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 Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:39 pm
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 tab ❧ I'm the violence in the pouring rain.
The impact was harsh, sending tremors through Aella's body as she collided with the floor. The unforgiving coldness of the ground bit into her, a stark contrast to the thumping music that reverberated through the chaotic atmosphere. Concrete, she thought, wincing at the realization of the harsh reality beneath her. A muffled groan escaped her lips, drowned out by the relentless chaos that surrounded her.
Realizing she couldn't afford the luxury of contemplation, Aella's groans transformed into a determined urgency. A gun, a timely ally, slid across the floor, its cold metal meeting her fingertips. Guns weren't her preferred choice, but desperate times called for desperate measures. It was a stark contrast to relying on her untrained powers, a source of more significant problems in her turbulent life.
Pushing herself up, she used the gun as leverage, her hands still bound. The cold metal against her skin sent shivers down her spine, but it was her only option. Just as she steadied herself, another ripple of mana swept through the club, accompanied by a wave of nausea that dissipated as swiftly as it came. Catching herself on the bar's edge with her forewarms, she felt a sudden sensation accompany the magical surge—sharp, crystalline spikes erupted along her spine, and small, bat-like wings emerged from her back. They resembled crystal-based geodes, shimmering and translucent, yet functional like regular leathery wings. At their current size, they looked more like an accessory for a small dog than a practical aid.
Amidst the chaos, a familiar, sweet, yet poisonous voice echoed in her mind, skillfully mimicking Autumn's tone. "So independent," a voice slithered into her mind, sweet yet laced with venom. It mimicked Autumn's voice, a cruel parody of their past laughter. "Letting the men do the work. Hoping to be some trophy wife?" Fury surged through Aella, momentarily banishing the panic. She spun, searching for the familiar blonde hair, the bright green eyes that once held friendship. The crowd churned, a tapestry of panicked faces and flailing limbs, but Autumn was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly propelled towards Shingen by the magical box, she stumbled, cursing the magical binds that held her ankles. Desperation fueled her kicks, but they proved futile against the restraints. The voice persisted, insinuating unsettling thoughts. With a snarl that would have sent shivers down a lesser man's spine, Aella channeled all her frustration, all her fear, into a single burst of energy. The bindings snapped, the raw power leaving her limbs bruised and tingling. Free.
She pointed the gun, its coldness grounding her in the midst of the chaos. Her fiery gaze darted between them as her garget changed: Shingen, the hulking brute, the imposing bouncer, and then back to Shingen in that cycle. "Stay away!" she roared, her voice a clarion call that sliced through the noise. Elongated canines could be seen when she shouted. "All of you!" And with that, she began backing slowly toward the front entrance, keeping her eyes on all three of the men.
Where: Sandelli's Night Club
With: Shingen?
Doing: pointy gun things!
Wearing:Tight black body suit and black stripper heels, smokey eye make up
Do not fall in love with people like me.
I will take you to museums and parks and monuments and kiss you in every beautiful place,
so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth.
I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible.
And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:12 am
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『 It's in the air and it's all around 』xxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx Location: Sandelli's Night Club
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Company: Everyone in this terrible club
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Internally: I did not hit her. I did NOT. Oh, hi Marco
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Wearing: All black suit
It felt so ******** cowardly to dive behind one of the bars while there was a damn gunman in club. However, Wesley was just another target until he assessed the situation for himself. Being a guilt-ridden, mentally broken mess would have just made everything worse. Can't really save everyone from a lunatic when you're a ticking time bomb yourself, can you? Wesley took a deep breath as he reminded himself once again that what he saw wasn't real. It was a stupid manifestation of his own trauma and guilt. That was it. The dragon focused himself by playing on his ever present need to be the hero. That fantastical complex of his thrust away the pain back into the depths of his soul. Trembling claws steadied themselves once again and his muscles unwound just a bit as he exhaled. He then turned his attention to the task at hand, head peeking up over the bar.
The draconic bodyguard had been paying attention even during his quick little "pep-talk". There had been no other gunshots after the first one. That was good but it also opened up a thousand possibilities. An assassin? Was a stupid place to drop someone if Sandelli hadn't been in on it. It didn't matter what possible danger Wesley worked up in his mind. None of them would actually prepare him for what was really happening. Bright kaleidoscope eyes locking onto Shingen and Madock as the two engaged terrifying brawl. Draconic slits snapping quickly with every single movement they made as he studied them. The skill on display was beyond anything the bodyguards at this club could handle. They were good but this was abnormal. Who was the enemy though? Well, that became obvious as soon as Marco went down.
Just as Madock called out for his help, Wesley slung himself over the bar. As soon as his feet slammed into the ground, he started to break into a run. Scales up under his suit and claws still out as Wesley had no intention of holding back on this guy. This guy looked like he could survive. Meanwhile, Wesley was the only one who could actually stop him at this point. With claws up and ready, the brute almost closed the distance between them in an instant... Until a new problem arose in the name of Aella.
"Stay away!"
Chromatic irises snapped towards that familiar figure in a split second and suddenly Wesley grinded to halt. Just a few feet between him and the target now. A dangerous distance to be focusing on anyone else than his enemy. Still, he couldn't ******** help it! That voice. Her features. "Those scales..." Focus, idiot! Mephitis snapped his gaze back to Shingen as he stayed at the ready. He didn't lunge at the other man for now because he wasn't certain if "Aella" was real. It had to be some other woman that he was involuntarily seeing as Aella. After all, why would she just be holding a gun like that? Right, just some woman Wesley was imagining as Aella. She was just some poor girl rattled by all the chaos. That's all. Fix this. He took a deep breath once again before saying, "Just relax. No one is going to hurt you, miss. Just need to take care of whoever this a*****e is." His eyes followed Shingen still. Didn't want another shot going off in the club but, if there was an opening, Wesley was taking it.
