Sit on the shoulder of one of the most important characters in Skullgirls and offer her whatever words you want to say. Whether you're helpful, silly, or just along for the ride, shenanigans await.
Voices From Beyond: A Skullgirls Quest
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Introduction
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Crack
Bullets land in her back, tearing the life from her body. She falls forward, eyes already turning sightless as they gaze past the men who ruined her life and into the world beyond death. But this is not the moment her soul moves on from the land of the living. A pact was made, and the terms shall be kept.
Unnoticed by the men who do not scruple to kill unarmed children, a blue flame blazes within her body, one that has no warmth. All this flame brings is the chill of the dead and one final breath of life, held in her decaying lungs until she is killed a second time, by someone with greater strength than the men before her could ever possess.
Unnoticed by the men who do not know their lives are about to end, a black skull enters her body, removing her heart to take its place. The Skull Heart has claimed its newest host, and it will give her as much power as she dares ask for, power she does not want but must take if she is to have any justice. And in time, she will seek not justice but revenge, and later still, once her will has been eroded by the artifact maintaining her half-life, she will seek death.
Unnoticed by even herself, Marie Korbel has gained not one connection to otherworldly beings but two. The first, she expects. Few in this world are ignorant of the Skull Heart and its malice, and so Marie was aware of its efforts to corrupt all who contract with it. The second, no one expected. In what may be a quirk of fortune or some whim of a capricious god, the process of connecting Marie Korbel to the Skull Heart has opened up a link between her and another dimension, one unknown even to the would-be gods that claim to control this world's fundamental forces. And through that connection, voices come.
The voices offer information, comfort, entertainment, and a thousand other things. But of all the voices Marie hears from this strange new world, the ones that come through most clearly are yours, giving her whatever words you see fit to send her. But while this second connection forms, time does not stand still. Already, Marie has killed the men who tried and failed to kill her. Already, she has discovered that they are but cogs in a larger machine, one that has its heart in the city of New Meridian, far south and west of the remains of her home. Already, the Skull Heart has begun to secrete its poison into her mind, changing her goal from keeping safe her loved ones to attacking those who threaten them.
In the coming days, Marie Korbel will meet many potential enemies, any of whom could slay her, many of whom will want to. And yet, these will also be potential allies, who may yet choose to help free her from the chains she has been shackled by, perhaps even join her in battle against the hidden enemy, source of the Skull Heart and enemy of all to ever live: Lamia. The road ahead is long and filled with peril, but it branches into defeat and triumph alike. What path will Marie go down? None can say, but it starts with a greeting from the voices from beyond.
What will you say to Marie?
[] Write-in
A/N: Welcome to my latest quest, brought to you by a combination of me getting into Skullgirls and reading through the old Communication quests over on SB. As such, you'll be interacting with the world of the quest by deciding what to say to Marie, though as the quest goes on you might get the ability to communicate with other characters as well. Also, as is usual with this kind of quest, you can earn the ability to give your host powers from other media, but since Skullgirls is a fighting game, you can only give her the powers of characters originating in other fighting games. How will you do that? Good discussion, writing omake, clever plans, and anything else I feel helps make the thread better. For those interested in the quest and not familiar with the story of Skullgirls, I'll be putting a summary of things in a spoiler below. Last but not least, have fun!
Bullets land in her back, tearing the life from her body. She falls forward, eyes already turning sightless as they gaze past the men who ruined her life and into the world beyond death. But this is not the moment her soul moves on from the land of the living. A pact was made, and the terms shall be kept.
Unnoticed by the men who do not scruple to kill unarmed children, a blue flame blazes within her body, one that has no warmth. All this flame brings is the chill of the dead and one final breath of life, held in her decaying lungs until she is killed a second time, by someone with greater strength than the men before her could ever possess.
Unnoticed by the men who do not know their lives are about to end, a black skull enters her body, removing her heart to take its place. The Skull Heart has claimed its newest host, and it will give her as much power as she dares ask for, power she does not want but must take if she is to have any justice. And in time, she will seek not justice but revenge, and later still, once her will has been eroded by the artifact maintaining her half-life, she will seek death.
Unnoticed by even herself, Marie Korbel has gained not one connection to otherworldly beings but two. The first, she expects. Few in this world are ignorant of the Skull Heart and its malice, and so Marie was aware of its efforts to corrupt all who contract with it. The second, no one expected. In what may be a quirk of fortune or some whim of a capricious god, the process of connecting Marie Korbel to the Skull Heart has opened up a link between her and another dimension, one unknown even to the would-be gods that claim to control this world's fundamental forces. And through that connection, voices come.
The voices offer information, comfort, entertainment, and a thousand other things. But of all the voices Marie hears from this strange new world, the ones that come through most clearly are yours, giving her whatever words you see fit to send her. But while this second connection forms, time does not stand still. Already, Marie has killed the men who tried and failed to kill her. Already, she has discovered that they are but cogs in a larger machine, one that has its heart in the city of New Meridian, far south and west of the remains of her home. Already, the Skull Heart has begun to secrete its poison into her mind, changing her goal from keeping safe her loved ones to attacking those who threaten them.
In the coming days, Marie Korbel will meet many potential enemies, any of whom could slay her, many of whom will want to. And yet, these will also be potential allies, who may yet choose to help free her from the chains she has been shackled by, perhaps even join her in battle against the hidden enemy, source of the Skull Heart and enemy of all to ever live: Lamia. The road ahead is long and filled with peril, but it branches into defeat and triumph alike. What path will Marie go down? None can say, but it starts with a greeting from the voices from beyond.
What will you say to Marie?
[] Write-in
A/N: Welcome to my latest quest, brought to you by a combination of me getting into Skullgirls and reading through the old Communication quests over on SB. As such, you'll be interacting with the world of the quest by deciding what to say to Marie, though as the quest goes on you might get the ability to communicate with other characters as well. Also, as is usual with this kind of quest, you can earn the ability to give your host powers from other media, but since Skullgirls is a fighting game, you can only give her the powers of characters originating in other fighting games. How will you do that? Good discussion, writing omake, clever plans, and anything else I feel helps make the thread better. For those interested in the quest and not familiar with the story of Skullgirls, I'll be putting a summary of things in a spoiler below. Last but not least, have fun!
In the world of Skullgirls, which definitely isn't Earth but doesn't have an official name as far as I know, there is an ancient artifact called the Skull Heart which can grant any wish made on it by a woman (or girl), but if the wish is not "pure" by the Skull Heart's standards (and it pretty much never is), then you become a Skullgirl, a monster with power over the spirits (and skeletons) of the dead and a desire to kill and destroy indiscriminately. The mental effects of becoming a Skullgirl can be staved off, but they can't be prevented completely. By the time the events of the game's story happens, the current Skullgirl is one Marie Korbel, a war orphan who made a wish to keep her loved ones safe after they were attacked by members of the mafia and has been resisting the influence of the Skull Heart for several months by the time the game's story starts, not entirely successfully.
Unbeknownst to most, the Skull Heart is the creation of (and possibly a manifestation of, the game isn't clear on this point) Lamia, an ancient sorceress-queen who was deposed long ago and exiled to another dimension along with her two daughters, who have power over space and time. The three of them form a group called the Trinity, which is the object of worship for a major religion of this world, Trinitism. The Trinity wish to end their exile and rule the world as god-queens, and as part of that have spent ages trying to erode everyone's will to resist their rule by using the Skullgirls to demoralize the world. Though at the time the quest starts, probably no one alive knows of the Trinity's plans besides their agent, a shapeshifting creature called Double that has tempted many people into making a wish with the Skull Heart (including Marie), and a few very old Parasites, a kind of intelligent being that gives a person power of some kind in exchange for a host body. Some Parasites are actual parasites, some work with their host in a symbiotic relationship, and all Parasites can live for as long as they can find a host body, so they can live for very long times (and their hosts can too, at least in some cases).
