The Gargoyles (3) : Even when you thought you’d seen the last of them, it seems like you’re never really in the clear. A while back, there was an infestation of awful gargoyle creatures–and while every Star Festival had its fair share of oddities, this one seems to have introduced a permanent infestation upon the city. Maybe you see them perched on the roof, or hiding in the shadows, but not all of these grotesque creatures are satisfied with just escaping their interdimensional prison–some of them still have a bone to pick. They seem stony; some of them will watch with a penetrative gaze and never strike to attack, but some of them will dive down to target anyone who gets too close. The monsters come in an array of sizes and shapes, but they are no more than half the size of their target. Their goal is uncertain, but they will crumble into a pile of rocks and dust if struck hard enough.
A thousand years of being hunted in the dark had left Pyrrhus sensitive to being watched. To the feeling of being prey under Something's gaze. So, he'd been on high alert for the past block, because something was very, very definitely watching him, and watching him with the air of wanting to attack.
This creature clearly had no idea what it was dealing with, though, because Pyrrhus was pretty sure he knew what it was. It looked like it was trying to blend in with the architecture, and he'd certainly seen statues like it on other worlds in the past, but this one--it had been subtle, but it had shifted. And when Pyrrhus was looking for any changes at all in his environment, a small shift was in fact pretty ******** noticeable.
So he turned towards it. Put his hands on his his. And glared.
Which was a mistake.
Pyrrhus wasn't expecting it to be as fast as it was, screeching and diving at him with force. He got out of the way, but not fast enough to avoid claws raking his arm, drawing blood.
"Ow, s**t--Nihility's Whisper!"
He called on his magic, an automatic response--maybe it was magic and it would crumble under his spell--but no such luck. Because absolutely nothing happened. No magic springing from his fingers, no bleeding of colors, no zone of silence and nothing.
Just him and a very pissed off gargoyle, wheeling around for another strike.
OP-Yuna
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2024 2:32 pm
"Magic isn't gonna work on these suckers," came a voice of a super senshi who was just rounding the corner, twirling a make-shift weapon she had conveniently found.
Honestly, it was weird how there was always a metal pipe or something near by just when you needed one. Almost as wierd as how everyone with the same last name in Destiny City were related. Anywhere else, there were like, a million unrelated Smiths or Joneses, but here? Nah. It was a wonder that it hadn't been used against someone in this little war already. Or maybe it had and she just didn't know about it. But really, how far-fetched would it be for, say, a member of the Negaverse to know their team mate IRL, and look up everyone in DC by that same last name and blackmail them with threat of violence against their family or something to make them stay?
Well, these were thoughts that would tumbleweed through Steins' brain sometimes, but she didn't like to linger on them. In fact she was kind of grateful really that she wasn't in too deep in this whole thing. Although, given her connection to Cybele, that could have easily be changed at any time. Steins just chose not to think about what an unguarded target she could be.
"There is only one way to take care of these rock heads," She stopped twirling the pipe - the sudden change throwing off her coolness-factor as she then lost grip of it and fumbled to grab it again, but to no avail as it clattered to the asphault below. Oops.
"Good to know," Pyrrhus said. He was never going to turn down backup, even unfamiliar backup, and any Senshi that walked up to a fight twirling a metal bat and looking that ready to throw down was, as far as Pyrrhus was concerned, his type of Senshi.
"My magic doesn't work half the time anyway, so probably better not to worry about it." He flashed her a grin, and honestly? Even if it was sort of funny when she dropped her pipe, he kept that thought to himself. Not everyone had as much practice as he did.
"I'll hold its attention," he said, and he really hoped these things weren't too smart, "and you beat the s**t out of it with that pipe, yeah?"
His type of plan for this type of fight. Sure, things went better when you had a better analysis of the situation, but sometimes s**t went to s**t and you just had to start throwing punches.
Which was what he did--get in close to the thing, which looked like it wanted to come in for another attack anyway, and swing his fist. If he got some bruised knuckles out of it, whatever, that was the price of a good fight.
OP-Yuna
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2024 10:06 am
"OH man, welcome to the useless magic club!" Steins replied with amused exasperation.
It wasn't that her magic was useless per say, it just didn't really cause any damage. At least...it was a far cry from magic arrows, fire balls, or even sonic waves.
Steins nodded when Pyrrhus gave his game plan, then winced in sympathetic pain as he swung his fist at the stone creature. Owwww - that had to hurt! Still, she darted around behind the creature and came in with a swing at its ankles.
"Hyaaaah!"
Honestly, the force it took was a lot, so her own hits weren't nearly as amazing as she'd have liked, but metal met stone hard, the vibrations of the impact going down the metal bat and up her arms.
"Didn't used to be, but chaos ******** a lot of things for me," Pyrrhus said, but his focus was mostly on the monster.
Okay, so, going in swinging on stone was probably not the best idea, but Pyrrhus was willing to take some bruised and bloodied knuckles for the sake of driving this thing off or destroying it or whatever.
And while it was stone, well--it was only stone, and under the assault of metal pipe and Senshi fists, Pyrrhus swore he could see it cracking. The thing made an awful, grating yowling noise, lashing out with wings and claws, but--
"One more good hit and it's done," Pyrrhus said, and he was pretty sure he was right. Cracks were beginning to spiderweb over its concrete body, and while he didn't think he could deliver the necessary force with a punch? A Super with a pipe sure as ******** could.
OP-Yuna
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2024 6:10 pm
Noir Songbird
Biting her lip, a look of determination on her face, Steins took another swing. The loud crack of not just metal on rock, but the literal cracking of the creature filled the air.
Seeing it crumble into rocks and dust in front of him made Pyrrhus let out a relieved sigh.
"We did, ******** yes," he said, and he shook out his hand, flashing her a broad, slef-satisfied grun. "Thanks for the backup. Couldn't have done it without you."
Honestly? In Pyrrhus's experience, "in the middle of a fight" was the best way to make friends. And it really did feel like it had kinda worked out for him, here. At the very least, he'd made an interesting contact.
"Pyrrhus. Pleasure to meet you."
OP-Yuna
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2024 7:28 pm
"Likewise! I'm Steins," she returned the greeting with a cheery smile.
Steins didn't have near as many magic-verse contacts as she probably should have by now, but she was happy to many any whenever she could. it was always comforting to know you had allies you could call on when things were getting tough. Not that she didn't do her best to avoid difficult or very dangerous situations.
Really, some might think her not a great senshi due to a perceived lack of dedication to fighting the badies. Well, she couldn't argue there. She was sure there were some that made this fight their everything - their entire identities were wrapped up in it. She just...... As much as she had longed for a magical fairytale adventure life, she couldn't really say that being a magical space soldier was doing it for her. But, you don't exactly get to choose when it comes to things like that, now do you?
"I'm sure you'd have caught on quickly enough! These guys aren't nearly as tough as some of the things creeping around the city."
Steins. Another person Pyrrhus could consider a contact--not that he was sure what he might need them for, just yet, but more contacts was always a good thing, if you asked him.
"I'd have come out of it worse for wear, though," he said, "so--still. Very much appreciated." The idea of being clawed at by a gargoyle until he managed to get his hands on an appropriate improvised weapon? Not exactly pleasant.
He gave a little, cheeky sort of bow, and a wave.
"Good luck with the rest of your evening," he said, "and hopefully there are no more nasty surprises."
