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Post by Atreus on Aug 12, 2018 3:14:23 GMT -5
The Lord of the Lakes was restless.
He had done so much good for this world. Since he was a child, unaware of the scope of his powers, he labored for the good of his fellow men. When his mentor appeared, teaching him how to harness his true potential, they began worshiping him.
Lord of the Lakes.. but not only those. He was master of the Sky and the Storm. All the power of the storm, from all the world, flowed through his veins, and could be summoned by his will at any time, wherever he was. A lightning storm? His. A hurricane off the coast? His again. A brace of tornadoes? Aye... his. All that might, all that destructive force, his to command. Channeled and guided through his implacable will, he was the greatest of the Chosen.
Why, then, was he dissatisfied?
The answer was simple; he knew there was more.
His tutor had alluded to worlds beyond this one, and powers ancient and unknowable. The Lord of the Lakes felt a great wanderlust, an unquenchable yearning to find these new horizons, wherever they were.
And he knew just who to speak to about it.
His mentor had always made him uneasy. It was the way she knew so much, and always seemed to be holding something back. Though he owed her much, he was always wary around her. Still, none of the Chosen, save her, knew anything of the worlds beyond this one. And so, he went to her, in her palace among the clouds, and sought out her counsel.
He arrived in moments; the winds were his and bore him whither he willed. She was unattended, in her garden. As always, she was striking; shocking lavender hair, a figure that had brought men to their knees, and a face fair beyond words to look upon... except for the sigil of the moon, etched onto her brow, and those eyes that burned like the first embers of a fire that could consume the world.
Those eyes that always gave him pause.
Still, he pressed forward, for he was hungry for new challenges... for new worlds.
"Tell me, Cinder, what do you know of the worlds beyond our own?"
Atreus started awake, gasping as he was jolted back into consciousness. His dream had been entirely too real... he remembered every moment of it. He had been familiar with the body he had inhabited, and knew, right away, that it had not been a dream at all... it had been a memory of his past life as Arsaphes. Yes... that was mine, said Arsaphes. Months ago, Atreus had awakened this persona inside himself. It was him, but it was not. His soul had lived as Arsaphes millenia ago, a hero of ancient Earth that had been driven mad by Cinder... the same entity that had captured Atreus' master, Zakael. Atreus pursed his lips. He could have just had this conversation internally, but at times, it got difficult to keep track of which thoughts were his and which were Arsaphes, so instead, he spoke. "It's been months since you've chosen to show me a memory," Atreus said. As he spoke, he looked around. He was in a private room in Cam's palace on Kabocha... as one of the commanders of the operation to retake Kabocha, he had been afforded quite a bit more luxury than a common soldier. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he found the bottle of whiskey that he had been enjoying over the past few days. He opened it up and took a swig straight from the bottle, the liquor burning mildly and pleasantly as Atreus swallowed. You have been growing rapidly and have been exposed to much. You needed time to come to terms with yourself and your place in the universe. You have done this... and there are things on this planet that you will need to deal with to continue on your journey.Atreus blinked. "Wow. Cryptic much? Just what the hell does that mean, exactly?"It means that this is not the first time we have been on the planet of Kabocha."What? You mean... you mean Cinder brought us... well, you... here in the past?"Yes. She and some of our followers came to this place. We did not wish to disturb the native Kabochan, but we constructed a temple to myself and Cinder to mark our presence on this world... a temple that I fear has been used for evil over the intervening millenia.
A temple that is a potential link to your enemy.Arsaphes' words served as a bucket of cold water for Atreus. In an instant, he was both completely sober and wide awake. He was a man of action, and right then and there, Atreus knew what he had to do. Atreus dressed, wearing his simple martial outfit. His AI companion, Friday, was with him as always and ready for whatever Atreus requested. As it turned out, though, Atreus did not plan for Friday to be his only companion today. No, recently come to Kabocha was a man Atreus trusted implicitly, and this man had just as much reason to hate Cinder as Atreus did, if not more so. Beyond that, he and Atreus were friends; he was perhaps the first real friend Atreus had ever made. Atreus had pulled some strings to get him his own private room (though their success against the ion cannons had left Cam's forces ready and eager to dole out a bit of special treatment to Atreus and his allies) as well. He walked over to the door, and knocked on it. It was in the early hours of the morning, but not so early as to be ridiculous. After waiting a moment, Atreus called out. "Cub. Open the door if you're awake! Something's come up... I think there's something related to Cinder on this planet. If we can check it out, maybe we can get a leg up on that evil bitch. Wake up, buddy!"