Most of the game's story takes place in and around New Meridian, a city with strong 1930s/40s vibes that is somewhere in the Canopy Kingdom (the geography of the Skullgirls world is very vague), one of the major powers of this world. The Canopy Kingdom was in a long, grinding war with the other two great powers of the world called the Grand War that lasted for ten years, until the queen at the time made a wish on the Skull Heart to end the war. She became a Skullgirl so powerful that the three warring countries had to team up to stop her, which they managed to do around seven years before the game's story begins. As part of their efforts, the Canopy Kingdom funded several Anti-Skullgirl Labs, which are connected to several of the game's characters (mostly as experiments of some kind, naturally). It should be noted that the Canopy Kingdom has significant internal tensions because it isn't only humans that make up its population. There are also Ferals (animal people of various kinds) and Gigans (giants with horns), who are discriminated against and are most likely somewhat small minorities within the population. Parasites and their hosts are also discriminated against, but it seems they don't exist in large enough numbers to matter much. New Meridian is also the center of power for the Medici Family, a mafia organization with significant power and reach (Marie's home was outside the Canopy Kingdom, so their operations must be international), so naturally several of the game's characters aside from Marie have a bone to pick with them. There are a few countries besides the Canopy Kingdom that the game's story mentions, but there's very little detail given about them, so don't expect to see much of them in this quest.
As for our main character, Marie is a young girl (around 12 or 13) who has spent much of her life trying to look after her fellow orphans, whether they want it or not. To try and get the other kids to take her seriously, she took to wearing a maid outfit because it made her seem more grown-up, and this is probably also the reason she tends to speak somewhat formally. Still, Marie isn't completely made of stone. She enjoys watching pro wrestling (which is real in this universe, at least sometimes) and cartoons (mostly when her friend Patricia badgers her into it), and she seems to know how to skateboard, since she can be seen doing a kickflip with a vacuum cleaner in matches of the actual game under certain conditions. The skateboarding thing might not actually be canonical, but it amuses me, so I'm including it for this quest. Marie's wish on the Skull Heart was to keep everyone else who lived at her orphanage safe after the mafia raided it, which didn't work out very well since the orphanage's caretaker was killed in the attack, along with some of the orphans. Marie herself was shot while trying to rescue the surviving orphans from the mafia's clutches, and that killed her body, but Skullgirls are hard to kill permanently if you aren't strong enough (and the Skull Heart probably wanted to get more use out of her). Marie was reanimated, and she used the powers of the Skullgirl to kill the mafia men who attacked her home before heading to New Meridian to kill as much of the Medici Family as she could... along with anyone else who was connected with them, thanks to the Skull Heart's influence (with Double egging her on too). Still, Marie was able to resist these influences enough that she could stay mostly focused on her goal of eradicating the Medicis and even occasionally hold back from killing people connected with the Medicis if they really didn't do anything wrong. That resistance also kept Marie from accessing much of the power a Skullgirl would normally have, though she was still able to summon armies of the dead and keep a building from collapsing by physically holding it up. Overall, Marie is trying to do the right thing, but the evil magic skull shifting her definition of "the right thing" isn't helping.
Skullgirls the game doesn't have a mode telling the single canonical story (and it probably won't for a long time, if ever), but each playable character has their own story that one can play through, and this set of events is fairly consistent across the different stories, so far as I can tell, since it's all backstory. What happens once Marie's been in New Meridian long enough for other to people to notice her activity depends on whose story you're playing. In general, though, Marie gets killed by whoever you're playing as, since even if she's not using her undead armies to kill everyone yet, it's only a matter of time before she starts doing that. That's not a permanent solution, though, since the Skull Heart will survive her death. Even smashing the Skull Heart doesn't get rid of it permanently, it'll just reform later. However, in Marie's story, which I assume is intended to fit with the eventual canonical story, she gets freed from the influence of the Skull Heart thanks to a few other characters teaming up to beat her and shattering the Skull Heart (via space-time shenanigans) in such a way that all that's left is a small piece keeping Marie alive(-ish) but not influencing her mind anymore. This naturally gets Double pretty agitated, and Double's attempts to regain control of the situation lead to Marie freeing not only herself from the Skull Heart's influence but also all the spirits of the dead that it controlled (and since it controlled the spirits of everyone ever killed by a Skullgirl, there's a lot). That's a big setback for Lamia's whole plan, since those spirits gave her additional power she planned to use to get out of her prison once she collected enough, and Double's malding about all this means Marie becomes aware that the Trinity is evil and plotting to return to do more evil, so she decides to work with all those spirits she just freed to make sure that the Trinity's plans can never come to fruition. This also means that Marie in playable form is quite a bit weaker than when she's a boss in story mode, but that's just how it is in fighting games. Though "Marie has way less juice and has to ask the dead for help rather than ordering them around" is a decent justification for it, in my opinion.
And that's the broad strokes of the story of Skullgirls. There's plenty more detail I could go into, naturally, but most of it has to do with specific characters, so I'll leave that information for when any relevant characters show up in the quest. Still, if there's something you're not clear on, feel free to ask about it.
Unbeknownst to most, the Skull Heart is the creation of (and possibly a manifestation of, the game isn't clear on this point) Lamia, an ancient sorceress-queen who was deposed long ago and exiled to another dimension along with her two daughters, who have power over space and time. The three of them form a group called the Trinity, which is the object of worship for a major religion of this world, Trinitism. The Trinity wish to end their exile and rule the world as god-queens, and as part of that have spent ages trying to erode everyone's will to resist their rule by using the Skullgirls to demoralize the world. Though at the time the quest starts, probably no one alive knows of the Trinity's plans besides their agent, a shapeshifting creature called Double that has tempted many people into making a wish with the Skull Heart (including Marie), and a few very old Parasites, a kind of intelligent being that gives a person power of some kind in exchange for a host body. Some Parasites are actual parasites, some work with their host in a symbiotic relationship, and all Parasites can live for as long as they can find a host body, so they can live for very long times (and their hosts can too, at least in some cases).
Most of the game's story takes place in and around New Meridian, a city with strong 1930s/40s vibes that is somewhere in the Canopy Kingdom (the geography of the Skullgirls world is very vague), one of the major powers of this world. The Canopy Kingdom was in a long, grinding war with the other two great powers of the world called the Grand War that lasted for ten years, until the queen at the time made a wish on the Skull Heart to end the war. She became a Skullgirl so powerful that the three warring countries had to team up to stop her, which they managed to do around seven years before the game's story begins. As part of their efforts, the Canopy Kingdom funded several Anti-Skullgirl Labs, which are connected to several of the game's characters (mostly as experiments of some kind, naturally). It should be noted that the Canopy Kingdom has significant internal tensions because it isn't only humans that make up its population. There are also Ferals (animal people of various kinds) and Gigans (giants with horns), who are discriminated against and are most likely somewhat small minorities within the population. Parasites and their hosts are also discriminated against, but it seems they don't exist in large enough numbers to matter much. New Meridian is also the center of power for the Medici Family, a mafia organization with significant power and reach (Marie's home was outside the Canopy Kingdom, so their operations must be international), so naturally several of the game's characters aside from Marie have a bone to pick with them. There are a few countries besides the Canopy Kingdom that the game's story mentions, but there's very little detail given about them, so don't expect to see much of them in this quest.
