Breath of the Sun
Kimiko
"Well, looks like cherry blossoms is winning." Not that most of the people had voted. Maybe a rest before they moved on would be the best thing.
Then Sword voiced her concerns. "Don't worry, Socchan." Kimiko soothed. "No one's free of sin, but I don't think any of you are truly evil. If he tries anything, that makes him the evil one. And as the future Goddess of Justice, I will put a stop to his evil."
Her voice was firm, and there was a gleam of energy in her eyes as she stared at Urzael.
He, of course, pulled out his vile blade and pointed it at Poppy. It burst into flame. Before Kimiko could point out that the sword was obviously malfunctioning if it thought a sickly child was some great sinner, the situation escalated, and then-
The familiar sensation of being dropped into a body of water. Kimiko, fortunately, was a very fast swimmer. Her tail twirled for extra propulsion, bringing her to the surface, where she began to tread to stay afloat.
As the Lervondas crashed down, Kimiko took stock of who was there.
Willam was missing. Urzael hadn't followed. Had the two of them somehow been flung into a different door?
Before Kimiko could ponder this further, a sea monster burst from the water, and it was only the vague hint of a familiar scent that stopped her from trying to stab the thing in the throat.
"Okay, wow, that... is not what I expected. I mean, I guess I can see the- pirate, Ocean, sea monster, I get the connection, but-" Kimiko blinked and babbled, trying to get her thoughts in order. "You'd think you'd have gone for something, uh, more attractive? No offense. Just... not the look I imagined for someone aiming to be a goddess."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
An Ordinary Oddball
Poppy Blake
It was perhaps fortunate that Poppy landed a distance off to the side, or else the Lervondas might have crushed her as the party proceeded through their chosen door. There were a few seconds before Poppy realized which way was up, and then she burst upright through the water, coughing and choking up the water that she'd swallowed. She took a few moments to wring out her hair before she waded over to the others, admiring Caitlin's new aquatic form with them and decided to put what had just transpired out of her mind. After all, Urzael's judgement had been somewhat deserved, or so Poppy thought, but she was far away from him now.
She hoped that Willam was alright. Why was he not pulled with them when he opened the door...?
Edited by JumpingFruit on Mar 25th 2023 at 11:34:27 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
"Right, so—" Sword launched herself into a dropkick the second Urzael's sword lit up. She considered it the most humiliating attack to be struck by. They just needed to pound some more sense into him! Her feet left the ground, she twisted her body... and continued twisting! The door! It yanked Sword bodily just the same as the rest of them, sending her end over end through the air. Ah damn. Well, Urzael and William, that'd be a hell of an adventure to hear about once the both of them got back to them! Sword gave Urzael and smug wave before falling through the door. But Poppy... nobody but her pinged worse. This thought occupied her while she tumbled through to their next realm.
Water again! Sword fell hard on her face, tumbled, and clawed her way to the surface again. She had too little fat to float naturally. She coughed, surfaced, cringed at her clothes, soaked again, looked up at Caitlin, cringed again. But only temporarily. She knew plenty of people with monstrous features like this one. Reminded her of an umibozu, or maybe an umizatou!
"Welcome to the monster party, Captain." Sword said with a sarcastic salute. She fell back on her haunches and twisted around, trying to pop any more kinks out of her neck. She shot Poppy a smirk. "Same to you, girl. Not even Masaru lit him up like that. That's impressive. Are we ah, talking about that, or do we have more important things to worry about?" She gave that last phrase some finger quotes for mocking emphasis. "I've got a rap sheet a mile long myself, memorized the whole thing. You wanna compare sizes?"
AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
"Beauty issss... in the eyes of those who can see..." Caitlin hissed in response to Kimiko, examining the back of her scaly hand in an admiring fashion as she licked her lips with a rather disgusting noise to accompany. "I-I can feeeeel... the Abyss, it is with me...! There is no sight in the dark depths. I am beauty. If you only had the means to see it..."
She glowed with bioluminescence, stretching as she continued to adjust to her new form. She smiled toothily at Sword, nodding her acknowledgement to the oni's acceptance of her appearance, along with Poppy's apparent admiration. However, as she sat down and dangled her feet in the lake, those with keen eyes would notice that as her body dried, familiar flesh began to grow back in the patches where the water was evaporating.
It was a slow process, so slow that she barely seemed aware of it. She lazily looked over the lake, and took aim with her hand before releasing a casual Windblast across it that sprayed cold water in a fountainous burst all over her friends and allies. Stronger than normal, with less effort behind it, and it hadn't even affected her arm at all like it would have in her human form. She laughed, her tone beginning to resemble more of her previous self as she smiled gleefully.
"I feel... closer. To being a god. It feels... like me. But... I'll keep what you said in mind, Kimiko. Divine beauty isssss... useful."
Edited by Enirboreh on Mar 21st 2023 at 9:44:22 AM
bork
Nasira - New Shard, Familiar Entrance
As the fire burst forth from Urzael's blade, Nasira instinctively stepped forward between Poppy and the Ember Knight, intent on taking whatever flames of vengeance he had in her place as the one person who could. However, events did not come to pass this way, with Masaru altering the caverns themselves and William throwing open the door, her feet leaving the ground as she was pulled back into the gate. Disorientation followed, Nasira's body suddenly unsure which way gravity pulled, before moments later splashing and sputtering followed. Another wet, near drowning start to a shard. Wonderful.
A small stream of water spurt out from Nasira's mouth as Aisha pulled her to the surface. "Y-Yes, I am alright. Thank you," was what she said before another splashdown from the Lervondas caused her to spurt out some more. This too was unwelcomingly familiar. Nasira blinked her eyes, at first wondering if salt had snuck their way into them before realizing the water lacked the brine of the seas - what stung them now was not the water but the sunlight, warm and bright in contrast to the eternal overcast of the shard before or the eternal mist of the one prior still. New realm, new weather, new rules to follow, it seems. All things to learn in time.
