An Ordinary Oddball
Jumping Bean plopped back into her seat.
"No. We're—we're not blowing up any part of the land. I can just spray some medicine into the river basin or nearby rivers and whoever drinks from them will be cured. And you can make the announcement."
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
Road Trip
“I cannæ see how I'm expected to clean a river with an army of snakes,” Nathrach pointed out. “They don't exactly defecate rainbows and happiness, if that's what you were thinking. Predatory reptiles, not sparkling unicorns with disinfecting bowels.”
He flicked his serpentine eyes over to Jumping Bean, looking her up and down in a searching manner. “Unless that's actually possible to do with your magic thingummies. Although I don't know. Magic tends to avoid me like the plague. Maybe because manipulating the rules of the universe means crap to a snake who gladly flips off rationality with his own pissing existence.”
He paused. “...Sorry. I'm not great when I'm hungry.”
Aileana, still coiled around Matten, seemed to tense up at that. One could imagine her eyes widening if they actually had the ability to.
Because the serpent had spotted the snake-sage's shadow. A writhing mass of endlessly dying and rebirthing snakes, devouring each other in a mindless faction and only gaining awareness when called upon, it was rarely a calm sight. But something was... off.
Namely, Addison Jr, whom Aileana could recognise due to his shared behaviours to his predecessor, seemed to be winning. Slowly, but surely, the python was fattening, consuming his brethren like an unstoppable force.
The green-scaled rattlesnake met Nathrach's gaze for a moment, checking to see if he was aware. He seemed to be. His eyes kept hopping from thing to thing, and he was clearly becoming restless and snappy. If Addison's offspring dug down deep enough into the entangled masses of his kin, he would surely find Nathrach himself. If he devoured him...
Aileana broke line of sight on the snake-sage's shadow. Addison was naïve. He would be taken care of, as long as she pretended to be mindless. Never before had Nathrach passed on a snake to another, so the effects weren't known. For all that the purple python knew, he could just be being sentimental, complementing and exaggerating his old pet's intelligence and awareness.
Yes. That would work. She couldn't stop him now, she would have to wait. Too dangerous to leap into the pile again. Have patience. It wouldn't be long until the python made a mistake.
Like consuming enough to gain awareness like her.
If the rattlesnake could grin, she would have. Addison was always prideful. He would be even more so if he became sapient. Surely he would usurp authority over his remaining brethren.
He was playing right into her hands. Proverbially speaking of course.
Well, for now.
Aileana continued lazily coiling around the daeva's shoulders. Surely, it wasn't a case of if, but when. A shame, too. She was rather enjoying her master's flirtations. In fact, as a thank you, in the case that he perished before fighting Dahāka, she could snatch him his snakes he so desperately craved. It would be the very least she could do in return.
bork
chaos catby with a flannel shirt addiction
the library
"Oh, oops! Must have missed you there. I'm such a scatterbrain! Wait, murals? What sort of murals? Also, I thought teapots were for making tea, not lunch. This is confusing... "Echo followed on, looking somewhat awkward.
I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.
Ryan - Earlier
Ryan took out his phone and showed Red Tiger a few songs that could be sang - among the so called folk songs were ones listed in his "hilarious meme songs" playlist.
Just for fun he also showed Red Tiger how to sing the absolutely despicable Its Everyday Bro. He wanted to see if they picked up on that song's...qualities.
Ryan - Road Trip
Ryan crossed his arms as they got to their destination and listened to both the plan and the state of things as it was. It looked like Uzi Doohicky was holing up and just spreading plagues and stuff like that around. Much as destroying the source made sense, he did find Beangirl's propsition interesting - curing and insulating instead of just destroying.
It did sound like the heroes had made a rather lousy impression here.
Though he did wonder if he might be able to get some off time and see if any pretty ladies from the local area might be interested in a muscular American hero...
For now though he focused on what was important though - the mission, "While I'm predisposed to wanting to blow shit up, I'm not about to do so unnecessarily. If the bean girl can prevent this sickness stuff from spreading decisively..."
Ranvald
Ranvald did admit he was entirely too wary at present, and had just stood there, wondering what would happen next - and Wilma just got back up from some old man. "I...uh...yeah..."
He followed after her, deciding maybe he shouldn't expect everything on this planet to bite his head off.
Though certainly not getting too at home with all this. After all, he was here to undertake his rites.
As Kris brought the Kaydenite into the medical bay and helped Magpie bring in some medical supplies, he thought about what that monster was. It wouldn't be good if so much stuff happened so soon. They were already up to their necks with Zugzwang and all the fun stuff that happened in the Middle East.
Nice going Dex, just...nice going.
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
AKA Nixer
NJI HQ
Noka by now was resting perched on the edge of a bed in the medical bay, gazing up at a television mounted on the wall. Any queries from him regarding the technology would have been put on hold, however, by the subject that came up on the news channel.
‘...Several eyewitnesses report sighting the alien fugitive “Kyxe Seng” at Easton West Park earlier today, accompanied by a companion assumed by some to be the culprit who unlawfully broke into the court in order to forcefully evacuate her. The interdimensional visitor – who was as aforementioned involved in difficult court procedures including charges of assault and attempted murder – was later shown to be correct in her suspicions when the villain known as Aldawin revealed himself shortly after the final verdict. However, any changes to her charges may have to result in a return to court with her willing to testify, however Aldawin's recent disappearance may make this situation difficult to resolve...’
“Kyxe Seng...” Noka muttered, looking up at Kris as he came in. “She arrived here? And... you charged her?”
