|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 7:05 pm
The bonecharred General made no habit of others' business; as he trod through Destiny City's jutting teeth, he never swerved to intersect clashing auras. When he felt their tactile dissonance, the youma in him shuddered and scathed, and he kept on his way.
He had a quota to keep, and soldiers were cheap. The Negaverse made that abundantly clear.
In the lurid glow of evening, where brick faces and glass were painted gold and traffic was ever at a standstill, Faustite had seldom felt other auras. That day there were two, and the pair had the peculiar luck of being directly in his path. As Faustite crested one avant garde building and arced to the roof of a strip mall, he faced a choice: staunchly follow his path and walk into battle, or slink around it by diverting his route or teleporting.
Teleporting was a waste of energy that he seldom had; he dismissed that option. As he strode across the gravel-strewn route, he decided that even the thought of avoidance pissed him off. Damned if he was going to skirt around someone else's tussle like it was interrupting their day.
He'll walk straight on through, and ******** them both if they didn't like it.SSBrosB LMK if something needs changed. I'm not all the way coherent rn
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 7:02 am
Usually when he felt an aura while he was out hunting for energy it was Order, some Senshi wanting to fight him. And unfortunately that was where he had ended up today, except he had, unfortunately for him, encountered an Eternal Senshi. Senshi Star Bit or something equally as dumb for a name. Either way, he had been in the middle of in the middle of scouting some possible civilians to drain energy from and had been accosted. And then the fight had started. Chambersite was usually quite confident about going up against Senshi since their magic was temporary, but this time though it actually hurt. Some star bit attack that was pelting him or whatever. He still didn't care about the name, but this Eternal seemed to be on the war path against Senshi. He only barely felt another aura, he couldn't tell what it was at first besides chaotic. But it seemed... different. Even more so from a regular Generals. He couldn't pay attention to it for too long. He was on his own for now. And either the General would come help him or they wouldn't. Agents were a dime a dozen anyway. He threw the dagger at the Senshi again, only barely landing a hit. Strickenized You're fine! Hope my response is okay!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 8:54 am
When he crested the building, he knew he would walk straight through their fight. An eternal senshi had caught a dagger with his hand, removed it, and tossed it aside. His focus was pinpoint, as he did not raise his attention to meet the burning torch that just reached the skyline. His prey was the sole winner of his attention.
On the losing side of their mismatch was a captain, injured but not altogether incapacitated. He had fight in him yet.
Easier to continue draining, he knew. Skip over their squabbles and feed the war machine. There would be more agents, more pointless battles, more fruitful attempts to perpetuate the war. Whatever came of this one skirmish wouldn't alter the outcome of anything.
Faustite stepped off the parapet, flame writ scrawled from one building to the next, the dagger swept up in hand as he approached. This garnered attention; the senshi stared him down and raised a hand, which must be related to his magic. The cindered General cut right and forward. His senshi target muttered something, and a violent white-hot beam shot out from the hand that had been tracking him. Reflex taught him to duck down, and the beam glanced his shoulder.
Then he sprang, and the arc of his body carried him on a twisted trajectory. Over and past, all the better to throw the stolen dagger. It sank between shoulder and neck, opposite the heart.
