Cymophane hadn’t felt anger like this since… when? He almost couldn’t remember. When Lev left, chasing after a boy that didn’t even deserve him? When their parents did… well, what their parents always did. When he himself made such a terrible choice? When Vanya—
No. Cymophane closed his mind to that thought, pushed it back and slammed the door on it.
CLOSE YOUR EYES.
The warning still rang in his head, over and over, more potent than the rest of the chaos around him.
He knew Kamacite wouldn’t heed his call. Cymophane couldn’t blame him. The only way to fix the blunder was to do nothing, so the White Moon couldn’t put two and two together — if they could use their brains long enough to do so. Some of them had to be capable. They wouldn’t have survived this long if they weren’t.
Cymophane spat out a series of garbled Russian curses. He slammed his hand against the ground, dug his claws in. That b***h. He hated her. He didn’t care who she called father or what she might have to contribute. She had no right...
The Court might not’ve been in range. Even if they were, they didn’t need to see to perform a purification!
Cymophane shouted and snarled. He wanted to hurt something, preferably a purple haired b***h with shitty magic that made him remember—
No. He wouldn’t think about that now.
He wouldn’t think about that ever.
Taenite was there. His fire protected them. Cymophane’s snarling youma face glared at the Knight of Saturn beyond the flames.
“That your girlfriend?” he sneered back when the Knight’s attention wavered. “Best you could do?”
Cymophane didn’t wait for an answer. They were done here.
He vanished in an instant.
He had to get to Kamacite.
[Cymophane EXIT]
Guine
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:06 am
General Prehnite Action: Any agents left? Time to Go. Making the final All Call -- (Anyone whose Lt/Basic needs a ride out can always assume they used Prehnite to Get Out, unless you've plans to ride out with someone else.)
Even if he could have? He wouldn't have held Mizuki back any more than he would've stopped Kamacite or Tama from leaving. Wouldn't perpetuate the grief even if the suddenness of the culminating event left his tongue dry and teeth grit in disdain for the messiness of it all.
All Prehnite could do - then - with Jet's voice a whisper in his ear. Was to finally hit the signal for RETREAT across all remaining active lines. Leaving himself a somber and silent escape route at the edges of the forest for those in need of one.
"F-fulgurite -- Fulgs -- we need to go --" whetly hissed words as he reached out to hold himself up by Fulgurites sturdy form alone and while he didn't want to leave Albite to whatever fate he'd chosen for himself just then? That was exactly what he was doing. What use would he be against an onslaught of powers far beyond his understanding? Against the blinking bit of burnt out tragedy that unfolded before him...
Cryolite melted into Fulgurites side, grit his teeth against the tears he wanted to shed. He was livid -- but not nearly so much as he was devastated deep, deep, down inside. Everyone was vanishing and he needed to be anywhere else other than here. <********>" he was useless like this, an inadequate waste. Didn't even know where to begin to help. Leaving. Leaving and not becoming a target would probably help, he thought. Continuing to follow orders -- it was a small step back in the right direction, or so he hoped.
Jada deserved every promotion under the sun. She'd done her part -- always did her part to the highest most exacting of standards. In some ways? Albite secretly loved how everyone assumed it was to reign in *her team*, seemed like that was what she'd volunteered for, hadn't it. When in actuality? Her Team as never the problem. They were perfectly sensible soldiers with all the brains in of the world granted to them: sane, driven, right for this job.
The real truth of their reality was that her position tethered her to the fight of reigning in him and him alone. Eternally a wild card, and he knew it -- Knew it like the feel of cold steel pulling warm blood from where it's blade delicately kissed his neck. Getting just ******** all of his attention at once -- even above the screaming din -- because he only really listened to power, because Jada's hand was steady as steel, and her aim didn't waiver anymore than her convictions. Never. Not once.
He didn't deserve her--
Wasn't worthy of her plea for rational, her attempts to save his foolhardy hide.
