arcturus that he knew all this, he relented and let her speak. It was obvious she probably wanted to get some of this stuff off her chest. “But here’s a big secret. I had to figure this out for myself; I don’t even think that Bitch down there knows. Hellhound, sorry. Inside joke. But Caesar: There’s no ulterior motive for what he does. It’s all power for power’s sake. That’s it. Call it what you want. You can call it sad, you can call it immature, but it’s the truth. What’s he want with the Archangel? Hallowed be her name? Fucked if I know. But if you want me to guess, it’s probably just holding someone like her increases his prestige.” "No ulterior motive? I find that hard to believe..." Override finally spoke up, crossing his arms slightly. "Everyone has a motive and method to their own personal madness. Caesar is no exception." “Before you ask, I don’t mind. If anything, I think knowing all this gives me a little power over him too. All this to say, it’s nothing personal. We’re all just trying to get by.” "Same time...if this gives you power of him like you say, you could use it a bit more to your advantage and put that information to better use." he said, watching her lazily letting off more energy balls in the air...before turning and firing off a bean of energy his direction. "One trick pony still..." he said, already beginning to pull up his energy shield. "Sir! I think you may need to reconsid-..." But it was too late, Override deployed the energy shield, blocking the energy bean. "...so, you going to come quietly then?" Arcturus smiled. "Hardly," she said. Instead of surrendering, she raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. The bean exploded! Just like all the others, it shunted Victor backwards, but instead of just forcing him backwards a small distance, it sent him right into the range of another orb she had planted earlier, which too exploded, shunting Victor somewhere else where another bean was waiting for him, and on and on, hitting each little mine Arcturus had planted earlier, until the last one sent him plummeting to the ground, cracking the asphalt parking lot. "How about this?" Arcturus called down to him. "If you stand down, I won't do that again." She was already lazily drifting about the sky, repopulating all the orbs she had just used. "...P.I.X.E.L...." Override grumbled with irritation after regaining his composure, standing back up, before hearing the A.I. voice again. "...I was trying to inform you before you acted, sir. My analysis finished and showed that this would occur. The correct course of action would have been to..." Override shook his head. "LATER! Tell me the details of that later. Next time, just show it on the HUD..." he grumbled, obviously not happy about this in the slightest. "And negative on that...I'm not surrendering..." "A shame," Arcturus said, and she lobbed another orb Victor's way. Override lifted his arm upward, immediately firing off a pulse bolt to counter act the orb. "Enough already!!!"

"That seems like it could have been a message. I'm sure it must seem very important to you but coming all the way here for that...Wait, did you say Lacie?" "Oh so you have the same thought I had. But alas, my teammates were avid in just having me speak to Mauvache regarding it." Trevor let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose slightly. It definitely seemed like this was a simple situation in where he could've just messaged the top-hat ringleader, yet he found himself in this strange situation. He shook his head some before finally returning back to Nezar's last question. "Hmm? Lacie? Yes I mentioned that name specifically." he nodded, seeing his brow furrow. "She doesn't usually...then maybe it was about that...Do you know where she went? She was supposed to report to Mauvache yesterday and never showed up." The young sorcerer looked at Nezar, only to shrug. "She was here one moment and gone the next. A few saucers short of a full dish as well...but I digress." Trevor began, shaking his head. "Truth of the matter is that the moment that the officer, K-8, showed up...that's about the time she vanished." "She never did like the police...Whatever the case, you don't intend to try and break in again, yes?" "My intention was never to break in the first place, I unfortunately was caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time..." Trevor shook his head. "But I don't plan to, no." "Good. That would not end well for you." He replied bluntly. "With that security system, I don't doubt that." he tipped his hat slightly, the brim shielding his eyes slightly. "In any case, I suppose I'll take my leave and do things the way I was intending to." "Send a message next time." He said, and the turned and he was suddenly gone. ...thaaaaaat was the intention, yes.... he thought, sighing heavily as he looked over at his leatherbound book now floating up to him. "Now, let's return back to base as it were...this has been a day to where I need a stiff drink...if I did much of that." he said, already beginning the trek back to their home base.

“Don’t go too far. but look out, there are more coming in. I’m, uh -...I’m a little busy. But I can handle it. Come here, you. You know how many undead we had to fight just to get here?” While he couldn't initially see Chris due to it being harder to see and make the figure out, Ziun could at least hear him. ...charming, that doesn't sound all too wonderful for him right now... he thought, letting out a slight sigh. Which means whatever he's dealing with, we'll be dealing with at the same time. Well, I suppose we'll have to handle it as we can. He moved slightly, walking a bit further ahead than he was. In the process of now passing by Lana to follow further after Chris. That's when he saw it...the same thing Chris saw: the mausoleum poking through the thick, eerie fog. Not only that, he could see the figure of Chris fighting another skeleton, this time one with a sword that was being brought down onto the young man. Unfortunately, he saw other figures in the distance...which wasn't a great sign in the long run. Truly wonderful...more opposition. he let out another sigh, shaking his head. It was obvious Chris was having a bit of a hard time with this one skeleton. The bard immediately unsheathed his rapier, immediately giving a quick and precise strike onto the joints, it being the elbow. "A thousand pardons on interrupting and butting into your brawl, Chris...but it seemed you were having some troubles."

...ya know what? It's been a while since the last Digimon RP I was in. I'm in!

