To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself.

Posts : 1019 Join date : 2017-05-09

"Now... I know it dosn't look like much-"

The hike through the woods would be a long one. In totality it may have taken only ten minutes at them most, however, the screeches of Gaia and the sounds of battle could be heard in the background, giving the trek an ominous atmosphere and dragging the seconds out into hours.

From the mouth of the cave, a sickeningly sweet smell wafted. Like an unholy mix of honey, candy, and morning dew, the smell would overpower those not wearing full suits. "-but just inside that cave is Gaia... The real Gaia, not the Avatar that's attacking your city. Now you're going to get about two steps in there and start to lose every thought you've ever called your own.... You sure you want to go through with this? Not to late to go drown our sorrows in Potts-Field and wait for Gaia to come eat us..."

The dark cave beckoned. It called.

Soemthing inside it knew Lucian.

Something inside it knew Vel.

It had yet to know Azul, Cassial, or Lilly.

Yet it loved them all the same.

Yes it loves.

That is why it can never let them leave.

It can never let then chose to not love it.

They had to stay.

Love requires....

...Permanence...

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 24 Location : Yes

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Condes10

"Don't worry, Vel. If this thing wants our minds, it's going to have to get in line."

Lucian said that, and Alice understood exactly why, but… she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of insecurity. “Dad… what if our genes just aren’t strong enough?” She asked cautiously. “Wouldn’t it be better to wear a suit to stay on the safe side?”

Lucian solemnly shook his head. “It would be safer to wear a suit, yes, but there is a reason why we’re going in suitless.” Lucian took a deep breath and looked at everyone present, ready to explain. “Alright, you three, I haven’t yet had the time to explain this to any of you, but… me and Alice share a certain genetic trait that so far has proven to make us immune to any and all attempts to manipulate or attack our minds and brains. Since our opponent is much stronger than your average enemy, I sincerely don’t know if it would be possible for us to defeat it normally, which is why we’re going to use this genetic trait of ours to implement the element of surprise.”

“First, Alice and I will lead point. Lilly, I want you to tail us from a safe distance. Cassiel, until we reach the core, keep an eye on the state of our minds; if you don’t see me and/or Alice subconsciously resisting Gaia’s control, or failing to do so, let Lilly know immediately so she can pull us out.”

“Lilly, here’s the deal. We’re going to go in suitless to lead Gaia into believing we are here to worship it as it intends. Once she’s at her weakest, we will launch a surprise assault on her, but if she survives that we’ll need you to support us as we fight her. Until then, we need you to stay behind us and out of Gaia’s sight. If at any point we begin to act unnaturally or Cassiel tells you that we’re giving in, you need to drag us out as fast as you possibly can. Can you do this?”

“Cassiel, Vel, we’re counting on you to analyze her and let us know what her weak points are and what the optimal time to launch our surprise assault will be.”

“Now, any quest-“ before Lucian could finish his safety check, an immensely powerful pain from the underside of his neck overtook him, prompting him to drop to his knees and grunt in pain as he instinctually took off his coat so he could scratched the wound to the point of bleeding.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Oh_god11

“I am thou…”

“Grrr..ggrraaaagh!”

“…thou art I.”

And just like that, the pain was gone. He’d felt surges of pain and discomfort come from them before, but… never this badly. Lucian slowly stood up, regaining his composure.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Bloody10

“I… I apologize, the wound on the back of my neck was aching again. It’s never hurt this badly though.”

“D-dad!” Alice cried out in concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe this was a bad idea, we should regroup and-“

“No, no. It’s fine.” Lucian reassured his daughter. “We’ve come this far out; we have to get the job done.”

Alice remained silent for a few seconds before nodding in confirmation. “I have to ask though… why are you bringing me along? I thought you’d be too protective to even consider letting me go.”

She wasn’t wrong. Lucian took his time mulling that question over, not really knowing the answer himself, before settling on one.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. My_10

“I don’t think I can do this without your help.”
“Now! Is everybody ready?”

Arriving back with her group, there didn't seem to be much time for talk before they were already setting off somewhere to deal with this 'core' she just about over heard being mentioned. W-why did today have to be the day she left the city... Walking past big scary looking citizens of Junction was enough to freak her out sometimes, let alone a proper alien creature that probably wants them dead. Even worse than that, apparently whatever they were after was in some cave that was filled with some kind of poisonous gas and, as such, she was given a suit to put on. Now even an average Jurnil never often wore much, their race in general just preferred their bodies to feel free and open to the air around them. So it wasn't much to say that Lilly felt extremely claustrophobic in this thing, not to mention it was extremely uncomfortable around her ears and the smell was horrific. Her sensitive nose would have a really hard time allowing her to even see properly with how much it was making her face cringe up. Despite this, when she was able she'd turn to Vel and give him an appreciative nod. "T-thank you for the suit."

