The Cosmic Cycle
Morality is the basis of things
And Truth is the substance of all Morality.
-Mahatma Gandhi
Chapter 4
When Church Bells Ring
A Few Minutes Later…
After the little earthquake, they found it wise to split up for the time being.
Currently he was leaning on the corner of a building; waiting for his mana to regenerate before he went into what he believed might be another area, chock-full of enemies he'd have to eradicate. Unfortunately for him, regaining his mana from zero usually took him around ten to fifteen minutes depending on if he was moving or not; which meant leaving the townspeople to whatever danger they might be facing at this very moment. At this very moment, he was there stewing in his thoughts.
As it stood, Coral couldn't enter into battle; not while she had to defend two people while they were unconscious, as well as a little girl. So she decided to hold up where they were; under the premise that there wouldn't be as many Grimm around the vicinity now that they had slain so many of them. He, on the other hand, would go out to investigate where the explosion occurred and deal with it accordingly. She asked him to head to the church on her behalf to make sure it hadn't been breached, as the townspeople were currently hunkered down there.
The man voiced his worries on leaving them alone of course, but she did have a few points. Inadvertently, he learned that these Grimm are drawn to places ripe with negative emotions, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think they would be attacked over them. Not to mention with the two guys out cold and Lily looking like she had a childhood crush on him, it really didn't seem likely they'd be ambushed by Grimm any time soon; and even if they were there would only be a few of them at most.
Reluctantly, he gave in to her plan, though not without leaving behind some insurance for their safety.
Earlier…
"What do you have in mind?" She replied, slightly cautious look adorning her face.
Geese, he was really gonna need to work for her approval, wasn't he?
"Relax, its nothing that might hurt any of you." He said, only to show a sheepish smile moments later. "Though their looks might scare you a bit."
"Oh. You have some backup then?" Coral inquired with slight surprise.
"…You could say that, yeah." He replied, manifesting his Dragon Staff. An eyebrow rose in confusion, the point of his vague answer flying over her head.
"…What?"
He smirked, pouring what little mana he regenerated standing there talking for the last couple minutes into the summoning tool. Moments afterwards his heart jumped again as his dragon came into existence; glowing just as brightly as when he saw him last.
Both of the girls stared, gobsmacked at the sight of them; completely at a loss for words. He internally giggled at them, not at all surprised that this would be their reaction to seeing a mythical beast.
"Heya bud, how've ya been?" His smirk turned into a genuine smile. The Dragon growled quietly, its eyes becoming half-lidded as he gently ran his hand up his snout. "Thanks for the help you gave me earlier. It seriously saved my bacon."
They gave a small nod to him in affirmation, before turning to the girls when they heard a quiet, drawn out whine. They almost looked as if smoke was coming from their ears. His smile grew to near-comical proportions, finding their reactions to meeting an actual magician for the first time if what Coral said was any indication, and summoning a literal dragon in front of them hilarious.
"I take it somethings wrong?" He said, barely holding back his laughter.
"Y… You just… How did…?" Coral sputtered. The sight of her, a woman who seemed military act like she just entered crazy-land made the man break into hearty laughter, unable to stop after hearing her failed response and seeing her expression. That seemed to drag her out of her stupor, giving him a heated glare while a light flush brushed across her cheeks. "Oh, you think that was funny then?"
"Oh yeah, absolutely." The man replied when his laughter finally died down, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. He almost burst into laughter again when the soldier puffed her cheeks and grumbled as she looked away, crossing her arms.
*…eeeee~*
A small squealing that was increasing in crescendo grabbed his attention, turning to find Lily had stars in her emerald eyes as she almost began to scream again, but in excitement this time around rather than fear. It got to such a high pitch he almost had to plug his ears lest they get ruptured, when she stopped.
"OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh!" She shouted, hopping in place. Almost as if she were wielding magic herself, she suddenly appeared in front of the dragon. "Is that a REAL DRAGON?!"
"Uhh…" He trailed off, wide-eyed at the bundle of energy currently standing at the snout of the spirit beast. Even they looked a bit disturbed, though it seemed to be more for the look she was giving them. "…Yeah, though technically, he's known as a Stardust Dragon."
"He looks amazing!" She smiled, elated as she reached out a hand midway before hesitating, and looked his way. "C-can I pet him?"
The man blinked for a moment, and turned to his partner with a raised eyebrow that was asking for confirmation. He hovered there for several moments, though the man couldn't tell if he was lost in thought or not until they gave a small nod.
"…He seems okay with it, so I see no reason why you can't." He answered. The girl jumped in place for a second, having a giggling fit. "Just be careful to avoid his spikes, horn, teeth, and eyes, yeah?"
