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 Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 9:09 pm
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For as unwelcoming as the Hall of the Ancients was inside, outside was worse. Made of sleek black stones, the fortress was an ominous figure. It was tall and imposing, and each spire and sharp curve looked like it was ready to slice through the sky. It could have been considered beautiful, once you got past how intimidating it was. From the outside, it was difficult to make out the stained glass. Once, gold and gemstones decorated it. Now, what the lightning hadn’t charred, the storm had battered and chipped away.
The clouds were knit tightly across the sky, and while the lightning occasionally flashed in the distance, the thunder was only a quiet mumble. When it echoed, it sounded like whispers. Scheming. Preparing.
The ground was saturated with water and every step felt like standing on a sponge. The grass was brittle, but it wasn’t slippery. A great stone wall encircled the Hall, with plenty of room to spare. Watchtowers lined the wall at regular intervals, and though they didn’t offer much defense, their primary purpose was to protect the lights he’d installed. Fire burned brightly behind thick glass to protect against wind and rain and shadow, but spotlights had been installed. They looked out of place, but they were practical.
Outside, the clouds hung low; they were dark and it was difficult to make out what time of day it was on Alastor.
Within the walls, towards the North, was a grassy field. In the center of it, a massive oak tree with black bark, and specks of gold inlaid. It had no leaves, but that wasn’t surprising given the weather. To the East, a waterlogged, withered garden, and a wall that looked like it had been recently damaged. The sound of the rushing river was loudest there. To the South, an underground storage chamber. To the West, the front of the Hall, and the path to the gates that led outside. The forest, distant and dark and the greatest source of Chaos, was just past here.
But, there were other locations, radiating chaotic waves.
A grove of trees to the southwest seemed to be a stronghold for it, something underground near the southern storage chamber in the Hall, to the East, directly across the river, and another to the SouthEast, where there seemed to be some obstruction to the flowing river. Further up the river, lurking in some ruins, another one.
Eternal Sailor Caliban, Senshi of Sealing, Hyperborea, Transcended Knight of the Cosmos, Sailor Solaris, Senshi of Catalysts, and Mauvian Realta have been assigned to cross the river and investigate a strange Chaos source just beyond it. From here they can see The East Wall behind them; a large crack in the wall is all that separates it from the Hall of the Ancients. To the North, they can make out The Ruins, and to the South, in the distance, water seems to be building up dangerously high at The Dam.
The river is wide, and full of violent, rushing water. It looks like the storming has created an incredibly dangerous obstacle. It’s impossible to just jump over the river; it’s too wide to make it in a single bound, and getting caught up in the current could easily drag someone under. Thankfully, some debris makes the river look passable but anyone trying to pass is going to have to be careful and plan this well. Some large boulders can be reached by jumping, and some fallen logs might be usable–but this is going to take great caution and skill. Nothing looks particularly stable, and one wrong jump could be fatal.
The wind is strong by the river, and gusts are waiting to knock them off balance. The rocks are slippery–and, after the river, the strange collection of Chaos they’ve been tasked with investigating.
The group has been given powerful floodlights to help weaken–and hopefully destroy–the Chaos; the shadows seem sensitive to the light.
But, they’re greedy. And, the sky is threatening to open up any moment now.
The last thing this group needs is more water.
Quote: This roleplay is a casual roleplay, which means posts will come ~every 48 hours. If you need to be skipped for a round or need a little more time to post, please let me know! Otherwise expect another post in about two days. If everyone has posted for a round before the 48 hours expire, I may post before the 48 hour mark to introduce the next prompt. Because of the fluctuation in energy in the air, magic can manifest in slightly different ways here than it might ordinarily manifest on Earth; if you want to try something special with your magic that is outside of its current approved parameters, please let me know! Characters can take any form they have unlocked; Mauvians can play in their humanoid form, and characters with other special forms can access them if they prefer. This roleplay may have clues for what tasks you might need to accomplish, but if you would rather OOCly know what needs to be done instead of working it out ICly, please let me know! Chaos manifestations will appear a few posts in; if you are playing your own, information about them will be posted when they come into play! Please make sure to include your character’s name and a link to their journal at the top of your post!
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2022 8:43 am
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Quote: Solaris is a DSS that has alien features, and is easily recognized as not from Earth
Sailor Solaris
Perhaps it was because she’d met the world’s patron senshi and seen how kind he could be, that Solaris expected she’d brush off whatever intimidation Alastor could throw at her when she stepped outside. But nah. Her feathers still fluffed up and got plenty ruffled when she began to look around. When she got far enough to see it, the Hall looked like great claws were ready to rend the sky. Cool. Wished it looked like it was gonna attack Chaos…
The facade of the building didn’t match the beautiful yet welcoming strength Devyn had displayed in the time she’d known him, and that bothered her, she found.
