Achronum

The Shattering of Aegis

The Snakeburrow Woods

_{16th of the Full Autumn Moon, 1698 P.A.
Midday - Overcast skies}

Esvelee leapt for the reins as the horse regained its autonomy, the cart jolting forward as the frightened animal fled the scent of blood and fire. Cerric flew sideways as Esvelee shouldered roughly past him and before he could regain his balance, the cart hit a rough spot and he slid right off, blinking up at the foliage as he lay sprawled on the ground. He was silent for a moment while he processed his sudden change of perspective, but laughter bubbled out soon enough. "Dear gods, what fun!" Cerric cackled as he shoved himself into a sitting position. He peered ahead down the trail, nodding as he saw the cart slowing just around the next bend.

Meanwhile, the combined efforts of Ermes and Ceolfric managed to separate the wolf's head from it's body, where it slumped with a foul stench and black ichor seeping out of the wound.

"Well, evil necromancer or not, our ward has escaped our sphere of protection so make what recoveries you need, but do not dally. I will head onwards in the meantime!" Cerric announced as he stood and dusted himself off. One of his waterskins became unstoppered and spilled, but with a word and a gesture, the water slid back into the container clean and clear. He hummed to himself as he headed down the path, thumbing the corks on his waterskins.

Around the group the bushes rustled as the wind picked up but other than the lingering stench of burnt flesh and sodden cloth, nothing new leapt out at them.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: The Field (School Carnival)
Skills: N/A
First Day Fit

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Danni squinted suspiciously at Sabine as she spouted some weird shit that felt like it meant nothing, but also vaguely intentional. "All right, keep your secrets." Danni replied, sticking his tongue out with a silly smile. There was something icky in his chest that he couldn't really place, but it felt like it was hard to breathe around, even if he was breathing fine. He couldn't place it, so when April appeared back from the tent, he bounced eagerly as he quite literally fled from the feeling. He threaded his arm through hers, tucking the egg bundle under his arm, and blanched at the suggestion of books from all sides.

"Or, or… we could do t'at later, and just 'ave fun friends times before our taskmasters, I mean professors, get it into t'eir 'eads t'at we're all work and no play." Danni whined, wanting to stave off responsibilities as long as possible. "Like yeah, I want ta be a hero and save people and better t'e world and stuff, but I also just want ta set a paper ball on fire and t'row it as far as possible before it burns up wit'out someone yellin' at me for "possibly burnin' t'e whole school down" and "t'at could get you expelled if you don't shape up", you know?"

"Oh, but Princess, you should see t'is super cool t'in' Mads can do wit' her cards! She pulled one and pop money came out! It disappeared after it 'it t'e ground, but it still made somet'in'! It was fun! She promised readin's for everyone later!" Danni explained cheerfully, making sure she got thoroughly caught up on the excitement before turning his attention to the newcomers. He tilted his head as he skimmed over Leah, showing off some fancy rocks. The urge to show off his dragon egg was real, but Danni was dutifully distracted by the stranger in their midst. He gave her a slow look over, one eyebrow up as he did. The whole black monotone, silver biker stud jacket, tennis shoes, the whole nine yards…

"Oh bless your 'eart, but who let t'e aughts out of t'e closet? Gods, you look down right dated sweet'eart. T'e potential, magnificent. But t'e execution? Dreadful." Danni tutted, going to dramatically whip his glasses off only to realize both his hands were occupied. He looked from the jacket bundled egg to April's hand, to the egg again, and gave up on the flair as Mai brought another newbie in tow and then bounced into Aggie's tent. Danni barely registered Mai, entirely focused on the tragedy in front of him. "'ave you considered accessorizing? The whole got' t'in' can be salvaged, but you need somet'in', anyt'in' to liven t'ings up a little." Danni considered the idea, tapping his chin with the back of April's hand as he thought.

