Location - Vermillion Manor

At Kitchen

​

What reason could there be for Alphabet Chocolate to indulge herself so mightily in the kitchen of the great manor? Hunger. A very persistent, gnawing hunger that came from a three day excursion with only Hector for company (although the wolf had abandoned her soon after she had found Kingoda to search for some prey). Dealing with the man and beautifying him up to become Roland's significant other had been a challenge and now, back at where she truly considered home, Alphabet Chocolate decided she deserved to eat this bucket of chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, her stomach didn't agree with her. So there she was, hunched over the sink and faucet, her face sickly and pale. Sweat stuck strands of hair to her cheeks and she was sick of it all (pun intended) but she couldn't bring herself to regret her poor decision. No, it had been worth it to taste that chocolately goodness for a brief period before her stomach was promptly emptied like a used vacuum cleaner. If there was one thing she did regret about this ordeal, it was that she had failed to consume the entirety of that cookie bucket before her body denied her the pleasure of gluttony once again.

They say that insanity is when you do the same things over and over again expecting a different result. If you listen to those words of Albert Einstein, then you'd notice that Alphabet Chocolate is not, in fact, crazy. She continues to indulge herself in this confections with perfect knowledge and acceptance that it would result in her agony and suffering. Sometimes, hedonism is a dangerous thing. Oftentimes, it's just another word to say 'YOLO'.

"Urgh," she gagged, watching as water began to fill her cupped hands before she took a gulp and let the refreshing liquid soothe her scratchy throat. Hector, who had been by her side when she had warped back into Vermilion's Manor, had left soon after the regurgitation fest had started and was probably getting his bloody fur all over her soft pillows (she didn't believe him when he gestured to his caught rabbit, implying that it was the only thing he had hunted during the time he was out and about). "Anyone? Help?" she mustered out, sliding down onto the floor. Although the wall was a good enough place to keep her upright, she was slouched and couldn't get the energy to stand on her feet.

"Well," she coughed, looking up to the ceiling. "Carpe diem is what I always say."

 

At Kitchen

Tenuously Megan left the garden behind, the ordeal of her transformation still fresh in her mind. In fact, a small trickle of blood still ran down her hand to the tip of her pinky, from where the thorns of her rose bracelet had pricked her. She could hardly notice this, however, as she had since become aware that the majority of her memories now laid hidden in a thick fog. In fact, most of her life outside of the game was shrouded from her. Sure she knew who she was, where Megan had grown up, her families name and faces, but she couldn't recall any specific interactions with any of them. Despite this, she was filled with an overwhelming feeling of apathy. Her feelings of loss or sadness of said loss were for lack of a better term, annihilated. If anything she felt a feeling a pride, of accomplishment for the elimination of such extraneous memories, for now, she could focus on what mattered to her. For now, that was her stomach, which continued to growl as she had stood in the garden composing herself.

With that in mind, she ventured forth into the manor, searching for a kitchen, or at least some sort of food. After some wondering, she heard a wail from somewhere inside piquing her interest. Upon further investigation, she discovered it was coming from the very place she was looking for. Confidently Megan strolled into the kitchen, dramatically flourishing her cape as she did so. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but a girl lazily laying on the floor next to a container of unfinished ice cream was not it. Megan paused, usually, she'd be shocked, but again now she felt nothing. This seemed merely reasonable to her. Slowly she raised her left hand to her eyepatch, "Hmmm, I felt there was something amiss in here. It seems my dark powers still do not deceive me." Slowly she walked to the fallen bowl of ice cream. It had begun to melt as if it had been left out for a prolonged amount of time.

"Tsk. Tsk. Under normal circumstances, this would be a waste." Megan turned flashing Alpha a wicked smile, "But luckily I happen to be the best Ice Mage in the world." Megan threw the mostly empty container onto a countertop, before swinging her staff in its direction. "Shiva. Listen to me and chill this container, I demand it!" Megan began to glow as her magical power enshrouded her, the mana however never took form, instead chosen it collected at the edges of her staff. "Shiva! I Am the Ice Princess... uh..." Megan blanked. Slowly she lowered her staff. What was her name anyway? Megan didn't seem right anymore. It was true, but it was like calling a finished sculpture, merely 'clay.' No, her new form needed some title. She had spoken about it briefly with Vermillion, and yet the.. demon.. had not to name her once she resurfaced from her transformation. Feeling a tinge of disappointment Megan chose the first name that came to mind, "I am the Ice Mage formerly known as Megan. However, bound by the power of Vermilion I was reforged namelessly, so that will be my new name! I am Blank. And I am your master. You will heed my call Ice Elemental!" Despite Megan's boasts her staff failed to produce any ice magic what so ever.

