The Nexus

[Somewhere in the desert] When the swordsman sees the vehicle, he slows down to, by his standards, a leisurely jog, which is still faster than the rickety thing is going at the moment. He comes to a halt when he sees the gun being raised, lifting his hands up. "Nothing" , he answers with ...

Intersection Precinct Lia glances at Bunny. "Hoshiki tried to kill both me and Michalson at the duel. We're both still here. He's extraordinarily powerful, but he's not a god." She gets to her feet, stretching before stepping over to the detective. "I'll remain here and look after Bu...

[Somewhere in the desert] There is a life nearby, below the sand. A small life, but a life all the same. Should the swordsman decide to disturb the hidden creature he'll find a very grumpy, very round toad that will begin squeaking at him menacingly. The palm sized animal is of no threat to him. It...

Sylas is excused, the biker was narrated in deliberately ambiguous manner. Having finished putting up the improvised "Wanted" posters, Alice looks like they're about to leave. "Well, it was nice chatting with you. It would be fun to stick around and talk about, uh, parlor tricks"...

[Intersection Precinct] "It's useless to worry about. If he wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead" , Bunny says deadpan, "And if he changes his mind, it's not like you can stop him" , she adds morosely. "If you want some guarantee, remind him Reapers aren't meant to tak...

[Somewhere in the desert] Somewhere on the sands, far from anything, stands a tall stone formation. Rounded by erosion, it is unclear if it used to be a natural shape or some human-made object before being transplanted here, in this graveyard of fallen worlds. It has stood here, undisturbed, for as...

[Typhon] Indeed, while the man is a Grim Reaper, he is not the Grim Reaper. He would not be able to fight this behemoth on equal footing. Not yet, at least. After a good long while, the swordsman exhales and relaxes. The air is released from his grasp and the winds resume howling as they usually do...

Alice notices Sylas's confusion and laughs. "I am a girl", they say, "just not very girly. So you're excused for not noticing."

[Intersection Precinct] "I'm sure we still have it in our records." Michalson nods slowly. "What do you expect it to tell him, though?" Intersection Precinct Lia grimaces as the tea is refused, but she doesn't press the issue. She's also not terribly interested in what Hoshiki t...

[Typhon] The swordsman worries not of the portal closing. He is certain that he can make his own way back when he wants to. He instead focuses on his task. The wind is threatening to take the breaths of the deceased? Well, two can play that game. So, after putting the last cultists to the sword, he...

The biker nods as others introduce themselves. "Lenny. Sylas. Nice to meet you" , they say, "as for me? You heard the wolfman. You can call me Alice, because apparently I've stumbled into Wonderland." Alice finishes writing down their contact info on the copies and looks around f...

[Intersection Precint] Bunny shakes her head and puts the tea aside. "I'm not thirsty" , she mutters while pondering Michalson's words. After a moment, she perks up. "Do you... do you have a picture of me as I was when they arrested me? Of my old body, I mean. Go and show it to him. ...

[Intersection Precinct] Bunny takes the tea, but does not drink it. Not because she suspects anything's off - she's simply not thirsty, and her exhaustion has nothing to do with her nerves or other physical aspects of her body. She shakes her head as she listens to the conversation. "Why do yo...

The biker looks at the tattered pen with narrowed eyes. "Thank you", they say as they pick up the pen, testing it on the edge of one of the papers to see that it still works. "Nice magic trick", they add with a tone dripping with sarcasm.

[Typhon] But what work is there to be finished? The machine is shattered, its heavier pieces already fallen into other worlds while the smaller ones are being scattered by the storm winds. The swordsman could stay and keep carving up the corpse of this god, forcing it to surrender each soul it has ...

[Typhon] When the swordsman notices the orbs of lightning converging on his position, he stops. Like the winds, the projectiles hit the wall of his spiritual power and are directed along a circular path, funneled upwards. But, he'd hate to let all that potential energy go to waste, so he points his...

The biker stops and stares at Codebreaker for a moment, then holds out their hand. "May I have that pen, please?", they ask in exaggeratedly sugary voice.

[Typhon] Half of the infernal contraption might not fall on Nexus. There's a line where thr swordsman's attack passed, imperceptibly thin at first, but then the edge gives in under the weight and that line opens into a yawning black chasm. Air rushes into the emptiness, and the swordsman moves with...

[Intersection Precint] When this new Lia expresses the desire to go after Hoshiki, it elicits a short, grim laughter out of Bunny. "Ha ha. You, go after the swordsman? That's a death wish. I understand now why he took a blow for the detective but not for the other you. You have no hope. No hop...

[Typhon] Not just to destroy. The swordsman remembers his mistake from the last time he dealt with a similar being: he did not take sufficient care to severe the stolen souls from their taker. He intents not to repeat such errors. But, before there can be a thousand cuts, there must be one. The swo...

[Intersection Precint]

Bunny doesn't react to Lia touching her, continuing to stare at her toes. Michalson may need to squeeze more information out of her, but she might not be in the state of mind to give him any. He might need to wait for the worst to pass before pressing the issue.

[Intersection Precint] "Why? Why? " , Bunny repeats angrily, rocking back and forth, "because he had a hole for a heart, that's why! We two were just toys he cast away when we couldn't fill that hole. So cruel... so cruel..." Of course, by now, Michalson knows it isn't just a fa...

[Typhon] The swordsman nods as he sets Kothar down and hands him his axe. "Will do." Senshi Hoshiki walks forward with measured steps while the lizardman paladin goes to make a show of himself. The swordsman's feet leave rings of blue fire where he steps. As he breathes, his spiritual pow...

"Yes, yes, those are a given", the biker replies to Lenny's suggestions, "someone hand me a pen." They snap their fingers, expecting someone to pick up the cue.

[Intersection Precint] Bunny stares at Lia dully as the mycoid recounts her version of the events. "Of course. Of course he killed him. I said it, didn't I? That he was just going to get himself killed." Bunny slumps against the wall and sits back on the floor, staring at her toes with a ...

[Intersection Precint] Bunny reaches to take the coat from Michalson, but when he lets go of it, its weight almost makes her fall down. "Huh. This body is quite weak for its size" , she comments as she straightens up and wraps the coat around her. She looks at Lia. "You look differen...

The biker raises an eyebrow when Codebreaker calls them "Alice". But the rest of his comment flies over their head, his choice of words confusing them. The biker's about to ask about the mote of light, when Lenny distracta them. "Oh hey, a missing poster is a decent idea. Hey, barkeep...

The biker frowns and touches their ear when Codebreaker does his trick. Though he might've noticed they got more alert already when they mentioned "spirits". "Ventriliquism. Duh" , they reply to his query, "throwing one's voice is an ols trick." Silently, they're wonder...

[Widening Gyre] Up it is, then! Kothar is yanked upward and the ground is left even further behind as the swordsman runs in a spiral towards the top of the chain and into whatever Hell-realm it originates from. He can only hope there is something for Kothar to stand on when they get there. --- [Int...

The biker watches the spoon twirl in the glass. "Nice magic trick" , they say, smiling, "do you have a magnet under that class or what?" They finish their drink as Lenny talks. "Chrome Coast... no, don't recall any place called that. Certainly none I've ever visited. No magi...