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 Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:46 pm
The night seemed more quiet than usual, almost eerily still. Despite his soft leather boots, Puck could hear his steps on the rooftop echo down the sides of the buildings he moved across. A mist had built up over the streets and parks, enrobing the street lamps below and swirling softly through the streets. In any other city it would have been an enchanting sight; but this was Destiny City, and all it did was hide whatever horrors roamed at night. It made everything feel ominous and filled with foreboding. To Puck, this was a routine patrol on a routine night in Destiny City. He was getting used to the flow of things since returning from three years in London without powering up. Dust a few youmas, beat up a few Negaverse agents, patrol alone or with others… It wasn't that hard to do. He understood more after finally reading the Senshi Primer on his phone, understood the history of why this was going on, and for how long. He'd even visited his tiny overgrown homeworld, something he decided he wanted to do on the regular, just to let the place know he cared for it. It was his, after all. As was this city -- his to protect as best he could, along with the other senshi. Puck had never felt such a calling before, and he was going to do his best to live up to that. Speaking of patrolling… The super senshi sat on the edge of the rooftop and retrieved his senshi phone from subspace. He tapped on the GPS app, setting it to scan for Negaverse signatures in the area. Almost immediately a strong signal popped up not too far away. Looking up, he eyed his surroundings, trying to match them to the map on the phone. A wicked smile crossed his lips; good, something to do tonight. He stood and leapt to the next rooftop, heading in the direction of the signal. Strickenized /yeets Puck at Faustite XD
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:57 pm
His present hunt was necessity-borne. The kindled General's cache had dwindled; he required more starseeds, more energy, before he could best the plague that he was, now years ago, tasked to defeat. While every moment he spent topside chafed him for how far his quarry could have moved, he knew that patience and preparation would justify time lost to tracking. Better that he procured starseeds with expedience.
But present weather arrested his effectiveness; Faustite's glow diffused in the water-flecked night, caught by each droplet, spawning a hundred thousand facsimiles of flames to hover around his firecoursed form. Since the mist lay somnolent in the city, he'd lost his perception — he could see no more than feet before him.
Each step came slow, measured. Where the mist was thickest, Faustite felt around with each metal shoe, and each step was taken with care and balance should he send himself off a building. He had only sound and auric sense now, and one informed him of an impending conflict while the other belied the lack of easy targets. No one to drain. No souls to take but the one heading his way.
When he found the ledge, he dropped, braced, and bent inward the bonnet of a car. A corkscrewed ricochet left him on solid ground, and he looked upward through the overbright blowout for this impending menace.
Nothing. Lip curled and fists clutched, Faustite cursed.
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:20 pm
The mist thickened into a fog as Puck approached his goal, and he too cursed. He only knew where he was by the tracking app on his senshi phone, and by the tingling, itching aura that grew stronger and stronger as he got closer. That tingling at the base of his skull told him it was from a Negaverse agent, confirming the app's readings. With a snarl, he sent the phone to subspace and slowed his movement out of a sense of caution, as much due to the powerful aura as to the dense fog. He was almost right on top of his quarry, he knew; it was just a matter of spotting them now. The fog wasn't helping that; at this point all he could see were misty shadows and the gaussian glow of the streetlamps. Carefully feeling his way to the edge of the roof, he leapt into the air, landing on the street below, narrowly avoiding hitting a nearby car. Puck squnted through the heavy mist, trying to make out shapes -- then a shape appeared in front of him, vaguely human in shape, standing next to a car. This was no civilian getting ready to leave, his instincts told him. "Oi," he growled as he straightened and slowly moved toward the mist-shrouded figure. "What brings you out on a night like this?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:47 pm
He looked toward the source of the voice, but saw nothing but his own fire held against him. Captured in a thousand minuscule droplets, suspended in the sky like earthbound stars. Petal plentiful and too delicate to feel as he stalked toward the auric source.
He saw nothing but his own brightness, diffuse as a headlight. Then he made out a murky silhouette, just as his foot kicked something that clattered over concrete. A paint can, or a discarded hubcap — he couldn't spare it the attention. Couldn't notice it in the first place.
"Food," he answered, and his snarl stalked the edges of his voice. He began again, carefully, in the direction of the senshi. Super by feel. Overwrought. Spat out by stars and sent to subjugate. No magic as yet, only the entitled questions of a self-styled saint. More tired time-wasters while his kindle dwindled.
Only so much further, now.
The Youma General sighed, and his smoke sank with the sullen fog. "I'm hungry."