Something came over her, a burning sensation, that was not unlike sitting mere inches away from an open flame. Megan's grip tightened on her staff as she forced herself to release her conjured magic. "How, dare she!" she screamed stomping her foot before she realized what had happened. Her apathy had dissipated, replaced with fuming anger. Megan turned again to Alpha, "It's you isn't it!" She demanded in a shrill voice overcome with fury. Already she began to summon her magic once more, for what was unclear.

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

At Kitchen

​

"What?" Alpha moaned, staring quizzically at The Ice Mage formerly known as Megan. It was an awfully long and peculiar name and it seemed that the girl's parents were correct in naming her after such an odd concept. The mage was, from what Alpha could see, a few screws short of an Ikea do-it-yourself furniture installment. She seemed to change her name to However, bound by the power of Vermilion I was reforged namelessly before finally deciding on Blank which just reminded Alpha of all the times she tried to print out her homework on her desktop only to find out that the printer was out of colored ink and all she was left with was a blank page.

Either way, the girl's failure to do anything with her staff merely left the room with an incredulous, awkward atmosphere. Even while sickened from the sugar content that she had just consumed, Alpha could feel the palpable, thick tension that was pierced by the girl's cry and accusation. It took Alpha a moment or two to process the words over her obvious pain but, once it clicked, Alpha couldn't help but rise up indignantly, pointing her finger with an air of defensiveness. "Hey! I'm, like, totally innocent! I call on my rights of corpus habeas and quo pro quid warranto and the second amendment to the United States constitution!" she exclaimed. It seemed as if the sudden rush of adrenaline had forced the stomach ache down long enough for her to stick her tongue out at Megan with no remorse.

"For an Ice Mage, you don't have much chill or cool, you know! I bet I can do twice as much as you can with a refrigerator, a fruit smoothie, and a batch of Popsicle sticks! When I'm done with you, you'd definitely need to use that magic of yours to ice the burns I'm gonna give you!" Alpha crowed.

​

She grinned, her mind pleasantly forgetting the agony her body is currently going through. It would be wise for her to remain put. Unfortunately, Alphabet Chocolate was never the wisest of the bunch and, even if she did have some thought on safety and hesitance, she'd probably go through with some dangerous stunt anyway. On this particular day, in order to show off to her brand new rival, Alphabet Chocolate did the impossible. She did some Michael Jackson-esque moves (who was, in her opinion, way better than The Artist Formerly Known as Prince) before breaking out in a splits position.

​

"Fight me on the dance floor!"

@Megan Tritor

​

 

At Kitchen

"Oh... oh my. I-I'm sorry."

Annette stepped into the kitchen with a platter of empty dishes. Her face became pale as she saw the two looking about to fight(?) right here in the cooking area. It was difficult for her to understand ABC's mannerisms. They were so unlike anyone she had ever seen in the manor. Just really... really random was the only way to describe it.

Sometimes it actually made her want to laugh, a very rare feeling for her to have these days. Of course that would be fatal most likely. Annette did not want to stir any unpredictable reactions from the quirky girl. Then there was the witch girl... or whatever she was being called now. Not everyone was given a name from Lady Vermillion and she did not remember being told to call her anything either.

"U-um.. p-p-please don't mind m-me."

She moved through the room, taking the longest way through the large kitchen she possibly could. Placing the platter on a counter. She did not go anywhere near the faucet.

"......Uh...."

Annette would just stay in her corner and grasp her arm trembling. Hopefully they would just move along soon so she could do her duties. She certainly hoped they weren't going to break out into a battle in here! Sigh... the increase in residence was just a sign of trouble. Trouble she had to accept and deal with as the manor maid.

 

At Kitchen

Megan's eyes widened as the incredulous child, who had to have been at least one or two years younger than her, began to dance around. Gritting her teeth, Megan's grip tightened on her worn staff as the heat of anger continued to rise. Suddenly the darkness within her lurched forward, flooding the back of her skull and leading to the sensation that ice water was being injected directly into her veins. Her vision blurred, and became distorted, filling the room with ghastly misshapen shadows. As quickly as it came on, the darkness receded taking her anger along with it, leaving her with the hollowness she had felt before.

