Expedition to Autunno Keep [PLOT] Day 2 - Nightmare (MATURE CONTENT)

Leo had come to her rescue once more, though this time Isabelle felt more relieved than upset.  "Thanks.  Again." she said, smiling at him, before putting her blade away and beginning to pull on the frozen one.  It didn't take too long for the heat to melt some of the ice and loosen the sword, allowing her to retrieve it.  She placed it back in it's sheath and looked down at her leg, which was still thawing.

Nigrum let out a small sigh as Bell replied to him. "Are we going down the beowolf guts hallway?" he asked as he pulled The Panther out of the ground. "Because that seems like it will be slow and annoying" he said as he started to spin The Panther around his finger.

Kirkka looks over toward Heinrich as the gunfire slows and fades, seeing the massacre. She sighed slightly, comparing his work to the other side's, but turns back to Yin. "Well, let's get you back in the safe room and we can take care of your injuries. It doesn't look too bad, should be easy to manage. Course, that means the group will have to continue without us. Perhaps we should split into smaller groups. We could manage combat better that way, too." She turns, looking toward the others as she continues speaking. "It would become easier for a lot of us to fight, since we have less experience fighting alongside each other, and these corridors are not preferable to have such a large group." Not to mention the fact that I don't think this is the same hallway we entered from last night... and there was only one entrance.

After her short speech, she turns back to Yin to make sure he didn't collapse, then offers to help him back to the previous room.

Listening to Kirrka as she tends to her wounds, she would nod before moving to Aphelion, starting to thaw him out, deciding to at least get on good terms with the person who threw popcorn at her, "Fine then. I shall take this idiot who decided to get frozen and Melissa, if she is still coming. That fine? "

Yin simply nodded at Kirkka's words, as he was too busy trying to keep from collapsing to the ground. Makes sense, a big group like this wouldn't do too well fighting in these narrow corridors. He thought. He finally came up with a somewhat decent idea to help him walk, as well. He removed the sheath of his longer blade with the sword still inside, placing the end of the sheath on the ground. Gripping the hilt of his weapon, the sheath acted almost like a cane, allowing him to take some weight off his legs.

He then looked up, "Whatever we're gonna do, let's do it. I'd rather someone didn't have to carry me back to the safe room." He said. "And the longer we stay here, the more likely it is that we get attacked again if there are still Grimm inside."

Aphelion groaned as he was getting defrosted, teeth chattering slightly. He looked at the one doing the thawing and blinked, turning back to looking down. A simple word of thanks escaped his mouth before he started rubbing and moving his significantly less frozen legs, muttering to himself, "Definitely woulda had it too..."

Leonius simply nodded, smiling under his helmet before looking up. Kirkka looked concerned. The idiot with the ice wave was asking direction. It was one simple review of his suit's records from the previous night to come to the same conclusion. "... No. The answer is... difficult..."

Slowly, Bell nodded. "... This isn't the hallway we were in last night. It never is."


This is my domain.

Since before your grandfathers' grandfathers' time, Autunno has been mine.

These walls are an extension of my will.

The floor you stand upon is mine to control.

Even the Grimm, drawn in desperate terror by my power, serve me.

You are in my domain, you impudent little rats, and you wish to hunt me?

I am awakening. With every little game we play, I grow more powerful. My work now comes to an end. Scream for me, now. One more time.


The interjection of the Crimson Dagger was not unheard. Everyone in Autunno felt, as if hearing, those words as an immense pressure bore down on all of them. Again, the dagger spoke, but it was audible. The air vibrated, carrying sound waves.

"You're hunting me. How cute." At the end of the hallway, a ghostly image of the dagger appeared, replaced quickly by a figure of indeterminate gender, concealed head to toe by wrappings of blood-soaked rags that dripped continuously. Not a single drop touched the stone, vanishing before it hit. "What will you do when you find me? Hmm? Shall you use the power of joy and friendship to forever rid the world of my taint? Will you set aside your differences, putting ambitions and suspicions aside to destroy me, for what I did, and will do? Or will you descend into savagery, your mistrust leading you to destroy each other?" The voice had no distinguishable gender, spoken aloud seeming more like a diverse chorus. A hundred thousand voices, whispering as one. Every one of those voices laughed, when IT did. "The answer is neither. I will merely destroy you."

With a single raising of ITs hand, the world blurred for everyone there. Memories of things that hadn't yet happened, visions of what had been, could be, and were to become filling their minds.

