Unexpected Results

Unexpected Results
Date of Scene:	20 February 2014
Location:	Narshe - North
Synopsis:	The town of Narshe falls prey to another unusual visitor, one who wants to destroy Rhiannon, the scientist who attacked the city earlier. How is this creature related? How do people react in the face of this overwhelming vengeance?
Cast of Characters:	Avira, Deelel, Pumpkinhead, Maira, Angantyr Vespar, Rhiannon Zellen, Chita, Zero-One, Warden Thache
Tinyplot:	A Researcher's Inquiry

---

Zero-One has posed:
One would have thought that Narshe would return to peace and quiet in the aftermath of the assault of the Black Beast. People were saved from the terror of being devoured by the intensely powerful heartless for the sake of SCIENCE by the strength and determination of brave souls.

Unfortunately, life does not always seem to turn out that way.

There is a gleam in the sky, a star seeming to descend from the heavens, smashing down into the center of the town with an intense impact. The central street of Narshe is instantly pulverized as several errant Gummi Blocks randomly rain down across the street in an aftermath.

The crater smoulders, a smooth, white object lying in the center the size of a small house, vaguely egg-shaped, with odd ridges.

There is a faint noise that resonates through the air.

Is that... a song?

Avira has posed:
Avira shows up in Narshe not long after the impact. Over the past few months, she's built quite a few contacts-astronomers, collectors, town watches-all people that have reason to occasionally watch the skies and notice things like these. After all, Avira was in the business of making gummiships and she more or less needed a constant supply of blocks.

She arrives via a rental chocobo decked out for cold weather travel. As she pulls up, she pulls her goggles off her face and dismounts. "We should split up." Avira tells Maira and Deelel, who were roped into coming with her. These days she can't really travel alone anymore since certain parties liked to jump her. "Cover more ground, grab more blocks."

She frowns. "Hey, do you hear music?" distracted, Avira wanders in its direction until she comes to the edge of the crater with the odd object in the center.

Maira has posed:
Besides, why travel alone with you can travel with your friends!

Maira sighed heavily when she heard Narshe was having more trouble. Really, meteors now!? Wasn't the black beast enough!? This poor place can't catch a break--sorta like the hereos.

That said, Maira has been singing practically the whole journey, keeping her spirits up and hopefully not annoying the heck out of Avira and Deelel.

Her red chocobo stops beside Avira's, and Maira stops the song she was humming to listen. "Hmmm...I do hear a song!"

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
They always say that a criminal returns to the scene of a crime.

They also say that sometimes, a scientist returns to the scene of a past experiment.

Interested in recording any environmental effects of the Black Beast's assault, Rhiannon had made her way back to Narshe, laptop held in an arm, and she once again claimed a rooftop to oversee the process. Sitting on an edge with legs dangling off carelessly

"Interesting...the energy levels here are..."

BOOM

Startled out of her self musing, Rhia looked up from her laptop screen to the site of the sudden impact just moments ago. Thankfully she wasn't knocked off her perch. "Oh? ...Well, this certainly was not a part of /my/ plans..." She mumbled, observing the odd, egg-shaped contraption. "And that noise...hrm...Is that music?"

The woman crossed her legs where she sat on the edge of a rooftop and proceeded to open up a new instance of the program she was working with, rapidly typing up new notes based on what she was seeing. Also recording the sight as well. "...This should be interesting."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel had a feeling that Narshe, would not see peace fo a while so she'd kept her eyes on things this way. It was prehaps a good thing too, a very good thing. She looks over to Avira and Maira as her own ride vanishes in a flash of light.

"I don't like it but we need to do so and yes, I do hold on let me see if I can clear that up."

Deelel is a bit in her element there as she tries to focus on the song and the nature of the music.

Chita has posed:
Chita himself had tagged along with Rhia for various reasons and, as she sat there observing stuff and not really doing anything all that dangerous, he had taken his Chocobo that he'd finally been reunited with and gone about wandering the town. He was mostly trying to get some information from the locals regarding the Black Beast event. Had anyone been hurt, anyone missing, damages and so forth. Generally, trying to figure out exactly what happened and if anyone had been lost.

Only for that explosion in the distance cause him to rock and nearly fall off his mount. "The hell is that?" Nowhere near where Rhiannon was last he saw her, he didn't worry too much about her safety and instead gave the Chocobo a little tap with a heel before saying, "Let's go find out what that is. Stay safe though." And off the Chocobo went towards the crash site.

Warden Thache has posed:
The problem with leaving your ship alone so you can plot and plan. Things can happen to it. Things like the Royal Navy. Things like /Akari/ and the Royal Navy.

"Look boss," Spooks wheedled on the passagner seat of an air skiff as Warden flew the little vessel towards the impact site. "It wasn't /my/ fault! It seemed like a good idea at the time to let Akari help!"