"Oh, 'ave you considered green? Red wouldn't be bad eit'er, fair skin and all, but frankly, t'at's Snow W'ite vibes and it's overdone. You know, let's get like a nice, emerald sash for your waist, but ta keep the angsty-one-in-baby's first-ship vibe, we get a vintage one from like, I don't know, 2023 t'at was washed badly a few too many times before gettin' saved by t'e textile gods. Do a tie just in front of t'e 'ip, let it dangle, give some illusion of leg and poof, immediately turn t'is ensemble reasonable. And t'at's t'e Danni touch!" He beamed, then continued. "T'ough, somet'ing shiny on t'e wrist might be nice too. Maybe somet'in' to tie you to her outfit?" Dannie waved at the girl that slid in with Mai. "Love t'e sleeves, btw."

"Oh! You asked a question. Uh, yes 'ello! I am t'e lovable Danni , t'is is t'e perfect Princess, t'e handsome Dee, t'e immaculate Beanie, and t'e magical Mads!" Danny gestured at each person, failing to consider that nicknames may be more confusing in the long run. "'aven't see y'all 'ere before! Are y'all freshies? You'll be t'e first decent freshies today!"

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 60% - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Mild Damage - Engines: Full Power - Life Support System: Oxygen Recycling at 90% - Sensors: Online

"If I get a gray 'air because of you, you're buyin' me 'air dye 'til I find myself on t'e wrong end of an Imperial blaster." Danni grumbled, the rising panic starting to fade away as everyone was, for the most part, back together. Danni wasn't against Dee fucking around in space - his little hauntling could just go ghost and be just fine - but that was in wide open spaces where Danni could just hit reverse or pull a u-turn and scoop him right back up. If Dee got stranded out here, he was basically on his own. "So… we uh… just goin' ta let t'at corpse vibe in t'e little ship now, or we got a way ta drop it before we jump after t'is bit of a rocky ride?"

Danni carefully pushed the ship forward, keeping an eye on his surroundings with their new cargo. The Belt had mostly stopped shifting, just the few odd rocks still shifting, but it was manageable. Danni wove through larger openings that before, slowing them down but preserving Dee's haul in the process. It seemed like the rest would be smooth sailing, a few hard turns and spirals to make them fit, but Danni was forced to wait for just a moment while things moved, and it was a moment too long.

Beyond his view, showing on a sensor he wasn't paying perfect attention to, an asteroid the size of the ship came hurling beside the ship, impact likely leaving them entirely stranded considering how damaged their shields were.. With the way around them still shifting to create an opening, Danni couldn't avoid it even if he'd noticed it!

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 55% - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Mild Damage
Engines: Full Power - Life Support System: Oxygen Recycling at 90% - Sensors: Online

"You know, wonderin' why th'e fuck our favorite grease monkey hates us right now!" Danni responded to April with a heavy dose of fake cheer. Danni loved Dee, they'd been in each other's lives since they were literal babies, but when he pulled shit like this, it made Danni feel like Dee cared more about his toys than them. Like yes, maintaining the Excelsior was important, but a huge amount of this damage could have been avoided if they'd just left. They were flying through this just fine before the Ravagers, and they could have already been partially fused or whatever it was and been on their way out. Instead, there was a crack in the gunnery, the life support system was damaged, the shields were in bad shape, and Dorian couldn't find it in himself to abandon the shit that nearly killed them in the name of repair materials. Dee was always complaining about preventative maintenance, why couldn't he see stalling in this damn field was a horrible way to prevent anything?

Danni sighed as Dee narrated his series of unfortunate events. Since he seemed… determined, and April was able to get a way cleared, Danni decided to help Dee out a little. The longer they were in here, the worse shit got. Danni threw the thrusters into reverse, whipping the ship backwards as he hit his turn a little too hard and bounced one of the few rocks still clearing the area. Thankfully, the shields were able to absorb all of it, flashing a warning at him that he promptly ignored.

"Okay, we're 'eading ta you, Dee." Danni sighed, savoring how easily the ship moved through the cleared space and settling just above it. "All you 'ave ta do is activate t'e mag-grip and you should be all good ta board after you kill t'e bastard you're in and t'en we'll be on our way."

