GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"You know the constellations huh? They're really neat," Ethan commented, smiling as Amuné pointed out one after another. How many hours had he spent doing this, gazing up at the night sky? Some nights the stars had been his only companions, and in some ways it meant the Saints were as well. As if those clusters of stars were the actual Saints themselves. Chuckling ruefully beneath his breath the Muran closed his eyes for a moment, realizing how sorry that was to say. He had company now to be sure, but he'd traveled for a long while with nothing at his side but himself and nature. It was nice in a way and yet terrible in others, he hadn't realized how long he'd missed having a companion. Nice as these lot might be too they couldn't replace his friend, and thus a pang of loneliness still persisted.

When asked about a particular story Ethan could only shake his head in reply. He'd never heard of such a tale, which was surprising really. Much of his youth was spent sitting around the bonfires in Kinsgrove listening to some of the older villagers retell tales, often spinning wondrous songs from the familiar stories. It was surprising then there was one he didn't know, maybe it was Ydran. He'd love to hear it if not tonight, which judging by Amuné's tired expression and yawn would be the case. His smile faltered as she turned and gave him permission to be more open, his eyes locking on the stars above. Was it that obvious he was keeping something from her? If Amuné could figure it out then the others must have to. It was never his desire to deceive anyone but he didn't feel comfortable sharing his own plight. That wasn't right, he had no problem sharing. So why hadn't he?

---

Dew glistened like small crystals on the blades of grass as Ethan's eyes finally fluttered open. Still early in the day he noted, judging by how the area was baked in a soft glow. A bit cooler than when they had gone to sleep, attested to by the goosebumps littering his arms. Shivering slightly Ethan sat up on his sleeping roll, rubbing at his arms as he blinked exhaustion from his eyes. Amuné was still out which mean he had time to get out and stretch a bit before he'd have to prepare a meal. Grabbing his coat he shifted it over to tuck her beneath it, giving her a small pat on the head before exiting the tent. First things first... He really needed to relieve himself!

Nymira was still out too from the looks of it which was surprising: the Dimuran was almost always up even before him. Crossing the road he went into the woods on the opposite end, finding a tree to hide behind and take care of what he needed to do. After yesterday's events he still felt sore and his body a bit heavy, nothing that a good meal and some relaxation wouldn't cure. They could sit around a little longer this morning too if need be, he wouldn't mind too terribly much. While everyone did have an agenda to see to they had been making considerable progress as of late, traveling in just three days what he'd covered in over a week on his own. There was just so much going on as of late and usually he did the minimal amount of work to get by, it was exhausting frankly.

"But... We're getting there, it's worth the effort," Ethan mused aloud, smiling as he finished up. With nothing on hand to wash he squatted down and ran his hands over the damp grass, using his pants to dry them off afterwards. While he was out here he should probably look into finding something as well, preferring to save what Geoffrey had brought for when they were on the road again. What was out here anyways? Rabbits probably, though those were difficult to trap. Squirrels probably as well though they had the same problem. If he really wanted to he could use magic to stun and kill a bird, albeit it took a couple to have any semblance of a filling meal. Scratching at his head in thought he mulled it over, thinking perhaps it was easiest to find some water and try getting fish.

Or... Perhaps a meal was running to him now. Hearing the unmistakable crunch of leaves Ethan's interest was piqued, turning to look over his shoulder in the direction of the sound. Oh, there was Cecil, he could help hunt! Smiling at his friend he gave a wave in greeting, raising an eyebrow at the panicked expression on the Machina's face. Tilting his head to the side he felt a draft down below as well, glancing down to see his pants still unfastened and lowered. Growing red in the face he held out a hand to signal Cecil to stop as he fought with his pants, managing to get them up just in time as he was barreled over, the two boys crashing to the ground. The collision wasn't that bad, but finding a knee driven between his legs left Ethan squeaking like a duckling, his eyes rolled up and his face a bit paler for it. Well this was one way to start a day.

"H... Hi... Cecil..." he managed out, forcing a smile as he lifted his head. "What's... Going on?" Why was he in such a rush? Blinking when he was freed from the weight Ethan gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position, one hand now defensively covering himself as he looked back through the trees. Was that... A wolf? No, wolves didn't usually glow did they? Oh gosh, there were three of them? Reaching down to his hip for his sword he frowned when his fingers grasped at air, remembering he'd lost it the day before. Scrambling to his feet he ignored the throbbing pain as he and Cecil ran out of the woods together, those strange hounds hot on their heels. "Nope, nope, nope! It's too early for this!"