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✖✖✖
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『 With a taste of a poison paradise 』
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2024 10:30 am
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Shingen MaedaAlthough the file on the man named Madock expressed an uncertainty on the totality of his abilities, Shingen couldn’t have guessed he could keep up with him so well. Breaking a sweat was part of the job although as things now devolved into further chaos, it was easy to see the results of getting carried away in the moment. It had been said before about the particular agent, that he very much liked to be hands on, turning a surgical operation into a work-out session. Shingen cursed himself, realizing there was truth to the evaluations of his peers.
As Madock’s summoned blade hammered the barrier Shingen had affixed to his leg, Aella had made her way to him. Although just as she was to arrive, something entirely unexpected happened. With a surge of a deeper power, the bindings he had cast on her were overpowered and shattered. She had broken out and now gotten ahold of his weapon, which had been tossed away in the mix between him and the criminal. Shingen couldn’t hide his shock at the sight of Aella’s brute power. He had always known her to lack control with her magic but that there was a large latent pool that lied just beneath the surface, ready to burst.
The situation, must have triggered a response, thus the wild transformation. This was all noteworthy but as time went on, the risk to leaving empty handed rose. Shingen clenched his jaw and stopped his approach when she cycled the gun between all the members of the party. The bladed thug had even called out to someone to stop him, bringing out Mephitis from behind the bar in a total turnaround in behavior. Wesley? He thought as he saw the dragon land after vaulting the countertop. The boy was partially transformed as well. Consistent with his dragon physiology although it was well recorded on how unpredictably volatile his strain of mana could be.
The dragon charged him, his physical speed now focused and explosive as he almost tackled Shingen. So he had readied himself for an impact. But just as he was a few feet away, he seemed to stop at Aella’s voice. A glimpse over to her and he was suddenly a protector. Although the girl seemed threatened by all three of them, the two men knew each other. And Mephitis of course knew Aella and himself. Shaking his head, Shingen took a deep breath. ”Look at what they’ve done to you, Mephitis.” He started, looking the masked dragon over. ”Here with old friends but muzzled like you’re not your own man.
Shingen then looks over to Aella, still holding composure but ready for Madock when he finally gets through the barrier. ”I don’t know what part you play in all of this but of course I would say you have always cared for little other than yourself and Zenith. And while misunderstood and wild, you haven’t always kept the best company. Shingen shot a look over to Madock then turned back to Wesley. ”Usually, that would be no one else’s business but yours. But you’ve hurt quite a few people, Meph. You’re a protector, though. Look at you now. What happened that day at the capital couldn’t have been on purpose. The year I spent with you, told me one thing: you don’t have a heart for malice.” Shingen then extended his hand as if wanting a handshake. ”Tell me what happened. Come with me so we can put an end to whatever is happening with the dragons. We can’t let anymore people get hurt. We can help you bring your abilities into a true focus, one that you can use to defend us from the wrong dragons. There aren’t many others that can...”
As Shingen spoke, his watch showed an image of an arrow and “30m”. It was a smart watch in a sense and the arrow pointed towards the direction of the club entrance.
Location: Dance floor Outfit: See Image Left |
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 8:04 pm
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Zenith
BANG
Madock slammed down the end of the scabbard yet again upon the enchantment that anchored him down and a web of jagged fracture lines extended from the focal point. It wouldn’t take much longer for the man to break from his restraint, but something stopped him before he could take advantage of the spell’s fragility. The bruiser’s eyes went wide for a moment, looking in Aella’s direction but not quite at her as she stood herself up before she brandished the firearm. What…what was that!? A nauseating aura radiated from Zenith at that exact moment, and the guise he wore began to crack. Rounded pupils thinned into inhuman slivers for a moment-but they weren’t quite draconic; a better way to describe it was that they were serpentine, containers for something wicked and venomous instead of power and pride. The browns of his eyes also became a shimmering green that glowed ominously even as the strobe lights flickered. It was hard to hear over the music and the chaos…but there was also a faint sound of chains rattling.
In that sparse moment, Zen carried with him an ominous lethality that was not of this world, but the muse for it all…the reason for it…was gone just as quickly as it arrived. Suddenly his fury was disjointed…existing without clear purpose. Right, Shingen…Aella…Mephitis. That had to be why he was so irate. Everyone else would have seen Madock in a short lived daze before he slammed his scabbard down once more.
BANG
Suddenly Aella threatened the three of them…and Zenith paused for a moment…grounding himself as he pacified that seething wrath he had felt several seconds earlier. He needed a clear head…needed to weigh the risks and benefits of his next move. Shingen was the true threat here…but more than that were the Sandelli’s men that were likely arming themselves to the T behind the staff doors. Madocks hand lifted to his ear, and he said something quiet and discreet before his posture relaxed once more. Mephitis tried to pacify the panicked girl, not yet realizing who she was, it seemed…which was quite bizarre considering the history he had with the raven haired elementalist. More questions with no time for answers. But the real impact came from Shingen, who not only outed Wesely’s true identity…but mentioned something else: the dragon’s abilities and controlling them.
