He'd been away from the "festivities" in Destiny City, incidentally on his way back to try and make it before the ball-drop. He didn't make it until hours after that, of course--that was just his luck--but he'd heard about what happened. At the time he hadn't done anything, being too tired to feel he'd be any help at all in the situation, but he'd seen and met with certain people who'd gone through the ordeal. Close friends landed in the hospital with varying degrees of injuries and illnesses, and all at the hands of the Negaverse.
Ashur pondered a moment how he could have ever thought joining their cause was an option as he leaned against a tree with a severely damaged trunk. His renewed perspective was probably one of the few good things that came of that incident, and it was one he was rather grateful for. Despite his feelings about being a knight not really improving, he at least knew that he was where he ought to be. It was just a matter of finding his purpose as one, rather than being given one as he was told the Negaverse would do for him should he decide to join them. He wanted to, back in December. Now? Not so much.
So there he waited, hoping to have a conversation that should have happened nearly a month ago, and somewhat readying himself for the Lieutenant to lash out. When he finally sensed an aura of Chaos in the vicinity he looked up, his body tensing a bit. It didn't feel quite the same as that lieutenant, he thought. It wasn't something he would normally bank on given his poor skills with sensing auras to being with, but in this instance he was rather certain it wasn't him. In fact, if the aura was any indication, then whoever it was probably wasn't a lieutenant at all.
The Space Cauldron
Here we go~ :>
Lithiasaur
Camelot
Kaefaux
Themiscyra
Ryuthulhu
Kairatos
Guine
Valhalla
Yay, rescue squad~! Sorry. I wasn't sure how to label that. XD;
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:48 pm
The approach was slow, leisurely. The energy signature was strong, even from a distance, but as the seconds ticked on, it felt like it was growing. Laurelite had the option of teleporting right on top of the area, but the slow approach offered so much for.
It gave this Knight time to drink in her power, to fully appreciate her energy. Or, at least, that's what she told herself.
It had been a long while since she could appreciate the night, and a part of her was just enjoying the cool air against her skin. Too much time in her office, or the dark recesses of the Rift, had left her complexion even paler.
Against the darkness of the night, she stuck out like a phantom. That she moved like one probably didn't help.
Still, despite the power, the Chaos, she was small.
And wearing her sweet little smile.
Laurelite did not speak before she was an appropriate distance away; it was rude to shout, and after she had taken such effort to make her appearance she didn't want to frighten the poor soul away.
"Ashur, isn't it?" she asked, with a voice too soft to belong to one of the strongest figures in the Negaverse. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting. I didn't want to startle you, and the night...Well, it's just so beautiful. I didn't think anyone would mind a few extra moments of this peace and quiet."
She wasn't just talking about the fireworks sure to light up the sky in the coming hours.
But that wouldn't matter. No, let him remember how beautiful the night was, and not the pain of corruption he would be feeling shortly.
She held her hand out to him, smile unwavering. "I am General Queen Laurelite. You wanted to speak with me?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:37 pm
His nerves were getting to him. Maybe he was imagining things? ...No? He squinted toward the general area the signature was coming from, doubts about its gradual increase bubbling up and immediately popping as soon as a figure draped in moonlight and darkness came into view. Slowly they approached, almost irritatingly so, and the closer they got the stronger the signature got, to the point that he felt it nearly snuffed out all traces of Order in the immediate area. Namely him, and he fought down the urge to gulp. Tried to stand his ground; he came here to do something, after all, and he'd be damned before he turned tail now that someone finally showed.
She got within conversing distance and he was almost put off by the difference in image; all that power condensed in such a slight form, it nearly made him do a double take and look past her to see if someone else would be joining them. Stupid, he thought as he caught himself, then Ashur focused on her, particularly when she finally spoke.
In a voice soft enough that he almost had to strain to hear it. Or maybe it was just the distance. He pushed off the tree and took a shaky step forward before nodding to her first question. "It's like every other night," he finally said, eyes taking in the other's pale complexion. Trick of the moonlight, he thought idly, before moving to take another step forward. Her introduction brought him to a stop several feet away, not quite within reach but much to close for comfort.
Especially not while knowing who she was now. That explained it.
Ashur bundled up his nerves and tightened his jaw briefly, then nodded again. "Back in December I met with another lieutenant and told him as much," he started, his confidence picking up slightly the more he talked. As though the sound of his voice would make his tiny blip of Order slightly more significant by comparison to the near crushing magnitude of the Chaos that she exuded. "He caught me while my wires were a little crossed, but I've got 'em on straight again. I was expecting to speak with him tonight, actually. To tell him to call off the meet."
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 1:25 am
Laurelite's lashes fluttered as she observed the Knight in front of her. Her lips pursed a bit tighter and she seemed to be waiting for him to change his mind, though when no other words followed, she replied, "Oh, dear."