Solaris moved quickly over the waterlogged land. Light as she was, she had a feeling getting stuck in the muck would be all the harder for her to pull herself back out. It was a situation she was actively trying to avoid. Following along the directions they were given for where they needed to defend, part of her itched to just… wander. Explore. But it was an urge she smothered—ideally, if they got Chaos on out of here, she might be able to bug Devyn to let her do exactly that.
She was already trying to keep her mind from wandering to what if— about her own world…
The roaring waters reached her ears long, long before she actually saw the white-tipped rapid and barreling current. Winds tugged at her, and Solaris unfolded her wings curiously. Only to huff. No. Strong as the winds were here, the gravity was too strong, and the winds not strong enough… damn.
She adjusted her hold on the floodlight in her hands before just shrugging and sending it off to subspace for the time being. If she had to cross that river, she wasn’t carrying something heavy. To hell with that. Especially with how angry those clouds looked up above…
Hands on her hips, she turned back around a bit to eye the others she’d been assigned with. Realta, of course, she knew, and knew her magic. But the others… An Eternal Senshi, and a Knight that seemed to have an extra… glow about them. ”I’m Solaris. For the record, my magic causes explosions. Senshi of Catalysts and all. But it’s not been super stable. So if I need to open fire, probably better to keep a distance so it doesn’t backfire on you.” She spoke bluntly, plainly. This wasn’t a time for jokes and humor. Solaris had no interest in causing injuries or worse to those she intended to fight alongside.
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Mauvian Realta
At least it wasn’t raining yet.
It was the chief thought in the Mauvian’s mind as they began to approach the river. She’d already sent her floodlight into subspace for her own ease—she wasn’t about to ask someone else to carry it for her, they had their own. The large feline had run lightly across the ground, mindful of areas that seemed they’d be a bit too soft and avoiding such.
The pressure of Chaos around, though, had her tail fluffed up and lashing. This felt horrible, and if Alastor was anything like Solaris’ stories… how long had all of these senshi spent holding back the jaws of Chaos..? Alone. It was a humbling, horrible thought to the Mauvian. The least she felt she could do was help try to reclaim these ravaged worlds.
As they neared the river, Realta’s nose wrinkled. "The debris looks like it can act as makeshift bridges, at least," she sighed. Though she was mostly talking to herself, others would be able to clearly hear her—hopefully, anyway, over the loud pounding of the river. "We need to make it to the opposite bank, and we can set up the floodlights beyond that. Is there anyone here who is not comfortable with their balance in this situation?" She turned towards Solaris, the Eternal Senshi, and the Transcended Knight. "And for introductions, I am Realta. I will assist you three in this the best I can, so please do not hesitate to bring up any plans you think might be best for this mission."
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2022 10:27 pm
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Hyperborea, Transcended Knight of the Cosmos
Hyperborea gazed out at the dark and foreboding landscape. It was definitely an intimidating planet to be sure. She'd rather be basking in the starlight of her own wonder but this planet needed help. Any planet that fell to chaos weakened everyone, which meant this place was as important to protect as her own city.
She looked at her 3 companions an eternal she was not familiar with, a guardian cat, and another inhuman senshi. She was glad when the introductions began so that she'd know just who she was partnered with and what they were capable of.
She nodded as the inhuman senshi explained that her magic created explosions. "My name is Hyperborea if there to be introductions. I'm a transcended Knight of the Cosmos. It is a pleasure to be working with you all." She spoke politely but seriously. "My magic revolves around channeling starlight. I can cover my body with it to make my touch burn for beings of chaos yet feel heavenly to beings of order, I can fire it in blast towards my enemies, and I can create an explosion of blinding starlight that burns away at chaos. If you see the star on top of my staff glowing bright silver shield your eyes, since you're all Order it shouldn't burn you but the bright light will still be blinding. Oh I can also call on my summons Cerynitis for healing magic if we need it. " She explained her powers as the other senshi had.
She gazed at the treacherous river her iridescent eyes studying its dark waters, she trusted her balance but it was probably better to not risk it, she figured if she fell into that water there was a good chance she wouldn't reemerge. "Can you two make it across on your own? I can open a portal for myself." She inquired looking at the two senshi. She summoned up a palm-sized crystal shard with dark clouds and a black tar swirling inside of it. She drew the crystal along the air in front of her tearing a rift in space open. "It can't hold all of us but I think I could carry you with me Realta if you would like." She offered the Guardian waiting for her before she stepped through the portal to the other side.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 3:45 pm
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Thankfully, the only Chaos they had to worry about was ahead of them; Realta and Solaris might have been disadvantaged if they were to take it on alone, even with the Eternal Senshi with them. Hyperborea’s portal remained, but only with enough strength that someone small could slip through after her.
Realta was the best bet–especially because the winds seemed like they were starting to pick up and might be of use to Solaris, and Caliban’s parkour might give him an advantage in crossing the river.
Lightning struck somewhere near the Hall, behind them. It was loud and reverberated strangely. The storm was picking up. A few drops of water fell from the sky, and it was clear that they weren’t going to have a lot of time to get across before the clouds tore open.
