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 Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2023 12:41 pm
Prompt 18 Insidious Insects (18 ) : In the first week of July, the area around the tree is just buzzing. The call of the cicadas is loud and droning, and it’s constant. You start to hear it all over town, too. All sorts of insects seem attracted to the strange pods, and it’s not uncommon to find nearly any species curiously investigating. If you listen closely, you notice something else strange–it’s not just the bugs that you see making the familiar call of the cicada. It seems like it’s coming from inside the pods, too. Any pod that wasn’t leaking sap suddenly begins to snap open, and giant cicadas, crawl out. Their full wingspan can reach up to a foot and they’re hungry–and angry. It seems like the pods that were leaking sap were slowly rotting, but the ones that didn’t leak were being eaten from the inside out–and now that the cicadas have run out of food, they’re out for anything they can find. Though there are several notable differences between these insects and the common cicadas, their low, chirping wail makes them easy to find–as well as the fact that they spit acid. These bugs are incredibly hostile and will attack indiscriminately, powered or unpowered, human or alien, day or night. They have a protective shell that makes them easy to crush but they’re hardly the most menacing foe you’ve faced–but if they reproduce, you could be in some real trouble. Better to crush them now before they become Destiny City’s next invasive species… Note: These creatures are a violent alien species that are aggressive and eager to destroy. They will attack everyone and everything within sight. The insects can fly, spit acid, and will try to burrow into the ground to hide. They are very fast and difficult to see. This RP can be used as a battle requirement for a character, separate from your ‘one youma battle’ per stage if there are two powered characters involved; you cannot write a solo and count this as a battle, and your character must be powered and interacting with another player’s powered character for it to count. This can only be used as a battle requirement once per character, but there is no limitation for how many times a player can use this prompt.
For all the things he absolutely did not want to investigate, bugs were pretty high on Rakovanite's list. He dealt with them enough at home, as they regularly crept in through the shoddily-sealed lining of his house, nested in corners and crevices and along all of Basyl's many shelves of stuff and things and knickknacks. Hoards of stuff absolutely drew the creatures in, and it did seem like they always collected more items over the summer than any other time. Various extra books, plants, colorful charms, blue-starred keychains- So much s**t for things to hide in. But they were small, squishable, and generally easily disposed of, despite his fiance's constant suggestion that he just 'catch them and let them go outside...' There were probably thousands of insects in their backyard alone. The world would absolutely not miss one or two or twelve.
Unfortunately, these insects were not so easily disposed of. Rakovanite had known before they'd even seen them that he wanted no part of the constant dull, droning sound that emanated from some allegedly historical tree in the middle of Destiny City. He'd been around long enough to know that this sort of thing only needed to be his problem if he chose to make it his problem: there were enough senshi and knights swarming about with their goody-two-shoes attitudes that they would take on anything dangerous and foreign without Rakovanite- or any Negaverser, really- needing to get involved. Maybe a few of them would even fall to it.
It did not need to be his business. He did not want to make it his business. He already had enemies to eliminate. There was no need to go adding more. If he'd been patrolling alone, he would've ignored it without a second thought. But he wasn't alone, and his idiot little brother had a boundless enthusiasm for experiencing things he hadn't before.
So when Cervantite said, "We gotta check it out!" There was no power on Earth Rakovanite could use to stop him, and they'd wound up here, in front of this stupid tree crawling with dozens upon dozens of giant, angry, buzzing cicada aliens that seemed more keen to attack than the average bug might be.
And, as Rakovanite had expected, they were not alone. Two girls- two senshi- had shown up as well.
There was a huge flurry of activity from rapidly beating cicada wings, directly in Rakovanite's eyeline that made it difficult to tell exactly who they were, but... He almost thought he had seen at least one of them before, somewhere.
Then Cervantite was echoing the sentiment, "I think I know that one." There was no telling which he meant, and the most Rakovanite could do was give his little brother an agitated side-eye that he 'knew' some random senshi enough to seem familiar about it.
And 'know' was gratuitous as far as Cervantite was concerned. He recognized the girl dressed in orange. He'd found her crawling out of a frozen puddle one winter, cradling his practically frost-bitten Guardian in her arms. Gremlin hadn't been super grateful (he never was), but Cervantite at least had the decency to remember someone who'd probably saved his cat's life. The hairless rat was particularly susceptible to cold, after all.
