Main Event Answer the Call

[Gummi Bunnies]

-Penelope Dormi Prologue-
"If Only I Can Dream..."

Sleep. I don't look forward to it.

Dream. I can't experience that anymore.

Remember. I can't forget that dreadful night.

Hope. I don't see the point if they aren't here anymore.

Live. I can't keep this up.

But... I made a promise, didn't I? So...

---

Waking up in a startled jolt, Penelope Dormi sat up from where she was presumably resting and was visibly in distress almost immediately. Just... where was she? This obviously wasn't her college dormitory, or rather not even the same city she was staying at! And... what was with all the other people here? This was not something that happens every day, and it was freaking her out pretty bad internally.

❝ Um... am I dreaming? I... I don't understand what's happening here, and I would like to wake up please... R-Right? It's just a dream... ❞ Penelope wasn't sure how to take this, drifting to just talking and reassuring herself poorly to cope with what she got dragged into. ❝ In that case, so I can wake up... ❞

She let out a short yelp once she abruptly pinched herself, and then reassessed her surroundings. Penelope only gave out a sigh, coming to terms with this conclusion.

❝ ... nope, not a dream. ❞

@Jeremi @Everybody​

 

[Jeremi]

"There are many with this appearance, we see?" Jack ponders. "Thinking about it, you do resemble Ruler as well.

Jack is what mother knows us as, and it is the name they gave us."

Jack puts the coat on and nods towards Winston. "You and your allies will really find mother? We'd love to see her again. We hope she is here..."

Jack looks around, before pointing to something in the distance - a rising, erect clocktower.

"That over there... does that mean we are back in London? It has changed much... speaking of change..."

Jack turns to Grell, who was repeatedly pinching herself.

"You seem to be in despair... do you need our help in being freed from its clutches?"

@Jeremi @Ver @Alex Azure @Crow @Yun Lee @Minerva​

"'Fraid not," Winston replied to Jack. "You're in New York city, but we're going try and work this out and get you back where you need to be."

@Crow @Alex Azure

To the woman who called herself an Alter, Li-Ming would shake her head. “I do not know if I am your master.” she said, calmly. “Though I have read many times of arcane and forbidden lore, though I have never heard of Servants or Alters. Though, it’s very possible I may have skimmed over those parts and inadvertently summoned you”

To Venkman, she would give a sly smirk. “Really? And to which of the Mage Clan do you belong to?”

@Crow @Takumi @everyone​

"So hard to tell just by looking at me?" Venkman asked slyly. "I'm the Grand Poobah of the Brooklyn Meningitis clan. You should swing by when we have our meetings. The pizza's to die for."

@Minerva @Takumi

Rise and shine~

There had been a flash of light, and then... emptiness. The boy had lost all sense of self. Everything was gone. Only a void remained.

"Hnnng..."

His eyes still closed, pushed himself off the ground slightly and lifted his head. Thoughts and feelings began to ebb back into his consciousness. He blinked his eyes open and gave a bewildered look at what he saw. This city didn't look familiar to him, and neither did--

"Ahh! Aaugh!!!" The boy shot up to his feet, recoiling from the people in front of him. Not a single one of them looked familiar. What was he doing here? Last he remembered, he was... he was...

The boy closed his eyes and let a deep breath run through him. This was not a time to panic. There was probably.a reasonable explanation for this... there had to be!

The boy's hand went to his chest out of fear, feeling an overwhelming sense of despair begin to wrack his body. He would have fallen to the ground all over again, if not for a strange, unknown feeling coming upon him.

All the more reason to stay calm. Gymnopedie No. 1 by Erik Satie. Try to imagine that sorrowful melody filling your head and soothing your heart--

The boy opened his eyes, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. He wasn't sure why, exactly. He knew that, deep down, there was no use panicking. An explanation had to be found.

Nodding to himself, the boy approached the group of seemingly armed doctors that clearly new the most about what was going on. The one named Ray Stanz seemed unoccupied, so the boy approached him. He imagined he looked unassuming. He was just a regular boy dressed in a high school uniform.

"U-Uhh... Well... Hello." He looked away for a moment to eye the crowd, unsure what to make of the diverse group. When he looked back at Ray, his expression was a bit lost. "I'm... Shuichi Saihara. I don't believe you've mentioned yet where exactly we are...?"

@Jeremi​

"Hello, Ray Stanz, and we're in. Oh, OH!" Ray dope slapped as he realized he'd missed the 101 in multiversal travel. "Ladies and gentleman can I have your attention please! You are right now in North America in New York City! The date is February 14th 1993!" He hoped everyone heard that, he didn't want to repeat himself.

@Atomic Knight @Everyone

That voice...it sounded so familiar, and yet matched no one she knew back home. Wait. Wait! It couldn't be him...it couldn't! Or could it? Anything was possible in a dream, after all. And if she turned and saw him, then...well, she'd be furious with herself for trying to wake up so suddenly. A gift from her subconscious that she almost rejected!

Well, it was now or never. Grell turned, and sure enough...

"ETHAN!!!"

It was him! And he was every bit as handsome as she remembered! My, she really had good memory, didn't she? He looked so real, so lifelike! And, most importantly, not a bloody heap on the ground! Oh, how marvelous her luck turned out to be!

"It's you! It's really you!" Grell was far too excited to stay in place, instead practically dancing around Ethan with pure glee. "I was so lonely in that dream once you were offed! And all my other dreams have been utterly subpar! Finally, you're here with me once more! I can't say I'm very excited to be surrounded by total strangers again and not alone, but...I'll take it!"

@Ver @Crow​

Egon had decided to ignore Grell for a moment but she gained his attention again when she recognized one of the men in the group. "How do you know this man? Have you experienced something similar to this before?"

@Ver @Yun Lee

[ Zac Prologue ]
"The Secret Weapon That Slimed Me"





...It's quiet.

It's too... quiet.

These were the first thoughts that came to his mind.