"A couple of you asked where we are and what we're dealing with. I didn't answer before, but I will now. This is the world of Pokémon, and we are on an island. While the island has no name, it is very important. Because, this island is the last remaining bastion of hope for this world. I know it sounds dramatic, but it's true. Once, this world was clean and beautiful, filled with life. Pokémon lived in harmony. They formed settlements and teamed up to go on rescues, explorations, adventures, and expeditions. When I fell into my thousand-year slumber, that's how it was. But when I woke up a few days ago…" Marv listened intently, his assumptions basically being proven...and even confirmed. So there rescue teams, explorer guilds...but this...isn't what we are then? he thought, letting Jirachi continue. "The world has changed. No longer do Pokémon live peacefully, or even remember a time when that was possible. The earth, seas, and skies have been overtaken by what I call the Endless Mist, or just Mist, because that's what it looks like. An endless mist rolling out over the entire planet and blanketing it in a constant gray cloud. Any Pokémon it touches grows feral, losing all sentience. They become little more than a mindless beast. It used to be that only those living in mystery dungeons acted that way. Now, however, only you all, myself, and two others that I know of have kept our sanity. This island is the only safe harbor, cleansed of Mist by the power of my wishes. But that was all I could do by myself. That's where you come in. I believe you all can combat the Endless Mist, and restore the world back to the way it was before." The Froakie nodded, hearing Jirachi saying that they were basically the last bastion and line of defense for this island and combating the Endless Mist as it was called. He rubbed his chin slightly, trying to take in everything. ...what's the difference between us and any other Pokémon then? Is it just because we were human...? The Legends and Mythical ones are a given, but why are we the outlier?? he thought, his mind snapping back to the present moment as Chester spoke. "Of course I'll help! I mean uh, yes I have no problem with aiding the world at large here." This caused Marv to chuckle slightly, as he shook his head some. "Ever the helpful Moderator, huh?" he muttered to himself. He hopped over towards Chester piped up. "The Mystery Dungeons were never just a brute force way of doing things...it always takes a mental presence there...they're basically puzzles. ...just not the easier ones...like Trozei..." he trailed off, before clearing his throat. "Anyway! If anything, we just have to combat em with both brains and brawn. But on the wishes..." Marv paused, trying to remember a few things, something finally popping into his head. "...wait...Jirachi's are supposed to, according to information, grant any wish for one week every thousand years...Jirachi, how long have you been awake?? Cause if anything...depending on timeframe...the nap might happen sooner than we think."

Gene at this point was simply following...but it came to a point that he ended up realizing: where in what ever deity's name were they going? Sure, Sabrina simply pointed in a direction for them to head and...they left. Now that could've been something Gene brought up originally, but it also seemed like Sabrina was lost in thought...thinking of something with...S, M, A and G? Mentioning something about colors? That probably all went over Gene's head, but that was neither here nor there. As they continued on, the scenery did provide some nice changes of pace...especially the lion with the crackling electricity for it's mane. It was truly a majestic beast...and it seemed like one of those many Summons he saw in his one set of games he played, the good ol' JRPGs. Same time, there was no direct road nor glowing light or quest marker on their HUD, much to his dismay. ...and now I look like a moron for even suggesting that there might be one... he thought with a small sigh. "Oooh...that looks so cool. I wonder...if I could catch one of them...and keep it as a pet." "M-Maybe not a good idea...l-l-least right now..." Gene commented, before immediately backtracking. "I-I mean, probably need to get the animal handling thing down...I mean...i-is there even a skill tree like that...?" He started going quiet again, just seeming to dig himself into another hole with this crew.

The new room...shockingly...was a room full of fog. Truthfully, Zuin was absolutely disgusted by the view of it, well...what he could see of it at least, considering the visibility was low...and the fog was thick. The floor was soft dirt and they could not see any walls...which was sort of strange, namely due to him thinking of simply being outside...but he couldn't tell if they were or weren't at this point. Before them, there was a large building...it was similar to that mausoleum...which didn't bode well in the grand scheme of things. Continuing, there was...a zombie, a ghoul and a skeleton. All things that Ziun was non-plused to see...he had seen his fair share of them since he entered this dungeon...perhaps more than enough for one of his lifetimes. “This way, I think. Get them one at a time. And watch out for anything that might come out and get us. One thing already disappeared, no reason to think there aren’t any more.” "yeah, I have had enough of creepy things jumping out at me." "Me thinks we're still going to have to fight...even if the one disappeared. With these last few floors, I wouldn't put it past anything at this point to happen..." Ziun lamented, following after Chris and Lana. It's not that he was being pessimistic about this, not at all...just more like actually understanding that all this wasn't turning out in their favor with all the undead. "I will say, however, so long as there are no more skeletal dogs or hulking savages, we should be safe..." He truly hoped that the keyword there would be correct and they would actually be safe.

"I knew she was arrogant but I didn't think it extended to all her people. Telling a cop to ask for help... That won't be necessary. If YOU need any assistance, contact ME, the POLICE." Trevor was a bit...puzzled by all this. At the same time, he knew that she was a cop and she was the authority around here, but he was genuinely offering his assistance if anything happened. It wasn't out of the ordinary, he offered his help to those he visited in the Ever with the countless worlds. And yet, she was basically taking his offer to help and just...throwing it to the wind. He wanted to ask more about this, but she was already turning around and walking off. "And don't think this means you can keep getting away with things, even if..." Yet again, Trevor wanted to say something...but K-8 left without much of another word. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, already seeing the grimoire raising upwards beside him. "...what do you have to say, my leather-bound companion?" The more we see in this world, the more things continue to be different than anything we've dealt and seen... "That seems to be the situation." Trevor sighed a bit, watching K-8 driving/flying off. "I don't understand why apparently the police and Mauvache's Guardians don't get along...it baffles my mind in every sense of the word..." Perhaps we aren't meant to understand...perhaps the answers will arrive to us in due time... "What business do you have here, didn't you see the sign?" Trevor and the Cabanomicon jumped a bit at the sudden voice behind them appearing as the young sorcerer turned around suddenly, preparing to fire off a Fire Spell...except he noticed the individual who was appearing behind him. It was... "Nezar, correct?" he asked, slowly lowering his hand before adjusting his tie and clearing his throat. "Yes, actually I had business on behalf of my team...they wanted me to come talk to Mauvache about our new team name. Unfortunately, I didn't know about the signs until I arrived...plus we had the issue with the quite mad young lady, Lacie...annnnnd after that, the meeting and encounter with K-8..."

