Scene #8633: To Go Into The Pipe

Owner	Pose
Zero Kiryu	It is a strange thing, to travel to the end of the world. The twin cities of Reva and Paru had sat across from each other in the baltic sea, and securing the cooperation of the pair that were there -- Marita and Marina -- left no viable retreat routes, save beyond the borders of known civilization. It was one more ferry ride in cold waters to get to where they were going, but no ambushes occurred along the way. What was modern day Saint Petersburg is a smaller place, a port city along the very edges of civilization. Lake Ladoga lies beyond it, but all sense of intact infrastructure terminates at the city walls-- and there is little sense that the world ever reached beyond this place. One who could see past the curve of the horizon would see old, long-structurally compromised ruins crumbled to the ground, steppes yielding to woodland and then spreading out across frozen taiga emptied of all but wild creatures and the strange folk that choose to live far from any help or company. There isn't a Russia, and there hasn't been a Russia for some time. The final stop in this journey is small, with city walls that are more practical than decorative; it is cold, and there are no signs of the trains that ran through the rest of the world, though that doesn't mean they aren't there. There is one hotel and it does not have remarkable accommodations; there are two whole pubs, and a smattering of tiny restaurants little more than food stands. There are two clinics in the city, and one of them belongs to The Professor. It is closed, the windows are dark, and people go out of their way not to stray near it. For those with an enhanced sense of smell there is something foul there, trailing underground. Disinfectant combined with... not rot, exactly. The thing that lies below does not rot, though it should. It is dead, and has been for a long time, in every way that matters. It might perhaps be compared to the over-moist heaviness of an environment well-suited to the growth of fungus, thick and uncomfortable. It was human, once-- or something like it. It is not undefended. Somewhere in the depths, a tall white-haired woman wearing an eyepatch is tinkering... but she won't be encountered for a little while. Even so, the abrupt 'fall' of her last two lieutenants has bought you an ideal ambush scenario, more-or-less. Marita and Marina even accompany you on the ferry ride, performing for the crew... who seem to need it, to be going to such a remote place. The door of the clinic should be locked, but it isn't. The lobby is small, with a handful of chairs gathered around a coffee table with old magazines and the odd book on it. The smell of something-close-to-decay is light there. The reception area and a single door bar the way further inside, where the smell grows worse. There is no one at the desk, and the lights are out. The door to the patient rooms opens easily enough, as well. The path downwards involves accessing an office, and locating a sliding panel that conceals a staircase near it. Here, the aggravating scent intensifies. The sound of breathing begins as one lets out from the staircase into the facilities below. There are multiple 'somethings' down here, not like the artificial vampires that you've encountered so far... mostly. They most resemble the organized squad that tried to invade your hotel some small while back, but initially they are mostly unresponsive. They breathe, and watch, and stand in place. You're quite certain something will eventually set them off-- and hostile action certainly will. Something holds them in thrall...
Timespace Riders	The ferry ride is characterized by reading, from both Sougo and Woz. Woz is, of course, reading that mysterious book. Sougo, on the other hand, is still working through the one that's occupied him for most of the downtime on Yuuki's world--a frank account of the history of the exploitation of a region of Sougo's Earth by the other powers within it. The landing, by comparison, is graceful and prepared. Reservations at that unimpressive hotel are in place ahead of time, as things so often are with Woz involved. The retainer knows the way to the correct clinic. Sougo pulls his navy peacoat close, for comfort as well as for warmth, shifting anxiously at the sight of the place. Expectantly, Woz tries the door and enters in, after finding it unlocked. His brow furrows as the faint smell meets him. Sougo bounds hopefully over to the front desk--quite hopefully, given that the lights are out. "Hello?" Woz looks up from examining the odd book on the coffee table. "Come, sire," he says, placing the book back on the table. "Let us venture further in." At the sight of the 'somethings' further in, Woz is the first to reach for his Driver--but Sougo's hand gently catches his. "Hold on a second," he says. "See how they're just... waiting? Maybe we can use that, somehow." The Demon King makes eye contact with one. "Are you okay?" he asks. "Can you tell me your name?" He isn't blind to the fact that they're being held in some kind of idle state--he's just optimistic about the level of influence over their minds. Besides--this is the first chance they've had to interact with these 'somethings' that doesn't involve fighting.