Madock’s eyes narrowed…and suddenly his face began to flake off…catching on the subtle currents of the air and dissolving like burning shreds of paper. In those moments people could see the Hazel eyes of his true identity, black hair in place of the bruiser’s short buzz. This shifting form lifted a single hand…and suddenly the space in the air, perhaps 15 feet deeper into the club…tore open to reveal the interior of a house. There wasn’t much time…and even less to explain things. As the portal tore through the fabric of reality above the dancefloor, Zenith ripped his leg up, breaking the dome into fragments of arcane shards just before he vanished…Appearing to the left of Aella, a hand quickly reaching out to hers in an attempt to pull the firearm down…but his eyes were focused on the Barrier specialist. If the Bureau agent did so much as ramp up his mana to cast anything, he would sever the mage’s control of magic for a couple seconds in order to relocate the elementalist and the late dragon king. By this moment, he no longer looked like Madock…but instead a tall black haired man that had a strong semblance to his form as a golem. Yet he looked…mortal. There was a second of something he said to the girl before he would attempt to teleport her into the space within the elevated portal, right beside a couch she had seen just that day. Without wasting a second, Zenith vanished again next to Mephitis, eyes locked on Shingen still before he would place the dragon in the same room.
By then, several thugs kicked through the door of the staff room, armed with handguns and even semi-automatics. If everything had gone successful…Zenith would close the portal completely…leaving him and Shingen left in the club. By then…the raw vulnerable feeling of magical manifestation cast upon Shingen if he triggered Zenith’s counter spell…would be lifted. |
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Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2024 9:47 am
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tab ❧ I'm the violence in the pouring rain.
Aella stood poised on the precipice of tension, her senses heightened to a fever pitch. With each heartbeat, her chest pounded, a rhythmic reminder of the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her gaze flickered nervously between the trio of men before her, lingering momentarily on the figure known as Wesley as he initiated conversation. Though there was a flicker of recognition in his demeanor, it was not enough to dispel the shroud of distrust cloaking her thoughts. He remained a stranger, albeit with a hint of familiarity that teased at the edges of her consciousness.
It was the mention of a name that caused her to recalibrate her focus, her gun tracking back to Shingen, her former roommate. Suspicion etched into the elegant contours of her features and tension crackled through her fledgling dragon wings, mirroring the storm building within. Laser lights danced across the translucent bio-material, painting them with a mesmerizing ripples of crimson and azure, the edges shimmering with iridescent purple. Aella's attention snapped back to the stranger with renewed intensity.
"Meph?" The word fell from her lips, punctuated by the shift of her weapon, her gaze softening momentarily with a glimmer of hope. Yet, as quickly as it had surfaced, the hope was extinguished, replaced by a steely resolve born of bitter experience. The resemblance was striking, but it was not Mephitis. Shingen's attempt to sow doubt only fueled her mistrust, her grip on the gun tightening in affirmation of her readiness.
"You don't know me, Shingen!" He did. He had. Somewhat anyway. Her words dripped with defiance, though a flicker of recognition hinted at the past they once shared. A scowl marred her plush lips as she resisted his attempts at psychological manipulation. With her gun poised, she began to edge away from the trio, her determination to leave the club outweighing any inclination to heed any of their words.
However, her resolve wavered as the third man's visage began to disintegrate before her eyes, a grotesque spectacle that held her gaze captive in a macabre fascination. Before she could fully comprehend the horror unfolding, a portal materialized above them, whisking the man away in a blink of an eye. The gun wavered in her grasp as recognition dawned upon her, the familiar surroundings triggering a surge of disorientation.
Senses on high alert, Aella sensed a presence to her right, but her reflexes faltered, unable to react in time. Please don't shoot Milo.... Who the ******** was- With a sudden jolt, her stomach lurched and she found herself inside the room with the couch. WHAT THE ******** WAS EVEN HAPPENING ANYMORE?! At least she still had the gun...
Where: ???
With: ???
Doing: ???
Wearing:Tight black body suit and black stripper heels, smokey eye make up
Do not fall in love with people like me.
I will take you to museums and parks and monuments and kiss you in every beautiful place,
so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth.
I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible.
And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people.
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Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2024 8:27 am
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『 It's in the air and it's all around 』xxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx Location: Sandelli's Night Club
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Company: Everyone in this terrible club
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Internally: What
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Wearing: All black suit
”Look at what they’ve done to you, Mephitis.”
"Meph?"
The shift within those few seconds was something to truly behold. Wesley had turned a venomous rage and rampant, chaotic emotions into a fuel. It lit a fire within his heart that focused himself upon a new task. Protecting everyone in this club and "fixing" the issue. Shingen was a stranger, some psychopath, and the enemy. It was so easy to see the man as some nameless villain like that until Shingen finally spoke. Draconic slits slowing shifting back into rounded, soft pupils. A harsh, judging glare giving way to confused and wide-eyed stare. His mouth even dropped open in disbelief but no words slipped there way out. Suddenly, Shingen wasn't a stranger. He wasn't just an assassin, a hired goon, or a spy from Tiamat clan. The way this man talked meant that he had a past "Wesley". Where? When? There was only one possible time in his life Mephitis would know any non-dragon. A time when he would have allowed anyone to simply call him "Meph" as a nickname. Rengoku. The "hallucination" said his name first but Wesley once again blamed his own broken psyche for that.