"...she hit my ship. WITH THE MAST!" Warden replies with a low growl as he glared at the racoon.

"Well at least it got rid of the marines?"

Warden grumbles.

"...uh...look boss. I was gonna save this for later but...well...if it'll make you feel better." And he pulls out a rolled up scroll that he passes over. A frown as Warden glances at it. Then the frown turns into a grin. The grin into a laugh. "Frame it! Oh Neptune's beard I am going to /frame/ this and send it to her. For the memories!"

He's still laughing as the little ship swoops low over the down as he pulls into a likely landing place so /he/ can get out, and send the few crew he brought out gathering bricks for repairs.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr is actually chilling out at the inn.

Until something EXPLODES.

Angantyr, walks out of the inn, looking at the wreckage and blocks falling everywhere.

"Seriously? Like...this place is just the worst to live in. I am litterally just packing up and leaving once this shit is done." Angantyr says, with mild annoyance, pulling a fur over his chest and slowly walking towards the crater. He hasn't drawn a weapon yet...but he also (thankfully) noticed Rhi or Chita.

Yet.

"Music?" He says, looking over the edge. "Great, we're being invaded by Jazzians."

Zero-One has posed:
The song is quiet. Haunting. Something at once alien, but familiar, like something just on the edge of your mind. Something you remember, but just can't place it...

There is a whisper as people gather around the crater, both looking at the strange object as well as gethering the Gummi Blocks that landed around it. There doesn't seem to be anything particularly rare, but making a solid Gummi Ship often requires quantity as much as quality, doesn't it?

i remember

There is a stirring in the crater. Did something move?

what you did

There is a sudden crack, lines opening up across the egg-shaped object... And it begins to /unfold/, stretching into a vaguely humanoid figure that stands approximately twelve feet tall. It seems to be made of a strange, ridged white flesh, innumerable flaps trailing behind it as it stands there. There are ridged, mouthlike maws ridged with square proturbances in a hemispherical pattern around the 'chest' area, with another topping the strange flapping area where a neck and head may be. The arms and legs seem to be conical, solid things, flexing in a strange, boneless manner as it looks sightlessly around.

and now

There is a low tone, and it turns.

It turns straight towards Rhiannon.

you will pay

The maws each begin to emit low, atonal sounds, rising in a shattering shriek as it propells itself directly towards Rhiannon with unnatural speed, leaping up into the air to hang above her. All around the thing, rock rumbles and wood begins to splinter, the ambient sound emitted by the being beginning to cause the area to slowly <span class="underline bold_fg_w bg_n ++ rumble.

<</span>================================> - <<>> - <================================>

- A POWERFUL FOE HAS ARRIVED -

- CHORUS -
- REQUIEM FOR THE LOST -

- PREPARE FOR BATTLE -

<================================> - <<>> - <================================>

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jUvh-faBag

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
"..........?"

Rhiannon tilted her head a little, realizing that the creature was targeting her. ...Well this was a problem. She totally abhorred combat and avoided it as much as possible!

"Oh dear."

Gaze following the creature as it took to the air, and then unleashed a volley of destructive sound, the scientist winced, covering her ears and quickly standing a leaping away. In mid-air, she activated a bit of wind magic to alter her fall, landing nearby the others. "This is new." She amused, despite the blood dripping from her ears.

If anyone actually paid attention, they'd notice the blood stop...and then reverse course back inside. "...Nonetheless, I do have some theories..." She didn't pay the people around her any mind, even those who were painfully well aware of who she was, and instead, mumbled to herself regarding the origins of this creature.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel feels lke she knows the music, and can't place it. This is a strange kind of pain for a being whom is able to recall their memories at will, right? She starts to humm the music, it's strange and it's the sort she won't forget it. She looks at the thing is making it's way up out of the pit. She starea at it for a moment the strange pattern and what just is it? She's never seen anything like it. That's when all the damage starts happening,

"Avira we need to worry about the people caught up in this!"

Deelel is already running some command lines on herself to get ready for what's about to coming and she's already moving to try to help get some bystanders the heck out of here.

Maira has posed:
Maira nudges her chocobo a little closer to the crater, peering down inside. Its...an egg? Ooh, maybe there is something amazing inside! Like some kind of...space bird! A baby space bird! Adorable!

WAAAHG?! That's not an adorable baby space bird.

What /is/ it though. When it speaks, Maira looks up, noticing Rhiannon and Chita off on the other side of the crater (?). !! Well apparently Chita came back from wherever he'd be sent. That's good! Well except that he and Angan will likely end up wailing on each other again.

Maira is pretty much inclined to agree with Angan on his earlier words. "Yup...this place seems to be pretty much terrible," she offers.

