Zelosse

monsters and men

I am in awe. In AWE, my dude. You're so close to beating your old record 8 posts. Just a little more! Don't make a fourth account.

monsters and men

How

My Hero Academia: Chaos Age | Open

Location: Quirk Demonstration site --> Campus Dormitory

No impact at all.. Daizos self worth plummeted another few inches at the realization that barely anybody had even reacted to his quirk. That said, he had been face down in the pavement when it activated and hadn't bothered to actually see if anyone had responded to it.
Nobody stepped on him though so that was as clear a sign as any he could hope for. If they could resist his awful quirk then all the better.

Not bothering to lift himself from the ground, his limbs felt like they weighed several tons, Daizo just laid where he was and listened to the announcements without enthusiasm or interest. Trapped in his own quirks incredible negativity he just wanted to fade away to nothingness, to find true oblivion and be free of the guilt bombarding his psyche.

Finally dragging himself up, the tour starting, Daizo held stubbs in both hands close to his chest and shuffled along with the group through the area before retiring to his dorm room with whatever haste he could, talking to nobody as the quiet march ended in a brightly lit room.
There on the floor was everything his mother had sent.
Having taken precious little, his parents had been quick to send off something extra besides clothes. Blackout curtains!

Daizo put stunns down on the right side desk and got to work. Standing on the chair, he plucked the lightbulb from the ceiling and promptly tossed it out the window, then set to work screwing in a hook on either side of the window before laying the thick curtain across the entire length to turn the entire room into a pitch black abyss. Not a shred of light got through the heavy black sheets, in time there would be another such curtain walling off his side of the room for now but until then it would have to be open space.
Sliding open the curtain just long enough to plug in the lamp he had brought, one for his desk and another stronger one for his roommate, the curtain was pulled back and the lamps turned on.

Not particularly powerful, they illuminated the desks with a sombre stream of concentrated light but left the rest of the room in near pitch black, throwing shadows high into the ceiling that had seemes to vanish.
It was just like home!

Putting stubbs, his beautiful and only friend, behind the thick curtains and im the sunlight, Daizo proceeded to kick off his shoes below the bed and lay facedown in the pillow surrounded by comforting nothingness.

Re: Zero: The High Council

Mirt and Anyon

Location: Trade district

The pair had been waiting patiently for the fox to return from whatever their business was when soldiers had begun their march, shouts had follpwed after for evacuation as a full scale attack was said to be occurring and the pair had been ushered away. Both had cast long glances of concern behind them as they were instructed to the Nobles district for safety, a clear indication at the severity of the attack occuring.
Their progress was slow, Mirts honor demanding he help wherever possible as the two made the trek at a brisk jog only stopping whenever someone with a weapon took their chance to strike at the elderly man and his caretaker (he assumed). A trail of broken bones behind them, civilians trailing close, they had rejoined the main body of the city at the gates leading into the district and were led to lady verttis compound for their own safety.

Never one to be led by the nose, Mirt had kept quiet and used the confusion of the mansion to slip away from prying eyes. Whoever owned this place would know what was going on and the two of them weren't going to be any help without knowing what needed helping.
Ascending the servants stairways out of sight, the two were well on their way to answers. Hopefully..

---

(Coming soon: Belrigger and his soldiers)

My Hero Academia: Chaos Age | Open

No I'M their huckleberry

My Hero Academia: Chaos Age | Open

Location: Quirk Demonstration site | Mentions: Everyone within 5 feet

Standing amidst the crowd of other students, smiling but with anxiety threatening to pop his heart in his chest, Daizo was trying to calm his frayed nerves by singing a song in his head and watch the demonstrations. The plan was not a huge success as his foot began to tap with increasing speed to match his mounting anxiety, knowing he would have to go up there and stand around like a clown while the other kids saw the absolute nothingness he brought to the table here. Lots of them had interesting powers, quirks as they were called, but his lacked any kind of flare or interesting traits.

Think. Think think think! How do you demonstrate something that doesn't exist physically? Think! STUBBS, HELP ME!

Glancing down at the Cactus he had lovingly been referring to as 'Stubbs' for many years, no answer came to mind. No solution to the predicament he was in. No excuse so he could run away. There was only the here and now.. A shove from behind, what felt like one but could have been nothing, broke his concentration. The arena was clear and it was his turn! (Or so he thought)

Just say something! ANYTHING! The little voice in his mind was screaming now.

