With Mars's retort, Bellatrix wondered if this was how the rest of the quest was going to be like - just the two of them bickering back and forth. Very conducive to the more important things, of course. She tightened her grip on the Murzim Spear, but took in a deep breath to calm her rising agitation.

Luckily, Shadow remained quiet for now, and that allowed Bellatrix to focus better on the task at hand.

Bickering allies would have to be dealt with when the group was not in the thick of battle. And preferably without a blazing forest at their backs.

She heard the sounds of the others attacking, and so she moved forward with Shadow, letting him take the first one. She moved to the second one, striking out with her golden spear at the fleshy body of the spider.

Sailor Callisto

Callisto looked back st the rising smoke coming off the forest, and then stepped off the boat. The fire was concerning, but it wasn't an immediate threat.

She didn't verbally respond to Sedna's question or Andromeda's statement, but nodded slightly. She didn't quite feel up for talking at the moment, telepathic or not.

They had a gate to pass through anyway, there was no time for sore emotions.

Battle wrote:

12 Shadow kills spider 8!

12  Bellatrix kills spider 9!
4  Leviathan uses Leviathan Illusion (4MP)!
The spiders cower!

Battle Round One: 
13  Mars 
12  Mercury Did it hit? +1 for allies
12 Shadow EXP for killing spider 8
12  Bellatrix
5 3 Spider 5 Shabon Spray Freezing: DEX -2 Bound by Ofuda
5 3 Spider 6 Shabon Spray Freezing: DEX -2 Bound by Ofuda
5 3 Spider 7 Shabon Spray Freezing: DEX -2 Bound by Ofuda
5 3 Spider 8 Shabon Spray Freezing: DEX -2
5 3 Spider 9 Shabon Spray Freezing: DEX -2 cowering
4  Leviathan

Forest Map


EXP Battle 1 and 2
Shadow gains 20 exp!
Shadow has 27/30 towards lvl 3

Bellatrix gains 10 exp!
Bellatrix levels up!
Bellatrix has 0/20 exp towards level 2
The spiders taken care of, the party moves on! The forest seems to end suddenly ahead!

Perception check!
Mercury, Mars, and Shadow notice the abrupt end of the forest and can slow!
Leviathan rolls a 3! She doesn't notice that the forest ends abruptly!
Bellatrix fails the perception check! She doesn't notice the forest ends abruptly!

Quote :

Though they could not see much through the closed gates or the spaces between the decorative trees, above them they could see the spires of Galactica Palace looming. The air around them was still and oppressive, with barely a breeze...

EXP
Achelois gains 43 EXP for healing Sedna and Callisto
Achelois levels up! Achelois is level 9!
Achelois has 25/100 exp towards level 10!

As everyone disembarked, Andromeda continued walking forward, an unexplained sense of urgency pushing her on. She didn’t know if there was a way to restore her memories in this cursed place, but she would try to search every corner if need be. Though that was less important than getting to the palace, which was Achelois’ destination. It loomed so close before them now.

She moved toward the gates and carefully tried to push (or pull) them open.

Finally having set foot on ground, Achelois glanced back to the other side where Wigglebottoms had been staring earlier.  It seemed a few others had noticed the fire as well.  She didn't know and she didn't care who had set the fire or why.  However she did turn to Wigglebottoms and ask them to keep an eye out as she looked forward to the gate, they didn't what to expect in this place so they need to keep their guard up.  

She noticed now that Andromeda was opening the gate.  The blonde's hair gently moved in the wind as she rushed forward, a warning on her lips.  

"We don't know what's next, let me go first, that way..." That way what?  Really she just didn't want Andromeda in any more danger than she was already in.  "Watch my back if you will."  Then Achelois pushed the gate open, readying herself with her staff for what lay on the other side.

When Achelois stopped her, Andromeda nodded, grateful the healer was taking the lead again. Right now she felt like the only person she could trust was Achelois. Everyone else was near strangers, though she made a mental note to watch out for Nocturnus as well since Achelois had said they usually watched out for each other.

She stepped back and positioned herself behind Achelois as the latter went through the gate, looking around to spot any incoming danger should they presented themselves.

She balanced carefully as she stepped off the boat and onto the ethereal dock, and finally back on solid land. Per Achelois's instructions, Snake immediately turned her gaze back across the water as Dragon and Ram took their respective sides, Ram's eyes narrowing suspiciously. 