"Shingen?" Even as the name ripped its way out of his mouth, Wesley couldn't believe it was him. What in the absolute hell was he doing here of all people? It was impossible to write the man before him off as some wild hallucinations brought on by trauma. They didn't know each other that well and Shingen hadn't been around for the horrors that Wesley had endured in his past. He was real but why was he here? As Shingen continued to talk, it all started to fall into place within Wesley's mind especially as Shingen said 'We can help bring your abilities into a true focus'. There was only one 'We' that would so eagerly chase after him. A walking, ticking time bomb of wild magic, illegal mana crystals on the market, and a rogue new-breed of dragon that could cast magic. All of that was BoM's problem, and that meant Shingen was an agent.
"N-No. No, no, no. NO!" Wesley roared out as his hands started to shake once again. Those soft, prismatic eyes started to glow as the colors within swirled about faster. Draconic slits cutting through the kaleidoscopic irises as Wesley felt his panic and rage returning. He'd been caught! He finally had something good and BoM of all organizations had found him. He shifted his words down to a hushed growl as he talked with Shingen, "You won't help me! You'll lock me up. You'll put those ******** dampeners on me, track every little bit of my ******** life, and takeaway whatever freedom I have left. I don't want your help! I want to be left alone!" Any idea of hiding his identity had been thrown away out of anger. Unfortunately, mistrust of BoM was bred into every single dragon. Even the kindest of dragons like Mephitis had issues with the organization.
Before Wesley could continue his rant, the club just disappeared. "W-What? What the ********!? Where?" Why was he suddenly in a room? Why was there a damn couch here? Actually, better question. "Why are you still here!? Wesley roared out as he raised his right hand and pointed it directly at Aella. Had he truly lost it this time? Why wasn't this stupid hallucination disappearing? Why was this one lasting so much longer than all the others? Plus, it was acting so strangely by changing forms, holding a gun, and now staying in wherever this was!
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✖✖✖
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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『 With a taste of a poison paradise 』
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2024 4:42 pm
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Shingen MaedaMephitis wanted nothing to do with him. By now they must have figured out who he worked for and instinctively hid. That lent itself to the idea that they were involved with the illegal mana stone trade although that was yet to be truly seen. The way they all interacted was also odd, behaving like they didn’t know each other and yet they found themselves in the same location, miles upon miles from the dragon capital. Shingen began to slowly curl his fingers back, as he withdrew his hand.
There was a disappointment in Shingen’s eyes that bordered on the sympathetic. The Mephitis he once knew was in shambles which made him wonder just what he had been through in the past year. And Aella...well she might have reacted accordingly to being picked up and nearly hurled into a gun fight. The loud banging on his barrier, had been drowned out by the exchange but then something shifted. On the last strike, Shingen felt it give way and tore him from Mephitis. Looking to Madock, he raised his hand to try and reinforce the barrier but stopped when he saw his visage flaking and burning away.
Shingen smirked and scoffed at the sight of Aella’s other half. Of course he’s here. THAT’S why he could keep up. Another closer look made Shingen turn his head a bit, smirk fading. Now more man than ever, it seems. Just as he was about to lock him down again, he broke out of the barrier and disappeared, the very special way that he could. He was at Aella’s side only momentarily enough to lay eyes on him. When their eyes met, Shingen could feel himself cut off from all of his barriers in existence. It was if they had all been dispelled, no, hidden from him. Then, as he could see what he was up to, Shingen turned to Mephitis and reach out to him only to see him teleported away too. Only a glimpse of the interior of a house had been caught in all the motion, nothing to go on and surely far from there.
Post Theme
Shingen could hear the men populating the room from behind him and began to retract his outstretched hand. He brough it back to himself and looked at his palm as he came to terms with what was happening with him. ”I should have known you were here. Aella’s personal. Guardian. Angel. Or...something more now.” After a few moments, there were slight flickers of blue that ran across his palm. ”And here we all thought you were dead.” The men from behind were shouting at them to get on the ground but Shingen turned his head to reply. ”Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt?” Then, Shingen closed his fist and the walls and ceiling burst in towards them like an explosion went off, sending sparks and debris down on them from all the mounted lighting.
The sparks seemed to stop moving in the air as Shingen arrived at Zenith’s location and sought to finish what they had started, launching a right handed palm strike upwards at his chin, followed by a left elbow towards the chin and a hooking right knife hand strike at the neck using the top ridge of his hand, between the thumb and first knuckle.
Location: Dance floor Outfit: See Image Left |
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Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:15 am
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Zenith
Guardian Angel? No, not quite. Zenith had long fallen from any kind of grace; he believed the same even when it came to Aella. Now, he was simply a judge and executioner, sentencing those to a swift demise if the metaphorical gavel didn’t rule in their favor. Still, even if he assumed Shingen was affiliated with the BoM, that did immediately condemn him to death. There was still too much ambiguity between the resurrected swordsman and Shingen’s motives… Far too much to commit to lethal combat. He needed him alive…needed him to talk…but the question was how exactly to reach such information. It certainly seemed that they were far beyond diplomacy…and their few exchanges have already validated the immense caliber of skill required to trump this architect of magic.
Deep Honeycomb colored irises showed no trace of emotion beyond silent severity, the sheathed blade poised at his side as Sandelli’s grunts poured into the club’s main lobby with assorted firearms. Their addition to the situation, however, was negligible-clearly not enough to steal a glance from the sword saint. ”It would seem the Bureau’s resources were wrong then…” Zenith answered softly, almost drowned out by the aggressive cacophony of the demanding gunsman around them. There was no need to divulge on the specifics of his return…for many reasons.