Consciousness was a strange and challenging thing to grasp at the moment. He felt... well, he felt nothing. He - I'm... I'm a he, right? - felt like nothing. There was just nothing beneath his nonexistent feet. His mind lay submerged in some indescribable blackness that encompassed the feeling of complete and utter detachment from existence: no body, no senses, no memories, nothing to call a proper thing.

He could hear himself think, at least. He was producing words within his mind - hey, that's a start.

This is weird. Where am I? Who am I? Give me a second.

He tried to think. He couldn't. There wasn't anything to recall. No thoughts or memories to pick up and hold in his hands like a solid object. It was like a computer returning an error - no data found. Damn. Try and think harder, idiot.

He dug deeper within the only thing he knew existed at the moment; himself. Suddenly, lingering thoughts and feelings began to crop up as his consciousness started to rapidly expand outward like a massive explosion. Memories of a world. People. People living within a city stuck within a hidden place. There it is. That's where I am. And I am... well, my name is-- wait, hold on. Something ain't right about all of this. Something is missing.

Ugh, hold on. Let me get out of here first. Hnnngh--!!

----

Everything came back online at once.

Suddenly, one of the sewer grates next to the everyone in the group began to squelch with an uncomfortable wet noise. The openings in the grill began to leak with a viscous ooze that slowly maneuvered itself up from the grill and on to the city street without much hesitation. The slime - a vibrant green in color - quivered as it forcibly dragged its entire mass along the ground in an attempt to bring every droplet of ooze slipping out from that cramped place.

It doubled in size like a sickly green dough, slowly gathering globs of its mass and shaping itself into a specific shape; several appendages stretched out and expanded from the center mass as they formed into more specific features such feet, fingers, and faux 'muscles.' An elongated appendage shot out from its top, dragging up a roundish shape that would resemble a forming 'head' - the ooze was forming into some bipedal shape. A grumbling noise resonated from within the transparent slime - a voice?

"Mmmgh... mmmmmrrrghhl," the ooze groaned, as it raised one its newly formed hands and forcibly tore open space in the creature's 'head' that would shape into a jagged mouth. A pair of yellow, round lights could be seen traveling up the creature's partly transparent body and reaching its head before phasing through the membrane slightly and... blinking.

Zac furrowed his brow and glanced around the surrounding landscape.

"Jeez, that took way longer than I expected. I'm starting to get rusty!" Zac grumbled with a much clearer voice, deep and masculine. He casually flexed his newly-shaped arms a few times, bulging out the defined ripples in its membrane. "Now then..."

Zac turned around to the entire congregation of people staring at him, grinning wickedly. "I gotta say it; you guys don't look very Zaunite to me. I'm gonna assume that isn't where I am."

@Jeremi @Ver @Alex Azure @Crow @Yun Lee @Minerva @Atomic Knight @gang gang​

The slime man was approached by another of the group. Much like Li-Ming he seemed to be a man out of place as well as time.

"Nor my estate. The portly man shouted something about 'New York'." The white haired man seemed to inspect Zac with interest. "I do not believe I have seen a slime monster as cognizant as yourself. You're quite a fascinating creation."​

@CrunchyCHEEZIT

[Lt. Dunbar Prologue- Lost in Foreign Time]

An older man, used to simpler times during a routine Frontier visit found his vision fading from his view and some sort of emptiness filling his vision. He held in his grasp some old fashioned gun that looked to be about Civil war age. He grasped on to his horse, which weirdly faded just as well.

He and his horse seemed in a new place.

The young Civil War soldier stared down the city trying to grasp just what happened to him and everyone around him.

".... My head hurts, What just happened? What year am I in? What happened to the Frontier?!"

The man grasped hold of his horse and pulled himself on it.

@Jeremi @Whomever
​

Ray recognized the clothes of the man for a civil war outfit. "Sir, I suggest you don't go anywhere with your horse as we try to sort this thing." Though to be honest Ray wasn't quite sure what they could do especially with their other predicament going on as well.

-Penelope Dormi Prologue-
"If Only I Can Dream..."

Sleep. I don't look forward to it.

Dream. I can't experience that anymore.

Remember. I can't forget that dreadful night.

Hope. I don't see the point if they aren't here anymore.

Live. I can't keep this up.

But... I made a promise, didn't I? So...

---

Waking up in a startled jolt, Penelope Dormi sat up from where she was presumably resting and was visibly in distress almost immediately. Just... where was she? This obviously wasn't her college dormitory, or rather not even the same city she was staying at! And... what was with all the other people here? This was not something that happens every day, and it was freaking her out pretty bad internally.

❝ Um... am I dreaming? I... I don't understand what's happening here, and I would like to wake up please... R-Right? It's just a dream... ❞ Penelope wasn't sure how to take this, drifting to just talking and reassuring herself poorly to cope with what she got dragged into. ❝ In that case, so I can wake up... ❞

She let out a short yelp once she abruptly pinched herself, and then reassessed her surroundings. Penelope only gave out a sigh, coming to terms with this conclusion.

❝ ... nope, not a dream. ❞

@Jeremi @Everybody

"I'm afraid not," Penelope heard a woman's voice coming from behind her. If she turned to face it she'd be met by a rather monstrous sight.

The body of a woman seemed to fused together with a massive brain all hold up by four limber legs. "I apologize if I frightened you. I sensed that you were in distress and figured I'd check up on you." Despite her appearance she seemed to be quite friendly. "I'm Dear Lois, you're Penelope? I caught it when I scanned your mind." She smiled. "It's a pretty name."​

@Gummi Bunnies

 

[Yun Lee]

"I knew it! We're in America in...oh, dear. 1993." Grell shook her head. "Why do all these dreams take place in the future?" Unless...no, this...it couldn't be real! The last one was a dream, how could this one be real life?

Though Egon brought her back to Ethan. "Why, yes! We were in some sort of abandoned town with people from all sorts of time periods, with the odd vampire or other creature. But as it turned out, it was all a dream, just as I'm sure this is. But yes, Ethan was there..." She pointed at Jack. "Fairly certain she was there..." And she pointed at the masked young man. "Oh! He was there as well...and he died just like Ethan! Hello, young man! Is your little girlfriend here as well?"