WC- 1,005 Cub
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Post by Cub on Aug 12, 2018 4:11:27 GMT -5
In spite of it being his first trip into the black expanse, experiencing war, trudging through the learning curve of sophisticated technology, and fighting amongst juggernauts with which he had no right, the swordsman found himself unscathed. Even still Cam’s Kabochan medics tended to him as if he were worse off and in need of much more than just rest and ki replenishment. It seemed to be a knack of his, emerging from proverbial flames of consumption with noting more than his own mortal effort. The trend had proven to be enough at this point to be regarded as a true intangibility, and not just some recurring anomaly. Cub, for all of his efforts, was not talented or predisposed to be a great fighter by any projections. The swordsman flew by the seat of his pants, learning as he went, and rolling with the punches that often came. “Maybe I’m too hard on myself.” He uttered between his ears in an attempt to combat his factual and unbiased mind. Although nothing he ever said or thought of himself was self deprecating in any way, he often failed to give himself credit when credit was due. Sure he wasn’t brimming with boundless talent like Atreus, but he’s also never failed any of his trials by fire. He was here, alive, and somehow managing to keep up and hold his own. That was something to be proud of. “Pride or not, this mess needs to go.” He added aloud as his voice faltered beneath the buzzing of a pair of clippers, his blonde follicles falling to the ground in bunches. The room Cam had provided him within his Kabochan palace was replete with just about everything, and Cub had taken it upon himself to peruse. He had gone to bed early and had woken up in the wee hours of the morning and had decided to go for a new look. This was done purely out of boredom as he was certain no one would be stirring for at least a few more hours. Ridding himself of his shaggy blonde hair Cub had introduce a new short cropped hairdo and even managed to find the resources to die his hair dark brown. Through a sheer fluke he accidentally spilled red die on the front edge of his hair as well, creating a unique dichotomy, but ultimately leaving it be out of ignorance on how to correct his mistake. In addition to the room, the newly liberated Kabochans were generous enough to afford him a gift as well. A new top of the line full body Kabochan battle suit made of an alien blue and grey alloy with red tech platelets placed at each joint. Shortly after donning the new tech and wrapping one of the complimentary red scarves around his neck, a knock was placed at his door followed by the sound of Atreus’s voice. Opening the door after only a few moments delay, Cub revealed his new look and laid eyes on his friend for the first time since the end of the war. “Did you say, Cinder?”
WC- 517 Atreus
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Post by Atreus on Aug 12, 2018 18:58:54 GMT -5
Atreus raised an eyebrow. "Hey, cool hair," he complimented his friend, then shook his head. He was so easily distracted sometimes it was laughable. "Anyway, yeah. I, uh... I've been delving into magic lately. And it's been awakening these memories, these visions of the past. I know that sounds nuts, but it's happened before. Anyway, in this dream... vision... whatever, I saw that Cinder had led some ancient, powerful beings here. They left behind temples... but the person she was with was suspicious of Cinder. If he was suspicious enough, maybe he left something behind. Some information, some clue that we can use in the fight against her."Atreus knew that that lead was fragile at best, but he could feel it in his bones... he was right. There would be something there, something they could use. Something to bring to bear against their mutual enemy and perhaps start turning the tide of this shadow war in their favor. "Thing is, I'm not exactly sure where this old temple is. I don't have a solid location... just sort of a general sense of direction. Also a general sense of dread, but hey, that's not exactly anything new. Ready to go hunt for a lost temple?"Without waiting for Cub to respond, Atreus began to walk away. He knew Cub well enough to know that his friend would jump at the chance to get one over on Cinder; those opportunities were few and far between, and both men