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Post by He Who Eats Bears on Feb 18, 2015 20:25:49 GMT
Shirokawa was playing with the scenario again, damnit.
Cee stood in the middle of the bar, watching the antics of the Yggdrasil Crewmen with a definite tic in one eyebrow. These hoodlums were supposed to be her allies today? They couldn’t stop getting blasted long enough to pull their pants back up after a bathroom break! Literally – Crim wasn’t even wearing pants anymore! She didn’t even know where he’d left them, and she could’ve gone her entire life without knowing that Crim El Furaga wore Criminal Frog-brand frog-print boxers! For fuck’s sake, the man had managed to find a seedy bar and get himself wasted in less than fifteen goddamn minutes! It was almost as bad as -
Cee’s train of thought was broken for a moment when an unexpected face showed itself in the bar, sauntering in without a care in the world into the local hooch-hole Crim had sniffed out with the breathtaking speed and flawless accuracy of a lifelong fuckin’ drunken wreck. Vincent Fiorelli, a man sometimes referred to as the ‘Red Magister’, and someone marked for swift and immediate death on Cee’s Permanent Shit List for the unforgiveable crime of some, some way, knowing the full name Crim had inflicted on her way back when, on the day of her activation aboard the long-destroyed Virtue of Order.
The android’s gaze narrowed fiercely as Vincent wandered in, sitting down at the bar – mercifully a few stools away from Pantsless Crim and Josh the Yoyo Drunk – and ordered something less obnoxious than either of those unmentionables had bothered with. Taking a swig of the drink, the mage turned on his stool to face Cee with a nod of greeting.
“And here I thought you’d end up bringing Esper along. Vacations like these, you just have to enjoy with some good company, Chrissy,” he said. The next thing he knew, his shot glass and the drink it had contained was scattered in heated fragments around the bar and he was staring down the barrel of Gunsmoke, Cee’s revolver, while wisps of actual gun smoke drifted from the weapon’s bore. No one human would’ve even seen Cee move; the terrifying speed of her draw beggared the ordinary man’s imagination and put many of the lightning Iaido swordmasters loitering around Ashrum and Bablyon to shame.
“My name is Cee,” she said quite simply to the Magister, right before some loudmouthed asshole and his personal cheer squad set up a tremendous racket right outside the bar, causing even more damage than Josh’s seismic belch had earlier. The barkeep, somehow, just kept polishing mugs throughout all this racket, somehow taking no notice of pantsless assholes drinking all his stock, gunfire in his bar, or some kinda circus-sideshow freak troupe standing outside the bar trying to start a riot.
“Hold that thought,” Cee snapped at Vincent right before he could quite finish realizing that he’d picked a rotten fuckin’ day to test Cee’s patience. Shoving Gunsmoke back into its holster for a moment, Cee stalked over to Josh and snatched him up by the waistband of his pants with her crimson-gloved right hand. The Twin Heaven Rune on that hand pulsed once, a minor healing spell washing through Josh and cleansing him of the effects of the gallon or so of awful rotgut he’d been busy trying to rot his guts with. Before the ether-slinger could start complaining, Cee tossed him lightly up into the air and said, “Be a gentleman and open the door for me, would you?”
Then a sturdy, shield-like shell of Godforged power formed around Josh, trapping him like a hamster in a ball for a few moments as Cee hopped lightly into the air. Her Archangel’s Halo snapped open, holding her aloft as she spun once…twice…
On her third revolution, her right leg snapped out, a sharp supersonic crack! of displaced air sounding as the roundhouse kick impacted against the Super Ninja Ball with all the force of a railcannon shot, blasting it through the front wall of Crim’s Seedy Bar like a gigantic cannonball. A cannon bowling ball, in fact – one aimed to score a clean strike against the collection of pin(-headed nastie)s raising such a caterwaul outside the bar. Right when the Super Ninja Ball was just past their formation, Cee detonated its shell, sending a heavy shockwave of raw force out to batter anyone who’d avoided being crushed by the Ninja Ball on its barreling way through them. The blast expanded from the original armored shell of the Super Ninja Ball, leaving Josh himself largely unharmed if also possible somewhat disoriented by being roundhouse-kicked through a bar front with the force of a naval gun, but the creepy-crawlies caught in the explosion would not likely fare nearly as well.
By now Dias Blade had long since gone out and done his bit, ignoring the Creeper Squad quite thoroughly, secure in the knowledge that the loudmouths were no real danger to him or his. Cee was fine with that. She was particularly well-suited to dealing with the goon that looked to be the leader of the Goon Club, some dickhat in a red coat with a couple of oversized handcannons. He was the source of the corrosive fog that surrounded the group, and clearly that fog was a key weapon of his. Matter of fact, Cee remembered that fog…she’d encountered it way back in the day, before her time on Myrria even, on some benighted gorilla-man infested world Crim had stopped at. Soran, yes…that was the name, as she recalled.
That would make these more so-called ‘Val’gara’, then – some sort of spacefaring plaguebearers looking to spread their particular brand of STD across the cosmos. Well, Cee wasn’t having any of that. She’d been built to resist and defeat a corruption far more virulent, far more pervasive, and far more potent than this diddlefuck’s little acid fog. Oh sure, he’d likely be able to degrade any truly long-distance attacks Cee pulled with it, but if he thought for a second that his bank of fartgas was going to defeat the Purity of Purpose instilled in Cee by the Lord of Machines, or even just get past her Ether Field to even take a shot at her directly, he was even dumber than he looked.
And in that hat, he looked pretty g’damned dumb in Cee’s humbly infallible opinion.
“All right, Fartmeister,” Cee said, stalking out of the half-wrecked bar on the heels of her Super Ninja Ball. Gunsmoke was back in her left hand, and on her right arm rested Autochthon’s Bastion. The targe-style shield bolstered Cee’s ether field tremendously, expanding both the area and the power of the protective aura of power shrouding Cee, and was itself as nigh-unbreakable as the smiths On High who had crafted it for Cee could make it. With her Bastion on her arm, her defenses were difficult for even Crim to break, let alone some jumped-up chump like Fartmeister there.
“There’s emissions control laws ‘round these parts, asshole. I’m afraid I’m going to have to put you under citizen’s arrest. Resistance will be met with savage beatings, and your face is ugly enough it counts as resisting arrest all by itself.”
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Post by geraven on Feb 18, 2015 20:39:31 GMT
One minute, the ninja was in the middle of great dream where Cee was naked and blowing him. The next, he’s being shaken awake by said Android. Then he was sober. Like, he didn’t understand. He was finally beating Crim in the drinking contest! “Hey! What the…” Then the Godforged ball surrounded him and the sounds of his disagreement muffled. “…hell d…ya th…k..t..me!?” Spin, spin, spin, CRACK!
The speeds with which the orb moved were high, and of course Josh was pushed against the side of the ball as he flew. And, of course, he almost hurled chunks all over the inside. In fact, as soon as the explosion happened and the ninja was released, he kind of lost his hardiness. The shinobi just had the wherewithal to remain floating in air, and also to upchuck all over the circus troupe that he had been shot at. Projectile, too. Nobody ever saw it coming…
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sole
New Member
Posts: 47
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Post by sole on Feb 19, 2015 7:01:55 GMT
When one refers to legends, one must also refer to myths. The two go entirely hand-in-hand. How much of a legend is truth and how much is fabricated is always hard to determine. Sole had always preferred the mythical route. The problem with the truth is that it is often disheartening and fails to live up to expectations. Yes, Sole preferred the myth. The difference in a legend and a myth is that air of realism. Legends are expected to be based on at least a seed of truth, whereas myths are simply fantastical stories that belong in the realm of fiction. Sole enjoyed his mythical status and the anonymity it allowed him. If no one truly believes in a being or tale it makes the appearance of one that much more impressive.
The stories that involve Sole vary from culture to culture, universe to universe, but one detail seems to always remain: Death. Death is always a constant. True, some organisms live longer than others, but on a long enough timeline the life expectancy of everything is zero.
So a moment to discuss the tales then? There are the groups that confuse him with Hades. A notoriously evil being that collects the immoral when they die and punish them forever. How about the cloaked skeleton that collects the dead and sends them to the great beyond? Spooky that one is. The truth behind the myth is oddly much more complicated and yet incredibly simple. Simply put: There is darkness; lots and lots of darkness.
One thing in the myth that is true: death is neutral. It doesn't play favorites and eventually it comes for everyone, but everyone has a time. That part is important to Sole. Life is finite and precious because of this. No one should be taken before their time. Ironic that "death" appreciates this more than most.
Which brings us to now: New Babylon. The brewing shit storm is bound to cause ridiculous amounts of collateral damage. Deaths that shouldn't occur yet. This could not be overlooked...