As Zac and Dear Lois appeared, Grell stuck out her tongue. Ugh. Definitely a dream.

@Jeremi @Ver @Crow @Archmage Jeremiah @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Minerva​

 

[dark]

Lt. John Dunbar

New York? It's been years since he'd been near the North since the Civil War. Yeah, he knew he was in America but the future gave more of a shock. Not many things around the old part of the city had changed much, most buildings he could recognize were buildings that had been there since he'd been a young soldier.

He stared up at the tall buildings above his head and it shocked him to know there were buildings like this that stood over his own head.

He carried an old leather back journal he carried with him in his pocket. He'd write later about the new strange things he's experienced.

@Jeremi @Ver @Alex Azure @Crow @Yun Lee @Minerva

​

 

[Atomic Knight]

Shuichi was aghast at this news.

"Wha-- What?"

"America-- 1993?! That's..." Shuichi closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists. He pressed his fingers so hard into his palm that his fingernails dug harshly into his skin. With any luck, the pain would wake him from this dream. It had to be a dream, for no other explanation made sense now. Shuichi had experienced plenty of dreams that felt real in the moment, so why could this not be one of those instances?

"I... don't understand," he managed to say, failing to find the words to express his confusion. If this was a dream, perhaps all Shuichi needed to worry about was following it to its conclusion. "Where are we supposed to go?" he asked Ray. "We're in the middle of the road, should we contact the authorities to shut down traffic?"

@Jeremi

​

 

[Jeremi]

Shuichi was aghast at this news.

"Wha-- What?"

"America-- 1993?! That's..." Shuchi closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists. He pressed his fingers so hard into his palm that his fingernails dug harshly into his skin. With any luck, the pain would wake him from this dream. It had to be a dream, for no other explanation made sense now. Shuichi had experienced plenty of dreams that felt real in the moment, so why could this not be one of those instances?

"I... don't understand," he managed to say, failing to find the words to express his confusion. If this was a dream, perhaps all Shichi needed to worry about was following it to its conclusion. "Where are we supposed to go?" he asked Ray. "We're in the middle of the road, should we contact the authorities to shut down traffic?"

@Jeremi

​

The kid seemed to have a good head on his shoulders at least. "Right now we're one of the few living people out in New York. You caught us in a bit of a bad time."

"Yeah cause of this whole citywide ghost infestation we're having. You know, no biggie, we're professionals we deal with stuff like this all the time." Venkman added.

@Atomic Knight

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

Naturally, Penelope jumped in surprise upon hearing someone behind her, and especially with the fact that this woman appeared vastly different and almost startling towards someone like her. Though, Dear Lois sounded relatively nice despite appearances, so the young woman took a quick breath to situate herself.

❝ O-Oh, thank you! For... checking up on me, I appreciate the thought. I mean, I just... don't really know how to take all this in, to be honest. ❞ Penelope tripped on her words in response to Dear Lois, but the point was made clear that she was now feeling more confused than distressed. Well, for the moment...

❝ Wait, New York City? 1993?! How's that even possible? I... I was in Tokyo for my studies... and the year then was... 2018. I remember that much! Um... ❞ The young woman blinked a few times to let that sink in. Now that was super odd and concerning. This wasn't what she expected her lonely college life to turn out to be, and well, if she was going to be here until things could get fixed... it was hard to imagine trying to adapt to all of this in such little time.

@Jeremi​

 

[Minerva]

"'Fraid not," Winston replied to Jack. "You're in New York city, but we're going try and work this out and get you back where you need to be."

@Crow @Alex Azure



"So hard to tell just by looking at me?" Venkman asked slyly. "I'm the Grand Poobah of the Brooklyn Meningitis clan. You should swing by when we have our meetings. The pizza's to die for."

@Minerva @Takumi



"Hello, Ray Stanz, and we're in. Oh, OH!" Ray dope slapped as he realized he'd missed the 101 in multiversal travel. "Ladies and gentleman can I have your attention please! You are right now in North America in New York City! The date is February 14th 1993!" He hoped everyone heard that, he didn't want to repeat himself.

@Atomic Knight @Everyone



Egon had decided to ignore Grell for a moment but she gained his attention again when she recognized one of the men in the group. "How do you know this man? Have you experienced something similar to this before?"

@Ver @Yun Lee



The slime man was approached by another of the group. Much like Li-Ming he seemed to be a man out of place as well as time.

"Nor my estate. The portly man shouted something about 'New York'." The white haired man seemed to inspect Zac with interest. "I do not believe I have seen a slime monster as cognizant as yourself. You're quite a fascinating creation."

@CrunchyCHEEZIT



Ray recognized the clothes of the man for a civil war outfit. "Sir, I suggest you don't go anywhere with your horse as we try to sort this thing." Though to be honest Ray wasn't quite sure what they could do especially with their other predicament going on as well.



"I'm afraid not," Penelope heard a woman's voice coming from behind her. If she turned to face it she'd be met by a rather monstrous sight.

The body of a woman seemed to fused together with a massive brain all hold up by four limber legs. "I apologize if I frightened you. I sensed that you were in distress and figured I'd check up on you." Despite her appearance she seemed to be quite friendly. "I'm Dear Lois, you're Penelope? I caught it when I scanned your mind." She smiled. "It's a pretty name."

@Gummi Bunnies

Li-Ming Let back a sly smirk. “I’ve never heard of this ‘Brooklyn Meningitis’ clan. Perhaps I will have to drop in some time.” She looked around her. There was a building like The Cathedral, large stone buildings like those in Westmarch, large glass buildings like none she had ever seen...

Not much had changed architecturally. Is this what had become of Westmarch in the next 700 years? Had defeating Malthael somehow blasted her from 1285 Anno Kehjistani to 1993 in this “New York”? Was she even capable of such power to do that? If she was, it would have made her an even greater wizard than she thought, and she thought she was a great wizard.

