With finals coming to a close and students finally found more free time on their hands it wasn’t at all surprising to find the young adults out and about late at night in the city. In fact, many of the clubs and bars seemed to be catering to the newly freed students and holding events and interesting themed nights in an effort to pull in more business. After all, this time of year was a time for celebration for passing finals, or to wallow in an alcoholic stupor for possibly failing. None-the-less there was a lot of to do, see, and get involved in.
Of course, to enjoy many of these places one needed to be 21 years of age. Unfortunately for Ildri, she was shy of that requirement. A single year stood between her and being able to legally drink in public places. What worked in her favor though was her mature looks, attitude, confidence and a very well made fake ID that had yet to fail her. She had spent the entire night out at a local club enjoying drinks, dancing, people, and just outright making a showcase of herself. All things had to come to an end though, and having been one of the many who closed the club, Ildri was making her way down the quiet, deserted streets of Destiny City to get back to her dorm.
Feeling the fuzzy warmth of the alcohol she had consumed, Ildri didn’t think twice about taking a shortcut back to the university. It involved cutting down some alley ways and more shady streets but she wasn’t at all perturbed by the situation. In fact, she quite enjoyed the darkened scenery of the obscure path she was taking. It was times like this where she felt awake and alive. Sure, there was a chance she’d run into some trouble, but she was certain she could get herself out of it. After all, she certainly wasn’t some sweet daisy in need of being sheltered from the world. In fact, she tended to think of herself like that annoying weed that refused to ignore barriers and flourished. Flowers were pretty, sure, but weeds were persistent and didn’t let anything stop them. She liked that quality.
Passing down another alleyway, Ildri heard the sound of something darting away from her presence. A bang of a trash lid and a yowl confirmed her assumption of a cat. She had done nothing but glance in the direction of the sound before flicking white locks out of her face and continuing on her journey. “The hell, I should have bought more cigarettes.” She grumbled to herself. She had finished the last one she had a few hours ago and had been forced to bum one off of a girl she had been leading on at the club. It had been fun to tease, flirt, and take advantage of the sweet thing, but Ildri had no interest in going home with something that could give her a tooth ache. Not to mention, she had the feeling that the brunette would have been the clingy type.
Heeled boots scuffed the dirty cement, the sound of them striking the pavement announcing a firm and confident stride. The nearby bang of a trash can and some wild feline never changed their smooth and even beat.
General Cinnabar had been watching the club when the girl with the white undercut had left. She’d been alone and the half-youma couldn’t help the amusement she felt over the girl’s overconfidence and poor judgement. She must be new to the city, or barring that, lacking either the caution or intelligence to find a safer route home. Taxis were a common way, as were groups of friends, and either would have sent Cinnabar looking for higher risk prey to dine on tonight. But such was the way of the world. The strong, and the smart, survived, living off of the dumb and the weak and the slow.
It would have been far too easy simply to teleport into her space and plunge a hand into the girl’s chest. Tonight, the General was looking for a challenge. Or at least the illusion of one. So when she made her approach, she announced herself with the sound of her boots and the jingle of chain. She hoped the prey caught on and broke cover to make a run for it. She was craving a good chase… something to get her heart pumping and blood flowing.
Low in her throat, Cinnabar began to hum as she rounded the corner and headed down the alley, catching sight of the white head at the other end. The childish notes of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ echoed through the space, made strange by the low, feline rumble in the General’s throat.
And its fleece was white as snow…
The loud, even click of heels on pavement went unnoticed at first amongst the general hum of the city. But as they grew closer their insistent beat broke through the warm haze that enveloped Ildri's mind and the young woman found herself focused on the sound. She didn’t dare turn around and look to see who was following her. Best to let whomever it was think they were still unnoticed despite the brazen heeled footfalls. Instead, Ildri reached her arms up and stretched while continuing her steady pace down the alley while lamenting the quick disappearance of her alcohol induced fog.
There wasn’t really much of an option in which direction she could go. The alley she had chosen was pretty much a straight shot except for a small opening between the back of two buildings. It housed the AC units, but was certainly large enough for a slim framed woman to slip through. Of course, it would require a bit of climbing to get over the units themselves, but Ildri had done it once before on a dare from one of her friends. They’d all been incredibly intoxicated that night and truthfully it was amazing they all made it home without incident. Ildri was far from being to that level of intoxicated so it should be a breeze to slip through.
