@MagusDream - Geeze, thank you! C: I was charmed by your characters and styling too, and the song picks slap. Korzan though...I can imagine Luca and Korzan at each other's throats within ten minutes of meeting each other.
Awww, thanks! I try to make it as unique as I can, though I hardly reached your levels of CS style.
Korzan has a prejudice against ranged fighters, but the big question is: who exactly Korzan isn't going to pick a fight?
♦ Lucalrith Endrose ♦ Luca ♦ Dark Elf / Sphel'ilf ♦ ♦ Thirty-Five ♦ One Year Tenure ♦
The Sphel'ilfre
The term Sphel’ilfre (sfell-ilf-ray) translates to “chasm people” in Sphelse, and when introducing themselves to outsiders, the people of the chasm only refer to themselves as elves, but the term dark elf or dust elf has become popular in the wider world of Alwyne.
The Dark Elves are smaller than their cousins and live shorter, fraught lives, but they mature quickly (physical, social maturity and legal emancipation by thirty years of age; by fifty, the right to own property and hold council is granted) and because of the nature of Asphodel, possess heartier constitutions. They have deep complexions with desaturated tones, grow black, grey, or white hair, and have black eyes with sclera in shades of grey. Their features are delicate and sharp. Their ears are wider than most elves’ and prehensile, and they have frighteningly acute hearing; little light reaches the bottom of the deepest canyons in the world, so they have developed echolocation, and understand their world through sound before sight. It follows that their eyesight, in daylight, is poor. Most find direct light painful.
In character, they are quiet, thoughtful, loyal, proud, aloof, and severe. They value silence and subtlety - in Sphelse, the concepts of evil, brightness, and harshness all share the same word. In conversation, they consider it cruel to pry for more information than is offered, tactless to provide more information than is asked for, and raising one’s voice above a certain octave in public is a punishable offense in some cities. Moral behavior is dictated by respect for those in one’s immediate area, and defense of one’s clan at any cost.
There are no rulers or representatives among the Sphel’ilfre. Instead, the rules of the hearth are the law of the land; each family is given complete sovereignty over their own home and the right to act as executioner should the need arise, and the law of public spaces is decided by a council of the families that share it. Other issues that pertain to more than one family may also be addressed by council.
Sphelse, the language, has two modes. The common, daily mode is known as Sphelse-soto or simply Sphelse, a whispered tongue that avoids using the diaphragm. The second, Sphelse-teno or Keen-speak, is a singing language that can carry for miles through the canyons and caves of Asphodel, and is used to communicate information between scouting parties or in emergencies, such a cave-in. Keen-tunneling is the process of psionically manipulating the larvae of the scaybeetle, a giant species of cicada, into creating small, smooth tunnels between settlements. These tunnels are keened down, allowing travelers to keep in touch with their families and news to spread between Sphelse cities quickly.
Finally, the Dark Elves worship only one unique deity - Wheye, the avatar of Entropy and Decay, is said to take the form of a dark elven woman with the wings of a moth, whose wispy hair sheds stardust and whose manifold robes fall to tatters with every step.
Asphodel
Nestled in the valley between the Obsidian and Edithic mountain ranges, Asphodel is a small, subarctic wasteland, and among the harshest climes in the known world - it seems more like the surface of an extraplanetary realm than anything natural to Alwyne.
Dunes of white, powdery sediment provide some barrier between the unseasoned traveler and the sheets of volcanic glass that coat the topography of Asphodel, but the region is known for its dust storms; wind exposes and erodes at these obsidian deposits and creates twisters of glass shards, so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, that flay skin like blades. Heavy, dark mists blanket Asphodel, toxic enough to kill a grown human over the course of several days if the right precautions are not taken.
Rainfall in this region is highly acidic, and the pools that cluster in the western basin of the wasteland are lethal, but so exquisitely clear and beautiful in color that many have attempted to brave the forsaken land to witness them. This pilgrimage destination is known as the Pillars of Wheye, named for the spires of gypsum and selenite that fence the pools.
Asphodel was not always a barren desert. 40,000 years ago, it was a flourishing steppeland, boasting herds of massive beasts, clans of centaur, and a seasonal flowering that painted the valley in majestic reds and purples. Sphelse legend claims that the basin is the site of an ancient ritual, cast by a collective of elven mages attempting to bring the divine realms to ground for some long-forgotten purpose - whether the alien, inhospitable environment we have today is their success or their failure depends on who you ask.
Regardless of its origin, Asphodel has been incapable of supporting life above ground for some time. In the canyons and caves that form a natural march between the desert and the mountain ranges, however, animals and people alike eke out a living.