His mind was working over time...and honestly, it wasn't a great process. Try as he might, Override couldn't think of anything different to change up this interaction with Arcturus. Do one thing, get shunted away...do another thing, shunted away. It would be a constant battle with this, leading way into insanity by just thinking he could get a different outcome than the most obvious outcome that was presented. And if he was one thing, it wasn't insane. ...c'mon McCoy...you can do this, you just need to focus on this... he thought, just about the time he noticed the opposition move. A ball of energy was shot up to the ceiling, targeting the rafters above. Override's HUD started scanning, and what he saw in the direction of the attack wasn't something good. "The support beams?!" he shouted, watching the support beam and debris from the ceiling come crashing his direction. "Shit...not a lot of time to act..." he cursed, before analyzing the view he had. Actually...wait...hit the debris with the pulse shots...after that, once the support beam comes closer...YES!! That might present damage on both sides, but I can at least recover due to the armor. A plan of action was in his mind, now it was time to execute it. "P.I.X.E.L., prepare the suit for some major input. It's gonna get a bit hairy." "I feel this is not a great idea, but as you wish, sir." Override raised both of his arms upward, firing off pulse bolts at the raining debris from the ceiling. One, two, three...four...even five! He reduced the falling debris to nothing, but now came the hard part. "Alright...here goes nothing!" he shouted, firing off a few pulse bolts at the falling support beam. It began to break down quickly, though when it finally was removed as a threat, there was a blow back between himself and Arcturus, along with splinters...lot's of splinters. While Override was blown back, the armor kept him out of harms way with the splinters. Arcturus on the other hand, was blown back and having to raise her arms to block the flying splinters that came her way. "Now!" His repulsors flared to life as he proceeded to rocket towards the young lady, closing the distance immediately. The armored hero grabbed and gripped the young woman's arms, the two of them practically flying right out the roof...the plan was to pin her against the ceiling...but obviously that wasn't going to win. "Few variables not accounted for...but least now you won't be trying that stunt again!" Override simply said, pushing her further and further from the church. Arcturus simply smiled. "Don't tell me what I will or won't be doing," she said. Though Victor had her arms, she managed to generate another orb of energy, one that seeped out of her stomach and through her shirt, and blew them apart again. "Tch..." Override regained his footing (...er...his place in the air then) and just looked at Arcturus. "Then how about you surrender of your own volition and we call it a day? Leave the Archangel out of it...besides, what does Caesar want with her anyway?"

"Oh, it would seem your exit has appeared. Simply stand on the pool and you will be taken outside of this shrine. Once more, congratulations on your victory against the shrine guardians, and as ever if you have any more questions simply call and I shall do my utmost to answer them." Surprisingly, Gene still didn't have any questions, even after River explained the blessings thing. From all things, it sounded like it was a sort of…load-out swap. The last game he played had something similar, to where he could swap things out to better suit the situation if and when the need arose and called for it. However, he was a bit leary on that last part: souls of fallen foes, floating within their own souls and to simply absorb it into their own. Now that…that was a question. "So wait...big question." Gene finally piped up after lulling that one thing in his mind. "The fallen foes souls...and we absorbing them into them. What...what does that even do for us? Like, it sounds like a bit of a hazard...unless somehow we're able to call upon those souls if the need arises?" The girl cocked her head to the side, curious at the question for a moment before shaking it. “It appears I have been unclear once again, my apologies.” The girl bowed her head. “The souls you absorb are fragments of the foes you have defeated and are being assimilated into you. As such they have no identity of their own anymore and could not be called upon.” After a brief pause she added, “the purpose in doing so is to allow your own soul to gradually grow in shape and empower your soul so that you may accomplish your mission all the better, all at no risk to your own identity!” The girl enthusiastically, akin to a salesperson, added the last bit. "So they're…generally just being added to our own power." Gene nodded, it starting to make more sense in the long run now. "Guess that means potential Summons are out…" he slightly muttered to himself. "But as long as they don't risk our own identity…then I guess my fears are a bit put to rest for the time being. Also, I'm sure the more we chat, the more we'll finally understand you the first time, River." His question answered, his fears slightly relieved…Gene joined the others on the watery platform. This world had such a usage of water in this vein. His Water Wall, the fact he could use it as a solid platform…the general solid feeling of it while it still retained its fluid like motion and state…it was a wonder. Speaking of the fluid state, he felt them immediately sinking through the watery platform and found themselves…outside once again. Oddly enough, the same spot as last time. Now the question was…what was the next course of action??? "The Accursed! Come on we should go right there, I feel like I could take on ten Accursed right now!" “...That would be the most prudent of our actions, though I wonder if perhaps we should rest given the ordeal we have just completed, or let the village know of our success here...There’s always the fact that they may have more information for us about the Accursed; though, it is also true that time could be of the essence here…” "It would be quite a detour, for sure. And we know enough to get a general idea... probably. Whoever's the Accursed around here's in charge of the regional cursed weather, so they'll probably be flinging a lot of lightning bolts at us or something. Can't imagine anyone back in town's actually met them, so I don't know what more they could tell us." These were all good options. Though Gene had his own thought in mind. He wanted to actually check that door in the side of the hill from earlier, but something in him was already thinking that this was a worthless endeavor to attempt. "If anything...maybe we could just keep moving?" he offered, clearing his throat some. "Like...we could go back into town for that...but at the same time, we could potentially be risking their well being from more of the Drengr and Accursed, ya know? If anything...the next location we should be heading could just come to us, ya know?? L-Like maybe we get some sort of waypoint or mission status?? I-I-It's just a thought really..."