wanted to defeat this foe with all of their being. Making sure Cub was able to follow him, Atreus launched himself into the air as soon as he was outside. He did not take off at his top speed; Cub had only recently mastered flight, and Atreus was conscientious of that. He flew at a leisurely pace, heading to where he felt a pulling at his mind... to the south. After perhaps twenty minutes of flight, their location became painfully obvious. A huge hill, perhaps two or three hundred yards across, seemed to beckon them from their position in the sky... and when they looked down, the rocks on the hill made it look like a giant skull. Atreus turned to Cub. "Five hundred zeni says this is the place," he quipped. Atreus always quipped when he was nervous. Slowly, he descended from the sky. A quick inspection revealed that the 'hill' was not actually a hill at all... it was a gigantic stone edifice that, over the millenia since it had been constructed, had been overgrown by the native plants of Kabocha. Apparently, no one had tended to this place in a long, long time. No one living, Arsaphes whispered. This was my... our... temple. But it is not as I remember it. She must have returned... altered it. But when it was built, there were secret rooms not even she knew of. I built them myself. It is there that you will find what you seek... but beware. Surely this place has not been left undefended.Atreus swallowed, the icy fingers of fear beginning to creep along his spine. A bit of exploration revealed the way into the stone edifice. A narrow stairwell led down into a dark tunnel. Atreus, as he had many times before, summoned a glowing golden ball of ki and held it aloft, bathing the area in light. Bright, brilliant colors are to be seen everywhere, the stones and pigments undimmed by the passage of unknown centuries. The floor of the corridor is a colorful mosaic of stone, with a distinct, winding path of red tiles snaking to the south. No stonework can be seen on the walls or the ceiling perhaps twenty feet above Atreus and Cub; it appears as though some sort of cement or plaster has been smoothed over all of these surfaces and then illustrated. The scenes that have been painted show fields with kine grazing, a copse with several wolves in the background, and slaves of several races going about various tasks. Certain of the frescoes show rooms of some building - a library filled with many books and scrolls, a torture chamber, a work room full of tomes and smoking braziers. There are chairs, windows, boxes, bales, doors, chests, birds, bats, spiders and all manner of things painted on the walls. No, Arsaphes snarled inside Atreus' head, That was not how we built this place! We took no slaves; I would never have enslaved another. This was to be a place to honor us and preserve the memory of what we had done, the journey we had made... not of Cinder's monstrous excess!Atreus stopped for a moment. He had never heard Arsaphes be angry before. It distracted him just enough that what happened next managed to catch the normally wary Atreus by surprise. As he walked along the tunnel, he stepped on a certain tile, heard a 'click'... and then he was falling. "A pit trap?" Atreus exclaimed. "You have got to be kidding me!"Atreus engaged his ki and began to fly. He had dropped no more than ten feet. Far below, there was what appeared to be sharp spikes awaiting whoever was unlucky enough not to be able to use their ki in this place. Atreus made sure Cub wasn't taken too much by surprise, then returned to the tunnel they had been. Atreus nodded over to Cub. "This place isn't what I expected. It's dangerous... I think Cinder may have corrupted this place, left all sorts of traps. Some will be like that, easy to deal with... but I would bet every last zeni I owned that some of her traps were made specifically with ki users in mind. We're going to have to be on our guard.... and what the hell is that sound?"Around the corner, Atreus could hear something. It hit his ears and, in a different scenario, would have been comforting. It was the crackle of a low fire, something you heard during winter, when your friends and family came in to escape the cold weather and you threw a log in the fireplace. It was not a sound that should have been heard in this dark place, which should have been vacant for at least a thousand years. "Do you hear that? What the hell is it?"