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 70% - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Mild Damage - Engines: Full Power - Life Support System: Oxygen Recycling at 90% - Sensors: Online

See, Danni had a number of sins tucked neatly under his belt. He knew he acquired his Papa's fondness for a drink over a decade and a half of murder and mayhem (thankfully, he had two amazing partners that didn't let him get anywhere as wild as the stories Pops and Papa used to tell him), he could get lazy when they were in between jobs and even sometimes when they were on one, he liked to chat with everyone and maybe sorta accidently spilled some secrets when the conversation just got too good. He knew that. Everyone had flaws, everyone had issues post Nemo jump- their friends scattering or dying, their parents obliterated in a beam of unholy light or whatever happened. It left a weight on your soul that you couldn't very well just therapy away. But Danni was rarely mad. Stressed, sure. Depressed, check. But truly and honestly angry? Nah, he'd rather just joke about it until he could nurse the bottom of a bottle in the next shifty space port they hit.

But with the shields taking a beating, every indicator screaming something at him, the asteroid field whirling around him like a miles high meat pulverized, April admitting to making a hard journey near damn impossible (fair, it was an accident, Danni was just stressed), and Dee insisting on getting a barely functional hunk of junk out of one of the most difficult fucking runs in this solar system, even Danni reached his limit. "Dorian Stephen Gray." Danni seethed over the comms, trying to turn the Excelsior around to get back to the dead Ravagers ship. "If you do not get your sorry ass back into t'is-" He bit his tongue as he jerked in his seat, another asteroid coming out of nowhere to hit them hard. Another light started flashing, warning of panel damage above the life support systems. Danni tried to get their spiraling back under control, but before he could even get his hands back on the throttle, they hot another object. It felt like a chunk of metal, and the life support system monitor started blinking too, showing something inside had jostled hard enough to damage their oxygen recycling system.

"Dorian, get t'e fuckin' nav data, and we'll sell it off on Titan for repairs. I get it, you want ta take care of t'e ship, but t'e longer we're in 'ere, t'e more damage we're takin' and I literally cannot drive t'at 'unk of junk and us out safely." Danni bit out. Thankfully, it seemed the asteroid field was settling, the hunks of rock and ice settling a little. "We need you 'ere, now. Our life support is startin' ta fail." He could feel the frustrated tears start prickling at the edges of his eyes, but he wiped them away as he tried to keep the ship in a safe position for Dorian to come back. "'ow you 'olding up back t'ere, Princess?"

Meanwhile, the chunk of metal that the ship hit was about the size of a car and impacted directly into the Gunnery window after bouncing off one of the turrets. Some spider webbing had formed on the outer layer of glass, but thankfully it looked like it shouldn't get any worse… as long as nothing large hit it again.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: The Field (School Carnival)
Skills: N/A
First Day Fit

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Danni blinked at Maddie as she offered suggestions, face scrunching up in confusion. "Game of T'rones, 'ouse of Dragons? Are t'ose like, video games or somet'in'? Sounds like we have t'e same idea t'ough. A little warm t'in'y for t'e baby." Danni cooed at the bundle in his hands. He held it a little closer, rocking it happily. "And you t'ink t'e Nemo guy who lies about bein' a fish is goin' to 'ave answers, Dee? I guess it's wort' a shot, but it sounds… fishy." Danni giggled at his own joke. Sure, he panicked at first, but the longer he held a dragon egg, the more excitement replaced panic. He beamed at Sabine, who immediately soothed his concerns about narc teachers. "Oh, t'ats true! Technically, she was a professor 'ere, so anyt'in' she gives me is school approved, right? You're so smart, Beanie! Once April comes back and t'e birt'day boy decides on t'e flow of t'e day, we'll go see t'e ot'er clubs!" He attempted to pat her arm in a comforting manner with his elbow.

Danni sent a kiss after April as she promised to get some more info on dragon handling, frowning as he marched through Dee's reasoning. "But I don't want ta be grounded! I just want ta enjoy 'avin' a dragon, and bein' a 'ero! It's not fair t'at I'm gettin' grounded for it." Danni pouted. He wasn't giving up his new baby for anything, he just didn't see why he couldn't talk his way out if being grounded! He had a whole technique that usually worked, unless Pops was really upset and Danni learned to give up when the cold, sharp voice came out instead of just the disappointed looks. Why was a thing he got from a professor making that happen?! Ugh, he was working himself back up, so instead he leaned back on Dee.