"That sure is what's happening! But you know it's not all bad. Besides the roof the weather is so nice, and look, we have a friend coming to visit us!" "Return to the ground then keep your hands in the air, this is private property, do not resist. I repeat return to the ground then keep your hands in the air, this is private property, do not resist." This could not be happening right now...Trevor blinked a few times, just staring at the Police vehicle that was beginning to descend onto the roof. "...I knew this was a bad idea..." Trevor sighed heavily, looking at Lacie as he slowly began to lift his hands up. "So, do you have any ideas on this...preferably ones that don't involve invoking the wrath of the authorities?" "Oh, it'll be fine, they're just here to say hi right, you need to loosen up." She waved at the car. "...did the 'Return to the ground then keep your hands in the air, this is private property, do not resist' declaration not tip you off that this isn't the case?" Trevor muttered with a heavy sigh. Apparently, Lacie didn't care...she began to approach the car that is now reaching the ground. "She's insane...she's absolutely insane..." he muttered, his face now going into his hand. He was a Guardian and now he was going to be talked to by the law enforcement for breaking and entering. This had to have been the worst day...maybe he should've stuck with Fen and Melissa...might've had more luck. Regardless, he immediately got down off the roof...doing his best to stop his fall...using the grimoire to be covered in Aerora to where it could just simply float down. Once he made contact on the ground, Trevor watched the vehicle slowly descend in the process. A woman, who seemed to have a metallic arm, stepped out of the vehicle, holding a gun at her side. "Both of you stop and explain yourselves before I'm forced to restrain you." "Ooooh, do you think you can? That sounds more fun than breaking into a building doesn't it buddy?" Lacie said to Trevor. "..." Trevor exhaled loudly. "Lacie my dear, you really aren't helping the case here." He said, before showing the watch to the woman. "Trevor Masters, sorcerer and newly recruited Guardian, at your service ma'am. I'll be happy to answer any question you may have." The officer grimaced. "Are you saying you're one of hers then?" She gestured towards the building. "Yes ma'am." he nodded. "Was planning to see Mauvache to speak with her, but didn't realize her Arena was currently under construction." She seemed to hesitate, then, "Prove it." "As you wish...what would you like me to do?" Trevor asked, slowly lowering his hands in order to comply with the officer's demands. She looked confused. "...Prove it?" He looked at her, and sighed. "I was referring to how you wished for me to prove it." "I'll give you ten seconds to figure that out before I am forced to bring you in." she said. Trevor began to rub the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "I swear..." he said, beginning to fiddle around with the watch, deciding to bring up one of the messages Mauvache sent out to his squad from the other day. He moved slightly, proceeding to show the officer. "Would this suffice?" She hesitantly took a look, and frowned. Then she stepped back and looked around, "Where did the woman with you go?" Lacie had vanished...so she left him with the officer. He glanced back and just blinked a few times, noticing the fact that the woman was just gone. "Would you believe me if I said I have no idea, officer?" Trevor turned back around with a face that said he was basically done with the situation. "I'd also like to make mention that she attacked me before this present moment." The woman raised an eyebrow, "Are you wanting to file a report?" "Unless the woman in question, Lacie by name, is of someone of interest to you or the department...I'd say probably not." Trevor shook his head some. "In any case, I don't believe I got your name, officer." She gave Trevor an odd look. "You don't really need to know. If you're one of hers...that means you're free to go." She seemed somewhat annoyed by this. "But if you must know, my designation is K-8." Trevor crossed his arms some, looking at K-8. "Something tells me that you aren't too thrilled about that..." he started. "...is this a common occurrence that happens with other Guardians?" "I just don't like anyone being above the law." She replied coldly. Then, "I am saying too much. Try not to break any other laws today, if you could." "At your request, K-8." Trevor nodded, providing K-8 a card with the number his watch had designated. "If you need any assistance, I'll happily help...not as a Guardian, but as just a regular sorcerer."

Override did what he planned on...he rushed towards Hellhound and Censer...what he didn't anticipate, however...was Arcturus and the shunting, knocking all the Capes...including him...in different directions. And unfortunately for the tech hero, Override was now facing down Arcturus. "Great...P.I.X.E.L., give me a reading on Blondie over here...I need to know what I'm up against." he said quickly, doing his absolute best to stay focused. "At once sir. Do be careful until I finish the analysis." "It's me we're talking about...I'll be fine." Override smirked under his helmet. He looked upward, seeing Arcturus flying overhead. Lifting his arms upward, Override immediately fired off a few pulse bolts in her direction. Unfortunately, she was quick enough to dodge the shots...which just ended up going through the church's roof. ...perfect... he thought, before noticing Arcturus beginning to charge another ball of energy. "P.I.X.E.L., I'm going in closer...how's that reading coming along?" "If you were to get in closer, I believe we may get at least a bit more information added..." "Thinking on the same wavelength then." he simply said, his repulsors firing to life as he rushed upward into the air. Barreling towards Arcturus, a deflector shield began to slowly form from the NOVA Armor's arm as he immediately bashing her with it. "I wouldn't keep trying that trick if I were y-..." Shockingly, while she was hit back with the shield bashing, Arcturus released the energy ball in place and once more, they were shunted away...the two basically separating almost immediately. "...alright, I stand corrected. P.I.X.E.L., tell me you got something..." At once, Override's HUD was flooded with a few images and information following. "It seems that miss Arcturus is only able to fly by utilizing the very same energy she's made prior. It seems that she can generate smaller versions of the energy spheres around her and with their individual shunts...they generate lift and thrust." "So she's making use of the energy she has to be able to fly by generating lift and thrust...impressive." Override nodded, shifted slightly in the air as he kept staring at her. "Same time, while it is an impressive display of power, we're going to have to take her down regardless!" He immediately fired another pulse bolt in her direction, before swiftly rushing towards her. Maneuvering around her to get to her back, he had the shield generate once more, planning to bash into her back. Unfortunately, she was prepared for this two pronged attack. First, she dodged the bolt...and once Override got close with the shield, she turned and immediately shunted him away with another burst of energy. "Such a fancy suit and you've only got two tricks?" Arcturus said. "I admit, I was hoping better of you." "Says the flying lightning bug..." Override scoffed, backing up in the air. "Little energy balls being conjured up to where you just use em offensively and gives you an ability to fly...sounds to me like you're a two trick pony to me." "Lightning Bug is a different cape. She doesn't fly, I don't think." "Not the point." Override shook his head, stabilizing himself in the air some. "What is the point, is that you and your associates are not going to be able to get out of this unscathed. We'll send you packing back to Caesar..." At this point, he didn't care how he pronounced it, he just wanted to get the point across. At the same time...how am I going to get this one squared away? Best I can do is what I have been...and she continues to shunt me away...think McCoy...THINK!!!

“Hey, the door’s open! You don’t need to kill it, just stun the thing and let’s get out of here! Come on, we need to get going before it figures itself out again.” "C-Certainly don't need to tell me twice!" Ziun nodded, just witnessing Estelle blinding the bloodhulk with that ball of light. Once she passed him, the bard immediately sheathed his rapier and made tracks towards the exit. This whole dungeon experience thus far showed him something though that he thought about the entire time he ran for the door on the other side of the room: he needed to better himself. What did this entail? Could it be that he needed to work harder on his illusions? Perhaps finally find a way to learn those songs and rhymes that would provide a sort of buff to his allies? Both options were good, but the fact of the matter was...Ziun needed to better himself on the physical combat side of things. Yes, he could still assist in a venue and way that could befit someone supporting their allies, whether it be a good exit strategy or trying to avoid conflict...but at the end of the day, conflict was to be had. And these last few floors proved to him that his skill set for illusions weren't going to always work. Skeletons...zombies...floating eyes...freakishly idiotic hulking beasts...his illusions would only do so much against them, if anything at all. No...he actually had to try something else. The bard's eyes were trained on Chris the whole time as he ran. That young man...he could possibly prove to be a helpful assistance to his needs and cause...perhaps he start there, then eventually work his way to bettering and rounding out the other aspects of his being. Only time would tell.

