Oblitus Magia: Verse 1 - Fateful Encounter in the City of Fools

[The Chou Lives]

The Dragon scratched one of her horns nonchalantly as the girl first screamed, and then regained her composure. "If I wanted to sneak, would I have said hello?" All signs would've pointed to "no" surely. "Same thing with terrorizing. No need at the moment," thought there was perhaps a bit of want, "good and fed."

Continuing to scratch at the horn, the Dragon's smile fell away.

"So... uh. You actually a Witch? Answer is kind of important."



The Dragon looked at this... strangely dressed meal on wheels for a moment before tilting her head to once side, and offering him the same grin she'd offered Morgen. "Animal? Pretty sure she's human. Should be a bit nicer to your own kind, yanno?"

Editors out.

[grampagen]

Disappearing before she could ask, the Dragon questioned the air where he'd been. Platter?" If she was going to eat the Mascot; she was going to slather this 'Soy Sauce' all over him before ripping into him with her bare hands.

Turning back to check on Mulvric, she realized the man wasn't close to finished yet and growled. At this rate, she'd have to eat someone.

Boredom, as dangerous as starvation however, the Chimera realized she needed to stimulate herself... somehow; and looking at the group that had gathered haphazardly down below she realized how she might manage that. Now. Where's that...


There we go~

Leaping down from above, the Dragon landed behind the young Witch.

"Hello."

Were Morgen to turn around, she'd be greeted with:

Attachment 99140

Sighing, Morgen dug her chin into her palm as she stared longingly into the fire pit. Contemplative, for some reason. It definitely wasn't because of her willfully stubborn attitude that prevented her from interacting with others like a normal human being. She felt her stomach begin to rumble... a stomachache, probably. Either way, that woman was right. She wasn't going to get any catering in this stinking hole. She looked over her shoulder.

Oh, a dragon.

"UAAAH!" The rich girl fumbled out of her seat, nearly knocking over Xia's lunch with her wildly swinging arms. She instantly adopted a defensive posture upon regaining her footing, edging away slowly as she locked eyes. "Sneaking up on me like that... I see what's going on. You're just here to terrorize me, aren't you? Well, I welcome you to try it -- I won't go down so easy this time!" Morgen ended with a huff, perhaps more confident than she should be for someone who was immediately knocked out not an hour ago.

As the scene right next to her erupted in panic and pandemonium, Kinu continued to tend to the griddle, cracking open another can of mystery meat and draping it across the frying dough surface.

The dragon woman was a new one. By instinct, Sigourney readied her pen and paper to begin documenting this only to realize that both sides of her notes were completely full of writings. Nothing meaningful, mind you, but rather the clawing words of someone venting hateful rage. Sighing softly, Sigourney approaching the small fire and added her contribution by throwing the used up notepaper into the flame.

"Smells good," She said complimenting Xia's handiwork while the chaos if the dragon lady went on nearby.

"Wrong Place, Wrong time...." Mulvric stated, coming out of the workshop with several vials of neon blue fluid. "Doing a recon mission A-9, looking at Administratum activity, making contacts with the locals....usual sort of thing." The man paused a moment, taking a moment to consider if he could continue before nodded to himself.

"Also investigating some rumors....." With a casual flick, his tossed a vial of fluid in Arx direction. "....Nasty rumors....people going missing in the slums.....Never got a chance to get very far...."

Mulvric shook his head. "Admins must have caught me at some point....I made a mighty fine scapegoat for all their problems. Rebel leader appears in city right before ruin outbreak.....hell....I'd think I were suspicious with timing like that."

".....Boss....can you tell us what happened?" En asked quietly.

".....I can and I can't....." Mulvric replied. "Ruin Poisoning.....addles the mind......makes memories fleeting and hard to grasp. But....I remember......the sound." Mulvric shook his head. "......the sound of the sky cracking.....almost like a scream. I've devoted my life to the research of ruin and I can tell you now.....what happened in A-9 was unlike any ruin infestation I've ever seen or heard of. To quick.....to potent.....usually starts in the slums......but here.....it was from the inner city. I remember the sirens......"

"Damn it..." Ange muttered. "Vague memories aren't gonna help us....."

"I know.....but we have an Ace up our sleeve." En responded. "Right...Mister Lucifer?"

Flipping over another cabbage pancake, she extended a short nod to Sigourney as the conversation between the Mage and the Dragon continued.

