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kaisou2024-05-03 03:05 pm
May Event Log
May Event Log
Dominant Element: Shadow
Waning Element: Light
Full Moon: May 22nd - May 24th
※
As Kaisou steps into the final month of spring, they'll be treated with a month full of pleasant weather. Flowers are blooming everywhere and the trees are covered fully in leaves. During the day, the weather is mild and pleasant. But with the Spirit Vein shifting into the shadow element, the nights will seem much darker than normal. In the sky, the Spirit vein will be glowing dimly with hues of black and purple. Those without night vision will need to remember to bring some type of light source should they go out at night. However, it might also be an excellent month to go star gazing, as the dimness of the spirit vein allows you to see things you normally wouldn't.
Town EventThe city is a hive of activity as the warmer weather finally brings people out to enjoy what's on offer. Blue Fish Park has an outdoor movie event on the weekends- bring a deckchair or a picnic blanket and snuggle under the stars to watch some on the screen. Vendors can be found selling snacks and glow sticks for the occasion. Undertown is far less flashy, but it does have some fortune-telling booths dotted around- palm reading, tarot, runes- whatever floats your boat, there is someone promising that they can read your fortune. Some might even be accurate!!
Big Bang Burger has a much-advertised burger-eating contest. The whole restaurant is festooned with banners and excited onlookers. Those who want to take part need to eat as many burgers as they can in the space of half an hour- you will be sat at a table and brought burger after burger until you win or can't eat any more. Competition is stiff and there are some city residents who have clearly been prepping for this for a long time and are taking this far too seriously. The winner gets a year's supply of burgers which... honestly is probably the last thing you want after eating almost your body weight in the things.
For those in high school, prom is a big event, as is college graduation. It's time for those youngsters to celebrate these huge life milestones! Adults can (and probably should) be roped in for chaperoning to prevent any underage shenanigans. Or you can just stand in a corner, upset about your misspent youth. Whichever floats your boat. An art fair can be found in Brick Alley - there are stands of all sorts of art and craft skills- with local creators selling their wares. A few even have the opportunity to try the skill out for yourself- be that painting a still life, trying your hand at a pottery wheel or spending some time in a knitting circle. Maybe you'll get a perfect, unique gift for someone or maybe you'll pick up anew skill- the sky's the limit!
Light in the Darkness♪- When the Moon is Reaching Out Stars
A few days after the Dark Hour begins, you will come across adverts from the local scam artist Kitsune in Blue Fish Park. Somehow, they've heard rumors of shadow beings that attack during the night. They promise a means to protect yourself against the current threat and for the low, low price of your most traumatic childhood memory. If you still haven't learned your lesson, you can go and check this out. Should you be willing to share some trauma with them, the Kitsune will happily present you with a floating, glowing orb which follows you wherever you walk.
While these lights do help with the darker nights thanks to the Spirit Vein, they do absolutely nothing against the shadow monsters around town. Worse still, they emit an obnoxious florescent light hum the WHOLE time which only attracts more of the monsters. You will find these orbs abandoned all around the city- either abandoned by disgruntled customers or left behind by someone who fell foul to the monsters. Either way, wherever they are left does create something of a hotbed for the monsters - best to try and clear them out from more populated areas before you end up with certain areas overrun.
The Dark HourAt the start of the month, everything feels completely normal. In fact those who sleep through the entire night will swear that they feel more rested than usual- like they got more sleep than they were expecting. Or maybe you find yourself waking up an hour before your alarm, finding yourself fully rested. Maybe it's a little strange, but hardly something you could see as a bad thing.
But for those who tend to stay up late? Well, it's a completely different story. Every night in May, as the clock strikes midnight - the entire world changes. The sky starts to glow an unsettling green color, and random pools of blood are spattered across the streets. And in every spot you know a non-app user was just moments before silently stands a coffin. The coffins can't be open, but those with presence sensing abilities will detect that there's someone alive in the coffin, sleeping away. It is possible to wake them from their slumber, if you really want... but considering what else is going on, it might be safer to let them rest.
If you're outside the safety of your home? You might come across shadow monsters that roam the streets and will attack any human not in a coffin on sight. These shadows can come in all shapes and sizes, and can be rather dangerous if they catch you unaware. While the Shadows seem to ignore all the coffins - if you manage to wake anyone in the coffins? They will become immediate targets for the shadows to prey on.
This hellish version of Kaisou will last one hour every night. As soon as the hour is over, everything will return to normal like it never happened. Even your clocks will read as 12:01am, as if no time has passed. And sure enough, anyone who isn't on the app? Will have no idea it occurred. There's no message from Zodiac is sent out addressing the matter, and asking them directly will get nothing but confusion on their end since none of their sensors have noticed anything. Even the Professor (fuzzy) doesn't seem to be around anywhere, with the Zodiac staff saying he went on sabbatical with an unclear return date.
