[ PRP ] And you were there ( Sammy, Pokerus )

[poke mattix]

A few hours had past since Pokerus had woken up after being dragged into another legacy fueled battle between horsemen and hunters. She'd taken stock of what had changed, what hadn't, and wondered why there was a steve dragon in her den.

Her reaction to all this madness was to shrug it off and fly towards the amityville grounds, where it was open day and there were tons of new potential students ready to add more mayhem.

The dragoness circled overhead, her keen eyes spotting a familiar zombie in the crowds. "HEY! SAMMY!" She shouted, dropping in front of the ghoul, wings disappearing from her back. "Did you just have a real crazy dream?"

Miliardo Kason

Hi ouo/

 

[Miliardo Kason]

Sammy was actually wandering through the grounds on the back of a very large and twisted apex minipet, it seems almost offensive to be riding her mount considering it was made from Creation and Creation probably had a hand in whatever the hell just happened.

Without warning something dropped in-front of her knocking her out of a day dream and causing her to tug the lashes of black and green that made the mounts reins.

"Wh- oh s**t, Pokerus?" She shook her head flames growing larger as she focused, "Uh, something akin to a dream. I'm still not sure what parts where real and what wasn't." She frowned, "I think I chopped my own head off." There was a pause, "I hope it was just mine."

Poke matix

 

[poke mattix]

Intimidating as it was, the mount was spared a passing glance, her focus more on Sammy herself. "Aha, so you had the same one I did. I knew I remembered seeing you there." She blinked. "Wait, you chopped your head off? How did - Oh, a copy version? Yeah I butchered myself too. It's not my most pleasant experience. Especially since I was a hunter."

She folded her arms, head tilted in thought "Hopefully? It's hard to tell with these things...Oh! Did you see a tiny green kid?" Perhaps Sammy knew some things she didn't.

Miliardo Kason

 

[Miliardo Kason]

Sammy sort of shrugged at the same dream comment, “Roughly the same? I think we all did but we all kinda roamed in and out randomly in our own little journey?” She gave another shrug. “Yeah, I uh, killed the Hunter me.” This time she paused as she thought about it again, seeing a face oddly like her own rolling along the dark ground. “I feel bad for her. She was like I used to be, one sided, narrow minded. She only saw me as a monster but I know she wasn’t really bad, not all hunters are. But it was me or her and I’m not going to just let some alternate me take over.”

The two both lapsed into thought Sammy shivering slightly, “It could have been a real hunter that looked like me? An illusion? We can’t be sure, we’ll never really know.” The mention of Dorothy caused her to shake her head. “I don’t really remember either of them. But if judging by what just happened, and something green? It sounds like Creation was involved,” even as she said this she pat her mounts neck as it gave a rough snort. “Creating a false set of memories seems like something it might do given its name. The real question is why the fake memories?”  

[poke mattix]

Her face darkened upon Sammy's explanation, looking away from the ghoul as she recalled her own battle. "You're not the only one who shed blood...I also feel the same guilt. I may enjoy fighting but..." She sighed, clawed hands brushing hair from her face. "Well, I can't blame them for seeing monsters..." She had heard many stories about dragons and what they did to humans. Though should she talk about it with Sammy?

She bit her lip. Pokerus had figured the zombie ghoul would be someone to talk to, but how much did she want to reveal. She didn't know many who would dare to sympathies with the enemy. Not that she gave a dam what they thought, but to talk lightly of them was dangerous and land her in serious trouble.

"Well, if you know how the stories about knights and dragons goes." a thin cynical smile spread across her face. "My copy was just the knight, ready to protect her kingdom."

Her ears twitched, intrigued about what she had called the green kid. "Oho, creation, huh? You mean the one behind the....uhhh... incident last year. I know of the legacies, but truth be told my knowledge on specific ones are hit and miss. As for why? Good question. My memories are kinda foggy so I dunno who was behind all this.

Miliardo Kason

 

[Miliardo Kason]

There was a sympathetic frown tugging at Sammy's lips as Pokerus admitted to blood shed as well. It was obvious she wasn't reveling in it either. "I'm with you on having a good fight for the right reasons. This case, kill or be killed but the situation was. Questionable."

There was a long look as the other ghoul bit her lip, her mount shifting with frustration huffing and kicking at the dirt.

"I've heard of them, mine was well, it was me, brash, aggressive, cocksure that she would win and kill the big bad things. If anything she was me maybe two years back. Misguided," there was a pause, "In her defense I am a walking talking corpse with no physical eyes so I'm about as quickly to see as 'monster' in some ways I think."

The focus came back to fragments of the memories. "It was.... a game. It wanted to show us a game. That green person." Her lips frowned a bit harder, "I can't remember the details though, Falling in, it could be Creation. But it didn't seem, aggressive?"