As for our main character, Marie is a young girl (around 12 or 13) who has spent much of her life trying to look after her fellow orphans, whether they want it or not. To try and get the other kids to take her seriously, she took to wearing a maid outfit because it made her seem more grown-up, and this is probably also the reason she tends to speak somewhat formally. Still, Marie isn't completely made of stone. She enjoys watching pro wrestling (which is real in this universe, at least sometimes) and cartoons (mostly when her friend Patricia badgers her into it), and she seems to know how to skateboard, since she can be seen doing a kickflip with a vacuum cleaner in matches of the actual game under certain conditions. The skateboarding thing might not actually be canonical, but it amuses me, so I'm including it for this quest. Marie's wish on the Skull Heart was to keep everyone else who lived at her orphanage safe after the mafia raided it, which didn't work out very well since the orphanage's caretaker was killed in the attack, along with some of the orphans. Marie herself was shot while trying to rescue the surviving orphans from the mafia's clutches, and that killed her body, but Skullgirls are hard to kill permanently if you aren't strong enough (and the Skull Heart probably wanted to get more use out of her). Marie was reanimated, and she used the powers of the Skullgirl to kill the mafia men who attacked her home before heading to New Meridian to kill as much of the Medici Family as she could... along with anyone else who was connected with them, thanks to the Skull Heart's influence (with Double egging her on too). Still, Marie was able to resist these influences enough that she could stay mostly focused on her goal of eradicating the Medicis and even occasionally hold back from killing people connected with the Medicis if they really didn't do anything wrong. That resistance also kept Marie from accessing much of the power a Skullgirl would normally have, though she was still able to summon armies of the dead and keep a building from collapsing by physically holding it up. Overall, Marie is trying to do the right thing, but the evil magic skull shifting her definition of "the right thing" isn't helping.
Skullgirls the game doesn't have a mode telling the single canonical story (and it probably won't for a long time, if ever), but each playable character has their own story that one can play through, and this set of events is fairly consistent across the different stories, so far as I can tell, since it's all backstory. What happens once Marie's been in New Meridian long enough for other to people to notice her activity depends on whose story you're playing. In general, though, Marie gets killed by whoever you're playing as, since even if she's not using her undead armies to kill everyone yet, it's only a matter of time before she starts doing that. That's not a permanent solution, though, since the Skull Heart will survive her death. Even smashing the Skull Heart doesn't get rid of it permanently, it'll just reform later. However, in Marie's story, which I assume is intended to fit with the eventual canonical story, she gets freed from the influence of the Skull Heart thanks to a few other characters teaming up to beat her and shattering the Skull Heart (via space-time shenanigans) in such a way that all that's left is a small piece keeping Marie alive(-ish) but not influencing her mind anymore. This naturally gets Double pretty agitated, and Double's attempts to regain control of the situation lead to Marie freeing not only herself from the Skull Heart's influence but also all the spirits of the dead that it controlled (and since it controlled the spirits of everyone ever killed by a Skullgirl, there's a lot). That's a big setback for Lamia's whole plan, since those spirits gave her additional power she planned to use to get out of her prison once she collected enough, and Double's malding about all this means Marie becomes aware that the Trinity is evil and plotting to return to do more evil, so she decides to work with all those spirits she just freed to make sure that the Trinity's plans can never come to fruition. This also means that Marie in playable form is quite a bit weaker than when she's a boss in story mode, but that's just how it is in fighting games. Though "Marie has way less juice and has to ask the dead for help rather than ordering them around" is a decent justification for it, in my opinion.
And that's the broad strokes of the story of Skullgirls. There's plenty more detail I could go into, naturally, but most of it has to do with specific characters, so I'll leave that information for when any relevant characters show up in the quest. Still, if there's something you're not clear on, feel free to ask about it.
Rules
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I've realized the first post isn't as clear as I'd like about what you can and can't do, so I've decided to make a post listing that out. This can and will be updated as needed.
- You can communicate with Marie using your own words or by including a link to a video in your plan, in which case Marie will hear the audio from that video, but she won't see the video. You can include both audio from a video and your own words in a plan. She'll hear your communication clearly no matter what's going on around her
- You can give Marie new powers/abilities based on those of characters that debuted in other fighting games, and you'll earn chances to do that if and when I decide that someone posting in the thread has made an especially good post, come up with a particularly clever plan, or otherwise done something to make the quest better/more fun. When I decide that you've earned the chance to give Marie a new power, there'll be a vote between a few options I provide, but write-ins will be allowed as well if I like them enough
- You can not show Marie images or appear to her in a visible form... yet. You may gain the ability to do either or both of those things later down the line. If and when you gain the ability to show Marie images, this will include being able to show her the contents of a video that you include a link to in your plan
- You can not interact with the world of the quest physically... yet. You may gain the ability to do that in some way eventually, with the precise manner in which you would interact with the world depending on how things develop
- You can not control Marie's actions directly, only communicate with her and try to persuade her to make the decisions you'd like her to take
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First Impressions
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] "Hello, Hello! Anyone there can you hear me? ...am I doing this right? First time actually doing this."
Marie startles as the nonsensical babble that had taken up residence in the back of her mind finally resolves into something she can actually comprehend before pausing completely and giving her peace and quiet for the first time in days. Enough peace and quiet that, on some level, she notices the whispers of the Skull Heart and firms her resolve against it once more.
But since she was asked a question, she decides it would be best to respond before the voices get impatient and start filling her head with noise again. Thankfully, Double has left Marie to her own devices for now, waiting for her arrival in New Meridian, where the real bloodshed will begin.
"Yes, I can hear you. Who are you, another part of the Skull Heart's plan to turn me into a monster? Or have my spirit minions decided to start talking with me?"
Unspoken is the third alternative she dare not voice, that someone hunting the Skullgirl has found her and seeks to catch her off guard by confusing her. And so, as she speaks, Marie readies herself for a fight. She is not afraid of death anymore, but she refuses to die before accomplishing her vengeance.
What do you say?
[] Write-in
A/N: Future story posts won't have the question "what do you say" typed out, since that's all you can vote on for the time being. If and when you get more options for what you can do, the format of story posts will change accordingly.
Marie startles as the nonsensical babble that had taken up residence in the back of her mind finally resolves into something she can actually comprehend before pausing completely and giving her peace and quiet for the first time in days. Enough peace and quiet that, on some level, she notices the whispers of the Skull Heart and firms her resolve against it once more.
But since she was asked a question, she decides it would be best to respond before the voices get impatient and start filling her head with noise again. Thankfully, Double has left Marie to her own devices for now, waiting for her arrival in New Meridian, where the real bloodshed will begin.
"Yes, I can hear you. Who are you, another part of the Skull Heart's plan to turn me into a monster? Or have my spirit minions decided to start talking with me?"
Unspoken is the third alternative she dare not voice, that someone hunting the Skullgirl has found her and seeks to catch her off guard by confusing her. And so, as she speaks, Marie readies herself for a fight. She is not afraid of death anymore, but she refuses to die before accomplishing her vengeance.
What do you say?
[] Write-in
A/N: Future story posts won't have the question "what do you say" typed out, since that's all you can vote on for the time being. If and when you get more options for what you can do, the format of story posts will change accordingly.
