Expedition to Autunno Keep [PLOT] Day ? - End of Autunno

Posts : 960 Join date : 2013-09-13 Age : 38

Day one. Day two. Day three. Day thirty. Day seventy-two. Day ninety-eight. Day four hundred sixty two.

What did keeping track of the days matter, when the same days repeated over, and over. What purpose did the passage of time hold, when time was broken.

She sat next to a barely conscious Viola as she bled to death, keeping pressure on the wound in her gut to slow it and watching as Leonius and the Titan tore each other apart. Kirkka had already passed on from the shot that took her arm off at the shoulder, Aoife lying nearby where she had fallen when the Titan cut her lung function. She couldn't see Yin, but she didn't expect he had lasted long after taking one of the Titan's shells to the chest. Chiu was lying on the stairs, her torso at least, who knew where the Titan had thrown her lower half. There was no sign of Isabelle, after the Titan brought down part of the Keep on her head. Aphelion and Nigrum hadn't made it out of the sewers this time, probably eaten by the Alpha Paingaze, and no doubt the dagger had already drowned Melissa, killed Heinrich, and had the Grimm slaughter everyone back at the Sanctuary.

Leaving only her. Only Bell, when the Titan fell and Leonius succumbed to his wounds, would be left standing. Alone. With the dagger. And the weight of her sins.

Leonius was thrown back by the Titan, ending up on the stairs, close enough to Bell and Viola to splash them with his blood when a shell bit into the flesh of his natural right arm, punching through metal as it impacted into the keep and sent debris flying. Leo didn't get a chance to fire back, as a second caught his shoulder, and tore the cyborg's last cannon free.

Bell knew how this was going to end. The Titan would finish Leonius off, leaving the suit intact enough to become another Titan. Then it would finish off Viola, before dragging Bell to the Dagger.

It was how it had ended every other time.

Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her. Everyone dies. The Dagger kills her.

You are resigned to your fate, because you know. Because the Light of your Soul permits you to.

Her semblance. Memory. She kept her knowledge of what happened, between cycles. She had lost count of how many times she had greeted the students and spy from Beacon. She had seen events following their landing play out in a hundred different ways. She was there, when Kirkka incinerated Viola, prompting Leonius to end her life, but she was also there when she walked in on the two of them and didn't stay long enough to confirm if they were doing what she thought. She had watched Aoife murder Melissa, stabbing her over and over, screaming about how she had betrayed her, but she clearly remembered the two of them in each other's arms, as the crazy girl helped the psychopath deal with losing her leg to an Ursa. She could still see the wonder in Yin's eyes as she explained aura mechanics to him, the feeling of his breath against her neck as she laid with him, and the rage as he attempted to murder her for being the root of all this. She had seen Leonius and Viola stay together, kill one another through violence and treachery, or just remain friends. She had seen Aphelion in more lights than she should be able to count, from hero, to pervert, to villain. She listened to Chiu talk about her brother, what he had done in her dream, and how she felt, but she also knew the feeling of her swords as the girl came after her with murderous intent. Kirkka was, at different points, her greatest foe, or best hope. Through it all, no matter how the Dagger executed her, no matter how her sins caught up with her, she remembered.

She had told them everything in the past. It only brought more suffering. She had played dumb. It only accelerated their demise. She had exploited her knowledge to try to stay alive, no matter what. Nothing changed.

You cannot stop fate, and within this realm, I am fate. Time is my plaything. It is the Light of my Soul. My 'semblance' as you worms call it. You will not be free of your suffering until I am finished with you.

Bell looked up at the dome overhead, sighing. Leonius seemed to hear the dagger as well, a similar distraction seeming to pull his attention skyward, despite the approaching Titan. Bell glanced down at him, then back at Viola. She seemed to curl her nose, though she wasn't sure if she was conscious. Nor could she smell anything, other than the burnt flesh and hair of the Titan's rampage. Her attention was immediately back on the two giants, as the Titan grabbed Leonius by the throat and lifted him.

He hears me. Interesting. Though it will not save him. He is even more pathetic than his dear, sweet father. ... You are not Marcus Regulus, child. You are barely his shadow.

The giant snarled, grabbing the Titan and trying to tear at a piece near its throat, where one of the processing nodes of Sum Sine Sceleri sat under heavy armor. "I... WILL SHOW YOU... WHO'S A SHADOW..."

The Titan would have none of it, and snapped Leo's neck, letting him land with a heavy thud against the stone as the Dagger's avatar manifested in the air where Bell and Leonius had been looking.

"Pathetic. Thinking that he could defy the will of a god."

"... So you've decided," Bell whispered, as Viola stopped breathing, "that you think you're a god, have... you..?" She trailed off, seeing something behind the Dagger's avatar.

"I do not think I am. What else can an omnipotent being be called?"

Bell looked at the figure behind the dagger. A woman, hanging in the sky like the dagger, clad in robes made of tattered silk strips. She had a similar aura, or simulacrum of such. A similar structure. Another avatar. "... Call it a hunch, but I think... she might dispute that point about omnipotence."

The Dagger turned, noticing the other presence that grew in intensity with every moment, and its avatar's body language betrayed its shock. Perhaps... even fear.

Only a single statement was made. "What did I &#$%ing tell you?"

It was the last thing Bell heard before everything went dark.

=====

This was when things reset. This was when the cycle returned, to the day before the arrival. When Bell first made contact when the dagger. When she initiated the awakening she blamed Kirkka for.

But she sat, in empty silence. There was nothing around her. Nothing else existed, yet she stood. For a momentary eternity. Timeless. Until found herself in her office, faced with Heinrich. Or what appeared to be Heinrich.

She knew better. She knew what she was dealing with. "... Having trouble, are we?"

"... Yes."

"What is she?"

"Another Aura Weapon. From Pilum."

"... Res Fractae."

"It does not matter what she is called. She will not save you."

"She isn't here to, is she? You pissed her off. I think I know why." Bell put her hands on her hips, finding them bare, yet her magnifying lens in her hand. She had one thing. One thing she didn't particularly like, yet still defined her present. ... Or was it her future?

