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 Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 6:39 pm
“I don’t feel anyone around. You should be safe to power up now,” Michael said as he peered around the corner of a utility building in the nearby park. He had accompanied Peter and Devyn, of course. Neither of them could sense auras like he could while unpowered-- which he’d explained to them was just something he realized he could do within the last year or so. It was useful, especially when trying to keep an eye on Negaverse officers prowling around the neighborhood. Peter had his pen out already and when Michael gave them the all clear, he powered up to Oberon. After all, it was probably smart to have someone with Devyn-- or Alastor, rather --who could reasonably fend off any youma or agents that decided to give them a hard time.
Especially since Alstor was only a basic level Senshi. Which was fine! He and Michael could probably handle anything they needed to.
“This is pretty early, but others will usually start powering up soon. This is about the time youma start coming out. I mean, they can come out any time they want, but usually use the night to stay out of sight easier,” he explained as he zipped up the jacket he wore, and stuck his hands into his pockets.
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Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 6:55 pm
Michael barely had time to finish his sentence before Devyn was pulling out his Henshin Pen, and he’d powered up just after Oberon. His hand went to his chest immediately and–thankfully--he felt the shape of his ring under his shirt. The general panic and apprehension of losing it seemed so far away and after he was assured that it was there, he just ran his hands down his outfit to smooth it out.
It seemed more habit than anything else, and he was visibly more refreshed than he’d been when they’d last seen him powered up.
“And the youma, that’s what happens when the Negaverse puts its Chaos in someone? It mutates them, and works through them?” he pressed, because he’d gotten an explanation but it was still a sickening thought. His brows were knitted together and he was visibly disturbed by the idea. “But it’s different from the people who are in the Negaverse, who can control what they're doing? What do you do with them–how do you get the Chaos out and destroy it? Do they just become casualties?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 7:23 pm
”Pretty much,” Oberon said in response to Alastor’s question about youma. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but yeah. Too much Chaos can mutate someone. Sometimes to the point where they no longer look, think, or act human. They can be pretty much any shape of creature you can imagine. Some are more powerful than others, and some are capable of speaking and thinking like humans. But you should be able to feel the difference.”
Speaking of… he could already start feeling the aura of a youma at the edge of his senses. He suspected that his ability to feel auras reached further than Michael’s as a civilian, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe Michael could feel it too now. “Youma are usually weaker than the agents. And yeah, they can control what they’re doing. They can control the youma too, most of the time. Sometimes we can convince agents that what they’re doing is wrong. Other times they’re so absorbed into Chaos and the power it offers that the only way to stop them is by killing them,” Michael explained, looking in the same direction that Oberon had, also feeling the aura appear.
Which meant Alastor probably felt it too.
He had his hand against the orb under his shirt, which he could have sworn fluttered for a moment, but it had been acting up recently, so maybe he was just imagining that, too. Like a phantom vibration from his cell phone.
“The Negaverse wants all Senshi and Knights dead, or in their ranks. They don’t think they deserve the right to live on Earth, despite not having anywhere else to go. Whatever Metallia is, she’s the one controlling them. She is Chaos, from what we understand. We tried to work with the Velencians to destroy her, but…”
Obviously that didn’t work out.
Maybe it was dangerous sharing all of this information with Alastor, but if he was going to survive long enough to go home, then he needed to know.
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Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 7:36 pm
Alastor’s eyes immediately moved to where he felt the anomaly. It was a sick, pulsing speck on the edge of his radar, and he was visibly disgusted by it. “It feels different from mine back home. More precise. Everything back on Alastor just feels like it’s just giving off toxic fumes. You can’t smell it, but you can see it. You can feel it.”
He hadn’t seemed alarmed to hear that the only way to stop someone was to kill them, and the idea that combat should end in death wasn’t foreign to him. He didn’t flinch or argue it, but he did file away that there might be a way to convince people to stop fighting for the Negaverse. He didn’t know what that might mean in terms of how to get rid of their Chaos, but that was probably another question to add to his ever-growing list.