When the opening came up, Ildri quickly slipped into it. She was forced to move with her body slanted so as not to brush her shoulders on the brick walls on either side, but it wasn’t overly difficult, just awkward. The hum of the AC units up ahead was the first indicator of the machines before the heat of their outtake hit her. Dammit, I forgot how hot these were. She didn’t have much choice in the matter though. So, turning so she could shimmy up onto the units, Ildir allowed herself to look back on the direction she had come for her pursuer before working her way across the two units. Avoiding fans and any incredibly hot bits that would surely burn her. A small slip up almost led to her shirt getting caught in the fans but Ildri practically threw herself from the units, landing in a small heap on the other side. “Son of a b***h.” She grumbled as she collected herself and clamored back to her feet to continue on, knowing that the small break in the buildings would soon open up to another alleyway.
Her prey seemed to have caught on to her. Rather than continue down the open and easy path of the alleyway, she turned and chose a smaller one instead to slip into. Cinnabar smiled and continued at an easy pace, reaching the opening to gaze down it for a moment, watching the retreating back of the girl before her. In a flicker, she was gone, leaving the alley empty of life as the girl being hunted began to struggle over the large, industrial AC units to what she probably thought was safety on the other side. After all, who would be desperate enough to follow her?
Of course, there was a bit of an unfair advantage in being a Negaverse officer.
When the girl finally made it over and emerged from the end of the little alley, Cinnabar was waiting there, a wide, toothy smile on her face.
“You’re clever.” She mused, her red-black eyes bright. “But ultimately, helpless.”
The tall half youma stepped away from the building she had been lounging against and her smile grew more feral, showing more fang.
“Run, Pretty. Make this fun for me before I kill you.”
Ildri thought she had evaded her follower when she glanced back down the small alley she slipped into and didn’t see anyone. So annoying. I’ll need to backtrack a now since this alleyway is a dead end. she grumbled to herself as she came out of the small passageway to the larger one. That was when she came face-to-face with her pursuer and she was completely baffled as to how. Not to mention…
“The hell are you wearing? Going to some sort of costume party or another?” She threw back at the woman. The darkness their location made it hard to tell how real the tail appendage and other features were. For all Ildri knew, the woman was one of those people who got a kick out of body alterations.
“First off I am not helpless.” She growled out, meeting the woman’s feral look with a defiant half grin. “Secondly, how the hell did you get over here? Wait, you must be working with the person who was just following me since there’s no physical way someone could beat me here. Either way, I don’t know what the hell I did to you, cause I’ve never seen you before, but I think you need to get off my case. I am sure as ******** not going to be running around back alleyways in these heels.
“Now get out of my way and I’ll let you alone and just head on home like I originally intended until you and your friend came along and ruined a perfectly good buzz.” Purple eyes narrowed as she stared down the freakish woman, fists balling up in preparation to defend herself if it came down to it. Ildri hadn’t noted any weapons so that certainly boded well for the outcome of a fight.
”Ah, so the little kitten likes to growl… how cute.” Cin purred, her tail giving a eager flick behind her. “You might not be helpless, but you can be sure that a kitten is no match for a real Big Cat.”
She took one step and then disappeared, reappearing within arms reach of the young woman. The smile on the general’s face was positively feral. Her voice was lower now, a growl low in her throat like some beast.
“That’s how I got back here.” She rumbled. “Child’s play, for someone like me. Would you like to run now, Pretty? I’ll give you to the count of five… or do you want to give facing me a try?”
She lifted a hand between them, her fingers flexing to display her claws.
“I warn you, I’m a tough customer… but I would enjoy playing with you. I like to teach little kittens who’s boss. Maybe, if you entertain me enough, I’ll decide not to eat you. Maybe.”
Ildri glowered at the woman for a moment. It was about that moment when, what Ildri had supposed was part of a costume, moved. And not only did it just move. It had a rather fluid and realistic feel to the movement. Purple eyes narrowed as she tried to come up with a logical explanation for what she knew she had just seen but the strange woman didn’t give Ildri the time. In one instant she was across the alleyway and far too close for Ildri’s taste.