"I promise!" She replied quickly, walking closer to the divine-looking creature. She stood there for a moment, unsure where she should touch him, until the six-foot dragon tilted his body, giving her a better area to work with. The man smiled sincerely at this, watching as his eyes became half-lidded again as a hand ran down their blue skin; pleasantly surprised that a being as strong as him would willingly let a child treat him like something akin to a pet. Normally, summons were rather prideful, so the sight of this was out of this world.
"He feels so soft…" She trailed off, enamored by the mythical creature.
"Honestly, I think he's some sort of heavenly beast, or some-"
"Okay, I'm just going to stop you there." Coral interrupted, hands rubbing the temples under her helmet. "Do you mind providing context for us lowly muggles? Because I understand nothing of what you're saying right now."
"…Oh. Right…Sorry." He replied slowly, chuckling ruefully with a small blush on his face. "So, uh… What I mean is that he's a benevolent being not of this dimension."
"So… He's an alien like you?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Well, yes and no. Unlike him I hail from the physical plane by which you and I abide, just born on a different world entirely, whereas he comes from another plane of existence altogether." The man explained. "Anyways, were getting a tad off topic here."
He looked to his Dragon, gaining his attention as they turned towards him.
"I need you to protect these four from Grimm that are invading their village while I check up on the rest of the residents who are currently residing from the church over there." The warrior pointed towards the tallest structure in the village. Satisfied when he received a nod from him, he looked towards Coral. "I'll head out then."
"Wait for a moment." She replied hurriedly, reaching into what he believed to be a hidden back pocket. Seconds later she grabbed his hand, dropping a small medallion that had the same wolf insignia as her breastplate had onto his palm. "Show this to them. When they see it, they'll know they can trust you."
He stared at the item for a second longer, and gave a small nod when the moment passed, slipping it into one of his inner jacket pockets. "Alright, thanks for that."
He walked towards his weapon's sheathe; the body of the Grimm it was thrown into having long since evaporated. Even the gore that had trailed across the weapon had dissolved, leaving it in its pristine condition. Grabbing it, he sheathed his blade before dematerializing it, and almost took to the air were it not for finding Lily standing in front of him.
Was every person in this village secretly a ninja or what?
"Please be careful, okay?" She said with a shy, yet worried tone. He let off another small smile, and tussled her hair again, inwardly chuckling when her face flushed again.
"I'll be careful."
Presently…
Afterwards, he flew off towards the church, though not before making a pit-stop close by to let his mana recharge before delving into the danger. He was still close by that he could make it there in less than a minute if something happened at the very least. He could hear the sounds of Grimm battling what he believed were the other members of her team, but by the sounds of the cacophony both sides were still trying to make headway.
*Ping!*
Speak of the devil.
Health:
494/500
Mana:
200/200
Oh good, his health must've gone up while he was having his bath then.
"How much ammo do I still have though..?" He mumbled to himself. Closing his eyes for a moment, the kaleidoscope appeared in front of him, before stretching into a large rectangular sheet. The rainbow slowly turned into a gray color, with visible boxes being shown; some holding items or something similar while some of them were simply blank. Several of the slots were filled with the new items he recently obtained, as well as Excalibur and the Hallowed and Demonite bars. Looking over the items revealed their names, descriptions, and durability depending on whether or not armor or weapons were their intended use. As it stood, he had fifty slots for items; some of which could be made into a 'stack', so he could avoid filling up his inventory. It was certainly helpful for ammo, ore and food.
Over half of the slots were taken; some by the new ore he obtained and the ingots he carried, and others with the several different weapons, as well as his wrecked armor and an armored mask and chest-piece he had yet to use. Four of them were occupied with four stacks of food, just in case he happened to leave home for longer than a day.
Of the weapons he carried, he had his new blade Star Wrath, S.D.M.G. and Portal Gun, as well as True Excalibur, True Night's Edge, the Terra Blade, and the two summoning staves he recently obtained… speaking of the Stardust weapons; didn't he still have the other essences? He used the Stardust Essence, but only used the Vortex Essence in making both Phantasm and the Vortex Beater, but he still has yet to make any Solar Flare or Nebula weapons because of the invasion keeping him busy. He was found by The Moon Lord before he even had the chance to.
At any rate, he still had a few accessories in here too; namely the Fire Gauntlets, which would fit over his gloves whenever he needed them. The only reason he hadn't equipped them right now was due to the nasty habit they had of melting or setting on fire whatever they touched. He also had the Feral Claws which were placed into the dark leather gloves he was wearing, and the Counter-curse Mantra on the inside of his jacket to protect him from being cursed or unable to use his magic. The man also had an Invisibility and Night Owl potion left over from the fight; mostly because they wouldn't have worked against the beast anyway. Bastard had a way of seeing him despite being invisible. Maybe they could detect heat?
He did lose his sniper rifle though; which was a damn shame really. At this point, he really needed all the help he could get.
Satisfied with what he saw he pushed himself from the wall, expanding his wings and immediately taking to the air. He could see the tower of the church from where he had landed, so it was a relatively easy flight to make, though he still booked it just in case.
