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 Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 10:27 am
Quote: When Evil Takes Root (15) : Destiny City is always being expanded and renovated, so controlled forest fires and forest demolition are common enough. And yet, the forests seem bigger. Darker. There’s no logical explanation to it, but logic has nothing to do with it if you pay enough attention. Sometimes, the trees seem to move--more than just how the wind manipulates them. Sometimes, a particularly mangled tree with sharp bark and long, clawlike branches will stand out amongst the others. It isn’t always in the same place, and it isn’t always alone. They can look like normal trees–until they don’t. And by the time you notice, you’re too close to stop them. In the blink of an eye, they’re upon you. They don’t quite run as much as they do slither, and their branches are always longer than they appear. Especially when they are slashing at you or trying to squeeze you. Some of the trees have strangely human shapes molded into them, covered in dark bark. Hopefully it’s just your imagination but you really shouldn’t try to find out what happens if one of them manages to catch you. Any area with one of these trees will feel unnaturally heavy, and when they have congregated it feels exhausting, as if they are draining the energy right out of the air–and you. They fear only fire and seem to feel pain; if you hack at their branches or peel their bark, they bleed. If in too much danger, they will flee into the trees. Once you lose sight of them, it’s impossible to find them again–unless they want you to. Note: If you choose to encounter these strange tree-like monsters, your character will recognize they are not youma. The trees either do not understand or do not care to listen to human words. It will always disappear back into the forest before it can be caught or killed, and if any bark or branches are broken off of it then these will quickly wither and petrify. Under close scrutiny they appear to be normal wood though they do not match anything Earth has seen and when dated may seem to be up to two hundred years old. This RP can be used as a battle requirement as long as there are two powered characters involved; you must be interacting with another player’s powered character. This does not count as the ‘one youma battle’ per stage for growth. 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. Even if your character falls unconscious or becomes trapped by the tree, they must be rescued, either by someone else or a bystander. They may wake up somewhere else, away from the trees and with no explanation, but they will feel exhausted and will be nutrient deficient.
I must be a masochist, Ilmare thought to herself as she sat on a bit of broken fencing just on the edge of the city. The trees here grew thick and dark and something about it reminded her of that awful village. There was a heaviness that hinted at Bad Things. With a sigh, she glanced down by her feet at the unconscious body of a hitchhiker that she'd taken energy from. A quick toe nudge reassured her that he was still alive. Given how creepy this place felt, she'd probably end up dragging him somewhere a bit less... oppressive feeling.
Turning her attention back to the tree edge, she watched, jumping slightly every time a shadow flickered.
She felt a powered aura nearby, but dismissed it. Her side, the other side. It didn't matter right now. Not when she was trying to figure the trees out.
Not when she thought she'd just seen one move against the wind...
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 11:46 am
Vela found herself in a wooded area that seemed a lot more wooded than normal, she rolled her eyes she was not surprised, but it seemed like this Star festival was pulling out all the stops in the weird department. She sensed an aura in the area and she went towards it to see if it was a knight, senshi, monster or whatever. She was fairly open when it came to stuff since she understood what it was like to be corrupted. She jumped over a root and thought she saw it move. She cocked her eyebrow she was getting a bad feeling this was not going to be good. And she was the senshi of bonfires so her burning embers might be a bad idea here. She shrugged and continued on towards the energy she had sensed. She was watching the wood because she didn't trust it, it was foolish to trust anything in Destiny city blindly. That was a good way to end up hurt or worse. She had found more than one senshi or knight in a bad situation because they had underestimated this place. Vela didn't trust the magic in this city it was too crazy. She laughed to herself.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 4:23 pm
Still focusing on the tree that she thought had moved, Ilmare didn't even bother to turn around when she thought she heard someone moving behind her. She shot a quick glance down to the still out hitchhiker and felt a stab of relief when she saw his chest rise and fall.
At least whoever it was wouldn't be able to accuse her of murder.