Bona Fides?
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] To answer your question. No, we are not part of the plan for the skull heart, in fact you could probably say that we are an accident by the skull heart. You see, when plugging in various corruption dohickys into your metaphorical thought processes it managed to cross some wires and screw up some of the setting dials. Like turning a knob too far when tuning a radio and picking up the wrong station.
-[X] So while it can still do the evil whispers thing, this time we get a ringside seat as well, and more importantly for you, someone who can play angel to the devil already on your shoulder, if required.
[Ability Upload Commencing...]
The tension in Marie's body lessens as she listens to the returning voices. If this is a plot to lower her guard and kill her, it would be much too obvious for anyone competent enough to pose a threat to her. And the Skull Heart, or its... keeper(?), Double, would never describe its words as "evil whispers." Both beings reek of self-righteousness, even with mere days around either one Marie is certain they wouldn't admit to any wrongdoing, even while pretending to be someone else.And it would be nice to have someone to talk to again.
[Uploading...]
"I suppose I can believe you for now," she says as she resumes her long walk to New Meridian. "But if you want to play the role of my conscience, you'll be disappointed. I will be killing every member of the Medici Family I can find, and I've been told most consciences frown on that sort of thing."
[Upload Complete!]
Whatever else Marie planned to say vanishes as knowledge blooms in her mind like a drop of ink spreading through water. Now, as if she had studied it her whole life, it's as natural as breathing for her to take the force of an enemy's attack and and make it her own, keep the enemy rooted in place, make them suffer their own strength added to hers. And just as she knows how to accomplish this feat, Marie also knows that this technique was given to her. Not by the Skull Heart, it has nothing to do with that thing, but by the voices that want to be her conscience.
It fits their claims. Marie is no expert in symbolism or hidden meanings, but it's obvious that an ability that she can only use when she's been attacked is meant to keep her from being too aggressive. Scold her when she steps out of line and give her new toys when she plays along, perhaps? Marie can work with that. New Meridian is the heart of a massive criminal empire, she won't need to try hard to get attacked by someone she wants dead, and the voices are clearly willing to let her defend herself.
Still, New Meridian is a long way off. A few more days of walking should bring her to Canopolis, and from there she can wait til nightfall and sneak on a train to her destination. Hopefully the voices won't mind if Marie steals a ride by lying on top of a train car. Getting hit by signal lights won't hurt her, and the rail company won't even lose any money. No one would sell a ticket to the Skullgirl, after all. But the thought of the voices does remind her...
"What do I call you voices? You haven't introduced yourselves yet. I am Marie Korbel, the newest Skullgirl."
A/N: The implication of the game's story mode seems to be that Marie got to New Meridian thanks to Double leading her there through Gehenna. In the quest, Double noticed that Marie's started hearing voices and left her alone on the assumption that she's going crazy and will probably start killing people soon, because a young girl wandering around on her own and clearly hallucinating would seem like a vulnerable target to the sort of people Marie wants to start killing. And if Marie does somehow make it to New Meridian without incident, she's going there to kill people, so Double still gets bloodshed. It's win-win for our least favorite blob creature. Also, any ability you get for Marie will be given to her during the first story post after you've gotten it for her, not in the instant between one post and the next. It rides along with your message to her.
-[X] So while it can still do the evil whispers thing, this time we get a ringside seat as well, and more importantly for you, someone who can play angel to the devil already on your shoulder, if required.
[Ability Upload Commencing...]
The tension in Marie's body lessens as she listens to the returning voices. If this is a plot to lower her guard and kill her, it would be much too obvious for anyone competent enough to pose a threat to her. And the Skull Heart, or its... keeper(?), Double, would never describe its words as "evil whispers." Both beings reek of self-righteousness, even with mere days around either one Marie is certain they wouldn't admit to any wrongdoing, even while pretending to be someone else.
[Uploading...]
"I suppose I can believe you for now," she says as she resumes her long walk to New Meridian. "But if you want to play the role of my conscience, you'll be disappointed. I will be killing every member of the Medici Family I can find, and I've been told most consciences frown on that sort of thing."
[Upload Complete!]
Whatever else Marie planned to say vanishes as knowledge blooms in her mind like a drop of ink spreading through water. Now, as if she had studied it her whole life, it's as natural as breathing for her to take the force of an enemy's attack and and make it her own, keep the enemy rooted in place, make them suffer their own strength added to hers. And just as she knows how to accomplish this feat, Marie also knows that this technique was given to her. Not by the Skull Heart, it has nothing to do with that thing, but by the voices that want to be her conscience.
It fits their claims. Marie is no expert in symbolism or hidden meanings, but it's obvious that an ability that she can only use when she's been attacked is meant to keep her from being too aggressive. Scold her when she steps out of line and give her new toys when she plays along, perhaps? Marie can work with that. New Meridian is the heart of a massive criminal empire, she won't need to try hard to get attacked by someone she wants dead, and the voices are clearly willing to let her defend herself.
Still, New Meridian is a long way off. A few more days of walking should bring her to Canopolis, and from there she can wait til nightfall and sneak on a train to her destination. Hopefully the voices won't mind if Marie steals a ride by lying on top of a train car. Getting hit by signal lights won't hurt her, and the rail company won't even lose any money. No one would sell a ticket to the Skullgirl, after all. But the thought of the voices does remind her...
"What do I call you voices? You haven't introduced yourselves yet. I am Marie Korbel, the newest Skullgirl."
A/N: The implication of the game's story mode seems to be that Marie got to New Meridian thanks to Double leading her there through Gehenna. In the quest, Double noticed that Marie's started hearing voices and left her alone on the assumption that she's going crazy and will probably start killing people soon, because a young girl wandering around on her own and clearly hallucinating would seem like a vulnerable target to the sort of people Marie wants to start killing. And if Marie does somehow make it to New Meridian without incident, she's going there to kill people, so Double still gets bloodshed. It's win-win for our least favorite blob creature. Also, any ability you get for Marie will be given to her during the first story post after you've gotten it for her, not in the instant between one post and the next. It rides along with your message to her.
From Talking At To Talking With
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Introducing Ourselves
-[X] (Voice 1) "You can call us Myriad, or if you wish you can give us another name. A pleasure to met you young lady!"
-[X] (Voice 2) "Well better than calling us Legion, and we are at your services madam."
-[X] (Voice 1) "About the conscience bit, you don't have to worry about that. We support your endeavor for vengeance agaisnt those that hurt you and the people you hold dear. Thought let's try to keep this centered on the Medici and their affiliates only, shall we? No reason to hurt bystanders"
-[X] (Voice 2) We know we can't stop you from wanting revenge on those that harm the people you care about and I know many of us would want to help you, but know we want the ring master and vips most of all.
-[X] (Voice 1)"Also, did you like our new gift? Hope you find it useful in the battles ahead. It was either that or giving you the power to turn into a penguin."
-[X] (Voice 2) "Just so you know not everyone would've gone with that animal."
-[X] (Voice 2) "And no need to speak out loud my lady, just think of what you want to say and we'll hear it. No need to get our troublesome nun on your case for now."
-[X] (Voice 1) "You can call us Myriad, or if you wish you can give us another name. A pleasure to met you young lady!"
-[X] (Voice 2) "Well better than calling us Legion, and we are at your services madam."