The creature's song sounds and it leaps for Rhiannon, leaving Maira with something of a conundrum. Really, she had absolutely no reason to defend Rhiannon from whatever cosmic horror just feel from the sky--for all she knows, they're cousins.

She knows what she has to do though, SIGH.

Maira covers her ears from the sound, a bit of rumble above her crumbling, which Angantyr dives in to tank for her, Mao jumping back from the giant man. "Eek!" she exclaims, calling up her magic and letting it wash over Angantyr and herself.

Warden Thache has posed:
So. Fun science fact kids! Piloting a fast moving air skiff into a field of atonal sound that is causing matter to break up? Not that great an idea. Not that Warden /knew/ that the giant omlette from the sky was about to split into tall, pale, and conical armed.

Eh. Its Warden. He might have done it anyway.

Regardless of intent, the little skiff nearly breaks apart in mid air. Warden goes from lauging right into trying not to fall prey to his oldest and most deadly of foes.

Gravity.

Sadly gravity gets the best of him in this case and the skiff slams /hard/ into the side of a building as the anti-grav systems fail to stop it in time. Dust and debris scatter from the impact point as the captain and his stunned crew attempt to extract themselves from the mess. He glances over at the faces of the equally stunned owners of said house. "...well," He picks himself off, settles his hat back on his head. "...wasn't my worst landing."

He's leaping out the hole in the wall to fall to the ground proper, and pulling out one of his special little pick-me-ups as he goes.

They say any crash you can walk away from is a good crash! Right? Right.

"...now!" He calls out. "Just what manner of beasite do I have to object too knocking my ship out of the sky?"

At least crashing doesn't seem to have dampened his spirits.

Avira has posed:
"What strange music. It seems familiar somehow." Avira remarks, watching the strange white thing in the center of the crater. She starts down the edge to go to it, picking up gummi blocks along the way. She isn't picky and picks up everything she can get her hands on. Mass production means a lot of gummies.

She freezes as she bends down to pick up a block, spying movement from the object. Did it speak...?

The egg 'hatches' into a strange-looking, vaguely angelic slash cosmic horror-looking thing. Avira quickly turns to see who the creature seems to be focusing upon.

Rhiannon, with Chita not far behind. Avira narrows her eyes, seeing as she heard plenty about this woman from the people that had fought the Black Beast. Avira immediately gets the hell out of the way and scrambles out of the crater as the ground seems to crumble behind her.

"Yes, that's exactly what we need to worry about. Let's get people evacuated ASAP."

Avira doesn't draw her weapon or pause to pick up more gummi blocks (lucky Warden) and instead rushes into the rest of town, banging on doors and getting people's attention. They don't need to get caught up in this street justice.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr observes what happens...

And then it destroyes things where Maira is.

Angantyr dives at her like a rocket, interposing himself between it and her.

And then punches it in the face. "Hey. Look. Howabout this. We help you kill her, and you stop destroying the town." Angantyr tries to reason with it. He looks back to Avira and Maira, "I think we should evacuate the town." He says, but looks at the thing it's attacking.

And Angantyr makes good on HIS side of the deal.

Angantyr pulls the Tyrant Breaker out, attempting to repeatedly beat Rhi with it.

Chita has posed:
"...no..."

The longer Chita listened, the more it became obvious something went wrong somewhere.

Something was wrong.

"No, stop!" came a soft whimper as he tried to convince whatever it was, with just a soft voice, to not do this. "Stop! Whatever you are, whoever you are, doing this is not the answer!" he finally yelled loudly when it suddenly shot up into the air and then the burst of noise and screaming. Doubling over and holding onto his ears, Chita was so sick and disoriented from the sudden noise that he barely had a chance to make sense of things before he had to act. He had to act to protect Rhiannon...

And everyone else in the area.

"Senra, get up high, quickly!" And the Chocobo made a quick beline onto a nearby awning before jumping on top of a roof. Quickly hopping off and facing towards the creature he heard in the distance, he shouted out, "Do you remember me?! If you are what I think you are, stop this! Please! I know what you went through, just as much as anyone else here! PLEASE! More death is not the answer! That is why I tried so hard to find a way to rescue you all from your misery in that weapon! To help you!"

The Viera was taking a chance that this thing /was/ the weapon, or rather, those who were trapped inside it. That they were somehow twisted by their fear and pain. "Please! There is more at stake than you know!"

Pumpkinhead has posed:
Suddenly... From a nearby Narshian walkway connecting two houses together, covered in frost, a voice calls out. The figure is hard to make out from this distance, but nonetheless, it seems to have no problem spotting those in the crater. The swish of a labcoat is, however, immediately evident.

"Dark Knight Angantyr! I am disappointed in you! Where is your desire for knowledge?? Nevertheless, however this young lady managed to uncover this fascinating item... There is one thing you must know..."