"Recall it!" He shouted to the Captain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 6:37 pm
So, the General had decided to join. And from what Chambersite could tell, this General was either half-youmafied or a cyborg, and a poorly constructed one at that if the smoke and flame was anything to go by. Chambersite thought he saw the General picking up his dagger. Interesting to note that another could. It wasn't too big of a surprise, just something that he hadn't seen before. And the entrance of the General also caught the Senshi's attention. He started to attack the General and the General was grazed. Chambersite could only watch for the moment, wondering how the battle would play out. What he didn't expect was for the General to use his dagger and stab the Senshi cleanly. And all he could do was what the General told him and recalled his dagger. There was a lot of blood to say the least. There was only a few moments left and Chambersite felt himself moving and quickly plunged his hand into the Senshi and took the starseed. The Senshi was gone, and there would be no more resurrections for them. He held his hand out, startseed still in it, and tried to catch his breath. It was a bit hard to do so with the smoke, but eventually he was able to breathe freely again and took a look at the General. Something had definitely gone on with him, but it wasn't his place to ask. Chambersite felt a mix of emotions, but the one that stood out now was failure. Even if he had been up against an Eternal, he should have been able to get away from them. And a General had seen it. He would just have to deal with any consequences that came from such a failure, even the worst case scenario. He moved the hand holding the starseed to Faustite, offering it to him. "I believe you get to decide what to with this... General." He only paused with the title, because he wasn't sure if "sir" would be appropriate. "I apologize for having to be saved." Shame. That was another feeling. And anger that he had lost such a fight. All the more reason he had to train harder to become a General himself. It was pathetic to lose in such a way. Strickenized I probably could have written 500 words for this post alone lol
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 5:00 pm
While he was prepared to, Faustite hadn't needed to restrain the senshi for the nameless Captain to land the killing blow. It was helpful, heartening to know — and better yet that he hadn't needed to tell this companion to take the starseed.
In the postfight, Faustite took a moment to peel back the burnt remains of his button-down's shoulder to examine the damage. Pale skin was rawed, peeling, and burnt deep. Faustite hissed through his teeth as he traced the parchment-peeled inner layers of meat, and found some relief that they still retained nervous function. Hardly surprising that the Captain struggled with this one.
More surprising that the Captain deferred to him, given Faustite's storied history with belligerent recruits and underlings. A hand found its spot on his hip, and he looked from starseed to the youthful individual who held it. "Eat it," he instructed. "You're injured." Because the alternative was worse.
The apology was considered, and its response discarded. He could address it later, if the topic resurfaced.
A brief auric glimpse into the horizons told him that their vicinity was devoid of enemies. It bought them time — and time was precious to members of the Negaverse, made more valuable for the time it took to get to know their other officers. "What's your name, Captain?"SSBrosB you won't have to worry about hitting word count, then!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 5:46 pm
Whatever had changed the General into what he was today, it certainly seemed to be at odds with the parts of him that were still human. It was enough to make Chambersite curious, but not enough to ask the question out loud. He would see if he could find it in the database. There weren't too many Generals, so finding this one should be easy if he never got his name. It appeared that the General didn't want the starseed, but just because Chambersite was injured did not mean he wanted to give into that temptation. He took a moment to look at it before putting it away. "I am. However, at this time I believe I'll be okay without it. At least in a few days." While he had been a student at Romano's the instructions to heed the orders of superiors had been drilled into his head quite extensively, however he had been told how dangerous the consumption of Starseeds was. Unless he was at the point of dying, he didn't want to start eating them. And he didn't believe himself to be that badly injured. He had received quite a few cuts from that Senshi though, which was going to give him pain for at least the next few days, even if he could heal more quickly as a Captain. Still, if he could just refrain from cooking too wildly in the kitchen, he believed he could recover by himself. "Chambersite." He said, responding to the General's question. The guilt he felt from not following the General was still there and if the General really wanted to, Chambersite would be quite easy to strike down. Still, he took the chance. But if he was ordered again, he wouldn't be able to go against it, which agitated him quite a bit. One more reason to move up and not stay in this position. He was only glad he wasn't a Lieutenant still. That would have been much worse.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 3:21 pm
His laugh was mirthless, but lacking derision. A hand found his hip and his body slanted to the side, his weight ever shifting between one hip and the other, as if allergic to sitting still. When he couldn't linger that way, he began to pace, or looked about, or rounded on this Captain with whom he was chance acquainted. If Chambersite minded, he hadn't said anything yet.
"Faustite," he gave in return.
"Smart of you to refuse. I forget what it's like for —" he considered the term as flame eyes stared at the dark behind Chambersite's left foot. "— People. Should give it to Metallia, then, as you have no use for it," he finished, and pointed knowingly at the man.
Astute, this one, for knowing the dangers of starseed consumption. Or he was taught well, though by whom, Faustite did not know. Perhaps there was no one, as was the case for so many officers. Perhaps he taught himself through the Negaverse handbook available on those deplorable tablets. Ironic if he learned as much from the enemy, and this provoked an arch smirk across his yearling features.