"You were gone for a while," she said. "Everything good?"

Whatever it may be, it was obviously more important to her for the moment that Xia's firepit not be put out.

Then Mulvric spoke, and began to outline his experiences in the fallen district.

"Ruin poisoning," Kinu mused. "Is that what you call it, now? Seems a little convenient, wouldn't you say?"

[The Chou Lives]

Due to retcon.

“ I wa calling you the animal. You hideous thing.”

With that he just listens to the rebels, taking it all in.

[Noldere]

"Wrong Place, Wrong time...." Mulvric stated, coming out of the workshop with several vials of neon blue fluid. "Doing a recon mission A-9, looking at Administratum activity, making contacts with the locals....usual sort of thing." The man paused a moment, taking a moment to consider if he could continue before nodded to himself.

"Also investigating some rumors....." With a casual flick, his tossed a vial of fluid in Arx direction. "....Nasty rumors....people going missing in the slums.....Never got a chance to get very far...."

Mulvric shook his head. "Admins must have caught me at some point....I made a mighty fine scapegoat for all their problems. Rebel leader appears in city right before ruin outbreak.....hell....I'd think I were suspicious with timing like that."

".....Boss....can you tell us what happened?" En asked quietly.

".....I can and I can't....." Mulvric replied. "Ruin Poisoning.....addles the mind......makes memories fleeting and hard to grasp. But....I remember......the sound." Mulvric shook his head. "......the sound of the sky cracking.....almost like a scream. I've devoted my life to the research of ruin and I can tell you now.....what happened in A-9 was unlike any ruin infestation I've ever seen or heard of. To quick.....to potent.....usually starts in the slums......but here.....it was from the inner city. I remember the sirens......"

"Damn it..." Ange muttered. "Vague memories aren't gonna help us....."

"I know.....but we have an Ace up our sleeve." En responded. "Right...Mister Lucifer?"

"I don't know if I'd call myself an Ace up anyone sleeve," Lucifer replied, still a bit dejected from earlier, "but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, it may very well be possible to pull up the memories for everyone to see. Given I can't recall what happened clearly myself, I'm going to have to pull everything from just before it happened until now. Which means I'll need a timeframe for the supposed outbreak- and something that can actually store what would effectively be hours- or even days- worth of memories on."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Due to retcon.

“ I wa calling you the animal. You hideous thing.”

With that he just listens to the rebels, taking it all in.

The Dragon continued to smile, "I know you were. It's called being the better person." Then she laughed. "Anything else?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Thank you," Graciously taking the food, the girl promptly skedaddled away from the others, reminiscent of a cat dragging off its meal to eat in privacy.

She still didn't trust a majority of them, but Xia had earned a few points for the food.

Xia gave a half nod just before the girl scampered off with her portion of food. That one was shy. Or traumatized. Or perhaps both, a nasty combination. If her outburst from earlier was a true glimpse into her mental state, it would be good to keep an eye on her. And on her good side. The quiet ones were the ones who could fuck anyone up.

"Wrong Place, Wrong time...." Mulvric stated, coming out of the workshop with several vials of neon blue fluid. "Doing a recon mission A-9, looking at Administratum activity, making contacts with the locals....usual sort of thing." The man paused a moment, taking a moment to consider if he could continue before nodded to himself.

"Also investigating some rumors....." With a casual flick, his tossed a vial of fluid in Arx direction. "....Nasty rumors....people going missing in the slums.....Never got a chance to get very far...."

Mulvric shook his head. "Admins must have caught me at some point....I made a mighty fine scapegoat for all their problems. Rebel leader appears in city right before ruin outbreak.....hell....I'd think I were suspicious with timing like that."

".....Boss....can you tell us what happened?" En asked quietly.

".....I can and I can't....." Mulvric replied. "Ruin Poisoning.....addles the mind......makes memories fleeting and hard to grasp. But....I remember......the sound." Mulvric shook his head. "......the sound of the sky cracking.....almost like a scream. I've devoted my life to the research of ruin and I can tell you now.....what happened in A-9 was unlike any ruin infestation I've ever seen or heard of. To quick.....to potent.....usually starts in the slums......but here.....it was from the inner city. I remember the sirens......"

"Damn it..." Ange muttered. "Vague memories aren't gonna help us....."

"I know.....but we have an Ace up our sleeve." En responded. "Right...Mister Lucifer?"

