Chevaleresse Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Faust He could feel the same points that Nagi had located earlier, though if he paid attention one of them seemed to be stronger than the others. . . and moving. It was near the building that the other two mages had entered. The scale The magical assaults destroyed the scale, much as one would expect. A burst of blackish energy radiated outward from it, however, drenching the two for a moment with inescapable, relentless despair that seemed to press down on their very souls. Fortunately, it passed quickly. Pixl Noriko dodged this attack, though there was a slight look of frustration on her face. It quickly vanished, however, replaced with the usual, simply stern one. "That's an interesting strategy, but throwing your weapon can easily backfire." She gestured at where the weapon had landed as it faded away into nothingness. "Especially since you lack the ability to retain a hold on the energy used to create it as of now. Try summoning another one, and this time come to me." Takeshi's parkour lessons "Keep following!" he called back, looking over his shoulder to ensure everyone got across safely. He continued to bound from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally scaling short walls and other obstacles by simply taking large strides that carried him over or to the top of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiss13 Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 The feeling was sickening. The blackish energy that radiated from the scale made her feel like she was drowning in quicksand with no way out. It was like the feeling of despair had, for a short time, knocked her off the very pillars that supported her very essence. It was suffocating…and then, it passed. It was as if those few seconds had never happened. She was kneeling, panting, and sweating profusely while resting her arm on her knee. At some point, her concentration must have broken as the partial transformation of her arm was no longer in effect and the spear had dissipated back into the air. So, Nagi regained her bearings and stood up while wiping her sweat off her forehead. "If that was what that guy was feeling, then suicide doesn't seem like that bad an option in the face of that dense despair." She pulled up the map she had recorded and searched for the closest markings. After confirming the locations, she looked off into the city and focused her senses again to double check the locations while keeping the map on her phone open. It was likely that some of them would be moving if others had picked them up, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 "Seems I'm not alone up here..." Fuast muttered, already heading off towards the larger, mobile sensation as he picked up the two other Mages signatures in the back of his mind. This was far worst than he had thought though, that much was painfully obvious; back during the rooftop trip here what he must've picked could only have been the collective sigs of every last one of the ones he could feel now. "The number of them could definitely explain explains the amount of suicides though...but if all of them are stationary and weak except this big one... God damn it." He sprinted towards the building in question, mind set on keeping track of the signature's movement, even though he was near certain there was going to end up being a beast at the end of this goose chase... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jory Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Bark turned deathly pale as the wave of despair passed over him, a dark chariot pulled by umbral steeds charging through his mind with no regard for anything it crushed beneath its wheels. He was doubled over, his hands on his knees for support as in incredible feeling of loneliness and lack of control went through him, eating down to his very core. It was like someone had punched him hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him breathless as he attempted to recover from the sucker punch. His hammer dissipated quickly in a shower of orange granules that seemed to melt into the floor. Holy shit... he thought to himself. "That wasn't fun," he quipped aloud, attempting to stand upright but failing as a feeling of vertigo overtook him. "Whatever's causing this, we need to be more prepared for it next time." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Squad Felicity Posted May 8, 2015 Support Squad Share Posted May 8, 2015 Ozymandias was enjoying this new power, he and Krys continued to move in tandem, parkouring over the buildings and keeping pace with Takeshi. Ozzys excitement welled up and he let loose various whoops and yells of sheer delight that echoed off of the buildings. He felt perfect, invincible, this was fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyaloom Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Yeah, keep following. Is this what Takeshi calls a Beginner's lesson? thought Dexter, seeing the other guy jumping with ease from a rooftop to another. The blonde guy was still slightly shocked because of his less than stellar landing on his first jump, but at least, he knew he could jump as far as Takeshi.Determined to not repeat the same error as before, with his right eye still "glowing" like before, Dexter ran off the edge of the building he was standing on, this time landing in the correct way on the third building. He didn't stop and performed his third jump of the day without too many problems, and, although he wasn't in his best condition, every jump (while still being a difficult task) was becoming slightly easier than the previous one. He was actually able to keep the pace. He looked around, trying to focus on Takeshi, and follow him - not just with his eyesight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixl Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Gavriil let out a small breath. The weapon disappearing had been an interesting discovery for him, and so his efforts in throwing it did not feel wasted. Sure, Noriko said it could backfire, but it had its uses. Concentrating as he could, he materialized the massive flail once more. Though he succeeded, he felt a certain wind get knocked out of him. It had only been a few minutes of fighting, and yet he felt tired. He did not let on that this was the case, though his face did emit certain signs of weariness. Trying his best to mask them, Gavriil crouched to brace himself