In a sudden burst of movement, the figure jumps out with incredible speed, crashing down near the Dark Knight--though not striking him directly. Her landing leaves a bit of a crater where she touches down as well.

She straightens, twisting ever so slightly at the screws in her neck, which crackle with electricity. Her skin is pallid, and her face and body are stitched up, but there's one thing for sure--if only by those goggles alone.

It's Feige Abramson.

"Didn't anybody tell you..." She snaps a kick for Angantyr's chest, then up for his chin and face. "About Evil Science?"

"IT IS IMMORTAL!!"

Zero-One has posed:
theory will not save you

Those strange voices, each a empty whisper, comes from the strange being as it blurs through the air. Deelel turns, pushing people out of the way as a house crumbles, topping over. They don't need any more impetus to run for their lives, heading for the caves in the mountains. Avira heads out to inform people farther away from ground zero, and given recent events, more townspeople rapidly depart, becoming a steady flow towards the shelter of the mines.

Now all they have to do is keep the fight away from them...

The alien creature stops, turning slightly towards Angantyr as it attacks Rhiannon.

your terms are acceptable

It blurs, pulling back towards the front of the town as the ground crackles below it, and turns towards Rhiannon and Angantyr...

Just in time for Chita to leap up and begin begging it. It inclines its body, pausing for a moment as it harmonizes...

words cannot undo this sin
if you wish to help
then strike her down
the suffering must end

It then turns back towards the scientist, its mouths calling out,

BRING HER TO US.

The force of the voice rolls forward like a physical thing, crushing anything in its path.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is right now helping a merchant get back to his feet and gets him on his way even as the fight seems to be getting really underway. She pause attention to Chita, wait what's he doing here? She thought he was devoured by the beast, looks like he was able to escape where ever he'd ended up. She had been trying to corner Merlin for help.

"...Chita! What do you know? Do you know what that thing is? It's something from the people that thing devoured or is it? Part of the beast it self isn't it?"

She deploys another command line, one that Ang and Avira would find their reaction times speeding up a good deal. While Deelel continues her rescue efforts on the people caught up in this.

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
Rhia was too busy studying the creature to see Angantyr coming for her. By the time she noticed aggressive movement in her peripheral vision, that keyblade was already swinging into her side. She'd done her best to keep the sudden assault from reaching her abdoment though, moving back.

Nonetheless, contact was made, a red painted the snowy pavement. "Ah, what an inconvenience..." Rhia muttered, looking down at her fallen blood. Eyes narrowing, she created distance, and peculiarly, the blood that was escaping from her wound was drawn back inside, closing up after.

Chita's yelling nearby caused the woman to roll her eyes, but she paid more attention to the immediate concern here; the hulking barbarian attempting to kill her. "Now, now, my fine, armored friend; you would do well to keep that blade to yourself." Though she didn't actually say /why/.

A moment was spared to glance at the creature again. "..." Unexpected results, but fascinating nonetheless. "What more do you have to show me...?" She muttered to herself, a curious glint in her eyes despite the danger present...on multiple fronts.
%r Oh wait, here came a fellow evil scientist! How could she tell, even before the woman spoke? Why, evil scientists can sense each other!

Probably.

"My, my, my..." She sighed to herself, eyes rapidly taking in all of the details. "The one day I don't plan to blow up a town, this happens."

Her attention was drawn to the creature consumed by rage and despair. ...One of her own making. "How utterly, truly fascinating..." Prepared this time, Rhia simply hopped into the air, and then let wind magic do the rest. With a well placed Aero spell, the scientist remained aloft for the moment.

...She supposed she should defend herself now, shouldn't she? What a pain. But right now, she did have something to protect. Not that she would explain it to /them/. "Alas, while I would otherwise be more than willing to see what you desire from me, I simply cannot go with you right now. So be a dear and rest for a little while, yes~?" Saying that, Rhiannon conjured up an aura of lightning, crackling around her body and augmenting her defenses. She then vanished, appearing before the entity and forcefully pressing her palm into it, releasing a burst of lightning after.

"Now would be a great time for you to actually do what you say you intended to do, Mr Rabbit. Unless you want us /both/ to vanish from your life." A giggle followed as she leapt back. "...But that might be an option as well."

Avira has posed:
Avira is extremely proud of the people of Narshe. They evacuate very quickly and quickly end up organizing. If only more noncombatants left dangerous areas this way. She continues to work in a widening circle but as word spreads of evacuation, her own efforts aren't going to be needed as much. People will inform each other.

She makes her way back to the crater where Angantyr is trying to appease the creature and...well, the creature doesn't seem to have all that great aim. Warily, Avira draws her blade, more moving into a place to defend if needed...that is, until, Feige drops out of nowhere. "What the heck, you should be /dead/." Avira mutters, lifting her blade, then jabbing it into the ground.