She crossed her arms, "Actually it's almost like an entirely different creation? Last year, the zombie things, the humans. That wasn't like. Just us, that was plain normal humans that where involved and it was chaos. This was more like a trippy dream."

She muttered something else, "I wonder if they all look like kids..."

poke mattix

 

[poke mattix]

"It's hard to enjoy the rush of battle when you know your opponent is only trying to survive." Pokerus spoke. "When I suffer a fatal blow, I just reform. Just like everyone else. It's rare that I have to fear for my own life."

Hearing Sammy speak about herself, she couldn't help but smile. "Sounds a lot like me, except I'm still pretty confident. Just that I...honesty don't know what to fight for. Halloween needs to be protected, but I can't help but feel the hunters...they need help too." Speaking about it made her think about them. Wilson, she hadn't seen him in so long. Was he okay? Last time he looked so tired...

"I might be arrogant to think this, but hunters seem so fragile...it's cruel to take us, change us into mere tools..." There was a long pause, unsure about weather to go further. "..But what choice do they have? Without those weapons, they have nothing to defend themselves with."

Sammy brought up a good point. "Yeah, that is strange. It's like they keep reinventing themselves every time we meet them."

She heard the zombie ghoul mutter something about kids. She wasn't sure what she meant, though this talk did made her curious.

"Hey, do you....er...do you have a favorite?" Wait, did that even make sense? "Wait, what I mean is, do you identify with one of them?

Miliardo Kason

 

[Miliardo Kason]

"Depends on the opponent, I've fought a handful of horsemen you would enjoy assuming you have strong disagreements with them." She scratched her nose a bit grinning, "I think most horsemen consider me a traitor after my last stunt."

She listened for a while, letting Pokerus talk not saying anything as she discussed the nature of the Human world and Halloween. The topic of hunters, their weapons, and the limited life a hunter might live. Eventually they got to the meat of things and Sammy only had one response.

She tugged back her jacket unhooking something from her belt loops holding up a bright gold pendant, shaped like a heart with pointed blades sticking out from it. The bright blue symbol of protecting glowing in the stone centered in it.

"I was part of the Blue kingdom, I saw the memories of a Knight who followed Protection. I've met Excalibur once and this is what came of it. I made... an agreement of sorts. Or rather, I asked for something and he gave it to me. It's a bit hard to say it was almost like a dream."

She lowered the artifact back to her hips and continued speaking, "Hunters aren't fragile, even the weaker ones are more then most humans will ever aspire to be. And their weapons." She frowned, "I'd prefer they not create new ones. And if they do I prefer they not be made of my fellow peers." Israfel.

"I'm fighting to see to it that balance is maintained," she paused, "Humanity dooms humanity, and Fear condemns its self. That's what he told me. Maybe it's pointless to try, maybe we all end up doomed in the end, but I certainly don't plan on letting the Horsemen or the other Legacies bring that around prematurely."

Poke Mattix

 

[poke mattix]

Now she was chuckling, amused with Sammy's choice of words. "A traitor huh? Well, I can say I've had a few 'disagreements'. If you consider having a war horseman explore my innards with a sharp knife one. So I doubt they'd consider me a ally." Pokerus smile widened to expose her sharp canines. "Can't wait to find that ******** either. Oh, he's gonna pay..."

After she had spoken, she stood quiet, waiting for a response. When her jacket was opened the dragoness openly gasped at the sight of the pendant, eyes widened at seeing the symbol of protection.

"You've met Excalibur?" Her voice was full of awe, eyes wide at the sight of the pendant, words spoken in a soft hush. Call it instinct or reverence, but she rarely chose to speak their names, as if they themselves would be called if she did. "And he gave you that...he must hold you in high honor. To grant such a treasure by the legacy of protection." If there was ever another legacy she trusted, it was blue.

She in turn was quiet, letting Sammy spoke her piece. The dragoness appeared troubled as she continued, ear fins pressing back against her skull. It was the one thing that gave her doubt, she couldn't let them take her own friends. Sammy spoke of them all dooming themselves, and she couldn't disagree with those sentiments.

"...As you have served a kingdom, so have I." Pokerus spoke after Sammy was finished. "I was part of white kingdom, serving under a king who gave me a place, a rank. Then we were siblings...adopted siblings, who served under..." Her face fell, she still felt that pain in her heart. "...Served under Lancelot." It almost hurt to say his name. "..It's strange. These were dreams, but they felt so real...just knowing these people, these humans, I can't help but be attached. I can remember the commander acknowledging me, and that feeling of being a part of something greater. Then wanting to protect these people with everything I had...and seeing what happened to the knight of Grief...I've never experienced such pain in my life."