He was listening though, looking away from where his husband no longer existed to look at and starring directly into her eyes; even as shimmering magic long since passed down snapped alive around his throat defensively. Almost as if on automatic, his desiccated worlds greatest attempt to keep its Senshi's his fool head perched atop his broad shoulders against the given threat with a Gorget. He looked at Jada and mouthed the words 'alright' in the span of seconds between all hell breaking further free - agreed to go home - even as he wrenched the last of his magic free of Lysithea without care of what he dragged loose or how else he hurt her in doing it. Cutting all his fading tattoo tethers and useless magical ties; sweating and panting like a bellows for the waste of it all; drained of power as he was of fight....
Jada wouldn't lose him too. He could promise her that, wouldn't leave her with the same regrets she stood and warned him against.
Then Anakeion tried to break his ******** jaw, snapped his head around like a drill bit on a screw and Albite staggered back from axe-blade and staff and Har's (******** Har, when had she gotten here!?) it was cold, and hot and he burned in two different ways that felt like being torn apart at the seams while dying! Just -- <********>-- He spat blood and grinned crooked, ugly, devastated even as he prepared to defend himself against those who wouldn't hear Enckes shouted reason, or Prehnites shouted retreat, or every other persons shouting--
Jet, and Aqua, and Tama, and his precious zuzubee!! Ten million upset voices and he had the nerve to search for Jada's eyes one more time and wonder if she meant it, that she wanted him to leave with her...
Because his mission? Had never been anything other than what he'd told Encke on that rooftop. What he'd been saying to everyone from the very start when he realized he would never be able to add anything to the plan other than his body, not nearly enough mind to suss a solution out. His was a bald faced truth, the most ultimate of vows. He'd *meant* to bring Faustite home; with his memories, without them, and no matter what form his boys body took? Because what did it matter if he were alive, or dead, or a knight, or some civilian type other caught in-between. He meant to find Eion again in the aftermath and win him back through love alone if necessary-- If Faustite had managed to slip through his fingers at the last second and been dragged far, far away.
He'd never meant for this.
He wondered if Encke had known about Lysithea this entire time? Smirked at the thought that they'd all been played by each other too. All their own little communication fails that made for poor foundations. He could hear his sister dearests excuses to *him* -- wondered what, if any at all, she would give to the others on her own side?
"Encke -- s'okay man. I know you tried..." spilt bloody words that he wiped away as he realized dizzily that none of this would end while the rest of their agents lingered. With the last of his energy he made to get gone...
[Albite Exit]
Ethereal Armor: The Praxidicae's Punishing Gorget
A throat guard passed down through the ages to the reigning ‘Praxidike’ after completing a set of trials. The item appears to be burnt-orange with a center set stone round the throat. The collar comes up high and the ring fans low over the upper chest. A version of it can be seen on *The Final Praxidikes* PL art. The Gorget can be summoned for up to two minutes during battle, once per day. Though it will not protect against magical attacks, it can counter a physical blow. Albite can still feel the blunt force behind the attack, but sharp weapons cannot slice or puncture the armor.
Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:16 am
Princess Lysithea
It was too late. The court wand wasn’t picked up in time. Faustite was gone. Everyone was leaving.
Faustite was gone. They had failed...
They had failed in the very worst way and…
A scream ripped itself from Lysithea’s throat and she held her crystal high in her still working arm and it began to shine brightly, but again. Not with the power of purification.
She had never used it to attack before. But anyone who was still here. Who hadn’t left. Who wanted to pick off those of the White Moon who had…come to muck everything up.
They would have reason to leave now.
Tears poured down her cheeks and her anguished scream continued, at least until the pain of her arm, the lingering pain from the magics that had been used on her and the pain in her heart grew far too much to bear, and the crystal vanished as Lysiteha sunk to the ground in a dead faint, her broken arm at an awkward angle beside her, her princess form fading and being replaced by Eternal Lysithea.