Ah, that was what Xia was looking for. Mulvric was someone who dedicated his life to studying and understanding the Ruin, a worthy lifetime cause. If that was true, then he was an authority on the subject that had very few equals.

The incident in A9 wasn't like any case of Ruin he ever heard of.

Too quick and too potent. The Slums were usually the first to go, but in 9's case, it started in the inner city. The sky crackled, like a scream.

...

She felt a chill run up her spine. She shook her head and got a hold of herself. Her initial belief that 9's destruction was caused by The Ruin was quickly losing ground. She would ask him what he thought it was, but she already knew his answer. He didn't know, and neither did any of them. But, it seemed that whoever Lucifer was was the key.

Her water was replaced by a beer to drown out the idiot's insults to the surprisingly placid Dragon. "Seems I'm sticking around after all," she said idly to no one in particular.

[The Chou Lives]

The Dragon continued to smile, "I know you were. It's called being the better person." Then she laughed. "Anything else?"

“ Eat your liquid shit and stop bothering us please? Better person my ass.”

As he then walks off. To check in on the others

[grampagen]

Xia gave a half nod just before the girl scampered off with her portion of food. That one was shy. Or traumatized. Or perhaps both, a nasty combination. If her outburst from earlier was a true glimpse into her mental state, it would be good to keep an eye on her. And on her good side. The quiet ones were the ones who could fuck anyone up.



Ah, that was what Xia was looking for. Mulvric was someone who dedicated his life to studying and understanding the Ruin, a worthy lifetime cause. If that was true, then he was an authority on the subject that had very few equals.

The incident in A9 wasn't like any case of Ruin he ever heard of.

Too quick and too potent. The Slums were usually the first to go, but in 9's case, it started in the inner city. The sky crackled, like a scream.

...

She felt a chill run up her spine. She shook her head and got a hold of herself. Her initial belief that 9's destruction was caused by The Ruin was quickly losing ground. She would ask him what he thought it was, but she already knew his answer. He didn't know, and neither did any of them. But, it seemed that whoever Lucifer was was the key.

Her water was replaced by a beer to drown out the idiot's insults to the surprisingly placid Dragon. "Seems I'm sticking around after all," she said idly to no one in particular.

Pshh~!

A sharp hiss and the split of metal cut through the air. Wordlessly, Kinu raised her second can up and threw it back as she waited for Lucifer and Mulvric to work something out.

"I don't know if I'd call myself an Ace up anyone sleeve," Lucifer replied, still a bit dejected from earlier, "but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, it may very well be possible to pull up the memories for everyone to see. Given I can't recall what happened clearly myself, I'm going to have to pull everything from just before it happened until now. Which means I'll need a timeframe for the supposed outbreak- and something that can actually store what would effectively be hours- or even days- worth of memories on."

"Not sure how you two are gonna get the full picture with a foggy head, Ace," she said, "but the 9ers, they've been waiting for a straight answer all day."

Where'd that kid go? She eyed the room, having lost track of Sigourney again. "Y'think you can cobble something together? How?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Wrong Place, Wrong time...." Mulvric stated, coming out of the workshop with several vials of neon blue fluid. "Doing a recon mission A-9, looking at Administratum activity, making contacts with the locals....usual sort of thing." The man paused a moment, taking a moment to consider if he could continue before nodded to himself.

"Also investigating some rumors....." With a casual flick, his tossed a vial of fluid in Arx direction. "....Nasty rumors....people going missing in the slums.....Never got a chance to get very far...."

Arx's arm shot out and caught the vial faster than most could track. "A human who keeps his word. Wonderful."

Mulvric shook his head. "Admins must have caught me at some point....I made a mighty fine scapegoat for all their problems. Rebel leader appears in city right before ruin outbreak.....hell....I'd think I were suspicious with timing like that."

".....Boss....can you tell us what happened?" En asked quietly.

".....I can and I can't....." Mulvric replied. "Ruin Poisoning.....addles the mind......makes memories fleeting and hard to grasp. But....I remember......the sound." Mulvric shook his head. "......the sound of the sky cracking.....almost like a scream. I've devoted my life to the research of ruin and I can tell you now.....what happened in A-9 was unlike any ruin infestation I've ever seen or heard of. To quick.....to potent.....usually starts in the slums......but here.....it was from the inner city. I remember the sirens......"

"Damn it..." Ange muttered. "Vague memories aren't gonna help us....."

