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 Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:04 pm
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It had been a good day. It wasn’t often that Kamacite thought days were better than “okay” and “meh” at best. And he didn’t usually celebrate his birthday as others would. This year was no different, but he still felt elated and light hearted after waking before his alarm that morning.
Official documentation had been presented to him, protecting him against ever having to leave the country. And by presented, he’d found a envelope with his name on it that morning. And by official, they had been forged with excellent quality.
Thank you had been tapped out onto his phone and sent to the responsible party. With needing to go to classes and then making sure he was still caught up with his energy quota, he hadn’t had time to thank Lauri in person.
Not that he expected to get more than a half hearted shrug in response, but still.
It’s okay. I won’t mention it, he thought to himself, going through the various responses he could imagine receiving for his show of gratitude. No, with Lauri action always spoke louder. He could thank him by picking up beer and pizza on the way home, or something.
Kamacite absently played with his hair, running his fingers down the silky black with one hand, and then moving the other over top to do the same, and then repeating as he watched out over the street below for a target.
There were still people milling about, and no sign of any White Moon auras in the area.
I know you’re there, skulking around in the dark. When will you tire of following me, Wolfeite?
A boy was standing by a large window of a store, peering in at the clothes and objects on display. College age, perhaps. Not young enough to have a guardian nearby. Dumb enough to think the city was safe.
No one else is around. This will be too easy.
And then he would be able to go home and spend the rest of his surprisingly good birthday in front of the television or something equally mundane.
Kamacite closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his energy and quietly teleporting from where he sat on the edge of the roof to just a few feet behind the young man, his hands outstretched to quickly start drawing the energy from him.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:12 pm
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The answer to Kamacite’s unspoken question was not anytime soon.
He was not a General who took things lightly or for granted. Kamacite’s abilities, now that he was an Eternal, were as yet untested, or at least unseen by his General. Perhaps tonight would be that night, though Wolfeite had not yet made his presence known entirely. Kamacite would be able to feel his aura and know who it was by simple familiarity, but he had not yet spoken to him, preferring to watch from a distance for the time being, shadows curling around his feet.
He knew of the potential in Kamacite. He just needed to decipher a method for breaking it out of him, for him, so that he could fully immerse himself in his abilities. Kamacite needed careful managing sometimes, but out of all of the recruits that Wolfeite had, Kamacite still held the most pleasing of potential and the most talent.
Until then, he would watch. And he would wait.
Down on the street below, Caspian stood peering into the darkened window of a nearby storefront. He hadn’t yet powered up yet, not because he didn’t intend to, but because there had still been people on the street up until about five minutes ago, and he hadn’t wanted to do anything to draw their attention unnecessarily. He needed to meet Michael - or rather, Sessrumnir - but until he was able to make it to a darker side street, he hadn’t wanted to take the risk.
Caspian had dawdled longer than was strictly necessary in front of the window, mostly because he needed a new pair of running shoes. It took him a moment to realize that the rest of the late evening shoppers had dwindled down into nothing, and now it was only himself, and that wasn’t really a good thing.
He lifted his head - and at the same moment, heard the soft rustle of something behind him. In the reflection from the window, Caspian saw a flutter of bright gold and orange.
His mind had just enough time to register not Sess before he’d spun around, hands up in front of him, Caspian backing away hastily.
“Woah - woah - “ he said quickly, feeling his pulse rising. “Uh - what are you doing - ?”
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:33 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:35 pm
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s**t s**t s**t.
This was not how he’d planned to have his evening go. Caspian had learned to be less reckless and less careless thanks to Michael’s continued presence and the fact that he didn’t want to do anything to cause Michael any sort of pain at all was enough to have kept his nighttime wanderings alone to the barest minimum. Nowadays he only patrolled in pairs when he could help it, and mostly with Sess, because frankly, everything was better with Sess.
He was not Remus now, though. He was just Caspian, unpowered, and he couldn’t afford to power up now, not when his own identity was on the line. It was bad enough that he couldn’t act like he knew what was happening, because that was a dead giveaway, but -
Caspian could feel the steady drain beginning to seep through his veins, a sensation that felt very much like slogging underwater. His limbs were becoming heavier, and Caspian braced a hand behind himself on the glass window, trying not to show the tiredness, his lashes fluttering.
