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[reparator]

Who: ? ? ?
When: OOC: 11/03, IC: 11/18
Where: Cerealia
What: Well, that sure went wrong quickly.
Rating/Warning: PG-13 for dangerous/scary situations

---

//event???.EXE

The quiet of Cerealia is interrupted almost all too suddenly. Things were broken and not working before, sure, but that was before the sky opened up -- and the clouds part. And then, above the planet, hovering almost innocently...there’s a ship. The peace only hovers there for a moment. Because then...then the Flamines come. There’s a debt they have to settle. And the time has come to pay up. We're here. :)

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ ❓❓❓ ] And then the Flamines are there. They just appear, suddenly, as if from nowhere. They’re a race of mercenary aliens, and fighting is all they know -- they’re definitely not going to be easy to kill by any means. They seem to have a natural resistance to magic: aside from very specific types of magic (in particular, light magic and anything highly spiritual), they absorb it. Light magic and spiritual magic can harm them, but it will take a lot to take one down. They can be stabbed, if you can get that close. But good luck. Of course, they look like nondescript black shapes with masks until you knock the mask off...and then you can see the true shape of the Flamines. They’re here to kill you all. :) PHASE II [ ❓❓❓ ] As if that isn’t enough… it seems the Flamines’ arrival was the last straw for Cerealia and the Nexus Code. There’s a tear in the sky, and from it… the Nexus Code, where all of the lost friends from before, can be seen. It can be entered, even, though remaining there too long can be detrimental to your health. But people are there. Old friends, strung up and lifeless, can be seen there, unmoving. And… Then some of them move. They open their eyes. They remember how to breathe. And they’re able to return, able to stagger their way back into Cerealia and take their first breath of air in a long, long time. Welcome back to the chaos of Cerealia, friends. Unfortunately, you’ve got nothing but the clothes on your back while murderous aliens are rampaging, so hopefully you’re able to think fast. It’d be unfortunate to die so soon after coming back. As for spiritual and magical characters who were not in the Nexus Code...well, when they return, they’ll find that they’re covered in old, dried blood, and their clothing might have tears in it, as if from a knife. There are no scars, though, and they’re otherwise fine. Strange. PHASE III [ ❓❓❓ ] As if this chaos isn’t enough… there are also the masks. Regardless of whether or not characters were around to receive them the first time, regardless what they did with them before, the masks will suddenly reappear in your characters’ hands. They can be tossed aside, but they’ll reappear again eventually, unable to be truly shaken. Characters who received them before will receive the same mask they had before. Characters who didn’t receive them before will receive a mask according to the trait that’s more prominent for them. Either way...it’ll have a profound effect on the Flamines. They will go after any character with a broken mask in a bloodthirsty rage, intent on murdering them. Characters with a barcode mask or bloody mask will be the next likely to be chased down intently by the Flamines. Characters with a :( mask will be killed if they get in the Flamines’ way, though they will not go out of their way to chase them down. Characters with a vine mask or feather mask will be treated with wariness, though they may still be attacked if they get in a Flamines’ way. Characters with a grey mask will not be killed unless they are first the aggressor, as will characters with a bloody fingerprint mask. Naturally there will be exceptions to every rule, but the masks will change how the Flamines’ generally act towards characters! PHASE IV [ ❓❓❓ ] But something’s not quite right. Regardless of the battles against the Flamines, it seems Cerealia’s just been under too much pressure lately. Something had to give -- And it’s the code building up the characters that really suffers. Their code has been hanging on by a thread without CERES to maintain it, and now… it’s finally giving out. The glitches that afflicted characters before will be even more prominent now; they might glitch from place to place, or have their powers go totally awry in odd ways. There may be a lack of powers suddenly, or a sudden difficulty staying on the ground as gravity stops working on the character. They might suddenly be unable to breathe, or go cold, or very nearly die -- But it can be controlled, too, with effort. Characters can learn to control the glitches, gaining an ability to almost teleport, or ways to tweak their powers in exciting new ways. With a lot of effort, they could even possibly reverse a death -- but only their own, and only once. BONUS [ ❓❓❓ ] There are also… birds? Flamingos, to be exact. Who knows where they came from, but either way, there are plastic flamingos chilling all over the place. They’re just normal plastic; they don’t move, they can very easily be destroyed -- But if you touch one with your bare hands… it’ll have an interesting effect. Characters will suddenly find that they have the abilities or the last person they touched -- but without any of the practice or ability to control it, of course. Still, it might help with that pesky Flamines problem, right? [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to the beginning of Cerealia's endgame event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will begin 11/03, or IC 11/18. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you!