for launch; his legs were pistons, launching him into the air and onto a platform near that where Noriko stood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chevaleresse Posted May 9, 2015 Author Share Posted May 9, 2015 Gavriil "Good. It looks like you're beginning to tire, however. Do not push yourself to the point of exhaustion, however; too much effort while your stores of energy are depleted could kill you, or worse." Noriko frowned slightly for a moment, her mind somewhere else. "I recommend returning to the ground and returning to normal human form. To do so, simply release your mental hold on your current form. You might not have realized that you had this; it is instinctive." After the instruction, she floated down to the ground smoothly, still thinking about something else. Faust As he ran into the alleyway, he met with a strange sight. Bark and Nagi They could probably feel the same presence Faust had followed, down in the alley next to the building they stood on top of. Tending to the man might have to wait... Takeshi's lessons The mage looped around and eventually returned to his home building. He waited there for a moment for everyone to return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiss13 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 It was at that moment that Nagi felt a pronounced presence. This was one that had clearly not been there before. At the same time, it was a stronger presence than the rest of the ones in the area. The worst part was that it was quite literally right next to them. "That isn't good. Please tell me that isn't what I think it is." She made her way over to the edge of the building and looked into the alleyway which she felt the presence from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jory Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Bark also looked over the lip of the building into the alleyway, where he saw the familiar form of Faust facing off against what appeared to be a Beast. "He needs our help. Now." Bark said quickly. He stood on the lip of the building and looked down at the fire escape. He leapt over the edge, turning backward in the air and grabbing the first available metal rail. He proceeded to drop down the rest until he was in the ladder, facing down the Beast near Faust. "Looked like you needed an assist," he said cordially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiss13 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) "Goddammit, Bark! You're not supposed to be such a dumbass and jump straight into it!" Nagi muttered under her breath after he saw Bark jumping over the railing and into the fray. She nearly facepalmed at the recklessness he was displaying. But, she simply exhaled and thought about it.No, that should be fine. Even if he jumps in like that, two people should be enough to be able to finish off the beast. Not to mention, I can finally try and confirm whether blondie over there is the lightning-user. Besides, if they end up being pushed back or being unable to defeat the thing, I can launch a surprise attack. As long as Bark does not carelessly reveal my location, I can keep the element of surprise as a trump card. I'll just stay here and keep observing. That is my specialty as a sniper, after all. She smirked at the last bit of her thought as she stayed in place and observed. Edited May 9, 2015 by Hiss13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyaloom Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 "Alright, here I am" declared Dexter, after returning to Takeshi's building. Surely the transformation made him more agile and let him jump much further (as he would have fell otherwise) but that wouldn't last long. Takeshi said that it would only last five minutes, and at least three passed away. He looked back at Krys and Bobby, who were about to rejoin Takeshi and the blonde guy, and took a look at himself, searching for wounds or scratches from that failed landing which happened before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yash Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Krys let go of Bobby's hand and went on after Takeshi on her own. I can do this. I won't fall down. I may have needed help to get started but I can do this on my own. She turned to look at Bobby before smiling and taking off after Takeshi. Finally they landed back at the roof of his building. "That was fun." She smiled, but started feeling tired. It seemed the transformation and activity had depleted her energy. She sat down on the roof. "Tiring too. I can't believe how weak I am feeling. Should I stop my transformation?" She asked Takeshi. "Also how do I do that?" She realised that it wasn't like there was an off switch to this. There had to be a way to stop it, like how it starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixl Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Even the jump up to his position took a considerable amount of energy. Gavriil heeded Noriko's words and let himself fall from the platform. It was almost int he same instance he touched the ground that his weariness allowed him to end his transformation; it was as she said, all he had to do was stop focusing on it. His descent was not as graceful as the girl's, but he managed to stay on his feet--though he swayed a bit in place as he looked at her. Perhaps if he was in a more energetic frame of mind would he recognize the agitation in Noriko's features, but he did not, and therefore also did not have a mind to inquire about it. The Russian stumbled forward, toward the cascade of blue hair before him. He meant to signal that he had done what she requested, though it came off as an awkward motion. This he would admonish himself for later, for he was never supposed to be awkward, always clean and efficient. However, at the moment, he let it side, for this was a form of exhaustion he had not familiarized himself with; and exhaustion of spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 "Good mother of god..." Faust muttered as he backed away slowly from his latest... discovery. He honestly had no idea why the hell he was shocked though; he had suspected he'd meet with something nasty, afterall. Perhaps it was just the fact of how damn ugly this particular Something was though? He wasn't exactly alone though. The two Mage signatures felt nearby, hell, if he was right... they should be up high somewhere right around this area. But for now it was merely him and