Zashiii

"Taylor, you should learn to let go." June frowned at her friend. Why must Taylor keep holding on to false hope especially when it might be a potential source of grave danger? She figured that her friend might either be insane or suicidal. Well, Taylor might actually be a masochist as well. Butt June is a good friend so she decided to keep her mouth shut for now and let her friend be whatever the damn woman wanted to be. As long as they get to live at the end of all this. That said, the darkness was already grating on June. More nervous sweat trickled down the sides of her face. It was bad enough that she was earlier stuck within some sort of enclosed tube, this journey through a dark corridor wasn't any better. When they reached the foot of the stairs, June's hand tried to reach for Taylor's clothes but only managed to grab handfuls of empty space. It seemed like the darkness has started to affect her spatial sense. Shit. Then Taylor was already clinging onto her. While June found it queer it also brought some sense of comfort. However, such comforts were never meant to last. It was in that instant that a flash of light found it amusing to make an appearance before the pair. June blinked. Once. Twice. The light is still there in front of them. The light...it moves? Her eyes tracked the glowing strangness. While her body froze in hesitation, her mind was on overdrive. She had already seen this once in the past. Now she only needed to remember when. Bright light. Flying object. Appears in dark areas. St. Elmo's fi- Before she could finish her thought process, the strange sound happened. The buckling and twisting sound of metal seemed to grate on June's ears. Her hands shot up to cover her auditory organs but the damage has been done. Annoying but at least we now know that the glowy thing also generates heat. Is it sentient? Will it see us? Such wayward thoughts plagued her mind as fear set in again within the poor girl. Even when Taylor pushed her, there was no resistance from June. There was only relief that they would be taking a different path and hopefully gain a few more minutes of living. This loss of initiative would prove costly later as she failed to notice Taylor's drastic actions. Once the Taylor's peeking has been committed, the poor girl began to convulse and scream. June cursed as she tried to contain her friend but she was too late, Taylor already leaped into her arms. "Wai-wait!" June tried to protest but her friend was no longer in the right state of mind. June leaned in to whisper in Taylor's ear the bitter truth. "It's still there. I can't see it but I can still feel some heat."

"I'm already dead to begin with!" Delan cried back in her own voice. Despite her amalgamation with the foreign parasite within her body, there was still that tiny part of her that comes out once in a while. Only for a while. Soon Delan was gone again and the body's eyes resembled Azura-Dusks again. Perhaps this might be the last time Rin will see Delan, her final moments. That is unless someone could stop the combination process. Someone like RIn. "Hmph!" came her reply as her left arm attempted to deflect the oar. Her free arm on the other hand formed a fist and would try to deliver a hook to Rin's head. Hopefully the blow would be strong enough to knock the woman unconscious.

Linda frowned. "I..I feel concerned..but okay." She had her hesitations but nonetheless followed the man to his destination. Her figure was silent the whole way, her mind mulling over the potential possibilities of this little detour. "Uh..I mean..I don't mind but right now?" she arched a well-maintained brow as she heard the lock click. "We will have lots of time for this later though," she continued with a mischievous smile. "Oh...OH!" she gasped in surprise, "Ho-how did that happen?" The question came out of her mouth right as her hands were already on Issac's face. Her fingers searching, feeling, admiring. "What did it cost?"

It had been a long time since she was seen in public. The most current moment was during the godslayer arc where she helped bring down the old gods for the sake of humanity’s progress. Whether it was the right thing to do or not, she never cared. Past that, she’s back to lying low far away from all that spotlight and toxic publicity. This of course brought her to this questionable place that she had no recollection of every entering. Fuck. She groaned then as she opened her sleepy eyes. It seems that she must have been going at it the whole night. Her head spinning, she looked around to figure out where she is now. This stuff keeps happening now and then. First thing she noticed was that she’s still on her birthday suit. Second thing was that there’s no booze beside her. Shit. “Unnghhh! Fuck!” she spat as she rolled out of the bed. “I need a goddamn drink.” @danzilla3

Holly Sheathe finally smiled, "Yes. I remember you. I'm actually surprised to find you and Aveline far from Taen and Ursa Madeum. Stuff happened so fast that the changes and developments are a bit hard to make sense of." Then she turned to Aveline. "That would be yes. I would stand to give you a bow or a friendly hug or perhaps even a peck on the cheek but-" she paused to gesture to her legs. "I'm a bit incapa at the moment. I hope you would understand." "Anyway, I just got here a few days back to help manage our new branc here in Hasturia. I did not expect you'd be setting up here as well."