A Knight's Tale Ends "Sir Petrus...?" Petrus heard the cooing of Gwenllian, causing the red armored knight to turn away from his steed, to see the princess standing at the doorway to the stables. "My princess, why have you come?" he sighed, looking away from the beautiful one before him. "I had wished not to see you, before I departed." "Yes, Sir Petrus." Gwenllian responded softly. "But I could not, nay, I would not be alright until I saw you off. After your engagement with the dragon under Adrien's control and even stopping Adrien from his unfathomable techniques in the dark arts, I prayed you would stay for a bit longer." "Aye, and I would indeed stay." Petrus spoke, his gaze returning to Gwenllian. "But you know as well as I do, my princess, that the longer I stay, the more danger that would be caused by Adrien and his magic. It is the duty of a knight to protect what I care for..." he paused. "To protect who I care for." The two continued to stare at each other, until finally Gwenllian embraced Petrus, holding him tightly and not letting go. Petrus could hear the young girl sobbing, even hearing her tears colliding with his crimson armor. He tried his hardest to fight the tears that hung in his eyes, but it was not to be. From his eyes, the crimson knight began to cry as well, continuing to hold onto Gwenllian and not letting her go. The minutes seemed to tick away as the two continued to hold each other endearingly, but alas, this slowly was broken apart by the crimson knight. Petrus wiped the tears from his eyes and then Gwenllian's eyes, before he took her hand and slightly kissed it. "Gwenllian, I promise to you, I will return to you." he spoke, his voice cracking with sadness. "I will defeat Adrien and return to you." Gwenllian's hand remained held by Petrus until she put her other hand on top of his. She gave off a faint smile before slipping something into his hand. It was a small ring with the emblem of a spider engraved into it. "Then return to me, Sir Petrus." she said softly. "This will give you reason to return to me." The crimson knight remained quiet, only holding the ring in his hand as he looked at Gwenllian. A small nod came forth as he turned and mounted his steed, before trotting out of the stables. With a small jolt of his foot, the painted horse galloped away fast from the kingdom. He jolted his foot again, the horse ran faster. Then faster. And faster... Petrus tugged on the reins of the horse, before he stopped and looked back behind him. Now the kingdom of Orléans was but a faint glimpse, a far distant goal now. He looked away, directing his gaze only to the spider engraved ring. His mind could only drift back to Gwenllian and her beauty. Petrus couldn't stand being apart from the love of his life, but he swore an oath, and as a knight, he knew he would have to uphold it. He put the ring into the satchel on the horse, before jolting its side again, riding off towards the rising sun. The sunlight glistened over his crimson armor. And once more, the spider knight rode off, to finish his quest once and for all. He looked at his computer screen, letting out a loud sigh. Right now, that was the last page he had on the story he’d been working on and off entitled “Of Spiders & Knights”. This was a project that Marcus had started since he was fourteen. Of course, it would’ve been done quicker iiiiiiiiiif he wasn’t also moonlighting as the one and only arachnid based hero and saving the city. He finally got up from his chair, moving away from his desk as he moved around his apartment. “Okay you guys…hit save on that for me…I'll send it to Triple J by the end of the day.” he said, pointing at a small group of spiders that were by his keyboard and mouse, to which they immediately went to work on saving the document quite a few times. "Who am I? You sure you want to know? Alright then, let's start at the beginning, one last time. Same story, different beats." From the Top! "My name is Marcus Mattox. I solved an ancient tablet and got bit by a mystical spider, and for the last four years I've been New York's one and only Spider-Man Multi-Threader! Pretty sure the rest of the narrative you know, or at least the broad strokes of it. Became Anansi's ambassador, became a superhero, lost my dad, saved a bunch of people, saved the city...quite a few times actually, fell in love...uh...she's on the wrong side of the law currently...hopefully that'll change, wrote a book...well...attempting to write a book. Hey, you try and juggle being an aspiring writer while also being a protector of the city and tell me how easy it is! Ahem...anyway, even though I have to juggle the career I'm chasing and being a spider-based hero, I wouldn't trade it for the world. After all, I'm the only thing standing between New York and the ever oncoming threats that rear their ugly heads. It's my story that I've been blessed with...and I'm going to see it through to its final chapter!" “Grazie, the first of many tales that'll be written for the Daily Bugle Publishing. Now…let’s see if the city that never sleeps has anything new for me.” Marcus said, immediately flipping on a police scanner whilst grabbing his phone. He started flipping around it as the scanner crackled to life. “ALL UNITS! We have a situation…” the voice said immediately. Marcus knew that always meant something ‘fun’ was afoot. Whilst shoving a chocolate chip muffin down his gullet, he could hear the scanner continue. “...Repeat! Mysterio in Times Square!” “Oooooh, more waxing lyrical with the discount Sorcerer Supreme!” Marcus laughed, fastening his web-shooters onto his wrists. Hang On...! Let's review this... "Bit of background on one Quientin Beck AKA Mysterio. He was generally just an illusionist that played shows out here in NYC, but he had the aptitude and determination to do more. Apparently he went to study the Mystic Arts from our own Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange. So he had the drive, the aptitude and determination…he ended up getting to the top in terms of skill levels to an extent…so what happened? Well, you're Friendly Neighborhood Multi-Threader happened. Mind you…not purposely. See about this time, Strange sought me out for a potential candidate for his replacement and wanted to train me. Now, this was short lived, considering the guy was very strict when teaching anything in the Mystic Arts, plus he hated how I utilized tech with my powers. Nice guy though, we occasionally chit chat from time to time, play chess…even assists me with ideas for my books…annnnnd I'm rambling. Back to the present topic! Beck seems to resent me, not only taking away his chance to become the next Sorcerer Supreme, buuuuuuut I sort of saw him attempting to mess with the wrong kind of magic while he was at Kamar-Taj. We're talkin' like serious Dark Dimension stuff, the kind that would probably make Criss Angel blush. Downside, most of Beck's stuff is all just illusionary based, cause that's all he's good with. Maybe one day he'll surprise me though." HELLO NEW YORK!!! He grabbed his suit and immediately tossed it on, sliding the mask on last. He flung his apartment window open and took a running leap out of it, immediately launching himself outward, shooting a web as it caught the corner of a building, slinging him around to follow after New York’s Finest, already rushing to the scene. The exhilarating rush of the web-swinging helped Marcus…Multi-Threader…focus and clear his head. Right now, he knew how the former Sorcerer Supreme candidate operated, he was a sucker for the audience…a sucker for theatrics, so if he played his cards right…it would be simple. His thoughts, however, were cut short by the ringing of his phone. Luckily he had the earpiece in his ear. “Hellooooooo?~” he answered with a laugh. “I assume you overheard the news?” the young man’s voice on the other end said. “Oh hey, kiddo!” Multi-Threader laughed, doing a quick flip in the air during his web-swinging. “Yeah, it’s ol’ fish-bowl head. So, we know what’s going on at present, Terry?” Terry simply sighed on the other end. “Honestly, it seems like the same situation as usual, buuuuuuut…looks like he brought in a giant wyrm-like dragon.” “A wyrm?! Oh man, he’s really upping his game if he’s going that far for an illusion!” Multi-Threader smirked, flipping over onto a SWAT truck’s roof. “Either way, this should prove to be fun for me…gotta cut loose after finally finishing that final chapter! Anyway, talk with you later bro…enjoy the show!” He cut the call short, holding onto the truck’s roof, watching them turn sharply into Times Square. Even before the turn, however, he was already feeling that sensation. His hairs standing on end, a tingling sensation at the back of his skull and the general chills he felt: his Spider-Sense. Once the turn was made, lo and behold, there was the green scaled menace of a wyrm dragon, terrorizing the citizens. “Sheesh, he wasn’t kidding…talk about a humongous beast!” he whistled, flipping off the truck’s roof and onto a nearby building wall. "Let's see if Beck's taught it any cool tricks." “BEHOLD!!! The return of the master of the arcane arts: Mysterio!!” a figure spoke, simply walking down a set of green magical steps. The man in a green pressed suit with a smokey fish-bowl helmet descended into the Square. “Purveyors of this new age, attempting to banish the old arts from this world, see before you the wyrm summoned straight from the Dark Dimension! You must know now that your resistance to the old arts is futile!” “So does Dormammu know that you took his pet or did you borrow it without permission?” Multi-Threader piped up, waving a bit at the villain, who now turned towards him. “Awww, what’s wrong Beck, you don’t seem happy to see me. Then again, it’s always hard to tell with that small fish tank on your head.” “Wall-crawler! You shall not hinder my plan to become the new Sorcerer Supreme this time!” Mysterio shouted, his hands began to have a magical aura around them as two green triangles began to spin in front of them. “Tibi gratias agimus quod nihil fumas!” He spoke, shooting out two green magical beams straight at the spider based hero. “-Well I tend not to smoke anything, it’s bad for the whole hero image!-” Multi-Threader shot back in perfect Latin, which seemed to make Mysterio grumble under his breath. The wall-crawling hero immediately jumped off the building’s roof, narrowly dodging the two blasts as he fired a web onto another nearby building and swung around Mysterio, flipping upwards as he shot a web ball filled with a few spiders right at the sorcerer. “Seriously Beck, I think you need to come up with some new ‘incantations’, and maybe ones that actually make sense?” “You insolent arachnid!” Mysterio shouted, already attempting to knock the spiders from the web ball off his clothing. “Totem of Anansi, you shall cease this mocking of the TRUE Sorcerer Supreme!!” “Hey, what can I say…I’m a mocker, I mock!” Multi-Threader landed on a nearby roof, immediately firing two webs at a nearby air conditioning unit that was on the roof. It was a bit of public property damage, but he figured New York would look past that part. “I’m also a puller…a tugger…a yaaaaaanker!” he grunted, pulling the unit off and proceeded to swing it around before launching it at the arcane lunatic. “Guess I’m just a general jack of all trades!” “Denique diatem efficacem inveni!” Mysterio fired off another set of magical energy in the direction of the flying air conditioning unit. “Beast of the Dark Dimension, dispose of this meddlesome spider!” he commanded the wyrm, to which Multi-Threader was now realizing..it was real, the damage it was doing definitely seemed 100% real. But luckily no one was injured that he could see…so it could’ve been much, much worse. “First, congrats on the new effective diet my guy. What did you decide to cut out…the fish?” he quipped, knocking on his head to refer to the fish-bowl helmet. “Secondly, color me impressed, Quentin! You managed to actually conjure something that isn’t a pale imitation and illusion! Maybe I should call the doc and have him inspect the impressive feat!” The wyrm roared as it slithered towards the wall-crawler, to which Multi-Threader leapt from the roof and proceeded to aim right in the direction of the creature’s face. “Let’s try and blind this guy…alright fellas, show time!” he said, holding his hands in front of him as he flung a few spiders that crawled along from them towards the oncoming beast. Once they were on the creature, Multi-Threader immediately moved mid-air to narrowly grab onto the wyrm. “Okay…time for some blindness. Go for its eyes!” For some, it would look like nothing was happening at first…until a loud, ear-piercing roar was heard from the wyrm…what truly was happening was Multi-Threader’s spiders were in the process of biting the creature’s eyes over and over again. “Alright, that’s Plan A…now…didn’t get to Plan B yet…” he grumbled, before running along the wyrm’s back, webbing one side of it’s head before swinging around it’s open mouth, narrowly avoiding it’s closing jaws, before webbing the other side. Now he held a makeshift set of webbed reins. “Alright boy…HEEL!!!” he shouted, yanking the reins upward and getting the wyrm to cease its moves.Eventually, it would stop, whether by the pulling or just due to the sheer exhaustion it was feeling. Regardless of the reason, he let go of the reins and stood victoriously over the wyrm…who…began to fade and disappear beneath his feet. “Awwww, so it was an illusion? Man, you had me convinced there Beck. Lemme take a guess…illusions with a sort of a Dark Dimension styled buff to make em feel more realistic in the moment? Gotta say, you're putting more work into this than you usually do. It's almost impressive…almost being the keyword." “Grrrr…you and your insistent meddling with my destiny shall not stand, wall-crawler!” Mysterio began to slowly descend, holding a hand out towards Multi-Threader. “Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere!” A quick bolt of magic was delivered towards the spider-hero, with another being prepared in succession. Multi-Threader glanced over, seeing a manhole cover and immediately fired a web at it, yanking it towards him as he used it as a shield against the first bolt of magic. He immediately spun a bit before launching it at Mysterio. “Cap…eat your heart out! Also, I'd kindly ask you to leave Elvis out of this. Let the King of Rock rest already, for Pete Sake!” Mysterio was hit by the manhole cover, trying to get his bearings back together, grumbling. “Nullae satisfactionis p-...” “Yeah yeah, you can’t get no satisfaction!” Multi-Threader was already right there in front of Mysterio, delivering a punch right into his helmed face, knocking him onto the ground. “Least you could do is not rip off Mick Jagger…first Elvis now Jagger, for shame.” he said, snapping his fingers as suddenly he was beginning to be webbed up like it was nothing. After a few moments, Multi-Threader had those few spiders start to crawl back up towards him. “Job well done, fellas.” he watched as the last one came up, noticing that it left the message: Baddie Bagged, courtesy of the Magnificent Multi-Threader. “Alright, time for us to go.” Multi-Threader chuckled. “Lest the news media decides to want to pin this on me…oh what am I saying, some most likely will anyway!” He grabbed onto a nearby light pole, swung upwards before firing a web to grab the nearest building, swinging away. Or at least…he would've, if something didn't immediately catch his eye. A bubbling black hole slowly opening nearby. Multi-Threader paused in his stride, sticking to a nearby wall, staring at the strange portal. He tapped his ear and immediately called Terry once more. "Hey kiddo…" "Marc! Saw everything, you really got him good this time round!" "Yeah…listen, there's a strange portal-like sight I'm looking at right now." Multi-Threader continued, sounding a little serious. "May want to cancel the plans with me coming to see you and the missus…" "...Marc don't do anything stupid, please…" A chuckle escaped his lips. "Me? Stupid? C'mon kiddo, it's more-or-less called creative curiosity. I'll be back, don't worry." he said, hearing his brother sigh on the other end. Once the call was over, the arachnid based hero made his way towards it, getting closer and closer…though it was beginning to be a bit too close…like at an alarming rate. "Okay…it's sucking me in like a Hoover…wonderful!!!" Multi-Threader shouted, trying to resist but ultimately took the plunge and was drug in. Hitchhiker's Guide to...the Spider-Verse? Multi-Threader wasn't too thrilled about this insane roller-coaster of a ride he was being taken on…even noticing a few of his spiders crawling on his arm and beginning to web a sign saying: S.O.S. "I doubt anyone's gonna answer that, fellas!" he shouted, falling or being drug along through wherever he was going even more. He did, however, eventually see quite a sight he'd never seen before. Was it…space? No…that couldn't be the case, as he could still breathe. Scratch space out of the equation for the moment. If not space, then what? He didn't have much time to ruminate on it, considering his eyes were glued on the grander picture before him. An infinite web…spread across this strange void. "Curiouser and curiouser…" he muttered, continuing to fall as apparently others before him did. As he passed by…he was stunned at seeing the sights he did. World's that were similar to his own…but vastly different. "It's a full on multiverse…interconnected by these weaved webs…" Multi-Threader guessed to absolutely no one. He had heard that it might've been possible, but this wasn't something he figured was. He passed by a few of these interconnecting threads…seeing the world's and even specific things. For instance, a young man being hit with an ancient arrow and obtaining a ghostly spider-like being that came from within… Then there was a robotic heroine dressed to the nines in black armor… And…was that a horde of spiders, dressed up in a spandex suit? That one there sort of hit home for him to an extent…just like how the world that was in front of him was planning to. "Oh damnit…" he gulped, bracing for impact as he was practically launched right out the portal into the air. It was a strange looking city, though at first glance he could've mistook it for Manhattan. Nevertheless, Multi-Threader exhaled slowly, immediately looking around as he found a nearby rooftop and a billboard on it. "Now…let's hope…my aim ain't off…otherwise this spider is going splat!" he muttered, immediately launching his web right to the billboard. It stuck successfully, allowing him to swing gracefully upward and land on top of the roof. "Alright, stuck the landing!!" Multi-Threader huffed lightly. "Now…where in the world am I?" He looked around, before glancing at the billboard and noticed the words: Metro City. "Metro City? Well, I officially know I'm not in Kansas anymore…and luckily no house was dropped on me." He took a moment to attempt to gather his thoughts, about the time a glider flew past his peripheral. Well, perhaps "flew past" is a bit of a stretch...it was more like it was stationary and hovering at about 50 feet above the roof line. Unbeknownst to him, it wasn't who he thought it was…but he wouldn't know this or care. "Oh goodie, looks like the Wicked Witch sent out at least one of her favorite flying monkeys after me. Well, better not keep ol' Norman waiting!" He began to jump building after building, eventually web-swinging towards the glider. "Ayyyyy Gobby! Been a bit! What's the plan this time? Drag me into a new dimension, attempt to squash the spider? Ooooh! Or are you planning to open that Goblin themed restaurant you've always wanted??" Multi-Threader called after the "Goblin".