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A giant, grey orb of energy floated in the atmosphere above the planet below. Even with the tremendous distance between the orb and the planet waves of energy rhythmically washed over it. In the center of the orb was Sole himself. Always a surprise to those that see him for the first time, no one would picture "death" this way. Sole stood around 6'3" tall with extremely broad shoulders. His lean frame, though extremely taut, looked as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. A wrinkled, black suit covered his frame perfectly with just an inkling of a loosely buttoned, white dress shirt underneath. His face was almost comically angular with three day stubble on his chin and cheeks. Dark, unkempt hair draped over his eyes, which were currently brown.
Out of the corner of one said eye he saw a familiar ship moving through orbit. Nothing like the others that were engaged in a laser light show. No, this was a tiny ship not even equipped with a weapon's system. Honestly, a single look at it would make one wonder how it was even capable of interstellar travel. Nonetheless, it moved through the atmosphere, at it's own pace, headed to the city below. The pilot was so engaged with scans and the defenses of New Babylon that she didn't notice the asteroid in her path.
Sole sighed and mumbled to himself, "Darcy...". If ever there was a woman that didn't listen.
Sole held his hand out and a dark recess opened in front of the asteroid. As the giant rock continued on it's path it faded when it came in contact with the void. No destruction, no magic, simply anti-creation. The cease of existence. When the asteroid disappeared entirely Sole closed the portal and extended his energy field to the small salvage ship to ensure it's safe arrival on New Babylon.
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Darcy was cute to be sure. Short, brown hair pulled into a pony tail that swung from side to side, as she ran to the bar. Her slender frame, pushed her through the city streets at a fair pace for a twenty-something (19 IDIOT!) female. She looked like a running back, the way she dodged people in the streets. At the entrance to the bar, Darcy noticed the mist. She paused for a moment and held her arm out. Grey energy glimmered briefly as she turned her hand over.
Whew! Who else can say they have death as a guardian angel?
Unphased by the mist, Darcy brushed past a group by the door. With a spinmove around a waitress she found who she sought, but before she could reach him a large ball caught her attention. She dropped to the floor before the imminent kick and the ball whizzed over her. Her loose, red belly shirt whipped on her back from the gale created by the kick. She slowly opened one eye, deemed everything safe again and stormed to the red-haired imbecile at the bar.
"Crim! Thank FUCK! We gotta go!"
He looked up and smiled, his arms outstretched, "Darcy! I thought you were dead...wait, are you dead? Where the fawk am I!? Nevermind that. Bring it in. No. No. I'm coming in for the real thing."
As he hugged her Darcy looked away, the stench of alcohol that reeked from Crim nearly gave her a buzz. As the captain continued the embrace and mumbled something into her shoulder Darcy waved at Cee and forced a smile through the smell of rotten, rum-laden garbage that filled her nostrils. She finally pushed away from Crim's drunken embrace.
"Crim. Seriously, we gotta go. Like now we got-Wait. Where the fuck are your pants!? Are you kidding me!?"
Crim let out a ruckus laughter, "That's right kiddo! The party is just getting started!"
Darcy shook her head and took a deep breath, "No. Sole is here. We need to leave."
Crim perked up, even sobered up? Maybe? "Sole! Then the party is just getting started! Good woman! Bring a bottle of your finiest!" A slight pause. "Ishida is paying right?"
Darcy looked on the ground for Crim's pants and shook her head again. "No! Listen! Sole is here, but he isn't "Sole" any minute now he is going to be "The Omega" and trust me when I say we do not want to see how that shit pans out."
Crim began to count the coins on the bar to make sure he could pay for his new bottle. Darcy sighed and prepped for one of her world famous temper tantrums.
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The time had come. The battle below had started. He let out a deep breath, as the energy around him, already at a ridiculous level, heightened a thousand fold. His eyes turned from a radiant, brown to black orbs that swirled in their respective sockets. His voice boomed across the planet below:
"IN 24 EARTHIAN HOURS THIS PLANET WILL CEASE TO EXIST. IS ANYTHING SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU WISH TO BE THERE WHEN THIS HAPPENS? THE COUNTDOWN STARTS NOW!"
And with that another dark recess slowly emerged and began to expand on the outskirts of the planet's atmosphere. A small star was engulfed in the void, it's light faded indefinitely.
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elyk
New Member
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Post by elyk on Feb 20, 2015 13:58:31 GMT
The white haired General of SOLDIER sat there for a few moments taking in all that surrounded him. He seemed to be a bit out of place with his Shin-Ra uniform on especially since even the CEO himself was not in proper attire befitting him. The criminal frog underwear was not standard issue and the boss should have known better to wear it out in public, but he had long since known that Reno does what he wants usually. No the slack ass behavior of the Chairman was not the most obvious flaw in his surroundings, nor was it Josh in some odd clothing that was not his 2nd Class SOLDIER uniform, it was the fact he finally realized he was not in Midgar. Come to think of it he really didn't know any of the people that were here. Suddenly something came over him to inherently trust the surroundings and to just push on as if nothing was wrong.
That is about the time he noticed the femmedroid shoot her gun at the glass of one of the patrons shattering it as if a warning was issued to the man. They must have some grievances between the two for her to issue such a stern warning right in the bar like it was the wild west. Thankfully for the gentleman it seems her attention was diverted to the strange group outside. Of course his attention was slightly directed at them also since the corruption gas was trying to damage the very planet around where they stood and combined with the odd monsters that were trying to brew upwards he almost went to action being the good Advent of the 'stream and all. That was until he could feel that Dias Blade Fella do his shenanigans to try to take care of them himself. He wasn't exactly an ally as his memory recalled the desperate push into Shin-Ra HQ to try to take his head, but that was... uh... that was... Some time ago it doesn't matter! The Azure Swordsman seemed to have it under control and he wasn't about to leave the side of the seemingly incoherent Reno.
The "Fake" blonde(Get it? Android?) seemed to want to get involved with the belch patrol anyway and made it a point to take one of his SOLDIERS...or former SOLDIERS... At any rate Joshy was put into his hamster ball and the Tin can seemed to load up her kung-fu module faster than Neo ever could and sent the ninja crashing through the front wall of the bar with her following out into the street. This transformed the bar from the permanent state of self loathing and ruckus into a dead silence as everyone just stared at each other. Well that is except for Crino there as he just kept smashing his head onto the table.
The silence was broken for a brief moment by something claiming to end the world at the end of the day or some such. Elyk knew it was all bullshit and fluff, but that did not stop the drunken sailors, lowlifes, and ruffians in their drunken stupor to believe every word that was said. Again the silence returned...then..
A MAN IN THE BACK YELLED "EVERYONE ATTACK!"
Ugh..great an all out brawl erupts in the bar, a regular ballroom blitz! The drunks start punching each other, one random guy trys to grab that babbling Darci girl and even though Elyk doesn't know her from Suzi McPhersonsmith he felt obliged to help. He raises from his chair but not a second to quickly as a beer bottle flies just an inch over his head and smashes into the wall behind Crim. Grabbing the arm of the man he forces him to let go of her and pushes him back to the destroyed front window.
"Everyone, Calm down! This is an offical order of the...." His words cut off as he notices that Crim has begun to lick the side of the wall where the beer bottle had crashed. Watching his CEO lapping up the sweet nectar oozing down the sides jarred him for a brief moment, as did the fact those criminal frog boxers were a bit on the short side.
He then knew he had to subdue some of the patrons with force and began to walk deeper into the melee. A rambunctious intoxicated assailant decided it was a good idea to grab a bar stool as a weapon and swing it at the white haired generals head. Silly as it was to swing at him, Elyks goal was still to try to subdue at this point. He dodged the overhead smashing swing, pivoting slightly to the side. But just as he had dodged it he noticed that the man who had his drink shot out from his hand was right behind him and was now in full danger to have a wooden bar stool smashed onto him.
"Whoops! Sorry about that! It's just a bit crazy in here!" He could only offer his apologies to the man he has never met before. Yet at the same time he got an uneasy feeling about him, an overall feeling of ill intent coming from his very being. Being this attuned to the stream is both a gift and a curse and hopefully it was just a leftover gut reaction from the scene of the brave little toaster going all wild bill on his drink. Nah...he could tell he was bad news and was going to keep a specific note on him in all the craziness that was sure to unfold.
