ERode

Lostman Graffiti

Northwestern District

“Hrmm,” Gotou rumbled, briefly annoyed. It disappeared soon after though; frowns didn’t really seem like they fit his face anyhow. “It’s fine, miss. So long as you understand.” He folded his arms against his chest and tapped a soft rhythm against the floorboards.

Soon after, Suzuha woke up.

Her complexion looked better, at least, and though she looked briefly alarmed at her changed surroundings, upon seeing Gotou, the child relaxed, a bit of the tension leaving her body. But only a bit. Her eyes, clear as they were, still held a fragment, a sliver of something else. “Um…” she began. “Where am I?”

“A tea shop,” Gotou replied. “You collapsed in the heat, and these nice ladies here brought you here to recover.”

“Oh...uh…”

“What do we say to people who help us?”

“T-thank you…” Suzuha bowed her head slightly. “Can we go home?”

Gotou opened his mouth, reconsidered, and then closed it. He nodded.

“Then...carry me?”

“Yeah, of course.”

The man gave Fumiko a look, but didn’t wait for her permission. Taking Suzuha into his arms once more, he dipped his head in Maya’s direction. The woman smiled, then glanced towards one of the high schoolers still killing time there, his tea untouched. He immediately hopped up, swung over, and opened the door for Gotou and Suzuha.

Yeah, if they were going to just order waters and loiter around, they may as well do something, right?

Suzuha waved at Aya and Fumiko as she carried off.

The door swung closed.

The person in the hoodie also left.

Southern District

The Southern District was Brutalist, concrete and unforgiving. A skater’s paradise perhaps, but for self-professed gravediggers, nothing short of annoying. There were places though, places made from years of neglect, where weeds spread their roots enough to crack the sidewalk open, slabs of pavement cracking open. It was there, in a quiet side street, that Otoya crouched, prying away the stone to expose dry dirt underneath. The sun still beat down hard against his back, but in the morning and afternoon it would be shaded, and the graffiti decorating the walls of this street weren’t too bad either. His nails chipped uncomfortably, but they were due for a clipping anyways.

The cat’s body had been light when he carried it over. Even lighter than its size suggested, all blood-matted fur and disjointed bones. Made it easier to bury though.

A shallow grave was dug. Filled. The pavement he had pried off, Otoya could now set back down as a gravestone, if nothing else. A bit of gravel got under his left middle fingernail, and now, a bit of blood seeped out. Barely a pinprick of pain though, so long as he didn’t think about it.

The meat was spoiling, the sun continued to beat, he felt like shit, and his head was beginning to ache.

He could get up now. Could probably leave too.

June 14 2025

Time: 4:30 PM
Weather: Muggy

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Gonna wait for Asuras to post before I do.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{@Ariamis@BrokenPromise@PlatinumSkink}

Hah.

She was alive.

Hahaha.

She was alive and well!

Before, Amaryllis could only offer condolences and vengeance, but now?

Now, she’s motivated!

As Nuncio raced off past her upon tiger-steed, Amaryllis raised her Silverlight, slicing a deep line in the concrete, before taking one step forward. Though her Sword was keen, her knee was strong as well; few could take a blow from her and shrug it off so easy, not when she could make people kneel with the force of her softer assets alone. The fencer that stood before her then, must be quite a durable one, and ones patrolling outside would join them soon.

Or well, that could have happened.

East of the warehouse, Amaryllis reached out with her magic, and bound her chains to space itself. The Earth continued its path around the Sun, rotating upon its axis, but the chains, linked in the air, stayed where they were and subsequently smashed through the farther portion of the warehouse, tearing apart the roof and support beams with a shuddering screech of blessed and mundane metal. There was a cry of alarm from the incoming dark magical girls, before the entrance into the warehouse was buried under corrugated metal and bolted beams.

A plume of dust and smoke rushed towards the two duelists, shrouding them both. The first blow was exchanged there, sparks flying as their swords clashed, sending a shockwave that dispersed the smokescreen. A frenetic, accelerating rhythm, punctuated by occasional strikes mere millimetres away from a fatality. Within the shadow of the ruined warehouse, hidden from the moon’s gaze, Amaryllis duelled with the Mint agent, each clash briefly lighting up the area. Both powerful, both skilled, almost evenly matched, and yet, neither of them pulled the trigger.

The Mint agent simply needed to stall until the place self-destructed from bottom-up.

The Knight of Rose simply needed to stall until Nuncio returned with Sammy in tow.

