Fwomph
Kyn Wyns
Kynigos was actually, legitimately smiling after the compliments and surrender of her upperclassman. She took a step back, gave a bow and then drew her (non-artifact) bow and an arrow.
"Well, with our 'duel' complete, I am going to go help my classmates. I will try not to kill your own allies, I promise you that."
With a little wink she turned and tried to shoot an arrow towards Abraham's leg.
Edited by Pentigan on Feb 11th 2021 at 5:57:05 AM
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Raja of the Lorries
Jun Sheng
Although Jun had resolved himself to commit to a string of unyielding offensive moves, he involuntarily paused in disgust as Ester's form smashed itself back together, giving her a precious few moments to recover.
"Are you even human anymore?" Jun huffed, rushing forward to close the gap and continue his assault. Jun saw Ester cock her arm to throw the orb at him, and chose to ignore it in lieu of pressing his advantage.
She couldn't just get away with being hit and recovering back to "perfection". There had to be a limit to her powers.
And Jun was determined to find it.
Curling his scarf into a makeshift drill/battering ram in front of him, Jun charged literally headfirst at Ester.
Breath of the Sun
Aaron
He pulsed with the thrum of war. Even as Lala spoke, and summoned her horde of monster fish, he was already lashing at the things with his chains, the metal becoming a blurring blender of death.
"This ends, now." Aaron said, lifting his arms above his head. His chains returned to his hands, becoming a massive warhammer, and as Aaron brought it down, he roared.
Two things happened. The first was that the blow of the hammer against the ground unleashed an immense shockwave - an attack Aaron had been practicing specifically to take out multiple weaker opponents at once. The force of the wave could easily pulverize a man, and even those strong enough to take it would be forced back. Against the wave of fish, it would more than suffice.
The second was that Aaron's roar seemed to echo across the entire battlefield. Those on Aaron's side would hear it as a call to arms, an encouraging shout that filled them with determination, with a certainty that the battle was turning in their favor.
Those who called him enemy would hear it as the roar of a terrifying beast. They would know that Phobos and Deimos - Panic and Dread - had descended upon them. Though the strong of mind might be able to keep fighting, they would know in their hearts that War itself had turned against them. Those of lesser willpower might run screaming or even collapse.
This was the true power given to a Son of War, and which could only be used here, on a battlefield soaked in blood and hate.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Arena
"Hn." Móirín let out a happy sigh and grinned wide full of teeth. Oh her arm throbbed and she could still hear her bones ringing from meeting giant axe blows, and her eyes were actively starting to burn, but she was not giving up especially with her entire party at stake from Abe's eyes. She saved energy by cutting back on fire and acid and focusing on meeting his blows and making some swings of her own. But she was driving Abe back! While her army—her army—rallied and one of the second years wasn't laughing anymore. She was.
"Its almost like having real people on your side makes a difference," she said, more or less the first time she'd bothered to answer him directly. Though I've wanted to cut a few of my classmates at some point too. Heck, Kat right now if I wasn't busy. "But its too late for you..."
Móirín picked up Aaron's roar in direct response to Abraham. And she didn't drop her weapons. Nor did she charge him back. Móirín had done this very thing to Scáthach, once twice or a thousand times. And he was coming to her anyway. The fomorian queen to be dug her feet into the ground and readied her weapons filet the boy the moment he got into range.
Edited by CenturyEye on Feb 11th 2021 at 10:17:21 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
The Light That Blinds
Some-freaking-how, Juliana managed to avoid the hailstorm of glass and reach the real cat (who'd dodged the whole thing, because of course he had). And maybe it was just all the blackness flying around, but the world looked a whole lot dimmer—
Wait a minute.
Her sort-of invisibility...removed her presence. It reduced her. Made her something comparable to nothing. The opposite of Schrodinger's powers. She was...she was...
Juli lashed out. Her knife cut across the cat's torso, spilling blood. Direct hit. Excitement bubbled up within her—she could hit it. Wound it. She focused, trying to reduce herself further, to become almost a black hole in human form. For just a second, her eyes flashed gold as she stepped forward, knife gleaming. She was...well, not the hunter, that was Kyn.
But she was the predator.
Armin was the prey.