WC- 1,054 TWC- 2,059 Cub
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Post by Cub on Aug 12, 2018 22:29:39 GMT -5
His visual modifications held little weight against Atreus’s impending explanation behind his prior slip of the name, Cinder. Although part of him was curious for his aesthetic opinion, given Atreus being much more inclined to technology and such, but the subject matter he had presented was far more pressing. “At least the hair is cool.” He uttered between his ears with a tone of consolation as he listened in detail to Atreus’s explanation. The martial prodigy had gone on about magic, visions of the past, and allusions to various means of strange divination that he recently found himself privy. To anyone else Atreus would have sounded ridiculous, but they had been through a lot, even in their time apart. They had discovered the order of the white lotus and fought literal demons upon return from his own magical kidnapping, the fact that his friend was somehow linked subconsciously to it all wasn’t the strangest thing by a long shot. “Of course I’m ready, I’ve already followed you into space and war, what’s a little spelunking?” He replied rhetorically as he fell into stride behind Atreus with a smirk, taking flight at a moderate pace as they followed his gut instinct for directions. The name Cinder was only one he had heard a handful of times, the first few times when Atreus had explained his origins when they first met, when he was released from his imprisonment from the ethereal forest, and now. All signs pointed to this mysterious Cinder as the culprit for the both of their misfortunes, but for Cub personally, no real anger or resentment was present towards the name. According to his brain that was backwards and by all accounts he should be chomping at the bit for revenge, but that really wasn’t the case. Perhaps what he needed was confirmation that Cinder was the one that did this to him, and not just some faith in a disembodied voice at the mentioning of her name upon his release. “I wouldn’t bet against that.” He replied as they descended unto the giant skull shaped hill that provided just the right source of ominousness they were seeking. As they entered through the narrow stair well after a few minutes of aerial surveillance, Atreus led the way with a ball of golden ki illuminating the darkness. The interior was loaded down with brilliant colors and stones along with a winding mosaic stone floor that showed great attention to aesthetic detail. The pit trap click caught Cub by as much surprise as it did Atreus who fell from his view but ultimately saved himself with the simple feat of flight. The phenomenon caused the swordsman to investigate his current predicament and the tiles beneath his own feet. “We will have to be more mindful moving forward, although I don't find it surprising that a temple curated for Cinder is anything less than welcoming.” He added shortly before Atreus cut in, pointing out the crackling sound that echoed out into the distance. “Yeah, I hear it. It sounds like an open flame?” He replied with uncertainty as he retrieved his tech sword from the mounting on the back of his new Kabhochan body armor and poised himself for alert. “God Speed powers first.”
WC- 542 Total- 1,059 Atreus
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Post by Atreus on Aug 14, 2018 15:48:21 GMT -5
Atreus quirked an eyebrow at his friend. "I guess that's fair," he said, slowly and quietly, "But I'm surprised you aren't jumping at the chance to try out those new toys of yours. Fine, fine... I'll go check out the dark scary hallway in the hell temple."Atreus was makings jokes, firing off quips. He only made quips when he was nervous... and he was most definitely nervous. As he approached the corner, Atreus did not speak. He thought to himself; Friday. Spear.And from his hand, a steady stream of nanites emerged, collecting into a shape until they had formed an eight foot long, leaf bladed spear. The discovery that Friday could respond to Atreus' non-verbal commands was a new one, and one that he had not yet shared. It spoke of a deeper connection to the two entities, one that he had decided not to reveal to anyone else... not until Atreus himself more fully comprehended what that meant in it's entirety. As Atreus drew closer, the crackling sound got louder, and Atreus picked up another sound... the faint flapping of heavy wings. Atreus paused for a moment low the corner of the intersection, extinguishing his ki orb so that the light did not give him away. He crouched low at the corner, then poked his head around to see what was awaiting him and Cub.. Immediately, he was glad that he had taken the precaution of stealth, because what was waiting around the corner did not look friendly. Mephits, Arsaphes whispered in his head, Elemental demons. They serve greater powers, but are vicious and their claws can burn to the bone. Atreus saw two of them. There are likely more, in other chambers. Be swift, that they not cry out.Atreus quietly made his way back to Cub, then spoke, his voice hushed.. "So... two little flying fire demons. Probably more that we can't see. We could use ki attacks, but that might be sensed, and it might be loud. I think we should try to cut them down, together, before they can react. We'll have to be quick."Atreus made his way back towards the corner, waiting for Cub to follow. The flames that surrounded the mephits gave off enough light to see from where they were, and ensured that they would not be fighting in darkness. Atreus could have Friday simply slide some night vision lenses in front of his eyes, but he didn't know if Cub had taken the precaution of picking up any Kabochan tech to provide himself with the ability to see in the dark, so he labored under the assumption that that was not the case. Atreus shifted his spear to his left hand, then with his right, held up three fingers. He began counting down... two... then one... then he motioned forward, and assuming Cub would follow, he moved. Even though he wasn't transformed, Atreus was still a supremely quick and powerful combatant. In mere moments, he had flowed around the corner to get in range of the mephit on the right. Atreus stabbed his weapon forward three times,thes spear finding pay dirt with each thrust. The mephit didn't have time to make much noise... it simply made a small, strangled gurgling noise. Droplets of it's blood hit Atreus' spear, and he heard a sizzling noise; apparently their blood was dangerous. Atreus quickly flicked his spear towards the wall, clearing it of the droplets of magma like blood. It sizzled a bit against the wall, but quickly faded, unable to do much more than mar the stone hallway. Atreus looked over, then, hoping that Cub had swiftly dealt with his foe as well.
