Yes. GMing is guiding people, even if that means just riding their ass to get posts in a reasonable time frame. And when you can't even abide by your own frame, it's not entirely the player's fault for their interests wandering off when by all accounts this RP looked dead at conception.
I'm just gonna go and delete my CS cause clearly this isn't going anywhere.
The party consisting of a drow, a vampire, the eternal emperor lacking a throne, a vengeance driven angel, and the embodiement of the Abyss itself where left with a trio of collared wolves and a task to find themselves a proper base of operations here in the Abyss' lowest depths. Some might have balked at the idea of desiring to remain here at all, but it was hard to argue that it wasn't a perilous depth to plunge if one were to approach from the surface.
That, and they, excluding the bubbly one without a malicious bone in her body, were the sorts who could truly appreciate the delicious irony of turning their prison into their keep.
Willowa trotted ahead, eyes taking in their scout wolves with interest after their initial sparks of rebellion were doused under a downpour or pain like no other they had experienced. Just tasting it on the air was like seeing them go through the agony of child birth without any accomodation or relief. Only the feeling of your body tearing itself apart and not an ounce of the chemical relief the mind would produce. Positively delightful, in Willowa's opinion, and an apt means of control that kept them sullen but obediant.
They're search brought them no further conflict from the werewolf jailors, every cell and pit emptied of their occupants. Yet rather then signs of mass escape, bloody drag marks and explosive splatters of crimson marked the harsh Abyss stone. Willowa tasted the air, trying to find some semblence of slaughter that had occured, yet it what remained felt nothing like the riot that should have ensued from prisoners and guards clashing.
Coming around a bend whose avenues were painted completely in the blood of inmates, the wolves paused at the steps of a luminous temple, soft light filtering from the openings artfully carved into the cavern walls. Azrael would know it for no meager work or burning wax or arcane sorcery. It resonated in his maddened soul with aching familiarity. Their scouts wailed pitifully, falling to their knees with tears falling heavy as silhuettes glided through the temple entryway to greet them.
It floated down steps still dripping in lifesblood, a visage seamlessly merging flesh, feather, and armor, light seeping through the seems of an outer shell that thrummed with energy most assuredly divine in origin. Even souls as twisted the Drow's could name this being an Angel, one cast down for it's love of mortal flesh and punished by their creator.
"A Watcher. My, isn't this place just full of surprises."" Willowa spat, fixated upon the spear that bulged and shrank as though drawing breath, the pearlescent exterior still damp with blood. Between one breath and the next, the Watcher struck almost too fast for Willowa herself to react.
The wolf it struck was even less prepared. What was a moment prior an intact suit of armor unfurled, pieces bending and curling like paper before an open flame, revealing a cavernous expanse of formless flesh and a yawning emptieness that was cursed to yearn for a sense of fullness it could never claim. Once seduced by pretty flesh, now damned to hunger for it without respite. The wolf's screams were short, it's pain ephemeral as it was pulled within and crushed, only for the Watcher's impossible shell to reform, scarlett tracts running down it's exterior. The other wolves ran, cowardice sending them to scurry behind their masters before the collars shocked them into the damp earth.
"I don't suppose you can talk to it- Them." Willowa said to Azrael, only to stiffen in alarm as further emerged from the temple, two more awaiting them upon the stairs while the one before them brandished it's spear. "I loathe the idea of meeting the rest of your family."
Utena may have a gotten a response out of the GMG if there wasn't a suspiciously round gag keeping her maw occupied. Given the volume her cry could reach, it was no surprise they would want her silenced before they even considered moving her. The matter of housing such a GMG, while not something they had directly planned for, was actually an issue easily remedied without even needing to leave her exposed on the surface.
The subterean mech bays they'd used to launch anti-GMG mecha served as excellent cradles to not store their first prisoner, something Yeshua found far from comforting as the full series of docks and destraints pressed against her, hemming her in with hard, unyielding alloy and bolts that dug sharply against her where they'd normally secure neatly into a robot's hull ports. On top of those already existing measures came a mesh cage laid scarce feet from the restraints, a constant current running through it making the idea stretching rather terminally ill-fated.
This would have been enough to make Yeshua a truly miserable bird, but it was the fact that the hanger was now crowded with gawking MFF personel that really soured her mood. The electrified cage kept anyone outside from getting any foolish notion of exacting revenge on their organization's primary enemy, but it didn't stop her from being made to endure the jeers and howls of triumph in muted silence.
Or the excitement of the scientists as they eyed her like a specimen soon to be tested upon. This was a far cry from the welcome HART gave her and Yeshua's heart panged at the thought of the friendly humans she'd met only hours prior.