-[X] (Voice 1) "About the conscience bit, you don't have to worry about that. We support your endeavor for vengeance agaisnt those that hurt you and the people you hold dear. Thought let's try to keep this centered on the Medici and their affiliates only, shall we? No reason to hurt bystanders"
-[X] (Voice 2) We know we can't stop you from wanting revenge on those that harm the people you care about and I know many of us would want to help you, but know we want the ring master and vips most of all.
-[X] (Voice 1)"Also, did you like our new gift? Hope you find it useful in the battles ahead. It was either that or giving you the power to turn into a penguin."
-[X] (Voice 2) "Just so you know not everyone would've gone with that animal."
-[X] (Voice 2) "And no need to speak out loud my lady, just think of what you want to say and we'll hear it. No need to get our troublesome nun on your case for now."
This time the voices are far more talkative before falling silent. Marie has to wonder if that's a curse or a blessing. They've given her a good bit of useful information, but it's so much to take in. As she works to think of a response to everything she has just been told, an utterly irrelevant thought captures Marie's attention aas she keeps walking.
Why a penguin? It's almost June.
The realization of what she's just asked herself brings Marie's mind to a halt, and a chuckle makes its way out her lips. This is the first time Marie's laughed in... she doesn't know how long.
Still, the voices - Myriad, rather, since she can't think of anything better to call them than the name they gave - have just told her several things she needs to respond to. Best to do it now and practice using her thoughts to speak with them at the same time. Double is probably somewhere around New Meridian by now, but "probably" isn't enough for her liking. That thought is enough to get her composed again. Time to answer.
I'm glad to hear we can agree on killing the Medicis, Myriad. And I don't have any plans to kill bystanders, there's no need for you to worry about that. The gift should be quite useful, thank you for that. And for not giving me the power to turn into a penguin. Just because I dress like a penguin doesn't mean I want to be one.
...Where did that joke come from? Myriad's influence, maybe. Or perhaps another influence has weakened...
Marie shakes her head and refocuses. There's still more she needs to say before Myriad starts putting more words inside her skull.
You mentioned "ring masters and VIPs." Who are they, and where can I find them? For that matter, is Double one of them? She's no friend of mine, but it seems like you especially want to avoid her.
Marie's thoughts trail off as she catches the first glimpse of Canopolis on the horizon. It's small, but it is a sign of progress. One more step to New Meridian, finding the Medicis, and making them pay. The thought puts a little more speed in her steps as she finds herself grateful to the Skull Heart for once. With no need to stop for food or sleep, she can get to her goal that much sooner. And deep within a secret facility, alarms go off and agents are dispatched to find the source of the Skull Heart energy that was just detected.
A/N: The game's timeline of events isn't very clear. For the purposes of this quest, Marie became the Skullgirl some time in May, and the events of the various character story modes happened a few months later, in October. In-game, the trees in Maplecrest have their leaves turning yellow, so it seems to be during the fall, and it seems appropriate for the game's events to take place during Halloween Month. That also means the quest has a bit of a time limit. By the time October ends in the quest, someone (exactly who and when depends on how events play out) will notice what Marie's doing in New Meridian and come after her. When that happens, things will start coming to a head. With the next story post, I'll start including the date so you know how long you've got before Happy Fun Time starts. Conveniently, the calendar in Skullgirls World works like the real-life Gregorian calendar, so I can just use the sort of dates we're all used to seeing.
Setting Targets
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Informing Marie and giving a Warning
-[X] (Voice 1) "The Leader of the Medici family is a man called Lorenzo, his second in comman is his son Vitale. There's several other members in the mafia but those 2 should be your targets. Eliminate them and the Medici will run like headless chicken around.
-[X] (Voice 1) "Two things you need to take in mind. One is that the leader Lorenzo has something called the Life Gem. This gives him bascially eternal life and super regeneration. You could burn him alive and he will be fine moments later. GET RID OF THAT GEM. Once you do, you can kill him."
-[X] (Voice 2) "Second warning. their personal assassin and enforcer is a woman called Black Dahlia. She is dangerous, she has survived agaisnt other skullgirls far stronger that you currently are, if you take your eyes from her...you might not be able to walk away. You need to either Kill Lorenzo while avoiding her...or focus your full attention to kill her first, then the others"
-[X] (Voice 1) "We don't know the exact place the Medici are based. Just that their headquarters is one of the highest or the highest Tower in the city. You will find the Medici there."
-[X] (Voice 2) "You can trust Double as you trust the mafia madam, she has her own plans involving the Skullheart but it isn't something you would agree with. If those plans clashes with your vengeance, don't think for a second that Double won't interfere with you. Rely on her as little as you can"
-[X] (Voice 1) "The Leader of the Medici family is a man called Lorenzo, his second in comman is his son Vitale. There's several other members in the mafia but those 2 should be your targets. Eliminate them and the Medici will run like headless chicken around.
-[X] (Voice 1) "Two things you need to take in mind. One is that the leader Lorenzo has something called the Life Gem. This gives him bascially eternal life and super regeneration. You could burn him alive and he will be fine moments later. GET RID OF THAT GEM. Once you do, you can kill him."
-[X] (Voice 2) "Second warning. their personal assassin and enforcer is a woman called Black Dahlia. She is dangerous, she has survived agaisnt other skullgirls far stronger that you currently are, if you take your eyes from her...you might not be able to walk away. You need to either Kill Lorenzo while avoiding her...or focus your full attention to kill her first, then the others"
-[X] (Voice 1) "We don't know the exact place the Medici are based. Just that their headquarters is one of the highest or the highest Tower in the city. You will find the Medici there."
-[X] (Voice 2) "You can trust Double as you trust the mafia madam, she has her own plans involving the Skullheart but it isn't something you would agree with. If those plans clashes with your vengeance, don't think for a second that Double won't interfere with you. Rely on her as little as you can"
The sight of Canopolis grows ever closer, step by step, as Marie considers the information she has been given. Double being untrustworthy is no surprise, the blasted creature gave her the Skull Heart, but it's good to know her feelings on that weren't wrong. It would be... unfortunate, if Marie had been ignoring someone who could have been a proper ally. The rest of the message, though...
I suppose it would be too easy if you could give me their home addresses. So, what do those three people look like, what does the Life Gem look like, and what weaknesses does Black Dahlia have? I take it Lorenzo and Vitale Medici are ordinary men, since you haven't told me anything about them besides the Life Gem.
Can the Life Gem make me alive again, she is careful not to ask. Some things aren't worth hoping for.
Can you give me any new abilities that would make finding or killing these three easier, she does, eventually, ask. That, at least, isn't a fool's hope.
And all the while, Marie has continued walking on. Soon, she will need to change course and seek out a railroad yard. She knows which direction New Meridian is in, more or less, so finding a train headed there should be simple enough once she's where the trains are. Ah, and there's a train heading into Canopolis right now. That should lead her to a yard quickly enough. The night is some time away, though. There will be cover for her to hide behind in the yard, but this will still require caution from her as she searches. What Marie would give for some sort of invisibility power right now... "I've got eyes on her, out in the open and heading to the MART station. We'll intercept before she gets there."
A/N: At this point, I feel like discussion in the thread has gotten to a point that I've decided you can send Marie images/video as well as sound once she's in New Meridian. Also, Canopolis doesn't have much in it compared to New Meridian, so once Marie catches her train she won't need much more than a day to get to New Meridian. I'm definitely playing fast and loose with the geography, but I've spent a while trying to figure out how far the two cities are from each other, and it seems the answer is "as far as the story needs them to be," so in this quest they're on opposite ends of a broad metropolitan area. It takes time to get from one to the other, but it's not a massive amount of time.
