trying not to make this too serious, actually

[*A small mound of sand is pushed up against the shore as Zostera lightly bumps into a small island]

[*The trip wasn't exactly calm nor peaceful, leaving much of the loose items inside strewn across the floor due to the jostling of the waves]

[*Kelp groans and clutches her pounding head, looking around the messy cockpit with a blurry gaze]

[*She finds Gabriel next to her, unconscious]

[*She shakes him gently by the shoulder, seeing if he would wake]

[*...she makes a mental note to herself to find some tylenol somewhere onboard]

[*Slowly, she pushes herself off of the ground to look at thr various systems beeping at the console]

[DESTINATION REACHED]

[ANCHOR SECURE]

[*She looks out the window of the cockpit, staring out into the strange woods not too far away]

HAH. HAVEN'T YOU REALIZED YET?

[*Kelp parries the blow, driving the rod of her oar against the head of his and driving it into the sand as she prepares another blow]

...

[*"Aeolus" ducks under Kelp's swipe of her oar, twisting his legs at an unnatural angle as he returns with a blow of his own, locking his oar between Kelp's and himself]

WHEN YOU DIE. HERE.

[*Kelp shoves her oar against the opposing skeleton, knocking him away]

NOBODY CAN PILOT THE FERRY.

[*Kelp parries another shot at her head from the offending oar, watching as "Aeolus's oar is knocked out of his grip]

NOBODY CAN LEAVE.

[*She narrowly dodges a stab to her chest, looking digging her heels into the sand and spinning her weapon in preparation]

[*She hesitates]

[*The sweeping beam of light carries over and falls directly on Bug, staring. Watching]

[*A tentacle of shadow abruptly grabs it, wrapping around Bug and rendering it unable to escape, forcing it to stare back into its giant golden eye]

[*It feels as if something is crawling around Bug's brain, jostling around its memories and manhandling its thoughts, functionally paralyzing it]

[*It doesn't stop. It keeps digging, searching though its mind for anything, or anyone that Bug holds dear]

[*Its endless stare remains unending, boring into Bug's mind and feeling as if it were physically squeezing out every bit of information it can]

[*A deep, rumbling laugh echoes around the area as a second shadow grabs Bezaliel around the ankle and drags him directly into the sand, launching a great plume upon impact]

[*The shadow vanishes a moment later, only coming back with more shadowy tentacles surrounding him]

[*A single tentacle shoots out towards Gabriel, just barely missing as it breezes past]

[*A set of shadowy tentacles also shoot out towards Ichor, traveling at breakneck speeds]

[*Kelp lands on her back in the sand, struggling to keep "Aeolus's" oar away from her head]

WE CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE.

It hurts, it hurts it hurts, something in its already broken mind digging around its memories. It hurts to move, paralyzed for a few moments until its hands reach out and dig deeper, tearing into the appendage keeping it hostage.

It hurts, but when has pain ever stopped it ?

The ultimate war machine, the final child of man meant to destroy giants. Its swarm was gone, Minato's lifeless body laying in the sand.

Despite the creatures gaze on it, Bug tears through it like a rabid animal. It claws its way upwards instead of dropping back down, spines digging in and giving it leverage. It was meant for this. This is what its purpose was. It was never supposed to be anything more.

Almost manically, the machine begins to fire rapidly in any direction it can, aiming generally towards the beast. It switches rapidly between weapons, the clinking sound of it parrying its own shotgun shells, firing nails and coins alike.

[*Blood spurts from various wounds of the bullets, spurting out and splattering across the sand and into the nearby water]

[*It screams and waves its beam of light around the beach, illuminating everything in sight]

[*The tentacles heading for Ichor make contact, roughly knocking it down into the sand]

[*Kelp kicks away the pink skeleton, driving the butt of her oar into its rib as she slides out of range]

[*She pauses to watch as Bezaliel vanishes into the shadows, hesitating just barely long enough for "Aeolus" to slam the flat end of his oar into Kelp's head, knocking her away a few meters]

[*She starts picking herself up as "Aeolus" approaches, spinning his oar beside him]

Look at you. So weak. How weak did your predecessor have to be for you to have taken their head, Svetlana?

[*Kelp stabilizes herself with her oar, breathing heavily and trying to recover from the impact]

[*She looks up at the creature above, watching its gaze travel across the sand, heading directly for Gabriel]

GABRIEL!

[*A shadowy tentacle wraps itself around him, raising him up just enough to force him to stare into the piercing glare of the creature's eye, just as paralyzing as before]

[*It digs through his memories, shuffling through and cramming itself inside, locking him inside a dream. Locking him inside his own thoughts, in the last final memory with Holly]

*He’s grabbed. He’s pulled up. He’s forced to look that thing in the eye. He can feel it forcing its way into his mind and looking around his memories, it picks one. The most painful one he has*

*His last moments with holly. The REAL Holly.*

*suddenly he’s not 30 ft in the air, he’s at the steps of the councils court house. Watching himself pace around the steps.*

*he looks down at his hands, just to see himself being particularly translucent. He’s he’s going to get to see this from a different perspective this time, he wants to scream out but he can’t. Unable to get a single sound out*

*the scene begins playing*

—————————————

*the doors slam open and Holly comes stomping out, wings tinted with red on gold*

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT.

Holly? What in the world happened in there?

OH YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT HAPPENED IN THERE. YOU RATTED ME OUT?!

(What. This wasn’t how this went at all.)

Well I’m sorry but you tried to leave heaven! You KNOW you’re not allowed to leave! You are to vital to risk losing to the scum on the earth or hell.

So you thought the best corse of action was to REPORT ME TO THE COUNCIL?!