"It is neither." The Dagger, through Heinrich, answered her thoughts. "You have no future. Your present does not exist. The intruder cannot overcome me in her present state."

"... Maybe." Bell looked down at the magnifying lens, smirking. She didn't care about her nudity. She didn't care how helpless she was. She had hundreds of cycles to adjust to her situation, and she found it incredibly difficult to care. "... But if you can't reestablish the flow of time as you wish, I'm guessing you're not exactly having an easy time of it."

"..."

"Yeah. That's what I thought. Now spare me your psychoanalytic bull@&$#." She stood, hands at her sides, staring into Heinrich's eyes, through them to the puppetmaster behind the nightmare. "Pull the @%&$ing trigger. I'm not going to be your pawn anymore."

"... You will be precisely what is required of you."

"No." Bell lifted the magnifying glass, pressing it to her forehead. "Everyone dies. You kill me. Always that order. Always Memory going last." Heinrich lifted Kriegskampfer, pointing it at her. Bell didn't flinch. "You think you're a god? Or a goddess? Whatever you are? ... Then why do you need me. ... Memory. You're keeping everything obscured using me, aren't you?"

"Cease."

"I'm your obfuscation. You've hijacked my semblance."

"CEASE!!"

Bell lowered the magnifying lens, smiling. "... I don't have to. She already knows."

Heinrich flickered and faded, as darkness engulfed Bell. It hurt. Terribly. But still, she smiled.

=====

Three days. The events at Autunno Keep took place over three days. The outside world was sure of this fact. The measurement of time was absolute. Three. Days.

No matter how much time occurred within the Anomaly, three days passed, and it was over. Everyone left. Nobody could remember what happened. Nobody seemed to give it much thought. Aerial surveillance revealed only an inky black hole where Autunno was, but approach by land could never reach the Keep. They always found themselves on the other side.

Three days. Today was the third.

The woman, sitting on the bridge of an airship over a kilometer in the air, was the first to see the Keep since the Anomaly started. She sipped hot mulled wine, dropping it when the inky blackness faded. Grimm crawled across its surface. The sky was choked with Nevermores. The entire structure pulsed with a malevolent purpose.

The soldier was immediately on her feet. "Legatus! Obfuscation Field down!"

Her superior joined her, standing, as he craned his head to look. The Grimm seemed to take notice right back. "Inform the Valish! I want the Aquilae in the air, NOW! Prepare for drop operations!"

Three days.

=====

For the victims of the Dagger, those trapped within the nightmare, it was not three days. And the mental blocks that made them unaware of it were starting to fall apart, as the trickles of the objective present, always intruding, became a constant flow.

Three days in Autunno. Weeks outside. As the struggle between two Aura Weapons shook the Dagger's use of Bell's Semblance, that which was happening in the objective present, what had happened in the objective past, came flooding to the minds of those who had experienced it.

The only thing the Dagger could do was isolate people. To try to break them. To finish this.

And thus, everyone woke up as Bell had. In a timeless, lonely prison...

((Only people confirmed active will be getting one. If you haven't shown in a bit, PM me and I'll set up one. If I forgot you, PM me.))

Aoife's Hell:

Yin's Hell:

Aphelion's Hell:

Viola's Hell:

Kirkka's Hell:

Isabelle's Hell:

Chiu's Hell:

Leo's Hell:

=====

This is my domain. I rule supreme here. You will not interrupt. You will watch as your great hopes for retaliation die. Those soldiers brought by your scions and their messages will be swept from the skies and ground by my Grimm. My victims will suffer and perish as I erase their souls once and for all. Vale. Pilum. All of Vytal shall be engulfed in what I unleash.

Hold &#$%ing tongue. I tire of your prattle.

What renders weapons such as us effective? What comprises our strength? Why has Humanity been victorious against the Grimm. The Humans think it is Dust. You and I know better.

... That is what I sense, isn't it?

My Beowolves, behaving like humans. Prototypes. A clumsy attempt, to infuse the creatures with power. Dust, as a medium. A medium for our power. You have already lost. I have taken what I need, from the Humans. My plans have reached fruition. And without a soul to snatch victory from my grasp. That is, after all, what you '@&$%ing said' is it not?

...

Nothing to say? Grimm. With the power of Aura. With the Light of the Soul. In every aspect, an equal to the Heroes of old. You are more powerful than I. But you cannot muster enough strength to erase me. You have lost.

I think you underestimate your victims.

We shall see...

=====

((Your characters are stuck in their respective hells, with their respective tormentors. Whatever knowledge not mentioned in the hells that you deem fit, from those alternate timelines, or the events in RP up to the present, are known to your characters. Get your tang ready, boys and girls, because we've gone Full Eva.))

Posts : 798 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 103

Day after day. Every day, arriving at Autunno again. Meeting Bell. Being tutored. A night of horror followed by one of pure joy. The next day, awaking only to be shot full in the chest by one of the demonic titan's artillery shells. The same thing...over and over and over. It wouldn't stop. He kept reliving the same three days, awaking on the fourth day to not remember a thing, and yet again arrive at Autunno. Finally though, it stopped, and he awoke on the fourth day with his memories intact, although scrambled and unclear. He was in an empty room, he couldn't even tell how large the room was, but there was only one other occupant. Bell. She was the cause of all this. That, at least, he remembered.

Yin was aware of his lack of clothes, but he was too preoccupied with trying to piece together his memories to care. Dragon? He thought, his brow creasing as he tried to remember. He could feel the heat on his skin as if it were happening, and yet, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that it wasn't real, or maybe that it hadn't even happened yet. He tried to think, he tried to not listen to Bell's voice. The degrading voice of the woman with whom...No, did that happen? He wondered. "You hate what you are." He heard. He clenched his blades, You... He raised his eyes, staring daggers at the woman's eyes, seeing her taunting smirk. He ground his teeth together, baring them like fangs at Bell.

"You bitch!" He roared, primal rage causing his aura to come to the surface. His body glowed a deep blue, and he sprung forward, using his semblance to appear right next to Bell. He swung both of his blades in a devastating horizontal slash at the woman's neck, "I'll kill you!"