It was going to be bad news for them–especially because the water level seemed to be on the rise. Or, maybe it was just that the current had picked up. Water splashed against the side of the river, against the debris, with such force that it was spraying up into the air. It was cold, and when it splashed at them it was with such ferocity that it felt like the water itself was trying to grab them.
But, the wind had picked up–not enough that it would have thrown Caliban off balance, but it might have been enough to toss Realta about if she didn’t pass through Hyberborea’s gate.
But, for Solaris, it was wonderful. The gusts were strong enough to carry her on the wind, easily across the river and to the other side.
They should probably move fast, though; there were a few trees on the other side of the river, not dense enough to hide much but solid enough to hide something. The river was only their first obstacle they’d have to overcome, though–and Hyperborea was already across and alone, with a growing wall of shadows.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2022 10:20 am
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Caliban had only been concentrating on what was in front of them, before realizing that the others had started talking. He wasn't sure if he had heard everything they had to say, but either way he was making it alone across the river. He would have accepted help if it was offered, but if they were going to lose one of them, he would rather it be himself and not drag others with him. "Caliban, Senshi of Sealing. I basically paralyze limbs. I only have one spell for completely immobilizing someone." Probably not of much help at the moment, but perhaps he could stop something later if he made it over.
The Knight made it over just fine, which only made him a bit jealous that she could do so. The alien Senshi and Mauvian seemed as though they would be fine as well.
For his part, it took longer than he had wanted considering he had to go against the wind and keep his balance, but he eventually made it over, sighing and hoping he hadn't pulled a muscle in a weird way. "I'll keep an eye out until everyone's over." He said, taking another look around. The feeling of chaos was overwhelming that he doubted that he could sense any one thing, but he would have to count on his other senses for now. He just wish he had brought a flashlight.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2022 1:00 pm
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Sailor Solaris
Maybe her bangs hid it, or perhaps the otherwise gloom and darkness of the area, but Solaris’ brows rose at the list the Knight gave. Transcended? was mouthed silently in a personal question, testing the pronunciation on her tongue. She’d need to ask Realta about that later, or see if Alastor had run across that yet and explain it. Questions for another time.
The sudden portal also confused her—especially since she and the other senshi hadn’t yet figured out a route to pass—but she nodded to Realta when it was clarified that the portal could only act in a very limited capacity. Fair enough, and at least that meant she didn’t have to worry about the Mauvian falling into the water.
As the senshi, Caliban, introduced himself, Solaris’ head began to nod slightly.
"Defense-offense touch, offense blast, offense explosion, healing… summon? Okay," she summarized as she pointed towards Hyperborea, then pointed towards Caliban, "Defense-support, depending on how it’s used, and I’ve just got some offensive magic. Cool, that’s actually not a bad mix at all." A relief, really. Solaris was still struggling with the reality that she’d lost all her magic as her planet had struggled and withered—it’d hurt like hell as her people had suffered, but once they were all gone, and it was just her… she’d been able to stop caring about what she no longer could do.
Now? Now it absolutely rankled.
Solaris couldn’t help but jump a bit when everything lit up briefly with too-close lightning, and she turned more, glaring in the direction of the Hall where it’d seemed to originate from. Water droplets landing on her skin were momentarily ignored as she wondered why that had sounded so weird.
Oh but that gust. That wind. Now, that, that got her attention.
She’d folded her wings at first, used to the reflex to protect herself against stupid choices on Earth, and aware of the danger it’d held for centuries even on her own world to attempt free gliding again.
But this wind felt… better. She lifted a hand towards Caliban, calling over the storm, "I can see if I can help from the other side, if you need it," knowing that she was about to be very selfish. It’d be better to work together to figure out a way over.
But she just wanted to fly.
Turning towards the wind, she unfolded her wings, and the sensation of the current gliding across feathers, under them in a way that dangled the sweetest gift she could have pled for… Solaris didn’t care that she sensed Chaos so close, she ran into the wind, enough till the current caught just right under her wings, angling them to best adjust for the curling current, and feel lift… The others might have been able to hear her "Finally!" shouted into the winds before her feet left the the ground, and Solaris let out a whoop of sheer joy as she gained enough altitude to maneuver herself over the raging, clawing river.
She allowed herself to do a couple small maneuvers—twists and rolls, tucking her wings back against her body to enable full body rolls with a laugh—before she forced herself back into a more focused role. "Gonna try to check ahead," she called out to the others, noticing Caliban had also joined Hyperborea and Realta across the river. She banked somewhat into the wind, letting the current take her up a bit higher as the forest beyond pushed the air upward. The trees weren’t dense… it didn’t hurt to try to scout onward, see if she could spot the Chaos that pulsed and thrummed on her senses. Give them a better idea of what they were walking into.
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Mauvian Realta
Realta rather liked the collection of skills gathered, and nodded to herself as each introduced and explained some of their strengths that might be needed here.
