00 - Prologue - New Game Start

[Maxi Wesker]

Of course, Demitri was already aggravated enough that he still hasn't claimed the Makai World from the current heiress, but not being their to do so was even worse, one couldn't really blame the vampire for his irritation...since this wasn't actually his first time dealing with otherworldly issues before, it was a headache. All he really wanted was answers, and to leave this world to its own problems, and the little whelp and this "star" were the only ones capable of answering...but matters had gotten worse.

"Leave him alone! He only asked for help! You bully! Drop him."

A voice screeching about as loud as that catwoman, Felicia, and her constant human praised antics. Great, problems, while Demitri could've squeezed the blood out of this dull creature, he only grabbed him to examine him since he's......not quite accustomed to this world. One would understand by the look on his face...oh right, tall, bulky, and scary with fangs. He'd notice the wind powers developing from the girl's hands, but little did he care, he returned his focus back on the Toad.

Oh and as if matters couldn't get any worse, this erm...knight in shining armor, not the smartest of he bunch attempted to smack the Makai vampire with the flat of his sword. Curious how he could even see with his helmet supposedly covering his face...was he blind? could make sense...but even the blind has sense, where this knight apparently had none. Demitri had peeked at this sudden attempt from the corner of his eyes, as he simply pressed his finger onto the flat before he returned his attention to the Toad.

"You're all very noisy...."

Demitri then gently placed the Toad down as another Knight, who seemed to be the leader of the lesser knight, yelled for his retainer to stop. This would catch Demitri's attention as he turned his attention to Meta-Knight before he simply nodded to his words, walking away from the group as he stopped next to the leader knight. "No disrespect, but are most of your knights this feeble, or is it just him?" Demitri asked before he looked back at Luzia, only noticing a red shard in her hand as he kept watch of her.

Maxi on the other hand, still sitting on the pile of defeated Koopas, started playing with one of the shells by spinning on the tip of his index finger as if it was a basketball. He'd keep watch of the outskirts of any upcoming threats while still listening to the conversation. "So I got here 'cuz of a wish, well not like I had anything better to do...the Organization is probably wonderin' where the hell I am, could give two shits though."

[Koi Koi]

Oh dear, this was more than expected when she was looking at how many of them were drawn into this world, but at the same time... this was more than irritating. Some of these people were such idiots! Terrorizing the one person who likely had answers for all of us, that's a whole new level of... whatever, whatever. She was lucky the others were enough to at least get... some form of sense back. Eliza wouldn't have to use any spears for this encounter. 

More interestingly was that little girl that Eliza was protecting earlier. She's seemed to have become much more proactive since the initial battle. Perhaps now that the threat was gone, she felt more comfortable with her surroundings. Approaching that demon of a man with a frail body like hers. She may be a bit dim witted like that, but she certainly has bravado. But there was something else, as Eliza eyed the young girl. There seemed to be something else. She could almost sense something... different about the girl. Was it Eliza's attunement telling her something? Despite all appearances, this child was going to be another topic of study. It seems like everyone in this menagerie was going to be something to study.

Eliza stood up, satisfied with the information she's gleaned from the others. Now it was time that she got her own answers. Especially before someone else decides to intimidate this mushroom beast. She walked slowly, trying her best to avoid any form of confrontation again and knelt before the mushroom.

"If you're really concerned about the state of your home world, then the solution is rather simple. We were summoned by a wish, so we will grant that wish." She said, mostly to herself. It wasn't that she actually cared about what that man was going on about. Oh dear, your world was in a war? What a shock, MY world was in a war! THIS world was at war! War happens to make up half of all history for crying out loud, there's not need to get so fussy over this. Besides, if these gods had the power to summon them all here, there's no reason why not to assume they can transport them all back without having to worry about how long they've been gone. There's no reason to assume time works the same way in these new worlds.

"Small mushroom man, what was your wish? Surely your wish won't be difficult for a group of our caliber to fulfill." ...is what she did say, but there was something a bit more devious to her plans. No, if they did go back home, then Eliza would likely miss out on some prime time for study. She had decided early in when she arrived that everyone in the group was someone she had to interrogate, someone she ought to record and study in detail. But that would take time, oh plenty of time. They all had to stay together as well, united so they would not scatter and add complications to her plan. But Eliza was certain that if she could get most of them united on this goal of granting a wish, but then never fully grant the wish, well that would grant her the time she needs to make a full study on all of them. She felt a little nervous though, seeing as this all hinged on how easy or difficult this mushroom's wish was. Though, she also could guess the answer already. Why would the gods draw so many of them, most with phenomenal strength, for a handmaiden's task? No, she had a good feeling that this wish was going to be excruciating difficult, and she may not even need to stall to have the time she needs. Or, she could regardless! The longer she stayed in this world, the more opportunity for something else to pique her fancy.

This was going to be a fun little "field trip"!

[Deleted]

Silvia stood on guard blaster out and sword raised in anticipation of whether or not Meta Knight would attack. But he never did attack… he just walked away. Although she was completely still left in mystery why he attacked in the first place, the mechanized warrior couldn’t help but let a sigh of relief knowing this was resolved peacefully. There was no need to fight meaningless battles if a battle could be avoided entirely. She dropped her defensive position and began to look at her surroundings.



Now that the Koopa Army was defeated, things seemed to be for the time being rather peaceful. She took a moment to observe all the kinds of people who were brought by Toad’s wish. Well there were some definitely some interesting types here to say the very least. Humans, Vampires, and everything in between. Some of these heroes were going at it with one another, more specifically the Vampire with Toad… but for the time being, she was taking it easy and letting the situation play itself out. And when it does, all shall be reveal of what she needs to know.



But out of all things she noticed, something immediately caught her eye. A kitsune child standing at 3'6"  crying on a just as small child’s sleeve.



“Mommy!”



As soon as she heard that… Her eyes widened. Almost blanking out even. Her expression darkened… She became pale as if she had just seen a ghost. Well maybe not a ghost as she would be screaming her head off in fear if that was the case. Her heart just froze. Everything just froze as if time itself had come to a standstill. Suddenly… Memories started flooding back through her. Memories that had haunted her memory her entire life.