It's cold... The first thought that had entered Isabelle's mind was a simple one. Her arms moved up to cover herself, partially due to the cold, and the realization that she was naked. What had happened before this? Dozens of different memories filled her mind. Ones of being killed. Ones of killing something, or maybe someone. Were these even memories? They felt like dreams, or more accurately, nightmares.

Before she was able to react, he appeared, grabbing her. The warmth of his armor caught her off guard, almost making her feel comfortable in comparison to the cold air. His words and actions, however, did the opposite. The groping caused her to flinch, squirming slightly in his grasp. As he let go of her, she stumbled back a few steps, staring at the ground.

"I-I'm not a freak..." she began, trembling slightly. She wanted to yell at him, to tell him that she could protect herself. But, judging by her previous fights with Grimm, it would seem otherwise. "No, you're the freak... I hate you. I hate everybody!" Her fists clenched as she glanced down at the two swords on the ground, holding back tears. And I hate myself most of all.

They wouldn't be able to pierce metal armor, though they could easily pierce someone's flesh.

"I didn't mean it."

Aphelion stared up at the skeleton, his eyes bearing no discernible emotion past the glossy barricade of his building up tears - as there was one simple weakness exploitable in him, it was his conscience.

"I didn't.... I didn't mean it. I never thought about them... anyone... You are right..." he glared at the horse, drilling his eyes into his empty sockets, "But... I'd never leave you... I'd never let you die... We've spent years together, and there was naught a time where you were hurt..."

He sobbed, tears dripping down, "No people around... No laws to tell us what was right or wrong... With only Gods and our morality guiding us... We were okay. We were okay!" he shouted, shivering at the sound of the salty fluid hitting against his shoe.

"And then what... We were exiled because of that idiotic rule..." he clenched his fist, "I was a zero, and I still am! I spend every day expecting myself to be killed for my wrongdoings, and what!? It never comes..." he tensed his muscles, painfully pulling himself up in his restraints.

"I fell for Aoife, but I **** up and she rejected me. I had a team, but I **** up and they hated me. I made friends, but no doubt I'll **** up and lose them. I left our home and ended up losing our parents without so much as being there for them. Don't you think I hate myself for that every day!? I wait for death, but it never comes." he dropped his head and laughed, laughed in a madman's fashion, as if a crazy thought came over him.

"If I die, Aoife won't care and find herself someone better. If I die, I won't be ending up on a team which I'll cause pain. If I die, nobody will have to fear my insatiable lust, friend or foe. If I die, I'll be in hell, paying the price until the end of time..."

He looked up once more and grinned wildly at Equinox.

"If I die, you'll be free! Frolic around your brethren, find yourself someone who won't hate you, maybe Aoife! Her brother had an Ursa, she could have a horse. Sound fun, right? Well, here's the thing - at every possibility of death I ended up dodging the bullet so to speak. But look at me! I'm all bound, I can't do anything! So why not kill me, ol' buddy ol' pal? Why not end EVERYONE'S suffering with one good kick to the head!"

As she falls and subsequently gets nerve stapled, Aoife stays remarkably calm for her, having dealt with her own death for so long having numbed herself to the simple prospect. At the words, she flashes with anger before smiling, it getting momentarily crushed by the boot coming down on her head. Blinking repeatedly afterwards, a small trail of blood escapes her nose, "Oh? I'm the wonder here? I never knew someone could be so shriveled. Seriously. It is like a grape in a heatwave. I was not sure if I was to be mad that Aphelion did that, or feel bad for him for having to try and get it in you, or just sympathetic for you because of how you are. Though I suppose that should be expected from you." Then turning her attention back to Leo, she laughs until she starts coughing, "As for you, tin can. I seem to remember that your love one left you as well, Oh? For another girl. I mean, you are unsatisfactory when it comes to those activities so it seems only right that Viola would choose a girl over you. Seems I was right about you compensating with those cannons."

"I..." Chiu struggled to deny the words. To deny the truth of what she was. But, as she looked into Viola's reddened eyes, she knew she could never lie. Not to her. Blinking away the tears that welled in her eyes, Chiu nodded slowly. "I am." She admitted. "For as long as I can remember I loved him. All I ever wanted was to feel him." Suddenly flashes of pain and pleasure burst through her as the memory of that dream came upon her.

"Finally, when I got that wish, the shame was overwhelming. Even if it was only in a dream, such desires only served to prove how tainted I really am. When you found me that morning, I wanted nothing more than to die, so my corruption couldn't infect the one good thing in my life." Again memories came upon her. The hallway. The sudden flash of heat. And the bullet that tore through her brain.

"I got what I wanted that time too. Or at least what I thought I wanted." Looking deep into Viola's eyes, Chiu smiled as she remember the images of the two of them together. "I think I saw the future. Our future. And for the first time in a long time, I was happy. But I guess you knew that didn't you? After all, even if you aren't really you, you are here for a reason."

Her hands tightened slowly around the hilts of her blades. "You see, this place gives me what I want, and right now I only want two things. First, I wanted to say goodbye. Second, I want to beg." Turning her head back to look at the thing wearing her brother's face, Chiu licked her lips slowly. "Please Ce, I beg you..." Suddenly, her face hardened as she spun to face him while her right hand slice up to catch him under the arm. "Die for me!"

Head Admin Posts : 1380 Join date : 2013-09-05

Kirkka's mind raced, attempting to process and organize the jumble of memories that may or may not have even happened. Certain ones burn in her mind, recalling them so clearly, yet barely at all. She stood before the burning structures of her.. home, now. Voices echoed in her mind of her past, a constant reminder. Not real. There was no way to avoid it. If I left, they'd come here anyway. The Order abandoned us. Doomed us and everyone we know to.. this. Illusion. What could I have done to avoid it... Her eyes flicker to a faint red color as someone approaches behind her. Nonus, likely. She tensed slightly, but relaxed, realizing it was her surviving teammate.

As he grabs her, restraining her from behind, he speaks. "... You know he's going to kill me in front of you. That doesn't even bother you, does it?"

Nathan chuckled.