He let out a long sigh, bringing his hand up to his face and drawing it across. “If she were a civilian, maybe this'd be more acceptable. But Kyxe Seng is of a prominent political family; a well-renowned diplomat in such affairs. Even arresting her without prior communication and resolution of interplanetary laws will cause a headache. Does your species not think that far?” he asked rhetorically, although his tone was more neutral than accusing, as if that may actually be a genuine possibility, before groaning, putting his head in his hands once again. “By Lœ... this'll be a headache back in Aentolin... I don't believe she's even informed the Council of the situation yet. Don't blame her, really, but withholding information is against her duty as a soldier...”
He had started to trail off into mutters by now, evidently thinking out loud more than anything, before clearing his throat and looking back up.
“In any case, that's not an immediate concern. Unless someone makes it one. I sense you have your hands full already, but the Altürgone aren't a threat to pass over either. I... apologize for this.”
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
Magpie
Magpie had returned just in time from her walk around the block to hear the newcomer complain about things that could not be controlled.
"Pardon me," she said as she walked closer. "People don't know that your people even exist. And I'm pretty the technology for communication between us hasn't been invented yet. So I'm afraid that the situation can't be helped right now."
"I'm afraid Aldawin is either dead or dying with many malignant tumors. Serves him right for what he did, anyhow..."
"And whatever threat the Alturgone are, well..." she sighed, closing her eyes. "It's happened before, it'll always happen again. Everyone does the best they can in Easton. It's practically a rule of life."
"There's lots of strange things here. Even I'm not a local. You'll fit right in." Magpie gave Noka a slightly worn smile.
Jumping Bean
Red Tiger immediately launched into a horrifically mangled Engrish rendition of "It's Everyday Bro." Black Wolf groaned and curled up in his spot.
"Please, stop that noise," Jumping Bean said patiently.
It was suddenly quiet again.
"Thank you."
"As I was saying, yes, there is a way to prevent the illness from spreading, if my patrons, old and new, could lend a hand," she nodded respectfully in Matten's direction. "We're going to need a ritual. I know the incantations. I just need some support from you all."
"It should make the sky open up and rain the cure."
Wilma
As Ranvald followed Wilma, the murals on the walls all turned to look at him with curiosity. Some cocked their heads, some blinked confusedly, and some gaped at him.
Tap tap tappity tap
A teapot on a clockwork tripod scuttled towards Wilma. It blinked its two beady black camera-shutter eyes mounted on either side of its spout, whistling happily. Balanced precariously on its head was a tray. It held a ketchup and cheese sandwich.
Wilma took the tray. "Awwww! You made this just for me?"
The teapot made a dipping motion with its body.
"Oh, why, thank you!" Wilma leaned down and kissed the Teapot.
The thing shrieked and skittered off, issuing steam from its spout all the while.
"This way!" she said, and led them to what appeared to be a living room area.
"We have to fight the Dream Eaters in Dreamland. So we all have to be asleep. I wish there wasn't this much red tape in the way, and that we could just beat them up, but...circumstances."
"I'm just going to finish my...sandwich. No need to wait for me. Start snoozing, will ya?"
Wilma made a shooing motion with the hand not holding the sandwich.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Jul 20th 2018 at 3:47:07 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
NJI HQ
Noka slightly raised his head to look at Magpie, returning her worn smile with one of his own as he chuckled humorlessly.
“Well, if the people here can withstand stuff like this on a regular basis to the rate you claim, I'm impressed. Kayden screws up all its problems into a little ball and tosses them away in order to forget about them. Naturally, we get bitten on the tail end for it later. Case in point with the one who followed me in,” he shrugged, shifting slightly into a laying position on the bed, a little more relaxed as he carefully rested his injured arm.
“So, you say you're not a native. That's... unlikely...” he muttered ponderously, looking up at her again. “Statistically speaking. You're right here. For Lœ's sake, is this some kinda multiverse hub or something?” he asked rhetorically, before shaking his head incredulously. “Anyway, I doubt it'll take long for me to get back on my feet. Trained to keep moving, y'know? Sick thing about Altürgone is that they don't stop at killing you,” he grimaced, looking down at his wrist and studying the device strapped onto it, cluelessly flicking it with his finger before shrugging. “Not enough idea of how this thing works to tell you what the Altürgone are doing now. For all I know, activating it without coordinates could've caused rifts to open all around the area. Could already be killing.”
The thought seemed to sober him, and he abruptly stood up, ignoring any pain from his injury with a determined, hardened expression on his face.
“I don't think we have time to be messing around. I'll help you all I can with your own issues, but I do my best against those disgusting beasts. Also best to look out for that Seng and her Anok accomplice. Their jackets show they are of decent rank, so the more the merrier. Correct term?” he questioned, somewhat unsuredly.
bork
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Dnieper River Basin—Kiev
"..." Matten never really adjusted to light. She should have timed their arrival to when the moon rose high, rather than the Sun, but she had light-acclimated kids to care for. Still, here now, in light or dark one could note the utter absence of well, anyone.
The daeva stopped the wagon train at a traffic light—for once on asphalt on terra firma—a long one, even with no cars on the road. Or people under the lights in the office space. Adverts in Ukrainian still blared from a television near an open window, the jingle reaching no one it seemed.
"Hn. All the people are gone. And this never made the news." Matten shrugged a bit sarcastically. "Meh, only the capital of a nation-state. In any case, I don't delve into into the cosmic ocean. I render you aid, and that'll appear to come from a event horizon around us or Beneath the Earth."
The daeva left the driver's seat, slithering through the window without ever touching the doorknob and and careful only to keep Aileena from hitting the frame. "Do set up quickly. We can have your ritual done before they all come out of the bathroom. Or something."
