Bat Behemoth (2) - Construction, deforestation, typical Destiny City mishaps–you never know what you’re going to get around here. It starts with a squeak in the sky, and the flapping of heavy wings. If it’s dark enough, maybe you don’t even see the giant bat descending on you. They were pests a few years ago but seemed to have cleared out for the most part–except for a stray one here or there. This one is large even by comparison. It has an eight foot wingspan–a behemoth, growing fat and large in the years since the bats last descended on Destiny City. Maybe you’re lucky, maybe it just swoops by.
Maybe it’s hungry, or mad, and you look like a prime target. If it attacks, you’re in for a rough time. Scratches cause an itch that might last for up to a day, but the bites are the worst. Being bitten by these bats leaves two small marks that will itch for a few hours. Then, exhaustion and fatigue sets in and you become extremely sensitive to external stimulus; skin feels like it becomes overheated in sunlight, bright lights are painful to the eyes, and smells and sounds can seem overwhelming. The victim will feel constantly cold and hungry, no matter how much they eat or drink. They may also be prone to agitation and bouts of violence. These afflictions may last only a few hours or a few days and then suddenly disappear.
(Being attacked by the bat can be counted as a battle once per character provided there are at least two powered characters involved; no matter how much you seem to damage the bat, it will always fly away and hardly even seems worse for the wear. You cannot track it or severely damage it. This prompt can be used for the battle or the afterwards of being attacked, or anything else you might be inspired to play!)
There had been rumors, nothing more than rumors, that spoke of more strange seasonal shenanigans having returned to Destiny City. Lacerta wasn't on the hunt per se to find these strange occurrences even if there was a reason to look for them. If there was a chance that something could be thwarted or persuaded to leave the residents of the city alone, then Lacerta would gladly try to do so. But for now the eternal dark mirror senshi had another reason for being out this night. She was making her way to the prearranged spot where she and Chalcanthite had agreed to meet up. It would give Lacerta the chance to catch up with the general whom she'd friended years ago, but it was only after she became a member of the dark mirror court that she realized just exactly what organization Chalcanthite was a part of.
Had she known before hand, things might have been different. But deep inside Lacerta had a feeling that even if she had stayed in white that she would have remained on friendly terms with Chal given their history.
Reaching the building that they had chosen to meet up at Lacerta lounged around at ground level before nimbly leaping into the air to land on the roof before she considered trying to gather energy while she waited. Her wraiths could always be summoned back in a hurry but even as she fiddled with one of her shards did she place it back with the others before finding a spot to comfortably sit and wait for Chal to arrive.
Her posture was relaxed but at the same time she continued to scan the sky. One of the rumors that she had heard about involved a giant bat.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2023 2:27 pm
It had been a few months since they had last met but when Lacerta had called for a meeting, he made sure he had the time to do so. Things around this time of year put him a bit more on edge than usual, he still never quite forgot how jarring it was to see his own headstone in the graveyard. He teleported up to the roof where they were meeting and smiled as he saw her. She looked less on edge this time, at least as relaxed as one could be in this city.
"Good evening Lacerta, are you alright? I heard a bit about some things running amok again in the city. No slime monsters though." He joked a little bit since he had been a bit sad that he had missed something so interesting when she was filling him in on the things he had missed while deep in the Rift. He took a seat next to her and looked up at the sky, trying to look where she had been looking before he had arrived.
"We saw that bat around this time of year way back then, right? I hope it has refrained from accosting you so far this year." He knew she could handle things on her own now, but he still wanted to offer his support. That and the fact he was more than mildly curious about how his new weapon would affect something that used echolocation. The sound his blade made would probably interfere with that and he would quite like to see one of the unaligned nasties of this city get knocked down a peg.
The smile that graced her features at Chal's appearance was one of welcome. Acubens probably would have been on guard in her shoes, but Lacerta felt that she had nothing to fear from the general. It probably had helped that they'd managed to at least thwart off evil together a few times when she was just a basic senshi. That sort of teamwork tended to at least cement a relationship that could stand a few bumps and bruises along the way. Chuckling she moved in closer before stopping and merely nodded.
"I'm alright. I've heard the same stories and figured that if something happened, we'd be more than enough to take care of the issue but I didn't want to put off this meet-up because of what could just be rumors."
Thinking back to the time when they had fought a giant bat together Lacerta sighed. She'd grown so much since then. Her sigh though was brief before she grinned at Chal, "yeah it was I think my first time being a part of the strange events that take place around the holidays. Although it definitely has not been my last. The slime monsters were something different though. I think I've gotten used to the strangeness of certain times of the year now."