"... You're the cold, in-control one, aren't you... Why should I be surprised?"

It doesn't bother me. Not anymore, not after all this. What's one more death? Or two? False memories; visions.The hellish nightmare around her blurred for a split second, as things slowly came together in her mind. She forced strength into her arms, freeing herself from Nathan's weak grip. She spun around, looking him in the eyes with a trembling voice. "I... watched you die. And the others... seen it before. Why? Why... what's..." Again, the past memories flooded her mind, her vision blurring, shifting to show Leonius in front of her. No, the Titan of Steel. Behind him lays everyone that came to Autunno with her. Except... Bell.

The image fades, returning to the burning courtyard. Kirkka takes a step back from the man in front of her, still looking into his eyes. Her staff is held loosely in both hands, but she is not ready for combat. Her glowing eyes flicker once as she speaks again. "You.. I don't know you. Who are you really..?"

Moderator Posts : 1680 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 32

Closing her eyes at the finish of the fake Chiu's words, Viola takes a deep breath, wincing slightly. While largely ignoring most of the events that had supposedly happened to her, one thing had managed to stick with her through the entire thing, the smell of someone's blood. More specifically, Faunus blood, and it was annoying to no end. Pain and temporary death were annoyances, to be sure, but pain was something she was very familiar with, and until she died for real, that's all the rest of it was to her. More pain.

Trying to focus on something else besides the scent permeating her nostrils, Viola opens her eyes to look at the person in front of her. Person was being generous, but she had no other words for what it was, so person it was. Needless to say, the words that had been spoken were almost entirely true. It was something Viola knew very well, which was part of why she stayed away from people. Or had tried to. Flickers of the future that she had actually attempted to focus on showed otherwise, though those were only temporary, with all things considered.

It was all more or less irrelevant anyway. The person in front of her was right, and that was what mattered. Viola had indeed destroyed almost everything she ever came in contact with, if the glimpses of the future were true in any way. Snorting slightly as her thoughts end up in other places entirely, she opens her eyes and rolls them. She knew the person in front of her wasn't really a person, and knew that she was unlikely to actually ever die here. So speaking was probably a moot point, but she went ahead anyway. "You think I don't know that? Birth parents abandoned me, for whatever reason. Adoptive parents killed by me, for whatever reason. Possible future relationships with others, destroyed by me. Even recently, with Leo. I destroyed that."

Shivering slightly, caused by the air on her bare skin as well as the collar around her neck, she tilts her head back to stare upwards. "So that's why I clutch on to the relationships I do have, for as long as I can. I know things will end in ruin, but I crave the connections all the same. I'm a selfish bitch, and I know it. But until I die, I don't think I'll ever change. Destroying things is one of the things that comes naturally. Be it human life, or a company's reputation, or whatever. So yes, I know what I've done and will do, and I don't care. I am who I am."

Posts : 960 Join date : 2013-09-13 Age : 38

Yin's Hell...
Bell slid back and aside, laughing. "See," she said, not even breathless from the effort, "that's not telling me that I'm wrong. That's telling me I hit a nerve. That the truth hurts."

She hopped back, putting some distance between her and Yin as she raised her magnifying lens.

"Oh. And yes. That happened." She shook her head, smirking. "Don't listen to your teachers. Being early isn't always a good thing."

The next sound that issued was a loud crack, as a bolt of lightning struck Yin in the chest.

=====

Isabelle's Hell...
"Why then... do you hide what you are..?" The heat from Leo's armor barely reached Isabelle's skin, as the wind picked up. "If you aren't a freak... Why are you... alone? If you're... normal... Why are your only friends... monsters..?"

A heavy footfall marked Leonius growing closer, the welcoming radiance of his armor's heat brushing across Isabelle's bare, unprotected skin.

"... Why deny... what you are... You already know it is true..." Leonius offered his hand to her, chuckling. "... That's why you are... staring down at your swords... aren't you? ... You already know... you cannot hope to defeat me..."

Leonius vanished, and he grabbed her again, by the shoulders, from behind. Another low snarl issued from the giant's throat.

"... So that's why... you were contemplating suicide... weren't you? ... Say it..."

He pulled her close, barriers locking her wrists at her sides as one gauntlet rested on her stomach.

"... Confess your sins... Little One... or I'm afraid... I'll have to hurt you..."

=====

Aphelion's Hell...
The skeleton shook its massive head. "You and I both know it's not that simple."

The restraints vanished, as a pair of wicked looking scissors appeared, floating in front of Aphelion.

"Why should you get off easy, when everyone has suffered because of you?"

The horse took a step back, and the scissors parted and closed, one time, a sharp SNIP sounding.

"... It's only right that you suffer for what you've done. That you atone. By giving of yourself..."

Within the empty eyes of the skull, a dull red light glowed to life.

"... Let us start with the fingers on your left hand..."

=====

Aoife's Hell...
Fayza frowned, but Leonius gave a low, steady chuckle. "... Ah... you truly are a simple creature, Aoife..."

The giant reached down, picking her up by the head and bringing her to visor level.

"... You and I both know... that is not the case..." Memory of that cell, when her fate was sealed, was forced into Aoife's mind. The pain. "But your pride... demands you make... your token gestures of defiance..." The memory remained fresh and present. Knight's sobs and whimpers echoing in her ears. "... But at the end of the day... your family knows what you are... Filth... Waste... %#@&."

Leonius dropped her, and she found herself waist deep in a pool of human waste. The unbearable smell surrounded her, with no visible way out. Just a stone room, her nerve staple deactivated, alone in the cesspool.

"... You will remain... amongst the other &#$@... until you want to beg... to be allowed to be... human..."

=====

Chiu's Hell...
Ce was always faster. Stronger. Bigger. Better.

Chiu swung. Ce dropped. Momentum was against her, but even if it had not, Ce moved inhumanly fast, sweeping her off her feet and rising to kick her, sending Chiu tumbling into Viola, who promptly faded.

"And here I was thinking this wouldn't be fun." Familiar blades glinted in Ce's hands. Lunar Lotus. Chiu's weapon. "Last time... you fought. But you wanted it. You started smiling."