An Ordinary Oddball
Magpie
Magpie sighed.
"Who knows? This city hides many secrets. Just when you think you've got a grasp on things..."
She waves a hand in front of her face, and a web of red cracks spreads across her face and closes up just as quickly.
"...It blindsides you."
"I'm Magpie. Nice to meet you, Noka."
Jumping Bean
Jumping Bean put her gourd on the ground, uncorked it, and grew it to maximum size.
She drew her sword and began to chant.
"Skies, listen! Earth, listen!"
"The sword that has been overly sharpened will break."
"The house that has too much gold will be robbed."
"The cup that has been overfilled will spill."
"So! I beseech!"
Jumping Bean pointed her sword to the sky and the ground began to rumble.
"Let the world be at peace with itself."
"Let the conflict be resolved."
"Above all..."
"...Let the people be happy."
The gourd spewed a golden colored laser up, up, up, into the clouds.
And then, nothing. For a few moments, anyways.
Suddenly, a gentle misty rain of sweet-smelling liquid began to fall from the clouds that had appeared. As the group continued watching, the small patch of clouds that had been created by the laser began spreading with lightning speed across the sky to cover the horizon.
"It worked," Jumping Bean whispered.
And promptly collapsed.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Jul 20th 2018 at 5:38:12 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Kris stated in regards to the whole thing with Kyxe, "One of the things about Earth is that it usually doesn't matter if you're from an important or powerful political family if you break one of the laws here - in addition to what Magpie said, we have none of those interplanetary laws on the books..."
When the Kaydenite brought up dangerous monsters and such, he simply sighed, "We're dealing with a lot of dangerous things. Anti-alien conspiracies, various supervillains like Malefic and Dr. Zoom..." He didn't know he just namedropped someone the Kaydenite might know of.
"...Yeah we're gonna need to know what these things are and how to dispose of them."
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Dnieper River Basin—Kiev
"The sword that has been overly sharpened will break."
"The house that has too much gold will be robbed."
"The cup that has been overfilled will spill."
"So! I beseech!"
The man smiled as the scion brought her prize and pointed it into the sky. "That one speaks the truth, and I really need that speechwriter."
"Let the conflict be resolved."
"Above all..."
"...Let the people be happy."
"Poor dear..." the man descended, on as light a cushion of air as possible so as to keep his suit pristine. The snakes hissed, pinned to his shoulders. Alas, he needed them to mark rank around the daeva—and they returned each time cut in any case. Even with the archfiend dead.
He turned his sword towards the descending light and let it shine in a reflection of the scion's own appeal to the heavens. "If I may comfort you, do know that you indeed fight the good fight as your mantra demands."
The man smiled at the group then, and absently waved his hand. People appeared in the windows all over the city, sporting black scelera all. They followed up Jumping Bean's chant with one of their own. Of course, Aži Dahāka did not join. He wrote it down for them.
"We offer up our essence and being..."
"...to complete her ritual."
"And break the sword..."
"...and rob the house..."
"And the cup spilleth over..."
"And we hold the gate..." Blue flame erupted from each speaker—the entire populace of the city, before they fell. ..And rose again, holding their heads or blinking in confusion.
The people lived, but Matten blanched. "..that was...."
Aži Dahāka shrugged. "What? Their just divs." She opened the way to the heavens, and I put hundreds of thousands of bodies in the doorway. All that remains... He gazed upon the prone figure of the scion who had opened the heavens with a gourd and willed the gourd to his own lab in a column of golden light, at the same time willing the scion into a coffin—sans sword which he left embedded in a building, uncaring of the condition of the remains. If she's cut up, there are always more. The remainder he deliberately encircled in golden light to dispose of them all in the nearest bit of asphalt.
Above the assembled Guardians of Contradiction and the man-who-would-be-king, the sky opened, and lights burst from the heavens in bursts. None headed their way. If any pondered and explored, they would note that the fallen things fell in the direction of the new towers all over the world. The sky flashed over cities around the world and many, many impacts set of weak tremors.
Edited by CenturyEye on Jul 20th 2018 at 10:09:40 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Surrounded by weirdoes
"You have to get clever if you want to make one of the rich fall" Kyle commented, having been standing there the whole time.
Looking at the side, he thought of the bastard that blew up his house, clenching his fists.
"Speaking of that" He said, looking at Kris "Any idea on how to make that glorified blender bleed? Could come handy next time"
Wait till I get my hands on you, scrap pile
Wake me up at your own risk.
Ryan
Ryan watched the show outside of the wagon train - he had to admit the light show was pretty impressive. Walking forward, he commented on the state JB had ended up in due to her display, "That'll do kid. Don't want you keeling over..." Looked like he wouldn't need to do much—-
Ryan was immediately proven wrong when the head honcho showed up himself, and started doing something. Ryan had utterly no eye for the mystical, but he guessed that going by the gloating going on something bad just happened.
He then saw what looked like some sort of coffin form around Jumping Bean, and he shouted, "Let her go!"
This was then followed by the reckless young man throwing a bright blue sphere of destructive force at Azi Dahaka - he didn't care what in all the mission was, this jackass was gonna go down and go down hard.
However then some distinctly unfriendly feeling golden light started showing up, and Ryan leaped out of the way just as it started collecting near his location - evading Azi Dahaka's telefrag move in time. "...Son of a bitch..."
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
An Ordinary Oddball
The Sky Has Opened
"Tch," Magpie said. "Always go for the eyes, Kyle."
The skies over Easton roiled and broiled, a point of light falling, falling, falling...
Magpie ran to the nearest window.
"Woah! Something's stirring, all right."
Elsewhere, Wilma finished her sandwich and also looked outside.