He’d been fighting Chaos for as long as he cared to remember and hadn’t made any advancements, if there was some way to draw it out of someone, he wanted to learn that, too. Peter was knowledgeable and seemed willing to humor his string of questions, and Michael knew a lot, obviously, but it didn’t escape Alastor’s notice that he hadn’t powered up. He kept his eyes on the horizon, where he could feel something, even if he couldn't see it, and asked, “Are you a Senshi too?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 8:37 pm
“I don’t trust you enough to answer that,” Michael answered, ignoring the look he got from Oberon.
He didn’t know who this Senshi really was. They’d known him for less than a day. It was bad enough that he already knew Oberon’s identity. That he knew his name and where he lived and that he was involved with at least Oberon and others who might be able to help.
Bad enough that he knew Alastor was looking for Percy Martel. For Sessrumnir, Knight of Jupiter.
Someone who had died over a thousand years ago. “It’s not you. He’s like this with everyone,” Oberon promised with a sigh. He didn’t want Alastor to think that he was considered untrustworthy or something like that. It was just Michael being Michael.
“If he had it his way, no one would know he was involved with this-- I mean… like knowing anyone. Or being able to feel auras,” he quickly tried to explain without Michael getting annoyed with him for his big mouth.
“I, however, have an excellent sense of character. I think you’re perfectly trustworthy. Oh, I’m the Senshi of Adventure. What’s your magic sphere?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 5:05 am
The youma, and Michael’s answer, was temporarily forgotten when Oberon said he was trustworthy. For a second, Alastor looked happy. And then, he looked guilty. “You should be careful trusting so easily, someone will take advantage of you.”
He didn’t sound like he was chastising him but he certainly sounded concerned. No wonder the Velencians got the upper hand. Peter had been welcoming and helpful and didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives; he seemed the perfect person to try and use for your own gain.
Of which, Alastor did not want to do, though he was grateful for how much help he’d gotten already. He’d help pay him back for it when he got all of this sorted out.
“I suppose you don’t need to be a Senshi to keep yourself safe,” he said, eyeing Michael briefly. There was no disdain, only curiosity; he didn’t seem offended by Michael’s self-preservation. “I didn’t like parading around as Sailor Alastor until it was a death sentence not to. Best that you can defend yourself without your magic in case you wind up somewhere where you have to.”
So, if he could sense auras but couldn’t power up, that was fine. Or if he was a Senshi but still keen on protecting his identity, that was fine, too.
Alastor was here for Percy, for answers, and to figure out how to handle the Chaos on his world. Also, to eat. He wasn’t going to micromanage or nitpick the lives and choices of people he’d only just met, who had been so kind to him already. It wasn’t something he was used to, and that was probably because they didn’t know who he was. So, with a sharp, short sigh he said, “I’m the Senshi of Despair. I think I like your sphere much more.”
That time, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, concretely, and could see a dark, furry shape stalking low to the ground. He didn’t know what a youma looked like aside from wrong and he wasn’t going to run off and start kicking the first thing that moved as long as he had something in his radar. He wanted to, out of instinct; something creeping in the darkness towards you was usually a bad thing, and all his time spent back home had trained him to be on edge about it all. When he was stronger, he could have afforded to be less concerned about things prowling on his peripheral. Or, maybe he’d lived this long because he was at least aware of them.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 9:52 am
Oberon nodded in understanding, not being thrown off by what Alastor was the Senshi of in the slightest. There were plenty of other crazy magic spheres.
“Despair sounds pretty badass,” he nodded appreciatively, and then paused. “Badass is like… something really cool.” He had no idea what terms were universal. He was already surprised that this apparent alien from another world knew what he was saying, but figured some kind of universal translator might be at play. Or maybe he just happened to know English. Oberon wasn’t going to question it.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve survived this long,” Oberon shrugged and then nodded towards the youma.