Megan began to stumble as laughter forced itself out of her throat, "ha...ha...hy-he-ha Ha- HA ha!" It was just too amusing, her non-functioning ice magic, the child mocking her, and her inability to cope with it all. It wasn't darkness she was feeling; it was cold and unbending despair driving her to complete apathy. She knew it was rose's doing, these feelings, and yet it somehow made her feel stronger. "Haha, I get it. It is not you who's done this but Shiva. She's left me to rot like some diseased dog! Hillarious!" Megan smiled but failed to feel the mirth inside, "It doesn't matter."

Megan lowered her staff as she looked over both Alpha and Annette, had she only seen girls here? That's odd, but maybe they had been sanctioned off from the boys, and they had their own entirely different kitchen. "It doesn't matter!" She repeated, this time a little bit louder. She turned back too Alpha flashing her a warm but utterly fake smile, "I'm so sorry we got off on the wrong foot. As I said before, you can call me Blank. Now. If you don't mind me, I am going to be raiding this refrigerator for the popsicles you mentioned earlier. "

Megan turned to the icebox and opened it with a scowl. Any frozen fruity goodness had been cleaned out long before she arrived, leaving her with few options beyond what seemed to be the roasted leg of an unidentified animal. Well, there were other things of course, but they'd each require cooking, something Megan didn't feel up to doing. Resigned to her fate, she retrieved the beast's leg and began to gnaw on the chilled meat standing there in the kitchen.

Either the leg was delicious, or Megan had been starving as she quickly consumed the meat leaving only a long shin bone in its place. With a shrug, she tossed the bone aside before moving to what seemed to be a maid. "You there." Megan said attempting to sound as authoritative as possible, "I require knowledge." A strange emotion stirred within her as she spoke, "I need to know about religious cults, specifically ones that deal with ice. Does this place have a library, study, or Arcanum? Take me there." Impatiently Megan tapped her foot as she awaited a response.

"Am I this annoyed?" Megan thought to herself in a patronizing manner. The truth was that she felt something more akin to concern, losing her ice powers was a big deal and would impact her greatly she needed to find a replacement host similar to Shiva, if not as powerful. The thought of being less powerful than she was gnawed at her insides. This needed to be corrected and damned if either of these two girls were going to stop her from doing so.

@Vermillion (XIII) @Alphabet Chocolate

 

At Kitchen

Alpha tilted her head to the side, regarding Annette's sudden appearance with mild curiosity and amusement. With all this company and the presence of snacks, Alpha couldn't find it in herself to be indignant for very long. Perhaps it was because of the rose's influence or maybe it was just Alphabet's own eclectic personality but whichever it was didn't really matter. Alpha's face broke out into an off-kilted smile as she pushed herself into Annette's personal space and slung her arm over the shy girl. "No worries, buddy!" Alpha grinned, shaking the maid softly. "Nice to meet 'cha!"

As confrontational as she had been (she was still expecting a dance-off against this Blank person), she couldn't just let the blue-haired girl cower like that; the girl had been awfully nice to her during her first visit into the manor and Alpha was certain that the power of friendship would prevail over petty squabbles! Just as she began to pat Annette's back roughly, each of her friendly pats packing a bit too much strength, Alpha's newfound rival had began laughing maniacally. Alpha couldn't help but stare.

Numerous thoughts rushed into her mind as she watched the girl go through some sort of mental breakdown. Should she call for an ambulance or something? Alpha was somewhat proficient at first-aid and CPR after an extensive course during the health unit in P.E. but she had never really studied up on psychology. She had magic, of course, but her illusions typically caused craziness rather than fix it (somehow people think penguins falling from the sky as some sort of terrifying, unnatural occurrence instead of thinking of it as an opportunity to snuggle up with some cute, cuddly creatures).

Within moments, Alpha began panicking too. She didn't really like being confused and right now she was completely perplexed. "Oh my god," she breathed, her stomach-ache paling in comparison to how she was feeling right now. Her eyes were wide and her chest heaved up and down, desperately gasping for the air she had plenty of. "I think I broke her," she bemoaned her fate, burying her face in her hands in a mixture of mortification and horror.

"Oh god, oh god, oh godddddd," she groaned. "Uh, do people have restart buttons?! Do I have to pull the plug and plug it back in?! IS THERE A SYSTEM UPDATE PROCESSING?! Oh my god! I think I broke her. I think I broke the universe! Is restarting the universe like making another Big Bang?!" her face collapsed in distress.

"How am I going to explain to Vermy that I have to cause the destruction of the world and this timeline like how the Flash did it in Flashpoint?! What if something really bad happens when I do it? Like what if my mom becomes my uncle or something?!" Alpha panicked.

Hidden: System Updating...