Yuuki Kuran	Director Kuran - and for the boat ride she had affected 'director', and sat composed and restive as the performers put on a show. Her mind, what was present, focused on nothing at all. Her wandering fingers stroked against a rose loop around her ear, and resettled the buttons of her silver vest off and on. For a while she dreams about the end of trying quite so hard, and her own voice chides her - sisterly - about the change being a different effort, not a less effort. -- The city is different, though each yet-more locale in her own world surprised Yuuki with its consistent enigmas, corners of the shrouded world controlled by those that would spread... such a twisted scent. Gathering her champions after their survey of the city before the Professor's clinic, Yuuki Kuran stands in black trousers and black sleeved and collared shirt under silver and grey vest and with hanging cross pendant about neck, contemplating the particular bouquet of awfulness. "I think I understand, just a little more, why the most coveted substance is 'pure blood'. The... polluting required for similar results must be maddening. A power structure that cannot be changed." The Director of the Concord sighs, shaking her head. "Everyone, if you could?" She gestures the party 'inside', though knows each has their own way about searching and moving. For her part, she simply pushes inside after Sougo and Woz, walking thoughtfully and with lightly lifted nose to more clearly scent-- Oh, how worse, how much more terrible it gets inside. Joined at the flanks by a half dozen circling wolf-familiars that slink from shadows and step in tight patrol around the pair of riders and Yuuki taking up the rear of their trio. One is heeled just besides the snapping king, and two more are readied besides Woz like attack dogs awaiting an order. The 'pure'-blooded were alive, and the horror-oids that Sougo goes up and asks the waiting creature what's wrong scent that formaldehyde-dead way. "Be careful, Sougo," Yuuki cautions gently, but doesn't rise to stop him. She simply slooowly reaches into her pocket for the rather bulgy large Level 50 Gashat there while reaching her psychic sense out into the 'waiting presence'. If Sougo gets jumped - it won't be a scare.
Kukuru	So much sea travel has been strangely comforting for Kukuru, and she can't quite put her finger on why. She wasn't born near the sea, she wasn't raised near the sea, and the amount of ocean she's seen in the past few months has easily been more than she's ever seen in her entire life. Despite all that, just floating along the water (both by ferry and occasionally by diving in with a rope to tug her along) has Kukuru dozing off peacefully when she isn't preparing food or taking care of whatever her family, Marita, Marina, or even conveniently nearby crew might need taken care of along the way. After making sure to grab a few snacks upon getting into the city, Kukuru has her work mind back on once it's time to look for the Professor's clinic. It's not hard to find it thanks to the stench, but she does have pinch her nose a few times just to get a brief respite from it every now and then. "Oh, they're open for business. That's good, but where is everyone...?" Kukuru asks as she steps inside the clinic after Yuuki, offering her a clothespin in passing for the smell. She furrows her brow, peering around at the noticeable lack of anyone else inside and the lack of lighting. It's hard to reconcile these problems with the fact that the door was already open, but trying to do that anyway does help distract her from the smell that's only getting worse. Although she stares at them disapprovingly, Kukuru fights back the urge to bother the unresponsive beings about their stench. She doesn't lower her guard around them, though, as she slows down while walking by to keep herself between them and her companions here on the way through. "Are you awake...? Hmmn. Can you hear us?" A pause as she looks over towards the one Sougo's addressing, then back at the one she's closest to. She closes her eyes momentarily, letting her own usual demeanor come through as she tries putting out her own psychic suggestion not to worry about us because we're friendly people. Can you help us meet your friends? "Mmn... We should be okay to keep going, I think." She suggests a few moments later, turning from the somethings to her own group. "The smell's getting stronger over... Mmgh. In.. That way?" Fighting back the urge to gag again, Kukuru inhales deeply while turning rapidly, trying to figure out where the stench is the strongest. That might be their ticket to finding the Professor!
Angela	For some of the last few missions, Tenant and Nikki were pulled away to help back at Lobotomy Corp because its been RRROOOOUGH. Unrelated, for the most part, Nikki is no longer dressed in the cool suave and thematically approptiate garb of the Lament EGO Gear. Instead, she is now wearing the Magical Girl EGO Gear from The Queen Of Hatred, making her look incredibly OUT of place.Â She is talking on a phone to Tennant as she steps inside, "I really miss the Lament. I felt Lament fit. I'm glad the uniform is keepig me warm but why do I have to look like I'm trying to seduce the vampires? Why can't it look like the usual EGO suits?" Tenant says, "Dunno, can you turn the screen around a second. It'll help. Anyway. I think you look cute." "I am some kind of quarter mini vampire knight professional mercenary. This is NOT the right uniform." Nikki sighs. "Do you see them?" "Yeah." Tenant says. "That's perfect. Anyway I think anything you wear can be mercenary vampire wear. Okay. Gebura said to stop playing kid pool so..." "I guess... Anyway...How about in three?" The resultant assault is a combination area bursting sniper round appearing out of an portal to course (hopefully) through the vampires with a Magical Girl Arcana Slave followup. "Normal stuff." Nikki is pleased. "Not Vampire stuff. Masquerade saved."
Kuroto Dan	Kamen Rider Genm Level X whistles a slightly unnerving tune as he enters the clinic, his song made even worse by a seeming inability to whistle. Or maybe it's just dry lips? Whatever the case, the atmosphere of the building seems to be completely lost on him, as the only thing running through his mind other than the fact that he's here on the Director's request is that, with a bit of a redesign, this building would make for a pretty great level in his next game. Perhaps even a sequel to Dangerous Zombie? That seems the most fitting, but then, what would he call it? Adding a number after the name has never been his style. Zombie? Most Dangerous Zombie? Zombie Chronicle??? He'll have to workshop that later, as after he finally leaves his own mind, he realizes they're not alone. Though, it looks like he's not the only person to realize this, and that striking them down immediately doesn't seem to be the play they're going for. Clicking his tongue, Genm runs a hand through the sculpted hair on his helmet, before reaching down to his Driver to remove it. Surprisingly, it doesn't cause him to untransform, and the it is immediately connected to an empty handle that just now appeared in his other hand, which causes the device to cry a mighty CHU DON!.