“They’ll usually disappear into dust when you beat them up enough. They don’t really die. They just get sent back to what the Negaverse calls the Rift.” He would just leave out that it was about a thousand years ago that most of the citizens of the Dark Kingdom were turned into youma to help Metallia. Maybe Alastor was from a time before the Dark Kingdom took over? He had to be, otherwise he would have known what Metallia was. Michael had nothing to say about Oberon trusting so easily. He’d already told Oberon time and time again that he would get hurt if he wasn’t careful, but the brat did what he wanted. And he was pretty good at what he did, so Michael tried to stay out of his hair for it. He just wished he wasn’t as reckless. Like with the scars he was sporting under the gloves he wore.
“Come on,” he told the two Senshi, although he could understand if they were more interested in chatting. That was fine. He didn’t need to be powered to take care of a youma. It wasn’t as though he shied away from scars.
The youma didn’t appear to be that strong, but it did seem quick. A creature covered in fur prowling towards them-- which was better for everyone else. Not so much for the youma. “Need some practice, Alastor?” he asked, because he was interested to see what this Senshi could actually do. Maybe nothing. Or maybe he was pretty good with taking care of himself.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 10:59 am
Alastor nodded, at first in gratitude for Oberon’s explanations and then in what appeared to be agreement. “Maybe. I want to see how bad they are.”
He understood that there were different types of youma, just as there were different types of Chaos, but he didn’t plan on showing mercy to any of them. “Isn’t there some way to destroy them permanently? If they just get sent back to the Negaverse, how can you stop them?”
…Was that the problem on his world? The reason he could strike them as hard and often as he could and still make no progress? The shadows on his world didn’t turn to dust, they just seemed to withdraw and disappear. It was impossible to see if any damage was done, but he didn’t think he could work so hard and still have nothing to show for it.
Maybe he’d feel better if he could feel the dust of this youma.
He suspected he wasn’t going to be returning to fight in any of the groups he’d been introduced to recently, so this was going to have to be a good enough workout for tonight.
He wasn’t shy about it, either; as soon as he locked eyes with the youma, he was stalking towards it. It didn’t seem big, and honestly–hardly even intimidating. Percy could have probably even taken care of it. It wasn’t very cute, so he didn’t even have to feel bad about it. The youma hardly seemed threatening, but he could feel the Chaos leaking out of it and he wondered how long it would take for it to spread, to corrupt this world if they weren’t constantly stomping them out.
Actually, stomping them out sounded like a good idea; he didn’t know how resilient they were, or how much damage they could do, so when he was close enough to the youma he drew his leg back and stomped on it with every ounce of strength he had in him.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 4:35 pm
Lucky for them, the youma wasn’t all that powerful, and when Alastor stomped down on it, it burst into a cloud of dust. Oberon tried not to make a face, because it was always a shame when youma were so quickly gotten rid of, but he knew it was just a matter of time before it healed and came back. At least that was how he understood it.
“Purification would remove the Chaos, or maybe a royal’s magic could kill it,” Oberon shrugged as he caught up with Alastor, his hands still comfortably in his pockets. “Although, depending on how warped the starseed is, they might not be able to be purified, anyway. There are some who were turned into youma by mistake that were purified back. Ah, but I don’t know about too many.” Michael didn’t offer any of his own experience or opinions on the matter, but sometimes the scars from Bazzite agitated him. It was probably all in his head, but it was still annoying.
It was a good thing that Alastor didn’t hesitate against the youma, though. Maybe he would stand a chance on Earth for the short while he was there.
“Not bad,” was the closest he would offer as a compliment. “I’m going to assume you know how to fight? I don’t know if we’ll run into any agents, but it would be good to have backup.” From looking at him, it was probably pretty obvious that Oberon wasn’t much of a fighter, despite being an Eternal Senshi. Not that Oberon couldn't hold his own, but there were all kinds of unsavory sorts out and about.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 5:28 pm
Alastor stared at the dust as it wrapped around his ankle before being carried off into the wind. He didn’t seem impressed by the youma, and honestly couldn’t help but be a little confused by it.
