Lord of Evil

Fire Emblem: Lost Song

"Oh come on now..." Garret grumbled to himself.
He watched from his hiding place as chaos spread through the camp. This would almost certainly spelled trouble for the expedition. He could respect their timing - when dawn broke and the caravan was ready to move out. A large caravan was more alert for nightly threats since that was their most vulnerable point. A few days in and ready to go, most people would let their guard down. Still, it was a little strange. He couldn't imagine that the caravan would have much in the way of valuables, so he didn't really understand why they were attacking this camp in particular. Harried refugees were an easy mark, certainly, but surely there were easier targets. Nevertheless, while such reasoning may be beyond society's dregs, experience taught him that they wouldn't attack the camp if they didn't think they could take it. And that meant that they at least had enough fighting men to match the caravan guards and then some, which would most definitely be troublesome to deal with.

Soon enough, he could hear hurried beast-like footsteps as a laguz came running towards his hiding place. Garret silently unsheathed his knife, ready to fight. The wolf laguz kept running, past his hiding spot, and Garret peeked out to see what had drawn the bandit's attention. It looked as if they had cornered some poor sad sack behind some tents, sword at the ready to do who knew what. Almost without thinking Garret took aim, drew his arm back and threw his blade. The wolf laguz fell forward, Garret's dagger jutting out from the nape of his neck.
"Have some standards, why don't you?" He mutters to the dead laguz.
Ignoring the erstwhile victim's words of gratitude Garret crouched down and took his knife. He flipped the body to face upwards and examined it, looking for some markings indicating his alignment. He knew most of the major bandit groups operating in the area but for the ones that could complete an operation of this size he wasn't entirely sure. He knew even less about laguz banditry as they were especially hostile to Beorc like him. Not that he could blame them. At any rate, he couldn't pin down the laguz's identity nor their organisation so he decided to leave them be. But they were definitely laguz, so he'd have to make the proper preparations.

Garret looked up and saw that the victim had run away. A good thing, because what he was about to do could be somewhat embarrassing. Garret dropped to the ground and rolled in the dirt for a bit, before getting up and brushing the dirt out of his eyes. He knew wolves had a keen sense of smell and he was pretty sure wolf Laguz were similar. The smell of dirt would hopefully mask his scent to some degree, which would be conducive to his game plan. Crouching low, Garret began creeping around the tents. There were bound to be a fair few bandits, probably a significant number than there were guards, so it was his time to shine. This was a good chance to have the caravan owe him something and he wasn't going to let that slide.

Garret moved like a ghost, ignoring fights that went well and lending a helping blade to losing ones, all the while looking for the bandit leader. It was likely that things would get worse for the expedition as things went on so he needed to end this fast. If he didn't then it would be more difficult for the group to survive the trip.

The Gleeful Eclipse

@Paradoxial By the way, do you want to do something with the NPCs right now or are we free to go for round 2?

The Gleeful Eclipse

Julius slowly looked around the circle of hooded bodies. There were 8 people inside the circle of varying appearances, many looking rather normal (as normal as could be in a place like this) whereas others were very clearly physically warped. Well, he was sure that, if he looked for long enough, he would see how twisted the others truly were, but there was no time for that. This was a battle and only half of the group would leave the circle.

As the possibly chosen geared up to fight Julius stood where he was and tried to decide on a target. It would be safe to assume that his quota was one target, if only 4 of them could come out alive, and it would also be logical to assume the other candidates knew that, so, ignoring those not sound of mind, that would mean the other chosen would fight only one person as well. Although he supposed that he would need to watch out for attacks from other chosen with wide areas of effect. At any rate, since his stamina wasn't good, he didn't have much choice but to either put down one target or have someone take two. And he wasn't going to let go of this opportunity to closely study chosen in action, even if some were fake chosen.