She pondered for a moment, thinking on this.​

 

[Archmage Jeremiah]

New York City! The date is February 14th 1993!

That's it!

New York. Opening his eyes, Akira followed the surrounding skyscrapers up to their peaks, and basked in the pale orange glow of the hibernating city. Although he had only seen pictures and had never been, Akira appeared at ease in the urban environment, but while absorbing his surroundings, something truly concerning caught the corner of his eye. Snapping around to give Zac a wary eyeful, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he reached for a concealed dagger, and widened his stance in preparation. Glancing then towards Lois, the teen's body language betrayed his stone-cold poker face while he struggled to understand how anyone could be so nonchalant in the presence of Shadows. Even as Zac and Lois were approached in conversation, Akira remained on-guard.

@Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @Yun Lee @y'all​

 

[Jeremi]

Naturally, Penelope jumped in surprise upon hearing someone behind her, and especially with the fact that this woman appeared vastly different and almost startling towards someone like her. Though, Dear Lois sounded relatively nice despite appearances, so the young woman took a quick breath to situate herself.

❝ O-Oh, thank you! For... checking up on me, I appreciate the thought. I mean, I just... don't really know how to take all this in, to be honest. ❞ Penelope tripped on her words in response to Dear Lois, but the point was made clear that she was now feeling more confused than distressed. Well, for the moment...

❝ Wait, New York City? 1993?! How's that even possible? I... I was in Tokyo for my studies... and the year then was... 2018. I remember that much! Um... ❞ The young woman blinked a few times to let that sink in. Now that was super odd and concerning. This wasn't what she expected her lonely college life to turn out to be, and well, if she was going to be here until things could get fixed... it was hard to imagine trying to adapt to all of this in such little time.

@Jeremi​

"It was 2018 for me as well," Dear Lois replied. "I was with similar outcasts as myself in a city called Metropolis before waking up here. While I am no stranger to traveling to alternative Earths, the circumstances surrounding this are...concerning."​

@Gummi Bunnies

That's it!

New York. Opening his eyes, Akira followed the surrounding skyscrapers up to their peaks, and basked in the pale orange glow of the hibernating city. Although he had only seen pictures and had never been, Akira appeared at ease in the urban environment, but while absorbing his surroundings, something truly concerning caught the corner of his eye. Snapping around to give Zac a wary eyeful, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he reached for a concealed dagger, and widened his stance in preparation. Glancing then towards Lois, the teen's body language betrayed his stone-cold poker face while he struggled to understand how anyone could be so nonchalant in the presence of Shadows. Even as Zac and Lois were approached in conversation, Akira remained on-guard.

@Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @Yun Lee @y'all​

Akira would hear a woman's voice in his mind. Don't be alarmed, your emotions were flaring up so I figured I'd speak to you directly. I don't usually pry like this but considering the situation we are all in I figured it was for the best. If the Phantom Thief didn't know better he could swear that Dear Lois was speaking to him directly into his mind.

I'm not this Shadow being, I don't think, I believe its name is Zac, is one either. I realize you have no reason to trust me but I'm hoping we can all work together here. If he looked over he'd see Dear Lois give him a friendly smile as she continued talking with Penelope.

@Archmage Jeremiah

Li-Ming Let back a sly smirk. “I’ve never heard of this ‘Brooklyn Meningitis’ clan. Perhaps I will have to drop in some time.” She looked around her. There was a building like The Cathedral, large stone buildings like those in Westmarch, large glass buildings like none she had ever seen...

Not much had changed architecturally. Is this what had become of Westmarch in the next 700 years? Had defeating Malthael somehow blasted her from 1285 Anno Kehjistani to 1993 in this “New York”? Was she even capable of such power to do that? If she was, it would have made her an even greater wizard than she thought, and she thought she was a great wizard.

She pondered for a moment, thinking on this.​

"It's a date then," Venkman replied. "Got to figure this craziness somehow, might as well put our two wizard minds together right?"

@Minerva

 

[Macy Moretti]

To the woman who called herself an Alter, Li-Ming would shake her head. “I do not know if I am your master.” she said, calmly. “Though I have read many times of arcane and forbidden lore, though I have never heard of Servants or Alters. Though, it’s very possible I may have skimmed over those parts and inadvertently summoned you”

To Venkman, she would give a sly smirk. “Really? And to which of the Mage Clan do you belong to?”

@Crow @Takumi @everyone​

"Hello, Ray Stanz, and we're in. Oh, OH!" Ray dope slapped as he realized he'd missed the 101 in multiversal travel. "Ladies and gentleman can I have your attention please! You are right now in North America in New York City! The date is February 14th 1993!" He hoped everyone heard that, he didn't want to repeat himself.

@Atomic Knight @Everyone

Li-Ming Let back a sly smirk. “I’ve never heard of this ‘Brooklyn Meningitis’ clan. Perhaps I will have to drop in some time.” She looked around her. There was a building like The Cathedral, large stone buildings like those in Westmarch, large glass buildings like none she had ever seen...

Not much had changed architecturally. Is this what had become of Westmarch in the next 700 years? Had defeating Malthael somehow blasted her from 1285 Anno Kehjistani to 1993 in this “New York”? Was she even capable of such power to do that? If she was, it would have made her an even greater wizard than she thought, and she thought she was a great wizard.

She pondered for a moment, thinking on this.​

"For the time being then, I shall stay by your side, Master. You do not need to worry about supplying me with magical energy. I am capable of generating mana. The other Servants here, however, should find their Masters."​

"I knew it! We're in America in...oh, dear. 1993." Grell shook her head. "Why do all these dreams take place in the future?" Unless...no, this...it couldn't be real! The last one was a dream, how could this one be real life?