It was but a distraction from their surroundings melting away, and when things cleared, the figure was gone.

As were many of the others. In a single motion, the Dagger had separated the group.

WARNING - Graphic content - Leonius, Isabelle, Yin, and Chiu specific.:

WARNING - Graphic content - Kirkka, Viola, and Aoife specific.:

WARNING - Graphic content - Nigrum and Aphelion specific.:

No Graphic Content. Yet. Melissa specific.:

Heinrich just huffed and growled, hefting Kriegskampfer as he re-appeared in a hallway. "Stupid Dagger," was all the giant polar bear man said as he started spinning up the barrel, stomping off in search of anyone else...




((Your characters may now have partial knowledge of things that happened with or around them in the "future" of the timeline, that have happened in RP. I leave what exactly, or if anything at all save specific cases, to your discretion. No those quotes aren't "suspicious" at all. Pay no heed to the asshole behind the GM screen. Yes, there is a very good reason for it. No you can't know it yet, because spoilers.))

As Yin lost concentration, his aura ceased to support his legs. He fell to the ground in a heap, coming face to face with the twisted version of himself. His sword clattered to the ground, landing in a pool of blood. His eyes widened, and he tried to scramble away from the thing, but slipped on the blood covering the floor. He landed on his back, one arm supporting him and the other raised to his mouth to stop him from gagging. "What the hell is this?!" He asked, his voice quiet and filled with dread. He gripped his head as the dagger's power filled the room, Dammit. He thought, This thing is even stronger than we thought. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them.

He looked around and picked up his blade, leaning on it to help him get to his feet. He kept his eyes on the mangled version of himself as he said, "This can't be real." He said, "The dagger is f*cking with us. This is an illusion or something." He seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anyone.

Leonius was stunned for a moment, as much by the sudden events as his combat computer requiring a restart of its processes when its data feeds suddenly changed. He fully processed, however, the girl hanging in front of him, and the fact she was nearby, but it was a few moments before Leonius interposed himself between the two, picking Isabelle up and wrapping his arms around her, keeping his armor between her, and her double.

"... Do not speak of it... Do not look at it..." He spoke as much to Yin as Isabelle, glancing at Chiu. "... We are separated from... the others... and there are potential hostiles nearby..."

Melissa blinked a few times in confusion as she appeared in a bare, empty room. She didnt remember walking over here! Where did everyone go? Shrugging, she lay down on the ground, closing her eyes to take a nap, thankful she wasn't claustrophobic.

((OOC: Welp. Nothing to do for a while I guess!))

When Melissa closed her eyes, she suddenly found herself falling, as the room flipped upside down, the floor quickly rushing up to hit the girl.

On the "new" floor stands a table. Nothing is on it, it is simply a stone slab anchored to the floor. After a few moments, a small hammer falls, landing dangerously close to Melissa's head.

((OOC: Nope, it's not that easy.))

As her vision blurred, Kirkka squinted her eyes to try and retain the focus, but with little effect. Visions ran rampant through her mind for moments, until her eyes opened and Yin was gone from in front of her. She quickly turned around, to see only three others remain, or rather, three others were moved with her. Looking around with her staff in hand, she looked up to the sky upon hearing human voices screaming at the group. Illusion. Trick. She stood still, listening to the voices. As she hears the various complaints, its easy to pick out which are directed at her. She lowers her head, keeping her attention on her surroundings while trying to ignore the voices. Tricks of the mind, indeed...

Kirkka takes a deep breath, closing her eyes in the process. Looking toward Bell after her outburst, she watches her briefly, before turning her attention to the long flight of stairs they will likely need to make use of. Visual and audio tricks. Yet so much more, to be able to move us out here. Its far to real to be another illusion. But still, possible. And I am left with... Her gaze turns back to the others with her. ...a team. Well varied in skills, at least. Perhaps it will work out. After a few moments of introspection and consideration of their status, she speaks. "We should return inside and ignore the... voices. They'll do nothing but hinder us. We all need our wits about us, and our feelings and opinions of one another should be dismissed for the time being. Agreed?" Her demeanor shifted as she began talking, displaying a lack of distrust for the others. She seems to want to display that she means what she is saying, and to set an example.