Nasira scanned the area around her for what was most urgent, the welfare of her allies, and it seemed despite similar disorientation most arrived no worse for wear. "Most" was the operative word here; William (regrettably) and Urzael (thankfully) had not followed through, and as for a certain sea captain, well, the raspy, hissing laughter of her newfound aquatic form said plenty, even without the positively rapturous glee that came with her actual words. Nasira gave Caitlin the same blank, blinking gaze she had given her clone at the start of the ocean shard, pursing her lips unsure how to react. Thankfully others had reactions aplenty in her stead, allowing her some time to digest this new revelation as she made for the shore.
"Yes, well, I don't feel more free in the water than I do on land, though perhaps that's just my nature... for now. Maybe as a god of freedom I'll feel more akin to you, or maybe not. For the moment, I'd rather have my feet on solid ground..." Nasira paused as she considered Kimiko's and Caitlin's brief exchange. "Maybe the captain's image of an ocean god is fierce and primordial, as capricious and dangerous as the seas themselves...?"
If so I'll need to keep a close eye on her from now on... and Poppy as well. While Sword was vulgar on the point as always, it's something we'll need to confront eventually... our pasts, and what they mean for us. Now and onward.
The Light That Blinds
Val
Val's admiration of his new wings was cut off when something rose—
"EEEEYAAAAAAAAAH!" Val shrieked, falling backwards into the lake. "SEA MONSTER!" Oh gods it's the Pretender we're all gonna die oh gods—
Wait. No. Not a sea monster. This was a lake.
...
Also, it was Caitlin. Apparently.
"Oh," said Val, staring at the Cait-monster. "Wow. Didn't think ascension could do that...hey, uh, your flesh is growing back, you know that, right?"
Nasira, for her part, was making for the shore. Val would follow, but he couldn't swim worth junk. So he sheepishly looked at the Nesiree. "Hey, uh...you guys mind taking me to solid ground?"
One of these days, I need to learn how to swim. You know, in case we plummet into another body of water.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
roaming, lurking, arguing
Nise No Tengoku - Moonsight Lake
Now, with finally some moment to actually look around and ascertain where they had landed, the Pilgrims could get a lay of the land. The lake they had landed in was not particulary vast. Big enough to perhaps allow for occasional fishing, but one could see the shoreline pretty much from any direction and the water was both quiet and peaceful. Onogoran reeds grew out of the water, only interrupted here and there by small piers and small beaches.
Wherever they were, it didn't take long for them to recognize they were in some form of highlands. Mountain peaks wherever they turned. Some of them capped with ice, but many of them covered in thick forests, intersected by fog and clouds. A slight wind made them move like water, though the lake they were in was unaffected by it, sheltered in the valley it sat.
Somwhere in the distance, they could see a large, red tower rising up from beneath the canopy. One couldn't miss it, as it was bigger than anything in its vicinity, to the point the top of it was shrouded in clouds. Its design was distinctly Nenmnon, with its arching roofs, which appeared on regular intervals each level, making the whole building look like someone stacked several houses or temples on top of each other.
There was also a path leading away from the beach, winding its way into the old forest. It's entrance was flanked by two small stone lanterns, who were currently unlit. A nearby statue of what looked to be a strange, two-tailed cat-creature with one paw raised like for a greeting, stood nearby. It was slightly overgrown with moss, but otherwise looked intact. Someone had recently put some incense-sticks in front of it, which still smoked slightly.
As everyone gathered themselves and slowly got out of the water, Masaru sighed. The general wrung his long, black hair out and looked for the first time genuinely aggravated. "More important things...yes.", he echoed Swords words and his tone was ever so slightly acerbic. "Like the fact, that you managed to get us once again into a battle we didn't have to fight?"
He glared at the Oni, he pupils contrasting stark against his black sclera, making his stare piercing and accusatory. "I understand your desire to be upfront and open, but your timing could not have been worse. We had a chance to simply walk away from Urzael and you decided to antagonize the mad, unstable Ember Knight!?"
"Yes, he is insane. Anybody with two eyes and a working brain could have figured that out. We were lucky he decided to help us, even after our first altercation. Now, we lost Willam, who could have been a great asset moving forward, and we had to once again rush into a Shard without proper preparation."
He closed his eyes, seemingly taking a moment. Then, when he opened them again, he once again had reverted back to the unnervingly calm and outwardly apathetic Nenmo of the past few days. "Apologies. I used to be able to take sudden setbacks and unreliability much better, when I was younger. Losing my composure like that is...unproffessional."
Wiping away some water from his brow, he pulled his sword out and looked for something to dry it with, before giving up and just letting things be wet for now. "At least my prior agreement with Willam paid off and we avoided actual casualities."
Edited by TheNohen on Mar 22nd 2023 at 7:23:06 PM
AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
"I think... you're right..." Caitlin remarked in response to Nasira's observation, and she tilted her head in curiosity as Val mentioned that her skin was growing back. Looking down at the back of her hand to clarify, having begun to feel a mild tingling sensation there, she blinked in slight surprise as the evaporation continued—and naught but a few minutes later, she was all but completely human again beneath the sun.
"...well. I'll be damned..." she stated, standing up and looking herself over to check which parts of her were still... scaley. "Quite literally, it seems...! That was... incredible. Although... I think I was starting to miss my usual appearance. This feels... more at home. That is to say, both sides of me felt at home. I suppose that's a good thing..."
She found herself smirking at Nasira, and then she winked at her.