Her tirade was, however, broken with Megan's next words and Alpha felt herself begin to calm momentarily. Her ragged breaths became more drawn-out and, before long, she had calmed herself enough to feel a sting of pity for Megan's plight. "Oh," was all she said, underwhelmed by the new situation at hand. At least she didn't need to do anything drastic.

"Uh, sorry about that," Alpha scratched her head, looking up at the icy witch. Maybe the sorry had been for her own nervous breakdown or maybe it was her own apologies that Megan had supposedly been abandoned by her own magic. Whichever it was, Alpha felt as if she had known this girl, who she had merely met a minute ago, for her entire life. And, with that, Alpha detached herself gently from Annette (the poor girl!) and reached her hand into the cookie bucket, taking out a nice chocolate chip out. She extended it over at Megan in a gesture of solidarity, using her other hand to prod Megan's shoulder. The girl had consumed the piece of meat with such ferocity but it was obvious that sweets and desserts were the only things that should be in your stomach!

"Chocolate's the best, you know," Alpha said, waving her hand nonchalantly as if the chaos that had just happened was all forgotten. "Meat's good and nice and all that but you can get it anywhere! I mean, you can literally kill a bear anywhere and cook it over a fire but where can you get chocolate chip cookies and ice cream? Only at home!" she laughed.

She looked between Annette and Megan. "You want one too, Panda?"

That was the maid's name, right? It had been a good while since she had last seen her. She gave her fingers and shoulders a nice crack before she reached down to grab the rest of the bucket and rejoined the conversation. "The library? Uh, can't say I ever went into one before! I think you'll find it if you look for a place with a lot of books," Alpha offered sheepishly. Her attempts to help weren't very helpful but at least she tried, right? "Sooo, Blank," Alpha scuttled a little closer to the pair. "You're so inviting me, right? We can have a study group! All three of us! It'll be just like one of those things you'd see in a Nick Teens show except real, you know? It'll be cool!"

She wiggled her eyebrows. "I have a bucket of cookies I could bring."

Sometimes a little bribery didn't hurt.

@Megan Tritor @Vermillion (XIII)​

 

At Tenebris' Bedroom

A black brush ran through pink hair as two crimson eyes glared into the mirror. All around were stuffed animals. Given to her by Vermillion. The crazy vampire lady sure was a idiot. For all her talk of evil deeds and such. She was surprisingly... bleh, loving towards those she gave roses. Of course the dolls and plushies were all ancient as heck, or stripped from others homes. So in a way that was evil.

Not that any of it mattered to Tenebris. Gee whiz was she disliking that name more by the day. Evil, good, all of it was a bunch of crap. Her hair now hanging slightly below the shoulders. The black ribbons used to tie her hair in the twintails she for some reason never stopped doing even now, were laying on the ornately carved vanity.

"Magi... Tenebris. Why do I have to accept some weird nickname given by some lonely old hag anyway? Bad enough I'm stuck feeling so indebted to her. Grief or not..."

At least it wasn't Magi... ew no!

Wearing a black nightgown down to her knees. The dark Magi stood and made her way to the large thorn covered bed. It was her personal request. A gargoyle head lined the top of the headboard. She ran a hand over the thorny bed and the pinching pain was just right!

"....*yawn*"

How long had it been since she slept outside of the game? What was that even like? Somewhere deep down Tenebris did want Cain to find her and maybe even wake her up. It would be nice to help those she knew outside the game too after all.

Looking at the creepy dolls around. Tenebris decided to grab a small white one. She normally hated white these days. It was just too... urgh, Magi. Still, this one just seemed so cold with it's stare. Flopping down on the thorny bed and laying back on the blood red pillow. She held the stuffed animal up with both hands and a smile crossed her face. Her hands emitted a black aura as she stretched it by the long ears. It began to blacken as her magic ran through it. A eye falling out and rolling down the bed.

"...Hehehe... you're looking better already... heheheh... hehehehehe.....hehe..."

Giggling to herself alone in this nightmarish chamber. Tenebris continued to affectionately cure the now decayed toy until she fell asleep.

 

At Kitchen

Annette's face was beyond puzzled at ABC's reactions. The goofy girl was just... all over the place. Was she like this before or was this a result of the rose? It certainly was a unique result. Lady Vermillion found her amusing but honestly Annette was just too confused to feel anything from it but wonder. She really was from another world like Xsune had said...

The one who proclaimed themselves as Blank was a lot more natural for Annette to deal with. Trizzaldi was a handful with the demands so this was in a similar vein. The nervous maid ran over to the tossed bone and threw it in the trash bin. Which just so happened to burp after the bone was dropped.