In a flash, Ce was at her, blades flashing as he cut a thin gash in her shoulder.

"... You aren't going to start smiling this time, Xiao He..."

=====

Kirkka's Hell...
"Able to make the connection that I'm not really Nathan, but too stupid to figure out what's been in front of you this whole time. Typical of you, Kirkka. Thinking never goes well for you."

The fake Nathan sighed.

"... Though to be honest, I suppose the first clue I'm not really Nathan would be that my response to having you naked in front of me wasn't to go 'Honka Honka' or something." He paused, frowning. "Which... kind of says it all. Detecting the aura difference was second. But I digress."

He pulled a potato from his jacket, peeling back the skin and taking a bite.

"We were talking about how bad of a leader you are, weren't we? The girl put in charge of our outfit, to think, doesn't." He spoke fairly clearly, even as he chewed. There was little to distinguish his voice from the real Nathan's, even when he imitated Kirkka's. Or... rather, just spoke in a higher pitch. "'Gee, let's go in through the life support system. That won't blow up in our faces.' No? How about we go something simpler. 'I don't need a belt.'"

Beacon. As a student. Tripping and pantsing herself in front of what might as well have been the entire student body.

"... To be fair. I thought that was funny. ... Not even this fake me. You know the real Nathan was laughing." He took another bite, holding up a finger. "But that's exactly it. Even the little stuff, you screw up. The only reason you're an over-glorified janitor-slash-gardener is the incredibly low margin of failure and complete lack of real responsibility."

Another bite, as Nathan looked down at the dead flowers, and gave Kirkka a thumbs up.

"You know why I was the only one to stick around. Not a question. You know the real reason. They wanted to get away from you. Olivia and Sacha did great things, without you to screw it up. Me? ... Well, if you didn't have a nice ass, I probably would have to. And- Oh... Oh, riiiight. Sacha... Damn. If only he hadn't been told to come back... by someone..."

An image of Sacha, sitting in the chair, after the carnificina inflicted upon him, Reaper's grisly message carved into his chest, flashed into Kirkka's mind.

The fake Nathan finished his potato, tossing the skin aside to the charred ground, amidst dead flowers that Kirkka had spent hours on. "Can you name one, even one good decision you've made for this team? I'll give you a fair time limit. Sayyy... five mintues."

=====

Viola's Hell...
Chiu was silent a moment before laughing, another bitter tone. "... Yeah... I suppose you're just... used to it..."

The golden ring around Viola's neck tightened, as a familiar feeling was forced into her mind. The knowledge that she had killed her family. The guilt. The anguish. All of it flooded her. All of it fresh, as if it had just happened.

Chiu leaned in and kissed her, as the sensations assaulted Viola's mind. "... But it still hurts..." A shiver went up Viola's spine, the only warning before every pain receptor in her body began firing, and she lost motor control, physical agony joining the emotional assault's chorus of the damned. "... Doesn't it? Can I hear you scream? Or cry? It'd be such a lovely sound..."

Aphelion's grin widened, basked in madness as thrust his left hand forward in an 'okay!' thumbs-up gesture before he thrust it upwards between the blades and watched it fly off. He screamed from the top of his lungs, in agony as the digit flew off and blood started gushing out. Nevertheless, he continued, and soon enough his left hand was naught but a palm. His scream turned into a screech before it became lost to loud laughter, "Oh, I've never felt so alive! More, more!"

Posts : 798 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 103

Yin took the bolt square in the chest, the impact knocking him to the ground. Due to his rage, his aura had been brought to the surface, and protected him from the worst of the damage. He quickly got to his feet, slightly dazed from the attack, but anger fueled him, driving his feet forward. He was a blur as he sped towards Bell, using his semblace once he was close enough to appear slightly behind and to the side of Bell, driving his blades towards her gut, "Shut your @#$&ing mouth!" He roared as the points of his blades aimed to stab under her ribs.

Coughing and spluttering as she is surrounded, she pinches her nose before moving around the room, her feet trying to find any hidden trap doors as she is left to her (And the two other girls in her head) devices, though still calling out, "Pride? You think this is pride? Keep telling yourself that, when you are the one who cannot escape their armour. If I am less than human, what does that make you? Who can't touch, taste, feel, hear. Hell, I am even sure that you even don't have eyes, and it is just wired into your suit. Know what that makes you? A pile of organs claiming to be human and even better than them. If you were a benefit to society in any way, then maybe I would think better of you. But you aren't. You aren't even sub-human. Hell, I doubt you even aura." Laughing sadistically afterwards, she knows full well that she isn't in fact talking to Leo, continuing, "You are both made of steel, and bad tempered at that. Thing about both of you, is that you break. Especially Under Fire." Damn this smell, I should of brought nose plugs or something, hell if it made it smell less I would cut off my nose.

Head Admin Posts : 1380 Join date : 2013-09-05

Kirkka looks away from fake Nathan as he rants about her past blunders. Vivid memories and images flash through her mind, but she focuses on the current setting, the battlefield that was Beacon Academy. As glimpse of her teammates death shakes her however, but she maintains control. After all, its just another memory mixed in with all the others at this point. What a frustrating circumstance this is. “Since you are so kind as to offer me five minutes for such a task, perhaps you could also return my clothes to me while I consider a response.” A small smiles springs from the side of her mouth, but its quite fake. Kirkka's eyes are also shifting occasionally, as she tries to focus on piecing new memories together when possible.

Chiu was pressed back as a flurry of cuts and slashes were rained down on her by the thing that wore her brother’s face. He was faster, stronger, but more than that he moved like a demon. High and low he came at her. Raining blows over every inch of exposed skin.

Despite being forced to the defensive, Chiu was able to deflect more than most, but not all. Blood seeped from a dozen wounds where her own blades had bitten into her. Despite herself, a slight smirk crossed her lips. There was a certain irony to this fight. For years she had been locked in the past, trying to live the life of a young boy long dead. And now that she had caught a glimpse of something that might make her own life worth living, that boy was back, and using the lynchpin of their bond to kill her. The constant reminder of her failings. The last piece of her real brother she had left. Lunar Lotus.