But if you work or attend Cygnus, don't worry! He's left a trusty replacement behind that'll attend all the meetings and classes the Professor was covering. He even seems aware of the Dark Hour and will sit with people through it. Though you'll quickly discover that while Professor Koromaru is indeed, a very good boy, he is very much just a dog.
Seems whatever is going on this month, you'll have to fix it without Zodiac's help.
TartarusHowever, it looks like you won't be entirely on your own this time. After a few days of experiencing this mysterious hour of time, there will be a message sent out to Libra App users... from the Black Order.
ALERT: SPIRIT REALM ANOMALY DETECTED. A dangerous place, birthed from a hidden extra hour--There's naught but danger here, so do not come without proper firepower!
A serious mission has arrived--one we cannot leave to the wayside.
To rid us all of the -- Enough of the poetry, clown! This is serious. Listen up, you lot. The Dark Hour’s hit Kaisou. Any of you that don’t know what that is, it’s another hour of night that hits when the clock strikes midnight. It’s an anomaly that ain’t supposed to happen and if we let it linger we’re all right fucked. Lucky for us, there might be a way to get rid of it. ‘Place called Tartarus appears with the Dark Hour, and you crazy bastards might just be able to do something about it if you band together.
This ain’t your normal kinda Gate, though. You’d best come in with a plan if you don’t wanna get your arses handed to you. Let’s get together and finish this once and for all. It's certainly an unusual message from the two newest Black Order team members. How much you trust it is up to you. However, next time the "Dark Hour" comes, you do notice that the crystal tower has changed shape to something much more omnious. If you want to get rid of this extra hour, your best hope is to head to that tower. You better go prepared, however, for it's going to be a long road ahead. Once you manage to reach the tower, now called the Tartarus, you'll find the entrance to be a large lobby with a massive staircase leading to a giant clock. There aren't any shadows in the entry area, so it might be a good spot to collect yourselves and prepare for the long climb ahead.
Element Classification: Shadow
Danger Level: High
Designation: Dark Hour
First Block: ThebelIt's time to begin your journey. As you ascend the grand staircase in the lobby, you'll come across several floors that look similar to one another. They have black-and-white checkered floors and an all-around classical design. They'd look rather nice... were it not for the random pools of blood and ominous lightning. Strangely, these floors layout aren't laid out in any sensible manner. In fact, the entire layout of the floors seem to change every single night, almost at random - making the place difficult to map out.
Throughout the halls are the same weaker Shadow monsters that you found roaming around the city. Skilled and powered combatants shouldn't have any trouble with them, but don't let yourself get caught unaware. Your goal is to try to find the stairs to the next floor as soon as you can. Should you linger too long in on particular floor... you'll start to hear the rattling of chains before an extremely powerful Shadow with two guns begins to roam the halls, searching for people to attack. For most people against the Reaper, running to the next floor is your only chance of survival. Even the strongest app users will have a tough time taking this down on their own. Either work as a team, or get the hell out of there should the Reaper come calling.
The tower will continue like this for about fifteen floors. Luckily, there is a teleportation machine on every fifth floor that once it gets turned on, it can take people take you to the teleportation machine at the entrance. It'll be a good way to save time with your tower explorations, as you only get an hour each night to explore before the Dark Hour ends.
Finally at the fifteenth floor? You'll be faced with a moderately powered shadow. Get past that, and you'll reach a dead end. You know you're nowhere near the top of the tower, but the staircase is blocked. Looks like you'll have to figure out a way to unblock the staircase before you move on.
As you head to the tower, some people will notice a particular person hasn't been seen or heard from in awhile. Fugo can't be found in his home or his usual locations, nor will he answer any attempts to contact him. It's just like he's vanished into thin air.
Just as his friends and family start to get really worried, a worrying message will be broadcasted on the Libra App from Fugo. Those who remember the Metaverse incident last year might recall the similar messages, and realize what's going on. Fugo has been whisked away into a special Spirit Realm, and needs to be saved.
Using the navigation app that POKEGO designed, they'll be able to track Fugo's gate down by the Eaglewing library. During the Dark Hour, the gate will open up. It has the appearance of a gate welcoming you to town, but almost like a set piece it's made out of cardboard. But there's no telling what will happen once you go past this cardboard gate, so you best be prepared.
Once Fugo has been rescued from his dungeon, the stairway on the 15th floor will unblock itself and allow passage onto the higher floors.