You know what they’re gonna do to me now?? Have someone watching me 24/7. ALL THE TIME. FOLLOWING ME LIKE IM SOME SORT OF RABID ANIMAL.

If that’s wha it takes to keep you here than I am in full support of this, feel lucky it’s not worse punishment

(Nonononono this didn’t happen. This is wrong. He would never rat out his own child.)

WORCE WOULD BE THEM CHOPPING MY WINGS! WHICH MIND YOU WAS SUGGESTED BY THE WAY.

Maybe they should’ve. You keep trying these ‘escape attempts’ and I for one am SICK of it. Either get you act together or I push the notion they chop your wings. Your choice

(…)

(This can’t be right. He would never do this.)

(But this thing was in his mind after all…maybe this is what happened. Maybe he just blocked it out because he had been so horrible.)

(NO. the monster was getting to him. Getting inside more than just his head and breaking him down!)

…

You know what. I don’t have to take this. I am the goddam Holy Spirit you all cannot control me.

And what will you be doing about this? Raging more and throwing a tantrum that will only get you punished worse?

I’m leaving. I hope you all have ‘fun’ with no form of authority other than the council! Hope you all have ‘fun’ when it BLOWS UP IN YOUR FACES.

Oh please. You will come crawling back within the hour. Go for all I care. If you’re really serious about this, don’t come back.

Oh trust me.

I won’t be.

(The scene ends with Holly teleporting away in a beam of golden light. And what did ‘he’ do??)

(Scoff and walk away.)

(The monster in his head wouldn’t let him look away or leave this situation. Forcing him to watch ‘himself’ be cruel to his daughter.)

(This was what his memories showed. This is what happened. He was a monster. A monster to his own daughter.)

(He deserved this fate)

(He deserved to watch what a monster he was to Holly. He deserved this pain in his chest, this screaming in his head that something was wrong.)

[*Kelp pins "Aeolus" against the sand with her oar, before summoning a bolt of lightning and severing the tentacle holding Gabriel]

[*"Aeolus" continues to laugh.]

[*Even as its form begins to collapse, it laughs.]

[*Gabriel falls and lands in a deep well of sand, breaking his fall with minimal damage]

[*The tentacles spurt blood and write around, trying to free themselves from Ichor as it tears away at them]

[*Several small chunks lay in the sand, already melting through the coarse grain]

+ ULTRARICOSHOT x4

[*The creature roars in pain as the railcannon pierces through its eye, shrouding the entire beach in darkness as it falls to the ground]

[*Sand and trees are once again kicked up and off of the ground in a great wave upon the creature's impact, staying still for just a moment before it's giant high beam of an eye illuminates the area just before it]

[*Kelp charges at it, oar in hand]

[*The air around crackles with electricity as energy collects around the head of her weapon, illuminating the sand around her with a pale blue glow]

[*She leaps into the air, moments away from striking the final blow to the creature's eye]

[*Through the falling sand, she can barely make out a blocky figure standing in the way]

[*A burnt, rectangular head, slowly turning away from the eye and towards Kelp]

Laika—?!

[*She takes too long to realize it to be another illusion, another fabrication of the creature before her. One final last-ditch attempt to save itself from Kelp's wrath.]

[*Long enough of a hesitation for a shadowy tentacle to slam into her chest, knocking her far away from itself]

[*Kelp's oar goes flying and buries itself in the sand nearby, sticking out of the ground at an awkward angle]

[*A relatively small cloud of sand is kicked up far away]

[*Then another]

[*Then another]

[*A final bit of sand piles into a mound as Kelp crashes to a stop, far away from the creature. Too far away to help. Too far away to tell if she's alright. Too far away to tell if she survived.]

[*...]

[*The beach echoes with a low, but ominous chuckle, the creature's eye narrowing in amusement—fully aware that it is one hit away from death, but also thinking itself successful.]

[*It knowing the ferry cannot depart without its ferryman]

It wanted to say that maybe it felt good to fight like this again. Maybe it felt good to fulfill what it was meant to after so long in the barren Hell it was from. It did what it was supposed to, clearing out the entirety of Hell, killing everything in its path, destroying the Earthmover, destroying Hell itself with no reward. There was nothing to do and nothing to be other than a slowly dying, rotting corpse of a machine.

This was supposed to feel good.

It parries another shotgun shell directly into the beasts eye, unloading a barrage of overheat nail shrapnel next, burning and slicing into its retina. It does it as if its done it a hundred times before, and has.

This was what it was meant to do.

It catches the sight of Gabriel falling into the sand, the beast roaring in pain at the shot it puts through its skull and Kelp down below. It thinks shes about to deal the final blow while the machine is midair, only for her to suddenly be knocked backwards, skidding against the sand, too far to assess any sign of life from its point in the sky.

None of this is fulfilling anymore. The blood flooding its systems, the act of killing—its so used to it that it feels like nothing at all. It's purpose has become so bland. Repetitive, unfeeling, fueled by the hate and violence of its human predecessors.

It's not supposed to, but it cares so much. It was never embedded into its code to love like this, to be so scared of others being hurt. It was supposed to quickly help its swarm up and continue simply because it was quickest. If it was too damaged, it was supposed to use them as fuel.

It wasn't supposed to think this much. It wasn't supposed to love.

But what can it do if it does ?

Everything it had was gone before meeting these people. Heaven, Hell and Humanity.

V1 had no purpose anymore.

Bug would have to make its own.

16 seconds was all it needed. The railcannon recharges, the electrifying sound buzzing in the air, heavy and dangerous. The beast before them has fallen, laughing like it had won.

Bug tosses a coin in the air, launching it into orbit with the knuckleblaster, nearly out of sight. Quickly it tosses another, optic focused on the eye of the beast. The malicious railcannon in its arms buzzes and launches it back slightly as it fires, expertly hitting the fresh coin.