Juli leapt forward and pounced.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Aaron -> Lala
Aaron's strike blew apart the wall of teeth and scale rushing toward him and pushed Lala back, a grin across her face as he let loose the full fury of a child of war across the battlefield. What little remained of the demons that had been called began to panic, turning on each other in retreat only to be cut down by the forces around them. "Fine, I'll admit it. You aren't half bad," she put up her hand and let out a breath. "I concede, this fight isn't something I can win." light shone down upon her as she approached him, offering a hand before lowering it. "You're still my enemy and the next time we meet we'll probably fight again. We both hate each other and I'm just as comfortable with that. But at the moment there is something both of us hate a lot more. The next time we meet I promise I'll fight you until one of us is dead or as close to it, but today the enemy at the gate is bigger then either of us." with that said she turned, taking a step on shaky legs. "Till next time, Scion of War."
Jun -> Ester
"Are you?" she asked with a smile, moving between the strikes much easier now. "Your attack patterns have become more predictable," she had to deflect less often as she began to move into the blind spots of the attacks, almost dancing between the blows before he produced his giant drill. "Oh, are you going to 'pierce' me?" she brought the orb of pain between them, forcing Jun to break it and causing the agony of what she had experienced from his attacks to become a shield for her, allowing her to move forward and prepare her spear for a strike. "A perfect opportunit-" her eyes flashed to the side in a panic. "Abraham!" she turned and disappeared, leaving dust still settling between the battlefield, the fight drawn to a stalemate.
Katarina -> Bogdasha
"Oh no, violence," Bogdasha stood up and waved his hand, making his tea set disappear back into the void and looking into the massive Katarina's eyes. "I've played my part in this, either Abraham would be able to defeat the girl or would lose, I was just supposed to set the stage," he raised his hand in the air. "I concede," light fell down around him denoting his withdraw from the fight. "However just a small piece of advice for what comes next. Outer Being's aren't the same as the two of us, passive observation isn't possible when they don't care. If you don't have your heart in it stay somewhere safe until this is all over, or you'll be killed. And that would be boringly pointless." with that he snapped, causing the massive arm to fall back to the ground as he calmly made his way to the edge of the battlefield.
Juli-> Armin
Armin knew the fight was over after the first strike Juli had made, had he been in his own body there was a chance at a reversal now that he knew that she wasn't someone he could take lightly, but his current form had only one trick able to defend him rather then the full force of his power as the son of a trickster god. "Marco you bastard, you better have that flesh doll ready for me," before Juli could bring down her blow Armin's spirit detached from Schrödinger, leaving the cat dazed for a moment and giving Juli an easy shot toward the cat. The moment the knife dug in the cat's body became hazy for a moment, before collapsing and fizzling out of reality like a program cutting to static. Through her own will and strength she had managed to bring down an angel of the Second Year's god.
Móirín/Kyn -> Abraham
There was a distance between the two that was difficult to explain, Abraham was more experienced in his power but was too drawn in by raw emotion. In a different fight where he had maintained any sort of calm, or one where Móirín had thrown herself into it with her usual rage the result would have been different. In a battle of strategy he was her senior, and in rage he was also as close to mastery as could be. But she maintained her composure against it all and held confidence, chipping away at her older opponent. But there was still distance between them, and despite Móirín's training it seemed like his speed would win through. Until an arrow caught him directly through both legs, causing him to stumble directly into the strike.
Móirín's blade met Abraham's flesh, and it cut deep, strangely colored blood falling to the floor as he looked down at the wound. It was a textbook strike, only rendered nonlethal by the build up of muscle that Abraham's evolution had made, but that made it no less painful. He staggered back a few steps, hand on the wound as he fell backward, a look of pain twisted on his face.
Before Móirín could step forward for another blow however, Ester struck Abraham in the back of the head with her spear, the light from the boys eyes fading as he fell. Ester quickly fell to a kneel. "You win, he's out. Declare yourself the victor but please let him live." it seemed that the pride Ester had shown before was abandoned to the side when confronted with Abraham's death. It was apparent that if Móirín denied she would fight, and backed into a corner at the moment it would be as dangerous as challenging a wounded animal. Far behind the other second years watched from the sidelines, making it apparent that they were waiting to see what she would do.
Fwomph
With a little satisfied smile from her own part in bringing down the eyeful brute the huntress walked over to examine the 'prey' and stand next to her 'queen'. Normally, Kyn would be all up in sparing a wounded beast the misery of living long after becoming her quarry but people were a different matter entirely.