“Get the **** on the ground!”
“Don’t move or I’ll blow your head clean off!”
“Freeze ***hole!”
3…5…7…9 plus men with weapons-expendable casualties who would not be missed if they were somehow caught in the tangle between the two of them-at least not by the swordsman. Their lives were of no concern to Zenith…there were others still here that he deemed innocent, however. Some were hiding behind the bar… others cowering on the floor waiting for all this chaos to finally blow over…and then the especially bold ones were scooping up as much treasure that Mephitis had evaporated into existence right outside the staff doors.
It was then that suddenly the light fixtures on the ceiling were severed from their circuitry as Shingen split the sheet rock from the top of the club. At that moment, the only illumination in the building was granted by the wall lights, vermillion laser lights that swept across the interior, and the falling splinters of electricity that descended upon them along with fragments of rubble. This is when Zenith realized that he was not in an advantageous position. The barrier practitioner had already proved to be capable of armoring himself in dense magic…meaning gunfire that would predictably follow was of little consequence to him and could be ignored. Zenith, unfortunately, did not have the luxury to sacrifice that kind of caution.
Thus, as the agent closed in, Zenith discarded the advantage of range he had with his sheathed blade and allowed the man to close in without being hindered. He did, however, divert the first blow outside of its intended target by sweeping his weapon in front of him. Despite the greater absence of light, he could still see the mana flowing through his enemy…creating enough of an outline to predict the pathing of his strikes-so far at least. The flash of the first gun firing off brought a brief radiance to Shingen’s features from behind Zenith…and he saw the elbow closing it with his mortal perceptions. He had to make a few sacrifices to maintain this battle, it would seem. To lessen the blow, Zenith turned his head with the strike, but the bony prominence of the agent’s joint clipped his chin as intended…and suddenly they were gone, the bullets flying right past the void they left behind.
Now they were right in the thick of all Sandelli’s men, Zenith twisting away from the impact of the strike. While dazed, he still knew his position in relation to the grunts…and drew his blade. That feeling…blood racing…drawn to the thirsty metal of his cursed weapon…was cast upon those within the club…but the gleam of cold metal would prevent the men in front of Shingen from any further thought on it. The single swipe was swift, cleaving through the bowels of 4 men before Zenith vanished behind them…his head still aching as he tried to recalibrate his balance. The wound on the 4 gunsman did not spill onto the floor as normal physics would allow…and instead the stringy insides and their blood was ejected right in Shingen’s direction in a gruesome theatrical shower of vermillion life ichor and guts. The hot fluid would drench anything in Shingen’s position-and even the grunts behind him. Zenith would then kick one of the bodies on the precipice of death right into the agent before resheathing his blade to swing once horizontally at Shingen’s head with the blunted scabbard before vanishing slightly to the left to pick up a semi automatic to unload, focusing on a singular point to test the tolerance level of the man’s arcane shell: right at his left Knee.
Counter Spell Cooldown counter: 1 |
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Posted: Thu Feb 29, 2024 10:36 am
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Shingen MaedaThe first jab had been parried by the sheathed blade and the elbow only happened to scrape by in time to have them both jump back into the midst of the gun men. The sparks from above then showered over them like rain before they stopped in the air once again as Zenith spun away from the strike and disappeared to make a fading strike across four of the goons. There it is. Shingen could barely keep up with his disappearing act. His talent for spatial displacement was well developed but Shingen had long done his homework. That’s what one did in school wasn’t it?
As soon as Shingen turned to face where Zenith had landed, droplets of rich crimson collided against a transparent pane of mana, right at Shingen’s line of sight and barely a few inches away. A body would then crash against it’s surface followed by a horizontal swipe of a blunted weapon. Shingen ducked and slid forward and aside to miss the swing just in time for it to shatter the pane behind him. He then stood up and threw his hand out to his side, freezing the kicked man in place along with the other three that had been cut across.
“Why do you fight? What’s in it for you?” Shingen said as the other gunmen fired on him, sending small sparks of blue mana from Shingen’s body. The four men frozen in place then began to disintegrate and become a black smoke that converged on Shingen’s outstretched palm. His knife hand gathered the smoke at the tips of his fingers as he walked in Zenith’s direction, sparks showering them. The bullets Zenith fired bouncing off at the intended site. ”Money? Glory?” Shingen shouted as a blue rod appeared in front of him and suddenly began to spin, now taking the rifle fire.
”LOVE?!” Shingen then took hold of the rod in his free hand and sped over and around Zenith, casting a barrier at his feet like last time and turning to swipe his staff across Zenith’s head, simultaneously munching down on his newly formed pill as the small particles of light held their place in the air once again, moving only as fast as gravity would allow them. Shingen's frame appeared like ghosts around Zenith as he pulled away and rushed in, each time with a strike of the staff to the head or the body. Only the red of his eyes trailed about the swordsman. Every other strike seeking to cast new barriers on Zenith's extremities.