And now the girl with the warmth magic was being attacked by giant bugs.
"Let them die," was Rakovanite's advice. They looked old enough to know better than to charge into a situation they might not be able to get out of. And these were just giant acid-spitting cicadas. Presumably, any of them could escape without much difficulty. If the senshi girls wanted to fight, that was their prerogative-
"Can't," was Cervantite's answer, as he was already moving through the insectoid minefield toward them. "That girl saved Gremlin. I gotta at least make sure she gets outta this."
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Neither of the twins had any idea that these insects where here. None of them carried any powered signature and if they were in plain sight then their camouflage was next to none. Incidentally the only reason either of them were in this dangerous situation was because Eleonora had accidentally stepped on one that had burrowed under ground. It flew out at her in a frenzy with caught the attention of a dozen more or so that were nearby. They attacked much like killer bees and no amount of running away helped. Both Alcor and Ele had used their basic atatcks to swat at, and hopefully stun, any that got too close or landed on them. But the insects were smart and learned to maintain a distance from them. Far enough to not get hit but close enough for their acid spit to hit with a reasonable amount of reliability. Alcor was more protected from their attack with her oversized coat still on, but her sister was less fortunate. She drew in a hissing breath and recoiled away when another bug spit in her direction. “No more!” Eleonora hissed through clenched teeth then brought her hands together “Cone of-”“Don’t!” The Senshi of Cold lunged forward to pull her sisters’ hands apart. “You’ll damage the tree if you use your magic.” Both of them would if they weren’t careful of where they aimed. The last thing either of them needed, should they survive this ordeal, was to be accused of, and responsible, for killing the historical tree due to neglegence. Alcor shrugged the fur-trimmed coat off her shoulders and draped it over the Senshi of Heat to offer her some level of protection. “You can’t. You-” Eleonora tried to argue but was cut off by a stern look that preceded her sister suddenly grabbing hold of her hand and tugging her away from what she assumed to be a hive or nest of these alien-like insects. “Just hurry, before things get worse!” Wise words except they came too late. While their forms were obscured by the many beating bug wings, Alcor clearly saw vibrantly ombre-rainbow-colored eternal rushing in their direction. To what avail, she had no idea, but the sinking feeling in her stomach made her believe that it couldn’t be for something good.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2023 9:26 am
Regardless of what exactly happened afterwards (and Cervantite wasn't completely sure it would be anything good...), the least he was gonna do was get firebreather girl- and her friend, he guessed- away from these bugs. If it turned into something else once they'd gotten some distance from the aggressive aliens, well, that was just a risk they'd all have to take. He somehow doubted Rakovanite would be especially friendly after they were clear of the insects... But that was a problem for a-few-minutes-from-now-Cervantite.
Current Cervantite figured he didn't have any reason to hold anything back! He had to be close to use his magic, and so long as things were trying to damage him, he didn't have a shred of care about damaging anything else. There was no particularly discernible tell to his basic spell activating, but when his fist rocketed into a sturdy carapace, the oversized cicada practically burst into a smattering of shell and acid ooze that buffeted the immediately surrounding bugs.
The downside was that he could really only hit exactly one thing at a time, and there must be dozens swarming around...
The cicadas recovered pretty quickly, but in the short interim, Cervantite focused on the other senshi. "You stupid or what?" He snorted in amusement as he fixed the two girls with a toothy smirk. "Wandering right into an alien nest. Shouldn't you know better?"
While Cervantite chattered, the swarm seemed to have regrouped. Why they were so hostile, no one could know, but a moment's distraction was still a moment worth attacking. Some of the insects peeled back just enough to take a spitting shot of acid that surely would've doused Cervantite's bared face and shoulders, if Rakovanite hadn't flickered to stand in front of him, using the tattered fabric of his cape to shield against the acid before tossing the fabric away.
Rakovanite was of no mind for pleasantries, and offered nothing more than a chilly stare toward the Order girls.