By the time he was over top the area he found it was surprisingly sequestered much to his confusion, with only a few Grimm around the plaza; one of which was tearing at the door, but not yet causing enough damage to break through. The door appeared to be iron-banded, not to mention that it was massive; easily reaching to triple his height and four times his width.
This did raise a question, however. If this place is void of the blood of the Grimm and villagers, then where was the fighting happening from?
The clamor of gunshots grabbed his attention, and he turned away from the church; scanning the open streets around the plaza. Pouring some of his mana into his ears, he attempted to pinpoint where the sounds were originating from-
*BOOM!*
-And immediately covered his ears, wincing in pain at how close in proximity that explosion sounded. Swearing, he deactivated the flow and waited for the ringing in his ears to cease.
He should have expected it after hearing explosions for the first time in this village, but no~. He just had to be an idiot and use the ability willy-nilly and deafen himself in the process. How the hell did he expect to save this goddamn settlement when he keeps making idiotic mistakes like this?!
…
He really needed more sleep. Hopefully that would aid in fixing his stupidity.
'Pulled a stupid stunt after she told me to be careful. Bet she'd be so happy with me right now.'
Sighing, the man simply hovered in the air, waiting for his hearing to kick in again; though that didn't stop him from trying to visibly spotting where the fighting was taking place. After all, they might very well need his assistance, whether they were the other huntsmen he encountered or not. The first thing he was able to hear besides the ringing was his ears popping, followed by small, muffled noises; probably the gunfire and explosions if previous sounds were any indication. Slowly the sounds became clearer, and this time, he poured a very small amount of magic into his ears and worked up from there.
It took half a minute to properly spot them; just barely being able to see them from where he was. The man drew closer with the intent of seeing whether or not they needed his help, but was pleasantly surprised to find both Magnus and Midori holding their own against a large group of Beowolves. Just in case though, he did a health check on the two to see if they might have been hit by any status ailments.
{Huntsman}
[Midori Fujita]
Health:
86/100
%*&^:
! %/!(%
{Huntsman}
[Magnus Ström]
Health:
94/100
%*&^:
!^&/ %)
"Huh… I guess these Grimm can't cause any effects to their status?" He mumbled to himself, only to quickly shake his head, thinking otherwise. If that Death Stalker is as similar to actual scorpions as he thought they were, then it was probably likely they also had poison in that stinger of theirs. The Beowolves or Ursa might not have anything as egregious as that, but their fangs and claws are more than capable of causing a bleeding ailment.
The warrior hovered there, watching them fight for several seconds. Satisfied with what he saw he gave a small nod, turning back towards the church to clear out the Grimm that got through them, as well as any others that might've been smart enough to circle around them.
Circling around the plaza, he only found over half a dozen Beowolves wandering the perimeter of the church, which raised some red flags for him. If they could sense the negative emotion of the living, then chances were they already knew they were in the building. Adults are one thing when it comes to instances like this, and maybe they could emotionally numb themselves with practice to prepare for such events, but a child would be overwhelmed by everything happening here.
And yet, for whatever reason, there was only one of them attacking the door.
'I don't like this…' He thought tensely. There was more going on here than he could understand. Pieces of information he didn't have. Taking a guess at the very least, it was almost as if they were waiting on someone. It could've been the Grimm those two were currently fighting. 'And come to think of it, what the hell caused that explosion we all heard?'
There didn't seem to be any damage done to the church or its surrounding areas besides its gate, so it certainly hadn't occurred here. Not to mention that if it had been a weapon that would've left behind a smoke trail that he could follow, so what-!
…
Wait.
Wait a minute.
Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind. Rushing wouldn't help solve the problem. He had to keep calm, and thoroughly analyze the situation. Something caused that blast, but it clearly wasn't any type of explosive; if it were, he really would've seen that smoke trail. But if that's the case, then what else could it have been? If it was a melee weapon or the like, then it'd need to be moved with a great deal of force to make a sound that loud, as well as feel the vibrations of it.
There was something niggling in the back of his head; a piece of information he overlooked. He took a step back, and looked around the area. If the Beowolves in the plaza were waiting on someone, then it would either have to be a great many others of their own kind or a few Ursa if they wanted to break through that door. If there were another Death Stalker, then it'd make it considerabl-.
…
Oh god.
His face paled as the man bolted to the ground, pulling out Excalibur and pocketing its scabbard before he systematically hunted down the Grimm in the area in a panic. If that explosion wasn't really an explosion, but rather a Grimm as large as or larger than the Death Stalker he encountered, and they were drawn to negative energy; like say the one like a Beowolf was incurring by repeatedly scaring just about all of the townspeople…
Then the plaza was about to become a warzone.
He'd have asked the other two to give him a hand if he could, but they were already aiding him by keeping the other Grimm off his back. He'd have to go at this alone, despite not knowing what he was going up against. At the very least though, he can clean up the place a bit to try and make it even between them.