Second Block: LunaStarting on the 16th floor, the appearance of the tower's interior will change dramatically. While it's still an labyrinth that changes every night, it now has the appearance of a dilapidated theater. Worn out red curtains line the walls, and the place is dimly lit by old stage lights and the occasional large window that lets the green moonlight glow through. Long abandoned theater props are scattered across the floor, along with the occasional collection of old moth-eaten theater costumes.
There's plenty of dangers to be found amongst these floors. Should you be unlucky, you'll come across clouds of hazy purple gas that hangs around the hallways. Breathing in the purple gas can cause any number of status effects. Which one you'll get affected by seems to be random, but at least most of them are temporary in their duration.
The haze isn't the only thing to worry about. Shadow monsters affiliated with the Moon Arcana roam the floors, attacking anyone they spot. The best way to fend off these fiends is by hitting them with their elemental weaknesses to stun them, before going in for an all-out attack. It's not always clear which element will do the trick, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring along someone who can sense such things to navigate.
When you reach the 30th floor, you'll come across a large open area. But before you can get past, the way turns out to be blocked by a massive 8-headed serpent. This one isn't quite as large as the one that tried to take over Kaisou last November, but it'll be a difficult battle all the same. Work together to take out all eight of the heads by any means you can.
Once this variant of Yamata-no-Orochi is defeated, you'll find that the way up to the next floor is blocked like this section was earlier. Seems you got no choice but to wait until something changes.
Perhaps it's easy to overlook due to all the chaos with the Dark Hour. However, in the days leading up to May 6th, people who know Rose may notice that she's nowhere to be found. She won't be found in any of her usual places nor will she respond to any attempts to contact her. Considering the last time she went missing she became a victim of Krusnik, no one would be blamed for having a sense of dread.
Then on May 5th during the day, a message from Rose appears on the network. Just like the message from Fugo, there's something incredibly off about it. Most likely it's her Shadow talking rather than Rose herself.
You'll have a couple to prepare, and then once the Dark Hour on the 6th hits, it'll be time to save Rose. This time, the gate will be located in the Vogue, in the back area behind a rack of clothes. The gate has the look of an entrance of a garden, but you should know by now that this will be no pleasant trip.
Once Rose has been rescued, the staircase on the 30th floor will open up, letting you move forward.
Third Block: OnnakyoukouAs you step onto the 31st floor, the interior of the Tartarus will shift once again. This time the halls are lined with plants like a wild overgrown garden. But while Rose's garden was lush and beautiful, most of these plants are dead or dying. All of this is made even more eerie by the fact the only light continues to be the green light from the Dark Hour's sky. It'll continue on like this for the next several floors, try not to get too unnerved.
This block seems to be rather light on the Shadow monsters, with only a few from weaker or medium-strength Priestess Arcana monsters roaming the halls. Most of them will be defeated with ease by anyone with combat ability.
However, this area isn't without it's challenges. Every couple floors, the doorway to the next floor is blocked by a gate. These gates have an old fashion waterwheel attached to them. It seems you'll need to make the waterwheel move in order to get the gate pulled open. Should you look at the floor, you'll realize that the hallway floors are made to be water channels - you just need to find a water source.
So, it's time to explore the floor. Each of these floors will have a water source hidden somewhere, such as a large reservoir of water, or a waterfall that's falling from who knows where. But these water sources seemed to have been blocked by various obstructions. On some floors you'll need to move some heavy debris out of the way, on other floors there will be a shadow that's blocking it, and meanwhile on other floors it'll be an intricate set of levers that you need to open in the correct order to get the water flowing towards the waterwheel.
Should you manage to get the water flowing to the waterwheel, the plants in the room will start to revive themselves as they are watered. While it is a more beautiful sight, many of these plants will turn out to be the carnivorous type and try to attack you. And of course if you take too long on any of this, you always risk an encounter with the Reaper. But fortunately with the waterwheel moving, the gate will be lifted and you can run to the next floor.
Finally when you reach the 45th floor, there will be another open area that is lined with roses. There, the demon Scathach will be waiting for you. Fight her with all your might to best her. Once you're past her, you'll find that the stairway is blocked once more. At this point, you probably have a good idea of what's going to happen next.
On the days leading up to May 9th, people who know Caleb won't find him anywhere. Just like Fugo and Rose before him, any attempts to contact him will go nowhere. Considering this is the third time it's happened, everyone will probably immediately guess what's going to happen next.
Sure enough on May 9th during the day, there's a worrying message from what could only be Caleb's shadow. By now, most of the app users will be aware of what's going on and the next step. Not only that, but anyone who had previous run-ins with Douman and Dickson will find themselves able to remember them clearly and for the heinous people they are. However, there isn't much success in tracking them down for now...
When the Dark Hour arrives once more, they'll find that there's a new gate at Caleb's house. It sits in his yard, looking like a crack in the world, glowing hues of blue, black, and gold. Just like the other dungeon, you best make sure you're prepared before you head in.