Ice suddenly juts up beneath Rhiannon and Feige, large icicles curling inward to cage them both.

Maira has posed:
"Yes, I agree!" she calls to Angan and Deelel in response to evacuationg Narshe. Wonderful, more people who will likely become refugees. She knows she'd certainly move if all this horrible stuff kept happening--"Wait, no, that's totally a lie," she thinks, remembering all the times VALK HQ has been attacked.

Maira slides down from Mao's saddle, hugging his neck for a moment as she gives him simple instructions--get away, and pick up anyone he can who is too slow to run and get them out or Narshe. He's a smart chocobo, and Maira has a certain rapport with animals. He'll do it. The red chocobo takes off swiftly, and two children are in the saddle of the escaping bird in no time, headed for the caves with all the others.

Maira turns back to the problem at hand, watching the creature moving for Rhiannon, stopping to reply to Angantyr's offer. Maira winces, trying to make sense of what Chita is talking about while also trying to just stay alive and deal with what is happening here. If the thing is an avenging ghost of some kind? A being Rhiannon has harmed? Rhiannon has done a lot of people a great deal of harm, with zero remorse as far as Maira could tell. At this point, defending her would be crossing out of good-hearted into dangerous bad decisions that put more people's lives on the line.

Suddenly, another mad scientist! This one, going right for Angantyr. Maira curses, the light of her magic taking ethereal form as it flows from her to the dark knight to reknit the wounds he'd already taken, as it appears this one is targeting him specifically!

Which, of course, Maira takes issue with. "HEY! BACK OFF!" she calls to Feige, her form lighting up, setting the scale-like chains of her dress aglow; a dragon ready to breathe flame.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr is not detured.

Even as Feige comes at him, thanks to Deelel's warning, he turns, aiming to counter her dynamic entry with a punch to the face. Angantyr looks angrily at her. "You're not my target /right now/ but I suggest you stop that before you /become/ it." Angantyr warns, as he is immedaitely curshed under the magical power of the thing. Ugh...it's going to destroy the town at this rate...he needs to stop her, here and now.

Power builds in Angantyr's body, even as things tear through him. His eyes flare..

"No, destroying you, however, will make sure nothing like what happened before will happen again. It will stop this desturction, and bring some measure of peace to these people. So..." He says, darkness starting to build up around him. Instead, he reaches up, aiming to try and use darkness to drag the Scientist BACK down, before he swings in a wide arch, darkness burning off of him like cold fire..before he swings back again, aiming to tear through her with another wave of the same darkness. "JUST STAY DOWN!"

Warden Thache has posed:
"You know," Warden's voice holds a mocking tone. Light amusement at the very least. "I thought the 'heroes' were suposed to /save/ the damsel from the vicious monster. Not bargin to help it kill her." Its a light observation as the man kicks off a wall and into the air, hovering there a moment as he watches the /mess/ unfold. "Not /complaining/ mind out, just an observation." The 'observation' obviously thrown in the direction of Avira, Maira, and Ang. "Personally I rather like the plan! Sounds like something I would come up with myself!"

Not that he's planning on helping directly at this point. Oh no. He has something else to do? What is that other thing one might ask?

"Boys. Get the blocks while there distracted."

Thats right. Loot.

Important business you know.

The pirate is curious though, mad science he's found is a very useful science. When it doesn't blow up or attempt to eat your face. Just who /is/ Rhiannon? And...the...Frankenstien? Whatever it is attacking Ang.

He is never entirely at odds with anyone kicking Ang right in the face. He's fairly sure that should be a national sport somewhere.

A man can dream.

He /does/ need the 'heros' distracted however, and keeping them focused on the scientists is one way to do that. A few pluged in commands to his bracer and a one of Warden's ropes, tinged now in green curls out to snake along the ground right up behind Avira. Curl right up her leg, then drape across her shoulders like a certin insolent pirate's arm has done before.

It'll even infuse some of its energy to her before blipping out of existance.

"Actually," Warden adds not-so-helpfully towards Angantyr. "That doesn't usually work. I mean someone /always/ picks up where one person stops. Its just how science works! You can't stop progress, Lord Idiot. Though I know how you seem to love to try!"

Chita has posed:
"No! NO! STOP! DON'T DO THIS, THERE'S MORE AT STAKE THAN YOU KNOW, PLEASE!" Chita shouted, frantic, panicked beyond any reason that most would understand. "Killing anyone, even her, will not change the past! It will not help you! Please, I know more than anyone could possibly know what pain you're going through! I heard your fears, your worries, your regrets! Each and every one of you! I don't know how I can help, but it's never too late to try! PLEASE!"