Marv was shocked to say the least about all this, thus far. Between half the crew beating Jirachi up to the other half not giving two shakes of a Ratata's tail...it was clear that they all were sort of...not cooperating. However, once Jirachi woke up...it made at least one thing clear... "As I'm sure you've all figured out, this place you've all found yourselves in is the world of Pokémon. And it's my fault you're here. At least… I think so. This world is in trouble. And I made a wish upon the stars to save it. Right after, you all showed up! Since I am a genius, I just know that there is a connection. You seven (or twelve) must be the heroes this world needs!" "Jirachi...was the voice in the dungeon?" Marv muttered, apparently coming to the conclusion most others were already getting to. While the others, however, were debating on where they were or even why they were even brought here...the Froakie was thinking and dwelling on something else. ...would this be the style of world where Explorer Guilds are a thing...or Rescue Teams...? he thought, rubbing his chin slightly. Marv kept thinking, being in deep thought for a moment. Back to the real world, apparently Hector wanted to return...saying he had something there that needs him. Could Marv really say the same? Try as he might, he couldn't really pick up anything in his mind and thoughts to even give a reason why he would. Maybe he had family that would miss him...but other than that, why would he? Here and now...he was a Pokémon. He could do things he was fairly certain his old self couldn't do...maybe it was all for the best for him. "In all honesty, we may as well do what we can here." Marv finally spoke up, a smile showing up on his frog-like face. "We play our cards right, we may end up getting what we want in the end...that's usually how these Mystery Dungeon scenarios go, right?"