Once Caleb has been saved, the blocked staircase on the 45th floor of the Tartarus will repair itself, allowing everyone to proceed further.
Fourth Block: YunshiStarting on the 46th floor, the Tartarus changes once more. This time, the area looks like a futuristic train station that one might see in a science fiction movie. Though, it's far from the cleanest train station around. Throughout the halls, there will be piles of trash and opened dumpsters lying around. If you're lucky, you might find something valuable in these dungeons- but it's not recommended you take too long searching for stuff, with the Reaper still an ever present risk.
Through these halls, Shadow monsters from the Fortune Arcana will roam. There aren't too many of them, but they can be pretty difficult if caught unaware.
As you roam these floors, you'll realize that it's even more difficult to navigate. Large train stations are famous for being confusing, and this place is certainly no exception to the rule. Signs don't lead where they say they will lead, and there's no clear indication where the stair case will be. However, if you hold still for a moment, you'll notice one of the trash cans stand up on legs and start to run down the hallway. Follow these trashcans, and they will lead you to the staircase of the next floor. Don't let them know you're following them though, as they may turn around and attack you.
When you reach the 60th floor, you'll encounter another large space. In the center of the space, stands the shadow Norn. Defeat the keeper of fate, and you'll finally complete this section of Tartarus. However yet again, the stairway will be blocked at this point. All you can do now is wait.
Perhaps you tried to circle the wagons, and try to keep everyone safe. There's been enough chatter by now suggesting that people aren't just being whisked away by the Spirit Realm, but rather someone is putting them in. And eyewitness accounts keep pointing towards the newest Black Order members, Douman and Dickson.
Unfortunately, the intel came a little too late. Douman and Dickson are nowhere to be found in the city, and as his friends and family will quickly realize... neither is Wolfwood. Just like Fugo, Rose, and Caleb before him- he's nowhere to be found in the city and he won't respond to any attempts to contact him. The only clue left behind is evidence of a fight that took place in Vergil's antique shop.
Like clockwork, on May 12th during the day, another message will appear on the network from Wolfwood's shadow. And in the following Dark Hour, the gate will be found this time on Cathedral Hill, at the entrance of the cemetery. Prepare yourself for a rough ride ahead.
When Wolfwood is saved, the blocked stairway of the 45th floor will open up. From what you can tell, it shouldn't be much longer until you reach the top of the tower.
Fifth Block: CarnifexAs you cross into the 46th floor, the interior will change. Now it has the appearance of an abandoned church, but with dunes of sand lying all over the ground. Trees and plants are found amongst all the sand, but all of them look like they're either dormant or dead. The sandy terrain will be a bit of a pain to walk through, and you'll have to worry about getting sand in your shoes, but at least nothing about the terrain itself appears to be too dangerous.
There are Shadow monsters from the Hanged Man arcana that wander the sandy dunes. Thankfully they are rather low and number and not too difficult to fight. Even more lucky, the entire area seems rather straight forward with no hidden puzzle mechanics. It should make for an easy trip up, and a bit of a reprieve from every other challenge you've had to take on this month.
When you finally reach the 60th floor, there will be an open area that's surrounded by sand dunes. At the center, is a Hell Biker, who'll drive around the dunes on his motorcycle as he attacks you. You can either try to defeat him on foot, or grab one an abandoned motorcycle lying in the sand and chase after him.
Once the Hell Biker has been defeated, the stairway to the top of the tower will be clear. It's time to stop the source of all this, for once and for all.
Grand FinaleAs you enter into the top area of the Tartarus, the layout will change one final time. In contrast to the church-appearance of the previous block, this place looks like it came from Hell itself. Fire and scorch earth line the entire place, and the flames will very much burn you if you touch them. The air itself is pungent with the stench of sulfur, that and the sweltering heat making it difficult to breath.
Immediately on the first floor of this section, you'll come across a clearing with a (CW: NSFWish) massive shadow riding a chariot acting as a guard. You'll have to defeat Mara in order to get past him, and he gives quite a fight. When he's defeated, you'll find that the path branches two ways. One staircase has the name "Douman" etched in stone above it, while the other has "Dickson" etched above it. There's no other Shadows around, so you can take the moment to gather yourselves.
Both of them will need to be dealt with, so you'll need to pick which ones to confront. Better make sure that you're ready.
Once the two Black Order Zealots have been defeated, the Dark Hour will cease to be. Their bodies will disappear along with the Dark Hour, so you'll have some time before the rest of the Order comes sniffing. The rest of the city continues to be none the wiser to the hell gauntlet that you just faced. But at least now, you can spend the rest of the month resting. Though some may find it difficult to get any rest, knowing that this is not going to be the last time the Black Order tries something.