In the background Chita heard someone speaking. Was that... the strange girl who looked human but wasn't? "You have to protect her, I can explain it all when people aren't trying to kill each other as a first reso--Rhia, no!" And suddenly he was in the way of an attack against Rhiannon. When he heard the sound start he covered his ears and ducked and protected himself, knocked backwards but generally fine.

And yet, shortly after, having heard Rhiannon cal out to him to help her, he whistled and called out, "Senra, get me to her! Quickly!" and his chocobo dashed up and he grabbed onto the harness before being pulled towards Rhiannon and listening for any sound before leaping straight towards her. Pulling out a weapon he threw it up and defended them both as best he could. "Stop this whoever you are! I'm not sure who is trying to do this but you have to stop! It's not just her life, not just her heart, at stake here! YOU HAVE TO STOP! PLEASE! Just protect the people of this town and get them out while I try to talk the remnants of the lost hearts out of this! No one else has to die!" The panic in his voice was audible, the blind Viera begging anyone to grow some measure of sanity and stop just trying to kill to solve problems. "Rhiannon, get on the chocobo and get as far from here as you can. Now!"

Zero-One has posed:
The creature, to a being of science, may very well be fascinating. It's unlike anything seen before. There is no sense of Light or Darkness from it. It seems somehow... hollow.

As Rhiannon continues to resist, the impact of her strike sizzling it, causing it to scream in a cacaphony of voices.

Finally, it rights itself, slowly moving forward.

i was a farmer, my crops i did grow

A single voice spoke, simple and heavy. Empty of emotion.

i was a priest, the bells they are tolling

The creature seems to be singularly focused upon Rhiannon as she draws near. It halts, drawing no closer to the powerful scientist, as it speaks again.

i was a mother, my children in tow

Chita lunges in front of the creature. It stops, twisting slightly before them.

i was a killer, the heads they were rolling

It continues to speak as a low hum begins, voices growing and joining together in a terrifying dirge.

i was a scholar, the books in a row

Small rocks begin to crumble, the ground beginning to buckle.

we are the lost, our lives have been stolen
and now you will die and to Hell you will go

The horrifying power is focused, and becomes an incomprehensible wave of annihilating sound, pulverizing anything in its path as it shireks with all the power of the damned.

Pumpkinhead has posed:
The sound rips through Feige as much as it does anybody else, in no small part because Avira also used the opportunity to cage her with icicles. The icicles shatter from the sound, but the blades from the icicles dig deep into Feige's body. Obscure fluids gurgle from her body. She cricks her neck, looks at Angantyr, and then Avira, and then she says, "Well," softly. "I just explained. Evil science is immortal. And as long as evil science lives, I can be reborn."

She is, however, legitimately surprised by a random rabbit person diving in the way of all this PAIN heading Rhia's way.

"Ouch." She says. "...Wow, that looked really... ouch. In my professional medical opinion, I declare that rabbit person expendable and also probably dead."

She looks towards Rhia. "Would you like to not die?" She offers a hand to Rhiannon.

Avira has posed:
"Damsel? More like lost souls looking for vengence against their killer." Avira peers up at the sound of Warden's voice. She watches him for a long moment, squinting. Did he follow her again or..?

'Boys, get the blocks while they're distracted.'

Avira scowls. He was here for the same reason she was! "Great, he's going to get all the blocks." she grumbles, forcing herself to focus back on the now four-way fight that's broken out in the crater. Something slides around her leg and she startles, looking downward, "What the-" she recognizes the energy ropes and immediately assumes that it's a sneak attack from Warden. "SCOUNDREL!" she shouts, whipping around with the Spine drawn, "I'll-where are you..?" In seconds, the energy is gone, leaving behind a strange sensation. No Warden.

"Yes but I'm pretty sure evil science can't..." she trails off. Maybe it can regenerate that much? "Yeah well the evil science ends here!"

Avira can hear the creature, see her friends fighting around it, and listens to its words. Sadness is reflected in her eyes which turns to terror as the collection of souls unleashes an enduring scream. She drops the Spine and clamps her hands over her ears.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr's eyes flare...

"You stupid SON OF A BI-.." And then the Chacophony of sound crashes, Angantyr weathers the storm, fighting through it and turns towards the thing, aiming to strike it. "I SAID STOP!" he says, before turning towards...

Huh. Well, that was a rabbit. He frowns, and then, shakes his head. He agrees with Feige for once...but there was a second thing she said. Angantyr would explode in NOPE.JPG if not for not being in the Tron universe.

Instead, he dives for the Scientist, this would need to end /here/ and now. He aims to try and grab her, his right hand a dangerous looking claw all of a sudden as he tries to drag her to the ground with brute force, before the spilled blood pools around him...causing another barrage of claws tearing up through her all around him.