Or so she hoped. The one instance during the summer still haunted the young woman. At times she still dwelt on what had occurred and how she'd been lured in resulting in a letting down of her guard.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2023 3:24 pm
"I think that is an excellent idea, I would rather deal with some of these things before someone gets severely hurt. Given we have some experience with this foe." He really didn't like the fact that this kind of stuff was out to get those in the city indiscriminately.
Oh, that had explained some things to him that he had wondered over long ago. "Well I am glad I was able to help you out back then, I have experienced a lot of less-than-pleasant things around this time of year over the past few years. Some things I have gotten used to, others I would prefer not to encounter again." There was a bit of tightness in his voice at that last bit, he still was uncomfortable about seeing his own grave in the past.
Then, a few moments later, there was that familiar sound of leathery wings flapping. "Be on guard, I believe we have a guest." Bringing out his rapier, the crystal rings hummed faintly as they resonated with the metal of the blade.
Food, movement, sounds. These are the things that drove the bat as it moved quickly towards the two figures. It stayed up high at first as it circled and observed them. Something felt off as the feedback from its echolocation came back, there was a wobbliness to one of the figures. Slowly it circled closer, trying to make sense of why one of the things that could be dinner wasn't clear to see.
Lacerta was keen to admit that she felt the familiarity of times gone by while Chalcanthite was talking to her. How long ago had it been when she had worn white and was still as green as could be? How much had things changed? Almost idly did Lacerta run a gloved hand across her face to wipe the smallest bit of moisture that gathered at the corner of her eyes before she glanced up sharply at Chal's warning.
Her head shot upwards and as she furtively skirted the skies above them she could feel that her magic was just coursing at her fingertips. Would either of them needing healing after this encounter? What was it that Tama had once said, that her healing magic wasn't the strongest attack she had? If that was the case, what was the strongest attack?
Her pose shifted to a more defensive stance before she glanced around the rooftop for the off chance that someone had left behind a rake or something that she could use as a perspective pole arm. Finding nothing the dark mirror senshi glanced at her ringed hand before frowning. In order for the ring to be effective . she'd have to lure the bat closer to her and then have Chal attack it from behind.
"I'll draw it away, you come up from behind," she shouted as she took off at a diagonal course away from the general.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 8:17 pm
Watching the thing circle, he moved to try and stay a bit out of the way so Lacerta could get the bat to come to her first. "Sounds good, be careful though." Part of him didn't quite like that she didn't have something to defend her but hopefully he would be able to close the distance fast enough that it wouldn't matter.
Staying low, he kept his blade at the ready for when it got closer. Part of him wondered if it would have been safer to stick with his bow for this since he would have the range to keep it away.
As it made another path around the pair, it decided to go for the one that it could tell clearly. Swooping down it flew right by the one that had separated out and tried to grab onto them so it could get a bite to eat. It was so very hungry since a lot of the things it normally ate were pushed out of the city by all the new buildings. If things worked out, it would call others here to feast.
Lacerta knew that by separating herself from Chalcanthite that she was presenting herself as an opportune target for the bat to go after first. Even as she zigzagged across the roof's surface in order to try and make it just a little harder for the creature to launch its attack was her mind working quickly to form some sort of idea in how they could down this giant creature once more. It was true that most of her magic before had been based on healing so if push came to shove and either her or Chal got hurt, she could use her magic to make things whole again, but still ... she was now an eternal senshi, there was one more attack that she'd yet to discover.
Even as she suddenly spun around to face the bat as it swooped down at her Lacerta's mind snapped into a laser clear focus as she found words just begging to be spoken. Wasting no time at all did she grin at her adversary before waiting for it to get just a little closer before she spoke a new phrase that was laced with power, "Lacerta's Restrictive Bindings!"
The sight of magical bandages forming, opaque in nature, was new to the senshi, but their purpose seemed different than those bandages of her basic and super attacks ... even as they snagged on the creature's wings, before trying to wrap themselves around its body.
Sara Draconia
Quote:
Eternal Sailor Attack: Lacerta's Restrictive Bindings Purely a defensive attack, Lacerta summons opaque bandages that are purely magical. These bandages will wrap around up to two opponents that are in a 10 foot radius to Lacerta. Once bound the opponents find that they cannot easily move their limbs. Think of it as having limbs stuck in quicksand. Very hard to pull free but it is possible. The duration of the attack lasts up to thirty seconds.
Lacerta can use this attack twice per battle.
Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 1:24 pm
Trapped, it didn't like that feeling. Struggling against the wrappings as it bit at the woman who had thought to stop it. Just a little blood, a little food, but not worth the trouble as it worked a wing free enough to keep from hitting the rooftop. Screeching a loud noise, it tried to move back towards the other figure. Maybe it would be an easier target even if it felt all wobbly. Snapping out with its fangs, it tried to sink them into the other. Food, that's what it was here for and it would get what it could.
Watching as he crept closer, keeping low as the thing was distracted. He jumped up and yelled as the bat managed to get in close enough to attack her even after she'd used a new sort of magic. "Lacerta!" Running forward to help, he crashed into the bat and slashed at it. The humming noise from his rapier turned into a loud ring as it connected. He could feel a vibration running up his arm but it mostly stayed in the blade. It would take some getting used to, that and the sound which pierced his ears at first.
Lacerta was amazed at the fact that the bat had the ability to struggle against the bandages that wrapped around it completely. But then again this wasn't your average bat. For starters it was much, much larger. Also it seemed to have a taste for human flesh. Even as the bat managed to free a wing and then a second one did Lacerta grimace before she cried out in shocked surprise as the bat managed to sink its teeth into a section of skin of the finger that was pointed at the thing. She winced. Oh, it wasn't anything really serious that she couldn't immediately fix afterwards but stilll, it stung to think that the bat had been able to work itself free after her bandages had wrapped around it.
Guess I need to work on this new attack some more, was the thought that rocketed through her mind even as she watched as Chalcanthite rushed in to parry at the creature and she almost winced at the noise that was emitted from the blade as it struck the bat.
"Chal, be careful," even as she backed away to let the general have the room to engage more fully did she use her basic healing magic on the wound that the bat had made before she kept a careful eye on the battle. She'd switch in if there was a chance to once more try wrapping the creaature up again.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2024 8:34 pm
Ring ring ring, nonono that isn't something good. The bat flitted and lunged its fangs at the throat of the wobbly figure that had tried slashing at it. Luckily it was freed from the magic now, free to feed and get more blood before making its way away from these nasty things. With its teeth in the form, it was satisfied and broke away quickly to start making its way back up into the sky.
It had worked in part but now the thing was free and he couldn't get out of the way in time. Lacerta calling out had given the thing an opening enough to bite him. Just like last time he held a hand to his throat as it bled from the quick bite. Willing the rapier away, he focused on something better, something with more range, as he pulled his bow out and shot at the thing for good measure. It was already getting away but he'd hit it regardless before moving back over towards Lacerta for medical attention. "Sorry, are you alright?" Holding his throat, it didn't feel as bad as it probably looked. Maybe it was because they had only gotten him in passing but at least things hadn't gone too terribly.
Even as the bat managed to sink its teeth into the general did Lacerta almost decide to rush back in, consequences be damned before she noted that Chalcanthite seemed to be holding his own even though the bat was making the nastiest screeching sounds. Her gaze narrowed at their opponent before she picked up a chunk of concrete and hefted it into the air as the bat disengaged from Chal before she let the hunk of rock soar. The ultimate aim was to knock some sense into the creature that they weren't helpless but even as the rock was thrown did the large bat seem to back out of range needed for her thrown projectile to make much of a difference.
Keeping one eye on the skyline should the bat decide to swoop back down did Lacerta make her way over to Chalcanthite before wincing at the sight of blood welling up from underneath the hand that covered the wound.
"I'm probably in better shape than you are right now. I guess I need to work some kinks out with that new magic of mine. I know the words are right-sounding but maybe there's a range where it's most effective and all that."
Lacerta relaxed for a moment before hoping that Chal wouldn't mind the fact that she was about to pull his hand away from the wound on his neck. Even as she made to pry the hand away did she apologize, "sorry, in order to heal this I need to be able to see things. Her hand held millimeters away from the wound did Lacerta activate her more powerful healing magic by whispering the words, "Lacerta's Miracle Growth" before watching as the golden bandages appeared and wrapped around Chalcanthite's neck.
Quote:
Super Sailor Scout Attack: Lacerta's Miracle Growth Lacerta will touch an injury on either herself or an ally and whisper her attack. A soft glowing bandage will appear and wrap the injury in a thin layer of bandage-like material. After twenty seconds the bandage will disappear. At this stage superficial bruises and cuts are healed rapidly (injuries from her sailor attack.) Larger lacerations (ones that go into the dermis), grade 1 sprains, and more significant bruises can be healed satisfactory. (( If a laceration goes further down into the skin than the dermis the magic will just stop the immediate bleeding ))
This attack can be used three times per battle. However Lacerta can only use it once on herself.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 10:39 pm
Waving his hand in a so-so motion he let them pull his other hand from his throat. It was still bleeding but it didn't hurt terribly much. "I am fine, not nearly as bad as it could have been." The other thin and pale scars on his throat had been a lot worse but they were hidden by the blood, at least he hoped.
