tvk | ⚓ 003; [video]

[It's the Dark Hour. Do you know where your Rider is?]

[Because as it happens, she is out and about fighting Shadows with no more than a pair of flintlock pistols. Which happen to be a pain to reload when your ammunition isn't magical in nature, so she might be in a little trouble. Not that she seems to mind, based on the huge grin on her face and all that laughing she's doing. Amidst the chaos of cackling and one last Visceral Maya that just won't go down, an ethereal figure about six feet tall appeared in front of Rider. With it came a sudden rush of water, dissolving the last Shadow and clearing the street.]

I̹̟̹̟ͮ ̺̤̻̜̞̼͖ͣͮͩá̤̥̣̻̓̏̿m͔̹̟̥͍͎̟̓͂ͫ ̭͎ͥ͛̒̚tͫḫ͈̫̳̗o̼̻̭̞u̺̳̬̝̺͇̜̎͌ ̠̣̯͚ͩ͋ͯ͌ā̹̟̭̙͆̉ͯ̔̚n͓͍̗̭͔̣ͭ̽ͨd̹̦̹̦ͤ͒̄̐ ͕̪̳̹̘̝̔̾̈́͑ͧ̅̓ͅt̖̮̗̟̺h͎͖͑́ͮ̓ó͎̯͕̝̹͇́ͬͪ̄̇̚ȕ̜̩͈͙̹ͤ ̼͋̅̎̀́a̟̹͕̗ͥ̍̈́r̮͂ͯͩ̆ͪ͂t̺̝͕̱̫ͅ ̫̤͉̪̤͖͍͑̆͋I͇̞̺̭͕͈͗̿ͣ̇͋̽.̓̆ͦ̌.̜̠̺̩̃ͥ͊.̼̪͎̦̍
̠̟̪̙̤̣ͅT͆̋͆̒ͥ̏h̻̞̗̑̓̇̌ͭ̓̚a͔̗̥ͮͅt̹͉͚̠̰ ͙͔̳ͣͅͅi̯̲̔ͅs͙̬͕͋ͫ̉ͮ̄ ̜̦̟̘̼̱̟̏̃́ͮn͉̞̦͈͚͌ͨŏ̼̥̙̥̟͇͒̅ͩ̔͑̍t̠ ̜̦̾͗ͭ̄d͙͇͌̂ͩ̓̒͑͊ẻ̚a̯̦͙̼̣͔̒̄̈́d̤̣̟̙̥̦ ̙̪̪̂̈̉ͩ̑ͭ̓w̰͎͙̲̤̦h̰̠̦ͮ͒̂̈́̌͊ͬi̘̇̈c̖̤̦̣̒ͪͅh̘̳ͩ̏̇͋ͭͦ ͇͎̉͐͑c͔̣̣̯̖͔͐ͤ͊ͅā̳ͫ̌ͯͩͫn͕ ̦̟̱̯͚̭̌̂ͅẽ͎̯̺̃ͤ̾̚t̜̆̏͋̉̇̍͌e̤̲͇̅̉́ͨr̺͕ͬ͊̀n͖̤͖̻͕̓̅ͩͅă̊ͮl̼̜̯ ̳̞̤̟̠̳̒͂̾ͥͅl͉͇̞͉̺͍̗͑i͆ë͇̻̹̰͖̗̒ͪ̓̄ͦͩͅ,̥̩̹ͬ͛͂͗ͧ
̖̇̉ͅẠ̫̝͒n̙͖̤͙̟̮͂̋́̽̆ͩd̥̹̯̳͎̆̽͋ͩ̈́̾̚ ͖̪̼̦ͮͪw͓̜̙̤̗̹̐ͥͪͤḯ̼̎t̻̪̬̘̯h̬̩̠͍̰́̂̌̏́̈́ ͔̳͑ͨͮͭs͚̬͚̿̊͆ͫ̈́ͬ͐t͇r̹̦̬̺̳ͩă̞̆͛n̮̤ͩ̋ͫͬg͖͉͙̃̂̎ê̑ ̹̩̫̞ͪͦ̐̎͒̒ͫa̮̻̳e̹͈̙̻̲͋̾́ͧ̊ͅo̟ͭͮͬ̚n̜̮s̭̲͋̊ͦ͌̓ ̹̳̥̘̌̊e̥̬̒̆ͨ̃͗̄̍v̪̥̫̥̥̈͂ͭ̔̏ͤͪe͎̞̓n ̘̭͈͍̋ͨͤ̍̉d̯̘͈̞̝ͦ̓͋̎ͬͮͤe̥͈ͮ̿ạ̾̍̐ͦ͊͊̆t̓ͯh̟̰̮̺͙̓ͮ̊́ ̘͍̘̱̲̺m̳͙̗̤̪̈́̃a͂̏ͦͯy̩͇͔̜̩̪͒ͨ̉͆̉̚ ͔͚̝̟͈̟̩ͦ̄ͤ͒͂̒̚d̲̜̉̋ͯ̓̐i̻̖̫̤̭ͫ̃̋̂ͭͬ̂e̝̦̮͖̼̽ͭ͛̍̈́ͫͫ.̻͇̹͎̓ͨ̂̋̆̽̃

...You want to run that by me again? [With that, the figure vanishes and the video cuts out.]

[...And turns on just after the Dark Hour ends, voluntarily this time. Rider seems to have taken over a couch in a house someone will find familiar (hi Waver~). She's got a cigar in her mouth and is smoking like a goddamn chimney.]

That was pretty different. Never had an octopus help me in a fight before.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Suppose so. Wouldn't mind knowing just what it was saying, though.

There is always a chance of it eventually growing annoyed by the lack of understanding and deciding to speak slower.

[Not that she believes it would happen. It's just funny.]

Somehow I doubt that'll happen.

Then, as long as it fights and helps, there shouldn't be much issue, right?

Guess so. I can't say I care as long as it's useful.

Sounds reasonable.

Can I ask if you know anything about the fancy monsters?

Not the slightest thing, save for their name. 'Shadows', I hear they're called.

Is everyone as informed as we are?

Haven't bothered asking.

That's inconvenient. I should just ask everyone.

⚓ 003; [video]

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