"Who's your General? 'Can tell them of your performance."SSBrosB sorry, took a minute to characterize this
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 7:03 pm
Well, at least the General had accepted it. But yes, Chambersite was not one just to eat starseeds so he could heal a bit. There would be no point to his healing powers if he was just going to go and kill Senshi just to heal himself a little. Still, with what Faustite said, it was a confirmation that the General was no longer completely human. "Zircon was my General when I was a Lieutenant." He had begged her to join the Negaverse. To go through Romano's without joining was ridiculous and considered quite a failure, at least for him. "But she's been... MIA for a while now. I've been on my own since then and don't have any real General to report to. Just ones that have been able to make the time." It was true, though it seemed that the Negaverse trusted him to do his job as they hadn't bothered him that much. It was both a blessing and a curse, with the curse part not knowing if he was any closer to becoming a General. With no one to report to and his flaws unable to be pointed out, it was taking a lot more self-improvement than he thought it would.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 6:37 am
MIA, he said. She was dead, purified, or she left for her own self-preservation. Wars had a habit of chewing through people — some just took longer than others before every morsel of energy was swallowed. The same would happen to him, of course. The same would happen to Chambersite.
They wouldn't escape alive. But Chambersite didn't need to know that, the obeisant little thing.
"Don't stick around waiting. Get reassigned," he offered, though much of his speech sounded like commands anymore. As he spoke, his hands danced around his words' gesture, and he half-relied on shaping his meaning out of the cool night air. Every time, it carved shadow into Chambersite's face, where living fire illuminated his features.
"You have a team? Lieutenants of your own?" While his General was absent, Chambersite may have gotten by on exemplary performance, or he never got reassigned because he had a group of new recruits to instruct. There was likewise chance that he simply waited, expecting Zircon to pop out of absence any day now.
He was like that, once. It seemed a hundred years ago, and Umber had been half as good a General as he deserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 6:58 am
For some reason the General's words pricked a bit of annoyance in him, but he held it down. There was no reason to after all. The General was correct after all. Still, he did like how it was now. No one to really report to, just doing it when he wanted. It was nice not having the supervision even if it was required in the Negaverse. "I'll make sure to do so." He said, heeding the General's words. He shook his head at Faustite's question. "I've been lone-wolfing it. I've done some missions with others, but otherwise I have been on my own." He had no one reporting to him either. He wasn't sure if it would ever truly be the case that he would, perhaps he would be a subordinate-less General forever, but then he could probably do more without having to keep an eye out on others. He wasn't sure which he would rather do, other than having powers over the Agents that he was in charge of. And then Chambersite would have to figure out what his long-term plans for being in the Negaverse were. He couldn't imagine that he would just be there, waiting for their beck and call at all times. He would have to take initiative and do something for them. What it was at this time, he didn't know, he would have to think about it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 7:14 am
Faustite knew of no Negaverse protocol that impelled officers to work. Metallia never drained them for now powering up at night, for now coming through tangled streets looking for sacks of energy that called themselves people. Metallia did not lash her officers for choosing to stay indoors, for choosing not to fight the city's scattered Order presence.
Faustite understood clarion why he sought energy and conflict, though his superior compelled him not. But Chambersite's motivations were enigma — he had no subordinates to watch over, no superior left to answer to, no dependence on the Negaverse for his continued existence, no pay to incentivize his time, and no obvious convictions that aligned with Negaverse goals. With curiosity, Faustite studied him, and flame eyes checked the shadowed corners of his cheeks and eyes for signs of an answer.
Perhaps it was as easy as seeking a routine in a ruined, time-starved world.