She held up a hand, slowly drawing it into a fist. "I've met most of those crew members, only briefly, yet I still feel like I could call them friends. " She frowned, letting her mind draw forth all those memories. "I believe I may have ties to the one who served under the white knight,.. even as a hatchling...I've know their stories. Their desperation to fight, their sadness of losing precious loved ones...It angers me, it makes me want to do everything I can to protect them. Though I could never bring myself to join them directly as a shiny sword, I just know I want to do everything I can to spare them that grief."

Miliardo Kason

 

[Miliardo Kason]

Sammy laughed in agreement, “I can’t say the Horsemen I delt with got the best of me, as a matter of fact, I very much won the last fight I had with one. Captured them even. But that’s a long story and.” She paused as two new students on tour walked by gawking at Sammy’s mount, “Are stories I would prefer we don’t talk about here.”

What came next was a level of awe Sammy had never really gotten before. Shun had been skeptical about the whole thing, worried about how Protection might warp her into a pawn for taking the sword. Yet outside of the one meeting he had done nothing to manipulate her at all.

“I wouldn’t call it honor. Not by a long shot, simply a fragment of power to make a change in things, and the path I’ve chosen he says would be a lonely one. Which is true, Halloween and, others,” she said the last part with weary distrust of the others around them, “Might not agree with some of my choices.”

“It was strange really, the Blue Kingdom. She chose to sacrifice herself to protect the kingdom, then found out that it was a sham. She took a bullet and was brought back from the dead and learned she was only a fragment. Not even real like the few hunters who had willingly entered the world to save their friends.” She waved a hand back at her hip, “I saw Excalibur, even in the past, when the hunters weren’t hunters. That’s where I began to look for him, to try and find him. Depending on the tales he’s a person or a sword, maybe both really. What I saw, what I saw looked like a young boy. But the memories fuzzy.” She didn’t mention pain, she’d seen timelines where Halloween was being stripped into non exist, H turned her to a weapon, Shehk and Siddie dead. “I think I’ve felt worse pains. One’s I don’t want to see come true.”

“I know the people of my kingdom, we weren’t allies before that. As a matter of fact, Rep to this day will try and kill me before speaking to me, or arrest me in the most polite case last time.” She counted on her fingers. “Joy, Jason, Jordan, Mimsy.” She held up four bone fingers. “Four of them I can trust so far.” She paused, “I was a fist, a gauntlet of sorts the last time I saw a glimpse of me as a weapon.” She tugged her jacket again, “My suggestion? Don’t ever become a weapon, maybe those who volunteer for it do it for a noble good cause. But I don’t want to be a tool, I want to be independent, I want to make my own choices. Find your own sword. Power exists out there,” she said gesturing with her hand wide behind the dragoness, “We just have to find it.”

poke mattix

 

[poke mattix]

There were many new faces walking around, which made things hard to discuss in the open. "Good point." As for her path being a lonely one, Pokerus could see why, scanning the crowd at all the young students, ready to learn and grow, but not for the challenges that may face them.

"I understand...It's not a thing, to keep such a balance in check. Both sides are keen to wipe each other out. And we're stuck in the middle of it. Horseman have lost their homes, hunters their lives, and many of us our freedom..."

To hear the story about Sammy and her kingdom, she had never talked to anyone about her own. It was refreshing, someone she could talk to about this besides Xiu, whom had her own business to take care of. "Stories of Excalibur are rare, I don't think I've ever seen him myself. Perhaps one time, but I think that was another legacies doing...It's hard to keep track of them. The closest I've gotten is...Percival, I think." She grimaced, his was not a pleasant end either. "Did anyone make it out of that one alive?"

The names listed were not familiar to the dragoness, but she would make a note of them. "I don't know those ones...I'll keep a eye out for Rep though. He sounds dangerous." Her neck felt itchy for some reason. "Do you know of..." She paused, glancing around to make sure no one was in ear shot, then lowered her voice. "Wilson, Ryan, Dakota? I also know Gale, but he wasn't part of white kingdom." Her stance shifted, tail flicking in agitation. It was clear she didn't like mentioning their names, for fear of putting them in danger. "They're trustworthy hunters. I would defend them with my life if I had to."

A pause, then she turned sheepish, looking the other way with a embarrassed grin. "Dakota and I got into some serious trouble with some horseman" She didn't want to mention Xiu was there, encase Sammy knew her and got worried. "...then a hunter bailed me out. I think he's a pretty high rank one too, his coat was super cool looking. He must be super powerful too, I saw him again some time after, he had made a entire waterfall to train under, it was jacking amazing..." It was clear Pokerus was trying not to break out into a full on gush about this how cool hunter was.

She trailed off, still thinking about each side, listening to Sammy's advice. "I know, I don't need a sword nor to be one to fight, I am no ones tools to be used." She sighed, her gaze focused on the ground . " Still, I fear the day hunters attack us. Because I may have to choose who to fight for, and I don't know if I could. Perhaps all I can do for now is to obtain as much power as I can, then maybe the answer will come to me."

Miliardo Kason