---

She saw an image of a tall building which was the laboratory her parents worked in. There she was standing happily next to her mother and father. She was merely five years old. On this day, she was wearing a jean shorts with a purple short sleeve shirt on. Her hair still purple and in pigtails.



“It was a day just like any other…. Yeah… Like any other…. But that day…. All those years ago….”



A vision could be seen of her mother staying home at the laboratory working on research regarding a type of infinite energy source. Meanwhile her father was taking a young Silvia to the park to have some fun. The day was one to remember indeed. Her and her father had the time of their life. The young girl’s face was beaming with bliss. All was right with the world…. Until suddenly from a distance they heard a powerful explosion coming from the direction of the lab. Her father grabbed her and rushed them home to discover the source of the explosion was from within the lab. Workers were in a frantic. Ambulances were arriving on the scene... it all lead up to the discovery that her mother had been killed in the explosion. Somehow miraculously her entire body was completely incincerated by the blast. But maybe it would have been better if the two of them were left with nothing… Instead they saw her dead corpse being put on a stretcher and moved into an amubulance. Within the lab the workers were trying to contain the fire the blast caused… and they weren’t doing a good job either.



A vision of a broken 5 year old Silvia could be seen bawling her eyes out as she exclaimed…



“Mommy! MOMMY!!!”



There was nothing that her father could possibly ever do to lighten the blow of what young Silvia experienced that day… Days… Months… Even years passed. The Hoshikawa family was completely inconsolable over the tragedy the two of them experienced. And ever since that day, Silvia had been too afraid to get into the life of a scientist as her family line was. Time passed… and her father did his best to keep their spirits up.



Silvia had only became the scientist she is today because of the influence of her father. He did all he could to show her that being a scientist, was not truly as bad as she made it out to be. Her father knew how much of a genius his daughter was and did not want her to lose her potential to do great things for this world. It wasn’t easy… but Silvia eventually came around… in due time she began getting back into science.



“His words… As a scientist… we all live in risk… there’s always the chance that our studies, everything we worked so hard for will end in failure. But even if there’s a 95% chance that it will end in failure…. That means there’s a 5% chance you will succeed. You must never give up when fighting for what you believe in. I know your mother is looking down on us now… praying for our well being and your success.”



Silvia’s father was her closest ally and best friend. They were inseparable. By age 16, Silvia’s father died of natural causes leaving her caretaking in the hands of a close friend of her parents. Her father’s dying wish was for Silvia to do what makes her happy. He wanted his daughter to be happy no matter what. He never did force the family business upon her. The life of a scientist, she chose for herself.



The memories came flooding back….

---

In that one brief moment, when she looked at the Kitsune child, she didn’t see the Kitsune child, but the vision of the heartbroken 5 year old that was once her.



Silvia’s expression was so emotional yet sorrowful. Her eyes wide as tears began to pour down her cheeks. Her grip on her saber was lost as it fell down slowly to the ground below. As soon as the plasma of the beam hit the ground it quickly dematerialized and disappeared. She continued to stare at the Kitsune child. He felt the same pain she was feeling most likely.



Suddenly… something came over her. She wasn’t about to just stand there and cry. Warriors did not cry. Silvia was going to take action. A strong feeling of determination overtook her body all with the resolve to help this small child. The Visor and mouth guard slid back into the helmet as she cleared the tears from her eyes. It was then she started to walk closer to Mika. As she walked her body glowed blue as the suit was being unequipped. She now no longer had the power suit on. The scientist got closer to Mika before getting down on her knees next to him. She was in a spot where the kitsune could see her.



Tapping gently on the shoulder of him, she asked softly “Hey little guy… are you okay? If something is bothering you I’d be more than happy to listen to you. I saw you crying and I felt concerned.”



Her words came straight from her heart with the purest of sincerity. She was going to do everything she could to help this child.

[Captain Pigtails]

Things happened very fast for most people.

Sunny didn't really understand that it was different, but moments happened slower for them. Even still, things semed to be happening quicker than even she could respond to.

One minute she was standing off with the tall, dark, mysterious stranger.. and then she was encouraged to stand aside by her small green protector. No. This wasn't for her to do.

She puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated fashion, one of the most 'precious' things the Rat Crew had taught her. If someone bothers you, you should pout! Puff them out real big!

Eventually even time for pouts would go, and she sighed..

The moments would play out and she became a passive viewer to them. The winds whirling about her hand would dissipate and return to the land.

Becoming apart of the land around her.

When the spirits returned to the land the land would remember. In this area on Star Hill, a quick breeze would pick up. The speed of which it arrived unnatural, but not the intensity of the winds itself. It was quite blustery now.

It wasn't enough to dispel the smog around them.. but it was quiet warm.

It was soothing to her and helped calm her. She watched as Demitri set down the Toad, and she would smile. "Thank you." She chirped, pleased with the outcome. There was no reason to act like that, and she felt a small amount of excitement start to build when Eliza started talking about granting the wish that had summoned them.

The sudden feel of someone grabbing onto to Sunny shocked her, and she gasped, but she did not recoil. She looked down and saw..

A-A kid?

Since as long as she known, she was the only kid. She knew what a kid was. The Rats had taught her who she was, a little girl, and everything that came with that. Another kid was.. confusing to her. She didn't know what to do..
And then called her.. mommy?

She didn't understand. Mommies were special girls that take care of you and love you and are the most important lady to you. She had never seen this kid before, she didn't know how she could possibly be their mommy. But when she saw his form clutching her, holding her tight.. when she saw him crying those thoughts didn't seem to matter.

"Okay.." she said softly.

She returned the hug without any more hesitation, quickly surprised with how amazing it felt to hold another person. And how strange it made her feel. She couldn't cry.. no matter how much she might want to like this other kid, but she felt herself start to lose composure again. She knew, full well, how much he wanted his mommy..

Captain..

___

Serra quickly found herself no longer needed again. Not her favorite place to be at the moment.. any time she wasn't doing something she started to think on about her situation. Crying children, being spirited away,this strange world, and the whole big mess.

Feeling confident that the kids were protected for a moment, she scanned around. A fight had just occured right, was she sure there was no one..

Oh?

