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 Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 4:43 pm
"And it keeps dusting you?"
The question was posed from one creature to another: the recipient, an overgrown centipede with crystalline legs that resembled pickaxes; and the asker, something resembling a youth with a perpetual fire in its gut. The two could not communicate directly — rather, a third creature, a cluster of red-orange fireflies, formed into traffic signals whenever the centipede chittered its answer. Together, the three somehow cobbled a conversation.
The centipede creature chittered and clicked, to which the group of fireflies responded with a green light. The flaming boy nodded, then added, "lead the way." The chitinous thing clicked again, and fireflies formed a ONE WAY sign to test the torch's steadily waning patience.
It wasn't far — the centipede youma's haunt was a strip of alleyway backing one of Destiny City's older theaters. The area was well-secluded between the building's ostentatious overhand and a high fence blocking the alley off from the abandoned lot behind them. For some time, the theater had been gunning to acquire that empty land for a parking lot, but its owners — young twenty-somethings fattened off their parents' untimely deaths — wouldn't budge on their outrageous price. This proved fortuitous for troupe members, as they could easily scale the wall for longer, more private breaks. The centipede youma was quite fond of the bushes on the other side of the fence, for they had grown so unruly as to hide a youma of its size.
Until, as it claimed, a fancy hat came about to dust it. Not once, not twice, but several times, too. And while Headache couldn't ascertain the exact shape of the hat based on the centipede's description, its best visual was an overblown sombrero with a veil that looked more like a shower curtain. Faustite was sure something was lost in translation.
He followed nonetheless, and in the early hours of the morning, all shows had ended. He expected he wouldn't see much of this dangerous hat, but he watched for it nonetheless, from his vantage point on top of the concrete fence.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 11:22 am
The spot was a perfect place for a Senshi or Knight to discreetly power down, and Asphodel was certain that was why it was there. Whether it was as surveillance or some ambush tactic, it didn't matter. No youma was out on the town for no reason. If he sensed one, he hunted it down immediately, and he had a notebook slowly being filled with entries on ones with predictable habits. Youma did not belong in Destiny City. Heaven forbid he let them nest. The Knight appeared on schedule, sauntering up to the fence and peering into the bush behind it. The first time he'd seen it, it had been by chance -- a way-too-big bug and acidic little aura skittering just barely by his presence. Instinct allowed him to leap at it immediately. Habit allowed it to become a regular part of his week. Something was different about the situation now, though. For one thing, the youma was not there. Furthermore, there was more than a little Chaotic presence nearby. So he leaned on his spade and waited for the inevitable, whistling a whimsical little tune. His wisp floated nearby, staring at everything.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 11:22 am
They felt the aura first. Faustite stopped, which meant the youma stopped, and he pointed to the cloud of fireflies before he thumbed toward himself. Then the pair walked on.
The whistle was something else — the flamewrought one's eyes narrowed, but the three stalked up to the fence nonetheless.
Beyond it, Faustite saw what the overgrown centipede meant by a fancy hat. And while Faustite hadn't seen many knights, he'd become somewhat familiar with their characteristics. Which planets spoke of which dress senses, what kinds of magic he should expect. But this one? It had all the symbols denoting Saturn, but he never expected a mix of a gravedigger, a mariachi band, and a curtain rod.
The pair of Generals stopped, stared at each other, then stared at the Hat.
The one on the Knight's right spoke while the one on the left began to pace. "You've been harassing this youma." A black hand gestured toward the centipede, which flailed from side to side as it chittered at its foe. The statement was both a charge and a query to which the Knight could admit its own guilt.cibarium i love aspho so much /fans self heart
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:12 pm
Two identical Generals appeared on either side of Asphodel, and he straightened his posture in greeting. An illusion, obviously, but the close quarters made it difficult to tell which was which. Clever. The walking furnace who greeted him obviously kept his youma well-trained. At the accusation, the Knight huffed in amusement. "Are you serious? Youma are dangerous. They're surveillance, they're weapons. Don't try and tell me Metallia just let this one out of the Rift to take a smoke break." He rolled his eyes, shook his head, exasperated. Between this encounter and the similar one with Sylvite, some gaps in his knowledge started to form. "Things in the Negaverse really have changed since I left, huh?" His spade swung up to rest on his shoulder. "Now youma are innocent, cuddly friends, and..." Murky green eyes peered through all his decorations at one of the Generals, lingering openly at the fire that burned within him. "... becoming a youma is a trend. What next, are you going to say it has its own office too? Please."
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:55 pm
The Knight was right about youma — they were loyal weapons and helpful surveillance tools. The one that tailed him now had nosed out a Knight, hadn't it? A Knight that stuck around in the face of two Generals and a youma, even if the auras hadn't tallied up to that. Faustite looked past this Knight to Headache, who remained steadfast in its mirror image of Faustite.