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One Struggle Ends, Another Takes Its Place
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Giving a heads up V2
-[X] (Voice 1) "Um...Marie...try to not react too much to this please but... how can we say this in the easiest way possible..."
-[X] (Voice 2) "It appears we'll be having company soon Madam, and they don't look friendly to us."
-[X] (Voice 1) "Yeeeeeaaahh... Most likely a group of Unfriendly Ninja Nurses anytime from now is gonna come to...y'know."
-[X] (Voice 2) "It appears we'll have to share more information later, not sure how we can help in a fight so best you focus on your opponents for now, but know that these people aren't part of the Medici, but are part of a organization that is to fight against Skullgirls."
-[X] (Voice 1): "We know this is not the best time to ask but… could you please don't kill them? ...those are people just trying to Protect what they hold dear too. Please Marie. They havent done anything to you..."
-[X] (Voice 3): "We have this spare 'time out box' sitting around you could use instead. After all killing people helps the skull heart, putting them in the box doesn't."
-[X] (Voice 1): "You don't need to take the easy way and kill anyone that stands in your way, you can be better than that. You are better than them. If you allow us, we can try and help you make it easier for you to deal with people standing in your way. Heck, maybe if you keep them alive we could find a way for them to assist you with your vengeance."
-[X] (Voice 1) "Um...Marie...try to not react too much to this please but... how can we say this in the easiest way possible..."
-[X] (Voice 2) "It appears we'll be having company soon Madam, and they don't look friendly to us."
-[X] (Voice 1) "Yeeeeeaaahh... Most likely a group of Unfriendly Ninja Nurses anytime from now is gonna come to...y'know."
-[X] (Voice 2) "It appears we'll have to share more information later, not sure how we can help in a fight so best you focus on your opponents for now, but know that these people aren't part of the Medici, but are part of a organization that is to fight against Skullgirls."
-[X] (Voice 1): "We know this is not the best time to ask but… could you please don't kill them? ...those are people just trying to Protect what they hold dear too. Please Marie. They havent done anything to you..."
-[X] (Voice 3): "We have this spare 'time out box' sitting around you could use instead. After all killing people helps the skull heart, putting them in the box doesn't."
-[X] (Voice 1): "You don't need to take the easy way and kill anyone that stands in your way, you can be better than that. You are better than them. If you allow us, we can try and help you make it easier for you to deal with people standing in your way. Heck, maybe if you keep them alive we could find a way for them to assist you with your vengeance."
Marie comes to a stop as the latest message from Myriad sinks in. It makes all too much sense that someone would come after the Skullgirl once she was close enough to a city full of people. She needs to stay in a spot where there's no one around. The only ones dying because of her will be the Medicis and their men. That was her plan, but...
[Ability Upload Commencing...]
These warrior (she thinks that's what a ninja is) nurses are coming to kill her. Even with a "time out box," can she take the risk of letting them them live? Of letting any anti-Skullgirl warrior live? Even if Marie can put everyone who tries to kill her in the time out box, the attacks won't stop once the world knows what she is, because the Skullgirl is a threat to everyone.
...because Marie is a threat to everyone.
She can feel herself standing on a knife's edge. The right thing to do is obvious, now that she's heard Myraid say it out loud, but it would be so, so easy to let herself do what her instincts demand and start the newest Skullgirl's reign of terror this very day. But what reply can she make to those instincts that would keep the beast in her subdued?
[Uploading...]
Marie does not know how long she stands in place, trying to think of a way to control her urge to kill. But finally, thankfully, blessedly, she remembers the last thing Myriad said to her: if she keeps the nurses alive she can use them. And there is her way out. What she'll use them for, she can figure out later. No doubt a squad of warrior nurses have all kinds of use in a war on the mafia. The important thing is that she can do the right thing and be pragmatic at the same time. This isn't the end of the war against the Skull Heart's influence, Marie is certain it won't end until she dies for good, but she has won a battle, and today, that's enough.
I'll use your time out box. But once the nurses are dealt with, we're going to talk about what to do with them and anyone else you want me to put there.
[Upload Complete!]
It's with a smile equal parts relieved and triumphant that Marie receives the knowledge that appears in her mind this time. It's clear now what Myriad meant by a "time out box." There is a world only she can access that gives anyone put into it what they need to survive and only what they need to survive. Just the promise of being let out would probably get almost anyone to swear loyalty to her. And it could be a useful place to keep things too big to carry normally, how convenient.
Do you see this, she mentally crows to the Skull Heart. I don't need to do things your way, you jumped-up Halloween decoration.
Myriad, she directs to the collective. Can you tell me anything about the nurses coming to kill me? How they fight, how much they can take, anything?
Yet somehow Marie has a bad feeling she'll have to listen to Myriad's response while these nurses are trying to kill her. She's caught a brief flash of white fabric in the corner of her eye. If the nurses haven't found her yet, they will soon. But that's fine, Marie will give them plenty of time to regret it in the box.
A/N: Depending on how long your message is, Marie might be able to process it before the fight starts, or she might have to multitask. The Last Hope won't let her just throw them into the time out box, but that isn't the real challenge for Marie. She isn't used to pulling her punches, and she'll need to learn fast. At least she's fighting nurses, they can patch each other up afterward if they survive. That said, I'm going offline for now because it's late for me. I'll be back online tomorrow. Have fun!
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Marie's Abilities
New
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So just to have a post with All of Marie's current abilities (Will be updated as she continues to obtain more stuff from us)
Marie:
(We might want for Marie to get some sort of offensive power next chance we get, so she has other ways of fighting aside from her Skullgirls powers)
Marie:
-Baiken's Baku. If Marie survives an attack, she can turn its power back on her attacker and also prevent them from blocking or escaping her own attacks for a brief period. She can only do this up to four times in a single fight, but if she gets into two separate fights in quick succession she will still start the second fight with all four uses of Baku available.
-Kukri's Time Out Box. The ability to make world only she can access that gives anyone put into it what they need to survive and only what they need to survive.
-Scorpion's Kunai and Chain: Marie will have Scorpion's kunai on a chain and the skill to use it properly. The weapon never needs any sort of repairs or maintenance, and if the kunai doesn't hit Marie's target it will return to her hand without any complications. The kunai needs about one second to return to Marie's hand, and it has a maximum range of roughly 10 feet or 3 meters. The kunai can pierce through most kinds of fabric or flesh, but any sort of stone or metal object will only be scratched by it.
-Chun-Li's knowledge of how to conduct criminal investigations. This includes an understanding of how criminal organizations usually function, how to get information from both cooperative and uncooperative people, how to follow a person without being noticed, how to find and follow a money trail, how to search through records efficiently, what kinds of records are useful for answering different questions, how to gather evidence using methods such as fingerprinting and wiretapping, and how forensic science can be used to identify people.
-Twelve's(Street Fighter) Shapeshifting Abilities. She can change her shape in any way she can think of, and her clothes can also change to fit her. She can't alter the color of anything. She can't learn the fighting abiltiies or skill of any figure she copies unlike the original Twelve.
-Johnny Cage's Acting Skills: Myriad must give Marie directions like you're shooting a movie when she does get the chance to mess with Double. It doesn't have to be the whole message, just a line doing some bit of stereotypical director talk like "Places, people!" would be enough, but the more elaborate we can make the joke, the better.