She walked away from the group for a bit, heading towards someone (Maxi) who was just sitting atop a bunch of defeated monsters.

"Hey there.. are you hurt?" She said, grinning. She held her staff proudly and hoisted it upwards, casing her Heal spell on him.

"I'm here, lucky you." She smiled beaming at him expectantly, visibly waiting for something.

___

The red haired young woman, Eleanor Hume, seemed to spring into action at the sound of the crying child.

Her head turned from one direction to the next as her she took in the situation. There seemed to be defeated demons laying about. There was all manner of people about.. but she didn't recognize any of them. Which surprised her, given that they had seemed to handle a group of demons so she would have assumed they were exorcists but they.. didn't quite look as if they were. 

There was one girl about her own age nearby, away from the others and clutching something defensively. Eleanor spoke to her, the choice of words reflecting her nature. Her tone surprisingly composed, polite.. not spoken like a commander in charge of troops but a heartful knight in service to help the people. "Is something the matter? You look at bit unnerved.. is there anything I can do to be of assistance?"

[Teki]

A Sick and Worried Mind

Luzia paid little attention to the group, tuning them out just a little bit as she fell into her own emotions, her eyes growing distant as she did. Her head slowly turned to each side of her; she had a decent idea of what the area looked like in battle, but now that everything was, for the moment, quiet, she could say for sure what she already managed to guess: she wasn’t in the city… she wasn’t even around the city.

With that confirmed, her mind languidly shifted back to what the… thing… the talking star said. ‘Brought here’… that meant they were summoned, right? She knew that power; some Powereds had that, the ability to pull things out of books or screens to fight for them… did that mean that she was someone in a book?

‘No,’ she quickly told herself, ‘No one would make a character like me.’ No one would be that sadistic… right? Besides, why would someone make a character like her, then summon her to be a hero? That was the stupidest idea ever… she couldn’t be a hero if she tried.

“Mommy!”

The Painter Sets Her Sights

Luzia’s eyes suddenly shot wide, her train of thought completely shattered with that word alone, suddenly whirling towards the source. A little boy was suddenly here – another summoned person? – and was already running to someone, some little girl she didn’t notice until she had yelled. She blinked once, wondering who he was speaking about, then gasped quietly as he hugged the girl… and she hugged back.

Her breath froze in her chest, her eyes wide as not only the girl, but the person that had caused so many explosions comforted him. Her hands began to shake, her eyes narrowing, glaring at the boy. Hate rose up in her, hate and envy swelling up as she grit her teeth. Two pretty girls comforting him, when he was scared, confused, and alone… she wanted that. All those years alone… six years of nothing… and he gets it, just like that?!

How she hated kids. They always got adopted. They always got comforted. They always got cared for. They always got the attention.

She could feel it inside of her… the bloodlust, the anger that always came before…. But she was okay with it. Those urges always led to such sweet, incredible times… nothing that she ever did compared to-

"Is something the matter?”

A Sick and Worried Mind

Luzia jolted, suddenly pulled out of her thoughts, and she instinctively looked down at her orb. She had been squeezing it so tightly that her powers made holes where her fingers were, turning the solid back into liquid blood that had been dripping from the bottom of the ball. She shifted softly, pulling her fingers out and mentally calling the blood back into place, making it resolidfy.

“You look at bit unnerved... is there anything I can do to be of assistance?"

“I’m fine,” she replied quietly. All of the hate and envy was gone now… well, most of it, leaving her voice to match her heart: cold, lonesome. She hated that boy so much… but she wouldn’t hate him for long….

She turned her head, looking over her shoulder, simply looking in Eleanor’s direction, her expression, including her eyes, emotionally distant and disconnected, not realizing that two thin streams of tears were falling from her eyes as she continued, “I just... don’t know where I am….”

[Aphelionquasar]