The Dead Mistress sighed as she witnessed Shikai charging prematurely. Surely the man could wait for a bit longer before taking any drastic actions? Well there's not much point in peaceful negotiations now that her companion had made his choice. She could only roll her eyes in exasperation. "My, my! Rushing off as usual," she spoke while placing another lighted cigar on her lips. She already lost count of how many she had smoked at this point but she never cared for the consequences of her vices. The place was starting to get to her, not because it felt queer or unnerving but because she was no longer in control of the situation or even her own person. Something else was in control of this realm and that did not sit well with her. However, she should stay put for now- The man's words made her pause. Only for a second. "Actually, fuck that!" she spat as she realized she did not know what the answer is. Instead, she sashayed towards her clone, menacingly. "I'd rather play with you instead."

"Hello there," the seated woman replied as she looked up to Thurgood. While her face looked better than last time, she should still look like the same woman. Perhaps the longer hair might have made some drastic changes to her look. That and the burns were less pronounced this time revealing the bland face underneath. . "Introductions are in order." She paused to place a charred hand on her chest. "Holiness Sheathe. You can just call me Holly. And the woman behind me is the Lady Silverbush." Thurgood should be familiar with the so-called Lady Silverbush as they had met a while back what with that truck incident and networking events. Thankfully, the Lady Silverbush was calmer now given that she wasn't jumping to attack Thurgood out of petty spite or injured pride. Although her silence seemed to rather suspicious. Holly hoped that she did not have to restrain that woman in case Silverbush wouldstart making a scene.

The pair made their way towards the Singlance establishment. Well, at least one of them was doing most of the walking while the other one was confined to this wheeled contraption and had no choice but be pushed all the way there. An interesting pair with regards to their circumstance but past that, they were average at best. The one pushing the contraption had silvery white hair and a rather bland face. Pair that with a plain pencil dress and a coat on the shoulder, both articles of clothing having the same color of black, she should not be that remarkable in an event like this. At least she wore fancy heeled boots which clicked clacked with every step she made. The girl sitting on the contraption fared better with a dark green dress matching the color of her eyes. Her hair had long since grown to a short bob and the burns on her face had long since mellowed out into soft scars, blemishes easily covered by some powder if she ever found the time or energy to do. Unfortunately she never did. They made way through the doorway and into the establishment in a relaxed silence. While it felt odd that they were invited, the least they could do was greet the hosts. Well, if they ever manage to find the Singlances among these people. @notmuch_23

"Well, this is the reality now," Linda replied with a chuckle. Finishing off her crepe, she wiped her lips clean before turning back to Issac. "But I don't think I can protect you and our child with this broken body of mine now." At the very least she could experience living like a normal human now. What she sacrificed seemed so insignificant now that she's with Issac. Shoving another lighted stick of cigar into her mouth, she breathed in a lungful of smoke. "I'm ready for the library now, or is there someplace else you'd want to visit? No need to rush since I'll be here beside you for a very long time."

Shishi turned to he superior. "Please accept my apologies but-" her eyes shifted to the land below. "-fate beckons. My fight is down there." While she was greatly concerned for the safety of the ship and the other members of the Order, her fate was telling her to focus on something else. Shishi could feel, way down there in the enemy camps was a someone she knew. A familiar feeling. The scent of a fellow godslayer. She knew of a few in her time but the mystery still intrigued her. The fight was imminent and there was no escaping it. Just like her sister, she was also bound by the whims of fate. "I'm be going with you," she continued, her voice full of resolve. 'Fucking sons of bitches!" the tall paragon spat as the battle intensified. "We'll be dead before we even get a chance to fight." Her partner, the shorter paragon respondend with a sigh. "Not yet, Sera. We should wait for Lilith or Ankou's orders." "Fine! Fine! I'll get them fuckers later." Silence fell between the two paragons as they enjoyed the ensuing chaos before them. Sitting atop their stolen airship with bottles of alcohol around them, the were quite the questionable pair with matching coats. Soon the time will come when their help would be needed but for now, they should wait and chill.

The Dead Mistress frowned as the group marched in line. While she understood the need for haste, she could not help herself worry for Shikai and Riha. The troubled lady was torn between two choices- fall back to treat the wounded or press forward to accomplish their given task. Quite the dilemma but she already knew what the right choice was. All that was left was for her to steel her resolve and do what must be done. The lack of hearing was disconcerting but not a problem for one such as the Dead Mistress. Her body had survived worse and if thing come to worse, then there was always the sword hidden beneath her coat. The final contingency plan. However, it was too early to bring it out. That and there was no assurance the blade would actually work in this realm. Still, the energy seeping out of it gave her comfort. "Strange," she murmurred as she noticed the creatures skittering around the group. They remindned her of those eight limbed arachnids but uglier and creepier. "I've had enough spiders on my time. Perhaps these ones are endemic to this region. They clearly feel at home here. Ahhh! I can't wait to bring one home." It seems that the land itself was slowly affecting her mental state despited her defenses. Any observer would easily notice the increase in her monologue as her mouth keeps on moving on its own accord. Or perhaps she's just used talking to herself. Anyway- "Riha?" The word felt awkward and raw out of her own mouth especially when she could not even hear herself. She turned then and sure enough her instincts were right, Riha was no longer her proper position, she was being dragged by something else. Without a thought, she was already moving to grab Riha before she becomes lost to them..forever.

