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 Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2025 4:31 pm
Quote: The Gargoyles (1) : 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. Achird didn't ask Vanya what on Earth that... well, Earth Page named Maus had meant when he'd said something about Achird's "vee neck shirt" and wanting to meet a "Sailor of Peaches" because she'd be a "real looker", so he remained confused on the entire ordeal. It wasn't that he didn't trust Vanya to tell the truth, but really that... He hated being so reliant on one person. Really sick of it, actually. However, trying to google it on his own had been fruitless. He'd run into very few results about peaches and aubergines that didn't throw outright pornography in his face, a fact that had made him very upset. At least he'd learned what a V-neck shirt was, though he didn't think his fuku counted as one, when it was closer to a buttonless button-up shirt, as far as he could tell, by modern American Earth fashion standards, anyway. Still, this thought haunted him as he walked through the city on a cool, clear night. A much better night than the one he'd met Maus on, for certain. Hopefully he wouldn't run into any issues. Alas, thinking it only brought it into existence, because he sensed a corrupt senshi nearby and bit back a sigh. He moved through the alleyway nearer to it, getting ready to pounce—only for one of those ******** bullshit gargoyles to jump him and knock him to the ground face down right in front of the corrupt senshi. It sat on his back and grabbed his hair, lifting his face in preparation to smash Achird's head into the ground. "Help!" he managed to squeak. Not his most dignified moment.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2025 4:49 pm
Perhaps it was uncouth of Industria to go to the assistance of someone on the other side. Perhaps she ought to have simply waited it out and seen exactly what happened. But there was something inherently pathetic about that cry for help, and it moved some sort of sympathy in her.
Also, he was literally right in front of her, having been swooped by a menacing stone beast, and as much as part of her wanted to step back and simply observe what was happening, that seemed particularly callous given the broader situation. The sort of thing often referred to as a "d**k move," colloquially.
The real problem was that she was not built for physical fighting. Briefly, she wished Cryptomelane was there, though he might have encouraged abandoning the poor b*****d (not an indefensible possibility, in truth.) Still, she would be willing to wager that his mace would do quite a bit of damage to a rocky gargoyle.
Alas. There was only one solution.
"Perhaps you need to expand your thinking," she said, which might have sounded like a platitude, given that he was on the ground in front of her and clearly in danger, but...well...
"Spirit of Invention," she said, and she hoped that her magic gave him a solution to his current predicament, as it had helped Cryptomelane see exactly what he needed to fight the Herald of the Dark Star.
And once she'd clapped to activate her magic, she did move to grab the thing's arm, wrestling with it to keep it from actually smashing the poor Senshi's head into the pavement. Messy, unpleasant, and a waste.
(The poor alien Senshi, she realized--fascinating!! Perhaps assisting was smart, if she could prod him for information after!!)Quote: Sailor Scout Attack: Spirit of Invention! Industria claps her hands, and everyone in an 8-foot radius around her will hear a loud clanking of gears and briefly see an illusion of the inside of a massive steampunk machine. Allies within the radius will find themselves seized with a spirit of invention--a sudden clarity of thought and focus that allows them to focus on problem-solving in a clever and inventive way. These effects will last for 25 seconds, and Industria can use this spell three times per battle.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2025 5:14 pm
Oh, she's kind of cute, pinged the most stupid thought to think in a moment like this from somewhere deep in Achird's brain. Not the time or place, and especially not with a Chaos senshi! he scolded himself. Her words confused him for a moment, but then he realized it must have been her magic. Clanking gears brought an illusion of some kind of machine to his eyes. Odd, but not unpleasant. He gasped as clarity struck him, and as the corrupt senshi before him started wrestling with the gargoyle, he rolled out from under it. Good so far. His eyes jumped all around, scanning, looking— there! He shouted triumphantly as he grabbed a solid chunk of concrete from some kind of recent construction in the area, and turned around. "Aubergine Resilience," he snarled, his magical flowers blooming out almost violently around him. That done, he lifted the chunk high and drove it through the face of the gargoyle once he had an opening so he didn't hurt the corrupt senshi. She had decided to help him, after all. The gargoyle gave a scraping howl of pain, he hoped, so he brought the concrete down again and again, until he'd bashed the face off the entire being and watched it crumble to bits. Panting, he dropped the concrete chunk and stood still for several seconds, trying to catch his breath. Noir Songbird Achird speaks the name of his attack, and aubergine flowers bloom in a ten-foot radius around him. Allies within the radius become more durable and resistant to damage, with attacks from his rank being fully deflected and attacks from one rank above him being reduced by half. This magic does not affect attacks from characters stronger than that. These effects last for 30 seconds, and Achird can use this spell three times per battle.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2025 5:54 pm
Aha! Industria was always pleased to see her magic working to inspire new thinking and ideas. Especially ones that so efficiently solved the problem of the gargoyle monster's hostility as "pick up a chunk of concrete and beat the s**t out of it until it stopped moving."
Sometimes, violence truly was the most obvious and most ideal answer to a conundrum.
So she held firm, refusing to let go of the monster's arm as it tried to get away from her and from the rain of blows the other Senshi was delivering, digging in her heels and refusing to be moved.
As the gargoyle crumbled, she finally let go, letting it collapse into so much scattered stone on the ground before them.
"Excellent work," she said. "Very efficient. I am glad that we were able to collaborate so well."
He had mentioned Aubergines when casting his magic, and as she glanced around, she could see fading flowers on the ground. Interesting! That would answer the question of his sphere, which was relevant information she was willing to tuck away.
Probably, she should have asked his name to get a full database report. That would likely have meant offering hers, however, and she was not interested in giving him more intelligence than he had already gained from her magic.
"Please don't take this the wrong way, but I hope we don't run into each other again," she said, and she gave a little wave and headed off into the night.
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