"Y-yes... o-o-o-of course the manor h-h-has a fine... library."

She nodded looking back at the ice witch.

"I can serve cookies instead and s-s-save you trouble... Mm-m-m-isha may have ate them all t-t-t-though so p-p-please d-d-d-on't be... angry ...if she d-did."

She got cookies and milk together together as quickly as possible and actually... that was quite fast. She was the maid of the manor for a reason. Holding the pitcher in one hand and the tray in another she gestured to the door with the pitcher hand.

"F-f-follow me. The manor is very complex if you are n-n-n-ew. Be careful n-n-n-not to touch a-a-a-ny of the forbidden t-t-t-omes in the library... T-t-t-hey are Lady Vermillion's personal c-collection. Most of which are c-c-cursed."

@Alphabet Chocolate @Megan Tritor

 

Vermillion XIII

Gathering Call

Hmhmhmhm. I do believe the time has come. Gather my treasures to me. I will be waiting...

Appropriate. I will send the message now. Annette, Trizzaldi, Misha, @Blank, Tenebris, ABC (@Alphabet Chocolate), report to the Throne Room within two hours. Vermillion will be present. Punctuality is expected.

​

The self made throne room of Vermillion Romanov. The only way to enter this chamber is deep within the manor, at it's center. Above the golden vine covered door lies the enormous painting of Vermillion with the cityscape beyond. Through the golden door lies a chamber with a high stained glass ceiling. The red light of the moon filling the rosen throne room. Small streams of blood ran from the bottom of the throne in all directions and gargoyles of gold nestled on all four 'corners' of the rounded chamber.

The throne of Vermillion was as magnificent as one might expect. Or perhaps it would be for one with a twisted mind. On their seat was the Arch Vampire herself. Waiting patiently with a glass in hand. A small gathering table had been prepared before her and seats set all around. She did not want her treasures to have to stand after all. They deserved suitable comfort...

​

How redy everything is! But... the chairs are not aligned properly, there is a 2.53% off centering of the table. Annette may need to tidy that up. I will have difficulty explaining things if there is that much of a differentiation.

....

​

Yes oneesan, perhaps I am. I did say I was going to stop flapping the trap about unripe gripes. I agree wholeheartedly.

Mmmm... This is the place right? ...Are you...mmm...sure Tizzy? Shouldn't it be more... mmm... white and all?

​

Yes Misha! This is it. Why wouldn't it be you mush for brains? Do you EVEN pay attention to how the manor works?! Urgh.... when can I get my promotion and be rid of you!?

​

A-Ah yes o-o-of course let me fix it.... how's t-that?

​

The majority of VXIII had arrived and taken their seats. Or in Xsune's case brought along her own. Ner simply stood behind Xsune like her shadow. The Overwatcher also choosing to stand beside Vermillion. The eye floating next to her glared unblinking at those who entered.

You have one week from this post to respond to the gathering. Simply make a post located in the Throne Room (not available any other time) and wait for Vermillion and the rest. Otherwise...​

 

At Throne Room

Alpha had never been punctual but it was a necessity if you were to serve Vermilion. Perhaps it was that inkling bit of fear that festered at the pit of her stomach at the thought of disappointing her greatest idol and sovereign that drove her to go through such extremes for the vampire. Or maybe it was because of sheer excitement of being one of first ones to respond to Vermilion's call—a chance to prove her loyalty as one of Vermilion's most devoted. More likely, it was a mixture of both that left her sitting anxiously two hours before the requested deadline. Her seat was comfy and her shoulders relaxed but her insides were anything but. It seems that time had made her ever more committed to the religion that was Vermilion and it somewhat smothered what would've been bubbling energy and turned it into a quiet enthusiasm and eagerness to please.

She watched the proceedings quietly, staring up at Vermilion's place with pure adulation before Xsune's words caught her ear. "W-what?! It has to be perfect!" Alpha insisted, fidgeting quietly from her seat. A subtle nudging in her mind reminded her that chaos was good. That misplaced seats and balloons everywhere and donkeys riding cattle was something to be appreciated; the very inconsistency and befuddlement of the universe was something that shocked and excited her. Conformity was bad, something she reminded herself of everyday. But still, in the presence of the lovely, amazing, sweet, gentle, great, omniscient, all-powerful, generous, miraculous Vermilion she felt that it was lacking. "Oh my god, is my seat okay?!" she looked around with a bit of trepidation, hoping to get a clear answer from her compatriots. Before anyone could answer, she buried her head in her hands and stifled a scream.

