ERode

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

Are we all allowed to act once more, Ryu? Should probably state this more often, cause we're going turn based but have no turn order. XD

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

Damn, that's pretty sick art, Ryu. Didn't imagine them as so furry myself, but I suppose the more you know.

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

@Aristo
It was mentioned that the half-wisps have beautiful weapons of silver and all that jazz.

—(••[ 𝕎𝕀𝕊ℍ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ ]••)—

It was quiet now.

No, it had been quiet the entire time. No one was interested in talking during that entire ride, most people sleeping or on their phones or simply refusing to look at anyone else. This was the true USARILN truck experience, wasn’t it? No one chirpy enough to talk to anyone else. Not even Marcus, who had been able to keep a positive attitude for the longest of times. Just a looming sense of dread and exhaustion that accompanied the knowledge that they weren’t heading back to the institution after all. What had the Director wanted them for in Washington anyways?

Surely, they weren’t there just to thwart off a monster attack that none of them were equipped to handle, were they?

Alone in the library, Brent stared aimlessly at the blue screen of the monitor. The lights were dimmed within the study, a blue pallor cast over him. The art gallery may have interested him before. A massage chair sounded great, considering how he never had a chance to do any stretching after all that running. He’d have loved to chow down as well, sample the culinary skill of Zhang’s subnatural maids. A nighttime walk down the beach would have done miracles for organizing his jumbled up thoughts as well. But he was here instead, in a small library, surrounded by the technology that his magic wanted to devour so badly, no eyes here to observe what monster machines he cooked up.

But he wasn’t here to indulge in his curiosity either.

More than a dozen tabs to different news sites, both national and local, as well as various social media outlets. Youtube as well, and a couple constantly refreshed Google queries. But there was nothing ‘fresh’. Nothing on social media provided a harrowing first person account, and even news reports seemed to only be handling general, broad information. Tragedies turned into statistics. Wide pans of rows of evacuees, instead of personal accounts. And, above all…a wealth of shots from the cameras that they had been cuffed with, ‘leaked’ to show the DC incident from the position of the subnaturals of Unit B. And none of them, from what he saw, showed what had occurred during the evacuation team’s encounter with the regular mob.

As a matter of fact, all those released clips served to make them look…heroic.

Not a single smear. Not a single stain. Not a single sin. For a city that hated subnaturals, for a city that had been attacked by subnaturals, the media was reporting on the incident with as much tact and as little prejudice as possible. There was that one video of Christmas, healing injured masses like some sort of Jesus figure. There was himself, giving out orders like some sort of superpowered GI. There was Angelic, aiding with the rescue as if she hadn’t just screamed a bunch of civilians to death. And there were reddit threads. Oh, so many reddit threads, people just playing with what to name the new heroes of DC, the new team that will replace the Precursors.

Before his amethyst eyes, more of those vapid, shameless comments scrolled by, not a single one pointing him towards what had caused everyone to turn away from each other, to enforce a steely, tense silence.

Nothing.

Nothing but lies.

But crimes didn’t disappear just because people looked away.

He dove deeper.

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

I mean, there IS a sci fi tag...the sin weapon of a plasma rifle? ;3

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

Fully consumed by corruption, mad beyond redemption, the ravings of the mad prophet made it clear that Aiv’s words would not bring any sort of reverence or tranquility after all, while his companions appeared unable to comprehend the reason behind words. The halberd-wielder, it appeared, was already immersed in the shirking of her duty as one of Nera’s chosen, more inclined to run from the first challenge than to face it, while the woman with the whip-sword seemed to be so intent on falling into reckless eagerness once more, forgetting her own advice and swinging wide in a passageway that was much too narrow.

Naturally, the snakeblade lodged itself into the wall, and, valorously, the yet nameless one went out of his way to free it before one of Nera’s fallen could grasp it, and, expectedly, the red-haired lady still maintained her confident façade, even as the wolf-bolt of another saved her once again, this time from the onslaught of the repurposed halves of the monster she had previously cleaved.

Made him smile, almost.

“Try thrusts, Isabelle,” Aiv said, hefting the towering mass onto his right shoulder, “Harder to hit a wall that way…but you’ll probably end up doing that regardless.”

That was all jest he could afford now, as the cacophony of the ghouls’ approach reached its climax, the metal screeches sounding even as clouds of dust kicked up from that destructive bolt, the promise of ascension from the lantern-bearers nullifying the fear of death. Ah, yes, this was the situation he lived for. These were the monstrosities he fought for. This was his cradle, his deathbed. The fear and excitement, the anticipation and the dread, everything mixing together! His flesh-strength expanded, his mind’s eye opened, his ephemeral past sank while his hyperrealistic present grew before him.

Ah, this was so nostalgic.

Ah, this was so novel.

_{riptearsmashbreakpulvernizebisectdestroyminceannihilatetwistpopcarvecrushskewerrampierce}

“▃▃▅▅▃▃——!”

An unnatural war cry poured out as naturally as breathing. The anchor-wielder’s advice was sound. No matter where they poured out from, the ghouls only had one entrance point, one that Aiv positioned himself at. As they emerged from the dust clouds, weaponized limbs swinging wildly, thoughtlessly, fearlessly, the white-robed man grit his teeth and swung in response, horizontally, aiming to smash all the latest arrivals in a single strike while they were still grouped up from emerging out of the entranceway.

If it carnage was the path they were to walk, then he would embrace it fully.

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

>long ranged kick

I mean, anyone can just cut off their foot and throw it.

Also, so we're waiting on Aristo before the next round begins?

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

Yeah, was just curious, cause it sounded more like the characters didn't want to encounter them at all, despite the whole 'yo, I want you to kill em ded' directive.

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

Wait, to confirm...

"For those who seek comfort in dreams, are souls truly forlorn. In my absence, I sense it, many of them still loom down below. They wait for me, thinking that I will return to take away their pains. For a time, I granted their pitiful wish... But there is nothing I can do now. How much, I wish otherwise, there is no reasoning with what remains. The blight has overtaken their hearts, a plague that even the Gods cannot heal.”

She then glances with over, almost teary eyed. “Please, release them. Free them of their suffering. Absorb their sorrow, and also that which haunts this world. This is the first step in your destiny."

Did everyone forget this part of the mission? Or is the association between 'individuals who know of the Goddess and who exist within the ruins' and 'the individuals described within the Goddess's directive' not as clear as I thought?

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

Oho, putting in that Extra Effort already, Rune? XD