Viper - Quick question, does the book "Legends of the Creatures of Legends" have any red text in it? Any at all?
ALAIS - It shouldn't? Miss Spider, you were given a copy correct?
Spider - I was
ALAIS - Can you examine your book to see if any 'red text' was found in it please? According to our database, there shouldn't be any, but I suppose newer editions could have it.
Spider - None in mine
ALAIS - Hm. I wonder what it said.
Viper - Now that i'm not being watched closely I can actually provide context, I found a copy of that book and managed to pull it down from a shelf only to find that in red text it said "The Null Void is closer than you think. :)" and when I flipped through the book a couple pages were circled
ALAIS - The Null Void? Memory MAP?
Memory MAP - That is interesting. The Null Void is considered to be Malf's domain. It is a realm outside of the World where anything can happen. In a sense, it is the very manifestation of the World's Glitches. : )
You specified circles as well? : / Which pages were circled Viper?
Viper - The pages were circled in the index of the book and i'm pretty sure it was 44 and 69, nice
Memory MAP - Okay, so that's interesting. The index for that book is a list of the 99 Creatures of Legend, not including 00. Logically, whatever was trying to get your attention, wanted you to focus on Creatures of Legend numbers 44 and 69. (nice :D). Unfortunately, my knowledge does not include these numbers. It is possible, however, that 44 and 69 are unaware themselves that they are Creatures of Legend. : /
Viper - I mean the only think I really know that's associated with those two numbers are Hinata and Luna, but surely they aren't Creatures of Legend.
Spider - I think I'd believe anything at this point
Patrice - Do the Creatures of Legend in the book have numbers? Maybe it could be that?
Memory MAP - Affirmative. Only the first 30 have entries, however.
Patrice - Aw, OK. Doubt it's gonna be blacklight tricks if it's a well-known book.
----
Luna, Hinata, and the strange purple cat plushie that Patrice bought them for Christmas are all hanging out watching TV together. Luna is working on archival for both the Marked and the Naomis, Hinata is playing on her phone. The purple plush cat they named Dusk vibes on Hinata’s lap. Unknown to them, Spider steps into the room and scans them with Error. The moment the cone reaches their body, both of them disappear as if knowing their time is up. They appear on the roof in the middle of a snowstorm.
Raising an eyebrow at the now empty spot Spider looks at the bat in their hand masking her frustration and well confusion by snarking, "so are we in agreement that it's definitely them?"
It's. A long story. I've known for a very long time, but they asked me to keep it secret.
Spider's jaw tenses and her only response is a strained, "why?"
Do you know why Nova, Solaire, and FMS want them so badly? It's not solely due to their cyborg nature. It's also due to their status as Creatures of Legend. I promise you, they did not hide this information maliciously. They hid it so they could never be found.
Spider walks over and places Error on the coffee table before sinking onto the sofa herself. She closes her eyes taking a second to breathe and clear her head then asks, "is that why Nova's moved here?"
Correct. Just like Solaire and FMS before them in Meridian, they probably sensed that at least one Creature of Legend was hidden here. They’re trying to get them but know that they have protectors, so in essence, they’re biding their time until they can successfully snatch.
Minutes later, Luna and HInata return inside looking defeated, cold, and snow-covered. Silently Spider turns to look at the pair raising an eyebrow. Luna shakes her head from the snow and exhales, "Look I know this looks really fucking bad on our parts, but we had to hide our identities. We were scared that... someone would snitch on us, especially back in Meridian. Last thing we wanted was to be captured and experimented on for our souls."
Hinata sighs adding on, "Yeah. We'll be willing to you tell y'all the whole story. It's not a mental lock or anything, even if it's classified as one in her mind. If anything, it was a lock against you guys and.. We’ve known for a while.
Spider nods, part of her smarts that the two kept this for so long but well, she'd rather die than admit it.
Luna asks out loud, her right hand rubbing the back of her neck, "Right uh, where should we start?"
Error then responds:
Maybe let us scan you? : ) I know you can see me. You proved as much in that one fight at the Halloween Museum : )
WIth a defeated exhale, Luna nods, "...sure. Spider, please scan us with Error. You'll get our COL summaries."
Spider does so. Hinata stands stoically as the first of two red beams scans her. On Error's Bat, the following text appears:
|
COL 44 - CODENAME - SOLAR FLARE SUNRISER is a blonde-haired dog woman who is commonly seen near COL 69 - MOONSETTER, their lover. SUNRISER has a usually very bright demeanor and very commonly, a smile on her face, which can bring people out of sad moods or provide comfort and warmth. Hinata's magic is tied to support magicks, party-wide buffs based on Rhythm, and debuffing Magicks. Her signature weapon is the MEGABONK, a heavy steel warhammer that can be enchanted with her Magical Abilities. Her Physical strength outclasses much of her Offensive Magical strength. Do not be fooled however, her magical strength still outclasses most other casters. She will surprise anyone who isn’t ready! : ) |
The second beam scans the completely neutral Luna.