Just like that, he was stopped. Blighter just presses a finger against the flat of his blade and that was it, stopped the swing right in its track. Would be right sorry focusing on him... er... would be... mean... oh. Right. He’d forgotten someone real important to this whole little strategy if it could be called that. Was a bit too simple really, but ... still counted as strategy right? Blade wasn’t there. Didn’t matter who got the blow in, but it was hard work to block two swords coming at you. Stepping back, well, Sword knew better than to press forward with the warning. Wasn’t the first time he’d tangled with someone stronger than him, still stung though. Real humiliating. Even more so when Bluey had the gall to... right out imply that he and the rest were all rubbish. Rack off. He’d say it, yeah he would alright, to his face... except for the little tiny fact that he couldn’t even scratch him. Lowering the blade, the knave clenched the grip in silent frustration. Leave the rest of ‘em out of it though, didn’t need to say his mates be garbo as well. Knew that he could barely keep up with the Sir anymore, he knew that, they all did, was hard to even keep track of him. Weren’t strong enough anymore to really directly help with any of the threat, he knew that too, they all did. Never though did the Sir seem to blame them for that when they were supposed to be serving him, protecting him... never did voice the fact that mayhaps his men weren’t up to scratch Was a tad frustrating to actually hear it and all. Bit of a sore spot, yeah? Guess he should have been more relieved when bluey walked away, probably, considering how apparent the difference in strength was, but, like that had mattered much before. Been in worse scrapes. He got the message loud and clear, probably should apologize or something considering the glare and the tilt the sir sent his way, but, then a whole lot just happen to er... well happen when his sword just happened to be lowered. Funny how that went wasn’t it? And honest, he was at a lost what to do, this small noodle limbed creature bounded at another of his charges. Another of them. Real strange creatures. Cried for a mum too. Actually two of ‘em approached, one real slow like, on its... didn’t matter, it was a non-threatening display one that even he got. Then one of them wondered over yonder, the pink one with the two tails,er twin tails without a word. Oh and suddenly there were more waterworks from this purple haired.... Hey wasn’t this one the one that was fighting with the sir? Blast it, get! Now how was he supposed to follow his orders? Shouldn’t she still be tussling with the Sir? He wasn’t the type to just let a foe off a hook, but she was here and he was pretty sure those tears were real. Probably? Just in case, he inched back towards the smaller one, the one he had pushed back, waiting... just in case with blade still unsheathed. Mayhaps he should be chasing after the pink haired thing, but, he felt that keeping an eye out on this bunch was probably a tad more important and he didn’t feel like making more of a fool of himself. Sides, the purple haired one just had a spat with his lord, yeah... naaaw he wasn’t going to trust her with his charges. Was thinking enough to say that didn’t sound like a good plan, idea, whatever you’d call it. He wasn’t fast enough to cover the mistake Sword had made. No, it was more so, he had reacted late to the string of slang. He had known the lad enough that he should have recognized it as a sign of stress, which he had not taken seriously enough in lieu of protecting his own back. Yet, the worse had not come to pass, and that he was grateful for. The youth was unharmed, though assuredly his pride as a warrior was wounded. Lightening up a bit, Galaxia chimed in on the matter, ‘At least both are not wounded, his body and his pride, the later though has always taken longer to heal.’ The soothing buzz in the back of his mind continued though she did not elaborate immediately, ‘It seems he has taken another leaf from your book, and my dear champion I’m not referring just to the foundation of swordsmanship.’ ... It would serve as good motivation to further the youth’s capabilities. Humming with amusement, ‘Oh undoubtedly, you would know from experience.’ Though they were no longer engaged in combat, it still seemed inappropriate to begin this... teasing. There was still the matter of the gunship he had spotted earlier, which had not appeared once again even after these... ‘Koopas. Though you may be pleased that I have reconsidered. As in this is not the best time in which to jab lovingly at the both of you’. Thanks, though that was ... strangely familiar, Koopa. The name, he meant, though he was unsure exactly where or why the terminology resonated with him... he couldn’t recall meeting these small shelled creatures, but yet, he had heard the term. It was not a matter of grave importance if he could not remember the circumstances in which he had heard the name before. At least not at the moment. After all, the male beorc who had stopped his knave’s blade with naught more than some... appendage had approached him, though not in anger. Tilting his head up in an attempt to maintain eye contact though the endeavor was naturally doomed to fail due to the difference in their height, he merely acknowledge the other’s presence and strength with a nod... collecting words in which to respond with. It was... a fair assessment, not one that he necessarily agreed with, but fair considering how easily Sword’s attempt had been halted. In a sense, he could not begrudge this man the right to question his men’s competence. It did not mean that he had to be entirely pleased with the insinuation, it was his responsibility to ensure that they were ready for combat. He had trained both Sword and Blade together. Sword’s apparent incompetence rested solely on his shoulders, the fault was with him... ‘Yet, you’re still proud of him. Even now. After all, you are already mentally shouldering the blame, the burden for his slip up.’ ... It seemed that he would have to revisit the knave’s training, when the opportunity presented itself. In a neutral voice he spoke up towards the... arguably strange beorc, “None taken.” Which was true, any distaste he might have felt in regard to his men being called feeble had sprung from implication, rather than the intent he had felt this question was asked with. “No, I would not call them feeble, however, they have much to learn. The spirit, though, it is strong. None, as of now, have yet earned the title of Knight.” There was a light blue tinge to his eyes, it was true... his men might not have been the greatest warriors, but they were loyal and a bit foolish. Nodding slightly as the color faded, he spoke once more, “I thank you for not harming the youth. Feeble you may say he is, you have given him more to strive for.” And he would make sure that Sword would not fall into the same trap again, this he was certain of... and Blade, he knew what to watch for. Though... why the interest in his men? He could understand a dismissal of their potential, their ability, but... hmmm... perhaps he was merely taking the stray question out of context. He did not elaborate further. After all he had spoken much, a bit too much for his taste... yet he supposed it was merely because he knew that the youth would be listening. He had stared in part at Sword... to make sure he was in fact hearing this. It was... he did not often talk much about what he thought of his men. There was no reason to, much of what he could say he felt was readily apparent and he was not his past friend, he did not have a mentor’s touch. Affixing his gaze on the large male beorc with the pupiless eyes, he more or less complimented the female’s beorc’s words, glancing between the two as he spoke, “It is true. The road home is often the same as the one traveled to arrive.” Galaxia dimmed as the words left his mouth, ‘I do believe those were my words.’ It was well said, he did not think he could come up with a better phrasing at least quickly enough for the words to become irrelevant. ‘Forgiven, I know it is not merely flattery.’ Though he chose not to comment on the ease of such a task. He was not superstitious, yet, he had found that even a professed easy task could quickly become complicated. Besides if the power that be which could summon them into this world could not be used to... complete this task, then he doubted it would be easy to begin with. Though out in the middle of nowhere... well he couldn’t say he approved of this location. Just because he hadn’t seen any reinforcements after spotting the ship from earlier, didn’t mean that there weren’t any. “While a curious matter, it is unwise to linger here.” He hoped that he was merely being paranoid, but he rather not be caught out in the open.

1619 Meta Knight Points: 3 Sword starts off and feels appropriately useless. Meta Knight feels particularly talkative. Hey, buddy you survived Kirby a few times, that might as well be a gold star. TLDR. Messing with Galaxia's personality. Blaaaaah

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Kismet]

"Now wait just a second."


Hades's Infernal Theme

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. It was not telepathy - its droll mockery played upon the ears of all present - but no one upon the hill could claim its ownership. Until the sky began to boil.

The clouds twisted and darkened, swirling together to form a calloused, scaled cape. Sickly hues of purple, red, and green bled from its center and in the mere span of a moment, the Lord of the Underworld faded into view, occupying a full quarter of the sky. His arms were crossed, his posture cool and relaxed, his smile wide, toothy, and not at all innocent.

"Sorry to keep YOU waiting. But now that I'm here, let's get this party started! My goodness has Bowser let this place go." Hades chuckled darkly and leaned forward, eyes sweeping across the starflung visitors and zeroing in on Toad. "So you're the one who made the wish! Oh you little Tattle Toad, you've done it now. You forgot to fill in the address line and now everyone's heard the news. Just look at this menagerie of miscreants you've dragged in."

He eased back and widened his smile, addressing the group as a whole. "But you should know that no star summoned me here. Oh no; I came purely out of the goodness of my own heart."

"Yes, I, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, am here to answer all of your prayers."