Quote:
Crystal Magic: All targets within 100 feet of Lysithea who are impure and tainted with chaos will hear a mighty horse whinny and see an ethereal unicorn running towards them, charging them with its horn first. Targets will only see a unicorn attacking them, they cannot see who else is being attacked, and targets who are not impure cannot see any unicorn at all. Targets will feel pain, either that of horse hooves, or that of being speared by a unicorn horn for a total of 45 seconds and may end up with lasting damage at the players discretion, (bruises, small stab wounds, nothing fatal). The magic will affect anyone who is on the side of chaos, or those who support chaos in their hearts.
Transcended Eternal Ida Action: Sticking close to Lysithea until they're safe and she can help with the broken arm, if permitted.
It didn't seem like she was much needed after all.
When Ida finally fought her way through the chaotic group of moving bodies, Faustite was gone and the rest of his kind were retreating. The General Sovereign that she had felt was gone, the rest of the officers disappearing one by one. The plan had failed, it seemed, and she had to wonder how much of that had been intentional on the Negaverse side. She'd known doing this here in the park was a bad idea, but there had been good reasons for it, she was sure. She ached with sympathy for the ones most affected... the ones who'd had an actual stake in this.
Lysithea's magic flowed out, but she saw nothing. It was an opportunity to slip closer to the now-eternal and take up a stance protectively near her, attentive for when it would be safe to deal with the damage she could see. A broken arm was not fun... it needed tended to, when the threat was passed.
Taenite was close enough to Cymophane that if he needed to teleport out, Taenite could easily catch a ride with him. But he could, of course, just use his own energy. It was time to go anyway, and he had no reason to stay longer once Faustite had left.
“Is that your natural hair color?” Taenite quipped back at the stupid Saturn Knight. “Bottle blond isn’t a good look for your skin tone.”
He could see something happening. Magic of some kind nearby - charging unicorns. But he wasn’t going to wait to find out what the magic did, and teleported out with Cymophane.
For long moments did Illyria's grip on the rooftop ledge continue to clench and release. It was the only movements that the feline-turned human made in response to all the auras that bloomed into existence below as chaos made their presence known and the auras of order were no longer completely suppressed by those that had been concealing said auras. It gave Illyria a moment of hope that with the amount of order present that Ida would indeed be safe. The connection that they shared meant that to an extent Illyria was picking up that while Ida might be stressed ... that there wasn't any danger to her bonded partner.
For what seemed like an eternity did Illyria peer down at the figures that she could see, but not identify on sight, engage in some sort of macabre back-and-forth dance in which she had explicitly been told not to join.
At last though it seemed like things were calming down. The multitude of chaos auras began to fizzle out and what was left was the calming blanket of order that was associated to the White Moon. Illyria's hands released their grip on the ledge and she looked over the area before deciding that maybe since it seemed like the battle was over that she could now safely resume her position at Ida's side, where she belonged.
It was only in realizing what was probably safe to do so ... that Illyria realized one small flaw in where she'd been left behind. If it was on purpose it was a beautiful little ploy by her bonded to make sure she stayed put. If totally an accident then Illyria had been too distracted to make note of her surroundings...
she had been left on the rooftop of a building ... that was just a little too high to jump down from in either her feline form or her human form without risking injury to herself. And from a simple scan she doubted that the door that service workers could access was unlocked.
Returning to her feline form did Illyria hop up onto the ledge in order to meow forlornly. She was stuck ... and not happy about it.
Oh she knew that Ida wouldn't forget to come back for her as she had promised but there was just that little bit of worrying about how long it would be until her way out of this little predicament would return. She lay down and stared at the figures that moved around before putting her head down to rest on her fore-paws: the absolute picture of kitten dejection that she could muster.
Ida would come back and then they'd go do whatever was needed to be done next.
(( Illyria's 'soft' exit from this rp. It's assumed that Ida will return for Illyria and they'll both make their exit from the rp then ))
Whimsical Blue
just adding a bit more to this post - so it can work like an exit of sorts.
Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 10:43 am
General Aquamarine Action: Using his Forgotten Spell on Encke, then teleporting away.
He didn’t even know where to begin.
But then, maybe there was nowhere to begin. It was too late for that. They’d come to the end of things. There had been so little time to start with, and now there was none, all because of one mistake, and several more that followed.