The smell hit Aphelion first, bringing him back to his senses. He looked around, sniffed and barely stopped himself from throwing up. Gulping, he decided to get a drink of water, and was already leaning over it before he realised how crappy that idea was. A passing by rotten head made him blink, the sight added to the smell bringing him back up to borderline puking. He quickly turned around and got up, preparing to walk away but the sharp pain in his leg as it extended brought him back down. "What the **** is going on..." he muttered to himself, his mind finally clearing away the confusion of what happened before. These are just more copies, yes, copies, nobody's dead, nobody will die, she definitely won't die, yes, she'll live, others will live too, you'll live... he kept mentally reassuring himself.

When Isabelle opened her eyes, it didn't take long for her to notice the naked corpse hanging from the ceiling, nor did it take long for her to recognize her own body. And it was staring down directly at her, intestines hanging out. The second time in the day that she got to see her own internal organs. Before she could react, Leo was in front of her, holding her. While somewhat calmed down from this, she was still horribly confused about the entire situation. Why did this have to happen to them? Doing as he had instructed, she didn't say anything about it, crying silently instead.

With her mind already in near shambles from seeing a dead copy of Chiu, the new environment did not help Viola in the slightest. Between the Nevermore shouting and the flashes of a future that has yet to happen running through her head, it was enough to drive any normal person insane. But Viola wasn't normal, and she was near enough insane as it was. That being said, seeing flickers of a relationship with Chiu made seeing her dead body even worse. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tries to grab hold of the flickers of the future happening in her mind. She wanted that future. She had to have it. So she had to be strong.

Taking a moment to clear her head, she tries to ignore everything except for the three people surrounding her. She didn't remotely trust any of them, but Aoife would probably be the first person in the group she'd be willing to trust. Kirkka clearly had her own motives, and Bell seemed to know much more about everything going on than she was sharing. But Kirkka did have a point... bickering with each other wouldn't solve anything. "Agreed... getting away from the voices is my priority at the moment, so heading inside is probably a good idea."

Blinking at the verbal barrage, Aoife shrinks slightly from the words, her voice not coming despite her mouth movements. Aura manifesting  but not being ignited, the currents flicker as her mental composure is thrown into disarray. The area around her suddenly heating up, the physical signs of her stability would show briefly, yelling back at the Nevermores, "I AM HUMAN!" Immediately calming afterwards, she would glare at everyone around her to see who is with her, her voice incredibly hostile, "Agreed. But when I get to that puny weapon, I will show it where I am going to shove my spear. I'm going to melt it down with my bare hands, destroy the piece of filth and desecrate its very soul for separating me from Melissa."

Yin averted his eyes, focusing instead on his feet, Breathe, man. Take deep breaths. This thing is trying to get inside your head. Stay strong. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, centering his energy and calming himself. The dagger's malicious energy was strong here, and he imagined that this place was its creation. And this thing knows we are trying to find it. Behind his eyelids, a number of scenes flashed before his eyes, yet none of them lingering long enough to leave anything but confusion. His eyes opened, and he looked towards the cyborg. "Alright, let's get the frag out of here and find this damn thing." He said, "And show it that we aren't its playthings."

"What dagger?" Chiu asked as she took in the sight of the two other corpse copies, the memories of her own death still fresh in her mind. Things were very...confusing right now. The things she had done, and had been done to her, had left her feeling odd. No longer comfortable in her own body. Surrounded by strange faces, she couldn't even use them to focus her kaleidoscoping mind. At least, if the one other human was right and this was caused by some dagger, she had a target. Some task she could focus on. Once they dealt with the source of that infuriating giggling, of course.

"... Our enemy..." Leonius glanced at Chiu. "... An Aura Weapon... of immense power... One that has now made... its hand behind these events... clear..." Slowly, the cyborg looked down at Isabelle, softly stroking her back as he continued to address the other girl. "... Chiu... right? Can you help him... walk? We need to find... the others..."

Leo closed his natural eye. A smaller group like this would have some advantages, but the idiot was useless in battle for the moment, and someone would have to help him until his aura helped him recover. An early warning system would help immensely.

"Modus: Servator." As his cannons swung back, and four drones rolled out of his backpack, Leo was already compiling instructions. Perimeter alert. Thirty meter point. Radio alarm. Maintain stealth. Do not engage. Contingency barriers keyed to passphrase.

Chirping their compliance, the combat computer feeding them specifics, the drones unfolded and hovered in mid air, before darting down the hallway.

"... Let us go," Leo whispered, glancing at the copy of Isabelle.


Bell didn't move. She didn't speak, after her outburst. Not until the others had already started up the stairs. "... Kirkka."

Turning, and following, Bell looked at the redhead.

"... I'm sorry."

