WLC 5.A: Make Out Of Dodge

WLC 6.2: Amber

Deputy Tanglepork steps inside, but hesitates. "Is that safe?" she asks of the glowing crystals lighting the room.

"Yeah," says Ling, "Ya want to stay outside?" Ling gestures and a bubble forms around the pair, both in and out of her house.

"What is this?" The deputy looks about in awe of the shimmering shield and the distorted view of the world outside.

"Privacy bubble: people can't see or hear through it."

"That sounds threatening," says Tanglepork, "And probably illegal."

"Not yet it isn't," says Ling, sticking her hand out and in the bubble, "But I get it. Fortunately, my own invention; haven't taught a soul." She returns her focus to the deputy. "Now, why ya here?"

J: She really called that one. L: Strewth, I'm impressed ya figured it out on your own.

"I need to know who's entered and exited the Underdank."

"I gave those file to the sheriff," says Ling, irritation rising in her voice, "I just said that."

"There are children missing, Ling," says Tanglepork, looking her dead in the eye. "The sheriff is blaming you."

"Sprogs on walkabout and that c**t's playing blamsies?" growls Ling, "What are your leads? Macca's way or Splish-Splash?"

"Can you... repeat that?" asks Tanglepork.

Ling takes a deep breath, "If the sheriff's not looking for the kids, then I will. So, what are your other leads? Could they have gone past Old McDonald's farm or Splish-Splash River? Whose tykes are missing, too?"

"You wanna help?" says Tanglepork, taking out a notepad, "Okay, yes, it's six kids, maybe seven."

"Maybe seven?"

"Sheriff's not counting Matches."

"Who's that?"

"Homeless orphan, lurked around the other side of town for about half a month. May be unrelated."

Ling sighs. "Next time ya know someone who might be starving, send them my way."

"Will do." The deputy begins reading her notes. "First, we have Hanzy and Grater, Toothfist's kids; last seen leaving school last week. Never made it home."

"Goblins," says Ling, "That's why it's taken this long to notice. Hanzy's the one with the weird spiky growths."

"Second, Graupel and Rosen Rotweiss, twin kobolds, allegedly assisting 'a dwarf' every couple days, disappeared earlier this week."

"Any I.D. on this 'dwarf'?"

"Not yet. Vague enough to be in any direction too... including the Underdank."

Ling shakes her head; it's not worth commenting on.

"Third, Gene Geneson Jr., parents claim he ran away a few days ago."

"Genette? Yeah, I can take a swing at why she'd do that."

Tanglepork checks her notes, "She?"

"Not your business," waves Ling, "Shouldn't have said it. Regardless, possibly our 'dwarf.'"

"Uh, finally, Loxi Goldberry, mayor's niece, went out looking for Gene yesterday."

J: Oh, Loxi... A: Who is she? J: Nothing, no one really. L: Jevoi's first crush. She was in tatters when Loxi and Genette started dating. J: I was not! D: I thought it was Gank. J: That is also false.

"There we go," says Ling, "The reason the sheriff's acting now. Have anything from the kids? Hair or nails?"

"I know what your thinking," says Tanglepork, pulling a pink hairbrush out of her bag; it is covered in blonde elven hair, "We already tried this."

"That's curious," says Ling, snatching the brush, "But let me try first."

Ling focuses on the girl's discarded hair and sends a pulse of magic through the world. There is no reaction from anything.

"Told you," says Tanglepork.

"This is a big clue," says Ling. Noticing the deputy's confusion, she continues, "If the location pulse isn't detecting her, it means something, or someone, is actively blocking it."

"Or she's not on this plane of reality."

"Both directions worth looking into," says Ling, handing the brush back, "Anything for the other kids, just to be certain?"

L: We checked; no signal for any of them, not even Matches.

Another demon passing through my thoughts:

Wearing a hard hat, putting on safety goggles, before chasing people while dual-wielding portable power drills.

Just Give Up

In both games, the player can surrender. In the first game, it could only be done if your leg was broken. In the second, you can just... give up.

