LoopyPanda
Black Jacket
Berserk snorted a laugh in response to Avalon, as she found it endearing neither he or Zenta knew much about the terms. "Well see, Earthling just means people who live on the planet Earth! I guess you guys didn't live on it in your old universes. Lots of humans come from Earth, but MY Earth has non-humans on it; aliens are just whatever beings come from other planets in outer space," she explained before trailing off into her own set of rhetorical questions. "Hmm.. but if we all came to a separate realm from our home universes, are WE the aliens or are we 'Vortexlings'?"
"Well, I'm certainly no alien even if I went around touring through worlds as my hobby. Angels, demons, and witches are too connected to the world of humans to have a label like that." Bern said before glancing back towards Nia, her brows raising somewhat at her complete lack of hesitation. "Color me surprised. And here I thought it wouldn't be nearly that easy given our track record of running across unruly strangers," Bernkastel quipped cynically before bending down to reach for the Coins.
When Nia cut herself off mid-sentence, however, Bern was startled by the sudden appearance of cracks and fissures around them.
"Guys, watch out! The ground--!"
"?!" Eyes widening, she got into a defensive stance as Berserk shouted a warning to the others to watch out. "An ambush from below?!" Bern clenched her fists as she prepared to start another round of battle, raising an arm just as the ground crumbled away-- yet there weren't any Xy'pher hordes doing it. Just as it happened she felt herself being picked up by a force and started to kick the air like a child fruitlessly. "So my hunch was right! You'd better put me down unless you want to get a beat... down...?" she stopped thrashing once her eyes caught that the only things down below were those Coin Gremlins again. Bern watched them be lifted up into the air, silent as Nia brought the creatures close to her.
"Gah! Those little creeps are everywhere like little roaches. I don't feel bad stepping on your other buddies, ya boogers!" Berserk grimaced at them floating past, holding down her skirt with a free hand. "Good riddance!" she said as Nia crushed them mercilessly into powder. The Powerpunk remained afloat once Nia released them, crossing her arms. "Well, it'd be bad if those got stolen, but warn us next time before you handle my person like that wouldja?"
Bernkastel wasted no time in gathering the Coins once she landed, dusting off her knees before bringing the small coin pile close to Spina and Bage to inspect. "It's all there, with bonus. To think there exists Xy'phers stronger than those Berserker Elites..." listening to the rest of Nia's story, she did not give Zenta an immediate answer as she seemed to be pondering things over with a slightly puzzled expression. "She has followed my demand to the letter without hesitance. It's hard to suspect she is a spy given how painfully honest she's been with us about the Xy'phers as a species, and killing her own kind with nothing happening to her makes a good case she is fully independent of the King now. But making peace with possibly ceasing to exist following the Red King's defeat... all as part of her own free will?" Bern furrowed her brows, unable to comprehend that aspect on a personal level of Nia's character rather than a point of suspicion.
Looking at the others, she gave her firm answer. "With that sort of Xy'pher around, it would be best if we kept Nia close. An enemy of an enemy is our ally, as they say."
"I also vote we get the heck out of here. Nia can be our radar for any more Xy'phers." Berserk agreed. "It'll also give us a chance to recover our strength while we think up a plan."
"Well, I'm certainly no alien even if I went around touring through worlds as my hobby. Angels, demons, and witches are too connected to the world of humans to have a label like that." Bern said before glancing back towards Nia, her brows raising somewhat at her complete lack of hesitation. "Color me surprised. And here I thought it wouldn't be nearly that easy given our track record of running across unruly strangers," Bernkastel quipped cynically before bending down to reach for the Coins.
When Nia cut herself off mid-sentence, however, Bern was startled by the sudden appearance of cracks and fissures around them.
"Guys, watch out! The ground--!"
"?!" Eyes widening, she got into a defensive stance as Berserk shouted a warning to the others to watch out. "An ambush from below?!" Bern clenched her fists as she prepared to start another round of battle, raising an arm just as the ground crumbled away-- yet there weren't any Xy'pher hordes doing it. Just as it happened she felt herself being picked up by a force and started to kick the air like a child fruitlessly. "So my hunch was right! You'd better put me down unless you want to get a beat... down...?" she stopped thrashing once her eyes caught that the only things down below were those Coin Gremlins again. Bern watched them be lifted up into the air, silent as Nia brought the creatures close to her.
"Gah! Those little creeps are everywhere like little roaches. I don't feel bad stepping on your other buddies, ya boogers!" Berserk grimaced at them floating past, holding down her skirt with a free hand. "Good riddance!" she said as Nia crushed them mercilessly into powder. The Powerpunk remained afloat once Nia released them, crossing her arms. "Well, it'd be bad if those got stolen, but warn us next time before you handle my person like that wouldja?"
Bernkastel wasted no time in gathering the Coins once she landed, dusting off her knees before bringing the small coin pile close to Spina and Bage to inspect. "It's all there, with bonus. To think there exists Xy'phers stronger than those Berserker Elites..." listening to the rest of Nia's story, she did not give Zenta an immediate answer as she seemed to be pondering things over with a slightly puzzled expression. "She has followed my demand to the letter without hesitance. It's hard to suspect she is a spy given how painfully honest she's been with us about the Xy'phers as a species, and killing her own kind with nothing happening to her makes a good case she is fully independent of the King now. But making peace with possibly ceasing to exist following the Red King's defeat... all as part of her own free will?" Bern furrowed her brows, unable to comprehend that aspect on a personal level of Nia's character rather than a point of suspicion.
Looking at the others, she gave her firm answer. "With that sort of Xy'pher around, it would be best if we kept Nia close. An enemy of an enemy is our ally, as they say."
"I also vote we get the heck out of here. Nia can be our radar for any more Xy'phers." Berserk agreed. "It'll also give us a chance to recover our strength while we think up a plan."