"My queen, prove yourself magnanimous in victory and spare this pretender to your throne. There will be time for punishing his impudence once you have ascended to rule your people."
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Arena - The Results of Training
Móirín spotted immediately when Abraham got his new ankle piercing. The damn pretender may have gone rogue and have been throwing a tantrum, but he still had his training. That pissed her off more than even Kat sitting on her ass. In these circumstances, she should have a foot on his severed head already.
In the back of her mind though, she had to confess that he was older. And she chipped away at him while he made mistakes that he couldn't afford. And Kyn's arrow hit right on time! Móirín barely held back a yowl of triumph and instantly took the chance, cutting into her rival, the traitor, the man who boasted over and over that he had divine right to rule not seconds ago.
Móirín didn't pivot of flourish for the last blow. There was probably a one-liner for this situation. Or maybe she could have actually roared again to draw the attention of her fellows to the killing blow. Whatever. She would display his head after. Her sword work in that moment wasn't fancy. She swung simply with all the grace of an executioner.
And then Abraham's head fell under the blow. "!" He couldn't have dodged the blow, being unconscious. The spear was obvious, but it wouldn't stop her from simply stabbing down into Abraham's neck. She reared up to do just that...And then that girl from the tree incident appeared after her spear.
"..." Móirín had imagined that moment. The second years--that still lived--kneeling while she raised Abraham's head high in the air and her fellow fomorians cheered and hoisted her on their shoulders before they raced off to crush the Family. Or something like that. Not only was the head thing kinda missing but this... girl had struck the final blow. She meant it when she said she would be fine with a kid from the audience taking out Abraham with a slingshot, but not having the last blow be a gift from one of them.
"...Kyn," the now queen said after a short delay. "You're awesome." She sheathed the dirk as a sign, leaving her greatsword out because second-years were still actually there.
"You..." she breathed, carefully controlling her words to Esther. "...f*ck off." She kicked a bit of dirt in the direction of Abraham. "And take that." 'I'm gonna kill her' may have been running on a loop through her head but... not now.
Edited by CenturyEye on Feb 15th 2021 at 4:40:28 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
Breath of the Sun
Aaron
He was tempted, sorely tempted, to just take her head off then and there. He could see the shaking in her legs, a clear sign of weakness. Aaron, meanwhile, had wasted comparatively little of his energy. So much for her being more 'evolved', he thought to himself, smugly.
Aaron's eyes flicked over to the arena's center, where Abraham had fallen. Ester was protecting him, but it looked like Moirin wasn't attacking. He scowled, and for a moment thought of stomping over there and finishing off both little miss perfect and her boyfriend in short order.
But Lala brought up the imminent threat of the Family, and Aaron sighed, taking her hand and shaking it. "You die next time, cousin." He said, bitterly. Then his eyes softened. "You have until then to reconsider. Auntie Aphrodite and Uncle Hades might be more forgiving then I am, if you turn yourself in. Same goes for the rest of your team. And even for that 'god' you're building, if it's an actual person and not some killer robot."
He turned away, and strode over to join Moirin in victory, flashing her a smug grin. "Well, your majesty, what's your first royal decree?"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Kat
And that was that. With the boy who sipped tea out of the picture, so too was everyone else. His words briefly rang through her skull, but they quickly went in one ear and out the other. She was already committed to taking down that ball of nightmares before her grand epiphany, and she was even more devoted now. She wasn't about to let Teresa and her classmates be absorbed into some black mass of insanity. Not when there was so much about them and this world left to discover.
She shrunk down, briefly turning into a spinx and floating over before getting herself back on two legs. And nearly stumbled. Maybe it was because she spent nearly two weeks stuck as a cat 24/7, but it was getting harder to stay on two feet. She tried to keep her balance, but it was tempting to sit back down and stay on four legs, even in this form.
Something to think about when there wasn't a big ball of madness hurtling towards them, hm?
"Perhaps I shouldn't be saying this, but I'd suggest doing whatever you're going to do quickly so we can take care of the matter at hand. No big speeches or feasts, as lovely as they would be. Though perhaps a little something for the road? If my aunt taught me anything, it's that troops can't fight on an empty stomach, can they?"