To that end Julius went over the targets in his head. The fiery figure was out from the get-go, it was simply a bad match up for him. His methods of attacking from a distance would be more or less completely nullified. Julius could weather the flames to get close to the target, which would be good for him since physically they were probably quite close. But then he would be at a distinct disadvantage of having taken damage, and while he was likely to win, it was a little too much to risk when there were other targets he could go for instead. This also ruled out the woman who had melted into the shadows and the man with the lance. At best Julius could go one-for-one with the woman, driving a knife into her eye if she emerged from the shadows, but it would be difficult to avoid taking a heavy wound. The man with the lances was out for that reason too, as Julius could conceivably melt down the man's blood and flesh constructs but not before he took serious damage. Still, there was a more fundamental reason Julius didn't want to take them on. Because, while this was certainly a prime opportunity to see chosen in action, he wasn't a fan of wasting his time.

Julius began walking towards his target. What he had learned from the cult, through various methods of observation, was the nature of the powers he'd gained and that of his fellow chosen. There were, broadly speaking, 3 ways a power could manifest, through the body, the mind, or the soul. The 'how' of the manifestation was what interested Julius the most but he had no doubt that studying 2 out of 3 of these ways of power would only bring more questions. As he was now, powers stemming from soul corruption were impossible to study since there was no organ in the body pertaining to it. It was rather dubious as to whether or not it existed at all, but it was apparently where his powers had manifested from. Powers stemming from the mind were similarly inscrutable, despite having an obvious physical presence. The mind was simply too complex, giving very little away when taken from the dead, and being difficult to observe whilst still in the living. He estimated it would take several lifetimes to fully study the human brain, before even considering the warped minds of the cult. It would simply take too long to study, therefore, there was only one target that interested Julius.

He stopped in front of the man-beast, directing his hollow gaze at the man's physique. It could hardly be called a man now, a twisted monstrosity of flesh and bone, barely held together with wild instincts. The beast-man took Julius's stare as a challenge and barrelled towards the frail doctor. In response the blond haired man took a scalpel from his coat. The human body was an endless enigma, but Julius wasn't interested in questions he had no hope of answering. He would get his answers in time, he'd unlock the secrets of the body, mind, and the soul, if it existed. But to do all those things he had to make it out of this alive and intact.

As the beast-man lumbered closer, Julius held up his blade towards it. It seemed so small and fragile compared to the mountain of flesh charging toward him, but it was a tool he lived by. He knew it inside out, and he knew most of all that the flesh of man could never stand against it. It was the culmination of his life so far, and it would be the tool he used to cut open his path to the future.

The Gleeful Eclipse

Julius

Name: Julius Bertino
Nickname: Doctor Death

Appearance: Taller than average, sporting a slim build mostly untouched by the rigours of the world. His hands show small signs of cuts, however; white scars long since worn out by time. His hair is long and blond and his face is aesthetically pleasing, but his eyes seem hollow, and outside observers quickly feel something is wrong with the man. Nevertheless, he is well kept and spotless at all times, a principle he picked up during his childhood.

Class: Corruption of the soul

Strengths: Intelligent and capable of making logical decisions, resistant to pain due to purposefully dulled instincts. Heartless and willing to make sacrifices if necessary. Has a steady hand and great dexterity, along with great knowledge concerning diseases and the human body.

The power he gained from his awakening manifests as the ability to manipulate corporeal diseases that effect the body. His own body acting as a host to these diseases and he can freely suppress or strengthen their intensity. Different diseases have different delivery methods and effects, which allow him to take a variety of approaches. His abilities also allow him to compound diseases into much more lethal versions, making them very difficult to cure. He himself is immune to corporeal diseases and has the cure for each disease, but some require very rare ingredients. And due to the dark origin of his powers they may sometimes have unexpected results.

Weaknesses: Julius is apathetic towards the goals of the cult, mostly concerned with furthering his own interests. Thus he can't be relied on to enact a proactive plan unless it aligns with his own goals, and won't do more than the bare minimum if pushed to do something he doesn't care about. Furthermore, while Julius doesn't feel much pain, he's physically on the side of normal humans and is thus vulnerable to attacks made to his person. Lastly he's emotionally distant and finds it difficult to understand people. He can follow their train of logic but anything past that is mostly beyond his understanding.