Eyes widened in surprise as she instinctively took a single step backwards. “The hell are you?” Now that the stranger was closer, it was obvious that whatever she had assumed was a costume or possible body tattoos to make it look like she had scales and horns were actually quite real. So real in fact there was little doubt in Ildri’s mind, if she reached forward the arms length she would come in contact with not just the supple and soft texture of skin. She should be scared. In fact, Ildri was well aware of the fact that a part of her brain was practically demanding she turn around and flee but the logical side told her it was no use. It’s a straight shot to the road and she can teleport. With the small alley behind her, he dragon woman in front of her, and the straight shot to the road to her right. The left would probably lead to nowhere but her ultimate demise at this point. Actually. No matter which way she went, Ildri was positive she wouldn’t make it to safety.
This little game was not to Ildri’s benefit.
“Hardly seems worth the effort. Running. Especially considering that you can just magically appear wherever you want.” Keeping a cool expression, the young woman grounded herself. Acting like prey would make her prey, and with the feral tones coming off her aggressor, Ildri could think of nothing but to stand up for herself and pray for the best at this point.
And then came the display of claws. Great. Fantastic. But what else was there? Ildri was getting the feeling she wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of this, either.
With nothing else to do, Ildri decided to try her luck. Taking a deep breath, hand fisted at her sides she lurched forward to drop down to the ground and attempt to sweep the monster’s feet out from under her. Staying away from the claws were Ildri’s best bet and attempting to get her attacker onto the ground would give Ildri an advantage and maybe, just maybe, eventually lead to her getting her a** out of trouble.
After everything Cinnabar had said and done to show the girl how outclassed she was, even when she saw true understanding in her eyes, there was no backing down. Death stared her in the face and the girl weighed her options. Thought through any fear she might have had, and decided, if she was going to die, she would do it fighting.
It thrilled Cin in a way she hadn’t expected, and she realized there was a lot of her that echoed in this young woman. Cerussite had reminded her of her youth and struggling for the strength to be more than a victim… This girl reminded her of fighting, to the last of her strength, because giving in had not been an option she was willing to accept.
The half youma chuckled richly, her eyes lighting up.
“No, its not… but I like the chase, even if the end is already decided.” Cin laughed, shifting her weight into the ready stance as she saw the other tense.
The woman lashed out in a low sweeping kick and the General laughed as she saw it coming, advertised in every motion of her body. Maybe, to a human eye, it would not have been so obvious, but that was the benefit of super-human speed. She jumped the swept leg and when she came down, she brought the side of her hand down on the white head with a sharp, but restrained chop. She didn’t want to kill her, after all… just maybe knock her out. It wouldn’t be much fun if she died too soon.
It hadn’t been expected. Ildri was certainly not a trained fighter in any way but she’d been in her fair share of fights and brawls and so learned a few things but she could not have anticipated the cat-like reflexes this woman had. It was completely inhuman and frankly, if she had time to marvel, Ildri would have respected the woman for the obvious amount of skills and power she possessed. Instead, Ildri had little time to react when the hand came down upon her head. The most she could do was try to move to the side but the results were still the same.
The clawed hand, which could have done so much more damage, connected solidly with Ildri’ head. It threw her completely off balance and dazed the twenty year old as she unceremoniously crumpled to the hard concrete under her. Thankfully, it wasn’t a terribly long fall. She looked much like a rag doll that had topple over on the floor.
The pain from the connection had blacked out Ildri’s vision. In fact, she wasn’t quite sure if she had lost consciousness or not. The next thing she remembered was feeling the cold hard cement against her cheek, a sharp pain in her head, and heeled boots taking up the majority of her vision which was hazy and unfocused. “Dammit.” She groaned quietly as she pushed herself up to her hands and knees.
“I hope you’re having fun.” She grumbled out as she tilted her head up to look at the woman. There was defiance in her eyes as she moved to regain her feet.
How long was she standing there? Is she really just going to toy with me? It pissed Ildri off that she was so outclassed. Again, she was being bested by someone and it bothered her. She wanted, no, needed to be stronger!