A starry eyed youth, heart ablaze and hands layered in the callouses of constant work with the spear. She laughs easily and openly, equal parts absent and ignorant to deceit as she goes about her schooling. Enjoys physical challenges, anything she can work on with her hands appeals to her, but she finds herself averse to puzzles and trivia games. Not the brightest of people but tries to compensate with earnestness and effort. Feels a touch of envy for mages who can barely lift a tome weighing more then ten pounds but can summon phantasmal creatures to aid them, but is too consious of hurting their feelings to voice or act upon it.
Backstory:
The de Windt's have a longer history in Japan then they do with their own family name, tracing their line all the way back to the early Dutch who helped crush the Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion and securing themselves as the sole European power still tolerated in the country till their borders were forced open two centuries later. Relations tensed in the past century given world events, but their connection of the magical side of things made surviving changing times unscathed a more reasonable affair.
The descendent of Dutch merchant marines now stands, ignorant of the blood upon her lineage and with her sights set only upon a bright shining future. As a child she played with sticks, golden hair flying wildly as she chased and was chased by boys from a sleepy countryside village, the glory of a bustling market long since given way to the twilight of after years, where all still lingered neither prospering nor failing. A haven to retire to and the breeding ground of childhood ambitions for something more, the harsh clang of steel and the burn of a wooden shaft twisting against her palms.
The young Lorelai had no word for what she sought, only that she was compelled to push herself hard and long even at the expense of more mundane studies. Times of play gave way to earnest training under the attentive eye of parents, always losing herself amidst a field of sunflowers. Tilling the land for miles with only a hoe, only to carry bags of seed and sowing by hand till her blisters wept and her hands were a mix of caked dirt and weeping scarlet. She laid the groundwork for true martial training with her own hands, surrounding herself in the flowers of her long distant homeland before every knowing the true heft of a weapon in hand.
The nameless conviction carried her far from home, the sunflowers wilting as her gaze turned to the academy of her dreams, where her heart knew she'd be a step closer to fulfillment.
Worn Spear-An implement she's trained with for the last two years, knowing it's every groove and how much strain it can take. Carries it with pride and cleans the head habitually even when not used. Can support her own weight vaulting with it even in Composite Armor.
Shatter Star Fragments: Remnants of a magic canceling sword.
Gear:
Composite Armor: An armor made predominantly of leather with added plate along one arm and shoulders for protection without comprimising her agility between and in combat.
Independent:
Spirit Boost- As an Earth Human, Lorelai has a wellspring of inner power waiting to be tapped into. 40% boost to Spirit when over 50. Currently: Inactive.
De Windt Bloodline: Her birthright as a member of the De Windt family cultured over the generations and the events they played part to.
Friend of Tengu: The Tengu feather that is on her will allow her to be identified as a friend of Mt. Kurama Tengu. Ordinarily Tengu are quite pervasive about people, often staying distant, or even hostile at times. As a result of her actions also, a certain Tengu has appeared as a student on campus... This also makes her elligible to learn further Tengu Arts.
Major Skills:
Farmer's Last Resort- The spear has long been the weapon of peasentry, with a low skill barrier to use but a ceiling as distant as the stars above. To call oneself a novice is to stand firm against charging adversaries and hold your spear true. Level: 2 (6pts)
Dieter's Fields-Moving beyond tactics of the peasentry is the true spirit of combat with a spear, understanding the advantage that comes with a greater reach then a sword and learning to use the full range of motion to aspire towards heights most would never consider. Level: 1 (5 pts)
Fujiwara Shinto Exorcism Manuscript Volume 1 - A manuscript detailing standard seals for Shinto style exorcism. It's multi-purpose too being mainly focused on protection and support if it isn't a spell that's for exorcism.2 Points.
Form One - Forward March Execution: Lunge forward, thrusting forward with both hands on the spear before returning to starting position. Principle: The simplest way to attack. Power comes from the force of movement making even frail arms provide lethal force.
Form Two - Shield Wall Execution: Hold an arm out and across your chest, bracing the spear atop it as though you were holding a shield. Thrust forward, sliding over the arm for a quick jab. Mastery requires using your 'shield' to redirect a misaligned thrust into a true strike as it passed over. Principle: An aided strike that develops arm strength in thrusts without heavy dependence on personal skill. A foundation in controlling the spear without both hands upon it.
Form Three - Breaching The Wall Execution: Grasping the spear with both hands and positioning it overhead, thrusting at an angle as though going over a barrier to reach it. Principle: Trains the arms to support the spear without any aid and cements the users balance.
Dieter's Fields:
Form One - Quench the Thorns Execution: Performing a standard thrust at such speed so as to look to have not moved. Done with a firm stance rooted to the ground for superior handling. Principle: The basis for all spear fighting, connecting the stolid base of a Novice to the more fluid Journeyman. Teaches speed and coordination with the spear.