POV: The enemy would rather die than fight a child (that's you).

POV: She is adamant about this fact!

POV: Your friend wishes to die with honor, but you have terrible aim.

YELLING

Isohachi is an angry old man and his lungs are a weapon.

POV: Some little girl is in the way of the repose of your ancestors.

Isohachi's yell has limited "ammo" shall we call it. It's actually in the code separately from sub-weapons, actual gun ammo, and the gun reloads. Unlike Chihiro's frog, Isohachi's yell startles everyone.

POV: This dam woman is in your dam way.

Execution

In the first game, surrender leaves you open to attack and ends the fight after a set time, but in the sequel, it's a cutscene.

Here's that bloodstained versus Mikado accepting her fate.

And so, the bandaged story Mikado cannot outlive herself.

This location, by the way, is a story scene exclusive: outside the Tatara Shrine. (Not the Tatara Shrine Path stage.) You normally cannot fight here.

WLC 4.5: Mother, What Big Snake Butt You Have

Jevoi emerges from the bathroom speaking, "Now, get ready; she's right outside this door." She looks out to Angustias and licks her own eye.

Angustias prepares herself as Dalini steps out with Jevoi. Dalini is wearing an adorable pink dress with a little ribbon tied around her neck.

Dalini stops when she sees the snake-butted demon. "Wuuuuh?"

"Hello, little one," says Angustias, attempting to smile in a way that doesn't look like she's plotting murder, "I am Queen Angustias Maria Lilith Kun, bride of Empress Kun Jevoi, and thus," she lies her serpent body down to get closer to Dalini, "Your mother... er, other mother."

Dalini stares at Angustias; it's an unreadable expression that the gex are quite good at. "What are you?" she asks, "You're really pretty."

Angustias attempts to laugh in a way that doesn't sound she's committing murder. "I'm a marilith, a divine warrior, and that makes you," she says, then scooping Dalini up, "My little soldier." She tickles the princess.

To the side, Jevoi eyes Ling, who sits quietly. Too quietly. She projects a message into Ling's mind, 'Nothing to say, Mum? Not ruining the moment?'

'Don't have to,' Ling projects back, 'That whirlwind of rage will f**k this up eventually.'

'What makes you think that?' projects Jevoi, as Angustias spins around with Dalini laughing in her arms.

'Demons change when they change,' projects Ling, 'She's still war incarnate.'

'Proof?' projects Jevoi, walking up to her wife and daughter. They join in a hug. 'Or superstitious hearsay?'

'Seen it myself,' projects Ling, fiddling with her orb again, 'Succubus learned to love people became an angel.'

"Nana Ning," says Dalini from between her moms, "Come here too."

Angustias sneaks a look of disgust to Jevoi, who shakes her head ever so slightly.

"Hold on, Da," says Ling, standing up, hat covering her eyes, "Aren't ya hungry? Your mum mentioned a chef."

"Right," says Jevoi, releasing the hold, "How about we prepare for dinner?"

Checking the List

I have significantly underestimated this scale of this task.

While doing this, I've reconsidered the lizard for now, but I have another idea: Tumblr structure seems a fine place to try writing a "found document" type of story. It's about a corporate lawyer devil in a post-apoc city.

Edit: I may go through with the lizard story.

WLC 5.2: Assassin Vision

Keeping her eyes on the gnome's soul, Jevoi slips out of her cloak and slowly crawls along the ground. She creeps around to the side of the old home.

L: I reckon, ya were still dressing like I had at that age. J: You dressed as a rogue to hide your wizardry; I dressed as one because I was one. We are not the same. L: And the wig? J: It's a good wig; it fits the outfit.

Jevoi spots a broken window, but feels Gank pulling her away. The shattered glass could hurt or, more importantly, make noise.

'Up,' thinks Gank, 'No one ever looks up.'

Unfortunately, Jevoi's boots prevent her from climbing the surface as fast or quietly as she could, so she continues around the house toward the backdoor.