The before: Julius was much the same before it all happened. He never knew the circumstances surrounding his birth, he had first been found and adopted by his father one day, and they lived in a remote village. His new father was a skilled surgeon and did his work with no complaints, but he was reclusive and hid his secrets, which only brought the ire of the townsfolk. Even at an early age it was apparent Julius was different from other children, being solidly unemotional and socially unresponsive. But he had a steady hand and didn't flinch at the sight of blood, traits which his father found precious for their work. It worried him that the boy didn't show any emotion but he did as he was told, and that was about as much as the doctor could ask for. And Julius did sometimes ask his father some things, mostly related to work. The doctor took this as a good sign, the boy was taking an interest in the work he did. But as Julius grew older, the questions became more and more disturbing, until eventually Julius's father forbade him from asking such questions again.

Years went by and Julius became more and more skilled, but he never found answers to his questions. He didn't understand why he couldn't speak of them to anyone but he continued his work without complaint. Perhaps he didn't know how to complain, or perhaps he didn't care. Either way, this all changed when the cult attacked the village. It was a day like any other, they checked up on the villagers and their farm animals, and then all of a sudden the village was swallowed by flames. Julius and his father were both wounded, though julius had a more major wound. His father put him somewhere safe and went to help more villagers, and Julius never saw him again. Soon enough he got up, ignoring his wounds, and started treating other villagers, even while the cultists surrounded the survivors. Eventually the cult took everyone left alive back to their base, and that was when the torture began.

The after: At the time, Julius didn't know what to make of the situation. It was mostly him not understanding their intentions; he'd been told they wanted to bring about the end of the world, but they never told the prisoners why, or how they would do it. All he had were more questions. The cultists began splitting people up and putting them into groups, taking the group Julius was in through a metal hallway, through which echoed the screams of the tortured. His fellow prisoners shivered and cowered, but Julius felt nothing. Perhaps it was because he had gotten used to similar sounds from his times helping his father. Soon enough the group made it to their destination, and Julius was put into an iron coffin lined with spikes. It was a mind numbing torture where the subject must be at attention at all times, a feat Julius was certainly capable of. But it was certain that his stamina wouldn't hold out as long as his mind.

So Julius sat in the darkness and waited. He knew he couldn't open the coffin himself with his meager physical strength so he had no choice but to wait for his captors to let him out, if they ever did. So Julius waited, and thought about the situation. Starting from the cultists his thoughts meandered back towards the village and the work he did. Soon, however, the whispering started. It came from outside the coffin, and it seemed to be the cultists talking to him. They spoke of a sin he had not commited and promised him riches and power, anything he desired, in return for complete servitude. Julius shut them out, but he couldn't help wondering what he desired. His mind wandered back to his childhood helping his father with his work. It could be said that he'd had everything he ever wanted, and yet his mind had always been fixated on the answers he never received. What was it that he wanted, in the end? Soon enough, he found his answer.

The cultists outside saw blood pooling from the coffin and ceased their whispers, believing Julius would die soon. It was apparent, however, that something was wrong. The cultists surrounding the coffin collapsed, writhing in pain as their skin broke out with boils and rashes. When reinforcements arrived the afflicted were dead, and when they opened the coffin they found Julius none the worse for the experience, save for his old wounds opening up. Surprisingly he agreed to help the cult achieve its aims, and thus he became a herald. He spent his days studying humans the the effects of diseases on their bodies, and when the time came for him to help the cult's activities he spread diseases to remote villages by infecting a host with a disease and releasing them into the targeted area. Later on he would appear and "save" them from their plight, and the cultists would spread their word further in the village. He kept his role a secret to the outside, but some leaks were inevitable. He became known as a doctor of death, as whenever he appeared, death was close by. Those that call the moniker have no idea how close it is to the truth.

The Gleeful Eclipse

@Paradoxial I added the power stuff. I'll summarise it for you:

summary

Julius is a carrier of corporeal diseases, though he's immune to all of them. He can pick and choose diseases based on effect and delivery method and then must put it into practice, i.e using his blood to pass a blood borne disease to people. Lastly he can compound different diseases into new deadlier ones. He uses these powers to infect a host which he then strategically inserts into the targeted area to spread the disease.

The Gleeful Eclipse

I have no idea if this is ok or not, please give it a look.