She couldn’t fight like this. Lunar Lotus had been forged to be a part of her. It was a literal extension of her own body. Lunar Dragon was anything but. The grips were longer, the blades heavier, and with the balance further forward that she was used to, Lunar Dragon was as alien to her as 2nd head or 3rd leg.

Ce’s leg flashed out in a vicious spinning kick that caught her in the elbow, sending spikes of shooting pain through her left arm and numbing her hand. As the blade slipped from her loosened grip, Chiu knew she was finished. Ce was too fast, too strong, to face with these two blades. Without them? It was hopeless.

She had been willing to fight against this specter of her past, but standing there naked and alone she couldn’t think of a reason why. For some delusional “future” with a girl she barely knew? Was that worth giving up something she had wanted for over a decade? Well she had gotten that in a past life, and had been so disgusted with herself she had put a bullet in her head. Or that was how she wanted to remember it at least.

Past, present, and future. Everything she was, and would be, was a product of those three things. And yet, trying to hold on to all three would leave her as nothing more than a memory for some other lost little girl to think about as her brother mounted her. She had to let go.

Let go… Let go of everything that isn’t you.

The remaining blade of the dragon clattered to the ground as Chiu raised her fists before her. She couldn’t let go of the memory of Ce. Not yet. But maybe, just maybe, she didn’t have to be Ce anymore.
“Enough foreplay.” She growled to the thing she couldn’t think of as her brother. “Ce was a lot of things, but everything he was, for good and bad, ended a long time ago. And if you are going to share his face it high past time you shared his fate.”

Charging forward in a rushing tackle Chiu tried to remember her brother’s face. Not the altered lie that stood before her, but the young boy from a lifetime ago. Maybe she couldn’t take a full grown version of the dragon, but even dragons were killable newly hatched. Right?
‘God’s I hope so.’ She thought.

Isabelle shuddered as he moved closer, mainly due to the strangely comforting heat emanating from his suit. He was right, there was no possible way for her to win in this situation. "The idea... crossed my mind. Not like I would have gone through with it." Shaking her head, her eyes still didn't move away from the swords on the ground, though she did flinch when her wrists were locked. "Why the **** do you care so much, anyway?"

Moderator Posts : 1680 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 32

Immediately wincing as the memories and emotions flooded her mind, Viola attempts to bite her own tongue to distract her mind, but the pain and associated loss of motor control certainly ruined that option. It was fairly clear she was going to have to experience this part of her life at full blast, for the second time. Sure, she had been living with it for years anyway and been more or less accustomed to her facade breaking at times and the emotions spilling out, but it had been 7 years since she felt them in their entirety.

But no matter what was happening now, she had overcome this problem once before, and could do it again. It was more of a matter of time, and she had much more practice at keeping her emotions locked in now. So no, she wouldn't make a sound or cry, she would endure, as she always had.

Posts : 960 Join date : 2013-09-13 Age : 38

April Fool's Version:

Aphelion's Hell...
The scissors didn't wait for the next hand, severing digit after digit from the right before Aphelion even offered them.

Sobbing could be heard. Aphelion's tears, as he cried into Fayza's chest. Finding out about Aoife from the succubus.

Equinox said nothing, the skeleton merely stared at Aphelion. Unblinking. Unmoving.

The scene played out in vivid detail. Aphelion pushing Fayza over. Forcibly restraining and gagging her. Taking out his emotions. Then...

"You. A moral person. You try to do right. You try to do good."

Equinox was gone, replaced by Aoife, standing behind him. She wrapped her arms around him from the back, whispering in his ear.

"... You enjoyed her, didn't you? So much you didn't ask... You just... forced the issue. She told you something you didn't want to hear, so you distracted yourself with her... whether she wanted it or not..."

Fingernails dug into Aph's chest.

"... There's a word for that... Tell me if you can still be a moral person when you think of it..."

=====

Yin's Hell...
The blades sank in with no resistance, the flesh of Yin's mother parting easily as the she stared at her son, in shock.

Bell was nowhere to be found. Yin's chest, where he had been struck, no longer hurt. None of it was real. None of it had happened. He had just killed his mother. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

Again, and again, the thought was rammed into Yin's mind. As the woman fell to the ground, unable to ask why, the hell forced the thought deeper into Yin's consciousness...

=====

Aoife's Hell...
There was no answer from Leonius. No answer from Fayza. The only sound was what she made, and the slush of the filth around her. An hour passed. Two hours. Three. She was paralyzed, unable to move, unable to sink any lower. No matter how her feet or legs ached, she could not rest them. She could only stand in the filth, as four hours passed. Five. Six. Seven.

Still the silence continued, until the eighth hour passed, and a scream resounded through the chamber. It sounded like it came from nearby, as well as fists striking flesh. The sound of a struggle. Sobbing. Pleas for mercy, to be let go, that it hurt. The voice was immediately recognizable. It was Melissa's. A wet snap, and Melissa screamed again. More whimpers. Always the words, "No, no, no, please, stop, no, please, no" as she sobbed.

And there was nothing Aoife could do. She couldn't move her body. She could only speak.

Leo's words echoed, unbidden, in her head.

"... You will remain... amongst the other &#$@... until you want to beg... to be allowed to be... human..."

In the place entirely too close, Melissa screamed again...

=====

Kirkka's Hell...
"Please. Even disregarding the fact you and I both know I'm not really Nathan, what do you think he'd say? 'Yeah, sure, have 'em, I wasn't enjoying the view anyway.' ... Admittedly, the not enjoying the view part might be correct..." The fake Nathan shook his head, smirking at Kirkka. "And don't go all 'oh, he said I'm not pretty, he's running out of ammunition' on me. It's a simple observation. You don't even have looks to fall back on."

Nathan fell backward as a couch appeared, and the burning school was replaced by the inside of his apartment. Sacha's mangled corpse sat where it did in Kirkka's memory, while Olivia was nowhere to be found.