Regardless, she was glad to see that Lucian, Alice and Cassiel were okay. In all honesty, she wished she never split up with them, it wasn't like they managed to accomplish much on their own and for whatever reason, Lucian's strong personality and will were comforting to be around. The girl wanted to ask what had happened to them and know everything that had happened whilst she was away, though it didn't really seem like now was the best time for those sorts of questions... So instead she'd simply follow, trying her hardest to get used to this sulfur encased suit whilst trying to listen to Lucian's plan over the pain in her ears. A-again, Lucian's plan set the girl into a state of worry. Like, she was glad she wasn't going in first, but having to be responsible for getting them back out if things went wrong? That was so much responsibility to be rested on her tiny shoulders... Not only that, whilst she was tailing them from a safe distance. Safe distance or not, she'd be practically on her own during that part... G-gahh, okay. J-just, get a hold of yourself. As much as this entire thing terrified her, she knew that following Lucian's orders was her best chance to be useful, keep herself safe and most importantly. Keep everyone else safe.

Lilly would nod solemnly towards Lucian, gulping as she did so. "O-okay. If... If you think that's our best option. I-I'll do my best to fulfill my role." Her voice came across kind of muffles through the suit she was wearing, though was clear enough to still understand. "I. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, h-hopefully this suit'll keep me safe too..." She'd look down at her suit covered hands for a moment and shudder a little. Why did it have to feel so constricting...

Almost on instinct, the girl would suddenly prepare herself to cast some form of healing magic on Lucian as he fell to his knees, t-though she hesitated not really knowing what kind of pain he was in. "A-are you okay?" She'd question, loosening up again a little as he seemed to recover on his own. W-what caused that? It would be bad if something like that occurred during a more... Vital time. Mmnn. The girl would stop, place her hands together and close her eyes. Making a small prayer before reopening them and nodding. "R-ready when you are."

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. SnHmuaN

"Jeez... I'm one for serious sweets but that's honestly kind of repulsive..."

Cassiel would say as he inhaled the scent of that obnoxious cave. It was honestly disgustingly fantastic. Part of him wanted to just sit there and smell it, but another part of him knew this was probably a trick of Gaia trying to eat your brain. So, while he'd love to embrace it he'd honestly pull up his scarf to cover his nose. He knew it wouldn't help much, but it was better than nothing. Regardless, he'd pull out his phone and, quite less extravagantly, summon Raziel to his side. It'd be good to set up while listening to what Lucy was saying, no point in not being able to multi task.

"Ah! I knew there was a reason behind my reasons! I, like, totally knew you somehow wouldn't be affected by Gaia's brain eating!" Cassiel would say happily, Raziel waving his quill pen at the group in meager notice. He'd bring forth many drones and each person on the team would have a blue tinted visor covering their eyes in mere moments. They were all connected now, and Cassiel could see all their vitals and what not.

Eeeeexceeeeept Lucy went and made his vitals spike...

"A-Ah! Lucy! A-Are you, l-like, okay!?" he'd say with a bit of panic, not really sure what to do before he just... Suddenly was back to normal. The youth would sigh, shaking his head before pointing a finger at Lucy. "No more of that! Like, you almost gave me a heart attack! All this hard work for you to just, like, die or something would upset me!" he'd say with a huff before his usual happy demeanor was back. He didn't really want anyone to die, but something about Lucy made him especially sure he didn't want him to die. Maybe cuz of his doomed fate? Eh... Probably...

"Anyways, yeah, that plan seems solid. I should be able to follow your movements from here. Mr. Bell, are you going to stay with me or go with Lucy's group? Gaia probably remembers you, right? I can patch your persona into the call most likely, so you'd be able to see what I see. It's up to you, but regardless, we'll both have to analyze Gaia at her weakest point to find out how to finally destroy her." he'd say, a happy smile as he looked over to Vell. Though, it was covered by his scarf... Eh, it was fine. His intentions came across as sound.

"Anyways, I'm ready whenever you all are! My analyzing ability takes a lot out of me, though. So, please ask me to do it in case Gaia has any guards or the likes. If you don't ask, I, like, won't scan, kay? We have to conserve energy and all that!" he'd say with a nod of his head, rocking on his feet as he looked at his screens. He'd tap a few, and pull a few out of the tablet Raziel gave him to get a better scene of things. The drones would follow them and analyze the field of battle well enough, though, their fill potential was still locked away. Oh well, only time would tell whether he'd become more useful.

Action:

Posts : 1019 Join date : 2017-05-09

"If I didn't go in there when Targiser asked me to, what makes you think I'm going in there now... I'll stay out here and help support Cassiel. Between the two of us, maybe you'll find something we missed all those years ago..." Vel tensed slightly as a briliant azure flame danced around his feet for a moment, before his culminating in the form of his individual soul personified.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Fel_an10

"Come on out Kawaya..."