The Knight's admission stole his attention back, and flame settled sharply on him. Faustite's expression soured, the quick-cut lines of a frown aging him slightly. Coupling that with, well, everything that fell out of its mouth-hole, and Faustite was more than willing to barbecue this one.
Still, he kept pacing. There was a story he should learn, first. Information branch diligence, he guessed.
"Yeah, it's got a ******** office and three ******** subordinates, two of them senshi. Emergency ******** rations for when it gets ******** famished out here," he spat back, with bacon griddle pops and crackles peppered throughout his retort. He spat, too — a black clump that popped and sizzled on concrete.
"Who were you, Knight, and who are you now?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 1:12 pm
A crooked smile curled into Asphodel's face at Faustite's retort. His wisp bobbled away from its position next to his head, and drifted down to inspect the sudden scar the General's spitting had formed on the ground. "So I see the policy on senshi in the ranks hasn't changed," said the Knight, a missing tooth revealed in his grin. Then, his expression relaxed into its usual dourness again. "General Uranophane," he said. "I was recruited by Charonite, oh," he thought, "About twelve years ago. Back then it was just him, Beryl, and maybe half a dozen other agents." The Knight swayed on his feet, a bit thoughtfully. "If the Negaverse has been honest with you about its own history, though... you probably know what was going on back then already." The grin returned. "So why don't you fill in the blanks for me?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:55 pm
"Can't be ******** to answer me in whole." General Uranophane was a name he could trace with some help from Axinite. Lacked the clearance for personnel files, he knew, but that particular personnel provably left the Negaverse. That had to be enough to unseal what remained. Had to be enough to warrant an investigation.
Faustite continued to pace a wide berth around this one, and his youma took up his lead. Only the second youma, the chitinous thing, began to fidget and lash for all the talking they did. It chittered its disrespect —
"Shut it," Faustite spat, and the thing silently scuttled toward the wall. Its wall, where its bush would hide it.
Charonite was another name to look into, one he'd heard circuitously. The rest — more dead ends.
"You were recruited when I was eight. Wouldn't know the first thing about Negaverse history, now would I." Not for the price of half a ******** question. "You want information out of me, then give me one of your memories. Won't do it for less, and I won't bargain."
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:28 pm
"I don't need any information about that era from you. I was just curious to see what you know," said the former Uranophane. "But thanks for verifying my suspicions. Don't you find it strange that you don't know anything? That you weren't taught what happened in the Negaverse when you were eight? That they're content to leave you ignorant about all the events that led to you being recruited?" There was a bit of shock coloring his face when he said this. It was quite a disturbing thought, that -- while he was proudly pulling star seeds from innocent people for the Negaverse, this half-youmafied General before him was in ******** grade school, completely unaware of it all. "I guess it makes sense. Some of it would make the Negaverse look bad, after all." He shook his head slowly, in an expression of pity. "But don't let this traitor's biased account lead you astray. Look up the records yourself and make your own conclusions. I'm sure they're still there, the Negaverse always loved its paperwork."
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:38 pm
Faustite halted. The youma image of the General halted, too.
The youma on the wall clicked its mandibles contentedly, as if now mollified for reclaiming its spot.
Faustite's countenance hadn't shifted from its hawkish sternness, but his posture shifted. A hand curled at his hip, or what was left of it, while his free hand hung open at his side. Poised, as if ready to hold an energy orb at a moment's notice, or cradle a weapon in its palm.
He watched Hat Knight. Looked from the spade to the expression he gleaned past that gaudy red drapery. Suspicion and excitement, he found, were one in the same for how they expressed in the tensing of his muscles.
"Tell me what you know."
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 5:15 pm
The fiery General's curiosity lit a spark in the Knight's eyes. "How about I give you a hint, then?" he decided. "Here's a few more names from the old days: Hematite. Linarite. Scheelite. Obsidian. I'm sure you can find more, if you just ask your superiors for a list of agents Charonite recruited." A low chuckle issued forth from his throat. "Look at all of our quotas from our first three years or so. You'll find something we all have in common. Something that demonstrates how eagerly the Negaverse will move the goalposts when it's convenient for them." His wisp floated back up to hover up near his shoulder, seeming to stare at the burning youth. "Trust me, it'll be really obvious. I'll be curious to know what you think. And that's only one small part of the story."
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 6:05 pm
Of those names, he knew one. Backtracking he could do, provided he had access to the files.
He restarted his pacing. Hand still held low, his index finger made two full circles. Slowly, both he and his youma tightened the circle that they paced about the Knight. This one, it wasn't trying to bait a purification out of him. Either it didn't know anything anymore and couldn't give the full story — which seemed unlikely, given that it recalled its previous name and the names of its comrades — or there wasn't a story to be had.
The latter made the most sense. What was given was busywork — kernels of truth for which he had to dig. Send him mining and watch him come running back with a few new facts in hand, facts that amounted to a ghost story. A legend. Lukewarm folklore.