Quote :

With an effort the gate swung open, but, at nearly 90° from its original position, it hit something hard and rocky, the sound reverberating through the air and the black steel so that it vibrated in Achelois's hand. The sight before them struck different cords, as a graveyard spread out before them, the path they traveled nearly lost in the overcrowding of headstones. So many graves... and the majority were without weathering, the etched faces of deceased Senshi still crisp and clear on the grave markers. 

Just how many senshi had died in this war...?

As they entered, they would notice that the graves varied in size, from small - barely knee-high - to the few spires that could easily stand a story tall. If they looked closer, they could see not only the faces of these dead heroines, but their names, etched in small letters in the rock, the first thing to be eroded when weathering started. 

The overwhelming majority of headstones were small, the faces etched thereupon were young, and undoubtedly untested before their time had come. 

As they travel the path, they will pass several headstones, small and large; if they choose to investigate, the names of fallen senshi will be shared.

Sailor Mercury

The plan worked flawlessly, and any spiders that werent incinerated by Mars's flames were slaughtered by Bellatrix and Shadow, or scared off by Leviathan. Up ahead, she could see the forest ending. But there was something else ahead as well...

Her eyes widened when she recognized the familiar sound of water.

"There's a river just up ahead!" Mercury exclaimed, before slowing down. She hadn't expected it to be so close by...

The spider fell quickly to her spear, and after checking to see that everyone else was okay and that all of the enemies had been defeated, the group continued forward. There was a sense of urgency - get out of the forest, once and for all. Bellatrix had never thought much one way or another about forest scenery, but she was beginning to hate it. Too crowded, and the overgrown plants limited movement. It would be good to move on.

As she continued to run, Bellatrix heard Mercury say something, but it didn't register until a few moments later.

What? A river? Could it be the same one Leviathan described earlier?

First her mind went to Cocoa Puffs - she had always loved that cereal - but then she thought of her mother's face and her chest tightened.

Bellatrix tried to slow her steps, but her momentum was too great and the river she only now saw was coming at her too fast.

Sailor Leviathan likely would have ran straight into the river had it not been for the guidance of Sailor Mercury. It seemed even she couldn't see past her illusion and nearly fell in a terrible tumble. She attempted to slide to a stop as she called out.

"River? Be careful! That's likely the River of Oblivion or Memories... depending on how lucky we are! If you see anybody there, it could be Sailor Lethe or Sailor Mnemosyne or someone else I used to know! If I talk to them, we probably won't have any issues!"

Shadow especially might notice that Leviathan wasn't looking so happy anymore. There was still a radiance of confidence about her, but she looked somber and bitter. There was something she was hiding, but she wasn't being her usual deceitful self.

Sailor Nocturnus kept close to Andromeda and Achelois, although well behind them just in case, and she shuddered at the noise when the gates swung open. And then she saw what lay beyond.

Her dark eyes widened; her mouth opened in a silent gasp.

How many lay silent here? The child's gaze swept over the field of headstones, all varied in appearance and intricacy. Yet they shared one thing in common—the stone-eyed faces that stared blankly forward, a vision of the sailor soldiers who had once been. Instinctively, Nocturnus shifted even closer to Achelois, searching for some form of comfort when faced with this deeply disturbing scene.

She feared what she might see here: the grave marker of a friend and ally. A monument so much more somber than that from the square on the planet Enyalius.

She did her best to hide her trembling, squeezing her hands together to keep the motion contained. Sailor Nocturnus was ready to face it, to move forward, but she couldn't be the one to take the first step. Not on this hallowed and terrible ground.

She flinched at the loud clang, wondering what the gate had hit. However, what awaited before them quickly caught her attention. Graves upon graves lined in front of her eyes, with the faces of its inhabitants etched upon them. A chill crept along her spine as she looked at them. Had they all died here? Would this place became their grave, as well? What did it mean that some were smaller and others taller? Did that have something to do with their accomplishments? How long they’d been around? The shine of their light?

She was struck by how young-looking most of them were. So many of them dying before their time. Like Nerida… It was unfair that most senshi didn’t get a learning curve, but rather simply thrust into a battle sometimes even without time to train. Sometimes without anyone to guide them.

She glanced at Nocturnus, wondering why she was here in this dangerous place, and shivering at the thought that they could lose someone so young here.