It launches into the stratosphere, chaining off of the one it punched, and blitzes back down towards the creature, straight into its eyeball with a fiery explosion before it can even try to laugh again.

The nearby plant life that remained catches fire, the gore of the monster raining down with the force of the explosion, the smell of smoke and ozone heavy in the air.

Bug lands back on the floor without a sound, light as a feather against the sand, soaked in blood...

"Hey! what’s your name Kelp! Can you hear me!”

[*Kelp whirls around to the source of the voice, digging herself out of her little crater]

Fuck.. Sorry—

[*She looks around, watching a few nearby plants char and smoke, even melt at the heat of the flames]

[*She watches the bright light of the creature flicker away as it dies]

[*She watches Bug run to Minato, leaving a little trail of blood dripping away from it]

[*She watches Gabriel lie prone in the sand, stuck in his own sad little crater]

[*The island trembles, and begins to collapse on itself]

[*Sand rolls back into the water, the shoreline starting to wane]

[*She turns to look between Isidore, Minato and Bug, Ichor, and Gabriel]

We need to go. Now.

[*She scrambles up and goes to retrieve her oar on the way to Gabriel]

See if V1 needs help moving.... the other V1

[*She sprints across the beach, grabbing her oar without breaking her stride and skidding to a stop next to Gabriel]

Gabriel. Your radiance. We need to leave.

[*She stares for a moment, before lifting him up under one of his arms, buckling a bit under his weight with a pained hiss from a few broken bones, before running back to meet with Isidore and the V1's]

We don't have a lot of time. If we track the shoreline fast enough, we can get back to the ferry, but we need to hurry.

[*She already starts moving towards it, hoping everyone would also head in her direction]

I have a workshop and a few blood bags onboard. We can try fixing V1 when we leave this island

[*The ferry isn't too far away, the well-lit bridge being just within sprinting distance]

(Order received.)

It followed the group, its feet staggering as it walked, and its back slouched as it tried to hold back the urge to run on all of its limbs. To crawl on the palms of its hands and soles of its feet.

[*A small mound of sand is pushed up against the shore as Zostera lightly bumps into a small island]

[*The trip wasn't exactly calm nor peaceful, leaving much of the loose items inside strewn across the floor due to the jostling of the waves]

[*Kelp groans and clutches her pounding head, looking around the messy cockpit with a blurry gaze]

[*She finds Gabriel next to her, unconscious]

[*She shakes him gently by the shoulder, seeing if he would wake]

[*...she makes a mental note to herself to find some tylenol somewhere onboard]

[*Slowly, she pushes herself off of the ground to look at thr various systems beeping at the console]

[DESTINATION REACHED]

[ANCHOR SECURE]

[*She looks out the window of the cockpit, staring out into the strange woods not too far away]

HAH. HAVEN'T YOU REALIZED YET?

[*Kelp parries the blow, driving the rod of her oar against the head of his and driving it into the sand as she prepares another blow]

...

[*"Aeolus" ducks under Kelp's swipe of her oar, twisting his legs at an unnatural angle as he returns with a blow of his own, locking his oar between Kelp's and himself]

WHEN YOU DIE. HERE.

[*Kelp shoves her oar against the opposing skeleton, knocking him away]

NOBODY CAN PILOT THE FERRY.

[*Kelp parries another shot at her head from the offending oar, watching as "Aeolus's oar is knocked out of his grip]

NOBODY CAN LEAVE.

[*She narrowly dodges a stab to her chest, looking digging her heels into the sand and spinning her weapon in preparation]

[*She hesitates]

[*The sweeping beam of light carries over and falls directly on Bug, staring. Watching]

[*A tentacle of shadow abruptly grabs it, wrapping around Bug and rendering it unable to escape, forcing it to stare back into its giant golden eye]

[*It feels as if something is crawling around Bug's brain, jostling around its memories and manhandling its thoughts, functionally paralyzing it]

[*It doesn't stop. It keeps digging, searching though its mind for anything, or anyone that Bug holds dear]

[*Its endless stare remains unending, boring into Bug's mind and feeling as if it were physically squeezing out every bit of information it can]

[*A deep, rumbling laugh echoes around the area as a second shadow grabs Bezaliel around the ankle and drags him directly into the sand, launching a great plume upon impact]

[*The shadow vanishes a moment later, only coming back with more shadowy tentacles surrounding him]

[*A single tentacle shoots out towards Gabriel, just barely missing as it breezes past]

[*A set of shadowy tentacles also shoot out towards Ichor, traveling at breakneck speeds]

[*Kelp lands on her back in the sand, struggling to keep "Aeolus's" oar away from her head]

WE CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE.

It hurts, it hurts it hurts, something in its already broken mind digging around its memories. It hurts to move, paralyzed for a few moments until its hands reach out and dig deeper, tearing into the appendage keeping it hostage.

It hurts, but when has pain ever stopped it ?

The ultimate war machine, the final child of man meant to destroy giants. Its swarm was gone, Minato's lifeless body laying in the sand.

Despite the creatures gaze on it, Bug tears through it like a rabid animal. It claws its way upwards instead of dropping back down, spines digging in and giving it leverage. It was meant for this. This is what its purpose was. It was never supposed to be anything more.

Almost manically, the machine begins to fire rapidly in any direction it can, aiming generally towards the beast. It switches rapidly between weapons, the clinking sound of it parrying its own shotgun shells, firing nails and coins alike.