Though Egon brought her back to Ethan. "Why, yes! We were in some sort of abandoned town with people from all sorts of time periods, with the odd vampire or other creature. But as it turned out, it was all a dream, just as I'm sure this is. But yes, Ethan was there..." She pointed at Jack. "Fairly certain she was there..." And she pointed at the masked young man. "Oh! He was there as well...and he died just like Ethan! Hello, young man! Is your little girlfriend here as well?"

As Zac and Dear Lois appeared, Grell stuck out her tongue. Ugh. Definitely a dream.

@Jeremi @Ver @Crow @Archmage Jeremiah @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Minerva​

"Have you been summoned in some Holy Grail War before? Jack, do you remember any of this?"

@Takumi @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Ver @Crow @Archmage Jeremiah @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Minerva​

 

[Atomic Knight]

It was Shuichi's immediate assumption to take what the man said as a joke, but as this was a dream, he had to remember anything was possible. "Do you... mean that we're under attack?" Shuichi asked, unsure of how to take this. He took a wary glance around himself. "Is there anything we can do?"

@Jeremi​

 

[Jeremi]

It was Shuichi's immediate assumption to take what the man said as a joke, but as this was a dream, he had to remember anything was possible. "Do you... mean that we're under attack?" Shuichi asked, unsure of how to take this. He took a wary glance around himself. "Is there anything we can do?"

@Jeremi​

"Well I guess under attack is a bit of a heavy word. Depending on the ghost that is. There was just suddenly a ton of them. Not to mention that thing in the sky." Ray pointed up into the sky, while visibility was getting bad to the snow and clouds the sky had a very clear bright red shine to it. "I bet that portal is connected to all of this, but unless you have an idea why that thing is up there or any prior supernatural expertise I don't know if there's much you can do," Ray replied with a concerned look on his face. "We're going to try and figure this out and get you guys to safety somehow."

@Atomic Knight

 

[0ttonomous]

Lucian - Prologue

The infamous green glow of Thresh filled Lucian's vision, and he promptly aimed his ancient pistols at the monstrosity. It must have been years since he last saw him. But he wouldn't escape again this time, like he did in Bilgewater. "You've got nowhere to run now, Thresh! You should've left while you still had the chance. This ends here!" he declared with conviction. He gripped his weapons harder, wanting to hear the wraith's response before finally ending his long-overdue life. Except, all he did was laugh and cackle at the mortal before him, presumably a final attempt to bring Lucian more mental pain while he still could.

Lucian willed his pistols to shoot with every ounce of his being, fully intending to blot out the rotting stain of the earth, and most importantly, end the suffering of his wife, Senna, who had spent agonizing years imprisoned within Thresh's lantern. He yelled at the top of his lungs as he did so, allowing long-suppressed emotions to come flowing out. The searing light of his guns increased in intensity, responding to the pure anguish of its owner. The green spirit fell over, a sizzling mess of bone.

But none of that actually happened.

---

@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi @anyone

Lucian awoke and stood up groggily, holding his head with one hand. His sharp eyes glanced around, showing only mild surprise at his unusual surroundings. His expression then hardened back to his usual scowl, realizing that everything that had just transpired was merely another recurring dream (in contrast to some of the group, who thought that they were dreaming at that moment), and he was no longer in Runeterra, according to the doctors who had confronted him and the other unfortunate victims. "Lucian," he replied simply as introductions occurred, his mind instead focused on taking in the new surroundings and conversations.

There's a chill in the air. But it's not the weather, he thought to himself. Indeed, he was familiar with the atmosphere here. The dead did not sleep quietly. He checked his holsters, the guns' presence relieving his growing anxiety.
​

[ Zac Prologue ]
"The Secret Weapon That Slimed Me"





...It's quiet.

It's too... quiet.

These were the first thoughts that came to his mind.

Consciousness was a strange and challenging thing to grasp at the moment. He felt... well, he felt nothing. He - I'm... I'm a he, right? - felt like nothing. There was just nothing beneath his nonexistent feet. His mind lay submerged in some indescribable blackness that encompassed the feeling of complete and utter detachment from existence: no body, no senses, no memories, nothing to call a proper thing.

He could hear himself think, at least. He was producing words within his mind - hey, that's a start.

This is weird. Where am I? Who am I? Give me a second.

He tried to think. He couldn't. There wasn't anything to recall. No thoughts or memories to pick up and hold in his hands like a solid object. It was like a computer returning an error - no data found. Damn. Try and think harder, idiot.

He dug deeper within the only thing he knew existed at the moment; himself. Suddenly, lingering thoughts and feelings began to crop up as his consciousness started to rapidly expand outward like a massive explosion. Memories of a world. People. People living within a city stuck within a hidden place. There it is. That's where I am. And I am... well, my name is-- wait, hold on. Something ain't right about all of this. Something is missing.

Ugh, hold on. Let me get out of here first. Hnnngh--!!

----

Everything came back online at once.

Suddenly, one of the sewer grates next to the everyone in the group began to squelch with an uncomfortable wet noise. The openings in the grill began to leak with a viscous ooze that slowly maneuvered itself up from the grill and on to the city street without much hesitation. The slime - a vibrant green in color - quivered as it forcibly dragged its entire mass along the ground in an attempt to bring every droplet of ooze slipping out from that cramped place.

It doubled in size like a sickly green dough, slowly gathering globs of its mass and shaping itself into a specific shape; several appendages stretched out and expanded from the center mass as they formed into more specific features such feet, fingers, and faux 'muscles.' An elongated appendage shot out from its top, dragging up a roundish shape that would resemble a forming 'head' - the ooze was forming into some bipedal shape. A grumbling noise resonated from within the transparent slime - a voice?

"Mmmgh... mmmmmrrrghhl," the ooze groaned, as it raised one its newly formed hands and forcibly tore open space in the creature's 'head' that would shape into a jagged mouth. A pair of yellow, round lights could be seen traveling up the creature's partly transparent body and reaching its head before phasing through the membrane slightly and... blinking.

Zac furrowed his brow and glanced around the surrounding landscape.