The warning from Hyperborea on how to avoid being blinded was especially welcomed. The Cosmos Knight’s skills were uniquely set to combat Chaos, and the Mauvian’s ears perked forward hopefully. She wasn’t familiar with this… other sort of Chaos, but she hoped the affects would remain the same. All the more to burn and hurt it, the better.
Realta figured she could probably cross the river using the rocks and debris… though she wasn’t very happy about the prospects. That the kind Knight offered her a portal to cross over had the Savannah immediately relieved. Even if she paused to glance about at the others—the nod from Solaris encouraging the act was sweet. The feline wasn’t exactly keen to the idea of abandoning others. She was still aware of her own limitations in her form.
"I’ll follow after you, don’t worry, dear," she said warmly to Hyperborea, beginning to do just that. Out the other side, she sighed, relieved to not needing to clamber and climb her way to avoid the waters. She could swim, but she didn’t trust anything with this storm—
Movement caught her attention, and she looked back aghast. "Solaris! Get down here this instant!" The Mauvian’s tail was puffed up anew, hissing as she watched the cheering and whooping senshi ride the damn winds. Glide over? Fine. Nerve wracking, but fine. "No, don’t go—oh you are such a child," she yowled, as the other announced her plan to check ahead into the forest. Above it, sure. But they didn’t know what they were bloody dealing with.
The Mauvian groaned loudly, looking at Hyperborea and Caliban. They were both at least acting far more composed… "You two had best brace yourselves. I can take your floodlights, if you like, and can arrange them once we know where Chaos is attacking from."
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2022 5:13 pm
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Caliban made it over at exactly the right time–only seconds after the group was across the river, a rock came hurling down from the sky and splashed into the river with such ferocity that the debris was briefly washed under the water. The spray was cold and uncomfortable, and if that wasn’t bad enough, fat, cold drops of water started falling from the sky, and thunder rumbled again, echoing within the walls of the Hall. The storm clouds moved like a river in the sky, in a strange, circling pattern. It almost looked as though it might have been the beginning of a tornado, but there was too much stability. It was difficult to look at the sky when the water started coming down–and their attention was better spent elsewhere.
The group had been given handheld flood lights before leaving; it would have been too dangerous to go without them, but it had been safest to tuck them into subspace while they were crossing the river.
The further they got from the Hall, the darker the world seemed to get, too. The lights might not protect them against all Chaos, but it could help with some of it.
The winds were kind to Solaris, but this didn’t seem intentional; the gusts were strong enough to keep her afloat, and while she was in the air she could see a strange, black mass that seemed to be bubbling with shadows and energy. It wasn’t too far away from the group, just behind a small cluster of trees. The wind had torn off most of their leaves, so it didn’t give much coverage, but that didn’t seem to matter much; lightning struck again, so near to Solaris that she could feel the electricity in the air.
Realta and Hyperborea had gotten the best deal of the group, but they still had their work cut out for them. Especially because the closer they got to the Chaos, the worse it felt.
The ground trembled, like something had crashed into it–something was happening at the Hall, but they had to keep moving on.
But, despite their lights and their power, the Chaos wasn’t afraid of them.
In fact, it invited them.
Lightning struck so close that their vision went white, and then all of a sudden, darkness.
Shadows stretched from the treeline and grabbed at each of them; it took Realta by the middle and tugged her towards the treeline. It grabbed Caliban’s ankle, and Hyperborea’s, and dragged them; it shot up and grabbed Solaris’, yanking her down towards the ground.
When they hit the treeline, everything changed. It was like they passed into another dimension; tall trees separated them and they couldn’t see each other at all. The sounds from the outside world were muffled, and they were clearly on Alastor still, but they were all being tugged–rapidly, towards a large rock that was oozing chaos, and a plume of black smoke.
It felt like violently shifting from a dream back into reality.
Realta could have easily been mangled and battered by the force, but the Chaos seemed to lose strength–and why was apparent. Though her energy signature was mangled, Metis appeared between her and the Chaos, and just as Realta was tugged past her, Metis scooped her into her arms and cradled her close. She stomped on the shadowy tendril with such force that it shriveled and released the Mauvian.
Metis rose, holding her close. “Realta, what are you doing out here? Do you know how hard it was to catch up to you? How could you be so reckless?”
Solaris’ impact on the ground could have been harder, but the shadows almost seemed to soften her blow. She had no chance to get a grip and try to stop herself from being pulled along–but she wasn’t alone.
Winged figures rapidly descended from the sky, weapons in hand; some had lights and shined it on the shadowy tendril that pulled her. That, combined with the brute force, made the shadow squirm in pain and–release her.
It slithered back to its source, but the others–the unmistakableSolarians pursued it.
They were determined. They were strong.
Her sister looked back at her briefly but had to do a sudden double take. Fear–or anger?–passed over her features. Another Solarian turned, and his face was twisted into a scowl. “...You?”