"Oh dear. That's something else. One moment, please. I have to help defend the city, if it needs defending."
She stuffed her trenchcoat's inner pockets with newspaper rolls that were scattered on the table, made another newspaper hat for herself, and ran back outside.
The Towers Are Pulling
The Emperor's forces mobilized immediately.
"Father, Father, what's going on? Where are we going?" Red Bean asked, while leading the forces.
"Dear, watch closely, now. My dear husband is going to become more powerful..."
"A god has fallen. It is my right to consume it. And I will!
The company continued their journey up to the surface world.
The Scion Is Entombed
Jumping Bean was so, so tired... She couldn't even muster the strength to cry out when the coffin materialized around her and then whisked off by Azi's power to the nearest cemetery.
Her gourd was taken. Her sword was missing.
No need to panic.
Jumping Bean regulated her breathing. This was just like Lu Dongbin's trials. Be carefree, and all will be well...
Let The Angels Fall
There was a great uproar in Heaven as the gods of the Chinese pantheon considered their option.
"We can't just sit back anymore while things go on like this!" a Xian argued.
"And we can't just leave our servant high and dry!" another Xian argued.
More squabbling, then the Jade Emperor put his hand up.
"We shall each give Jumping Bean one-sixth of our power. Then we shall go and help the other Heaven. We will not neglect either. That is my final decision."
And the Heavens marched to their brothers' aid.
A Funeral Dirge Shall Be Sung
Jumping Bean felt a great warmth in her chest. It grew stronger, stronger, and stronger still...until—
—A golden beam of light burst from her chest, blasting away all of the dirt and wood sealing her underground, and she floated out of the grave with nary a spot of dirt on her.
"Rise, Jumping Bean, Saint of Demon-Quelling and Healing!" said a voice from the sky.
With a flick of her hand, her purloined gourd was returned to her, and her sword tore itself out of the building it was trapped in, and returned itself to her in a burst of light.
She slung both the gourd's and sword's strap over her shoulders and kicked off against the ground. Instantly, she was launched into the air.
As soon as she was airborne, she spotted the place she had been teleported from. She hadn't been teleported far at all, it seemed!
Laughing, she flew towards it, golden light swirling around her.
But As For Today, Only Shouts Of Joy
There was a pinprick of gold on the horizon. It could have been a falling yazata, except that there was no tower nearby, and if one watched closely, it seemed to be getting bigger with every passing second.
Jumping Bean shot towards Azi Dahaka and her group at a ludicrously high velocity. As she dropped near the ground to charge at him, her golden aura gouged a huge mark into the ground.
"NO! MORE!" she howled, as she pulled up a little to aim the perfect dropkick at him.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Jul 20th 2018 at 8:31:57 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
Dnieper River Basin
Nathrach seemed to tense up at the sight of Dahāka, slitted eyes bulging out of their sockets as they focused intently on each of the serpents attached to his shoulders, flicking his tongue out in a soft return to their hissing.
“Aye, just look at ye...” he cooed with a light lilt. “Even more gorgeous in person, aren't ye?”
Indeed, his silhouette was becoming increasingly more frantic, the coiling mass of serpents wildly flapping around and mutely biting and furiously hissing beneath whatever loophole or glamour he had set upon himself to hide them, the rapidly growing one that was Addison seeming to stop momentarily in his feedings upon his kin as the shadow of his neck on the ground below twisted around to face the higher div, baring his fangs ferociously.
Nathrach, still focused on Dahāka's snakes, flickered from existence with a swift coating of a layer of his own serpents (avoiding the column of light in the process), his head appearing out from beneath the div's robe and elongating the neck it was attached to up to eye level, completely passing the owner by in order to get a closer look at his pets, encircling them and studying them from every angle.
“You... are a very lucky man. Creature. Daeva. Runner-up Big Daddy. Whatever ye like to be called. I suppose you wouldn't mind me holding one? Just a wee stroke...”
It was clear by his trancelike stare he'd snap them out anyway, but his ingrained obligation towards politeness had given him pause for now.
NJI HQ
“Hm. Good to make your acquaintance,” Noka greeted formally, accepting Magpie's hand and giving it a firm shake in return, before shifting attention to Kris, notably widening his gaze at the mention of Malefic before seemingly managing to compose himself with a bit of effort.
“Well, as for what they are, they are Altürgone. That's all that has been stated of them to be,” he began, in a decidedly monotonous tone, before continuing, “As for dealing with them, the best strategy is to get the first hit in. Stagger them, then overwhelm them with pure, unadulterated assault. If they know you're there first, though, then they'll have the upper hand, something very difficult to reclaim once they get it. But if you manage to attack before they can perform that initial reaction, then you may just stand a fighting chance. Aim for the head. Or whatever looks like one. Obliterate it. Tear it apart with your teeth and swallow it if you have to. Just make sure its destroyed. Or it'll just keep getting back up.”
His explanation over, delivered in a fairly steady and calm voice for all things considered, he then elected to approach the subject that he inwardly dreaded the most.
“Now, if I may ask... what is this matter with Malef–”
He was swiftly cut off by Magpie's sudden exclamation, and promptly made his way over to the window with her, frowning in confusion at the sight of the falling lights.
“Lœ...?” he muttered, before shaking it off and turning determinedly to Kris.
“I will accompany Magpie. There is to be no argument regarding my injury. Understood?”
Easton City Streets
“...So you're just gonna keep on about that bird thing?”
“I simply can't fathom why the thought of biological incompatibility didn't cross your mind–”
“I was caught up in a moment! It was cute, alright? I wanted to feed it a little, that's all!”