"I know.....but we have an Ace up our sleeve." En responded. "Right...Mister Lucifer?"

Hearing this, Arx simply shrugged her shoulders. "One of the few real truths. Everything's eventual. For all their talk of permanence; even the Administratum won't be able to keep the outside world out forever..." there seemed to be an undercurrent of amusement as she spoke of 'outside'.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“ Eat your liquid shit and stop bothering us please? Better person my ass.”

As he then walks off. To check in on the others

Arx's grin never faltered. Why should it?

A Dragon could only find amusement, when confronted with the weak. Especially one who resorted to lobbing insults, unprompted; because he knew full well he was out of his depth otherwise. "Anyway... as I was asking. Are you a Witch... uh. Girl?"

[Yun Lao]

Greedily she ate, the full effects of her hunger taking form as she abandoned any sense of proper manners. It didn't matter now, none of it really did. So worked up in her act, Sigourney would only vaguely remember the taste afterward.

The sounds of conversation acted as her dinner-time entertainment. The bickering, questioning, insults; it was something she was well acquainted with from her days of people watching in the slums. So many amusing tales she could recall that she could fill a book with them!

Oh...

The pang of loss struck her again, but now it was only a resounding sense of emptiness.

If only for her mental health, she would need to scavenge for a proper notebook if given the chance. For now though, she focused on the act of eating.

[Tami]

Matthias raised an eyebrow briefly at En's comments, glanced over at Ange, then walked away, keeping the rest of his reaction to himself.

The food did smell good, perhaps too good. It was clear he was in no hurry to eat, instead letting the others enjoy the food first.



The music made him stop and look over at the young, blond woman. Finding a chair to sit down on, his lanky frame and long legs further emphasized by the simplicity of the furniture, Matthias allowed himself to enjoy the song. Her voice and skill with the guitar were almost magical, or perhaps it has just been such a long time since he had heard music of any kind.

As he listened, his eyes moved casually around the common room, taking in all of those assembled. He had once thought, perhaps too arrogantly, perhaps as a result of spending too much time alone, that he had a measure of nearly everyone. Clearly, he now realizes, that is not the case. He wondered if En's words, spoken in her usual childlike way, might have some wisdom within. His mind chewed on that thought as he leaned back in his chair.

The sounds of music were soon replaced with other sounds, sounds of talking, and of emotions running through it all.

Standing up again, he went to the kitchen for bread, meat, and lettuce. Quickly making a sandwich, along with a cup of water, Matthias returned to the others in the common room.

Finding a place to sit down, he once again listened quietly, listening while he ate his sandwich. Sometimes it is better to listen than to engage in discussions. However, if something occurs that peaks his curiosity, then he'd step in and make himself known.

[The Chou Lives]

The sounds of music were soon replaced with other sounds, sounds of talking, and of emotions running through it all.

Standing up again, he went to the kitchen for bread, meat, and lettuce. Quickly making a sandwich, along with a cup of water, Matthias returned to the others in the common room.

Finding a place to sit down, he once again listened quietly, listening while he ate his sandwich. Sometimes it is better to listen than to engage in discussions. However, if something occurs that peaks his curiosity, then he'd step in and make himself known.

: Strolls on over.: “ Well, mind if I take a seat? “ Talked of them as a group, but out of his element given they do not know each other.:

[The Dog]

Watching the entire scene, Selma resisted the urge to groan in annoyance as she watched it unfold. It seemed that there was the beginning of a fight between the people-eating lizard woman and another person. Fortunately, it seemed to defuse itself, but Selma wanted to smack the other guy for trying to start a fight in this rather cramped space after the day they'd all had, but managed to keep herself from doing so.

Picking up her guitar and putting it on her back, she sighed and moved over to the kitchen area to make herself something to eat. She wasn't exactly hungry, but it'd been a while since she'd eaten, and she needed to make sure she kept her energy up.

[Tami]

: Strolls on over.: “ Well, mind if I take a seat? “ Talked of them as a group, but out of his element given they do not know each other.:

With a wave of his hand, Saint welcomed him to the seat adjacent to his.

With his sandwich half-finished, "I overheard your conflict with the Dragon Girl. While I have seen her eat the Guards in the prison, which was both regrettable and unsettling, for now, she is on our side."

Taking another bite, then finishing it, "Why did you allow yourself to become so upset with her? If you don't mind me asking?"