"How befitting that I grow to resemble your 'children', even if should reasonably be the other way around... anyway. What a gorgeous locale... actual fresh air, beautiful scenery! The tower's rather ominous, but... it seems fairly... peaceful here, for once..."
She frowned, spotting something out of the corner of her eye.
"...what's that...?"
There was a glowing blue light from within the forest, floating above the stone lanterns that marked the path away from the beach, which then drifted down to set the lanterns aflame. A soft humming carried on the wind—gentle and feminine—and a pair of luminescent yellow eyes opened in the shades of the forest. Then, the figure they belonged to emerged: an exceedingly tall woman dressed in a kimono with a very short skirt, with sandals on her feet and a parasol in her right hand that was currently resting over her shoulder. From the small of her back sprouted a large, fluffy tail that looked akin to that of a fox, and a pair of matching ears were visibly protruding from the tops and sides of her head. The light strawberry blonde of her fur matched the shade of her hair, which was long and neatly styled so as to look presentable, and she had markings on her cheeks which resembled whiskers. Her yellow eyes were slitted upon closer inspection, and she remained standing still in a very calm fashion as she looked between all the members of the group.
"...Hajimemashite," the... woman(?) said, offering the group a smile that looked both serene and slightly predatory. Maybe it was because her mouth did not contain human teeth, and instead had a set uncannily similar to a fox. "New arrivals, hai...? Miki-channn~! There's mooorrre...~!" she then called out in a sing-song, turning her head slightly to one side as if addressing someone in the distance. A glint of mischief was in her eyes as she did this, and the way she pronounced this person's name sounded somewhat teasing.
Edited by Enirboreh on Mar 22nd 2023 at 6:48:28 PM
bork
The Light That Blinds
Val
After the desolation of last Shard, pretty much anything would look pretty in comparison. With that in mind, Val had to admit: this new Shard was, objectively, very pretty. The stillness of the lake, the rustling of the tree leaves, the tower in the distance...he felt like he'd stepped into a painting.
Masaru's words kind of ruined it, though.
"I wouldn't say insane," Val said, pointedly looking at the tower and not the others. "He didn't know he had choices outside the world he'd grown up in...same as the rest of us."
He went quiet then, for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Well! The tower's probably where the Pretender's hiding, what say we skip all the melodrama and sharp things and head for it...now..."
His voice died out at the sight of...a woman, standing in the forest. "Why does she have tails?" he whispered. Was this a Contender? Another Shard native? A Pretender servant?
...
Well, she seemed to be the first thing, but...
"What 'others'? And who's Miki-chan?"
Mikias Kidane Anom
"Hold still!"
"How'm I supposed to hold still?! I'm bleeding out over here! I'm gonna die! I'm—"
"It's a flesh wound, if you were going to die you'd be a lot less coherent right now. Now, like I said, hold. Still."
"But it hurts!"
"Of course it hurts, it's a wound."
"But you're a doctor! You're supposed to make it less painful! Is this gonna kill me?! Back home, I—"
Whatever the baishin was going to say was cut off by the vulkende smacking him lightly on the arm, causing him to let out an "eep!" and hold still. Finally.
"Lang," Mikias said, and it took every bit of composure he had to not growl out the name. "I am the best, and perhaps more importantly, only doctor here. For your own sake, you will shut up, listen to me, and hold still so I can stitch you up properly."
Lang Lim was silent for a moment. "...is it gonna hurt?"
"I'm out of anesthetic herbs, so yes, probably. Don't scream, you'll distract me."
This sort of exchange happened frequently. So many people here questioned him, or his talents, or whether or not they could get a "professional", whatever that meant. And that grated on his nerves. He was a skilled doctor! He'd cured an illness! And, yes, sure, there were no other healers in this village, but that was besides the point.
Other healers used such primitive methods anyway. Leeches? Seriously?
Whatever the case Mikias finished stitching up the baishin's injured tail. "Now don't move it too much. Or put too much pressure on it. You'll rip the stitches. And no," he said as Lim opened his mouth, "I can't use magic to heal it. You all shouldn't be so reliant on magic anyway."
"Are you saying that because vulkendes can't use it?"
"That is not—"
A sudden shaking rocked the makeshift clinic, and Mikias yelped and grabbed onto a table to keep his balance. The shaking lasted only a few moments before stopping, but he was already scrambling to the door. "What was that?" he said, peering out onto the street. "Earthquake?"
"Maybe it's the Pretender," Lim said, eyes wide. "Maybe she's coming for us. I could—"
"No scouting. That counts as too much movement. I don't want to have to explain to Iande why you're injured again."
The baishin pouted, but Mikias was distracted from him by the sound of a voice calling to him.
He sighed. "Right. She found them. I'll be going. If you leave this clinic while I'm gone I will re-arrange your organs."
It was hard to tell if he was joking or not.
"Uh, hi," said Val, waving at the woman. "You're not gonna try and kill us, right? We've had enough of that for the next foreseeable—"
"Natsumi, if you drag me into any more welcoming committees—"
Val blinked as yet another person came out of the forest. This one was tall and dark-skinned, with pale gray hair and...were his limbs made of rock?
"...ah." The man's brow furrowed as he looked at them. "You're a varied lot, aren't you?"
"Uh." Val waved again. "Hi?"
There was a long pause, then the man sighed. "Mikias Kidane Anom. Save your questions for when we reach the village."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
"No. No. Walk away. Don't." Sword jabbed Masaru in the chest and spat. "He'd've done it eventually. We're done here."
Sword sloshed off, through the water, fuming at such an accusation. And at the rest of them not fucking following up with her on Poppy. Bunch of self-centered... she ground her teeth, snarled, stomped her feet a little, settled down to take in the scenery. Man, they really were out in someplace like her homeland, huh.