She had too much to prove to people to let herself get killed here. Fists balling again, the young woman steeled herself for another attack as she forced herself to focus on the demon woman in front of her despite a splitting headache and hazy vision. Her next swing at the woman was sloppy and poorly aimed. It would be terribly obvious to anyone trained that the white-haired woman was self taught and had almost no form. She was a loose cannon ball that just wanted to wreck its way through anything in it’s way.
The human woman crumpled and Cin felt a flare of excitement watching her fall. She felt powerful, standing over her prone body, watching her struggle back up to hands and knees.
A low, rough chuckle dripped from her throat as she circled the younger woman, the scaled length of her tail giving excited little twitches as it trailed behind her. She could have killed her in that moment… it would have been easy. Any number of ways to accomplish it, really. Humans were so fragile, when it came down to it. Damage any internal organs and without some extreme measures, death was assured. Clip them upside the head too hard, and the same. Or easiest of all… reach inside that hollow in their chest and pluck the crystal fruit that hung there. It made her mouth water, just thinking about it. The hunger was starting to twinge through her middle again, and it would only get worse from here… starting to gnaw and then cramp and then stab…
But the purple eyes that lifted, filled with defiance, gave her pause, her grin spreading across her face. She had to know she was out matched. There was no escape and no winning… but still she would fight. It reminded Cin strongly of that time with Painite in the snow… and an angry young woman who thought she could take on the world by herself.
“Oh, so much, little one. You don’t even know.” She laughed, her voice light and teasing.
The girl took a swing at her, and even without her superhuman speed, she found it easy enough to counter. Krav Maga, 101: Deflect punches. Cin’s hand swept up and knocked the punch off course so it sheer off to the side, safely away from anything it might have damaged. Not that it would have, even if it connected… And maybe, in that, she was being a bit unfair. She knew this girl couldn’t hurt her, and play was all well and good… but there was so much of herself that she saw in this woman, it was hard to keep up the teasing.
Surging forward, Cin’s hand darted forward to catch about the woman’s throat and she carried the pair of them across the open space to slam up against the far wall.
“I think that is enough messing about…” Cin crooned, studying the face across from her with wide and unblinking eyes. “But I am left with a dilemma, you see. Do I kill you now? It seems a shame.”
With what was apparently little to no effort, the beast of a woman deflected Ildri’s punch to nothing but air. If she had any time to fully process what was happening to in the small, narrow alley way, she may have let the fear that was bubbling inside of her break loose. She may have tried to sprint for safety or yelled for someone to come help her, but pure adrenaline and determination were Ildri’s motivating forces. She wanted to prove to herself, to this woman, that she wasn’t a pushover. That she could hold her own and be something more than a scared, helpless waif who would be remembered as one of the many victims claimed by the monsters of Destiny City. No, she knew she was more than that!
Time did not allot her the moments to think all of this through of course. Not when a clawed hand was wrapped around her throat and her back painfully impacted with a brick wall. Pain erupted up her spine and a choked gasp of air escaped her as Ildri reached up to grasp at the restraining hand and wrist in a failed attempt to remove it. The monster’s voice had an almost alluring tone to it as Ildri stared into the oddly colored, and quite disconcerting, red and black eyes of her attacker.
“How…” Ildri stared straight at those black and red pools in her last bout of defiance. If anything she would stare death in the face if that was to come of her. “How are you this strong? What are you?” She continued to try and pull the hand away from her throat as she squirmed against the monster’s body which was close enough to keep Ildri from being able to kick out. Dammi! This is bullshit! Why am I always the one getting the shitty end of the stick. Why can’t -I- be the one on top for a change! With frustration building, Ildri pulled harder and harder at the restraining arm. “Dammit, let me go! I am sure I could be more use to you alive than dead anyway!” She ground out between grit teeth. Of course she wasn’t sure how she could be useful, but at this point, she was willing to make a deal with the devil if it meant her life.
She needed to live if she wanted to prove to everyone that she was worth anything.
Cinnabar laughed softly as the questions flew at her, full of equal parts frustration and desperation. The young woman squirmed and thrashed, but she might as well have been a puppy for how much it affected the general’s grip. Still, Cin didn’t tightened it, or rear back for a final blow. She simply watched, thinking, for a long moment.