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Post by Flarhgunnstow MacGrarfileld on Feb 21, 2015 0:20:12 GMT
{ BGM: "Dark Suits"}
At some point during the uproar, Crim's pants found their way back onto his person. Nobody saw how or when, but it's not like it really mattered, since they were just pants. There was a glimmer in the redhead's eye though - a potentially familiar glimmer to those who knew him well. It foretold of mayhem, and copious amounts of it. And while the brawl continued to rage around him, he seemed eerily calm all of a sudden as he sat down among the chaos and took a swig from a bottle that, moments earlier, had not been there. Anyone who cared enough to examine the bottle closely would have noted that this particular type of alcohol isn't even sold at this particular establishment. Which meant that Crim had either brought it along himself...or he had somehow left and retrieved it from elsewhere without anyone noticing. ...just how had he put those pants on so quickly anyway? He drank some more, seemingly in his own little world. So relaxed, so calm...everything moving at a snail's pace. "Aaaahhh..." he inhaled deeply. The rhythmic sound of metal on metal was largely drowned out by the surrounding noise as the Captain slowly tapped a telescopic rod against the side of his bar stool. ...magnolias.
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Post by Killiak on Feb 21, 2015 1:14:49 GMT
{BGM: "Nerve Rack"}The general perspective of the bar was that the overall situation had escalated quickly. Ishida's questions fell on deaf ears, but in all honesty the guy didn't care what the answers were in the first place. From outside of the establishment came all manners of nonsense. Ranging from some dude shouting meaningless jibberish to laser beams being reflected all over the place, all the noise made the place feel like it was literally going to come crashing down over their skulls. Ishida, loved it. The noise. The chaos and mayhem. All of it was like music to his ears. When the brawl broke out, all Ishida could do was roar with laughter. Standing hunched over the bar, forearms propped against the top, he began tapping his right toe against the floor. Were anyone happening to pay it any mind, they'd manage to pick up on the rhythm. Maybe, anyway. The Super Demon felt right at home, a grin painted across his face even as he continued to indulge in his bourbon. When a stool crashed into the nearest table, knocking it and the assortment of glasses to the floor to helplessly shatter, Ishida set his glass down. "I'm so not paying for any of this! But keep it up boys! Hahaha!" Finishing off his current glass, Ishida turned around to face the room, keeping his body lazily leaned against the counter. His left hand was closing and opening repeatedly in and out of a balled fist.... A few seconds later, the guy's delightful grin faded, drawing to a rather blank expression. Given his natural features, he appeared to be scowling, seemingly pissed off with no available explanation. His nose twitched, more a guise than anything worth mentioning. He began to smell blood as the patrons bashed each other around. "Mmmm...well, we could certainly use more of that." His hand that happened to be closed when the thought crossed his mind suddenly opened and stayed that way. The interior space of the bar froze for less than a nanosecond, sort of like an old glitchy VHS well past its prime. In that particular moment, approximately fifty slivvers of crimson stained metal no larger than standard sheets of paper was wide and a playing card was long flooded the room, each one administering a glancing cut to a different occupant in the room except for those in his crew (which included Darcy) and the one he'd overheard that went by the name Vincent. The patrons were none the wiser, the slivvers vanishing without a trace after administering their cuts. Their brawl continued and Ishida reached over with his right arm, poured himself another glass, raised it in a non-chalant toast toward Crim, and tossed it down the hatch in one go. Holding the empty glass in front of his mouth, a devious grin slowly spread over the Super Demon's face.
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Post by Hero on Feb 22, 2015 18:02:57 GMT
Adell Illiandes Laemington defied expectation and was a hypocritical, belligerent, and condescending sage of the spoken word and mountainous dragon fist. Still, time and time again he had proven that his arrogance was backed by sound legitimacy. Every battle, whether through victory, or defeat, gave him invaluable experience that only furthered his longevity despite being one who craved the battlefield. This, however, was personal. There was no business related motivation behind Adell's own arrival outside of settling the score between him and the one foolish enough to turn their back on him - only to remain with the Aesir Empire? Had they gained too much power and notoriety? The earlier arbitration between both Havoc and the Aesir Empire allowed them to reconcile their differences but it became obvious by Havoc suddenly taking action that they had literally no intention of being allied with them for various reasons that honestly didn't matter anymore. The fact of the matter was that they had arrived, and what they brought with them was more than a sure-tale of destruction. It was a will that superseded that of their predecessors and they seemed fully intent on making themselves and their weight felt by anyone and everyone who dared stood in their way.
"Is it time?" Adell sighed, ambling up the staircase of one of the many vacated business buildings on the foreign world. This relic of a planet wasn't their target but it was enough to draw many of their enemies center-stage. "Still not quite used to being sneaky and conniving."
"Get over it you rabbit-haired asshat!"
Just as the barrage of light cascaded from above, Dias was fortunate enough to finally reveal himself, deflecting the beams across the city towards everyone they could be considered his enemy. Adell and his acquaintance, emerging atop a roof two buildings from the puppet that was Dias, only had a fraction of a second to react to it all. While his partner ducked underneath the thick blast, Adell stepped to the side just in-time to avoid being struck, allowing the blast to flash off into the distance, destroying the rooftop of the neighboring establishment. Their reflexes were mercurial but Adell appeared to have a greater deal of control and training over his body than his black hooded partner.
"Hey you almost killed us!" The hooded robe barked, the light-hearted alto voice snapping out at Dias. Adell on the other hand said nothing. The white-haired Martial-Artist instead sighed to the inevitable, and without hesitation, stepped past the mysterious robe. "Huh?"
"Go and help the others...this is my fight."
The pride and and tone of Adell's voice reeked of enthusiasm and anticipation; he hadn't felt this way in quite awhile. Clenching his fists together the tuxedo wearing monk leapt from is rooftop to the rooftop where Dias stood, the flat fifth by fifty meter dimensions acting as a perfect gathering for the two for the first time in over a month.
"It seems like yesterday we were just in Babylon City sitting over tea..."
Adell's Air of Sphere Influence, though invisible to the naked eye, solidified itself next to the visible growth of internal energies synchronizing throughout him. The breakdown of chi, Yin and Yang, began to gyrate within his spiritual center, slowly but surely growing in speed, power, and passion. A thin milky film of focused power began to build within him, yet what exactly did this mean? His wide-toothed grin was immature but understandable. The beast that man became when engulfed by the battlefield...it was frightening, but anyone who had seen battle as much as them had grown used to seeing such killer instinct manifest. Adell was far more serious than he had been in a long time. Why? Just who was Dias Blade? Adell had faced and fought by legends before, but why did his eye gleam with unreasonable hatred?
It was obvious that he carried some respect for the mysterious blue-haired swordsman and his reputation. If he hadn't? There would be no fight to begin with. Crim El Furaga could be perceived with his Inner Eye but he knew that their time would come. For now? The battle between the Blue Bomber and the God Dragon was upon them. The cloak, with only a curtsy smile able to be seen from the darkness within its cowl, suddenly leapt into the sky and plunged towards the bar where much of the commotion was sourced and echoed loudly throughout the city.
Still, as the two prepared to engage in their fight, even more seemingly important things were happening around them.
Like the Tesser being torn into by snakes of unknown blue energy, hardly contested by the Class-V Photon Shields specifically created to redirect energy across its surface. Then again, did it really matter? The Tesser had long since served its purpose, just by bringing them to their opposition it had already fulfilled its true objective. After-all it was only a stolen Nibiru Warship anyways! A few seconds passed and before long the Tesser was engulfed by massive explosions and flashing blue, only to begin sinking into the outskirts of the city. But what of the Almanac? Who knew. But Adell didn't show any sign of grievance or distress as the burning Tesser collapsed into the city, barely alive after the bombardment from the Yggdurandal. What of the mechanized units? Or any reinforcements? Had they any plan at-all to deal with the defenses in their invasion? Between the Tesser sinking with little glory and the members of Havoc Enterprises scattered in number across the city, whether having revealed themselves or still remaining in secret, there seems to be a big mystery looming about them as adversaries. Adell's smile grew even wider when the Tesser let out a cry of metaphorical pain.
"I came here prepared to die again Dias, now show me why I should spare the Aesir Empire of their inevitable downfall."
Adell was going to reach a point of insanity that only few had seen. Or was it already too late. Only thirty meters separated the two, and with Adell standing on the very edge, he began taking solemn steps forward towards Dias.
It was time to get the show on the road.
"Now that there is no more distractions...show me your true power!"
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"...Xelphia..."
"Yes, according to the archives of the Eternal Sphere's feedback, it appears to be a makeshift replacement for Gaea and Babylon City itself. I'm not so sure about its origins, however."
"Anything in Ace's documents about this?"
"No sir, not in his personal files or any of his databases."
The black-haired man cringed at the very thought of Ace withholding information. In his departure of Legacy he left absolutely nothing behind pertaining to Xelphia or Murdock, yet it was said that he had all of the information possible on The Aesir Empire? It hardly mattered. The man stirred in his seat for a moment before taking a sip from his glass, the Hennessy on the rocks stinging the back of his throat silently like a river of calm fire.