Comments

[beaconed]

(A)
There's a day when all hearts will be broken
When a shadow will cast out the light

[ When the Flamines bring out their best warriors, it only makes sense that Cerealia responds in kind. Could Jaune be one of the best warriors? Not even close. What he has proven himself to be is an effective leader, or in some special cases, even a strategist. As the city falls into further chaos, Jaune has coordinated a small firing line on top of an artillery store, composed entirely of volunteer NPCs and possibly even you!

If you're not up on the roof sniping or shooting bazookas, then perhaps you're fighting on the ground and Jaune has a visual on you. Speaking through a radio frequency, he contacts your general group: ]

How many survivors?!

--

[ Alternatively! Jaune has set up a group of three NPCS to ambush an incoming Flamine, but what nobody could have predicted this early on is their enemy's fast reflexes. Needless to say, Jaune watches all three warriors get slaughtered within seconds, and he hates that it had to be from the safety of a rooftop. ]

NO!!! ...D-Damn it, what am I doing here?! I have to get down there...!

[ Stop him, or join him?? ]

(B)
And our eyes cry a million tears
Help won't arrive

[ It's glitching time! And not of the fun kind. It seems that Jaune has ultimately joined the fray below, but his valor amounts to nothing when he suddenly... shrinks?? Jaune is now the size of a smurf just trying not to get hit by flying inanimate objects. Perhaps you're sharing the same glitch?

If you're just your regular size, then you'll see Jaune balancing on a can of soda as it rolls down the street. ]

(C)
There's a day when all courage collapses
And our friends turn and leave us behind

[ As Jaune and a Flamine charge at each other, Jaune slides underneath the monster's grip and quickly turns around to strike it, only to be kicked so hard that he immediately loses half his Aura as he tumbles backwards.

Refusing to stay down for long, Jaune rises to his feet again and tries to think of a way to deal with his opponent's speed. ]

Uh, guys?! Anyone? Could use a little help here.

[ There's nothing weird about this so far. No, the only unusual about this whole thing is that this entire scene took place vertically, on the side of a skyscraper that stretches up. Somehow, Jaune's latest glitch has given him the means to manipulate gravity around him, although he has no idea how he's doing it. It explains why the Flamine is able to stand vertically, too, at least. You, too, for that matter! ]

(D)
Creatures of darkness will triumph
The sun won't rise

[ By now, Jaune seems to have learned to harness whatever random glitch power is bestowed upon him next. Not that the last two were of much use to begin with, but this latest one is just the fighting edge that he needs to turn things around. ]

Alright, time to push them back!! [ Jaune glows white for a moment and phases through an incoming Flamine, surprising it as the glow fades and he's solid again, immediately slicing it through the back. The downside? His senses will work less each time he uses it, starting with smell, then taste, and eventually the rest. ]

If anyone needs shelter, follow me at once! Fight if you can, but don't go out there to die! [ Please don't die, he's seen enough of it by now. ]

(E)
When we've lost all hope
and succumb to fear

[ As the battle goes on and with some team effort, Jaune and the locals manage to knock a Flamine's mask off, revealing it's true form to the surprise of everyone. Somehow, the true form is even more vicious and quickly slaughters another small unit, leaving Jaune to fall to his knees in terror. Interestingly enough, it makes note of Jaune's mask attached to his belt and... does nothing for now. ]

I-Impossible... there's nothing we can do...!

[ His shaky hands reach for the energy gun in his holster, although he's aware that it won't do anything in this situation. Maybe he just doesn't want to die a coward, even if courage is hard to find right now.

Do you step in to fight, too? If not, the Flamine has determined that Jaune is no longer a threat and moves on elsewhere. ... Wait, what??? ]

(F)
As the skies rain blood
and the end draws near

[ Jaune had seen the sky open up, but more importantly, there were some familiar faces that he thinks he saw come out of it. Even more worryingly, there were some folks in the Nexus Code that Jaune hadn't seen come out of there. Not that he would wish it upon his friends to be brought back to this horror, but it's all the more reason for him to run over to the place where most of them had dropped. For what it's worth, their appearance could potentially turn the numbers to their side again, Jaune knows well enough that better warriors than him ended up in the Nexus Code. ]

HEY!! Can you fight?!