Her fingers laced before her, only adding to her demure image. "Do you mean to tell me, my dear Ashur, that I've come all the way out here…and you had absolutely no intention of fulfilling a discussion with me? I must admit, I am most disappointed. I was rather looking forward to this meet up. It's not so often I get to speak with a Knight. Even one," she paused as she looked him over. "With his wires crossed."
A simple enough excuse, and one she might have been inclined to believe. Though she wasn't so sure his wires weren't still crossed if he thought he could just talk to her like that and be done with it.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to reconsider?" she prompted, but her hand was already aching to plunge into his chest. She was already here; she certainly wasn't going to leave empty handed. "I'd really hate to see you go."
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:42 pm
He gauged her reaction, body tense as he expected a bit of an outburst or a display of irritation. Instead what he got was a simple "oh, dear" that...he wasn't really sure what to do with. The more she spoke the more he sensed just plain disappointment, though somewhere in the back of his mind he sensed there was more to it than just that. To keep his nerves down though he shoved such thoughts aside, at least for now, and offered a shrug at her questions.
"Like I said, I was expecting the lieutenant," he said, making an effort not to control his voice. "I guess I will at least apologize for wasting your time, though."
It was awkward, apologizing to someone of the opposition. It seemed like a sensible thing to, though; an impending sense of dread was starting to slowly creep up on him the longer he stayed near her, and so he felt an attempt at a civilized conversation was...well, frankly it was likely the best way to stall and try to think of ways he could get out of there alive. It was with such thoughts that the Squire took a step back and cleared his throat.
"And I'm sure about this decision," he continued after taking another step back. "It's the most sure I've been about any decision in a while, actually. So..."
He let a pause draw out as he glanced over his shoulder, trying to figure out how far he could get if he ran and what the chances were of him finding someone in the middle of the park's forest to help him out. The answers that came to him caused his lips to purse into a thin line before he looked back at the small, seemingly demure woman before him. "Yeah. I guess since that's really all I wanted to tell him--or I guess you, since you're here and he's not--then I should probably...um..." Ashur took another step back, intending to take his chances anyway.
It was a mistake he only realized too late when he felt his back meet with the tree he'd been leaning on before she got there.
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 6:39 am
"Oh—no, no. You didn't waste my time," Laurelite began slowly, but she seemed to be too calm for someone who had just been rejected.
And, she had just been rejected.
And she was taking it very personally.
She took a few slow, careful steps to cross the distance he had put between them.
Her eyes were locked onto his, and while her smile had faded somewhat, it had endured. "I'm sorry to hear that you've changed your mind, but I haven’t, Ashur. I'm still leaving here with you. Only," she was close to him, and raised a hand to rest gently on the male's chest, "You won't be Ashur anymore."
She didn't push into his chest, just let him feel the weight of her hand against him. It was the only opportunity she would give him to reconsider changing his mind.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 1:20 pm
Her level of calm was unnerving, and her steady smile even more so. It caused him to press back against the tree a bit harder, trying to keep at least a sliver of space between them. Ashur barely breathed when she placed her hand against his chest; despite how light it should have been it felt...heavy. Like there was a meaning to the motion, and he had a feeling he knew what it was.
Still, his response was quiet refusal.
He already made his decision, and if he was leaving in such a way, it wouldn't be without a fight. With eyes still locked on hers Ashur slowly drew in a breath, then quickly reached behind him to try and draw his weapon, hoping to strike her outstretched arm and make room enough to sidestep out of her reach and make a run for it.
The Space Cauldron
Lithiasaur
Camelot
Kaefaux
Themiscyra
Ryuthulhu
Kairatos
Guine
Valhalla
I think this is a good place to have the rescue squad step into the picture~ The quotes are in posting order, and then the mule shall post after you guys. :>
Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 10:27 am
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Camelot did not need much more of a reason to come out on patrol tonight than the powerful aura he felt far too close for comfort. There was a General King out and about, as far as he could tell. It was an aura he was all too familiar with, at least in power, though this one did not feel exactly like the one he had come to know so well. No, this was not Zinkenite, but someone else.
He was not sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Someone he could trust even less, and could not predict. He was on edge, feeling something that powerful, worrying just what might be going on. Who might be in danger. It was his duty to go and investigate.
To defend anyone that might need his aid.
As he got closer he felt the much smaller aura of a knight alongside the Chaos one, and that kicked his determination into high gear. He could only assume the worst, and he made his way as quickly as he could to what he was imagining was a fairly lopsided battle.
One that might be over before he even got there.
When he did reach the sources of the auras, though, he saw something worse than just a battle, at least in his eyes. A General Queen, by the looks of her, with a knight pinned against a tree, her hand on his chest. Camelot was all too familiar with what that meant.