He remembered this, at least in part from the last time they'd for the bats. This time he didn't have that same fear of their magic harming him for being on the side of chaos. "Thank you again for the help, I really dislike these bats. In hindsight, I maybe should have stuck with my bow. I need the practice though much as you have a new skill to learn about it seems. That was pretty interesting though, I never expected to see something like that after seeing your healing skills. It seems pretty handy even if there are still some things to figure out about it. If you ever need help with things..." Thinking hard for a moment, he pulled out one of his business cards from his subspace. The thin black card embossed with gold foil had his name on it, Aloysius Sharp, in a fancy script below the family emblem and above a phone number. "Here, so you can contact me even if I am out and about doing other things. I trust you with this information and I am sure Melpomene would be alright with me sharing it with another member of the mirror court."
At least now there was that extra level of safety in sharing things with her now that they were on the same side. He'd always liked the mirror court as well anyway so it worked out and maybe he'd find a way in to see things at some point with her or his partner. Either way, it would be nice to see Lacerta more often if possible.
Feeling as if she were satisfied with the result of her magic working on Chal's wound Lacerta leaned back before linking her hands together to pull them into a stretch behind her back before grinning at the general. It was true that her newest attack had been unexpected in the results but it was something different and interesting enough, something useful. Oh, healing magic was very important in any battle that she found herself in but knowing that she could possibly bind up her enemies now, allowing her time to get away, or get others away to safety was a nice little bonus.
"I didn't even know what my strongest attack was as the cat that helped unlock my eternal stage only told me I had stronger magic than my healing magic. I wonder if he knew," she fell silent for a moment before realizing that Chalcanthite was handing her a business card. Taking it with her left hand she brought her fingers to trace the name, the civilian name, with reverence before allowing the card to disappear into the safety of her own subspace pocket. She listened carefully as he spoke before picking up on the name Melpomene and hearing that he was a member of the dark mirror court. At first glance she didn't recognize the name, but if she had doubts she could probably inquire about things with Acubens.
"I think it's fair to say that I'll keep your identity safe. No one else will know it because information like that can be dangerous. As for the offer of help things if I ever need it, I like that idea. I think the same would work in reverse you know. Although I have nothing that I could share in return," her lips twitched before she gave the softest of sighs. It was true that she couldn't just give Aloysius information that could possibly bring harm to others she called family. She sighed again, "for the sake of the people that took me in, I don't think I can reciprocate in full and that bugs me, but I owe them so much."
Sara Draconia
Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 1:14 am
Feeling at his throat, it wasn't bleeding anymore and he pulled his collar to cover it up more. It didn't matter if he got blood on his uniform, it would be gone the next time he powered up.
"I feel like the Mauvians like playing games sometimes, only letting what they feel like saying out." At least that's how he felt a bit about it with the one he had met so many years ago. Cats and their secrets, his own cat vanishing off whenever someone else came to his home. He really wished Desiree would come out to meet Liam one day, he'd wanted them to meet since Liam had become his partner.
"I understand, believe me. Especially with what you told me happened in the past." He knew he was one of the milder Generals in the Negaverse and that only carried so much weight in the scheme of things. "Either way I would be up for helping you or I may call for a bit of medical help if something happens to me or Melpomene. If that is alright with you, of course. If you text me, let me know and I can save you as Lacerta or something else if you like, otherwise, I may mistake the text from one of the students I tutor." Laughing just a bit, he walked over to the small HVAC unit and sat down to rest before heading back home. There was plenty of time before Liam got home from work so he didn't mind spending it chatting.
The one idea she had percolating, considering that Izobel didn't exist anymore was to give Chal her civilian name from before she joined the Dark Mirror court. It couldn't be traced back to anyone given that she had had no family left after her parents had died and she had effectively disappeared too that perhaps it could be an idea in the future. Instead she walked over to the unit and leaned against it, peering around at the skyline, almost as if she anticipated the bat to return. But they'd given it something to think about she felt and so she instead mulled over the proposal that Chalcanthite was offering up.
"I think I could be okay with that idea. Saving my information just as my powered self that is. There might be times though that I may not be reachable via the conventional means of regular phones."
In fact that was something they could do right now. Taking out her regular cell phone Lacerta powered it on before looking expectantly at the screen before opening a new text message and typing in the number that she had seen on the card before typing in a simple message of "testing 1 2 3" before hitting send, "there. A text message from me to you."