The dominant element this month is Shadow! Anyone with an affinity to the earth element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Light will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.
The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. Another Zodiac Post will be going up May 15th to serve as an intro post for new characters and allow characters to react to developments over the network.
no subject
He can feel Veldora straining and struggling against him- given how tightly he's being squeezed right now, it would be hard to miss. He's about to tell Veldora to just put him the fuck down, and deal with what he's going though. But then the giant himbo calls him "Sir Dad" and starts moving to- ]
Hey, fuck, no wait-
[And then he is yote into the air with a panicked, angry hiss. He knows he can regenerate from slamming into the ground but he'd really rather NOT. It still hurts like a bitch. Thankfully it's then that the bounds are broken on him- his wings open on instinct, and with a few strong beats, he's upright in the air and watching Douman change. Husk's eyes glow a little as his voice reverberates, doubled up and full of rage.]
⛥T̷͎̻̱̺̼͌̈́̔i̵̭͍͕͒̔̀m̴̥̥̠̜̯̞̠͇͉͑͌̌̇̈̽̔̈́͜͝e̵͇̦̲͓̬̮͍̙̤̪̼̒̇͘'̸̗̙̟̼̣̭͊͜s̶̨̡͕͉͉͓̥̀͑̈́̋̏̊̽ ̸̖͙͉̼͒͑̏̽͊̂͠ũ̵̦̠̘͝p̶̨̳̯̲͖̉͝ͅ,̴̮̬̦̣̘̱̿̏͒̍̓͌́͑͑͝ ̴̨̮̬̦̝̼̣̟̺̲̐̈́̏̋͝ͅF̷͎͉̳̘̫͎̙̤̗͌͌͑͒̉̑͆̈́̇u̷̼͊̾͊c̶͎̘͚̼̬̽͋̎͆̒́̂͘ͅk̷̢̺͉͇̺̚ͅḩ̷̬͖̪̎͝ę̴̜̻̝͍͚͕̑̌̑͊͝ã̶͓̬͔͇̮͚̜̼d̷̨̛̘̙̬͈̩̖͍͓̥̎́ͅ⛥
[He gestures with a hand and his knife cards start to circle his head- at first glance pretty harmless, but they're sharp enough to slice through metal- and Husk would very much like to slice through as much of Douman as he can. Then with another gesture, he sends them flying at the figure on the ground, trying to avoid the others while they fight. Husk's general bad luck means not every single one will hit (8) but if he can lodge even one of them into that fucker's head, he'll be happy.
There's a temptation to throw his exploding dice at the dickhead too, but he holds those back for now. Lapis is far, far too close and he won't risk her for anything. But he summons three water tentacles from the ground, sharpening the tips with ice to follow through to stab at Douman's form (13). ]
no subject
the shikigami goes still quickly enough as the beast controlling it bellows out his warcry--a quick scan of the creature tells Veldora that it's inert, so he pays it no mind as he goes to make good on his promise to catch Husk, but, ah
Husk does not need catching
it seems that the Lady and Sir Dad have committed to violence of their own, and while Veldora isn't--certain that that's what the nice lady looked like prior to the wellspring of her wrath, far be it from him to question what a woman does in her secondary form. ]
To the change of the tide!
[ it's a novel concept, fighting with people! Lapis and her beast work on conquering the man from below, and so Veldora rises above with Husk. Douman is strong enough that Veldora cannot delete him outright--not as he is now, but he can certainly still do a little damage. he aims his lightning strikes for Husk's knives (9) to try and drive the magic deeper, to make it burn more--and then he swoops in to strike at the crux of Douman's back (8), but the master does not cave as the puppet did.
hmn. maybe if he punches more? he's going to try punching more. ]
1/2
He wishes he weren't in the middle of this damned battlefield, so he could try, one last time, to get Lapis to see reason, but the hulking beast of a man is being assaulted on all fronts.
He would have to cripple everyone first, then. He Supposes. He widens his grin and looks Right At Lapis, however, so it's for sure that she knows what he's thinking. ]
2/2
{ They're like Gnats. }
Time to start swatting them.
Regardless of his own wounds--where there is clear signs that each swipe, punch, and attack on him are leaving their marks; he seems to completely ignore the pain and keep pressing forward. Perhaps he forgot, long ago, what pain felt like--or perhaps he's too enraged to pay it any mind as a giant hand moves back to try to grab (8) Veldora, to throw him off his back as a second hand slashes through the air towards Husk.
A few of those cards are imbedded into his shoulders, one barely touching the crux of his neck as lines of thick, nearly red-black blood drips down his cursed form.