She couldn’t help the curiosity; as she walked, she leaned toward a few, wanting to see the names and dreading them at the same time in case she recognized any.

Moving further out of the forest, Shadow was ready to put the entire mess behind him and get back to their original task. The five of them had been encouraged to hurry, due to the danger of the spiders and the spreading flames. There was no gradual slope towards the river, either; a sharp embankment separated the trees from the dreadful water.

Fortunately, he was able to spot the drop before his forward motion could carry him into the body of water. Sailor Bellatrix was not so fortunate; to her credit, it was an easy danger to miss in the context of their recent exploits. If this was that same river which destroyed memories from something so meager as physical contact, then Shadow didn't have much time to act.

Spoiler:

Achelois felt the vibrations from the gate flow through her hand, for a second she gripped harder at the metal before letting go.  Taking a few cautionary steps forward she found her vision filled with headstones; big ones, small ones, all inscribed with names and likeness of the fallen senshi.  She kept moving through the barely noticeable path, her eyes sweeping from side to side as she glanced at the graves.  She gripped her staff so hard her knuckles were pale, if he had't interfered at the last second, then both she and Enya would be resting here.  

It was his fault that the universe, her world, were so out of balance.  She was going to make him pay for it.  She kept moving forward, it wouldn't do to stop now.

He entered after the others, bowing his head respectfully for a short moment. It was easy to see how young had been most of the deceased, but his curiosity stopped there. He had no intention to know who they were. They were gone. Looking around him, however, Oberon hoped it wouldn't mean his own spirit would have to be buried here, or his wife's. Their bodies and minds, if they died, belonged to their planet. Not this forsaken place. Even if, in all logic, himself wouldn't be considered as a real senshi anyway, but he wasn't quite okay with being separated from his wife just because someone somewhere decided all warriors had to be buried there.

He glanced at Nocturnus before looking back at Achelois, following her lead. He had kept going with them, but what exactly were they here for? Sometimes he didn't think before making a decision and this time was one of them.

Sailor Callisto

Callisto knew exactly what the gates were protecting as soon as it was swung open. This was a graveyard. She trailed behind the rest of their group, eyes jumping from headstone to headstone as she walked. She caught glimpse of carved faces, but she never stared long enough to read the names or try to identify them. She didn't want to recognize someone, if they were here.

The entire experience was scarier than anything she had faced before, in a way. She could fight monsters, but death was an eventuality. All senshi were laid to rest here, and she too would have a headstone someday.

When the others entered the graveyard, so did Nocturnus. She took a deep breath before that first step across the threshold, knowing that what she felt was her own interpretation, but unable to shake that uneasiness nonetheless. Her mind told her to keep her sight on the group, not on the headstones, but she found that impossible to resist. The dark eyes sought out the names and details of the faces as she passed, curiosity prevailing over all. Still, her hands remained clasped together, squeezing her fingers too tightly. This was not a place to touch, both from a fear of setting off a chain of awful events like they had met in the lake and from a sense of respect for the dead. Here the dead vastly outnumbered their meagre group.

DM wrote:

Shadow attempts to catch Bellatrix!
Placement Check: Passed
Speed Check: Passed
Did he manage to grab her in time?
--4!
Shadow manages to catch Bellatrix's hand before she could go over the edge!

The forest stopped abruptly before them, and Mars slowed, not wanting to rush out into the unknown. Her eyes trailed on Bellatrix, who showed no sign of stopping, and her anxiety spiked - she hadn't noticed the edge. Shadow managed to grab her at the last minute, and Mars relased that stressor; they didn't have to fish anyone out of a River of Forgetfulness just yet. 

Cautiously she stepped out of the cover of the trees and looked down either bank until she spotted a figure by a tree and a dock, 100 or so meters away. "Mercury," she voiced, keeping her eyes on the figure, looking for an explanation from the readings of Mercury's computer. She was getting a bad, dangerous vibe off of whomever it was, but if there were a dock there would be a boat, and they needed to get across this river. 

Mercury's Computer:

Quote :

On the headstones Andromeda passed, she could make out the following Senshi names:

Thetis

Cairn

Logos

The last of these were taller than the first two, reaching her waist. 

On the headstones Nocturnus passed, she could make out the following Senshi names:

Eretria
Falken
Coriender
Juliena

The first two were of the same, small size; the third was at her shoulders, and the fourth at her waist.

Ahead of them, just off the path, stood a monolith that was nearly twice her height.