"Why'd you join, Captain?" He paced, as was ever his wont, though this time, his course orbited about his new acquaintance. It bought him moments to take in the uniform, to remember this one. "What brought that Eternal down on you? And why were you fighting it yourself?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 7:34 am
The questions appeared to be genuine curiosity, but Chambersite knew it was never that simple in the Negaverse. The General, at any point, could simply decide that Chambersite wasn't worth it and destroy him on the spot. He doubted he could so easily get away from someone who seemed to have flames born within them. He would have to be careful with what he said, and make sure to be ready to teleport if need be, even if it completely drained him. The General started to pace around him, something that Chambersite did not like. He crossed his arms in a relaxed way, he didn't look defiant, he just needed a place to put them for now. And to hold onto his dagger if need be. "I'm sure you've heard of Romano's. I was sent there by my family. I doubt they knew it's true purpose, I guess they just wanted to make sure I didn't rebel. But when you're trained and promised powers that ordinary humans can't have, then that's something that usually intrigues any ordinary person." It was for him at least. And to be able to hold it over others, even if it was just civilians. Just how much should he say though? That humans were inherently flawed and that if he was given the power to be better than most then it was worth whatever Metallia was doing? No. Not now. He knew that some Generals, even if they stayed, were not ones for those obsessed with using the Negaverse purely for power. "The Eternal saw me draining energy and attacked. The usual." It hadn't been the first time, nor would it be the last. "I was out there by myself, I hadn't expected company but they came suddenly. While there is the ability to send out a distress message, it wouldn't be looked too kindly by most right? Unless they got something out of it. And I underestimated my abilities. I thought I could take them, but the powers they had were different from what I was expecting." Really, what could one expect when the Senshi's uniform was covered in what appeared to be space candy pop-rocks?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 8:48 am
Joined out of interest and stayed for the power, then. Not much of a moral code to this one, which was easier for the cindered General to comprehend. He liked the simpler reasonings, found Occam's razor elegant.
"I'll take your word for it." Been a while since he was an ordinary human. Or human at all, in retrospect.
Faustite paused when he reached Chambersite's front again, and this time regarded him quizzically. Hand on hip, he shrugged askew. "Never heard of agents looking down on each other for using the SOS. Sounds more like youma behavior." He wondered who gave the Captain such an idea, but any further questions would shape their encounter into an interrogation, rather than a conversation.
Wind soughed through the trees; Faustite sidestepped the Captain where his smoke wouldn't trail into his face.
"Never met any who charged for their services, either. Could still happen, though." Agents were shrewd and cruel, but such toxic levels of selfishness demanded investigating.
"If you don't trust the peerage, try taming a youma. Should give you an edge."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 9:48 am
Chambersite relaxed a bit more, though still made sure to keep an eye out for anything that the General could be doing. "It depends on the Agents you run into." He said, not in a biting way to the General, but with a shrug. Some Agents certainly would judge him for being weaker. It was silly, they were supposed to rely on each other, it was an army after all. But even in the best of armies there were always some that believed teamwork was a detriment. "But..." Chambersite paused. "Perhaps you are right that I should try it more often." He thought about what the General had said about the Youma. "It would. I was thinking of doing it when I became a General, but having it as a Captain would be helpful as well." Really, he hadn't thought about it that much. It was just something he kept in the back of his head. He hadn't seen Youma that much, especially personal Youma, and so it barely even occurred to him. It was decided then. He would just have to go and get one. He looked at the General. "Thanks for the input. I'll go with your suggestion."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 2:06 pm
Cagey, this one. It reminded him of what Scheelite had said, and for a moment, he wished he had the spastic officer's warmer demeanor and disarming presence. He could not take back being on fire, nor could he reclaim half of his personhood, so he had to accept his fellow officers' distrust.
"Better that I don't run into those agents. I would beat them or eat them." Repurposing the ranks and all that.
"No one is giving you orders," he offered with a lopsided shrug. "Only options." He thought, briefly, about sharing his adventures with his youma, but anecdotes never seemed to interest his fellow officers. Even less often were his taken with good faith. To think of it now brought conflicted feelings, as his relationship with the old squid had soured during his long trek through the Rift.
Better that the Captain didn't get lost in such a dangerous place, but far be it for him to give any further advice to one who was so divested from the conversation. Faustite half-turned, and faced the caliginous buildings beyond their shared corner of a roof.
"Stay safe, Chambersite. Look me up if you have any questions." He wouldn't, Faustite expected, but it was a margin better to say it than completely abandoning an agent to their isolating tendencies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