“I’m not human, which is so obvious it hardly needs stating.” She said, her tone conversational. “The power I wield, that has made me what I am, comes from my Queen, Metallia. I was like you once… full of fire and defiance. Someone found me like how I found you, and just like this, she showed me her overwhelming power. And then she offered it to me… and I accepted.”
Reaching up, Cinnabar pressed her free palm to her captive’s chest, pressing down just hard enough to pin her to the wall.
“I think you have a lot of potential.” Her voice dropped and warmed to something conspiratory, as though she shared a secret. “After all, I see so much of myself in you. Ready and willing to fight to defend yourself… defiant to your last breath. But you lack the power to truly do anything.”
“I… could share my power with you. The way it was shared with me.” Cin said, almost musing to herself. Her grin split wide and she pressed her hand down harder. “But don’t worry, little one. The horns and tail are optional features… they don’t come with the base package. So your choice then; take the power I can give you, be stronger and faster and more durable, and serve the will of Metallia as I do… or I will kill you right here and now. I know, It’s a bit of a shitty choice to make, but I assure you the benefits FAR outweigh the downsides to joining the Negaverse. And really, it’s not personal. I need to eat, after all, like any creature that walks this Earth… but I am willing to set aside my own needs to give you this chance.”
She chuckled, her tail sweeping. “What do you say, pet? Will you be predator, or prey?”
It had to be the first time that she had ever heard anyone tell her she had promise. Someone, anyway, where Ildri felt it was actually a real compliment and not something being said to gain favor from her. So much she had been cast to the side for one reason or another. Her family, friends, professors, everyone had seemed to only care about what they could get out of her for their own selfish needs. Mind, Ildri had never been much of a people person but this woman had practically given the college student a metaphorical pat on the back.
The way the woman went on and on about power, strength and this Queen was terrifyingly similar to that of a fanatic. Someone so devoted to their cause and abilities that they didn’t much care about anything else. Almost cultish in a way, but Ildri was not an idiot. She could see what was right in front of her. This….woman beast was displaying something that Ildri could have only ever hoped to have. A power that she could explore, cultivate and use in a way that would best suit her own needs. And Ildri had needs.
The pressure of a hand, flat out on her chest and pinning her to the wall wasn’t what caused the sudden increase in heart rate as purple eyes gazed up at her attacker. No, Ildri was listening to every word being said, practically hanging on them. A choice was being given to her. Live and join this powerful cult of being she knew practically nothing about and quite possibly be in their service until...well, until who knows when, or instead be used as fodder for this beast of a woman. Really, it wasn’t much of a choice. At least not to the young woman now pinned even more forcefully against the wall behind her.
“Considering I have no interest in being the food of some beast of the night, I think I’ll take you up on that offer. After all, it can’t be all that bad considering what I’ve seen so far.” She licked her lips, and let out a breath of air past the grip on her throat as she attempt to calm racing heart and nerves. “Even if the tail and horns came as a package deal.” Easy decision or not, Ildri was pretty damn sure she had just damned her soul to some sort of horrible being and for what?
For the strength that this being in front of her possessed. To drag herself up from the hole she had fallen into and climb to the very top of the mountain. She wanted this more than she feared it.
Power was such a sweet, poetic mistress to those who craved it and Ildri had an overwhelming desire to taste it.
Cinnabar felt the heartbeat pick up under her hand and she smiled, something seductive and pleased in the expression. Her offer had struck a chord, and more than ever, she felt a kinship with this girl. It was good she was willing to take her offer… she really didn’t want to have to kill her. Her hand loosened around her throat, more of a hold now than a tight grip, and Cin chuckled softly.
There was no more to be said, not now, and with a push, the general sank her hand into the young woman’s chest. Her fingers slipped past flesh and bone as though through water, and found the dark, other place where her starseed floated. Her hand curled around it, gentle, not crushing. Cradled it. Concentration focusing down, Cinnabar began to push chaotic energy down her arm, out through her hand and into the starseed she held. She pushed hard, flooding the delicate crystal with as much as she dared. Not to much and risk shattering it… but enough to start that transition and link the starseed to the well of power that was Metallia.
The process was draining, but Cin held on with an iron will, forcing the change on only the second person she had ever done this for. Things would be different this time… this one wouldn’t be like Cerussite.
By the time she finished, the energy tapering off, Cin’s forehead was beaded with sweat and exhaustion pulled at her limbs.