It wasn't too hard to do really; what with there only being a dozen or so of them spread out pretty evenly over the large plaza. By the time they actually noticed him he'd slain half their group, and even then they still couldn't deal with him despite their numbers. The last of them was still beating on the door, smashing against it in what amounted to a panic. Sheathing his blade he switched it out for his rifle, all while reaching out with his other hand towards the beast; his mana turning purple as it crawled up his hand again. A small runic circle appeared on the palm of his hand before fading out, though the mana coursing through his hand had become slightly brighter. A purple aura started to surround the beast. When it fully encompassed them they froze in place, no longer able to move. Drawing his arm back sharply made the beast fly backwards much in the same manner. Letting the magic fade, the warrior aimed his weapon slightly ahead of where they were going to go, and pulled the trigger.
*BOOM!*
It legs and stomach burst into giblets and ichor. The beast letting loose a small wail before the lights in its eyes went out; its corpse bouncing across the ground with a dull thud as its black blood left a trail.
He gave the area another once over; in case some of the other Grimm Midori and Magnus were fighting happened to get past them, and was happy to find the surrounding area completely barren of life besides himself. Taking the silence in stride, he sat himself on the cobblestone; both to give himself a moment to breathe, and allow his mana to recharge the small amount he used. His beater faded into starlight as the man took small breaths through his mouth.
Though he wouldn't admit to it, his lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him again. Sure, he was a fighter, and gone for a day or two without sleeping, but pushing himself to the extent of four days while fighting an army single-handedly wasn't really what he intended. Rather, he was hoping he could get some sleep while taking care of the different groups of them; after all, sleep stops us from doing stupid shit. Reality however, sadly had a different take on the matter, and whenever he managed to defeat one of them and destroy their pillar the others influence expanded. And when they expanded, so too did the reach of the soldiers who dwelled within them. So really, up until now he never really had a chance to properly sit down and decompress. Hell, even this morning became its own little event; what with seeing a Grimm for the first time having its windpipe crushed by his guardian, and coming across children having an emotional moment after something happened to the other residents who worked in what he believed to be some mines.
It's been one helluva week so far, and he suspected that it wouldn't end for yet a few days either.
'Well, shit.' He sighed, closing his eyes as he propped his hand under his chin, simply enjoying the silence while it lasted…
…
*thump*
…
*Thump!*
'…Really?'
He let out a small groan as he opened his eyes, finding a Grimm that looked akin to a Silverback booking it down what he assumed to be the main road.
*THUMP!*
'Why do you hate me god?'
The man jumped to his feet, and again he materialized his sword while surveying his enemy.
Any boy was he goddamn frightening to look at. Simian in nature and about twice his size while it was on all fours, and probably four times if it ever stood straight up. Bone plates covered its thighs, shoulders and forearms, hips, and spine; with the largest of them placed on their pectorals. The simian bone mask framed glowing red eyes; brighter than any he'd seen from the Grimm. Their teeth were nothing but incisors, the largest of which were on the front corners of its mouth, with the fangs on the lower jaw being larger than its upper counterpart.
Its eyes glowed brighter when it finally took notice of him, locking onto him as it let out a loud growl from its throat. The beast leaned back, standing on its legs before giving out a vehement roar at its new prey, enough that he could feel the vibration from where he was standing.
{Low-Class Elite}
[Beringel]
(Grimm)
Health:
10000/10000
"Well shit." The warrior swore to himself. It was the first he'd seen of a creature that had an 'Elite' tag placed on them. It was either they were a boss monster via flavor text or an event monster, or they weren't. Not to mention that its health was equal to a Paladin; and it was still a low class! "Question is, are they as resilient as one?"
'I have a sneaking suspicion we'll find out.' Callie dryly stated, getting an eyeroll in response.
The simian lunged at him, forcing the man out of his musings as they swung their hands downward, leaving bits of cobblestone and dirt flying through the air; making a small crater where the man dodged. He pulled out his Vortex Beater and fired a shot at the beast, only for them to deftly flatten themselves on the ground as it flew over their head, and into the poor building that was behind them. The man grimaced as it exploded, leaving a gaping hole between two of the floors. At the very least, he could repair it relatively quickly as long as he had the materials, but he didn't really find enjoyment in destroying other people's property if he could help it.
He focused his attention on the Beringel as it got to its feet, giving him a deep guttural growl as its hands crushed the stone beneath it. It seemed to have a decent mind on its shoulders, as they simply stood there, waiting for whatever attack the man may send their way. His eyes narrowed. Did the degree of their intelligence vary from body types, or was it something else?
Nonetheless, he braved the dangers as he jumped in. Even if he did get harmed he would slowly learn how the beast fought. 'Trial and Error' was all he needed in order to adapt to his enemy.