Caliban was tossed about as he was pulled along the ground; the shadowy appendage that gripped him dragged him towards the great back source with unfettered power. There was no one to stop it. No one to help him–until…
Gorner grabbed his hand. She’d been chasing after him, screaming his name; it still echoed around them. She dropped to her knees and dug them into the ground to slow the pull.
“Caliban, you have to–fight it!”
The adrenaline rush that surged through her must have given her enough strength to catch up, and she was doing a good job holding it off–but the tendrils were strong, and even though he slowed significantly, it was still tugging him towards the smoking black stone ahead of them.
“I can’t hold on forever!” she said, and gritted her teeth.
And, another dark tendril shot out from the black stone–straight towards her.
Hyperborea was met not with an ally, but with an enemy-one who teleported between her and the chaos she was being dragged towards.
Quote: The shadows have arrived in the form of a Chaos Manifestation; Another prompt will be posted in ~48 hours; if players post before then I’ll try to write more interaction with the Chaos Manifestation trying to manipulate them; if players are interested in this, please feel free to DM me! If you have any questions or requests, please let me know! Otherwise there will be two more prompts featuring the Chaos Manifestation; the manifestation should be weakening or nearly defeated as of the prompt on the 14th; there will be one prompt after that on the 16th and the 18th is the estimated close date and lead into the closing ORP!
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 6:11 pm
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Sailor Solaris
With the tremendous power of the storms on Solaris even before Chaos had infected it, Kyrie had never been able to find where the source of the plague had hit. Only seeing its effects as it had splintered and slithered through her world. Reports had been made about odd occurrences and strange sightings, but they'd come in turn with reports of rampaging animals and island states fracturing and falling from the skies. Flying up above the thinning trees here on Alastor, the darkness beyond was nothing compared to the black, writhing, bubbling mass. Her stomach churned, and she gagged as she felt the Chaotic energy strengthen as she glided closer. "It's up ahead, just beyond that cluster of trees you're heading towards, looks pretty big," she began to call back to the others, already starting to arch and turn her body to catch the current to lead her back to them. Foolhardy though she was, she wasn't stupid enough to think she had a chance against something like that.
At least, not at her current strength. Eons ago? She might have been more willing to dive in.
Her path was nearly intercepted, hissing as the electricity made her hair stand on end and ozone singe her nose as lightning split the sky a bit too close for comfort. Gritting her teeth, she banked harder, trying to steer herself out of the growing danger zone. She'd no interest in being fried, thanks--
Another strike. A whiteout, followed by nothing. Solaris yelled out, old words in an old, old language. Something cold coiled around her ankle, yanking down hard before she could even try to twist and roll to maneuver out of it. Panic ceased her, a solid lump of ice forming where her heart should be. She'd fallen enough on Solaris. Kyrie had broken bones, broken her wings, in the Chaos-fueled storms, so wild and unpredictable she'd lost the usual currents she'd once relied upon to navigate her world. Ice flooded her veins, and Solaris tried to roll, tried to kick at the thing grabbing her. She was falling. Falling. In her mind's eye, she saw the white-clawed waves of oceans clambering to swallow her. Saw the snowy lands pristine and waiting for her to crash into them. Saw rocks and jagged terrain waiting impatiently to rend her apart--
"Fuuuh--" The impact on her side threw the air out of her in a painful squeak. Bile rose rapidly in her throat, and she couldn't keep it down, turning shakily enough to deal with that. But she didn't feel anything was broken. Bruised? Without a doubt. She'd landed at least on her side, and not her wings. The thing around her leg hadn't leg go, though, and dazed as she was, she wasn't able to do anything as she felt it begin to yank again.
Blue metal flashed brilliantly in every ounce of light it caught. Her eyes went wide. Wings of different hues and tints rushed by, the pale bodysuits of her peoples' soldiers nearly neon in the skies above. Her breath wouldn't come back. She gasped, over and over, somewhere a mix of sobs and panicked hyperventilation. They had lights, pushing back the Chaos. Weapons pierced and collided with it. It released her, fled from them.
Solaris haphazardly pushed herself to sit. She'd seen it. Two pairs of pale peach wings, dark hair so much like hers. Stripes along her uniform proclaimed her rank, metal glinting further announced her skill and prowess as one of their soldiers. A highly coveted rank. A pilot with nearly unmatched skill--only Yanis, younger by a handful of years, was able to truly challenge her.
Kyrie had always envied her achievements. Kyrie had always wished it'd been her to be the senshi of their world, so she could have lived the life she wanted.
It'd all meant nothing when she'd seen her powerful, wonderful sister fall.
"Annika."
Centuries of pain. Centuries of wishing. Centuries of missing. They crushed together into one single word, a hiss and a plea, relief and dismay.
The look upon her face meant nothing to Solaris. Annika was here. She was standing here. Her heart squeezed tight, and a broken sound was forced from her lips.