"If you're planning a lecture, save your breath," she said quietly before raising a hand to point at a particular tree that looked, well, wrong. "Can you see it move too or am I simply paranoid?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 4:37 pm
Vela cocked her eyebrow at the figure that she didn't even know asking her if she was going to lecture them. She laughed again "No I'm not going to lecture you, I don't even know who you are." She looked down at the roots "Yea I was pretty sure I saw them move too, best to be careful." She smirked looking over at the nega or corrupt whatever they were she figured since they amused she was going to lecture them they were chaos of some sort. "Now if you want me to lecture you we could do that or we can fight or we can fight the forest." She said laughing again. Then she eyed the forest since she wasn't totally convinced they wouldn't have to fight the forest before this was all said and done.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 4:47 pm
"You're laughing, but I've been in bad forests before," Ilmare said quietly, turning her head and staring at the other senshi. "I'm not sure it's possible to fight a whole forest..."
She caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and turned back quickly. Nothing. Her gaze slid down and she hissed in shock. Her hitchhiker was gone. Only the outline of his body remained in the tall grass.
"Where the hell is he?" she turned and snarled at the other senshi. "Did you do something to him? He was right here a second ago!"
In the trees, something rustled.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 4:52 pm
Vela shook her head "Oh I'm not laughing at that, I know weird stuff happens around here all the time.." She cocked her eyebrow and heard the noise. She was now worried about the person since they could get hurt here. "How would I have done that I haven't moved since we met." She said frowning at the weirdo who thought she somehow magically saved the hitch hitcher without actually doing anything. "More likely something in the forest took them from you."
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 5:58 pm
Glaring right back, Ilmare bit back a retort. If the other girl couldn't understand how it would be more than slightly sus that she showed up and right after Ilmare's 'donor' vanished, well. Ilmare would never be able to get her point across without resorting to throwing hands.
Which didn't seem like a great idea at the moment.
Besides, how could the forest take him away? Sure, she thought she'd seen a tree move, but she could chalk that up to a traumatic kidnapping into a weird sub-dimension. That would ******** anyone up. Shuddering at the memory, Ilmare decided that she'd try to rationally explain. But before she could, she heard an odd slithering sound and felt something brush against her ankle. And then she was tugged from behind and fell forward, chin cracking into the ground before she was being pulled back towards the trees.
It was only by sheer luck there was a broken boulder that she barely managed to grab on to.
"Um... little help, please!"
Okay, maybe the forest really did take her poor hitchhiker since it was now trying very hard to take her too.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 6:03 pm
Considering Vela was white moon and she wasn't a jerk she decided to cast her magic she figured the sting of the feeling of fire would get any plant to back off. She started her dance of embers since she didn't think this would take her dance of flames and if the chaos member decided to fight her she didn't want to use all her attacks on them, not to mention she also had to save the hitch hiker as well. "Why did you bring your prey into a creepy forest anyway?" She asked them cocking her eyebrow. Dance of embers Vela dances around a bonfire bidding the flames to burn higher and higher embers flying into the air. The enemies the embers fall on receive the feeling of small stinging burns. (Lasts 30 sec. ) (Can be used twice per battle) 5 ft range. (Only feels like burning)
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 6:19 pm
Gritting her teeth against the burning sensation hitting her legs, Ilmare felt whatever had her let go just enough to allow her to scrabble away. Standing back up, she shook her head, feeling like the air had gotten so much heavier around them.
"I didn't bring him into a forest," she retorted. "I was trying to avoid people but he was out at the treeline! I can't lie to a General if they ask me if I saw anyone while patrolling. I was going to move him away so people could find and help him and then the tree moved and then you showed up and now he's gone!" Ilmare's voice took on a wailing note. It was a point of pride that she'd managed to never really hurt anyone.
Only and always just enough to keep the Generals off her back and stay under the radar.
Ilmare went quiet suddenly and stared hard just past the other senshi. There had not been trees in that spot before. How had they gotten there so fast?
"Oh ******** me, look out!" she screamed, darting forward and throwing herself at the other girl hoping to knowck her out of the way as one of the trees sprouted tendrils that shot out, trying to catch the fiery senshi.
"What the hell is even happening?"
This wasn't youma. She knew how youma felt. This was Something New.
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 5:33 am
Vela listened and then she was knocked to the side and knocked on top of the hitch hiker that was being dragged away by a tree monster. She didn't have time to chit chat at the moment she grabbed the guy and started pulling trying to get the tree to let go. "Well we better figure this out and get the heck out of here before we get beaten up by trees." She said gritting her teeth.