"... It's kind of telling that rather than answer, you bring up your clothes. Clearly it doesn't bother you THAT much. But you can't just, outright, name one. The five minutes is just a formality. You aren't going to think of one, because there isn't one." Nathan looked over at Sacha, raising a potato in his friend's honor, before looking back at Kirkka. "You know... we might have had a chance against Nonus, if it were you he took. Instead of... you know... someone useful..."

Kirkka was yanked backward, as Nathan's apartment was replaced by a cold concrete room. Three men, Frumentarii, held her down as another approached with a pair of pliars. There was no banter. No talk. Only whatever sound Kirkka could make as her fingernails and toenails were torn out, one by one, and hot irons pressed into the bleeding pads. It wouldn't be the end. It couldn't be the end. This was to be a Carnificina. An execution...

=====

Chiu's Hell...
Ce seemed surprised as Chiu tackled him, but he wasn't for long.

He wasn't. He was gone. Ce was dead, long dead, and only memories remained. Memories that consumed Chiu as darkness engulfed her, again, and again, as she watched her brother be killed by Grimm. Each time was different. Each time was worse. She stood over him, watching passively, as he was helplessly torn limb from limb by Ursas. She giggled as a Beowolf pulled his guts out with its teeth. Her hands explored herself while small Nevermores relentlessly pecked at Ce's flesh, his ragged screams resounding through the trees. Each time, she watched Ce die in a new way, and each time, something forced her to like it more and more. She loved her brother. She loved watching him die. She loved desecrating his corpse. She loved sinking her teeth into his flesh, tearing little chunks free for herself to feast on like the Grimm.

She was a monster, and only waking up could save her.

So she woke up. Chained to a wall, with Viola stroking her hair. "Chiu... I love you," she whispered, planting a kiss on her lips. "It's time to wake up..." Three men entered, as Viola stood, taking money from them. "You know the rules... Five darts per fifty lien. No aiming for the eyes..."

She sold her out as a dart board. The memories Chiu had reached for, of the life with Viola, were quickly overpowered by memories of being locked in here. Her body sold for amusements and curiosities. Her entire existence boiled down to being the assassin's exotic plaything and secondary income. But still Viola knelt by her, kissing her and telling her she loved her.

A dart sunk into her flesh. And another. Chiu was suffering from malnutrition. She was weak. She couldn't move well. But the darts came. They would be coming. The human dart board was always such a profitable attraction for Chiu's ~~girlfriend~~ owner...

=====

Isabelle's Hell...

Spoiler For A Reason:

=====

Leo's Hell... Broken...

Spoiler Because It's Long:

((Cliff Notes version for anyone who doesn't want to wade through the self-gratifying crap above. Leonius throws his healthy self into the fires of his burning workshop after chewing the scenery a bit and tells the Dagger where to shank itself. His semblance is active. Vox is ceasing to give any shits, any shits at all. The Dagger brings in the Titan of Steel. Leonius gives into the Titan of Steel himself and dubs his suit, as a whole, Res Sartae. The resulting Clash of the Titans is below if you want to see two suits of power armor beat the shit out of each other.))

Clash of the Titans:

=====

Viola's Hell...
Chiu merely watched as Viola struggled, going down with her, and gently stroking her hair. "... So strong... so brave..." The agony stopped, but the former assassin remained unable to move as Chiu lifted her head by her hair, and slowly pressed two fingers against her eyes. "... I think I'll take these first... so the last thing you see is me..."

It was not the last thing Viola saw. If Chiu had gouged out her eyes, the last thing Viola would have seen was a broken, battered, and wrecked Leonius bursting through the fabric of reality, accompanied by a deafening crash and a sound not unlike an unpleasant cross between screams of agony and the screams of preteen boy band fangirls seeing their crush. Chiu, too, had her attention drawn to the scene, lowering her fingers from Viola's eyes in time to see another Leonius follow, raise his gauntlet, and send a single Cast Repeater packet through her forehead and out the back of her head.

The fake Chiu vanished upon death, her control over the collar around Viola's neck vanishing with it. Leonius just trudged over to the dead Titan, firing cast repeater packets into the wrecked suit until it stopped moving, before slowly turning his head to look at Viola.

Perhaps it was adrenaline from his epiphany. Perhaps it was seeing her naked again. Perhaps he simply wanted to reinforce that he was in control here, not the Dagger, and taking his helmet off without suffocating was within his power, and what happened next just came naturally. Leonius wasn't entirely sure, despite his semblance and the combat computer both being active, but he took off Res Sartum's helmet, went to Viola, picked her up, and kissed her.

... And immediately regretting his course of action. He unceremoniously dropped the girl, looking aside as he put the helmet back on. "Yes... I am hideous to behold... Yes... I know my blood smells awful... I don't care... Deal with it... Spur of the moment... Also you're a colossal bitch... but you look good naked... so I don't care... twice..." He barely glanced back, clearing his throat. "... Shut up... I just kicked the Titan of Steel... through the fabric of space and time... after curbstomping it... I am allowed a moment... of less than perfect articulation..."

=====

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!

I suppose it stands without mention that the great and powerful Crimson Dagger of Autunno is... shall we say... not a happy bunny.

... I will find and piss on the corpse of your Dominus and slaughter your Scions...

Yes. Because killing, what words fell from @&#$ing tongue? Someone who is 'barely a shadow' of Marcus Regulus has proven so easy, has it not?

... Silence.

Yes. That's what I thought.

Moderator Posts : 1680 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 32

Partially pushing herself off the ground after Leonius had dropped her, Viola briefly runs a hand through her hair out of irritation. Taking a moment to try to comprehend everything that had just happened, she takes a deep breath and instantly understands that comment about the smell of blood. But... that was an interesting tidbit of information. Not one she really cared to have... but it was still there. With her brain finally catching up to recent events, she takes a moment to spit to clear her mouth, and attempts to cover her nose.

Wincing slightly in pain, she focuses on forcing the worst aspects of said events in to that same area of her brain that she knew would haunt her forever. Glancing around at the surrounding area, she scoffs slightly and rolls her eyes. It seemed like she wasn't going to die here, or at least not in the next few minutes. Through the flashes of the future she had experienced, she knew her death was inevitable... and that was fine. She had been prepared to die, and for all intents and purposes, still was. Waiting a little longer for it to happen was something she could deal with.