The Light That Blinds
For a few moments, all Juliana could do was stand there, staring at where the cat used to be and where the blade of her dagger now was. Armin had died. Again. And so had the cat. Both at her hand.
And the scariest part? She barely felt a thing.
Oh, sure, she didn't like it. If she thought about it too long, her stomach turned and her knees went weak. But as Juli slowly got to her feet and looked over to Móirín forcing Abraham's surrender, she realized that she didn't feel even half as remorseful, as horrified, as guilty as she had back on the ship. God, that seemed like forever ago. Just how much her time in the jungle changed her?
Juli's expression as she headed up to Móirín and the others was one of stony neutrality, expertly concealing her worries. "At your command," she murmured, gripping the handle of her dagger so hard her knuckles were going white. Just please, please don't ask me to kill anyone else.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Raja of the Lorries
Jun Sheng
"No... you can't... I need..." Jun wheezed, blinking away tears as he doubled over, clutching his gut. This was the first and likely only time he'd felt the sensation of being burned by flames, and that accompanied by the sensation of impact by his own spear was more than enough to keep him down. The sensation was enough to make him vomit, rainbow bile spilling onto the broken dirt of the arena.
Jun rose unsteadily, dissipating his scarf and leaning on his spear for support as he swayed. All around him, his classmates seemed to have dealt with their opponents just fine. How was it that only he was still so weak? So inadequate?
Tears of pain soon became tears of frustration, and he slowly made his way to stand by their sides. Now it was all up to Moirin. As the pain slowly dissipated, Jun was glad that there was no actual physical injury he bore. Even if he was disoriented for now, he'd be fighting fit once he got his head in the game.
While their main goal looked all but accomplished, he still felt hollow and disappointed. He'd wanted a chance to prove that he'd gotten better. That he wasn't the same idiot kid strapped into a nightmare in the Electric Circus. The same helpless fool in Australia. And he'd blown it again. Even worse, this time it was just him who'd dropped the ball. Everyone else was so much stronger, so much more mature... what was he doing differently?
Arena
Ester took a deep breath and gave a nod without response, picking up Abraham and walking back toward the rest of the second years, passing off the boy to Lala who had a much easier time with the boys mass. With that done they turned and made their exit from the Arena itself, likely back to wherever it is they came from. When the last demon fell a light shone down on Móirín and a hush fell over the entire crowd. All around her the various soldiers who had sworn themselves to her aid took a knee (or their closest equivalent). A door opened on the side of the arena, a small being wrapped in cloth that would have come up to most of the classes knees scuttled out and came before the half-Formorian.
"You have offered your people a worthy price to enter into this battle, and beyond that you've proven your strength to be beyond question. And after all this you show yourself to be a person of great pride, a pride that is worthy of ruling." a tendril snaked out from the pile of cloth with a crown made of bone at its tip, placing the crown on Móirín's head before slithering back. "From this day forward you are to be considered the ruler of our people. You may call forth the leaders of all clans for a meeting, direct your people to war, and always find safe harbor while within the ocean. However you must also promise to never misuse these powers for selfish gain and always keep the heart of your people in mind."
With that said the crowd began to chant her name, an uproar that shook the entire arena for minutes on end.
"My name is Clothos, I have been the advisor to every Formorian leader reaching back to our creation, it would be my honor to serve you, or to advise you on one who would serve as a replacement should you feel the need. All I do is in service to our people." Clothos spoke softly, in the way that a grandfather might speak to a favorite child. "However at the moment I understand that you have little time for idle talk, a war rages on the surface and you will be needed. I will gather together warriors to provide aid, many will seek to impress you moving forward as your voice will be the loudest at the council tables. Reward them with favor, but always remember the only safe place for the king is our holy city."
With that said Clothos directed a group to take the students back to the harbor along with provisions fit for their journey. Within moments they were back in the (somehow comfortable) mouth of a whale like creature and beginning their journey to the surface. After rising for a bit a screen appeared in the center of the room, Aaliyah's (fourth year class representative) face projected on it and looking like she had seen better days. "Don't have a lot of time for little stuff, but good to see none of you are dead," she glanced behind her and shouted out a quick spell, an explosion ringing out from behind her. "Things aren't looking good topside, The Family is coming down a lot harder then we expected and we've had to spread ourselves thin holding the line."