But he was made of stubbornness and snarky remarks. He couldn’t just let this happen.
“Look, I, uh - “ Caspian drew a breath, trying to find the energy to move forward. He wasn’t so much of a lightweight weakling that he couldn’t defend himself without being powered up, but he didn’t have magic, and this was an Eternal, based on the wings. Caspian gritted his teeth.
“Come on,” he said, and staggered forward a step. “Listen - just - how about you let me go? I - whatever you’re doing just - stop now - “
He couldn’t lower himself to begging outright, Caspian trying to keep his tone light. “Uh. Please?”
Up on the rooftop, a dark shadow knelt and watched, gold glinting from the black.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:44 pm
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Kamacite didn’t like hurting people if he didn’t have to. It was why he did whatever he could to drain as much energy as he could before removing a starseed. They wouldn’t be in as much pain that way. A quick, merciful death. Because while their body might live on in a comatose state, once their starseed was removed, that was the end.
“Just relax. I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asked, voice soft, knowing the young man was growing more and more tired by the second.
Wolfeite was watching. Kamacite could feel his eyes on him, a chill running down his spine.
This won’t be enough for you, will it?
That was a shame. Kamacite couldn’t help but pity the poor boy who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. All Kamacite wanted was to drain him of his energy, but with a General that always wanted more, he could not refuse his unspoken demands.
The orb was large enough in his hand now that he could safely deposit it into his pocket of subspace.
“See? That’s all,” he said, his hands lifting to show that he would do nothing more with them. Silk robes fluttered around him as he took a step forward, carefully, cautiously, watching the boy with sympathy for his confusion and his fright.
“That’s all,” Kamacite quietly repeated, a hand reaching, almost curiously, to slide his fingers through the black and multicolored hair underneath, and then very lightly placed his hand on the young man’s face, stroking his cheek in a comforting way.
“You have beautiful eyes,” he said after a moment, because even with the fear in them, he could see the light reflecting the darkened sky. Blue hues that seemed to continue his own sunset palette. They were quite lovely.
Which was why it was such a shame that he had to lift his other hand and placed it against the young man’s chest, before sinking in, long fingers reaching for the starseed within.
“I’m sorry.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:48 pm
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Up on the rooftop, Wolfeite’s lips curved into approving smile behind the mask. He was enjoying watching Kamacite take control of the situation; the thrum of a starseed was always an adrenaline rush, and he held one in his own claws, turning it over slowly as he kept his gaze focused on his recruit.
Kamacite was growing, indeed.
Down on the ground, Caspian was still trying desperately to figure out a way to stop this from happening, because he knew only too well what the lack of energy was leading towards. The small orb was growing larger until, at last, it was wrapped up and disappeared, leaving Caspian feeling winded and drained and wanting very badly to just close his eyes and go to sleep.
He couldn’t. Not now. He had to stay awake. He had to go and find Sess. He couldn’t stay like this.
A gentle hand touched his cheek, slid into his hair. It was almost a reassuring gesture, and would have been from anyone else, but this was not anyone else; this was a Corrupted Senshi, and that alone made his chest throb with the realization that maybe he wasn’t going to be getting out of this.
Except he had to. Caspian’s teeth were gritted against the heaviness, the compliment both unexpected and unwanted because he didn’t want that to be the last thing he heard.
“Thanks, but - “ Talking was an effort too. Caspian heaved a breath. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m - “
The rest of his sentence was cut off. It was doubtless that he had been going to say something snarky, rather than truthful, probably along the lines of I’m just not that into you but he never got the chance. A slender hand sank into his chest and Caspian’s eyes widened, a gasping, choking sound escaping him before he could stop it.
He had only been a little afraid before; and now he felt the fear like a cold douse of ice over his body, his pulse so fast it felt dangerous. This could not be the end, this was not how he was going to go, he was not going to leave Sess -
“No - “ he managed to get out. “Don’t - “ |
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:49 pm
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Such a shame. Kamacite always felt some guilt with each starseed he took, but that was the nature of being in the Negaverse. Of being subordinate to a General who was part youma, one that craved energy and starseeds like no other.