A somewhat fowl smell would roll off Vel's persona as it chuckled to itself and produced a gentle yellow light over the party. Vel looked to the floating face with quietly wondering to himself how long it had been sense he summoned it. Not that it really mattered all that much, for better or for worse hew as sure that this time would be the last."Cassial, you focus on keeping an eye on them, I'll do my best to mask our presence so she dons't know we're coming. The cave is fairly small. If you get past the entrance it's only a short walk down before you get to Gaia's heart. Maybe ten minutes at most... Now get going, we don't have all day."

With nothing left to give the visiters from another world, Vel set to work hiding them from detection...

---

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Shadowgreen-cavern

Upon first entering the cave. Lucian and Alice would be overcome with a sudden and allconsuming feeling of oneness,and belonging. As if their enteir lives up untill this point had been nothing but a journy to get to this very spot, where they would surely find blissful peace... However, much to the surprise of Vel, the feeling soon passed, and they were able to continue uninhibited.

"W-What!? How!? Y-You're fine! I-I d-d-don't... You might actually be immune to her spell!" Vel's panicked yet optamistic voice rang through their heads thanks to Cassial's Remote View.

The cave itself was much larger then it appeared from the outside, quickly opening into a large chamber filled with trees and large insects, some looking identical to the Avatar that Lucien had seen earlier. None of the Avatar's attacked, or seemed to notice Lucian, Alice, or Lilly as they transverse the cave.

As they traveled, however, the cave would become denser and denser with foliage until navigating through the trees almost became impossible, though should they continue to press on, they would eventually come to another large empty room.

It was then that they began to hear a soft, beautiful voice singing in the distance, along with a silhouette, dancing in the light given off from a bright, glowing crystalline heart.

The figure and her song:

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 24 Location : Yes

Well, Vel’s Persona was certainly… unsettling, to say the least. Much like the entirety of Permanence’s society that he’d gotten a glimpse of so far, it gave off an appearance and feeling of one who had overstayed their welcome in the realm of the living yet refused to cave in to the demands of nature. How fitting.

Lucian picked his coat back up, dusted it off, cleaned his glasses and took a series of deep breaths in mental preparation for the trial ahead. Alice, on the other hand, was about as ready as she would ever be; though she wasn’t any more confident in their chances than her father was, she didn’t feel like she had quite as much to lose as he did. Of course, she didn’t want to die either, and the thought of being overtaken by Gaia was just as blood-boiling to her as it was to Lucian – if not even more so – but… now that they were actually staring down the cave that could potentially end them, that ever-so-present sensation of lachesism encroached upon her again. For now, though, she would put it aside. Her fate was one thing; the fate of her family and countless innocents was an entirely different matter.

“Right…” Lucian absent-mindedly said, having finished his preparations. “Before we go in though… Cassiel, I’d like that blessing now, if you would.” After Cassiel complied or didn’t, Lucian would put his coat back on and take his first few steps into the cave, followed shortly after by his daughter.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Let_s_10

Once inside the cave, both humans would have begun to regret their choices… had their inhibitions been left with enough time to react to what their minds were assaulted with. For the briefest of moments, Lucian and Alice’s eyes became half-lidded, their muscles acquired an apathetic limpness, their posture worsened severely, and their minds began to fade into overwhelming serenity. Then, suddenly and without much warning, a flash of rainbow hue shot away from their hearts, through their veins, and nestled itself in their brains, causing their irises to glow all the colors of the spectrum for a few quick seconds as the mysterious genotype in their very nature worked its magic. Shaking her head for clarity, Alice regained full lucidity and couldn’t help but ponder what exactly had just happened. “That’s… odd.” She began in a lowered voice. “That’s never happened before… at least not for me.”

“Me neither.” Lucian replied. “Perhaps attaining Personae has somehow altered the liber gene?”

“Could be.” Alice reasoned. “Well, whatever it was, we should just be glad that it was.” Lucian gave a quick nod of the head, and the two of them began their trek down the cave, looking back every now and then to make sure Lilly was still tailing them.

“Say, dad?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Why do you think everywhere we go free will just happens to be in danger?”

The question hit Lucian like a truck; it wasn’t something he really had a concrete answer to, nor did he think he could ever find one. “I don't know.”

Everything was proceeding smoothly and as planned when the duo was alarmingly taken aback by the sight of another Avatar of the trees… except this one didn’t seem to be hostile, or aware of their presence at all. Whether that be due to Vel’s masking or Gaia’s theft of their minds didn’t matter; it was a welcome blessing. Despite this, not everyone present would feel quite as safe…

If Lilly were to hesitate or stop once the team had reached the giant bugs, Lucian would tell Alice to wait for him as he backtracked slightly and met up with Lilly. “Lilly…” He would begin, squatting so he could see eye-to-eye with her. “I know you’re scared, but luck is on our side now. For whatever reason, the bugs can’t sense our presence, so I know we’ll be fine. And even in the off-chance they do attack us…” Lucian paused and gave Lilly the most reassuring smile he could muster. “I’ll keep you safe.”. If she protested still, Lucian would take the time to reassure whatever other fears were keeping her from progressing.