Bringing his sword to bear, he launched himself at the muscled beast who roared at him as it swung its fists down. The warrior danced around them, giving a quick slice along the side of its stomach before he brought his sword in front of another oncoming fist. A loud slam reverberated between them as the man was sent flying several feet away from the Beringel, coming to a stop while trying to keep an eye on his opponent.
'Augh, gods damn it!' Callie yelled out. 'Could you NOT let me take the hit again?!'
He could only let a small grunt of affirmation out before he charged again, having to dodge around another swing. This time however the man rammed the blade into its shoulder. The beast swung around, standing on its two legs as it attempted to reach over and remove the nuisance only for the man to swing around the blade like a gymnast on a pole and flying slightly above the creature; somehow managing to pull out Excalibur in the process. In his free hand he materialized a purple blade larger in both length and size to its white counterpart.
The blade itself was just short of the width of his body, coming short by half a foot. The back of the blade had a small indent at its middle that ended a foot before the base of the blade, and was colored a bright green. The flat of the blade was colored a royal purple, whereas its edge had a patriarch purple hue. The guard had a upside-down green cross placed in its middle, and was shaped like jagged horns which pointed downward towards its green and purple hilt; its colors lacing together all the way down to the pommel.
[True Night's Edge]
Durability: 7322/9500
90 Damage
+4% Critical strike chance
Average Knockback
Fast Swing speed
+Able to fire glowing projectiles
Spinning his blades into a reverse hold, the man gave a strong flap of his wings; increasing his velocity towards his target. His swords met their shoulders before the beast had any time to react, but only dug themselves half a foot deep. The warrior's eyes widened slightly in surprise; amazed at the creatures resistance despite not having any form of armor besides its own crazy skeletal structure. A muffled yelp passed his lips when the Beringel grabbed him by the head and swung his body repeatedly onto the ground; leaving cracks in the stone. After several swings the Grimm tossed him hard into another of the buildings that surrounded the plaza, leaving a rather sizable hole in the two-story house.
He let loose a disoriented groan as he opened his eyes, finding his vision swimming slightly; whether or not this was from lack of rest or ramming through a building, he didn't know. His legs hanged from whatever remained of the wall, noticing with a wince the large hole he made.
"That's another house I need to fix…" He grumbled, shaking his head to his visual ailment.
'YEESH, WHAT THE HELL DID I WAKE UP TO?' A strong yet rough voice of a woman called out. The man blinked, finding his dark blade lying over his stomach. Looking around, he frowned when he couldn't find Callie in any of the debris. A clattering sound grabbed his attention, and he propped himself on his arms to look over the edge of the wall. The Grimm had removed the blade from its shoulder, and stared at where he crash landed for a moment before its attention diverted towards the doors of the church. It seemed to be drawn to the collective negativity of the villagers rather than the object of its ire as a small amount of drool worked its way down its chin. The man paled slightly, and started to pull himself from the wreckage as the beast started sprinting towards the church.
"No time to talk Night, were saving some villagers." The man uttered quickly, jumping out from the hole once he righted himself.
*BANG!*
The sound of screams alerted him to the imminent danger, finding the Beringel buried arm deep in the door. Reaching out with his mana as he ran, the man pulled his fallen sword to him; grabbing it in reverse by its middle. Skidding to a stop directly behind the beast, a pink corona surrounded the blade as he held it like a javelin.
'Ready for launch?'
'Ready.'
Mana poured out from the center of his chest; turning yellow as it crawled up his arm. A runic circle appeared for a moment, bearing the symbol of a lightning bolt, before it sank into his arm. A grunt of pain involuntarily came out; his muscles contracted violently as he forcefully broke his body's natural limiter. If he couldn't pierce him properly the normal way, then he was going to have to do something incredibly reckless.
Only the moment the beasts roar and the villagers screams mixed together did he cast away the last of his doubt. Stomping his left foot onto the ground cracked the cobblestone beneath him, only to be followed by a loud snarl as he threw his weapon with all his might-
*CRACK!* *RIP!*
-Shortly followed by the sound of the bones and muscles in his arm cracking and tearing.
Holding back his screams, the warrior watched with teary eyes as the beast cried out in anguish, struggling to remove itself from its new restraint that was buried in the side of its stomach. Very quickly, he pulled out a set of gauntlets that were glowing a bright orange on the fingers.
[Fire Gauntlets]
+80% Increased Melee Knockback
+10% Melee Damage
+10% Melee Attack Speed
He forced them onto his hands, wasting a minimal amount of time before he raced forward; grabbing the hilt of the blade with arcane magic and ripping it out of the beast's liver. The Grimm flailed as it lost its balance; hitting the ground with a small tremor. Once the blade returned to his hand he dematerialized them both, switching them out for his Hamaxe. The Beringel was rushing to stand, but left itself in the perfect position for the warrior to send them flying at least two dozen feet from the door with a heavy swing of the blunt side of his weapon; his arms clad in lightning and wind.