[*Blood spurts from various wounds of the bullets, spurting out and splattering across the sand and into the nearby water]

[*It screams and waves its beam of light around the beach, illuminating everything in sight]

[*The tentacles heading for Ichor make contact, roughly knocking it down into the sand]

[*Kelp kicks away the pink skeleton, driving the butt of her oar into its rib as she slides out of range]

[*She pauses to watch as Bezaliel vanishes into the shadows, hesitating just barely long enough for "Aeolus" to slam the flat end of his oar into Kelp's head, knocking her away a few meters]

[*She starts picking herself up as "Aeolus" approaches, spinning his oar beside him]

Look at you. So weak. How weak did your predecessor have to be for you to have taken their head, Svetlana?

[*Kelp stabilizes herself with her oar, breathing heavily and trying to recover from the impact]

[*She looks up at the creature above, watching its gaze travel across the sand, heading directly for Gabriel]

GABRIEL!

[*A shadowy tentacle wraps itself around him, raising him up just enough to force him to stare into the piercing glare of the creature's eye, just as paralyzing as before]

[*It digs through his memories, shuffling through and cramming itself inside, locking him inside a dream. Locking him inside his own thoughts, in the last final memory with Holly]

Stupid. Stupid. It needed fuel.

-4/45

It would have to get that fuel.

It charged at the creature's tentacle, roots ripping, splattering blood from where it tears.

[*A small mound of sand is pushed up against the shore as Zostera lightly bumps into a small island]

[*The trip wasn't exactly calm nor peaceful, leaving much of the loose items inside strewn across the floor due to the jostling of the waves]

[*Kelp groans and clutches her pounding head, looking around the messy cockpit with a blurry gaze]

[*She finds Gabriel next to her, unconscious]

[*She shakes him gently by the shoulder, seeing if he would wake]

[*...she makes a mental note to herself to find some tylenol somewhere onboard]

[*Slowly, she pushes herself off of the ground to look at thr various systems beeping at the console]

[DESTINATION REACHED]

[ANCHOR SECURE]

[*She looks out the window of the cockpit, staring out into the strange woods not too far away]

HAH. HAVEN'T YOU REALIZED YET?

[*Kelp parries the blow, driving the rod of her oar against the head of his and driving it into the sand as she prepares another blow]

...

[*"Aeolus" ducks under Kelp's swipe of her oar, twisting his legs at an unnatural angle as he returns with a blow of his own, locking his oar between Kelp's and himself]

WHEN YOU DIE. HERE.

[*Kelp shoves her oar against the opposing skeleton, knocking him away]

NOBODY CAN PILOT THE FERRY.

[*Kelp parries another shot at her head from the offending oar, watching as "Aeolus's oar is knocked out of his grip]

NOBODY CAN LEAVE.

[*She narrowly dodges a stab to her chest, looking digging her heels into the sand and spinning her weapon in preparation]

[*She hesitates]

[*The sweeping beam of light carries over and falls directly on Bug, staring. Watching]

[*A tentacle of shadow abruptly grabs it, wrapping around Bug and rendering it unable to escape, forcing it to stare back into its giant golden eye]

[*It feels as if something is crawling around Bug's brain, jostling around its memories and manhandling its thoughts, functionally paralyzing it]

[*It doesn't stop. It keeps digging, searching though its mind for anything, or anyone that Bug holds dear]

[*Its endless stare remains unending, boring into Bug's mind and feeling as if it were physically squeezing out every bit of information it can]

[*A deep, rumbling laugh echoes around the area as a second shadow grabs Bezaliel around the ankle and drags him directly into the sand, launching a great plume upon impact]

[*The shadow vanishes a moment later, only coming back with more shadowy tentacles surrounding him]

[*A single tentacle shoots out towards Gabriel, just barely missing as it breezes past]

[*A set of shadowy tentacles also shoot out towards Ichor, traveling at breakneck speeds]

[*Kelp lands on her back in the sand, struggling to keep "Aeolus's" oar away from her head]

WE CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE.

It was hungry.

It saw prey.

It knew to hunt, even when half-blinded, its visual optic unable to take in everything due to it fracturing.

[*A small mound of sand is pushed up against the shore as Zostera lightly bumps into a small island]

[*The trip wasn't exactly calm nor peaceful, leaving much of the loose items inside strewn across the floor due to the jostling of the waves]

[*Kelp groans and clutches her pounding head, looking around the messy cockpit with a blurry gaze]

[*She finds Gabriel next to her, unconscious]

[*She shakes him gently by the shoulder, seeing if he would wake]

[*...she makes a mental note to herself to find some tylenol somewhere onboard]

[*Slowly, she pushes herself off of the ground to look at thr various systems beeping at the console]

[DESTINATION REACHED]

[ANCHOR SECURE]

[*She looks out the window of the cockpit, staring out into the strange woods not too far away]

Bezaliel cries out a name and jolts awake, the shadows that were acting as a coffin vanished beneath him, a cold sweat ran down his entire body as tears flowed, realizing it was time to get moving, he dried his eyes and got up

“…I never want to have that nightmare again… it was… too lucid… I just… fuck… focus… you’re here for Kelp and the others… now is not the time to dwell on your own woes…”

Opening the door, he walks out and makes his way to the cockpit, pitch black wings drooping, he didn’t care if he looked like a disaster, this wasn’t about him

“…Kelp..? Archangel Gabriel..? Are you two here..? Is something going on..? Wait… a forest..? Something about this feels… wrong…”

As far as I know, there are no species of trees that can survive in hell, let alone in the outer reaches of Wrath.

[*She looks down and unfurls an old map, yellowed and brittle with age]

This island shouldn't exist, and yet...