↭
The famous bridgelike cities of the Dark Elves, built into the canyons of Asphodel, are structured like so:
To shelter the inhabitants of Sphelse cities from the dangerous weather above, tarps made of fungal leather are stretched across the top of the city’s gulch in layers, with a mesh of soil and mycelium padding between each tarp. Then, various plants and fungi are planted in the underside of the tarps and the walls of the canyon; a bridge is built below, with conjured sources of daylight to nourish the hanging gardens. These Gardens are the foundations of every Sphelse city. They filter both the poisonous air of the surface and the pollution from the below, they provide fresh produce and a healthy habitat for game, and their acidic soils grow rare ingredients used for vital, necessary trade with foreign nations.
Beneath the Gardens lies the Dwelling, where the poor and middle class carve apartments into the walls of the canyon and develop commercial districts on the bridges between. Beneath the Dwelling is the Elysian, the ‘waterfront’ property near the bottom of the ravine and where the palaces of the wealthiest families can be found. Finally, there is the Riverine, built on the banks of the canyon’s river if it has one. If it is one of the five cities that share a river deep enough to support schooners, docks can be found in the Riverine, but mining, fishing, and keen-tunneling can also be found at this level.
The eight Shelse cities are; Acharest, Abiis, Dirgest, Phens, Phassil, Sorics, Ulervest, Viis. Of these, Abiis is the largest - in fact, there is no Riverain district in Abiis, and its canyon is so deep that there is no documented bottom.
Appearance
[5’5”, 104 lbs, grey hair, black eyes] Luca is a short, thin, tired-looking young man. He has an ebony complexion and choppy, damaged hair that should be charcoal grey, but is more often muddled with ash and dust - his features are sharp like all dark elves, with some suggesting a distant mixed heritage, but it's difficult to tell - wide, bruised eyes, a slightly broken nose, prominent cheekbones, a short chin, a brittle smile.
In clothing, he prefers loose, sheer material with bright colors and patterns, precious clasps and buttons, embroidery, and other such embellishments. To put it simply - plain designs with heavy decoration. He often wears a wool poncho, clasped at the shoulder with a symbol of Wheye, and alternates between several earrings; plain copper hoops, a lapis teardrop, lyrebird feathers, and a carnelian stud. When he’s not wearing his blackened goggles, he’ll blindfold himself with gauze to avoid damaging his eyes during the day.
His mannerisms are boneless, but careful. His pace is measured, and he stops often to take account of his surroundings. His clothing and hair smell of cigarettes, spice, and clay. He’s soft-spoken, and his voice is easily his best feature, slow and silvery with a slight smoker’s rasp.
Timeline
The name Endrose can be found in any chronicle of medicinal and alchemical history; the members of this clan guard the secret behind synthesizing Cassandra, a hallucinogenic, paralytic drug said to imbue the user with powerful precognitive abilities (among other innovations, such as the cure to wasting disease). Centuries ago, they enjoyed wealth and power for their contributions, but time and misfortune set them on a steady decline. By the time Luca was born, it was to a clan that numbered less than a dozen.
♦ TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO ♦
Luca’s mother brings them from Phens to the city of Leviathan, a melting pot of humans, dark elves, dwarves, and goblins and the closest port to Asphodel - meaning that all of the rare ingredients produced in Asphodel and nowhere else must be funneled through Leviathan before they are distributed to the rest of Alwyne. Drawing on her contacts in Dirgest and Abiis, she sets up an apothecary, vending illicit material under the table. It’s wildly successful, but it’s stepping on the toes of another prominent family in Leviathan.
♦ TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO ♦
The Vedics, a clan of dark elves who control a large criminal syndicate in Leviathan, manufacture the death of the apothecary Avamava Endrose, orphan a twelve-year-old Luca, and resume their monopoly over the exportation of regulated produce from Asphodel. Luca’s inheritance is seized by the council that convenes over such matters in Leviathan and it is decided that the assets will be released to him on his fiftieth birthday, or sold to the highest bidder should he perish before then. Luca is placed in a small temple of Wheye.
Within a week of his stay in the temple, he was thanking his mother for the lessons in testing food before eating it; eight of the fourteen bowls of porridge he’d been allowed had been poisoned. Realizing that if he wished to survive the Vedics’ ambitions towards his inheritance, he’d need to stay out of the public eye, Luca leaves the temple. The next decade of his life is spent eking out a living in the underground of Leviathan, doing everything and anything it took to survive.