The pain he was feeling in his arms was immense, and he was biting into his lower lip to the point that it bled to keep himself from screaming out. At the very least, he discovered that applying wind magic along with Phys-En seemed to lessen the pain somewhat.
'Swear to god, when I see Greum again I'm going to be the most attentive student ever seen in this age.' He swore to himself as his arms shook slightly. 'I will train diligently, and never tune him out again... Hopefully.'
Taking this moment of quiet to his advantage he pocketed the weapon and materialized a metal mask over his face that was cut open from the top, allowing his hair to fall down the back of his neck; covering the metal as it looped around the back of his head. A hiss sounded from the sides of the headpiece as six triangular pieces abruptly clamped down around his ears, taking on a hexagonal shape as it secured itself. Metal encased the entirety of the front of his face save for the tinted visor covering his eyes. The sound of fans whirring could be heard coming from the series of small holes on the masks cheeks, allowing the man to breathe, as well as protect him from harm from whatever that might float through the air.
[Modified Hallowed Mask]
{Attachments: Oxygen Filters, Fans, Visor, Pneumatic Pumps}
14 Armor
+10% Melee Damage
+10% Melee Attack Speed
+Immunity to airborne materials that cause Poison, Confusion, Silence and Darkness
Grabbing the sides of the mask, the man gave it a hard shake to see how it held together on his head and found it to be rather secure on him, much to his great satisfaction. If Sophia and Trogem could see the state of their combined invention actually working, he couldn't help but imagine that they would've jumped for joy, accidentally kissed one another, and then proceeded to make out. What might follow after, he wouldn't say, but it would've been a long time coming.
"No time like the present to test this." He mumbled quietly to himself, materializing his new red and yellow blade. Looking towards his enemy – and grumbling at himself for not noticing sooner – he found the beast had risen to its feet; their eyes radiating brightly with unrestrained anger towards him. The warrior gripped its hilt tighter as he threw it over his shoulder, the blade gaining a dark pink and white corona. He gave the blade a mighty swing…
…Only for the glow to suddenly flash and disappear.
The man went wide-eyed behind his visor, blinking slowly for a moment before he noticed the Beringel let out a terrifying roar; swinging its fists onto the ground. They would have begun charging at him were it not for the ever-increasing sound of whistling that gained both of their attention. Looking around the area, he couldn't see where it was coming from, until he looked up into the sky, and his jaw summarily dropped.
"Ho-lee shit. That's a new one." He uttered, his voice sounding like the receiving end of a walkie-talkie. The beast took notice of where his mask had wandered to, and followed suit, finding itself staring at three white stars surrounded by a furious pink aura as they tore through the sky towards the beast.
The cry of surprise they shrieked out as the stars plowed the Grimm was, in his honest opinion, epic beyond words. He really wished he had a camera to save this moment. The sight of a gnarly looking beast screaming at the top of its lungs as falling stars crashed into it was an amazing sight.
'Ahh well. It'll always be in my memories at least.' The man thought to himself with mock humor, glad he had decided to throw his mask on when he did. The dust that was thrown up from the crash was so thick that he couldn't see farther than a foot in front of him.
Over the course of a few minutes the fog that had taken over the area slowly started to clear. The lip of a crater could be made out in front of him; appearing to only run a few feet deep from what he could tell, but was several feet wide. A garble groan made him jump into a stance, and he saw the silhouette of the beast on the ground in the center of the crater. They hadn't started dissolving yet like all the other Grimm he had come across yet. Carefully, he walked towards the beast; using a small amount of wind magic to clear the area slightly faster.
Much to his surprise when he was finally able to make out the Grimm's body, he found that not all of the creature was there. Its left arm was missing from just above the elbow down, and both of its feet looked to have melted if the black puddles beneath its new bubbling stumps were any indication. The plating along its chest had cracks running along it, with small chunks of the rib plating along its left side missing some rather large pieces; probably from where one of the stars struck its hand. Some of its flesh had thinned out enough that he could see a red glow coming from within the creature, and he couldn't help but wonder what hell-spawn decided to create these beasts.
He stared at the sight in stunned awe before looking at his blade. The damage that was listed by the blade and the damage that was actually done to the beast was way off. How in the heck was he able to do so much damage? I mean, sure, everything had a melting point. He gets that, really. But to the point where he's able to flat out go against the systems damage to health point registry? It didn't make sense!
Was it possible that the areas that were affected and were cut slash melted off had an effect on the beings health in some way? It would make sense in context. After all, he was affected pretty badly when he had part of his stomach evaporated, so something like this wasn't exactly far-fetched in theory and execution.
In any case, he pretty much saved his own ass inadvertently; though it did come at the cost of part of the plaza and a few surrounding buildings.