He'll wrestle the fucking bear as the giant bear slams into him--the thing hulking and huge on its own as well--though currently smaller than Douman's demonic tiger-like form, it still forces the Beastlike onmyudo backward, causing the man to have to raise up both hands to try to shove the beast likewise made of tooth and claw off him. ]
Gnats. You're all just buzzing flies. I will kill you all. What a pity.
[ time to try to throw the bear at Husk; and follow it up with a slash of his claws. (14) ]
no subject
Her main concern is making sure he's brought to heel. Seeing Veldora get grabbed and thrown at Husk, along with Tank, is enough to cause the baby cryptid to pause; her own attack faltering for that brief moment. Unfortunately, attempting to use her gravity manipulation to stop Tank from being yote'd at her father doesn't really do anything thanks to her enrage debuff (1). He may just have to deal with getting slobbered on by the grandson for a bit.
If anything, seeing Douman aim for her dad just enrages her all the more; claws of shadow being brought upon him with one hand, while summoning her scythe in the other. Fully intent on bringing that blade down in a slash, aiming for his neck if she can (15); as long as she can make the man bleed. ]
no subject
Wait fuck!
[Husk is not big enough to catch Veldora, but he does summon one of his water tentacles to catch him. It falls apart pretty quickly, so Veldora best be ready for a drop, but it's better than having a whole-ass dragon man slamming into his head (16).
He growls, getting ready for another attack with his cards when Douman sends the FUCKING BEAR at him. Husk sees Lapis try to stop the chaos, but it doesn't work. He beats his wings to try and get out of the way, but fails miserably (-1). Tank slams into him, full force, knocking Husk out of the air like a popped party balloon. He cashes into the ground with a miserable, crunchy THUD- Tank landing on top of him. Douman really didn't need to follow it up with the claw swipe, it's just insult to injury at this point. Husk lies really still for a moment.
He dead?
Judging by the low, miserable groaning coming out from under the bear, he is not dead. He just needs a minute for his body to heal. For the moment, he is out of the fight. This is fine. This is super fine. ]
no subject
he zigs when he should've zagged and it's a just time for all the new, novel feelings as Douman grabs him and pitches him like a himbo shaped football (4) as he hits the tentacle Husk sent up at a decent pitch of speed. he's up, and then he isn't, and he can't quite get his limbs to move as effortlessly as he normally would, hitting the ground with a juddering thump that takes the wind out of him (2).
he's just gonna lay here for a moment while the world stops spinning (5), closing his eyes as he catches his breath. ]
no subject
Douman isn't paying attention to any of that, though--he's too busy being attacked on several fronts and--without an arm, no less, he's starting to become enraged himself.
Sorry Veldora, you're the first victim of said rage; and even after he's lost an arm thanks to Zhongli's own attack, he's still going to meet Lapis head-on. Time for words and convincing her to come back to his side are gone; now he'll only bare his teeth at her and growl with a stiffly inhuman sound as he rears up his only good arm to try to block her scythe.
...Maybe he should have done so by doing that old trick of grabbing it by the handle, though, because as he reaches up to stop the blade itself--he's going to lose three fingers in the process. (6)
With a howl and a scream of pain, he's going to bodily try to tackle Lapis with all the strength he has. (18).]
no subject
Down they all go.
At least Tank is able to shuffle back onto his feet and off of Husk, rearing to charge at Douman once more, though considering his current... state it's uncertain how much that will do (9). But for the moment, Lapis' eyes drift from Douman to taken in the state of Husk and Veldora; concern spiking when she notices the state her father is in, though judging by the... noises he should be okay. Hopefully.
Unfortunately with how distracted she is, there's no chance for her to dodge that tackle and it hits hard, knocking her down (1). Pain radiates through every nerve as she tastes iron on her tongue, hissing out as she hears the distinct sound of something cracking - whatever it is, it hurts and the pain is almost dizzying. Unnoticed by her, the cracks that creep up from the remainder of her legs now crack up further, along her sides.
With her vision flickering and pain radiating through her, she does one last thing. Fuelled by sheer, unearthly fury she grits her fangs once more, eyes narrowing into his; unwilling to back down, not yet.
A voice echoes in Douman's mind, a reverberating and distant echo - but unmistakeably Lapis.
I'll make sure you break.
And with the last of her focus, she commands gravity itself to crush around him, harsh and unrelenting. The focus is on his remaining arm and torso, aiming to debilitate him further - she'll shatter them completely if she can. (21) ]
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Eventually, he pulls himself into a sitting position, looking like he's been hit by a bear. His left wing is still hanging at an odd angle and he's blinking out of synch but he's lived to suffer another day and he's about to make that everyone else's problem. ]
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
[He looks to his side where Veldora is still having a little lie down, reaches over and pokes him with one finger.]
You dead?