Ildri looked at that smile and her heartbeat continued to race. So many emotions flickered inside of her, but they had scant time to register as she felt the hand loosen around her neck. A moment later a strange feeling in her chest as she ‘felt’ the monster’s hand enter her and grasp onto...something. The pain that came after the strange, almost intimate feeling of her chest being plunged into, quickly overtook all of her senses.
She tried her best to keep herself from crying out but her body rebeled the notion, and her cries echoed in the abandoned alleyway as Cinnabar pushed the energy into her starseed. So many sensations existed outside of the pure pain, but Ildri was unable to focus on them as she tensed and arched her back. Cinnabar’s gentleness had saved the girl from an even more painful experience of a forced awakening but it certainly hadn’t mattered in that moment.
In her throes of the awakening, she hadn’t even noticed that her clothes had changed from her slinky clubbing attire to that of a high neck lined, dark grey and red, military-esque attire. When it was complete she felt energized and weak at the same time. She practically slumped against the hand that held her to the wall by the neck, her legs just barely taking weight to keep herself from strangling herself in her General’s hand. Sucking in deep breaths of air, she began to gain strength back in her limbs and she lifted purple eyes to look at Cinnabar as she straightened herself up.
“What the hell did you just do?” She said past a raspy voice. The General looked like whatever she had just done to Ildri had been a serious workout.
Cinnabar withdrew her hand from the girl’s chest as soon as the change was done, not wanting to linger and prolong the pain of it. She knew quite well how it felt, she didn’t care to cause that on one of her own longer than was necessary. Hurting an enemy was one thing… a new comrade and subordinate was another.
The general released the new lieutenant’s neck as well, taking her hands off her completely, and she backed away until she could turn and put her back to the wall with a sigh. Chains rattled as she settled, taking deep breaths to recover. The smile returned to her face at the snapped question, but her eyes were on the ground with lashes lowered.
“We’re going to need to give you a name now… something that’s not been used already.” She said, almost musing to herself. “What I did, Lieutenant, is reach into the space in your chest where your starseed rests, then pushed chaos energy into it. It’s the same power that allows me to be more than human, and now you share it.”
Leaning her weight against the stone, she waved a hand at the changed woman. “That uniform is the outward sign of it. You also have a weapon now that you can summon, though at first stage you only get something of a placeholder. Once you’ve had some training and a promotion to Captain, you’ll have something worthy of being called a weapon... The chaos energy the flows through you now come from our queen, Metallia. Its the same for everyone that serves her. When you have proven yourself, you’ll be given more and promoted, but now is for learning and training.”
[size10] Head turned to look at the General as the woman/beast leaned against the wall beside her. The hostility what had been so prevalent before was now gone. Instead she seemed more willing to approach conversation and be in easy company, something that Ildri was not at all going to complain about. It seemed, for now, she had avoided the wrath of her new superior.
“A new name? I am pretty attached to my own and don’t see anything wrong with it.” She commented without hesitation. “I wasn’t aware that this whole shindig required a name change too. What next, a new life all together?” Not that she’d complain too much about that one.
The influx of information being given to her caused the young woman to furrow her brows. Her head snapped from her company to her clothes at the mention of a uniform. The dark material certainly wasn’t out of taste for Ildri and, despite the feeling of being too official in appearance, she could learn to like it. It certainly was comfortable, if odd that her clothing had changed the way it had. “Ok, so, let me get this straight. You reached inside of me for a starseed. Whatever that is, and pushed in chaos energy from this queen, Metallia that changed me.” She turned her focus back to the General, her hair catching on the rough surface of the brick behind her with the movement. “So I am now some sort of military person with increased power or another and I serve this Queen.”
She mused over the information as purple eyes swept over the General. “I am assuming the better I serve the more power I get. That’s easy enough to understand. But what exactly are you all doing? What is the point of...this?” She gestured with a flick of hand her and the other woman’s selves. “And what do I call you? I don’t think beast woman is very appropriate, though it’s been sufficing until now.”
Cinnabar smirked at the questions. Not all of them were entirely off base, but they were still amusing. It was a stark difference from her first corruption. No doubt there would be other differences to Cerussite in this girl. Maybe this time would be better.