The arrival of the fox creature set her on edge. Perversions of her culture like she said, maybe. She cracked her knuckles, then sloshed through the lake. Her job to go in first. Just like with the Ember Knight, these cowards wouldn't be the ones to activate any traps or hidden secrets or hidden betrayers. She waved, sauntered up to the kitsune, and extended a hand.
"Thrice-Owned Sword Inscribes the Horizon." She said, craning her neck to look the woman in the eye with a crooked smile full of sharp teeth. "Sword. Pleasure. Hate to intrude, but we've had a fuckin' day. And one before that, too. Hoping you had uh, lodgings. And uh..." she gestured vaguely at what was left of her clothes, obliterated and unrecognizable from saltwater. "Yeah."
Breath of the Sun
Kimiko
"Yeah, Abyss, sure." The way Caitlin spoke was kind of unnerving, but Kimiko merely shrugged as they approached land.
Then Masaru started running his mouth, and she found her tail lashing at the air behind her in annoyance. "What Socchan said. He'd have done his judgment thing to Poppy anyway, and if he thought someone like Poppy was that sinful, he was never gonna get along with us."
Before the argument could continue, two new arrivals showed up. One was a man with limbs of rock, who smelled of blood and herbs - doctor, probably? - and the other...
The other was a fox. A fox in the shape of a woman, or so her instincts told her. They also told her to be afraid, and Kimiko had to clamp down on that lest her fight-or-flight impulse kicked in. She still got goosebumps, especially when the woman smiled and showed off her pointy fox teeth.
Kimiko managed to return the woman's smile, showing off her own inhuman teeth. One beast subtly baring its fangs at another.
"Kimiko Gomon." She greeted, stepping up behind Sword and raising a hand. "We just came through the door, so we don't exactly know what's going on."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Nasira - Lake Shore
With both feet on dry land, there was an abrupt sploosh sound as Nasira phased in and out of material existence, letting the water clinging to her fall unceremoniously to the ground. Returning to solid matter, Nasira sniffed her clothes and wrinkled her nose slightly - even with the water wrung out of them, two unwanted dips and several days' travel and combat left her outfit smelling less than ideal. One of the unfortunate realities of a wanderer's life, sadly; Nasira briefly wondered when she'd have the opportunity to do laundry.
But that would have to wait. For now, Nasira produced some towels to hand around as everyone made their way out of the lake. She took observation of Masaru's sudden outburst, and Sword's subsequent shifting on edge, not helped by the sudden appearance of two strangers from the woods. One particularly more unnerving than the other - a fox eared, fox tailed, fox toothed woman that even she had to tilt her head up at to get a proper look. Fox eyed as well, on closer inspection.
"Ah, a kitsune," Nasira said flatly, remembering details of fox women from some fairy tale or another she read in the past. Not that she remembered much else, just that they were mischievous shapeshifters, though that seemed to apply to a lot of supernatural beings in folklore (djinn included), so who's to say?
"...Sorry, that was rude of me. Nasira. It's nice to meet you, Mikicha-" Nasira coughed as she caught herself. "Mikias."
State of Mind
It had been a while since she gave her wings a good workout. Yvenyra did not like flying out in the open sky when she could avoid it, preferring the safety and camouflage of the tree tops. But the local flora did not reach the heights she was used to, and so far as she could tell there was nobody in the vicinity who wished her ill intent. That did not stop her from bringing her rapier along, one can never be too careful, but she did allow herself these few minutes to let her hair down.
The sun was warm, but the air felt cool as the small fairy zipped high over the trees and water. She eyed the red tower, whose distance did not diminish the the enormous presence it imposed on the surrounding area, and kept a respectful distance. Instead she climbed, pumping her gossamer wings with all her might. Going higher and higher, faster and faster. Eyes squinting as the air whisked away the moisture on them. Ears turning red from the chill. Higher and higher, faster and faster. Wings buzzed furiously. The muscles pumping them straining. Higher and higher, faster and faster. Now she was well above the treetops. The forest, the town, the lake were all in view if she thought to look downwards. She did not, instead pushing her body even further. Silly thoughts of competing with the red tower to see who could climb the highest entered her head before her body and nature reminded her of her limits. She ignored the protests of her dorsoventrals and pushed herself for one more aerial sprint, going just a bit higher and just a bit faster.
Then she stopped. Her wings ceased their pumping. Inertia carried her forward a bit more, but for a brief moment the blood wasn't pumping in her ears and she could feel the emptiness and silence of the sky. It felt peaceful.
Then gravity caught up with her. She folded her wings back and let the fall carry her back to the ground. Muscles ached, but her soul felt invigorated. Now she did look down, seeing the forest, and the town, and the water, and people suddenly falling out of nowhere and splashing into the water.
Wait, what the hell?
Her wings spread once more, this time to slow her descent. She fluttered towards the group now making their way to shore, getting a better look at them as she neared. Tall folk, for the most part. Some with fur, some with horns, some with tattoos. A colorful bunch. Did that fish just become a person? A couple of locals were approaching them. Yvenyra felt duty bound to hover towards them in case someone proved dangerous. She thought about pulling out her weapon. No. No need to provoke a fight were one was not occurring.
She glided into speaking distance and heard one of the strangers introducing themselves. "...Nasira. It's nice to meet you, Mikicha- Mikias."
They appeared more ragged than dangerous now that she got a good look at them. Suspicion and charity tugged with equal strength in Yvenyra's heart. "Is anyone hurt?" she asked, fluttering at eye level with the tallest one a comfortable distance away.