Press too hard, and they would lose their method of swiftly disengaging. Hold too much back, and they were liable to be overwhelmed in that moment of carelessness. Parry the downward stroke. Slide in for a thrust. Sidestep, draw up for a wrist cut, then horizontally for the throat. Twist the hand away, tumble underneath the swing and thrust for the knee. Flip up, kick off the ceiling, and strike down. Knock the blade astray with the free hand, counter with another kick. Recover, leap back in. Receive, set up for next counter.

Mind the breathing. Focus on everything. Maintain balance.

From the staircase, Rosa bounded up, Nuncio and Sammy together. Amaryllis’s gaze shifted briefly, and her opponent seized that opportunity, alabaster saber ripping through the air to bisect the Knight.

A phantom pain, her Sword’s ever-constant supervision.

In one step, Amaryllis closed the distance, her enemy’s hilt blocked by her hip, the blade meeting nothing. Her own Sword buried itself into the flower-eyed fencer’s gut, and with a flick of a wrist, she disemboweled the Mint agent, the blood splattering out as the petals burst.

For a moment, her eyes met her opponent’s.

“One chance.”

Spinning around, she kicked the fencer again, sending her flying back into the same crates she had been sent into before. An instant later, the wound was sealed, ivy stitches forming to prevent excessive blood loss, at least until further aid could be provided. Alongside Rosa, Nuncio, and Sammy, Amaryllis leapt back into the portal, her feet skidding upon…slush and puddles?

During their brief sojourn within that warehouse, it had begun to rain.

“Mariette, the portal, please.”

Cacophony Concord

Naw, I'll just pick the ones I think I can work with the most.

Cacophony Concord

Well, if you are, you've got three days or so to get up a CS.

Cacophony Concord

Yeah, you clear conditions to be able to access further branches of class-stuff, with the conditions becoming more difficult and/or basically unknown as they get more advanced.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Sadly, the larger crystal wasn't as fragile as the former, and mere contact wasn't able to make them shatter. Yanking her hand away from the strange, energy-draining object, Cecilia frowned at what just occurred. The crystal itself was brimming with magical energy and it had the effect of draining energy too. Made sense, in a way. Even goddesses probably had trouble breaking out of something when their energy was continuously drained from them, rendering them conscious, perhaps, but helpless.

"Oh," Cecilia said, snapping her fingers at Annabelle. "That might work...HELLO! ANYONE IN THERE? ARE YOU SLEEPING, OR ARE YOU ACTUALLY IN DANGER AND NEED HELP?"

She prided herself in her far-reaching voice, but unfortunately, no response was had from the crystal maiden, and their troubles only continued. The lilac-haired lancer turned in the direction Ciel was looking, and, narrowing her eyes, saw two more adventurers approach. A scaled half-human, prodigious in size and girth, and his elven companion, boasting mammaries that one could describe only as 'massive'. The elf, in particular, was waving rather energetically...

"Thanks for the tip, Ciel. Keep an eye on 'em and keep us informed if they look like they're gonna attack Arte and Locke, okay? As for this crystal...Annabelle, I'm going to try to whack it with my sharp stick to see if something's gonna happen. Could you do me a favor by destroying all those small crystals too? And then maybe sending one of your summons to start tapping at it? Going by the stories, we could solve this just by getting Locke to kiss it, but, well, let's try everything else first."

With that, Cecilia braced herself again, this time striking the surface gently with her spear, alert for any changes in the crystalline tomb as Annabelle hopefully began to clear out the smaller ones.

Cacophony Concord

Not an exhaustive list, mind you.

Deneb: Noble Knight, Tithe Collector, Wyvern Rider, Arcane Smith

Horogi: Samurai, Cannibal Courtesan, Shinobi Weapon Master, Talisman Exorcist

Erid: Steelslinger, Ascended Thug, Bloodcursed, Stake Shaman

Cacophony Concord

Truly a Succ Mage.

Cacophony Concord

The Succ Mage, huh.

There are unique classes that exist between nations, but there are also overlaps between classes, at least from a completely mechanical point of view. All nations have some access to the ocean, so it's possible to become ship boiz, but only Velonta would have easy and frequent access, as well as consistent necessity for such classes. On the other hand, Alderamin is the one nation that has self-propelled armored vehicles for purposes of blowing shit up. However, while Deneb is on the opposite end of the tech, you could still go for that sorta 'long range, anti-fortification bombarment' feel by buying/making magical siege weapons, such as the ballista or trebuchets, and summoning ghosts or fairies or whatever to man them for you while you sit on a self-installed sofa chair on top of the weapon.

So yah, vibe is right.