"Actually, t'at's a good point, Beanie. Did everyone practice all summer for t'eir audtions? Should we do a last run just ta 'ave anot'er set of eyes on it? Or should we just do t'at tomorrow?" Danni wondered, nerves that the events of the day pushed aside returning in full force. "Like, originally I was just goin' ta do explosions cause who doesn't like explosions? And just like do some dancin', but t'en Pops got involved and it got prettier but God it's complicated because t'e judges might care an itty, bitty, tiny bit about control. So, you know Dee, if you get put on t'e worst team, I'll probably be right t'ere wit' you!" Danni was suddenly not nervous anymore. If Dee thought he was going to be on the worst team, Danni was definitely going to be on the worst team, and then it would be the best team because they would be together! Hopefully, April would be with them too, because even then the Young Avengers wouldn't stand a chance.

Danni eyed Maddie's cards, an idea popping into his head about his sticky situation. "Ooooh, Maddie I want anot'er reading later! Maybe you can tell me 'ow ta not get grounded because of my baby!" It was a brilliant idea! It must be so useful to be able to read the future! Maxie tried to explain these things once, but it was boring and it went in one ear and out the other. And speaking of cards…

He bounded back to Sabine, getting real close to whisper in her ear. "So, you and Princess, 'uh? Is t'is like… a real thin'? A gunna be t'ing? Danni asked, something dark and nasty in his chest. He ignored that, though. He was definitely just doing this to make sure Sabine wasn't just messing with April. April was a little… fragile and although he knows he can be a little airheaded when it comes to other people's emotional states, he had to make sure he and Dee were ready to catch her if she fell. And if he had to do a little snooping, and more a little later, then he would. He wouldn't be a good friend if he didn't!

The Shattering of Aegis

The Snakeburrow Woods

_{16th of the Full Autumn Moon, 1698 P.A.
Midday - Overcast skies}

Amidst the stench of fetid corpses and blood, the blazing pyre that was once a wolf stood out starkly in its foulness. The stench of boiling flesh, burning fur, tar, and rancid ichor filled the area in a thick black haze from the immolated remains of the wolf attacking Liliann, making Esvelee gag and cough, fighting back the urge to vomit. The horse quivered against Ceolfirc’s command at the putrid smell, the overwhelming panic and its base survival instincts eating away at the mercenary’s control.

Liliann’s quick thinking saw the wolf and cloak fly off Kyreth and hit the ground next to him; unfortunately, with so much behind the command, it kept going down off the road, into the brush. Thankfully, recent rain kept the area from catching immediately, but lighter smoke began to curl up from around the flaming remains and leaves around the bushes slowly curled inwards, green leaving for brown along the tips. Thankfully, the Tainted duo came out with only some injuries: Kyreth’s hands and a splotch on his cheek were red and white, blisters already forming from the heat, and the front of his clothes were blacker than they had been moments ago. Liliann got away with little more than some reddening on her hand, just stinging from the exposure.

“Bubble.” Cerric swished his wrist and a small orb of water popped up above the flames, no larger than a marble. The water in it whirled aggressively as it expanded, growing larger and larger until it was the size of the carriage, the ashy remains of the cloak and wolf caught in the whirlpool. With another flick and a word, the bubble popped and water rushed away from the carriage, taking the victims of Kyreth’s poor control deeper into the forest. He still hadn’t moved from the wagon, but he’d turned his attention away to their last remaining ambusher.

The wolf scrambled as it hit the ground, still pawing at the thing wrapped around it’s snout. It took barely a second though, for it to climb back to its feet and evaluate the two in front of it. One was ready, body language poised for a fight. The other…

Eila was distracted.