WC- 614 TWC- 2,673 Cub
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Post by Cub on Aug 15, 2018 1:09:04 GMT -5
“Of course I am, I was just trying to be facetious.” He replied, not meaning to put pressure on his friend to lead the way, if pressure was such a thing to a person of Atreus’s power. He gave a grin as he flicked a few switches and turned a plethora of dials on his mechanical sword. Despite his humble beginnings in the bamboo forest and his initial ignorance to the outside world and all things technological, he had become quite versed in the workings of his hi-tech blade that Atreus had gifted him upon his return from capture. In fact he had used it to great efficiency in the war and even managed to trudge through the workings of a scouter, even if he still couldn't read the alien language and symbols that it constantly flashed. His new Kabochan armor on the other hand was something he only knew how to get in and out of, its actual complex capabilities would be something he’d have to learn in time or by his famous trial and error exploits. “It’s just armor, just wearing it I’m sure is enough.” He added in thought as the red platelets glowed dimly in the low light of the temple. He raised a brow as he noticed a spear form seemingly out of nowhere in his companions hand as he went to check the corner that boasted the sounds of fire that they had both corroborated earlier. The news that Atreus had brought back from his brief yet fruitful scouting mission had squelched his urge to ask about the strange conjuring of weapons he noticed him perform. “Seems like Cinder has a thing with demons.” He replied with a sigh and shake of his head, remembering all to well the hell army that was sent after him upon his escape back to Earth. “I cut things down better than blasting them away, so I have no objections.” He added as he spun his sword around his hand with a following nod of approval while watching Atreus’s countdown from three before the two would spring into action. Atreus arrived at his target first which was no surprise, he was still ridiculously fast and powerful even without his speedy electric form. “He didn’t even have to transform during the war, unlike that Polaris guy.” He added in thought, unsure if that meant anything significant as far as the difference in power between the two juggernauts, but he quickly cast the tangent aside and focused fully on his end of the deal. Being nowhere near as fast as his companion, the second imp had time to react to his initial strike, salvaging a glancing blow with a swift arial strafe. The partial contact caused a recoil, and enough time for the imp to counter, flapping its fiery wings with a heavy gust, effectively flapping a splashing rain of molten lava towards him with reckless abandon. But by this time Cub had already rounded off and recommitted to a secondary charge, making it impossible with all of his craftiness to avoid all manners of the hell rain. The globs of magma that hit him were luckily caught by his new Kabochan suit, making it seem as though he barged past the attack unbothered. The phenomenon startled the imp, and before it could let out a shriek, his Ion blade edge severed the fire demon in two with a clean horizontal slash through the gut. The heavy slump followed by the spill of magma from its innards caused a temporary sizzling sound before ultimately loosing steam and returning the ghoulish silence of the temple. “I’d say that went well.” He whispered loud enough for Atreus to hear, shrugging with a relatively satisfied look on his face, curios to see what their next move would be.