[That essential check done, and the bones in his wing finally knitting together enough that it doesn't look like a misshapen mess, he turns his attention to Douman and Lapis. For a second, he's genuinely worried about his daughter- but she gets up and goes on the attack. Unsteadily, he gets to his feet, hissing in pain a little as his still-healing muscles protest at the movement- he knows he's not in a state to fight properly, not in mele combat anyway (4).
So, instead, he summons a jet of water, pressurised and strong, to join with Lapis' power, adding to the crush on Douman's torso (15). ]
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the sounds of battle crushing and crashing around him, chaos and magic and color spinning through his senses, overwhelming and consuming
pain is a bright red color in the back of his eyes
Veldora Tempest, the Storm Dragon, has only ever known himself as an absolute--he is either Destruction or Destroyed, and to hang in the balance like this is agonizing; almost enough to make him want to slip into black, to make it end.
but no.
no.
he made a promise to Rose.
and the jingling of those damnable bells make his eyes snap open as much as Husk's poking does (10). he exhales a coil of smoke, getting to his feet with a slow, languid stretch, feeling the agony as it grinds against his bones. he digs into the pain with a heavy sigh, eyes almost aglow with lightning as he crackles black. ]
No.
But he soon will be. [ it is soft. resolute. none of Veldora's bravado or warmth or brightness has a place in his thorough, single-minded focus on killing this man, here and now, and it's strange for Chaos Incarnate to push against its nature in such a way that it simply. hones in. focuses.
it's probably by design that he doesn't focus, because his wrath is terrible when it has a target.
the ground crackles even more as he digs in, crouching down--and then he's moving like a ripple of black, taking on his draconic form as he goes wide. Husk works on crushing the torso--the fortifying bones of the ribs, the sternum, and since Lapis rains hell from about, Veldora goes for the legs (20).
between one blink and the next he tears through the meat of one of Douman's calves, ripping the flesh and tendon clean from the bone as he slams into the knee of the opposing leg--and then he's shifted form again, flame wreathed around his hands as he concentrates his power into a devastating blow. he can feel the bones of his fingers, his wrist, his arm crack (1), but he can also see as Douman's thigh caves in, bending in a direction that the middle of one's upper leg is not meant to go as the strong bone there breaks sideways. ]
If she is such a goddess, then you should kneel, o Faithful.
[ he lands with a heavy thud, skidding, grasping his arm at the elbow and breathing in heavy, hissing breaths through his teeth--and the rest is up to Lapis and Sir Dad. ]
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He knows there's one choice now: To run. Regroup, and tell the Order of the danger. They need to send more forces--and this time aim to overwhelm the app users as trying to force their hands isn't working.
When Lapis is down and Husk and Veldora are busy, he decides that this is now the best possible time to run--
But that's when Zhongli creates a rough terrain under his feet; making it difficult to find a proper way out; which makes him pause. He's already blind and disoriented thanks to Nito; and with his sight gone--being unable to simply beeline a way out thanks to those rough and jagged rocks...?
Which is exactly all the time that both Husk and Lapis need to cast their crushing, pressing skills that all but pin the huge man in place.
He lets out another one of those long, bellowing cries again--a loser's attempt at creating enough of a disturbance to figure himself out. There's... pain. Pain he hasn't felt properly in years, as fire continues to scorch his skin, leaving long strips of black char on his skin--
followed by a sharp and blinding pain that explodes just below his waist.
He'd been so distracted with trying to run away that he hadn't seen Veldora approaching--{ Blinded }--and he's been ignoring the prattles of insects--{ Deafened }--while trying to find
a
way
out.
Instead, he's certain he's all but falling and with only one arm, he does not properly catch himself before he's smashing, face first, down towards the ground.
His teeth clench as he uses his one good hand to try to struggle to get to one knee--one leg currently in too much pain to support his full weight.
It's definitely not everyone's imagination that he's shrinking, too. Back to his original, less monsterous size as he's become unable to move. ]
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Then Veldora shatters a leg, bringing Douman down before her. The woman watches, impassively, as he struggles to push himself up - as he shrinks down back to his normal height. Fury bubbles under the surface, she could so easily rip him to pieces now, but...
No. No, she has another idea.
In another second-long shift, Lapis becomes human once more, the stars fading from her skin as her feet touch the ground again. Her vision swims, the burden of that form crushing on her and threatening to drag her down. But there's one last thing she has to do before her consciousness fades, one last thing.
Her scythe forms in her hands, a swirl of shadow as she brings the blade to his neck. Blood pools and falls along the blade, but Lapis keeps it steady - watches him, as her voice echoes in his head once more.
She will kill him as a human, and he will die knowing his precious "goddess" will destroy everything he has worked for.