Aquamarine didn’t linger. If Faustite’s team couldn’t get themselves out of the mess they’d made, they deserved whatever the White Moon had in store for them. Leaving them to it wasn’t abandonment, it was punishment.
He snorted at the freckled ginger. Encke, if the database was correct. Aquamarine didn’t care for clarification.
He used his own spell, sent a burst of flame Encke’s way just to be spiteful, then vanished immediately after.
[Aquamarine EXIT]
Seiana_ZI
He's tired of shouting, so here, have a departing gift of more fire! rofl
Forgotten Spell - A burst of fire that causes the sensation of burning, and occasionally (upon a player’s choice) physical burns (severity up to the player’s discretion). Otherwise it leaves no wounds behind, just patchy layers of ash. The spell can only affect a single target within a radius of 20 feet, and can be used 3 times.
Roselite had no thought or concern for any of the Senshi or Knights that surrounded Faustite. They may have been trying to help, but they were ultimately the enemy. Every word they spoke was an insult or a mockery, followed by blatant hypocrisy, and powerlessness. Roselite knew this. Bloodstone had told him so. The Negaverse had taught him further. The White Moon proved it themselves.
Faustite left of his own accord. Roselite had to wonder what the burning General felt in that moment. Despair? Resignation?
It seemed foolish to Roselite now — to hope. The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Magic flared. Roselite’s eyes watered, but he was gone before any of the tears fell.
Action: Checking on Lysithea and trying to help her up; checking on Varuna
Lysithea’s scream had been horrifying. It shook Adria from the haze his mind had trapped itself in. Malus had tried to grab the wand and keep it pointed at Faustite but it hadn’t mattered. He was already gone.
They couldn’t save empty air.
There were too many emotions here–too many people acting recklessly. He knew that was Michel behind him, but he hadn’t even been able to turn around and see why. There was too much at risk in front of them.
And yet, despite an uncomfortable heat, that was the worst of the damage they hadn’t seen, so maybe Michel was doing all right.
They hadn’t been able to stop anything. The onslaught of Negaverse attacks had left him reeling, and the Court strike was just about as exhausting as the first time they’d used it.
Lysithea still had the strength enough to use her magic and Malus might have been able to use his–but to what end? The Negaverse was fleeing.
He moved to Lysithea’s side and held her good arm gently. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. He’d tried. He’d done his best.
Adria was looking at them helplessly, still fresh from his daze. He moved slowly, but there was fear in his eyes–for her, for her well-being.
Was there anything they could have done to stop the Senshi that came in? They could teleport–how could they have moved so quickly? Her arm looked bad, so bad. If Faustite was gone, there wasn’t any reason to stay.
Chaos was lessening in the area but it only took one to kill someone, to take someone. Neither Malus nor Adria were going to let their guard down, they weren’t going to lose Lysithea again.
If Faustite wasn’t here, there was no reason for them to be.
Adria’s voice was shaky and it felt like it took every ounce of energy and focus just to stay in this minute, to be here.
“Lysithea.” He couldn’t raise his voice very much, he had to move in close to her. “We have to go, we have to get you to a hospital.”
“Let us help you up,” Malus insisted, but he wasn’t even sure what to grab. He didn’t want to hurt her worse. He looked at Varuna desperately; she’d been on the other side of Lysithea, hadn’t she? He hadn’t seen. “Are you okay?”
Guine
Orangeish Sherbert
Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 11:10 am
Princess Ganymede Action: Soaring into Cybele. Laughing at an inappropriate time.
In retrospect, Ganymede should have expected the throw. He’d tossed Lucasta. Ganymede wasn’t as light as a cat, but even her magically enhanced physical strength couldn’t match the magically enhanced physical strength of someone who was already physically stronger.
She flew. Not gracefully. Not with any skill. She simply tumbled through the air, a flailing tangle of wings, limbs, and white gown, careening toward Cybele. Ganymede managed to get her wings to function, caught the breeze and glided the rest of the way, so there was no great crash. She simply slowed as she reached Cybele, wrapped her arms around her sister’s shoulders, and sagged with a combination of relief and disappointment.