♦ TEN YEARS AGO ♦
Luca no longer needs to pickpocket, burgle, scam, or worse to make ends meet. He’s squirreled away enough stock and befriended enough proxies to make and sell his own Cassandra, which allows him to eat well, dress well, and most importantly, support the opium addiction he’s developed in recent years. The future seems promising, and Luca begins to build the connections he’ll need to keep himself safe when the time comes to claim his property.
♦ THREE YEARS AGO ♦
Luca makes the mistake of trusting a woman named Edilthshi, charmed by her biting tongue. He allows her into his home one night, and wakes a day and a half later in an unfamiliar wine cellar, mind-addled by a number of poisons, just cognizant enough to suffer severe withdrawal. He makes up for the time he’d spent sleeping in the days the Vedics keep him awake, trying to pry the secret of Cassandra from him through various tortures. It’s like trying to draw blood from a stone, but not because of an iron will on Luca’s part - had he been remotely coherent, he would have told them the truth a hundred times over. He would have murdered his own kin to stop the things they did to him.
He suffers three days of abuse before the magebane they’d been dosing him on lapses enough for him to drain the health from a sleeping guard and cast phase. He abandons the life he’s built for himself and leaves Leviathan.
♦ ONE YEAR AGO ♦
Luca chances upon the Pilgrim’s Caravan outside of a small orchard village. The caravan is convenient for his purposes. He signs on under the guise of an apothecary, but many caravanners are familiar with what he actually supplies, and he draws as much business from within the caravan as he does in the locations they visit.
Personality
His manner is vague and aloof, and you would think there was nobody shyer. Luca’s the quiet sort. He withholds information until he sees a clear benefit in revealing it, but he’s keen to watch others and compile observations. He’s reluctant in conversation and distrustful of most people, despite the fact that he’s desperately lonely. His poker face is excellent, but his nerve is lacking, and the only reason he’s so rarely been accused of cowardice is because he’s adept at covering his tracks when he decides to make like a coward and hide. He’s self-serving and callous, but non-violent by nature. He’s short on scruples, well aware of the fact that scruples can’t be eaten or otherwise imbibed, and he’s yet to find an ethical boundary he’s unwilling to cross; he calls this pragmatism, but his hedonistic quirks and addictive personality speak a different truth.
♦ [DESIRES] ♦
With an eye for the artistic, Luca covets all things beautiful. When he was small, this manifested as a tendency to hoard the textiles, jewelry, and sculptures he liberated from less appreciative audiences wherever he found the space, but necessity has made him sell or abandon his collections. The only comfort he’s found outside of inebriation is in his material possessions, and he wishes to live the tasteful life of a noble - to have clean, healthy hair, to wear tailored and flattering clothing, to sleep on silk and eat fresh fruit. It’s not about the luxury, really, it’s about the look. He already knows that there’s no earthly pleasure that can compare to a calm ocean under the stars, viewed through the lens of blue lotus - often, his desire to be blind on opiates and to look nice compete directly with one another.
♦ [FEARS] ♦
Physical pain and attachment. He’s had many experiences he wishes he could part with, experiences that have prompted his drug abuse to forget, but nothing has stuck with him like Vedic’s hospitality. Beyond that, he favors objects over people because dropping an earring doesn’t cut as deeply as losing a loved one.
♦ [MOTIVATION] ♦
He tells himself that he’s biding his time, waiting until he’s old enough to claim his property and powerful enough to protect it, and that when he’s the head of his own mercantile empire, the Vedics will get their due. The caravan presents a moving target while he’s building this future. Deep down, he knows he’s stalling; the more distance he puts between himself and Leviathan, the easier it is to forget his past, and lose himself in the pleasures of the present.
Skills
I. Spellcasting - Before her untimely death, Avam passed many of her skills down to her son, including her talent with transmutation.
II. Apothecary - Luca is an alchemist, but one of a very specific variety. While he’s familiar with the recipes for the tonics and aromatics one might find in the home of any village healer, his real talent is in distilling ingredients down to their component parts in the pursuit of the pleasurable effects they have on the body.
III. Stealth & Agility - Luca spent his childhood hunted. One won’t find him when he doesn’t wish to be found. He’s able to hold his breath and still his movements for up to a minute and moves comfortably across rooftops.
IV. Appraisal - His passion for art has led to a keen eye and a familiarity with the worth of various goods. He’s played the part of appraiser and pawnbroker many times before.