It was all she said, as she continued up the stairs.

Kirkka shifts her attention to each of the three as they respond to her inquiry, relieved that they all had no agruement against the fact. As Bell apologises, however, she furrows her brow slightly, then nods to her in acceptance. Let's hope that is for past events, not ones to follow. She thinks to herself about Bell's response, before looking back at the other two. "Aoife should be on point, with Viola behind her as our front line." As Bell begins gaining distance, Kirkka turns and follows, continuing to speak loud enough to overcome the screams, but maintaining a calm. "Bell and I can support you two. Priority in combat should be defense, not slaughtering everything in sight. We have limited resources. Let me know if you disagree."  Turning her head back toward the source of the screaming, she frowns slightly, then checks her weapon, ensuring she is prepared for what lies ahead.

This isn't the same hallway, What? how does that work. Nigrum thought looking at Bell, a quizzical look on his face. An audible voice sounded from the end of hall. Nigrum turned to look towards the source seeing a figure wrapped in blood-soaked rags. He looked at the figure as it spoke to them. The figure finished it's speech and rained a hand filling Nigrum's vision with sights of Xenvee, The Opposition and locations he couldn't recall visiting all flashing before his eyes.

After a moment the visions stopped flashing as he stood in a sewer. He remained still for a moment unsure if it was a vision or not. Something tapped his side leg. He turned to look at the object disturbing the water as he turned. Next to him floated a head, but not just any head, his head. He leaped back almost falling over into the sewer water as he shouted "WHAT THE F!" He looked around the water seeing the disembodied part of himself and others floating down the sewer. Nearby he saw Aphelion with a look of shock on his face, similar to what Nigrum thought was on his face. "Where are we and what is going on?" He called to Aphelion, his voice echoing around the sewer covering up the sounds of the Jackboots for a moment.

Opening one eye as she continued to lie where she was, Melissa eyed the 'new' room with curiousity. Had she teleported again somehow? Looking at the hammer, she poked it for a few moments, before picking it up and beginning to tap out a tune on the table-like thingy, humming as she did.

Heading to the front of the group, she slowly stops emitting heat, focusing on any attacks from in front of her as the spear is turned back into sword, no dust being activated yet and just keeping the twin dragons ready, "If they get in the way of my revenge, they die. That is my priority, please note I won't care if you think overwise."

Aphelion pulled himself up to a squat, with his damaged leg bent as to not cause more pain, though in movement it still caused enough to bring him back to reality, "No idea about either of the two." he snapped towards Nigrum, still upset about being frozen a while ago.

An image appeared in his head. It was something odd, and it made little sense to him... a white figure, holding a large, rectangular object stood in the doorway of his dormitory room. What the- before he could react in any way, the image was gone, though a brief likeness of it still remained in his head. That was weird... Who was that? he pondered for a moment before a rather loud Jackboot threw his thought train out the window with its noises.

"Wherever we are, we're nowhere near safe. I hear these damn... Jackboots everywhere. I'm content with staying here until I can walk better... preferably behind you if you're thinking of icing them again."

"Sending the two relatively untrained huntresses to the front lines, as opposed to a janitor and whatever the hell Bell is... Probably a good idea." Viola mutters under her breath as she catches up with Aoife, sliding both fans up in to her sleeves for quick access when needed.

As expected. "I'm sure you don't, but that won't stop me from saying that it would be preferable if you don't kill yourself before you're able to even see your true target. Your chances of actually getting your revenge is much higher with allies. I will hope you do not forget that." And even if you do, I hope you're capable enough to at least draw enough attention so others can escape. Kirkka doesn't look at Aoife as she speaks, but instead keeps her attention on their surroundings as they head up the stairs. Her weapon is in its full form, minus the broom extension of course, and being held in her right hand partially behind her. Her eyes changes from a dull gray to a faint glowing red color, as she begins monitoring her new 'teammates'.

Nigrum turned as he heard the sound of a jackboot. fantastic he thought looking around for the source.

"Wherever we are, we're nowhere near safe. I hear these damn... Jackboots everywhere. I'm content with staying here until I can walk better... preferably behind you if you're thinking of icing them again." Aphelion said.

Nigrum let out a sigh, of course he had to lead. "Alright, I'll lead. I don't plan to do that attack again unless I really need to." He glanced around, "So which way should we go then? Upstream or down?" Nigrum looked in the direction the clone bodies were coming from and then the direction they were going, the answer in his mind as to which direction was obvious.