[Maelys Arkana]

[Toad]

Miraculously, it seemed that the "bully" may not have been a bully at all. The large man in blue would set Toad down, gently even, leaving Toad a little surprised. The man seemed a bit strange, but... maybe he didn't mean anything bad from it? If anything, if there was a war going on in his own world, he had every right to be annoyed. But that is neither here nor there. Suddenly, another tall person would approach him, this one kneeling down to his level to say something that would mean literally the world to him. She would continue talking, asking him about what exactly his wish was.

Explanations were certainly in order, none of them looked native to the Mushroom Kingdom, or even the areas surrounding. Chances are they knew nothing of their plight. "Okay..." Sounding uncharacteristically calm, Toad closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts, thinking back on what all has happened to his fair kingdom. "You guys are in the Mushroom Kingdom. Princess Peach used to be the ruler here, but Bowser attacked, and took over! Our hero, Mario, always comes and saves us by kicking Bowser out, but this time it didn't work. Mario went missing, letting Bowser take over, and now everything is like this!" He flailed his arms out wide, gesturing to everything around them.

The land was grey and black, the sky was dark with storm clouds, tinges of purple mixed in as lightning stormed across the sky, and the large stars that stand on the hills nearby were all dim, barely casting any light. "Most of my friends are still stuck in the city, or in Toad Town, where Bowser's troops are keeping everyone in check. Some of us managed to get out, and got to DK Island before the oceans became uncrossable. I really hope they're ok..."

"Now wait just a second."

Suddenly a voice that seemed to be simultaneously everywhere and nowhere would chime in. The skies would twist into a strange image as a figure seemed to... warp into existence, taking up a fair size of the sky, far bigger than any airship Bowser had ever made. Small consolation that it seemed to be a person, but not by much, considering how this guy literally just became part of the sky. "Whaaaaa!" After what seemed to be a joke against Toad, he would make mention of not having been summoned by the Star Power... But if that's true, then he could have come here whenever he wanted...

Toad couldn't tell if Hades was being serious, as he referred to himself as Lord of the Underworld. What even is the Underworld? By the sound of it, it might be a bad place. But if so, why would he be helping them, then? Ah well, all this thinking is a bit too much for a simple Toad...

---

[Mika]

Surprisingly enough, the girl would return his hug as he continued to cry. He let go of it all, the confusion, being lost, coming close to catching his mother only to wind up here with... A few moments later, the crying would slow down, not quite ceasing, but enough for Mika to regain his senses. He would step away from the girl to look up at her, sniffling a little as a slight sense of disappointment and sadness reflected in his expression, quickly replaced by shyness as he held his arms up to cover the lower half of his face. The fact that this girl was not his mother had come around in full, however she had seen fit to comfort him. That had to count for something, right?

His ears would remain folded down and his tail hovering close to the ground as he glanced around once more at his surroundings once more. Much of the land was very bleak, nothing like his homeland, but there were large stars dotting the hills around them. The other way, away from the hills, though, was a desolate wasteland, with what appeared to be a tall black object standing on the horizon. "Wh... where am I? Who a-are you all...?" Just then, a pinked haired girl would walk over to him, prompting him to turn toward her as he shyed away a bit.

“Hey little guy… are you okay?"

Though he couldn't entirely understand what she said after that, he did catch on to the first thing she said. Unsure of who she was, he would remain silent for a few seconds, almost scared to talk. "... N-no... This isn't... Where..."

Mika's eyes would go wide as a great booming voice would manifest from seemingly nowhere.It was soon followed up by a terrifying image in the sky itself, storm clouds parting to reveal a massive demonic man, staring down at them. With a whimper, Mika would shy away even more, hiding behind Sunny.

---

[Airships]

As the man in the sky appeared, one of the koopas would point this out, as most of them were eyeing their destination. Some mild excitement rang out around the deck of the ship, but the draconic individual standing at the bow of the ship did not share in it. His attention remained on the destination, spotting figures atop one of the hills, figures of different sizes. Huffing a bit of steam, he would turn back and walk toward the back of the ship, but before he reached the stairway leading belowdecks, he would turn back around once more, a shadowy energy emanating from his entire body.

Without warning, the entire ship began to emanate this same energy, and one by one every koopa that was topside would begin to choke, falling to the deck in a major coughing fit. Eventually they would settle down and rise to their feet once more, except now they would begin to radiate this same energy... As the draconic man turned back to the stairway, he would arch over as wings would suddenly sprout from his back, folding up into a dormant position as he walked belowdeck.

The airships would suddenly speed up, propelled by a force stronger than their usual propellers. From Star Hill, they could be seen as small objects, getting bigger ever so slowly as they sped ahead.

[Koi Koi]

Eliza nodded, listening intently to the... toad? He mentioned Toad Town, so it's a safe guess. He seems to assume that this group of wanton "heroes" is enough to topple an entire empire. It really does depend on who they're fighting, but it's definitely something she could stall indefinitely. She was already making plans, standing up to address the others.

"Then our first priority will likely be to evacuate all remaining toads and relocate them to a shelter. This DK Island should do, if we can find a mode of transportation." She commanded, already planning out her own course of action. She could suggest using a simplified version of her vehicles, the Crystalline Express. Because the train runs on floating rails, it could feasibly hover over the volatile sea unscathed. And if she does that, she can delay the train's progress as long as she needs to.

"We should al-" Her words were cut short as her eyes wandered skyward. A booming voice interrupted her speech, followed by a magnificent show of... pure magic?! This was... Eliza staggered back at the sight, barely able to believe what was going on. She had seen high concentrations of magic within a single entity before. Demon possessed, for instance, carry auras of malicious aether. Not to mention those two allies whose entire being seemed to hold aether. But this... was something else entirely. A swirling maelstrom of the highest concentration of energy possible. No, but it wasn't just flowing. It was under complete control to manifest this being. It was like... the energy itself was alive, aetherical blood flowing and pulsing to create aetherical matter. It was like this being was able to produce energy out of complete nothingness to sustain itself, most likely. This wasn't like anything she had seen... in fact...

The way he existed here and now resembled a true god.