V. Scrimshaw - A hobby he picked up in his twenties. He’s not the most adept at it, but it keeps his hands occupied.
♦ [STRENGTHS / WEAKNESSES] ♦
Strength / Sphelse - Luca is more resistant to gaseous toxins than other variants of elves - while this is mildly annoying to his purposes, it’s still a boon he wouldn’t give up. He interprets the world through echolocation as much as he does through sight, and can see clearly in complete darkness, as well as detect the shape of objects through obstacles that block his vision. This sensitivity to sound has made his movements almost undetectable.
Strength / Observation - Always cautious, he watches and listens to the people around him and takes good notes. He can guess a number of things about a person just by the way they look, speak, and act, and the ability to remember others’ schedules serves him well when stealth is required.
Strength / Mercantile - He’s had two decades to get over his inborn shyness when it comes to haggling, and his familiarity with the worth of artisanal and illicit goods makes him a formidable opponent in the game of bartering.
Weakness / Sphelse - Though he’s long grown accustomed to the abrasive speaking voices of other races, sudden loud noises and shouts are still painful and disorienting. There’s no growing accustomed to the daylight, however. Exposure to direct light can blind him for up to two hours. With their small size and weakened lifespans, the dark elves are fragile; what bruises another might break Luca’s bones.
Weakness / Combat - He’ll remember a spell or two when cornered and can throw a punch, but Luca’s no warrior. He’d much rather run and hide than stand and fight.
Weakness / Addictions - He’s sampled a wide array of vices, but Luca’s addicted to opium and tobacco. He chain smokes around the clock, but is more conspicuous about his opium use - most who’ve been in close quarters with him will report that he’s quieter than usual towards the end of the day, and mean as a viper if he’s forced to speak. After two days without a fix, his hands tremble and what had been nausea progresses to intense vertigo. He’s incapacitated with pain by day three.
♦ [SPELLBOOK] ♦
Phase - the caster takes on an ethereal aspect for three minutes. During this time, they are rendered transparent and non-corporeal, may pass through solid objects, and are able to move on a vertical as well as horizontal axis, but may not manipulate solid matter that was not on their person before the spell was cast. Luca is able to cast this once every five days.
Telekinesis - the caster gains the ability to manipulate objects without physically touching them. Luca is able to cast this once a day, and it may affect up to four objects weighing a total of 100 lbs. within fifteen feet of his person.
Levitate - the caster is able to move on a vertical axis at halved speed for two minutes. The spell may fail if more weight is added to the caster. Luca is able to cast this twice a day.
Distort - The target of the spell is blurred to the senses for ten minutes, and thinking creatures are compelled to ignore it. This illusion spell may be cast on the self or targeted, and requires the sacrifice of a tiger’s eye gemstone.
Drain - A curse that saps the vitality from the target and feeds it to the caster. Luca is able to cast this three times a day.
Miscellaneous
♦ Alignment - Neutral / Neutral Evil ♦ Goddess - Wheye. Theoretically. ♦ Heart or Mind - Mind ♦ Color - Turquoise ♦ Animal - Magpie ♦ Time of Day - Between 3 and 6 ♦ Season - Summer ♦ Song - No Eyes by Baths
Not gonna lie, I loved EVERYTHING from your character: from himself to the formatting of the form. I'm stunned, honestly.
I know. I was just trying to be uplifting and positive. I think everything will be fine, it is a world-building-based RP under the large group tag. I assume the majority of it, in between major points, will just be interacting with each other and such. Which shouldn't be too bad?
I'd reckon that, with how rotative this RP will work regarding the characters, cast size isn't exactly a problem since leaving the caravan doesn't seem to present too many problems since the story will just kickoff on its own.
RP is still coming. Planned launch date is now tomorrow.
I had... some kind of seizure, or panic attack, or something yesterday. I don't know exactly what it was. I lost control of my body completely, couldn't stand or hold anything, just thrashing around on the floor. It's not the first time. I don't know if it will impact my ability to write, so my priority is now getting the first post up and kicking things off for y'all.
That's sad to hear Tort. Sending some prayers for your health and hopes that you get better! And don't worry about the RP, there'll still be chaos over here at the OOC.
Willard flew right above the city, going towards a direction where he was far away from the beach and the eyes of the army. He could see the kaiju from far away. Despite not being able to see them very clearly, he certainly could see a lot of people running away while some of them stood there.
"Yep, that's a kaiju alright. Geez, they're severely outmatched and he's in a position where I can't help them without getting caught." He complained.
Then, as he stood there, a communication channel started to blink from the jet's receptor. Out of curiosity, he decided to turn it on.