Her face gave way to a view of a city, above which was floating a massive black figure, as the 'camera' zoomed in it revealed itself to be a mass of bodies pressed together in almost the shape of a vine of grapes, the figure being about as large as a skyscraper all by itself, a massive mask with a smile painted on and hundreds of vein like 'blades' protruding from its body, lashing downward at times and lifting up people. The screen flashed again and showed 'smaller' creatures that were more round, but still made up of the same bodies crushed together as the larger one. They were about the size of a house, and around them floated creatures about the size of a human, but still made of bodies that had been smashed together.
"Father Spores, Mother Spores, and Child Spores. Thats what the oracles are calling them anyway," Aaliyah's face reappeared on the screen. "The Child Spores are about on par with a low ranking demigod and can be fought safely in numbers. The Mother Spores are about on par with my class in fourth year. And the Father Spores are to be considered High Priest level and should only be engaged by large groups working together. And given that most of the other Academies are full of crazies we haven't exactly been able to do much on that front." despite her flippant attitude it was obvious how tired the fourth year rep was after only a few hours worth of fighting.
"We've already sent directions for your ride to drop you off in a hot zone, the moment you get off you are free to start killing. I've sent along one of my classmates to act as backup for your class and help guide you to where you can do the most damage," she took a deep breath and looked into the 'camera' to the class. "This isn't a fight of strategy, just keep killing. The Family's main body has to keep moving or else get caught in the Earth's gravity, and if that happened they would become 'part of the world' and the gods would take over. That means we win if we survive." with that said she stood up and dusted herself off. "I'm going to go kill more, be safe out there."
The screen disappeared and it was only a few moments later that the whale reached the surface, opening its mouth in front of a large harbor with enough room for the students to get on the pier, where a lone figure was waiting for them. It was a young woman dressed in red and black flannel and jeans and wearing a cowboy hat over blonde locks. "Well if it ain't my lower classmen, ain't gonna say your a sight for sore eyes," she tipped up her hat revealing an eyepatch covering what looked like an ugly scar on an otherwise beautiful face. "'Cause I only got one!" she walked over and dusted her hand off, offering it to the students. "Names Lucy Lawless, parents actually named me that if you can believe it. Whose ready to go kill some alien freaks?"
Kat
Kat found herself regretting her words. If she wanted interesting, then she had it in spades. She thought she'd managed to steel herself for the horror show, but she was leaning on the wall as she fought to keep her footing. It was hard enough standing on two legs, but keeping herself from puking her guts out for the second time in a day would have been a struggle on its lonesome.
She hoped Terasa was safe. Aphrodite and the rest said they would be, but as she watched those inky black tendrils and chains of bodies reach down from the heavens above, snatching up anyone in reach, she couldn't help but wonder if she... if her mother... but wait, Bast was her mother, except Teresa was the one who raised her and the one she gave a damn about, so—
And then she slapped herself in the face. She barely noticed the gem glowing for the briefest of moments, but it wouldn't matter if she had. Now was not the time to ask herself who deserved her respect! Forcing herself back on her feet, she hastily shook Lucy's hand, if only for something to grab onto.
"One question before we go slaughtering Lovecraft's leftover puss. If the family is absorbing anyone and everyone into its little collective, then what's to stop the same thing from happening to us the second we go out there? Or are we supposed to pray to the Gods that birthed us and hope for the best?"
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Móirín Aoibheann Ní Dochartaigh
It was a simple thing, made of bone, something not long ago she would have called a dumber version of a hat. She had a crown on her head. After scaling sea monsters and coming to the city Viescold and a battle royal with alien monsters bearing down on them. She had a crown on her head. A crowd chanted her name.
She almost, no she did lose her composure and spent a minute just basking in the moment. Móirín only realized she'd be standing with a silly smile on her face and all but squeeing after a minute had passed.
"Clothos..." Móirín answered after a moment, saying the advisor's name but projecting to the crowd nonetheless. "Its what I said: 'My blood runs for my fellows, my brothers and sisters. I have your backs.' And now that you have a Queen of the Fomóire, she's going to take you to tear the guts out of these things rampaging above." She quickly nodded to Clothos about him gathering the warriors. "We'll get more acquainted after the emergency. We'll just have to rely on how the late king set up muster. In the meantime, I'll go in advance with my 'mates from the surface."