Zero Kiryu	No verbal response is given to any inquiries within the clinic. The creature -- person? -- that Sougo addresses looks at him, and blinks twice. Pauses. Blinks twice again. Its gaze drifts around the intersection it's in after that, but it doesn't move much. Another one down the hall turns its head and watches this interaction. It looks like they can at least look around under their own impulse, but movement is reserved for something else. Occasional shifting of weight from one leg to the other, or other forms of re-balancing can be seen here and there. Mostly, though, it's the looking and the breathing. There are magazines set out close to most of the creatures, and a little radio in the foremost room-- though the radio seems to have died. It seems somebody knew that they might go insane without some sort of minimal stimulation. Yuuki's effort to reach out with psychic senses bumps up against a... thing. It's not a person, not even as much as the others who are locked into their own bodies. It is a machine, like one of Flamel's, though its structure suggests it is biological rather than mechanical. It is looming, and cold, and noxious. Filaments of blood connect it to each of the creatures outside, sliding 'astrally' into the base of their skulls. The thing itself is like a throne made of a mass of cancer, and something else loosely informs its actual actions, because it doesn't have a 'will' of its own even though what passes for its mind is quite impenetrable. A simulacrum of a Vampyr, but whatever had been done to get it this way had killed its mind. Kukuru, like Sougo, receives no verbal communication. If she watches closely the blinks are timed as an answer of 'yes', but if she doesn't the communication can easily be missed. The instant she tries to push a psychic suggestion on one of them however, it and two others nearby leap to life and attempt to beat her to death ie nearby objects-- a chair, a radio, an IV stand. The rest of the aggression sparks when Sniper Rifle Magical Girl things happen, blasting the creatures swarming Kukuru in a saturation attack that they're surprisingly resilient to but are still knocked through a wall or two, and prompting all of those that weren't interested initially to start rushing the group. The sound of breathing is replaced with the sound of rapid movement within and throughout. Kamen Rider Genm, Sougo, and Woz get the least attention from the swarming hostiles because they haven't done anything to aggravate anything here, but that doesn't really mean NO attention. It just means getting pushed around more than it means getting clawed or assaulted with random blunt objects. It is also, on the whole, eerily quiet while all of this is happening. The creatures breathe steadily as they fight, in a way that isn't really natural to... people.
Zero Kiryu	Peripheral to all of this, the flower at Yuuki's ear sprouts outward, vines winding down the back of her neck. There is a faint pulse as Zero's blood re-asserts itself in several people present who have accepted power from him-- which is most of them, actually.
Timespace Riders	Woz's scarf shoots past Sougo, simultaneously trapping the limb of an attacking thrall and pushing the Demon King out of harm's way. The grey garment pulls taut, painfully stripping the improvised weapon from the thralls hand as both the king and his retainer put on their belts. KAMEN RIDEEER.. (RIDER..!) ZI-O--ZI-O!! II! Dashing! Durable! Deadly! Futurering Zero! ZERO!! Zi-O's fist crashes into the stomach of the nearest thrall, aiming to end the fight early and decisively--he advances with a roundhouse up high, twirling into a back kick that sends the thrall flying into another. WHIPPRESSIVE! Woz twirls a thorned green whip with a touchscreen near the handle, cracking it twice before sending its thorned length wrapping around both the launched thrall and the one they crashed into. The whip squeezes, thorns digging in, keeping up with Zi-O's intent of just knocking them around so much out of the gate that they're too winded to continue. Of course, the last ones were pretty persistent...