“You’re not giving up anything, don’t worry. Its an alias, it’s not replacing your name. It’s what you will go by when you’re in this form, both to mark you as one of the Negaverse and to protect your civilian alias from our enemies. A lot of our work is done out of the public eye and it’s important to keep that work separate from your life.” The General frowned as she thought, digging through her mind for a name. Minerals and such weren’t her strong suit, and she hadn’t been planning for this…
“Pick something. A mineral or stone of some sort. All our names follow that convention… My name is Cinnabar. General Cinnabar, when we’re around other officers, please. The general that recruited me was Painite. Other officers I know are Schörl, Quartz, Umber, Laurelite, Galena… things like that. I can let you know if its taken already. Or I can pick one for you, if its easier.”
A hand waved lazily, setting aside the name issue for now.
“The Negaverse is run by Metallia, our Queen. You’ll hear her mentioned from time to time but she’s not someone human woman sitting on a throne. She is… the Source of our Chaos. I’ve never seen her face to face, and I don’t know anyone in the ranks that has. I’ve heard that the General Sovereigns, the rank above me, can have audiences with her, but I’ve never spoken to them about it. Recently, there was a massive attack by the forces of Order into our stronghold and it resulted in numerous casualties and damage. General Queen Laurelite was promoted to Queen, a step below Metallia, and we had new General Sovereigns join us from other branches of the Negaverse. Only Metallia knows our true goals, but most commonly known is liberation of this world from the invasion of Senshi and the knights who help them. Senshi are magical fighters who draw their power from the universe out there… from stars and planets and things, the way we draw power from Metallia herself. They’re foreign beings, leaving their dead and wasteland worlds to take over this last living one… fighting them is our main goal. Another is unifying the world and bringing it under Metallia’s control. This is her world, has always been her world, and we’re just taking it back for her, from the histories I have heard.”
Finally, Cinnabar straightened and pushed off the wall, trying to hide how tiring the corruption had been for her.
“Your duties will be fairly straight-forward and simple. You’ll have a quota of energy you need to gather, and I’ll show you how to do that. Other than that, learning and following orders is all that’s required of you. You may be asked to fight, or you may run into Order forces while you’re powered up like this, but I’ll be there to help you if you need it.” She shuffled in her pocket before she pulled out something and tossed it to the young woman. Revealed, it was a dark, purple crystal, faceted but irregular in shape. “That is a communication crystal. Hold it like you would a walkie talkie, and concentrate on who you want to speak to when you speak into it. If you concentrate on me…”
And here she pulled out a matching one, displaying it.
“Your voice will come out of mine. I’ll be able to come to your aid, or answer questions you have.”
This group sounds like something out of an action film or comic book. Ildri mused to herself as the General went on about alias’s and names. Hopefully they’re on the right side of….whatever this whole thing is a part of. I’d certainly would hate to have joined a team that isn’t going to profit. “Look, I don’t much care what you call me then. I’ve not been one to much thought into names.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Plus, I was never much of a student when it came to minerals and rocks. I can’t say it had much of an interest to me. So, call me whatever. I’ll respond to it. I would have never known that Cinnabar was a mineral name, so you probably have a better shot at picking something for that isn’t so common.”
There. The naming thing was out of her hands and settled in her opinion.
Finally things were getting down to the nitty gritty of what the hell she had been initiated into. Seemed like she was, in case and point, drafted into a war. Now, this wasn’t necessarily a terrible thing. Ildri could certainly appreciate the merits that came with a soldier who did their duties. It was a good atmosphere to showcase one’s talents and gain some notoriety. A way to prove herself to others that she was more than just what met the eye. The idea of being able to rank up and gain more power was also an extra perk.
All of this, of course, balanced on the fact that she was on the winning side of this war.
Or that the war spanned on for years to come.
At the sight of the Crystal being tossed at her, Ildri reached forward to snatch it out of the air. Laying it flat in her palm she observed the stone, letting the pale orange glow of the streetlights emphasis the faceted and irregular shape. “Hm. Seems Metalia has a thing for crystals and minerals.” She said quietly before pocketing the purple stone.
“Alright. Great. So, I am now a soldier in this war, main duty is to gather energy, which I assume you will be showing me how to go about that.” She waved a hand nonchalantly as she continued. “I have to fight the opposite side, the….senshi and knights, and try and keep them from taking over a world that they clearly don’t belong in. Sounds easy enough, I suppose.