After a few hearty minutes of trekking deeper and deeper into the foliage, the team could see another area’s entrance not so far away. In order to keep themselves as hidden as possible, the two had refrained from talking as much as they could during this trip, but now Alice had noticed something worth bringing up.

“Hey, dad?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Your teeth are chattering.”

Lucian stopped and put a hand to his jaw; it’s true, they were chattering against his will. Now that he focused on himself rather than the mission at hand, he noticed his hands were shaking ever-so-slightly too. On top of that, his breathing was slightly faster than normal, and he could feel a distinct tingly sensation in his lower abdomen.

“Are you… scared?”

…

…

…

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Contem10

“…Yes.”

Betraying his own words, Lucian would continue onward the moment after his response was given.

At last, an unaccounted amount of time later, the two finally reached and promptly entered the second large, empty room, checking behind them to make sure Lilly was still with them yet well hidden. Once inside, the two heard a voice sing out to them… and to her credit, she sung very well indeed.

Through fake half-lidded eyes and a lazy body language, Lucian steeled his mind and looked at the figure, waiting for her to make the first approach and taking a slow, almost zombie-like step forward every few seconds to keep the guise of control.

Staring deeply down the cave, the timid girl would begin shaking slightly. She was completely unable to hear anything that the others were saying for a moment, completely entranced by her own thoughts, fears, worries. This went against everything in her nature, every fiber of her being was screaming at her to turn around and find a place to hide. The battle field wasn't a place for a Jurnil... She'd take a step backwards. Then place her other foot beside the one that went back so she was a full step further from the cave than she once was. She'd look down at her feet through the suit, watching the way the shook and stirred. They wanted to keep going back, she knew they did and a huge part of her wanted to too. B-but...

Taken aback by the sight of Lucian and Alice seeming to falter already as they stepped towards the cave, Lilly would panic not knowing what to do. She'd take a step back to where she was a moment ago before the pair seemed to recover on their own. S-sheesh... Why did everything have to be so stressful. It couldn't even be a normal giant monster attack could it... Regardless, the girl would bite her bottom lip, closing her eyes for the first few steps into the cave and only letting herself reopen them once she was far enough inside that she'd stay committed. Which made her surprised she managed to reopen them at all. Doing just as she was told to, Lilly cautiously tailed behind Lucian. Keeping him just in sight of her but always with enough distance that she could quickly slip behind some cover or back round a curve or whatever else she could throw herself behind.

Every step felt like she was stepping further into a nightmare, every step seemed to echo through her body along with the ever speeding rhythm of her heart. All focus was on Lucian, she refused to look around at anything else, anything that would freak her out more. She was dedicated on her mission and would ensure she could fulfill her role. S-she... She wouldn't let anything stop her from keeping everyone protected. T-that was, until they stepped into a room filled with humongous bugs. All at once, she felt a shiver run down every bone in her body. She'd freeze to the spot, she hadn't even turned to look at one of them properly yet though it was enough that she knew they were there. Aside from her shaking, Lilly was practically paralyzed to the spot. She didn't even notice the fact that Lucian had began walking back towards her until he said her name to which she'd suddenly open her eyes wide and stare at him holding her breath.

"I.... hhh I... I-I..." Unable to formulate any words for the moment, Lilly would quite suddenly throw herself forward so that her face, or at least the face part of the suit she was wearing, was buried into Lucian. She'd just keep herself there for a few moments, albeit Lucian was allowing her to. If he was really paying close attention he'd even notice the fact she was gripping onto his arm with one hand and the sound of sniffling coming from inside the suit. At this point tears had already started streaming down the young girls face, though aside from the sniffling she made very little noise to show as much. After at least twenty seconds had passed, Lilly would take in one deep sniff and pull her head gently back away so that she was no longer leaning against Lucian. "T-th-thank... you..." She'd almost whimper, yet she'd say it quite sincerely before shaking her head to try and snap herself out of it. "I'll... I'll keep you safe too."

With another deep breath, it was back to tailing behind the pair. Though this time she was even more focused to not lock eyes with anything else, she'd even be squinting as much as she could without losing her vision. Though this time the travels didn't seem to last as long before the sound of elegant singing could be heard up ahead. The voice was beautiful... Though no matter how pretty the voice may be, Lilly was still not looking forward to seeing the body of whatever was creating the song. Deciding she was far enough back not to be spotted yet close enough to rush in to help when needed, the hound would crouch down behind an out jutted rock that was the perfect height to cover her completely. W-welp. This was it... Definitely no turning back at this point...

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Rph8sTw

"O-Oh... Right. Yeah, hold my hands and we can do it."

Looking into this man's fortune was an ordeal in and of itself. To see any possible fortune was hard, taxing, and awfully horrific. It took him a moment to steady himself, his glowing eyes staring into the endless void of doom. A haggard breath would escape him before he saw a sliver of fortune, of hope. He'd sigh heavily, his veins a deep, inky, and glowing black as he took a shaky step back towards Raziel. It was... Really hard doing that with this horrific scent... Eh heh...

