Through the conversation Poncho remained dead silent, staying unusually close to the fire, the faint outlines on his poncho illuminating faintly.

"No freedom or paradice would be worth her! I would be in a constant hell if I knew her blood was on my hands!" Bryant continued to yell at Gouki. Brandon said nothing but he strongly agreed with Bryant, even if his connection with Veronica wasn't as strong.

Veronica merely stared seeing her husband and friend, her targets. "W-w-why?" She asked, studdering.

The World Eater hissed in satisfaction and slowly approached the group, its tremendous legs punching large holes into the ground with each step. The World Eater chose its first victim --the closest, Alasea.

It reached out with two front forelegs.

===In Germany===

Ellie stretched as she awoke, blinking as sunlight bathed her. "Hmm," she murmured to herself, reaching out with her mind to the Pillar of Dawn, and sensed the power four strange beings on the edge of her territory. Remembering the last time she had visitors, she immediately decided to start up with the precautionary measures.

Within the valley that the glowing Pillar of Dawn stood, a strange field suddenly arose and expanded, moving out for miles. Teleportation was disabled in the area, and would prevent extremely quick movement for anyone not a Daughter of Dawn. Back in her cabin, Ellie quickly got dressed and retrieved her weapon, then went out to go to the Pillar and await her "guests."

"Hey, ugly!"

Standing underneath the great monster, Hugo raised his fully charged pickaxe at the creature's abdomen. He narrowed one eye to aim. "Knock, knock!"

The Mettaur was pushed into the ground as he let loose with the shot-overpowered, it burst through the air, rising to strike the World Eater's vulnerability.

The demon grunted in surprised and reared back, looking down, trying to find the source of the sound. It then screeched as the overpowered lightning bullet pierced through the light armor on its underside and electrified the flesh beneath. The round exploded out of its top shell and into the roof high above. Its hold on the others were released as it backed away.

R.D. roared as he broke free, and Alasea collapsed the rest of the way. "Matt!" the amnesiac teen yelled, "Let's finish this!"

Matt nodded-his internal monologue helped him shake off the fear effect quicker than normal. "All right!" He turned to look for Helena.

She was next to him-her breathing was rapid and harsh, even as the effects of the fear hold slowly passed. Hunched over, her face was buried in her claws, but they were spread enough for Matt to notice her wide, slitted eyes.

"Hey, Helena-" He reached out to touch her.

She visibly jarred with Matt's touch, and could only look at him fearfully.

"You okay?" he asked.

Trying to gain control of her breathing, her chest rose as she took in a stronger gust of air, cleansing her systems with gathered calm. "...yeah," she managed.

"When you're ready, help me bring out a Variable Arm, okay?"

"...let's do it now."

Matt nodded. "All right, if you're cool with that." He looked back to R.D.. "Now...how shall we deal with this annoying threat, my friend?"

R.D. picked up his Phase Blade raised his right hand up before him, clenching it tightly with a grin on his face. His entire forearm ignited with the bluish-white blaze of Godhand. "How about we just rock out?" he suggested, smirking.

The eyes of the World Eater glared furiously, and its mandibles clicked angrily as it screeched a challenge at the two heroes. It reared back, then suddenly charged forward, the ground shaking with each step.

Edited by RisingDragon on February 28, 2007 at 19:44:37.

"Whaa-haaaaaaat?" Meta cried out, as if shocked, but only playing. "Come on now!" She said. "How old are you then?"

Veronica shook her head. "I won't." She said softly.

Bryant and Brandon went along. Bryant however was struggleing a bit. "If you touch her you will experience a hell far worse than what your demon would dare to do!" bryant exclaimed as his voice faded.

Brandon merely sighed, he's been in prison for slaughter. He may as well except his fate and allow karma to catch up with him.

"No story." Poncho said rather flatly. "I go blind as a child due to my parents deciding it would be totally awesome to leave me in the sun for a few hours, and of course, as a child, all I could do was stare. I was abandoned after they realized I was blind, apparently they wanted a perfect child." He sighed for a moment, keeping his non-existant glare on the fire.

"Rock out?" Matt grinned. "What an EXCELLENT IDEA!" He held out his arm. "Helena! You ready to go to work?"

Now fully recovered from the fear effect, Helena nodded. "Yeah!" Running over, she laid her claws on Matt's arm. "Let's do it!" At once, her body became engulfed in bright life, until she was no more than a body of brilliant energy. The light streamed into Matt's arm just as the World Eater came upon him.