Putting on her usual facade with another deep breath, she glares at her "savior" for a brief moment before finally speaking, clear contempt coating her words. "And I don't care at all. I don't want to hear your excuses, and I don't want you around me. So piss off and save someone else. You're just wasting time here." Somewhat surprisingly to Viola, she was struggling internally with what she had said, but made sure to show nothing.

Posts : 798 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 103

Yin stared in horror as he saw the body of his mother fall to the ground. It was as if time itself slowed so as to taunt him, to show him in horrific detail how he had killed her. He had killed her. His blades fell from his hands, his knees hitting the ground as he lost even the will to stand. He knelt over his mother's broken body, simply staring, mouth slightly agape, unable to comprehend what was happening. He heard his blades clatter to the ground, the sharp noise of vibrating steel ringing in his sensitive ears. He reached down gently and wrapped his arms around his dying mother, hugging her close, uncaring of the blood that was now pouring onto him. A single tear ran down his face, dropping onto the hard ground beneath him.

"I'm sorry...that I wasn't strong enough..." He whispered, the tears beginning to flow more freely now. The thought continued to ram itself into his skull, I killed her...I killed... He stared forward, his mouth still hanging open ever so slightly. No... He thought, gently placing the lifeless corpse on the ground, She's been dead for a long time...they both have... For some reason, he stood, taking back up his blades and wiping his eyes on his forearm. He was determined to fight, even if it meant his destruction. He lifted his face, staring off into empty blackness before him, "Enough with your @#$%ing games, you bastard!" He screamed into the darkness, "Either kill me or fight me! I've had enough of this shit!" Although that's exactly what you want, isn't it? You want to break me, and you're trying your damnedest to do it.

Posts : 960 Join date : 2013-09-13 Age : 38

Viola ~~and Leo~~'s Hell
Leonius just shrugged at his ex-girlfriend's complaint, glancing at the remains of the Titan of Steel. "... Not an option... I'm afraid... Though you're incorrect on one matter... There is no time... to waste..." He frowned under his helmet, sighing. "... By which I mean... this is a timeless space... progression of events... appears to be subjectively determined... by its occupants... based on the subjectively eighty-four millisecond observation window... I had of this prison... during the time I was kicking... the Titan of Steel... through space and time... into it..."

He waved it off, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"... I'm also afraid... you're most likely stuck with me... until you find a way out of here... as I did... Not to say... I won't be trying... The prospect of an eternity stuck with a former lover... that is a concept... so terrifying and cruel... I doubt even the Dagger... would resort to it..." The giant froze, his head turning as he looked Viola over. He regretted what he said immediately, but it started a train of thought. "... Question... Do you remember anything... that appears to break what should be... the chronological sequence of events... thus far..? ... I mean... ... Events that... either have not happened... or have not happened... yet..."

Leonius moved until he felt resistence, pressing against something unseen, but keeping his eye on Viola.

"... I am wondering... if the Dagger has released... memories from prior or future selves... either intentionally... or accidentally... Because I can confirm... a large number of mine... are real..."

Moderator Posts : 1680 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 32

Raising an eyebrow at Leo's words, Viola moves in to a more comfortable sitting position, though remains uncaring of her state of dress. It sounded like she was stuck in this... room, unless she actively searched for a way out. That was an interesting concept... she might finally receive the gift of death, though not in an even remotely comfortable setting. Something to ponder, at least.

Scoffing softly at his statement about being trapped forever, she can't help but roll her eyes. At the moment, she certainly shared the sentiment... but there were also worse people she could be trapped with. So it wouldn't be the most annoying thing imaginable, at least. His question about the memories was intriguing, however she wasn't sure if she should be honest or not. Further questioning would be irritating, but giving away more information might help everyone else... so the truth would suffice.

"I have received some flashes of events, and... strings of events that I know for a fact haven't happened, but all of them seem unlikely to happen, even if I do leave this place. It's rather annoying, really, because my mind is already a torture pit of memories, and some of the new ones certainly make it worse."

Posts : 960 Join date : 2013-09-13 Age : 38

Viola ~~and Leo~~'s Hell...
"Chiu... for example..?"

Leonius crossed his arms, turning back to Viola. A smile tugged at his lips under the mask.

"I can confirm... that one... But there is also... something else that I can confirm... because you said it to me..."

Slowly, Leonius approached her, grabbing Viola's arm and pulling her close. Closer than she had been, since the breakup. The only sound he made was the hiss of his respirator for a good thirty seconds.

"... Do you have any memories... of being caught... in what you are..? Or rather... what you were sent to do..?"

At the first scream from Melissa, Aoife's brain automatically froze, as if trying to determine if it was her own mental delusion or came from outside her. The second sobbing though, made her realise exactly where it was from, automatically breaking, "N-No! Please don't hurt Melissa! I-I'll do anything! Just don't hurt her!" Struggling against her body's lack of movement, she very nearly goes to spark into a blaze before realising and stopping, though still crying out for Melissa to be left alone, starting to cry heavily while sniffling.

''N-No... I-I didn't... L-Look, I didn't mean to... I couldn't do anything else. It burned... The thought of you being his slave... That there was always a thing that could pull you away... Do you understand how it hurts!?'' Aphelion cried out, hands falling limply as they went numb from blood loss, ''A-And she said it was okay... S-She understood what I felt...''

Moderator Posts : 1680 Join date : 2013-09-11 Age : 32

Viola can't help but snort at the question, though the closeness and grip were equally as irritating as the question. "I feel that being caught would require attempting to carry out an action. And the only time I've ever been caught is a story that only one person besides me knows... at least for the time being. So no. I don't have memories of being caught, at least not ones that were forced upon me by this stupid place."

» Expedition to Autunno Keep [PLOT] Day 0 - The Journey to Autunno
» Expedition to Autunno Keep [PLOT] Day 1 - Hard Landing
» Expedition to Autunno Keep [PLOT] Day 2 - Nightmare (MATURE CONTENT)
» Expedition to Autunno Keep
» Plot threads