"U-Um... Sorry, the air made it... Like, really difficult. U-Um... Something special is waiting for you in the future! Something good, um... Like, you'll find something good. Here's hoping it's a sword to insta kill Gaia." he'd say with an opportunistic smile. He hated that he wasn't strong enough to handle his future... He couldn't protect Lucy if he couldn't even see what would cause him that much despair... Regardless, he'd wave gently at the group as they walked into the cave. A pang of worry in his heart despite knowing they'd be fine... They would all be fine, right...? Could a god... Could a god change fate...?

He was scared...

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Mvgq394

Looking at what his friends were seeing. The view Raziel's drones showcased to him. It was terrifying. He'd frantically command the drones to monitor every last avatar, a somewhat miffed Raziel waving a feather at the youth. He couldn't help it though... The mere thought of one of them moving for an attack made him want to try as best as he could. Though, it seemed very little would really happen. But he heard the three's conversation. And it made him hold his breath.

They'd be alright... Right...?

Lucy... Couldn't die here... Right...?

He'd think for a moment, a brief second on why Lucy was the only one that came to mind. Shouldn't he care about the giant avatar destroying Junction? He was confused, but then the singing started. And the youth's attention was instantly focused back on the screens and the being that was near the group. He'd take a deep breath, stepping up to a screen and tapping it.

"U-Um... Like... Mr. Bell, that's the heart? The core?" he'd say so the group could hear. His voice was unsteady at first before it picked up the usual optimistic tone. He didn't want them to be scared, so he'd do his best to at least boost their morale. With a happy smile, he'd instantly get back on his two feet. He knew they'd be fine! A Virtue's future sight was always true! They were blessed by angels, how could they be wrong!?

"Alright, this is what we've been waiting for. Everyone, be ready. Do as we planned and, like, this will be in the bag and Mr. Bell will come live with me in my house! Okay! Let's, like, save a world!" he'd say energetically, hands ready to begin scanning as soon as needed. He wanted this to go well... He wanted this to go perfectly well... Good thing he knew it would.

Fortune Received:

Posts : 1019 Join date : 2017-05-09

Lucian's approach was quickly noticed. The singing stopped suddenly and the room became a glow with a vibrant green energy. The smooth walls of the chamber were adorned with a cornucopia of different brightly colored flowers and fruit, each more striking and appetizing then the last. Though immune to the curse of these flowers, Lucian would quickly become aware of the calming sent filling the air,... no calming was not quite the emotion it made him feel. If anything the smell would make him feel flustered and somehow anxious. As if it awoke something within him. An itch that had not been scratched for quite some time.

"Hm?... Who, ah."

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. 3cN6VMM

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. 3cN6VMM

"It is you... Lucian Clarke."

As Gaia turned and gave Lucian her attention, he would once again feel the pull of her bliss on his psyche. It ignighted something within him that would take every ounce of his will to resist, but with the Liber gene at his very core, he would be able to push it back. "I have waited for your arrival... I was beginning to grow board. Luckily that tower was more then capable of providing entertainment..."

In the crystal heart behind her, Lucian could see the group defending Junction from a birds eye view. Whatever was attacking, he could see though its eyes."You are early...I have yet to destroy the tower... And you have only come with one other, why is this?..." A small smirk played on Gaia's lips as she flew down to be eye level with Lucian. It quickly became apparent how much larger Gaia was, seeing as how Lucian would only come up to her knee if they stood side by side.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. GSa8Imy

"Could it be you both wished to see me... Alone?"

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 24 Location : Yes

It was a good thing they’d both eaten a hearty meal right before they left Junction, or else they might have actually given into the temptation of tasting all these forbidden fruits. Alice couldn’t help but draw the semblance between the overarching themes of free will, secret gardens full of unimaginable creatures, tempters and tantalizing fruit to the likeness of the tale of Adam and Eve… except this time around, Lucifer was a giant bug lady with a self-consciousness-inducing physique.

Lucian felt the fragrance calling to him, speaking his name in soft, loving, non-verbal whispers. It reminded him of all the subtle hints that the Horsemen dropped here and there to try to subliminally convince him to give up… and that mental comparison brought him hatred unlike any other. Perhaps this was what kept his Liber Gene from failing. Regardless, he kept his eyes focused on Gaia’s, only noticing the presence of the crystalline heart behind her through the corner of his eye. “Gaia…” He muttered, slowly inching towards her, keeping his gaze locked to hers. During the trek through the cave, he’d considered whether there were any possible alternatives to resolving this conflict; he hated the idea of a grand manipulator as much as he ever had, yet to kill a creature so desperate for love felt… wrong. Maybe it was his empathy overtaking him, maybe it was because he could sympathize, or maybe it was just Gaia’s own diminished effect. Whatever the case, this deity had taken away the minds of hundreds of thousands – possibly millions – all in the name of feeding her lustful, gluttonous, greedy, wrathful, slothful, envious and proud ego. And if her complete disregard of Junction’s struggle for survival as a mere source of entertainment was any indication, it was unlikely she could be talked out of this. Force was the only option.