WC- 634 Total-1,693 Atreus
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Post by Atreus on Aug 16, 2018 21:52:15 GMT -5
"Yeah. To be honest I'm sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but if it actually went that well for once, I'll take it," Atreus whispered back. "Cinder has sent demons after me before. They seem to serve her. That's the biggest reason why I believe she's a makaioshin... they're kind of the ruling class of the demon realm, and it lines up with how powerful I'm assuming she is."The hallway stretched before them. As the duo trudged down, as silently as possible, it was impossible to miss the niches in the walls, within which stood clay urns. One of the urns had been shattered, and its contents had spilled onto its shelf and the floor. Amid the ash it held, Atreus and Cub could see blackened chunks of something that might be bone. Atreus turned to Cub. "So... yeah. Not really a cool place."The door held a handle to pull. Atreus did so, and his words were proven even more true than he had thought possible. The small chamber the door opened into was a bloody mess. The corpse of a humanoid lay on the floor, its belly carved out. The creature's innards are largely missing, and yet you detect no other wounds. Bloody, claw like footprints track away from the corpse and out an open door. With nowhere to go but forward, Atreus carefully picked his way across the room. The open door led down into a vast cavern. Stalactites dripped down from the ceiling in sharp points while some alien type of stone made strange shapes on the floor. More pressing than the terrain were the occupants. Several mephits were in the room, as well as two other, much larger, much more dangerous looking demons. Beyond the demons, there was a shimmering barrier... one that Atreus thought he recognized. It looked similar to the the barrier he had encountered many months ago with Eris. Unlike that sanguine energy barrier, however, this one was a shimmering gold. It barred the entry to a room deeper into the complex... and there was very clearly no way to get to that room without going through the few dozen demons that occupied the cavern. Atreus sighed, then whispered to Cub again. "I'm trying to do this without expending much energy... demons can sense ki manipulation. Hence, the spear and the sneaking. If we try to take these guys without overtly using too much ki... well, it's going to be a hell of a fight."Atreus turned a devil may care grin Cub's way. "Lucky thing I've got my expert swordsman buddy with me, eh? Don't worry though... I've got a plan to thin the herd a bit before we wade in. Ready the lasers, Friday."Soundlessly, Friday formed a small device of some type on top of Atreus' wrist. Aiming down the sights, Atreus targeted some of the stalactites, and with a mental command, Friday unleashed a laser that carved through the stone spires, sending several of them hurtling down to crush some of the hapless demons beneath them. Atreus wasted no time. From their perch near the door, Atreus leaped forward, leading with his spear. He skewered one of the mephits on the way down, and then, he moved. Atreus' spear became both weapon and shield. It spun constantly, humming as it sliced through the air at breakneck speed. Several of the mephits attempted to claw him, or throw magma his way, but Atreus' constantly spinning spear batted away all such lava projectiles and constantly lashed out, seeking the flesh of demons. It wasn't long before Atreus had cut down a few more of their number. The dog-like demon growled and pounced, clawing and biting and snarling all the way. Atreus rolled out of the way, stabbing at the beast as it passed. His spear struck true, but it did not bite as deeply as it should have. The creature was wounded, but not so badly that it was impeded. Tough bastard, Atreus thought. "Cub! The big ones have some tough hides! Put your back into it!"Atreus found the final one, the large winged one with four arms, just in time. It stood at least nine feet tall, and clawed downward at Atreus with all four arms. Still on one knee from his roll, Atreus was unable to move out of the way. Instead, he flipped his spear horizontally and gripped it in both hands, blocking the demon. All four of it's claws connected with Atreus' spear and grabbed on, attempting to force it's sword like claws into Atreus' flesh. The stone beneath Atreus cracked from the force of he and the demon clashing. It was strong. But Atreus would not be brought down here. Shouting, feeling a burst of adrenaline give him strength, he managed to get his feet under him and using all the power in his power body, he pressed up. He managed to stand, and then, in a move to quick to be countered, he drop kicked the demon in the chest. The sudden impact drove the demon back several feets. Atreus fell onto his back, then quickly kipped up, landing in a crouch. Several of the mephits had gone to swarm his prone form, and Atreus swept his spear in a wide circle. The blade of the spear killed one and injured a couple more, but more importantly, it caused the mephits to back off. Atreus fell into a defensive stance. He needed to make sure Cub was doing well; the two were excellent at working together but independently, but if needed, Atreus and Cub could come together to create a prodigiously powerful duo. They had done it before, more than once; first against the Saibamen on that strange, forgotten isle, and again when Atreus had found Cub escaping from his imprisonment. All of Atreus' fighting so far, however, had been a cover to get him closer to his goal; every move he made against the demons brought him a step closer to that shimmering golden barrier.