Though he was increasingly more certain that he did recognize one of them. That blue-haired girl in the sequined dress... He'd seen her before, and seeing her again left a sort of unpleasant sour taste in his mouth.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 11:31 am
With the swarming insects being the more immediate threat, it was no surprise that neither Senshi sensed the two aura’s lingering nearby, nor did either notice one’s swift approach until he was already there beside them. Almost out of pure instinct, Alcor drew in a startled gasp as she threw her arms around her sister and pulled her several steps to the side thinking that the attack was meant for them. His fist, however, connected with one of the alien bugs and although she would like to take the opportunity to relax, she knew well enough that the danger had not yet passed. Feeling a bit confused by the abrupt jerk sideways, Eleonora lifted her sisters hood up just enough for her to see the familiar vibrant-colored corrupt looking at them with a cocky grin, “No not stupid, just unfortunate.” She bit back, more annoyed by the hum of rapidly beating wings flying past them and the acid burns on her shoulder, back, and right leg, than she was at his cheeky entrance. If it wasn’t for the face he had left quiet an impression, she would have been confused as to where this moment of generosity had come from. As it was, although his name illuded her, she was soon quick to add; “Is this repayment for saving the talking chamois rag?” Now was probably not the time for rude comment as it seemed to had summoned another one of them. This time both girls backpedaled a few steps as a General’s aura flared to life before them. “You!” Eleonora’s anger flared for a moment as she moved to step towards the man she recognized as being the one who nearly youmafied her sister and all her Alcor could do to stop her from lashing out at the one who just blocked an arch of acid from hitting them was to put herself between them. “Ele, don’t. Not now, please.” There was a measure of desperation in her voice as she pleaded with her sister to calm down. As they were, neither of them was equipped for a fight with a Negaverse Agent, let alone a Corrupt as well. For now, there was a truce it seemed since they could have easily let them continue to get swarmed and have their skin melted off by their acid until nothing but bones was left. Or they could have attacked and unalived them in a show of mercy to save them from the pain. “We need to get away from-” Alcor’s comment was cut off suddenly as she fell to one knee. Her face twisted into one of pain yet she managed not to yell out lest it draw the attention of more insects. “Alcor!” Eleonora moved to stabilize her sister to little avail when she was worse off than her twin. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry-” she looked up to the corrupt with pleading eyes. “I beg you, please help us get out of here.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 10:31 am
Stupid or unfortunate? Cervantite’s lips quirked up in a grin. Seemed like those things coincided pretty often. He’d been involved in his fair share of ‘unfortunate’ situations… Aaaand it seemed like a significant portion of them involved the talking chamois rag. Gremlin didn’t care how often he dragged anyone else into trouble. He shrugged at the girl’s question. “Ah, if only he was as useful as a rag…”
If his brother wasn’t standing immediately next to him, Cervantite probably would’ve agreed with her reasoning, though. He might’ve commented on the rarity of anyone helping his ugly, grouchy goblin cat and said that was a good deed he didn’t feel a need to punish. The world couldn’t be a worse place from having people who would selflessly protect something that wouldn’t protect them… But Rakovanite was there, so Cervantite wasn’t going to say any of that. Instead he went with, “Nah, it’d just be a waste to give you to the bugs, y’know? Like, if you’re going to die, the Negaverse might as well get a starseed or two out of- uh? Huh?”
Cervantite blinked in confusion, dark gaze riveting back in the direction she was glaring as the girl spat out a single word toward Rakovanite, weirdly. “Do you know each-“
“I have no idea who you are.” Rakovanite had the most entirely disaffected expression as he stared at the girl in the flowing skirts. He would’ve expected it was just a general hostility toward the Negaverse, but she’d seemed friendly enough to his brother. But the situation was that he did not prefer to be helping either of them at all, and he was not ashamed of that. “And I am not interested in you.” His focus went back to the insects, buzzing around them in an offended thrum.
Although…
Maybe he could be interested in one of them. The frost girl had escaped conscription once before, when she really shouldn’t have. The chaotic aura on the hilltop should have turned her. For whatever reason, it hadn’t. Rakovanite could fix that mistake. She seemed to have the softer temperament of the pair of girls: more malleable, maybe. He supposed the two women looked quite similar in face and body. Related, probably. He didn’t really understand how that worked with senshi lineage, but perhaps it wasn’t a factor at all.