And then, the brilliant light of the Tyrant Breaker flares, he doesn't even shout, he drives the weapon, with full intent to obliterate Rhi, straight into her chest with a brilliant roar of light. "THIS CYCLE ENDS NOW!"

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
Avira's ice attack strikes Rhia, jutting out to cage them, and slicing into her a bit. "Truly an annoyance...these blind heroes..." She rolled her eyes, smiling all the same as she clenched a hand into a fist, punching the ice pillar at just the right angle to make it crack in half and fall over. She then stepped out of the cage...just in time for Angantyr's violent attack came bearing right down on her.

She'd prepared to defend herself, thinking what a pain it all was, but then Chita got in the way, taking it for her. "...Oh?" Well, he'd finally made himself useful for something. She thought, arching a brow. Seeing Chita's chocobo, Senra come running over, she glanced at his owner. "Run away, you say?" Do you really think that all of these people will let me 'run away'?

Her question was answered not by the Viera, but my the creature of her own unintended creation. It spoke of all the people that it used to be. All of the hearts that she'd stolen. All of the people whose lives she'd ruined.

"Really now. That /is/ unfortunate." She spoke plainly, and then saw the absolutely devastating attack coming right for them. Closing her eyes, expecting the mountain of pain to come for her. ...It surprisingly never came. Instead, what she felt were a pair of arms enclose around her, and a lot of violent shaking.

...Chita, like the fool he was took everything to protect her. For good reason, but still! Once the smoke cleared, she opened her eyes, feeling a heavy weight leaning down on her. "...You fool." She muttered, doing her best to lift the man to his chocobo. "Senra. Get his daft creature away from here." She spoke plainly, getting Chita onto the Chocobo's back, and then climbing on herself. "Go on now."

Right as he began to run off, Angantyr came diving in to try and take another piece out of her. The countless array of bloody claws tears into her back, but they ultimately fail to do the job, which is to kill her. "Sorry, looks like you're not quite as powerful as you think you are~" Rhiannon called back, sticking her tongue out at the dark knight began Senra made tracks from the area, leaving the heroes with that freakish thing.

"A shame. I wanted to study it some more."

Maira has posed:
Maira practically screams in frustration! She hears Chita, but what is she suppose to do!? She believes there may be something to what he's saying, as he is apparently chummy with Rhiannon--but he asks /too much/.

"No! Explain NOW! Give me ONE good reason to protect her! If she lives, with she STOP KILLING!? FOR FUN!? Because whatever <gooeshonk> she spouts about the betterment of humanity--there is no doubt in MY heart she does what she does FOR FUN! The people she has tortured, KILLED, and apparently WORSE, and you DEFEND her! We have Shadow Lords, a giant god-dragon trying to EAT THE WORLD, the World of Ruin threatening to fall to pieces--we have enough to fight without defending someone who clearly has zero regard for anyone else!

"So no I will not wait! TELL ME WHY SHE SHOULD LIVE, CHITA!" Maira screams.

The hollow sound of the creature's song tears into her, threatening to cause crippling despair--but it can't take hold. She will not let it. She has to protect these people--and there is no way she'll leave Angantyr to fight alone, either.

Pumpkinhead has posed:
Feige Abramson clucks her tongue as Rhiannon elects to flee on her own.

"All that and I won't be able to watch." She sighs, stepping back--and then her body seems to just--dissolve away, vanishing within just a few moments.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel starts to understand, it's not one person's remains, no it's everyone that beast was eaten, every last person who was consumed is screaming for the blood of one who did this to them. To thinks his could happen to users is still something that scares the Basic as she constitutes on the part with keeping people clear of this nightmare of a fight. She does halt for a moment as things hit the fan with Ang, Rhiannon and Chita there?s no time to act on that. She may have to get into this fight.

"The leftovers of ... consumed people."

She turns her head as Rhiannon, she could take a shot but there's no real time to worry about the dark lady of science for this time.

"Now we got a problem here this thing's going to keep rampaging and it's got every right to want her cubed!

Warden Thache has posed:
Warden laughs and shakes his head before bounding down from his perch to land near Avira. That smirk on his face angled right towards the woman. "Lady Worlf, you are /adorable/ when you get all flustered." The mans weapons are put away as he watches the mess unfold over on the other side of the crater.

He doesn't seem to feel the need to get involved in the least with any of the mess over there. After all he doesn't have a quarrel with any of them. The scream though? That causes him to stagger.

Curse of those expressive ears.

He's shaking his head to try to get the ringing out as he adds toards Avira. "It looks like it can regeneate from that much. That nice lady who seems to want to kick, The Idiot's face in is living proof of that." A pause. "Well. Somewhat living. She looks stitched." A pause. "Do you /know/ these people from somewhere?"