Julius

Name: Julius Bertino
Nickname: Doctor Death

Appearance: Taller than average, sporting a slim build mostly untouched by the rigours of the world. His hands show small signs of cuts, however, white scars long since worn out by time. His hair is long and blond and his face is aesthetically pleasing, but his eyes seem hollow, and outside observers quickly feel something is wrong with the man. Nevertheless, he is well kept and spotless at all times, a principle he picked up during his childhood.

Class: Corruption of the soul

Strengths: Intelligent and capable of making logical decisions, resistant to pain due to purposefully dulled instincts. Heartless and willing to make sacrifices if necessary. Has a steady hand and great dexterity, along with great knowledge concerning diseases and the human body.

The power he gained from his awakening manifests as the ability to manipulate corporeal diseases that effect the body. His own body acting as a host to these diseases and he can freely suppress or strengthen their intensity. Different diseases have different delivery methods and effects, which allow him to take a variety of approaches. His abilities also allow him to compound diseases into much more lethal versions, making them very difficult to cure. He himself is immune to corporeal diseases and has the cure for each disease, but some require very rare ingredients. And due to the dark origin of his powers they may sometimes have unexpected results.

Weaknesses: Julius is apathetic towards the goals of the cult, mostly concerned with furthering his own interests. Thus he can't be relied on to enact a proactive plan unless it aligns with his own goals, and won't do more than the bare minimum if pushed to do something he doesn't care about. Furthermore, while Julius doesn't feel much pain, he's physically on the side of normal humans and is thus vulnerable to attacks made to his person. Lastly he's emotionally distant and finds it difficult to understand people. He can follow their train of logic but anything past that is mostly beyond his understanding.

The before: Julius was much the same before it all happened. He never knew the circumstances surrounding his birth, he had first been found and adopted by his father one day, and they lived in a remote village. His new father was a skilled surgeon and did his work with no complaints, but he was reclusive and hid his secrets, which only brought the ire of the townsfolk. Even at an early age it was apparent Julius was different from other children, being solidly unemotional and socially unresponsive. But he had a steady hand and didn't flinch at the sight of blood, traits which his father found precious for their work. It worried him that the boy didn't show any emotion but he did as he was told, and that was about as much as the doctor could ask for. And Julius did sometimes ask his father some things, mostly related to work. The doctor took this as a good sign, the boy was taking an interest in the work he did. But as Julius grew older, the questions became more and more disturbing, until eventually Julius's father forbade him from asking such questions again.

Years went by and Julius became more and more skilled, but he never found answers to his questions. He didn't understand why he couldn't speak of them to anyone but he continued his work without complaint. Perhaps he didn't know how to complain, or perhaps he didn't care. Either way, this all changed when the cult attacked the village. It was a day like any other, they checked up on the villagers and their farm animals, and then all of a sudden the village was swallowed by flames. Julius and his father were both wounded, though julius had a more major wound. His father put him somewhere safe and went to help more villagers, and Julius never saw him again. Soon enough he got up, ignoring his wounds, and started treating other villagers, even while the cultists surrounded the survivors. Eventually the cult took everyone left alive back to their base, and that was when the torture began.

The after: At the time, Julius didn't know what to make of the situation. It was mostly him not understanding their intentions; he'd been told they wanted to bring about the end of the world, but they never told the prisoners why, or how they would do it. All he had were more questions. The cultists began splitting people up and putting them into groups, taking the group Julius was in through a metal hallway, through which echoed the screams of the tortured. His fellow prisoners shivered and cowered, but Julius felt nothing. Perhaps it was because he had gotten used to similar sounds from his times helping his father. Soon enough the group made it to their destination, and Julius was put into an iron coffin lined with spikes. It was a mind numbing torture where the subject must be at attention at all times, a feat Julius was certainly capable of. But it was certain that his stamina wouldn't hold out as long as his mind.