No one was dead. No one was dying. Not anyone that mattered, anyway. Some were hurt, some would be upset, but recovery would happen, in time.
The aura of a General King vanished as quickly as it came. Others followed, making their escape in the scant few seconds before Lysithea’s magic burst forth.
Faustite was gone.
All of this had been for nothing.
Ganymede’s arms tightened around Cybele. She looked over Cybele’s shoulder, found Sessrumnir and Alastor where Aquamarine, too, had vanished, saw Varuna with her friends — alive, and relatively unharmed, but distraught, maybe, that things had turned out this way. Lysithea was hurt. Lysithea had fainted, but Ida was there with her now. Ganymede knew Ida would be able to tend to her.
So for now, Ganymede stayed where she was — watching, listening, hugging Cybele like she could regain some of that old hope in doing so, trying to contain her anger, the disappointment, the pain that flared, bright and hot, when the loss of Empyrean crept up on her again.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but Ganymede let out a breathless laugh.
“What if I retire?” she said. “What if I just take the family to Ganymede and let Metallia have the Earth? We couldn’t even—”
Couldn’t even accomplish this. How could any of them hope to save a world that might already be beyond saving?
stari_maga
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 11:21 am
Lucasta, Guardian Cat Action: Shrinking back down to feline form to go back to aura dampening. Sharing looks with a couple of her more frequent companions.
Lucasta skidded to a stop. She swore, very unladylike, under her breath. Ganymede came soaring toward Cybele as Jet took his leave.
Whatever plan any of them initially had — White Moon, Negaverse — none of it mattered. They had all failed. Certainly there was blame to be placed on all sides. Including herself. Including Ganymede. Perhaps their blunders had not been so significant, but the outcome may have been different with the slightest change of action.
There was no use dwelling on it now.
Lucasta huffed. With the greatest danger gone and any stragglers under the onslaught of Lysithea’s magic, she shrank back down to her feline form.
They could not stay here long if they did not wish to put themselves at risk of another attack, but at least she could help dampen their auras until they were ready to make their departure.
Ganymede would be safe with Cybele, and Cybele with her. In range, too, were Sessrumnir and Alastor. Lucasta looked to them, her gaze hard, as if to share in all the negative feelings that must surely be going around.
At least the children were safely at home this time.
He and Encke, it seemed, were doing it. Getting Faustite over to the Princess. Even with the Negaverse tripping over its own collective feet, they were going to manage it. To save Faustite from being eaten up by the fire inside him. To give him a chance to be free.
If they made it, Kerberos thought, they might be able to negotiate--let them keep Faustite for a little while, let him adjust, and let him make his own choice--
They did not make it.
One of Faustite's own teammates lashed out, attacked Lysithea, wrenched her arm in a way that looked and sounded horrific, and he had to bring his hands up to his mouth so as not to retch.
And then Faustite pulled away from Encke, and his heart lurched.
"Faustite, wait--" He started, and reached out, to grab on--but it was too late.
He vanished.
"Goddamnit!"
He ached to bark, to bite, to snap back at Jet, but the General-King was gone. The rest of them would be soon. There was the poor Corrupt on the ground by Lysithea's feet, but--he was an Eternal, he'd get himself out.
Lysithea herself collapsed, clearly spent, and Kerberos wanted to collapse too, wanted to punch something, wanted to scream his fury and frustration to the sky.
It was only as Lysithea's unicorns cleared the field that Kerberos noticed his hands aching. Turned his palms over. Saw them burnt.
Sighed, heavily.
Something something, two nickels.
He had barely noticed the pain while he was helping Faustite move. But now they ached, and Lysithea was hurt, and he let his new healing magic come to hand, magical asphodel blooming around his feet. A smile was spared for Ida when she arrived,
"It won't fix everything," he told Ida and Encke, exhausted, "but....something."
They had failed Faustite, and they needed to leave, but a little healing before they all left might not be entirely amiss.
He turned to Malus, Adria, and Varuna, the three with Lysithea.