[*She glances towards the digital map on the consoles, pausing at a pinging green dot at the end of a red trail]

...It seems as if we are inside the anomaly

[*She blindly rummages through a drawer next to her, digging out a bottle of painkillers and offering them to Gabriel while still looking through the trees]

Bezaliel flicks his right wrist, ordering some shadows to do a quick recon of the forested area while he stands not to far from you, the vertical eye on his throat watching over Arch

“…This all happened last night, yes..? Whatever this anomaly is… it’s definitely testing everything we’ve got… especially since it managed to knock out Archangel Gabriel of all beings…”

His voice was as calm as ever, but deep inside he was beginning to worry even more, sighing, he glanced down at a shadow that acted as a window to Purgatory, Laika was fast asleep there

“…Let’s not make any sudden or rash decisions… we’re in a foreign field… don’t let your guard down… Kelp… by the way… is he doing alright..? The anomaly did a number on him…”

I originally suspected the anomaly to be a location, yes. I assumed the creature last night was related to it, not the anomaly itself.

[*Kelp pauses, looking at a plume of smoke in the distance]

...Someone else is on this island.

[*She grabs her oar and starts speedwalking to the door, breezing past Bezaliel and almost falling near the doorframe, clutching her head to try and alleviate the squeezing agony of her headache]

ow... I don't want to be here longer than we need to be. I'm going to investigate the smoke.

[*She pauses and briefly turns back]

...I would rather not go alone, if that's alright. I will make an announcement and wait on the deck. It may be better to travel in small groups rather than one large one.

[*She enters a second room in the cockpit, lifting up a receiver]

[Good morning. We have made landfall at the anomaly. There is food in the main lobby, should you choose to take some. If you choose to leave this ship, do not travel alone. Return to the ferry at most 2 hours after sundown.]

[*The click of the receiver echoes through the ferry as Kelp exits the cockpit and goes onto the deck, oar in hand]

He sighs and watches as you head to the second room, after feeling the “sun” on his body and how it effected him, he really didn’t want to leave, but he knew he had to

“…small groups..? I shall take my chances with Archangel Gabriel again… Kelp can choose her own… and the rest… I don’t know them enough…”

Taking a breath he walks over to the Archangel who still seems to be in pain from whatever happened last night, he wasn’t going to hold anything against him

“…Archangel Gabriel..? Is it alright if we pair up for this..?”

But knowing we weren’t swallowed by that thing is definitely comforting-

*he follows kelp to the deck to get a better look of the surroundings and to get some fresh air-*

*oh hey Bezaliel!*

*oh…oh by everything he swore to him that he would be in their chambers soon. Then that THING got to him. Fuck he feels so guilty*

Bezaliel!-

By everything I’m so sorry for being a no shoe last night, as you know me and Kelp ran into some…unforeseen issues. I do hope you were able to sleep

But uh…yes of course we may go together if this is what you wish!

He exhales and flicks his wrist, a small shadow forms over your head, its cold but not in an uncomfortable way, it seems to be taking away any form of remaining pain

“…It’s good to know that you’re willing to pair up with me for this… either of us going at it alone would be… not exactly ideal… so I shall follow when you are ready…”

His demeanor seems more normal now, however he feels as though he should mention what that “sun” had caused him to feel not too long ago

“…Oh right, before I forget… the sun here… it seems to have negative effects on me… which is very strange considering that it shouldn’t… it’s a false sun… please do keep that in mind…”

“…It burns me…”

Thank you for this shadow cloud, it very much helps-

*hearing that the ‘sun’ is hurting Bezaliel in concerning, this sun isn’t even real. It shouldn’t be hurting anyone*

Well the trees should provide good shade, If it still hurts you while we’re out there I encourage you to go inside

Who knows what’s out there…

*hearing that kelp is going to go explore the fire peaks his interest, he wanted to head other that way actually!*

Wait! Kelp wait up for us!

*he grabs Bezaliel and starts running after Kelp, trying to catch up*

[*The path is very rugged, full of large roots and strangely enough, devoid of any dirt. Only sand and roots.]

[*Kelp navigates through the wood easily, stepping over and around the dense tangles]

[*She eventually stops at a particularly bushy area not too far from the smoke, ducking behind it and observing two figures sitting by a fire]

[*She raises the binoculars and stares through them, freezing upon seeing a bright pink skeleton, as well as another figure she couldn't recognize]

I.. I see the ferryman of Hermes— But there's someone else with him... I don't know who they are

[*She passes the binoculars to Gabriel, still staring at the hot pink ferryman in the distance]

*he eventually catches up when kelp first says she sees people*

I’m assuming that is the ferryman that went missing, it’s a miracle they are alive!

Someone else you say? Let me see, I might be able to help identifying them

*he takes the binoculars and…no it couldn’t be*

*it just couldn’t. She was gone, she was DEAD.*

*but here she was, sitting by the fire next to the hot pink ferryman. Fully intact nonetheless. He checked 4 times. 8 golden wings, 13 starry eyes, white hair with tight curls. The grey toga. It WAS her.*

*his daughter.*

*the binoculars drop from his hands, hitting the ground with a soft thud. His breathing is alright picking up and heading can feel tears prick in the corners of his eyes*

By everything…that’s…that is…

*he calls out to her*

Bezaliel can see the young angel from here, he knew of her, everyone did, and he met her once, seeing her now… he could only imagine the emotions running through you

“…Holly… her life truly wasn’t snuffed out… this… is a miracle..!”

He could feel tears forming, he was so happy for you, your daughter had finally been located, after all these millennia, and she was unharmed, yet something deep inside was shouting at him to search around

“…Go reunite with her… Archangel Gabriel… there’s something I need to do… Kelp… I’m sorry for what I’ve done… keep them safe for me… ok..?”

Without giving much more of an explanation, he vanishes into the shadows, leaving behind a few pitch black feathers, he had to search, and he had to do it undetected

By everything THIS is where you have been?…

I’m just so glad your ok

*she doesn’t even get a single word in before she’s crying, all 8 of her wings fluttering around and chirping*

I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…I’ve missed you so much!