-Chronos' Jamunaa Raasutaa: Marie will have the ability to ride people like a skateboard. If Marie can grab a person and hold on for at least one whole second without them getting loose, she can jump in the air and put the person she's grabbed under her feet to ride on them. Marie's "skateboard" will behave like a very long but otherwise ordinary skateboard, and the person she uses as a skateboard will not be hurt by this whole process unless Marie specifically wants them to be hurt.
-Urien's Aegis Reflector: Marie can make a shield of energy appear in front of her that can travel a short distance away from her. If Marie moves from the position where she summoned the shield while it is still moving, it will continue going in the same direction as when it started. Any projectile that hits the shield will bounce off, and anyone who touches the shield besides Marie will be electrocuted. After taking enough damage, the shield disappears. If Marie hits someone and they fly into the shield, they will be electrocuted and bounce off the shield like a ping-pong ball. Marie can use Aegis Reflector up to four times in a fight, but if she gets into two different fights in quick succession, she will start the second fight with all four uses of Aegis Reflector available.
-Kukri's Time Out Box. The ability to make world only she can access that gives anyone put into it what they need to survive and only what they need to survive.
-Scorpion's Kunai and Chain: Marie will have Scorpion's kunai on a chain and the skill to use it properly. The weapon never needs any sort of repairs or maintenance, and if the kunai doesn't hit Marie's target it will return to her hand without any complications. The kunai needs about one second to return to Marie's hand, and it has a maximum range of roughly 10 feet or 3 meters. The kunai can pierce through most kinds of fabric or flesh, but any sort of stone or metal object will only be scratched by it.
-Chun-Li's knowledge of how to conduct criminal investigations. This includes an understanding of how criminal organizations usually function, how to get information from both cooperative and uncooperative people, how to follow a person without being noticed, how to find and follow a money trail, how to search through records efficiently, what kinds of records are useful for answering different questions, how to gather evidence using methods such as fingerprinting and wiretapping, and how forensic science can be used to identify people.
-Twelve's(Street Fighter) Shapeshifting Abilities. She can change her shape in any way she can think of, and her clothes can also change to fit her. She can't alter the color of anything. She can't learn the fighting abiltiies or skill of any figure she copies unlike the original Twelve.
-Johnny Cage's Acting Skills: Myriad must give Marie directions like you're shooting a movie when she does get the chance to mess with Double. It doesn't have to be the whole message, just a line doing some bit of stereotypical director talk like "Places, people!" would be enough, but the more elaborate we can make the joke, the better.
-Chronos' Jamunaa Raasutaa: Marie will have the ability to ride people like a skateboard. If Marie can grab a person and hold on for at least one whole second without them getting loose, she can jump in the air and put the person she's grabbed under her feet to ride on them. Marie's "skateboard" will behave like a very long but otherwise ordinary skateboard, and the person she uses as a skateboard will not be hurt by this whole process unless Marie specifically wants them to be hurt.
-Urien's Aegis Reflector: Marie can make a shield of energy appear in front of her that can travel a short distance away from her. If Marie moves from the position where she summoned the shield while it is still moving, it will continue going in the same direction as when it started. Any projectile that hits the shield will bounce off, and anyone who touches the shield besides Marie will be electrocuted. After taking enough damage, the shield disappears. If Marie hits someone and they fly into the shield, they will be electrocuted and bounce off the shield like a ping-pong ball. Marie can use Aegis Reflector up to four times in a fight, but if she gets into two different fights in quick succession, she will start the second fight with all four uses of Aegis Reflector available.
(We might want for Marie to get some sort of offensive power next chance we get, so she has other ways of fighting aside from her Skullgirls powers)
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Testing Out New Toys
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Battle Prep V3
-[X] (Voice 2) "Start slow and build up power in your attacks if required, it is far easier to be less merciful to the living than it is to be more merciful to the dead. But most importantly do not panic and remain calm, a ninja is at their best when the enemy isn't paying attention to their surroundings."
-[X] (Voice 1) "Ninjas are tricky foes though. They are very fast and agile, use acrobatics. Most likely they will cause distractions to make openings to assault you or attack from blind spots. They are a little tougher than regular humans, but we lack info of how much. Try to separate them if possible, as a team they will be more dangerous."
-[X] (Voice 1) "Unfortunately we lack much data of the individual opponents. We know their team is called Last Hope. Their members are: Christmas, Valentine, Patty, Easter and Hallow."
-[X] (Voice 2) "We are deeply sorry madam that we cannot give further useful intel. Our knowledge of these foes you are facing is...quite lacking in several areas. Please be careful of not hurting yourself too."
-[X] (Voice 2) "Start slow and build up power in your attacks if required, it is far easier to be less merciful to the living than it is to be more merciful to the dead. But most importantly do not panic and remain calm, a ninja is at their best when the enemy isn't paying attention to their surroundings."
-[X] (Voice 1) "Ninjas are tricky foes though. They are very fast and agile, use acrobatics. Most likely they will cause distractions to make openings to assault you or attack from blind spots. They are a little tougher than regular humans, but we lack info of how much. Try to separate them if possible, as a team they will be more dangerous."
-[X] (Voice 1) "Unfortunately we lack much data of the individual opponents. We know their team is called Last Hope. Their members are: Christmas, Valentine, Patty, Easter and Hallow."
-[X] (Voice 2) "We are deeply sorry madam that we cannot give further useful intel. Our knowledge of these foes you are facing is...quite lacking in several areas. Please be careful of not hurting yourself too."
Val wasn't sure at first, but this close, the new Skullgirl's definitely a kid. Can't be much more than ten, maybe a really malnourished thirteen. Hm, malnutrition might be why she looks like she's listening to someone who isn't there, lack of food does strange things to the brain. Well, that just means the team really will be putting the kid out of her misery.
Val hops out of her cover, the canopy of one of the few trees around, and in front of the kid to get her attention. A bone saw isn't doing much against ghost skeletons, most likely, and she's used to running distraction. Giving her team those last few seconds to get into position for the kill is what she's best at.
...Goddesses, the kid looks rough. She clearly hasn't slept in days, and Val can see her ribs. Not see the kid's ribs through her skin, the bones themselves. If anything besides the Skull Heart is keeping her alive, Val can't imagine what it might be.
The kid looks Val up and down, pausing for a moment at the spot everyone does when they see Val for the first time. Her expression goes from flat to unimpressed.
"Don't you all get cold in outfits like that?" the kid asks.
And as much as Val wants to be angry that even undead little girls have to make comments on how she dresses, she's too busy feeling fear, because the kid knows about the others. Has she already killed them in a way Val couldn't see? Is she the last of the Last Hope?
But then, a syringe comes flying through the air. Hallow, at least, is still alive. But before Val has any time to feel relief, the kid catches the syringe, spins around, and throws it right back where it came. It doesn't even scratch Hallow, but that's only because it tears through her sleeve and barely misses breaking skin. That was intentional. And Val can tell by the sounds of Hallow repositioning that she's taken the hint and is hanging back.
Soon, the rest of the team is down. Patty, she's knocked out by the kid slamming down on one end of her IV pole to bring the other straight into Patty's jaw. The concussion will be nasty, but it's survivable. Christmas, she actually stabs the kid, only for her to take it like a papercut then pull the scalpel out to stab back even deeper. In the stomach, luckily, but she's still in shock and needs treatment she might not get in time. Easter, she tries to get the kid in a bag and pin her down, but a giant skeleton arm grabs her from behind and pulls her off the kid. Val's pretty sure she heard some bones break while the arm slammed Easter around, and with where the arm was holding her, she might have a rib in her lung. Treatable, but only if they were close to a hospital, which they aren't. All this in the space of a minute, and the kid doesn't have a hair out of place. They're beaten, Val can't pretend otherwise, and neither can Hallow.