Kukuru	"I think it looks cute on you, too." Kukuru sides with Tenant, nodding once shortly and pausing when she notices the slow blinks from one of the creatures. She eyes it closely for a few moments, gawking at it curiously before eventually doing that psychic nudging thing that's followed shortly by getting mauled by three of the creatures at once. The jumpscare's more of a reason for her sudden screaming than the actual pain of getting beat with things, and her first reflex is... To cover her head with her arms, then grab at whatever is hitting her. She actually manages to catch the radio and the IV stand, but the chair to the head dazes her long enough that she keeps getting beat for a little while longer until the sniper barrage sends the whole lot of them into the walls "Oh dear... I was hoping they'd behave better than that." Pouting lightly as she pulls herself off of said wall, Kukuru sends some of her trusty nanites around to start patching the group up some as she tries to shake off the dizziness, letting some linger around her to get feeling back into her arms. Shaking that off a moment later, she recalls Yuuki's directions to keep the creatures alive for Kuroto's attempts at recovery, and she trades her claws out within her pockets for... ... Nothing! She'll need nothing in her hands to make this work, after all. Now that Kukuru's prepared to actually fight, she goes straight for the creatures, trying to deftly* weave past their swung weapons to deliver her own skillful blows**! run directly through ***fake ass karate chops to the neck she saw people doing on TV a couple of times
Yuuki Kuran	The scents to Yuuki's nose and curling against her psychic senses is all-informing, even as she hangs back a step behind the curious Riders. "There's something here, not just a bunch of... soldiers, or simple thralls." She informs, turning to look at Nikki and offer a closelipped smile. "I think you look great. It's not out of place - if anything, it fits right in with the Riders, doesn't it?" The gentle ruminations while standing are done hand-in-vest pocket, before the light deep-throated growl of her familiars snap into a noise of alarm-! The eerie-breathing thralls leap out and start aggression, grabbing up objects to fight Kukuru and Nikki, tough enough to take hits without even reacting 'right' like their natural physicality might show... Going back to back with Woz as the retainer and king draw their belts, Yuuki frowns. "These are familiars." From her silver vest-pocket, Yuuki pulls out Dan's worn and decently loved Gashat, stupid spinny dial at the head and colorful chunky plastic brandished. Why hadn't she transformed? Because doing it with the boys was better. "All connected back to... a diseased core. Genm! If we start hitting them with the Bugster Virus, it might start working against the core of the system!" Brandishment becomes a quick flick-and-pose with the loaned Gamer Castlevania powerup, and with another entirely unmixed Dual up! and the spooky singsong Lady of the castle! Bleeding red! Queen! Of! Dracula! crackling into a high-collared black-outside red-inside cliche cape and an extra marketable black, red, bats and silver dread scythe! Trusting Genm to take things over the top, Yuuki chases after Nikki and Kukuru's targets with bat-keening energy waves swept in crescents. "Something scooped out and replaced won't stop us!"
Angela	Nikki is complimented by Kukuru and her cheeks color faintly but when the sniper assault happens, and Kukuru is caught in the crossfire....She gasps with worry and anxiety! Then of course Kukuru turns out to be fine and Nikki blinks with uncertainty. Kukuru even has it in her to help heal her wounds as vampires claw into her body. With the aid of the nanites and her own borrowed vampiric power, she is hanging in there despite the punishment she is receiving. And she is so amazed by Kukuru's abilities that an idea occurs to her. "Tenant!" She says, now blushing fiercely because Yuuki who she is CONTRACT BOUND TO PROTECT and also seems really nice also said her new EGO Gear suited her. "Kukuru is immune to us! She says targeting her works! Just aim a little offcenter!" "Got it!" Tenant shouts. Backpedaling quickly, another Arcana Slave and Magic Bullet combo comes barreling down towards the vampires. If the firepower seems less effective then maybe this will help collect LOTS of prisoners! At the very least, that'll be their reasoning for fighting this way! They are, of course, kind of counting on Kukuru to keep drawing aggro.
Kuroto Dan	A crowd pushes past Kamen Rider Genm, and immediately he is offended. Not only is he being shoved, but they're ignoring HIM! The biggest threat in the room! Sure, he would have also been offended if they chose to attack him, because there is no greater sin than striking your hand against God, but nobody ever said he had to be fair. Well, at the very least, it makes his job easier, as he simply weathers the proverbial storm a bit before reaching across his chest to fire behind himself, the blaster end of his arm mounted weapon lighting up a bright purple as it sprays a few unfortunate stragglers with bioweapon grade lasers. "Consider yourselves blessed. You'll be joining your siblings soon in my most perfect world. Enjoy Paradise while it lasts." After saying this, he detaches the Buggle Driver from his arm, before swiping his arm across the air. A scroll wheel of weapons appears before the Kamen Rider as he does this, and it only stops once Genm punches the weapon he wants, which results in a pair of kamas appearing in both his hands. He doesn't follow up after doing this though, instead just spreading his arms out in invitation as he waits for them to approach.
Zero Kiryu	The fortunate thing about the controller-entity being a cancerous growth with the power of psychic command is that it really isn't all that creative on the whole. Thorn-trapping the creatures prompts the appearance of claws and fangs, but they're not very good at dealing with actual solid holds should Woz shift to accommodate that-- in the meantime though he is dealing with spear-like protrusions that twist in his direction, thankfully largely sparing Zi-O much of any attention at all. Kukuru in the meantime... just sort of bullrushes through things, only to receive a psychic reminder: You do possess the ability to subdue through my blood, Kukuru... Zero doesn't really blame Kukuru for the situation slipping her mind. The only person he offered a particularly comprehensive tutorial was Nikki. Additionally, fake-ass karate chops are just sort of annoying when you're trying not to behead vampires. The afflicted foes are stirring off of the ground steadily by the time the reminder is offered to her. It also happens to coincidence with a second wave emerging from a lower level and splitting between her, Genm, and Yuuki. Yuuki wasn't entirely wrong to call them Familiars-- or something like them. They straddle the line between an unstabilized ex-human vampire and a familiar, strung to the cancerous vampyr-like presence, but they're not made of its physical matter. It doesn't have that capacity. The individual minds sealed within the bodies, however, do have preferences and the Gashats are apparently quite aggravating to them. Having their ears deliberately assailed by bat-themed screaming is a little more than aggravating though, causing quite a few of them -- including those making their way back to their feet after Kukuru bowled them over -- to be staggered in their attempts to rise again. One down the hallway rips a piece of rebar out of the wall and hurls it at Yuuki. Ah. You haven't seen her more exotic fashion proclivites, have you... Zero's voice hums at the back of Nikki's conscious awareness. It's actually a little remarkable that she hasn't had a transforming suit before now... As a good half-dozen of the creatures are sent away to Genm's 'paradise' (who in actuality will be quite grateful, because their condition sucks) another full dozen arrive and size him up. They, incorrectly, assume that he is stupid and leaving himself open because he spreads his arms like that, and just barrel in towards him as if they are not mooks fighting a Kamen Rider.