It came not with a whisper, but a shout. "A FOOL THINKS HIMSELF A WISE MAN, TO THIS THE WISE MAN KNOWS BEYOND DOUBT THEY ARE A FOOL!" At the top of his lungs, stuck in a crowd of other students, Daizos disastrous quoting of a poetic verse he had taken from his leather bound book had triggered his Quirk 'Oblivion' on every student and maybe a few of the teachers.
His own anxiety faded to nothingness against the wave of sheer buzzkill his quirk had emitted. Self doubt, shame, apathy, your mind rebelled against your own good nature and forced you to down the dark spiral of depression in an unrelenting wave of invisible force. Holding Stubbs to his chest, Daizo desperately wanted to sink into the ground and fade away into the nothingness holding his soul. Unlike others that had protection from their Quirk, like the fire quirk people, there was no saving himself from the darkness.
"Chujiro Daizo.. quirk.. depression.." Was all he managed to mumble as reality simply became too heavy. Slumping to his knees and laying face down on the pavement, Stubbs laying nearby, Daizo waited for death to take him. It seemed only fitting..

Re: Zero: The High Council

The ring of steel and the shriek of grinding metal was deafening as both combatants fought in earnest for a decisive victory, initially. Ashton stayed low and kept his feet and hands in constant motion as he swung with precision and determination against the larger but less nimble foe with Belrigger keeping pace yet only managing to stay on the defensive. Stuck in a single position, the older fighter was twisting and turning on his heel as the golden sword weaved to pick off the probing slashes but failed to deflect all of them, forcing him to rely on his dense body to mitigate the damage.

Lesser fighters would have been overwhelmed by the pace they fought at yet still they kept on with the dance in a dizzying display of swordsmanship that left the personal guard and even his own champions, masters all three in the art of combat, in a stunned silence.

Ashton's whole mind and body were in a state of absolute focus, a warriors trance that left no room for idle thoughts. There was only the now, the rush of adrenaline, the sound of his heart thrumming in his ears, and the numbing tingle as his blades met with the enemy.

Launching out a wild kick, Belrigger scored a clean strike to Ashtons head that put them in a controlled toll back to absorb the force as much as possible and came up in a crouch as Belrigger brought the golden sword down in a heavy vertical slash, Ashton narrowly dodging the blow by a hairs length and stabbing out with his left blade to score a blow on Belriggers quickly shredding shirt to connect with their stomach, to little effect beyond a wince as the Arena Masters divine blessing continued to repel the attacks.

Swinging the golden sword, tip leaping from the floor up to the ceiling, Ashton threw himself back to again narrowly avoid certain death as the razors edge glided across his face, leaving only a superficial nick on his forehead, and retaliating again with a stab to Belriggers chest and stomach before retreating from the inevitable retaliation.

On it went, Belriggers superior defensive capabilities keeping him in the fight relatively unscathed while only managing to land a dozen shallow cuts and an equal number of bruises as the two circled, trading blows across glittering steel swords.

Up went the golden sword, catching Asthons shortsword in its crossguard to be ripped from their hands, clattering behind the bigger foe as they seized the advantage. Both hands on the sword, a whirlwind of stabs and slashes cut through the air with a tight fisted fury that forced his opponent back. With a single blade it was all Asthon could do to avoid the blade or turn it aside just enough for it to slide harmlessly by.

With a heavy overhand chop that was destined the miss, Belrigger shoulder rushed unexpectedly as the blade passed harmlessly next to the target, his sheer bulk enough to overwhelm the smaller fighter - A fighter that had disappeared!

Belrigger cursed under his breath as the edge of the shortsword clipped his thigh as they slipped by in a desperate display of agility, kicking the back of the big mans thigh as they turned to stand, breaking his stance and dropping Bel to his knee. Planting a foot on their back and launching themselves away with the same motion as, enraged, the Arena Master twisted on the ground with a wild backhand slash that passed harmlessly under Ashton as they sailed over the blade in a controlled backwards somersault to land next to their fallen blade, scooping it up and returning with another flashstep.

Belrigger was forced to blindly guess where his opponent would strike next, and the result was that Ashtons twin blades bit through the defensive prowess of his master as he all but planted himself in their path.

For the last half hour, Ashton Andrews had worked his blades at the hardened stomach and chest region of his opponent like a miner at the stones, chipping away at the impossibly tough flesh until finally they found purchase.

All around the room, guards shouted in surprise at the sudden turn of events as blood slid down the length of the twin blades' edges, dripping on the floor, both combatants locked in a stare of wills. All Asthon would need to do is slide the blades.. ever.. so.. slightly..

Grunting reflexively, the clatter of steel striking the floor echoed across the hushed room as Belrigger dropped the golden sword in defeat, sinking to his knees as he stared in disbelief at his undeniable loss.

Ashtons moment of triumph came like cold wind, "I hope you don't die on me, Master - Not just because I care for you somewhat, but because I still need you." The words were glacial, more than even he had expected. Belrigger on the other hans had fire in his eyes even if his body didn't.

Taking the swords impaling his stomach, no more thanca few inches, he pulled them out in utter silence as his champions stared in disbelief. All 3, house guards included, long since thought the mighty Belrigger to be invincible and had been cruelly reminded of his and their own seeming mortality.