“Yes, and now we have a ‘cute’ little decoration to go in the nearest gift shop. Perhaps we'll get a higher currency exchange for it if we claim it was handmade.”
“I actually don't know whether to hate you right now or laugh.”
“Whichever suits you the better, Ms. I Like Dynamic Entries.”
“Yeah, no. Definitely leaning towards hatred.”
There was a brief silence between the two.
“...Where are we going?”
“Home. Or, temporary dwelling.”
“What happened to the last one?”
“It's been occupied since. The new resident is a female artificial humanoid.”
“I didn't like the way you phrased that. That sounded stalkerish.”
Rine sounded almost indignant now. “It was my apartment.”
“No, you were squatting. How is this any different?”
“Because I bought this house this time.”
Rine unlocked the front door of the flat, opening it wide and showing his companion the interior.
“What do you think, then?”
She looked between him and the inside of the apartment, before shrugging and walking in past him. “I think I'm wondering how you got the money.”
“Forgery.”
The telltale sound of someone heavily facepalming echoed out into the hallway at that, quickly followed by the repeated banging of someone smashing their head into the nearest solid surface over and over.
“Are you okay?”
Kyxe walked back into view, an unamused expression on her face and a prominent bump on her forehead from her self-inflicted headbanging.
“Oh. I'm peachy, thanks.”
“You're welcome.”
Kyxe's eyeball twitched, the only indication of her prolonged inner scream of internal agony beneath her carefully practiced expression of neutrality before she simply turned on her heel and disappeared into the apartment.
“If we weren't valen, I'd have killed you by now.”
“I have absolutely no doubt in my mind of that, yes.”
There was another silence between the two, before Kyxe flinched back at the sudden glare from the window and peered out curiously.
“...Huh. Think that's Earth's own light deity coming down for a chat?”
“Could be related to that angel. I did wonder what happened to him.”
“Maybe.”
Yet another silence.
“We should do something.”
“Agreed.”
Without any further words, they rushed outside.
Edited by Enirboreh on Jul 21st 2018 at 7:08:02 PM
bork
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Fiat justitia ruat caelum
"I hated seeing you just watching..." the man-who-would-be-king regarded the sky. "Taking your time in slaying Angra Mainyu...condemning me with it."
Lights from a parallel realm rained down on where he'd left the scion. I should have kept at least some daeva in reserve or something. While tracing the path of the light to the scion, he idly strafed left, leaving Jumping Bean to hit Ryan's blast at her great speed. "That's gonna hurt, but you really shouldn't call your attacks."
Speaking of... The daeva announced her attack, taking off with more force than necessary. Even when he (barely) deflected her sword thrust, he had to parry multiple thrusts along with the rubble that came in her wake. Matten did not speak to the man, the sword meant to go through his eye socket said enough.
"Elder sister," the man strained under the assault. "I thought the whole Götterdämmerung would make a pleasant memory, for all it matters for you. Or are you going to stay mad that I felled your cousins and you did not?"
One of Matten's sword thrusts stopped abruptly. But of course it did. The strange snake-pet she'd dragged along saw fit to slither around his 3000 euro suit. Nonetheless, he calmly pointed out Matten for a short lesson. "She's a daeva. Angra Mainyu was a particularly disgusting example of a daeva. But they matter not. The best thing about daeva is how you don't recall them when they die. They disappear back into the space between nothings. Observe and rejoice."
The light spread from the sky, dazzling all below for but seconds, before it faded, leaving Ryan, Nathrach, and the Jumping Bean gang no worse for wear. Something may have been missing, and the long day might have seemed to odd to observers, but eternal day would surely be less foreboding than eternal night.
Derbent
Berezata knew immediately that something had gone very wrong. The connection with Behesht snapped immediately, before he saw the distressed figures of countless brothers and sisters falling to Earth. To his credit, he only spent a few moments sputtering in confusion and disbelief before racing to the tower where most were about to impact.
"What am I going to diving save them all?!" The yazata vocalized his skepticism aloud, but that was his only plan. For what it was worth. Even the first he tried to reach disappeared from his arms.
Great crashing thuds and minor explosions came form everywhere, and then the silence. Silence while light filled strange automatons standing about the tower. The golems glowed for but a moment before flesh wrapped around them and they were 'men' and 'women' and walked off. Beneath them, melted and decaying flesh restored itself and yet more men and women wandered around in apparent confusion.
"What the..."
Götterdämmerung...in Kiev
"I guess...your...work was no fluke." The disembodied voice sounded from everywhere with approval. "You are, after all, not Ludicrous Gibs at the moment."
Above, the sky streaked with lights and a daytime shower of falling 'stars'. "And you're not meant to be. I mean when the heroes are cut up, blown up, or whatever the plan of the day is, there's still the alien infiltrators, secret organizations named after eyes and obscure Latin phrases, and undead gluttons. I certainly don't want to take out my janitorial staff to deal with that myself."
A figure of Aži Dahāka reappeared, wreathed in light, one arm folded behind his back, another holding a sphere of light. Besides, the work of Dexter, the lights of Jumping Bean, you lot are a great help. And I'm still displaced in this time. "Or miss this. At a stroke, mankind is uplifted..." The machines locked on to the path of empowerment coming to the scion. "and they'll be free of men in the sky or things from the dirt to answer to. While I take over stewardship of creation."
Edited by CenturyEye on Jul 21st 2018 at 2:18:38 PM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
An Ordinary Oddball
Magpie
As Magpie ran outside, she felt sick to her core. Making her way to the light-thing as it crashed to the ground, unmoving, she felt a deep sense of foreboding.