the beast. "This is probably going to get very ugly very fast. Either way, doesn't matter." He reached a single hand behind his back, feeling the tip of his wing extend for a only a second before a plume shot off like a missle and landed right in his palm. The feathery limb shot back into his shoulder blade. He brought his hand back down to his side, continuing to back away. "I need to see what it's capable of before just charging in... and I might not have the aerial advantage here. And then there's the issue of location..." "Damn it..." he cursed. This was probably the exact reason why Peace Keepers didn't bother handling beast unless necessary. It was just then that he sensed one of the Mage Sigs descending fast from wherever it had been perched, and a man he recognized from the little shindig yesterday landed near him. It seemed whoever his presumable partner was was just going to let him do the dirty work here though... seeing as how Faust could still pick up their ass sitting nice and pretty on the roof in the back of his mind. Now wasn't the time to take eyes off the thing before them though... "Looked like you needed an assist," "I was honestly planning to just test it's capabilities first rather than rush in..." The Lightning Mage answered truthfully, having gotten to the point where if he backed up any further, he walk out right into the street, "But it's appreciated regardless." He turned his attention from Bark and back to the dark beast. "I came here to look into why a good amount of well-off people would want to just go and kill themselves all of a sudden... and I can only presume this... thing here has some type of strong tie to whatever's going on..." He could feel his body beginning to tense though, knowing what was to come. His eyes started to take on their strange glow as he started running a energizing, static current throughout his body, just as he had earlier to make his way across the roof tops without having to transform fully... ((And just to clarify, no, the current is not visible as it is purely internal and has no outside manifestation aside from the eye glow.)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chevaleresse Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Gavriil "Are you really feeling that fatigued already? Strange. Perhaps you spent more energy on that attack than you thought." Her form flickered as she returned to being a normal human. "Do you need rest? I can't have recruits dropping dead from exhaustion on me; God knows our numbers are thin enough already." She walked toward the exit, where the other Protectors watching quickly scattered, attending to their other duties. Kouta, however, stuck around. Noriko waved at Gavriil to follow her, and left the room. She moved toward a hallway to their right, which ran for a short distance before coming to a stop at the entrance to something unmistakable; a dining room. "Most people have already eaten, but there should be some food left over in here. Eat, sleep if you need, and come find me." The alleyway The beast let out a low sort of hissing roar. It almost sounded more frustrated than angry for a moment, and its head had not been oriented toward the two in the alleyway. It had just been looking up at the top of the building, but now the seemingly eyeless gaze drifted toward Faust and fixed on him. It took a couple slow, menacing steps toward him - and was lunging forward in a flash, a powerful forelimb with short but thick talons reaching to deliver a crushing blow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 "It's fast!" Faust noted as the thing came at him, seeming to completely ignore the other Mage standing there. He was ready however; with a quick leap to the side he kicked his weight off the wall of the alley powefully and sent himself airborne just as the creature's claws slammed into the area where he had been just seconds ago. "Dont just stand there!" He shouted at Bark as his wing shot out in a blur of Dark, shimmering Blue. He pushed upwards into the narrow air space with a few flaps before bringing the appendage around to his front like a shield and focusing the adrenaline, and admittedly, the fear welling up in him... "I'm definitely going to have to transform to live through this..." He thought as many of the plumes straightened and stood bolt upright as the shimmering glow grew stronger around his wing, making him look a bit reminiscent to a hedgehog with it's quills deployed. In a literal flash, one by one they shot out in an arrow-like volley, heading right for the monster down below like streaks of lightning, crackling with thunder as they flew. "If we can get a feel for how tough the hide is though... this could be easier..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jory Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 "Don't just stand there!" Faust had yelled. Psh. As if he needed to tell me that, he noted. He stood his ground against the Beast. As Faust jumped out of the way, Bark managed to find himself in the line of fire. As the Beast's claw approached him is eyes began to glow white and his skin turned gray. It began to take on a marbled, stony texture. His hair went from white to shoulder-length jet black and the ground beneath his feet was shaken by a shockwave that left the pavement cracked. He had a stone breastplate that appeared similar in design to ancient Greek hoplite armor- just a simple one-piece breastplate with no pauldrons and an armored kilt draping down to just above his knees. He raised his hand to block the talon and braced on his opposite leg, intercepting the blow with the same hammer from earlier. Its twin was held in his other hand. "It's his scales! They release some kind of depression aura! Expect similar from him!" Bark said through gritted teeth. He then pivoted and swung his other hammer in a vicious uppercut at the Beast's midsection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Squad Felicity Posted May 10, 2015 Support Squad Share Posted May 10, 2015 Ozymandias landing on the roof with ease, he was feeling fantastic, why would anyone want to let go of this power?! He let ut more whoops of joy. "Fantastic!