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
AKA Nixer
Natsumi
"Hai, we have lodgings. We can give you some clean clothes, too. It won't be a problem at all," Natsumi said kindly, taking Sword's hand and shaking it firmly in greeting before turning and bowing to the group politely. It was odd: though her strength didn't match Sword's, it was disturbingly close to doing so. Especially with how she presented herself so gracefully, she didn't seem like the type to have brute force on your side. "I am Mori no Natsumi, and Mikias is my... companion. We've been here for about a month, so please let us be your welcomers! The village isn't far from here, so you'll see for yourself...!"
Her gaze passed over Kimiko, and she sniffed the air slightly, but other than that she withheld from the obvious and returned the ratfolk's wave with an air of cheer. She nodded briefly towards the djinn also, amused by her near slip of the tongue, and made a mental note to say to her later that it would be funny if she kept making that 'mistake'. The kitsune's musings were interrupted by the arrival of a fairy, and she shrugged her shoulders lightly in response to her question.
"I'm not the one to ask~! We're heading towards the village now, so if anyone is injured, you can be treated there. If you need any help, just say so...!"
Captain Holloway
"Never thought that a woman with animal ears would be the sight to give me pause..." Caitlin murmured to herself, having been patiently waiting for her clothes to dry at least somewhat in the sun. It wasn't working, so she'd have to just take a deep breath and brave the trip through whatever village their welcomers were talking about. She wished for the millionth time that she'd brought her furs with her. "In regards to... what prompted us to arrive here so quickly... I think if we encounter that particular Contender again, we plan ahead to kill him on sight. If he intends to do so with Poppy, then... brook him no quarter, I say. That's Justice to me. Or Vengeance. Or whatever on earth that madman was pursuing."
She got up, taking a moment to stretch and then joining the group proper in readiness to go.
"Is this the nicest introduction we've had so far...? Excluding that ominous entrance. I hope it's not a vice..."
"I wasn't ominous, was I...?" Natsumi turned towards Mikias, looking a little self-conscious.
Edited by Enirboreh on Mar 28th 2023 at 11:22:45 AM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
Poppy Blake
"I'm Poppy Blake! And n-no, I'm not hurt. Save for a few scrapes and bruises from the rough landing, maybe," Poppy offered, belatedly remembering to curtsy. "It's good to meet new friendly faces in a place like this, though it might take us some time to figure out how it works."
"I don't think you were all that ominous, past the first few seconds, Miss no Natsumi," she said to the kitsune woman after a pregnant, awkward pause, deciding to be honest. "During that time, I thought we'd been caught by the Pretender of this Shard right after arriving, and that'd scare the living daylights out of nearly anybody."
Edited by JumpingFruit on Mar 30th 2023 at 12:01:58 PM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
The Light That Blinds
Val
Mikias shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I wasn't there."
Then, a newcomer fluttered up to— Wait, fluttered? Was that...an actual fairy? Val's eyes widened, and the wings on his back twitched in acknowledgement.
Mikias, for his part, cut straight to answering. "Not to my knowledge, but if anyone is injured, please refer to me. I'm a doctor. The best in the village." There was a none of smugness to the words. "I happen to have a clinic. Lang should be there if he didn't run off the moment I took my eyes off him..."
His words trailed off into inaudible muttering. Val blinked a few times, then stepped forward, extending his hand to both Natsumi and Mikias with a beaming smile. "Hello, strangers! I'm Valentin Trémaux. My friends call me Val. Anyway, when you say 'village' you don't mean 'place that will be destroyed by the Pretender seconds after we enter', right?"
"..." Mikias stared blankly at him. "Does that happen often?"
"No, but it could."
This time, the vulkende simply facepalmed.
Given his limbs, that had to hurt.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
roaming, lurking, arguing
Moonsight Lake
It took a few moments for the Pilgrims to decide how best to move forward. Neither Mikias nor Natsumi seemed hostile, but obviously they couldn't just leave their ship alone in this lake. In the end, it was decided that the Nesiree would stay with the Lervondas, with only Aisha and Daria joining the others in going to the village. The other newcomer, the fairy Yvenyra was extended the same courtesy of hospitality by Mikias and Natsumi, of course.
It seemed that traveling Contenders were nothing unusual in this place. As they walked along the path through the forest, the Pilgrims could see signs of a variety of people having reached this place. From a carving of the Book of Hader in one tree, to the petrified remains of a Nemean warrior that was slowly subsumed by the forest, all the way to sight of lemurian blades and shields scattered over a nearby clearing.
There wasn't much talking on the way, as both Natsumi and Mikias seemed eager to get through the forest. After less than an hour, they began to see signs of civilization in the shape of a guardpost. Standing there, resting on his large club, was a red-skinned Oni. The huge guard recognized Mikias and Natsumi immediately and tipped his strawhat, before letting them pass.
So far, this was the friendliest entrance to a new Shard the Pilgrim had ever had. And for a while, it would stay this way. But if they had known what was going to come...perhaps, they would have been slightly more cautious...
Back at Thule, the second Shard
The Sailor's head fell into the heat-blasted ground, cracking the sand that had been turned to glass by the fire. His body slowly toppled over, hands reaching out for the head, trying to grab it.
Urzael's blade impaled the arm, before flames traveled outwards from the edge and began to turn the wet flesh into calcified ash and dust. The air flimmered with heat and the hiss of liquids boiling away tore at the ear. The pungent smell of soot and burned flesh filled the air.
The Ember Knight collapsed down to one knee. Sweat pouring from his face, mixing with the blood from his headwound. Behind him, the wharf had been destroyed. The roof had been blown off, the houses turned to slag and the island itself still burning in places. The sea still brushed against the flames, water turning to steam, as the wall of fire pushed it back.