[ Whether your character knows him or not, he's currently a little bit hard to recognize with the blood splatter all over him. Honestly, he looks more like a maniac trying to challenge you than anything. ]

(G)
I MAY FALL (but not like this)

[ Of course Jaune touched a Flamingo. What's with them anyway?! In doing so, he seems to have temporarily inherited Pyrrha's Semblance, giving him powers to manipulate magnetic objects. That much is obvious when Jaune crawls out of some debris, with hundreds of tiny metallic objects like screws and bolts stuck to his body. You better not have anything metallic on you, too, or you'll find it's being drawn to him! As for Jaune, he's pressing on as if it's business as usual. ]

How many of us are left? [ In juxtaposition to the comical effect, there is actually some gravity in his words. ] We need everyone in one group, otherwise the Flamines are just... ugh, we can't lose any more.

✮ ✮ WILDCARD ✮ ✮

( I love wildcards ! )

G

[zerotohiro]

Oh no.

[What was that about metallic objects? Baymax finds himself being pulled suddenly by the strong power of Pyrrha's Semblance, but what's weird is that it's not toward Pyrrha but Jaune. Hiro's busy trying to grab Baymax's other arm to get him to stop but finds himself being dragged right along.]

Argh, stop moving! [But to answer Jaune's question:] We've been trying to get an aerial count but it's way too hard with everybody running around. A lot of people are taking shelter in the apartments though.

[beaconed]

Hiro... [ And hi, Baymax. ]

Just what in Dust happened here? Didn't they agree to hand Bellona over to them? [ Curiously, he says they and not "we". ] Where's Mosley?!

[zerotohiro]

Yeah, that was the vote. [He's still digging his heels into the ground. At least the magnetic draw is pretty slow.] And I don't know! I already tried texting him and he's not answering me. You think he went back into hiding?

[beaconed]

Well - let's not assume anything yet. [ Even though Jaune can't help but feel like Mosley abandoned ship.

...
Stares at Baymax, then back at Hiro. ]

I-Is he gonna be okay?!

[zerotohiro]

Hard not to, isn't it? [Truthfully he's pretty bummed. Mosley said they had a deal in place but now...he shakes his head.]

I don't know what's wrong with him. Usually nothing pulls him like this. [It's a combination of Baymax's armor being made of metal, a few upgrades Hiro's put into him, glitches through the colony and more.] Did...you fall into a toolshed or what? [He's just gesturing to all of the screws and bolts attached to Jaune currently.]

[beaconed]

Even if I told you all the places I've fallen into today, you wouldn't know the half of--oh god!

[ Yeah, his memory of how he got Pyrrha's Semblance is slowly returning to him, as well as how he ended up in a pile of rubble. ]

Pyrrha! Please tell me you've seen her!

C

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee can run on walls anyway!! But regardless of the details, he arrives on the scene just in time.]

Do not worry, Jaune-kun! I will help you out!

[beaconed]

Rock! [ Jaune scrambles his way to stand side-by-side to Rock Lee. ] Be careful, this thing's fast.

[ The break from the intense showdown just makes Jaune realize where they are. ]

...Also I'm tripping out.

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee manages to nod confidently.]

So am I. [But the second comment loses him.]

Do not worry, I will do my best to prevent any further tripping!

[Lee then moves extremely quickly to deliver some blows to the Flamine. He's surely quick enough to keep up with the Flamine, but his punches and kicks aren't the most effective.]

[beaconed]

That's not what I-- oh, forget it!

[ Rock Lee is impressively fast, however! Like an energetic version of Ren.

So Nora basically. ]

You're doing great, Rock! Can you keep it busy while I run around from behind? [ Jaune knows that swords are at least somewhat effective, but the trouble is getting close to the Flamines. ]

[niceguypose]

[That's exactly it. He's Nora Mankanshoku.

I guess you could also say that he's missing the gravity of this situation]

Ossu! You can count on me, Jaune-kun! [And so Lee keeps up that barrage, trying to go as fast as he can to at least keep the Flamine occupied. Go for it, Jaune!]

[beaconed]

[ As Lee trades blows with the Flamine, Jaune comes up from behind to drive his blade into the alien's back. However, he does it with so much force that all three of them end up falling through a glass window into a large office department, and yet they're still sideways in the room!

While Jaune lays on the side of a cubicle, the Flamine rolls away from both of them, but still has Jaune's sword lodged in it's back. They seem to have weakened it! ]

A2

[heiroglyphs]

[Yeah, no way. Jaune is getting a hard tug from the back of his armor, both to keep him from charging forward and to further hide him from the Flamines down below.]

Are you crazy? You can't just charge in like that, you'll be slaughtered!