"Gah!" her hands flew up in the air miserably as she scooted back and forth nervously, her lower lip starting to bleed from her rough bite. "I'm sorry, Vermy. I'll bring you so many cookies next time! I'll get you the best of the bunch and everything! I'll even take a few of those chefs at the Sweets Emporium for you to use, Annette!" she was rambling again and her face heated up and she was so, so embarrassed. "Carrot cakes, velvet cakes, potato cakes! Every cake! I'll get an army or something and invade Stokbon for you, you know! And then we can party and forget about asymmetrical chairs!"

She resisted the urge to look around her, focusing solely on Vermilion. She'd have time to make friends after she proved herself to Vermilion. She was, after all, Vermilion's most faithful...friend? Servant? Whatever she was to the vampire, she made a promise to herself that she'd make sure that Vermilion leave this meeting happy and content with what the world had to offer. She owed the affluent vampire that much.

For some reason, Alpha couldn't think of anything but Vermilion so far. Hector, who stood by her side nervously, scratched his ear—forgotten.

 

At Throne Room

Megan sniffed at Alpha's bribe, she didn't really care if the girl followed her, but if she had it would take more than a box of delicious sweet treats to change her mind. Though, as she pondered the thought, studying did require quite a bit of energy and the 'meat' she had eaten earlier, likely wouldn't suffice, the sugary confections would actually be a welcome sight. "Very well!" Megan announced, "You may come with me if you do in indeed bring the cookies!" Of course, her statement was slightly undercut by the maid's response. Megan turned to her with a grin, "Y-Y-You'll actually serve us? Hehe...it's like I'm an actual princess." An ice cold blast, of negative emotions flooded through her as she spoke, annihilating the joy she had just felt. Megan drew a long breath as she felt the void tug at her once more. Something about it was beginning to feel different, almost as if she was becoming accustomed to its pull. Regardless of her current state of apathy, she didn't care about something so minor as her own emotions. Instead, she nodded at Annette to lead the way...

--------------

Sometime later Megan found herself alone in the library. The other two had come with her of course, but after the cookies were eaten and Megan had made it clear she intended to study for a prolonged amount of time, she had managed to outlast them. The truth was, Megan found the collection to be fascinating, either Vermilion herself was an avid collector or she had found someone who was. The stacks were littered with mint condition tomes of exceedingly rare varieties, and while Megan hadn't found what it was she was looking for she was quite content in studying what she had found. Within a few hours, she had a table fully stacked with leather-bound tomes she considered 'must reads'. Before she could begin devouring them, however, a messenger covertly entered the room handing Megan a message. It seemed her presence was required....

----------

Megan entered the throne room, holding only a single black tome. It was thin, but in a language that Megan barely understood, she hoped it would give her direction in her next task at hand. Well, the task she had planned on dealing with after whatever this meeting was. Looking around the room, Megan couldn't help but feel like the odd one out. It seemed most of their number knew one another, while Megan was still relatively new. She supposed she'd feel nervous if it wasn't for the ice cold apathy flowing through her veins. Without a word, she simply plopped down in the nearest chair, and opened her book, staring at its words intently as if unconcerned to what was going on around her.

 

At Throne Room

Urgh.

Tenebris woke up to a monotone voice filling her head. That Overwatcher eye person. Who the heck was she to be able to do that? It wasn't like messages players used. Not that Tenebris really received or sent out any of those anymore. Well, if Tenebris Cordis had to make a appearance she would just do it at her own pace. However long that was... who cared? If Countie decided to punish her, was that really that bad? Just more grief after all.

She exited her room into the dark crimson halls of the manor. Her black variant of Magi's dress fitting in amazingly well with the decor. Tenebris was no longer trying to be a magical girl in her mind, nor did she want to be. Yet she dressed this way out of a strange preference. It could not be a left over from Magi... not at all. Tenebris still was quite determined to keep herself from ever being too like that dope.

Entering the throne room. The dark girl shifted her mouth to the side seeing everyone had got here first. Gee whiz...oooooh well.

Oh. She realized she did still have her hair down. She began to place her black ribbons in her hair as she made her way to whatever seat was available.

Alphabet and Megan were here.... Wowzers, how rare was this? The mere fact Tenebris remembered Alphabet's name was shocking honestly. The encounter she had as Magi must have left a mark. Even though that encounter itself was not something she could recall at this moment. As for Megan or whatever Red Fang was calling her. She had her nose in a book like some geek. Gee whiz, Megan reads! That's a improvement.

Plopping down in a chair and resting her hands in her lap with a adorably faux Magi smile with accompanying salute. Tenebris said;

"Tenebrissssss Cordissssssss issssss here Countie❤."