They continued to move through the eerily-silent graveyard; however, despite the appearance of being alone in the stone-studded area, they would hear a scraping sound - like metal on stone - but when they looked to check it out, there was nothing there.

Sailor Leviathan's eyes widened when she got a glimpse of the water. Something was wrong here. This place was far more different than it had been when she had pledged her service here a thousand years ago. Was this the work of the unknown enemy or had the natural order of things changed this place into something different?

"Wait... why is this river made of water?" she asked the group as though looking for some kind of answer. "The Rivers of Oblivion and Memories were made of sand, not water... at least, most of the time they were made of sand until Sailor Lethe and Sailor Mnemosyne wanted to have some fun. For them to be water now... this doesn't make any sense."

She stepped forward and waved her hand toward, as though addressing a receptionist at an office. Once again, Leviathan's tone was terribly casual, not alluding at all to the dire mission at hand.

"Excuse me, um... excuse me. I'm Sailor Leviathan. I used to work here, coming by for a visit and all. I used to be called Sailor Platinum Dragon at the time. Anyway, we need to get across this river and we were hoping you might know the best way. But more importantly, is this the River of Oblivion, Memories or something else? It looks... different."

Was this Lethe, Mnemosyne or someone else?

At Mars' prompting, Mercury directed her computer to the lone figure waiting by the dock. She blinked in surprise at the results. This had to be incorrect, but...

Before she could tell Mars what she had learned, Leviathan moved to speak with the figure.

"Leviathan, whoever that is, they're not alive!" She warned. "Or at least they shouldn't be. Something is possessing her."

She felt a small relief when she failed to recognize any of the names she’d seen. Focusing back on the surroundings, she continued moving forward, every muscle in her body tense like a coiled spring, waiting for something to jump out at them.

When she heard the scraping sound, she turned toward the direction it seemed to come from, only to find nothing.

< Try to stay close and be on guard, > she told the group in general, anxious for them to be out of here.

As she passed the tall monolith, still remaining on the path, Andromeda’s gaze traveled along it, searching for some kind of identification on why this headstone—if that was indeed one—was so much bigger than the others she’d seen earlier.

Bellatrix closed her eyes at the anticipated splash of cold water - but a strong grip grabbed her hand, and Bellatrix's momentum forward was yanked back. She stumbled a little, but regained her footing before she fell completely down, her heart racing.

She glanced over at her savior, and saw Shadow standing next to her. A blush bloomed unbidden across her cheeks, though she wasn't entirely certain why. Bellatrix swallowed down the burst of anxiety and let out a small breath of air, trying to calm herself. "Th-thank you," she said. She managed a shaky smile - it felt inadequate as a way of thanks, but at the moment, she didn't know what else to say or do. Maybe after all of this was over, she could buy him a beer or something.

Leviathan's voice caught Bellatrix's attention. She seemed almost as though she were talking to herself, before she started moving forwards towards the figure standing on a dock some distance away. Not wanting to leave Leviathan alone, Bellatrix glanced once more to Shadow, before following Leviathan to the dock, and the stranger.  

After taking a few steps, Mercury's warning about the figure rang out. Possessed? Frowning, Bellatrix quickened her steps to catch up to Leviathan.

His wings shuddered in their beating at the sound, but nothing could be seen around them. They were supposedly alone but then again when was anything this easy? His lips formed words as he silently used Oberon Shields around his companions. Better safe than sorry.

Not alive? 

Possessed. She tried to see the spirit, but she could make nothing out behind the cloaked and hooded figure but the slightest of shadows that blurred its edges minimally. Whatever it was, it was good at hiding itself the way it did. She watched the figure with suspicion as they approached, following Leviathan's lead. One wrong move, and she'd have a burning mandala ready to hit this creep. 

Quote :

The Ferrywoman turned its body to Leviathan, most of her face hidden by the cowl of her cloak. She waited for Leviathan to finish, and then, ignoring her questions but taking in the group around her, asked, "Do you wish to cross?"

---

Quote :

Oberon uses Oberon Shields (10 MP) on the party!
How much damage blocked?
--4
--6
----10 points damage buff on each member of the group.

---

Andromeda searches the large gravemarker but is unable to determine to whom it belonged until she fully passed it, and was able to see it from the side facing Galactica Castle...