Hopefully, they won't be too pissed about that…
Tossing the blade into his other hand and flipping it into a reverse grip, he pulled out his rifle as he walked closer to the beast; coming to a stop just out of reach of its remaining hand. A wise move, as the creature lunged at him, just coming short. He couldn't help but snort when they fell to the ground with an audible *Smack!*, growling loudly as they turned their face towards him, roaring at the man while bearing their fangs. The warrior gave them a hard kick to the face, causing black blood to coat the foot of his shoe and part of the ground, and caused the beast to flip onto its back. Before the beast had the time to even register what had happened, they found the barrel of a gun shoved into their mouth.
"Kindly fuck off all the way to the underworld, monster." He uttered darkly, his voice as sharp as the weapons he wielded. The Beringel's eyes widened in what he believed to be mute fear as he pulled the trigger.
*BOOM!*
The back-blast from the explosion he caused made his hair and jacket fly wildly in the air. Luckily this time he only fired one shot directly into what could be considered an enclosed space, so the damage done to himself was negligible for the most part. The only form of pain he felt came from the intense heat that could be felt through even his thick gloves, and the injuries he suffered from being thrown in that building.
When the smoke and steam finally cleared, the man found himself staring what remained of its lower jaw that hadn't been blown or melted off from the heat and the explosion. He stared at what remained of the creature, a frown adorning his face under the mask as he wondered how such creatures came to be, and worried at how long they might've been here for. All things considered, it had to have been long enough for the residents of the area to have grown used to them somewhat. They were still a danger, sure, but that didn't exclude the shocking normality that Coral had shown to the invasion. It seemed to her like it was just another day. Not to mention the villagers themselves; they were still frightened by these beasts, which was never in question, especially so with the screams he heard when they plowed a hole through the door. But the fact that they already had a general idea of how to deal with a situation like this told him that incidents like this were dealt with at a shocking regularity.
Just how long was he gone?
His thoughts were put on hold when his vision swam again, leaning on his rifle that he punched into the ground as he was assaulted from a sudden bout of vertigo.
"That hit must've been worse than I thought…" He mumbled to himself, attempting to hold down whatever bile that might've still been in his system. "Either that or I'm still pretty exhausted… or my wound got an infection from that green blood…"
The man couldn't stop the wince that crossed his paling face. While the thought was entertaining, he seriously hoped the whole 'Star Lord' thing didn't actually happen. It was meant to be a joke, nothing more! Not taking this to chance, he looked to the corner of his eye again.
Health:
361/500
Mana:
112/200
Current Ailments:
[Weak]: Defense, melee damage, melee attack speed, and movement speed have decreased! Rest to remove this ailment!
'I can live with that.' He thought , slumping forward in relief, and much to his surprise exhaustion. 'A damn sight better than the alternative at the very least, though being weakened after the battle seems a tad cliché, even for my tastes. Maybe it was my adrenaline wearing out again?'
The sound of creaking grabbed the man's attention, and he turned around as quickly as it tired body could while raising his rifle to where he thought his next enemy was. His eyes widened in slight surprise, lowering his gun at the sight of a woman with long red hair sticking her head out between a small opening from the door. She flinched slightly when she realized that she got his attention, and started to sweat a little at the sight of him. It belatedly dawned on him that they weren't sure if he was friend of foe.
He pocketed both of his weapons; making both of them vanish into starlight, much to the wide-eyed surprise of the woman. The man slowly raised a hand, giving a light wave in an attempt to her to show he meant no harm. The woman stood there for several moments, doing nothing more than stare at him, and making him worry that he might have done something wrong. Those fears abated slightly when she awkwardly waved back, looking rather uncomfortable with the situation. Maybe he should've just shown her the insignia?
He gradually lifted his other arm and reached into his coat at a slow pace, stopping when he saw the woman flinch back. Quickly, the man raised his injured arm in a placating expression, pulling out the small trinket and showing it to her. The woman stood there for several moments without showing any reaction besides her eyes narrowing, only for them to subsequently widen and for her to bolt towards him rather suddenly, making the man flinch. It was only slightly though.
She wore interesting clothing; some of it understandable considering the season they seemed to be in. A slightly baggy sweater hung around her torso, even over her neck- though the specific name of the sweater type escaped him. The long boots she wore were understandable for where they seemed to live, though the tight-fitting jeans made him wonder if the outfit was more meant for style than work. A fashion statement perhaps?
Several shouts could be heard from inside the building – probably from the woman suddenly running out of the church – and the sounds of an alarming amount of people running towards the door followed soon after. Despite what he heard from the children, this town seemed to be pretty well put together if other townspeople would come charging towards the unknown for one of their own. God willing, first contact between him and a town that seemed new to magic went well; otherwise he might have to start knocking people out to the last.
Hopefully, this trinket will avert that possibility.
"So…" The woman stood at the lip of the plaza's new crater, petering out momentarily before her voice came back; holding a stronger tone to it. "Coral sent you here?"