As Alice trailed slowly behind him, Lucian went through with his approach towards the insect-like deity, holding his arms out gently as if to embrace a long-lost lover. Once her chest was within arm’s reach and her arms were parallel to both his hands, he uttered the words she most wanted to hear.

“…I love you...”

*PLLKKKCHHHH*

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. PySASsY

“…but I think we should see other people.”

The next thing Gaia would know, a long sword had materialized within Lucian’s hand, dredging deep into her left shoulder as he clasped it with his other hand and drove it in as deep as possible. At the same time, Liber arose from behind Lucian and drove his lance deep into her right shoulder.

“ALICE! NOW!”

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. AoyhJHz

“NONA!”

Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins alongside the liber gene’s rainbowish presence in her blood, Alice summoned her Persona with an exhilarating scream of action. The spider-carried lady arose out of her Summoning Flag and began to cut down the flowers and fruits of the chamber with extreme prejudice. If being stabbed wasn’t enough of a deterrent and Gaia tried to interrupt Nona’s destruction of the vegetation, both Lucian and Liber would force her in place with all their strength.

"None will harm liberty! Not while I exist!" Liber exclaimed, floating dominantly above the ground.

All the while that Lilly was hiding and waiting, she'd have her hands locked together. Praying upon praying that everything was going to go as planned and that everyone would make it out of here alright. The girl would have her eyes tightly shut, there was nothing for her to see hiding behind the rock anyway and she wasn't going to dare take a peak. Instead she focused entirely on listening, right down to every breath the now three others in the room would make. She realized she wasn't entirely sure what her signal was to actually go in and help, like if there was a secret signal or something along those lines. Though she just supposed that Lucian would shout for her or Cassiel would tell her over the gadget thingy he'd given them all.

Despite things not exactly taking a long time to unfold, every second felt like a full minute went by for the Jurnil. Although she hadn't noticed it directly, her breathing would be a lot slower at this point. Both to try and make as little noise as possible as well as subconsciously trying to keep her cool and not just scream out if something happened. Though it was at that moment that things seemed to really kick off as both Lucian and Alice begun their plan of sneak attacking Gaia. In a strange way it was comforting to hear something happening after the eeriness of the place once the singing had stopped. Readying herself but not showing herself yet, Lilly would nervously be ready to jump in to assist as soon as she was needed. Her wrist bands and anklets beginning to emit a faint glow that wasn't really noticeable through the suit she was wearing as Clover too readied herself to assist.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. QbE292x

"Ah jeez! Mr. Bell! Now's the opening! Scan like your life depends on it!! Because it does!!"

Cass wasn't exactly happy at how sudden that was. Lucy just kinda pounced like na angry cat! Well, regardless, Raziel's drones would surround Gaia's core within moments of the stabbing, a huff escaping him.

"Jeez, Lucy! You could have, like, given us a warning or something! But, uh, like, good job!" he'd say with a rather eager smile. He didn't really have much thought on what Lilly and Alice were doing. Really, he was just focused on processing all and any information gathered from his analysis of the core. It had to have a weak spot, right? It just had too! And with Fell, they could find it.

Action:

Posts : 1019 Join date : 2017-05-09

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Maxresdefault

"What?..."

For a moment, Gaia simply did not understand what had happened. She stood in a shocked awe of Lucian's sudden and violent betrayal, the pain of the double cross burning far deeper then that of the stab wound. She stood still, absolutely motionless for a moment as the gravity of the act began to sink in. A single thick black tear escaped Gaia eye, rolling down her porcelain features as she looked to Lucian's blade.

"I would have made you happy..."

All at once a torrent of a foul smelling, thick black liquid sprayed from Gaia's wounds, coating both Lucian's blade and Liber's lance in it's filth. Gaia let loose a blood chilling screech that shifted in pitch and speed rapidly, sounding distorted and wholly unnatural. Should Lucian try to pull his blade from her shoulder he would find it to be stuck fast, almost feeling as if it were being pulled into the God Insect. The same would be true of Liber's Lance, almost feeling like it was being eaten by whatever was inside Gaia's body. The screaming would only get louder and more distorted as Gaia trained her eyes on Liber. Ignoring the pain in her limbs, Gaia grasped Liber's helm firmly in her monstrous hands, leaking the black substance into the Persona's face mask.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Big_1473392251_image

"T͜ake a͟s ͠m͜any faces̷ a͜s ̢y͏ou͝ wish T̕arg̵i̸s͟e͝r̵!̷ ͟I̧ ͏w̨ill a͝l̛ways ķnow̨ y͢o̧u͠!͠ ҉Ì wi͠ll ̴a̵lw͢a͟y҉s l̴ov͜e̢ ͜yo͟u͠! I ̵w͏i͟ll ͡ri҉p ́this̕ uģly th͠in͜g ̨f́r͠om̶ ҉yo̵ųr̢ ͞mińd̵ and ҉f̢e͢ast̷ ̸on̵ ̡i̕ts͘ ̢emp͏ti͜nes̛s!"