Kukuru	"Kukuru is immune to us! She says targeting her works! Just aim a little offcenter!" This creates some concerns in the back of Kukuru's mind, but also pleases her at the same time. It means Tenant and Nikki are really counting on her to hold the attention of all these strange maybe-vampires! It also means they're going to be firing even more of those crazy giant magical blasts at/around her. Mhm. Keep firing, dear! I'll... Hmm. Yeah, I'll be okay! Her desire to be helpful overwhelms her desire for physical safety, of course, and so, Kukuru keeps her advance steady on the vampyr-esque creatures, ready to hold the line and act as a targeting beacon and healing station all in one! The karate chops aren't doing quite what she hopes they would, though, which is kind of a bummer. Could it be the lack of formal training? The lack of ever actually trying it out before? Both, probably, and it'd be far more frustrating to see that they're not staying down quite as long as she'd like if she didn't also have the direct backup of one of her favorite vampires and all of her favorite riders at the same time. Hearing another pleasantly familiar voice in the back of her head soothes her momentarily, too, but the actual words Zero speaks to her... How could she have forgotten something so simple? Something he entrusted to her, specifically to be used in a situation like this? Despair grips at her heart then and there, and Kukuru drops to her hands and knees as she realizes the nature of her mistake, giving the vampyr-ish beings some more time to whale on her from above. They get quite a few good hits in, too, and she almost looks ready to just curl up on the spot and stop existing (aside from being a more convenient targeting beacon when she's low to the ground), but... Getting depressed now won't do. She has people counting on her! Feeling the blood rushing back to/out of her head, Kukuru lets out a sudden shout as she springs back to her feet with her arms thrust above her (and possibly punching some of the creatures in the face in the process). "That's right! I've got this power in me, too!" She starts generating that sleep-inducing substance from her entire upper body, and she resmes the steady advance! Kukuru lurches forward to catch two of the creatures around the front of her elbows, pulling them in and squeezing them tight against her to force them breathe deeply of the substance even as her nanites struggle to keep up with how much they're all whacking her.
Timespace Riders	Woz leaps backwards a moment too late to avoid a sharp protrusion, the impact striking the rose-themed Zero Armor's breastplate with a shower of sparks. He rolls after his impact with the ground, retracting the whip and sending it snaking outward as he rises. Its thorned length races across the ground in a low sweep, snagging ankles that the retainer might pull with his full strength and send the pseudo-familiars tumbling to the ground. Zi-O, free from having to worry about such onerous counter-attacks, is free to change forms to something a little better suited to corraling such a big crowd. The Drive Ridewatch, bearing the face of the headlight-lensed red Rider, replaces the silver-pink half of the Zi-O II watch. ARMOR TIME! A disembodied suit of armor appears before him, posed as if stretching the legs before a sprint. Its tire pauldrons and red-white racing-striped plates break apart and snap into place on the Demon King, who quickly takes off with a loud peelout, just as his speedometer-watch-hands gleam into place above his white katakana headlight-lenses. "Woz! Heads up!" The rev of a supercar's engine growls above the din of combat, as Zi-O darts between 'familiars,' popping them into the air with uppercuts, throws, and standing high kicks, a streak of red-white broken only by those dime-stop attacks. Woz, meanwhile, sends his whip snapping towards those launched into the air, leaping up himself to manipulate the thorned weapon from higher elevation. Those thrown are snagged, bound, and tossed into reach of Genm's kama.
Kuroto Dan	Genm is swamped for the hubris of taunting his foes, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Though he's taking damage, it doesn't really stick since his health is permanently stuck at 0. He still, however, flinches and recoils, and he has to muster up the strength to raise his weapon and swat them away with a strash of his kamas, resulting in a large HIT! graphic to appear against each minion he hits. Once he's got some breathing room, he places one of the kamas underneath his armpit as he pulls a gashat from his belt holder. With zero hesitation, he loads it into the ugly holster bolted to one of the kama's blade, resulting in a high-pitched charging noise as both of the blades begin glowing with a pixely purple aura. "I see, Director. If that's the case, we simply need a larger dose to administer. Now, OBSERVE!" He removes the kama he had been haphazardly holding underneath his arm, throwing it up into the air. It spins for a bit, before landing pommel first onto the large B button on the other kama he's holding. MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH! He quicky grabs the kama he threw before gravity has a chance to let it fall, and swings both of them through the air, allowing the energy that had been building up to escape in the form of a pair of two giant purple buzzsaws that fly through the room, carving up everything in their path.