[Alani Hayes]
Health:
100/100
"Indeed." He nodded in affirmation, noticing others coming out of the structure. "She would have come herself, but she's currently preoccupied with protecting two children and her unconscious teammate."
"Children?" A woman repeated, gaining his attention. A loose violet dress shirt, stylish jeans and black dress shoes went ignored; his vision favoring the black tail and eye color similar to the boy he encountered. Worry adorned her face, as well as a surprised expression from Alani at the mention of them. "Are their names Troy and Lily?"
[Iris Spraggan]
Health:
100/100
His eyes widened momentarily behind his visor, shaking it off seconds afterwards with a genuine smile.
"Indeed. Both of the children are fine; though one of them was unconscious. It's nothing major-" He hastily added at the woman's fearful gasp. "-by what I saw he only got knocked out from defending his friend from a Grimm. He looked completely healthy, without any wounds to speak of."
Everyone stood there in silence, even the ones he didn't notice had come out from the building until tears ran down Iris's cheeks as she began sobbing in relief. A few of the other villagers close by in case they needed her, with some even rubbing her gently on her back; a damn fine sight considering what he heard was happening to the Faunus population in this… wherever he was. Alani visibly slumped while sighing, glad that the children were safe. Despite the situation he grinned behind his helmet at their reaction; glad that he managed to improve their mood somewhat. Though the question still remains on what could have caused such a negative reaction to bring such beasts to their doorstep.
His brows furrowed in concern. Was it possible the racism the Faunus deal with had a part to play in that? From what he could guess, it seemed pretty likely. Even though children have a tendency to lie or act out like the world circles around them chances were this wasn't the case. After all, what child would cry and wonder if the world thought they were better off dead.
'Gonna need to check into this later…'
For the time being, the man contented himself with the sight of the smiles and laughs of the villagers. Even the children had come up to the doorway, peeking out over the edge of the door towards him with either awe or caution. He stared on; a small smile on his face at the view before his vision swam again; making him cup his face in his hand with tightly closed eyes.
"Hey… are you alright?" The man looked up into the eyes of Alani, who was staring at him with a small amount of concern. "You look like you've had a nasty fight with that Grimm, considering you have rubble in your hair."
He blinked at her for a moment before reaching into his hair; indeed finding pieces of the building he crashed into stuck in his hair. A quick brush through his hair with his hands removed what debris he could find, though the question if he got it all still hung in the air until he could find a mirror.
"Yes, apologies." He calmly replied with a chuckle. "I've only slept around two hours over the last four or five days, so I'm a bit out of it right now. Probably didn't help that I was thrown into a building by the bugger though."
Alani winced, giving an expression of sympathy. She opened her mouth to say something only to be interrupted by an old man.
"If its rest you seek, then we will gladly accommodate one who came to our aid." An old man called out. The fellow was rather short and slightly wrinkly, and a head of laid back and slightly poofy gray hair halfway through the process of balding, and a curly mustache to match the look. He wore formal attire, wearing khaki colored jacket and pants with a yellow tie underneath, along with a worn set of dress shoes that looked to have seen better days. The old man's eyes widened slightly, and he chuckled, raising a hand to the man when he got close enough. "Ah, where are my manners. My name is Alvis Dahl. I'm the mayor of this fine town of North Waters."
[Alvis Dahl]
Health:
86/90
"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." The warrior replied as his hand met the mayor's own, before looking around the area. "I do apologize for the property damage my fight has caused. It got a slight bit… out of hand I'm afraid."
"Oh pish posh lad, a little property damage won't get in the way of this town. We've survived more than a single skirmish by both the Grimm and bandits alike." Alvis waved his hand in an unworried manner, giving off a jovial tone. "We'll get by, like we always do."
"Still, better to say it anyway." He said, only to mutter glumly. "Most tend to think I'm a jerk whether or not I do, but I still feel the need to say it in either case."
"Oh, it's all water under the bridge my boy. Such things happen in situations such as these. Don't let it worry you so!" The man shrugged in response, okay with letting it drop but still felt a bit guilty about it. "If you don't mind my asking, who are you my dear boy?"
Oh right… he never did say his name, did he?
Reaching for the hexagonal plates, the man moved one of them out of the way of both sides, revealing two small red buttons that he pressed at once. The pneumatic lines in the mask hissed, and the plates retracted, allowing him to pull of the helmet. He gave them a small smile as the dust cleared; allowing the sun to appear behind the man.
"My name is Jonas, sir." He replied. "Jonas Everblue."
Well hot damn! Finally revealed this buggers name!
Took a while too.
I'll admit, it's a bit lax in terms of action, but it was more for character-building than anything. Apologies for that.
Bit of an F.Y.I. to those who might not have thought about it or bothered to look, but I usually update my profile regarding chapters and the like. Feel free to check to keep yourselves updated.
Once again, if you have any questions, feel free to critique my work or contact me. I'll answer as best as I can!
Have a good one!