His eyes fell upon the severed head. Reaching out with his remaining arm, Urzael grabbed it and held it up, so he could see into the Sailors dead eyes. Then with a grim smile, he burned it in his palm, until only a blackened skull remained.
One that he crushed in his gauntlet.
...
For a moment he remained. The fight had taken a lot out of him. The flames slowly died down around him, until the sea rushed back with a vengeance and forced him to stumble back into the ruins of the wharf. Water claimed the remains of the Sailor, Still Adrift and Urzael had to watch as his dead foe was swallowed by the dark ocean.
"I know you're there.", he suddenly said, into the empty air. "My blade still burns in your sinful presence, _______"
They just laughed at him. Joking that he seemed to have an easy time by the looks of it.
"Easy? If it had been so, he would have been a lesser foe.", snapped Urzael back, still not turning around to face them. "In truth, I was blessed by fortune, that he had been so strong. The odds truly were against me..."
As if that was ever a problem. Why should vengeance be deterred by odds? Nay, does it not thrive with them?
A wry smile crept on Urzael's lips, before it was wiped away and his glowing eyes glared at them. "Save your honeyed words for those that care for it. What do you want?"
Want? Always about wanting. Why did Urzael care about what they wanted? What is it that he wants, though?
"Shut it!", snapped Urzael. His wounds were closing and a new arm grew where his old one had been, resembling a limb made out of burning coals. He reached out, grabbing them by the neck. "I told you before, that I don't care for your promises and offers. Seduce some other fool and leave me be!"
Leave him be...for what?
"For the cleansing." The Ember Knights eyes glowed with renewed fervor. "I have seen those pure of heart. And although she is fooled and trapped by souls of wickedness, I shall set her free! And with her, I can bring about my Cycle. My Cycle of Peace...and Freedom."
Three doors appeared in his view, as if they had always been there. Early this time around, aren't they?
"Splendid. My journey has not been halted for long." Urzael's expression into one of fanatic determination, before he looked back at them. "I will dispose of them, one way or another. Our paths will cross again, that I am certain. And as for you...."
As for Nothing! The Ember Knights hand grasped empty air and his ears echoed with the pleasant, amused laughter he had quickly come to despise. They had their answer and now they would continue to watch him. After all, he had become oh so entertaining...
Urzael grit his teeth, in barely surpressed rage. Then he turned about and opened one of the doors.
roaming, lurking, arguing
Hinanosu, the Village
The first thing they saw was the palisade. Hewn out of surrounding tree, it was of nenmon-style with a stone-base. Two guard-towers flanked the gate, wich itself was preceded by a moat. The gate itself was open and as they came closer, the men at the palisade called out to them.
"Oi, Mikias-sensei!", said one, a young man clad in lamellar armor. "Lang-kun made it back in one piece. Thank you so much for finding him!"
"Praise the Sages. It would have been a shame to lose him to the enemy...", added the other guard, an Er'yyos wearing a monks-robe and carrying a large glaive. His eyes were closed and his horns were adorned by prayer-beads and talismans. He bowed his head towards them. "And I see you brought new arrivals. And a Scion, as well...fortuitous times, indeed." How he had been able to ascertain all that with his eyes closed wasn't clear.
"Welcome to Hinanosu."
As they walked past the gate, they were greeted by a hustle and bustle none of them had seen in weeks. Houses of varying styles pressed against each other, separated by well constructed paths. People of all manner of races and cultures could be seen talking, haggling and laughing.
While most of them were humans of onogoron stock, plenty of Baishin and Oni could be seen as well. A Nemean, several veiled Rouens, a Kumet mother with her pups and more. Heck, there was even Vedian merchant, arguing with a tall, wild-haired Asranian firehead. Her loud complaints about his prices joining in the cacophony of sounds that was all around.
And while it seemed chaotic, there as was certain sense of order. The streets were visibly laid out in a grid and the village itself separated into several districts, with smithies and artisans further back and the shops and leisure houses right at the front. Lodgings and living space interseeded throughout and overlooking it all was a well-constructed wooden fort with its arched roof throwing long shadows.
Somewhere, one could smell meat being cooked and a particulary large, black lemurian man walked by, heaving what looked like two large ox-carts full of bundles of rice. No one seemed to perturbed by this odd sight, as if it was a daily occurence. In fact, no one paid much attention to the Pilgrims in general, aside from a few passersby greeting Mikias and Natsumi and looking at the group with curious eyes.
This was, arguably, the strangest place they had ever seen.
Nasira - Hinanosu, Melting Pot
Nasira did her best to keep out of the way of the hustle and bustle, weaving around the villagers hurrying about their business as she followed behind Mikias and Natsumi. It's been a long time since I've been to a place so busy, she thought to herself while observing her surroundings. And yet, despite the warm sun and joyful energy of everyone hurrying about on the streets, a cold, lonely chill brushed against Nasira's neck, giving the djinn an abrupt shiver. She glanced around, but there was no sign of a sudden gust, no disturbances in anyone's activities. Was I just imagining things...?
Nasira did her best to brush aside the sudden chill, inching closer to Caitlin and lightly squeezing her hand without saying a word. She needed to focus - a new Shard meant a new Pretender, new information that needed gathering. And now that they were in the village, Mikias may be more willing to answer them. "A month... are you two-" Pause. Perhaps discussing the matter of Contenders and Pretenders in the middle of a busy street wasn't wise. She had no idea if the Pretender had spies, or was present themselves, and it wouldn't do to give herself and her companions away. (Even if they had fallen from the sky in plain view. Even then.) A change of gears then. "Sorry, forget it. Have you met with an old woman named Neniu? I'm searching for her and have personal reasons to speak with her."