Angela	Nikki is relieved to hear Kukuru agree to the plan, insofar as there is one. She gives another call to Tenant at Kukuru's encouragement which...leads to a problem. "Uhhh it's my last bullet..." Tenant says. "Reeeeally son't wanna use the last bullet here." Nikki understands why. Even if it hasn't been tested, the story behind that last bullet is enough to make any Agent nervous about it. And unfortunately, she really can't charge up another blast from her staff like this. But she sees Kukuru summoning that sleep substance and Nikki says, "Good thinking, Kukuru!" And she steps forward to expel that same substance supporting the LobCorp Idol in the process. Hopefully she doesn't take a nap too. "um." She adds. "Are you ok, Kukuru?" So softly is that 'um' it doesn't even get a capitalization. Zero speaks to her about Yuuki's fashion choices and she says, "Ahhh whaaaa..." And boggles because she is like the Director and the big boss and she wears stuff like this??
Yuuki Kuran	Nikki, their newest contractee, has not seen the Director's kill-the-inker outfits, from nightgowns to things of frill and lace. Really, it was forgivable to think that 'magical girl' and 'Queen of Vampires' had a lot in common... Or, it would be, if Nikki wasn't wearing the EGO gear of the Queen of Hatred. At this point, when the Director turns into Magical Monster Pretty Pretty Draculina ((C) GENM Corp, Presented By: The Concord) several themes should actually become more clear! Crisp high collar tips frame long brown hair and lambent red eyes, Yuuki Kuran striking a pose and sweeping out damage waves of bat-themed energy alongside Tenant and Nikki draws quite a bit of aggro that Kukuru charges right in on and tanks! Each artful sweep of extra marketable moonlight shining 'plastic' catches and hurls away any caught vampires into the Arcana Slave and bullet fire of the Agents. Despite special effects and choreographical complexity, Yuuki's focus is on inflicting as many of the vampires with the Bugster Virus as possible, her area blasts sweeping little bat-Bugglesign and fizzy purple distortions among the thrall-defender population. Menaced by the power of rebar and familiar-thralls feeling no pain, Yuuki simply is struck and is sent staggered back, rolling in the air with a twirl of her cape and blood red sparks rather than spilled blood. A wolf-hound familiar dives in... only to retrieve the piece of rebar, like a stick, and then dash back into the shadows. Rising, shaking off the daze and resetting her stance, she glares at the tactics and hops back into coordination with the Agents. "That's right!" Yuuki agrees with determined, supportive agreement across the 'lanes' of Riders and Magical Girls. Planting her feet and drawing back her Gamer Scythe, the Dracula caped director flashes with a red-and-white thunderbolt of her own special charged attack. QUEENCRITICAL FINISH! Scythe growing REAL BIG as it gathers up raw shadows in batwing motif waves, Yuuki heaves up and swings through the whole crowd assaulting Kukuru in a massive crescent cone of viral scythe-smoke. To Kukuru, it parts like gentle air and a palpable mist, and to the crowds assaulting her it is a bisecting slide of toku finisher violence. I won't let your recklessness harm you. Kukuru hears 'inside' her head, a radio buzz she hadn't turned on, a supportive capillary flush on the shoulder, gentle to the neck. I'm here too, so nobody should worry. It's never a death march for me. Her blood inflames, pain peeling away to be replaced with a dull satisfied post-sudden-silence euphoria in physical feeling. Don't hurt yourself and live for me instead.
Zero Kiryu	There is no need to be ashamed of something you were not taught, Zero reassures Kukuru. The reminder was just that-- a reminder, of a tool that was available to her. Coincidentally her moment of emotional semi-collapse is enough to drag attention off of her by the creatures, who seem to decide that she's done and back away from her to re-focus their attentions on other, more mobile targets. That she then goes on to start projecting soporific vapors, for the moment at least, only regains the attention of one of them, who feebly tries to shove her back to the ground. The only real nuisance of the Woz-Sougo team volley-villains is that the ceiling isn't that high. There's a lot of dragging rather disoriented creatures through the ceiling on their way to Dan, which isn't really a... problem, as such, but does cause a bit of mess along the way. There is a strange shudder in the air as something exerts a force that it doesn't have the corporeal means to put into effect. The end result is an exceptionally large creature with a fireaxe slamming through a wall and trying to catch Sougo in the side with a wide swing, heedless of its own along the way. Naturally they are thrown into a dual-wielding meat grinder who will be sending them directly to paradise, which is a lot less brutal than it looks as HITS! bounce through the air and bodies vanish into Genm's strange pseudo-reality... followed very swiftly thereafter by giant buzzsaws filling the very tight confines of this clinic building (which, it bears noting, has not meaningfully opened up on descending; it still has relatively narrow corridors and ceilings only a little higher than people would be expected to reach) and making short work the pseudo-vampires on account of them being fed very steadily into a woodchipper. Hmm... what kind of background do you think we come from? We're from wealthy families, but we were never from the kinds of families that were dignified about it. You met our... There is a pause as Zero assesses who Kaien Cross is to him. It's a moment of duress, because he has some discomfort with the entire space. Finally, he settles on, Stepfather... guardian, something like that. Did you think he dressed in a dignified way? The man who had appeared in the hotel in Bi was tall, pretty, youthful, and dressed like somebody's grandmother, complete with a jacket that was more of a very long cardigan. More soporific seeps out into the surroundings. A new series of piles begin as the combined efforts of Kukuru and Nikki begin to ease the pseudo-vampires into a comfortable state of sleep. This makes it even easier for Genm to clean up, and for Yuuki to subsequently mark everybody with the desired status effect. A momentary surge of concern accompanies red sparks. There is no spilled blood, though, so the tension of Zero at the back of Yuuki's mind eases as her not-as-murderous-as-it-looks purple scythe-haze travels the breadth and length of the building in search of pseudo-vampires that it more-or-less finds. In the end... There is nothing for the cancerous growth farther into the basement levels to fight back with. It stirs again, and tries to exert itself on the world, the pressure of its presence pushing outward against its rapidly-fading pseudo-vampire subordinates, and then losing even those. Then it screams, loud and horrible and tortured, its mind raking across yours-- but unable to claim or touch it as it tries to do, a crude simulacrum of Yuuki's own power of domination reduced to pressing a scream of anguish into the surroundings that slowly ebbs away. There is only one sound of breathing, deep below, heavy and strange. It does not move.