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 10:19 am
”You’re magic is going to be more useful,” Ilmare snapped, yanking her arms away from a creeping tendril. “I don’t think these things have the type of skin that my magic can work against!”
She also was pretty damn sure that tree monsters couldn’t hallucinate, but why get into specifics? She felt her ankles get grabbed and she was sliding backwards again. This time, she managed to grab a rock and twist, bringing the rock down on the tendril with as much force as possible.
Rewarded with a horrific shriek, Ilmare grinned savagely as she saw that the tendril was seeping… something where the rock had hit. The trees could be hurt! Eyes lighting up with unholy glee, she launched herself towards one of the trees menacing the other senshi. Bringing her rock down on a branch, she noted that the bark seemed to break open the way skin might and there was the same oozy ‘blood’. Okay, they could fight these things!
“You burn, I’ll bash,” she yelled, making good on her words as she bit down on one tendril that got a little too close, tearing away a chunk of bark with her teeth. The screaming, keening noise the trees made would haunt her nightmares, but for now, she reveled in it because it meant that they could be hurt and maybe driven off.
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 12:12 pm
Vela didn't like the sound of the trees screaming either and she wanted to get out of here. "Fine, but when I cast my spell I suggest we make a run for it and take the guy with us." She pulled him back over and dropped him on the ground because she was going to have to dance and that would not be easy if she was holding a civi. She started her dance of flames she figured to hell with it if they fought her afterward she would just deal with it. Dance of flames Vela dances faster around the flames making them burn higher and hotter than before. Sending hotter embers down on her enemies. The burns hurt more than before. 10 ft range (Lasts 45 sec.) (Twice per battle) (Only feels like burning)
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 12:48 pm
Ilmare shot an offended look at the other senshi even as she bransdished her sap/blood/whatever coated rock at the trees.
“Well, of course, we’re going to take him! The hell kind of a*****e you think I am?”
Baring her teeth at another tree, she edged in closer to the fiery senshi and got her hitchhiker up into a modified fireman’s carry. It wasn’t ideal, but she’d make the best of what she had. As the other senshi began to move, Ilmare watched as flames appeared and moved with the senshi. If it wasn’t mildly terrifying, she would have called the whole spectacle beautiful.
And it was clear that the tree things did not like the fire. A few were even pulling back into a retreat of sorts.
“Light ‘em up, girl,” she hissed encouragingly. “Burn the creepy ******** to the ground!”
She’d already caught sight of an opening that would let them back out onto the road, but she was afraid to say anything just in case the trees could understand words. Instead, she angled her body and made sure her grip on the hitchhiker was firm. Once those flames ceased, they’d have to run like fury.
“Ready when you are,” she murmured so only the fire senshi could hear. She didn’t know how long this magic could last or if the other would be capable of using this magic again. She didn’t want to take more chances than necessary. Once those flames dropped, she was running. ”MiddyGlow” I think we can wrap in two more posts? 8D
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 1:09 pm
Vela rolled her eyes and as soon as there was an opening she was already, ready. "I didn't say you would leave him, stop taking everything I say the wrong way." They got the hell out of there like their lives depended on it, since it kinda did. Weird freaking city and it's desire to try and kill people. "Well that was fun but I think we should say goodbye now." Oh the way out Vela found an amber-colored star charm.
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 1:26 pm
Darting through trees, Ilmare simply kept hold of the hitchhiker and did her best to move fast. She was convinced that she felt brushing against her shoulders as she ran, but the trees didn't seem to want to risk more fire.
Which suited her fine.
Only when the other girl slowed did Ilmare follow suit. Panting lightly, she set the hitchhiker down for a brief moment in order to stretch and crack her spine. She kept silent at the other girl's words, knowing mild snark when she heard it. Besides, they were alive and unharmed. Why throw a fit now?
Instead, she decided on sincerity. "We'd never have got away without you. Thanks. Truly. But I think you're right. I'll make sure this guy gets help and a safe place to stay."
Suiting words to action, she knelt and scooped him up. She knew where a decent beat cop patrolled. She'd leave her guy with him.
"See ya. It's been real," she said quietly before heading back into the city proper.
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