Eliza quickly pulled out a notebook and began writing furiously, taking notes on Hades' appearance and as much quantitative detail of the aether. Things like the energy concentration, where it flowed, and how it seemed to materialize. She needed to write this down. This may be the only chance she gets to see it face to face, and if she could find out how gods can create energy, she could shatter the very groundwork of magic itself. Or even greater things that she couldn't even begin to fathom.

And then he mentioned his name. Eliza felt like she was familiar with it. It was a demon's name, wasn't it? The world she came from did not have any native monsters. Instead, demons from other realms often interfered, sending monsters along with lesser demons to create chaos. Because of this, the records of demons and their demon lords were filled with these foreign names. Perhaps Hades was just another name within those tomes, though she could have never imagined this "lord of the underworld" to look or talk like... this. Maybe there were multiple Hades? This one was acting rather bizarre. Tattle Toad? He sounded almost childish, toying with the mortals he was spectating now. No, that was definitely the case. Hades exists on a completely different dimension from theirs, and was on a literal different level. He has no reason to be serious, does he? To a god, even a powerful magic like automancy was but a single stroke of a letter in the massive book of magic he must know. Even if that god is a demon. 

But her note-taking had kept her emotions in check, though she couldn't lie about how excited she was to find this motherlode of an opportunity. She was thinking clearly now, and could concentrate a little more on what Hades was saying. Menagerie of misfits? That was referring to them, but did he mean that they were to be divided? It did seem like some of them were more violent than the rest, and others were out of place completely... then could it possibly mean-

"Hold on, Hades." She stated, thinking hard about what was going on. Between the toad's explanation and the sudden appearance of Hades, this was a lot of information to process at once. "Why would a demon lord ever be interested in something like this? Goodness of your own heart? Answering prayers? You're no god, why are you deciding to fill in that role now?" Eliza realized now, his presence here was more than just a show of power. 

Depending on what Hades does, he could completely divide the group, his honeyed words causing the "ants" to scatter in all directions. He was only here to cause chaos in Eliza's orderly agenda.



Notes: Since everyone else is doing this, I'll do it too.

Eliza likely doesn't realize that this may just be an illusion of Hades rather than Hades himself. Just don't say anything about it. Let the girl dream.

Also, she may or may not be still writing down notes. She REALLY likes what she sees.

[Kismet]

Hades favored Eliza with a short but sneering sidelong glance before smiling, pursing his lips petulantly, and placing a clawed hand over his wounded heart. "What's this? No such thing as altruism? Oh, you wound me. And here I thought the vampire was rude." He flashed his toothy smile again, but this time his eyes seemed to smolder dangerously. "But if you're taking notes, my little prickly professor, then pay attention."

"I am a god."

There was no more mocking humor in the voice that came from everywhere and nowhere. Nor was there pride in the voice - it was a statement made devoid of ego; a flat, brute statement of fact. But there was an unmistakably dangerous edge to it, and it was clear that Hades had as much humor to argue this fact as Eliza had humor to argue that water was wet.

Hades simply was, and what that was a god.

His smile grew into an ear to ear beam. "Don't forget it! You'll hurt my feelings. I'm delicate, you know." He crossed his arms again, the deific picture of aloofness. "But if you must know, I was curious! I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It's not every day that a Toad does anything of note."

He chuckled darkly again. "Hmm Hmm, yes, he flung open the door and I wanted to see who walked in. So let me ask you a question." Hades clasped his hands behind his back and strolled across the horizon, watching the group with a twisted smile and a sidelong stare. "Toad may be a fun guy, but he's only a fungi. His wish wasn't exactly specific, was it?" Hades stopped his pacing, but still did not turn to face them directly.

"So tell me," he asked "Why are you here?"

[Maxi Wesker]

[ Demitri's Scenario ]

With everything settled down, Demtri and Meta-Knight had engaged in a conversation, one that the Makai vampire actually tolerated from the rest. Small as the masked knight may seem, he was a leader for a reason, and from the earlier fight with the little knight, his skill with a blade was nothing to ignore. Anyways, the knight had given thanks to Demitri for not causing harm to his fellow knight, but also spoke of Sword as if he had hope for him, one that Meta-Knight himself will make sure the other will not fail again. Demitri didn't really have much to say but a mere "Hmph..." however he felt he should trust the knights words, but if Sword were to attempt that again, the vampire will not hold back this time.

Listening to more of the conversation between the knight and the others, Demitri understood at this point that the only back to Makai was to grant this wish. Demitri was never one to play hero, nor was he ever part of any villainous affairs, but this "war" could possibility be the entertainment Demitri has been seeking since his last fight with Morrigan Aensland. He hated to admit it, but he really wanted her company....for once. Back to Meta-Knight, he spoken...

“While a curious matter, it is unwise to linger here.”

"Agreed, the portal from earlier might have possibility caused the attention for...others to approach." 

Demitri then listened to more of the Toad's story, learning where they were, why they were brought here, and more importantly that this "Mushroom Kingdom" at met its end under the rule of a "Bowser". Such a childish fairy tale, however Demitri found it slightly interesting...but then....a colossal being had entered the skies of this barren kingdom. The size of the thing..."He's...about as colossal as Belial..!" Demitri has seen many large entities , but this one...Hades....wait... Demitri thought to himself "....Hades, do my eyes deceive me or am I really seeing the ancient Greek god of the underworld...?"

The ongoing conversation had started to become so overbearing that he just wanted everyone to shut up at this point, he couldn't think as everything was all going on at once...but then...

"What's this? No such thing as altruism? Oh, you wound me. And here I thought the vampire was rude."

That comment made the Makai vampire cringe as he snarled and balled his fists as it lit into the very flames of his Noble powers, but then...he realized the current situation he was in, allying alongside these...people was probably the best option he had to stick with. With an unpleasant stare towards the so-called god, he said, "Its Demitri..."

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

[ Maxi's Scenario ]

Maxi started to grow bored, nothing was really progressing and the knights were unable to call reinforcements, assuming no one is aware that they were defeated in the first place. While he was unbothered by the injury on the back of his leg, green blood was still slowly spilling with a tingling feeling as if his leg was getting tired. A tired leg wasn't gonna help him progress or fight his was through this nonsense, as fun as it may seemed at first. Was he dying...pfffft hell nah, but then...it wasn't before a pink-haired girl had approached him and asked,

"Hey there.. are you hurt?"