"We'll continue to watch for now...something tells me things are going to get interesting soon.."[/i][/i]
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Post by Lest on Feb 23, 2015 0:00:52 GMT
You don’t know death, but I might.
It’s a popular belief that you’re either dead or alive. Though some may clearly walk in between, the idea of what happens after death is often speculative because of fear. Fear: of God or damnation. To be undead it’s assumed you do works beyond a saint or the malignant opposite. There is never an in between.
Eal hated that very concept.
In between the cliché fork in the road is the path less traveled. It was a road he’d trot aimlessly more so or less. Eal was Eal. There was no other means behind it. He wasn’t who he was because of the devil; he wasn’t who he was because of someone’s God. If either was true he was far from a prophet and certainly not the aspiring fiend a devil would hope for.
The question still remained however who exactly was Eal Sermonde or rather what?
He was a cartographer. He made maps and was pretty damn good at it. “Of where?” The known universe. “Why?” It was a living. Because of his occupation he developed quite a reputation amongst the universe. It was often joked that he was someone who just didn’t know when to give up and die. As funny as that notion was it was true to a degree. It wasn’t farfetched to say Eal had inflicted considerably more damage to himself physically than any of his adversaries. As odd as this might seem this was fact.
On the contrary, labeling him suicidal would not be a fair assessment. If it wasn’t apparent by now Eal didn’t have a prototypical outlook on life. He lacked the patience to wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. Especially since the last time he did manage to see it he was brought back before he could finish his transcendental excursion. He’d try several times to see what he once had before but to failure. In his mind it without doubt was existential rebirth.
More so or less he was trapped within an ever misleading physical form. Eal had a face full of stubble and was a half decently looking individual. At glance he was normal, being of typically average height and build. Nothing was really out of the ordinary when analyzing him. The only characteristic that put people on alarm was how heavy he was. Despite his slim build Eal’s weight was well over Three-hundred pounds. Most would never find out and with any luck no one would today either.
With that said, heedlessly he waltzed into the bar in military green cargos and a pink Hawaiian shirt but no one would see him. But wait. how did he get there?!?!
Not to so long ago as in earlier that day, Eal was seen cruising his way through space. He did so in a relatively small ship that didn’t appear flashy but got the job done. Drifting dangerously close to Gaea’s solar system, he was conscious of the planetary defense system. In fact he often warned fellow navigators about it. Yes, unplanned pit stops at this solar system were a big no. Even if you meant no harm these people weren’t the most understanding which is why Eal had never been to any of them. That irked him to a degree considering his field of work. A detailed map and report on the state of affairs of the planet might sell well on certain corners of the universe.
As time went by the dicey proposition seemed to grow on him. With little time left to turn around he made up his mind. He was going to pay a visit. The only thing he had to do was find a way to sneak into one of the planets atmosphere. Luckily for him he had just the right contraption for it. Actually, it wasn’t really a contraption at and why he called it that was an oddity in itself. It was more like an asset. He had access to PRIME’s Technology.
The micro-organisms that made up Panident’s body were essentially programmable matter. Able to theoretically take on any form and mimic any sort of condition, it was obvious how this was a valuable asset for anyone to have. In addition it had an uncanny resistance towards magical constructs and auras.
Long story short, the organisms linked to his mind inside his body and amongst the ship received his order. The order was to coat the ship entirely (even the exhausts), creating a veil that mimicked the emptiness of space, completely hiding the density of the ship and individual inside. Adding on to that veil also made him completely invisible. Eal was now imperceptible to the senses for the time being. Just like that he moved through the ward and expulsion zone in complete stealth. Either way it wasn’t like he planned to commit any atrocities. He’d be there and gone before they knew it. It was a smart choice nevertheless.
“Closing on Gaea’s orbit in 2 minutes…
Closing on Gaea’s orbit in 30 seconds…
Entering Xelphia’s Atmosphere…”
"..."
"WHAT?!?!”
To his surprise something entirely unexplainable happened. He was on his way to Babylon city and just like that the planet he set course for apparently swapped entirely with another.
“The hell…?”
At first he thought they caught onto his act but such measures for a single individual weren’t practical. His ship read that he was now at an entire different planet from the same solar system. His Galatic coordinates were the same and yet he was at Xelphia. This trip had already taken a turn for the worst. He did have to go to this planet eventually to complete his synopsis but judging from what happened just now he might be destined for some bit of trouble once he landed.
It would turn out Eal was entirely right when he found himself steering clear of stray beams of energy and other forms of danger. He had not even descended bellow the clouds. As he finally got towards the bottom of the troposphere he’d become witness to an immensely large ship taking a pounding. Despite this he still lowered his ship towards the planet but who knows where exactly. It was still completely out of sight and so was he too for that matter despite leaving the ship.
Eal Sermonde was gone… We’ll until he suddenly appeared inside the bar. At first he just assumed it was just another pub of fools acting the only way they knew how but right of the bat he recognized two dangerous individuals. Eal was pretty tough himself but the idea of two formidable fighters instead of one caused him to think a little extra than normal. They weren’t likely to team up on him at least. That he was certain of. In fact they shouldn’t have been aware of who he had ties with.
The two fighters he was actually referring to were Ishida Sol and the Vincent. The demon Ishida had a bout with the immortal samurai Saikoro Claine and the Magister had his fair share of encounters with the outer worldly A.I. known as Panident.
As Ishida Sol flung his shards of metal around the room he’d probably couldn’t help but notice that one bounced completely in the opposite direction of where he intended and back at him. It was where Eal had been sitting. It was almost like it had been repelled by a magnet or maybe that’s exactly what happened. Who knows? Figuring the cat was out the bag, Eal Sermonde appeared several seconds later a bar stool right beside the one he’d suddenly recognize as Crim based off description alone. He was also a competitor at the tournament his associate samurai had been in. Despite seeing him his thoughts didn’t change. Though the tender was probably hiding at this point he patiently waited to order a drink.
There was no telling how long Eal had been in the bar but he was clearly there now. The stool creaked dreadfully loud due to his weight. Showing himself finally, it was still to be noted he was undetectable to the ward at the moment. Not visually however. It wouldn’t be wrong to assume the he same effects were still being applied to him, just minus the invisibility. Looking to the side, he’d actually say a few words to the red headed space renegade.
“I take it this is just how you guys party wherever you’re from?” He said this with a facial expression that could be described as a weird mixture of haughty but generally confused. These guys were nuts from what he could see so far.
If someone did manage to get a whiff of his presence before hand they would know he was inside the bar at the time of the announcement. Yes, strangely enough. He did hear the apocalyptic “Fate” of the planet. He chose to ignore it for the time being and that was that. With such people around, things were bound to go awry before some 24 hour limit. That was just common sense. And would the battle stop if the planet did happen to disappear?
Nope.
It served no purpose in his eyes…
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Post by Lysander on Feb 23, 2015 6:44:16 GMT
All of them stood, their unwavering eyes focused solely upon the bar's doors – awaiting anyone inside to hear their message (which would be impossible for them not to, even the deafest of deaf people would have heard the psionic rupture echoing throughout the Multiverse). Their response had yet to come, though someone new had arrived – brushing by him as if he didn't exist, inhaling the Mist and seeming to be unphased by the effects of it. That could be a mistake, or it couldn't be – who really knew? Hellion did, of course, he knew everything about The Mist. Like, he knew it didn't actually have to bond with a persons molecular structure to take control of them – simply had to exist inside of them. Which, sadly for Darcy, was exactly what it did at this current moment. The pores of her skin, the orifices of her body – every bit of that drew in more of the Mist as she walked so calmly through its influence. It might not corrupt her mind, the way it would have done most people – it didn't even corrode her flesh. It simply existed.
That was all it had to do. Even as Darcy went into the bar and lay her hand upon Crim's arm to try and grab his attention, the Mist took control of her other arm – she wouldn't have even noticed it happening at first, thinking it just some nervous tick while the Mist inside of her blocked the receptors from that particular arm to her brain. The chance was freely given, and so the risk was weighed and the endgame found suitable. So, with that arm in motion, and Cee's bullet ball of a man flying through the wall (Cee walking directly behind of course), Darcy acted without desire or want. She reached that other hand out to Crim's side, attempting to grab the gun holstered there – in order to fire a single shot at Cee's head with her Captain's own weapon.