"That answer you, Aaron?" Móirín winked at the lad. He had to have known the answer to his question. Her first royal decree was inevitably going to be, 'Get ready and go kick some ass.'
She didn't linger on Aaron though. He seemed fine after all. And she answered Katarina simply. "You're right. You shouldn't." Rather, Móirín, without much warning, pulled Jun into a light hug. "I appreciate you. All of you who fought with me here really, but it was the dagger you made that got Abraham's spleen. And maybe some lung."
The new queen was the last to leave the chamber when the usher came for the group. She extended a hand and lifted the nearest warrior to his feet from his knees and signaled the rest to follow. "I'm going first but get yourselves ready."
"So, stop them from moving and then they're trapped here for us to destroy once and for all?" Móirín knew full well that wasn't what Aaliyah meant but the class had been on a streak of finishing off these outer beings. And why should they just hold it off to go haunt some other world or return to Earth in xty years? Besides, if it became part of the world and the gods gained influence over it...
Well, she didn't know how her mom and dad or old football mates or anyone back home was doing frozen in stasis during all this. If the gods could do anything about that, twas more than worth catching the monsters. And, just looking at the size of those things, this 'Family' did alot of damage already. They were right in the palm of her hand now and that was their last mistake.
"Juli...?" Móirín asked her classmate after a moment of thought. "Can that dagger break people out of that chain?" That was much, much too small scale to be something to rely on, but if it worked, Juli gave the real people out there that many more saved family members. Real family members.
Edited by CenturyEye on Feb 19th 2021 at 9:27:49 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
Breath of the Sun
Aaron
"Wouldn't want anything less." Aaron grinned at Moirin's proclamation. As bad as it felt to let the second years get away, they had bigger fish to fry. Heh. Fish. He amused himself at the thought of beer-battering all of Lala's summoned fish.
As they were brought from the arena back towards the surface, his confident smile gave way to a scowl. His blood boiled at the sight of the horde of attacking monsters, and he steeled himself for the coming slaughter. At Kat's question, he turned his head.
"I'm guessing the answer is gonna be 'don't get caught'." Aaron mused, sourly. "Though they'll probably have a harder time eating us than a normal person."
He cracked his neck left and right. "And if they do try to grab any of you, I'll tear them apart and save you. I won't let any of you die today."
Aaron was one of the first off the wall, greeting Lucy and shaking her hand. "I'm always ready. Killing things is kinda the only thing I'm good at."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Raja of the Lorries
Jun Sheng
Jun offered a weak smile in return to the hug. "Glad to know I was able to be of help, your majesty."
The Family... Jun had no idea how his family was doing at this moment, and despite himself, he felt a sickening weight in his gut at the thought of them being assimilated into that thing. They'd thrown him out, pushed him away, but in the end, there were some fates that even he would not wish upon the worst criminal, let alone his kin. No matter how this turned out, he was resolved to find them after this was all over and make sure they were alright, even if his presence was unwelcome.
This was apparently going to be a war of attrition, not Jun's strongest point. He already felt his strength and magic drained as the initial rush of aging up left him, so for now he was going to have to take a backseat role.
"Moirin... I don't think I'm going to get much success on my own, so I'll try to tag along with you for the time being. Lead the way, your majesty."
Fwomph
Back On The Horror-Slaying Job
Kyn took a breath as she watched the creatures massed from bodies move. It was likely going to take shots from the artifact bow on her back to put those creatures down and her arrows were limited. Thankfully, they didn't need to kill them all, just enough to survive.
"Remember, our target is the Family spores, if something else comes up and starts attacking the Family then it's an ally of ours. I wouldn't be surprised if every being that can is working to fight these things..."
Kyn took a deep breath, this hunt was going to be a bloodbath but she was starting to become familiar with those.
"Maybe I should invest in an equally storied melee weapon to accompany the Vijaya... Think the huntsmaster will let me borrow his spear? Probably too late to do so now but for the next time we have to defend the entire world, yes?"
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
The Light That Blinds
So...they were losing.
Aaliyah hadn't said it outright, but the implications were clear. They were losing, the Family was gaining ground, and all they could do was hold the line until it left.
Juliana was fine.
Totally not about to vomit.