"Priority message:," Qingshe broadcasted through the allied Philippine channels, once in English, then again in Filipino. Her Chinese accent was as lilting as ever, but her tone had gained a serious edge over her normally playful voice. Simultaneously, her voice was echoed by the many serpent heads bobbing above her ooze, just in case anyone lacked a functioning communication device. "For those yet unaware, the enemy has deployed a terrakinetic structure in function not dissimilar to a volcano. I do repeat, this is not a drill. Environmental hazards are imminent. Evacuation of non-Arms Masters and wounded is highly recommended."
The message going through the channel was just as clear as his vision when he stopped to pay attention: there was a volcano. A terrakinetic structure with that purpose. And lava was already flowing toward the town.
"What... the hell? Not satisfied with a kaiju, they now decide to summon a volcano?" He spoke.
Broadcasting again, Qingshe stated, "I need sharp eyes in the sky and some determination of how far the enemy's direct power extends. With the right angle, the inward flow of the lands should suffice for an approximation." Inhaling slowly and then huffing, she added, "Moreover, as an immediate concern, for all those that can still manage to fight even now, your priority until the terrakinetic is located should be venting that volcano! She is building up pressure, and we need to release it yesterday and in a manner she'd not prefer." Firming her tone, she reluctantly spoke more demandingly, with the air of a commander. "I don't care how you do it, but blow some holes in it! Get that lava flowing out the sides and not the top. And avoid venting it in the direction of the city, or Tian Fei will surely take advantage!"
The idea - or rather, order given by... whoever this woman was... sounded like the best option. However, Willard looked at the beach and how they were still recovering from the golem. At the current rate they were, they wouldn't get there in time.
(You say that, whoever you are, but do you think they'll be able to reach it in time? Because I sure don't.) Willard thought.
That's when Edelweiss' channel started to blink and he went back to it.
"Agent Sterrennacht, what's going on? Did you manage to reach the kaiju?"Edelweiss questioned.
"Sorry, I'm not dealing with the kaiju! There's a far more pressing matter at my hands right now, Edelweiss!" He answered.
"More pressing matters?"Edelweiss asked.
"I'll just go straight to the point: there's an active volcano spewing lava toward Lingayen!" Willard answered.
"A volcano?! But Mount Balungao isn't nowhere near Lingayen-"Edelweiss spoke but Will interrupted her.
"It isn't a natural one! An enemy named Tian Fei generated it! It's more of a terrakinetic construct, but it's still a volcano!" Willard spoke.
"The Chinese Army?! Are you telling me that the Chinese Army just generated a volcano?!"Edelweiss asked.
"I don't have time to explain! You already know what I have to do!" Willard spoke.
"I-I know! You have to use your power to contain the lava from reaching the town! Your priority is to safeguard the citizenry and the town at all costs! Now go!"Edelweiss ordered, turning off the call.
"That's what I'm on it!"
He directed himself towards the volcano-like structure that was spewing out lava all around, as its flow descended towards the town. Once he arrived at the aerospace from behind it, just to not get seen by them for the moment, he looked at it. Willard activated the jet's auto-pilot function as it stabilized itself in the air. He grabbed a toxic mask from the jet, opened the cockpit, and examined the sky.
(Volcanic gas is rising and the temperature is certainly higher than 35 °C... I can't definitely use the fumes as a cloud substitution because they're going to melt whatever goes inside it. So my only option is to actually try and stop the flow with my power. I'll drop glaciers directly into the lava. Then, it'll either start to create moist air and some clouds around here, or it'll drop the temperature as low and the flow will petrify. It'll be a battle of attrition: the cold against the lava, the air against the fumes. But I might be able to overwhelm it if I'm careful and constant. This will completely blow off my chances of staying hidden for too long, though I'm willing to just make myself present if it means saving the innocent.)
Then, he summoned his Noble Arm. Aureus Stella, the frigid rifle. His temperature already diminished and cold energy began to flow around his body, as a blue mist swirled around him. He aimed the rifle right at the sky.
"OK, let's start with a cold beam aimed randomly above the lava to disperse some cold." He planned.
His Noble Arm drained the flowing cold energy until it shot a bright light blue beam at the sky. As the beam dissipated, the same mist flew in the air.
"And now for the glacier...!" Willard spoke, focusing on the air.
Using his powers, he gathered the mist in the air as well as sent more mist from his end. By gathering all of them, the cold energy began to form a giant block of ice in the sky, a glacier, like the ones seen in the arctic and antarctic ends of the world, though not as big as the ones there. Once formed, the glacier fell, as the laws of gravity would've wanted, plummeting directly in the lava's flow, in the top-middle area of the "volcano". The attrition between the hot temperature of the lava and the frigid construct already began, as the glacier began to melt slowly.