Whether or not it worked, Hellion couldn't be sure – it was in the moment that the gun was grabbed for that he stopped paying attention, or even caring, what happened to Darcy inside that musky bar. It was the flying ninja ball that held his attention now. Rather than slipping casually to the side, or even really moving at all, Hellion simply stood there. The Mist which composed his physical body hardened, and when the explosion ripped outward the Mist curved inward, encircling the explosive force of the Godforged and containing it within the very middle of its core. For all intents and purposes, it looked very much like Hellion's body had just been blown to a thousand tiny bits – as Mist flew outward in every direction which would imply a complete disintegration of his physical body.
Of course, when the smoke cleared Hellion simply stood there – with the ninja encased in a circle of Mist constantly swirling around his body, opaque and unseen through the fog Hellion could sense the man inside of it – though the distinct lack of brain function told him it might not actually be a person at all. The Mist did not attack the guy inside, whose name – if Hellion remembered correctly from their time on Regulus – was Josh. Regardless, there was no attempt at harming the man, in fact Hellion looked thoughtful for a moment, obviously confused why Cee would launch one of her own allies at him – knowing full well he could have simply killed the man the moment he reached his influence.
The Hellion of Val'gara simply took it as a sign of good-faith, and decided to make one in return.
“Ah, arrest? Are you sure? This seems more like a trade to me. You've given me your groups dumbest individual, and so I shall, in turn, do the same for you. A fair trade, aye? And then we'll be about our business.”
With that, Hellion reached his free hand back and pointed directly at Carnus, Mist rising from the ground at its feet and swirling up until lifted Carnus from the ground – Carnus, completely used to being in proximity with the Mist was unphased, though he did seem to look a bit happy to be finally done with this bunch of arrogant asshats. I mean, if you can determine emotion from a reptilian face with no real markers for emotion present. Either way, the Mist carried it toward Cee – until it reached just outside the limitations of the Ether Field, and then set Carnus down.
“See, I'm not an unreasonable man. A fair trade is a fair trade. Have a nice night now, Cee, or we'll have to have a repeat of what happened to your friends in the Entropic Passages back on Soran, and we both know how well that worked out for your little group, don't we?”
Tipping his hat, Hellion – and the rest of the Collective – turned their backs on Cee and Carnus, and began to walk off with Josh still contained inside the Mistball. Of course, Josh could try escaping on his own – if he wanted to be met face-to-face with enough corrupting influence to make even Crim turn his gun on his own self. They walked maybe four steps, when Hellion had another thought cross his mind.
“Actually...you know what? You can keep Carnus, and this little nuisance of a thing you call a person. That is...if you can defeat me.” Hellion's grin told it all, and even as he spoke the Mist retrapped Carnus' body inside of it. Shifting, it carried both Josh and Carnus to the tallest building nearby, and held them aloft from the ground some sixty feet. Not a long fall, and not one that would kill either them; though serious injury was definitely something to be concerned about for the both of them.
“Now, I know you and I both tend to favor our guns – and you already have yours drawn. But for you? I think I want this to be special, so how about you put away the peashooter, and we have us a good old fashioned fist-fight? Sounds reasonable enough to me, eh, Christina?”
How Hellion knew Cee's real name wasn't too hard to deduce, if anyone had noticed the Mist that had come along inside the bar riding piggyback in Darcy's respiratory system. Despite the belief of some people, it was a living organism all of its own – providing Hellion with latent psychometry. What did that have to do with names, you might ask? Well, it's pretty simple. What the Mist heard, Hellion heard – and now he knew Cee's trigger word ( ha, punny). Regardless of Cee's response, Hellion had no intention of fighting without his guns – though he might not use them in the manner Cee would most obviously expect.
“Welp, how about it, Chrissy? Ladies first, you know.”
Meanwhile, swords floated all across the city, redirecting laser blasts – and they seemed a tad bit dangerous to most people, especially the workers putting all of this effort into making a city so grand. It didn't seem to phase any single member of the Collective, but of course that's because the beams barely permeated the Mist before being converted to pure bio-force and sucking themselves into the Mist, bolstering Hellion's already considerable power. However, Azaroth saw that, perhaps, some people on his side might be bothered by the dangerous nature of the weaponized light. So, with a single flick of his hand, he partitioned a large section of Hellion's full bodily mass off for himself, sending it around to grasp at the swords floating about the city, reflecting the laser beams (though that's not even remotely how laser beams work, but hey, to each their own).
The Mist grabbed the swords floating, as nothing anchored them in place or held their power directly linked to anything else – and so as it g rabbed them, it began to swirl around. Thousands upon thousands of swords floating through the air, once under the control of Dias – now Hellion's to command. Of course, Hellion didn't really want them – but for now they would serve his purposes. Immediately the Mist began to cyclone, a vortex of corrupted, corrosive influence throwing laser-beams and swords everywhere. The ground itself didn't withstand the assault, it ripped through the city streets and the crust – it tore through buildings and people's bodies.
Thousands of men, women, and children died in that instant. The bar everyone sat inside of was cut to shreds, the building crumbling down around the people still within it. The best, or worst from one perspective, part was the exact manner in which those same empowered lasers aimed themselves in regards to Cee. It was if some immense twist of perverse fate struck, and rather than being remotely damaging to Cee's body, they simply stuck perfectly along her clothes – tearing them to shreds and leaving the robot lady completely nude before the lecherous eyes of The Collective.
Even then the beams continued onward, tearing through the planet – ripping open the crust, chunks of the ground flying through the air with the onset of the force being pressurized by the Mist's cyclonic nature in that moment. As it all happened, Hellion's mind was still on Cee, though now he had thoughts that were – in that moment – making Caitlyn seriously considering cutting his head off and shoving it down The Chrysaor's throat.
Finally, the lasers stopped and the swords continued onward, still cutting through the ground with the vortex force of a hurricane.
“You like the Swordnado? It's pretty fucking sexy ain't it, Chrissy?”
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Post by Flarhgunnstow MacGrarfileld on Feb 23, 2015 8:04:07 GMT
Yeah, maybe Darcy would have tried to go for Crim's gun if she'd been overtaken by The Mist, but alas, such a thing couldn't happen, not while she was in such close proximity to Crim's Rune of Heaven. The Val'garan's attempt to seize control of the girl failed outright as the malignant presence of The Mist was simply banished by the Rune, which unleashed a brief flash of cleansing light as it did its work, wholly independent of Crim's own thoughts. After all, the True Runes possessed their own Will. In any case, the sequence of events following her interaction with the Captain all occurred normally. Why the hell wouldn't they? Actually, none of that plan made any sense to begin with. In what world was Darcy fast enough to pull one over on Crim? Not this one! Even assuming being under the influence of The Mist gave her heightened physical abilities, her physiology just wasn't built for it. Plus, y'know, Crim's numerous other senses would still have to be dealt with as well. So often overlooked.
Well, regardless, things went on as normal as normal could be where the Crew was concerned. This normal sequence would include Crim leaving the bar at imperceptibly high speeds, dashing right past the gathered Val'garan jerks outside - getting himself a good look at them in the process - and returning in less than a blink, fully dressed in his pants and toting his fresh bottle of Tamburlaine Vodka, which he had gone and grabbed from a bar several blocks away, taking care to dodge any wayward laser blasts along the way.
The smoldering, faintly glowing foot-shaped craters that were scattered all around the area outside were the only physical evidence that he had even moved at all.
It was right around the time that the other random newcomer showed up and sat next to him that Crim decided to intervene on the behalf of everyone inside the bar, himself included. A mere instant before the bar would have been completely annihilated by the incoming attack, Crim's Kijinjiraden appeared in his free right hand. With that, the impenetrable Holy Barrier unleashed itself from the deceptively drab-looking reverse-blade katana, encircling itself around the entirety of the bar. The comandeered swords and lasers clashed violently against the opaque white wall, but were stopped dead in their tracks. Crim, meanwhile, didn't budge from his perch on the stool. He just sat there, grasping the sheathed sword, eyes shut, smirking.
The attack ceased, and having served its purpose for the time being, Kijinjiraden vanished, and so too did the barrier. He could summon the sword again anytime, though the Holy Barrier wouldn't be available for a while. But that really didn't matter much to him. The barrier wasn't something he liked to rely too heavily upon anyway.
A sly sneer crossed his face as he cast a sideways glance towards the new friend seated next to him.
"Well, that was a close shave, wouldn't ya say?" He tapped the telescopic metal rod against the bar stool again. "Good thing I was on the ball. Otherwise we'd all be dead right now! HAHAHAHA!"
Well, no, that probably wasn't the case. But still, what nerve, trying to blindside a guy for no reason while he was just trying to have a nice relaxing drink. Not that the alcohol had any effect on him. Scowling, Crim looked at the Rune upon his right hand. It glowed faintly, signifying the close proximity of evil. It called to him, willing him to cleanse the corruption.
"Fuck you, man." He spoke to the rune. "Why should I have to get my hands dirty over this? Let someone else handle it for once!"