Time seemed to slow as Gaia crushed Liber's head between her hands. Alice's assault on the various plants and fruits in the cavern seemed to matter little as the steel of Liber's helm crumpled and gave way, leaving nothing but a crushed, hollow ball of scrap behind.

Lucain could only look on in horror as Liber's body fell limp,cracks forming along it's iron hide.

Yet from these cracks, a bright, brilliant light poured through...

"Limiter...Removed."

In an instant Cassial and Vel's connection would be lost.

...
..
.

"ci-"

"Luci-"

"LUCIAN! WAKE THE HELL UP!"

Lucian would awaken with a start, the scar on the back of his neck smoking as the foliage around it caught fire. Yet this pain would be nothing compared to the ringing in his mind, as if a small explosion had go off between his ears. This was only made worse by the frantic voice of Vel shouting in his minds eye.

"I-I don't know what t-the hell you just did but whatever it was it worked! You c-cut off her connection to that Avatar attacking your tower. C-Cassial and I will support form here but you have to take her down now! That g-giant green heart is the the real Gaia! If that goes down that's it! I don't think she'll give you a free shot though!"

As the last of the fog left behind by Liber faded from Lucian's mind... Liber appeared once more by his side, assisting Alice in helping the man to his feet. This moment, however, would be interrupted by a wheezing, raspy voice calling to the Seekers.

"T̷á̴̛ŕ͟͞.́͠.̸̵̧.̴ ̨͝T̵̨aŕ͘͠g̢ie͏̨r̕͢.̶҉.͡.̨̢ ̸̴̀W̸̕h͏er͏̀e҉̕ ̸͠d̕i̸̶͠d̴̛ ͞͠͡y̴o͠u̸̷ ͘g̢o̡͘?́͠͝.̛.҉̨.̧̧͜ ̀W̴̛h̡̨ỳ҉̀ ̧d̡id͏̸̀ ̶҉ý̵͠oų͡ l̷͞e͟͞ave ͡͏m̨e̶͡ ̢d̡͠o̸̢ẃ̷ņ͡ ̢͝͝h̴̀e͏̢r̵͢͜e҉͝?̶̴̵ ̀͘F̶e͟l?̴̀.̴͢.͠͡͞.͝͏ ̸̷͡T̛̕e͝͠l̸̢͝?҉̀͞.̶.̸̢͠.̷͢ M͏̀͢o̷͢ŗ͢g͏̸͞a̧͞s̷͏i̷͘m͏̸͏ȩ͡r?̶.̸̡͝.͢.̕͢ ̶͠W͝h̨͝y̴.̸͜͝.̡̀͠.҉͢"

...

i̶ ̸h̛͜a̶t̶̡̡e҉ ̶͝y̧͟ǫ̛u
̸
̡͞I҉ ̸͟͡h͞a̢҉t҉҉͟e͠͏ y҉͞ǫ̷͞u͢͠ ̧́I͏ ͏̸h͏̵̕a̵t́͜͢è͢͠ ̶y҉o̧͟u ̵̀͡I̴̡͠ h̶at͜͢é͠ ͢͞yo̡̧u ͞I͢͠ ̧h̸a̴͢͝t͠é͏ ý̡o̸͡u͜͞ Í̵͢ ͘h̸̸͏àt͘҉͜e͝ ̕y͡o̢̡u͜͡ ̨̢̀I̴͢ ̶̕h̀a͡t͞é̕ ̀͢y͠o̵͡͏u͏ ͡I ̶̨͏h́à́͝t͘͝e̶ ҉y͜o҉͜͞u̢ ́̕I̶ ͢ḩat̕e̛͘ ͞͡ý̴̨o̸̸u̢ ̵̀I̷͘ ̀͡h͘҉a͜t͡é ỳo̷͠u̸͢ ̧I̛ ͡h̛͞͞a̸̵t̷̨e̴̢͠ ҉͜͠y̨o̴u̵͜͝ ̴͝I̴ ͟h̸̛á́͘t̸ę̵ ̷͝y̶͞ó̡u̕ ̡͟͝Į̴͡ ̸͜͝ha͘͢t̴è̶ ̛̕͟yǫu͟͡ ͏̸͡I͘͝ ͡h̢̨͟àte̸ ͘y̡̕͜ǫ̵̛u̶͢ ͡I͝ ̶͠ha̸t̡e͟͜ ́͠yo̵u҉̸ ̡́I͢ ͟h̵̴̡at̶̵e ̶̨ỳ͢o̷u҉͠ ̢͝I͘͜͏ ̡͠h̢̡at͢e̴ ͟y̢͘o̶͞ų ͜͝͡I ̶̕͡h̸̕͝a͘t̡͟͡e̕͝ ̴̀y̶ou͏͏̕ ̧̕I̵̢ ҉̴ḩa̴t͡é̴̡ ̕҉͝y̡o̴҉̶ư̕ ̵̕͠I͏̡ ̀͝ha̴̛t҉͜e̸ ͢͞ý͢͠ou̢͡ Í ̀h̷̢͜a̵͜t̨̡e ̡ỳ͏o̵͏u҉ ̨̧͟I̸͜ h̷͏at͏̨e҉ ̵͜͞y͠͝ơ̕͜u̵̴̕ ̶̢͜I͏ h̸a͏͠t̀͞è̵̕ ͘y̧ou̡͘͢ ̸͘