And then another girl, Lucy, asked them if they were ready to...to kill them. Juli stiffly nodded, trying to quash the nausea brewing within her. They're aliens. You shouldn't feel bad. And yet...
"Hm?" Móirín had asked her something. Juli looked towards her and said, "I don't know. Guess the only way to find out is to try."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
City
Lucy raised her hat slightly and looked at Kat. "Well actually the Family ain't gonna have much interest in you folk, they have a mighty big hate boner for the gods so they'll just try killin yah the old fashion way." at the very least it seemed like the class was ready, but all the same as their senior the girl couldn't let them start without saying something of her own. "Just to make it clear we're going to be operating together, that means if one of you gets tired the entire group is going to stop for a break. This isn't a fight where all we need to do is win. And if for a second I think any of you has hit a breaking point I'm going to find somewhere safe to toss you and put a boulder on top of you. Not losing anyone I can see today."
With that said she waved them deeper into the city, which looked like a small storm had been through with all of the destruction littered across the streets. People littered the streets, frozen in time as if they were in a picture, some even in midstep or conversation. "You don't have to worry about the stiffs," she picked up a bit of wood and tapped it on a guys head, only for it to bounce off of him. "They are all basically trapped in loop of .00000001 seconds, any damage to them simply reverts and the shift happens before they can even recognize the fact that they are repeating the moment." despite saying not to worry Lucy herself didn't exactly wear the most calm expression. "Incoming,"
"Help. Sad. Can't. Tell. Which. Ones?" rounding the corner of the street was a pod of twenty of the 'Child Spores', their dangling blade like veins hanging limp at their sides as the floated above the massed people.
"Find. Sad. People. By. Expression?" one of them mused, moving over to a group of people and wrapping their tendrils around a man, lifting them up to examine them. "Nope. This. One. Smiling." it carefully replaced the statue like person before starting to move on, before suddenly shifting its body to look at the students. "Detect. God. Nature." the mask it wore began to glow red, all of the others following suit. "Destroy. God. Tainted. Creatures." the crowd moved toward the students, their voices chittering together as their tendrils extended forward.
Lucy gave a smile and stepped back. "Okay test run time, if you guys have trouble here Ima have to find babysitters for you."
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
City
"We're not on our own," Móirín answered Jun's statement simply and deliberately twisting his point. "A flaming spear will really help when we find a crowd of those things, but until that's back, see if you can borrow a sling from Aaron."
"Of course if you can't... Xena?" the most mature new queen called Lucy Lawless by a nickname that she'd probably heard a million times. "Have a place to toss Jun and Juli right now?"
And finally, finally, Lucy found some spores. The fomorian had sprinted off before Lucy could step back. One of those disgusting tendrils wrapping around a man was enough provocation.
Móirín bisected one before it finished ranting about god tainted creatures, and the hit set the one next to it on fire, the green flames simply bursting from its body. She still had limbs yet and pivoted to kick another spore square in its chest and launch it into the spores behind it. 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
Raja of the Lorries
Jun Sheng
As Moirin rushed forward, Jun found himself surprisingly reassured by her words. He was not alone, and he was certainly not helpless.
Raising his arms as though conducting a symphony, Jun sent his scarf rocketing into the empty space that Moirin had cleared in her assault, willing it to wrap and loosely bind any spores that were in its path. Even if he had not the strength to destroy them on his own, this should leave them slowed down enough that the others would have an easier time of it.
Much like one would check the fuel tank of their car, Jun cocked his head as he gauged his remaining reserves of magic. Aging up had used quite a lot of it, but he had enough left in him for one or two more good hits. For now, he'd see what he could do with what little he had left, stretching it as far as it could go.
Katarina
So from what the blonde bimbo was telling them, they were facing mortal danger either way. Part of her wondered if she should bother, but all she could think about was seeing that thing reach down and snatch up whoever it could find. She wasn't about to shed a tear, but she wasn't about to let it gobble up anyone else. If her mot... mothe...
...who was she talking about again? She could swear she was thinking about someone, but she couldn't remember who. Maybe she should ask her—
Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her temple, the gem glowing bright before losing its lustre. She wasn't sure what was causing it, but every time she thought about anything that wasn't protecting innocents or if she even mentioned her mo—
And there it was again. She hissed, clutching her forehead as she struggled to tear it out. She wasn't sure how or why, but something was hurting her head, and her gem was the most likely culprit. For the love of Bast, she wasn't sure why she never thought about it before. A strange gem mysteriously showing up on her doorstep? Picking it up and putting it on without a second thought? Letting it stick itself to her forehead, never questioning the how or why?