He watched the other dark haired young man with remorse in his eyes as he reached to wrap his fingers around the crystal and—
A sound like air being cut through with electrified energy rang in his ears, the wave of a Knight’s aura hitting him a fraction of a second before a mass of metal and glass and liquid came crashing down where he stood.
The glass and metal shattered against the concrete.
Kamacite had managed to teleport out of the way, but with such short notice he was only able to move himself a couple yards away, a glimmering starseed held in his hand.
No. He was too late. Sessrumnir yanked the chain of his storm glass back as Caspian’s starseedless body began to crumple. He dropped the chain in order to catch him, lowering him gently the rest of the way to the ground.
“Give it back,” he snarled as he launched himself back to his feet and forward to where the corrupted senshi stood with Caspian’s starseed in his hand. It was obvious that he was faster than the corrupt had expected, by the way his black eyes widened in surprise.
The broken casing of the storm glass was dismissed, and then recalled to his hand as if new. At the same time a deafening crack of thunder split the alley, his footfalls enough to threaten the integrity of the glass windows nearby.
He swung with his stormglass just as hard as before, and the startled senshi had to jump back again, hands freed to use their magic, crystal discarded in favor of not being crushed by the weight of Sessrumnir’s rage.
His hand managed to wrap around the crystal just as the white light filled the entire alley, leaving him momentarily blinded, but able to quickly place Caspian’s starseed into his own subspace pocket before the corrupt could get it back.
Or his friend, lurking nearby.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:50 pm
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He had only a split second.
Caspian heard the deafening crash of glass and then -
-then nothing.
His body slowly folded in on itself, and were it not for the strong arm of Sessrumnir around him, he would have collapsed entirely to the ground, Caspian’s eyes shut, his black and purple hair skewed across his pale face. He could have been possibly sleeping; but he remained utterly motionless as he was lowered carefully to the ground.
Thunder crashed. There was no storm to hold it in, not a real one overhead or around them, towering footsteps echoing throughout the street. A lamp flickered and then guttered completely, one less yellowish light casting down, but the blinding white light of Kamacite’s attack filled the space entirely, rendering everything stark and opaque.
Wolfeite landed on the ground beside the knight, already lunging forward mid-teleportation so that the momentum was propelling him forward by sheer instinct. An enraged snarl was torn from his throat, one arm swinging forward, claws aimed to rake a cross the knight’s face, or his chest, or his arm - wherever he could reach.
The solar flare meant that his ability to shift into the shadows was gone; Wolfeite’s golden eyes were fixated on where he’d seen the shimmering outline of the knight, relying on pure instinct, since he couldn’t see much of anything at the moment, a growl radiating outwards.
”Get out of the way, knight.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:53 pm
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Kamacite hadn’t meant to drop the starseed. He had every intention of keeping hold of it, maybe pass it off to Wolfeite once this was all over, but the ferocity of the knight’s attack, and the unexpected thunder from a storm that wasn’t there, caught him entirely off guard. The noise more than the fight itself, because Kamacite knew enough to be vigilant of his surroundings and expect an attack like this, as evident in his split second teleport. He hadn’t been trained to be so reckless.
He also hadn’t been trained to counter knight magic. Not on this scale. Not while also trying to not be caught under whatever weapon the knight was using. A mace of some kind??
Putting himself momentarily out of reach, it was then that he realized he’d seen this knight before.
It seemed like forever ago. But this was definitely the same knight. Wolfeite had been there as well, had to save him from drowning after being knocked into the river.
But there was something else he wasn’t quite remembering… The knight wouldn’t have been able to take on both him and Wolfeite without help, even if he’d just been a new senshi at the time… --
The wolf!
The appearance of the General wasn’t unexpected, and now that Sessrumnir had the starseed, he was able to focus more on the fight. The blinding light had thrown him off, eyes squinting through the residual white in the darkness, but he could feel the shifting of aura and the air around him. The corrupt had backed away, replaced by one part youma in nature.
Claws caught his cheek and jaw, but it was a necessary hit in order to get the General in that close while he couldn’t see him. Even with the searing pain, Sessrumnir’s lips curled into a satisfied sneer. He grabbed to hold onto the half youma’s wrist, while his other hand went to the fang on his belt. The General had just teleported, and Sessrumnir wanted to test his theory that they couldn’t easily teleport again immediately after.