Somehow, he had forgotten that Ishida and Elyk were here too. More nonsensical programming, no doubt. He shook his head side to side, trying to force the madness under control.
"So, you guys wanna do something about all this?"
<><><><><><><><><><>
Meanwhile, back on the Ygg, Ralf observed the enemy ship crash and burn. For good measure, he directed several more Ignas beams into the flaming wreckage, thoroughly destroying the remains of the ship. At first glance, it really seemed like overkill...that was until it became apparent that the remaining Ignas beams - and there were a lot of them, did not simply fly off into space or dissipate into nothing. No, they continued to swirl around the planet, as if under the direct control of the ship. Which is pretty much exactly what was going on. But it wasn't just the ship itself that had controlled access to the beams...
<><><><><><><><><><>
Back in the bar again. Yes, the still intact bar. Crim's sneer had returned. He seemed to be struggling to contain something. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom? No, that wasn't it. He was trying not to erupt into a fit of laughter.
It seemed Mister Mayhem might just make an appearance after all.
All that work for nothin', ha ha ha.
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Post by Dirge on Feb 23, 2015 13:07:15 GMT
“My name is Cee.”
The fragments of glass Vincent was holding onto soon fell down to the mahogany surface of the bar. What a violent reaction out of someone who seemed to have been such a level headed individual in that remote planet where they had initially encountered each other. Then again, she did flip her shit once the Fiorelli mentioned her very first name. Maybe it would have been better off if he didn’t take a look at Cee’s dossier back when he was observing from Hyades, but it could not be helped. From the looks of it, the android still had one hell of a grudge towards him, but she’d chosen to put it aside to deal with the racket outside. And lo and behold, she’d grabbed one of the lowlifes around the bar just to toss them right out the door. Or wall. Honestly, the entire front of the bar was destroyed regardless of where the Super Ninja Ball impacted. The force carried by it was that strong.
“Well, shit. Talk about getting pissed off. I think I saw that guy she just tossed a while back…” Vincent muttered under his breath, referring to the ninja that had gotten flung out the bar. He didn’t really get time to relax, though, since some asshole in the back incited the entire place’s patrons to start a good old brawl. The magister registered each and every single movement from practically everybody nearby – and managed to keep up with whatever was going on outside the bar at the same time – through a complex amalgamation of skills he’d picked up throughout his life. Whereas his mental map was but one of the handy skills he possessed, the rest of this ‘sensing’ skillset was all a direct byproduct of his natural senses being enhanced beyond human capabilities.
Vincent’s mind was akin to that of a supercomputer created with state-of-the-art technology across the Multiverse. With the amount of focus and training he had been forced to acquire over the years as his power grew exponentially, it was only natural that his mind evolved beyond the limits that it once possessed. Then again… It was not like he required a body to exist anymore. But Vincent’s physiology, biology, and anatomy weren’t exactly the topic of conversation at the moment nor would it ever be unless the magister was asked about it. Suffice it to say he could see and sense every little bit of stuff that happened around him! Which was very handy in the current situation.
For starters, he had been able to witness Cee as she drew her revolver before firing it. But he also noticed the appearance of the enormous orb of darkness within the orbit of Xelphia, Darcy (obviously), the slivers of metal slicing right through the flesh of the various patrons of the bar, and… Was that a bar stool coming directly at him? Why, yes it was! A wooden stool that was promptly met head on with the temporarily rock hard hat of a child in Vincent’s hand...
“Oooow! Why did you have to do that?! I can never have fun, can I, old man!?” The acute voice of the girl in a black and white getup that contained one too many frills to count, and possessing an oversized witch’s hat over her head bellowed out toward Vincent. She squirmed in the magister’s grasp before swatting his hand with a broom matching her short height. She spun gracefully through the air before landing on the floor like a ballerina of sorts, blonde curls cascading along her shoulders.
After turning around and staring up at the magister, she brought her right hand’s index finger to her cheek, pressing down on the skin some and sticking her tongue out at him. The girl was giving Vincent one hell of a stink eye.
“That’s what you get for calling me here, old man! Did you really have to summon me now? I was having fun with the reconnaissance mission you gave me!” She pouted openly, turning away from the Fiorelli just to smack a random drunkard across the face with the business end of the broom. They were knocked out nigh instantly.
“Well, now you’re here. You shouldn’t be complaining. I’m letting you have some more fun in this place. You need the experience anyway, Kirisame.” Vincent replied knowingly. The way he had summoned her was simple enough. Through tapping unto the bond that he and his Aspects possessed and complementing it with the dimensional link he shared with his personal pocket dimension, the Halfling had been able to pull Kirisame directly from within the fabric of his robes. Think of the velvet like the still surface of a lake where all one has to do is stick their hand in it. After that, all he had to do was pull and voila! Rabbit out of the hat! Or girl out of the robes.
“Ooooh! I’m so upset I could blow up! And why is it that you brought me to a bar fight?! I detest bar fights! I detest the notion of a bar to begin with!” As Kirisame spoke, her broom began to glow with an iridescent light that pervaded upon the air not unlike the tail of a comet. She swung that the object around for strands of starlight to weave themselves through the air.
“Woah, woah. Hey, girly, calm down. You’re actually going to cause a scene because of—“ But Vincent was cut short almost immediately by the gal. The thing about Kirisame is that she possessed free will, a trait that none of his other Aspects did. While they obeyed his every order without question, this little witch loved to do whatever she wanted at any given time while fulfilling the goals Vincent had given her. Her methods were unorthodox compared to the rest of the other Aspects, but Vincent hadn’t thought much about them until now. She simply was not obeying her in her fit of anger.
“Yes! I will make a scene all I want! I don’t care if it’s in front of drunk lowlives or the richest and most powerful guys on the planet. You’re going to see what I can do and you’re going to stop calling me for useless stuff! You’ll give me USEFUL THINGS TO DO!” For such a little girl, Kirisame had one hell of a temper. Stars of different colors began to flow outward from the golden bristles of the broom, beginning to draw circles that expanded in a spiral-like fashion upon the air around her.
Vincent had to back away almost immediately, lest those stars sliced through the fabric of his robes and burned right through the flesh below. Kirisame’s starlight was one odd form of energy. It was both physical and not. Solid enough to warrant armor of some sort to defend against it but deceptively charged with raw magical energy under her complete influence. A few of the drunk brawlers had already tried to catch one or two tiny stars only to have their fingers sliced off instantly and the wounds cauterized on the spot.
“Do you really have to conjure your Event Horizon in here!? Put that down already, Kirisame! You’re going to hurt innocent people!” The drunkards around the bar didn’t need to die. They did not need to die but they were. One by one the stars started to slice through them, spinning wildly and beginning to spread outward so that their influence stretched to the entire bar. With a sudden flick of his right hand, the magister’s eyes shone with the cerulean glow of mana before a wall of translucent light formed in front of him, ensuring to cover the sides of his body as well. The moment stars attempted to pass through the wall, their magical energy practically dissipated in the blink of an eye and their physical form ceased to exist. It was another application of the magister’s Dispulso spell, which aimed to deal with purely magical attacks. By sapping the magic within each and every single star that touched the thin layer of light in front of him, Kirisame’s attack was rendered useless toward him.
“Oh, no! Everybody in here is going to feel Kirisame’s fury! Even those people outside! I’m starting with YOU and with the people in here first, though!” The young witch held a rectangular piece of glowing paper in her free hand reminiscent of a card whilst spinning her broom around her so that more and more stars were fired outward. They practically covered her entire form, keeping it from view and joining their sisters in slicing through the bar. The speed of each star wasn’t high; she was aiming to overwhelm the occupants of the bar through the quantity of stars released into the environment.
Basically, this meant that outside of Vincent (for the time being), everybody else was in danger of getting burned and sliced through by one – or many – of these flying stars. And if that wasn’t enough, the little girl had pulled out another object from the confines of her attire. It was a tiny hexagonal wooden artifact inscribed with many symbols. The middle of the hexagram, carved on the object, was shimmering with a golden light as she pointed it toward the floor. Before doing anything else, Kirisame hopped on her broom, suspending herself in midair with the tiny object still looking downward. Her words were addressed toward the guy who’d stopped the million lasers from impacting into the bar, however.
“Oi, redhead! You should’ve kept that barrier around! See ya, suckers!”
“Wait, don’t use that--!”
