Newbies + Monthly Prompts!

[trainmasters]

Who: Everyone
When: Day 47, morning
Where: the Aurora

[It's that time again: this morning, you're awoken by the jingle associated with an official message from your Chain -- the usual "newbie time" balloon animation and text:]

WELCOME NEW HEROES

[This round's newbies are waking up in their rooms, in the usual nondescript undies or team pyjamas.

Outside, the cold snap has broken. It's back to jungle warmth, though the sudden change in temperature appears to have caused a thick fog. So thick, in fact, that you can't see more than a few feet in front of you -- and it doesn't burn off with the daylight.

For the next few days, Origin Star will be lost in the mist, and should you venture too far, you may be too. Because out there in the humid dim are willow-the-wisps, faint lights in the fog that will lead you to perilous terrain or into the jaws of beasts.

Sometimes, you may also hear a voice -- a distant song from across the sea, in the direction of the corrupted island. If you get too close, long and spindly arms will reach out of the water and pull you down, for a kiss from a scaly human-like being that sucks all the emotion out of you and leaves you feeling hollow and lacking empathy for others. The cure is time -- you'll be better in a day or so, but you can speed it up by basking in the warm feelings of others.]

[[OOC NOTES: As the monthly prompts, the fog and mermaids will continue until next month's placements. If you have any questions, please ping the mods via the q&a. Thank you!]]

Comments

[comingstorm]

I have no idea how unicorns work, but growing weeds isn't exactly what I'm looking for. Tell me when you think you can destroy a god.

[daydreamshimmer]

You don't need to know unicorns to understand common observation if you thought for longer than two seconds.

Have you ever seen a flower become this big? This kind of spell requires the ability to break down the genetic limitation for height, then amplify it a hundred fold, then force cell multiplication until it becomes something it couldn't have been before.

It's a safe way to show off power because letting off a fireball does things like, oh, you know, setting things on fire and the bigger the fire, the more it's going to burn down. And considering the limit of visual, it's a lot harder to make sure the fire is contained.

And everybody knows destruction is a lot easier than creation.

This? [And fire springs from her horn, gathering into a steady fireball above her head.] Is a parlor trick. And about all I can safely test in this environment.

[Then the fire flickers away and she turns to the flower, focusing again and hitting it with another blast of magic, returning it to normal, though the ground around it is still a mess.] If you don't understand magic, at least think before you say something idiotic.

1/2

[comingstorm]

...

[He has the oddest smirk.]

[comingstorm]

Thank you for that enlightening lecture. Once again, when you believe yourself able to incinerate a god, with full control and confidence, and not merely wag your tongue, I'll be interested to know.

1/2

[daydreamshimmer]

...

[She gives him a thunderous look.]

[daydreamshimmer]

[Then]

[It goes to something neutral]

Then better give me a reason to waste my time on you.

Because I don't appreciate being insulted or goaded. You want help, you ask.

Otherwise I have personal projects to work with.

Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

Because you won't be helping me. If this god gains power here it will rape, maim, murder, dominate, subjugate, consume, and destroy all things in its path.

You fight malice, here, yes? This creature is malice made manifest. It has no end to its appetite, it does not sleep, it does not tire, it cannot be sated. It heals itself faster than normal mortals can wound it, and it is a god.

It isn't me you would be helping so much as yourself and everyone here. So if you have only empty confidence I'll ask elsewhere.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

[She stares at him, her face still neutral, calm. Biting back the instinctive reaction at the idea of MURDER. It's such a foreign concept. Those of the space species killing others, though she supposes a god isn't.]

[But she's been hearing plenty of horrifying concepts since she got here, that she's more ready to control her reaction.]

[She moves over to him, sitting in front of him, but holding up her hoof.]

Then tell me everything you know about this thing. You want help, take my hoof. Otherwise I'll assume this is more goading to mess with me because the insults just makes me doubt you.

[Because it's a lot easier to cut through the bullshit with intense telepathy/empathy/memory reading.]

[Because this is totally a good way to use your part of a fundamental force of your world, RIGHT?]

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

[He raises an eyebrow but, fine. He takes her hoof, dubiously.

How deep is she going?]

I have told you everything relevant.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

[Unfortunately, she has little control. On the upside, being fueled by a fundamental force of her world, it's a very intuitive and efficient power. The downside, it's also extremely powerful and she can't truly control how deep it goes. Trying to put the brakes on something that can gain several minutes of solid memories in less than a second is hard.]

[She wants to understand all she can about what this thing is. What is can do, what it definitely can't do, any weaknesses, what summons it or imprisons it, basically any information that might affect a confrontation with the thing. And being a harmony power, it'll naturally go to whatever solution would be least chaotic if such an answer was there.]

[So really, how deep she goes probably depends on if she hits a wall for whatever reason happens, or it's gone long enough for her to react in the probable horror about to follow.]

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

[There's base knowledge: it is an old god sealed by one of his ancestors, among others. It is what he said, a great serpent named Orochi that is made of the malice of man, with no end to its destructive impulses. It is a renewing god. Each time it's sealed it will be reborn. Magic of his clan can seal it, with help. The host, however, must die. The host, also, will always be of one of the bloodlines that originally sealed it.

The host, this time, is Sousei himself.

There are surface... feelings. Mostly he's a calm, analytical person but he's not emotionless. He feels deeply. There's anger and frustration and helplessness and rage and pain and dry humor right now. Loneliness and affection, even love somewhat distant, but recent. Pride, confidence, a small measure of desperation. There's recognition and fury, because he's no two penny sorceror, he understands what's happening with her absorbing his memories and knowledge but it's all too fast. Sousei's soul, for all he's an asshole, feels quite pure, except...