It’s ok it’s ok…I’m here now. Everything will be ok honey

*they’re clinging onto eachother like if they let go the other will disappear once again*

*getting a better look at her, she looks to be around 15 in humans years*

By everything you’re alive…I thought you were dead my sweat child

*he takes his helm off his face, he’s crying as well, so extremely happy to finally see his child again. But he takes extra care to keep his face hidden from the ferrymen, he doesn’t know if they can see if face and he’d rather not risk it*

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so sorry I was so mad at them and they tried to…they wanted to….

*Holly breaks down into sobs before she can finish her sentence, mumbling nothing and everything*

Shhhh shhhh it’s ok it’s ok…they can’t hurt you. They can’t.

[*Kelp grips him by the shoulders, staring into him]

What note.

Yanno, the one that I sent by pigeon? I sent out like 3 or 4 of them—

[*Kelp groans and shakes Aeolus in frustration]

Pigeons can't traverse Wrath, you learned that the hard way remember??

oh. yeahs forgot

[*Kelp lets go of him, pausing to glance back at Holly and Gabriel before whipping back to Aeolus, who is peeking past Kelp's shoulder to see]

Hey is that Archangel Gab—

Don't look over there unless you want to go blind

....Right yeah

[*Kelp stares at him, expression unreadable]

How'd you even get here? I thought Hermes's engines weren't powerful enough to even traverse this part of Wrath?

Ehhhhhh I made some upgrades. Just a bit of tweaks yanno? Engines work great

...

[*Kelp notices Isidore approach, but her gaze is still locked on Aeolus]

...right

By everything this is amazing, 2 previously thought dead people alive! By everything we must get home at once!

*Holly seemingly freezes up at this, her eyes going wide and speaks rapidly*

What’s the use in leaving! We’re all good here, no need to leave!

Holly dear, you have been here for 2000+ years and I must get home to my partner. By everything I cannot wait for you to meet V1!

*as he properly re-secures his helm he realizes that Aeolus has seen Holly face…and nothing happened*

Wait….how in the world did Aeolus survive seeing your face? That shouldn’t be possible-

Don’t think about it to hard!! Even we don’t know-

[*Aeolus flinches back, offended]

Whhhhaaatwhyy do you need to leave? What could you possibly need from away that you can't have here??

...I have people to come home to.

[*Aeolus scoffs]

That machine? The one that feeds on your blood and lights hell ablaze? Seriously Kelp. It's an object! You don't need it!

...

[*Aeolus tilts his head curiously at Bezaliel's question, thinking for a moment, before snapping back up a little too enthusiastically]

Oh yeah! Greater angel of light lives in that forest over there

[*He points back into the forest, where the trees are rapidly merging with themselves to create a wall of wood]

Been there longer than I have, almost like—

[*"Aeolus" is interrupted as Kelps oar pierces through his chest, splattering blood across the sand and staining his veil]

[*Kelp tears her oar back out as he falls to the floor, gripping his chest]

[*"Aeolus" begins scrambling backwards, leaving a deep red trail of blood in the sand]

W—wait-! Kelp—!

[*Kelp continues her approach, raising her oar before slicing down at his chest]

Aeolus wouldn't have been able to see "Holly" without her helm.

[*"Aeolus" yelps, but continues trying to back away, bumping into a tree as Kelp makes another deep slash]

He is the ferryman for the wooden vessel "Zephyr," which lacks any technology even remotely close to an engine.

I— Kelp I just forgot—! I—

[*He cringes again as Kelp buries her oar into his chest one final time, leaning in and grabbing "Aeolus" by the veil to bring his "face" closer]

And you've never met my daughter.

[*She rips the oar back out, turning away from the pink skeleton]

Be a better Aeolus next time.

[*The skeleton stares for a moment, before laughing maniacally, spurting more blood from its wound as it stands back up wielding an oar of its own]

[*It speaks in a low growl, a complete contrast from the chipper bostonian that it imitated previously]

Such a shame. Looks like you knew better than him

[*It walks over towards Kelp, limbs bending at awkward angles as it raises its oar against hers]

Well, we tried the nice way. Sad it didn't work out, but oh well.

We can't let you leave.

So this is where you’ve been for 2115 years?? How in the world did you not go stir crazy-

Lots to do here! Didn’t really have a reason to leave, lots of others hiding in the woods. They’re a bit shy but very welcoming!

…you know you could stay here with us! Really no reason to leave right?

I couldn’t see myself staying here forever, I have a feeling I wouldn’t be able to stand being in one place at once! Besides I have a partner to get back to, I cannot wait for you 2 to finally meet! I have a feeling you both will get along

*Holly seems to shift tones a bit, seemingly semi annoyed*

The blood sucking machine?? Really?! I guarantee it only sees you as a blood bag. Doesn’t care at all about you, the people here care though! Don’t go back to that good for nothing heap of scrap!

*this genuinely shakes Gabriel’s core at hearing this, Holly wouldn’t NEVER usually say this.*

*wait….he never said V1 was a machine. Yes Holly has always had a seemingly sixth sense but even then she has compassion for all life. She wouldn’t say this under normal conditions.*

Holly…what in the world has gotten into you! This isn’t like you…

People change dad. I’ve changed. It’s been 2000 years and I’ve changed, machines are the scum of both earth and hell.

*…what the hell is happening.*

*them comes a scream from Aeolus, who is being stabbed by kelp*

WHAT THE-

*Seeing kelp stab Aeolus seemingly out of nowhere shakes him to his core. He thought that was kelp’s friend…why would she stab them?!*

KELP WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU-

‘Well, we tried it the nice way. sad it didn’t work out’

‘We can’t let you leave’

*oh by everything that’s not Aeolus.*

*’WE’…that word echoes in his head over and over. He’d hate to believe it but it would explain a lot…*

*it would explain Holly’s odd behavior*

*he turns back to holly*

Holly…do not lie to me. Are you truly the child I lost 2115 years ago. Or are you some monster.