WC- 1,007 TWC- 3,680 Cub
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Post by Cub on Aug 22, 2018 22:36:27 GMT -5
“A makaioshin…” He trailed off in response, the words familiar on his tongue as he listened to Atreus’s spill about Cinder. His assumptions seemed valid, as he could only remember his return back to Earth and the horde of demons that followed. Atreus for what little information he had knew a lot more than the swordsman on the matter. Although their destinies were apparently intertwined in some way, he was but an extremity where his friend was the central focus. Makaioshin was a word Cub had heard somewhere but he was uncertain where or when, and was thankful that Atreus had given the definition, saving him the rummage of his brain. Their literally silent victory proved to be short lived as their advancement down the dark halls led into a bottle neck limiting their advancement to one direction, forward. The small room they entered was a horror scene with an indescript body whose innards were strewn about in a bloody mess. Stifling his throat and doing his best to avoid the smell he skulked carefully through the grime and proceeded into the cavern. “And the place just got creepier.” Intoned between his ears as the terrain beneath their feet seemed alien and less like the stone of a normal cave. The droplets of water from the points in the ceiling triggered his slowly growing paranoia as each step echoed louder than either of them would have liked. “It feels like I’m that ki-less swordsman again.” He replied facetiously in a whisper, a joke that really only the two of them would understand. It was like old times again, except with a now ubiquitous presence of demons looking to end them at every turn. “He conjured another weapon again, this time a laser? Is that Friday machine helping him do that?” He wondered in thought as his later question soon revealed itself to be rhetorical as Atreus’s command had rallied a response to the wrist laser as it brought down several stalactites, crushing and evening out the battle field. Before the smoke could clear Atreus had engaged the mephits with his conjured spear, barreling through their numbers in his usual impressive fashion. “I’m afraid to ask what’s behind that golden barrier.” He wondered in thought as he brought up the rear, poising his blade to clean up the mephits Atreus was unable to reach. Their attacks were predictable, mirroring their predecessors from just moments ago. Steering clear of their magma was the only real concern as their melee capabilities proved to be far less potent despite their sharpened appendages. Tumbling past strikes and deathly hot fire Cub took his time to land precision strikes so as to limit or prevent entirely any mistakes. The last thing either of them needed was for him to be wounded and become a burden moving forward. After a vast array of exchanges and well timed slashes of the fatal variety, Cub had managed to expend the initial wave of mephits only to be met by a charging hell hound. The grotesque beast charged him fast as it led face first with its mouth ajar. With a swift horizontal placement of his buzzing sword a bright red electric refraction emanated the vicinity upon the moment of impact, his blade edge catching the clamping of the dog demons jaws. The counter had unintentionally locked him into a contest of strength with the cursed beats, as the two struggled back and forth, refusing to give an inch. “Roger that!” He replied with a labored exclamation, slowly loosing the strength contest and being walked backwards towards the wall. Upon being pushed near the wall Cub waited until his heel made contact with the vertical surface and used it as leverage to turn the tide. Using the dogs momentum he released his physical resistance and boosted himself in a backwards walk up the wall until gravity demanded him to flip forward. As he soared in a front tuck over the beast he yanked his blade free of its mouth mid transit, using flight to propel his aerial torque. “Huahhhh!” Cub shouted as he poised his blade overhead and stabbed the beast through the neck upon his descent, causing its large body to give and collapse onto the ground. Even with the electric blade coursing through its neck the dog still scampered vigorously, albeit wild and desperate. Firing the muscles in his forearms he would twist the gargantuan blade back and forth until the hell dog finally went still. Pulling his sword free Cub quickly darted to Atreus, covering his six as he positioned himself at his back, poising his blade at the stalking mephits that began to surround them. “Any ideas?”
WC- 781 Total WC - 2,474 Atreus
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