So Julius sat in the darkness and waited. He knew he couldn't open the coffin himself with his meager physical strength so he had no choice but to wait for his captors to let him out, if they ever did. So Julius waited, and thought about the situation. Starting from the cultists his thoughts meandered back towards the village and the work he did. Soon, however, the whispering started. It came from outside the coffin, and it seemed to be the cultists talking to him. They spoke of a sin he had not commited and promised him riches and power, anything he desired, in return for complete servitude. Julius shut them out, but he couldn't help wondering what he desired. His mind wandered back to his childhood helping his father with his work. It could be said that he'd had everything he ever wanted, and yet his mind had always been fixated on the answers he never received. What was it that he wanted, in the end? Soon enough, he found his answer.

The cultists outside saw blood pooling from the coffin and ceased their whispers, believing Julius would die soon. It was apparent, however, that something was wrong. The cultists surrounding the coffin collapsed, writhing in pain as their skin broke out with boils and rashes. When reinforcements arrived the afflicted were dead, and when they opened the coffin they found Julius none the worse for the experience, save for his old wounds opening up. Surprisingly he agreed to help the cult achieve its aims, and thus he became a herald. He spent his days studying humans the the effects of diseases on their bodies, and when the time came for him to help the cult's activities he spread diseases to remote villages by infecting a host with a disease and releasing them into the targeted area. Later on he would appear and "save" them from their plight, and the cultists would spread their word further in the village. He kept his role a secret to the outside, but some leaks were inevitable. He became known as a doctor of death, as whenever he appeared, death was close by. Those that call the moniker have no idea how close it is to the truth.

The Gleeful Eclipse

I'll try to get my character up today but I'll be busy so I might not be able to.

The Gleeful Eclipse (18+, fantasy, evil)

Yeah I'm interested, can't say I've ever done something like this before.

Fire Emblem: Lost Song

Garret stopped at the edge of the camp and scanned the horizon. His eyes looked over the rolling sand hills and found nothing out of the ordinary, which made him wary. He had more or less completed his sweep, and found little to be suspicious of. Of course, for a man like him, that made things even more suspicious. There were people he hadn't so much as glimpsed, and there was the matter of the wyvern rider. He couldn't smell blood so they had evidently either accepted him or chased him off. If the latter was true then he had nothing to worry about, but if the former were true, he'd have to be more careful. And from the chatter he heard going from place to place, it seemed that it was the former.

As with every trip headed to the illusive desert city he'd been a part of, what he was worried the most about - or perhaps he looked forward to it - was the possibility of Daein spies hidden amongst the travellers. The wyvern rider had rung a few alarm bells for Garret because of their heavy presence in the empire's airborne forces, but he was sure that a Daein agent going undercover to find the illusive city would not so obviously put such a target on their back. Even so, there were a few possibilities. If the wyvern rider was an agent then there would definitely be more, as they would likely use such a distinct figure to draw attention away from themselves. If the wyvern rider was not an agent then the actual agents could still use that distinct figure as a distraction. After all, there were probably a good many branded and Laguz traumatized by the empire's wyvern riders, and seeing a wyvern, even if it didn't belong to the empire, close to their camp, would not give them much peace of mind. Worst came to worst they could accuse the wyvern rider of being an imperial agent and things would only get more complicated from there.

Garret sighed and muttered darkly under his breath.
"Where's a goddamn drink when you need one?"
It was shaping up to be a bothersome trip and he could use motivation, even though he knew he should be in his right mind for the journey ahead. There were certainly a lot of things that could happen but without solid evidence he could only wait and see what could happen. It was entirely possible that the journey would be a peaceful one but he doubted it. If there was one thing he understood about Daein imperials, it was their stubbornness to uphold their mission at all costs, a stubbornness Garret often saw in himself. So he would do as he always did, move furtively and quietly, drawing as little attention to himself as possible while keeping an ear out for trouble.

Garret turned away from the horizon and began walking back to his tent. This trip had the distinct possibility of having an answer to his revenge, and he wasn't planning to blow it now.

Fire Emblem: Lost Song

@Lord of Evil @Eisenhorn

Just wanted to see both of your statuses, not in any hurry for posts, but just want to make sure we still got interest in this or not.

@Denny

I'm here, if I was out I'd tell you. Don't feel like I've got a reason to post for the moment but I'm here.