A crack of thunder and burst of wind welcomed Fenrir into the mortal world, dire wolf’s jaws already open and primed to snap down on the General, like a terrier going for a rat.
But then the General was gone. Disappeared. His hand that had been around the General’s wrist closed on nothing, and Sessrumnir’s smirk faltered. Had he been able to teleport again that quickly?
No, not on his own.
The corrupt had lunged in at the last moment to grab onto the General, teleporting them both away from the crushing jaws of his wolf.
“I will give you one chance to leave,” Sessrumnir growled low as his vision started coming back, a staying hand placed against the snarling wolf’s shoulder. His voice wasn’t as animalistic as the General’s, but it was just as dangerous. Blood flowed down his face and neck from the wounds he’d received, soaking into his tunic, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.
He needed to get Caspian out of there, and get his starseed back in him.
Hang on a little longer.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:53 pm
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He felt his claws rake over skin, tearing lines, the coppery scent of blood in his nose as Wolfeite snarled, adrenaline shooting through his veins like a fire gone untamed. He could barely make out the knight - Kamacite’s magic had done its job - but he could smell him and he could hear him, his amplified abilities giving him at least some small shred of an advantage without being able to see.
A hand grabbed his wrist, tight and unyielding. Wolfeite yanked at it, hissing out a sound, but the ability to teleport had to be recharged, and he couldn’t move effectively, twisting himself violently in an effort to get away. His ears were flat back against his head of wild hair, which cascaded down his back in unruly tangles, and the need to sink his fangs into something and crush it was nearly overwhelming.
There was another deafening crack of thunder. Wolfeite had a brief glance of a snapping jaw and enormous teeth before there were arms around his waist and then, in a flash, he was gone and back again, staggering a little from the wave of it, his boots skidding on the ground beneath him a few feet away from the knight.
Kamacite stood near him, still holding onto him; he’d teleported them both, though Wolfeite did not have time to express the satisfaction he had for his recruit for being so quick on the draw. He was spitting with rage now, golden eyes flashing dangerously over to the knight, the bright white light beginning to fade at last.
He had a wolf. It stood beside him, snarling viciously, and the knight’s face was bloody but the ferocity in his eyes matched his summons, both of them unhesitating in their intensity.
It made Wolfeite’s blood hum. Beneath the mask, his lips curved into an unpleasant smile; he could feel Kamacite beside him, Wolfeite’s body rigid with tension and suppressed adrenaline.
“I don’t take orders from Order,” he snarled, and lunged.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:55 pm
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Three times so far in one night, and in a relatively short amount of time between each one. Kamacite struggled to take in deep enough breaths as he righted himself after teleporting Wolfeite away from the giant wolf’s bite.
He felt dizzy and weak from spending too much of his energy, sweat beading along his forehead from the strain. He hadn’t even been able to get himself and Wolfeite much farther than when he’d teleported before. And using his magic on top of that meant that while he might not have any physical injuries (yet), he could very well be out of the fight sooner than later.
With the wolf there, Kamacite was wary about his ability to help more than he already had. Jumping into the fight only to be wounded or worse was much worse than standing aside to give Wolfeite enough room to sate his appetite for blood.
The senshi looked like he was ready to faint, although surprisingly managed to remain on his feet after helping the other from narrowly escaping being dog food. On the other hand, it didn’t seem as though the half-youma learned his lesson yet.
Sessrumnir was ready when the General launched himself forward, although with a little push against Fenrir’s shoulder, he had her step aside to guard Caspian. He didn’t need help to bring a smaller dog to heel.
Has this one been trained to fight? Seems too pent up. We’ll see.
Stormglass dismissed and fists up, Sessrumnir’s first course of action was to dodge the wild attack, coming around to aim a kick to the youma’s back as their position in the alley switched.
Keep away from the claws, he reminded himself as his face throbbed painfully, treating the experience so far like he was trying to keep away from a rabid dog.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:56 pm
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A part of Wolfeite was aware of Kamacite’s dwindling strength; three teleportations meant a draining of power, a draining of abilities, which gave Wolfeite two more before it became too much. He would not allow the knight to touch anything of his, and that included his recruit.