It lunged again, claws catching Eila deep in the calf and slashing around towards the shin. It’s depth perception left it off balance and it stumbled after the attack, stumbling past Eila and slamming heavily into the cart, Esvelee grabbing the sides as she jostled. “The cargo is delicate! Keep these bastards away from the cart!” The wolf steadied itself and readied to lunge at Eila again.

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 80% power - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Online

Engines: Online - Life Support System: Online - Sensors: Online

The Scrapper droids, unbothered by the conflicts happening around them, continued to attack their shields. The one bot got its laser cutter working and scanned for the weakest portion of shielding nearby before starting. The other managed to pierce a hole in the shield and the outer layer of the ship's paneling began to melt. Danni chewed his lip nervously as Dee disappeared. He agreed the Ravagers wouldn't put them in a escape pod- they were going to slit their throats and leave their corpses in the rubble.

However, this issue suddenly took a back burner as the entire landscape of the Belt began to move. April's first ice chunk slammed into a number of rocks on the way, causing this section of the Belt to suddenly come alive. Rocks smashed into each other, pulverizing broken dreams and hopes further, bouncing off each other at weird slants and angles. "Oh fucking sons of a b-" Danni screamed, both hands on the grips as he tried to navigate this changing hellscape.

It was a rock from the right that did them in. With his sensors down, he'd been 99.9% certain he cleared that area but he was quickly corrected when they was thrown violently right and the ship started spinning out of control. "What t'e fuck?! What are these jackasses doin'?! Are they controllin' t'e asteroids? Are t'ey mutants or somet'in', cause t'at's our shtick!" Something had cracked in his neck as he was tossed around in his chair like a ragdoll, but Danni didn't give a shit about the awkward pain in his neck now. He grabbed the steering grip, toggled all engine power into the left thruster, and hit it as hard as he could to get them under control. As he did, they barely skimmed the surface of another ice chuck, the shields taking all the impact for the ship.

The bots were not so lucky, a few sad beeps between them as they were crushed on the unforgiving icy surface.

Behind them, the Ravager ship wasn't nearly as lucky. The shifting rock garden sent a nasty jagged piece straight through one of their thrusters and took out one of their laser turrets, the ship sparking and the lights inside flickering ominously. Already loaded, the missiles shot out at The Excelsior, but swung high, disappearing into the expansive void of space. They tried to back out of the chase, but another rock crashed into them, leaving the ship hurtling further down and away from the Excelsior. It seemed to be on its last legs.

Danni nearly cried with joy as their sensors came back online. "April, finish t'ose assholes, babes! And do we know where Dee went? Did he go try for repairs with t'ose bots fuckin' with t'e 'ull?"

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

Four of the six scrapper bots blew into smithereens, the remaining two managing to duck, twist, and spin their way past April's shots, using the scrap and rock as effective shields until they slammed into the ship, their protective casting retracting and their spindly legs sectioning to the side of the ship. When they weren't carving your life support systems into shambles, one could consider the little bots cute- as large as a Terran's head with four legs, a bulky body, one large visual sensor, and two arms, each equipped with powerful pincers and a laser cutter. They bots immediately got to work, lasers firing up and pressing at the translucent shields. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be in great condition, and one of the pairs of energy cutters flickered out. The bot shook its little hands in an attempt to reignite them, to no avail.

In the cockpit, Danni wasn't fully panicking, but he wasn't as cool as a cucumber either. "Ravagers?!?! T'ey're not supposed ta be in t'is system." Danni swore as he swung wide around another ice chunk and then spun to avoid two broken ships, the frozen bodies of their crews still hanging out of them. A warning alarm sounded from the dashboard as he suffered a familiar full body shiver as Dee extracted himself. "What t'e fuck! What's eatin' at our shields? We haven't even brushed an asteroid! Did any of t'em 'it t'e ship 'cause our shields are takin' a beatin' 'ere and I'm still flyin' blind on t'e sides!"

The trio's problems didn't stop there. Two volleys of energy bolts flew past them as Danni inadvertently dodged, the cloaking of the Ravager m-ship vanishing as they focused on taking down their next haul. Two aliens whooped and hollered in their ship, priming a volley of high velocity missiles next. Another indicator flashed on the dashboard. Their attackers were trying to contact them.