Clap.. clap.. clap

Getting to his full height as he clapped, the Arena Master was smiling against his injury. "Well fought, Ashton Andrews. Well fought!" Their master clapping, a roaring cheer went up through every corner of the massive room, men whistled, others clapped, some simply struck the floor with their tower shields, all of it creatinf a cacophony of noise. Belrigger waved them to stop, bringing quiet back.

"I will honor.. our agreement. But.. you others!" Sweeping his gaze across the room, eyeing each and every one of his guards in turn. "You are free men. I will not force you to fight and die like cattle. Who among you will march with me willingly?!"

Tense moments of silence dragged on for what felt like eternity before Mithril, first of the champions, raised his longsword. Beside him the other champions mirrored his willingness and raised their own weapons.
One by one the soldiers of the forgotten Arena raised their weapons in salute and readiness to fight for their Masters.

"Ready yourselves! We do not know when the enemy will strike but we must be vigilant. Form up with your squads, arm yourselves fully. Mithril will lead the scouts and become our first reponse. The rest of you will make ready for heavy fighting should it be found in the city proper." Addressing his last two champions, he continued. "Both of you will lead from from front with me. Full armor. Go!"

Everyone scrambled to comply, rushing to the caches through the mansion for their ceremonial armor and weapons. Belrigger turned to approach Ashton and held out his hand. "We cannot march without a clear enemy. I will accompany you through the city to meet with whoever you desire, Mithril will signal my company to march when we must fight. Lead on!"

The Occult Investigations Agency

Interactions: @DocRock@ImAMushie@datadogie@Rekaigan

Wendigo bristled at the smell assaulting its senses. The sheer concentration of old blood pooling in the center of this room brought out a feral hunger and fear to the beastly soul as it eyed the floating corpse, its body hunching into the ready position for a pounce that would put it right in the middle of the soup. Every moment of exposure to this dark place was aggravating its already agitated spirit. Sir Fluffles did as they were told but, while it blocked the other agents from entering, it kept a firm watch on the body.

"This... place..." Wendy breathed, every word came out slow and was punctuated by the sound of creaking bones and bending wood. "Offends me... The body..." Wendy lifted one massive arm to point a bony claw at the blood fountain, specifically at the one floating in it. "They are.. vile.." Its voice came heavier as it heaved great 'breaths' and each exhale brought up a purple miasma of decay with it. "You must.. DESTROY it!" If Devora did not act, Wendigo would. They both knew it would disobey orders if it meant protecting the 'pack'.

Re: Zero: The High Council

Belrigger assumed the course of events would revolve around speed. That had been Ashtons greatest advantage and perhaps his most damaging weakness against an opponent with more experience, something you simply could not teach no matter how good a student. The tactics weren't entirely obvious but the Master was a veteran of thousands of battles, wielded a hundred kinds of weapons, and bested nearly every enemy he had ever encountered.
When Ashton stepped forward, the game was on in earnest.

Lunging to his left as Ashton twitched, the very moment before he flash stepped, Belrigger stretched his arm out wide to the left and felt the satisfying thud of the prodigal child slamming himself into the appendage. Flash step was useful to get a surprise but while stepping you were vulnerable, your body could never react to the sheer force of movement and that meant few opponents could strike effectively against it.
You had to know where they would be, if you hoped to avoid or counter the lightning quick move.

The blow was weak, more Asthons momentum dealing damage than Belriggers arm, but it had cancelled any followup they had as Belrigger brought the golden sword down in a whistling arc that would cut the lad clean in half. They could dodge it, back away, and try again, but it would be a gamble for both of them.
Bel had been lucky the boy went left. Had he gone right, they would have had a clean hit on his unprotected flank.

Re: Zero: The High Council

Belrigger struggled to keep up with Asthons overwhelming speed advantage and shifted focus from assault to clear defense in short order, anticipating the boys assault from behind rather than a frontal one, and met the blades woth his forearms crossed over his chest. The kick was not so much avoided as it had fallen short by a hairs length to harmlessly ruffle his silk shirt.
Belriggers lips turned to a Mirthless smile. Bare handed against Asthon was a futile fight, eventually it would be Bels loss. A single glance at the shallow cut on his forearm was a clear indication of it.

Rising to his full height, he raised his hand in Mithrils direction and motioned with his fingers. "Bring it to me."

The fight was temporarily delayed as Mithril approached the Master while carrying a heavy and polished wooden case, long and smooth with gold filagree worked into the surface. Hesitantly, he opened the case and Belrigger took up the last of his prizes. The sword gave off a frightening chill as it left the protective case, Belriggers smile widened as he listened to horrible new thoughts invading his mind, thoughts he had been ignoring for many years. All brought to life as he held a weapon for the first time in what felt like centuries.

Ignoring the etiquette of a proper duel, Belrigger came on strong with a heavy downward swing but arrested the momentum as it reached chest level, suddenly seinging to the right and back, preparing a thrust.