Eines al'Maelenn - Speaking of Spies
Eines was lost. So very lost.
The second she stepped out that gate, the poor fairy was plopped onto a rooftop overlooking the chaos that was Hinanosu. So many people going all over the place, so many conversations, so much happening, it was all very overwhelming. If she didn't know any better she'd have sworn she got plopped into another Realm rather than another Shard, none of this was at all what she was expecting. Sitting on a shingle, Eines counted on her fingers the tasks ahead of her.
- Find Contenders to ally with.
- Defeat the Pretender.
Easy, right? Eines groaned as she rolled over onto her belly, flopping down hopelessly. Yeah, right; how am I supposed to find ANYONE in this crazy place? Where would I even begin? Granny Neniu made it sound so simple, and maybe it would've been if it were one of those quieter isolated shards, at least then the few people there I'd know would probably be the real deal. Sigh. Mama, what should I do...?
Eines rolled side to side, warming her stomach against the tile which had soaked up sunlight. She decided to watch the crowd for now. Listen out for gossip. Maybe she'd hear something to point her in the right direction-
"...met an old woman named Neniu?"
Eines's ears perked up at a familiar name and immediately slid down the roof to the source of the voice, hovering in the air as she overshot and fell right off. A group of very, very odd looking people were making their way through the streets, led by a very, very tol fox lady and a man with rocks for arms. Yup, definitely weirdos. More importantly, one of the people following them had asked about Neniu, the strange but friendly old lady she met before she came here.
They know Granny?! Eines fluttered down and attempted to discretely follow. Bumping into many things on the way. It was a good thing she had size and tiny wings on her side.
The Light That Blinds
Val
"So you have three names? That's neat! I've never met anyone with three names."
"Cultural differences."
"Well, duh. I'm from Rousson, you're from— Where are you from?"
"Menwa."
"Menwa! So of course we'll have 'cultural differences'. It'd be weirder if we didn't. Hey, why do you—"
"Valentin. Shut up."
"..."
Well, Val already didn't like Mikias much. Hopefully, it wouldn't get to the point one of them killed the other. But never mind him, for they had reached civilization!
"Oh, yes, Lang should be fine, no thanks to him." Mikias cleared his throat and straightened. "With any luck, he'll still be at the clinic. If he's moved, drag him back. Literally, if necessary."
"That a joke?" Val whispered.
"Not in the slightest. But anyway, follow us, please..."
They stepped into the village.
And Val's mind was blown.
He'd seen more people than this before. Rousson was several times bigger than this place, and had several more people residing within. But...he'd never seen such diversity before. A dizzying array of peoples and buildings and cultures that made Val's head spin trying to take it all in.
He was reminded of the town they'd found in the Cradle. Was this what it had looked like before the Godfall? Vibrant and unique and full of life you could find nowhere else? For the first time in a while, Val was at a loss for words. All he could do was look around in awed silence.
His steps briefly lost their rhythm, however, at the sight of a dog-looking woman with children at her heels. "What're kids doing here?" he said, eyes wide.
"They're not Contenders," Mikias replied curtly. "Not to my knowledge. They were born here. They've lived in this Shard their whole lives."
"Their whole— what?"
The vulkende rolled his eyes. "Do you think all this sprouted up a month ago?"
Val hadn't, but he couldn't bring himself to say so.
"She's been here years. A lot of people have. The Pretender here is..." Mikias's lips pursed. "Difficult."
Val frowned. That didn't sound good. What was...
Someone's following us.
Val's steps slowed. His neck prickled. Someone was behind them. Trying to tail them. Steeling himself to walk casually, his eyes flicked across the crowd, searching for anyone out of place. Searching...searching...
There.
He suddenly darted into the crowd and snatched their pursuer by the neck. "Alright, what business have you got...following..." His voice died in his throat.
It was...another fairy.
Huh.
"Uh," Val said lamely. "Hi?"
Mikias, for his part, had stopped to stare at him in utter befuddlement.
This could get awkward. Oops.
Edited by LilyTheLitten on Mar 30th 2023 at 7:48:37 AM
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
"Reminds me of Marogne..." Caitlin remarked, pleasantly surprised by the... well, actual civilisation here in the Shard! So they'd been here years... it was honestly disturbiing to think about. Would killing the Pretender end it all for them...?
Caitlin pursed her lips, only to be startled somewhat by Nasira's squeeze of her hand. She paused, before looking at the djinn and giving her an assuring smile, bumping her shoulder against hers and rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb. She was glad they had a mutual understanding of affection at this point. She was unclear where it was all going, but if they remained this close regardless, she'd be happy. Though she knew they'd have to speak about it once they had a moment alone.
She decided to bring this up, since Nasira was so close to her.
"When we've a time, in private..." she murmured beneath her breath, close to Nasira's ear. "We should talk about these things. Alright...?"
Mori no Natsumi
"Yes, yes. Hello, hello. Good day~" Natsumi greeted familiar faces with a bright smile and upturned eyes, gracefully strolling through alongside Mikias as she tuned out the pessimistic tone he tended to adopt when speaking about things. Yes, it was very existentially horrifying. But all the sights, sounds, smells... even a month spent staying here didn't make them tiresome. Natsumi breathed in deeply, and sighed with pleasure.
"There's a kitsune right here, oni, blight, and you're worried about a fairy? Granted, they can be strong...~! No, I haven't heard of Neniu. I saw an old lady once. She might've started talking but I moved on quickly. Gomen~"
She then giggled in regards to Val.
"By the way, if you're interested in Miki-chan having three names, I only have one name. Natsumi~! Mori no Natsumi just means 'Natsumi of the Forest'. So I was very amused when the little one called me 'Miss no Natsumi'~!"