It took her a moment to even register another had landed. He was another soldier--she couldn't recall his name, but she knew his face. "Me," she said in centuries old defiance. A bubble of near hysterical laughter trickled from her. The concept of trying to process what was going on was lost to her in that moment. Logic meant nothing. The oddity of it all meant nothing. She stared, openly, reverently, at the face she'd nearly forgotten. Her brows crumpled and her lip shook as she looked back at her sister. Her only older sister. "Anni..."
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Mauvian Realta
As Hyperborea gave over the large light, Realta took it, immediately sending it away into subspace where she could recall it with ease once they had a plan formed. At least Solaris seemed to be flying as carefully as she could--Realta could understand the Knight's awe. If she wasn't so concerned about the other falling, she'd have been agape herself. The senshi was really flying. Or well, gliding. Solaris had mentioned such a thing being common place on her world, but not possible there on Earth. Alastor, it seemed, was more akin to what Solaris was used to. And it was an amazing sight.
But Realta's sense of urgency trumped all such frivolous things. As Solaris began to call back, the Mauvian only could hum grimly. Looks pretty big wasn't a charming thought, but the information did help to pin-point the source of the Chaos. "I can set up a light back here, in case we need to fall back," she said to the others, trotting a bit forward and doing a forward flip to call out one of the floodlights. It was still off, dormant, but it could remain in place. She nudged it till it began to face the treeline, her paws on it to try and adjust it--
It was probably by sheer luck alone Realta managed to hold onto the damn thing.
Tendrils lashed out. "Watch out!" The Mauvian only had time to cry out a useless warning before she was caught up and tugged, barely managing to keep her legs wrapped around the device. She couldn't reach the buttons, not with the force the Chaos was clawing at her and yanking her into... a rock? Was that what that was? She couldn't entirely see it, couldn't even turn enough to try and use her laser on the damn thing. Realta squirmed, trying to bite the tendril while also keeping a tight hold on the floodlight. She couldn't see Hyperborea, Caliban, or Solaris anywhere. Where was it taking--
It's rushing pull halted, jerking and abrupt, and Realta lost her hold on the floodlight. It hit the ground just as Realta felt herself being pulled up. Dull, distant almost, she could still feel that Eternal energy. Iridescent eyes stared up, taken aback to see Metis holding her. She felt the young woman move swiftly, stamping her boot down hard on the bit of Chaos. The pressure on her ribs let up, and Realta sucked in deep breaths before staring up again at her girl. Because, it was her. As she was held close, Realta couldn't help but nuzzle in against the familiar warmth, picking up the scent she was so familiar with. Her girl. Her Metis. "What are you doing here?" The Mauvian was enraged all over, her tail puffing up, hackles rising. "Forget about finding me, you could have gotten yourself hurt! But, if you're here, then... oh, bloody hell to it all, Metis, please, use your magic. It casts light. Send it after that Chaos. We need to help the others, now."
The Savannah pushed herself back somewhat while still remaining in Metis' arms, intently gesturing deeper into the forest were the tendril had been pulling her. That damn rock.
Down below her, lay one of the floodlights, forgotten. In the back of her mind, Realta was baffled. How was Metis here? Had she heard the call, too? It was possible, but she didn't understand how neither she nor Solaris had seen her in the Hall...
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 8:06 pm
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Of course as soon as Caliban had felt he had been on safe ground, he was pulled and landed hard on the ground and pulled along into some direction away from the others. He tried to find anything to grip onto to keep himself from being pulled some more or perhaps to fight off whatever had wrapped itself around his ankles, but he hadn't been able to do anything until he felt his hand being gripped and suddenly he stopped being dragged. He heard a voice and recognized it and was surprised. He looked up and into the face of Gorner?! "Gorner, what are you doing here? I didn't see you with all of the others!" Perhaps he had just missed her? Though one would think that they would have eventually found each other, especially if they were assigned to the same group.
At least he assumed the other groups hadn't run into theirs.
He grinned at her. "Thanks for the assist." He said before turning and looking at the tentacles that grabbed him. Just as he was about to aim for them, another one suddenly popped out and aimed for her. "NO! Seal Matrix!" He said, aiming his fist at the tentacle! He had to hit it or else!
Quote: Seal Matrix When he hits an opponent with his fists, causes them to be temporarily paralyzed for 15 seconds, where he hit his opponent (the same was as in the basic attack), but can be used 4 times. If he hits in quick succession, then the effect stacks (so if he hits twice quickly, that's 8 seconds). However, for the stack effect to take place, he must hit a different spot. He cannot hit the same spot. Starting at this stage his hands glow as he is about to hit.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:46 pm
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For Solaris, there was a stillness in the moment that they shared; the soldier scowled and looked like he was ready to berate her, to unleash all of his wrath and despair, but her sister raised a hand.
He must have respected her; he fell silent. The Chaos lashed out, and a dark tendril lunged towards them, but he seemed prepared. The conversation was not a distraction he could afford, and he could at least take out his anger on something.
Annika watched Solaris warily and then shook her head.
“How are you here? Did you follow the Chaos? …Tell me you didn’t bring it here.”