"Obviously! That was nothing compared to the power of the chosen heroes! Hehehe!" Sabrina was so...confident...so collected in this moment, Gene was obviously envious of this. She remained as stoic as she was prior...meanwhile he faltered...questioned himself and potentially his worth. He prayed this wouldn't be a reoccurring issue, but it was too soon to even tell at this point. Yet, in the moment, with the Guardians felled, Gene along with the others, watched as two orbs went straight to Abby and Sabrina. He was a bit...disheartened, to know that he wasn't able to obtain an orb like that...but perhaps it was for the best right now. Better to wait and not get one than just getting one now and potentially being screwed up later. The sound of water dropping was heard again...but then, Gene's vision went dark... Before him was...what Gene could only describe as a cutscene like in a few of his games. It was clear...concise...life like...it was depicting something, of what specifically, he knew not. The best he could've potentially described it as was a creation myth. He read about a few creation myths and legends back when he was still alive, but this seemed to accurately depict a history of the world here...a Primordial Dragon, Star, to be exact. "Congratulations every one. You fought very wonderfully and used masterful teamwork together. And with it you have passed the trial of Storm and have been bequeathed with his power. do you have any questions?" His vision returned to him finally, but once he did, he noticed something...yes, the obvious strange creature statue in the middle of the room...but something else: Marshall...alive. He wanted to immediately move and happily embrace the conductor in a friendly manner...buuuuuuuuut... "And speaking of dispatching, Mind telling us what the hell you were thinking throwing yourself into the jaws of death like that!? Now look, I'm very happy you're alive and well, but for all you knew, that would have been it for you! We're already tight on numbers as it is, and the last thing we need is..." "H-Hey...least we're all together though..." Gene sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his head, still trying to mask the fact that he almost had a mental breakdown complete with panic attack. "I-In any case...I think all the questions have been asked so far...sooooo that doesn't leave me much to ask."