"W'at is goin' on? T'is was just supposed ta be fun flyin' t'rough t'e Belt, not an assault on our lives! T'e only t'in' assaulting us was supposed ta be our stupidity!" Danni whined as Dee started working on the scanners. Despite the dangers and the laser volleys around them, he couldn't help himself from reaching out and rustling one of his platonic soulmates' hair. He'd do the same to his other's but they were busy with guns and defending the ship. He flipped the comms on.

"'eeeey t'ere! What's goin' on, 'ot stuff?" Danni asked cheerily.

"We're going' to keept'his short, shit stains." The universal translator stuttered on the last part. Not an exact translation, but close enough for Danni to be mildly offended. He took good care of himself, thank you! "You cut your engines, we'll reel you in, we take your ship, your credits, yadda yadda yadda, and then we send you back to Arakko in your escape pod. You don't and we blow your ship to pieces, leave you for dead, and take anything worth some credits." The Ravager's demands echoed through the entire ship.

Danni frowned at the options. "But I like our ship! 'ow would you feel if we tried to jack your ship? You'd be kinda-" Danni grunted as he dodged another rock. "You'd be kinda pissed right? 'ow 'bout instead, you let us go and we don't send a message to t'e Val'Shan t'at you're 'iding out in the Belt, attacking t'eir favorite bounty 'unters!" Was Danni particular threatening when he didn't have a curtain of fire around him? No. Was he going to try anyways? Apparently.

All that earned him was a round of raucous laughter.

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

Danni reversed the engines until they drifted still, a towering wall of rock and ice chunks in front them. Periodically, bits of metal glinted from better them- a graveyard of the less fortunate, or skilled depending how you looked at it, warning anyone away who might have tried it. With the plan in motion, places had been taken and Danni basked in the familiar feeling of Dee huddled in his… mind? Soul? Somewhere in him as he switched on the intercom.

"Whelp, I was 'opin' 'ere was a Kirkwood gap but looks like we aren't 'at lucky. Still, this'll be fun!" Danni giggled over the intercom to April. It was definitely going to be an experience and even if they did get there late, Danni wasn't going to be upset if they missed the fifteen million. Dee suggested an insane ship trip and that was a treat in and of itself! Of course, he wouldn't ever say that to the other two- they might actually kill someone if they missed the fifteen million and Danni didn't think any amount of cuddle piles would save him from the disappointment.

"Buckle in, babes! It's goin' to be a rocky ride!" Danni let out a little whoop as he slammed the thrusters as high as they could go, thrown back into his seat with the intensity. A more cautious pilot would have eased their way into the Belt, but caution and The Thriumvirate never mixed well. Danni felt the scream of the engines in his blood as the hurtled into the Belt, and couldn't hold back the thrilled laughter as he wove between the massive rock and ice structures capable of pulverized their space home into nothing but space dust.

Despite how difficult the task, The Excelsior and its crew were handling it as perfectly as anyone could. With with Dorian's senses cast far out beyond what could be immediately seen, Danni was weaving, bobing, and pulling loops around every hazard and was already ready for the next one. April was all over the smaller ones Danni couldn't afford to weave around, expert aim blasting them into fine dust that the ship's shields weren't bothered by. Despite the herculean task ahead of them, the three were perfectly suited to the job.

Then, The Excelsior's scanners went dark.

Danni frowned and tapped at the little screen, but shrugged. "Hey, Dee, I don't know if you want ta come out, but t'e space scanners are down. Can't really tell anyt'in' going on on the sides of t'e ship." Danni whistled happily as he skimmed the surface of an ice cluster twice the size of their ship. It was so fucking pretty, all sorts of shades of green and blue, that Danni kinda wanted a piece. "But I t'ink we're okay if you want ta wait. Might just be some wierd feedback from all the asteroids and metal floatin' around, t'ough. What you guys t'ink?"

Barely registering even in Dorian's extended senses, six small metal spheres launched off the surface of a rock the size of the moon, heading directly for The Excelsior.