What was all that shouting for? Didn't those imbeciles know how early it was? Grumbling incoherently Nymira lifted her head up and glanced around, puzzled to see Cecil and Ethan sprinting back towards camp, a look of terror on the former's face. "What are you..." she began, pausing when she saw three black figures dart out from the trees. Puzzled she gave her eyes a rub just to see if she was still asleep, annoyed to find she was indeed awake, and they were indeed under attack by... Whatever those were. Never a moment's respite with these people. Grabbing her cloak she retrieved her daggers from the folds, watching as Ethan darted past her and went for the cart, "What are you doing you idiot? Help me fight them!"

"Getting something to fight with, give me a sec!" Ethan retorted, sifting through everything they had in search of a weapon. He'd take anything, a knife, a club, anything. After a panicked search all he managed to come up with was a loose timber from the cart, a fairly thin and unassuming strip of wood that was probably going to break on its first use. Rushing back to Nymira's side he smiled apologetically, taking a moment to adjust his trousers and let out a wince. "Uh... Morning by the way."

Nymira narrowed her eyes at Ethan's greeting, shaking her head and then refocusing on the three hounds. They had since stopped barreling after them and now stood a few meters off, snarling as they lowered themselves threateningly. They weren't your typical wolves, with some kind of glowing liquid dripping from their jowls. It almost looked like molten steel of a forge, and the grass burning beneath them might suggest as much. But what wolves had that coming out of their mouths? "You idiots... Wake me up with a meal next time, will you?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

I'm going to go ahead and post, it's just been a bit too long for my liking without much progress. We'll get you an opening again ASAP Rumple and Chukkle :)

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Was Viral dead? Was he okay? Whatever his condition was that creature had tried to hurt him, it had tried to kill him. Yumi felt unusually livid at that revelation and turned back to the creature with a burning fury unlike herself, eyes fixated on the monster. It even seemed smug at what it had done, she'd tear it to shreds for that. Shouting at the creature she created a concussive wave, the scream near inaudible yet quite high frequency, causing the water to part as it collided with the beast. In the blink of an eye Yumi had taken off from where she was, water rising up in her wake as she slashed at the monster, cutting away pieces of it in the process. Sliding along the ground she lowered herself on all fours, her upper lip curling back as she snarled furiously. Feeling the ground beneath her shift she darted to one side to avoid a spike that surged up, dashing again and again to dodge them. All while evading the attacks she dove in further and further after the creature, getting close enough to let out another howl before charging in, trying to pounce on top of it and maul it.

Well this was slightly unexpected. Up until now Yumi's change hadn't yielded anything of significance, save for some heightened senses. Aito was almost beginning to believe she'd not gained anything out of the experiment and perhaps she truly was still her old self. Yet the child he remembered never went on a blind fury like this, and she certainly didn't have the ability to part water with her voice. It was highly unusual and worrisome, was she unstable as well? Trying to push himself up the doctor found his arms shaking beneath his weight, only able to drag himself. The purification, he could see to that now! At the very least he'd stem the creature's spread here and let Yumi handle the situation. With luck Viral was okay from that fall, he should be hardy enough to survive without much damage. Pulling himself with some exertion Aito began moving across the ground, trying to get back to the machine to finish his part.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

If they continued pressing the attack then the creature couldn't fight back, that was how they would win. Keep up the pressure, give it no openings, sooner or later it would leave itself open and they could land a decisive blow. While a sound plan on paper it wasn't a guaranteed succes, and doubtless there would be bumps. All the same it was all Yumi had going right now and she'd try it until something else came up. Making rare use of the after-image technique she darted at the monster and threw a kick, managing to strike it but not deal any real damage. Wanting to keep on the offensive Yumi halted in mid-air and was about to strike again when Viral was lifted up, eyes widening seeing what was about to happen.

"Viral!" Reaching out towards her friend she watched in shock as he was thrown over the side of the dam, racing over and trying to grab him, finding only air between her fingers as she missed. Helpless as he rocketed towards the water Yumi watched in horror, lowering herself down to the dam itself and peering over it in shock. That fall wouldn't kill him, it couldn't. He had to be okay, he was strong enough to survive that. Trembling at the sight as he hit the water she turned around to face the creature, her eyes burrowing into it as her pupils turned to slits. Letting out a snarl she stretched out her hands, her canines growing larger as she hunched over. "I'll kill you for that! I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!" The ground at her feet cracked and caved in, her energy spiking as she began to go rampant. Letting out a shout the water seemed to almost part at the sound itself, waves crashing to the sides as the sound raced towards the creature. As soon as the sound hit it she was upon the beast, slashing down with her claws to try and tear it apart. She'd send it to the same demise it had sent Viral, she'd send it careening over the edge and chase it down, she'd kill it!