Did Tenebris like her name or Vermillion much? Naw but it was so good to suffer with them!

 

Vermillion XIII

Assignment Select Briefing #1

Vermillion Romanov.

A mysterious Arch Vampire with a taste for companionship, rarities, and rampant sadism. The Crimson Overlord now had before her a collection of fine treasures. Vermillion always found it invigorating to watch her new found friends grow into the perfect distortions of themselves. To fill the dark void of the manor with suitable residents. Now she had more knowledge, A new source of dark energy. Why it took so long to think of it was shocking to the ancient. Finally a plan to set into motion that had a semblance of actual success attached to it.

To be free.

To collect.

To avenge.

To return.

To build a world of her own design.

She had to first remove that which impeded her.

Of which there were several things.

It was time to begin. She lightly sipped her glass of crimson before sighing loudly. Her voice carrying the same dark echo that it held when she was in full shin transformation. Showcasing the devil beneath the near harmless looking exterior.

Ahhhh, welcome my treasures. This is the first time I've gathered you all together since my awakening.

Seeing that she had gotten their attention (or for their shakes had better have), she continued.

Misha, you were brought to me as a a rotting corpse. Your life stolen without mercy from filthy scum. Male scum at that. Now, you have renewed life you would not have had.The ability to enjoy feeding that ravenous hunger of yours as well hmhmhm.

Trizzaldi, you were helpless. Lost and weak. Now you can finally rival and surpass your neglectful mother. I will be watching how far your ambitions can take you my dear friend. Your ego only carries you higher. Hmhmhm.

Annette, I have given you a way to avoid a early grave. Your bloodthirsty demon will only emerge when you or I will it to be. You are also gainfully employed! Hmhmhm!

Overwatcher, you have proven invaluable to me. No one else understands my hatred for the gods more than you. With your all seeing eye. We shall accomplish much and fix this world of ours.

Her eyes shifted to Xsune upon using the word fix.

ABC. You are such a joy to have around. A source of energy that... I have not had in my presence in thousands of years. To break rules, to go beyond expectation. To simply... disregard all logic and comprehension. Hmhmhm.... show me how chaotic you can become.

Of course. Blank and Tenebris. Blank, you fell into my lap like a dirty rock that could hide it's true shine underneath. Now you have taken on a name of your own choosing and are ready to make your own decisions... is that because of others? No. Everything decays away eventually. Now that you are uncaring of those around you, you can focus on what matters most hmhmhm.

Tenebris. I... hmhmhmhm. You are such a precious little gem. The amount of growth I have seen in you is... startling. You also fill me with a sense of joy to watch descend more than many here. What you seek is contradictory and wracked with despair. I can only watch in anticipation for where it leads you.

There was another feeling Vermillion chose not to say to these girls. They did not need to hear every thought that crossed her mind after all. Only what she felt to say. Again her focus fell upon Xsune.

Xsune. The time has come. You who awakened me from my sleep of a thousand years. You who gave me the knowledge to understand just what this world of ours is after I... in all my years of existing, had forgotten. Perhaps I was simply programmed to forget like the rest. The history I remember... hmhmhm. Perhaps history is indeed only what one wants to remember. I heard that once.

Xsune nodded and swiveled her chair closer to the table lightly tapping the orb on it's arm.

​

Of course. I am happy to help. We want similar things. I can only imagine why we would not want to both take a bite at this Verm-sama. So... the Heart of Chaos?

Yes.

....

​

Very well then! Oh onneesan you hush now. It is time for the meeting. Everyone....

Xsune waved a hand. A single transparent panel appeared before each of them. Misha and Trizzaldi especially made looks of awkward wonder at the weirdness before them.

​

Now don't be rooted in old ideas. Like I've said. You are all in a simulation. A video game. A simulgame. Everyone of us is digital data. These panels are normal things to us players. What I have done is used my Technomancy, a gift from a very influential friend, to break the matrix so to speak. Now press the left most button for the briefing summaries.

​

Her green eyes looked each person over seeing if they were following her. She waved her hand over her own larger panel and pressed several spots on it. The area above the gathering table now had a large glowing sphere. it was much like a prism shard in coloring yet it emitted such a shine the entire throne room was doused in multicolored lighting.

​

This is the Heart of Chaos. One of Verm-sama's dreams is to bring this cursed manor back into the prime plane. The plane you are all from. Well, not all of you. Players are from the outworld. Worlds upon worlds and all imperfect attempts by gods to make something from nothing. I digress.