“I take it you’re the one whom I will address most often while I am learning the ropes. Is there another name I should know you by, you’re civilian one? A different look perhaps I should know, or is it a ‘you know what I look like but I don’t know you’ sort of deal for now?”
So, it seemed the choosing of a name would be on her shoulders. Not something she had ever thought she’d be in charge of, but then, she had never anticipated her life turning out the way it had.
Adapt and evolve. Just as this girl would learn to do. This war was good for that, if nothing else.
A smirk curled Cinnabar’s mouth for a moment, before she shrugged. “I don’t know why the minerals thing is a thing, but its a decent enough system. It could have been worse. And yeah, I’m your superior. I have a couple of Captains who are a rank above you that you’ll have to follow the orders of, but they answer to me, ultimately.”
“As far as a civilian name and face… I don’t have one. This is my normal form. But I do have something of a disguise.” She said as she straightened up, her form blurring for just a moment with the motion. When it cleared, the horns, scales and tail were gone. The monster was gone and in her place, a tall human woman with dark hair and blue jeans rather than leather. A hand waved up and down the new look. “This is what I used to look like, back when I was human, but now its nothing more than a glamor. I can only wear it for a couple of hours, so its unlikely you’ll see this very often. You can call me Ariel Mishnah when I’m like this.”
But to revisit the name problem… The human guise fell away as Cinnabar stretched, sighing softly.
“I think we’ll call you... Violane. Mmm… yes.” She nodded, her tail flicking behind her. “I think that sounds good. Easy to remember, and even better, easy to pronounce. Now. I think it’s time we both headed home. Recruiting is tiring… but I’ll give you a call soon so I can take you out and show you how to energy drain and what to do with your new powers. Don’t go out by yourself.”
Cin’s voice firmed as she glanced back at her newest lieutenant, her eyes narrowed. “There are Order soldiers all over the city, and many of them are as strong as I am. I don’t want to find you dead in an alley somewhere because you did something stupid, like power up by yourself before I show you how.”
Ildri wasn’t too sure how she felt about having more people to take orders from. It was enough having Cinnabar and this Metallia entity. Ah well, she’d deal with that little issue as time went on. Perhaps she’d prove herself quickly enough to avoid dealing with Cinnabar’s other underlings. Time would tell.
At the mention that what she was seeing was Cinnabar’s normal form, an eyebrow quirked upwards. Well, she hadn’t been expecting that one. “Right. Human…” she said as she watched Cinnabar’s form shift from the beast woman she knew to that of a rather normal and attractive woman. Interesting that she changed into...well, whatever she is. I wonder if there’s some sort of story behind it. That was a question for another night though. If there was a story, she had the feeling it may be quite an in depth one. “Ariel. Got it. Easy enough to remember. Little mermaid and all.” She flashed her General a cocky grin.
“Violane.” She tested the name and enjoyed the way it rolled off of her tongue. “Works for me.” As she had said, she wasn’t particularly picky about it, but she did appreciate the choice once it was presented to her.
“Right. No powering up. Easy enough. I am not keen on putting my own hide at risk for no real reason. Besides, prancing around at night like this, with no purpose, isn’t my idea of a fun night.” There were many other activities she could name that would be more enjoyable than prancing around the city in her new duds. Maybe, once she was shown the ropes, scouring the city for energy would rank further up on her list eventually. For now though, she’d stick to her usual nightly entertainment.
“Great. If we’re all done here, I’ll continue on my way home like I was doing before I was….distracted.” With a smirk and a nod of her head, Violane took the General’s words as parting farewells and slipped past the beast woman to retrace her steps and get back on the fastest route to her dorm.
The mention of that damn Disney movie made Cinnabar’s face twist and she snorted, though it was generally good natured.
Never living that s**t down.
“I look forward to having you on the team, Violane.” The general said as her smirked returned and her hands slipped deep into her pockets. Between one breath and the next she was gone, barely even a ripple of wind to mark that she’d been there at all.
Things were changing, and not just for the young woman Cinnabar had met tonight. Hopefully, it was for the better of them both.
Whimsical Blue