Stared at the white horses. Clearly, something is wrong with this development but the Dead Mistress could not figure it out. It seems that even her cognitive functions were being affected by the weirdness of this place Or she's prolly low on nicotine. Producing a stick of cigar from her coat's pocket, she place a lighted stick between her lips then inhaled deeply. Her eyes briefly closed as she relished the flavor, the smoke filling every fiber of her being. A moment later, her focus was back on track. Sort of. "Queer place," she mumbled at the sight of the wildy varying colors of the flora before her. These trees did not seem possible or did she smoke way too much last night. Whatever it was, she mostly ignored it and trailed aftet the others hoping thing would get clearer the farther they were into the island. “Next riddle.” said Void Cain, plucking a low hanging fruit and biting his sharp teeth into it. “I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. Water, but no fish. What am I?” Her lips frowned at the riddle. A rather odd question but not impossible to answer. Her dainty fingers gripped on the hilt of the weapon kept inside her coat as she drew power from it. Her mind raced with all the possibilities, the calculation speed greatly amplified by the sealed artifact Baeoi. A few seconds later her eyes opened and she mouthed a single word. "Map?"

Prompted by Taylor, June did her best to keep up. However, this world was just too much for her. Cold sweat dripped down her face as she struggled to keep her balance. She took pride in her human level of athleticism but there was nothing from her homeworld that could ever prepare her for this. The floor itself having some a mind of its own. June mused that it was some lower level of sentience. Whatever it was, this shit was clearly not safe to cross. All this writhing and slithering about by the very floor beneath her feat brought nausea and great discomfort to June. It seems like the poor girl just could not catch a break. "Um..Taylor," June reluctantly whispered as she heard something moving towards the common room. It sounded like human footsteps but feels off. Both human and inhuman. Soon enough the answer was right there before their very eyes. The unknown creature finally made its appearance before the two, the being quite familiar to both girls. It was the corpse that they met way back, the one they stole the pistol from. It came back for them! If only June's daddy was also capable of such a feat then she would not have to suffer through all this just to find her little sister. "Oh no! It's that eldritch shit again!" June screamed at the developments happening before her very eyes. That corpse was looking at Taylor in a rather uncomfortable fashion. If this was the real world, June would have already filed a couple of charges and even put a restraining order on that thing. But this was no longer her world but one of fantasy and possibly deadlier than the last. Then the corpse started moving giving June's loins the suddern urge to embarass the poor girl. Still, she grit her teeth and hoped to whatever gods this world has to at least grant June some level of self-respect. The shambling motion that the corpse displayed made June's knees buckle. With poor lower limb support, the girl was incapable of doling out a lending hand. Thankfully, Taylor was also affected greatly so that unexpected gunshot was appreaciated. "Fuck," June spat as she realized bullets are useless against the undead. "Why can't these things just stay dead?" June did not need to be told twice. Her slim figure was already bolting ahead, fear and adrenaline pumping energy into her legs. The girl trailed after Taylor out of the common and into the mess hall. While it would have been nice to stop down and fill her rumnnling tummy, the situation ensured that she was unable to have such an opportunity. Survival before sustenance. However, she knew that they needed to eat again sometime in the near future or else it would be problematic. They were simply delaying their death with zero chances of reprieve. None at all. Still, she would prefer to struggle to the end than lie die and surrender to the sweet embrace of eternal rest. Even when they reached the next hall, the corpse was still hot on their trail. For some reason, the bloody thing was pretty fast for a dead person and how the fuck did that thing get tentacles? That right there was a signal that things were getting more eldritch than before. The sight of those wriggling, writhing and coiling appendages made June queasy. She tried to hold it in, swallowing the rising acid back down. Vomiting while running was definitely not a good idea. "I can't deal with these tentacles Taylor! Try shooting it again," June hollered at her friend. "Are we all out of options?" "Wait- what?" Without a second thought or complaint, June did as she was told. "Just throw the damned gun at it if bullets don't work!"

"What a strange creature," Decant muttered as he ran away from the rampaging round demon. While he's confident with his capabilities, he still prefers to fight from a distance. He's a ranged combatant after all. The farther he is from conflict, the more comfortable he will be. But luck was never in his favor as the demon also passed his way forcing him to roll away from danger. The problem now would be the spikes. He might have escaped being crushed to death but he did not have the time nor the privilege to evade the succeeding attack. He only had this flimsy emergency barrier which he managed to erect in that instant. It a good thing that the barrier held but the force of the spikes was so strong that cracks started to form and Decant was sent flying back. His muscles protested against the shock of that blow but he kept his mind active. Gritting his teeth, Decant emptied a fresh clip of explosive rounds on the rolling demon hoping it would die as soon as possible.