It was too late. By dissolving and sucking in some of the stars that were floating near her, Kirisame had enough power in there to fire her most prized ‘spell’ – the Finales Funkeln. After a brief delay of a second or two, an enormous burst of superheated light fired forth from the middle of the hexagram within the wooden object she was holding. Naturally, she was sent flying through the ceiling and roof of the bar from the recoil of the blast, though that wasn’t the worst of it…
The moment the huge beam of light and heat hit the ground, a huge explosion occurred that engulfed the entire inside of the bar to the point that, if nobody did anything about it, the structure would cease to exist. Most of the drunken patrons would’ve been dead either because of the stars or vaporized due to the copious quantities of plasma-like heat exuding from the blast. As far as Vincent was aware, there was nothing to be done but to leave the premises, which he promptly did with the heat biting away at his toes. In a burst of nearly instantaneous speed, he’d zoomed through the opening Cee had created in the bar’s front wall, climbed a nearby building and sat right at the top of it while glancing at what the fuck else unfolded around the area.
Little Kirisame was MIA for the time being, probably hiding somewhere nearby. It didn’t matter; he could sense her. And so, he decided to fly around the nearest buildings in an attempt to search for her while taking great care not to get close to that odd looking mist floating nearby, even though he knew full well how to counteract its foul influence.
“I swear to fucking… Ugh. I’m going to find that girl and give her the punishment of a lifetime.”
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elyk
New Member
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Post by elyk on Feb 23, 2015 21:04:55 GMT
Isn't that cute. Elyk thought as the guy he was keeping an eye on wasn't the normal patron of the establishment. Pulling a little girl out of his jacket was definitely not normal behavior, and we are not just talking about the pedo behavior either. His actions put him at least at a level of a moderate mage at best. Still having to conjure up a little playmate was impressive although creepy by all accounts in this case.
It seemed as if things were picking up outside, at least enough for the Captain to actually do something. It was fine with him to have the cap'n playing a support role this time around considering the years of him being on the front line a break every now and then was necessary. With Crim keeping an eye on things Elyk was confident to put all his focus on this strange little person who pulled out another strange little person.
The little one was a little firestorm it seemed as she began to argue with her “master”. She began her little star light show and that is when Elyk knew he had to act. His mako eyes gave a slight shimmer as the ether built up quickly using one of his new orange materias, the “dark matter” one to be exact. Now it wasn't the normal dark matter one would hear from those crazy science shows or theories. This was part of lost magical knowledge from a long destroyed omniverse and had very different properties. Acquiring such a powerful spell base would have, should have been enough, but combined with Elyk's natural ability to alter materia spells sent it to a whole new level. Even something as simple as a fire materia could be used to create effects not unlike the True Fire Rune.
The spell itself summoned dark looking tendrils that seemed both smokey and fluid as they intermingled into the swirling stars. The substance completely covering each “star” not only stopped them from moving but once making contact began to siphon the “raw” magical energy from inside of it converting it instantly into “Dark Energy”. The energy was practically useless as it lost all positive or negative charge. It couldn't be mixed with anything now and only had two reactions. The first was it colliding with normal matter, which would dissolve the normal matter into a plasma state. The second was the reaction with other energy, in which case the two nullify each other.
Elyk quickly drew his almost obsidian looking materia alloy katana from his left side. By the time the man had summoned his little girl Elyk had already moved on through the crowd to try to settle some of them down. The spectacle of the lights with the strange smokey plasma had stopped the ruckus for the most part as the drunken patrons were enthralled by the show. The few around Elyk had moved away as all the dark energy flooded down towards his sword. It circled around the sword careful not to touch the crystalline surface and without a second thought Elyk swung the sword towards the man who is known as Vincent to the others sending the dark energy at him. The arching slash of dark energy cares not for a few of the patrons who get caught at the edges of its travel. The arm of some poor chap just falls off to the floor, the new plasma section of it not being able to keep it connected to the rest of the appendage. Elyk was truly hoping this mage had some sort of shield, as the dark energy would clash into it nullifying it for that moment it collides with it. If dodged the attack would likely cut through the back of the bar creating a soupy wall mess in the floor and another giant hole in this fine establishment.
The still gunked over stars, now devoid of all energy, are now just a very dense weird substance. Using his last bit of control over the dark matter he sends them towards the magister and his odd doll as a physical attack about similar to hail pelting through someone. Hopefully this created some sort of opening for the others(Ishida or even the bored crim) to do something.
For whatever reason those odd stars were originally summoned like say for some odd fuel to power some beam of destruction, they were rendered useless for it with all that energy drained and converted. Whatever will happen now is anyone's guess!
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Post by Dirge on Feb 23, 2015 22:59:07 GMT
To say that Vincent and Kirisame did not expect anyone to react to the latter’s shenanigans was probably a foolish notion. Of course they reacted! And the first one to do so was the chap enunciating himself as some sort of orderly authority in the middle of pure and undiluted chaos. The type of power Elyk displayed was something that other entities could use and which even some creatures possessed on an entirely biological and natural manner. That was to say, Vincent had seen that kind of shit before. Not that he was going to do anything about it as Kirisame’s stars began to fizzle one by one, turning into a black, viscous substance that promptly fell to the ground. However… The quantity of stars hadn’t been too big by the time Elyk’s Dark Matter made contact with the initial circles, but they just kept on coming, so the gunk simply covered a large expanse of the bar, probably falling onto the drunken patrons, Elyk’s allies, and the random traveler that had popped up next to Crim.
As for the arcing slash of dark energy coming towards Vincent… There was very little to be done about that other than take a few careful steps to his left, a spot where there weren’t any dark energy stars! Talk about getting lucky. Maybe it was because he’d dissolved those stars that actually got close to him and managed to hit the Dispulso layer in front of him. Whatever the case, the flying slash sliced through the back of the bar before an enormous hole was enacted upon another one of its walls. Wasn’t that precious? They wouldn’t need air conditioners during the summer now!
“Ara? The hell are you attacking me for? You should be hitting the floating girl! She’s the one who made all this mess to begin with!” Vincent humorously shouted with a wide grin upon his face. It was clear he’d visited the bar with the intent to analyze, study, and observe Cee’s allies. And the fact that he was getting to engage in combat with one of them was just the cherry on top of the cake; it was a priceless experience that would undoubtedly bring him a fair bit of insight on the powers that they utilized. This Elyk person appeared to drain energy – though the Fiorelli was unsure if it only stretched to magical energy – with that odd substance in the form of countless tendrils. It was clear the tendrils needed to touch whatever they were going to drain the magic from, but… They appeared to be magical in nature. How ironic and so very familiar. It almost reminded him of his own Dispulso spell. Almost… But not quite.
Kirisame kept pumping stars out despite this new development, thinking that if enough of them showed up, the tendrils would go away. It was obviously not the case and she stopped after a few hundred more had been conjured from the end of her broom.
“Hey! Do you really think you can mess with my stuff like that!?” She blurted out while flipping Elyk the bird. “You’re going to regret messing with my Event Horizon, old fart!”
To say that Kirisame was an expert in the field of magic was stretching it a bit too much. Her approach was always to overwhelm with raw power, but she lacked a sense of strategy and had little ways to recover lost power. The only saving grace in her repertoire was the wooden hexagonal thing she held with such fervent pride. In reality, the object was a forged copy of an ancient artifact that acted as a furnace. Crafted entirely out of wood save for the internal components – which were usually made of iron or steel but Vincent replaced them with a legendary metal –, the furnace is probably one of the most powerful sources of heat and magical energy. After some tampering with it, Kirisame’s furnace became capable of generating unlimited amounts of power. In reality, the little witch had absorbed some of the stars around her to enhance the raw power of her prized technique, but she did not need to do that to begin with!
“I’m not even going to grace you with the Finales Funkeln! You don’t deserve to witness it. Oi! Old man! Help me out here!” Kirisame bellowed before beginning to spin wildly on her broom. From her furnace, heat emanated outward before mingling with the smoky tendrils around the place. You see, the little witch had a very strong affinity for light and heat. By gathering the remaining stars around her and causing the heat radiating from the furnace to surround her and to push outward, the smoky and liquid tendrils were pushed away little by little before a sudden concussive wave slammed into the flying bits of the dense substance once she stopped in the blink of an eye. All the momentum she'd garnered through the supersonic spin? Boom. Right there. But she didn't even need the stars to do so! It was all about being flashy for her.
Vincent, for his part, didn’t exactly need to do much in the face of danger. There was enough magic to go around in the air, and not even the tendrils that had affixed to most of the stars around the place were going to stop him from tapping unto the bond between his Aspect and himself. And even if there was something that did, the vast reserves of magical energy hiding within the depths of his body and soul, and unto the pocket dimension he was often linked to practically made it impossible to stop him from casting his myriad spells. He figured he’d play along with Kirisame’s theme, fiery wind. It was a physical attack possessing one of the rawest forms of energy.
“Flet, una vente! Flagrantia Rubicans!”