Edited by Enirboreh on Mar 31st 2023 at 1:43:53 PM
bork
Sword held Natsumi's gaze firmly at the shake, nodding confidently. The perfect picture of firm resolve, were it not for a chill visibly running up her very outline at the realization someone here was approaching her own level of strength. She'd really, honestly been trying to stop putting a hitlist together or otherwise plan for things to break bad at the throne room, but her mind just sort of automatically started running the numbers on how she'd try to shellack someone with longer limbs who could survive up close with her. She'd probably have to take it to the floor, get on top... ulp.
So anyway though, the village! Sword was still on guard. There were oni here? Were they... other guildsmen? The whole reason she was here at all was because the guilds were uninterested in the Thrones. Which meant... oh brother, these guys were probably foresty traditionalists! She shot an uneasy smile to the Oni that probably knew just from her clothes and body language that she was a city girl.
Their party had nearly doubled in an instant and Sword's first thought was that they were being bottlenecked. Hm. Just as she had been willing to touch the creature known for intimate acts of violence, she needed to get her thoughts out here too.
"Kicchan, these people... got a thought here." Sword clicked her tongue, fell to the back of their group, and tapped Kimiko on the elbow. Val was taken with another new Pilgrim, she couldn't count on him right now. She needed the privacy of someone in their group already.
"These people here... they clearly failed to beat their Pretender, and then they were allowed to live. I—did I say out loud that I thought we'd be fucked with when we got here? Like in some nonviolent challenge of some kind?" She swiveled her head around suspiciously. "What're the odds on us even being allowed to take the Pretender on if people who didn't make it have it this good?"
Breath of the Sun
Kimiko
The foxgirl seemed nice enough, at least. Kimiko's body finally allowed her to relax as the little fairy appeared. She followed their newfound companions to a thriving town.
She put her hands behind her head as she considered Sword's words. "I don't think all of these people were Contenders, Socchan. The Shards existed before the Pretenders did, yeah? So these people have probably been living here for a while. Kinda feel bad for 'em, having to live in a Shard. But hey, once we become gods, I'm sure we can fix this place up."
Her whiskers twitched slightly, at the person who was obviously following them, but Val got to the stalker first. The stalker who was another little fairy.
Snorting, Kimiko wrapped her tail around Val's wrist, gently squeezing to indicate he should let go. "No need to be so jumpy, Val. I'm sure she was just interested in the whole 'Contender' talk."
Once Val let go, Kimiko smiled and waved to the newcomer. "Hiya. I'm Kimiko. Sorry about my friend here. We're trained fighters, y'see, and we just got out of a bad scuffle. Sort of a reflex on his part."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
An Ordinary Oddball
Poppy Blake
Did she hear that right? Did this place know about Scion Sorcerers?
Were there even other Scion Sorcerers around here?
Regardless, it wouldn't be good to let on that she had anything to do with Grandfather Vector. He was not a particularly well-liked god, even if he had been widely feared while he was extant, so to speak. Poppy did flinch a bit at the mention of the word "Scion," though she did her best to stay quiet and follow their guide with the rest of the group. This place had so much life...and so she mainly maintained her agenda of gawking at everything and everyone while letting the rest of the party get on with their social interactions.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 22nd 2023 at 5:29:42 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Captaì̵̫n̷̨͝ ̷͚͊H̴̳͉̍̀͝ͅo̷̻͋l̷̢̗̬͠l̵̼̩̂o̷̡̝̝̞̟͙̱̞͆̏̈̐̈́̓̒͋͂w̶̺̝̟̤̫͎̪̅ͅͅä̴̡̮͈͓͎́̀̂̌̋̾͜ͅy̵̢̧̨͙͎̥̻̘̞̲̓̐
The pirate hadn't hesitated when Urzael had shown malice, and she'd leapt into the doorway of her own volition. As such, she was first through, and nowhere to be found. After plunging into the lake, the only thing that she could register was cold. A bitter, creeping cold that clawed at her and peeled off her flesh, causing her to writhe in agony as she felt herself begin to transmute. Into what, she wasn't sure, as she could barely even think. And yet...
The hand came down to grasp at her, which she unconsciously accepted. She let herself be pulled up a short while, but then paused and forced the hand away from her. She lingered underwater, somewhat baffled. Why wasn't she drowning?
She felt... comfortable. She could breathe. It was... enriching, if anything. Like the sea air, but concentrated. She suppose it made sense, however this was still only a lake, so she couldn't exactly live here forever. Caitin decided to emerge.
What rose out of the lake was not human. Humanoid at best, with scales and fins and a wretched face to accompany them. Long, thin teeth like that of an anglerfish jutted out as an underbite, and Caitlin's hair was more reminiscent of drenched sea algae. Her clothes were soaked through, but there was barely anything to see—her entire body was like that of a fish in texture, and she glimmered in the sunlight in a manner that might've been beautiful on something with a less hideous countenance.
"Ahhhhh..." she let out, her voice more like a guttural bellow mixed with a hiss than anything resembling the human tone she'd had before. "I feel... freeeeeee... don't you, too...?"
Caitlin sounded like she was in a trance of some kind, taking in her surroundings like a newborn babe. Albeit, if said newborn babe was a direct spawn of the Abyss. She dragged her feet as she shambled towards the edge of the lake, and it was apparent that her feet and hands were webbed as well as finned at the elbows. Her tattoos weren't visible in this form, but between her scales glowed a familiar ethereal light—she seemed to notice this, and let out a raspy cackle of glee.
"LOOK AT ME! I am... of the sea...! Hahahahaha...!!"
She might have been suffering a slight mental breakdown at this point.
Edited by Enirboreh on Mar 20th 2023 at 8:06:51 AM
bork