"Jeez, that took way longer than I expected. I'm starting to get rusty!" Zac grumbled with a much clearer voice, deep and masculine. He casually flexed his newly-shaped arms a few times, bulging out the defined ripples in its membrane. "Now then..."

Zac turned around to the entire congregation of people staring at him, grinning wickedly. "I gotta say it; you guys don't look very Zaunite to me. I'm gonna assume that isn't where I am."​

Lucian instinctively drew one of the pistols at the strange mass, then lowered the weapon. The familiar stench of Zaun invaded his nose, but he'd encountered worse things before. "I hope you're not some failed science experiment to bring someone back to life," he mused. "Zaun's pretty famous for that."

The appearance of a... brainy lady made his heart skip a beat as well, and he had almost pointed a gun at her as he did with Zac, but she didn't seem that evil despite her looks. In fact, a lot of people here gave off contradicting auras, no doubt because he wasn't used to encountering otherworldly beings. He'd give them the benefit of the doubt until he was sure they needed to be purified.​

"Yeah cause of this whole citywide ghost infestation we're having. You know, no biggie, we're professionals we deal with stuff like this all the time." Venkman added.

"Well I guess under attack is a bit of a heavy word. Depending on the ghost that is. There was just suddenly a ton of them. Not to mention that thing in the sky." Ray pointed up into the sky, while visibility was getting bad to the snow and clouds the sky had a very clear bright red shine to it. "I bet that portal is connected to all of this, but unless you have an idea why that thing is up there or any prior supernatural expertise I don't know if there's much you can do," Ray replied with a concerned look on his face. "We're going to try and figure this out and get you guys to safety somehow."

Just as he thought.

"Ghosts again? They just never get tired of dyin'..." He glanced at the red sky for a moment. "Yeah, I've got supernatural expertise. A little too much, I'd say," he continued, unholstering his weapons and bringing them into view.

"These pistols right here'll put anything in the grave for good. You can count on that. I've got some unfinished business to take care of, so the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better."​

 

[Crow]

"Despair? Me? Oh, please, I'm perfectly fine!" Grell, looking down at her arm, replied. "But something! Isn't! Working!" Oh for the love of...! This was ridiculous! Plus, her poor arm was starting to turn blue...such an unbecoming color!

Sighing in frustration and rolling her sleeve down, Grell started to look toward the girl. "I doubt we're in London, if the American accents of the locals are anything to go by. I would guess that we..." She trailed off, finally taking notice of Jack. "Wait a moment...do I know you from somewhere?"

@Crow
​

Ethan Chandler: Prologue - Come, Gentle Night

Ethan Chandler was haunted by sleepless nights.

Even after all this time, he couldn't bear to fall asleep. It felt like he was falling apart as a man. It was always for something different. Sometimes, it was because he was afraid of what might happen if the moon shone out of his favor. Sometimes, it was because he was scared of seeing Vanessa in his dreams. And sometimes... it was because he was haunted by the other dream. The recurring dream that he remembered more vividly than his other dreams, for better or for worse.

A little girl of white hair, a drunkard of a man who brandished a whip, and so on. But the one who stayed in his memory the most was a maiden of strikingly blood red hair. He remembered none of their names, only flashes of what they did together in the dream, wandering aimlessly, and it all ended for Ethan when a grey monster killed him, bringing him to a rude awakening.

His "father" couldn't help him. Cate couldn't help him. No one knew what to make of it. But maybe it was better that way. London hadn't felt like home in a long time, and Ethan didn't know if it would ever quite feel like home again. It was just as well, it wasn't like he ever quite belonged here. He was just an intruder. A traveler who ventured somewhere he didn't belong, even if Sir Malcolm might try to tell him otherwise.

And to think, it was the one night he was confident he'd be able to get a decent night's sleep that Ethan dove into the dream once more, deeper than ever before.

...

There was a lot to take in. Tall buildings littered with glass like it was a vision of the future. Four men in uniform packing strange looking contraptions on their backs that looked like something that came straight out of Victor's lab, speaking as though trying to assuage their concerns. A group of people who looked just as confused and discombobulated as he did. Even beyond the equally confused people, there was something familiar about this whole set-up, but with one less annoying fucking midget, at least.

But once he caught sight of that striking red hair again, Ethan could hardly believe his eyes.

"Gre..." He uttered, the name stuck in his throat as he struggled to remember, standing behind her with, frustratingly enough, no way of aptly getting her attention as he could hardly remember her name. What was it? What was her name? It was... It was...!

"Grell...?" He finally let out, his eyes full of bewilderment as he could hardly believe it, even now. His gaze then moved to Jack, also definitely recognizing her. "And you... You two again... Is it really...?"

@Yun Lee @Crow​

"'Fraid not," Winston replied to Jack. "You're in New York city, but we're going try and work this out and get you back where you need to be."

@Crow @Alex Azure



"So hard to tell just by looking at me?" Venkman asked slyly. "I'm the Grand Poobah of the Brooklyn Meningitis clan. You should swing by when we have our meetings. The pizza's to die for."

@Minerva @Takumi



"Hello, Ray Stanz, and we're in. Oh, OH!" Ray dope slapped as he realized he'd missed the 101 in multiversal travel. "Ladies and gentleman can I have your attention please! You are right now in North America in New York City! The date is February 14th 1993!" He hoped everyone heard that, he didn't want to repeat himself.

@Atomic Knight @Everyone



Egon had decided to ignore Grell for a moment but she gained his attention again when she recognized one of the men in the group. "How do you know this man? Have you experienced something similar to this before?"

@Ver @Yun Lee

The slime man was approached by another of the group. Much like Li-Ming he seemed to be a man out of place as well as time.

"Nor my estate. The portly man shouted something about 'New York'." The white haired man seemed to inspect Zac with interest. "I do not believe I have seen a slime monster as cognizant as yourself. You're quite a fascinating creation."​

@CrunchyCHEEZIT



Ray recognized the clothes of the man for a civil war outfit. "Sir, I suggest you don't go anywhere with your horse as we try to sort this thing." Though to be honest Ray wasn't quite sure what they could do especially with their other predicament going on as well.