Magpie approached the light-thing with caution, kneeling at its side to examine it. It was just a bit of light. It didn't have any human bits. Too big to be a nephilim...
Wilma
As Wilma headed for the Library doors, she saw a book with a note attached to it. She skimmed the note (Take this. It might be of some use.) and grabbed the book.
Wilma arrived at the light-thing to find someone already there and kneeling over it.
"Ah, hello," the...girl said. "I'm Magpie. If the book you brought has any information about what's going on, that would be a great help."
"Er, yes, yes! My name's Wilma—" She flipped though the book awkwardly "—and there are a lot of pictures in this book and they're all bright things like this."
"What's the title?"
"A Guide To Zoroastrianism: Yazata and Daeva."
"Daeva aren't light. Yazatas are. So this has to be a yazata. But why would they be falling?"
"Well, it looked like those tower-things are to blame. I saw them pulling this yazata out of the sky..."
"I heard that Dexter built those..."
"Who's that?"
"Did you see the fight against Angra Mainyu at Kurtzberg High School on the news?"
"Not really. I heard it happened, though."
"Dexter's the guy who brought the light-rifles and sealed...that thing."
"Then, if he's a good guy, why would he want to do...this?"
"I don't know."
Jumping Bean
Jumping Bean barreled straight through Ryan's blast, the blue energy swirling harmlessly around her and dissipating, being brushed aside by her aura.
"We have to go back. If one of those things lands in Easton, the Emperor will take advantage of it," she said. "Grab your things from the van and let's go."
She and her compatriots grabbed their gear from the van and waited for the others.
"What a big fat ball of trouble this has been."
"I agree with you, for once."
"Uh huh."
The Emperor
The Emperor's army marched down the streets, people fleeing in every direction. Book shops burst into flames. The entourage approached the fallen yazata.
"I don't like him," Wilma whispered. "He gives me the willies."
"What the hell is going on?" Magpie whispered back. "He looks like a ghost. Wait, no, he is a ghost! Emperor Shi Huangdi!"
"Then what's he doing here?"
"HALT!" the Emperor stopped the marching. "This god is mine to consume. Get out of my way!" he shouted.
"Why? What's your grievance?" Wilma asked.
Magpie snorted. "You don't have a right to consume any gods. Shove off!"
The Emperor's beard bristled. "They didn't let me into the higher Heavens!" he screeched. Then he appeared to realize that he was wasting time. "GET THEM!"
His army surged ahead. Wilma formed the paper she'd stuffed into her trenchcoat into a suit of lightweight platemail and a sword. Magpie drew two rapiers from her hat.
"A tyrant like him should've gone to hell!" Magpie said, readying for a fight.
"You talk like you knew him," Wilma noticed.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
Dnieper River Basin
Nathrach didn't so much as glance at Jumping Bean's exit, still staring upon the one-who-would-not-be-king.
“You go, lass. I have the feeling my fate is to be dealt here. But may I be damned if I do not get his snakes.”
The snake-sage hissed, before vanishing into coils of serpents once more, a rumbling of the earth hearkening the arrival of the colossal legless beast from within the ground, rearing up overhead with a cacophonic roar of noise.
Aileana, who found herself on the floor for some reason, slithered into a quieter spot, coiling up and continuing to study her ex current-master's shadow, the chaotic, silhouetted mass of serpents having grown in order to better accommodate the size of their shell's new bestial form. Despite the sudden addition of a few hundred or more so visible snakes, Addison's progress was still visible, arguably becoming even quicker as Nathrach upped the scale of the fight both literally and figuratively.
I will get you your pets, my master. Even if I have to string them around your smaller, more mindless serpentine neck.
Easton City – With the Emperor
‘...In other news, several sightings have cropped up in the Easton City skyline recently, involving a strange, night dwelling creature that startled 48 year old John Bowman on his late night flight to Amsterdam...’
‘...Described as possessing a wingspan of about nine metres in width, it had apparently (in Mr. Bowman's own words) “roosted” on his aircraft's left-hand wing for approximately two minutes before flying off...’
‘...The creature commonly known as “The Wraith” in local communities has been sighted yet again just last night, breaking into the Winchester highrise on 35th in the middle of a delicate hostage situation. According to several officers at the scene, the creature landed directly on top of one of the armed kidnappers and proceeded to...’
‘This just in, the Wraith has been seen flying over in the direction of the NJI building at a low altitude. All those who are listening in, please shut all your doors and windows–’
A nine foot tall figure in a tattered brown cloak landed heavily on a building above the so-called Emperor, gazing down at the group below through the eyeless shadows of its hood. It tilted its head to one side, a guttural, reverberating growl announcing its presence, before it seemed to trickle away and liquefy into a black sludge, crawling down the side of the building and stretching out into amorphous tendrils, eventually collapsing onto the ground and congealing themselves back together into the hooded figure once more.
There was a low pitched rattling, one that seemed to once again come from all directions, before a large, bony, emaciated arm tinted the bluish colour of a corpse seemed to form out of the earth, the ground warping like that of a pool of water before hardening into the limbs long-fingered hand, seeming to morph its colours to better match its shape. A single, grey iris blinked open from the centre of its palm, bloodshot and ghastly.
The creature nearby made no indication of noticing Jumping Bean, Magpie, or the others, entirely focused on the Emperor, as if studying its prey. A hollow rasp was its breathing, sounding fatigued and painful, but its chest did not rise and fall.
bork
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Götterdämmerung
The mirror-sword, incidentally bereft of an owner—or never having had one—spun through the air before landing at the feet of Jumping Bean and the belly of Aileana.