His head canted very slightly, gaze landing on the icy girl. The almost-youma. It was just convenient that she’d fallen to her knees from some insect attack in the same moment. “I am interested in you.”
It was probably a misplaced interest. If she was quieter, meeker, weaker than the spicy girl, why would he actually want her? She didn’t offer any obvious benefits… So it was mostly just annoying that she’d escaped when she shouldn’t have. The rest he could work out later. They both seemed in foul shape from just a few bugs, anyway. And had the gall to beg Cervantite to help them.
Fine. Cervantite had volunteered their aid. Rakovanite should give it.
Rakovanite moved before anyone could get in the way of him, dipping to pick the fallen senshi up into his arms and teleporting away from the insect radius with the girl in tow. He didn’t take her far, not far enough for Cervantite to be unable to find him, though he had considered just bringing her directly to Negaspace… It wasn’t like she could stop him. “You would look better in black, Alcor.” The name the other girl had used.
“Hhh-“ Cervantite’s expression twisted up into an uncomfortable sort of doubt as he glanced back to the woman that was left with him. “Well, I mean, she’s away from the bugs?” He offered. He didn’t know where specifically they’d gone, but either way, he and the girl had to get out too. “Come on. I’ll get you somewhere, uh, safer.” He grabbed her upper arm and teleported them away from the insects.
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 10:23 pm
Why, why couldn’t Eleonora listen to her just this once? Once more the Senshi of Heat’s stubbornness prevailed and if history were to repeat itself, Alcor would be left to face the consequences of her twin’s poor judgment. She knew, with near certainty, that this time would likely end in another brush with death for Rakovanite, despite his gentleness in the ambush as Chaos sought to youmafy her, was not a man of mercy. Alcor’s apprehension intensified as the General’s attention shifted to her, a sensation akin to icy fingers trailing up her spine, making her blood run cold and her limbs feel heavy and numb. She held on firmly to her sister’s arm with a bruising grasp which proved ineffective when the Rakovanite lowered himself to her level and lifted her up into his arm. “ELE!” She shouted in alarm, her hold slipping as she was forced to let go, yet in her hand, she held onto one of her sister’s golden bracelets that had flipped free of her wrist. In a blink, they were gone and in the stillness of the forest, disbelief overtook her. Eleonora, the swarming insect, and the corrupt beside her were gone. Alcor knew she was alone now, there would be nobody who could save her and in her current state, fleeing was not an option, not that she’d be able to get far from someone who could teleport with nary a thought. Meeting his gaze, she couldn’t conceal the genuine terror reflected back at him. With every syllable he uttered, his suggestion that black would complement her better struck her like an icy breeze. In that moment she knew with chilling certainty, that his efforts to ensnare her within the Negaverse were far from over. Indigo_Plateau Picks up with just Rak/Alcor in new location here!
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 10:44 pm
“ALCOR!” Eleonora tried to scramble to her feet, to reach for her sister’s hand. To hold on so that wherever she’d be taken they would stay together. But her grip was not strong enough and Alcor’s hand slipped through her fingers. The insects grew evermore agitated by all the shouting and continued to spit acid in her direction. Another strong grip grabbed hold of her other arm and Eleonora’s only thought was to wrench herself free from him but for as quickly as the General and her twin were gone, so were they. “Where’s my sister!” She shouted in fearful rage, hand balled into a fist she struck Cervantite’s shoulder in anger for being teleported somewhere else. This was not what she had asked for, this was not what she wanted from him. “Where did he take her?” Fear gripped her much like it did when she watched Rakovanite hold her sister’s body on the battlefield, her hand in his as Alcor’s uniform slowly turned black and an aura of ice coated the ground around them in a thin layer of rime. “Take me to her,” again she struck him but there was no force behind the swing, just an act of desperation. “Please, you have to take me to her.” Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes knowing that she could not run quick enough to save her from the General’s ill intent. “Please,” she repeated again, her voice becoming broken as she fell to her knees before him. Indigo_Plateau Picks up with just Diesel/Eleonora in new location here!
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