"Deal's off, Stranger." He smiled something between a snarl and a promise before his body faltered into fire.
On the other side, the silent General shifted to flame, and together they centrifuged as they closed in on the Knight.cibarium Headache's gig is visual illusions, so even if it mimics one of Faustite's attacks, it doesn't do damage! Rip flashy bugs Hellborn ;;
Range: Self
Duration: Up to 1 minute
Use Count: Up to 3x
Miss Chance: Escaping his reach
Effect: Faustite's fire expands and engulfs him, transforming him into a living embodiment of flame. For the duration of this magical ability, he appears fully youmafied. When he moves, he moves amorphously as a gout of fire. Faustite can pass through or over nonsolid surfaces, and cannot be hit by physical attacks. He becomes highly susceptible to magical attacks and enchantments, however. Any attacks he makes toward others will be fire property, and will provide the illusion of being burned.
Note:This form is non-pyrogenic.
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 3:30 pm
And then the ambush came. Asphodel growled in exasperation at the circle of flame surrounding him, formed by the blur of the youma General and his youma twin closing in. He should have guessed that he was liable to turn aggressive at any moment, just like ******** Tanzanite. His first instinct was to teleport out of this trap -- grab a bit of space from a better vantage point nearby and pop! himself over -- but of course, that convenient power just wasn't there anymore. The Code didn't see fit to afford such an ability to Knights. Or perhaps it was just beyond his magical benefactor's capacity. Bullshit, he thought. It wouldn't be worth protesting about either, knowing what little of the Code's personality he had already seen. But, fine. Fire he could handle. "Here's a message from my ancestor!" he declared, and he started swinging his spade about the small space afforded to him. Half a dozen gobs of wet mud flew out in every direction. Strickenized (considering Faustite's unique properties, your choice what effect this has on him!)
Forgotten Spell: Burial in the Rain
RANGE: 15 feet
USES: 15
Asphodel's spade can throw mud projectiles about the size of an orange. Like paintballs, they burst and cling to the opponent or surface they land on. The weather can impact how things work from there: rain makes it wash away faster, and icy conditions encourage it to freeze.
These projectiles do no damage and have no special magical effects. They simply have the properties of normal mud: cold, wet, smelly and unpleasant. Depending on where it lands, the mud can cause someone to slip and fall, make weapons and other objects harder to grip on, or impair the senses if it lands in eyes, noses or ears. It clings until removed, which can be done using any method that would work on normal mud.
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:47 pm
He carried his inertia inward —
Struck by mud, he tumbled-fell from his fiery guise, half-human and whole officer, affronted and somehow breathless. He rolled then recovered, bent with both feet and a hand on the ground. Then he staggered up, feeling not quite himself — somehow breathless, as if getting hit with ******** mud somehow robbed him of his chance to burn oxygen. His expression trembled between a grimace and a sneer.
Headache, too, was knocked out of its performance. A dozen of the fireflies performing fire fell dead, turned ashen before they lifted on the wind, while the rest of its swarmed ribboned back around to its owner. Reformed into Faustite's Captain appearance, the thing smacked its forehead at its ******** off," he hissed back.
Turning his attention back to the thick globs of mud in his grate, the General voiced his exasperation in a smoky sigh. He pawed through the mud, pulled fat globs of it out, but more smashed its way through the finebone complexities that articulated his grate. "The ******** did you do — this is — ugh — this is just ******** mud?!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:23 pm
"Surprised me too the first time, but yes," said the Knight. " Enjoy. Since you knocked me out the last time, I guess this makes us even." With the fiery trap neutralized, he walked back some steps, and with a final swing at the wall -- smashed that pesky centipede to the Rift once again. A dark little flame-shaped trinket he found at his Wonder would provide him an exit. "I recommend you cool off and think about what I said... if the youma part of you will let you, that is." He touched the fortunate charm, melted into the shadow of the bushes, and his aura and his form both disappeared from the General's awareness. Strickenized fin from me! thank you! heart
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2022 2:29 pm
"What the ********. What the <********>." Faustite coasted on the mantra as he peeled fat globs of mud off the front of his grate. It lasted only so long before he started to heave; he knew, then, that some of the mud must have squelched through the grate and gotten into his fire. Then he spit up half a cup of blackened sludge.
Wiping his mouth, he looked for the state of his youma. Headache was hale enough, it seemed; the fireflies regrouped and formed a brilliant circle with a prominent X in the middle, indicating its level of approval for their foe. The design lingered where Former General Uranophane had last left, which was near the pile of dust for the as-yet-unavenged centipede senshi.
Faustite sounded out his frustration and vanished from the space once he felt weary of it.
An itemized account of his leavings is as follows:
One pile of blackened sludge
Twenty feet of scorch marks
Six burnt bushes
One crispy baseball
Two garbage fires (one in metal and one in plastic)
An amount of immolated detritus
The centipede youma did not return that month.
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