Aži Dahāka, taking no particular note of this, gave snake-man a flat look. "Lovely. If only the wretch had given you his curse. I could cut these off—again. They always grow back." And they're always hungry. Even so... The daeva whom he had no use for had died, and the yazata who had cast him down were themselves cast down. Many absorbed into his, er... Dexter's golems, and the remainder dying on impact with the hard earth. (Hey, he only had so many golems built, strict timetables and all that).
The-man-who-would-be-king nodded approvingly at Jumping Bean's departure. "Slay the beast then." Before tilting his head at the snake-man. "Or a scion can stay and slay this beast. I know he's told you of his exploits. And did you not feel it? The teeming millions felled by that awful div in the Caucasus, walking around again? What do you think happens to them if I suffer some miserable fate? Besides, the yazata really need to learn about the hazards of life on earth, even if that one is too dead to appreciate being eaten."
Thomas+Selby Mechanics
"Greetings and Salutations, Mr. and Ms. Thomas-Selby!" the triple-haloed redhead chirped with near enough enthusiasm to crack glass, before wrapping her arms around Ophelia and kissing her cheeks.
Ophelia and the proud parents might notice the surface of the daeva's skin smoldering somewhat, but Nasu gave no signs of discomfort.
"We're going searching and exploring! My mom doesn't know. She's dead. But you, I'm telling you where your daughter's going right now! Home by ten and I've got pizza money!" The daeva vanished with Ophelia in her arms while giving the parents an innocent wave.
Skies over Easton—then the Atlantic
"So, have you seen my little sister?" Nasu spread her arms as if that accurately represented well anyone. "Just turned 3007 last week? Which reminds me, I missed out on alot of cake until she taught me that. We have got to go try the pizzeria in Italia. Do you know Italia looks like a boot? Except all rocky like its been worn o much and caked with mud? Would she be hiding in the mud? Can you see through mud? I have to make the dead to get what they know."
Edited by CenturyEye on Jul 21st 2018 at 4:28:34 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
An Ordinary Oddball
Guarding The Fallen
Magpie and Wilma almost jumped as Jumping Bean and her gang appeared in a burst of golden light.
"Sorry for the trouble. I'm Jumping Bean, and this is Red Tiger and Black Wolf. We've been chasing the Emperor for a while now."
"Oh, hi there! You can call me Magpie!" Magpie said, feeling that the new girl was telling the truth.
"It's no trouble. Any help's welcome! I'm Wilma, by the way."
"Are you a yaoguai? You feel kind of strange."
"And smells strange too." Black Wolf snorts. "Sorry. That was rude."
"Well—" Magpie made to respond.
"Watch out! They're a-coming!" Wilma yelled.
The army and the small band of heroes met and started clashing.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
chaos catby with a flannel shirt addiction
the library
Echo had already been half asleep for most of the day, as usual, so the instruction to fall asleep was a welcome one."I could use a nap about now."
She yawned and found someplace to doze off comfortably.
Edited by QuantumMelody29 on Jul 21st 2018 at 8:51:00 AM
I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.
Breath of the Sun
Easton - vs Emperor
In the same moment as Jumping Bean, a white blur appeared, smashing into the ground in front of the fallen light to defend it. Setsuko rose from her crouch, staff slung over her shoulder, and turned to give Wilma a grin and thumbs up. "Sorry I'm late! I saw the spirit falling from the sky and came as fast as I could!"
Then she tore off a tuft of her fur and blew on it, and a thousand clones of her appeared to rival the Emperor and his army. "And now I, Sun Setsuko, the Monkey Queen, shall defeat you, Villain!"
With a roar, the one-woman army charged, staves swinging wildly into the enemy soldiers while the real Setsuko shot forward and extended her staff into the Emperor's face.
Canceling the Apocalypse
"You know, Azi, I really should thank you." A voice called from the heavens. Not the voice of a god, or yazata, or buddha. It was the voice of a mortal man, clad in armor. Descending from a portal in the sky - not a gate to heaven, but a wormhole showing a realm of machines - clad in crimson red and gunmetal grey, the human smiled, though one could not see behind his featureless helmet. "Had you not attacked my laboratory and killed my girlfriend, I probably wouldn't have accidentally stumbled upon the missing variables I needed. Thanks to you, I was able to complete my prototype dimensional gate, and find several alternate Earth's worth of raw material to work with. Oh, and I should also thank you for constructing those towers for me while I was gone. Though they're in need of an update, I should think."
Around the towers, more golems emerged from countless portals. These were more advanced than their predecessors, and far greater in number. Even as they found the men and women around the tower and 'upgraded' them by jabbing them with bits of odd metal, they marched off and gathered more of the fallen Yazata to absorb into themselves, turning them 'human' in the process.
The towers, too, changed. The strange metal, a dull grey thing that didn't gleam even in direct sunlight, spread up them as tiny machines disassembled and reassembled their outer plating. The lights of heaven were pulled down in greater number, and where they touched they ceased to be. What once were yazata were now devoid of even a hint of Khvarenah. Reduced to mere mortals, indistinguishable from humans by any measurement, magical or otherwise.
"You see this new material?" Dexter raised his grey-covered hand. "It negates many mystical abilities. Nullmetal, I call it. Be it mana or the will of God himself, one touch and... poof. Quite useful. Especially against Daeva and Yazata. And don't worry - once I kill you, I'll be sure to finish what you started and rebuild the Heavens with this. So no paranormal being will ever threaten this world ever again."
And then Dexter was behind Azi Dahaka, and a storm of thousands of nullmetal bullets unleashed at the fallen one, each moving an appreciable fraction of the speed of light.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Surrounded by weirdoes
"And of course something happens" Kyle said, resignedly. Quickly shifting in front of all the present, he started running outside the HQ. Looking at his parents, he told them to get inside as he went in as the streets were filled with a strange army.