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:12 pm
As he got closer, Puck could tell something was different about this guy. There was some kind of glow about him, emanating from his chest and as diffused and gaussian as the streetlamps were. And he felt… warmth? That was odd. He probed the aura he sensed a bit deeper. A General. But there was something else, something that felt just plain wrong about this General's aura. The super senshi couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The man's snarled response made Puck grin viciously. If nothing else, this was going to be a good fight. "Hungry, are you? How about a meal of wood?" With that, he pointed at the General's chest and said, "Wild Copse." Quote: Puck points at his target and calls out the attack name, and a dense patch of forest undergrowth typically reaching about waist-high springs up around the feet of his target. Along with the undergrowth entangling the target's feet, there are also young trees surrounding them with this attack, acting as a cage. The undergrowth, extending in about a 10-foot radius around the target, consists of a tangle of ivy, ferns, shrubs and small saplings atop slippery moss and leaf litter underfoot. The trees stand about 10-12 feet tall and are spaced so that it is nearly impossible to squeeze one's body between them. It is still possible for the enemy to reach their arms through the trees and use ranged attacks, however, so Puck basically casts it and runs. He has to be within 15 feet of his target to use this; if the target can get outside the radius before the undergrowth or trees appear, it can be dodged. It lasts around 30 seconds before dissipating. He can use this up to twice per battle. Puck's magical stand of forest growth manifested around his opponent, the young trees forming a cage of sorts. He approached closer, a smirk on his face. "Now, what is it you're hungry for, General? The starseed of some poor bloke out in this weather minding his own business?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:48 pm
Once the silhouette resolved enough to discern its human shape, Faustite dug his metal heel into the bone crunch of asphalt and lunged. Distance into the mist was eaten away, he all wrick and flame, goaded by need, and caught in flourishing trees.
His chest slammed into one of the yearlings, costing him breath and inertia. The cindercraft General gulped at nothing as he willed air back into his body. What a trash, this magic — conjuring saplings into the city middle to stop a living fire. The General bared his snarl, voice rawed by the undertones of his youma-born hate. Black nails curled charcoal striations around his woodland prison, but no clawing and cursing gained him freedom.
Turning his gaze skyward, he saw no cage above him. A quick crouch and he leapt, or tried to leap, but his legs were yet bound by tangle and vine. He never felt their creep through metal boots.
Rooted, then. His frustrations churned, overheated —
With what composure he scraped from his fire-braised bones, Faustite murmured his answer just under the crackle of his everburning meat and fat.
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:39 pm
It was then that Puck realized this General was essentially living fire. He almost laughed -- here he'd put a patch of kindling around a living flame. He could burn his way out of his cage without even a thought! For once Puck rued his magical attack. If ever it was deeply inappropriate and useless, now was the time. Then the General's lips moved, his ember eyes fixed on Puck. A compulsion came over the senshi, an urge to approach the currently-trapped Negaverse agent. It didn't matter how dangerous it seemed, for his small woodland would dissipate in a matter of seconds; his sense of self-preservation was overridden by the allure of the flames licking off the other's body, transfixed like a moth to a flame. Slowly he shuffled toward him, eyes wide and staring, as the time ticked down for the prison of trees to vanish, releasing the being trapped inside. He knew what he was doing was madness, setting himself up for potential death. But still he made his way toward the General, toward whatever fate lay before him.
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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 1:24 pm
Cindercrack spark and kindle flickered through the air, like a collusion of fireflies about his undying core. The flamecloaked youth reached between his yearling prison to grab at his captor — whether braids of fineboned wrist or cloth tatters, it didn't matter — he needed that contact, that assurance that his enemy would boil in his caustic hate.
"I'm hungry for you." His eyes glowed overbright as his famebound core spooled itself to dump life into infernal gyre.
In seconds, the prelude gave way to the overture, and Destiny City's misty night was glowed to mid-morning in a flame-licked burst. It burst from Faustite's core in turning gouts, raw and whipping and wild and sucking and hungry, all teeth and tongue rolling over all in its reach.Quote: Meltdown ;;
Range: 10' radius around user
Duration: Up to 30 seconds
Use Count: Up to 2x
Miss Chance: Escaping range at or before the buildup stage
Effect: By expending some of his core, Faustite can whip up a firestorm on a local area, prefaced by dancing cinders seconds before the burst. Inferno gusts orbit clockwise, burning anyone caught in their whorl. Friendly fire possible. tatterpixie This is the lite version. In RPG terms, this attack is cast with his HP, and he only burned half of his life bar instead of, well, most of it. If Puck gets himself caught, feel free to take injuries as light as you wish!
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:19 pm
Puck's eyes widened in horror as he was pulled toward the now explosively flaming General, moving stiffly forward as he fought to stop himself. He could feel the heat of the flames now, and realized this was no illusion. Closer and closer he came, the General's glowing eyes transfixing him and forcing him to approach against his will. A whimpering growl escaped him as he exerted his willpower to break the magic that dragged him toward the firestorm that swirled around the man in the cage; the trees from his magical attack were burning now, as was the undergrowth tangling the General's feet. And then the copse dissipated, leaving the enemy to do his worst. As if this wasn't bad enough. He felt a hand grab the front of his fuku, another grab his wrist, and he howled in pain. But that was enough to trigger the full extent of his willpower. With a roar, Puck tore the hand from his tunic and jerked his hand out of the General's grasp with all his might, retreating to a safe distance before quickly examining the damage. The front of his senshi uniform was scorched; his wrist burned with pain, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. Whoever this guy was, he was no one to mess with. Puck continued to retreat down the street, backing away slowly to stay out of range of the conflagration swirling in front of him. "Who ARE you?" he shouted. He wanted to remember this General in case he ever encountered him again. He also wanted to ask " What are you?"....
