supamusu

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Yumi turned slightly toward the new voice behind her. The slight tremor in his voice, coupled with his apparent youth, suggested this was his first mission, and his slight breathlessness told her he had been running hard to get here. However green he might be, he appeared to have a good head on his shoulders, which she respected. Something about his glasses seemed vaguely familiar to her, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She had no time to dwell on it, however. The moment the thought crossed her mind, razor-sharp shards of water shot out from the mist as the visions returned. She slowly let out the breath she had been holding, forcing her mind and body to relax as she readied her scythe. Just before the shards reached her, she whispered two words:

"Senpuu Rinzan" //Ability activation

Translation

Whirlwind Ring Slash

She planted her foot and spun in place, her blade and hair creating parallel rings of silver and blue. The scythe carved through the aquatic daggers streaking toward her, dissipating the ones that would have hit her or Aramis into a fine mist, while the rest flew past harmlessly. She spared him a quick backward glance and a slight nod of respect before charging forward, following Androph into the mist.

---

Mentions: @Ducksworth

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

A pair of azure irises scanned the room, carefully, calculated, cold. They settled on the mage in the center of the room, the eyelids surrounding them narrowing. A quick glance around the room gave her what she needed to know: the liquid was strengthening him while hindering them. Still, she strode forward. After only a few steps, however, she stopped short as the mist coalesced in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock as the world seemed to melt away around her.

...A bad feeling, dismissed as paranoia...

...a wordless shout from her throat, unheard by any...

...a man's head, removed from his shoulders, rolling to a stop before staring accusatorily at her...

...anguished screams of pain, mixed with pleas for help, answered too late...

...a glint of steel, then darkness, followed by the sickening sound of blade piercing flesh...

...her silhouette, wreathed in crimson...

...and...

Her legs buckled, forcing her to a knee, a single tear rolling down her cheek. The knuckles of her right hand turned white as her grip tightened on the haft of her weapon. She looked at the mage through blurry eyes, struggling to focus on him. Through gritted teeth, her voice came, slow, deliberate, and quiet, half to the mage, half to herself:

“Kanishimi wa...sudeni...watashi o...ubaenakatta.

Translation

“Sorrow already failed to claim me.”

Her left hand darted out to the tip of her blade and drew the edge across her palm. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as a white-hot line of pain reverberated through her body. Her eyes focused immediately as the sensation brought her back to the present, but the only tears she shed were the crimson ones staining the water around her feet.

She quickly tore off a thin strip of fabric at the hem of her shirt and wrapped it around her injured hand, tying it off with her teeth. The cut smarted, but it wasn’t especially deep, and after flexing it a few times, she determined it would not affect her fighting. After a deep breath, she rose to her feet, scythe in hand, as she turned her head to check on her allies.

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

This isn't even my normal hair color, she mused wryly. A faint memory flashed in her mind of the last time someone had complimented her hair, causing the smallest of smiles to turn the corner of her mouth. As soon as it bloomed, it stopped just before it reached her eyes. A soft sadness thrummed behind the brilliant sapphires for a moment, and with a blink of her eyes, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

She glanced at each of the party members as they were introduced, gracing each with a slight, respectful bow. Her demeanor remained polite as she acknowledged each, her gaze lingering a bit on the man with the rifle. However, she quickly turned her attention to the masks as Evie did.

Her eyes focused on the stairs as Evie tentatively approached the masks, apprehension suffusing her muscles. She cast a sidelong look at Locke as his helmet snapped shut, increasingly curious about the technology behind it. Her right hand slid to the haft of her scythe with practiced ease. The weapon loosened from its hook with the slightest shkk sound, its weight settling comfortably into her hand. She held the blade low, tracing a sharp semicircle behind her legs as she assumed a low stance, relaxed, but ready to strike at a moment’s notice. She leaned forward ever so slightly, her focus entirely on the extended fingers meeting the mask before her.

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Kuso. She clicked her tongue as she cursed silently to herself. Had she noticed the canine, she would've been a lot more careful. She eyed the girl with the dog as she spoke, particularly on the bat in her hands, but her attention was quickly directed to the man pointing a rifle at her. So that was a gun I heard.

She bit the inside of her cheek, not entirely pleased with how her day was starting out. Then again, I did head toward the sound of gunfire. While she did appreciate the fact that they hadn't attacked her right away, they appeared to mean business.

After a second or two, she sighed and resecured the scythe on her back. She stepped out from behind the pillar with her hands raised and took a few steps forward into the light, stopping a short distance from them. She started to move her hands to sign, but stopped suddenly, her eyes widening as she remembered something the ojii-san had said. Her lips quavered for a moment before parting.

"...Ah..." A single sound came out, faint and slightly raspy. She flinched in surprise, startled by the unfamiliar vibrations in her throat, though she seemed more excited than scared. She cleared her throat a few times before trying again.

"Not...pick-ing...a fight." Her words came slowly, as if she knew how to say them, but wasn't used to it. She pointed at the man with the rifle. "Heard...gun-shots. Not sure...where...I am...so I fol-lowed...them here." She places a hand to her chest. "My name is...Aoi Yumi. Haji-memash-te, she said with a slight bow.

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Blue eyes opened before quickly closing again. Eyelids blinked several times as the sapphires behind them slowly adjusted to the sunlight filtering through the canopy of leaves above. She turned her head to glance around the clearing, overgrown with vegetation as it was. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her brow, trying to make sense of her situation. According to that ojii-san, I died. But now I'm here. The question is, she thought to herself before opening her eyes and sitting up, where is here?

She sighed and rose to her feet. Sitting there wasn't going to give her any answers. She quickly took stock of her equipment. The sleeveless shirt, pants, leather bracelets, and boots she found herself in were quite different from her previous attire, but they were comfortable enough and didn't hinder her movement, so she couldn't complain. Various pouches lined her belt, filled with rations and some odds and ends, and a waterskin hung off her hip. She silently thanked the ojii-san for his foresight. Lastly, she unhooked the weapon hanging across her back and held it in front of her. A simple wooden staff, about 6 ft in length, sat across her hands, with a simple black leather grip wound around most of its length. At one end, a small metal blade, slightly hooked toward the tip, extended straight out. At the other end, a much larger blade, nearly the length of the handle itself, jutted out sideways from the wood, curved and sharp as an eagle's talon. She took a stance and swung it around a few times before nodding, satisfied with the weight distribution and the feel of the grip. She returned the scythe to its resting place on her back before walking off into the trees.

She walked through the jungle, her waist-length blue hair swaying gracefully as she searched for any sign of civilization. After some time, the sound of gunfire reached her ears. Odd. She drew her scythe and headed in the direction they originated from, more cautiously this time. After a few minutes, some decaying ruins came into view. They were covered in every type of vine imaginable, but it appeared to be a bathhouse of some sort. She placed a hand on the stone, marveling at the feeling of the warm stone against her skin. Well, one thing's for sure: this definitely is not VR, she mused as she traced her hand along the rough surface of the stone, admiring the amount of detail. She skirted around the outer edge of the ruins looking for an entrance. As she turned around the corner of the building to the front, several voices floated on a breeze to her ears. She quickly hid behind a pillar, her azure eyes carefully peering out as she assessed the speakers.

Character Art