There's another mind inside his. Another soul in his body. It's powerful, old, and evil. It feels like death and hatred. It corrodes Sousei from the inside out. Like ink in clear water.

It's a slimy, slithery, disgusting feeling, brushing up against it so... personally... is probably up there in exceptionally creepy, violating feelings, and all it feels is hunger and hatred. But it is intelligent and it is watching.

The memories are fragmented. Blood. Bodies. Fields of the dead. Cloudy skies. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses.

The mind reaches for Flare, mentally attempting.... something. To bite? That's almost the impression though.]

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

[It is a lot. She expected it, she's looking for whatever information is relevant, truly relevant, and really, being the host is VERY relevant, but her mind is taking in the memories, she's already in a haze, eyes white out, letting things largely play out.]

[Until there's another soul and its then her Element trips up, responding to another presence, giving Solar a touch more chance to respond, and there's dread at something like this, this was really relevant, but there's also pity and outrage because what was this solution-]

[But the darker memories start.]

[The first of Solar's feeling that truly leak though. Because there is something hungry, something that hates, all it wants is control and power, the scars of corrupted magic that have started to fester the past few days, that responds to its own kind. A ghost of claws on Sousei's wrist-]

[Solar has anger and resentment, but she's not a monster and someone is suffering, someone is doomed to a fate they can't escape alone, people are dying dying dying, the danger needs to stop-]

["Do you trust me?"
"Of course."]

[Trust and belief freely, no question to her intention.]

[The second of Solar's feelings that leak through. Determination to save even it takes something unorthodox, and the dark presence of her own mind suddenly vanishes as color and faith spring up as a wall between her and the biting presence and its something pure and warm, a stark contrast to the clawing darkness.]

[She jerks away and in a flash of color, the sun of her hairclip turns red and she's human. In a Senna dress, no shoes, stumbling back on her feet.]

[But she's not just human. Her ears are pony ears, hair extra long to form a tail, a mask of red over her eyes, sparkles in the air around her, and flickering at her back are wings made of light. They lack substance, flickering like a lightbulb about to go, but there for the moment.]

[And then she hits her knees and proceeds to throw up.]

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

[So the horse is a girl or the girl is a horse but Sousei isn't pondering that right now. He's raising his hand to his eyes, taking a breath.

That should not have been possible. He may favor the martial but he's not some untried child. Invasion of his mind should have been blocked well before she even scratched the surface. Let alone delved... far enough to encounter the Orochi. Even if, these days, that's hardly far at all.

And for all she looks wretched she shouldn't have gotten away unscathed, yet she seems to have. Are its powers as stripped as his own seem to be?

That, that's worth thinking about.

He gathers his composure, those lightning fast thoughts come and gone in a blink.]

Invading another's mind is, one could say, a violation of all magical ethics. However it was expedient, I suppose. Since I learned something valuable I'll let it go.

Since you're still alive and not a thrall you should count yourself lucky.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

Yeah, usually is. But.... [shuddering breath and coughs a bit more.] I can't really shut it off. Not even sure how it goes on. Wanting to know about a problem seems to be a trigger with contact, but not an alwatys thing.

[More deep breathes.] Mind reading spells are difficult to cast and dang near impossible to get something useful if the person isn't trying to share something.

[Leaning back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, looking herself over.] Whatever I do is highly abnormal. But its efficient. And either you were wasting my time by messing with me, but you were going to leave important stuff out since you can't even ask for help in a straight forward way.

And you left out a heck of a lot of relevant...de....tails....

[Excuse her, staring at the flickering wings.]

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

I told you everything you needed to know.

[He flips a hand dismissively.].

Your excuses aside you at least revealed something interesting. Perhaps I won't need you.

[He doesn't know that the wings aren't normal and even if he fish he's too annoyed to pause and ask.]

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

Ability to be reborn is stupidly important for any confrontation and reborn is different than an accelerated healing factor.

Fighting a Hydra is different from fighting a Phoenix, to put it into perspective the difference.

And that's not going into the personal stuff you didn't want to say even though literally all of that is important information for looking for a permanent solution.

[Said all that with a slightly distracted tone.]

I can match a god. [Staring at her wings that are fading out now.] Temporarily, at least.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

There's no one for it to be reborn in here. And it would take hundreds of years in any case.

You are a plan C, not my main solution. But it's a fool who doesn't look for contingency plans.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

Yes, because the fact people like to show up randomly every couple of days totally means that no one who it could be reborn into could show up, and the fact there's an intermingling of magic systems totally means nothing unexpected will happen.

At all.

Clearly.

[Going to just sit back on the ground because guh. GUH.]

And what are plans A and B, since contingency plans only WORK if they're ready to go if they fail.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

I am plan A. Plan B is to be decided. I have yet to understand the full range of options here. Annhiliation is the last resort. I personally prefer living. Any idiot can go die, and idiots frequently do.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

Your plan was for me to kill you with it?!

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

In the case in which you would be needed, I assure you that whatever is "me" would already be dead.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

How many times can you honestly bury the lead?!

[Throws up her hands in the air.]

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

That is why you are the last resort. And yet it would be remiss not to prepare for the last first.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[daydreamshimmer]

I can get that, but you kind of have to tell me.

Humans are a lot more naturally aggressive than ponies. Ponies killing other ponies is exceedingly rare. Killing an ancient evil is one thing, killing an innocent person in the crossfire is another. Heck, I'd have said no before seeing it!

[She sighs, rubbing at her face.] But it's hard to say no after seeing it.

Re: Cw mentions of bad things

[comingstorm]

Then there you have it. If it comes down to it, kill the thing. But only if it's the last resort.

Its powers seem as defunct as my own right now, however. Like this it should be nearly powerless and you, unneeded.

Your invasion of privacy was at least that helpful.