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chevaleresse Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 Takeshi's place "You can turn back by just sort of letting go of your transformation. You might not be aware of it, but you have to hold onto your transformation for it to continue. I don't know how I can explain it better." He shrugged, and flashed for a moment as he became his normal self once again. "Everyone should probably go back now, actually. It sucks to run out of energy. Let me make that mistake for you, trust me. Think getting kicked in the crotch, except everywhere." Beast! The hammer glanced off of the armor plates along the creature's underside; they caught and reflected the light, bending it in odd ways. The monster used the momentum from the assault and it's own swing to flip over and skid past Bark, catching the barrage of incoming spikes. It let out a sort of pained grunt at the electrical assault, but it quickly became a hiss as the maw opened, letting out a blast of dark energy headed straight for the airborne mage. Meanwhile, a foreleg made a quick swipe at Bark, who was now positioned near its ribcage - or, at least, where the ribcage was supposed to be. It was hard to see the thing's body structure as a loose membrane shrouded it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jory Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Beast? Beast!? BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111ONE111!!!11 Crap. It's got armor, Bark thought to himself as the Beast repositioned itself. The large man felt the thing's leg leave the ground and swung his both hammers down and to the left in an overhead stroke, hoping to turn aside the Beast's foreleg. "By the beard of the Allfather, we've got a live one!" he shouted enthusiastically, glad for the chance to stretch his legs after being left out in the last fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiss13 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Nagi continued to observe the battle while clamping her hands on the railing. She simply smiled. Found you, lightning user. With that one instant of watching him shoot his electric quills, Nagi knew exactly who she had to watch out for. Well, that's irrelevant for now. From the looks of it, they're having trouble even containing it straight off the bat. If that thing gets loose, its scales will become even more scattered and cause even more damage. In other words, that thing has to be killed here and now. I guess I really should jump in. If I can just get a good surprise attack in and pin it to the ground… Nagi put the rifle hid the rifle case under a nearby set of pipes she found on the roof and grabbed at the collar of her trench coat. She pulled it off in one motion and as usual, the trench coat glowed and disappeared leaving a shorter girl who looked 13-14. "Objectives: Aid in containment and elimination of the beast." She gave a simple, twisted smile as an abundant atmospheric gas started to form a sort of hard armor around her. "Let's do this." She jumped into the air above the alley way and flipped her body such that it was nearly upside down. As her upward motion stopped, she created another set of spears that were twice as long as before in both hands and kicked off an invisible platform in the air. This should be enough to pierce through it and restrain it. As she was propelled downwards, she aimed her spears at where she estimated the brain and neck to be at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yash Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Krys realised she sort of was clenching mentally. She let go of it, by taking a deep breath and exhaling, and she felt her body get lighter. There seemed to be a dullness now, as if her energy was almost over. She had stopped her transformation and now stood next to Takeshi, thinking about what she had just done. It seemed funny how her life had been yesterday. Her life had been her job. My job! I need to go back. "I need to go back. After all that has happened I totally forgot about my job. Don't you have a job too, Takeshi?" she asked. Wondering if killing monsters could be a full time paying job. It would sure beat working as a florist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyaloom Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Dexter was running out of energy for the transformation, therefore returning to his normal appearance was more simple than he thought, like if he did that unconsciously. All the blonde guy needed was a couple of deep breaths. And now...? he asked himself, assuming that was the end of the training. He would have preferred going back home and trying to get his life back, but was it really worth it? So many different things seemed to have destroyed Dexter's life and ambitions: his mother "disappeared", his father died, and he was alone all the time. Here, on the other hand, Dexter had an important role, protecting the mediators like Astros (and maybe some humans as well), and found some "friends". (At least that was what he thought). Not only that, but he felt like he had the duty of keep doing that... he made a contract, after all. He just waited for Takeshi to talk again, expecting some advices on what he could do, but he already had something in mind: going back home again... although it could have been the last time he'd do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixl Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 (edited) Gavriil followed the blue hair in front of him, shrugging off the fatigue as best he could. Once she pointed out the dining room, his stomach growled something fierce, making him notice just how hungry he was. The Russian noted the boy he saw earlier as the sole remnant in the room before passing into the dining room to eat. Gavriil chose a stool and pushed it aside deliberately, falling into it with a noticeable thump. He ate as one would eat breakfast on a day he or she simply could not wake up--very slowly, very silently, with the mind preoccupied elsewhere. Following the conclusion of his meal, Gavriil followed the hallways back to the room he woke up; he had not idea if it was the proper room for sleeping, but it was the only one he knew, and so he laid himself on the bed with much effort. Falling to sleep, however, did not require any effort at all. . . . He woke up refreshed. In fact, his body was never tired at all, nor his mind, just his spirit; he now felt that was replenished, and jumped out of bed with the vigor a person of his age should have. Gavriil then went in search of Noriko through the hallways... Edited May 11, 2015 by Pixl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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