Black ichor spilled from Gaia's body as it twisted and contorted... Slitting and growing as she chanted.

No love resided in this place.

Only emptiness.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Falling-Leaves-Gif

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Falling-Leaves-Gif

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. Gaia_i10

"̷͢i̡̨͡s͞ ̛i̵t̀͟ be̢c̶ą́u̢̕͡se̸ ̶͘i͘ ̡d̷̴o̧n̴͡͝'t̢̕̕ ̴d̷̢e̛s̢҉er̶v́e̷̶͟ ̶l̵͜o͝҉v̀̕͜e̡̛?̨"̨̨

Gaia's towering form filled the chamber almost completely. Blocking any chance of attacking the core. From behind the Seekers could hear cries of pure agony coming from the Avatars they had passed on their way here. Their God is dying, and you are killing it.

Infected Gaia:

HP:900/1000
SP: 1000/1000
PEnd: 20%
MEnd: 20%
Ppstr: 24
Pmstr: 42
Dx: 25
Lk: 40

100 Damage Taken from surprise attack.

Resists: Wind, Ailments,

Weak to: Fire

Passives and Moves:

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 24 Location : Yes

Lucian could only grasp the back of his neck in pain as Alice and Liber helped him to his feet after… whatever that was blew him rolling a few paces back. “C-… *cough* Christ almighty, anyone get the number of that truck? Alice, what happened?”

“Giant green heart. Got it.” He replied in confirmation of understanding, staring down at the aforementioned heart from the other end of the room. However, when Gaia began to list off familiar names in a voice he could barely understand, his approach to the upcoming battle changed slightly. “Vel, what the hell is she talking about? How does Gaia know Targiser, you and your brother?” Lucian would not back down on his question; it felt as if a critical piece of information had been withheld from him, only to be shed light on after he’d already taken critical measures. Gaia’s ever-changing and twisting body, however, meant for sure that they would just have to fight for their lives while he pieced the rest of the matter together. “Lilly!” He beckoned to the canine girl, needing now her help and figuring she’d rather be as far away from the wailing of the avatar’s behind them as possible… though to be fair, the contents of this room weren’t much better.

A single pang of itch materialized in the back of Lucian’s neck for the briefest of moments, as if specifically designed to remind him of something. Of course… when they were still outside of the cave, something… else had formed within his mind. Lucian reached behind his back to materialize his Summoning Flag, yet when he did so his mind’s eye… it just knew that he now had more than one option of flags; three, to be precise. Lucian reached behind his back with his other hand and pulled both out at the same time, finding each of his hands to carry a different flag, neither of which were the American flag he’d come to know so well. On his right hand rested a flag with a blueish border, depicting pairs of disembodied eyes and hands holding aloft a flame beneath a lemniscate. The other flag was eerily similar, yet instead of a flame the hands reached out towards a goblet harboring a shining spark, and the eyes more resembled a single eye that had been halved, inverted and separated. From within those flags, two different yet similar voices called out to him in voices surely only he could hear.

“The flame of action burns deep within you and all. Fear not the retribution of equal and opposite reaction, for in the end there is nothing more perfect than the self and its ability to change without forsaking perfection.”

“The strings of fate cannot be severed through the flame of action alone. In liberation, a sacrifice must be made, and yet victory in liberation is to remain whole. Let my existence be a reminder that the hollowness that has overtaken this world could very well overtake you, should you lack wisdom.”

He heard both voices and what they said and meant without any troubles… yet, for the sake of this particular situation, Lucian thought it best not to test his luck with new possibilities right off the bat. Such a matter was to be approached with caution; if nothing they could already do forged a path to victory, he would resort to the new additions to his mind.

To love someone, is to know them deeper and more true then you know yourself. 8Em8K0x

“Yours is a sin of gluttony, Gaia. You were so focused on quenching your endless desire for love and affection that you forgot existence was not yours alone. Has it ever crossed your mind that love born of death, domination and fear is no love at all? Or perhaps you were drowning so deep in your own sorrow that you didn’t care? Whatever the case, you have become the very thing you sought to rid this planet off: a leech, forever draining those around it of their own, for it cannot find sufficiency in itself.” Lucian taunted as he raised his gun towards the twisted insect and opened fire, hoping the pieces of the puzzle he knew he was missing would fall into place in what little time they had left.