Location: Dance floor Outfit: See Image Left |
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2024 4:54 am
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Zenith was an articulate combatant, who preferred to understand a difficult opponent before truly exerting himself. It made him appear defensive…weaker... but without a complete analysis, it was far more probable that he could be caught off guard by the Shingen’s arcane prowess. Thus, these passing moments were all experimental, testing the intricacies and degree of fortification that his enemy’s arcane shell granted him-and a lot was learned from it. Firstly was the question of how sturdy these barriers were. Initially, Zenith hadn’t been able to break free even with superhuman strength. Even if the impact was much smaller and more precise, as was seen when he shot several rounds of the automatic into Shingen’s knee, it yielded no weakness. This agent had truly mastered the ability to create impervious mass from his mana. Secondly was the hydrophilic properties of the membrane. The blood that stained the man simply cascaded down the film like armor, without inhibiting the man’s mobility.
Both of these observations were evidence of just how much of an advantage Shingen had over Zenith. While his lethal capacity was at its highest, it was only relevant if the edge of his blade could land true on flesh…and while it could cut through dragon scales, it could not find that same ease against arcane constructs. There was also the fact that Zen was not trying to kill Shingen, but knock him out long enough to take him back to Ogotunam and slap an anti magic cuff on him. The likelihood of that, however, was becoming increasingly more dismal. In the face of all this, Zen began to consider alternative means of handling Shingen.
Shingen’s words were almost lost in the chaotic cacophony of gunfire, but they had indeed been heard. None of it bothered Zenith in the slightest. His focus was airtight. It didn’t even matter when the man climatically mentioned ‘love’ during his narrative. Zenith discarded the firearm quickly and gripped his sheathed blade in hand once more.Whatever mind games the man brandished in hopes of distracting the Sword Saint long enough to allow a moment of advantage would not be met with succe-
Suddenly Zen froze, his heart suddenly crashing against his chest as if it tried to burst from his chest. His head pivoting quickly, his features absorbed in some kind of shock and surprise…and it would appear to Shingen that this was indeed the moment he needed to seize control of the evasive swordsman. It wasn’t clear what exactly stole his attention, but it would be his undoing nonetheless. After a seconds worth of frantic searching…Zen’s panicked hazel eyes found what he was looking for.. It was him.
There was a sound that bled into reality at that moment…while phantasmal and distant…it was capable of tickling the attention of anyone in the club. It was a series of sharp and non resonant metal clinking sounds…the kind that chain links make when disturbed. The faint color of green began to bleed into Zen’s irises as an agonizing fury began to roil within…but he wouldn’t be able to donate any further attention to the figure before a arcane dome locked his foot to the ground…and the blunt end of Shingen’s staff collided with his face. Zenith’s head twisted hard and snapped back ungracefully as his vision became nothing but blurry colors and lights, and he was forced to a single knee…keeping himself standing only after he used his scabbard as a crutch. The pain was immense, and instinctively the swordsman lifted his other hand to defend his head, which made his torso vulnerable and open for a linked strike to his side, fracturing a pair of ribs. Zenith coughed and sucked in as much air as he could to cope with the new agony as he fell forward…catching himself on the floor with his other hand, which was also cuffed to the club floor by an arcane bubble.
Despite all this though, he could only think of that moment…that battle…
~”How else did you really think it all was going to end? The dragon is so much stronger, more ambitions, more hungry for whatever he desires than you are. It makes him so much more…fulfilling, don’t you agree? Just look…Just listen…The evidence is all there…that you were really nothing in comparison to him in…every…way…”~
Love?...Is that what Shingen said earlier?....no…no it was so much more simple than that. Zenith didn’t want Aella back, he had abandoned that thought a long time ago…What he wanted was revenge...and why would he ever give that up? Did his reason for challenging this mysterious and powerful divinity need to be founded by morals or justice? No…evil was not scared of those whimsical concepts. It was scared of pain…of mutilation that it felt safe from…and in the end, it feared death… And it would find it one day at the hands of Zenith’s eternal ire…for above all things, the swordsman hated the feeling of being toyed with more than anything else.
”I’ll kill you,” He murmured as another strike came atop his head, and the uncanny sounds of chains rattling in momentary unrest came once more. ”I’ll let oblivion swallow you whole…” Suddenly, the swordsman lifted himself from his bondage, uprooting his limbs from the arcane shackles Shingen locked him down with and drew his blade….delivering a horizontal strike straight across the man’s torso with a strength that far surpassed what the agent had seen before. Something was wrong…something was…different. Zenith would then vanish a couple feet away from Shingen…standing still…the bloodthirsty katana making the blood in everyone within the club quicken…and replacing those calm and calculating hazel eyes…were bright green irises with serpentine slits. And then…Zenith smiled. ”You’re a servant of the Bureau, are you not…Caster…” the voice had a doubling effect to it…as if someone with a wretched hiss-like tone spoke on concordance with Zenith, ”with a heart of a lamb…manipulated by wolves…how pitiful…and amusing…”
The man’s fingers slowly uncurled around the handle of the blade…and it floated in place…gently moving in front of him and pointing itself to Shingen…parallel to the floor. ”The Ocean will welcome such naivety with open arms…” Suddenly the blade shot forward, with just as much power as it did with the horizontal swing. Each parry would simply change its motion into another slash or stab…and as the possessed blade occupied Shingen…’Zenith’ turned his attention to another…a dark…predatory grin on his features…and behind the black haired swordsman…stood a semi-transparent phantom of a wretched humanoid figure with the same serpentine eyes…and long white hair… But…that figure would soon fade…and it would become apparent to them that there was another power preventing a true manifestation of…whoever was taking control…something familiarly demonic in nature sealing it and preventing it from taking Zen’s body completely hostage.