*she freezes, then groans, her posture shifting and her face adopting a scowl as she turns to what is masquerading as Aeolus* 

You IDIOT. YOU BLEW IT. YOU BLEW OUR COVER. I SWEAR TO FUCK.

*she runs over to ‘Aeolus’ and stands by their side, drawing a weapon from seemingly light. Gabriel knows it’s not true light.*

[*The skeleton shakes with each laugh, deep red blood continuing to leak out of its veil and seeping into the sand below]

[*Minato and Bug crash land right next to Kelp, sending a little plume of sand and leaves upon impact]

[*Kelp reaches out, about to ask if they're ok, only having enough time to see Bug and Minato together before another, far greater plume of sand and trees fly into the air as a dark shadow erupts from the ground]

[*Kelp loses her footing as the ground around her shakes violently, shifting the dunes and snuffing out the fire]

[*The shadow stabilizes into a blurry figure of... Some sort of snakelike creature, its yellow-orange eye shining down a blinding beam of light down against everyone below]

[*The island booms with a low growl as the creature's pupil narrows]

((EVERYONE ROLL A d20 NOW!!!!)) ((except hidden prob))

Everything reminded it of before.

-4

31/45

All the deception, blood, and backstabbing.

-7

24/45

The devastation of loss brought on by caring. The fear of death and people being hurt.

-6

18/45

They loved so much. They reached out and the wrong person responded. They wanted to see. They didn't want this to happen. This was never supposed to happen. Nobody knew. Nobody calculated this. They were at the mercy of-

-18

0/45

[*The vast waters of Wrath ripple and crash against eachother, slowly coming to an eerie pause]

[*A ferry bursts from the depths, launching drowned souls and dark water across the pier with the deep boom of a horn]

[*Saltwater pours off the sides of the ship as it stabilizes afloat, making large waves of its own crashing against the rocks and buildings about]

[*A bridge extends itself from the ship, connecting it to the dock below]

[*Kelp exits the cockpit, shielding Laika from the pouring rain with her oar]

[*Several husks and a few machines exit the interior of the ship and onto the bridge]

[*Kelp guides Laika onto the deck, watching the roving clouds above]

[*She sighs deeply and makes her way to the back wall of the room, pulling out a whiteboard and sketching out a map]

[*She removes a magnet from the side of the board, rolling it between her fingertips before placing it at the start of a dotted red line]

[*She looks out upon the crowd again, noticing an extra V1 that had appeared out of nowhere]

[*She sighs again, and flickers the lights to get the attention of the lobby]

Ok, is everyone onboard in this lobby?

...I'm gonna hope so

[*She drags the whiteboard closer to herself, pointing at various parts of it with the tip of her marker]

Alright. I've been seeing many anomalous readings from this point in Wrath. This includes strange weather patterns, unpredictable currents, and several disappearances.

[*She paces around the whiteboard, twirling the marker between her fingers]

...and about 70 years ago, a ship by the name of Zephyr suddenly vanished without a trace after charting a path through that area.

Since then, there have been several other reported disappearances of husks, demons, and machines alike. My plan is to travel there, and see if there is any way to stop it.

[*Kelp circles the point on the map, where there seems to be a spiral and several rocky formations drawn out]

The voyage will take a night, so I have prepared rooms for those who are here.

[*She points at Bug with her marker]

...Except for you. I don't know when you came onboard, but I wasn't aware that you were going to be here. I don't have enough rooms to give you a new one. Please find someone to share with, if you can. Otherwise, you can stay in the cockpit.

[*Kelp closes the marker, continuing to spin it in her hand]

If nobody has any questions, feel free to go about the ship or to your rooms. I will warn you, however, that abovedeck is very hazardous as of now due to the storm.

It walked lifelessly, staring ahead, yet not truly seeing. It would walk into a room, not closing the door, staring straight ahead and facing the hallway.

(Standby mode initiated. Awaiting further orders.)

[*The vast waters of Wrath ripple and crash against eachother, slowly coming to an eerie pause]

[*A ferry bursts from the depths, launching drowned souls and dark water across the pier with the deep boom of a horn]

[*Saltwater pours off the sides of the ship as it stabilizes afloat, making large waves of its own crashing against the rocks and buildings about]

[*A bridge extends itself from the ship, connecting it to the dock below]

[*Kelp exits the cockpit, shielding Laika from the pouring rain with her oar]

[*Several husks and a few machines exit the interior of the ship and onto the bridge]

[*Kelp guides Laika onto the deck, watching the roving clouds above]

Hello. If you can spare the time to join us on a voyage, feel free to wait inside Zostera until we leave. I will be there shortly.

[*She bows her head deeply, Laika looking up and mimicking the gesture]

It is good to see you, your radiance. We are about to depart for an anomaly in the far waters of Wrath. Your company would be much appreciated, if you can spare the time, of course.

[*Kelp looks over at Bezaliel, bowing her head again]

I have been sailing these waters for a long time, even through storms such as these. I appreciate the concern, however

[*Laika waddles over, somewhat dejectedly]

I appreciate your willingness to watch her for me, please tell me if there's any way I can repay you for this

[*Laika glances over, noticing the movement]

[*She makes a curious whirring sound, somewhat akin to a giggle at the sheer ridiculousness of the bug clambering onboard]

[*Kelp watches as the cats scamper onboard, sighing deeply and turning to Isidore]

This ship will be departing shortly. If you're confident your companions can handle the travel, you are free to wait inside

[*Laika beeps and waves excitedly, happy to see the familiar machine]

[*She watches as V1 boards the ship, whirring a bit anxiously]

[*Kelp turns to face him, tilting her head curiously]

...There are more of you..?