"Release him!" he ordered, as sternly as he could manage, calling his shield to his hands to show he was not there to play games.
She was being paranoid. Danika told herself that time and time again. She was being paranoid. She was being a controlling girlfriend. She wasn't being fair to Dominic.
And yet.
There she was, sneakers moving silently as they could over the pavement as she'd followed in Ashur's trail. Days prior, she'd confessed to Xanthus and Chris she was... uneasy about Ashur lately. Or rather, uneasy about his actions. Things just... weren't adding up in her mind, and it was putting her on edge. So there she was.
She'd contacted the two Knights, telling them shortly after Dominic left that she'd be following him. Even after he transformed into Ashur, she kept herself as Danika. Themiscyra gave off an energy signature after all.
Danika did not.
But she also couldn't sense signatures. The auras ahead of her as she prowled closer to the area she'd seen Ashur go off to were blind to her, moving quietly as she could. Which was only so possible when moving through the bushes and skirting around trees.
She managed somehow. What really impressed her though... was how her body froze. She saw him there. Ashur. Her boyfriend. The dude she kinda adored and pretty much clung to. Talking to some short chick. Now Danika wasn't going to jump to jealous conclusions. But when she saw how the chick's hand was over his chest... her stomach plummeted. "What the ******** are you doing?" Her voice was a whisper, hands clutching at the bark of the tree she was trying to duck behind. Eyes wide, she watched in horror as the scene unfolded. Some other guy--a Knight, clearly--stepped in, and Danika only vaguely recognized him from her time in Olympus.
He yelled for the woman to release Ashur.
In a moment of obvious lack of proper judgement, heat raced through Danika's veins, the garb of Themiscyra blazing away her normal jeans and shirt. The Squire could feel the impact of the two far stronger individuals--a Royal Knight and a General Queen, ******** all--but the auras were barely considered as she stepped out of the cover of the trees. Chain in hand, her red eyes were narrowed as she snarled. "Get the ******** away from him, b***h!"
Memories were superimposed on the scene. Memories of another life, another time. Another her--that... future her she refused to see as their future. Andronicus being consumed by Chaos and turned into a General. Kairatos kidnapped--killed?--by the Negaverse. Valhalla and Ganymede... Themiscyra knew she wasn't nearly fast enough to go toe-to-toe with a General Queen. But she wasn't using logic as she darted in, trying to lash out with her weighted chain to, if only for a moment, distract the woman enough for her boyfriend to get the hell out of there.
Ryuthulhu
You're up! After I took way too long I'm so sorry
Guine
After Ryu~ Quoting since not sure if Chris followed or is joining up :3 <3
Lithiasaur
Quoting so you know there's a tag in general <3 SORRY THEMISCYRA IS AN IDIOT, CAMELOT~
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Quoting so you know I tagged <3
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 9:45 am
Camelot!
That was an ace up their sleeve, powering up seconds behind Themiscara, the corrupt aura hit him like a hammer, an indicator of just how much they likely needed that Ace. He was at least closer to her level than the time he'd been when he'd taken on her order side equivalent, but this wasn't someone he had great familiarity with, there was an element of Uncertainty that didn't help. What if she decided to just grab Ashurs starseed and go?
"Don't give her a chance to teleport!" He warned, probably unnecessarily, but that was all they needed. Besides it would be -******** awesome- to give a beat down to one of Metalia's fingerpuppets.
Having gone with Danika out of concern for their friend, Valhalla was quick to power up soon after Themiscrya. He wasn’t sure what they would be able to do against a General Queen who already had an advantage with her ability to teleport and her proximity to Ashur, but he wasn’t about to sit back and watch one of his friends either killed or corrupted.
He fumbled with his compass only for a moment before lifting it up as he followed Themiscrya closer. Two Mars knights and Camelot would surely be enough to take on Laurelite, he hoped.
Aiming the compass towards the General Queen, a beam of green light shot out, hopefully in time to keep her from teleporting away. He didn’t know what would happen if she tried, but the magic itself reversed movements… It was worth a shot.
And if all else failed, he had Valkyrie to call upon.
Ryuthulhu
Lithiasaur
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Kaefaux
Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:05 pm
Laurelite's eyes narrowed at the voice of another; she turned to glare at Camelot. And then more showed up, swarming like flies. Her attention spread to each of them for only a split second, but it was enough for her to get a grip.
Faster than any ordinary human could have hoped, she snapped her free hand into the air. Crystals seemed to flicker out of thin air and then solidified in a burst of bright light. In her hand she held a great scythe, taller than her and with a blade longer than her arm. Crystals of varying colors and sizes dangled from it, clinking with the sudden movement.
She spun quickly, hurling the scythe in an arc around her. She released it, allowing its own momentum to carry it around her and swipe at all those within range.
She was aware the light that sprung from Valhalla, though she missed where it went when she stepped a bit to the side, moving to hide behind another tree and dragging Ashur with her.