[Hi this is Weiss caring.]

[beaconed]

[ Bad time to care, Snow Angel!! ]

I can't just stand by and watch either! Nothing is working from here!! Half the people up here aren't even trained to shoot! Myself included! [ Just another notch on his frustration belt. ]

[heiroglyphs]

Uh, hello. Do you see a gun on me anywhere either?

[She gives Myrtenaster a waggle in the air. Yep, somehow the only two Hunters not wielding Also-A-Gun™s got stuck on a roof overlooking some immortal bloodthirsty monsters.]

You killing yourself isn't going to bring them back, but if we hurry, we can use that as a distraction to fall back and regroup with the others.

[beaconed]

No, Weiss, I'm tired of running while others pay the price! [ Pyrrha once made that decision for him, now he wants to make his own. And while we're on that subject-- ]

...I still need to find Pyrrha. Have you heard anything from Ruby or Yang?

[heiroglyphs]

Fine, then be an avenger and go kill all those monsters that are making people suffer, but do it smart. We fall back, get with the others, and take them out together, okay?

[She grabs him by the shoulder and gives it a firm squeeze.]

Keep your head on straight, Jaune. We need you.

[And she will never admit that again.]

I've been trying to reach both of them, haven't gotten much. Wherever they are, they're busy too.

[beaconed]

[ That's... unusual, coming from Weiss! But not unexpected. Jaune had always known there's a kind person underneath that icy layer, but for her to be so openly worried can only mean she's just as stressed right now. ]

O... okay... I'm sorry.

[ She's right, he needs to think more clearly right now because this is definitely hard on her, too. ]

--Weiss! ...Ice! We would slow them down-- I-I mean, you could... can you?

B

[lethechained]

[ Naminé, for her part, is in the process of experiencing a different glitch - one he might come to find familiar. The world looks a bit strange when one is standing on the side of a building; her stomach twists uncomfortably when she looks sort of up toward the street, but what really sets it lurching is when she recognizes that there's a tiny human figure amongst the fray that she was making an attempt to avoid. She doesn't realize who it is at first, though immediately she's moving into a faltering jog, trying her best not to trip on the uneven surface of the wall as she attempts to come alongside the rolling can. ]

Hey--!

[ Drawing nearer, she makes an awkward, half-hearted jump, but she doesn't have nearly the height to reach the part of the street he's on. Being closer does, however, allow her to see just who it is that appears to have decided to imitate Tom Thumb. ]

-- Jaune? Jaune! [ Welp. If she weren't already set on helping, she would be now. The best she can do at the moment, though, is-- ] Roll this way...!

[beaconed]

WAAAHHHH! Namine!!!

[ Honestly, the shock of seeing a gigantic version of someone who's normally supposed to be the tiny one is enough to make Jaune trip over, and the can sort of rolls itself over to the girl as Jaune is stuck on it, getting flattened with each roll. ]

Ow... ow... ow...

[lethechained]

--!!

[ Her concerned gasp is audible and she nearly loses her footing trying to get close enough to the ground to reach him. Arms outstretched, she manages to snag both the can and him off of the ground-- ]

Got you...!

[ -- only to very nearly drop them both when an exceptionally loud noise from the fight startles her. She does manage to get hold again just in time, and with that immediately turns to begin making her way up the side of the building, away from the majority of the danger. Carefully, she cradles both him and the can against her torso to prevent any future dropping incidents. ]

Are you alright--?

[beaconed]

Y-Yeah, I'm just-- I-- you're really huge! [ ... ] I mean... t-that's not... I didn't mean it in that way. It's just that I'm... kinda small... well, not that small--SORRY, what, did you say something?! I-- wait, why are we not falling down?

[lethechained]

No, you're--

[ 'Just really small,' but her interjection falls away as he continues and she keeps her eyes shifting between her awkward footing and him as she climbs higher along the wall. Fortunately or otherwise, it's a relatively tall building. Despite herself, her mouth quirks for a single instant as he rambles, though it inevitably returns to a more serious sort of line thereafter. ]

I don't know.

[ The way she says it, you'd think completely denying the laws of physics wasn't a very big deal. With the same tone, ]

Why are you small?

[ In other words, probably the same reason. ]

[beaconed]

Because the universe is conspiring against me.

[ Yeah, it's the glitch thing, he figured. ]

...Hey, thanks, by the way. [ She risked quite a lot to help him out, considering her own strange circumstances. Though, Jaune wonders if she has any other plans besides... defying gravity for now! ]

Any idea where we're going?