"Good, the glacier is starting to generate moist air, and it's not damaging the volcano's surface either. Now I just have to keep this up and hold it until they come here!" He spoke.
Willard repeated the process: shooting a cold beam, gathering the cold energy and condensing it in a glacier, and plummeting it down to the lava's flow. Because of how stronger it is than a common, natural glacier, it melts slower than usual, though still at a considerable pace. He had no time to breathe and just kept doing it the best that he could. By now, he had already dropped 3 glaciers.
Location: Lingayen Beach, Municipality of Lingayen, Lingayen Gulf Interactions: Regina > Lotus Squadron @Conscripts, Regil > Noel @Letter Bee
BGM:Grandma -Destruction- plays here too
With the kaiju stopped by Qingshe, another problem came through. Now there was a huge, active volcano ready to destroy Lingayen and everyone in it.
"Y-You're joking... a volcano...?!" Regina questioned.
"A-Are we truly going to stop that thing by ourselves?! Do we even have the time to reach it?!" Regil asked.
"... Hell no. We're escaping!" Regina spoke.
What are you saying?! What about the people?! We can't just let them die!" Regil said.
"Then what do you expect us to do?! Just follow those ridiculous orders?! With what time?!" Regina argued.
"I-I don't know! But we can't just turn back! We'll have to hurry there by helicopter! It's the only way we can get there in time!" Regil spoke.
"Idiot, we're not getting there on time, even with the heli! There's no way that we'll be able to do it!" Regina spoke.
That's when a bright light blue beam flashed in the sky. And then, out of nowhere, a glacier formed itself out of nowhere and fell into the lava. The Meitners got surprised by what was happening.
"What is that flashing in the sky above the volcano?!" Regina asked.
"I don't know! But those forms in the sky... are those glaciers?!" Regil said.
"Glaciers?! Like the ones in the Arctic?! How?!" Regina kept questioning, dumbfounded.
"It has to be a Noble Arm. There's no other explanation. There's a Noble Arm Master dropping those glaciers into the lava's flow!" Regil answered.
"... So we got backup in the end. But let's not relax just yet." Regina spoke.
"You're right. We still have to change the flow from the town to the sea, as that voice instructed." Regil spoke.
"I hate depending on these unbelievable miracles, but if this is what is going to take for us to get through this...!"
"Let's go Sis!" Regil said.
The Meitners (and the King) immediately ran towards the helicopter, where the rest of Regina's squad was waiting for them.
"What the hell did we get ourselves into now, Specialist?!" One of her soldiers asked.
"Don't be a pussy! Our target just shifted, but our mission's still the same! We're going in, getting the job done, and having another day to rest!" Regina spoke.
"But how exactly do you expect us to follow those orders?! We don't have some shiny powers like you two do!" Another one questioned.
"Yeah, but you have rockets! While I and Regil are down there, I want you guys blasting everything up from the sky! Coordinate yourselves with that other aerial squadron and get the job done!" Regina ordered.
"But what if we end up hitting you two or anyone else?!" The pilot asked.
"... That's a risk we're taking. It's either that or having the town flooded in lava. We may have some help from whoever's generating those glaciers, but that's not going to last forever! We have to act, for everyone's sake!" Regil spoke.
Their plan was ludicrous. For the squad composed of normal human beings, there are no other options other than escaping. However, both their leader and her brother were determined to make this work and save the people. The Meitners knew this was a strategy they normally wouldn't follow. But it came from someone with power, the unknown X that Regil mentioned before. So if they got a chance right now, they can't waste it. And the soldiers knew that.
"... If you two aren't going to run away, we're not going to either. We'll do our best from the sky!" The pilot said, and the other soldiers agreed.
"Alright then, let's head off!" Regina spoke.
"Shouldn't we see if someone wants to come with us?!" Regil asked.
"We don't have that time! Just hop on and let's go!" Regina answered.
Everyone went inside the helicopter. Once the engine started, they took off to the volcano. While they were flying towards it, both Regina and Regil grabbed their radios and began to speak with the others.
"This is Regina Meitner speaking! We're heading to the volcano's area on our helicopter right now! We'll start opening the holes on the other side of the volcano as instructed! Lotus Squadron, we will need your aid as well! My personnel will use our rocket launchers to try and blast holes, and so I'd want you to use your own armaments to do some damage at that volcano! If you decide to join us, I'll leave the coordination of the assault to your best judgment!"