Counter spell cooldown:2
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:23 am
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Shingen MaedaShingen’s strikes would land with efficacy, successfully shackling the man in the midst of his assault. Something shifted, however. Durning Shingen’s flurry, Zenith had changed. Before Shingen could continue, Zenith pulled himself out of the substantially durable barriers he had placed on his limbs. Particles of blue mana crumbled like glass from where they were ripped, only leaving dust sized particles on his clothes like faint glitter, a testament to some new found strength, dwarfing even Aella’s from a moment ago. The turn of the cursed blade in his direction forced Shingen to put his staff before him to block him. Although that might have worked earlier, Shingen watched in shock as it broke through his staff and proceeded forward onto his torso.
With only a fraction of a second to try and save himself, Shingen reinforced his barrier at the point of impact. The slash landed, however, sending him back into the wall at the back of the club in a puff of shattered blue. Embedded in the wall, Shingen sat for a moment trying to get his breath back, fighting off the desire to pass out from the impact to his spine and head. As blood trickled from his head over his eye, he tried to spot Zenith through blurry eyes. He could feel that familiar dread that he felt the last time the cursed blade had been drawn. Although, this time Shingen could not shake the feeling of fear that threatened to creep into his heart like a poison.
Zenith looked back at him with eyes he hadn’t seen before, green and malicious. A voice also came from him that made him believe there was another force at play. It spoke as if he knew him, knowing who he worked for but also about his inclination, as if he had been watching the entire time. ”Grrgh.” Shingen groaned as he pulled himself out of the wall, his body aching all over. He held his shoulder that felt like it might have dislocated from the impact but only temporarily. There was also a burning in his abdomen. Something he had only felt a few times before and it was never good. He could almost see a white haired figure behind the swordsman but that could have been a distortion from his eyes readjusting.
”Heh.” Shingen scoffed at the manifestation that now stood before him. He wasn’t quite sure who he was dealing with although it was surely tied to the blade’s curse itself, something of bureau interest. ”About time you got serious. You don’t know who you’re dealing with, do you? I’m the one they send to put the boogeyman away.” He said holding up his palm as the sword came speeding toward him. A blue mana sword manifested with the flash of three converging waves of mana. It was a medieval style longsword that spun and turned to meet the cursed blade in it’s own dance. Every impact echoed in the room like a gunshot with a flash at the point of impact. The reflective sheen that was over Shingen was no longer there as he focused on the blade ahead of him.
Shingen then put his hands together and a cube formed around him. He began a series of hand signs, ignoring the waves of that burning sensation in his stomach and the fighting the creeping dread. Enough already. Pipe down and let me do this.Shingen thought to himself. Blue dagger like prisms appeared on the walls around them, pointed in their direction, only their tips exposed. Shingen then held his last hand sign in place as he stood his ground. ”You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Shingen said over to Zenith. ”We’re not so different either. You’ve taken lives for money like I have. But can you say that they all deserved it? How many souls has that sword of yours bled out?” He asked as his mana flowed into the cube around him and through to the daggers on the walls.
Location: Dance floor Outfit: See Image Left |
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Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2024 8:13 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2024 6:59 pm
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Shingen MaedaShingen was no longer dealing with Zenith. His whole demeanor had changed to something much more at ease. Something perfectly comfortable in vility. Shingen couldn’t shake away the feeling of feeling like he might be dealing with something above his current level. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, trying to keep his dreadful shaking to a minimum. I’ve only got one shot at this. I screw this up, a lot of people could get hurt. The room was shut out with his eyes now closed. Only semblances of his mana would remain in his mind’s eye. Those were to include his barrier, his sword and the particles still clinging to Zenith’s pants from when he tore away. At the stranger’s last word, it happened.
It was just as fast as it had ever been, the teleportation, but Shingen had done what he could to limit the area he could appear. Shingen took a step back, as if catching a ball but instead it would be Zenith’s fist, and subsequently, his body. The sound from the halt was alike another high caliber gunshot. The daggers had also fired upon the barrier, creating a spherical barrier now that formed “plates” at the point of contact for each dagger. They began to converge on them now as Shingen held his right palm in place, where Zenith’s teleportation spell and body would begin to condense although not into a pill this time. Reaching into his jacket pocket with his free hand, he would throw out a black cube with what appeared to be closed eyes all over it.
As the barrier sphere closed in on them, the plates would lock closer and closer, leaving no gaps until the wall approached Shingen and cut away an outline just for his body to miss the converging plates. If allowed to close in entirely around Zenith, he would be sealed away into the cube. Maeda-Style Sealing Magic: Tessellation
Location: Dance floor Outfit: Suit |
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:38 am
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Shingen Maeda
Shingen watched as Zenith disappeared into the plated prison. He stood strangely still, unmoving and seemingly unafraid. A malicious smile stretched across his face as if he knew something Shingen did not. The technique went without interruption and the sealing proceeded into the cube that then fell to the ground. Shingen then let out his held breath, having seen many monsters sealed away with a lesser fight. The cube’s eyes opened, reflecting the menacing green eyes of it’s prisoner. As Shingen gathered himself, he noticed something had gone wrong. The eyes now wept a thick black sludge that began to spread across the floor in an unending river of black.