"I'm afraid not," Penelope heard a woman's voice coming from behind her. If she turned to face it she'd be met by a rather monstrous sight.

The body of a woman seemed to fused together with a massive brain all hold up by four limber legs. "I apologize if I frightened you. I sensed that you were in distress and figured I'd check up on you." Despite her appearance she seemed to be quite friendly. "I'm Dear Lois, you're Penelope? I caught it when I scanned your mind." She smiled. "It's a pretty name."​

@Gummi Bunnies

"For the time being then, I shall stay by your side, Master. You do not need to worry about supplying me with magical energy. I am capable of generating mana. The other Servants here, however, should find their Masters."​

"Have you been summoned in some Holy Grail War before? Jack, do you remember any of this?"

@Takumi @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Ver @Crow @Archmage Jeremiah @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Minerva​

"North America, New York, 1993? Definitely not London," Jack ponders, then turns to Grell and Ethan.

"It seems that you remember us, the same way we remember you, Grell, Ethan... The ones who share our title vary in shape and form, but we will always be us, the very same Jack-"

As Mysterious Heroine X Alter gives an enquiry, Jack replies, "oh, no no, not a Holy Grail War. A different kind of summoning. In fact, we believe we were summoned away from a Holy Grail War, then sent back to it after it was over."

Jack was then silent, before realising something.

"Wait, Febuary 14th? That's Valentine's Day! We haven't gotten anything for mother yet!"

@Crow @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Ver @Alex Azure

@Takumi @Archmage Jeremiah @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Minerva​

 

[Crunch]

"Nor my estate. The portly man shouted something about 'New York'." The white haired man seemed to inspect Zac with interest. "I do not believe I have seen a slime monster as cognizant as yourself. You're quite a fascinating creation."​

Lucian instinctively drew one of the pistols at the strange mass, then lowered the weapon. The familiar stench of Zaun invaded his nose, but he'd encountered worse things before. "I hope you're not some failed science experiment to bring someone back to life," he mused. "Zaun's pretty famous for that."
​

Zac smirked as best as he could, holding up his hands in an overwhelmed motion towards the white-haired stranger and the one who drew a pistol on him. This was a situation that he found himself in many, many times. "Hey hey, take it easy, fellas. There's plenty of me to go around," he remarked with a demonstrative wobbling of his arms. "I'm... well, uh, give me a second to remember exactly what I am."

The mass closed his eyes, raising a hand to where it's chin would be and cupping it thoughtfully and remaining eerily silent for a few moments. Then, Zac opened his eyes, a pair of yellow spheres glowering at Lucian.

"I don't think you'd know a lot about Zaun, pal. You weren't there for very long," Zac nonchalantly raised a gooey finger before Lucian could instinctively pull another pistol on him. "But, hey, we're both out of our element on this one. Now, give me a sec to figure this out..."

Zac lumbered himself forward, his mass sloshing around with every step as his membrane inhales the chemicals of New York City. It wasn't Zaun. It... was foreign. Zac's slime bristled at the unfamiliar emotions that suddenly intruded upon his mind at the single absorption of a puddle of water. Everyone that had stepped upon that puddle seemed to appear within Zac's mind all at once, with the thoughts and feelings they had at that very moment becoming visible upon his shifting membrane.

"This isn't my city. This isn't Zaun. This isn't anywhere near it," the creature shot a look back at Lucian. "Do you know anything about this?"

@Ottonomous Ghost @Jeremi @anyone​

 

[Yazzie]

Prologue - On hold

The weather was cold and snow was starting to fall from the sky in increasing volumes. Most of the streets were empty which was peculiar for an evening in New York. The news was talking about the city being hit by the worst snow storm in over 30 years, but even then, that wouldn’t cause the streets to be completely quiet of either car or pedestrian.

Perhaps the ongoing ghost invasion had something to do with it? All of it started as the very skies themselves turned red as a portal emerged above the city sending out a massive surge of ghastly apparitions on the unsuspecting populace. The resident experts, the Ghostbusters, had been called on by the mayor to try and get everything under control, but even by calling in practically everyone that could help they were still falling short.

On top of that they just received a call about a freak electrical storm over at 550 Central Park West. The Shandor building created as a portal to other realms and the stage where the Ghostbusters first big battle was fought. Leaving the ongoing fight against the ghosts to their allies with the use of their trusty Ecto-1 the group drove through the empty city streets. While the snow was starting to fall more and more the roads were for the time being still usable.

Soon enough they arrived at the address to a peculiar scene. The streets were clean of any snow and the only thing around were a group of people laying in the middle of the street. The gang could tell that something weird was going on.

“You guys okay there?” One of the men jumped out of the car.

“Yeah Ray, they’re just lying in the middle of the street trying to catch some sun.” Another one responded in a sarcastic tone. “You thinking what I’m thinking this is?”

A man with glasses and a pompadour holding a device of some sort made his appearance. “If you’re thinking visitors from another world, then yes. The P.K.E. meter is showing a heavy dose of paranormal activity.”

”There any turtles?” The final one asked looking around before adding. “Or one of us?”

“Don’t think so let me get closer,” The man called Ray moved closer to where the people were now slowly waking up and getting up from the street. “Greetings gentle travelers from beyond the cosmos. I am Dr Ray Stanz and these are my colleagues, Dr Egon Spengler,” He motioned towards the man with the glasses who seemed too busy with his device to give anyone a response. “Dr Peter Venkman,” Venkman gave the gathered group finger guns and a wink. “And Winston Zeddemore.” Winston gave them all a wave.

“Now I understand you might all be in slight discomfort and potentially be suffering from either mental or physical ailments…but do you know how any of you got here?”

A loaded question and one not easy to answer. Your mind was hazy and the only thing you could remember was a flashing light before you now found yourself here.