"Everyone, this is Regil Meitner speaking! I'm sorry to intrude on the channel, but I believe there's a Noble Arm Master dropping those glaciers in the lava! I don't know if this Arm Master sided with us, but this will give us some time to do our part and change the lava's flow to the sea, just as we were instructed to do! Lieutenant Alonso, me and Specialist Meitner are at your orders!" Regil spoke to everyone.
Approved. Really, I shoulda read this one in the same batch as @Smike and @Irredeemable. We seem to have lots of canine-types hanging around. I don't know if you'll form a three-way friendship to last the eons or rip each other to pieces.
With the talk about getting ripped and the over-emphasis on being stronk, your werewolf has got some gym-bro vibes. I don't know how I feel about it, but I hope to at least once hear him asking Malleck "BRO, do you even lift??"
I'm just sadge that my canine is just a werewolf, though I'm the last person to be creative in that sense. I was tempted to call him Wolfskin too, but that's another race being ripped off somewhere else. Also, a three-way-rivalry is more Korzan's style.
Also, he's way more of the "I had the whole gym to myself last night bro!", he's that much of a convinced prick. I mean, that's his character in a nutshell: a self-absorbed, battle maniac, troublemaker, drunkard, low fuse, sore loser, arrogant as F asshole.
Location: The Grand Library Interactions: Lambda > Alrune (@Dezuel)
BGM: Romantic Children still playing
"Don't mention it! I was glad to help! That'll teach that pervert to respect the ladies! Pleased to make your aqq- accui?" Al begun to speak to the slightly older boy, but he was stopped by not finding the right word. So much for trying to sound elegant.
"I mean, pleased to meet you! My name is Alrune Ihadugram Al-Zardun Dimekshia nu Karzanoon. But you can just call me Al."
Alrune's rather tongue-twisting while presenting himself made Lambda giggle a little bit. Still, he felt relieved that the situation had returned to some degree of control.
"Well, I'm pleased to meet you as well Al. And you don't need to be formal around me, so don't worry about honorifics and all that." Lambda answered.
"I.. uhm... I am not part of any school yet. But I do intend to join Mephisto's School for the Wickedly Inclined. Because it's wicked! And I am totally inclined to believe it! Cool names like that are.. uh.. cool? Besides alot of people I meet speak fondly of it." Al beamed a broad smile and then began to ponder on just what people had said about it.
Then he pondered about Mephisto, which was Alrune's choice to join a school. He remembers hearing something about it from his dad, but whatever information he has is immensely vague. It didn't help that no one actually knows where the school is right now, since they keep changing from one spot to another.
"I... can't say that I agree nor disagree with that statement as I don't have any information on Mephisto, to begin with. In fact, no one actually knows where the school is located right now." He said.
Still, seeing the boy beam brightly at the idea of being at Mephisto was certainly something nice after all that confusion earlier, so he decided to not throw a wet towel over Alrune's wishes and decided to encourage him.
"For someone as cool as yourself, I'd say it is a perfect fit! And despite the fact that I don't know much about it, I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the school or its method of education if people speak fondly about it." Then he paused, and continued with a smile. "I'll be rooting for your dream of becoming a Mephisto to become a reality Al. You can do it, I'm sure!" He finished.
"If you want something you can just take it!" Al said in a mimicked voice of an older student. "That sort of thing. I mean who doesn't like free stuff? Imagine the parties with all the free-food samples! Does St Laurel's have some benefits?" He asked Lambda in a ponderous manner, his chin neatly cupped by his own hand.
Lambda tried to think about any benefits that St. Laurel's could offer to any new student. However, considering how most battle-centric Rhea's schools tend to work, he could only think about something for people who aren't interested in battling other people.
"I mean, it might not be interesting to you but St. Laurel's offers some other types of education outside of combat. If you do wish to pursue something else than just fighting, I guess that is a difference. For example, I'm studying administration to take over my father's work, though I'm still on the basics. Oh, I also try my hands at gardening and botanics. I love flowers so I take care of the school's botanical garden myself." Lambda explained.
Then, he thought about the parties. Lambda only ever frequented the official ones made by the school, never joining the extra-official ones made by the students.
"Well, in that party retrospect, I can't say much either. I've only frequented the ones the school makes. They are... fancy, for the most part. But I know the students do some parties on their own, but I never went into one." Lambda answered.
While talking to Alrune, Lambda kept the Maybell active. He wanted to make sure that when Kurogane returned, he wouldn't go getting angry again and try to harm someone.
(I just have to hold the flower a little longer, until I'm out of here with Kuro. I have to prevent any further trouble for the staff. They dealt with enough today, so they deserve a break and a bonus. I'll talk with Papa later so we can see how to help with the damages caused.) Lambda thought.