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Just what was this thing? It seemed sentient despite being some form of liquid, and he swore it was speaking. This was vastly different than other creatures encountered, was it evolving? They would have to share this with the rebels later, this had to be known. Damn it all that he was incapable of fighting right now however being bound like this, the material was surprisingly strong and it felt as though it was sapping his strength by the second. Watching as Yumi threw herself over to protect him he tried shouting at her to leave it be, not wanting her to be harmed for his sake. Furious, Aito managed to adjust his hand just enough to reach into his pocket, finding a vial of the solution he'd use to purify the lake. Just one vial, would it be enough? Struggling to turn it over in his hand he managed to do so, and with a few attempts he pushed off the cap, feeling the liquid drain out and trickle down his leg. For a moment nothing happened, yet a second later and the liquid began to quiver. With a hissing sound steam began to pour off of it as its grip loosened and soon it collapsed, dropping the doctor to the ground gasping for breath. He was free now, this was good, but he felt utterly exhausted. He couldn't fight even now, it was still up to those two.

"Just try it, you freak," Yumi retorted, getting ready for an impending attack. It never came as Viral threw himself into the fray, smashing the creature against the wall and causing it to fall apart. Wait... So they could strike it? Maybe she was right! Watching as it began to form again she glanced briefly to Aito, noting he was free but looking rather in a sorry state, he wasn't going to be fighting then. Now that Aito was safe for the moment they could focus on fighting this thing, and just as well. Viral was now in danger of being smothered and they may not be able to break him free, she had to do something quickly. "We don't need energy you freak!" Yumi shouted as she took off again, not bothering with Ki as she tried to make use of after-images for a change, circling around the creature fast enough that when she kicked it would appear as though four of her were doing so, just trying to keep the creature from attacking her friend.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

There had to be some way to deal with this monster and Yumi was sure she was on it. No way could it avoid them and attack them at the same time, that had to be its flaw! Confident as she was it was a little disheartening to hear Viral so skeptical of it, or rather not at all on the same page as her. "If I stay on it though then its going to have to keep avoiding me, and that's the opening you need for it," she said with certainty, looking up at the creature before nodding to Viral, "I'm fast enough, let me handle it. Work on charging your attacks and I'll do the rest." Getting back to her feet she hopped on her heels, watching the monster to see what it would do next. When it vanished beneath the ground she could only guess what it was after, gritting her teeth and taking off again after it.

"Oh no you don't!" She could almost smell the thing even as it shifted beneath the surface, able to track it decently well as it went after Aito again. Managing to reach him as it was emerging she used Ki and threw a blast down at the outstretched limb, not harming it but at least managing to hold the attack off. Hovering just before Aito, Yumi growled threateningly as she gathered Ki in both hands, throwing two blasts down at the ground and creating a cloud as she turned back to the goo constricting him again. "Hang on Aito! I'll get you out of there!" Struggling again to pull at the goo she finally managed to grab a handful of it, yet just as she was tearing it off a limb smashed into her side, winding Yumi as she was smashed through the fence, groaning in pain once she finally came to a stop. Grabbing her side gingerly as she felt the bruise from the hit she got back to her feet, firing a few small blasts at the creature. "Stay away from him!"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

>:3

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

... Hah!

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

*slaps*

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

She and Viral could beat this, they had to beat it. They'd bring down whatever this monster was and save both Aito and the city from the abomination. Refusing to even consider otherwise she took off again, speeding at the creature and throwing a high velocity kick to try and knock it down in Viral's direction. It might well have worked too had it not suddenly turned to gas and causing Yumi to comically spin around in air, forcing herself to halt as she ended up a ways off. Gritting her teeth she darted away when a swipe was made at her, going down towards the water in the process. Knowing Ki had no effect she wasn't too certain how to proceed, figuring physical attacks now would only phase through as well. What else did she have? She didn't have any abilities like Viral, how could she hope to fight?

Neither of them had any real plan if Viral's thrashing was any sign. Watching her friend in surprise Yumi winced inwardly when he took a blow to the jaw, too far to help as he was grabbed and slammed back into the ground. This thing wasn't able to be struck and was all over the place, just how did you fight an enemy like that? Then again... Maybe she did have an idea. Simply to keep the creature back she fired a handful of Ki blasts and darted down where Viral was left lying, grabbing him under the arms and dashing away a little to give them some space. It might be a long shot, but she may have already figured out how to fight this beast.

"Viral? Listen, I might have an idea..." Yumi explained as she set him down, knowing that single attack alone wasn't going to put him out of the fight, "It dodged me by turning to mist, right? But it can't attack while its mist, its got to be physical to do that. So... We just need a window!" That had to be it! The creature had turned back just in time to strike Viral down, surely it couldn't do both at once. "I'll attack it and make it have to avoid me, then you can hit it when it changes back!" At the very least it might be too distracted to keep Aito pinned and he could escape, having another person in the fight wouldn't exactly hurt.