|
COL 69 - CODENAME - DARK SIDE MOONSETTER is a violet-haired cat woman who is commonly seen near COL 44 - SUNRISER as they are lovers. Usually, MOONSETTER has a very gloomy demeanor and often wishes to do things alone, but do not let that aspect steer you away from her. She is very loyal to those she considers friends, allies, and lovers and is also prideful of her own abilities, oftentimes to a fault. Her offensive Elemental Magicks are top-notch but ultimately unbalanced which could leave her open to counterattack. Her Psychic Magicks complement her offensive abilities, but comparative to other Support Mages, like SUNRISER, she is much weaker. Her signature weapon is a Dueling Broadsword she obtained from another World, but she is learning that perhaps Mages like her should not use swords and instead other weapons. Much like SUNRISER, MOONSETTER is also able to enchant her weapons with Magical Abilities. Her Physical strength is a lot weaker compared to her Magical strength. Her Defenses are also very low. Do not let these weaknesses fool you, however, as she is a proud warrior and will kick your ass if you’re not ready. |
Spider takes a minute to read over the scans then looks back up letting out a conflicted sigh.
"Sorry Spi," Luna apologizes, "It's a lot. But if there's any questions I can answer, please ask them. You can also ask them in my mind if you wish."
Hinata is standing by the wall looking a bit uncomfortable.
"no it's..." Spider cuts herself off then tries again, "in the possible way, I don't really give a shit after all I've seen aliens could invade tomorrow and it wouldn't phase me. I'm sure you two feel similar."
Luna scratches the back of her neck sheepishly, "I mean are aliens really that strange anymore? In a weird sense, we technically are aliens. We don't come from this World, after all. None of us aside from like Cole or Viper are documented either. Plus most of us have superpowers and magic and the ability to teleport at will for the most part. Don’t forget about the weirdass Naomi people or the nonferals!"
Hinata shakes her head, "No, that's not the point Spi's trying to make. We've seen so much shit that this isn't. That new. Honestly, I think maybe she's disapponted that we lied about this?"
Spider points at Hinata then responds in a blank tone, "because you thought someone would rat you out."
Luna explains, her panic beginning to set in, "We didn't know what to do, especially back then. Enemies were everywhere. Last thing we needed is more issues. Ever since we became the gang, however, we should've told everyone the truth. And for that, I apologize. We still trust you guys a lot."
Hinata nods in agreement, also fully apologetic. "We'll uh. Leave you alone. Come on Lu."
"..i get it even if I'm not particularly happy about it." Spider pauses shooting a glare at Error before continuing, "you two really have been through a lot eh?"
"This is going to sound grim, but it's something we can't escape from. Not even death lets us escape, if you catch my drift." Luna grimly chuckles then she continues, "We've fought together for our entire lives. A lot is an understatement."
Hinata shakes her head at Luna's honestly depressing demeanor and tries to spin it positively, "yeah, maybe so, but we're still not captured. We're still fighting. And it's because of our friends that we can keep going."
Error seems to be able to sense Spider's glare and responds
What did I do? I just did as they asked. :(
Luna - As was revealed, we are indeed Creatures of Legend. In our cases, however, it's more of a formality than anything. We're not like Gods or anything along those lines. We don't grant wishes like Oloric and we don't cause rebirths and forest fires like Flamebearer. We're just two otherwise normal lesbian women with magic.
Patrice - ... Wait, huh?
Luna - y-yeah. It's kind of a long story, but the short version is because of our souls and the ways they were made, we have the magical capacity to be classified as Creatures of Legend. Specifically.
Manufactured Creatures of Legend.
Patrice - Wait... OK... so you're basically made so strong that you became Creatures of Legend?
Luna - Basically yes. It was an experiment to see if Creatures of Legend could be made instead of existing naturally. In a sense, we am something that should not exist. Somehow, we do.
Hinata - Same. Though my design wasn't meant to be as strong. More of a 'refinement' to FMS's creation.
Patrice - Right, OK. Does everyone know, or is it a long-buried secret rising to the surface, this?
Luna - Hinata and I have known this information ever since my Mental Lock Collar came off back in 2023. It made sense why Solaire and FMS kept coming after us. They wanted to continue their experimentation. They wanted us for our souls. Our souls are what makes the two of us CoL's. Believe it or not, I say this is me trying to keep a secret, but I've been waiting for the day that one of our friends would figure this out. I'm glad it was Viper, Spider, and you.
Hinata - And now that Nova knows as well, at least I can imagine they do, we're in danger. Unfortunately, we don't have all of the information. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding our existence comes from our souls as well. Where did they come from? We're artificial yet we have souls.
Patrice - I reckon Nova knows. How much is the question. I reckon they know y'all're powerful, though I doubt they think y'all're this powerful.
Luna - I mean that could be our way out of this. If they're unaware of just how powerful the two of us are, then we can surprise them maybe?
Patrice - Could be an idea, though I don't think it wise to barge into the lion's den without a concrete plan.
Luna - I'd like to stay far away from the Lion's Den until then.