That was it? That was part of the Chaos infesting their planet? Why even bother making such a weak thing?
Once more, he nodded along with Oberon’s answers, but his expression of gratitude was lost in the shadows of the evening. Michael said we, but he hadn’t powered up yet and Alastor couldn’t really make sense of that. If he could have, he would have, right? He looked like he could have been in fights before–and won them, obviously; he was still standing here. He must have gone out with his brother often to be so comfortable with him, or other senshi.
“I know how to fight. I’m very good at it. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
With no results, a little voice in the back of his head reminded, but he pushed it away because he was still alive and that meant he was still doing all right. Could be better, but that’s why he was here.
“I’d like to help, if I can. I want to see what else you deal with here on Earth. I won’t lie, I’m rusty in a lot of ways. I need to get stronger, back to what I was. I thought I could do it before, I don’t know what I was doing wrong.” Percy would know, of course, but he needed to find him first. He should probably try to build himself up a little more, Percy had never seen him this weak. Or scrawny. He’d understand, of course, but that didn’t change the fact that Alastor knew he couldn’t save his world as he currently was.
…Which meant, he might as well see if he could help anyone on Earth while he tried to get himself back in shape, too.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 5:35 pm
Oberon looked between Alastor and Michael, even though Michael was either purposefully avoiding looking at Alastor, or was just trying to keep his senses alert for any other auras that might show up. He wasn’t sure what to make of everything.
Obviously Alastor was someone from their past, and was either paving a new timeline, or there was still the risk of disappearing forever. Michael shared very little about his Wonder, but from what Oberon knew from Chris… Alastor likely wouldn’t be very happy to learn that he was a thousand years in the future and everyone he knew was dead.
“I’m getting better,” he countered Michael’s implied comments, frowning a bit because he could hold his own just fine. “I’m a scientist. I’d rather spend my time learning instead of fighting. No offense,” he said to Alastor, and then sighed because it probably was weird that Michael was with them and not powering up, or couldn’t power up, as far as Alastor knew. Not that Alastor said anything, but he kept looking at Michael, so…
“He learned how to fight while in the military. Of everyone I know, if anyone doesn’t need magic to help them, it’s Michael. He teaches me when he has time.” Michael grit his teeth, waiting for Oberon to say something that he would have to explain, or would clue Alastor in that they knew more about what happened to Percy Martel than they were letting on.
But nothing Oberon said was too horrible. He had learned hand to hand combat while in the military and he did teach Peter, and he definitely didn’t need magic. Half the time he just used his summon if he needed an extra boost of energy.
“Maybe we’ll come across another youma,” Michael suggested as he turned to head away from the center of the park. Being rusty wasn’t bad, but he didn’t feel comfortable letting someone new to Earth fight against an agent so soon.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 5:48 pm
Alastor tried not to sound too enthusiastic about the idea of running into another youma, but he couldn’t really curb his interest in them. It felt like he was just barely scraping the surface of what there was to learn here, and he was going to take absolutely anything Earth could throw at him.
A youma, a Negaverse Agent, whatever. Anything that could help him get stronger.
“Maybe.” He wasn’t opposed; better to fight them than knock some guy around for a few dollars in some shady part of town. Oberon seemed easier to read than Michael, but he wouldn’t have bet that he had either of them pinned down. He had a growing list of things about Michael that were interesting, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Every time he looked at him, there was some sort of familiarity–for a face he didn’t recognize, on a world unknown to him.
It wasn’t the way he carried himself, it wasn’t the things he said, it wasn’t something he was wearing. He looked at him like he was supposed to see something that wasn’t there.
Maybe it was just the thought of how desperately he needed to get home and fix things. He kept thinking about home, so maybe he was homesick. Maybe.
“I’ve got energy to last me a while, I’ll be good all night..”
He just needed someone to lead the way
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