She did not teleport—as if they could stop her. She wasn't afraid, now. She was angry.
"Ashur," she seethed, "I do so hate to have my time wasted. Now what am I going to do with all of your nasty friends?"
And then she did what she had come here to do.
She shoved her hand in his chest and gripped his starseed firmly. Not enough to crack it, but enough to hurt. And then she started to shove the Chaos into him. One wave. Another.
Laurelite could still see the others moving, but she was focused on her prize. On Ashur. Who had called her. Who she would take, one way or the other.
And she could deal with the rest, next.
Guine
Ryuthulhu
Lithiasaur
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Kaefaux
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:57 pm
He felt a surge of hope for all of a second when he heard Camelot and felt familiar auras that brought him some semblance of comfort despite the position he was in, but it was quickly snuffed out.
She was too fast, at least for him to keep up with. Before the squire could even keep up with what was going on, before he could get a hold of his weapon and sidestep or even take two breaths they were already behind the trees, out of range perhaps or at the very it would force the others to come closer. He watched her with defiance in his eyes as she spoke, and was about to shoot back some unintelligible obscenity--what else could he do but purposely try and piss her off, maybe to keep her attention on him long enough to allow the others to move in--when there was a sudden sharp pain in his chest where her hand pushed in.
Every movement of her fingers sent a sharpshooting pain that resonated through his entire body, but he could bear it through gritted teeth and stifled groans. He expected her to break it, to end him, or perhaps to pluck it right out of his chest and teleport away with it. He waited, struggled against the pain that threatened to knock him out. It felt like an eternity rolled up into a few measly seconds, he waited for everything to go black.
What he got instead was something a thousand times worse. A searing pain ripped through him, wracked his body as he felt the first wave of chaos flood his starseed. It felt inherently wrong, and his head flooded with a thousand voices, distant but familiar, all crying out to him. All crying for him. Ashur couldn't withhold his own outcries of anguish that followed as he fought to get his hands to her wrist, a feeble attempt at forcing her to withdraw her hand. Another wave of chaos and it felt as though his mind was splitting, and everything was quickly going blank. His voice was quickly going hoarse from all his screaming, thrashing against the General Queen's hold, and through it all there were lingering, pervading thoughts.
Was this what I asked for?
Please...
Please...
Will somebody...will anybody save me?
Lithiasaur
kaefaux
Rhuthulhu
Guine
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 6:40 pm
In that instant, she wished for all of it. The scars. The loss of her family. The war building into the loss of Destiny City. She'd take it all, embrace it all for that singular boon. Transcended Knight of Mars. It wouldn't be enough to stand against a General Sovereign, but god would it be better than where she stood now.
A cry was mangled by her teeth digging into her bottom lip as the metal of the scythe caught her bracers. She'd barely the time to bring up the defense, an act that almost felt useless as she'd felt the metal buckle under the greater strength of the General Queen's weapon. Though the metal hadn't been sliced through, she could feel how the metal of her bracers had sliced into her forearms when they'd been forced inward. The impact had sent her stumbling backwards, falling on her a** before she scrambled back to her feet. Too slow. She'd been lucky the woman hadn't been aiming for the kill in that strike. Themiscyra gripped her chain anew, at least relieved she could move her hands despite the pain in her arms. There were greater concerns on hand, her senses shoving the pain off her radar.
The moment the woman pulled Ashur behind the trees, red eyes spun, looking for familiar faces. Trusted faces. They were stronger than her. Were they strong enough..? "Stop her!" There was desperation in Themiscyra's voice. Panic, fear. Adrenaline was surging through her veins, her heart a thunderous calamity in her ears. She didn't want to wait, but a higher logic in the soldier of Mars' mind told her it'd do Ashur no favors to run in blindly. She'd already tried that.
Instead she waited. Themiscyra looked to Valhalla and Kairatos, hoping, praying one of them would strike so she could strike with them. Could that be enough to stop her? To pull her away from Ashur..? What other option did they have?
Ryuthulhu
HALP--if you have him physically attack Laurelite, feel free to puppet Themi as also striking!
Guine
HALP--if you have him physically attack Laurelite, feel free to puppet Themi as also striking!
Whatever reservations Themi had, Kairatos didn't share them, especially with Laurelite's hand around Ashur's starseed. It was a risk, she might damage something, or break it, but if he didn't do anything...
"Dunno, b***h, Why don't you and I talk it over?" He suggested, but his attack wasn't the whole plan. Draw her attention, then Themi could flank, maybe even Asterion, but not until she moved a little further away. No sense summoning his partner if there was a chance of Ashur getting the horns as much as her. If she'd tangle with -him- on the other hand...
Well it would be one way to find out if he had any trace of the bull-dancing skills he'd had in another life entirely.