L: And that's why we don't wear shoes, Dalini. J: You can fly, Mum.

Jevoi can see the soul of Tanglepork also approaching the house from the other side. She remains perfectly still, waiting for her target to approach. The ecstasy of an assassin, the eyes of a monster.

G: Rude. Those are my eyes.

Tanglepork slowly enters the open door frame and sneaks into the house with her weapon drawn. Jevoi sneaks in behind her as she enters into another room on a collision course with Luminița.

Carefully, Jevoi draws a knife from her side. It's sleek, sharp blade is etched with a vampiric rune and it's been far too long since she's had a chance to feed it. The black hilt is almost invisible in the dark forest home. Jevoi brings the knife into attack position; her heart beating rapidly, she slips closer to her target.

L: We heard it before: ya wanted to be an assassin. J: If you're going to force me to listen to your tangents about women; you should allow the same for my weapons.

The three women, all ready to strike, were getting dangerously close together. One must wonder who would strike first. None would suspect who it would be.

As Tanglepork enters the room Luminița hides in, Jevoi lunges for her. The lycan leaps out of her position at the gnome, who attempts to fire her gun, but her aim is thrown off by the floor collapsing beneath her. The other two fall in immediately after.

Last Several Days

I have spent a lot of time now going back though the list of likes and finding people to follow. I'm still not sure if I'm using this right.

WLC 5.6: Baba, You're Going Down!

The skeletal remains whirl through the air. Jevoi covers her head with her arms and tries to keep running straight, Tanglepork attempts to evade by zigzaging, and Luminița attempts to swat the flying bones out of the air.

Gank emerges from the ground and slides back into Jevoi. 'Turn around,' she thinks, 'We have to keep her in place.'

'What are we doing?' asks Jevoi, skittering to a stop, 'What's the rest of the plan?'

'Run at her,' thinks Gank, 'Don't stop.'

With a frustrated groan, Jevoi abouts-face. 'Better be a good plan.'

Tanglepork runs past her without a word, but a look that says, 'You're gonna do something stupid, ain't ya?'

'We're sending Grammy back to Hell,' thinks Gank, bringing a subdue soulsight back into Jevoi's eyes, 'When you've got her in the circle, slap that b***h!'

Jevoi can now see Ioana's silhouette in the dust storm and the runes glowing inside the ground, now several meters behind the lycan. "Alright, you old biddy," yells Jevoi, running around along the storm's spin, "You want Ling? Well, I'm at least half Ling."

Ioana howls again. "LING! VENGEANCE!" She twists to pursue Jevoi.

D: Did she anything else? G: Most ghosts form from one extreme desire; they're actually really boring people. D: What was your desire? G: I guess, not die? I'm a special case.

Jevoi stops at the edge of the runic circle and turns toward the storm. She spreads her arms apart, low. "Come on, you broken clock."

The storm escalates in intensity and speed.

Jevoi holds her ground as Ioana approaches, Tanglepork and Luminița far away in the dark, then just as the ghost hovers inside the circle, she slaps it. "Go to Hell, fur-hag!"

The magic of the runes opens a gate under the ghost and forms a barrier around Jevoi. The gate begins sucking with far greater force than Ioana's storms, pulling her in. So too are the bones dropped like water in a drain. But the gate doesn't close; it keeps sucking. Tanglepork and Luminița are pulled into it.

Luminița digs her claws into the ground, clutching desperately to survive. Tanglepork snags the lycan's leg; her screams inaudible over the rushing wind.

Jevoi hops out of the bubble protecting her and grabs Luminița's arm.

'What are ya doing?' thinks Gank.

'She has my tome,' thinks Jevoi, 'The whole reason we're here!"

"I've got you," Jevoi attempts to say, but her voice is sucked away by the wind. Jevoi, unfortunately, would not be strong enough to lift Luminița in normal conditions, nor combat the vortex, so attempting both only has one reasonable outcome: down the drain.