The words escaped the magister’s lips in an extremely fast manner, that particular glow still shimmering within his azure irises. The furnace in Kirisame’s hand appeared to glint and the heat around her intensified for a brief moment, though that did not matter too much. Practically at the same time that the concussive wave of sheer heat and wind unfurled from the little witch’s floating form, a boisterous gust of superheated wind collided with each and every single bit of Elyk’s dark matter hail. The result was simple enough; the two-fold attack closed in on Elyk from two different angles, yet they both spread outward in a circular manner through the inside of the bar.
What this meant was… You guessed it! Every patron in there was still in danger! These hot winds ended up boiling the blood of the many humans staring in awe in their drunken stupor, practically melting their skin off of their bodies and causing their eyes to pop. The same fate was probably going to befall Elyk and his allies or companions, and that odd guy next to Crim. Oddly enough, Vincent and Kirisame were completely unaffected by their own techniques. Perhaps they could even choose who they wished to harm with their particular forms of magic. And yet, once the boisterous gusts had manifested, there was nothing magic about the attacks!
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Post by Killiak on Feb 24, 2015 0:29:54 GMT
{BGM: "Global Warming- Gojira"}Despite the fairly underwhelming actions the Super Demon had carried out, his hand in the fate of what became of the bar had already been played. His flinging of the slivers was anything but a random dispersal, each and every one targeting a specific patron as was previously described. That being said, the most recent arrival to the bar's sudden appearance did nothing to disrupt Ishida's plan. Thankfully, Ishida's silent preparations went undisturbed due to Crim's Kijinjiraden having been summoned, specifically because of the Holy Barrier that came along with it. From the moment of impact, those slivers infected them with particles of Ishida's own blood which was an extremely rare choice. Typically, he used the blood of any of the countless demons he'd absorbed into his being--never his own. This allowed him to do whatever he desired without the slightest signs of resistance or rejection for that matter. Funny thing about humans is that the Omniverse's vast array of species typically underestimated just how powerful their bodies were, given the proper considerations. Upon infecting the patrons of the bar, Ishida's demonic blood took root in the marrow of their bones, specifically targeting their bodies' natural life-producing qualities in a precise manner. As was seen with Ishida's arrival, his bodily fluids had a distinctly corrosive property; the same went for the blood, but most important of all was that he could completely control these particles. Infiltrating the patrons' body was the easiest step and it went uncontested. Once exposed to the human blood, it consumed the red blood cells immediately on contact and replicated one particle for each one consumed. With an average of four to six million RBC's per cubic millimeter in a typical human body, the infection was all consuming in only a few seconds. By affixing to the bone marrow, the production of RBC's that took place at two to three million per second became the production of demonic blood particles instead. Exhibiting only a minimal level of effort and control, Ishida commanded this process to occur at an increased rate, specified at a factor of one and a half. While it was only a cellular level attack in its beginning stages, the particles quickly dominated that of the patrons in their entirety. That was all the first phase of Ishida's attack, and it was transpiring even as more combatants chose to crash the party. By the time that Vincent fellow decided to get involved, the second phase was simply lying in wait. The lashing out of the disobedient Aspect belonging to the Magister was interrupted by the General, to a rather unforeseen result. Of that result came another, one that was truly a bother. Ishida exhibited his own incredible speed as he avoided the sludge that went all over the place, appearing just before the already busted entrance. That wasn't the most important detail to come of what had become of that fierce magic attack and its rebuttal. That honor came with the poor fellow whose arm had been dismembered, leaking black blood all over the place. With its exposure to the open air, the infection took on a completely different nature. Ishida's blood consumed everything it touched, be it the marble floor or the body from where it poured out of, to the traces of ether found naturally occurring around them. Normally, Ishida would dictate for it to aggressively confront any force acted against it simply by smashing into and eventually through it, and unlike typical matter simply spurring its atoms into hyperactivity by way of heat wasn't very reliable when said substance constantly resisted whatever acted against it. Inevitably, the bar was going down never to be seen again. The blood that had been spilled managed to get stepped in by a panicked patron, resulting in his foot dissolving and starting the chain reaction. Falling to the floor and into another occupant thereby knocking him down, the term domino effect came to mind as literally every one of the patrons began falling over. Ishida just laughed as he raised one of his metallic arms, right as the Magister's doll took to turning the place into an effectual tornado zone of superheated air. The blood was spread through the air, blanketing the room with all of the speed of their own attack. Elyk, Darcy, and Crim were immediately yanked out of the room in individual bubbles of Ishida's Gravija. Bypassing the laws of physics, the speed of the exodus was truly incalculable, purely since they weren't going far in the first place. Thanks to the magician's helping hand(s), the bar was consumed in less time than it took to say Cee's full name. Located on the street just outside the establishment, Ishida and crew looked on as what once was a building was replaced with a big steaming hole of Ishida's blood. Once it was over, Ishida activated the particles to self-destruct, violently erupting into the ground some 100-meters as the disturbing mess vanished. Lowering his arm, the Gravija fields were also dispersed. Fifty lives were lost so far, whether three more would be added to the toll remained to be seen. It wouldn't be all that difficult to survive, really all they had to do was get the hell outta dodge. Roaring with laughter in his own amusement, Ishida pulled his almost trademark crumpled pack of Marlboro Reds from his front right pocket and raised a cigarette to his lips. "Well that escalated quickly...HAHAHA! Hey! Crim! Did you see that shit?!" Utilizing his readily available, monstrous pool of ether, Ishida ignited the end of his smoke. Oddly, no smoke could be seen rising from its cherry.
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Post by Turbo Yuri on Feb 24, 2015 2:57:33 GMT
Sadly, one of the few remaining intact tables exploded in a shower of wooden splinters, and a small cloud of dust glided up from where the table used to be. As the dust dispersed, a pale face framed with unruly white hair appeared.
“Would you lot SHUT THE HELL UP!!!” Halinn Celera shouted, though her words were drowned out by the general ruckus of the bar.
Groggily, the psion got up from her sitting position on the floor, where she had been evidently sleeping off the few shots she had downed upon arrival. She liked her drink, but could never hold it. A stray beer bottle promptly smashed itself into the Psy-Shield directly in front of her face, spraying froth all over everywhere. The place was already a freaking mess, so she thought nothing of it, not that she would have in the first place, to be honest. Especially if she was hungover, though her drunkenness was clearing itself up, thanks to her regenerative powers. Fights were breaking out everywhere, and it seemed to her, in the sad state she was in, that the world seemed to be coming to an end. Which wasn't actually too far from the truth.
Laser blasts from the heavens threatened to destroy the bar and anyone inside, an bumbling bunch of weirdos were stood out front, rambling about Corruption of Champions, and was that someone shouting about the world ceasing to exist? Why couldn't all these assholes just shush for one damn minute!?!? Cee dodgeballed Josh out the building, and Crim was drinking the bar dry.
”Business as usual, yeah?” she thought to herself.
An all manner of crazy nonsense proceeded to happen involving swords and lasers and some stupid mist-like substance. The resulting maelstrom, picked up by Halinn's sluggish mental feelers, tore through buildings and citizens alike, bearing down on the bar itself. In no state to really do anything about it, luckily Crim unleashed his Holy Barrier from Kijinjiraden and “saved the day yet again!” as he would no doubt boast later on. That didn't stop some other loons from trying to blow the place up, though, as a cute lil witch familiar started playing ballerina with stars, probably something that breaks a number of health and safety rules, but what does that matter? Those hard-hat high-vis guys aren't around, so there's no problem. Well, apart from the obvious destruction-off-the-bar-and-everyone-in-it problem. Keeping her Psy-Shield prepared, as she still wasn't fully sober, she sat back down on the floor and let everyone else deal with the whole thing.
Evidently that involved Elyk releasing some kind of dark matter materia stuff.
The threat nullified for now, Halinn considered lowering her shield but thought better of it as the familiar and her master played out their counter. Waves of superheated air blew around the bar, burning and boiling patrons alive. Except, they kinda didn't because said patrons started mutating with Ishida's damn demon blood. It got everywhere! As the drunkards were consumed like dominoes, icky Ishida-blood flew all over, causing chain reaction after chain reaction of weird corruption. The blood harmlessly dispersed against her mental barrier, causing but a shimmer around her, then Ishida whisked himself and the rest of the Crew away, apparently forgetting about Halinn, the bastard. Her hangover had cleared up, and not a moment too soon, as everything promptly exploded.
When the dust and debris cleared, Halinn could be seen sitting on the floor some 100 metres down the bottom of a crater, with an altogether unhappy expression on her face.
“ISHIIIIDAAAAA!!!” she roared, jumping up from the crater to street level, landing next to said demon-guy with an accusing finger. “THE HELL WAS THAT!!??”
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