Without knowing the bigger context, he simply started smashing heads with his good arm, before, after a second of consideration, he took a bite off another one.
"Most people would think I am fighting with one arm" He said, after spitting out "But, to me, this just tickles!" He ended, swinging his other arm, not even wincing at the impact.
Wake me up at your own risk.
AKA Nixer
Dnieper River Basin
Aileana flinched back as the mirror-sword struck mere inches away from where she once was, initially going to retreat away before pausing, the gleam of its blade reflecting off of her slitted eyes. With a rattle of her tail, she coiled herself up around it in a vertical manner, careful not to cut her scales upon its sharp edge and causing it to vanish as soon as it was out of view. The rattlesnake dropped to the floor, satisfied, before returning her attention to the state of the serpentine sage.
He wasn't doing well. He had suddenly dropped out of his larger form, letting it be wrapped in his brethren and replacing it with his humanoid self – and rightfully so, as Addison was only a few dozen snakes away from reaching the massive silhouette that was his true form in his shadow. Instead, he seemed to have a different objective in mind, a pair of his blackened offspring coiling up around Dahāka's snakes from behind, boring a hypnotic gaze into them that seemed to connect with their very subconscious mental faculties, the Scottish lilt of his voice echoing into their skulls.
“Hear this, my brethren. Do not hold back from your starvation, for all across this world my kin have positioned themselves in a predatory manner, out of sight, yet ready to pounce and devour each and every one of humanity, leaving none for you to feast upon. If, however, ye consume the one whom you are fused to first, I shall leave the population to your own discretion and enjoyment. And I will certainly not devour you either.”
Which was true, honestly. To his word, Nathrach called his offspring back to him, leaving the shoulder-planted serpents be, before noting Dexter's arrival with nothing more than a blink of a third eyelid, neatly sidestepping away from the trajectory of the nullifying bullets in the case that they ended up striking him as well. Normally, he wouldn't have done such a thing, as they shouldn't have any effect upon him due to the fact he wasn't supernatural in the sense that the daeva were, but right now he wished to extend his last moments as long as possible. Risking being hit wouldn't be preferable for him.
Thankfully, Aileana seemed to have him covered in that regard anyway, and as he felt the husk of his humanoid hand being slowly eaten away, he allowed himself a small grin.
“Always knew ye were a special one, lass...”
Thomas + Selby Mechanics → Atlantic Skyline
Ophelia couldn't so much as construct an appropriate sarcastic response before she was abruptly whisked away, the last image of her surrogate ‘parents’ being their identical expressions of frozen incredulity, which seemed about right. Instead of protesting, however, she withheld – simply trailing after the daeva in silence as she spoke.
“Slight issue with your reasoning – you assume I can eat food. In any case, through your nonsensical rambling I believe I picked up something about your ‘little sister’ being missing. Care to elaborate?” she said drolly, clearly not expecting a straight answer in the slightest.
Easton City – With the Emperor
Observing the din of frenzied battle between the two armies for a moment, the Wraith soon shot above them with a powerful flap of its ‘wings’ (which were actually a point where its cloak overlapped the empty space between its arms and its body), letting out an unearthly wail as its clawed hand that was still extended out from the ground reared back and began to wildly strike at the Emperor's army, bending in such ways impossible for a normal limb, the bloodshot grey eye in its palm widening and shrinking in result of each impact.
After a few were taken down, more emaciated limbs soon joined it, forming from a dark sludge at specific points on the battlefield that the flying Wraith was expectorating from above, splattering against any free patches in order to get the most strategically advantageous points taken up by its external limbs.
Edited by Enirboreh on Jul 21st 2018 at 11:02:58 AM
bork
30000 Leagues Under the Atlantic
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives"Oh, I wouldn't let anything happen to Aileana," Matten gave the snake a scratch under her chin. She looked solemn a moment. "Though, that mean her taking the express out of dodge."
The van-train hit the continental shelf—and did not bother to climb, at least on the present slope. It hit the shelf head-on, slightly bending the bumper before the daeva fully transitioned from unmaking water to solid earth. "Well, we're making a pit-stop to the Dnieper River actually, where some of the fallout from Jumping Bean's and that android's tussle with big sis. I doubt we'll find anything to punch, but Smallpox and hemorrhagic fevers abound. So, I'll have Jumping Bean and Nathrach clean the river while Ryan and I destroy the river basin. That'll make a big enough firewall to prevent the spread of these new plagues."
The daeva traced her finger along a topographical map of Europa, the GPS being somewhat unavailable until they left the several tons of earth over them. "You two made the news," she called to Jumping Bean. "Well, you and Dexter and Marah. The locals may not take kindly to this in an case, but anyone speaking Iranic or East and South Slavic languages seem to find you distasteful. The Turks would welcome you though. In any case," she traced dots on a transparency over a map before putting both on a projector—and ceasing to pay any attention to the steering wheel.
"The location of Aži Dahāka is no mystery. He would be near the Eranshahr like a crude stereotype. In any case, little brother is playing at fireside chats and shows off the architecture alot in his 'mindcasts'. Plus, Derbent went from tourist trap to metropolis quickly, so..." Matten shrugged before going on. "The method is passing strange even if he looms over the old world like a broken record. I've never known my kin to care to for causes like this. Angra Mainyu set the tone for being the strongest who would not immediately kill them. Well, one could ask him. I suppose we could scout it after Ukraine. The man practically laid breadcrumbs to the Derbent Fortress. Invitations to my kin perhaps, which still does not make any flipping sense."