"You can come out now," the kid says, which must be meant for Hallow. Val hasn't been able to move from her spot in front of the kid since the fighting started, frozen by feelings she won't be sorting out any time soon.
Hallow comes out of wherever she was hiding (Val was careful not to look for her so the kid couldn't find her), her hands up in a clear signal of surrender. Val would be doing it too if she could.
The kid waves her hand and a... glowing portal appears in front of Val and Hallow. She can't see what's on the other side, but she's sure it's nothing good.
"Go through that and take your friends with you," the kid says with a jerk of her head in the direction of the bodies. "If I have a use for you, I'll let you out. Behave, and I might let you stay out."
No need to tell them twice. Val and Hollow pick up the others and get moving. Once they're through, the portal closes, and Val can see an empty white void. Aside from light that she can't find a source of, all there is to see is stores of food, containers of water, and the exact medical equipment needed to keep Christmas and Easter alive.
It's not the easiest operation, but Val and Hallow pull through and keep their teammates alive, the equipment vanishing after they finish up. Once everyone's back at a hundred percent, they talk things out and come to a conclusion. This Skullgirl could have easily killed them, but she didn't and actually helped keep them alive. Whatever she wants them to do, they're doing it. Now they just have to wait until she needs them for something. Val takes a deck of cards out of the same place she keeps everything she has on her.
"Go Fish?"
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Getting Over There
New
Small Nerd
Meganekko
- Location
- Out There
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Nurse Discussion and Continuing a conversation. V2
May 23rd, approaching nightfall, near Canopolis MART station
Myriad's latest message comes to Marie as she's beginning her hunt for a train going her way. They're quite kind, Myriad. No one's said they were proud of Marie since...
Best not to dwell on that, she doesn't need to remind herself of what she's seeking vengeance for right now. Back to finding a train. And responding to the rest of what Myriad said.
[Running Weapon_gifting.exe...]
Thank you, Myriad. For the information and the kind words. But... you can show me things to watch? How in the world...? Well, I suppose if you know of any good cartoons from wherever it is you are, I'd like to see them while I ride the train to New Meridian. Or good piano music, for something to listen to. Or maybe- hmm...
Marie continues to think on the question of something to watch or listen to as she makes her way to the area around the nearest train station, hiding in the spreading shadows granted to her by the setting sun as she hides from any prying eyes. Even if no one looks at her and thinks "Skullgirl," she is a young girl out on her own, and that draws attention.
[Weapon gifted!]
So focused is Marie on her sneaking around (and composing her program of entertainment for the train ride) that she fails to pay attention to Myriad's mention of a new gift, and so the sudden weight of a weapon in her hands is a total surprise. It takes all of Marie's self-control not to yelp in shock as she notices that she's now holding a kunai on a chain. A weapon she knows the name of only because of the knowledge that came with the thing. Now Marie is completely confident in her ability to use this new gift to hook someone from a distance and yank them to her position. Though why does the thought make her want to shout "Get over here!"? Marie decides to shelve that question for later. Maybe Myriad can tell her at some point. For now, she has a train to catch. And this kunai has given her an idea for how to catch it...
Using the kunai as a grappling hook takes her a few tries (its shape is not meant for hooking onto things) and more upper body strength than she ever had when she was alive, but eventually Marie is able to get herself on top of a signal light hanging over a track that leads in the direction of New Meridian. Once a train comes, all she has to do is jump on top and wait for her stop. When the right train does come by, it turns out to be going at a fairly slow speed. This one must have a lot of stops. More time for Myriad to show her whatever they have in mind, Marie supposes. She lies down on her back and stares into the starless night sky.
Whenever you're ready, Myriad.
A/N: Since there's been a good bit of discussion about the matter, I'll say this about finding Marie a character to borrow self-control/resistance to corruption from. The more impressed I am by the character you pick and the argument you make for them, the more likely it is that I'll give you something extra in addition to that character's ability to not succumb to evil influences. For example, if you somehow manage to convince me that B. B. Hood actually would be a good pick, Marie won't just get an ability to resist corrupting influences/self-control but also a second ability from B. B. Hood of your choosing or a weapon from her of your choosing. But that's the optional superboss of your challenge to find Marie inner peace, so don't feel like you need to convince me of B. B. Hood specifically. I'll accept just about any fighting game character if I find your argument convincing.
May 23rd, approaching nightfall, near Canopolis MART station
Myriad's latest message comes to Marie as she's beginning her hunt for a train going her way. They're quite kind, Myriad. No one's said they were proud of Marie since...
Best not to dwell on that, she doesn't need to remind herself of what she's seeking vengeance for right now. Back to finding a train. And responding to the rest of what Myriad said.
[Running Weapon_gifting.exe...]
Thank you, Myriad. For the information and the kind words. But... you can show me things to watch? How in the world...? Well, I suppose if you know of any good cartoons from wherever it is you are, I'd like to see them while I ride the train to New Meridian. Or good piano music, for something to listen to. Or maybe- hmm...
Marie continues to think on the question of something to watch or listen to as she makes her way to the area around the nearest train station, hiding in the spreading shadows granted to her by the setting sun as she hides from any prying eyes. Even if no one looks at her and thinks "Skullgirl," she is a young girl out on her own, and that draws attention.
[Weapon gifted!]
So focused is Marie on her sneaking around (and composing her program of entertainment for the train ride) that she fails to pay attention to Myriad's mention of a new gift, and so the sudden weight of a weapon in her hands is a total surprise. It takes all of Marie's self-control not to yelp in shock as she notices that she's now holding a kunai on a chain. A weapon she knows the name of only because of the knowledge that came with the thing. Now Marie is completely confident in her ability to use this new gift to hook someone from a distance and yank them to her position. Though why does the thought make her want to shout "Get over here!"? Marie decides to shelve that question for later. Maybe Myriad can tell her at some point. For now, she has a train to catch. And this kunai has given her an idea for how to catch it...
Using the kunai as a grappling hook takes her a few tries (its shape is not meant for hooking onto things) and more upper body strength than she ever had when she was alive, but eventually Marie is able to get herself on top of a signal light hanging over a track that leads in the direction of New Meridian. Once a train comes, all she has to do is jump on top and wait for her stop. When the right train does come by, it turns out to be going at a fairly slow speed. This one must have a lot of stops. More time for Myriad to show her whatever they have in mind, Marie supposes. She lies down on her back and stares into the starless night sky.
Whenever you're ready, Myriad.
A/N: Since there's been a good bit of discussion about the matter, I'll say this about finding Marie a character to borrow self-control/resistance to corruption from. The more impressed I am by the character you pick and the argument you make for them, the more likely it is that I'll give you something extra in addition to that character's ability to not succumb to evil influences. For example, if you somehow manage to convince me that B. B. Hood actually would be a good pick, Marie won't just get an ability to resist corrupting influences/self-control but also a second ability from B. B. Hood of your choosing or a weapon from her of your choosing. But that's the optional superboss of your challenge to find Marie inner peace, so don't feel like you need to convince me of B. B. Hood specifically. I'll accept just about any fighting game character if I find your argument convincing.