Kukuru	"Still, you talked about it before. I even used it a few times before." Kukuru's still feeling kind of down over forgetting about the gift that Zero had given her. It doesn't last much longer, thankfully, once she realizes that that's one of Zero's ways of making her feel better, and just knowing that... Well, that's enough to get her perking right back up. Hearing Yuuki inside her head certainly doesn't hurt, either, as she starts gawking at the mist moving by her while engulfing the creatures still nearby. It's a good feeling, knowing that she's being looked after so closely, and she brings up a hand momentarily like she's holding onto that feeling at her shoulder even though she knows Yuuki is still over that-a-way. "Aw, Yuuki... Zero... No, you're right. Both of you. I can't beat myself up over being dumb and forgetting stuff sometimes, and I gotta protect this life you've helped me reach." Clutching her hands to her chest, she stumbles a bit while getting back up to her feet, then gets to work putting those creatures to sleep. "As long as I'm living for all of you, we'll never have to worry about anyone getting hurt in a way we can't fix." With a renewed fire in her heart, Kukuru starts to actually pay attention to where those magical sniper shots are coming from, helping pile the creatures up between shoving them into the shots or using those soporifics to gather them up for the Bugster Virus injections. By the time all the creatures are subdued, Kukuru's still looking a little drained, but mostly in the physical sense. She looks vigorous otherwise, even sharing more of those nanites with everyone while offering her shoulders to anyone that needs someone to lean against to catch their breath. Hearing that scream echoing in her mind and along her horns has her recoiling, though, bracing herself with a hand against a wall to steady herself before looking around a little more carefully. "Where'd that come from...? Oh. Do you hear that?" She asks one after the other, closing her eyes again as she listens to that breathing. She tilts her head forward first, then turns her head slowly so one of horns gets pointed right at the ground to help her try and point towards where that breathing is coming from. "Sounds pretty far below us... But is that what the Professor's supposed to sound like?"
Yuuki Kuran	The best part of Yuuki's transformation, gifted to her by the boisterous Genm, was the engentling of the art of combat. The power of gamers was the power of games, and for how fancifully fake it was, the padding of genuine sport wrapped around her fangs, her claws, her shoulders and shape and provided safety all around. It wasn't her sure-kill scythe Fang, Artemis, but a thing that handled like Artemis, long and fullchestedly (s-f-x'edly) Vampiric. Shoulder set into the end of her swing, Yuuki pivots a hundred and eighty degrees on her heel, the extra BIG'ed blade of Bugster Virus curling and curdling and digitally refactoring away the hosts to Genm's digital paradise. Souls scraped back. A new start - and plenty of seed capital for his dreams. Standing tall, Yuuki holds her scythe close in, hugged to chest with left hand low on the length and right hand high and couched against her shoulder and collar. Posed as that, her cape-ends turn inward, and she stands there like an inverted-hanging bat, a gnarled shock of black from and besides her, and a crescent of silver above. Red eyes scan the surrounds while Yuuki's pose loosens, a sigh of relief leaking out as nothing else seems to be Eerily Heavy Breathing at them, any more. Nothing left to strike at, Yuuki breaks pose entirely, reaching up to pluck the Gashat stuck into the head of the weapon, only for a psionic scream to batter into her. It hurts, and Yuuki bears it as a coastal cliff-face bears the slam of waves at storming high tide. Despite Yuuki closing her eyes and bearing it as an unpleasantly discarded emotion, her lingering familiars shy, flinch down and back, make canid whines of distress. "No. I won't turn aside because you've shouted loudly. I've come to release you," Yuuki opens her eyes, gazing about the party and pulling apart her transformed scythe and cancelling the gamer candy-wrapping of color and soft darknesses. "The Professor is the kind of person who would sit at the controls of what we are fighting, what is screaming at us. We are moving towards cries of pain, for help. So, everyone - please be ready."