Chaos shards. Prism shards... you all don't need me to infuse you with that stale information do you? Certainly ner! What you all need to know, is that the energy of a great god has had part of it's consciousness brought into this universe and is out there. Scattered into what is known as Chaos Energy. Chaos Beasts, which you may have met, are those infected by such power. Chaos is... the utter definition of imperfection. I hate it but... it is the power that will get Verm-sama the end she desires. I am crippled by her affection and have decided to help with this.

You all..

Another wave of a hand. The image of the sphere above vanished. Replaced by a map of all known lands to the players. Including the recently discovered large image of western Tertoria. The map replicated on each of their individual panels. Misha had no idea what she was doing and looked stunned. Trizzaldi was just saying... "cool" and "sweet" repeatedly.

...must collect as much energy as you can. We require 9999 units of chaos to create our own Heart of Chaos. Can you heart that? With it the power of a primordial god will be at our disposal. Nothing will be beyond Verm-sama's grasp. Nor any of yours in fact. Chaos has enough to go around I hear.

Upon those maps are the locations of highly concentrated chaoic energy. You will assemble into teams and gather the energy. We also encourage making as much of your own chaos as possible to speed things along some. Overwatcher-san will be providing navigation assistance.

Again she gazed over them. Vermillion finished her glass and handed it to Annette as she folded her hands together with a glare of her own. Strangely it almost felt Vermillion was elsewhere in her mind for most of that. Likely she heard all this before as it was her plan but it was still something some may notice.

Is everything Crystallized Zalra?

Xsune concluded.

You may make a reaction post. Assignments will be available for selection soon..​

 

At Throne Room

Alpha preened, her worries fading away as Vermilion praised her. Her face lit up like a firefly stuck in a bush and she couldn't help but do a small, wiggly dance. At that moment, she was oblivious to the fact that she looked like a squirming noodle. It didn't matter. None of that mattered. What did matter was that Alphabet Chocolate was 100% certifiably cool and nothing in the world could convince her to believe anything else. She was on top of the world and that world she stood up on was made of sunshine, rainbows, and unicorn blood.

It was hard for Alpha to listen much afterwards, her thoughts swarmed with various images: Vermilion and her eating cookies; Vermilion and her playing ring-around-a-rosie with daisies and glitter showering down; Vermilion and her traipsing through a meadow; and Vermilion and her laughing as they painted each other's nails with grade-A organic nail polish that had sparkles in it. Maybe Hector would be in there too, his grumpy face digging into dog chow.

And then there was a very, very pretty light and Alpha found herself distracted from her distractions. "Oooh," Alpha's eyes were wide and glimmering, her hands carrying her weight on the desk as she promptly unseated herself in a sudden fit of excitement and fascination. "Shiny!" there was an urge to grab it but, upon catching a glimpse of the rest of the group, her face flushed and she quickly sat back down. She cleared her throat, her face stoic in a poor imitation of Blank's natural expressionless expression of expressionlessness (how does she even look so indifferent anyways?!).

Either way, Alpha tried her very best to stay silent during Xsune's presentation, squashing down the stray bits of jealousy from the fact that Vermilion seemed to prefer that green-haired girl over the rest of them. Still, she couldn't help but grow excited and antsy as Xsune began to dive further into the depths of Vermilion's desires. A tiny part of her realized that, in all her time of being here, Alpha had never learned of what her greatest friend wanted. Well, that would be remedied soon. She bit her lip.

"Crystal!" she burst out as Xsune finished, her bubbling pit of energy finally exploding as she bounced throughout the room, jumping and running around with her eyes squinted shut and her mouth barely concealing squeals and excited screams. Oooh! How excited she was! After waiting for so long, Alpha could repay Vermilion back for the companionship and gifts she brought her. She could go on adventures with her fellow compatriots! She could bring her dreams to fruition.

"No more gods! This world isn't gonna be just a game anymore! Vermy's gonna rule it all, just you see! I can't wait!" she hugged herself tightly. "C'mon guys, this is gonna be so awesome! Imagine!"

She pictured in perfectly in her head. Vermilion, on her throne. And then thoughts rushed into her head. "Magi! Icey! Annie!" she hopped forward, giving each of them a suffocating embrace. "Ooooh, this'll be great!" Alpha could just see it!

A world where amusement parks were open 24/7. A world where broccoli tasted like fried chicken and medicine tasted like strawberry jam. A world with Bart and Potato and Hector and—

She paused, silent for a full second before an eager grin returned, brighter than ever.

"Terry! Oh, Terry'll be there, too! And Vermy'll be the only god we need! Hah!" Alpha finished confidently.