Form Two - Sow the Land Execution: Perform a wide slash with the spear, shifting hands down a palm length before swinging back around, continueing till they've gone both ways along the shaft. Principle: Understands a fuller range of motion and acclimates the hand to gripping the spear at any length with reasonable surety.
Form Three - Break the Frost Execution: A heavy handed swing against a training target that bounces off, rotates fully around the user and transitions into a thrust. Principle: Introduces power into the techniques and creates a flow between prior forms.
Form Four - Exalt the Harvest Execution:Steps forward sharply, putting weight on the lead foot as the spear is raised from behind, overhead, and slammed down in a crescent arc. Principle: An aggressive helm splitter that further develops power based on where the shaft is held to extend or shorten the arc.
Technique:
Ride the Wind: A stationary leap upwards from a crouch, grasping the spear firmly in both hands before driving it downwards tip first as you land upon and stab through an enemy. Lorelai throws the entirety of her being into the attack, sacrificing footing for the added power of crashing upon them.
"Your final exam...is a crime spree. Wow, that is evil. I like it." Kanbaru chirped, twirling her pen now that the paper work was completed. It sounded a lot like the premise of movie she saw but the name seemed purged from her memory when she grasped for it. Shrugging indifferently she turned her gaze to the others, finding the party either as eager as her or indifferent in two cases. She may have shared their attitudes had her first impressions of the city not been informed by Iona relentlessly chasing her around the city just for existing outside the school's registry. Detention with that pervert sounded like it involved bondage in a dungeon, and not the fun kind either.
Also, there was a fox groping people and she hadn't even attempted to sneak up on Kanbaru. She would have been offended if she had the first idea who she was outside her brief introduction.
"Well I for one adore our new student faculty's decisions, so let's get our uniforms and hit the campus. I totally want to find out when these Umbral Games are too. Oh, and Rose, we need to find out if their's an airship in this city so we can steal it without being punished!" The Bluenette said, whirling excitedly on her partner in crime, clasping her hands together over her chest with stars in her eyes that looked suspiciously like visions of icicles raining down from atop a flying battleship.
Her request of the overthrown Emperor was well received and Willowa watched with rapt fascination as he got to work, extracting the very soul from a mongrel that had been valiantly clinging to life. There wasn't even a tingle from her sadistic heritage, telling her that, while horrific, it's death was too swift to be called agonizing. Almost merciful if not for the soul being rendered into an energy source that would ensure the lasting torment of the wolf's kin. The concept of simply collaring them was both cheap, dehumanizing, and positively delightful, having the Drow almost swooning as she fingered the contents of her robe.
"Do I have an elixir for that? Certainly, but I can do you one better. I have a rather delightful brew in mind, actually." Willowa said, palming a vial full of a paint like brown substance that clung the lass covetously, coloring the whole of it the same unappealing shade of shit. "Rather then heighten the pain, I can rob them of their tolerance to it. Why improve perfection when can make a better canvas~? Let's see the mutts handle a shock when their nerves can never grow accostomed. When the thousandth shock always stings just as much as the first, each second fresh and vibrant to raw nerves that never dull. A little swab along the inside of the collar and we'll have a winning method, I'm certain of it!"
As Velo and Willowa were getting into their element, the skull in fancy robes drifted their way, offering a few curious remarks that mellowed the Drow some. She wondered if this Ignis fellow was trying to instigate a reaction or if he was genuinely that obtuse but she wasn't one to rise to the bait. At least not when she was faced with the prospect of undoing her deformities to the downed wolves. The notion of abating their suffering had her cringing in disdain, and it was only the firm affirmation that they would be put through greater torment as their pets that had her drawing a third elixir, clear like water and glittering with unidentified particulate.
None too kindly she grasped the nearest of the three remaining wolves before them and pried it's mouth open, letting a single drop roll onto it's tongue before she dropped the beast against the cavern floor. As with most of her combat ready concoctions it was fast acting, reversing the deformations of the mis-used growth elixir, breaking down the excess muscle, skin, and bone to repair what was crushed by the spontaneous growth. Not that healing them made them any threat to the gathered Abyss inhabitants, as the restoration was just as exhausting as the trauma that inflicted it.
Producing a brush like an artist would use to paint the smile on a fair ladies portrait, she dipped it in the vial of brown elixer and circled each of the downed wolves throats, taking care to push past the fur to taint their skin. Finished with that, she stepped aside for the Emperor to step in. "You can have the honor of finishing our work. Perhaps a name for the first group of our dog soldiers? If all goes well we may have some excellent hunting hounds on our hands here. Better trackers then fighters, at least."