"Oh I see, fighting fire with fire, or lightning with lightning, I guess. You're a funny guy aren't you, magic man? Watch, it's pretty exciting when you try to do this!" Trevor watched intently on the situation that Lacie seemed to produce...and was both dumbfounded and amazed. When she moved over the roof, the lightning struck her, yet when she was clear of the roof, the lightning no longer was a threat. "I see now. Unless one is on the roof or in the area of effect with the lightning rod...it won't strike. So it would seem that this way is nigh impossible to try to get around. Quite the ingenious security system..." "Impossible is just a faster way of saying I'm possible you know!" "While I admire your gumption, I don't think that's quite how that works..." Trevor sighed, deciding to test a theory. He, himself, hopped onto the roof proper. As if on cue, the lightning immediately attempted to strike at the young sorcerer. He immediately moved back, returning to the hanging off the edge of the roof again. "Okay...so it's every and all intruders...good to know." he sighed, shaking his head. "I'd rather not have to break their security system to just get inside." "Well come on now, no one likes stopping before you even start, maybe I can try and dodge lightning that might be fun." It looked like Lacie was debating going back onto the roof. "...unless you have a better idea, my dear." Trevor glanced at Lacie, already seeing she was debating going back onto it. "I mean, aside from just letting the lightning rod doing it's thing...again?" She'd end up on the roof and dodging a bolt then being hit by another, and then she goes soaring off the roof, waving as she falls past, not seeming too bothered by it. "I believe the term I'm witnessing here...is the definition of insanity..." he sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Are we good over there, my dear?" "Shockingly!" She called out as she spins through the air. "...was that an magic based pun?" Trevor asked, legitimately surprised to hear a pun like this. "Any more bright ideas and theories you wish to test out?" She began to make her way back up. "Try try again!" is all she says "Oooooooor...perhaps we could try an alternate route? Maybe one that doesn't require the same thing over and over again?" "If you want!" She's back up at the top...wonderful. "Now, do you see any other spots that could be used as an entrance?" Trevor asked, peeking over the roof to investigate the area. As far as Trevor can see, while it resembles a coliseum, it doesn't have the openings like one. Instead those areas are covered in some kind of black screen. It looks like there's simply an entrance at three sides which are all locked with the same signs as the front. "...right. Well, it seems like we're not getting in there through there." he sighed, shaking his head some. "So the doors are locked, the roof is protected by the security system in the electricity...and the doors up here are locked too. Wonderful..." Meanwhile, Lacie was just trying to get on the roof...again...insanity, we have arrived.

To his shock and surprise, the axe guardian was felled...and that issue was finally over with. But unfortunately, they weren't out of the woods yet. Gene glanced over and saw the lancer was still striking at Abby, and she wasn't having a great time. He began to slightly grit his teeth, knowing that Abby right now was the team healer of sorts...on the count they had no other methods of healing. If she went down...then they'd be in a worse condition than they already were. They couldn't let that happen... Luckily, now he could see large cracks beginning to form along the foe's armor. It was the same as the other one...which meant... ...it should be possibly close to falling...which means we may have a chance!! Gene thought, slowly huffed. He still wasn't feeling his best, but he wasn't going to let this be the end of it. Gene stood upright, adopting a stance, exhaling slowly. To his surprise, or maybe his expectation, Sabrina went rushing forward towards the lancer immediately before him. ...last one...she hits em from the back...then...I'LL GO FOR THE FRONT!!! he thought, before rushing right after Sabrina. Gene knew how he wanted to strike this foe...he wanted to strike him just like Sabrina did with the other...go for the arms. With Abby doing what she's doing...that should make the inner integrity of the armor...just weak enough for a strike...gotta make it count! he thought, getting up close now to the armored warrior. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Sabrina deliver the heavy attack straight to the warrior's armored back. The moment she did...Gene let out a yell as he slashed his sword in an downward swing, making contact with it's arms. And it surprised Gene this time...as the sword went clean through the arm. Must've been due to the armor being so weakened by Abby like it had been, but regardless, the cracks from its damaged arm start spreading, as does the cracks on its back until the whole thing splits and shatters into a bunch of a pieces, falling to the ground and turning to water as it does so. "D-Did...d-d-did we do it...?" he huffed slowly, feeling his knees slightly buckle beneath him.