One ear flicked in the direction of the other wolf, already leaping towards the civilian on the ground. Wolfeite’s ferocious swing narrowly missed the knight’s face as he dodged, twisting out of range, and before he could rebalance, he felt the slam of a foot against his back, sending him crashing onto the ground. He rolled a few times, practically spitting with rage, and clambered to his feet again, swaying unsteadily; the knight was strong and relentless, which meant that he was not the type to be easily dissuaded.
But he had a weakness. Or rather, he had a noble bunch of s**t, because Order was all the same. They wanted to protect the civilians. This was no different.
In a blink, he had teleported away from the knight, reappearing right beside the civilian instead and the wolf guarding him, undeterred by the beast. Wolfeite felt the sweeping unsteadiness, his feet skidding, chest straining for air with more difficulty than before; it would take him time to regain the ability to move so quickly again.
And this time it was at the civilian, Wolfeite diving, a snarling growl ripped from his throat.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:57 pm
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Sessrumnir’s eyes widened in shock when the half youma disappeared, only to reappear right beside both Caspian… and Fenrir.
Is this guy insane or just stupid??
The wolf wasted no time in defending her charge with one ethereal paw in front of Caspian, and the other came smashing down onto the youma general. She wasn’t so huge that she could actually crush him, but she was big enough to slow him down.
At the same time, Sessrumnir lunged after the General, grabbing hold of his tail and yanking as hard as he could to get him away. And this was why he hadn’t tried putting Caspian’s starseed back just yet. He didn’t want to lose it again so soon.
“I don’t think so,” he growled, pulling with all his might to get the youma away. He should just let his snarling, teeth bared wolf bite the youma’s head off.
Why Wolfeite thought going towards the giant wolf was a good idea, Kamacite would never know, but he couldn’t just let his General be eaten.
He lept into action as well, using whatever was left of his energy to try and fight. Fists balled, he punched hard at the Knight’s exposed side, and ducked away as the Knight threw his elbow back to try and get him in the face.
While Kamacite was nowhere near a match to Wolfeite or the Knight in strength, he knew he could make up for it in speed. As long as his energy held out. Thanks to adrenaline he expected to last a bit longer.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:58 pm
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His progress was impeded by the wolf’s paw slamming against his chest, forcing him back, a familiar snarl sounding in his ears as her claws dug painfully into his uniform, tearing fabric, scraping skin. She was not unbeatable; she was just a figment of his imagination, more or less, but at the same time he felt a hand around his tail, yanking excruciatingly hard.
Pain rippled up his spine, a sharp, shooting sting, and Wolfeite let out a roar of fury, dragged back without ceremony. The momentum - and the wolf’s fierce attack - sent him crashing to the ground, head snapping onto the pavement, and for a few seconds, blackness threatened his vision as agony burst in his skull. Wolfeite clawed at the ground, gasping and coughing, and twisted around, kicking out viciously hard, a blow aimed at the knight’s stomach - and saw a blur of orange and red as Kamacite flung himself forward, the sleeves of his long robes flying.
The knight was moving, an arm jerking back, elbow aimed at Kamacite’s face, that was, fortunately, dodged. Wolfeite’s sheer rage had tipped over the boiling point, another snarl escaping him, and with an almighty tug, he yanked himself away from the knight, rolling over in a sort of somersault before staggering to his feet.
They were going to be outnumbered. The knight was stronger than Wolfeite would have cared to admit, and his damned summons was still spitting and snarling a few feet away, positioned in front of the fallen civilian. The nausea and dizziness from hitting his head was starting to grow, a pulsing pain behind his temples.
Wolfeite’s claws closed on the back of Kamacite’s robes and dragged him back, throwing up an arm to block him from any attack the knight might throw at his recruit, his golden eyes vivid with hatred as he pulled him with him back several steps, chest heaving.
Blackness was encroaching in his line of vision again. Wolfeite could feel it threading through him, chest rising and falling rapidly. He could taste blood in his mouth.
“You will see us again,” he spat, and, with the last vestiges of strength, teleported them both away.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:59 pm
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