A heavy guitar riff pierced the air, with enough force to knock back the giant demon. From the resulting cloud of dust, it became clear-Matt's right arm was now engulfed in black metal, sporting long spikes that extended from the shoulder, elbow, and knuckles. What was easily more distinctive, however, was the sleek, angled guitar he now held.

"Variable Arm-Guitar Hero!" Matt said, with another pronounced riff.

The World Eater let out a strangled cry as it was struck by wall of pure soundwaves and sent rolling away. It caught and righted itself and screeched angrily as the dust cleared, revealing the new Variable Arm. One by one, its mandibles clacked open, and it charged again.

R.D. stood a ways behind Matt, cocking his glowing arm back as particles of energy were drawn into it.

===At Antarctica===

The wall at the back of Veronica's cell was beginning to glow slightly, as a faint heat emanated from it. A slight rumble began to vibrate the frozen chamber, almost as if something were pounding against it from the other side.

"Got sent to an orphanage, was adopted by this family at one point or another...after giving p on ever getting my vision back, they bought me this game, hearing that it could do the trick, although artifically. As it turns out, it didn't...least not in my case." He let out a deep sigh. "I don't have the heart to tell them it didn't work, not after all they did to help...so I make up lies, and hope my 'sightings' are accurate."

"Oh, only eight-thousand." Meta said. "I thought you were older."

(Okay....what now? O___o This, if I recall, is the Beta for Ymaggion...yet it's NOT a game? Explain nao.)

Bryant gritted his teeth. "I died and went there!" He roared and again Brandon was surprise to hear this. He looked at Bryant, quirking a brow. Maybe he's gone crazy...

Veronica began to suddenly feel a bit more comfortable, yet uneasy. There was a small wave of heat inside the cell. That comforted her, yet the thumping made her wobble a bit. "Is that Sheena?" Veronica asked the demons, examining the whips.

Blazen stood slowly and turned his head to behind him. He narrowed his eyes. "That way..." He said before jumping on top of the ruble on which he sat at. "Something is over there." He said again, as his voice began to sound cheerful. "Something...of light." He said enthusiasticly.

The glowing ice wall suddenly shattered as a gigantic dragon broke through, releasing a powerful roar as it towered over Veronica and the demons. With shining eyes, it glared balefully at the demons as half of its form emerged from the ice. It bellowed again and breathed a wall of flame, cutting the demons off from Veronica.

Kite looked ahead,"Blane, you can go with them, I have to go..." Kite turned and headed North towards Babylon city.

"...alright..." Blane said still sleepy.

(Oh....as in many, you mean not all? Guess I could roll with that...)

"Eh?" Poncho grunted as he heard them question him.

Right, I had heard about this...best not disrupt and produce false memories in these guys...some of 'em sound screwed up as it is.

"Oh, eh? I mean the game. You know, life? Cauze life is just a big game, eheheheh..." Poncho said, chuckling a bit nervously.

Matt smirked. "You just don't learn, do ya?" He raised his normal arm, and jammed the hell out of his guitar-the walls shook and loose bits of rock fell from the ceiling as Matt rocked out, wielding heavy metal potentially. Over the jams, he yelled, "Someone go find Hugo, I dunno where he is!"

At the second volley of sound, the World Eater made an insane screeched and backed away, its mandibles chittering madly. An insect's hearing was fragile, and the accute hearing of the World Eater caused it to suffer even as the sound knocked it back.

R.D. used his gathered energy to push off the ground in a high leap. He soared over Matt, his arm ablaze, and torpedoed forward, landing hard in front of the confused and angry spider demon. As he landed, his arm arced over and struck the ground in a powerful, energized blow, causing the gathered energy to wash out of his arm and explode in a powerful wave. The blast sent the World Spider reeling backwards as the ground buckled beneath him. The monster shrieked and leapt high into the air, landing on one of the few standing pillars, and leaping again onto the wall. It skittered across it madly, trying to position itself to attack again.

Veronica gasped to the sight of the dragon, then the wall of fire to follow. She trembled a bit and looked up to the dragon. She wondered now if she would ever see her husband or her friends again.

"I regret nothing!" Called Bryant as he left the room. Once he entered. He looked dead into the chamber, fearing nothing. As mighty as the pain would be, he would rather take this and to know he was the murder of his lover.