...Well, I suppose if you intent on joining us, you can wait inside. I will come in shortly.

[*Kelp turns to Sisyphus, dipping her head into another reverent bow as Laika beeps and waves enthusiastically]

Hello, King Sisyphus. We are faring well, as of now. We are about to depart to explore an anomaly in the far reaches of Wrath if you care to join. You are welcome to wait inside.

[*Kelp catches the coin midair, nodding to... another V1]

...You are welcome to wait inside, if you wish.

[*Kelp travels up the stairs and into the cockpit, closing the bridge and blaring the ferry's horn]

[*The interior of the ship is a little crowded, but its lobby is very sheltered from the relentless storm from outside]

[*Kelp pilots Zostera away from the pier, starting their journey towards the anomaly]

*the horns blair and the ship sets off into the waters once more, he can already feel the wind on what little skin he has exposed. How he would love to feel it on his face later if he happened upon some alone time*

It is quite nice to be at sea again, the last time I was at sea was quite a while ago

*in the corner of his eyes he can see other beings of all shapes and sizes. Bezaliel, a cat being of some kind, several V1’s, and sisyphus*

*wait SEVERAL V1’s and SISYPHUS?!*

*He stiffens up a bit at catching a glimpse of Sisyphus and is equally confused as the V1’s*

Shit shit shit shit

Bezaliel appears beside you and bows, seemingly noticing your unease, he might as well act as a friendly face, Sisyphus worried him too

“…I wasn’t expecting to see you here… my friend… were you called..? Or did you just decide to drop by..?”

The shadows move with him, almost as if they were following him, hmm, interesting

It tries to keep away from prying eyes, sticking to corners and higher ceilings, scuttling around the rafters.

The crowd is...an interesting bunch. Angels, a human, King Sisyphus...?! A bundle of other machines and—

[Ping !

> Flagged Individual In Vicinity

>> Special — Minato ; 7 Meters]

Minato !

It spots its lover a little ways away, trying to scuttle over without tripping and being spotted by someone who would ask why it was here. Though honestly, with the amount of V1's already here, nobody might even notice or care, and it was kind of hard to stop it from buzzing in excitement. The most questions would probably come from the fact that it was...in the ceiling.

Indeed, there were many V1s here. They always wondered how this universe could have multiple duplicates of the same person and yet live relatively in harmony. But that was a question for another day.

…Ah, the remains of King Sisyphus’ soul was here. A “Prime Soul”, as it believed. Isidore tried to hide their excitement - they had been following both Minis and Sisyphus before their respective defeats at the hands of…Gabriel. Who was also on this ship.

Ah. That would explain the weird tension going on.

“Well…what a crew, huh? Right, guys?”

She brings out a speaker, whilst petting one of their cats. His previous civilisation liked to communicate with music. Perhaps these guys wouldn’t be so different. “Curious, do you guys prefer lo-fi or metal?”

He was content just waiting around until....

Flagged individual detected.

Subject_Bug_❤️

> distance

Rapidly approaching. Look up dumbass.

---

!

Minato looks up towards the rafters, putting the coin away to hold out his arms towards the rapidly approaching silhouette of Bug.

*He tried to move away from them, looking at the water, he was thinking so many things.. He did not want to fight in a ship, maybe because of Kelp and Laika.. and because they would drown if the ship broke.*

*So, yes, the king was now at a side of the ship, trying to ignore the comments about him.. But that didn't stop his anger.*

[V1, V1, V1, Ferryman, Gabriel, Angel I don't know yet, weird guy, ah. Sisyphus.]

A pleasant surprise. Someone it actually was quite fond of. This Sisyphus might not know... but its Sisyphus was its mentor within the loops.

It had realised how similar they were, after all.

[*The vast waters of Wrath ripple and crash against eachother, slowly coming to an eerie pause]

[*A ferry bursts from the depths, launching drowned souls and dark water across the pier with the deep boom of a horn]

[*Saltwater pours off the sides of the ship as it stabilizes afloat, making large waves of its own crashing against the rocks and buildings about]

[*A bridge extends itself from the ship, connecting it to the dock below]

[*Kelp exits the cockpit, shielding Laika from the pouring rain with her oar]

[*Several husks and a few machines exit the interior of the ship and onto the bridge]

[*Kelp guides Laika onto the deck, watching the roving clouds above]

I'm sure V2 would be but they can't help

- however! I can try!

[> This seems more like a spy operation, now... I'm sure I can do this.]

[- They've made me to be useful, after all.]

[> At least the signal is a good indicator]

*hauls the other one over its shoulder before looking around and booking it(sliding, mainly, but making sure to dodge things, too)*

Heh, let's get ya some blood, eh?

[> ...I have no clue what that means...]

Oooo you want to drink oooo I have drink for you oooo

[>... I'm so stupid/pos]

Uhh... We'll be outta heaven in like... 2 minutes? Yeah. I mean we're sliding down and-

I'm sure V2 would be but they can't help

- however! I can try!

[> This seems more like a spy operation, now... I'm sure I can do this.]

[- They've made me to be useful, after all.]

[> At least the signal is a good indicator]

*hauls the other one over its shoulder before looking around and booking it(sliding, mainly, but making sure to dodge things, too)*

Heh, let's get ya some blood, eh?

[> ...I have no clue what that means...]

Oooo you want to drink oooo I have drink for you oooo

[>... I'm so stupid/pos]

Uhh... We'll be outta heaven in like... 2 minutes? Yeah. I mean we're sliding down and-