Looking around in confusion, Shingen tried to discern exactly what was happening. That should have sealed him! Zen had to be the source! He thought as he began to look around the room for anything that could be cursed. Could it be the sword itself? He wondered but before he could spot the sword again, the black bile had filled the surfaces of the room from top to bottom. Along with this familiar black substance was an even blacker filling. A terrible fog of fear and dread had frozen those who would try and get away. It was surely magical as Shingen himself felt the drag and tug upon his chest. Could this be the ‘Ocean’ he had been talking about?
Attention returned to the cube, the unmistakable source of this curse, until someone called his name. Shingen looked up to see a figure coming up from the lake. A woman’s figure was revealed as the black drew away from her. A blonde, blue eyed girl with long hair and a pleading look on her face approached. Looking on in shock, Shingen’s heart fell. ”Ashley” He muttered as she spoke of her unwillingness to have anything to do with him, the pain in her voice palpable. It had been ages since he’d seen her in person and had no doubt grown into quite a woman by now.
Shingen dropped to his knees as the world stopped and all that remained was the two of them like once upon a time. That was until she began to come apart at the seams. Taking her place forcefully were the faces of two men, amalgamated as one creature. The terror of what befell the beauty before him paralyzed him before realizing who now had come from his past to haunt him. Two men he’d known as friends and confidants who had been traitors and betrayers all along, not only to Shingen’s cause but to him personally. b*****d... Shingen hissed through gritted teeth.
Innocents nearby could be heard being consumed by creatures of nightmare that had also sprung up out of the black surface. ”You’ll pay for this. Shingen seethed as the great offense of someone wearing her face mockingly. Cursed ghouls joined the abominable mass of flesh that stood before him. They surrounded Shingen and converged on him to try and devour him like they had done to the others. He tried to stand but struggled, his physical strength nearly all sapped from him. A circle of blue mana instead, appeared over his head, with serrated teeth, it resembled a circular saw blade that spun in the same way and began to spin around Shingen’s person. Severing his enemies as they came up to him.
Shingen’s gaze had fallen to the floor in pain, reeling from what he had seen. Then, a voice called out to him, taunting him. He closed his eyes as the creature sought to drink in his pain like sustenance. He began to draw in mana from around him as his breath became haggard. His exhaustion making everything difficult. The drawing in of mana was slow, not being able to reach the heights he was at before after his last technique. It was as if the curse was hampering his recovery and any light of hope from blazing. The monster taunted and enjoyed in the suffering around him but as much as Shingen despised him, knew he’d be giving him what he wanted by cultivating hate in his heart.
His helplessness and desperation to stop the carnage around him raised his heartrate, as if hs body fought to get up. Running his hand into his jacket pocket, Shingen reached for a reserve energy source, finding none. Coming up from the black lake was Zenith’s body who had somehow escaped the cube entirely. Shingen watched in disbelief as he realized the sealing had failed. It meant he was out classed and could very much expire in the next few moments. Eyes had opened on the walls of the room as if the cube had actually been overridden and cast back upon the outside world in reverse. As the ghouls continued to come, Shingen’s saw blade faded away and something the size of a dagger appeared. A simple crystal like prism appeared and weaved in and out of the cursed ones that still came, progressively slowing down over time as Shingen’s mana reserve ran dry.
As the ghouls inched closer and closer, Shingen could only stare back into Zenith’s cursed eyes, that cursed blade at his side. The creature spoke out to him, telling him to surrender to him in order to end it all, placing the loss of life at Shingen’s feet. Once again he had been powerless to stop innocents from dying. Once again he had been too weak to contain the darkness from spilling out and doing what it pleased. Shingen closed his eyes as he began to consign himself to what would come when he died, knowing the Maeda and BoM would do what they could to contain Shingen’s other prisoner. Perhaps his successor would do a better job than he ever could. The monster’s out stretched hand closed in on him, closer and closer.
It was then that Zenith was suddenly slammed to the wet floor. A suited blonde man with very distinct markings landed over him, making a sudden entrance. Shingen’s shot up a look at what was happening, interrupting his mana gathering. I know him... He studied him, the tattoos on his neck and chest. Gritting his teeth again, he tried to keep himself from being swept up by the black current of rot that was returning to Zen. It had taken a devil to come and apparently re-capture whatever had been let out into public. There were multiple planes of existence clearly involved here and the parties tied to said planes had come along with them to make an appearance. It lent itself to explain the lack of effectiveness in Shingen’s own sealing ability. The being who now stood before him was responsible for putting a stop to the south american incident and while that had been no small feat, devils did not do favors.
”Leviathan” Shingen whispered back at him when he had been addressed. Shingen hated the fact that a demon had sealed away something a Maeda should have been able to seal, given the source of their power. Even after everything had happened, Shingen refused to simply sit on the floor, defeated. He tried to stand up but his legs had lost their strength. As the demon made his way to the wall, Shingen struggles against himself, his efforts becoming clear and clearer as he shook in his straining. The yellow haired man made a motion, opening up the wall as if a door had always been there. Shingen had nearly managed to get himself up to one knee when he spotted the door. Just through to the other side of the threshold, he could see a glimpse of Aella and Mephitis. Then, just as he spotted the short and unmistakably horned humanoid, previously aligned with the BoM, a slight glingt of light grabbed his attention. A stone tablet closed in on his head and while he normally would have simply caught it encased in mana, that strength had left him. It struck him right between the eyes and on his forehead, throwing him onto his back limp and utterly unconscious.
Location: Sandelli's dance floor <------>Ogotunam
Outfit: Tattered Suit
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