Maxi looked up and.....

[ BGM: Persona 5 - My Homie ]

Maxi stared at the girl for a moment as she lifted her staff proudly and healed his wounded leg. He was unaware of this, gazing upon her....energy. She seemed very positive of herself and smiled, as if she had no fear of her surroundings....very friendly. Oh boy, did he sense it...friends? Yeah he had those once...they all either separated or died. Maxi was a crime lord in the past, committed a bizzare suicide to avoid arrest, and came back to life with legend-like powers. If she found out...would she still wanna be friends with him, would she ever heal him again if need be? Maxi didn't really care...as much as he hides it with this fake "fun" personality, he preferred to be alone...friends only hold him back. This girl though..."Yeeeeah thanks priest girl" Maxi said tiresomely as he got up and stretched his body along with a yawn. The priest girl had mentioned luck, maybe it was Maxi's lucky day, as boring as things were. He answered, "Maybe, maybe not...whose to say you won't run if you found ou--"

Before Maxi could finish that sentence, some big ass god-like thing appeared from the dark skies. It kinda startled the shit out of Maxi, but eventually it went from a freak out to excitement. Maxi had that teenage dream personality come in when he reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone, probably something most of these people wouldn't know about. Thinking quickly, he turned to his possible new friend and asked, "Hey uhhh priest girl, can I borrow you for a second...?" Maxi didn't hesitate to reach for the girl's shoulder to pull her closer to him as he put his phone on camera and angled it so that the screen could show him and Serra. He then angled the background upward so that they were in the position to where Hades was.  "Yo Greek god! get in on this will ya?!" Maxi yelled to the "god" so that he could join in with a picture of all three of them together....what? what the hell was he thinking lol

Once they were in position, Maxi would get a clear three shots, noticing a glimmer of light further behind them in the photos...that was no shooting star...right? "Guys feel like makin' wishes?" Maxi clearly thought so...however, and didn't realize that it was actually airships approaching.

COMMENTARY:

Demitri: "The nerve of that "god", I'll show him one day what's its like when you disrespect a Noble, I've fought gods before compared to his caliber..."

Maxi: "Dude, chill...maybe you should join in on the pic too...lighten up a bit."

Demitri: "How's about I light you on fire human, and watch as your soul burns into the pits of Hell?!"

Maxi: "Cooooooold." *sips soda*

[Deleted]

Things just keep going from bad to worse in this nightmare of a realm. Before she knew it, the air was filled with an ominous feel as Hades the God of the Underworld now rears his ugly head. She is now heavily questioning what she has gotten herself into this time. This whole time she had lingering regrets of the memory of constant war, endless death, and even the destruction of dimensions as we know it. She by this point holds and indescribable burden on her soul she never wished for when first venturing out into the unknown in hopes of adventure. It was time to end this… time to end everything. She needed to leave. Silvia needed to let the heroics of her past be able to rest in memories for the days to come. Her fighting, her battles, all were putting her one life at risk every day. But even though she chose the path of a heroine, the longer this game went on, the more she wanted to stop… The more she just wanted to go home… Back to her dimension and protect it from harm. Sometimes knowing when to walk away was important. If her parents looked down on her at this moment to see inside she was miserable, well they wouldn’t be happy…



She looked down for a second. Taking in a deep breath and letting it all weigh in on her. It was time to go home and let her trouble soul rest easy. Silvia reached in her pocket which held her Storage cube. Sticking her hand in the cube, the capsule for her ship. Pressing the button, she tossed it to the ground as it materialized into her ship. Without a second of hesitation she climbed up to the ships cockpit and got in. Adjusting herself in the captain’s chair she set a course for the same dimensional portal she entered from. Within seconds her ship took off like a bolt of lightning to the spot. With a press of a few buttons the head gun on the front of her ship began to charge up. Moments later a multicolored beam fired from the head gun and contact the sky reopening the dimensional rift. The ship flew in the portal as the rift quickly closed behind her. It was time for Silvia to go home.

[Captain Pigtails]

Eleanor had been unsure of herself, for but a moment, but quickly found her strength in talking to this person. She sounded so afraid and upset and it wasn't hard to quickly piece together that she wasn't alone in being unsure of her surroundings. Was everyone? "I don't know where I am as well." she said, but then moved closer to her. "But we'll do everything we can to figure it out together, you can depend on me." Her tone gentle and nuturing, but the last line spoken with the strength of determination.
Then.. he appeared.

She was shocked but her determination didn't falter. She quickly positioned herself defensively around Luzia, who she saw as a citizen in need of her protection. There was actually quite a few, making the situation quite difficult.. but two figures immediately drew her attention.

"I'll protect you.." she said, a bit quietly, as if trying to keep him from hearing. She held her lance firmly, ready to use it if necessary.

---

Sunny blinked a few times listening to the Toad's speech. She had been trying hard to fight back the fears of Mika, the energy of them wanted to smother her and bring her down into it all. The story was the best thing she could focus on otherwise but it was..

"Weird.."

It sounded sorta.. funny almost, despite how upset this cute little guy seemed. Like one of those wierd stories that Rust liked..
"Huh?" She got confused when Mika suddenly shifted postion. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Oh.

She looked at Hades not with the fear some people might have thought, but almost with a critical eye. Sure she had been shocked for a moment or two, but..

She even scanned the area, as if looking for something.

"I'm Sunny..." her expression was still a bit flat, but she smiled a bit. She shouted, loudly.. as if she was trying to talk to someone really far away. Her grating but perhaps cute sounding voice filling the space around them "I'm here to help them, right?" She asked, still questioning that fact.

This was really wierd.. she didn't know how she was supposed to help them.

The Captain probably would just move the ship over to the Bowser guy and just..

Boom.

How would SUNNY help them?

---

Serra was genuinely surprised when he responded positively to her. She.. wasn't quite used ot that. "You're welcome! It's the least I can do. I would be happy to make you my vassal, if.." her speech was quickly interrupted by the next..

...