"Can you all get her out?" They seemed to be her team, so she'd probably want their help more than anyone else's.
Then, louder:
"If anyone needs healing, come and stand by me. It won't be much, but it's something."
It was over, really. All that was left was to pick up what pieces they could.
Quote:
Super Sailor Scout Attack: Asphodel's Bloom! Sailor Kerberos says the name of his attack, and asphodel blooms around him, to a radius of 10 feet. Allies within the radius will feel a sense of peace, and moderate injuries are partially healed, while minor injuries are healed completely. This magic lasts for 35 seconds, and can be used twice per battle.
It was the first sharp pain of a hoof impacting his chest that snapped Alkmene, ever so briefly, out of his state of shock. The sound had felt distant, unimportant, but the pain--the pain was grounding.
Grounding enough to remind him that he could teleport.
So he did.
All that was left of his presence was an abandoned communicator pen.
Everything fell apart around them so damn fast. Faustite teleported out. Lysithea's arm was broken by the a*****e with the tattoos. There was wailing and screams and sobs. Ganymede was doing that laugh thing you do after really intense encounters or situations. For her own part, she was a little singed, a little feeling her own malice and anger turned back on her.
She'd been through worse.
"Good ********' job, Cerberus," she said with a snarl as the a*****e teleported out. Her knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists, jaw tight.
Then she snapped a fist out, lightning quick and senshi strength aided, into a tree with a yell of frustration.
Corrupt Super Valjean Action: has technically been here the whole time, having big feelings, getting ******** unicorn'd, and outie
Valjean hated this. Every stupid ******** second of it.
He held his position in the woods for as long as he could manage, even as everything went to s**t around them. Heliodor leapt forward, he held his position. The rest followed, he held his position. Curses were shouted, spells were flung,a dn he held his position--followed Alkmene and Aquamarine's orders and hated the inaction.
This was miserable. He was supposed to be there to fight, to ensure that Faustite returned to the Negaverse with them.
No, he wasn't one of Faustite's husbands, but...
He wouldn't pretend he didn't have a fondness for him. Eion had been the first one to try to help him be Will, to find who he was now that he had been remade by Chaos. There was certainly a soft, warm place in his chest for his General, who had treated him better than he could have expected, who had made him feel...wanted. He could easily have been tossed to the side, left memoryless and empty. Could just as easily have been left ot figure himself out with no assistance; that was hardly anyone's responsibility but his own.
Faustite hadn't done that. Eion hadn't done that.
In some ways, it felt like that was the reason that Will existed at all, as a person separate from Valjean.
Finally, he had enough--Albite went wild, and he stormed out of the woods, intent on grabbing the Eternal and teleporting them out. Honestly, why the ******** anyone let that idiot on any kind of sensitive mission--!
Far too impulsive, far too ridiculous. Valjean almost didn't care that Albite was technically his superior in that moment. He certainly wasn't acting like someone to whom any respect was due.
But ti was too late. Any intervention he could have provided was functionally ******** useless.
Faustite was alight, and then he was gone.
Valjean felt his stomach drop, and for a moment, he was stuck, standing, dumbfounded.
It was such a simple, straightforward ******** plan. Let the Court purify Faustite, grab him back, get out. He hadn't bothered to say a word in the planning, because what was there to say? It should have bene the easiest operation any of them had ever been on, and yet, here it was, a ******** unmitigated disaster.
He could have thrown out a little magic, a last act of spite, but even the thought of it made him feel sick. What was the point, anyway? Get Order doing a little infighting, too? Like the Negaverse?
They were supposed to be better than this, goddamnit. They were supposed to be a team.
But apparently, that word was all but worthless.
He heard the whinny of a horse, turned--
A unicorn's horn speared him in the chest, and he swore, violently.
It hurt, like nothing he had ever experienced before. Some part of him knew it was magic, that it wasn't real, that it would fade shortly, but that didn't change that it hurt here, now--
He had to get out of here. Everyone was already leaving, no point in staying and dealing with whatever the ******** this was.
When the pain stopped, after what felt like an eternity, Valjean vanished.