There was a question in her voice, doubt, but…
She opened an arm to invite her into a hug, anyway.
For Realta, Metis just held her protectively. “I could ask you the same thing, Realta. You could have gotten yourself hurt, what were you thinking? I’m better equipped to handle things like this. I’ve got more magic than you do,” she protested, but it sounded more strained than argumentative. “But we’re out of luck, I’m run dry. The Chaos is everywhere, I can’t get a read on anything. Where were you? I was upriver by the bridge, water washed it away completely. My team was trying to find another way to cross, someone said they’d seen you head this direction. I don’t like you going off without me, what would I do if something happened to you?”
Metis pulled her a little closer, as if to make sure she was safe against the Chaos.
“We have to get out of here. It’s not what he said, we can’t beat it.”
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 11:14 am
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Sailor Solaris
Annika had always had the greatest respect from their soldiers—their people. Only their eldest brother, Kyril, had rivaled her in that when it came to how the public viewed the collection of siblings. And he’d risen to a rank of a high priest before Kyrie had ever even glimpsed Realta amidst their ports.
The eldest of them all had never needed to utilize their youngest sister’s status as Sailor Solaris for anything. It was something they’d often made clear points of.
Only Annika had ever said it with a laugh, though.
Thus, it didn’t surprise her when Annika’s simple movement halted any words from the soldier. He was able to move back to the fight, back to his purpose. Solaris—Kyrie, as she felt the title of senshi didn’t matter here—grit her teeth and began to push herself up onto her knees, then somewhat to her feet. Her whole right side was already beginning to form bruises, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. Could have been worse, though. Something had kept her from breaking anything—
Tell me you didn’t bring it here.
The words made Kyrie’s head snap up, pale blue eyes staring towards Annika’s more purple irises. Kyrie blinked. Once. Twice. The hysterical bubble… faded. It was smothered by ice water. Had Annika ever… doubted her? It’d been hundreds of years. Annika had passed away, caught in a battle, within the first two hundred years of the conflicts. Resources had already begun to strain, and some groups began to try and rebel against the other kingdoms, as if they could form a tyranny that could save them.
Kyrie had put a stop to it by removing the rebellion’s leaders. Not before Annika had…
"Alastor needed help, so I offered him mine. The Chaos was here long before me, Anni," Kyrie quipped, a sunny smile lighting her face. The open arms made another laugh bubble out. A hug from the dead. Surely, there was a curse in there, somewhere, she just didn’t… care.
Quick steps closed the distance, and Kyrie’s arms wrapped around her eldest sister’s middle, resting her forehead against the familiar garb of a high-ranking soldier. "…I’ve missed you, Anni," she whispered wetly, aware of tears already beginning to dribble and drop. "I-I’m… I’m sorry I was such a brat. I’m so, so sorry. I should have listened to you sooner. I should have…" The words were a senseless babble.
Words she always wished she’d been able to say. Things she’d only been able to scream into winds. But now? She could say it to Annika’s face. A face she knew she needed to memorize again, quickly pulling back enough to stare up at her sister. Carefully, one of her hands lifted, pressing gently against the other’s cheek. More tears, more sobs. She smiled, though. Brilliantly as any child seeing their hero before them would ever.
"…you’d have been a better Sailor Solaris, Anni. You always knew what to do. You’d probably have known how to destroy the Chaos here, if you were here." The words burned her tongue, churned her stomach. But oh, did Kyrie smile to the nearly forgotten face she’d loved so much.
-------------
Mauvian Realta
…out of luck? We can’t beat it?
Realta’s eyes widened, staring at the fretting senshi. When, in her years of knowing Metis, had she been the one to say they needed to turn back? Part of her felt cold, as if hearing such dire words meant the situation was far worse than the Mauvian had thought.
Another, though, felt enraged.
"And what of Alastor if we do? He needs our help, Metis!" Aggravated, the Savannah began to wriggle in the other’s arms. "Put me down this instant! We need to find Hyperborea and Caliban. We need to find Solaris!" The Mauvian began to hiss, glowering at her senshi. "We’ll get rid of this Chaos here, and then we can leave. I’ll not leave anyone behind!"
There was something that burned there. A conviction. A pain. In the back of her mind, Realta felt… guilt. Yet, for all that she could remember, she couldn’t once think of a time when she’d abandoned anyone. But the idea of doing it… it tore her up inside. She wriggled and hissed all the more, suddenly needing to be back on the ground. Needing to pace, to do… to do something!
That it was Metis she was fighting against made her chest tight. None of this made sense.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 10:48 am
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Annika looked down at Kyrie for a moment; she put her hand over her sister’s and held it there.
“You speak as if I’m not here,” she said cautiously. Her head jerked to eye the battle, but it seemed like the other Solarians had it under control. She sighed heavily and returned her attention to Solaris before she just embraced her tightly.