Venus

The beautiful face of Sailor Venus, leader of the Guardian Senshi of the Solar System, was etched into the stone.

Sailor Leviathan's eyes widened when Sailor Mercury warned her that the ferry woman was undead or possessed. She went to take a step back on the docks, but stopped when she realized she had faced much worse than the undead in her time as a sailor soldier.

She gulped and maintained her stance, almost daring the ferry woman to take and take some action against her.

"I don't need to drink from this river to know that it's the River of Oblivion or something worse. I know this act. It's the exact same act Sailor Lethe used to pull to get suckers into the boat with her. But Sailor Lethe is dead now, just like you apparently, and I hope you really are her because if you're not, this is a sorry imitation."

She waved her hand around, producing a magical spark of light, appearing as though to summon something. In reality, it was Leviathan Illusion. She simply created the image of what looked like a fancy speedboat rising out of the river. The soldier of illusion grinned menacingly.

"What would you say if I said we already had a ticket to ride, just not yours? Would that make you upset?"

She was teasing her now, trying to bait the ferry woman into showing her true colors. Either Leviathan seemed like an idiot or she wanted the ferry woman to try and do something to her.

Quote :

The ferry woman turned her attention away from Leviathan and, with the slightest of coy smiles, said, "Then be on your way, " her tone calm with quiet confidence.

Sailor Leviathan's face slowly turned toward the group. She sighed and gave off perhaps the most frustrated expression she had ever given. For once, Leviathan was outclassed in overall annoyance.

"She's good," she admitted.

She hated people like this. Not only did people like these appear as her enemies, but as her companions as well. She couldn't stand those with boring personalities who answered zero questions and only cared about themselves and their own causes. She always thought of them as those with overblown egos, even more overblown than her own.

With a wave of her hand, she made the image disappear and sighed again. The look of dread came over her face once more. In order to cross this river, they were going to have to give something up... and for the sake of the universe, Sailor Leviathan prayed the ferry woman was simply a force of nature and not allied with whatever dark enemy they were facing. Then, maybe then... Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Bellatrix and Shadow could win where the team ahead of them would fail or have already failed. For all Leviathan knew, their corpses were deep in the river, drowned by their own hubris. Sailor Leviathan hated Neo Queen Serenity's dream team (as she called them), but she knew she had to put her faith in them for the sake of the universe.

"If this river's managed the same way it had been when I worked here, I know there's a price for crossing. Would this do?"

She reached into her pocket and drew a folded note that had appeared prepared specifically for this moment. She held it out to the ferry woman.

OOC:

Quote :

The ferry woman held out her to hand to accept the note; once given to her, she opened it single-handedly and read it.

"You're welcome," Shadow briefly as Bellatrix recovered her balance through his intervention. Though she had blushed, he interpreted that as just a minor embarrassment. He was more guarded with his own feelings (or was attempting to look the part), but had also displayed enough concern to keep her out of the strange waters of which Leviathan made an ominous warning.

Come to think of it, from the last glimpse he had garnered from the senshi of glamours, she was rather sullen. Bellatrix must have been concerned with Leviathan's wellbeing, for she moved to catch up to the redhead after a brief glance back towards himself. Mercury's warning served to remind Shadow that he would have to keep his guard raised at all times. This treacherous star had all the makings of a honey trap, yet the only way out of the danger was to continue forward..

"What's the catch?" Shadow asked as he approached Leviathan and the ferrywoman.

She didn’t really understand the feeling of ice running through her veins until she came face to face with the name etched on that tall monolith. Andromeda froze, her shock probably reverberating through the link to Oberon, which would certainly tell him something was wrong. She stared at the letters, rereading it again and again, wondering if her brain was playing tricks on her or if this place was. Maybe it wasn’t real. Maybe it was an illusion. Or maybe someone was trying to mess with their heads.

Her gaze fell onto the face below the name, unmistakably the one she recognized from Zenar when they shared a mission to save the Chaos-infected planet. There was no way this was another Venus—not that the possibility ever had any chance of being true anyway, not really.

Sailor Venus was the leader of the solar system senshi. Maybe she wasn’t the strongest or the smartest, but she was… she was the one who was always several steps ahead. To have her of all people die, defeated… Someone with at least a millennia of experience, Neo Queen Serenity’s head guardian…

What chance did the rest of them have?

She stepped back, her hands trembling a little.

< It’s Venus, > she said simply to the others. < Her grave is here. >