She was frozen for a moment, or maybe it was more like 5 or 10 moments.. before the nice boy who said Thank you like a gentleman pulled her back to reality. Doing whatever he wanted at least was a momentary distraction from this truly horrifying development.. and quickly became even more of a distraction.

She was.. that was her reflection.

"W-What is that? What are you doing?" She blushed a bit. She found herself smiling in the reflection, seeing the look on her face.. stunned and worried. It didn't suit her. She tried to smile again, to wear herself with pride.

She deserved nothing less than to look her best, right?

[Teki]

A Brushtroke of Madness

"I don't know where I am as well."

“I already figured that out,” she thought immediately, her ‘tone’ sour and sarcastic. It had made her sure that she wasn’t where she was before. She was only half-paying attention to Eleanor, a fair amount of her attention on the little fox-powered boy that was being comforted. But then, the armored one just up and left, making Luzia blink in confusion; though the confusing aspect was still there, it did bring her tears to her attention. Hissing softly, she wiped her eyes, replying curtly, “Yeah, thanks.”

A part of her thought this was yet another hero, but she wasn’t really in the mood to deal with them right now. That damned boy… that damned boy that she hated so much reminded her of her life, reassured her of her curse to live alone. A hero wanted to protect her... yeah… whatever. They’ve done it before. And little did they know who they were protecting....

Hades’ Infernal Theme

A brief grin appeared on her face, something offputting, but it was gone too quickly for most to notice, disappearing as an almost booming rang out around her, making her jolt and whirl around in a vain attempt to find the source. Much to Luzia’s genuine horror, the source appeared in the skies, some... thing, some hideous, scary thing forming from the clouds and filling up the sky.

No Powered was THAT strong. Well, some of them would be that strong... but they were rare, so rare... a Powered like that could control entire cities if they wanted....

Luzia heard so few words; her breath was stuck in her chest, her body refused to move, and her eyes were wide, staring in complete terror up at the man... monster looking down on them. ‘Hades’, ‘Underworld’, ‘Greek’... none of these words Luzia recognized, but she did recognize one... ‘god’. Some part of her wanted to scoff; the gods didn’t exist! The very idea was almost laughable! ...But she couldn’t deny some strange... feeling from this guy... Hades... could he really be a god? She didn’t know where she was... but could gods exist here... maybe...?

Suddenly her body moved, and she followed it, finding herself on the ground, her eyes staring at the ground as she pressed her forehead into the ground, her red sphere gently clunking against the ground. She had never kowtowed to someone before... she had seen it, but she had never had the need nor opportunity to do it herself... but doing it now... it felt like it was the only sensible solution. Her terror, previously holding her entire body, even her mind, captive, releasing her just a little bit as she moved, allowed her to speak. She immediately began speaking in a different language, giving this god Hades a prayer. It was a simple prayer, childish, in fact, coming from someone that had so few prayers, spoken quickly in a begging tone, coming from someone that had long since given up on any sort of god.

[Zeke Sturm]

HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!!!

---

As Hades made his attempts to pry information out of the group already standing before him, lost in the chatter might be a small cutting noise as a green line parted an unoccupied space in the air. It would slowly spread open from top to bottom, spreading like a fresh-cut wound before a rather odd looking fellow stepped out of the tear, seemingly from nowhere. The space behind him, a marble room lined with what appeared to be silver carvings of circuitry, would be visible for but a moment as the stranger's eight tails pull free of the gap, before it zips up much the same way it opened, from top to bottom, leaving the air apparently unmolested as green eyes surveyed the situation. Dark clouds, check. Gathered assortment of other oddballs, check. Literal odd balls, in one case, he noted with a wry smile, as he looked around at the overall rather dismal seeming situation from behind the group. Near certain doom for somebody here... check.

"... I pick the best places to go on vacation."

Surveying the crowd, the man's serpentine eyes began picking out individual members, largely ignoring the giant man in the sky for the moment. A number of smaller folk, one clearly a very young kitsune, hiding behind another, slightly more grown looking individual. She felt... off, but thanks to the Zerrads clogging his other fourteen eyes he couldn't very well guess what was causing that at just a glance. Apparently one was protecting the other. Or at least, the other was seeking refuge. An eye to be kept - he couldn't judge fear as powerlessness this early on in this place. Next was another younger looking one, barely out of her teens by his estimation, wearing... quite frankly sadly ratty clothes, something he'd never allow to continue under normal circumstances but he was far from having spares in her size and there wasn't much else to do at the moment, so he bit his tongue. She smelled of blood, and he could see some sort of ruby coloured orb on the ground next to her. Two plus two... one to watch out for.

His attention turned, focusing on another one of the group wearing a cape. It certainly seemed to be en vogue around here to walk around swishing something. He noted dryly to himself that Omega would be thrilled if he were capable of expressing such things. He could almost feel the immediate disapproval from the pseudo-sleeping consciousness at the back of his mind as he dragged his attention away. The flashy ones were rarely the most dangerous in the end, to wit the sky man who had yet to garner more than passing attention from the Daecoan.

The smaller one with his impractically fanged blade could almost be said to be cute, but again, there was that oft-learned lesson concerning the powerful and the meek. Or in this case, the adorable. And for all he was a cute little thing, he would certainly be annoying to fight at that size, especially if there was any speed stored within that tiny body. Slowly but surely, Zeke began making a tally of the people he'd rather become allies with swiftly here over the ones he'd have as enemies.

Two women with polearms, one a spear, one a staff. The former was clearly some sort of fighter, but he couldn't put a pin in the latter, though her clothes ('Again with the capes,') would suggest a mage of some sort. Letting his eyes linger for a few moments, he eventually just adds both women to the list, before he turns his attention to the last woman amongst them, a haggard looking lady with rather casual clothes. He did not envy her the bags under her eyes. Last, but perhaps not least was someone who would probably have been right at home in human earth's 90s punk scene, albeit as a rather low-key participant. He can't think much of him from looking, but still, to the list.

The last person not on it was the giant smoke man in the sky.

Clearing his throat, in case his earlier musings went unnoticed, the newcomer leans on his right leg, his tails spreading to balance the weight as one forearm rests on the hilt of the blade behind his back.

"Don't mean to intrude on this little party, just passing through, honest, but does anyone happen to know where exactly we are?"