“I don’t know why you say those things. Why do you try to bring yourself down? I had a different purpose. And look at you.” She smoothed her fingers over her cheeks in an effort to brush away the tears. “You were a bit of a brat,” she said, but she smiled kindly, like she was teasing, “But you were young. And you’ve grown now. You’d listen to me now, wouldn’t you?”
-
Metis nearly dropped Realta as if she had burned her; she held tight but was visibly stunned. “Is that it then? Are they more important than me?”
It was hard to tell if she was frustrated or hurt or scared. Metis looked light on her feet, like she’d been pushing herself too hard already and the toll was only just registering on her body. Blood had only just now started to inch around her bodice; she must have been hit on her back–and it must have been bad to bleed so much.
But Metis was strong, she had to be. She pushed through.
“I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t important, Realta. You know me. Trust me, I don’t want to do this! Do you think this is easy for me!” Her voice trembled, her cheeks were wet.
“Where do we draw the line? When can we say enough and stop to take care of ourselves? I don’t want to die out here, Realta. We can’t beat it. I want to save Earth, I don’t want to die for an empty world!”
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 7:56 pm
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Sailor Solaris
Hearing comforting words again in a nearly forgotten voice was a balm to her bruised and aching soul. Battle? That could wait. She wanted to bask in this a moment longer. Sorry, Alastor, just please be safe a little longer, she willed towards him. Kyrie was being selfish, a spoiled brat as she’d once been. Seeking affection and comfort from one of her favorite people.
That Annika was scolding her, gently, for being so harsh on herself—ha! It was well deserved, and Kyrie knew it—that she was hugging her again… Kyrie hiccuped, nuzzling into the warm hand at her cheek. Squeezed her eyes shut as she just… smiled. Her cheeks hurt. She was smiling more than she had in hundreds of years.
Listen to her now?
"Of course… if you were here."
Solaris opened her eyes, letting out a long breath through her nose. Memorizing the last bits she could. "Because you’re not, Anni. You died… what, eight hundred years ago?" Her voice was so chipper, like she were discussing some new toy or game. The sunshine to mask the way she felt her stomach churning, her heart squeezing like it was about to rip in two.
"And this is gonna probably hurt more than when you died. I hate it. I hate it so, so much. But I’ve survived our world all but dying. I’ll survive this pain, too, and I’ll make sure Alastor gets his world back."
In one of her hands, she pulled a floodlight out of subspace. Her lips trembled. ********. <********>. Yeah. This ******** hurt.
"I-I’ll—" she started, swallowing thickly. More tears. Solaris gave a wet laugh, nodding her head vigorously. "I’ll talk to you again, Anni. When I find where the Cauldron’s sent you to be reborn. I’ll give you… the biggest hug ever when I do. Okay? I love you. I love you, so, so much…" Her voice wavered, broken by tears.
Because Solaris turned on the floodlight, and she forced it up into the face of whatever was wearing her dead sister’s face. Even as she felt her heart shattering in the process.
-------------
Mauvian Realta
"No one is more important to me than you, Metis," the Mauvian snarled. "And I trust no one as much as I trust you. I know you’re strong enough. They aren’t!"
And maybe that’s why this hurt so much. Metis fought. Metis pushed herself. And Realta hated it as much as she was in awe of her strength. She’d survived so, so much already…
Yet here Realta was, asking her to push through more.
The scent of copper made Realta freeze her struggles. She looked down to the white bodice. Red. Blood?
"Metis… sweet girl, you need to leave." Terror began to grip her heart. Looking back up, she could see the tears beginning to seep through the blindfold. How injured was she..?
"Fall back, Metis. It’s okay. I’ll get them out, and we’ll go home." The Mauvian flinched at her trembling, furious words. I don’t want to die for an empty world!
"Metis… Metis, if this world falls, I don’t think Alastor will survive. The man, nor the senshi. I don’t know if the world will be able to continue on or awaken another senshi. We can’t—"
Realta faltered. Logically, she knew they needed to focus on taking out the Chaos here. They had to. But… she stared again at her dear girl, already injured, surely scared… and she was… what? Telling her that this other life was worth more than hers?
Lilac ears fell back, her eyes closed in pain. "…I wish to the stars every night none of you ever awoke to this war. I’m so, so sorry, my darling. But I need you to keep surviving, okay? Go home, Lilith. Go home, be with Regula. The sun will rise again, sweet girl, and I need you to be there to greet it."
The Mauvian took a deep, fortifying breath, opening her eyes to smile up at her dear girl, before reaching forward to rip off the brooch from Metis’ uniform, and threw it to the on-switch on the floodlight below. Realta never used her claws against a senshi. She’d never dare. But now, she clawed at Metis’ hands, biting harshly and thrashing about to release herself from the other’s grasp. Strong, long legs kicked out, leveraging against Metis’ arms and chest. Metis had to leave. She needed treatment. The others needed support—and Mauvians were rather fantastic at that. Or well. For Realta, she tried to be. Even if she felt her heart breaking all the while.
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