Timespace Riders	Zi-O is blindsided by a fire axe, careening at super-speed into a wall. His spark-showering impact is hard enough to crack the wall where he lands, but the Demon King isn't out of his armor yet, much less the fight. Grunting in pain as he slides down to the floor, he marshalls his strength and rolls, rising to one knee and extending an empty hand. A small pillar of pink light deposits a heavy laser pistol in his waiting hand, its design a distinct homage to the Rider the armor is sourced from. A suicide door (Sougo thinks cars with those are neat) at the side is lifted up and shut, setting the wheels on his pauldrons to spinning up rapidly. Zi-O pulls the trigger, as Woz's whip wraps completely around the large axe-wielder. A broad pillar of red light blasts from the nose of the pistol, as the shoulder-tires peel out and take off after it. The initial impact of the laser is forceful enough on its own, somehow displacing the air as it travels for a wind-up punch ahead of the blistering heat. The tires heat up and glow molten red as they fly, colliding explosively a moment after. The scream which follows has both Riders staggered and knelt, despite their combination attack--but Yuuki's resolve sees the both of them rise, each inspired by her compassion (Sougo) and her vision (Woz.) Zi-O's helmet dips in understanding. "We're ready, Yuuki." "A new page of history approaches. I am honored to pen it with you, Director. By your leave," says the rosebud-crested vizier, with a gentle sweep of his palm onwards.
Angela	Well it's just... people don't wear getups like these back home really unless they are part of a Syndicate. There is a horrifying scream! Tenant is starting to make their way in now that the vampzombies have been subdued. They hear a terrible scream! They decide to wait a minute. Nikki hisses through her teeth at it but then steadies her breath. It's cool. Frilly outfits are normal actually. Screams from the basement are soothing even if it makes her head hurt because at least its a horror she understands. Sometimes the kind multiverse is a bit harsh when you've lived so long in a dark city. And it is that screaming they are choosing to approach "...We've come this far, Director. There's not much else to say." Tenant steps in shortly after. They are aasembled. "Thanks for the assist, Kukuru. Couldn't have dome it without ya!" They grin. "But I'm outta bullets so I'll just have to use it as a club here on out."
Kuroto Dan	Kamen Rider Genm's arm drops to his side as his attack finishes launching, and he sighs a breath of relief as he removes the gashat from the weapon. He's however, now accosted by a curdling scream, which causes him to stagger back and flinch as he initially struggles to reorient himself. It doesn't take him that long to do so however, though rather than retaliate, he simply turns his helmet towards Yuuki, tilting his head and placing a hand on his chin as he waits for her response. The Paradise he created might be his work, but this entire operation is her idea. Truly, he's gracious to be understanding of this, and he's sure this line of thought was one of the many reasons he was accepted into the Concord. "I've gone this far to help, and I don't intend to stop. Do what you will, Director Kuran. My Paradise will continue to remain open."
Zero Kiryu	Zero is suddenly walking at Yuuki's flank. He says nothing outwardly, but replies to Nikki, It is not... unusual fashion. But it is very stylized and particular. What we wear daily is fairly common, if a bit expensive.
Zero Kiryu	The Professor, as it happens, is simply sitting in the room with the... thing, when they descend to it. She is tall, white-haired, with a broad eyepatch and no indication at all that she'd make a good physical fighter. It is the deepest chamber of the 'clinic', a good ten stories down by the standards of a modern building. The surroundings are warehouse-like though absolutely filled with equipment of various types. At the center is the great, fleshy mass; it doesn't look human, though it is obviously living. Some sort of life support rig has been attached to it here and there, but the tubes are so large that if it is supporting lungs for instance they must be several times larger than an actual human. It is encased in a tube of glass at the center of the room, lit from above and below, broad enough that it isn't straining against its container but not so much that none of its mass moves against it. There is a faint pink liquid inside. Water with dissolved blood tablets, Yuuki would know. It isn't completely filled, but the base up to about the middle contains the liquid. The overall impression is something like a 'meat plant'. The sound of breathing continues. "You might be surprised what people would do for a shot at power and eternity, even if the disclaimers and side-effects list is incredible," The Professor says, sitting in a rolling office chair scribbling notes a sheaf of paper pinned to her clipboard. "I'm afraid that keeping it in this state wasn't the goal. It is repeating the command structure that I taught to its original self, but there is a threshold beyond which it ceased to be able to learn much of anything new." "Did you know," the woman continues, moving around to what can be recognized as some sort of vitals monitor with a push of a foot. "That the first vampyr appeared from the population of humans? There is no ancestry that precedes that point, and yet..." And yet there was still such a conceit as 'Purebloods'. The Professor shrugs faintly. "This one is immortal, by the way. Just degenerate, too," she explains with a jab of her pen, disappointment plain on her features. "He used to jokingly call himself Koschei. I'd say it stopped being funny a while ago, but dooming yourself through pursuit of everlasting life is certainly fit to the theme of that particular fairy tale."