...yes, he's just going to keep asking questions till Avira remembers she wants to deck him.

Chita has posed:
Wait... that voice... that crazy bastard was really here?! Before Chita could even respond, Maira was suddenly there as well. Maybe she was there all along and he simply hadn't noticed in the chaos, and confusion. He hadn't noticed with the giant creature of hearts. "It is not just her... anymore..." came a soft mumble in response, begging towards Maira as the reason. "...it is all of them, and more. If you let them have this vengeance, they will never be able to rest in peace. They will only know the pain because they continued to kill just like she has! I am not trying to excuse what she did, but killing is not th--"

Then the conglomeration began to approach further and it voiced out, making known. Flashbacks of the memories of all those people flooding his mind all at once returned, of experiencing it in his nightmares for months, being unable to decide what he could do, should do, with it and Rhiannon. And now...

There was no time to think, only to act. He quickkly turned, back towards Angantyr and the creature, and hugged around Rhiannon tight. Tight enough that he rocked her back a little and left himself fully exposed to all of the attack coming their way. It hit him and the damage was quite obvious, All of the clothing he had on his back and waist was blown apart, his own back taking the brunt of it and with a cry of pain he went limp against Rhiannon. Could anyone else, or the creature that was now what was once the hearts of the lost people, hear him say before he passed out, "This is not... what the children... wanted. They were scared... not... vengeful."

All he could hope was that the creature heard and perhaps there was still some good, some scared children, inside. Some who would rather have a hug than kill someone.

Zero-One has posed:
Due to Chita's self-sacrifice, the alien creature is denied its quarry. There is a howl, an empty chorus of voices screaming out as she escapes the area. Its limbs flex in, folding across the being as it rises up, and blurs into the distance, leaving the Gummi Blocka and the ruined portions of Narshe for someone else to deal with.

As well as many questions left unanswered.

You have a feeling it will be seen again.

Avira has posed:
Avira's ears continue ringing for several moments afterwards so it's some time before she can respond to Warden. "I'm pretty sure you've told me this before." she mutters to Warden, "These people...yes, I know them. We've crossed paths before. Except for the scientist that thing wanted to kill. I have only heard of her from my colleagues."

She takes off after that. Seems like Warden gets off easy today...because Avira wants to make sure that Maira is at least okay. Don't worry, Warden, she remembers that she owes you a DEFENSTRATION.

"Maira! Ang! Are you guys alright?"

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr grunts...falling to a knee...she escapes. Again. And the thing disappears too.

This is going to take something to /deal with this/. It seems the Shinra are going to have some EXPLAINING to do. Right now, Angantyr focues on his injuries...he ignores Chita. Despite his overwhelming urges...

Maira has posed:
Maira winces when Chita basically saves Rhiannon's undeserving butt, closing her eyes for a moment. How could he still defend her? There must be something they just don't know, right? He can't just have lost his damn mind?

The creature also escapes before they can try to speak with it more, try to help if such a thing was even possible.

Maira slumps, looking toward Avira. "I'm...fine. Physically, anyway," she replies. Really, she appears to be completely unharmed. Angantyr on the other hand...well, he's had a lot worse, and she's been healing him consistantly. The disappointment however, the frustration...

With a heavy sigh, Maira moves up beside him and rests her arms around him gently. "We'll get her...we'll see the thing again, I know. When that happens, we will know more about it. We'll finish this," she says.

"But there are still a lot of people who who are going to need our help," she continues, looking toward the many destroyed buildings of Narshe. "More people without their homes," she says quietly, sadly.

Warden Thache has posed:
"Your colluges have horrible taste in friends!" Warden pipes up as Avira walks off, the man still smirking as he watches the mess and the retreating mad scientists. Well. One retreating, one just vanished.

The man watches, eyes dancing with mirth before he shakes his head slightly and leaps up to bounce off a wall and land on the window ledge to glance around, searching for his crew. Seems they have been attentending to business and the man just grins as he nods once.

"I have something for you, Lady Wolf! I'll mail it to you! Later Lady Flame, Lord Idiot! So glad you didn't die!" He calls cheerfully. He also totally isn't glad he didn't die. He /is/ entirely ambivelent to the damage around him and the people put out of their homes, and the horror of the monster that just appeared. Its not /really/ his problem, at least not anymore. The things have all run away.

There is a smirk though before he just seems even more amused. "...Angantyr /really/ hates that bunny."

Again a shrug before he leaps down and lands with his crew. "Come on lads, lets get out of here. Before the guards around here remember we happen to be wanted men!"

Deelel has posed:
Deelel says "I am going to help with clean up here, i'm all right. There's still quite a few people who, yes need our help. We best get to work hopefully that thing will catch her while she's aware from anywhere else."

With that Deelel is going to get to work.