Venkman smirked as he made his way closer. “Well whatever the case is you’re in luck. The Ghostbusters are on the case.” His smile didn’t fill any of you with confidence but at least they seemed to be professionals in...something?

It was probably going to be fine.

Cast list:

@Archmage Jeremiah as Akira Kurusu
@Bark as Cassata
@Ver as Ethan Chandler
@Hahli Nuva as Furia
@Yun Lee as Grell Sutcliff
@Takumi as Hassan of Serenity
@MelodyMeister as Hazel Halfpenny
@Crow as Jack the Ripper
@dark as Lt. John Dunbar
@Minerva as Li-Ming
@Ottonomous Ghost as Lucian
@Yazzie as Monika
@Alex Azure as Mysterious Heroine X Alter
@Gummi Bunnies as Penelope Dormi
@Atomic Knight as Shuichi Saihara
@Lucky as Theo Raeken
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as ZAC​

Monika Prologue

​

"Eh?"

Monika's eyes popped open in sudden surprise. where on earth was she? She wasn't in the classroom, she wasn't in that horrible, empty void. She looked around to see several other people wondering around, looking just as confused as she. She didn't recognize anyone here. There was no Sayori, Natsuki or Yuri. The MC didn't seem to be here as well. As Monika continued to look around in confusion, she noticed two things, first she was very cold, it must have been winter. Secondly, it was snowing. Monika's eyes widened suddenly when she made a startling realization

She felt cold, she could feel the snowflakes melt against her skin and uniform. She looked down and gasped, she had legs! She could actually see them, they were there. Monika started to shake violently as she was suddenly overcome with emotion. This couldn't be real, it couldn't be right? She was wasn't meant to exist in the real world. She shakily stood to her feet, a little wobbly considering this was the first time she ever used them.

"U-um excuse me...this isn't some kind of simulation or something....right?" She asked really to anyone who would answer, it may have seemed like an odd question, but she needed some clarity, she needed to know this wasn't to good to be true.

@Jeremi @anyone

 

[Minerva]

"For the time being then, I shall stay by your side, Master. You do not need to worry about supplying me with magical energy. I am capable of generating mana. The other Servants here, however, should find their Masters."

"Well I guess under attack is a bit of a heavy word. Depending on the ghost that is. There was just suddenly a ton of them. Not to mention that thing in the sky." Ray pointed up into the sky, while visibility was getting bad to the snow and clouds the sky had a very clear bright red shine to it. "I bet that portal is connected to all of this, but unless you have an idea why that thing is up there or any prior supernatural expertise I don't know if there's much you can do," Ray replied with a concerned look on his face. "We're going to try and figure this out and get you guys to safety somehow."

@Atomic Knight

"I have experience fighting ghosts, as well as demons and angels." She said with a smile and a laugh.

@Anyone​

 

[Bark]

As Cassata listened, he sighed and shook his head as if disappointed. At least the funny business always happened to him and not the others. The plus side? Wasn't Whiskey's fault so nobody here was about to transform into a Fallen Angel. Probably.
"Sorry kiddo. Seems like this is unfortunately real." He pat the shoulder of the poor pink haired girl who seemed like she couldn't even walk. He used his good eye to glance at the men who seemed to live here. "Some place called 'New York' apparently. Doesn't seem to be much other info. You gonna be okay?" He only seemed half-concerned, seeing as she was a stranger, but he'd become a bleeding heart in recent years.

@Yazzie @Jeremi ​

 

[Archmage Jeremiah]

Akira would hear a woman's voice in his mind. Don't be alarmed, your emotions were flaring up so I figured I'd speak to you directly. I don't usually pry like this but considering the situation we are all in I figured it was for the best. If the Phantom Thief didn't know better he could swear that Dear Lois was speaking to him directly into his mind.

I'm not this Shadow being, I don't think, I believe its name is Zac, is one either. I realize you have no reason to trust me but I'm hoping we can all work together here. If he looked over he'd see Dear Lois give him a friendly smile as she continued talking with Penelope.

@Archmage Jeremiah

Gritting his teeth, he held his head in his free hand. Hearing another's voice in his head only served to muddy his thoughts worse than they already were, and in a flash of brilliant blue flame, Akira was again garbed by his rebellious spirit, mask and all.

They're...real? Zaun? Ghosts? the questions swirled around inside his head, Is this what Igor meant? Shaking his head, he straightened his back, and escaped his thoughts quickly enough to catch Lois' smile. With some trepidation did he stow his blade, but he did so nonetheless. Noticing his vibrant red gloves, and feeling the mask resting on his face, Akira made a curious sound.

Just what's going on?

Monika Prologue

​

"Eh?"

Monika's eyes popped open in sudden surprise. where on earth was she? She wasn't in the classroom, she wasn't in that horrible, empty void. She looked around to see several other people wondering around, looking just as confused as she. She didn't recognize anyone here. There was no Sayori, Natsuki or Yuri. The MC didn't seem to be here as well. As Monika continued to look around in confusion, she noticed two things, first she was very cold, it must have been winter. Secondly, it was snowing. Monika's eyes widened suddenly when she made a startling realization

She felt cold, she could feel the snowflakes melt against her skin and uniform. She looked down and gasped, she had legs! She could actually see them, they were there. Monika started to shake violently as she was suddenly overcome with emotion. This couldn't be real, it couldn't be right? She was wasn't meant to exist in the real world. She shakily stood to her feet, a little wobbly considering this was the first time she ever used them.

"U-um excuse me...this isn't some kind of simulation or something....right?" She asked really to anyone who would answer, it may have seemed like an odd question, but she needed some clarity, she needed to know this wasn't to good to be true.

@Jeremi @anyone

​

Hearing yet another fish out of water come to, Joker decided to take initiative.

"Slow down," he calmly spoke while he approached Monika, quickly coming to notice her struggle, "We're in New York. As far as I can tell, it's real," he answered simply, nodding to Cassata.

@Jeremi @Yazzie @Bark @y'all​