I told you didn't I. You would die here and I would watch it happen.
And now I will walk with my head held high, knowing I did the right thing.
"And next time, I fully believe you will not hesitate," he had once said. And she will not hesitate now.
All it takes is one swift, clean motion for her scythe to slice through his neck. In a soft thump and a quiet jingle of bells, his head rolls to the side as blood pours from the clean wound.
Douman is dead, though his shikigami still remain.
But Lapis is unable to go further beyond this, as the adrenaline finally wears off. She has taken his head with her own hands, and she is finally finally free of him. No more nightmares, no more poison being whispered into her ears, no more being moulded into the beast he wants her to be. She's free.
The scythe vanishes from her hands, and her vision quickly darkens as she collapses. ]
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But nowhere near as gratifying as it is to see Lapis finally push that absolute shitbird off the mortal coil. As a human, no less. He knows full well what that monster did to her, what nonsense he tried to shove into her head. Playing with what her worth was. Good. She needed this.
As she goes down, he moves as quickly as he can- given his still-healing body, he can't move fast enough to catch her (3) but he's there as soon as he can be, checking her over. ]
Hey. Lapis? You with us?
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he feels the familiar tinge of healing magic working its way into his tired flesh, knitting his arm back together enough that he can give a heavy sigh and heft himself to his feet (18). the limb still isn't back to rights, and he cradles it against his side as he makes his way over to Miss Lapis and Sir Dad, glancing at Douman's body--and his eyes flicker as he spots something familiar.
he reaches down to pick up Rose's phone, running his thumb over the case and tucking it into wherever Veldora holds stuff on his outfit because that's pants and a cape and it's going somewhere.
and then he turns his attention to the Father and Daughter before him, coming to kneel next to Sir Dad. ]
I don't know if I can carry her, Sir Dad, but if we want to move her closer to the others I think we can muster enough between us to get out of this nightmare.
[ and with his good hand he gives Husk's shoulder a little squeeze, smile not quite reaching his eyes because he's still tired in his bones. ]
It was an honor to fight by your side, and the Lady--truly, she's marvelous. You must be terribly proud of her.
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That's not my-
[You know what, he's just gonna let this lie. He's so goddamn tired. It's been a long fucking day and he just wants to go home, look after his daughter and then get as drunk as possible for at least the next few hours- preferably days.
He tenses as Veldora touches his shoulder- his fur bristling a little at the contact. But he knows the guy isn't a danger. and his words are actually pretty nice. Husk doesn't think anyone has ever said fighting by his side was an "honour" before. He's not really sure how to process that. ]
Uhhhhh. Thanks? You too? [Is that how you respond to that? He doesn't know!! But at least he does know how to respond to the rest. He turns to look at Lapis again, smiling faintly.] Yeah, 'course I am. She's the toughest person I know. She deserved to take the fucker out after all he put her through.
[He stretches a little, hearing the pop of his vertebrae as everything finally heals into place properly.]
Yeah, thanks. We should be able to get her outta here together.
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[ That should at least ease any fears of Lapis not being alive, though she's not very responsive beyond that. The sounds of the fights against the shikigami feels so far away; only able to focus on how everything in her aches, pain radiating through her with every little movement. Even breathing feels painful. Combined with how hard it is to open her eyes, she just... really really wants to sleep.
Dimly she can make out that Husk and Veldora are saying... something, but focusing on the words is hard. Focusing on anything is hard, and with her energy quickly fading Tank soon drifts into her shadow to help her conserve whatever little is left.
But after attempting to form words, she manages to force something out after a moment - wincing as she does so. Even just talking hurts, she hates this already. ]
Are... you two okay...
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oh
How many of them had become failures or disappointments? Never being able to grasp the same power he had; dying early, failing to reach true power--
There was only ever Lapis that had impressed him enough to get there, and as she looms over him in that beautiful, twisted form, he almost feels calm about the moments that are his last.
...Almost.
Because while he does not want to die, he can at least die happy knowing his teachings had gone well; that he'd succeeded in creating another monster-on-a-leash.
Except the one that stands over him now
isn't
his perfect outer god
alien priestess from another dimension set to turn the wheel of fate for the world
it's just
Lapis de Fiore.
No.
No, it's Lapis Agapov.
He tips his head back to look at her, and his lips part to say she's ugly in this form--but. Her own words bleed over his, and exhausted and beaten down as he is, taking in the strength that isn't there to overpower her just
doesn't happen.
And then she speaks those words
His Words
and his entire body goes rigid, as if some poison had just leaked into the cracks of his skin, leeching into muscle and bone
A look of shock is what's left on his face as that blade slings through his neck.
His vision going black as the only sound he makes
is the gentle ting of bells as his head hits the floor between her feet. ]