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Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:36 pm
The firestorm evaporated, quick as it came. His core was diminished as the cost of his expenditure caught up with him, but Faustite the kindle in his gut to keep him going. Better that he taste some of this senshi's energy to compensate for it.
Where the blonde forest nymph senshi backed away, Faustite ran forward. Though lagged by his virulent attack, he pursued, and bashed his knee into the quarter panel of a parked car as punishment for his brashness. The flameborn youth grit his teeth through a few garbled curses, kicked the fender hard enough to leave a second dent, and went on toward where he thought the senshi disappeared to in the oppressive fog.
His voice was enough — Faustite recalibrated his trajectory. Starting again at a more reasonable pace, he jogged forward through the chilled, shimmering starbursts.
"An enemy," he answered irritably. "Tell me about your magic and I'll tell you what I am." Little sign of the snot in all this fog.
Why did he have to know where someone was to drain them?
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Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:34 pm
The blazing cyclone suddenly vanished, which was both good and bad. Good that Puck wasn't going to risk getting torched again, bad because he no longer knew where the General was. "Damn," he hissed to himself as he continued to retreat, his wrist burning painfully. He bumped into the back of a parked car, startling himself and reflexively leaping out of the way. This gave him an idea. He could tell by the General's words falling dead in the dense fog that he was being tracked by his voice. His heart pounded in his chest as he set to bouncing and jumping as silently as he could from location to location on the street to make it more difficult for his foe to track him. "I'm the deep dark forest," Puck replied, dropping his voice. "I'm the woods at night. I'm the shadows of the trees surrounding you, holding unknown dangers. I'm the Puck who will trick you until you are hopelessly lost." With each statement, the super senshi jumped sideways or laterally to a new spot, hopefully further away from the enemy. "That's my magic. Now answer my question." Puck hoped this worked -- despite his fondness for a fight, he knew he wasn't up to tangling with this mysterious flame-spewing General again.
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Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:58 pm
Left and right and left and left. Never in the same spot for long. The cindercraft General sighed his displeasure into the crystalline air and ran a hand through his dewey hair. What a matter to find this one, in all his pretense.
Puck, then. A name for the database if he lasts much longer.
"I'm fire," he answered as he stalked along the main road, his fire acting as headlight to wary drivers. "I eat the woods."
Nothing. Nothing. More nothing. He hadn't the energy to jump around buildings like a scrappy Captain with something to prove. He hadn't the energy for any more than tracking this one down and taking his starseed for a trip into the furnace. But Faustite needed to find him first —
Better to be trackable. Lull, then cull.
"I'm youma." He paused, let his voice fill the devoid street. "I eat men."
Like air, he thought, but that thought never found voice. His other thought was too juvenile for a fight he should be taking seriously.
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Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:23 pm
A youma! That explained a LOT. The last thing Puck wanted to do, especially in this fog, was fight a youmafied General. They didn't just poof out of existence like ordinary youma, even those who were "owned" by Negaverse Captains -- even the smart ones. No, these youmafied agents had the intelligence and spite and crafty ways of their former human selves. And this one was borderline out of control. "Impressive," he growled. "Most impressive." He didn't dare try to find the top of a building and make his escape that way -- more than likely he'd end up bouncing off the side or missing the roof entirely in this fog. But he had to do something to save himself from losing his starseed and his life to this walking inferno. The senshi continued to back up as quickly and quietly as he could, knowing the General was literally hot on his trail. He had to think as quickly as he was retreating. The enemy was right in front of him, not too far away. Maybe… "Wild Copse!" he shouted in the General's vague direction, then turned and bolted as fast as he could. Strickenized up to you how you want this to affect Faustite (if at all)! XD
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Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:47 pm
He heard the words and made the motions too late — trees sprang up again, blocking him from moving forward, from chasing this woodland weirdo down and sucking the life out of him. Faustite shoulder-checked a sapling with his inertia, and the move sent him backward into more of the unwanted grove. He glowered up at their crafty formation as the heat of his frustration flared.
Then he launched himself at the senshi's magic trees, fists beating against them with ineffectual rage. "Are you ******** shitting me?
"I'll know all about your cheap ******** tricks!" Temper alight with his core, he wasted precious seconds venting his furies on the magical branches. It gained him little; they were hearty things, and they afforded their caster ample seconds to wink out along the fog-ensconced horizon.
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