For all her ego and self-importance, she'd been a greater fool than the whole class put together.
But as much as she tried, it wouldn't come off. It kept pounding and pounding, hurting her more and more until it brought her to her knees. Even in her thoughts, it continued asserting itself, her memories shuffling around even as they threatened to fade away.
But they already had, hadn't they?
She wasn't sure how much influence this thing had, had much damage it had already done, but she wouldn't let it... let it... gods, it was getting so hard to think...
The gem continued to glow, lighting up the docks like a streetlamp, the struggle for control growing ever more brutal until one or the other reached a breaking point. She hunched over, growling as her muscles bulged and her eyes turned a sickly green. Right was left, up was down, and the whole world was covered in a blood-red haze. Memories kept shuffling in and out, wills continuing their struggle for control, and all she knew was something needed to be crushed.
Hissing like a jungle cat, she turned into a fearsome Spinx, her beauty replaced with sheer ferocity. She charged into the battlefield, blasting away foes left and right and tearing apart the rest. She was like a savage beast in the wild, roaring at her enemies with her gem glowing just as fiercely. And all the while, a single word rang through her skull, pushing her forward like she a simpleton that needed to be led in the proper direction.
PROTECT.
Edited by kkhohoho on Feb 23rd 2021 at 11:12:49 AM
Breath of the Sun
Aaron
The spears had left his hands before the Spores finished talking, a barrage of metal hurled at bullet-like speeds, aimed precisely at the creature's masks. If he'd been listening to Lucy thus far, Aaron didn't show it.
Aaron silently prepared to charge after them and engage the beasts hand-to-hand, but then something caught his attention. Kat, dropping to her knees. He was by her side instantly, kneeling down to put a hand on her shoulder. "Kat, are you alright?"
And then she transformed into a sphinx and ran off, that gem on her head still glowing as she tore through their enemies. Aaron resolved to ask her about it later; fighting for the Earth's survival was more important.
Instead, he merely charged after her, flinging a few more spears before calling up his spike-chains, lashing at and tearing asunder any Spores that dared to get too close, while at the same time using the chains like grappling hooks to send himself flying through the city, looking for more of the monsters.
Someone had said, he remembered, that the bigger ones controlled the smaller ones. So Aaron was going to find the biggest fucker he could and kill it.
A foolproof plan, if Aaron said so himself.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Katarina
Was it though? Despite the claims of The Boy Who Tea'd, she wasn't sure it was that clear. But somewhere in his little speech, he may have had a point. As much as she tried to put everything behind her and live a normal, everyday life, without having to worry about sadists wearing school uniforms or lovecraftian horrors, she couldn't stay away. Even in the short time she'd been there, the things she'd seen and done were far more compelling than watching reruns of Honeymooners with her...her... what was she thinking about again?
Oh, right. Watching some paltry old sitcom with... with her... with the woman who raised her! That was it, wasn't it? She liked Teresa fine, but it wasn't like she was her mother or anything. Sure, her real mother may not have always been there, but she had her best interests at heart.
As her thoughts ran back and forth like a locomotive, the gem continued to glow, shining brightly before simmering down as her thoughts settled. Curiously, her eyes briefly possessed a similar hue, only dimming as she blinked and the gem's radiance lessened.
Still, he was right, wasn't he? Much as she didn't want to admit it. But compared to slaying giant beasties or visiting a vast kingdom under the ocean's depths, sitting on her couch and eating ho-ho's was small potatoes. That didn't mean she had to stay at the Academy. If she'd learned anything from the past couple months, it was that the world was far more vast and wonderous than anyone gave it credit for. But if she took a closer look at her classmates, then maybe one of them would prove... interesting enough for her to stay.
"Perhaps so. I can't say I'll stay HERE, or at least at that glorified nootcamp they call a school. But this world is far too fascinating to stay a mere observer. And the same goes for my classmates. As friends, I can't say I know them well enough to care. But they ARE amusing. So if things start getting dicey, I may have to step in. I trust you understand?"
Edited by kkhohoho on Feb 11th 2021 at 8:41:13 AM