*BGM fades*
Speaking of Kurogane, he returned to the second floor and picked up his' and Lambda's stuff. Before getting back down, however, he pondered about why he got so calm when he was so angry before.
(I wanted to kill that kid. I still ain't acceptin' him callin' me a mutt and treatin' me like some caged pet. No one gets to treat me like that anymore, not ever since I ran away from the circus. But why... why didn't I do it?) He thought.
Then, he remembered Lambda using a power and some flower appearing on his hand.
(Was it because of that flower? Is that Lamb's power? To make people calmer or whatever?) He asked himself once again.
He needed to know more about it. Not only about the powers, but about Lambda himself. Kurogane was really curious about his new friend who, for all intended purposes, was from St. Laurel's.
"Well, if I'm gonna discover what Little White Saint's power's all about, I'm gonna have to get some closure. Then I'll get what's behind that stupid martyr head of his. Kid's too innocent for his own good, and that's bad for him and for everyone else too." Kurogane spoke to himself.
Then, he went downstairs back to the group. He wasn't thrilled to stay near Alrune, but he wasn't feeling violent.
Zephyr Regrard
Location: Sir Clausewitz's School for the Militarily Minded, Faculty Office Interactions: Melissa (NPC) > Wolfram (@KillamriX88)
"It's fine..." Wolf replied to Melissa, quite used to screaming and shouting -- especially from a woman. He considered asking how he could help, but she seemed to have that part under control at least. He recognized her, though only vaguely. He knew she was on the student council, specifically part of the disciplinary committee.
Melissa got immensely embarrassed by this blunder. She completely lost her poise as a student council member, especially the one who leads the Student Disciplinary Committee.
"... No, it's not. I'm the one who leads the Student Disciplinary Committee, I can't lose my temper and show something so brute. I'll do better next time." She spoke.
Then, with a heavy sigh, she slapped her face three times and regained some composure. Not all of it, but some.
"I'm sure you know me, but I'll present myself. Melissa Margrave, 3rd year. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Melusina." She said and went on. "And don't be shocked, I'm obligated to know every single student and have access to the files, so I know you already."
"Not your first time dealing with him I imagine." Wolf said to Melissa. "He's pretty much infamous for this, yet nothing seems to change. I get why you'd be frustrated."
Hearing him say that made her look at the executioner's body. He was still breathing, but it had more pauses than before.
"We... I lost count of how much I dealt with Zephyr. And the reason why nothing changes is that we can't expel him. His parents are basically loading this school with money, just so that he can never leave. It's basically a paid prison, with the exception that the inmate makes all staff look like trash, in more ways than one." Melissa explained.
Then, she looked at Wolfram and continued on.
"To Zephyr, all of us... ALL of us are just that. Disposable bodies that he'll keep wasting. And that's just because he wants something... someone interesting. But he wasn't like this in the beginning. We are... friends ever since the first year. But now..." She continued, getting angry.
"Now I don't know what the actual fuck he wants. I simply don't have a clue! No matter what we throw at him, nothing clicks! NOTHING!! We're trying our best, our damn hardest to not let the director or even someone above him get here and deal with this, or the whole council's done for! But at this rate, I don't know what to do!! And everyone just gives it up and lets it all upon me... I'm so sick of it!! It doesn't matter if we were friends at some point, I want this all to end already!! My last year's a fucking nightmare because of that bastard and I don't know how to make him quit!! Goddamned self-absorbed, egoist, violent and cold prick...!!"
But before she continued, she noticed that she lost her composure again and just vented on to Wolfram.
"Argh, I lost it again... sorry, I'm just... I'm just tired of it, I want an answer already..." She said.
I'm really vibing with the ones for Cricket, I think I like the second song the most. I think Adventure of a Lovestruck Tomboy fits her quite well. And yes, I am too, still struggling with Virro. I cannot find the right sound that hits the constant sadness and content emotions he has - I'm not going to stop looking though.
You do not mind if I use Adventure of a lovestruck Tomboy for Cricket?
I was thinking about Virro when other themes struck me. I'd pick either Path of Repentance from Final Fantasy X (this beautiful classic guitar remix sounded wonderful to me), or maybe Rydia's Theme from Final Fantasy IV (I got a remix with some other orchestral instruments to fit). There's Theme of Love from Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, though I picked the Heroes version of the song because I find it more solemn.
Member
Creative Chaos,
Izurich,
Tortoise,
Ryik,
Gerlando
