Welcome to Gaia! ::

::Orochi Empress::


"Tsk tsk, aren't you a group of naughty little boys?" As the wall fell, a banquet of steamy curves and voluptuous ladies revealed itself, each of the pitch-black Shadows turning to let out a shrill squeal at the sight of the intruding boys. The girl's side was full of dozens of these masked figures, their only adornment stamped with a noticeable triple I, the roman numeral for three. A blizzard of buckets flew towards the heads of Faust, Zeo and all the others, and when each had been released the girl throwing it melted away into the scenery, until the room was vacant save for only one who remained. The dark haired girl who remained wiped away a tear and chuckled, the forlorn image fading in an instant as she placed a hand on her face and examined the hot-blooded men. They were so bold...not even daring to avert their gazes. "All of you, so willing to indulge in some fun. I haven't been this amused since he left me here on my own. But you...trampling all over the hearts of young ladies for just a peek...hm hm. But if you wanted to join my paradise, all you had to do was ask." The girl stood, towel wrapped around her body, and approached the nearest of the group as the temperature of the room seemed to rise with each little wiggle of hips...and finally reached out, wrapping arms around Rednal's head suddenly to pull him close. Even as the others attempted to turn their gaze in jealousy or confusion, they were suddenly touched on the shoulder or elsewhere by others girls, who turned their gaze back to them, fawning over each man with equal reverence.

"It's so stressful, isn't it? Trying to remember all those 'little' important things...why don't you try letting your thoughts slip away, instead? Forget all that, and relax. I know a few ways to release some of those...mm, pent up feelings." A giggle followed, and the girl ran a finger along the boy's chin, raising his head as she revealed a small vine of grapes, lowering the fruit for the silverette. "Welcome to my kingdom. Stay with us, and you'll never encounter danger or fear again. You'll never feel the maddening pull of your life slipping through your fingers. Just...bliss. That's what this place is for after all, isn't it?" Another honeyed laugh followed, one that promised this smothering feeling of ecstasy would never end. That they could give up here, join this debauched banquet and have all their pleasures fulfilled, desires satiated...and only one hiccup remained between them, and all the things they yearned for in salvation. "A world where everyone's minds are at peace with another other can never exist. But if you simply submit to me, then you'll know all pleasure. Free of will, free of burdensome independence. Simply offer one token...a kiss to your Queen."

A hand outstretched to each man, demanding a simple offering. One peck, one sign of devotion, and that nagging at the back of their mind would be gone. They would have girls...peace...all the sinful delights they could imagine, heaped upon them. And all it required, was throwing responsibility and caution to the wind.

::Orochi Empress::


"Hee...too bad. It looks like you've already been caught in my embrace." Rednal pulled the trigger, but the girls' lavish smile barely changed as his power rushed towards her...and disappeared before their very eyes. Each of them struggled against the binding power, but each of them felt themselves being held down...or at least, were aware of it now, as the girls clung tighter to them. "The moment you stepped into my kingdom, your lives were forfeit. Within this domain, the King's Word is Law." Rednal's arm slowly moved to his side, fingers began to release their tight grip on the gun he held. He had...no way...of stopping it. The haze in their minds was beginning to lift now, but their strength was only growing weaker with each passing minute, and it was now clear that whatever awaited them, they would be at the whim of someone far more powerful than any ordinary girl.

"Diiiiiiiiiiibs!" But in a fashion utterly predictable, a shrill chant of manliness broke the tranquil scenery as a fist arced upwards into Rednal's jaw and sent him flying backwards from the unconquerable woman, splashing into the steamy waters behind him. "Heeeell no man, you can't just steal a bro's girl after a bro calls dibs! Bro! I mean, she was totally asking for it and everything! Come oooon man, you can't take this from me!" Zeo dashed across the water almost before Rednal recovered, grabbing his shoulder and flailing him back and forth eccentrically as he shouted and drew the attention of basically everyone in the room. "You know how I'm always trying to get the ladies and she's a lady and she wants the Zeo man I'm telling you and you're trying to take all the action and leaving me with the Shadows and playing around in Babel and normal guys shouldn't play around in Babel man I'm telling you to snap out of it because Bro! BRO! BROOOOOO!" A headbutt followed, knocking Rednal into the water again as Zeo turned back towards the girl again...what the hell just happened!?

"Tsk, you idiot! I thought you were going to loyally obey? What's the meaning of this?" Despite her desire to be affectionate, the Queen seemed quite put-off by Zeo's sudden bout of zealous energy, and the look in her eyes had turned from one of cooing enchantment to complete bewilderment...basically, like every girl Zeo had known ever.

"That's what I'm asking mi amore el chico de la hot babe! One minute you're all 'Hey here's a harem why don't you have your EFFING MANLY DREAMS COME TRUE!', and the next I'm surrounded by a bunch of Shadows and they're all like, groping the guys and stuff, and you're the only madam around here...where are all the women!? I've gotta put on a display of my herculean strength and show off these rippling abs of mine, right? Yeaaah! Awwwwright, un! Ha! Hrrgh! Flex!!" Despite his declaration, Zeo's abs were not rippling. And actually, he was pretty scrawny for a member of the team, meaning you'd have to wonder how he could possibly be that strong if you didn't know what was lying beneath the surface. But that was beside the point! Something he said began to click in all of their minds, and even as it did the light around them seemed to slowly dim, turning to a hazy green as the walls became more familiar to them...the inescapable labyrinth of Babel. Memories came flooding back, and what had once appeared as a heavenly oasis surrounding them was now filled with thin and curvy Shadows, black forms mimicking humans as embarrassed giggles emerged from each and every form. The girls moved to cover themselves at the boy's probing eyes, but there were no blushes, only unmoving masks staring back at them...the charade was done, and all thanks to a pervert, and his super mega ultra perving.

"Tsk, you insufferable idiot...this world could have been our paradise. With so many men at my fingertips...mmhmhm..." Suddenly the girl stood up, the lackadaisical grin from before gone as she held out a hand and power began to move through the area, draining from the Shadows that tempted the team and into the one in the center. The 'girls' winced and tossed in pain, flashes of who they'd looked like before appearing now and then, visions of the ones they'd cared about come and gone. "I'll just have to eliminate you before you pollute this place even further. Why can't you just be more aloof like hi...h..." Suddenly the girl froze, hands snapping to the side of her head. Her face was covered in pain, a contorted expression that signaled a wave of her own memories coming. For a moment the energy stopped flowing, the waters at their feet calmed, and there was silence...

Followed by a bloodcurdling scream as the girl lost it, and the power that had been gathering now rippled out like shockwaves, spraying the water like seafoam and causing even the walls of the Tower around them to creek and moan from the pressure. The girl reeled backwards and her skin began to glow, emanating a blinding crimson light that filled the room for a moment, before disappearing to reveal her true form. The water split beneath it's feet, and the steam seemed to twist and turn around the creature, disappearing as it neared her if that were possible. The screaming was gone now, but in it's place came a foreboding presence, an intimidating enemy who's power was already much greater than many foes they'd faced before, and of course, epic boss themes. "Of course, I can't have such happiness. It was never mine to take. That's why I became, what I became...is..." The voice died out, and in it's place came a new one, resonant and cold, as if devoid of all the life that had once dwelt within.

"I am the Shadow, the True Self.
The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
Celebrate life's grandeur...its brilliance...its magnificence...

As a note, we're in the Dark Hour. In Babel. If he didn't believe this stuff, it would be forming a floor in the tower right now. Just keep that in mind.

And his inner self was a lying piece of s***, tricking him into hitting a woman.

And somewhere, in the sea of the soul, Cerberus crossed it's fingers.